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• Odd angles make for strong spin-spin coupling
• Soft X-ray method promises nanocarrier breakthroughs for smart medicine
• Innovation pioneers score world first for sustainable construction with graphene concrete
• ‘Champagne’ technology to capture carbon dioxide via the oceans
• Microscopic fossils record ancient climate conditions
• New optimization approach helps design lighter carbon fiber composite materials
• Delivering “serendipity”: Seemingly random product discovery, aided by technology
• OIST and Beyond Next Ventures tie in a new innovation hub
• Author Aleigh Qubty’s New Book ‘Lizzie the Snow Girl’ is the Sweet Story of a Young Girl and Her Grandma Who Make a Magical Friend as They Play in the Snow Together
• Author Billie Northcutt’s New Book ‘I Want to See a Whale’ is an Engaging Children’s Story About a Boy Named Zack, Who Explores and Learns About Sea Life With His Dad

Odd angles make for strong spin-spin coupling Posted: 25 May 2021 03:40 AM PDT dWeb.News Article from News Release 25-May-2021 Odd angles make for strong spin-spin coupling Rice physicists’ RAMBO reveals magnetic phenomenon useful for quantum simulation and sensing Rice University Research News IMAGE: A Rice University-led study finds a unique form of tunable and ultrastrong spin-spin interactions in orthoferrites under a strong magnetic field. The discovery has implications for quantum simulation and sensing…. view more Credit: Illustration by Motoaki Bamba/Kyoto University HOUSTON – (May 25, 2021) – Sometimes things are a little out of whack, and it turns out to be exactly what you need. That was the case when orthoferrite crystals turned up at a Rice University laboratory slightly misaligned. Those crystals inadvertently became the basis of a discovery that should resonate with researchers studying spintronics-based quantum technology. Rice physicist Junichiro Kono, alumnus Takuma Makihara and their collaborators found an orthoferrite material, in this case yttrium iron oxide, placed in a high magnetic field showed uniquely tunable, ultrastrong interactions between magnons in the crystal. Orthoferrites are iron oxide crystals with the addition of one or more rare-earth elements. Magnons are quasiparticles, ghostly constructs that represent the collective excitation of electron spin in a crystal lattice. What one has to do with the other is the basis of a study that appears in Nature Communications, where Kono and his team describe an unusual coupling between two magnons dominated by antiresonance, through which both magnons gain or lose energy simultaneously. Usually, when two oscillators resonantly couple, one gains energy at the expense of the other, conserving total energy, Kono said. But in antiresonant (or counterrotating) coupling, both oscillators can gain or lose energy at the same time through interaction with the quantum vacuum, the zero-point field predicted to exist by quantum mechanics. Think of it as an ephemeral seesaw that can be forced to bend in the middle. Makihara and co-authors Kenji Hayashida of Hokkaido University and physicist Motoaki Bamba of Kyoto University used the discovery to show via theory the likelihood of significant quantum squeezing in the ground state of the coupled magnon-magnon system. In the squeezed state, the amount of fluctuation, or noise, of a measurable quantity associated with the magnons can be suppressed, with simultaneously increased noise in another quantity, Kono said. “It’s related to the Heisenberg uncertainty principle in which a set of variables is correlated, but if you try to precisely measure one, you lose information about the other. If you squeeze one, uncertainty about the other grows. “Usually, in order to create a quantum squeezed state, one has to strongly drive the system using a laser beam. But Takuma’s system is intrinsically squeezed; that is, it can be described as an already squeezed state,” he said. “This could become a useful platform for quantum sensing applications.” Makihara said the unique state is achieved with a strong magnetic field like that used in magnetic resonance imaging. The field applies torque to the magnetic moments in atoms, in this case those of the orthoferrite. That causes them to rotate (or precess). That takes a powerful field. The Kono lab’s RAMBO — the Rice Advanced Magnet with Broadband Optics — is a unique spectrometer developed with physicist Hiroyuki Nojiri at Tohoku University that allows researchers to expose materials cooled to near absolute zero to powerful magnetic fields up to 30 tesla in combination with ultrashort laser pulses. “We were saying, ‘What can we study with RAMBO? What new physics is there in this unique regime?'” said Makihara, now a graduate student at Stanford University. “Orthoferrites have these magnons that shift up to 30 tesla and frequencies in the terahertz regime. The initial measurements weren’t that interesting. “But then we received crystals (grown by Shanghai University physicist Shixun Cao and his group) that didn’t have perfectly parallel faces,” he said. “They were kind of cut at an angle. And one day, we loaded the crystal on the magnet at such an angle that the magnetic field was not applied along the crystal axis. “We expected the magnon frequency to just shift up with the magnetic field, but when it was tilted, we saw a small gap,” Makihara said. “So, after discussing this finding with Professor Bamba, we explicitly requested crystals that were cut at different angles and measured those, and saw this huge degree of anti-crossing. That’s the signature of ultrastrong coupling.” Antiresonance always exists in light-matter and matter-matter interactions but is a minor presence compared to the dominant resonant interaction, the researchers noted. That was not the case with the orthoferrites studied by the Kono lab. Exposing the material to a high magnetic field and tilting the crystal with respect to the field pumped antiresonance that equaled and even surpassed the resonance. If additional rotating magnetic fields (for instance, from circularly polarized light) are introduced, the precessing moments strongly interact with fields that rotate with the moments (the co-rotating fields), whereas they weakly interact with fields that rotate in the opposite directions (the counterrotating fields). In quantum theory, Bamba said, these so-called counterrotating interactions lead to bizarre interactions where both the light and matter subsystems can gain or lose energy at the same time. The interactions between the magnetic moments and the counterrotating fields are considered antiresonant and normally have little effect. However, in the matter-matter coupled system studied at Rice, the antiresonant interactions could be made dominant. “The strength of the co-rotating and counterrotating interactions is usually a fixed constant in a system, and the effects of the co-rotating interactions always dominate those of the counterrotating interactions,” Kono said. “But this system is counterintuitive because there are two independent coupling strengths, and they are incredibly tunable