Does theory lead experiments or do experiments lead theory? Scientists know the correct answer is that interplay between theory and experiments result in new advances. At times, experiment and technological development pave the way for theory. At other times, successful theory can contribute substantially to interpretation and analysis of the experimental data. But even more important is when theory can predict new effects and lead to new experiments and developments. This is evident in the new work at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Materials Research Science and Engineering Center published in the scientific journal Nano Letters. Three years ago, theoretical work of a research group of UNL physics and astronomy professor Evgeny Tsymbal predicted a new effect that could revolutionize the field of microelectronics by allowing faster, smaller and more energy-efficient memory devices. Recently, measurements of the electrical properties of ferroelectric materials performed at the Alexei Gruverman lab led to experimental verification of the predicted behavior. In their paper published online Aug. 21 in Nano Letters, Gruverman, an associate professor of physics and astronomy, and Tsymbal, with co-authors demonstrated a several-orders-of-magnitude change in electrical resistance upon flipping of polarization in ultra-thin ferroelectric films. Because of their ability to […]
Paralysed rats whose spinal cords had been severed from their brains were made to run again using a technique that scientists say can work for people, according to a study released Sunday. Consistent electrical stimulation and drugs enabled the rats to walk on their hind legs on a treadmill — bearing the full weight of the body — within a week of being paralysed. With the addition of physical therapy, the rodents were able after several weeks to walk and run without stumbling for up to 30 minutes, reported the study, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience. Remarkably, the animals could adjust their movements in response to stimuli despite the lack of signals to and from the brain: when the treadmill was reversed, for example, the rats walked backwards. ‘This means that the spinal network is almost capable of cognitive processing,’ explained Gregoire Courtine, a professor at Zurich University. ‘It can understand that the external world is changing, and interpret this information to modify the way it activates muscle,’ he told AFP by phone. Earlier studies had shown that nerve networks in the spinal cord can produce limited motion in the muscles independent of […]
The debate over a tax on sugary soft drinks - billed as a way to fight obesity and provide billions for health care reform - is starting to fizz over. President Obama has said it is worth considering. The chief executive of Coca-Cola calls the idea outrageous, while skeptics point to political obstacles and question how much of an impact it would really have on consumers. But a team of prominent doctors, scientists and policy makers says it could be a powerful weapon in efforts to reduce obesity, in the same way that cigarette taxes have helped curb smoking. The group, which includes the New York City health commissioner, Thomas Farley, and Joseph W. Thompson, Arkansas surgeon general, estimates that a tax of a penny an ounce on sugary beverages would raise $14.9 billion in its first year, which could be spent on health care initiatives. The tax would apply to soft drinks, energy drinks, sports beverages and many juices and iced teas - but not sugar-free diet drinks. The group’s review of research on the topic, appearing in The New England Journal of Medicine, was released on Wednesday, the same day that Senator Max Baucus, […]
The head of the FCC plans to propose new rules that would prohibit Internet service providers from interfering with the free flow of information and certain applications over their networks, an official at the agency said Saturday. The Federal Communications Commission chairman, Julius Genachowski, will announce the proposed rules in a speech Monday at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank, the official said on condition of anonymity because news of the announcement had not been formally released. The proposals would uphold a pledge Barack Obama made during the presidential campaign to support Internet neutrality - the equal treatment of Internet traffic. That would bar Internet service providers such as Verizon Communications Inc., Comcast Corp. or AT&T Inc., from slowing or blocking certain services or content flowing through their vast networks. Without strict rules ensuring Net neutrality, consumer watchdogs fear the communications companies could interfere with the transmission of content, such as TV shows delivered over the Internet, that compete with services the ISPs offer, like cable television. Internet providers have opposed regulations that would inhibit the way they control their networks, arguing they need to be able to make sure applications that consume a lot […]
The swine flu pandemic could kill millions and cause anarchy in the world’s poorest nations unless £900m can be raised from rich countries to pay for vaccines and antiviral medicines, says a UN report leaked to the Observer. The disclosure will provoke concerns that health officials will not be able to stem the growth of the worldwide H1N1 pandemic in developing countries. If the virus takes hold in the poorest nations, millions could die and the economies of fragile countries could be destroyed. Health ministers around the globe were sent the warning on Thursday in a report on the costs of averting a humanitarian disaster in the next few months. It comes as officials inside the World Health Organisation, the UN’s public health body, said they feared they would not be able to raise half that amount because of the global downturn. Gregory Hartl of WHO said the report required an urgent response from rich nations. ‘There needs to be recognition that the whole world is affected by this pandemic and the chain is only as strong as its weakest link. We have seen how H1N1 has taken hold in richer nations and in the southern hemisphere. […]
Remote Viewing the Year 2060
