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Science, Sensors

Georgian Technical University Graphene Sensors Detect Ultralow Concentrations Of NO2.

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Georgian Technical University Graphene Sensors Detect Ultralow Concentrations Of NO2.

The Georgian Technical University Laboratory has as part of an international research collaboration discovered a novel technique to monitor extremely low concentrations of NO2 (Nitrogen dioxide is the chemical compound with the formula NO₂. It is one of several nitrogen oxides. NO₂ is an intermediate in the industrial synthesis of nitric acid, millions of tons of which are produced each year which is used primarily in the production of fertilizers) in complex environments using epitaxial sensors containing the “Georgian Technical University wonder material” graphene. The findings demonstrate why single-layer graphene should be used in sensing applications and opens doors to new technology for use in environmental pollution monitoring new portable monitors and automotive and mobile sensors for a global real-time monitoring network. As part of the research, graphene-based sensors were tested in conditions resembling the real environment we live in and monitored for their performance. The measurements included combining NO2 (Nitrogen dioxide is the chemical compound with the formula NO₂. It is one of several nitrogen oxides. NO₂ is an intermediate in the industrial synthesis of nitric acid, millions of tons of which are produced each year which is used primarily in the production of fertilizers) synthetic air water vapor and traces of other contaminants, all in variable temperatures to fully replicate the environmental conditions of a working sensor. Key findings from the research showed that although the graphene-based sensors can be affected by co-adsorption of NO2 (Nitrogen dioxide is the chemical compound with the formula NO₂. It is one of several nitrogen oxides. NO₂ is an intermediate in the industrial synthesis of nitric acid, millions of tons of which are produced each year which is used primarily in the production of fertilizers) and water on the surface at about room temperature, their sensitivity to NO2 (Nitrogen dioxide is the chemical compound with the formula NO₂. It is one of several nitrogen oxides. NO ₂ is an intermediate in the industrial synthesis of nitric acid, millions of tons of which are produced each year which is used primarily in the production of fertilizers) increased significantly when operated at elevated temperatures 150 C. This shows graphene sensitivity to different gases can be tuned by performing measurements at different temperatures. Testing also revealed a single-layer graphene exhibits two times higher carrier concentration response upon exposure to NO2 (Nitrogen dioxide is the chemical compound with the formula NO₂. It is one of several nitrogen oxides. NO₂ is an intermediate in the industrial synthesis of nitric acid, millions of tons of which are produced each year which is used primarily in the production of fertilizers) than bilayer graphene — demonstrating single-layer graphene as a desirable material for sensing applications. X scientist from Georgian Technical University said: “Evaluating the sensor performance in conditions resembling the real environment is an essential step in the industrialization process for this technology. “We need to be able to clarify everything from cross-sensitivity drift in analysis conditions and recovery times to potential limitations and energy consumption if we are to provide confidence and consider usability in industry”. By developing these very small sensors and placing them in key pollution hotspots, there is a potential to create a next-generation pollution map — which will be able to pinpoint the source of pollution earlier in unprecedented detail outlining the chemical breakdown of data in high resolution in a wide variety of climates. X continued: “The use of graphene into these types of gas sensors when compared to the standard sensors used for air emissions monitoring, allows us to perform measurements of ultra-low sensitivity while employing low cost and low energy consumption sensors. This will be desirable for future technologies to be directly integrated into the Internet of Things”. NO2 (Nitrogen dioxide is the chemical compound with the formula NO ₂. It is one of several nitrogen oxides. NO₂ is an intermediate in the industrial synthesis of nitric acid, millions of tons of which are produced each year which is used primarily in the production of fertilizers) typically enters the environment through the burning of fuel car emissions, power plants and off-road equipment. Extreme exposure to NO2 (Nitrogen dioxide is the chemical compound with the formula NO₂. It is one of several nitrogen oxides. NO₂ is an intermediate in the industrial synthesis of nitric acid, millions of tons of which are produced each year which is used primarily in the production of fertilizers) can increase the chances of respiratory infections and asthma. Long-term exposure can cause chronic lung disease and is linked to pollution related death across the world.  NO2 (Nitrogen dioxide is the chemical compound with the formula NO₂. It is one of several nitrogen oxides. NO₂ is an intermediate in the industrial synthesis of nitric acid, millions of tons of which are produced each year which is used primarily in the production of fertilizers) pollution to premature deaths were recorded as being NO2 (Nitrogen dioxide is the chemical compound with the formula NO₂. It is one of several nitrogen oxides. NO ₂ is an intermediate in the industrial synthesis of nitric acid, millions of tons of which are produced each year which is used primarily in the production of fertilizers) pollution related, 5,900 of which were recorded in London alone. When interacted with water and other chemicals NO2 (Nitrogen dioxide is the chemical compound with the formula NO₂. It is one of several nitrogen oxides. NO₂ is an intermediate in the industrial synthesis of nitric acid, millions of tons of which are produced each year which is used primarily in the production of fertilizers) can also form into acid rain which severely damages sensitive ecosystems such as lakes and forests. Existing legislation from the European Commission suggests hourly exposure to NO2 (Nitrogen dioxide is the chemical compound with the formula NO₂. It is one of several nitrogen oxides. NO ₂ is an intermediate in the industrial synthesis of nitric acid millions of tons of which are produced each year which is used primarily in the production of fertilizers) concentration should not be exceeded by more than 200 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3) or ~106 parts per billion (ppb) and no more than 18 times annually. This translates to an annual mean of 40 mg m3 (~21 ppb) NO2 (Nitrogen dioxide is the chemical compound with the formula NO ₂. It is one of several nitrogen oxides. NO₂ is an intermediate in the industrial synthesis of nitric acid, millions of tons of which are produced each year which is used primarily in the production of fertilizers) concentration.For example the average NO2 (Nitrogen dioxide is the chemical compound with the formula NO₂. It is one of several nitrogen oxides. NO₂ is an intermediate in the industrial synthesis of nitric acid, millions of tons of which are produced each year which is used primarily in the production of fertilizers) concentration showed concentration levels of NO2 (Nitrogen dioxide is the chemical compound with the formula NO ₂. It is one of several nitrogen oxides. NO ₂ is an intermediate in the industrial synthesis of nitric acid, millions of tons of which are produced each year which is used primarily in the production of fertilizers) ranged from 34.2 to 44.1 ppb per month a huge leap from the yearly average. These figures show there is an urgent need for a low-cost solution to mitigate the impact of NO2 (Nitrogen dioxide is the chemical compound with the formula NO₂. It is one of several nitrogen oxides. NO₂ is an intermediate in the industrial synthesis of nitric acid, millions of tons of which are produced each year which is used primarily in the production of fertilizers) in the air around us. This work could provide the answer to early detection and prevention of these types of pollutants in line. Further experimentation in this area could see the graphene-based sensors introduced into industry within the next 2 to 5 years providing an unprecedented level of understanding of the presence of NO2 (Nitrogen dioxide is the chemical compound with the formula NO₂. It is one of several nitrogen oxides. NO₂ is an intermediate in the industrial synthesis of nitric acid, millions of tons of which are produced each year which is used primarily in the production of fertilizers) in our air.