via crystal orientation and magnetic field strength. We can create a novel situation where effects from the counterrotating terms are more dominant than from the co-rotating terms. “In light-matter systems, when the frequencies of light and matter become equal, they mix together to form a polariton,” he said. “Something similar happens in our case, but it’s between matter and matter. Two magnon modes hybridize. There is a long-standing question of what happens when the degree of hybridization becomes so high that it even exceeds the resonance energy. “In such a regime, exotic phenomena are predicted to occur due to counterrotating interactions, including a squeezed vacuum state and a phase transition into a novel state where static fields spontaneously appear,” he said. “And we found that we can achieve such conditions by tuning the magnetic field.” The new study advances the Kono team’s efforts to observe the Dicke superradiant phase transition, a phenomenon that could create a new exotic state of matter and lead to advances in quantum memory and transduction. The lab found a promising approach for realizing it in matter-matter coupling in 2018, reporting its discovery in Science. The discovery also demonstrates that orthoferrite in a magnetic field could serve as a quantum simulator, a simple and highly tunable quantum system that represents a more complex one with an intractable number of interacting particles or an experimentally inaccessible regime of parameters, Kono said. Tunable magnon-magnon coupling in orthoferrites can be used to provide insight into the nature of the ground state of an ultrastrong, coupled light-matter hybrid, he said. Kono said their findings will also prompt a search for more materials that exhibit the effect. “Rare-earth orthoferrites is a big family of materials, and we studied just one,” he said. ### Co-authors of the paper include alumni Timothy Noe and Xinwei Li and graduate student Nicolas Peraca of Rice; graduate student Xiaoxuan Ma and Professors Guohong Ma and Wei Ren of Shanghai University; Professor Zuanming Jin of the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology; Associate Professor Ikufumi Katayama and Professor Jun Takeda of Yokohama National University, Japan; and Professor Dmitri Turchinovich of Bielefeld University, Germany. Hayashida was also a visiting student at Rice. Cao and Bamba, an associate professor at Kyoto University and the Japan Science and Technology Agency, Saitama, are co-corresponding authors of the paper. Kono is the Karl F. Hasselmann Professor in Engineering and a professor of electrical and computer engineering, of physics and astronomy, and of materials science and nanoengineering. The National Science Foundation, the Army Research Office and the National Natural Science Foundation of China supported the research. Read the abstract at This news release can be found online at Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews. Related materials: Quantum shift shows itself in coupled light and matter: Rice’s RAMBO-II: A sequel better than the original: RAMBO a small but powerful magnet: Time-domain terahertz spectroscopy in high magnetic fields: Kono Lab: http://kono. rice. edu Department of Physics and Astronomy: Wiess School of Natural Sciences: Image for download: (Credit: Illustration by Motoaki Bamba/Kyoto University) Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,978 undergraduates and 3,192 graduate students, Rice’s undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction and No. 1 for quality of life by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system. (Rice University) A Rice University-led study finds a unique form of tunable and ultrastrong spin-spin interactions in orthoferrites under a strong magnetic field. The discovery has implications for quantum simulation and sensing. EurekAlert! – Nanotechnology Nanotechnology News from https://dWeb.News TECH The post Odd angles make for strong spin-spin coupling appeared first on dWeb.News Daniel Webster dWeb Internet Cowboy

Soft X-ray method promises nanocarrier breakthroughs for smart medicine Posted: 25 May 2021 03:40 AM PDT dWeb.News Article from News Release 25-May-2021 Soft X-ray method promises nanocarrier breakthroughs for smart medicine Washington State University Research News IMAGE: Special X-ray colors resonate with bonds in molecules, (methyl is pictured in this illustration). This enables scientists to selectively probe chemically distinct parts of micelle nanocarriers–in development for smart medicine… view more Credit: Washington State University PULLMAN, Wash. – Before the huge potential of tiny nanocarriers for highly targeted drug delivery and environmental clean-up can be realized, scientists first need to be able to see them. Currently researchers have to rely on attaching fluorescent dyes or heavy metals to label parts of organic nanocarrier structures for investigation, often changing them in the process. A new technique using chemically-sensitive “soft” X-rays offers a simpler, non-disruptive way of gaining insight into this nano-world. In a study published by Nature Communications , a research team demonstrates the capability of the X-ray method on a smart drug delivery nanoparticle and a polysoap nanostructure intended to capture crude oil spilled in the ocean. “We have developed a new technique to look at nanocarrier internal structure, chemistry and environmental behavior without any labeling at all – a new capability that up to now has not been possible,” said Brian Collins, a Washington State University physicist and corresponding author on the study. “Currently, you need fluorescent tags to see inside nanocarriers, but this can modify their structure and behavior, especially if they’re made out of carbon-based materials. With this new technique, we’ve been able to look inside these nanocarriers, analyze their chemical identities and concentrations – and do this all in their fully natural state, including their water environment.” Organic nanocarriers used for drug delivery are often created out of carbon-based molecules, which either love or loathe water. These so-called hydrophilic and hydrophobic molecules are bonded together and will self-assemble in water with the water-hating part hiding inside a shell of the water-loving segments. Hydrophobic drugs will also insert themselves into the structure, which is designed to open up and release the drug only in the diseased environment. For instance, nanocarrier technology has the potential to allow chemotherapy that only kills cancer cells without making the patient sick, enabling more effective doses. While nanocarriers can be created this way, researchers cannot easily see the details of their structures or even how much drug is staying inside or leaking out. The use of fluorescent labels can highlight parts of nanocarriers – even make them twinkle – but they also change the carriers in the process, sometimes significantly. Instead, the technique Collins and his colleagues have developed uses soft resonant X-rays to analyze the nanocarriers. Soft X-rays are a special type of light that lies between