UCLA chemists report the discovery of a remarkable new nanoscale phenomenon: An ordinary camera flash causes the instantaneous welding together of nanofibers made of polyaniline, a unique synthetic polymer that can be made in either a conducting or an insulating form. The discovery, which the chemists call “flash welding,” is published in the November issue of the journal Nature Materials.
Numerous applications potentially could result from this research in such areas as chemi
Scientists have uncovered a significant new link in the chain of immune system events through which estrogen prevents bone loss and that contribute to bone loss when estrogen is deficient. Through research in mice, the scientists discovered that an immune signaling molecule called type b transforming growth factor (TGFb) is responsible for a cascade of events that leads estrogen to prevent bone loss. When TGFb signaling in T cells is blocked, the bone-sparing effects of estrogen are lost. The fi
A controversial theory about how diabetes causes extensive tissue damage will appear in the November issue of Diabetes. At stake in the heated debate over the theory are researchers’ efforts to find new ways to reduce loss of vision, kidney failure, heart damage and other side effects of diabetes.
The American Diabetes Association estimates that 18.2 million Americans have diabetes. Diabetes’ links to heart attack and stroke make it the sixth leading cause of death, a
’Nature’ article describes sequence of eight chromosomes
A team of scientists at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine has helped decode the genome sequence of Cryptosporidium hominis, an insidious parasite identified as one of the most common causes of waterborne diseases in humans and classified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a potential bioterrorist agent. The researchers’ findings are reported in today’s issue of the journal
ILOG Optimizes Production And Planning Process at Hansol Paper
ILOG® (NASDAQ: ILOG; Euronext: ILO, ISIN: FR0004042364), a leading supplier of enterprise-class software components and services, today announced that Hansol Paper, one of the leading paper manufacturing companies in South Korea, has selected ILOG optimization software to streamline its complex paper planning and production processes, including managing inventory requirements, resulting in a more efficient overall p
VLTI Watches the Changing Size of Bright Southern Cepheids
Taking advantage of the very high spatial resolution provided by the Very Large Telescope Interferometer, a team of French and Swiss astronomers [1] has measured directly the change in angular diameter of four southern Cepheid variable stars over their pulsation cycle.
When combined with spectroscopic radial velocity measurements, this allowed the astronomers to measure very accurately the distances of these st
An international team of astronomers [1] has succeeded in measuring with high precision the velocities of a large number of planetary nebulae [2] in the intergalactic space within the Virgo Cluster of galaxies. For this they used the highly efficient FLAMES spectrograph 3] on the ESO Very Large Telescope at the Paranal Observatory (Chile).
These planetary nebulae stars free floating in the otherwise seemingly empty space between the galaxies of large clusters can be used as “pro
Europe should take all possible measures to enhance the existing collaboration between paediatric oncologists, both in the treatment and research of childhood cancers. Paediatric oncologists are concerned that current and proposed EU legislations could jeopardise this collaboration and, as a consequence, could impact on the provision of optimal treatment for children with cancer. This was the warning given at a Lunch Debate at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France (on Wednesday 27th Octo
University of Surrey staff and students are taking part in the rebuilding of Concorde 202. They will be reassembling some key parts of Concorde’s engine air intakes on campus over the next few months. The work coincides with the imminent arrival of contractors at Brooklands Museum who will be joining the wings and fuselage back together. The parts being refurbished by UniS volunteers will then be attached to the aircraft.
Concorde is a unique and special aircraft, an unrivalled avia
In a finding that may one day help researchers better understand age-related memory and hearing loss, scientists have shown that two key nervous system proteins interact in a manner that helps regulate the transmission of signals in the nervous system.
Researchers report online in Nature Neuroscience that they’ve connected neuregulin-1 (Nrg-1), a protein linked to schizophrenia, and postsynaptic density protein-95 (PSD-95), a protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
Smoking cessation efforts could be improved by studying nicotine interactions with acetaldehyde, according to UCI tobacco use researchers
Acetaldehyde, one of the main chemical components of tobacco smoke, appears to increase the addictive properties of nicotine, according to animal studies conducted by the UC Irvine Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Center (TTURC). In addition, the researchers found that adolescents are most vulnerable to the rewarding effects of the nic
Researchers at the University of Chicago have found genetic evidence to support the sodium-retention hypothesis, a controversial 30-year-old theory that the high rate of hypertension in certain ethnic groups is caused, in part, by an inherited tendency to retain salt.
In the December issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics, (available now on-line) the researchers show that the frequency of one version of a gene that plays a crucial role in salt retention correlates with
A potential new therapeutic approach to Alzheimer’s disease protects brain cells in culture by drastically reducing the neurotoxic amyloid protein aggregates that are critical to the development of the disease. The treatment involves dispatching a small molecule into the cell to enlist the aid of a larger “chaperone” protein to block the accumulation of the brain-clogging protein.
The new “Trojan horse” technique overcomes a major challenge in drug design – namely, the lim
UK legislation on analgesic packs: before and after study of long term effect on poisonings BMJ Online First
Selling paracetamol and other painkillers in smaller pack sizes has slashed rates of suicide and damage to the liver from paracetamol poisoning, concludes a study on bmj.com this week. Suicides from overdoses of paracetamol or aspirin dropped nearly a quarter in the three years following new legislation in 1998, which cut pack sizes and limited how many tablets a retailer was
Did that lobster on your dinner plate inherit its big crusher claw…or did it evolve through need, without the help of genes?
Genetics aren’t the only triggers for the traits a species develops, according to findings from a University of Alberta professor. The research challenges the classical Darwinian theory of evolution as being the sole explanation for how new life forms arise.
In a paper published October 29 in the journal Science, Dr. Richard Palmer, a U of A profess
A University of Michigan scientist is part of a European Space Agency team that has detected methane gas on Mars, the clearest indicator yet that there could be life there, said Sushil Atreya, professor and director of the Planetary Science Laboratory in the College of Engineering.
“Biologically produced methane is one of many possibilities,” Atreya said. “Methane is a potential biomarker, if a planet has methane we begin to think of the possibility of life on the planet. On Earth
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