June 30, 2014

'Microbe sniffer' could point the way to next-generation bio-refining

click to expand

A new biosensor invented at UBC could help optimize bio-refining processes that produce fuels, fine chemicals and advanced materials.

It works by sniffing out naturally occurring bacterial networks that are genetically wired to break down wood polymer.


Study helps unlock mystery of high-temp superconductors



A Binghamton University physicist and his colleagues say they have unlocked one key mystery surrounding high-temperature superconductivity. Their research, published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found a remarkable phenomenon in copper-oxide (cuprate) high-temperature superconductors.


Using geometry, researchers coax human embryonic stem cells to organize themselves



About seven days after conception, something remarkable occurs in the clump of cells that will eventually become a new human being. They start to specialize. They take on characteristics that begin to hint at their ultimate fate as part of the skin, brain, muscle or any of the roughly 200 cell types that exist in people, and they start to form distinct layers.


Research team pursues techniques to improve elusive stem cell therapy


click to expand

Mesenchymal stem cells have become attractive tools for bioengineers, but some scientists haven’t given up on their regenerative potential


Food appropriation through large scale land acquisitions


click to expand

Abstract
The increasing demand for agricultural products and the uncertainty of international food markets has recently drawn the attention of governments and agribusiness firms toward investments in productive agricultural land, mostly in the developing world. The targeted countries are typically located in regions that have remained only marginally utilized because of lack of modern technology. It is expected that in the long run large scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) for commercial farming will bring the technology required to close the existing crops yield gaps. While the extent of the acquired land and the associated appropriation of freshwater resources have been investigated in detail, the amount of food this land can produce and the number of people it could feed still need to be quantified.



Study of animal urination could lead to better-engineered products



Sir Isaac Newton probably wasn’t thinking about how animals urinate when he was developing his laws of gravity. But they are connected – by the urethra, to be specific.

A new Georgia Institute of Technology study investigated how quickly 32 animals urinate. It turns out that it’s all about the same. Even though an elephant’s bladder is 3,600 times larger than a cat’s (18 liters vs. 5 milliliters), both animals relieve themselves in about 20 seconds. In fact, all animals that weigh more than 3 kilograms (6.6 pounds) urinate in that same time span.


Oil palm plantations threaten water quality, Stanford scientists say



Indonesia pays a price for a lucrative crop used in many household products. Palm plantations damage freshwater streams that supply drinking water to millions of people.

If you've gone grocery shopping lately, you've probably bought palm oil.

Found in thousands of products, from peanut butter and packaged bread to shampoo and shaving cream, palm oil is a booming multibillion-dollar industry. While it isn't always clearly labeled in supermarket staples, the unintended consequences of producing this ubiquitous ingredient have been widely publicized.


New Method to Grow Zebrafish Embryonic Stem Cells Can Regenerate Whole Fish


click to expand

Zebrafish, a model organism that plays an important role in biological research and the discovery and development of new drugs and cell-based therapies, can form embryonic stem cells (ESCs). For the first time, researchers report the ability to maintain zebrafish-derived ESCs for more than two years without the need to grow them on a feeder cell layer, in a study published in Zebrafish, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Zebrafish website.


In Human Evolution, Changes in Skin’s Barrier Set Northern Europeans Apart



UCSF Study Questions Role of Skin Pigment in Enabling Survival at Higher Latitudes

The popular idea that Northern Europeans developed light skin to absorb more UV light so they could make more vitamin D – vital for healthy bones and immune function – is questioned by UC San Francisco researchers in a new study published online in the journal Evolutionary Biology.


NEW INSIGHTS ON THE FACTORS THAT INTENSIFIED THE 2008 FINANCIAL CRISIS



Columbia Business School study says analysts’ concerns about fair value accounting clouded the already murky waters, fueling the crisis

Widespread finger–pointing in the fallout from the 2008–2009 financial crisis is only exacerbated by the continuing legal battles between the big banks and SEC. Fair value accounting (FVA) is often cast as the culprit for accelerating the economic downturn, but a new study from Columbia Business School, published in the Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, examines FVA’s role in the financial crisis and considers the advantages it offers relative to other methods of accounting. 