ultraviolet light and hard X-rays, which are the kind used by doctors to view a broken bone. These special X-rays are absorbed by almost everything, including the air, so the new technique requires a high vacuum environment. Collins’ team adapted a soft X-ray method to investigate printable, carbon-based, plastic electronics, so that it would work on these water-based organic nanocarriers – penetrating a thin slice of water to do it. Each chemical bond absorbs a different wavelength or color of soft X-rays, so for this study, researchers selected X-ray colors to illuminate different parts of a smart medicine nanocarrier through their unique bonds. “We essentially tuned the X-ray color to distinguish between the bonds already there in the molecule,” said Collins. This allowed them to evaluate how much and what type of material was in its inner core, the size and water-content in the surrounding nano-shell as well as how the nanocarrier responded to a changing environment. They also used the soft X-ray technique to investigate a polysoap nanocarrier that was developed to capture crude oil spilled in the ocean. Polysoaps can create a nanocarrier from a single molecule, maximizing their surface area for capturing hydrocarbons such as those found in an oil spill. Using the new technique, the researchers discovered that the open sponge-like structure of a polysoap can persist from high to low concentrations, which will make it more effective in real-world applications. “It’s important for researchers to be able to examine all these structures up close, so they can avoid costly trial and error,” said Collins. This technique should allow researchers to assess behavior of these structures in different environments, Collins said. For instance, for smart drug delivery, there can be different temperatures, pH levels and stimuli in the body, and researchers want to know if the nanostructures stay together until the conditions are right to apply the drug. If they can determine this early in the development process, they can be more certain the nanocarriers will work before investing in time-intensive medical studies. “We envision this new technique will enable a much faster pace and higher precision in design and development of these exciting new technologies,” Collins said. ### Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system. (Washington State University) A new technique using chemically-sensitive “soft” X-rays offers a simpler, non-disruptive way of gaining insight into nanocarriers. Currently researchers have to rely on attaching fluorescent dyes or heavy metals to label parts of organic nanocarrier structures for investigation, often changing them in the process. Researchers have demonstrated the capability of the new X-ray method on a smart drug delivery nanoparticle and a polysoap nanostructure intended to capture crude oil spilled in the ocean. EurekAlert! – Nanotechnology Nanotechnology News from https://dWeb.News TECH The post Soft X-ray method promises nanocarrier breakthroughs for smart medicine appeared first on dWeb.News Daniel Webster dWeb Internet Cowboy

Innovation pioneers score world first for sustainable construction with graphene concrete Posted: 25 May 2021 03:40 AM PDT dWeb.News Article from News Release 25-May-2021 Innovation pioneers score world first for sustainable construction with graphene concrete First commercial pour of engineered graphene concrete takes place in UK using Manchester technology University of Manchester Science Business Announcement IMAGE: Team from The University of Manchester and Nationwide Engineering laying the world’s first engineered graphene concrete in a commercial setting, just a couple of miles east of the ancient… view more Credit: The University of Manchester/Nationwide Engineering Manchester innovation pioneers score world first for sustainable construction with graphene concrete. Construction firm Nationwide Engineering will make a piece of history on Tuesday 25 May, as it completes the laying of the world’s first graphene concrete slab engineered for sustainability in a commercial setting – the new material is strengthened by around 30% compared to standard concrete and so significantly cutting material use. Just a couple of miles east of the ancient monument of Stonehenge, the new Southern Quarter gym in Amesbury’s Solstice Park – owned and run by military veterans and due to open in summer 2021 – is the venue for this innovation milestone, made possible by a joint venture between Nationwide Engineering and The University of Manchester. The innovation team have pioneered this breakthrough material in to help significantly reduce CO2 emissions in construction. The production of cement – the ‘glue’ for concrete – is one of the leading causes of global carbon dioxide emissions, producing around 8% of global CO2 emissions. The addition of tiny amounts of graphene – a 2D material made of a single layer of carbon atoms – strengthens Nationwide Engineering’s new product, Concretene, by around 30% compared to standard concrete, meaning significantly less material is needed to achieve the equivalent structural performance, reducing carbon footprint and costs. The additional strength also reduces the need for steel reinforcement, saving material and time on site and further promoting the green credentials of this building method. Nationwide Engineering estimates that an additional cost of 5% for Concretene will be offset by the reduction in material to deliver an overall saving of 10-20% over standard RC30 concrete. “We are thrilled to have developed and constructed this game-changing, graphene-enhanced concrete on a real project,” said Alex McDermott, co-founder and managing director of Nationwide Engineering. “Together with our partners at The University of Manchester’s Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre and structural engineers HBPW Consulting, we are rapidly evolving our knowledge and experience and are positioned for wider industry deployment through our construction frameworks, becoming the go-to company for graphene-enhanced concrete.” Nationwide Engineering has three existing five-year construction frameworks with Network Rail and two seven-year Government Crown commercial building frameworks. With Network Rail committing to an 11% reduction in CO2 emissions over the next four years, graphene-enhanced concrete shows significant potential to help meet this target. How does Concretene work? Liquid concrete sets into its solid form through chemical reactions known as hydration and gelation, where the water and cement in the mixture react to form a paste that dries and hardens over time. Graphene makes a difference by acting as a mechanical support and as a catalyst surface for the initial hydration reaction, leading to better bonding at microscopic scale and giving the finished product improved strength, durability and corrosion resistance. Crucially, Concretene can be used just like standard concrete, meaning no new equipment or training is needed in the batching or laying process, and cost-savings can be passed directly to the client. Dr Craig Dawson, Application