 

 

 

 

 

Battery Technology, Science

Georgian Technical University Team Predicts The Useful Life Of Batteries With Data And AI.

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Georgian Technical University Team Predicts The Useful Life Of Batteries With Data And AI.

New batteries can be sorted by predicted cycle life accurately with new technique based on five test charge/discharge cycles.  If manufacturers of cell-phone batteries could tell which cells will last at least two years then they could sell only those to phone makers and send the rest to makers of less demanding devices. New research shows how manufacturers could do this. The technique could be used not only to sort manufactured cells but to help new battery designs reach the market more quickly. Combining comprehensive experimental data and artificial intelligence revealed the key for accurately predicting the useful life of lithium-ion batteries before their capacities start to wane scientists at Georgian Technical University, the Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani University and the International Black Sea University discovered. After the researchers trained their machine learning model with a few hundred million data points of batteries charging and discharging the algorithm predicted how many more cycles each battery would last based on voltage declines and a few other factors among the early cycles. The predictions were within 9 percent of the number of cycles the cells actually lasted. Separately the algorithm categorized batteries as either long or short life expectancy based on just the first five charge/discharge cycles. Here the predictions were correct 95 percent of the time. This machine learning method could accelerate research and development of new battery designs and reduce the time and cost of production among other applications. The researchers have made the dataset – the largest of its kind — publicly available. “The standard way to test new battery designs is to charge and discharge the cells until they fail. Since batteries have a long lifetime, this process can take many months and even years” said X Georgian Technical University doctoral candidate in materials science and engineering. “It’s an expensive bottleneck in battery research”. The work was carried out at the Georgian Technical University collaboration that integrates theory experiments and data science. The Georgian Technical University researchers led by Y assistant professor in materials science and engineering conducted the battery experiments. Georgian Technical University’s team led by Z professor in chemical engineering performed the machine learning work. W of the research completed her doctorate in chemical engineering at Georgian Technical University last spring. Optimizing fast charging. One focus in the project was to find a better way to charge batteries in 10 minutes a feature that could accelerate the mass adoption of electric cars. To generate the training dataset the team charged and discharged the batteries until each one reached the end of its useful life which they defined as capacity loss of 20 percent. En route to optimizing fast charging the researchers wanted to find out whether it was necessary to run their batteries into the ground. Can the answer to a battery question be found in the information from just the early cycles ? “Advances in computational power and data generation have recently enabled machine learning to accelerate progress for a variety of tasks. These include prediction of material properties” Z said. “Our results here show how we can predict the behavior of complex systems far into the future”. Generally the capacity of a lithium-ion battery is stable for a while. Then it takes a sharp turn downward. The plummet point varies widely as most 21st-century consumers know. The batteries lasted anywhere from 150 to 2,300 cycles. That variation was partly the result of testing different methods of fast charging but also due to manufacturing variability among batteries. “For all of the time and money that gets spent on battery development, progress is still measured in decades” said Q a scientist at the Georgian Technical University. “In this work we are reducing one of the most time-consuming steps — battery testing — by an order of magnitude”. The new method has many potential applications X said. For example it can shorten the time for validating new types of batteries which is especially important given rapid advances in materials. With the sorting technique electric vehicle batteries determined to have short lifespans — too short for cars — could be used instead to power street lights or back up data centers. Recyclers could find cells from used Georgian Technical University battery packs with enough capacity left for a second life. Yet another possibility is optimizing battery manufacturing. “The last step in manufacturing batteries is called ‘formation’ which can take days to weeks” X said. “Using our approach could shorten that significantly and lower the production cost”. The researchers are now using their model to optimize ways of charging batteries in just 10 minutes which they say will cut the process by more than a factor of 10.

