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Study Raises Questions about Longstanding Forensic Identification Technique

By Guest PostDecember 27, 2013Scienceann ross, ashley maxwell, cranial vault outline, forensic experts, forensic identification technique, north Carolina, positive id, postmortem xrays, questions, skull, state university

Forensic experts have long used the shape of a person’s skull to make positive identifications of human remains. But those findings may now be called into question, since a new study from North Carolina State University shows that there is not enough variation in skull shapes to make a positive ID.

“In a lot of cases, murder victims or the victims of disasters are from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and don’t have extensive dental records we can use to make a match,” says Dr. Ann Ross, a forensic expert and professor of anthropology at NC State who is senior author of a paper on the new study. “But those people may have been in car accidents or other incidents that led them to have their skulls X-rayed in emergency rooms or elsewhere. And those skull X-rays have often been used to make IDs. I’ve done it myself. (more…)

Researchers Develop System for Assessing How Effective Species Are at Pollinating Crops

By Guest PostDecember 25, 2013Scienceblueberry growers, david tarpy, efficiency rates, entomology, hannah burrack, north Carolina, pollination by bees, pollination efficiency, pollinator species, pumpkins, specific metrics, state university, tomatoes

From tomatoes to pumpkins, most fruit and vegetable crops rely on pollination by bees and other insect species – and the future of many of those species is uncertain. Now researchers from North Carolina State University are proposing a set of guidelines for assessing the performance of pollinator species in order to determine which species are most important and should be prioritized for protection.

“Widespread concerns over the fate of honey bees and other pollinators have led to increased efforts to understand which species are the most effective pollinators, since this has huge ramifications for the agriculture industry,” says Dr. Hannah Burrack, an associate professor of entomology at NC State and co-author of a paper on the new guidelines and related research. “However, various research efforts have taken a wide variety of approaches, making it difficult to compare results in a meaningful way. (more…)

Database Tracks Toxic Side Effects of Pharmaceuticals

By Guest PostDecember 22, 2013Environment, Healthahmed enayetallah, allan peter davis, chemical toxicity, comparative toxicogenomics database, ctd, daniela sciaky, database, environmental science, gene testing patients, hypertension, jean lay, kelley lennon hopkins, kidney failure, liver disease, north Carolina, novel prediction, pfizer, pharmaceuticals, phenotype module, prediction, project, seizures, state university, thomas wiegers, toxic endpoints, toxic side effects

Sometimes the cure can be worse than the disease. Pharmaceutical drugs are known for their potential side effects, and an important aspect of personalized medicine is to tailor therapies to individuals to reduce the chances of adverse events. Now researchers from North Carolina State University have updated an extensive toxicology database so that it can be used to track information about therapeutic drugs and their unintentional toxic effects.

“Environmental science actually shares a common goal with drug makers: to improve the prediction of chemical toxicity,” says Dr. Allan Peter Davis, lead author of a paper on the work and the biocuration project manager of the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD) in NC State’s Department of Biological Sciences. (more…)

Nanoscale Coatings Improve Stability and Efficiency of Devices for Renewable Fuel Generation

By Guest PostDecember 7, 2013Environment, Scienceaaron k vannucci, acidic, ald, atomic layer deposition, berc kalanyan, carbon dioxide, carbon neutral fuels, chemical pathway, device, efficiency, Environment, gregory parsons, hydrocarbon fuel, hydrogen, klondike bar, leila alibabaei, low ph, mark losego, molecular catalysts, molecular photoelectrochemical cell, nanoscale coatings, north Carolina, oxygen, ph, renewable fuel generation, solar water splitting, stability, state university, ultra thin layer, water oxidation, water splitting devices

Splitting water into its components, two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen, is an important first step in achieving carbon-neutral fuels to power our transportation infrastructure – including automobiles and planes.