More pores for more power



When can we expect to drive the length of Germany in an electric car without having to top up the battery? Chemists at the NIM Cluster at LMU and at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, have now synthesized a new material that could show the way forward to state-of-the-art lithium-sulfur batteries.


A KEY COMPONENT OF CELL DIVISION COMES TO LIGHT



A breakthrough at IRB Barcelona fills a knowledge gap in understanding how the cell division apparatus, the mitotic spindle, is formed.

The in vivo visualization and monitoring of the starting points of microtubules — filaments responsible for organising the mitotic spindle — provides novel insight into the dynamic architecture of this structure.

The findings will also contribute to understanding how the mitotic spindle is perturbed by drugs that target microtubules and that are used in chemotherapy.


50 Years of Innovation: Opel Design Studio First of its Kind in Europe


click to expand

*  Advanced Studio started its creative work at Opel in Rüsselsheim in 1964
*  Architecture and concept was modeled after GM studio in Warren, Michigan
*  Design icons from Opel GT to Monza Concept


How social media invades the workplace


Top leaders are the most negative to their staff using social media for personal purposes at work,
still top executives are, however, the most active social media users
for personal purposes during working hours.

Managers are more negative about the use of social media for private purposes in the workplace compared to subordinates. Still, top managers are the ones who use private social media most during working hours.

Every day, more than one billion people worldwide use social media. This habit has also invaded the workplace, as some research reports that four out of five employees now use social media for private purpose during work time.


Interlayer distance in graphite oxide gradually changes when water is added




Physicists from Umeå University and Humboldt University in Berlin have solved a mystery that has puzzled scientists for half a century. They show with the help of powerful microscopes that the distance between graphite oxide layers gradually increases when water molecules are added. That is because the surface of graphite oxide is not flat, but varies in thickness with "hills" and "valleys" of nanosize. The new findings are published in the scientific journal Nano Letters.


A smashing new look at nanoribbons


click to expand

Rice University lab unzips nanotubes into ribbons by shooting them at a target

Carbon nanotubes “unzipped” into graphene nanoribbons by a chemical process invented at Rice University are finding use in all kinds of projects, but Rice scientists have now found a chemical-free way to unzip them.

The Rice lab of materials scientist Pulickel Ajayan discovered that nanotubes that hit a target end first turn into mostly ragged clumps of atoms. But nanotubes that happen to broadside the target unzip into handy ribbons that can be used in composite materials for strength and applications that take advantage of their desirable electrical properties.


Researchers Create Quantum Dots with Single-Atom Precision


click to expand

A team of physicists from the Paul-Drude-Institut für Festkörperelektronik (PDI) in Berlin, Germany, NTT Basic Research Laboratories (NTT-BRL) in Atsugi, Japan, and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) has used a scanning tunneling microscope to create quantum dots with identical, deterministic sizes. The perfect reproducibility of these dots opens the door to quantum dot architectures completely free of uncontrolled variations, an important goal for technologies from nanophotonics to quantum information processing as well as for fundamental studies. The complete findings are published in the July 2014 issue of the journal Nature Nanotechnology.


Artificial enzyme mimics the natural detoxification mechanism in liver cells



click to expand

Molybdenum oxide particles can assume the function of the endogenous enzyme sulfite oxidase / Basis for new therapeutic application

Scientists at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) in Germany have discovered that molybdenum trioxide nanoparticles oxidize sulfite to sulfate in liver cells in analogy to the enzyme sulfite oxidase. The functionalized Molybdenum trioxide nanoparticles can cross the cellular membrane and accumulate at the mitochondria, where they can recover the activity of sulfite oxidase.


