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In Applied Physics Letters, researchers use laser treatments to transform ordinary cork into a powerful tool for treating oil spills. They tested variations of a fast-pulsing laser treatment, closely examining the nanoscopic structural changes and measuring the ratio of oxygen and carbon in the material, changes in the angles with which water and oil contact the surface, and the material’s light wave absorption, reflection, and emission across the spectrum to determine its durability after multiple cycles of warming and cooling.

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In the Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology A, researchers deploy an array of microscopic coils to create a magnetic field and stimulate individual neurons. The magnetic field can induce an electric field in any nearby neurons, the same effect created by an electrode but much more precise. They used an array of eight coils, which combined can induce electric fields using much less current per coil, and employed soft magnetic materials, which boost the magnetic strength of the coils. The researchers constructed a prototype of their coil array, called MagPatch, and encapsulated it within a biocompatible coating.

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AIP is delighted to announce the appointment of Alejandro de la Puente as director of the Society of Physics Students and AIP’s first Student Engagement Officer.

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While asleep, the area of birds’ brains dedicated to singing remains active, triggering vocal muscles without producing sound. In Chaos from AIP Publishing, researchers translate the muscle activity to synthesize the songs of avian dreams. Reproducing distinctive bird calls provides a window into the contents of the bird’s dreams.

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With climate change and rising urbanization, the likelihood and severity of urban flooding are increasing. But not all city blocks are created equal. In Physics of Fluids, an AIP Publishing journal, researchers investigated how urban layout and building structures contribute to pedestrian safety during flooding.

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Polymer-based hydrogels are used to treat skin ailments and in tissue engineering because of their ability to retain water, deliver drugs into wounds, and biodegrade. However, they are complicated to manufacture and not very resilient to external forces like rubbing against clothing, sheets, or wound dressings.

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By evaluating sound vibrations produced by the airflow induced within the lungs and bronchial tree during normal breathing as well as those produced by the larynx during vocalizations, doctors can identify potential disease-related abnormalities within the respiratory system.

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For telescopes operating in the vacuum of space, or optical equipment in extreme environments, existing coatings are often insufficient. In the Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology Aresearchers in China turned to atomic layer deposition and developed an ultrablack thin-film coating for aerospace-grade magnesium alloys. The team used alternating layers of aluminum-doped titanium carbide and silicon nitride and together the materials prevent nearly all light from reflecting off the coated surface. The coating absorbs 99.3% of light while being durable enough to survive in harsh conditions.

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Despite the technological advances keeping meat fresh for as long as possible, certain aging processes are unavoidable. Adenosine triphosphate is a molecule produced by breathing and responsible for providing energy to cells. When an animal stops breathing, ATP synthesis also stops, and the existing molecules decompose into acid, diminishing first flavor and then safety. Hypoxanthine and xanthine are intermediate steps in this transition. Assessing their prevalence in meat indicates its freshness. In AIP Advances, researchers developed a biosensor using graphene electrodes modified by zinc oxide nanoparticles to measure HXA. The team demonstrated the sensor’s efficacy on pork meat.

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In JVSTB, researchers report successful results from a hand-held breast cancer screening device that can detect breast cancer biomarkers from a tiny sample of saliva.

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AIP is delighted to announce the appointment of Trevor Owens as its first Chief Research Officer.

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China’s Chang’e-5, the first lunar sample return mission since the Soviet Union’s Luna 24 in 1976, delivered 1.73 kilograms of regolith from the Oceanus Procellarum, a plane named for its vast size.

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AIP and APS are pleased to announce David Brydges as the recipient of the 2024 Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics “for achievements in the fields of constructive quantum field theory and rigorous statistical mechanics, especially the introduction of new techniques including random walk representation in spin systems, the lace expansion, and mathematically rigorous implementations of the renormalization group.”

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Inspired by a 1725 fire engine that pumped water at larger distances and higher speeds than previously possible, authors publishing in the American Journal of Physics analyzed the pressure chamber’s Windkessel effect to capture the physics behind this widely used, enduring technology. They compared the initial state of the chamber, the rate at which bucket brigades could pour water in (volumetric inflow), the length of time pressure builds, and the effects on output flow rate. Next, the authors plan to examine the physiological Windkessel involved in the heart-aorta system.

