Nanoparticles may help prevent tooth decay

                Scientists have found a way to use nano-particles to effectively break down plaque and wipe out more than 99.9% of cavity-causing bacteria within minutes, an advance that may help better prevent tooth decay. The bacteria that live in dental plaque and contribute to tooth decay often resist traditional antimicrobial treatment, as they can “hide” within a sticky bio-film matrix, a glue-like polymer scaffold.

                Researchers at University of Pennsylvania took a more sophisticated approach. Instead of applying an antimicrobial to the teeth, they took advantage of the pH-sensitive and enzyme-like properties of iron-containing nano-particles to catalyse the activity of hydrogen peroxide, a commonly used natural antiseptic.

                The activity hydrogen peroxide produced free radicals that were able to degrade the bio-film matrix and kill the bacteria within, significantly reducing plaque and preventing the tooth decay, or cavities, in an animal model. “Even using a very low concentration of hydrogen peroxide, the process was incredibly effective at disrupting the bio-film,” said Hyun Koo, from the University of Pennsylvania. “Adding nano-particles increased the efficiency of bacterial killing more than 5,000 fold,” said Koo.

                Previous research showed that iron oxide nano-particles behave similarly to a peroxidase, an enzyme found naturally that catalyses oxidative reactions, often using hydrogen peroxide.

China launches Yaogan-30 remote sensing satellite

                On 15 May 2016, China launched the Yaogan-30 remote sensing satellite. It was placed in the sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) by using the Long March 2-D rocket. The Satellite was launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Canter located in Gobi desert in Northwest China’s Gansu Province.

Key Features:

•          It will be used for scientific experiments, land survey, crop yield assessment and disaster monitoring.
•          It has high resolution optical sensors that have a resolution of between one to three meters.
•          The satellite was placed in the SSP so that it provides favorable illumination for the imaging missions.
•          It has two deployable solar arrays along with batteries. It uses the CAST-2000 platform, which has a dry mass of about one metric ton.
•          The first satellite in the Yaogan series, Yaogan-1, was launched in 2006.

Computer that roll up like paper in the offing

                Ultrathin an lightweight computers that roll up like a piece of paper may be closer to reality, thanks to highly flexible organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) developed by Korean scientists. The OLEDs have excellent efficiency and make use of graphene as a transparent electrode. OLEDs, built upon a plastic substrate, have received greater attention lately for their use in next-generation displays that can be bent or rolled while still operating.

                Researchers led by Seunghyup Yoo from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Tae-Woo Lee from Pohang University of Science and Technology in South Korea used graphene as a transparent electrode (TE) which is placed in between titanium dioxide (TiO₂) and conducting polymer layers. This is an optical design that induces a synergistic collaboration between the high-n and low-n layers to increase the effective reflectance of TEs. Under this approach, graphene-based OLED devices remain intact and operate well even after 1,000 bending cycles at a radius of curvature as small as 2.3mm.

Invisible cloak closer to reality

In a first, scientists made an object disappear by using a composite material that can enhance an object’s surface properties, an advance that may lead to practical invisibility cloaks. Researchers at Queen Mary University of London School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, presented a cloaking device that allows curved surfaces to appear flat to electromagnetic waves. The design is based on transformation optics, a concept behind the idea of the invisibility cloak.

World's first holographic flexible smartphone unveiled

On 5 May 2016, a group of researchers at the Human Media Lab at Queen’s University announced that they have developed the world’s first holographic flexible smartphone named HoloFlex. The device is capable of rendering 3D images with motion parallax and stereoscopy to multiple simultaneous users without head tracking or glasses.

Highlights:

•          The device features a 1920×1080 full high-definition Flexible Organic Light Emitting Diode touchscreen display.
•          Images are rendered into 12-pixel wide circular blocks rendering the full view of the 3D object from a particular viewpoint.
•          It produces 160×104 resolution image that allow users to inspect a 3D object by rotating the phone.
•          It is equipped with a bend sensor, which allows the user to bend the phone as a means of moving objects along the z-axis of the display.
•          It is powered by a 1.5 Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor and 2GB of memory.

4D tech offers hope for treating lung ailments

                Scientists have developed a four dimensional lung scanning technology that has the potential to transform treatment for people with lung disease. Developed at Monash University in Australia by Professor Andreas Fouras, the technology has been commercialized by his company 4Dx. Dr Rajeev Samarage , joint lead author from Monash’s Laboratory, said, “With this technology, not only will clinicians have a clearer image of what is happening in the patient’s lungs, but it is our aim to detect changes in lung function much earlier than in the past,” said Samarage. Fouras said the 4Dx pre-clinical scanner generates high-resolution images of lung-tissue motion and airflow throughout the lungs, which allows doctors to view and measure abnormal function in specific areas of the lung, before a disease progresses.

Nasa to launch a probe to study "Armageddon' asteroid

                NASA is planning to launch a probe to collect rock samples from an asteroid it fears could one day hit Earth. The asteroid, named Bennu, can be seen from Earth as it crosses the planet’s orbit every six years. Bennu, which is 500m in diameter at its equator and travels around the sun at 63,000mph, will pass between Earth and the moon in 2135. “That 2135 fly-by is going to tweak Bennu’s orbit, potentially putting it on course for the Earth later that century,” Dante Lauretta, professor of planetary science at Arizona University. “It may be destined to cause immense suffering and death,” he added. Mr. Lauretta, Nasa’s principal investigator in charge of the Osiris-Rex probe mission to Bennu, launching in September, said the probe will map the asteroid, pick up some rock samples and then head back to Earth. He said information on the asteroid’s size, mass and composition could be “vital data for future generations”. Osiris-Rex will arrive at Bennu in 2018 and will spend a year surveying the asteroid’s chemical makeup, mineralogy and geologic history. Information gathered during the observation will help scientists understand how its course is affected by absorbing and radiating sunlight as heat. The probe will then take a sample from the asteroid before heading back to Earth for 2023.