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Category: electronics

The “StemDif Sensor Test”: A Straightforward, Non-Invasive Assay to Characterize the Secreted Stemness and/or Differentiation Activities of Tumor-Derived Cancer Cell Lines

Cancer stem cells are a subpopulation of tumor cells characterized by their ability to self-renew, induce tumors upon engraftment in animals and exhibit strong resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. These cells exhibit numerous characteristics in common with embryonic stem cells, expressing some of their markers, typically absent in non-pathological adult differentiated cells. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of conditioned media from cancer stem cells to modulate the fate of Leukemia Inhibitory Factor (LIF)-dependent murine embryonic stem cells (mESCs) as a way to obtain a direct readout of the secretome of cancer cells. A functional assay, “the StemDif sensor test”, was developed with two types of cancer stem cells derived from grade IV glioblastoma (adult and pediatric) or from gastric adenocarcinoma.

Acoustic waves could be the key to orbitronic devices

Electronics traditionally rely on harnessing the electron’s charge, but researchers are now exploring the possibility of harnessing its other intrinsic properties. In a Nature Communications study, scientists from Japan demonstrated that sound waves in certain solids can generate orbital currents—flow of electron orbital angular momentum.

Their findings establish a foundation for realizing next-generation “orbitronic” devices using existing acoustic technology.

Since the discovery of electricity, countless advancements in technology have relied on harnessing the electron’s charge, which is the fundamental principle behind most traditional electronics.

New WrtHug campaign hijacks thousands of end-of-life ASUS routers

Thousands of ASUS WRT routers, mostly end-of-life or outdated devices, have been hijacked in a global campaign called Operation WrtHug that exploits six vulnerabilities.

Over the past six months, scanners looking for ASUS devices compromised in Operation WrtHug identified “roughly 50,000 unique IPs” around the globe.

Most of the compromised devices have IP addresses located in Taiwan, while others are distributed across Southeast Asia, Russia, Central Europe, and the United States.

Hollow glass fiber sensors withstand extreme radiation in particle accelerator tests

A slender glass fiber no thicker than a human hair placed across a particle beam could improve accelerator monitoring. A team is testing the use of hollow-core optical fibers to measure the profile and position of the beams extracted from the Super Proton Synchrotron, CERN’s second-largest accelerator, which feeds the experiments located in the North Area.

Unlike conventional fibers, which guide light through solid glass, hollow-core optical fibers are mostly empty inside but have a microstructure design that guides light through resonance–antiresonance effects on the electromagnetic field.

By filling these fibers with a scintillating gas—a gas that emits tiny flashes of light when struck by particles—scientists can create a simple yet powerful sensor that helps them to adjust the beam profile and position and may even allow them to measure the delivered beam dose in real time.

Watch: HydroGNSS, IRIDE and Greek mission satellites launch

The European Space Agency’s HydroGNSS, a twin-satellite mission to gather data on Earth’s water cycle, is scheduled to launch on 19 November at 19:18 CET (10:18 Pacific Time). Live coverage of the launch will be shown on ESA Web TV.

The live coverage will start at 19:01 CET (10:01 Pacific Time). Launch is from the Vandenberg Space Force Base with SpaceX on Falcon 9.

Please note: launch times are subject to change at short notice. This page will be updated as soon as information becomes available, so please check back or bookmark the article.

Dual-mode design boosts MEMS accelerometer accuracy, study reveals

A research team led by Prof. Zou Xudong from the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (AIRCAS) has proposed a new solution to address two longstanding challenges in Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) resonant accelerometers: temperature drift and measurement dead zones.

By implementing a dual-mode operating scheme that effectively decouples the operating frequencies of the device’s differential beams, the team has achieved improvements in the sensor’s accuracy and performance. Their findings were recently published in Microsystems & Nanoengineering.

The study revealed that driving one in its first resonant mode while operating the other in its second resonant mode can enhance temperature compensation and mitigate the modal localization effect that typically causes measurement dead zones. The dual-mode design also preserves the geometrical symmetry of the beams, which is critical for minimizing temperature-induced errors and maintaining stable sensor performance.

Scientists to Use Earth Itself as a Giant Sensor in Hunt for New Physics

Far above Earth, scientists are using quantum sensors to listen for the faintest whispers of unseen forces that may weave through the universe. Scientists are constantly searching for new clues about the hidden forces that may exist beyond the known laws of physics. One promising area of research

Scientists just found a material that beats diamond at its own game

Boron arsenide has dethroned diamond as the best heat conductor, thanks to refined crystal purity and improved synthesis methods. This discovery could transform next-generation electronics by combining record-breaking thermal conductivity with strong semiconductor properties.

X-ray techniques map and measure the invisible properties of altermagnets

The new big thing in magnetics is altermagnetism, a form of magnetism that promises to power the next generation of electronics. Unlike ferromagnets, like a fridge magnet, where all internal atomic spins align to create a strong magnetic field, altermagnets have no net magnetic pull (strongly magnetic on the inside, but appears non-magnetic on the outside). This is similar to antiferromagnets where internal spins cancel each other out. However, altermagnets retain powerful internal properties that could let them carry and control information more efficiently than traditional magnets.

Because this magnetism has a zero net pull, it is hard to detect using standard measurement tools. In two new papers, researchers detail how they have developed X-ray techniques to map and measure different aspects of an altermagnet’s internal structure.

New diode chain could be used to develop highpower terahertz technologies

Electromagnetic waves with frequencies between microwave and infrared light, also known as terahertz radiation, are leveraged by many existing technologies, including various imaging tools and wireless communication systems. Despite their widespread use, generating strong and continuous terahertz signals using existing electronics is known to be challenging.

To reliably generate terahertz signals, engineers often rely on frequency multipliers, electronic circuits that can distort an input signal, to generate an output signal with a desired frequency. Some of these circuits are based on Schottky barrier diodes, devices in which the junction between a metal and semiconductor form a one-way electrical contact.

While some frequency multipliers based on Schottky barrier diodes have achieved promising results, devices based on individual diodes can only handle a limited amount of energy. To increase the energy they can manage, engineers can use several diodes arranged in a chain. However, even this approach can have its limitations, as the distribution of the electromagnetic field between the diodes in a chain often becomes uneven.

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