Nano-coatings release almost no nano-particles



Silver in the washing machine

The antibacterial properties of silver-coated textiles are popular in the fields of sport and medicine. A team at Empa has now investigated how different silver coatings behave in the washing machine, and they have discovered something important: textiles with nano-coatings release fewer nano-particles into the washing water than those with normal coatings.

Insights from nature for more efficient water splitting



Water splitting is one of the critical reactions that sustain life on earth, and could be a key to the creation of future fuels. It is a key in the process of photosynthesis, through which plants produce glucose and oxygen from water and carbon dioxide, using sunlight as energy. However, there are still significant mysteries about the process. Nature's own water-splitting catalysts—which are based on manganese rather than more common elements such as iron, copper, or nickel—are incredibly efficient, and scientists have long been studying why this is so and how we can mimic the natural system.


Learn Dutch in your sleep



When you have learned words in another language, it may be worth listening to them again in your sleep. A study funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) has now shown that this method reinforces memory.


More carbohydrates make trees more resistant to drought



How well tropical trees weather periods of drought depends on the carbohydrates stored, as revealed by a novel experiment conducted by an international team of researchers headed by ecologists from the University of Zurich in contribution to the University Research Priority Program on “Global Change and Biodiversity”. The findings are extremely important for assessing the resistance of tropical forests to climate change and reforestation.


A First: Scientists Show That Bacteria Can Evolve a Biological Timer to Survive Antibiotic Treatments



Hebrew University research shows that quantitative approaches from Physics can be used to address fundamental as well as clinically relevant issues in Biology

The ability of microorganisms to overcome antibiotic treatments is one of the top concerns of modern medicine. The effectiveness of many antibiotics has been reduced by bacteria's ability to rapidly evolve and develop strategies to resist antibiotics.


(CLIMATE) CHANGE IN THE NORTH SEA



Long-term studies conducted by scientists at the institute “Senckenberg am Meer” and the Senckenberg Research Institute in Frankfurt have revealed obvious changes in the North Sea’s biota. Studies during the past twenty years indicate that southern species increasingly expand northward. The associated publications recently appeared in the scientific journals “Helgoland Marine Research” and “Marine Biodiversity.”


Marine Bacteria Are Natural Source of Chemical Fire Retardants



Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have discovered a widely distributed group of marine bacteria that produce compounds nearly identical to toxic man-made fire retardants.

Among the chemicals produced by the ocean-dwelling microbes, which have been found in habitats as diverse as sea grasses, marine sediments and corals, is a potent endocrine disruptor that mimics the human body's most active thyroid hormone.



Countdown to 2015 and beyond: fulfilling the health agenda for women and children



Summary

The end of 2015 will signal the end of the Millennium Development Goal era, when the world can take stock of what has been achieved. The Countdown to 2015 for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Survival (Countdown) has focused its 2014 report on how much has been achieved in intervention coverage in these groups, and on how best to sustain, focus, and intensify efforts to progress for this and future generations. Our 2014 results show unfinished business in achievement of high, sustained, and equitable coverage of essential interventions. Progress has accelerated in the past decade in most Countdown countries, suggesting that further gains are possible with intensified actions.



Noninvasive brain control



New light-sensitive protein enables simpler, more powerful optogenetics.

Optogenetics, a technology that allows scientists to control brain activity by shining light on neurons, relies on light-sensitive proteins that can suppress or stimulate electrical signals within cells. This technique requires a light source to be implanted in the brain, where it can reach the cells to be controlled.


Bending the Rules




A UCSB postdoctoral scholar in physics discovers a counterintuitive phenomenon: the coexistence of superconductivity with dissipation

For his doctoral dissertation in the Goldman Superconductivity Research Group at the University of Minnesota, Yu Chen, now a postdoctoral researcher at UC Santa Barbara, developed a novel way to fabricate superconducting nanocircuitry. However, the extremely small zinc nanowires he designed did some unexpected — and sort of funky — things.