Now, North Carolina State University researchers and colleagues from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have shown that a specialized coating technique can make certain water-splitting devices more stable and more efficient. Their results are published online in two separate papers in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (more…)

Companies that Screen Social Media Accounts Alienate Job Candidates

By Guest PostDecember 3, 2013Economy, Technologyadam meade, company, facebook account, hypothetical scenario, job applicant, job candidate, lori foster thompson, north Carolina, potential employee, privacy, professionalism, social media, state university, will stoughton

Research from North Carolina State University shows companies that screen the social media accounts of job applicants alienate potential employees – making it harder for them to attract top job candidates. In some cases, social media screening even increases the likelihood that job candidates may take legal action against the offending company.

“The recruiting and selection process is your first indication of how you’ll be treated by a prospective employer,” says Will Stoughton, a Ph.D. student at NC State and lead author of a paper describing the research. “If elite job prospects feel their privacy has been compromised, it puts the hiring company at a competitive disadvantage.” (more…)

Researchers Integrate Single-Crystal BFO onto a Silicon Chip, Open Door to Smart Devices

By Guest PostDecember 1, 2013Sciencebismuth ferrite, data, electronic functions, jay narayan, john prater, magnetic field, magnetic field strength, north Carolina, s rao, silicon chip, single crystal bfo, smart devices, state university, substrate

Researchers from North Carolina State University have for the first time integrated a material called bismuth ferrite (BFO) as a single crystal onto a silicon chip, opening the door to a new generation of multifunctional, smart devices.

BFO has both ferromagnetic and ferroelectric properties, meaning that it can be magnetized by running an electric current through the material. Potential applications for BFO include new magnetic memory devices, smart sensors and spintronics technologies. (more…)

Colossal New Predatory Dino Terrorized Early Tyrannosaurs

By Guest PostNovember 24, 2013Nature, Scienceacrocanthosaurus, carcharodontosaur, carnivorous dinosaur, cedar mountain formation, early tyrannosaurs, largest ever discovered, late cretaceous period, lindsay zanno, meeker family, neovenatoridae, new predatory dino, new species, North America, north Carolina, paleontologist, peter makovicky, siats meekerorum, skeleton, small bodied tyrannosaurs, state university, tyrannosaurus rex, utah, ute tribal legend

A new species of carnivorous dinosaur – one of the three largest ever discovered in North America – lived alongside and competed with small-bodied tyrannosaurs 98 million years ago. This newly discovered species, Siats meekerorum, (pronounced see-atch) was the apex predator of its time, and kept tyrannosaurs from assuming top predator roles for millions of years.

Named after a cannibalistic man-eating monster from Ute tribal legend, Siats is a species of carcharodontosaur, a group of giant meat-eaters that includes some of the largest predatory dinosaurs ever discovered. The only other carcharodontosaur known from North America is Acrocanthosaurus, which roamed eastern North America more than 10 million years earlier. Siats is only the second carcharodontosaur ever discovered in North America; Acrocanthosaurus, discovered in 1950, was the first. (more…)

Study Finds Natural Compound Can Be Used for 3-D Printing of Medical Implants

By Guest PostNovember 3, 2013Science3d printing, 3d printing technology, alexander nguyen, anastasia koroleva, biocompatible, chapel hill, laser zentrum hannover, medical implants, natural compound, non toxic polymers, nontoxic, north Carolina, photoreactive liquid precursors, riboflavin, roger narayan, shaun gittard, solid polymer, state university, three-dimensional, university, vitamin b2

Researchers from North Carolina State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Laser Zentrum Hannover have discovered that a naturally-occurring compound can be incorporated into three-dimensional (3-D) printing processes to create medical implants out of non-toxic polymers. The compound is riboflavin, which is better known as vitamin B2.

“This opens the door to a much wider range of biocompatible implant materials, which can be used to develop customized implant designs using 3-D printing technology,” says Dr. Roger Narayan, senior author of a paper describing the work and a professor in the joint biomedical engineering department at NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill. (more…)

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