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AIP Publishing is excited to announce the appointment of Julia R. Greer as the new editor-in-chief of Journal of Applied Physics. Greer is the Mettler Chair Professor of Materials Science, Mechanics, and Medical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology and the Fletcher Jones Foundation Director of Caltech’s Kavli Nanoscience Institute. As editor-in-chief, Greer’s vision for Journal of Applied Physics is to build upon its long and distinguished history and establish an even broader reach.

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The Heineman Foundation, AIP, and American AAS are pleased to announce John E. Carlstrom as the winner of the 2024 Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics.

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Shuttlecocks, also known as birdies or birds, are traditionally made from duck feathers, but nylon shuttlecocks have become more widely used because of their superior durability. Their flight behavior, however, is far different from that of traditional feather birdies. In Physics of Fluids, scientists in India explored the aerodynamic performance of nylon shuttlecocks at various flight speeds. Through computational analyses based on two-way fluid-structure interactions, the team coupled equations governing air flow with equations determining skirt deformation of a shuttlecock in flight.

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In Physics of Fluids, researchers from the University of Utah report snowflake accelerations in atmospheric turbulence.

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Researchers from Shanghai Jiao Tong University have developed a promising new solar-powered atmospheric water harvesting technology that could help provide enough drinking water for people to survive in difficult, dryland areas: They synthesized a super hygroscopic gel capable of absorbing and retaining an unparalleled amount of water. .

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In Physics of Fluids, scientists demonstrate how bloodstains can yield valuable details by examining the protrusions that deviate from the boundaries of otherwise elliptical bloodstains. The researchers studied how these “tails” are formed using a series of high-speed experiments with human blood droplets less than a millimeter wide impacting horizontal surfaces at various angles. They found that the tail length can reflect information about the size, impact speed, and impact angle of the blood drop that formed the stain.

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AIP Publishing and the Journal of Rheology congratulate Norman J. Wagner, Julie B. Hipp, and Jeffrey J. Richards, winners of the 2023 Journal of Rheology Publication Award for their paper, “Direct measurements of the microstructural origin of shear-thinning in carbon black suspensions.” The winning paper demonstrates how shearing forces impact the microstructure responsible for viscosity in suspensions containing carbon black, a material used in energy storage. The paper also provides a quantitative master curve which relates the material’s properties to how it may behave under stress.

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In Chaos, researchers in Spain incorporate language ideologies, along with the impact of interaction between individuals with opposing preferences, on the language shift process. The team chose a quantitative approach based on a society in which only one language with two varieties, the standard and the vernacular, existed. The resulting mathematical model can predict the conditions that allow for the coexistence of different languages, presenting a comprehensive view of how language varieties are distributed within societies.

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Absorbing excess sound to make public environments like theaters and concert halls safer for hearing and using the unwanted sound waves to create electricity is the aim of a paper in Physics of Fluids.

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AIP and the National Society of Black Physicists congratulate Charles D. Brown II as the winner of the 2023 Joseph A. Johnson Award for Excellence. Dante O’Hara and Danielle Speller are also being recognized with Honorable Mentions. The Johnson Award recognizes early-career scientists who demonstrate scientific ingenuity and impactful mentorship and service – the core values of NSBP founder Joseph A. Johnson. The award and honorable mentions will be presented at the 2023 National Society of Black Physicists Annual Conference on Nov. 12, in Knoxville, Tennessee.

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An examination of the impact of image size on measurements from magnetic force microscopy has won the Advances in Magnetism Award, sponsored by AIP Advances. The paper was selected as the winner from nearly 200 papers submitted and Michael Vaka, now a data engineer at Zontal, was awarded a cash prize and a travel stipend to next year’s conference for his work, performed at BYU under the supervision of Karine Chesnel.

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By detecting cardiovascular ailments and helping assess overall cardiac health, wearable electrocardiograms save lives, not to mention exorbitant hospital care costs. In Applied Physics Reviews, researchers present a novel wearable electrocardiogram patch for enhanced point-of-care diagnostics. The study focused on the advantages of using active dry electrodes for ECG signaling, and they created a compact, lightweight, gel-free hexagonal-shaped ECG patch. The configuration was then integrated with wireless Bluetooth communication for remote sensing capabilities.

