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Jul 31, 2022

In Experiment, AI Successfully Impersonates Famous Philosopher

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

It was difficult for people to guess whether philosophical responses came from the philosopher Daniel Dennett or the language generator GPT-3.

Jul 31, 2022

Development of solid-state electrolytes for sodium-ion battery–A short review

Posted by in categories: chemistry, nuclear energy, particle physics, space, sustainability

Nowadays, the development of renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, and nuclear energy sources, has become imperative, due to the limited resource constraints of the traditional fossil fuels [1 ]. However, these renewable sources could not deliver a regular power supply as the sources are variable in time and diffuse in space. Thus, the focus has been shifted to the electrical energy storage to smooth the intermittency of the energy sources. Rechargeable battery has the ability to store chemical energy and convert it into electrical energy with high efficiency [ 2]. Lithium-ion battery (LIB), as one typical rechargeable electrochemical battery, has dominated the markets of portable electronic devices, electric vehicles, and hybrid electric vehicles in the past decades, due to its high output voltages, high energy densities, and long cycle life; even though the high cost and the shortage of lithium resources are inhibiting the application of LIB in large-scale energy storage [[3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9]].

Sodium-ion battery (SIB) is one promising alternative to LIB, with comparable performance to that of LIB, abundant sodium resources and low price of starting materials [[10], [11], [12], [13]]. As Na atom is heavier and larger than those of Li atom, the gravimetric and volumetric energy density of Na-ion battery are expected to not exceed those of the Li analogues [14]. However, energy density would not be considered as the critical issue in the field of large-scale grid support, for which the operating cost and the battery durability are the most important aspects [15,16].

Jul 31, 2022

Vanadium Is Key To Insanely Fast Charging and Long Life in Li-Ion Batteries of the Future

Posted by in categories: energy, futurism

Li-Ion battery research concentrates mainly on increasing energy density, but TyFast goes in the opposite direction. The company compromises battery capacity to offer insanely fast charging and a long life cycle.

Jul 31, 2022

Astronomers have found a VERY sneaky black hole

Posted by in category: cosmology

These black holes are not absorbing matter from a nearby star, making them incredibly hard to find.

Jul 30, 2022

New York City declares monkeypox a public health emergency

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, health

NEW YORK (AP) — Officials in New York City declared a public health emergency due to the spread of the monkeypox virus Saturday, calling the city “the epicenter” of the outbreak.

The announcement Saturday by Mayor Eric Adams and health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan said as many as 150,000 city residents could be at risk of infection. The declaration will allow officials to issue emergency orders under the city health code and amend code provisions to implement measures to help slow the spread.

In the last two days, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state disaster emergency declaration and the state health department called monkeypox an “imminent threat to public health.”

Jul 30, 2022

Wireless Power Transfer Using Harvested Radio Frequency Energy with Magnetic Resonance Coupling to Charge Mobile Device Batteries

Posted by in categories: energy, mathematics

This research paper presents the design of a wireless power transfer (WPT) circuit integrated with magnetic resonance coupling (MRC) and harvested radio frequency (RF) energy to wirelessly charge the battery of a mobile device. A capacitor (100 µF, 16 V) in the RF energy harvesting circuit stored the converted power, and the accumulated voltage stored in the capacitor was 9.46 V. The foundation of the proposed WPT prototype circuit included two coils (28 AWG)—a transmitter coil, and a receiver coil. The transmitter coil was energized by the alternating current (AC), which produced a magnetic field, which in turn induced a current in the receiver coil. The harvested RF energy (9.46 V) was converted into AC, which energized the transmitter coil and generated a magnetic field. The electronics in the receiver coil then converted the AC into direct current (DC), which became usable power to charge the battery of a mobile device. The experimental setup based on mathematical modeling and simulation displayed successful charging capabilities of MRC, with the alternate power source being the harvested RF energy. Mathematical formulae were applied to calculate the amount of power generated from the prototype circuit. LTSpice simulation software was applied to demonstrate the behavior of the different components in the circuit layout for effective WPT transfer.

Jul 30, 2022

Bentley’s First EV Will Rocket From Zero to 60 MPH in 1.5 Seconds, the CEO Says

Posted by in category: transportation

The EV could become the fastest accelerating production car of all time vehicle when it debuts.

Jul 30, 2022

How a Neurotransmitter May Be the Key in Controlling Alzheimer’s Toxicity

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, life extension, neuroscience

Summary: Study reveals how somatostatin and copper affect amyloid beta in Alzheimer’s disease pathology.

Source: KAIST

With nearly 50 million dementia patients worldwide, and Alzheimers’s disease is the most common neurodegenerative disease. Its main symptom is the impairment of general cognitive abilities, including the ability to speak or to remember.

Continue reading “How a Neurotransmitter May Be the Key in Controlling Alzheimer’s Toxicity​” »

Jul 30, 2022

What makes a great scientist

Posted by in category: futurism

“Most young scientists are eager to know how to become successful, the key qualities of a successful scientist, and the secret formula for success” — [cut to…

Jul 30, 2022

A ‘consciousness conductor’ synchronizes and connects mouse brain areas

Posted by in categories: bioengineering, genetics, mapping, neuroscience

For scientists searching for the brain’s ‘control room, an area called the claustrum has emerged as a compelling candidate. This little-studied deep brain structure is thought to be the place where multiple senses are brought together, attention is controlled, and consciousness arises. Observations in mice now support the role of the claustrum as a hub for coordinating activity across the brain. New research from the RIKEN Center for Brain Science (CBS) shows that slow-wave brain activity, a characteristic of sleep and resting states, is controlled by the claustrum. The synchronization of silent and active states across large parts of the brain by these slow waves could contribute to consciousness.

A serendipitous discovery actually led Yoshihiro Yoshihara, team leader at CBS, to investigate the claustrum. His lab normally studies the sense of smell and the detection of pheromones, but they chanced upon a genetically engineered mouse strain with a specific population of brain cells that was present only in the claustrum. These neurons could be turned on using optogenetic technology or selectively silenced through , thus enabling the study of what turned out to be a vast, claustrum-controlled network. The study by Yoshihara and colleagues was published in Nature Neuroscience on May 11.

They started out by mapping the claustrum’s inputs and outputs and found that many higher-order brain areas send connections to the claustrum, such as those involved in sensation and motor control. Outgoing connections from the claustrum were broadly distributed across the brain, reaching numerous brain areas such as prefrontal, orbital, cingulate, motor, insular, and entorhinal cortices. “The claustrum is at the center of a widespread brain network, covering areas that are involved in cognitive processing,” says co-first author Kimiya Narikiyo. “It essentially reaches all higher brain areas and all types of neurons, making it a potential orchestrator of brain-wide activity.”