Manager at the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre, explained further: “We have produced a graphene-based additive mixture that is non-disruptive at the point of use. That means we can dose our additive directly at the batching plant where the concrete is being produced as part of their existing system, so there’s no change to production or to the construction guys laying the floor. “We have been able to do this via thorough investigation – alongside our University colleagues from the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering – of the materials we are using and we can tailor this approach to use any supplier’s graphene, so we are not beholden to a single supplier,” he added. “This makes Concretene a more viable proposition as there is increased security of supply.” At Amesbury, an initial pour of 234m2 of Concretene was conducted on site on 6 May, with a further 495m2 to be laid on Tuesday 25 May to complete the concrete floor slab. The graphene used for the pour on 25 May is supplied by Versarien plc. Nationwide Engineering will manage and monitor the site during its fit-out and onward operation, effectively creating a ‘living laboratory’ at Southern Quarter to measure and evaluate the performance of the material. ### Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system. (University of Manchester) Manchester innovation pioneers score world first for sustainable construction with carbon-busting graphene concrete. Experts at The University of Manchester and partner Nationwide Engineering will make history on Tuesday 25 May, as they complete the laying of the world’s first graphene concrete slab engineered for sustainability in a commercial setting. Ironically, this building material of the future will be poured just a couple of miles from the ancient monument of Stonehenge. EurekAlert! – Nanotechnology Nanotechnology News from https://dWeb.News TECH The post Innovation pioneers score world first for sustainable construction with graphene concrete appeared first on dWeb.News Daniel Webster dWeb Internet Cowboy

‘Champagne’ technology to capture carbon dioxide via the oceans Posted: 25 May 2021 03:40 AM PDT dWeb.News Article from News Release 24-May-2021 ‘Champagne’ technology to capture carbon dioxide via the oceans University of Exeter Grant Announcement A new method of capturing carbon from seawater could help us tackle climate change. The process – similar to capturing the CO2 bubbles in a fizzy drink – makes use of natural processes and renewable energy to remove carbon from seawater, allowing that seawater to in turn take more CO2 out of the atmosphere. SeaCURE – led by the University of Exeter, in collaboration with Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Brunel University London and industrial partner tpgroup – has won a £250,000 grant for an initial study. The funding comes from the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, run by the UK government’s Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy. “The challenge with capturing carbon from the atmosphere is that CO2 makes up only around half of one percent of the air around us, so you need to push vast quantities of air through capture facilities to extract a meaningful amount of carbon,” said Dr Paul Halloran, of Exeter’s Global Systems Institute. “Our approach sidesteps this challenge by allowing the ocean’s vast surface area to do the job for us, tipping the natural process of CO2 exchange between the atmosphere and ocean in our favour.” SeaCURE technology will temporarily make seawater more acidic, which helps get the CO2 to ‘bubble out’, then delivers a concentrated CO2 stream for utilisation and storage. The CO2-depleted water is released back to the ocean, where it takes up more CO2 from the air. The SeaCURE team will initially design a pilot plant to remove at least 100 tonnes of CO2 a year. “This is about combining and scaling up proven technology and solving problems,” Dr Halloran said. “By optimising each stage of this process, we hope to develop a model that will make this commercially viable on a large scale.” The only input required by SeaCURE, apart from seawater, is electricity – and the team will use wind to power their process. Dr Tom Bell, of Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML), said: “Combining our understanding of the ocean with a scalable engineering approach fueled by renewable energy, SeaCURE has incredible potential to support the UK’s net zero carbon ambitions. “PML’s research excellence and capability enables us to inform the design of the pilot plant, and we are excited to be able to apply our expertise to address the urgent issue of excess CO2 in the atmosphere.” Dr Salman Masoudi Soltani, from Brunel University London, said: “In this project we will exploit our existing understanding of conventional amine-based absorption carbon capture processes to concentrate the low-concentration gas stream from the ‘CO2 removal’ unit. “The lower inlet gas temperature (and its variation throughout the year) is expected to impact the capture efficiency and the energy demand of the process – an aspect investigated in this project.” James Thomas, of tpgroup, said: “SeaCURE critically brings together a partnership of academic expertise with tpgroup’s pedigree in delivering carbon capture systems for maritime environments. “We hope to make a difference by ensuring that we develop both a technical solution to this global challenge, and one that delivers long-term reliability and commercial viability.” ### Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system. (University of Exeter) A new method of capturing carbon from seawater could help us tackle climate change. EurekAlert! – Oceanography More Ocean News from https://dWeb.News EARTH The post ‘Champagne’ technology to capture carbon dioxide via the oceans appeared first on dWeb.News Daniel Webster dWeb Internet Cowboy

Microscopic fossils record ancient climate conditions Posted: 25 May 2021 03:40 AM PDT dWeb.News Article from News Release 24-May-2021 Microscopic fossils record ancient climate conditions University of Utah Research News IMAGE: Transmission electron microscope images of magnetofossils with examples of cuboctahedra (top center, rounded) and elongated prisms (bottom center, square). view more Credit: Courtney Wagner/University of Utah Fifty-six million years ago, as the Earth’s climate warmed by five to eight degrees C, new land mammals evolved, tropical forests expanded, giant insects and reptiles appeared and the chemistry of the ocean changed. Through it all, bacteria in the ocean in what is now New Jersey kept a record of the changes in their environment through forming tiny magnetic particles. Now, those particles and their record are all that’s left of these microorganisms. Thanks to new research tools, that record is finally being read. In research published in the journal Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology , researchers including University of Utah doctoral student Courtney Wagner and associate professor Peter Lippert report the climate clues that can be found by analyzing the magnetic