October 22, 2006, 7:39 PM CT

New Standard For Semiconductor Industry

A wide range of optical electronic devices, from laser disk players to traffic lights, may be improved in the future thanks to a small piece of semiconductor, about the size of a button, coated with aluminum, gallium, and arsenic (AlGaAs).

The 1-centimeter square coating, just 3 micrometers thick, is the first standard for the chemical composition of thin-film semiconductor alloys issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Standard Reference Material (SRM) 2841 was requested by the compound semiconductor industry to help measure and control thin film composition as a basis for optimizing material and device properties. The SRM can be used to calibrate equipment for making or analyzing these materials. Buyers are expected to include companies that grow or characterize thin films or use them to make devices, as well as government and university laboratories.

AlGaAs is used as a barrier material to increase conductivity in high-speed circuits for wireless communication; semiconductor lasers for optical disk drives, bar code scanning, xerography, and laser surgery; and light-emitting diodes for remote controls, traffic lights, and medical instruments. The NIST standard is expected to increase the accuracy of chemical characterization of AlGaAs films by an order of magnitude over the current state of the art. Improved accuracy will reduce wasteful duplication of reference wafers, increase the free exchange of thin-film materials between vendors and their customers, and ultimately improve the accuracy of data on relationships between material composition and properties.........

Posted by: Ethan      Permalink         Source

October 17, 2006, 9:35 PM CT

DNA computing targets West Nile Virus

Scientists say that they have developed a DNA-based computer that could lead to faster, more accurate tests for diagnosing West Nile Virus and bird flu. Representing the first "medium-scale integrated molecular circuit," it is the most powerful computing device of its type to date, they say.

The new technology could be used in the future, perhaps in 5 to 10 years, to develop instruments that can simultaneously diagnose and treat cancer, diabetes or other diseases, as per a team of researchers at Columbia University Medical Center in New York and the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. Their study is scheduled to appear in the recent issue of the American Chemical Society's Nano Letters, a monthly peer-evaluated journal.

"This is a big step in DNA computing," says Joanne Macdonald, Ph.D., a virologist at Columbia University's Department of Medicine. Macdonald led the research team that developed MAYA-II (Molecular Array of YES and AND logic gates) ¯ a "computer" whose circuits consist of DNA instead of silicon. She likens the significance of the advance to the development of the earliest silicon chips. "The study shows that large-scale DNA computers are possible".

"These DNA computers won't compete with silicon computing in terms of speed, but their advantage is that they can be used in fluids, such as a sample of blood or in the body, and make decisions at the level of a single cell," says the researcher, whose work is funded by the National Science Foundation. Her main collaborators in this study were Milan Stojanovic, of Columbia University, and Darko Stefanovic, of the University of New Mexico.........

Posted by: Ethan      Permalink         Source

October 15, 2006, 8:56 PM CT

Software To Calculate Heart Attack Risk

Pioneering computer software is helping doctors to decide how best to treat patients admitted to hospital with suspected heart attacks.

An international consortium of researchers, led by the University of Edinburgh, has developed a programme that enables doctors to swiftly assess the severity of a patient's condition. The new 'risk calculator' is already being used in British hospitals.

Doctors using the new system take key data from patients at their bedside, and input it into the specially-devised programme. Key facts - such as a patient's age, medical history and blood pressure - are recorded by doctors, as well as information derived from on-the-spot blood samples and kidney tests.

The new patient's statistical profile is then input into a computer and matched with data derived from thousands of other coronary cases. Using the outcomes of these prior cases as a guide, the computer will not only give an accurate assessment of the new patient's conditions, but also recommend possible therapy. Significantly, it will be able to predict the likelihood the patient suffering a heart attack, and even their chances of dying in the next months.

Chest pain accounts for more than a quarter of all emergency medical admissions in the United Kingdom. Spotting high risk heart patients quickly can be difficult, but Professor Keith Fox, of the University of Edinburgh, says the new tool will help: "Identifying those with threatened heart attack from the very a number of patients with chest pain is a real clinical challenge, but critically important in guiding emergency and subsequent patient care. Higher risk patients need more intensive medical and interventional therapy".........

Posted by: Ethan      Permalink         Source

October 15, 2006, 8:20 PM CT

Internet Users May Be Taking Phishing Bait

A higher-than-expected percentage of Internet users are likely to fall victim to scam artists masquerading as trusted service providers, report scientists at the Indiana University School of Informatics.

"Designing Ethical Phishing Experiments: A study of (ROT13) rOnl query features," published online, simulated phishing tactics used to elicit online information from eBay customers. The online auction giant was selected because of its popularity among millions of users-and because it is one of the most popular targets of phishing scams.

The study, one of the first of its kind, reveals that phishers may be netting responses from as much as 14 percent of the targeted populations per attack, as opposed to 3 percent per year.

Phishers send e-mail to Internet users, spoofing legitimate and well-known enterprises such as eBay, financial institutions and even government agencies in an attempt to dupe people into surrendering private information. Users are asked to click on a link where they are taken to a site appearing to be legitimate. Once there, they are asked to correct or update personal information such as bank, credit card and Social Security accounts numbers.

Surveys by the Gartner Group report that about 3 percent of adult Americans are successfully targeted by phishing attacks each year, an amount that might be conservative given that a number of are reluctant to report they have been victimized, or may even be unaware of it. Other surveys may result in overestimates of the risks because of misunderstanding of what constitutes identity theft.........

Posted by: Ethan      Permalink         Source

October 15, 2006, 8:10 PM CT

Bistable Nanoswitch

Carbon nanotubes (CNT) have been under intense study by scientists all over the world for more than a decade and are being thought of as ideal building blocks for nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS). A type of one-dimensional structure with high-aspect ratio, carbon nanotubes have emerged as a promising material because of their many impressive mechanical, electrical and chemical properties.