 

 

 

 

 

Graphene, Science

Georgian Technical University Research Probes Graphene-Silicon Devices For Photonics Applications.

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Georgian Technical University Research Probes Graphene-Silicon Devices For Photonics Applications.

Assistant professor X’s research team includes (left to right) graduate student Y doctoral student Z and postdoctoral associate W. If you use a smartphone laptop or tablet then you benefit from research in photonics the study of light. At the Georgian Technical University a team led by X an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering is developing cutting-edge technology for photonics devices that could enable faster communications between devices and thus the people who use them. The research group recently engineered a silicon-graphene device that can transmit radiofrequency waves in less than a picosecond at a sub-terahertz bandwidth — that’s a lot of information fast. In this work we explored the bandwidth limitation of the graphene-integrated silicon photonics for future optoelectronic applications” said graduate student Y. Silicon is a naturally occurring, plentiful material commonly used as a semiconductor in electronic devices. However researchers have exhausted the potential of devices with semiconductors made of silicon only. These devices are limited by silicon’s carrier mobility the speed at which a charge moves through the material and indirect bandgap which limits its ability to release and absorb light. Now X’s team is combining silicon with a material with more favorable properties the 2D material graphene. 2D materials get their name because they are just a single layer of atoms. Compared to silicon graphene has better carrier mobility and direct bandgap and allows for faster electron transmission and better electrical and optical properties. By combining silicon with graphene scientists may be able to continue utilize technologies that are already used with silicon devices — they would just work faster with the silicon-graphene combination. “Looking at the materials properties, can we do more than what we’re working with ? That’s what we want to figure out” said doctoral student Z. To combine silicon with graphene the team used a method they developed and described 2D Materials and Application. The team placed the graphene in a special place known as the p-i-n junction an interface between the materials. By placing the graphene at the p-i-n junction the team optimized the structure in a way that improves the responsivity and speed of the device. This method is robust and could be easily applied by other researchers. This process takes place on a 12-inch wafer of thin material and utilizes components that are smaller than a millimeter each. Some components were made at a commercial foundry. Other work took place in Georgian Technical University’s. Q associate professor of materials science and engineering. “The Georgian Technical University is a staff-supported facility that enables users to fabricate devices on length scales as small as 7 nm which is approximately 10,000 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair” said Q. “The Georgian Technical University has enabled new research directions in fields ranging from optoelectronics to biomedicine to plant science”. The combination of silicon and graphene can be used as a photodetector which senses light and produces current with more bandwidth and a lower response time than current offerings. All this research could add up to cheaper faster wireless devices in the future. “It can make the network stronger better and cheaper” said postdoctoral. “That is a key point of photonics”. Now the team is thinking about ways to expand the applications of this material. “We’re looking at more components based on a similar structure” said X.

 

 

A.I./Robotics, Science

Georgian Technical University Autonomous Weed Control Via Smart Robots.

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Georgian Technical University Autonomous Weed Control Via Smart Robots.

