Oscillating gel acts like artificial skin, giving robots potential ability to 'feel'

ScienceDaily (Mar. 29, 2012) ? Sooner than later, robots may have the ability to "feel." In a paper published online March 26 in Advanced Functional Materials, a team of researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) demonstrated that a nonoscillating gel can be resuscitated in a fashion similar to a medical cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

These findings pave the way for the development of a wide range of new applications that sense mechanical stimuli and respond chemically -- a natural phenomenon few materials have been able to mimic.

A team of researchers at Pitt made predictions regarding the behavior of Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) gel, a material that was first fabricated in the late 1990s and shown to pulsate in the absence of any external stimuli. In fact, under certain conditions, the gel sitting in a petri dish resembles a beating heart.

Along with her colleagues, Anna Balazs, Distinguished Professor of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering in Pitt's Swanson School of Engineering, predicted that BZ gel not previously oscillating could be re-excited by mechanical pressure. The prediction was actualized by MIT researchers, who proved that chemical oscillations can be triggered by mechanically compressing the BZ gel beyond a critical stress.

"Think of it like human skin, which can provide signals to the brain that something on the body is deformed or hurt," says Balazs. "This gel has numerous far-reaching applications, such as artificial skin that could be sensory -- a holy grail in robotics."

Balazs says the gel could serve as a small-scale pressure sensor for different vehicles or instruments to see whether they'd been bumped, providing diagnostics for the impact on surfaces. This sort of development -- and materials like BZ gel -- are things Balazs has been interested in since childhood.

"My mother would often tease me when I was young, saying I was like a mimosa plant -- shy and bashful," says Balazs. "As a result, I became fascinated with the plant and its unique hide-and-seek qualities -- the plant leaves fold inward and droop when touched or shaken, reopening just minutes later. I knew there had to be a scientific application regarding touch, which led me to studies like this in mechanical and chemical energy."

Also on Balazs's research team were Olga Kuksenok, research associate professor, and Victor Yashin, visiting research assistant professor, both in Pitt's Swanson School of Engineering. At MIT, the work was performed by Krystyn Van Vliet, Paul M. Cook Career Development Associate Professor of Material Sciences and Engineering, and graduate student Irene Chen.

Funding for this research was provided by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Army.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Pittsburgh.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. Irene Chou Chen, Olga Kuksenok, Victor V. Yashin, Anna C. Balazs, Krystyn J. Van Vliet. Mechanical Resuscitation of Chemical Oscillations in Belousov-Zhabotinsky Gels. Advanced Functional Materials, 2012; DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201103036

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

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Chicago Schools Face $700 Million Budget Gap for 2013

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Precious Metals - Gold - Silver - Coins - Bullion - IRA - 401K - Invest ...

Within the next decade, many financial experts predict that the U.S. dollar will more than likely lose all of its purchasing power. Millions of Americans that currently depend on programs such as Social Security and unemployment benefits will experience a rude awakening. These government entitlement programs are on the verge of vanishing.

Unfortunately, the wealth of many Americans will be virtually wiped out within the next few years. However, there will be a small majority of people who will become wealthy by investing in precious metals, such as gold and silver. ?Here are a few benefits of investing in gold and silver:

1. Precious metals can be easily liquefied.

Regardless of whether you have a silver or gold coin collection (or both); you can convert it into cash very quickly.

2. Silver and Gold are secure investments.

Over the past few years, stocks, bonds and other financial products have proven to be very risky investments. Unlike these investment products, gold and silver are tangible items. You can?t hold and feel the value of a company?s shares of stock.

When it comes to precious metals, you cannot create ?more? like you can with financial products because there is a fixed supply. ?A gold and silver collection has added value because the personal worth of a collection can be determined by its rarity, age, condition and the coin's metal content.

3. Precious Metals offer an assortment of ways to invest.

You can choose to collect proof coins, gold, silver or even American eagle proof coins ? it?s all up to you.

4. You don't have to be a savvy investor.

Investing in precious metals doesn't require extensive financial knowledge. All it takes is a little planning and research. Regardless of your age, investing in gold and silver is a wise investment.


