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New Model Should Expedite Development of Temperature-Stable Nano-Alloys

By Guest PostOctober 9, 2013Sciencecarl koch, elevated temperature, hasan kotan, high temperature alloys, lightweight aluminum alloys, model, mostafa saber, nano alloys, nanoscale grain, nanoscale material, north Carolina, nuclear energy applications, ron scattergood, stabilizing agent, state university, temperature stable, theoretical model

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a new theoretical model that will speed the development of new nanomaterial alloys that retain their advantageous properties at elevated temperatures.

Nanoscale materials are made up of tiny crystals, or grains, that are less than 100 nanometers in diameter. These materials are of interest to researchers, designers and manufacturers because two materials can have the same chemical composition but very different mechanical properties depending on their grain size. For example, materials with nanoscale grains can be harder and stronger than chemically identical materials with larger grains. (more…)

Scaling Up Personalized Query Results for Next Generation of Search Engines

By Guest PostOctober 2, 2013Technology8gb machine, ambient query context, frequent click pattern, haizhou fu, hyeongsik kim, jaguar speed, jaguar supercomputer, kemafor anyanwu, north Carolina, personalized search results, search engine, state university

North Carolina State University researchers have developed a way for search engines to provide users with more accurate, personalized search results. The challenge in the past has been how to scale this approach up so that it doesn’t consume massive computer resources. Now the researchers have devised a technique for implementing personalized searches that is more than 100 times more efficient than previous approaches.

At issue is how search engines handle complex or confusing queries. For example, if a user is searching for faculty members who do research on financial informatics, that user wants a list of relevant webpages from faculty, not the pages of graduate students mentioning faculty or news stories that use those terms. That’s a complex search. (more…)

New Connection between Stacked Solar Cells Can Handle Energy of 70,000 Suns

By Guest PostSeptember 25, 2013Scienceconversion efficiency, energy, gallium arsenide, geoff bradshaw, heat, jeff harmon, joshua samberg, new technique, north Carolina, photovoltaic energy, salah bedair, solar energy, stacked solar cells, state university, suns, thin film, voltage, wasted energy, zachary carlin

North Carolina State University researchers have come up with a new technique for improving the connections between stacked solar cells, which should improve the overall efficiency of solar energy devices and reduce the cost of solar energy production. The new connections can allow these cells to operate at solar concentrations of 70,000 suns worth of energy without losing much voltage as “wasted energy” or heat.

Stacked solar cells consist of several solar cells that are stacked on top of one another. Stacked cells are currently the most efficient cells on the market, converting up to 45 percent of the solar energy they absorb into electricity. (more…)

Protecting 17 Percent of Earth’s Land May Preserve 67 Percent of Its Plant Species

By Guest PostSeptember 12, 2013Natureafrica, asia, biological diversity, central america, computer algorithms, duke university, earth, ecuador, England, kew, lucas n joppa, Madagascar, microsoft research, new guinea, north Carolina, northern andes, piero visconti, plant species, protecting key regions, royal botanic gardens, spatial database, state university, stuart l pimm, the caribbean

Protecting key regions that comprise just 17 percent of Earth’s land may help preserve more than two-thirds of its plant species, according to a new study by an international team of scientists, including a biologist from North Carolina State University.

The researchers from Duke University, NC State and Microsoft Research used computer algorithms to identify the smallest set of regions worldwide that could contain the largest numbers of plant species. They published their findings in the journal Science. (more…)

Researchers Find New Way to Create ‘Gradients’ for Understanding Molecular Interactions

By Guest PostAugust 16, 2013Sciencealbena ivanisevic, amino acid, biological systems, biomolecular gradients, cell receptors, gradients, human body, indium gallium nitride, indium rich end, ingan, l arginine, lauren bain, ligands, molecular behavior, molecules, new technique, north Carolina, oxide accumulation, peptides, ph level, proteins, salah bedair, semiconductor material, state university, substrate, tania paskova

Scientists use tools called gradients to understand how molecules interact in biological systems. Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a new technique for creating biomolecular gradients that is both simpler than existing techniques and that creates additional surface characteristics that allow scientists to monitor other aspects of molecular behavior.

A gradient is a material that has a specific molecule on its surface, with the concentration of the molecule sloping from a high concentration on one end to a low concentration at the other end. The gradient is used not only to determine whether other molecules interact with the molecules on the gradient, but to determine the threshold level at which any interactions take place. (more…)

Researchers Create ‘Soft Robotic’ Devices Using Water-Based Gels

By Guest PostAugust 7, 2013Scienceaqueous environments, biomedical applications, daniel morales, etienne palleau, hydrogels are elastic, invista, michael dickey, north Carolina, orlin velev, patterns of ions, petals, polymer molecules, soft robotic devices, state university, technique, theory, three dimensions, water based gels

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a new technique for creating devices out of a water-based hydrogel material that can be patterned, folded and used to manipulate objects. The technique holds promise for use in “soft robotics” and biomedical applications.

“This work brings us one step closer to developing new soft robotics technologies that mimic biological systems and can work in aqueous environments,” says Dr. Michael Dickey, an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at NC State and co-author of a paper describing the work. (more…)

Researchers Build 3-D Structures Out of Liquid Metal

By Guest PostAugust 4, 2013Science3d structures, biomolecular engineering, collin ladd, component, droplets, gallium, indium, john muth, ju hee so, liquid metal, liquid metal alloy, michael dickey, north Carolina, polymer template, printing technology, room temperature, state university, substrate, three dimensions

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed three-dimensional (3-D) printing technology and techniques to create free-standing structures made of liquid metal at room temperature.

“It’s difficult to create structures out of liquids, because liquids want to bead up. But we’ve found that a liquid metal alloy of gallium and indium reacts to the oxygen in the air at room temperature to form a ‘skin’ that allows the liquid metal structures to retain their shapes,” says Dr. Michael Dickey, an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at NC State and co-author of a paper describing the work. (more…)

Companies Look at Wrong Things When Using Facebook to Screen Job Applicants

By Guest PostJuly 19, 2013Economy, Technologyadam meade, alcohol, badmouth, companies, corporate human resources, drug use, extroverts, Facebook, facebook behavior, facebook profile, fundamental misunderstanding, job candidates, lori foster thompson, marketing positions, north Carolina, online behavior, online indicator, screen job applicants, state university, will stoughton, wrong things

Employers are increasingly using Facebook to screen job applicants and weed out candidates they think have undesirable traits. But a new study from North Carolina State University shows that those companies may have a fundamental misunderstanding of online behavior and, as a result, may be eliminating desirable job candidates.

Researchers tested 175 study participants to measure the personality traits that companies look for in job candidates, including conscientiousness, agreeableness and extraversion. The participants were then surveyed on their Facebook behavior, allowing researchers to see which Facebook behaviors were linked to specific personality traits. (more…)

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