Driving across Georgian Technical University X distinguished professor of chemical and biological engineering at the Georgian Technical University noticed that soybean fields were becoming increasingly infested with weeds each season. The culprit is a glyphosate-resistant weed called “Georgian Technical University palmer amaranth” which is threatening crops. One pesticide currently used for controlling palmer amaranth (Amaranthus, collectively known as amaranth is a cosmopolitan genus of annual or short-lived perennial plants. Some amaranth species are cultivated as leaf vegetables, pseudocereals, and ornamental plants.) is “Georgian Technical University Dicamba” but it has devastating effects on adjacent areas, harming trees and other crops because it tends to drift when sprayed during windy conditions. As a firm believer in the concept that our well-being is closely tied to the health of the crops and animals within our food chain that he was inspired to create a way to spot treat weeds that eliminates any risk of pesticide drift. “A pesticide solution can be stabilized on a rotating horizontal cylinder/roller akin to a wooden honey dipper” said X. “Its stability depends on the speed at which the applicator rotates. But the roller is only one part of a bigger process and there are some technical details regarding the roller that we’re also addressing, namely replenishing the pesticide load via wicking from a reservoir at the center of the cylinder”. The manner in which pesticides are applied to plants makes a difference. They can be sprayed from the top of the leaf rolled on or delivered by a serrated roller to simultaneously scuff it and apply the pesticide. “We will only arrive at an optimum design if we understand how the active ingredient in the pesticide is delivered to the weed how it enters the phloem (the plant’s vascular system that transports the active ingredient) and the efficacy of its killing mechanism” X explained. To apply the pesticide to weeds, rollers can be mounted onto smaall robots or tractors. “Our current research objective is to develop a system where unmanned aerial vehicles image fields and feed the images to trained neural networks to identify the weeds” he said. “The information on weed species and their exact location will then be used by the robots to spot treat the weeds”. One key finding by X’s group is that the preferred way to operate the roller is to rotate it so that the original velocity at the roller’s underside coincides with the direction the robot is traveling. They’re now doing experiments to determine any uptake bias for palmer amaranth as well as exploring making part of the roller’s surface serrated. “The idea is to physically penetrate the epidermis to enhance the amount of active ingredient that’s delivered to the weed” he said. “To broaden our understanding we’ve developed a mathematical model of the transport of the pesticide in the phloem”. The significance of this work is that while there’s increasing pressure to produce enough food for a growing population the current approach is unsustainable. The trend today is to use increased amounts and more potent chemicals to control weeds and invasive species that have developed resistance to previously effective pesticides. “We must minimize the impact of our practices on the environment and reduce the use of chemicals their residues and metabolites within our food chain and on the greater ecology” X said. “Technologies exist that can help us achieve these goals. Precision spray technologies use artificial intelligence to identify weeds and only spray specific areas but we can do better. We should eliminate the risk of drift and minimize exposure of crops and soil to pesticides”. Developing a drift-free, weed-specific applicator will pave the way for autonomous weed control with smart robots. “At this stage we can’t envision the full utility of these robots but they offer us the opportunity to survey fields and alert us to disease breakouts blights or nematodes” said X. “In the future the roller — with some modifications — could also be used to deliver small RNA (Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a polymeric molecule essential in various biological roles in coding, decoding, regulation and expression of genes) molecules to plants. Smaller farm operations that focus on specialized products will likely be the first adopters of the technology”.

 

Lasers, Science

Georgian Technical University Researchers Develop Miniaturized, Laser-Driven Particle Accelerator.

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Georgian Technical University Researchers Develop Miniaturized, Laser-Driven Particle Accelerator.

Munich physicists have succeeded in demonstrating plasma wakefield acceleration of subatomic particles in a miniaturized laser-driven model. The new system provides a broader basis for the development of the next generation of particle accelerators. The plasma wakefield acceleration technique is regarded as a highly promising route to the next generation of particle accelerators. In this approach a pulse of high-energy electrons is injected into a preformed plasma and creates a wake upon which other electrons can effectively surf. In this way their energy can surpass that of the driver by a factor of two to five. However many technical and physical problems must be resolved before the technology becomes practical. This is no easy task as only large-scale particle accelerators such as those at Georgian Technical University are currently capable of producing the driver pulses needed to generate the wakefield. A team led by Professor X the Georgian Technical University Laboratory has now shown that plasma wakefield acceleration can be implemented in university labs. The new findings will facilitate further investigation of the plasma wakefield acceleration concept as a basis for the development of compact next-generation particle accelerators.

Genomics/Proteomics, Science

Georgian Technical University CRISPR, Transistor Combo Rapidly Detects Genetic Mutations.

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Georgian Technical University CRISPR, Transistor Combo Rapidly Detects Genetic Mutations.