For Best Results - Diversify Your Investments

Any good financial adviser will recommend diversifying your investments. For best results, you should have a mixture of gold or silver in your portfolio. When you diversify your investments, it will make your portfolio a lot stronger in the long run. Most of all, when you invest in precious metals, you're preserving your wealth and financial future.

Do you want more information or have questions about investing in gold and silver? Feel free to contact me at blakepollack@gmail.com.

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Newspaper CMS, Newspaper Website, Online Newspaper Software ...

With almost everything getting advanced day by day, our newspapers also no more lack behind. Technology has amended this mode of information with a new look and criteria. Yes, we are talking about Newspaper Website and Online Newspaper Software. Now the internet has made a striking invention to that old newspaper selling business and had made it even better. Newspaper CMS is the technology that is used to develop the most interesting and compact paper for you every day. This technology refers to the organizing, categorizing, and structuring of information resources including text, images and documents etc. All these information aspects are then stored, published, and edited in an easy and flexible manner.

In other words, with the help of newspaper CMS, the content is initially collected, managed and published in a better to understand way and then it is stored either in the form of components else whole documents. This way, end-users are allowed to provide a fresh content in the form of articles. These articles are then entered as plain text in the newspaper software and indications are made to decide that where the pictures should be placed. Then by using the Online Newspaper Templates system, the article is amended in such a way that it separates the display from the content.

Among so many advantages of Online Newspaper Software, the most common one is that it tries to give the article a consistent ?look and feel?. The Online Newspaper Software then adds the articles to a larger assortment for publishing purposes. The Newspaper CMS systems also include some sort of workflow concepts for the target users that helps in defining the way in which the fresh content is to be routed around the system.

While following the CMS system, the reporters type articles into the system, which then gets stored into the database. Other than article, the attributes, like date, keywords, timings of filing and name of the reporter also gets stored into the system. By using these attributes, then the system find out that who is capable enough to proofread the article, approve it for publication, edit it, etc. Later it is the editors who choose which articles to include or rejected in a specific edition of the newspaper. Then this edition is laid out and printed automatically.

Well if we compare different kinds of advertising modes, then Newspaper software, television software, radio software and online software are all different from each other. Talking specifically about the Newspaper business systems, these are generally referred as ad-tracking software. But then at the same time, they are much accurate then the ad-tracking systems because they keep a perfect track of the booking, pricing, sizing and billing of ads.

Another major benefit of Online Newspaper templates is that it helps in saving paper and thus our environment. As more and more people will switch on to online newspaper from the hard copy of the same, it will help saving our trees and our environment. So if you also want to contribute in either ways of ?Making it Green?, then start online newspaper today.

?

?

Source: http://techcruiser.com/blog/2012/03/30/how-online-newspaper-software-has-given-a-new-agenda-to-information-and-advertising/

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Best Buy sales, restructuring disappoint

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/best-buy-sales-disappoint-cut-stores-jobs-124428386.html

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Miracle Recovery: From Paralyzed to Helping Others

Janne Kouri was told he would never walk again. Paralyzed from the neck down after a freak accident in the ocean five years ago, Kouri's entire world was completely turned upside down. But rather than give up, Kourani pushed through with the support of his wife and family, and turned his tragedy into a life's work.

Now, five years after he was told there was no hope for recovery, the 36-year-old can stand up on his own without a walker.

On August 5, 2006, Kouri, of Hermosa Beach, Calif., was playing beach volleyball with some friends when he ran down to the ocean to cool off in between games. He dove into the waves, crashed his head into a hidden sand-bar, and was instantly paralyzed from the neck down.

"I knew something really bad had happened because I couldn't move anything," said Kouri, who was 31 at the time of the accident. "There definitely was -- a moment there where I was thinking that that could be my last breath."

Fortunately an off-duty EMT pulled him ashore and rushed him to the hospital. Kouri was alive, but a doctor delivered devastating news to his then-girlfriend, Susan.

"[The doctor] looked me right in the eye and said, 'You need to be prepared for him never to walk again,'" Susan Kouri, 36, recalled. "I will never forget that."

Cory Johnson/Kremer Johnson Photography

Before the accident, Kouri had worked as a director of an online social network and was a force of nature. At 6' 4" and 285 pounds, he was the star defensive tackle on the Georgetown University football field with NFL prospects and was called "the general" by his friends because of his take-charge attitude.

