Latest North Carolina State University Stories
A team led by a North Carolina State University researcher has shown that water-gel-based solar devices "“ "artificial leaves" "“ can act like solar cells to produce electricity. The findings prove the concept for making solar cells that more closely mimic nature. They also have the potential to be less expensive and more environmentally friendly than the current standard-bearer: silicon-based solar cells.The bendable devices are composed of water-based gel infused with light-sensitive...
RALEIGH, N.C., Sept. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- WebAssign, the leading provider of powerful online homework for college professors and students, announced this week it has formed a partnership with two open source content repositories - Connexions, a Rice University-based global repository of educational content, and Orange Grove Texts Plus (OGT+), a joint initiative of the University Press of Florida and The Orange Grove. The partnership aims to make college textbooks more affordable and allows...
And if you want to compete for future grant dollars, you'll pay attentionTackling today's complex scientific questions often requires work from interdisciplinary collaborative research teams "“ and working in those teams can create its own problems. Now a group of researchers from around the country, including North Carolina State University, has published a commentary in the journal Science Translational Medicine outlining a new field of study that will help resolve problems facing...
Atrial fibrillation is a heart disorder that affects more than two million Americans, and is considered a key contributor to blood clots and stroke. Now researchers from North Carolina State University are developing a new computerized catheter that could make the surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation faster, cheaper and more effective "“ while significantly decreasing radiation exposure related to the treatment."We are developing a robotic catheter with significantly improved...
New research from North Carolina State University will help medical examiners and others identify human remains of those killed during the recent earthquake in Chile, as well as the bodies of the "disappeared" who were killed during the Pinochet administration."We have developed population-specific identification criteria for the Chilean population, which will help us determine the stature and biological sex of skeletal remains," says Dr. Ann Ross, an associate professor of sociology and...
A new study from North Carolina State University shows that genetics play a key factor in whether someone is willing to take a survey."We wanted to know whether people are genetically predisposed to ignore requests for survey participation," says Dr. Lori Foster Thompson, an associate professor of psychology at NC State and lead author of a paper describing the research. "We found that there is a pretty strong genetic predisposition to not reply to surveys."For the study, the researchers sent...
In a counter-intuitive finding, new research from North Carolina State University shows that a species of shellfish widely consumed in the Pacific over the past 3,000 years has actually increased in size, despite "“ and possibly because of "“ increased human activity in the area."What we've found indicates that human activity does not necessarily mean that there is going to be a negative impact on a species "“ even a species that people relied on as a major food source," says Dr. Scott...
Fertilizer chemicals may pose a bigger hazard to the environment "“ specifically to creatures that live in water "“ than originally foreseen, according to new research from North Carolina State University toxicologists.In a study published in the Aug. 27 edition of PLoS One, the NC State researchers show that water fleas take up nitrates and nitrites "“ common chemicals used primarily in agriculture as fertilizers "“ and convert those chemicals into nitric oxide. Nitric oxide can be...
Laughter can play key roles in group communication and group dynamics "“ even when there's nothing funny going on. That's according to new research from North Carolina State University that examined the role of laughter in jury deliberations during a capital murder case.The researchers were given access to the full transcript of jury deliberations in the 2004 Ohio trial of Mark Ducic, a white male charged with two murders and 30 additional counts, largely related to drug violations. "This...
A new study by a team including a professor from North Carolina State University has found a way to implement wireless monitoring technology "“ with uses ranging from climate control to health and safety applications "“ by tapping into a building's heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) ducts. The finding could lead to significant time and cost savings for builders and building managers, since the systems can be put into place without the expense and effort of running wires...
