news 2013
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Mechanical Engineering - Electroengineering - 20.11.2013
Mechanical Engineering - Physics - 06.11.2013
Life Sciences - Mechanical Engineering - 01.11.2013
Life Sciences - Mechanical Engineering - 30.10.2013 
Plants use latex to harm and heal
Plants use natural latex in different ways, to help poison insects or rapidly heal wounds, a new study has found. Scientists from the Universities of Oxford, Sheffield and Freiburg tested latex samples from two different types of plant. They found that Euphorbia plants use slow-drying latex to keep insects in with their noxious sap whereas Ficus plants, such as the weeping fig, use fast-drying latex to seal wounds more quickly.
Mechanical Engineering - 05.08.2013
Mechanical Engineering - 05.08.2013 
Date palm leaves show potential as building materials
A collaborative project involving Imperial and the UAE is assessing the potential of date palm leaves as a renewable, low-carbon building material. Phoenix dactylifera, or the date palm tree, is perhaps best known for its sweet fruit but, as growers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have known for thousands of years, its leaves can also be used in construction.
Mechanical Engineering - Life Sciences - 18.07.2013
Mechanical Engineering - 09.07.2013 
Pentland Firth could generate 'almost half of Scotland's electricity'
Tidal turbines stretched across Pentland Firth, which separates the Orkney Islands from mainland Scotland, could generate up to 1.9 gigawatts (GW) of power - equivalent to almost half of Scotland's electricity needs. A new study, led by Oxford University researchers, provides the first reliable estimate of the maximum energy that could be generated from Pentland Firth.
Mechanical Engineering - Health - 16.04.2013
Mechanical Engineering - Electroengineering - 02.04.2013 
Sonic lasso catches cells
Academics have demonstrated for the first time that a "sonic lasso" can be used to grip microscopic objects, such as cells, and move them about. The research by academics at the University of Bristol's Department of Mechanical Engineering and the University of Dundee's Institute for Medical Science and Technology is published online in Applied Physics Letters .
Electroengineering - Mechanical Engineering - 27.03.2013
Mechanical Engineering - Law - 21.03.2013
Health - Mechanical Engineering - 14.03.2013
Mechanical Engineering - Life Sciences - 15.02.2013 
Understanding why cells stick
It's thought abnormalities in their ability to do play an important role in a broad range of disorders, including cardiovascular disease and cancer. The study's findings are outlined in the journal Molecular Cell and describe a surprising new aspect of cell adhesion involving the family of cell adhesion molecules known as integrins, which are found on the surfaces of most cells.
Life Sciences - Mechanical Engineering - 08.01.2013 
Microswimmers hit the wall
" The results of a study published today (7 January) suggest that microbes 'feel' their way along a solid surface, much as a blindfolded person would move near a wall. Using high-speed microscopic imaging, University of Cambridge researchers have found that sperm cells accumulate at surfaces and algae move away from them as a result of between the surface and the cells' flagella or cilia - the hair-like appendages that propel cells through their fluid environment.
Mechanical Engineering
Results 1 - 15 of 15.
New modelling technique could bypass the need for engineering prototypes
A new modelling technique has been developed that could eliminate the need to build costly prototypes, which are used to test engineering structures such as aeroplanes. The study, by Dr Róbert Szalai at the University of Bristol, is published in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the Royal Society A .
A new modelling technique has been developed that could eliminate the need to build costly prototypes, which are used to test engineering structures such as aeroplanes. The study, by Dr Róbert Szalai at the University of Bristol, is published in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the Royal Society A .
Nanoscale ’tsunami’ helps locusts tune in
The remarkable mechanism by which the tiny ears of locusts can hear and distinguish between different tones has been discovered by researchers from the University of Bristol. Understanding how the nanoscale features of the insect eardrum mechanically process sound could open up practical possibilities for the fabrication of embedded signal processing in extremely small microphones.
The remarkable mechanism by which the tiny ears of locusts can hear and distinguish between different tones has been discovered by researchers from the University of Bristol. Understanding how the nanoscale features of the insect eardrum mechanically process sound could open up practical possibilities for the fabrication of embedded signal processing in extremely small microphones.
Plants use latex to harm and heal
o Study shows how plants benefit from the use of natural latex o Researchers hope the study will help us understand how materials are used in nature o The project could show where to look for natural latex suitable for industrial applications Plants use natural latex in different ways, to help poison insects or rapidly heal wounds, a new study has found.
o Study shows how plants benefit from the use of natural latex o Researchers hope the study will help us understand how materials are used in nature o The project could show where to look for natural latex suitable for industrial applications Plants use natural latex in different ways, to help poison insects or rapidly heal wounds, a new study has found.
Plants use natural latex in different ways, to help poison insects or rapidly heal wounds, a new study has found. Scientists from the Universities of Oxford, Sheffield and Freiburg tested latex samples from two different types of plant. They found that Euphorbia plants use slow-drying latex to keep insects in with their noxious sap whereas Ficus plants, such as the weeping fig, use fast-drying latex to seal wounds more quickly.
Scientists in a spin over Doppler Shift discovery
Scientists at the Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde have discovered rotational speed can be determined by measuring Doppler Shift - the same effect utilised in radar speed guns. Doppler Shift is a phenomenon everyone is aware of, if perhaps not by name, and is most often experienced by the sound of a siren from a police car or ambulance rising and falling in pitch as it passes by.
