New technology patented by researchers at the University of Wales, Bangor could lead to the development of ultra-sensitive sensors able to detect the presence of explosive materials. The sensors will have many security and military applications including being developed for use in the war against terrorism.
It is the innovative collaboration of molecular biology and chemistry that has enabled the team to develop the novel sensor technology ‘nano-dog’ to be developed to commercial prototype.
As the volume of “traffic” on the Internet grows at an enormous rate – estimates are that it is doubling every year – scientists in several countries have begun working to measure this incremental growth and to devise methods for more efficient means for future networking.
One major project is EVERGROW, a European Union-funded program involving 25 universities in Europe, Israel and Egypt and selected high-tech communications companies. Scientific co-coordinators of the project are Prof. Scot
System design Intellectual Property (IP) is one of the main assets of Europe’s telecom industry, yet it remains under-exploited due to increasing complexity and performance demands. SYDIC-Telecom’s framework promotes effective reuse of this knowledge.
This three-year IST programme-funded project brought together some of Europe’s major players, such as Nokia, Ericsson, Alcatel, and Philips Semiconductors, who collectively identified crucial needs for system level design method
Contrary to long-held scientific views that the number of oocytes (eggs) in the ovaries of most mammals is fixed at birth, scientists report that new oocyte-containing follicles continue to develop in the ovaries of adult mice. The research suggests that these new oocytes come from stem cells located in the ovary. The study, supported by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), one of the National Institutes of Health, was conducted by Jonathan L. Tilly, Ph.D., and colleagues at Massachusetts General H
A mild, experimental smallpox vaccine known as modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) is nearly as effective as the standard smallpox vaccine in protecting monkeys against monkeypox, a study by researchers of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), one of the National Institutes of Health, has found. Monkeypox is used to test the effectiveness of a smallpox vaccine because of its similarity to the smallpox virus. The study appears in the March 11 issue of Nature.
“These f
Protein offers possibility of finding new cancer therapies
Researchers at New York University School of Medicine have found that a protein called APC plays a role in controlling a web of molecular interactions that can transform normal cells into cancerous ones. The finding may provide new possibilities for devising cancer therapies that target this protein.
“A tumor cell lacks the ability to limit its own growth,” says Michele Pagano, M.D., Associate Professor of Pathology,
Advance could solve major challenge in tissue engineering
Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have successfully induced the growth of new networks of functional blood vessels in mice. In the March 11 issue of Nature, the team from the Steele Laboratory in the MGH Department of Radiation Therapy describes how their technique led to the growth of long-lasting blood vessels without the need for genetic manipulation. The accomplishment may help solve one of the primary c
A research team of U.S. and Brazilian scientists has shown that rainforests in central Amazonia are experiencing striking changes in dynamics and species composition. Although the cause of these changes – in what are believed to be completely undisturbed, old-growth forests – is uncertain, a leading explanation is that they are being driven by rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Carbon dioxide levels have risen by 30% in the last 200 years as a result of industrial emissions,
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas have discovered a major mechanism to explain normal and abnormal smooth muscle growth, a finding that could help in the development of novel therapeutics for disorders like hypertension and asthma.
Their work appears in today’s issue of Nature.
Smooth muscle cells are essential for the formation and function of the cardiovascular system, as well as many internal organs such as the stomach, intestine, bladder and uterus. Abno
Inland lakes in Michigan that have been invaded by zebra mussels, an exotic species that has plagued bodies of water in several states since the 1980s, have higher levels of algae that produce a toxin that can be harmful to humans and animals, according to a Michigan State University researcher.
In a paper published in the recent issue of Limnology and Oceanography, Orlando “Ace” Sarnelle, an associate professor in MSU’s Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, and colleagues report that lakes
The buildup of ice on airplanes in flight is a major winter hazard for small and commuter planes. But scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo., are testing a new system this month that may pinpoint water droplets in clouds that cause icing, potentially enabling pilots to avoid dangerous areas.
The system, known as S-Polka, combines two existing radars that use different wavelengths. By studying the differences between the images that are reflected
SC researchers present new electric pulse technology
A new technology that uses electric fields to alter the “guts” of a cell may lead to improved methods of treating diseases such as cancer and leukemia, according to researchers in the USC Viterbi School of Engineering.
The technology, called electroperturbation, exposes cells to electric pulses just tens of nanoseconds (tens of billionths of a second) long, said electrical engineer Thomas Vernier, an investigator on a coll
A new study from the University of California shows, for the first time, that the deep-ocean circulation system of the north Atlantic, which controls ice-age cycles of cold and warm periods in the Northern Hemisphere, is integrally coupled to salinity levels in the Caribbean Sea.
This research reinforces concerns that global warming, by melting the glacial ice of Greenland, could quickly and profoundly change salinity and temperatures in the north Atlantic Ocean. One consequence might be mu
Findings published in this month’s issue of the Journal of Urology indicate that prostate cancer could be detected as many as five years earlier than it is currently being diagnosed by testing for a protein in tissue that indicates the presence of early disease. The researchers suggest that testing for the protein, EPCA, could serve as an adjunct to the current diagnostic approach to patients with elevated levels of prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, who undergo repeat needle biopsies. PSA, a su
People with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are more than three times as likely to develop blood clots in their veins (venous thromboembolism), finds new research in Gut.
Thromboembolism is a serious and potentially life threatening event. For many years, patients with IBD were thought to be at increased risk, but the evidence has been inconsistent.
Furthermore, it is not known if this risk is specific for IBD or if it is shared by other chronic inflammatory diseases or bowel disor
Colas, the leading road construction and maintenance group, and its subsidiary, Somaro, a specialist in safety equipment and road signs and signals, in partnership with the Ecole Polytechnique, have developed a new type of noise barrier for roads with an unequalled level of sound absorption. Depending on the configuration, the barrier’s performance is 30% to 50% greater than that of the most effective sound panels currently available on the market.
This innovative product, for which a paten
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