Major environmental benefits of longer truck combinations



By driving with two full-length trailers, Scania reduces fuel consumption by up to 30 percent with an equivalent reduction in harmful carbon dioxide emissions. Following Scania’s request, the Swedish Transport Agency has now granted permission to operate rigs of 31.5 metres in total length between Södertälje and Helsingborg in Sweden.


June 29, 2014

Quantum Energy Generator Los Angeles



Liberating Humanity from Oil and Banking Cartels One Free Energy Device at a Time!

The QEG is an open source free energy device that is based on Nikola Tesla's 1894 patent for an energy generator that harnesses energy from the quantum vacuum zero point energy field. Quantum Mechanics is realizing that empty space is not "empty", it is in fact full of energy, a cubic centimeter's worth of space-time vacuum has enough energy to power the US for a day. Tesla's technology has been suppressed for over one hundred years by the banking and oil cartels that currently run the world, but his technology will lead us to unimaginable prosperity and abundance.



CityU researcher develops novel self-cleaning technology for delicate fibres



A novel technology developed by Dr Walid Daoud, Assistant Professor in the School of Energy and Environment at City University of Hong Kong (CityU), and his team enables cashmere fibres to clean themselves with nano-sized photocatalysts.

The research team has also developed testing platforms and standard protocols for measuring the performance and health impact of the self-cleaning nanoparticles coatings on human health.


Research alliance for energy systems of the future



*  Future Energy Systems Campus established
*  Framework agreement between Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU) and Siemens
*  Focus on development of sustainable, affordable and reliable energy systems
*  Siemens to invest eight-figure euro amount over three years
In line with its new company strategy, Siemens is reorienting its research activities toward the innovation fields of electrification, automation and digitalization in order to further strengthen its leading technology position in these areas


June 28, 2014

Language likely started with hand signals



The origin of human language has been described as one of science’s oldest and most controversial puzzles, but evidence gathered by West Australian scientists provides hefty support for one of the two leading theories.

Psychologist Nicolas Fay said most scientists believed either one of two competing ideas about how early humans developed language, a trait that made our species the most sophisticated communicators.


Astronomers closer to proving existence of gravitational waves



When Albert Einstein proposed the existence of gravitational waves as part of his theory of relativity, he set in train a pursuit for knowledge that continues nearly a century later.


10 ways to get the most out of your outdoor yoga session



Looking for a break from your busy day? The McMaster Alumni Association has something for you.

The MAA, in partnership with In Fine Feather Yoga (founded by alumna Helena McKinney) is offering an on-campus yoga series.


Diamond plates create nanostructures through pressure, not chemistry



You wouldn’t think that mechanical force — the simple kind used to eject unruly patrons from bars, shoe a horse or emboss the raised numerals on credit cards — could process nanoparticles more subtly than the most advanced chemistry.


New, high-energy rechargeable batteries



Researchers develop molten air battery with commercial potential

While electric vehicles offer many advantages--including reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the country's dependence on imported petroleum--at least one barrier stands in the way of their large-scale adoption: "range anxiety."


The aeroacoustics of jets



Simulations helps scientists understand and control turbulence in humans and machines

Aerospace engineers from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign are using the National Science Foundation-supported Stampede supercomputer to explore how jets in general, like those on modern aircraft and inside the human body, generate noise.


Ancient ocean currents may have changed pace and intensity of ice ages



Climate scientists have long tried to explain why ice-age cycles became longer and more intense some 900,000 years ago, switching from 41,000-year cycles to 100,000-year cycles.

In a paper published this week in the journal Science, researchers report that the deep ocean currents that move heat around the globe stalled or may have stopped at that time, possibly due to expanding ice cover in the Northern Hemisphere.


Potential Alzheimer’s drug prevents abnormal blood clots in the brain



Without a steady supply of blood, neurons can’t work. That’s why one of the culprits behind Alzheimer’s disease is believed to be the persistent blood clots that often form in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, contributing to the condition’s hallmark memory loss, confusion and cognitive decline.