With his spinal cord fractured in two places, Kouri spent two months in intensive care, developed pneumonia and nearly died twice.

"There were many times he came to me and said, 'You know, you don't need to do this. You don't need to be here,'" Susan said. "I promised him that as long as his heart and his mind stayed the same that I would love him."

That love would change everything, giving Kouri the determination to move forward with his life. As his health returned, the reality of his paralysis was grim and treatment options were bleak.

Cutting-Edge Research Renews Couple's Hope

Finally, the couple found their ray of hope. In their research and after months of Susan traveling around the country visiting rehab centers, they discovered Dr. Susan Harkema at the Frazier Rehabilitation Institute in Louisville, Ky.

Harkema helped develop a cutting-edge therapy known as "loco-motor training," which teaches the spinal cord how to control motor functions like walking, through repetitive motion. The late actor Christopher Reeve was among her first test subjects to utilize the training; the therapy has now helped hundreds of spinal cord injury victims.

"Dr. Harkema was the one person that told us, 'There is hope for recovery,'" Kouri said.

The couple moved to Louisville to work with Harkema.

"The first day I got there they put me up on the treadmill and I passed out in seven seconds. Shortly after, within days after, I was able to stay up for ten, 15 minutes, and then an hour," Kouri said. "Very quickly I started to get a lot stronger. My circulation improved, blood pressure improved, muscle strength."

After two to three months of training, Kouri had his first milestone -- a little toe wiggle.

"I started wiggling one of my toes, which was an incredible moment," he said. "And I said, 'You know what? I have a chance here."

Source: http://feeds.abcnews.com/click.phdo?i=a96d04330321cdb66e4ab6837e125217

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/poverty-stricken-greek-town-hits-low-181437603.html

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Asian markets lower on global growth fears

Asian markets mostly fell on Friday on growing concerns over the global economy after an unimpressive set of US data, while weak Japanese figures and a stronger yen weighed on Tokyo.

Trade was also subdued as investors balanced their books on the last day of the quarter, which saw a rally at the start of the year subside in the final few weeks.

Tokyo lost 0.31 percent, or 31.23 points, to close at 10,083.56, Sydney finished flat, edging down 2.7 points to 4,335.2 and Seoul was also almost unchanged, nudging 0.37 points lower to 2,014.04.

Hong Kong finished 0.26 percent down, shedding 53.81 points to 20,555.58 but Shanghai closed 0.47 percent, or 10.63 points, higher at 2,262.79.

Wall Street again provided an unenthusiastic lead. New claims for unemployment benefit hit a four-year low but the rate of decline was slower than anticipated, according to analysts.

Traders also took little notice of confirmation that the world's biggest economy grew 3.0 percent in the October-December quarter.

The Dow closed 0.15 percent higher, the S&P 500 lost 0.16 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq gave up 0.31 percent.

Japan was unable to provide any perk after announcing an unexpected 1.2 percent fall in February industrial production, against forecasts for a 1.3 percent rise.

The fall comes after Tokyo said the weak economy was showing signs of picking up after industrial production in January rose by a revised 1.9 percent.

The results out of Washington and Tokyo are the latest to pour cold water on a recent spurt of optimism over the global economy that had been fuelled by rising US jobs growth and an easing of Europe's debt crisis.

"Worries about global growth have been steadily increasing with the lengthening patch of softer data," Barclays Capital said in a note.

"Financial markets are starting to price in concerns about a slowdown in China," it added, referring to a spate of figures from Beijing that show slumping exports and contracting manufacturing activity in the Asian giant.

Increased concerns have led investors back to the safe haven of the yen in the past two weeks, helping it claw back some of its recent losses.

The dollar was at 82.10 yen in Tokyo from 82.42 late Thursday in New York after earlier in the day slipping to 81.83 yen. The US unit had flirted with the 84-yen level earlier in the month after Japan announced fresh monetary easing.

The euro bought 109.50 yen, compared with 109.64 yen in New York, well down from the 111.00 yen seen last week. The euro was also at $1.3333 compared with $1.3301.