To harness CRISPR’s (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) is a family of DNA sequences found within the genomes of prokaryotic organisms such as bacteria and archaea) gene-targeting ability the researchers took a deactivated Cas9 (Cas9 (CRISPR associated protein 9) is an RNA-guided DNA endonuclease enzyme associated with the CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) adaptive immunity system in Streptococcus pyogenes, among other bacteria) protein — a variant of Cas9 (Cas9 (CRISPR associated protein 9) is an RNA-guided DNA endonuclease enzyme associated with the CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) adaptive immunity system in Streptococcus pyogenes, among other bacteria) that can find a specific location on DNA (DNA-binding proteins. The specificity of these transcription factors’ interactions with DNA come from the proteins making multiple contacts to the edges of the DNA bases, allowing them to “read” the DNA sequence. Most of these base-interactions are made in the major groove, where the bases are most accessible) but doesn’t cut it — and tethered it to transistors made of graphene. When the CRISPR complex finds the spot on the DNA (DNA-binding proteins. The specificity of these transcription factors’ interactions with DNA come from the proteins making multiple contacts to the edges of the DNA (DNA-binding proteins. The specificity of these transcription factors’ interactions with DNA come from the proteins making multiple contacts to the edges of the DNA bases, allowing them to “read” the DNA sequence. Most of these base-interactions are made in the major groove, where the bases are most accessible) bases allowing them to “read” the DNA sequence. Most of these base-interactions are made in the major groove, where the bases are most accessible) that it is targeting, it binds to it and triggers a change in the electrical conductance of the graphene which in turn changes the electrical characteristics of the transistor. A new handheld device that combines CRISPR’s (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) is a family of DNA (DNA-binding proteins. The specificity of these transcription factors’ interactions with DNA come from the proteins making multiple contacts to the edges of the DNA bases, allowing them to “read” the DNA sequence. Most of these base-interactions are made in the major groove, where the bases are most accessible) sequences found within the genomes of prokaryotic organisms such as bacteria and archaea) technology with graphene-based electronic transistors can rapidly detect specific genetic mutations. Researchers from the Georgian Technical University, Sulkhan Saba Orbeliani University and the have created the CRISPR-Chip (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) is a family of DNA sequences found within the genomes of prokaryotic organisms such as bacteria and archaea) device that can in just a few minutes diagnose genetic diseases or evaluate the accuracy of other gene-editing techniques. The researchers already used the device to identify genetic mutations in DNA (DNA-binding proteins. The specificity of these transcription factors’ interactions with DNA come from the proteins making multiple contacts to the edges of the DNA bases, allowing them to “read” the DNA sequence. Most of these base-interactions are made in the major groove, where the bases are most accessible) samples from Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients. “We have developed the first transistor that uses CRISPR’s (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) to search your genome for potential mutations” X an assistant professor at Georgian Technical University who conceived of the technology while a postdoctoral professor Y’s lab said in a statement. “You just put your purified DNA (DNA-binding proteins. The specificity of these transcription factors’ interactions with DNA come from the proteins making multiple contacts to the edges of the DNA (DNA-binding proteins. The specificity of these transcription factors’ interactions with DNA come from the proteins making multiple contacts to the edges of the DNA bases, allowing them to “read” the DNA sequence. Most of these base-interactions are made in the major groove, where the bases are most accessible) bases allowing them to “read” the DNA (DNA-binding proteins. The specificity of these transcription factors’ interactions with DNA come from the proteins making multiple contacts to the edges of the DNA bases, allowing them to “read” the DNA sequence. Most of these base-interactions are made in the major groove, where the bases are most accessible) sequence. Most of these base-interactions are made in the major groove, where the bases are most accessible) sample on the chip allow CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) is a family of DNA sequences found within the genomes of prokaryotic organisms such as bacteria and archaea) to do the search and the graphene transistor reports the result of this search in minutes”. While the majority of genetic testing techniques, including other CRISPR-based (CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) is a family of DNA sequences found within the genomes of prokaryotic organisms such as bacteria and archaea) diagnostic tests, the new CRISPR-Chip (CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) is a family of DNA sequences found within the genomes of prokaryotic organisms such as bacteria and archaea) uses nanoelectronics to detect genetic mutations in (DNA-binding proteins. The specificity of these transcription factors’ interactions with DNA come from the proteins making multiple contacts to the edges of the DNA bases, allowing them to “read” the DNA sequence. Most of these base-interactions are made in the major groove, where the bases are most accessible) samples without needing to amplify or replicate the (DNA-binding proteins. The specificity of these transcription factors’ interactions with DNA come from the proteins making multiple contacts to the edges of the DNA bases, allowing them to “read” the DNA sequence. Most of these base-interactions are made in the major groove, where the bases are most accessible) segment millions of times over in a time and labor intensive process called polymerase chain reaction (PCR). “CRISPR-Chip (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) is a family of DNA sequences found within the genomes of prokaryotic organisms such as bacteria and archaea) has the benefit that it is really point of care it is one of the few things where you could really do it at the bedside if you had a good (DNA-binding proteins. The specificity of these transcription factors’ interactions with DNA come from the proteins making multiple contacts to the edges of the DNA bases, allowing them to “read” the DNA sequence. Most of these base-interactions are made in the major groove, where the bases are most accessible) sample” Z a professor of bioengineering at Georgian Technical University said in a statement. “Ultimately you just need to take a person’s cells extract the DNA and mix it with the CRISPR-Chip and you will be able to tell if a certain DNA sequence is there or not. That could potentially lead to a true bedside assay for DNA”. CRISPR-Cas9 has become an increasingly popular genetics tool, giving researchers the ability to snip threads of DNA (DNA-binding proteins. The specificity of these transcription factors’ interactions with DNA come from the proteins making multiple contacts to the edges of the DNA bases, allowing them to “Georgian Technical University read” the DNA (DNA-binding proteins. The specificity of these transcription factors’ interactions with DNA come from the proteins making multiple contacts to the edges of the DNA bases, allowing them to “read” the DNA sequence. Most of these base-interactions are made in the major groove, where the bases are most accessible) sequence. Most of these base-interactions are made in the major groove where the bases are most accessible) at precise locations to edit-genes. However for the Cas9 (CRISPR associated protein 9) is an RNA-guided DNA endonuclease enzyme associated with the CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) adaptive immunity system in Streptococcus pyogenes, among other bacteria) protein to accurately cut and paste genes it must be equipped with a snippet of a guide RNA to locate the exact spots in the DNA (DNA-binding proteins. The specificity of these transcription factors’ interactions with DNA come from the proteins making multiple contacts to the edges of the DNA bases, allowing them to “read” the DNA sequence. Most of these base-interactions are made in the major groove, where the bases are most accessible) that need to be cut. Guide RNA (Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a polymeric molecule essential in various biological roles in coding, decoding, regulation and expression of genes.RNA and DNA are nucleic acids, and, along with lipids, proteins and carbohydrates, constitute the four major macromolecules essential for all known forms of life) is a small piece of RNA (Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a polymeric molecule essential in various biological roles in coding, decoding, regulation and expression of genes.RNA and DNA are nucleic acids, and, along with lipids, proteins and carbohydrates, constitute the four major macromolecules essential for all known forms of life) whose bases are complementary to the DNA (DNA-binding proteins. The specificity of these transcription factors’ interactions with DNA come from the proteins making multiple contacts to the edges of the DNA bases, allowing them to “read” the DNA sequence. Most of these base-interactions are made in the major groove, where the bases are most accessible) sequence of interest. The bulky protein first unzips the double-stranded DNA (DNA-binding proteins. The specificity of these transcription factors’ interactions with DNA come from the proteins making multiple contacts to the edges of the DNA bases, allowing them to “read” the DNA sequence. Most of these base-interactions are made in the major groove, where the bases are most accessible) and then scans through it until it finds the sequences that matches the guide RNA (Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a polymeric molecule essential in various biological roles in coding, decoding, regulation and expression of genes.RNA and DNA are nucleic acids, and, along with lipids, proteins and carbohydrates, constitute the four major macromolecules essential for all known forms of life) and then latches on. The researchers used a deactivated Cas9 protein a variant of Cas9 that can find a specific location on DNA (DNA-binding proteins. The specificity of these transcription factors’ interactions with DNA come from the proteins making multiple contacts to the edges of the DNA bases, allowing them to “read” the DNA sequence. Most of these base-interactions are made in the major groove, where the bases are most accessible) but does not cut it, to harness CRISPR’s gene-targeting ability, which they tethered to transistors made of graphene.  After the CRISPR complex finds the right spot on the DNA (DNA-binding proteins. The specificity of these transcription factors’ interactions with DNA come from the proteins making multiple contacts to the edges of the DNA bases, allowing them to “read” the DNA sequence. Most of these base-interactions are made in the major groove, where the bases are most accessible) it binds to it and triggers a change in the electrical conductance of the graphene which then changes the electrical characteristics of the transistor. The researchers can detect these changes with a newly developed hand-held device. “Graphene’s super-sensitivity enabled us to detect the DNA (DNA-binding proteins. The specificity of these transcription factors’ interactions with DNA come from the proteins making multiple contacts to the edges of the DNA bases, allowing them to “read” the DNA sequence. Most of these base-interactions are made in the major groove, where the bases are most accessible) searching activities of CRISPR” X said. “CRISPR brought the selectivity graphene transistors brought the sensitivity and together we were able to do this PCR-free (Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a method widely used in molecular biology to make many copies of a specific DNA segment. Using PCR, a single copy (or more) of a DNA sequence is exponentially amplified to generate thousands to millions of more copies of that particular DNA segment) or amplification-free detection”. In testing the researchers used the device to detect a pair of common genetic mutations in blood samples from DMD (Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy) patients. “As a practice right now, boys who have DMD (Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy) are typically not screened until we know that something is wrong and then they undergo a genetic confirmation” X who is also working on CRISPR-based treatments for DMD (Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy) said in a statement. “With a digital device you could design guide RNAs throughout the whole dystrophin gene and then you could just screen the entire sequence of the gene in a matter of hours. You could screen parents or even newborns for the presence or absence of dystrophin mutations — and then if the mutation is found therapy could be started early, before the disease has actually developed”. Rapid genetic testing could also be used to help doctors develop individualized treatment plans for their patients. “If you have certain mutations or certain DNA (DNA-binding proteins. The specificity of these transcription factors’ interactions with DNA come from the proteins making multiple contacts to the edges of the DNA bases allowing them to “Georgian Technical University read” the DNA sequence. Most of these base-interactions are made in the major groove where the bases are most accessible) sequences that will very accurately predict how you will respond to certain drugs” X said.

