Dutch researcher Yvonne van Breugel analysed rocks from seabeds millions of years old. Carbon occurs naturally in two stable forms; atomic mass 12 (99 percent) and atomic mass 13 (1 percent). Episodes in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods were characterised by a relatively strong increase in 12C. The analyses have shown that this was caused by a sudden large-scale release of carbon from stocks stored in the ocean floor or peats and bogs.
The atmospheric carbon dioxide concentratio
Five proposals have been honoured in the subsidy programme ’Urbanisation and Urban Culture’. A total of 2.5 million euros has been awarded. From different perspectives all five projects are searching for an answer to the question: Which forces and phenomena are responsible for a town’s ongoing capacity for innovation and public services?
The programme ’Urbanisation & Urban Culture’ is divided into three thematic clusters: urban patterns of economic dynamics and so
Dutch researcher Phil Ham has developed mathematical models to calculate the natural degradation capacity of polluted groundwater. As a result of this, it can now be predicted whether a polluted area will become larger or smaller. In the latter case, expensive remediation methods can be avoided.
Groundwater under contaminated sites, such as waste disposal sites and industrial areas, is often polluted. Such a polluted groundwater plume can grow, shrink or remain stable due to an interpla
According to Dutch researchers, if you want to know what the average citizen thinks about new energy options then make sure you inform them properly first. Respondents who are not well informed, only give ’pseudo opinions’ which are too fickle to base policy on. This emerges from psychological research into what the Dutch think about various forms of energy generation from fossil fuels in combination with CO2 storage.
When energy is generated from fossil fuels, the greenhous
In order to develop sustainable agricultural production, what is required is a study of nitrogenated sources as alternatives to the nitrates that predominate in agricultural soils and that have a greater contaminant capacity. The current use of nitrates as a nitrogenated fertiliser in intensive farming has given rise to environmental problems such as the contamination of water or the degradation of the ozone layer. There are also health problems such as deficiencies in the oxygenation of blood
Cider making, as with any similar process, involves the production of leftover “waste” such as the apple pulp, discarded apples and liquid residue, for example.
AZTI-Tecnalia Technological Centre, given its intention to improve and innovate the production process of natural cider, is undertaking a number of studies of the management, the reduction and the re-evaluation of waste residue from cider making. The aim is twin-fold: the gains from eliminating the waste generated in this
Hubble has captured the most detailed images to date of the open star clusters NGC 265 and NGC 290 in the Small Magellanic Cloud – two sparkling sets of gemstones in the southern sky.
Two new composite images taken with the Advanced Camera for Surveys onboard the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope show a myriad of stars in crystal clear detail. The brilliant open star clusters, NGC 265 and NGC 290, are located about 200,000 light-years away and are roughly 65 light-years across.
Directly observed therapy (DOT) has no quantitatively important effect on cure rates or treatment completion in people receiving treatment for tuberculosis (TB). So concludes a systematic review of randomized controlled trials conducted in low-, middle, and high-income countries.
To fight TB people need to take medication regularly for at least six months, but many people fail to complete the regimen. One approach to improving compliance has been to directly observe people as they
No more need for clinical trials. A systematic review of currently available literature published this week in The Cochrane Library, Issue 2, 2006 shows that insecticide treated nets (ITNs) reduces placental malaria, low birth weight, and abortions and stillbirths in women living in malaria affected regions of Africa. The benefit is most noticeable in women during their first two to four pregnancies, and the effect is seen if the ITNs are used by whole communities or by individual women.
People wearing compression stockings on long-haul flights may have one tenth the risk of developing a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) compared to those who do not wear compression stockings. So concludes a systematic review of medical research to be published in The Cochrane Library, Issue 2, on April 19th 2006.
“This review shows that airline passengers travelling for long distances can expect a substantial reduction in the incidence of symptomless DVT if they wear compression stockings,” s
Caspase-12 is a molecule with a death-wish. Found only in people of African descent, this protein shuts down our body’s immune system, opening the door to potentially lethal infections. In a groundbreaking new study published in the prestigious journal Nature this week, the team that first discovered the role of caspase-12 in humans has now uncovered the mechanism by which it sabotages us, allowing researchers to develop methods to counter its damaging effects.
Caspase-12 is found in aro
Laboratory discoveries by scientists at two universities may lead to new directions in cancer therapy drugs. The researchers have discovered that a genetic switch involved in growth and development of an animal is the same one used to prevent normal cells from becoming cancerous.
The findings are reported in the April 18 issue of Current Biology. Experiments were carried out by first author Masamitsu Fukuyama, a postdoctoral scientist working in the laboratories of Joel H. Rothm
Large swaths of the genome are controlled by the choice of a sedentary versus migratory future
As juveniles, individuals of many fish species face a developmental choice that will profoundly affect their future: whether to adopt a sedentary or migratory lifestyle. Sedentary (or “residential”) individuals remain in the region of their birth, while their migratory compatriots set forth on long open-water journeys. The developmental choice of the residential versus migratory “life
Human-like movement control helps flexible arms achieve precision
The octopus arm is extremely flexible. Thanks to this flexibility–the arm is said to possess a virtually infinite number of “degrees of freedom”–the octopus is able to generate a vast repertoire of movements that is unmatched by the human arm. Nonetheless, despite the huge evolutionary gap and morphological differences between the octopus and vertebrates, the octopus arm acts much like a three-jointed vertebrate l
The cell is understood to be highly organized, with specialized areas for different functions and molecular motors shuttling components around. Researchers from the University of Illinois’ Chicago and Urbana-Champaign campuses now offer the first imaging evidence from live cells of ongoing organization and transport within the cell nucleus.
Genes that are active are located mainly in the central region of the nucleus, while inactive genes are at the periphery. But scientists have ha
There will be 78.08 million 3G users in China by the year 2008, according to a report by Analysys International, an Internet-based provider of technology business information.
According to the report, telecoms operators will begin construction of 3G networks and purchase of 3G devices as soon as 3G licenses are issued in China in the second half of this year. 3G mobile communication services will be provided in China in the first half of 2007 while mature 3G commercial applications will b
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