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In Physics of Fluids, researchers examine how ventilation can affect transmission of airborne viruses in a typical cruise ship cabin based on guidelines developed before and after the pandemic. They conducted simulations for virus droplets from a cough in a typical cabin that accommodates two or more people, with different ventilation rates and different positions of the person emitting the cough. Computational fluid dynamics testing ranged from 1.5 to 15 air changes per hour to capture all possible scenarios, from minimal ventilation to rates exceeding the most recent recommendations.

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Physics of Plasmas has bestowed the 2023 Davidson Award to Debra Callahan for her paper “Exploring the limits of case-to-capsule ratio, pulse length, and picket energy for symmetric hohlraum drive on the National Ignition Facility Laser.” The annual award of $5,000 is presented in collaboration with the APS Division of Plasma Physics to recognize outstanding plasma physics research by a Physics of Plasmas author.

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Climate change and the rapid increase in frequency of extreme weather events around the globe reinforces the reality that these events are interconnected. In Chaos, researchers describe a climate network analysis method to explore the intensity, distribution, and evolution of this interlinked climate behavior, or teleconnections. The analysis combines the directions and distribution patterns of teleconnections to evaluate their intensity and to identify sensitive regions using global daily surface air temperature data. The method relies on advanced data processing and mathematical algorithms to find meaningful insights.

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In APL Materials, researchers tested a molecular energy harvesting device that captures the energy from the natural motion of molecules in a liquid. Their work showed molecular motion can be used to generate a stable electric current. To create the device, they submerged nanoarrays of piezoelectric material in liquid, allowing the movement of the liquid to move the strands like seaweed waving in the ocean, except in this case the movement is on the molecular scale, and the strands are made of zinc oxide. When the zinc oxide material waves, bends, or deforms under motion, it generates electric potential.

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AIP is pleased to announce Sidney Perkowitz as the winner of the 2023 Andrew Gemant Award, presented to those who have made significant contributions to the cultural, artistic, or humanistic dimension of physics. Perkowitz was chosen by the award selection committee for his enduring commitment to bridge the physics community with the arts and humanities by using a variety of media, including books, essays, public lectures, and theatrical productions.

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In Journal of Applied Physics, researchers describe an acoustic metasurface that uses pingpong balls, with small holes punctured in each, as Helmholtz resonators to create inexpensive but effective low-frequency sound insulation. The coupling between two resonators led to two resonance frequencies, and more resonant frequencies meant the device was able to absorb more sound. At the success of two coupled resonators, the researchers added more, until their device resembled a square sheet of punctured pingpong balls, multiplying the number of resonant frequencies that could be absorbed.

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In Review of Scientific Instruments, scientists developed a microwave microstrip line planar resonator sensor tool to detect water adulteration in honey. The tool is compact, cost-effective, and easily fabricated. The microstrip line resonator sensor is fabricated on a dielectric substrate, which is an insulator that can efficiently support electrostatic fields, such as ceramic or glass. The team tested honey samples with varying water content and found that the sensor's resonance frequency consistently decreases with increased added water content.

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To help journalists and the public understand the context of this year’s Nobel Prize, AIP is compiling a resources page featuring relevant scientific papers and articles, quotes from experts, photos, multimedia, and other resources.

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To help journalists and the public understand the context of this year’s Nobel Prize, AIP is compiling a resources page featuring relevant scientific papers and articles, quotes from experts, photos, multimedia, and other resources.

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TEAM-UP Together is pleased to announce its second cohort of scholars: 62 students who will each receive $10,000 for the 2023-24 academic year. Among these high-achieving students, 15 are second-time award recipients. By offering financial support to promising undergraduates, TEAM-UP Together encourages more young Black and African American students to follow their passion for science. Scholarship awardees become members of the Society of Physics Students and will also gain access to professional development opportunities, mentoring, training, conference travel funding, and more through the TEAM-UP Together community.

