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Issue no. 20, 2008 Published: Jun 20, 2008
Chip uses 30,000 times less power in sleep mode
US start-up modifies bacteria to produce oil
Nanoimprint lithography improves OLEDs
Web use at work can be constructive, study says
Invention: All-seeing garbage sorter
Adoptees use DNA to find surname
Researchers build diamonds from tequila

Chip uses 30,000 times less power in sleep mode
Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a low-power microchip which uses 30,000 times less power in sleep mode, and 10 times less in active mode, than comparable commercially available chips. The Phoenix processor draws just 30 picowatts in sleep mode, meaning that a normal watch battery would run for 263 years. Phoenix measures a modest one square millimetre, which the researchers admit is nothing special. However, the fact that its thin-film battery is the same size is a major achievement, according to the team. Usually batteries are much larger than the processors they power, drastically expanding the size and cost of the entire system. The team hope that the breakthrough will help advance the development of cutting-edge sensor-based devices such as medical implants, environment monitors and surveillance equipment.
VNUnet UK Jun 19, 2008	back to top

US start-up modifies bacteria to produce oil
A coalition of Silicon Valley investors is funding a company that modifies bacteria to produce oil. LS9 Inc has genetically modified E Coli so that when it consumes organic products like wood chips or wheat straw it excretes crude oil. Naturally occurring E Coli produces fatty acids which are similar to crude oil. The genetic modification required is relatively simple, and the new organism produces crude oil which needs minimum refining. The company claims that the final oil product, known as Oil 2.0, is actually carbon negative, since the carbon it produces is less than was extracted from the atmosphere by the growing medium.
VNUnet UK Jun 17, 2008	back to top

Nanoimprint lithography improves OLEDs
Nanomprinted low-refractive index layers could increase the light-emitting efficiency of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) by 40%. Researchers from the Tokyo Institute of Technology patterned amorphous fluoropolymers, which have low refractive indices and high light transmission over a wide range of wavelengths, as a substrate for the OLEDs. The technique could especially be useful for small or medium-sized devices. OLEDs are promising for next-generation displays and lighting because they are simple to make. Although OLEDs are better than conventional inorganic LEDs in many ways, they do suffer from a low light-emitting efficiency of about 20%. This is because most of the light is trapped in the transparent substrate and the organic layers making up the devices. Previous research aimed to extract this trapped light by using dielectric microstructures or roughening the surface. Now, the researchers have used an amorphous fluoropolymer as a substrate for OLEDs to increase their light-emitting efficiency by 40%. Moreover, since the polymer requires low curing temperatures, it is possible to apply it to organic substrates for making flexible devices that cannot endure high temperatures during processing.
NanoTechweb.org / Appl. Phys. Lett. Jun 11, 2008	back to top

Web use at work can be constructive, study says
It's no secret that people sneak in some personal e-mail and websurfing when they're supposed to be working. A new study from Ohio State University attempts to shatter perceptions that these surfers are just slackers trying to avoid work. In fact, it turns out everyone does it, from senior managers to entry-level employees - and researchers figure that means management attempts to clamp down on internet use may be missing the mark. Many legitimate reasons may be at play, the researchers speculate. For instance, people may use the web at work to help balance job and life responsibilities; with the personal matters taken care of from work, they can focus on the task at hand. Installing filters to block access to websites and e-mail services could backfire by reducing job satisfaction and thus productivity, researchers wrote. The authors say more research is needed to determine motives and measure effects on productivity. Those studies, researchers say, would then help companies figure out how best to control and accommodate personal use.
CNN / AP / CyberPsychology and Behavior Jun 18, 2008	back to top

Invention: All-seeing garbage sorter
Sorting household waste helps maximise the amount that can be recycled. But all the techniques used today involve an element of hand-sorting by humans. Parts of the process that can be automated are very specific - for example, rotating drums with holes can separate paper and film waste from containers, and electromagnets can pick out certain types of metal. Now inventors from the military research company Qinetiq say they can build a single system able to sort all waste, using a 'hyperspectral' camera able to see more than just visible light. Humans classify objects by colour by dividing up the visible electromagnetic spectrum into chunks. Hyperspectral cameras use the same approach to make 'colours' from the UV and infrared parts of the electromagnetic spectrum too. Hyperspectral cameras are mainly developed for military use. But the inventors say one such camera could discriminate all types of plastic, metal and glass. It could also determine the location and orientation of objects and direct, for example, robot pickers to grab and sort garbage.
New Scientist Jun 16, 2008	back to top

Adoptees use DNA to find surname
Male adoptees are using consumer DNA tests to predict the surnames carried by their biological fathers. They are using the fact that men who share a surname sometimes have genetic likenesses too. By searching DNA databases for other males with genetic markers matching their own, adoptees can check if these men also share a last name. This can provide the likely surname of an adoptee's biological father. The genetic similarities between men who share surnames occur on the Y chromosome, a package of genetic material passed on, more or less unchanged, from father to son - just like a last name. Because of this pattern of inheritance, men with the same surname may also share a similar complement of genetic markers on the Y chromosome. At least 30 men registered with US consumer genetic testing firm Family Tree DNA have found their 'biological surname' in this way. The company has an online database called Ysearch containing genetic information from 125,000 men, along with surnames and other genealogical data. The tests can 'read' up to 67 genetic markers on the Y chromosome.
BBC News Jun 18, 2008	back to top

Researchers build diamonds from tequila
Scientists in Mexico have found a way to make synthetic diamond from tequila. A team at the University of Nueva Leon have perfected a technique that uses the traditional Mexican spirit to produce diamond film, which is used to protect the surface of equipment operating in harsh conditions. The team heated standard 80-proof 'tequila blanco 'until it evaporated and then pumped the vapour into a special low pressure chamber. The carbon from the drink then settled on plates in the chamber in a structure that tests confirmed was synthetic diamond.
VNUnet UK Jun 20, 2008	back to top