fossil particles, or magnetofossils. “We interpret the relative abundances of these different populations of magnetofossils based on shape and size, which are a function of bacteria species, to encode environmental changes that are not as apparent in other fossil data sets or geochemical proxies,” Lippert says. Using their FORC method (which stands for first-order reversal curves, a way of magnetically measuring and statistically describing the magnetic signatures in a sample of rock or sediment) they teased out three different subsets of magnetofossils from ancient coastal marine sediments. “Each of the magnetofossil populations tells us something a little different about the environment,” Wagner says. One consists of “giant needle-shaped” magnetofossils, associated with increased iron and an expansion of a gradient between oxygenated and deoxygenated seawater. Another contains “equant” magnetofossils, which may record more stable, long-term conditions in the ocean and the last contains “elongated” magnetofossils, which may indicate seasonal conditions. The results are important because they allow researchers to track the chemistry of the ocean throughout a global warming event similar to what the Earth is currently experiencing. For example, the results seem to show that the New Jersey coast rapidly declined in oxygen near the beginning of the ancient warming event and then oxygen levels fluctuated thereafter. “All this has potential implications for understanding how climate change will affect these sensitive coastal ecosystems today and in the future,” Wagner says. ### Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system. (University of Utah) Researchers report the climate clues that can be found by analyzing the magnetic fossil particles, or magnetofossils. EurekAlert! – Oceanography More Ocean News from https://dWeb.News EARTH The post Microscopic fossils record ancient climate conditions appeared first on dWeb.News Daniel Webster dWeb Internet Cowboy

New optimization approach helps design lighter carbon fiber composite materials Posted: 25 May 2021 03:40 AM PDT dWeb.News Article from News Release 24-May-2021 New optimization approach helps design lighter carbon fiber composite materials New design approach for manufacturing carbon fibers with optimized orientation and thickness achieves weight reduction in fiber reinforced plastics Tokyo University of Science Research News IMAGE: Researchers from Tokyo University of Science adopt a design approach for carbon fibers that optimizes fiber orientation and thickness to enhance the strength of fiber reinforced plastic, producing lighter plastic… view more Credit: Robert Bye on Unsplash Carbon is vital to the existence of all living organisms, since it forms the basis of all organic molecules that, in turn, form the basis of all living beings. While that alone is pretty impressive, it has recently found surprisingly novel applications in disciplines such as aerospace and civil engineering with the development of carbon fibers that are stronger, stiffer, and lighter than steel. Consequently, carbon fibers have taken over steel in high-performance products like aircrafts, racecars, and sports equipment. Carbon fibers are usually combined with other materials to form a composite. One such composite material is the carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP), which is well-known for its tensile strength, rigidity, and high strength-to-weight ratio. Owing to its high demand, researchers have carried out several studies to improve the strength of CFRPs, and most of these have focused on a particular technique called “fiber-steered design,” which optimizes fiber orientation to enhance strength. However, the fiber-steered design approach is not without its drawbacks. “Fiber-steered design only optimizes orientation and keeps the thickness of the fibers fixed, preventing full utilization of the mechanical properties of CFRP. A weight reduction approach, which allows optimization of fiber thickness as well, has been rarely considered,” explains Dr. Ryosuke Matsuzaki from Tokyo University of Science (TUS), Japan, whose research is focused on composite materials. Against this backdrop, Dr. Matsuzaki–along with his colleagues at TUS, Yuto Mori and Naoya Kumekawa–proposed a new design method for optimizing the fiber orientation and thickness simultaneously depending on the location in the composite structure, which allowed them to reduce the weight of the CFRP compared to that of a constant thickness linear lamination model without compromising its strength. Their findings can be read in a new study published in Composite Structures . Their method consisted of three steps: the preparatory, iterative, and modification processes. In the preparatory process, an initial analysis was performed using the finite element method (FEM) to determine the number of layers, enabling a qualitative weight evaluation by a linear lamination model and a fiber-steered design with a thickness variation model. The iterative process was used to determine the fiber orientation by the principal stress direction and iteratively calculate the thickness using “maximum stress theory”. Finally, the modification process was used to make modifications accounting for manufacturability by first creating a reference “base fiber bundle” in a region requiring strength improvement and then determining the final orientation and thickness by arranging the fiber bundles such that they spread on both sides of the reference bundle. The method of simultaneous optimization led to a weight reduction greater than 5% while enabling higher load transfer efficiency than that achieved with fiber orientation alone. The researchers are excited by these results and look forward to the future implementation of their method for further weight reduction of conventional CFRP parts. “Our design method goes beyond the conventional wisdom of composite design, making for lighter aircraft and automobiles, which can contribute to energy conservation and reduction of CO2 emissions,” observes Dr. Matsuzaki. ### About The Tokyo University of Science Tokyo University of Science (TUS) is a well-known and respected university, and the largest science-specialized private research university in Japan, with four campuses in central Tokyo and its suburbs and in Hokkaido. Established in 1881, the university has continually contributed to Japan’s development in science through inculcating the love for science in researchers, technicians, and educators. With a mission of “Creating science and technology for the harmonious development of nature, human beings, and society”, TUS has undertaken a wide range of research from basic to applied science. TUS has embraced a multidisciplinary approach to research and undertaken intensive study in some of today’s most vital fields. TUS is a meritocracy where the best in science is recognized and nurtured. It is the only private university in Japan that has produced a Nobel Prize winner and the only private university in Asia to produce Nobel Prize winners within the natural sciences field. Website: About Dr. Ryosuke Matsuzaki from Tokyo University of Science Ryosuke Matsuzaki is an associate professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Tokyo University of Science (TUS), Japan. He received his doctoral degree from Tokyo Institute of Technology Graduate School in 2007 and joined TUS as a junior associate professor in 2011. His research area is mechanics of materials, focusing on composite materials, smart materials and structure, and functional materials. He has published 161 papers with over 1900 citations and has co-authored 8 books. For more information, visit: Funding information This work was supported by Council for Science, Technology and Innovation (CSTI), Cross-ministerial Strategic Innovation Promotion Program (SIP), “Materials Integration” for Revolutionary Design System of Structural Materials (Funding agency: JST). Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system. (Tokyo University of Science) Carbon fibers, due to their superior strength and lightness, are popular in aerospace engineering applications. While much effort goes into improving the strength of carbon fiber composites, such as fiber-reinforced plastic, only fiber orientation optimization is considered. Now, researchers from Tokyo University of Science have adopted a new design method that optimizes both fiber thickness and orientation, achieving weight reduction in reinforced plastic and opening doors to lighter aircrafts and automobiles. EurekAlert! – Space and Planetary Science Space News from https://dWeb.News Space The post New optimization approach helps design lighter carbon fiber composite materials appeared first on dWeb.News Daniel Webster dWeb Internet Cowboy

Delivering “serendipity”: Seemingly random product discovery, aided by technology Posted: 25 May 2021 03:40 AM PDT dWeb.News Article from News Release 25-May-2021 Delivering “serendipity”: Seemingly random product discovery, aided by technology News from the Journal of Marketing American Marketing Association Research News Researchers from University of Sydney, University of Florida, and Rutgers University published a new paper in the Journal of Marketing that examines the role of serendipity in customer satisfaction and how marketers can provide it. The study, forthcoming in the Journal of Marketing , is titled “Serendipity: Chance Encounters in the Marketplace Enhance Consumer Satisfaction” and is authored by Aekyoung Kim, Felipe Affonso, Juliano Laran, and Kristina Durante. Netflix knows you are tired of choice. The streaming service recently introduced what might be the perfect hack: a shuffle button that eliminates choice and plays a randomly selected program for the consumer. Under COVID-19 restrictions, the newly homebound were happy to have so many programming options, but this faded over time. Recall a time when you heard a beloved song come across the radio or stumbled upon a favorite movie while channel surfing. These accidents become “happy” because they lead to feelings of serendipity, which our new research shows heighten enjoyment. When a product, service, or experience is positive, unexpected, and involving chance, our research team reasoned that this would generate congruent feelings. Consumers would feel that the encounter was a good surprise, make attributions to chance, and feel lucky that it happened–which we collectively call “feelings of serendipity.” Using a series of experiments, we set out to test our contention that marketers can create serendipity in the marketplace. Across multiple consumer domains (online subscription services, museums, movies, food consumption, and music), creating serendipity through positive, unexpected, chance encounters increased satisfaction, enjoyment, perceptions of meaningfulness, willingness to pay, willingness to recommend a service, and interest. For example, members of subscription box services (e.g., Birchbox, Stitchfix) enjoyed their assortment more when they received a random selection of products compared to members who made selections themselves. A similar phenomenon occurred during the researchers’ curated experiments. For instance, they measured consumer satisfaction using two platforms; one delivering movie recommendations and another delivering music recommendations. As Kim explains, “Compared to a condition where consumers chose for themselves, enjoyment increased when consumers received a movie or song delivered at random from a set of alternatives we had previously selected. Increased enjoyment occurred because the seemingly randomly delivered product was thought to be a good surprise, attributed to chance and luck. In other words, serendipity was born.” This good news suggests that marketers can capitalize on the power of serendipity to increase consumer satisfaction. To do this, marketers must go beyond surprising consumers, because serendipity is not just a pleasant surprise. To test the depths of serendipity, the research team carefully removed one or more of the “ingredients” to see if the serendipity effect would go away. First, they found that when an encounter was negative, consumers no longer felt increased enjoyment. In fact, there was a boomerang effect. A negative encounter that was unexpected and attributed to chance was perceived to be even more negative. Second, when they increased and decreased the degree of randomness, it exacerbated and attenuated serendipity. Consumers who viewed a movie trailer that was described as randomly selected from 100 possible options enjoyed it more than when it came from a menu of 10 options, which made it seem less random. Moreover, making consumers aware that a marketer was selecting the options also decreased serendipity and enjoyment, because now it was clear that someone was behind the curtain and the selection was not random. Finally, they reasoned that educating consumers about a product or service would eliminate the serendipity effect. Affonso says that “Coming to learn more about a product not only eliminates unexpectedness (a key ingredient for serendipity), but can create a sense of expertise that leads consumers to think they have the knowledge to make better choices.” In one experiment, they used a platform that recommends functional music that can enhance focus. Approximately half of the participants were provided with information on which attributes increase a song’s ability to increase people’s concentration. When consumers were educated this way, encountering music from the platform in a serendipitous way later on (via random chance) no longer enhanced enjoyment. This suggests that aficionados may not appreciate marketplace serendipity as much as the rest of us. “In today’s marketplace, which affords an abundance of choice, our research provides marketers with insights on how to build some magic into marketplace encounters,” says Laran. When attempting to enhance serendipity, companies may sometimes want to increase perceptions that an encounter is the result of chance or randomness. For example, consumers may enjoy some unexpected events more as part of vacation packages or enjoy product samples that arrive randomly without a lot of information. Companies