Technology – Page 640 – Shamskm: A site to exchange knowledge and solutions

Diamond in the rough

UD researchers manipulate cubic zirconia to improve conductivity in fuel cells

Cubic zirconia has long been favored for its use in costume jewelry.

Known scientifically as yttria-stabilized zirconia, it is also a known conductor of oxygen, making it useful as an electrolyte in solid oxide fuel cells.

Researchers at the University of Delaware recently fabricated the material into very thin films on the surface of sapphire crystals using a technique called sputtering to determine whether the conductivity for oxygen could be improved, enabling solid oxide fuel cells to become a more economical and efficient electrical power source. (more…)

The Black Sea is a Goldmine of Ancient Genetic Data

New Study Reconstructs the Past Ocean ‘Paleome’

When Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) marine paleoecologist Marco Coolen was mining through vast amounts of genetic data from the Black Sea sediment record, he was amazed about the variety of past plankton species that left behind their genetic makeup (i.e., the plankton paleome). (more…)

‘Germany means protection for my life’: Nouroudeen (34)

Q: How are you?

Nouroudeen: I am fine.

Q: How long have you been living here?

Nouroudeen: I came to Germany two months before.

Q: Where do you come from?

Nouroudeen: I come from Benin. (more…)

Bring your own service: Employees want social tools at work, despite company restrictions and hesitation, reports new Microsoft survey

Global survey across 32 countries shows worker appetite for social tools is increasing, even if it means spending their own money and defying organizational policy to use the technology.

REDMOND, Wash. — May 27, 2013 — Nearly half of employees report that social tools at work help increase their productivity, but more than 30 percent of companies underestimate the value of these tools and often restrict their use, according to new Microsoft research released today.

The survey, conducted for Microsoft Corp. by research firm Ipsos among 9,908 information workers in 32 countries, also found that 39 percent of employees feel there isn’t enough collaboration in their workplaces, and 40 percent believe social tools help foster better teamwork. More surprisingly, 31 percent said they are willing to spend their own money to buy social tools. (more…)

Grocery delivery service is greener than driving to the store

At the end of a long day, it can be more convenient to order your groceries online while sitting on the living room couch instead of making a late-night run to the store. New research shows it’s also much more environmentally friendly to leave the car parked and opt for groceries delivered to your doorstep. (more…)

Ways Google Glass Would Be Great for Gaming

Many are speculating the possibilities for the new Google Glass – a wearable computer that displays a screen in front of your eye that you can control by voice command – in industries, such as medicine and education.

One industry in particular that has people excited about the possibilities for using the device is the gaming industry. The Google glass can take gaming to a completely different level in all genres of gaming.

Multiplayer system, role-playing (RPGs) and first-person shooting (FPS) games could potentially be more efficient to play and participate in. The glass right in front of your eye places you in the hub of the action, allowing players to nearly be face-to-face and eye-to-eye with the opponents in their games. What’s more, there is the potential of better accuracy when shooting, with the glass serving as your pinpoint target. (more…)

Women donate less to charity than men in some contexts

Given the chance, women are more likely than men to opt out of a request to give a charitable donation, a group of economists have found.

The issue of which gender is more generous has been debated for years. A new field experiment conducted by scholars at the University of Chicago and University of California, Berkeley shows that when it’s easy to avoid making a donation, such as not responding to a door-to-door solicitor, women are less likely than men to give. (more…)