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Saltwater taffy, a product that contains no actual saltwater, is neither fully solid nor fully liquid. Researchers from Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology put the sticky, sweet confection to the test to understand the physics behind this unique candy.

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Though a cornerstone of thermodynamics, entropy remains one of the most vexing concepts to teach budding physicists in the classroom. In The Physics Teacher, co-published by AIP Publishing and the American Association of Physics Teachers, T. Ryan Rogers designed a hand-held model to demonstrate the concept of entropy for students.

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Traveling to faraway places is often accompanied by jet lag. Fatigue, difficulty sleeping, and a host of other problems can turn an otherwise exciting adventure into a miserable trip. In Chaos, from AIP Publishing, Huang et al. developed a theoretical model to study the interactions between multiple internal clocks under the effects of aging and disruptions like jet lag. Based on their results, they suggest techniques that could improve internal clock recovery.

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In Journal of Applied Physics, Markus Buehler combines attention neural networks with graph neural networks to better understand and design proteins. The approach couples the strengths of geometric deep learning with those of language models to predict existing protein properties and envision new proteins that nature has not yet devised. Buehler’s model turns numbers, descriptions, tasks, and other elements into symbols for his neural networks to use.

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In JASA, researchers from the University of Oldenburg study the impact of hearing loss on subjects’ enjoyment of different music mixes.

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AIP Publishing is thrilled to announce the appointment of Ortwin Hess as the founding editor-in-chief of APL Quantum, its newest open-access journal, which seeks to cultivate groundbreaking research in both fundamental and applied quantum science. Hess brings a lifetime of scientific experience and insight in nearly all aspects of quantum science and as editor-in-chief, he will lead the journal as it begins accepting submissions later in 2023 and prepares to publish in 2024.

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Gems' unique elemental composition and atomic orientation act as a fingerprint, enabling researchers to uncover the stones’ past, and with it, historical trade routes. In AIP Advances, Khedr et al. employ three modern spectroscopic techniques to rapidly analyze gems found in the Arabian-Nubian Shield and compare them with similar gems from around the world. The authors identified elements that influence gems’ color, differentiated stones found within and outside the region, and distinguished natural from synthetic.

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Delving into the intricacies of waste management, researchers in China explore the application of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy technology for the identification and classification of recyclable waste and discuss their work in AIP Advances.

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In Applied Physics Letters, researchers report achieving self-sustaining and long-term levitation of millimeter-sized droplets of several different liquids without any external forces. To get the droplets to levitate, they use solutocapillary convection, which occurs when a surface tension gradient is formed by nonuniform distribution of vapor molecules from the droplet at the pool surface.

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In Physics of Fluids, Vega et al. researched human tears at the micron level to reveal new ways of customizing artificial tears to address individual symptoms of dry eye disease. The detailed insights they gained about the composition and behavior of tears could also apply to the study of ocular pathogens as well as other biological fluids. The authors collected healthy human tears and tested 10 different formulations of artificial tears and applied microrheology methods using dynamic light scattering.

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In Physics of Fluids, an interdisciplinary team presents a study of the dynamics of buoyant spheres at the air-water interface. Their work reveals complex hydrodynamics involved in forming horizontal air cavities and the transition between floating and skipping. One of the team’s key findings is that as the pulling force and speed of the spheres increase, their behavior becomes more irregular. They also discovered larger pulling angles result in different air-cavity lengths, larger skipping distances, and earlier water exit behavior.

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Researchers in Germany have studied the kinetic and thermodynamic processes of sugar crystallization in the making of fondant. In Physics of Fluids, they combine a controlled kneading machine with light microscopy to precisely observe the process of fondant creation and link it to theoretical physics models.

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Certain conditions can make the increased heart rate associated with exercise dangerous: Researchers found that an elevated heart rate can induce a stroke in patients with highly blocked carotid arteries. Contrastingly, for healthy patients and those with only slightly blocked arteries, exercise is beneficial for maintaining healthy blood flow. In healthy patients, an elevated heart rate increases and stabilizes the drag force blood exerts on the vessel wall, reducing stenosis risk. But for patients already experiencing stenosis, it may not be as beneficial.