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Tuning forks in space: a final pure "tone" may reveal interior of neutron stars

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Tuning forks in space: a final pure "tone" may reveal interior of neutron stars      FRANKFURT. Neutron stars , with a mass greater than that of the entire solar system confined within a nearly perfect sphere just a dozen kilometers in diameter, are among the most fascinating astrophysical objects known to humankind. Yet, the extreme conditions in their interiors make their composition and structure highly uncertain. The collision of two neutron stars, such as the one observed in 2017, provides a unique opportunity to uncover these mysteries . As binary neutron stars inspiral for millions of years, they emit gravitational waves, but the most intense emission occurs at and just milliseconds after the moment of merging. The post-merger remnant – a massive, rapidly rotating object formed by the collision – emits gravitational waves in a strong but narrow frequency range. This signal holds crucial information about the so-called " equation of state " of nuclear matter,...
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Fraunhofer HHI experts underscore the value of XAI in Geosciences

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Fraunhofer HHI experts underscore the value of XAI in Geosciences      AI offers unparalleled opportunities for analyzing data and solving complex and nonlinear problems in geoscience . However, as the complexity of an AI model increases, its interpretability may decrease. In safety-critical situations, such as disasters, the lack of understanding of how a model works — and the resulting lack of trust in its results — can hinder its implementation.      XAI methods address this challenge by providing insights into AI systems, identifying data- or model-related issues. For instance, XAI can detect ‘false’ correlations in training data — correlations irrelevant to the AI system’s specific task that may distort results.      “Trust is crucial to the adoption of AI. XAI acts as a magnifying lens, enabling researchers, policymakers , and security specialists to analyze data through the ‘eyes’ of the model so that dominant prediction strategies ...
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New Details About Insulin Production Deciphered

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New Details About Insulin Production Deciphered           The hormone insulin plays a central role in the metabolism of many living organisms. When food is plentiful, insulin promotes the absorption and storage of energy. In times of hunger, however, insulin secretion is reduced; the body conserves energy or searches for alternative energy sources. It is crucial for survival that this system is finely tuned. If it gets out of balance, there is a risk of diabetes and other metabolic diseases .      Humans produce insulin in their pancreas. In the fruit fly Drosophila , however, the hormone is produced by nerve cells located on the brain. These cells release the insulin directly into the haemolymph - the fluid that fulfils the functions of blood in insects. Apart from this, however, the insulin system of the fly is very similar to that of humans. Published in the Journal eLife      Scientists at Julius-Maximilians-Universität W...
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Automated Electronics Disassembly

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 Automated Electronics Disassembly      Advances in technology are steadily reducing the lifespans of electronic devices. This is resulting in steadily growing demand for finite raw materials. At the same time, e waste is continuing to pile up. Worldwide annual e-waste generation could rise to as much as 74 million metric tons by 2030. Only a small fraction of all electronic devices is recycled. Over 80 percent of the e-waste generated ends up in landfills or incinerators, including all the valuable raw materials, precious metals, and rare earths contained in the electronics. Incineration can release hazardous chemicals and substances into the environment.      The small percentage of e-waste that undergoes treatment typically gets shredded, while only a limited portion is manually disassembled, cleaned of hazardous substances, broken down mechanically and sorted into different fractions. Such manual disassembly entails high costs and is not very e...
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Simulator Helps Characterizing Air Pollution in Aircraft Cabins

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 Simulator Helps Characterizing Air Pollution in Aircraft Cabins      Most aircraft draw “ bleed air ” for air conditioning and pressurization in the passenger cabin directly from the engine. Under rare and unfavorable conditions, this air may contain traces of engine oil , hydraulic fluid or deicing agents, which can enter the aircraft cabins, negatively affect cabin air quality and cause unusual odors. These occurrences are called fume and smell events. What levels of byproducts accumulate in the cabin air as these substances break down? What steps can be taken to reduce potential health risks? So far, these questions have gone unanswered. This is because fume events are rare and cannot be predicted in advance, so it is not possible to identify and quantify the relevant contaminants in the cabin air on regular flights.      Researchers at Fraunhofer IBP are investigating whether cabin air contaminated with engine oil could harm the health of cabin...
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A spintronic view of the effect of chiral molecules

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 A spintronic view of the effect of chiral molecules      The role of electrons and their negative charge in electric current is well established. Electrons also exhibit other intrinsic properties that are associated, for example, with considerable potential for enhancing data storage devices: the electron's spin or magnetic moment . To date, however, the selection of specific spins has been challenging. It has been difficult to single out only those electrons with an up-direction of spin, for example. One way of doing this would be to pass a current through a ferromagnet, such as iron. This would result in the generation of a current in which the spin polarization aligns with the direction of the magnetic field.      The alternative option of inducing a current in chiral molecules, i.e., molecules that have no superimposable mirror images, such as helix structures, has been discussed over the past decade. The result is spin polarization of approxima...
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Study results open door to heart failure treatment with 'heart patch’

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Study results open door to heart failure treatment with 'heart patch’           The BioVAT-HF-DZHK20 clinical trial is currently investigating a unique approach to address the unmet medical need in patients with advanced heart failure. Implantation of a tissue engineered heart patch, called engineered heart muscle (EHM), is developed to repair the failing heart. The EHM patch is a lab-grown heart muscle made up of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived heart cells embedded in a collagen hydrogel . The foundation for the translation into clinical testing was established by simulation of the clinical treatment in rhesus macaques. The EHM patch is currently the only technology that allows safe and efficacious delivery with long-term retention of cardiomyocytes in the heart.      An interdisciplinary team led by Professor Wolfram-Hubertus Zimmermann, director of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University Medical Center (UM...
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