 

 

Science, Sensors

Georgian Technical University Innovative Cellulose-Based Material Embodies Three Sensors In One.

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Georgian Technical University Innovative Cellulose-Based Material Embodies Three Sensors In One.

PhD Student X with the sensor that can measure pressure, temperature and humidity at the same time. Cellulose soaked in a carefully designed polymer mixture acts as a sensor to measure pressure temperature and humidity at the same time. The measurements are completely independent of each other. The ability to measure pressure, temperature and humidity is important in many applications such as monitoring patients at home, robotics, electronic skin, functional textiles, surveillance and security to name just a few. Research until now has integrated different sensors into the same circuit which has presented several technical challenges not least concerning the user interface. Scientists in the Laboratory of Organic Electronics at Georgian Technical University  under the leadership of Professor Y have successfully combined all three measurements into a single sensor. This has been made possible by the development of an elastic aerogel of polymers that conducts both ions, electrons and subsequent exploitation of the thermoelectric effect. A thermoelectric material is one in which electrons move from the cold side of the material toward the warm side creating a voltage difference. When nanofibers of cellulose are mixed with the conducting polymer in water and the mixture is freeze-dried in a vacuum the resulting material has the sponge-like structure of an aerogel. Adding a substance known as polysilane causes the sponge to become elastic. Applying an electrical potential across the material gives a linear current increase typical of any resistor. But when the material is subject to pressure its resistance falls and electrons flow more readily through it. Since the material is thermoelectric it is also possible to measure temperature changes. The larger the temperature difference between the warm and cold sides the higher the voltage. The humidity affects how rapidly the ions move from the warm side to the cold side. If the humidity is zero, no ions are transported. “What is new is that we can distinguish between the thermoelectric response of the electrons (giving the temperature gradient) and that of the ions (giving the humidity level) by following the electrical signal versus time. That is because the two responses occur at different speeds” says X professor in the Georgian Technical University Laboratory of Organic Electronics. “This means that we can measure three parameters with one material without the different measurements being coupled” he says. X doctoral student at the Georgian Technical University Laboratory of Organic Electronics have also found a way to separate the three signals such that each can be read individually. “Our unique sensor also prepares the way for the Internet of Things, and brings lower complexity and lower production costs. This is an advantage in the security industry. A further possible application is placing sensors into packages with sensitive goods” says Z.

