In dynamical systems research, a ‘basin of attraction’ is the set of all the starting points — usually close to one another — that arrive at the same final state as the system evolves through time. The researchers describe a simple argument showing why basins in systems with multiple attractors should look like high-dimensional octopi.…

A team of scientists has leveraged artificial intelligence to train computers to keep up with the massive amounts of X-ray data taken at the Advanced Photon Source. That’s the challenge a group of scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory is working to overcome. Artificial intelligence has emerged as a versatile…

A new machine-learning algorithm for exploring lightweight, very stiff glass compositions can help design next-gen materials for more efficient vehicles and wind turbines. Glasses can reinforce polymers to generate composite materials that provide similar strengths as metals but with less weight. Liang Qi, a professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Michigan,…

In a year defined by obstacles, a student rocket team persevered. Working together across five time zones, they successfully designed a hybrid rocket engine that uses paraffin and a novel nitrous oxide-oxygen mixture called Nytrox. «Hybrid propulsion powers Virgin Galactic’s suborbital tourist spacecraft and the development of that engine has been challenging. Our students are…

Medical images for a wide range of diseases can be more easily viewed, compared, and analyzed using a breakthrough open source web-based imaging platform developed by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and collaborating researchers. The Open Health Imaging Foundation (OHIF) web viewer was originally developed with grant support from the National Cancer Institute’s Informatics Technology for…

Researchers have developed a new automatized way to localize mandibular canals. The lower jaw is an anatomically complex structure and medical experts use X-ray and computer tomography (CT) models to detect and diagnose such structures. Typically, dentists and radiologists define the location of the mandibular canals manually from the X-ray or CT scans, which makes…

A new study demonstrates how commercially available head mounted displays (HMD) can be used to simulate the day-to-day challenges faced by people with sight loss from glaucoma. The study suggests potential applications of the technology could include helping policymakers better assess the impact of visual impairment on patients, and helping architects to design more accessible…

Atoms and molecules behave in a completely different way to macroscopic objects and each brick requires its own ‘instruction manual’. Scientists have now developed an artificial intelligence system that autonomously learns how to grip and move individual molecules using a scanning tunneling microscope. Rapid prototyping, the fast and cost-effective production of prototypes or models —…

Researchers have upgraded a key computer code for calculating forces acting on magnetically confined plasma in fusion energy experiments. The upgrade will help scientists further improve the design of breakfast-cruller-shaped facilities known as stellarators. The revised software lets researchers more easily determine the boundary of plasma in stellarators. When used in concert with two other…

A researcher is using ‘in silico’ analysis to fast-track passive immunity. Antibody tests look for the presence of antibodies, which are specific proteins made in response to infections. Antibodies are disease specific. For example, measles antibodies will protect you from getting measles if you are exposed to it again, but they won’t protect you from…