Kentucky study indicates combination of surgery and radiation yields better mobility, lower death rates in patients suffering from spinal cord compression
Cancer patients and their physicians have new answers as they seek the best treatment for the immobilizing trauma of spinal cord compression in metastatic cancer, thanks to Roy Patchell and colleagues at the University of Kentucky.
In this week’s Lancet, Patchell’s UK research team evaluate traditional surgic
The Spallation Neutron Source at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory has met a crucial milestone on its way to completion in June 2006 — operation of the superconducting section of its linear accelerator.
The SNS linac has two sections: a room-temperature, or warm, section, which completed its commissioning last January, and a superconducting, or cold, section, which operates at temperatures hundreds of degrees below zero. The cold linac provides the bulk of
Applying math and computers to the drug discovery process, researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed a method to predict protein separation behavior directly from protein structure. This new multi-scale protein modeling approach may reduce the time it takes to bring pharmaceuticals to market and may have significant implications for an array of biotechnology applications, including bioprocessing, drug discovery, and proteomics, the study of protein structure and function.
A team of researchers from the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) has successfully demonstrated, for the first time, that it is possible to control the speed of light – both slowing it down and speeding it up – in an optical fiber, using off-the-shelf instrumentation in normal environmental conditions. Their results, to be published in the August 22 issue of Applied Physics Letters, could have implications that range from optical computing to the fiber-optic telecommunications industry
A discovery by Princeton researchers may lead to an efficient method for controlling the transmission of light and improve new generations of communications technologies powered by light rather than electricity.
The discovery could be used to develop new structures that would work in the same fashion as an elbow joint in plumbing by enabling light to make sharp turns as it travels through photonic circuits. Fiber-optic cables currently used in computers, televisions and other devi
The world’s three leading public repositories for DNA and RNA sequence information have reached 100 gigabases [100,000,000,000 bases; the ’letters’ of the genetic code] of sequence. Thanks to their data exchange policy, which has paved the way for the global exchange of many types of biological information, the three members of the International Nucleotide Sequence Database Collaboration [INSDC, www.insdc.org] – EMBL Bank [Hinxton, UK], GenBank [Bethesda, USA] and the DNA Data Bank of Japan [M
Wirtschaftliche Aspekte werden in der Medizin stets wichtiger: Professionelles Personalmanagement, Kosten-, Liquiditäts- oder Qualitätsmanagement – immer mehr betriebswirtschaftliche Komponenten fließen in die täglichen Aufgaben eines Klinik- und niedergelassenen Arztes ein. Im Medizinstudium sind jedoch strategische Führungsaufgaben und unternehmerisches Handeln praktisch kein Thema. Eine Zusatzqualifikation in angewandter Ökonomie zum Master of Business Administration, kurz MBA, kann Abhilfe s
A robotic bat head that can emit and detect ultrasound in the band of frequencies used by the world’s bats will give echolocation research a huge boost.
The Bat-Bot, developed by IST project CIRCE, can also wriggle its ears, a technique often used by bats to modulate the characteristics of the echo.
CIRCE developed the Bat-Bot to closely mimic the amazing echolocation skills of bats and to act as a tool for further research in echolocation.
“Sonar in water is
The latest designs to come out of the d3o products lab are smart, figure hugging components with a cleverly designed geometry following the natural curvature and contours of your body. The macro-densifying mechanism maximises contact and therefore minimises pressure transmitted during impact. Take the elbow component in the picture for example: the geometry is designed to open when the arm is flat, but when the arm is closed, the geometry is configured to provide maximum surface area and therefor
MAKS 2005 – the biennial Russian International Aviation and Space Salon – is being held in Zhukovsky, close to Moscow, from 16 to 21 August. Space exploration has a prominent role at MAKS 2005 as for the first time the Russian Federal Space Agency, as well as ESA, are exhibitors.
All together 42 countries, 130 foreign aerospace companies and 500 Russian companies. are taking part in the air show. ESA’s presence is a sign of the growing cooperation between ESA and Russia marked
Research from The University of Nottingham’s School of Chemistry has contributed to a breakthrough in the complex world of understanding how the quantum mechanics of chemical reactions work.
By understanding chemical processes better chemists will be able to conduct experiments more quickly and accurately, and make new chemicals more cheaply and efficiently.
A study led by Dr Stuart Althorpe, Reader in Physical Chemistry, is published in the August 19 issue of the presti
Every eight adults in Sweden suffer from migraine. Using a new method, researchers at Göteborg have managed for the first time ever to provide a detailed picture of an untreated attack. This will be of great significance for the development of new forms of treatment. The findings are reported in a dissertation at the Sahgrenska Academy.
In the first nation-wide study of migraine in Sweden, it is shown that one million individuals, more than 13 percent of the adult population, suffer fr
The Volkswagen Foundation has approved funding worth €361,000 for a three-year research project to study the effects of demographic change in cities. Czech and Polish cities are to be used as case studies to aid in identifying the experiences from the Eastern German Länder which are transferable and those characteristics which are not comparable. The UFZ Centre for Environmental Research (Umweltforschungszentrum Leipzig-Halle) is working closely on this project with the Czech and Polish Academi
European researchers have developed an innovative satellite-based control and command system for low-density railway lines that could herald a minor revolution in train transportation management.
“There is a real need for this technology,” says LOCOPROL project coordinator Michel Rousseau. “Existing command-control systems adapted for medium traffic density lines or the future ERTMS/ETCS [European Rail Traffic Management System/ European Train Control System] system dedicated to hi
The 3 day July whale and dolphin theme cruises in the Bay of Biscay produced sighting of 11 different species of whales, dolphins and porpoises – an impressive record for anywhere in the World.
The Biscay Dolphin Research Programme (BDRP) is at the forefront of scientific research into cetaceans (the collective term for whales and dolphins) in the Eastern European Atlantic and as part of its education role, the charitable organisation also operates a selected number of eco-touris
The largest trial so far conducted using Butterbur extract to treat intermittent allergic rhinitis (hay fever) shows that this plant extract is as effective as a commonly used antihistamine (Telfast 180).
In recent years there have been a few reports of small research trials that give a mixed view about the effectiveness of Butterbur extract for treating intermittent allergic rhinitis (IAR). Now researchers from Germany and Switzerland have published results from a randomised, double-b
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