should also eliminate marketing communications that highlight the targeting process, avoiding telling consumers that a product was especially selected for them based on what the company knows about their preferences. In such instances, an attribution to chance is replaced by attribution to being watched and targeted by the company. ### Full article and author contact information available at: About the Journal of Marketing The Journal of Marketing develops and disseminates knowledge about real-world marketing questions useful to scholars, educators, managers, policy makers, consumers, and other societal stakeholders around the world. Published by the American Marketing Association since its founding in 1936, JM has played a significant role in shaping the content and boundaries of the marketing discipline. Christine Moorman (T. Austin Finch, Sr. Professor of Business Administration at the Fuqua School of Business, Duke University) serves as the current Editor in Chief. About the American Marketing Association (AMA) As the largest chapter-based marketing association in the world, the AMA is trusted by marketing and sales professionals to help them discover what is coming next in the industry. The AMA has a community of local chapters in more than 70 cities and 350 college campuses throughout North America. The AMA is home to award-winning content, PCM® professional certification, premiere academic journals, and industry-leading training events and conferences. Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system. (American Marketing Association) Marketers can capitalize on the power of serendipity to increase consumer satisfaction. EurekAlert! – Technology, Engineering and Computer Science Technology and Engineering News from https://dweb.News TECH The post Delivering “serendipity”: Seemingly random product discovery, aided by technology appeared first on dWeb.News Daniel Webster dWeb Internet Cowboy

OIST and Beyond Next Ventures tie in a new innovation hub Posted: 25 May 2021 03:40 AM PDT dWeb.News Article from News Release 25-May-2021 OIST and Beyond Next Ventures tie in a new innovation hub Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University Science Business Announcement The Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (“OIST”) and Beyond Next Ventures (“BNV”) announced on May 25 a new partnership to invest in deep-tech startups and develop the innovation ecosystem in Okinawa. “Today is a happy day for OIST and me personally as we can announce that BNV, a venture capital firm whose core values are well aligned with ours, will invest in deep tech startups from OIST and enable entrepreneurs from anywhere in the world to come to OIST to launch their companies,” said Dr. Peter Gruss, President & CEO of OIST . “This provides the university with a sound financial basis to generate between 10-20 new companies in the next few years, and foster development in Okinawa through the creation of high-tech industry. This investment partnership is also a steppingstone for our aspiration to establish an even more ambitious fund that we hope will lay the basis for an innovation park next to the OIST campus.” The two organizations are launching the OIST-BNV Innovation Hub (“OBI-Hub”), a platform for eligible startups to gain access to financial investment and tailored business services to bring their innovations to market. Deep-tech startups from anywhere in the world can apply to the OBI-Hub to join the emerging and buoyant entrepreneurial community growing around OIST. Mr. Tsuyoshi Ito, Managing Partner & CEO of BNV , said, “We are pleased to kick off this collaboration with OIST, which is one of the most internationally outstanding education and research institutions for science and technology in Japan. With the OBI-Hub, we aim to grow globally competitive startups not only originating from Okinawa but also from around the world.” BNV brings to the partnership their financial resources and expertise in launching deep-tech startups, and OIST provides access to its network of technical and industrial experts, access to incubation facilities on the OIST campus in Okinawa, and a “soft landing” in Japan for global startups. OIST and BNV aim to deploy about ¥500M ($5M) to invest in startups through the OBI-Hub over the next 2 years. “We are excited to offer OIST’s growing startup community with the opportunity to get well financed in the very early stages of their activities,” said Mr. Gil Granot-Mayer, Acting Vice President of Technology Development & Innovation at OIST . Before joining OIST, Mr. Granot-Mayer was the CEO of Yeda, the technology commercialization arm of the Weismann Institute of Science in Israel, widely referred to as the “Start-up Nation”. “In addition to investment from BNV, eligible startups will have access to close mentoring and technical resources through OIST’s Technology Development & Innovation Center. I have seen the impact of the combination of great science, early-stage investment, and mentoring on places like Israel. Our vision with this partnership is to make the same impact in Okinawa.” Ms. Mayu Morishima, Executive Officer& Biotechnology Lead Capitalist at BNV, said, “We are excited to work with OIST to expand the global startup ecosystem by leveraging our core investment activities, as well as our six years of experience with acceleration programs and wet lab incubation. With the OBI-Hub as a foothold initiative for the OIST-BNV collaboration, we are aiming for a long-term partnership.” Startups can apply to the OBI-Hub via an online portal hosted on ### About OIST The Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) is an international graduate university which conducts outstanding education and research in science and technology, with global recognition. A truly interdisciplinary research environment with world-class facilities available for all, there are no barriers between scientific fields and scientists are encouraged to cross over and collaborate in new branches of knowledge. The Technology Development and Innovation Center (TDIC) at OIST utilizes and leverages the unique resources of the university to promote innovation, entrepreneurship, and the development of science into practical and commercial applications that have social and economic benefits locally and across the globe. About BNV Beyond Next Ventures, established in 2014, is engaged in various activities to discover outstanding research and bring that technology to practical use around the world. As a venture capital firm, BNV currently has ~USD $220 million in total under management and has invested in more than 50 startups, mainly in Japan and India. It is a certified venture capital firm for Japanese national grant programs such as NEDO (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization) and START (Program for Start-ups from Advanced Research & Technology). To accelerate its portfolio companies’ growth and create new companies while developing the startup ecosystem in Japan, BNV operates the nation’s largest seed acceleration program “BRAVE” as well as the “Innovation Leaders Program,” which enables members of large companies opportunities to work for startups as their second job. So far, it has a talent pool of more than 2,000 people specializing in technology startups. BNV also launched a wet laboratory in Tokyo Nihonbashi in 2019 to support early stage startup companies and advance their success. Through these activities, BNV is boldly taking on new challenges to create a world in which everyone can forge bravely beyond the traditional paradigm. Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system. (Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University) OIST and Beyond Next Ventures announced on May 25 a new partnership to invest in deep-tech startups and develop the innovation ecosystem in Okinawa. EurekAlert! – Technology, Engineering and Computer Science Technology and Engineering News from https://dweb.News TECH The post OIST and Beyond Next Ventures tie in a new innovation hub appeared first on dWeb.News Daniel Webster dWeb Internet Cowboy