Scientists at the Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde have discovered rotational speed can be determined by measuring Doppler Shift - the same effect utilised in radar speed guns. Doppler Shift is a phenomenon everyone is aware of, if perhaps not by name, and is most often experienced by the sound of a siren from a police car or ambulance rising and falling in pitch as it passes by.
A collaborative project involving Imperial and the UAE is assessing the potential of date palm leaves as a renewable, low-carbon building material. Phoenix dactylifera, or the date palm tree, is perhaps best known for its sweet fruit but, as growers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have known for thousands of years, its leaves can also be used in construction.
Secrets of bee honeycombs revealed
The mystery of the hexagonal shape of honeycomb cells has been revealed by simple mechanics. The honeybee comb is a widely studied natural cellular structure. The rounded hexagonal shape of its cells has intrigued natural scientists and philosophers for millennia. They have suggested many explanations some of which would need the bees to have an uncanny ability ("forethought" according to Pappus of Alexandria in 4 AD) to perform mathematical calculations or the magical quality to measure lengths and angles.
The mystery of the hexagonal shape of honeycomb cells has been revealed by simple mechanics. The honeybee comb is a widely studied natural cellular structure. The rounded hexagonal shape of its cells has intrigued natural scientists and philosophers for millennia. They have suggested many explanations some of which would need the bees to have an uncanny ability ("forethought" according to Pappus of Alexandria in 4 AD) to perform mathematical calculations or the magical quality to measure lengths and angles.
Tidal turbines stretched across Pentland Firth, which separates the Orkney Islands from mainland Scotland, could generate up to 1.9 gigawatts (GW) of power - equivalent to almost half of Scotland's electricity needs. A new study, led by Oxford University researchers, provides the first reliable estimate of the maximum energy that could be generated from Pentland Firth.
Energy efficiency could increase hospital risks
The chance of infection in some NHS wards varies dramatically according to whether the nurses leave the windows open. A University of Leeds-led team studied airflow in a “Nightingale” ward—the classic NHS ward that traditionally accommodated two rows of up to 30 beds—using tracer gases to simulate how airborne infections spread.
The chance of infection in some NHS wards varies dramatically according to whether the nurses leave the windows open. A University of Leeds-led team studied airflow in a “Nightingale” ward—the classic NHS ward that traditionally accommodated two rows of up to 30 beds—using tracer gases to simulate how airborne infections spread.
Academics have demonstrated for the first time that a "sonic lasso" can be used to grip microscopic objects, such as cells, and move them about. The research by academics at the University of Bristol's Department of Mechanical Engineering and the University of Dundee's Institute for Medical Science and Technology is published online in Applied Physics Letters .
Research leads towards new standard tests for tennis courts
Tennis players can adapt their movement/playing style in response to subtle differences in court constructions, according to new research by engineers at the University of Sheffield. The findings - published online in the Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology - are the first steps towards setting international standards to characterise the interaction between shoes and surfaces.
Tennis players can adapt their movement/playing style in response to subtle differences in court constructions, according to new research by engineers at the University of Sheffield. The findings - published online in the Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology - are the first steps towards setting international standards to characterise the interaction between shoes and surfaces.
Personality clue to ’wind turbine syndrome’
Public concern about new technology infrastructure like mobile phone masts has been shown to trigger reports of ill health.. and recently even the new 'green' technology of wind turbines has been blamed for medically unexplained non-specific symptoms. But now, for the first time, a study by psychologists, engineers and built environment experts at The University of Nottingham , has found no link between the 'measured' level of noise from small and micro wind turbines and reports of ill health.
Public concern about new technology infrastructure like mobile phone masts has been shown to trigger reports of ill health.. and recently even the new 'green' technology of wind turbines has been blamed for medically unexplained non-specific symptoms. But now, for the first time, a study by psychologists, engineers and built environment experts at The University of Nottingham , has found no link between the 'measured' level of noise from small and micro wind turbines and reports of ill health.
Mutations in VCP gene implicated in a number of neurodegenerative diseases
New research, published in Neuron , gives insight into how single mutations in the VCP gene cause a range of neurological conditions including a form of dementia called Inclusion Body Myopathy, Paget's Disease of the Bone and Frontotemporal Dementia (IBMPFD), and the motor neuron disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
New research, published in Neuron , gives insight into how single mutations in the VCP gene cause a range of neurological conditions including a form of dementia called Inclusion Body Myopathy, Paget's Disease of the Bone and Frontotemporal Dementia (IBMPFD), and the motor neuron disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
It's thought abnormalities in their ability to do play an important role in a broad range of disorders, including cardiovascular disease and cancer. The study's findings are outlined in the journal Molecular Cell and describe a surprising new aspect of cell adhesion involving the family of cell adhesion molecules known as integrins, which are found on the surfaces of most cells.
" The results of a study published today (7 January) suggest that microbes 'feel' their way along a solid surface, much as a blindfolded person would move near a wall. Using high-speed microscopic imaging, University of Cambridge researchers have found that sperm cells accumulate at surfaces and algae move away from them as a result of between the surface and the cells' flagella or cilia - the hair-like appendages that propel cells through their fluid environment.