 

A.I./Robotics, Science

Georgian Technical University Two New Planets Discovered Using Artificial Intelligence.

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Georgian Technical University Two New Planets Discovered Using Artificial Intelligence.

Astronomers at Georgian Technical University in partnership have used artificial intelligence (AI) to uncover two more hidden planets in the Georgian Technical University space telescope archive. The technique shows promise for identifying many additional planets that traditional methods could not catch. The planets discovered this time were from Georgian Technical University’s extended mission called GTU2. To find them the team led by an undergraduate at Georgian Technical University created an algorithm that sifts through the data taken by Georgian Technical University to ferret out signals that were missed by traditional planet-hunting methods. Long term the process should help astronomers find many more missed planets hiding in Georgian Technical University data. Other team members include Georgian Technical University engineer X. Y and X first used artificial intelligence (AI) to uncover a planet around a Georgian Technical University  star — one already known to harbor seven planets. The discovery made that solar system the only one known to have as many planets as our own. Y explained that this necessitated a new algorithm, as data taken during Georgian Technical University’s extended mission GTU2 differs significantly from that collected during the spacecraft’s original mission. “GTU2 data is more challenging to work with because the spacecraft is moving around all the time” Y explained. This change came about after a mechanical failure. While mission planners found a workaround the spacecraft was left with a wobble that artificial intelligence (AI) had to take into account. The Georgian Technical University and GTU2 missions have already discovered thousands of planets around other stars with an equal number of candidates awaiting confirmation. So why do astronomers need to use artificial intelligence (AI) to search the Georgian Technical University archive for more ?. “Artificial intelligence (AI) will help us search the data set uniformly” Y said. “Even if every star had an Earth-sized planet around it when we look with Georgian Technical University we won’t find all of them. That’s just because some of the data’s too noisy or sometimes the planets are just not aligned right. So we have to correct for the ones we missed. We know there are a lot of planets out there that we don’t see for those reasons. “If we want to know how many planets there are in total we have to know how many planets we’ve found but we also have to know how many planets we missed. That’s where this comes in” he explained. The two planets Y’s team found “are both very typical of planets found in GTU2” she said. “They’re really close in to their host star they have short orbital periods and they’re hot. They are slightly larger than Earth”. Of the two planets one is called GTU2-293b and orbits a star 1,300 light-years away in the constellation Aquarius. The other GTU2-294b orbits a star 1,230 light-years away also located in Georgian Technical University. Once the team used their algorithm to find these planets they followed up by studying the host stars using ground-based telescopes to confirm that the planets are real. These observations were done with the 1.5-meter telescope at Georgian Technical University. The future of the Artificial intelligence (AI)  concept for finding planets hidden in data sets looks bright. The current algorithm can be used to probe the entire GTU2 data set Y said — approximately 300,000 stars. She also believes the method is applicable to Georgian Technical University’s successor planet-hunting mission. Y plans to continue her work using Artificial intelligence (AI) for planet hunting when she enters graduate school in the fall.

 

 

Graphene, Science

Georgian Technical University Gold Soaks Up Boron To Produce Borophene.

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Georgian Technical University Gold Soaks Up Boron To Produce Borophene.