Now scientists from Northwestern University have demonstrated a novel carbon nanotube-based nanoelectromechanical switch exhibiting bistability based on current tunneling. The device could help advance technological developments in memory chips and electronic sensing devices.

The research is published online by the scientific journal Small.

"We believe the unique characteristics of this nano device will likely lead to many high-impact applications in the field of nanoelectronics and nanosensors," said Horacio Espinosa, professor of mechanical engineering in the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science. Espinosa and Changhong Ke, a former graduate student of Espinosa's, co-authored the paper.

Since the invention of the integrated circuit (IC), the semiconductor industry has boomed following the famous Moore's law. However, as the characteristic dimension achievable by various photolithography techniques approaches its physical limits, scientists are searching for new materials and new device concepts to be able to continue the large-scale integration trend.........

Posted by: Ethan      Permalink         Source

October 12, 2006, 9:44 PM CT

3D Screen for Your PMP

Now there is no need to wear 3D glasses to take experience of a 3D video. Neovision Labs has developed a magical 3D screen, iFusion, for your Portable Media Player.

iFusion is an accessory which can be used with iUbi Blue PMP and when placed on it magically displays 3D content. No 3D glasses or any other software has to be installed to view the 3D pictures or Videos.

iFusion will support iUbi Blue as their first PMP and will be released by the end of this year. This device priced at a mere $50 won't even dig a hole through your pocket.........

Posted by: Ethan      Permalink         Source

October 11, 2006, 8:25 PM CT

More Powerful Computer Chips

A University of Central Florida research team has made a substantial inroad toward establishing extreme ultraviolet light (EUV) as a primary power source for manufacturing the next generation of computer chips.

The team, led by Martin Richardson, university trustee chair and UCF's Northrop Grumman professor of X-Ray optics, successfully shown for the first time an EUV light source with 30 times the power of prior recorded attempts enough to power the stepper machines used to reproduce detailed circuitry images onto computer chips.

The successful use of EUV light for this purpose marks a milestone in an industry-wide effort to create the most efficient and cost-effective power source for the next generation of chip production. Chips are now manufactured using longer-wavelength ultraviolet light sources.

The UCF breakthrough came as a result of a collaboration between Richardson and Powerlase Ltd., a company based in England. The company provided UCF with a powerful Starlase laser to combine with the specialized laser plasma source technology that the UCF team has developed. The unique technology combines the high conversion of laser light to EUV and effectively eliminates the neutral and charged particles that are linked to existing EUV plasma sources. If allowed to stream freely away from the source, those particles can harm the expensive optics used in EUV steppers.........

Posted by: Ethan      Permalink         Source

September 28, 2006, 10:11 PM CT

Internet To Be Resilient Against Terror Attack

Researchers have simulated what would happen to Internet reliability in the United States if terrorists were able to knock out various physical components of the network.

The good news is that it would be very difficult to cause major disruptions across the country, although destruction of some key parts could seriously degrade Internet quality. "When it comes to the Internet, there is strength in numbers," said Morton O'Kelly, co-author of the study and professor of geography at Ohio State University.

"There are so many interconnections within the network that it would be difficult to find enough targets, and the right targets, to do serious damage to Internet reliability nationwide".

O'Kelly conducted the study with Hyun Kim, a graduate student at Ohio State, and Changjoo Kim, assistant professor of geography at Minnesota State University. Their results were published in a recent issue of the journal Environment and Planning B.

This study continues research O'Kelly and several colleagues conducted in 2003. In that study, the researchers tested Internet reliability using the assumption that selected city network nodes were rendered completely inoperable, because of accidents or attacks. (Network nodes are places that house the equipment where Internet traffic is collected and distributed.).........

Posted by: Ethan      Permalink         Source

September 26, 2006, 7:47 PM CT

Finger Mouse By LG

Bored of working with the same old boring mouse, then how about trying a slimmer mouse version or should we say, mice! LG has introduced its new portable optical finger mouse to replace those palm-full mouse.

The sleek version features yop button that works for the left button of a regular mouse while rear part works for the right button of the regular mouse. And, the scrolling is done through the scroll wheel at the right side. Who doesn't loves slimmer and sexy bodies.....what are you thinking.....I am talking about this new sleek peripheral for your computer!!........

Posted by: Ryan      Permalink         Source

September 26, 2006, 6:58 PM CT

Featured Content For Google Earth

Google Inc. recently released Featured Content for Google Earth, a new showcase of multimedia overlays in Google Earth that connect users to information about the world around them from a variety of premium content providers.

Users can access these informative overlays by clicking on the "Featured Content" checkbox in the Google Earth sidebar. In doing so, icons for each Featured Content provider will span the globe, enabling users to click on individual locations and learn about the area's significance. The Featured Content showcase will be routinely updated to include innovative and diverse contributions from additional content providers.

"We are excited to provide users with the opportunity to learn more about the natural wonders and manmade landmarks of the world with Featured Content for Google Earth," said John Hanke, director, Google Earth and Maps. "We believe Google Earth is an excellent medium for organizing and sharing the world's geographic information and we continue to explore opportunities to bring visually compelling and informative content into Google Earth".

Initial Featured Content for Google Earth partners include:

• United Nations Environmental Program - The UNEP overlay for Google Earth includes successive time-stamped images illustrating 100 areas of extreme environmental degradation around the world. From the deforestation of the Amazon to the fallout of raging forest fires in Sub-Sahara Africa and the decline of the Aral Sea in Central Asia, this before-and-after imagery spanning the past 30 years offers users an online resource for learning about the environmental crisis zones around the world.
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Posted by: Ethan      Permalink         Source