June 27, 2014

Early life stress can leave lasting impacts on the brain



For children, stress can go a long way. A little bit provides a platform for learning, adapting and coping. But a lot of it — chronic, toxic stress like poverty, neglect and physical abuse — can have lasting negative impacts.


Hydrogen breakthrough could be a game-changer for the future of car fuels



UK researchers today announced what they believe to be a game changer in the use of hydrogen as a “green” fuel.

A new discovery by scientists at the UK’s Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), offers a viable solution to the challenges of storage and cost by using ammonia as a clean and secure hydrogen-containing energy source to produce hydrogen on-demand in situ.


Women more aggressive to partners than men



Women may be more likely to be aggressive to their partners than men, according to a study presented this week as part of a symposium on intimate partner violence (IPV) at the British Psychological Society's Division of Forensic Psychology annual conference in Glasgow.

Dr Elizabeth Bates from the University of Cumbria and colleagues from the University of Central Lancashire gave a total of 1104 students (706 women and 398 men; aged between 18 to 71 with an average age of 24) questionnaires about their physical aggression and controlling behaviour, to partners and to same-sex others (including friends).


Scientists find the shocking truth about electric fish



Scientists have found how the electric fish evolved its jolt.

Writing June 27, 2014 in the journal Science, a team of researchers led by Michael Sussman of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Harold Zakon of the University of Texas at Austin and Manoj Samanta of the Systemix Institute in Redmond, Washington identifies the regulatory molecules involved in the genetic and developmental pathways that electric fish have used to convert a simple muscle into an organ capable of generating a potent electrical field.


Ask the crowd: Robots learn faster, better with online helpers



Sometimes it takes a village to teach a robot.

University of Washington computer scientists have shown that crowdsourcing can be a quick and effective way to teach a robot how to complete tasks. Instead of learning from just one human, robots could one day query the larger online community, asking for instructions or input on the best way to set the table or water the garden.

June 26, 2014

Fish found common genetic ground to develop electric organs



Rice University biologist contributed to ‘electrifying’ Science paper 

Rice University computational biologist George Phillips is co-author on a new paper in Science detailing a 10-year effort that determined a variety of fish with electric organs evolved those organs by similar means.


Water-cleanup catalysts tackle biomass upgrading



Rice University researchers register 4th ‘volcano plot’ for palladium-gold catalysts

Rice University chemical engineer Michael Wong has spent a decade amassing evidence that palladium-gold nanoparticles are excellent catalysts for cleaning polluted water, but even he was surprised at how well the particles converted biodiesel waste into valuable chemicals.


Let There Be Light: Chemists Develop Magnetically Responsive Liquid Crystals



UC Riverside discovery has applications in signage, posters, writing tablets, billboards and anti-counterfeit technology

Chemists at the University of California, Riverside have constructed liquid crystals with optical properties that can be instantly and reversibly controlled by an external magnetic field. The research paves the way for novel display applications relying on the instantaneous and contactless nature of magnetic manipulation—such as signage, posters, writing tablets, and billboards.


New NASA Images Highlight U.S. Air Quality Improvement



Anyone living in a major U.S. city for the past decade may have noticed a change in the air. The change is apparent in new NASA satellite images unveiled this week that demonstrate the reduction of air pollution across the country.
After ten years in orbit, the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA's Aura satellite has been in orbit sufficiently long to show that people in major U.S. cities are breathing less nitrogen dioxide – a yellow-brown gas that can cause respiratory problems.


Blocking key enzyme minimizes stroke injury



A drug that blocks the action of the enzyme Cdk5 could substantially reduce brain damage if administered shortly after a stroke, UT Southwestern Medical Center research suggests.

The findings, reported in the June 11 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, determined in rodent models that aberrant Cdk5 activity causes nerve cell death during stroke.