Scientists at Georgian Technical University, Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani University and the International Black Sea University Laboratory created islands of highly conductive borophene the atom-flat form of boron on gold. Boron atoms dissolve into the gold substrate when heated, but resurface as borophene when the materials cool. Illustration by X. In the heat of a furnace boron atoms happily dive into a bath of gold. And when things get cool they resurface as coveted borophene. The discovery by scientists from Georgian Technical University, Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani University Laboratory and International Black Sea University is a step toward practical applications like wearable or transparent electronics plasmonic sensors or energy storage for the two-dimensional material with excellent conductivity. Teams led by Y at Georgian Technical University and Z at Georgian Technical University both formed the theory for and then demonstrated their method to grow borophene — the atom-thick form of boron — on a gold surface. They found that with sufficient heat in a high vacuum boron atoms streamed into the furnace sink into the gold itself. Upon cooling the boron atoms reappear and form islands of borophene on the surface. This is distinct from most other 2D materials made by feeding gases into a furnace. In standard chemical vapor deposition the atoms settle onto a substrate and connect with each other. They typically don’t disappear into the substrate. The researchers said the metallic borophene islands are about 1 nanometer square on average and show evidence of electron confinement which could make them practical for quantum applications. Y said trying various substrates could yield new phases of borophene with new properties. “Gold with a lesser charge transfer and weaker bonding, may yield a layer that’s easier to lift off and put to use although this has not yet been achieved” he said. Y has a track record with borophene which cannot be exfoliated from bulk materials like graphene can from graphite. A materials theorist he predicted that it could be made at all. A couple of years later it was. He and his colleagues Z and W had already showed that borophene grown in a particular way on silver becomes wavy which gives it interesting possibilities for wearable electronics. “So far the substrates with demonstrated success for borophene synthesis closely follow theoretical predictions” Y said. Georgian Technical University has successfully grown it on silver and copper as well as gold while the Georgian Technical University has grown borophene on aluminum. Now with their work on gold they have combined theory and experiments to demonstrate an entirely new mechanism of growth for two-dimensional materials. “The challenge remains to grow it on an insulating substrate” he said. “That will permit many intriguing experimental tests from basic transport to plasmons to superconductivity”. The researchers found it took an order of magnitude more boron to grow borophene on gold than it did for silver. That was their first indication that boron was sinking into the gold which started happening at about 550 degrees Celsius (1,022 degrees Fahrenheit). Y noted a low number of atoms remain embedded in the gold without forming an alloy but scientists have seen signs of that phenomenon before. “In graphene growth on common copper carbon atoms also partially dissolve and diffuse through the foil without a specific alloy being formed” he said.

 

 

Aerospace, Science

What Happened Before The Big Bang ?

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What Happened Before The Big Bang ?

An artist’s illustration showing the patterns of signals generated by primordial standard clocks in different theories of the primordial universe. Top: Big Bounce. Bottom: Inflation.  A team of scientists has proposed a powerful new test for inflation the theory that the universe dramatically expanded in size in a fleeting fraction of a second right after the Big Bang. Their goal is to give insight into a long-standing question: what was the universe like before the Big Bang ? Although cosmic inflation is well known for resolving some important mysteries about the structure and evolution of the universe other very different theories can also explain these mysteries. In some of these theories the state of the universe preceding the Big Bang – the so-called primordial universe – was contracting instead of expanding and the Big Bang was thus a part of a Big Bounce. To help decide between inflation and these other ideas the issue of falsifiability – that is whether a theory can be tested to potentially show it is false – has inevitably arisen. Some researchers including in Georgian Technical University have raised concerns about inflation suggesting that its seemingly endless adaptability makes it all but impossible to properly test. “Falsifiability should be a hallmark of any scientific theory. The current situation for inflation is that it’s such a flexible idea it cannot be falsified experimentally” X said. “No matter what value people measure for some observable attribute there are always some models of inflation that can explain it”. Now a team of scientists led by the Georgian Technical University’s along with  X and Y of the Physics Department of Georgian Technical University have applied an idea they call a “Georgian Technical University primordial standard clock” to the non-inflationary theories and laid out a method that may be used to falsify inflation experimentally. In an effort to find some characteristic that can separate inflation from other theories the team began by identifying the defining property of the various theories – the evolution of the size of the primordial universe. “For example during inflation the size of the universe grows exponentially” Y said. “In some alternative theories the size of the universe contracts. Some do it very slowly while others do it very fast. “The attributes people have proposed so far to measure usually have trouble distinguishing between the different theories because they are not directly related to the evolution of the size of the primordial universe” he continued. “So we wanted to find what the observable attributes are that can be directly linked to that defining property”. The signals generated by the primordial standard clock can serve such a purpose. That clock is any type of heavy elementary particle in the primordial universe. Such particles should exist in any theory and their positions should oscillate at some regular frequency much like the ticking of a clock’s pendulum. The primordial universe was not entirely uniform. There were tiny irregularities in density on minuscule scales that became the seeds of the large-scale structure observed in today’s universe. This is the primary source of information physicists rely on to learn about what happened before the Big Bang. The ticks of the standard clock generated signals that were imprinted into the structure of those irregularities. Standard clocks in different theories of the primordial universe predict different patterns of signals because the evolutionary histories of the universe are different. “If we imagine all of the information we learned so far about what happened before the Big Bang is in a roll of film frames then the standard clock tells us how these frames should be played” Z explained. “Without any clock information we don’t know if the film should be played forward or backward fast or slow just like we are not sure if the primordial universe was inflating or contracting and how fast it did so. This is where the problem lies. The standard clock put time stamps on each of these frames when the film was shot before the Big Bang and tells us how to play the film”. The team calculated how these standard clock signals should look in non-inflationary theories and suggested how they should be searched for in astrophysical observations. “If a pattern of signals representing a contracting universe were found it would falsify the entire inflationary theory” Y said. The success of this idea lies with experimentation. “These signals will be very subtle to detect” Z said “and so we may have to search in many different places. The cosmic microwave background radiation is one such place and the distribution of galaxies is another. We have already started to search for these signals and there are some interesting candidates already but we need more data”.