Flexcam software was designed to allow continuous monitoring of the mechanical deformation of the telescope structure at Palomar Observatory. Flexcam allows the user to watch the motion of a star with a low-cost astronomical camera, to measure the motion of the star on the image plane, and to feed...

It has been proposed that thin face sheets of wide-aperture deformable mirrors in adaptive-optics systems be made from a composite material consisting of cyanate ester filled with graphite. This composite material appears to offer an attractive alternative to low-thermal-expansion glasses that...

Air-source heat pumps typically deliver 1 1/2 to three times more heating energy to a home than the electric energy they consume. National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) researchers are working to improve the performance of air-source heat pumps even further by providing engineers with computer-based...

A toolkit facilitates quick development of Honeywell Communications Interface (HCI) and OPC-compliant servers. The kit includes a time-out indicator (TOI) feature to overcome situations wherein real-time process control systems become suspended indefinitely or for long time periods. An intermediary object between the client and...

Computational biologists at Virginia Tech have mathematically modeled the process that regulates cell division in a common bacterium. The model was developed to confirm hypotheses, provide new insights, and identify gaps in the scientists' understanding of the molecular machinery that governs replication of DNA and cell...

Using embryonic stem cells from mice, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center researchers have prompted the growth of healthy, functioning muscle cells in mice afflicted with a human model of muscular dystrophy. This is the first time transplanted embryonic stem cells have been shown to restore function to defective muscles in...

The John H. Glenn Research Center has developed a process and benchtop-scale apparatus to detect proteins associated with specific microbes in water. Possible applications include testing of blood and other bodily fluids in medical laboratories, and testing for microbial contamination of liquids. A sample can be prepared and analyzed...

An organization seeks to replace a portion of the starch currently used in its snack foods with protein. While proteins provide the same caloric load as carbohydrates, they are metabolized much more slowly. One potential difficulty is the protein's reaction to heat, which is used to bake or fry many foods. Heat can cause...

The Ebola virus causes hemorrhagic fever and during outbreaks kills 50 - 90 percent of its human victims. Due to its virulent nature, and lack of vaccines or treatments, scientists studying the agent have had to work under stringent biocontainment protocols, limiting research to a few highly specialized labs and hampering the ability...

Scientists from the Centre for Photonics and Photonic Materials in the Department of Physics at the University of Bath in England have discovered a method to cut the production cycle for hollow-core optical fibers from a week to a single day. Initial tests also show that the new optical fiber outperforms other fibers, making it a key...

Engineers and physicians at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a carbon nanopipette thousands of times thinner than a human hair that measures electric current and delivers fluids into cells. The tiny carbon-based tool can probe cells with minimal intrusion and injects fluids without damaging or inhibiting cell...

A modular direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) cartridge and stack design offers flexible assembly, efficiency improvements, and higher performance in methanol fuel cell assemblies. Conductive polymer micro DMFC plates with different flow field designs were evaluated to determine their performance efficiencies. Higher power densities...

Energy lost as heat during the production of electricity could be harnessed through silicon nanowires synthesized via a technique developed at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California at Berkeley. Scientists believe the technology could produce massive savings on fuel...

Tracking the location of resources such as hospitals, fire stations, transportation equipment, and water during an emergency situation can be life-saving. The Geographic Tool for Visualization and Collaboration (GTVC) was initially developed for military applications, and has recently been modified by the Georgia Tech Research...

Each month, NTB highlights tech briefs related to a particular area of technology in a special section known as Technology Focus. Here's an Insider look at the January focus on Sensors.

An organization seeks a rapid, inexpensive, and reliable test that can detect even small levels of acrylamide in foods. Acrylamide is a known carcinogen that appears naturally all through nature. It is also found in larger concentrations when any food is cooked and carbonized. The solution should be cost-effective to use on a...