Eyes are on a meeting later Friday of eurozone finance ministers, who are preparing to hold talks on expanding the region's debt firewall.

They are expected to discuss combining the European Financial Stability Facility, used to rescue Portugal, Ireland and Greece, with the permanent European Stability Mechanism.

The move would temporarily raise the size of the rescue mechanism to 940 billion euros, seen as necessary to stem market volatility tied to the eurozone's fiscal woes.

The Hong Kong index was hit by a big sell-off in Sun Hung Kai Properties, which slumped after its tycoon co-chairmen Thomas and Raymond Kwok were arrested as part of a fraud probe.

On oil markets New York's main contract, West Texas Intermediate crude for delivery in May, gained 34 cents to $103.12 per barrel in the afternoon while Brent North Sea crude for May settlement was up 48 cents at $122.87.

Gold was at $1,663.90 an ounce at 1045 GMT, compared with $1,656.60 late Thursday.

In other markets:

-- Singapore closed up 0.55 percent, or 16.37 points, at 3,010.46.

Commodities firm Olam International gained 0.86 percent to Sg$2.36 while Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp was up 0.79 percent at Sg$8.92.

-- Taipei rose 0.77 percent, or 60.34 points, to 7,933.00.

Hon Hai Precision Industry, the parent of Apple supplier Foxconn, fell 1.29 percent to Tw$114.5 after being singled out in a report on labour conditions in China. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co rose 0.95 percent to Tw$84.9.

-- Manila rose 0.44 percent, or 22.49 points, to 5,107.73.

Alliance Global Group slipped 0.63 percent to 12.60 pesos while Philippine Long Distance Telephone gained 0.97 percent to 2,700 pesos. SM Prime Holdings rose 1.81 percent to 16.90 pesos.

-- Jakarta gained 0.40 percent, or 16.38 points, to 4,121.55.

-- Wellington gained 0.40 percent, or 14.11 points, to 3,509.55.

Telecom was down 1.02 percent at NZ$2.42, Contact added 0.86 percent to NZ$4.71 and Fletcher Building added 0.15 percent to NZ$6.75.

-- Kuala Lumpur added 0.69 percent, or 10.89 points, to 1,596.33.

Budget carrier AirAsia inched up 0.58 percent to 3.45 ringgit, while financial firm CIMB Group Holdings climbed 1.18 percent to 7.69 ringgit. Gaming giant Genting lost 2.69 percent to 10.84 ringgit.

-- Bangkok fell 0.59 percent or 7.14 points to 1,196.77.

PTT lost 1.12 percent to 354.00 baht, while Siam Cement dropped 1.93 percent to 355.00 baht.

-- Indian shares jumped 345.59 points, or 2.03 percent, to 17,404.2, snapping two straight days of losses after the government clarified a tax law for overseas investors.

The world's seventh largest steel maker Tata Steel rose 4.04 percent to 470.4 rupees while India's largest passenger car maker Maruti Suzuki rose 3.76 percent to 1,349.1.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/asian-markets-lower-global-growth-fears-112634012.html

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Miami Music Week Track Of The Week: Vote Now!

Swedish House Mafia or Arty? Knife Party or David Guetta? Vote for your favorite Miami track now!
By Akshay Bhansali


Miami Music Week
Photo: Opium Group

Miami Music Week may have come and gone, but for dance music fans, whether they were in Florida for the get-together or watching from afar, the music will live on for months to come. EDM brands, both big-name and lesser known, used the week to play their hits and showcase new music. And while fans banged their heads and enjoyed, we at MTV News were eagerly taking notes.

With names ranging from Swedish House Mafia to Arty and Knife Party to David Guetta, we humbly put it to you, the fans, to decide who to honor with the Miami Music Week's Track of the Week. With a seemingly unending list of great bangers showcased for fans in Miami, we submitted the tracks we heard most often, the ones that caused the loudest ruckus. So take your pick! Don't see your favorite anthem on the list? Let us know in the comments.

Miami Music Week: Track of the Week

Vote for your favorite banger above, and MTV will announce next week fans' pick for Miami Music Week's Track of the Week!

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1682047/miami-music-week-track-of-the-week.jhtml

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