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Press releases 2010

Whether in cosmetic products such as suntan cream, toothpaste or deodorant, whether in paints and lacquers or in cancer therapy: Nanoparticles are widely used and offer diverse applications. At the same time, the risks arising from these small particles during their manufacture, use and disposal are difficult to assess. Because due to their tiny dimensions, they have chemical and physical...

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When light is used to transmit information, well established techniques of optical telecommunications are available: modulated light pulses travel along optical fibers, become weaker due to optical attenuation in the fiber and are "refreshed" in signal regeneration stations along the way, where the signals are amplified and filtered. This goal becomes more demanding when the light itself - or...

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Breast cancer: One in ten women is confronted with this diagnosis at a certain point in her life. The chances for healing are good if the cancer is detected at an early stage. Therefore, preventive medical checkups, e.g. palpation of the breasts by the gynaecologist or mammography screening are so important. However, one problem of X-ray mammography is that very often benign mutations are...

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Die frohe Botschaft einer Schwangerschaft hat für medizinisches Personal direkte Folgen in puncto Strahlenschutz: Mitarbeiterinnen, die beim Röntgen helfen, in der Nuklearmedizin oder der Strahlentherapie tätig sind, mussten bis vor kurzem zusätzlich zu den üblichen passiven Dosimetern auch elektronische Dosimeter tragen. Diese haben den Vorteil, dass die Dosiswerte direkt und jederzeit...

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 Many people will miss the good old electric bulb when - according to the decision of the EU - it will no longer be available on the shelves, as of 2012. The little electricity guzzlers only transform 10% of the energy into light and 90% into heat. Energy-saving lamps, however, exploit four or five times more light. But they are environmentally friendly only to a limited degree: The mercury...

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Whether in the field of vibration technology or in mechanical engineering: The measurement of forces and torques is the basis for numerous applications in industry and research, e.g. material testing. So far, however, the dynamic calibration of test equipment, e.g. material testing machines, has been a problem. The measurands "force" and "displacement" are often calibrated only statically -...

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Prof. Piet O. Schmidt, Head of the QUEST Institute at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) in Braunschweig, Germany, received the Young Scientist Award at this year's EFTF Conference (European Frequency and Time Forum) in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. This prize is awarded to researchers under 40 who have performed outstandingly in their field. Together with his colleagues, P. O. ...

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The dimensions of a cam shaft can have a decisive effect on the fuel consumption, the exhaust emission and, finally, the power of a combustion motor. A deviation of a few hundredths of a millimetre already puts the quality into question and forces may develop which further wear and an increased fuel consumption. But: how exactly can the dimensional accuracy of a cam shaft be actually...

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It is very safe to fuel vehicles at petrol stations. Nonetheless, the possibility cannot be excluded that in exceptional cases the ignition of fuel vapour can occur during fuelling at petrol stations. In this case it is of utmost importance to remain calm. Anyone who panics and jerks the still running nozzle out of the tank opening, will most probably set his/her own car, the petrol...

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<small>Joint news release of Leibniz University Hanover and PTB</small>

At present, graphene probably is the most investigated new material system worldwide. Due to its astonishing mechanical, chemical and electronic properties, it promises manifold future applications - for example in microelectronics. The electrons in graphene are particularly movable and could, therefore, replace silicon which is...

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