Futurity.org » Rice University

Will thirsty corn limit US ethanol goals?

Mike Williams-Rice — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 17:44:40 +0000

RICE (US) — If the climate continues to evolve as predicted, the United States stands little to no chance of satisfying its current biofuel goals, new research predicts.

Published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, the study says that in 40 years, a hotter planet would cut the yield of corn grown for ethanol in the US by an average of 7 percent and at the same time would increase the amount of irrigation necessary by 9 percent.

Solar cell advance for copolymer ‘bands’

Mike Williams-Rice — Thu, 30 May 2013 13:50:14 +0000

RICE / PENN STATE (US) — Scientists have created solar cells based on block copolymers, self-assembling organic materials that arrange themselves into distinct layers.

The new photovoltaic devices easily outperform other cells with polymer compounds as active elements.

Lower obesity rates for kids in traditional families

Amy Hodges-Rice — Thu, 23 May 2013 16:47:29 +0000

RICE (US) — Children living in households where the parents are married are less likely to be obese, according to new research.

“Childhood obesity is a significant public health issue in our country, with nearly one-third of all US children ages 2-17 overweight or obese,” says Rachel Kimbro, study co-author, associate professor of sociology at Rice University and director of the Kinder Institute Urban Health Program. “Despite this, very little research has been conducted to explore the impact of family structure on this epidemic.”

To let graphene boost batteries, add boron

Mike Williams-Rice — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:54:56 +0000

RICE (US) — Calculations show that a graphene/boron anode should be able to hold lots of lithium and perform at the right voltage for use in lithium-ion batteries.

The possibilities offered by graphene get clearer by the day as labs around the world grow and test the one-atom-thick form of carbon. Because it is as thin as possible, battery manufacturers hope to take advantage of graphene’s massive surface area to store lithium ions.

Counting both sides of the material, one gram would cover 2,630 square meters, or nearly half a football field. But there’s a problem: The ions don’t stick to graphene very well.

Cow blood prevents globs of nano gold

Mike Williams-Rice — Wed, 15 May 2013 20:06:40 +0000

RICE (US) — A protein from bovine blood can keep gold nanoparticles from clumping in a solution—a discovery that could lead to improved biomedical applications.

Bovine serum albumin (BSA) forms a protein “corona” around gold nanoparticles that keeps them from aggregating, particularly in high-salt environments like seawater.

Epilepsy belt alerts caregivers of kid’s seizure

David Ruth-Rice — Tue, 14 May 2013 10:37:56 +0000

RICE (US) — Engineering students have designed a belt that monitors signs of epileptic seizures and sends information via Bluetooth to a caregiver’s computer or smart phone.

The belt detects increased electrical conductance in the skin and changes in respiration rate, both signs that a seizure is under way. Though children or adults can wear the belt, the students designed it with kids in mind. They want parents to be aware of when a child is having a seizure, especially during the night.

Stem cells ‘talk’ to heart cells but don’t touch

Mike Williams-Rice — Fri, 03 May 2013 14:32:40 +0000

RICE (US) —Amniotic fluid stem cells and heart cells can pass signals without touching, but these electrical connections aren’t enough to prompt the stem cells to turn into cardiac cells.

Jeff Jacot, a bioengineer at Rice University, is designing scaffold patches that can be implanted into the hearts of infants born with congenital defects. When seeded with stem cells from the mother’s own amniotic fluid, the patches would ideally prompt the growth of healthy tissue that wouldn’t be rejected.

But to get there, researchers have to figure out how signals that are passed from cell to cell might guide stem cells to differentiate into heart tissue.

Compress silicone to make it stiffer

Mike Williams-Rice — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:27:51 +0000

RICE (US) — Silicone in the liquid crystal phase becomes 90 percent stiffer when it’s gently and repeatedly compressed.

The research could lead to new strategies for self-healing materials or biocompatible materials that mimic human tissues.

Hire this robot: It does windows

Mike Williams-Rice — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:12:20 +0000

RICE (US) — A new robot is designed to automate the process of cleaning recessed windows in buildings that present problems for more traditional washers—both human and machine.

A team of Rice University seniors—that includes Julia Bleck, Michael Liu, Erin O’Malley, and Andria Remirez based at the Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen—in collaboration with Nourelhouda Derbeli and Ali Abdmouleh, students from Tunisia, built the WashBOT as part of a multiyear robotics project.

Washing a window seems simple for a person, but it’s complicated for a robot. First, one has to get the machine in position. Then there are variables to account for: the size of the window, depth of the recess, application of the cleaning agent … and the squeegee. “That’s the most difficult part,” Remirez says.

Welcome to the USA: Do religious groups play unique role?

David Ruth-Rice — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 17:17:35 +0000

RICE (US) — Despite different motivations, religious and nonreligious organizations may have a similar effect on the ability of immigrants to acclimate to life in the US, new research suggests.

“There’s been a lot of discussion as to whether religious organizations offer some special or unique benefit to immigrant groups that will help them better adapt to American society,” says Elaine Howard Ecklund, the professor of sociology at Rice University. “We wanted to see at the organizational level whether there was any practical difference between these two groups.”