Author Aleigh Qubty’s New Book ‘Lizzie the Snow Girl’ is the Sweet Story of a Young Girl and Her Grandma Who Make a Magical Friend as They Play in the Snow Together Posted: 25 May 2021 03:39 AM PDT dWeb.News Article from Recent release “Lizzie the Snow Girl” from Newman Springs Publishing author Aleigh Qubty is a delightful book that explores the magic of childhood and quality time spent imagining and playing with friends and family. LINCOLN, Neb. – May 25, 2021 – (Newswire.com) Aleigh Qubty, has completed her new book “Lizzie the Snow Girl”: a happy tale that takes readers on an unforgettable outing with Layla and her grandma, while they enjoy time outdoors. Aleigh writes, “‘Lizzie the Snow Girl’ is a beautiful love story of a grandma and a granddaughter having fun in the snow. The story brings out the good times in being a child once again in building a blanket tent for our friend the snow girl. Life with a child or and with children are precious moments. Children remember the moments of love, and laughter and the time you spend with them while they are little. When they grow up as adults, they remember the precious moments and they too will share those moments with their own children,” said Qubty. Published by Newman Springs Publishing, Aleigh Qubty’s unique tale that captures the delight and whimsy of childhood is a great read for readers and listeners of all ages. Readers who wish to experience this exciting work can purchase “Lizzie the Snow Girl” at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iBooks Store, Amazon, or Barnes & Noble. For additional information or media inquiries, contact Newman Springs Publishing at 732-243-8512. About Newman Springs Publishing:  Newman Springs Publishing is a full-service publishing house for serious authors. Each title produced by Newman Springs Publishing undergoes every step of the professional publishing process, including editing, layout, cover design, circulation, distribution, and publicity. All titles are made available in both eBook and print formats. Newman Springs Publishing distributes to tens of thousands of retail outlets throughout North America and internationally. All manuscripts in any genre are welcome to be submitted for review; If the manuscript meets the necessary criteria and is accepted for publication, Newman Springs Publishing will work closely with the author to bring the book to the retail market for a relatively inexpensive initial investment. Press Release Service by Newswire.com Original Source: Author Aleigh Qubty’s New Book ‘Lizzie the Snow Girl’ is the Sweet Story of a Young Girl and Her Grandma Who Make a Magical Friend as They Play in the Snow Together arts-and-entertainment-books Latest Press Releases from Newswire.com arts-and-entertainment-books Latest Press Releases from Newswire.com More Business and Technology News at https://dWeb.News The post Author Aleigh Qubty’s New Book ‘Lizzie the Snow Girl’ is the Sweet Story of a Young Girl and Her Grandma Who Make a Magical Friend as They Play in the Snow Together appeared first on dWeb.News Daniel Webster dWeb Internet Cowboy

Author Billie Northcutt’s New Book ‘I Want to See a Whale’ is an Engaging Children’s Story About a Boy Named Zack, Who Explores and Learns About Sea Life With His Dad Posted: 25 May 2021 03:39 AM PDT dWeb.News Article from Recent release “I Want to See a Whale” from Newman Springs Publishing author Billie Northcutt is an informational children’s book about Zack, a young boy who loves sea creatures and his father, as they explore an aquarium learning tons of new information together. SAVANNAH, Ga. – May 25, 2021 – (Newswire.com) Billie Northcutt has completed her new book “I Want to See a Whale”: a charming and educational tale that is about Zack, a child who loves whales and other mysterious sea animals, who learns all about them as he explores with his father. Published by Newman Springs Publishing, Billie Northcutt’s brilliant tale tells the story of Zack who loves to explore the aquarium with his dad and learn all about sea life. Zack is a little boy who loves sea animals, and especially whales, more than anything else. When they go to an aquarium the only thing on Zack’s mind is seeing the whales! Join Zack and his father as they explore and learn all about the Pacific Ocean sea life. Children won’t even realize they are learning about sea life during the exciting, fun-to-read book. Readers who wish to experience this imaginative work can purchase “I Want to See a Whale” at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iBooksStore, Amazon, or Barnes & Noble. For additional information or media inquiries, contact Newman Springs Publishing at 732-243-8512. About Newman Springs Publishing: Newman Springs Publishing is a full-service publishing house for serious authors. Each title produced by Newman Springs Publishing undergoes every step of the professional publishing process, including editing, layout, cover design, circulation, distribution, and publicity. All titles are made available in both eBook and print formats. Newman Springs Publishing distributes to tens of thousands of retail outlets throughout North America and internationally. All manuscripts in any genre are welcome to be submitted for review; If the manuscript meets the necessary criteria and is accepted for publication, Newman Springs Publishing will work closely with the author to bring the book to the retail market for a relatively inexpensive initial investment. Press Release Service by Newswire.com Original Source: Author Billie Northcutt’s New Book ‘I Want to See a Whale’ is an Engaging Children’s Story About a Boy Named Zack, Who Explores and Learns About Sea Life With His Dad arts-and-entertainment-books Latest Press Releases from Newswire.com arts-and-entertainment-books Latest Press Releases from Newswire.com More Business and Technology News at https://dWeb.News The post Author Billie Northcutt’s New Book ‘I Want to See a Whale’ is an Engaging Children’s Story About a Boy Named Zack, Who Explores and Learns About Sea Life With His Dad appeared first on dWeb.News Daniel Webster dWeb Internet Cowboy

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