A strong and ductile steel
A group of University engineers have developed a new method of creating steel that makes it stronger while preserving its ductility, according to a University press release.
The method, described in a paper published this month in the journal Nature Communications, was established through collaboration with engineers at three Chinese universities and the Chinese Academy of Science.
The method helps to solve a common problem engineers face with steel — as steel is made stronger, it becomes less ductile. This is particularly problematic for structural applications such as the use of steel in buildings or bridges, because if steel is not ductile, it can shatter, according to the release.
But the new way of producing steel, referred to as twinning-induced plasticity steel, deforms only the outside of the material, making it stronger while leaving the inside intact, thereby preserving its ductility.
“It’s critical in this kind of system to push this strength-ductility limit as far as possible,” Huajian Gao, professor of engineering and senior author on the paper, said in the release.
Epidemiologists develop new method to analyze data sets
A new model developed by University researchers combines multiple sources to produce a better analysis of disease data.
Presented in two new papers recently published online, one in the journal Biostatistics and the other in the journal Annals of Applied Statistics, the model examines the effects of three sources on disease presentation — DNA differences, gene expression and methylation, according to a University press release.
The model can analyze data sets to help epidemiologists understand the link between genomics and disease, according to the release.
Combining the three different sources of data makes the model innovative, as past models have focused on only one.
“Our integrated approach outperforms single-platform approaches,” said Yen-Tsung Huang, an assistant professor of epidemiology who developed the model with colleagues, in the release. “Applied to real data sets, it works.”
Huang plans to apply the new model to sets of brain cancer data in a future research project with Professor of Epidemiology Dominique Michaud.
Prof. wins award to study sleep therapy
The Seleni Institute — a nonprofit organization that seeks to improve the mental health and wellness of women — gave its inaugural research award to Katherine Sharkey, assistant professor of medicine, Monday.
With the grant, Sharkey plans to research the “feasibility, safety and efficacy” of a form of sleep therapy in pregnant women with anxiety during their third trimesters, according to the Seleni Institute’s press release.
The therapy, known as chronotherapy, could be a viable option for women with anxiety who do not want to take medications while pregnant.
It has recently been discovered that a pregnant woman’s sleep patterns during the third trimester of pregnancy have an effect on her mood and behavior after giving birth, Sharkey said in the institute’s release.
“We have long believed that patterns and quality of sleep are crucial to perinatal wellness,” said Nitzia Logothetis, founder and executive chairwoman of the Seleni Institute, in the institute’s release. “We are proud to support Dr. Sharkey and her team.”
Receiving the award is “a very great honor,” Sharkey said in the institute’s release.
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