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Technology/Engineering/Computer Science
Key: Meeting Journal Funder Dissertation
Public Release: 20-Nov-2009
Smartphone app illuminates power consumption
A new application for the Android smartphone shows users and software developers how much power their applications are consuming. PowerTutor was developed by doctoral students and professors at the University of Michigan.
Google and the National Science Foundation

Contact: Nicole Casal Moore
ncmoore@umich.edu
734-647-1838
University of Michigan

Public Release: 20-Nov-2009
Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Conference
From toxic dust and algae to ill winds from Africa
Media tipsheet on USGS scientific presentations at SETAC conference, Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.
US Geological Survey

Contact: Kara Capelli
kcapelli@usgs.gov
703-648-5086
United States Geological Survey

Public Release: 20-Nov-2009
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews
Flax and yellow flowers can produce bioethanol
Surplus biomass from the production of flax sheaves, and generated from Brassica carinata, a yellow-flowered plant related to those which engulf fields in spring, can be used to produce bioethanol. This has been suggested by two studies carried out by Spanish and Dutch researchers and published in the journal Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews.

Contact: SINC
info@plataformasinc.es
34-914-251-820
FECYT - Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology

Public Release: 20-Nov-2009
Science
Biologists discover bacterial defense mechanism against aggressive oxygen
Bacteria possess an ingenious mechanism for preventing oxygen from harming the building blocks of the cell. This is the new finding of a team of biologists that includes Joris Messens of VIB, a life sciences research institute in Flanders, Belgium, connected to the Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
Flanders Institute for Biotechnology, Vrije Universiteit Brussels, Catholic University of Leuven

Contact: Joris Gansemans
joris.gansemans@vib.be
32-472-594-067
VIB (the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology)

Public Release: 20-Nov-2009
SC 09
More than powerful! German research computer QPACE is the most energy efficient in the world
At the 2009 Supercomputing Conference in Portland, Ore., the high-performance computer QPACE (QCD Parallel Computing on the Cell) was recognized today as the most energy-efficient supercomputer in the world. QPACE is at the head of the Green500 list, which provides a global ranking of energy-efficient supercomputers.

Contact: Kosta Schinarakis
k.schinarakis@fz-juelich.de
49-246-161-4771
Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres

Public Release: 20-Nov-2009
Applied and Environmental Microbiology
Delft breakthrough in bioethanol production from agricultural waste
With the introduction of a single bacterial gene into yeast, researchers from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands achieved three improvements in bioethanol production from agricultural waste material: "More ethanol, less acetate and elimination of the major by-product glycerol." This week the invention was published in the scientific journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

Contact: Ineke Boneschansker
i.boneschansker@tudelft.nl
31-152-788-499
Delft University of Technology

Public Release: 20-Nov-2009
Electronic Health Information and Privacy Conference 2009
Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association
Novel K-anonymity algorithm safeguards access to data
As electronic health records become more widely deployed, increasing amounts of health information are being collected. This data has many beneficial applications, such as research, public health, and health system planning. In a recent study, Dr. Khaled El Emam, the Canada Research Chair in Electronic Health Information at the CHEO Research Institute argues that there is a need for robust de-identification of patient data to avoid the negative impact that individual consent requirements have on studies using health record data for secondary purposes.
Canadian Institutes for Health Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council

Contact: Isabelle Mailloux
imailloux@cheo.on.ca
Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute

Public Release: 20-Nov-2009
American Journal of Medicine
Projections of savings from health IT are baseless, Harvard researchers say
The increased computerization in US hospitals hasn't made them cheaper or more efficient, Harvard researchers say, although it may have modestly improved the quality of care for heart attacks. The findings contradict claims by President Obama and many lawmakers that health information technology, including electronic medical records, will save billions and help make reform affordable. The study uses data from the most extensive survey ever undertaken of hospital computerization.

Contact: Mark Almberg
mark@pnhp.org
312-782-6006
Physicians for a National Health Program

Public Release: 19-Nov-2009
ORNL, Los Alamos pioneer new approach to assist scientists, farmers
Sustainable farming, initially adopted to preserve soil quality for future generations, may also play a role in maintaining a healthy climate, according to researchers at the US Department of Energy's Oak Ridge and Los Alamos national laboratories.

Contact: Ron Walli
wallira@ornl.gov
865-576-0226
DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Public Release: 19-Nov-2009
Nature Genetics
Causative gene of a rare disorder discovered by sequencing only protein-coding regions of genome
More that 7,000 rare disorders in aggregate affect millions of people. Researchers have now shown that it may be possible to more quickly identify the causative gene for many of these disorders by sequencing only the protein-coding regions of the genome. This can be done on unrelated individuals, thereby avoiding the need for large families for such studies.
NIH/Eunice Kennedy Shriver Nationa Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH/National Heart Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH/National Human Genome Institute, National Institutes of Health, Washington Life Sciences Discovery Fund, others

Contact: Leila Gray
leilag@u.washington.edu
206-685-0381
University of Washington

Public Release: 19-Nov-2009
Journal of Neurophysiology
Drug studied as possible treatment for spinal injuries
Researchers have shown how an experimental drug might restore the function of nerves damaged in spinal cord injuries by preventing short circuits caused when tiny "potassium channels" in the fibers are exposed.
National Institutes of Health, Purdue Research Foundation

Contact: Emil Venere
venere@purdue.edu
765-494-4709
Purdue University

Public Release: 19-Nov-2009
Developmental Cell
Technique finds gene regulatory sites without knowledge of regulators
A new statistical technique developed by researchers at the University of Illinois allows scientists to scan a genome for specific gene-regulatory regions without requiring prior knowledge of the relevant transcription factors. The technique has been experimentally validated in both the mouse genome and the fruit fly genome.
National Institutes of Health, Illinois Sociogenomics Initiative, Leukemia Research Fund, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

Contact: James E. Kloeppel
kloeppel@illinois.edu
217-244-1073
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Public Release: 19-Nov-2009
Engineer designs micro-endoscope to seek out early signs of cancer
Traditional endoscopes provide a peek inside patients' bodies. Now, a University of Florida engineering researcher is designing ones capable of a full inspection.
National Science Foundation

Contact: Huikai Xie
hkx@ufl.edu
352-846-0441
University of Florida

Public Release: 19-Nov-2009
SMOS satellite instrument comes alive
The MIRAS instrument on ESA's SMOS satellite, launched earlier this month, has been switched on and is operating normally. MIRAS will map soil moisture and ocean salinity to improve our understanding of the role these two key variables play in regulating Earth's water cycle.

Contact: Robert Meisner
robert.meisner@esa.int
39-069-418-0874
European Space Agency

Public Release: 19-Nov-2009
Science
Reference genome of maize, most important US crop, is published by team co-led by CSHL scientists
A four-year, multi-institutional effort co-led by three Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory scientists culminated today in publication of a landmark series of papers in the journal Science revealing in unprecedented detail the DNA sequence of maize. Maize, or corn, as it is commonly called by North American consumers, is one of the world's most important plants and the most valuable agricultural crop grown in the United States, representing $47 billion in annual value.
National Science Foundation, US Department of Agriculture, US Department of Defense

Contact: Peter Tarr
tarr@cshl.edu
516-367-8455
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Public Release: 19-Nov-2009
Information Processing and Management
Search engines are source of learning
Search engine use is not just part of our daily routines; it is also becoming part of our learning process, according to Penn State researchers.
National Science Foundation, US Air Force Office of Scientific Research

Contact: A'ndrea Elyse Messer
aem1@psu.edu
814-865-9481
Penn State

Public Release: 19-Nov-2009
Technology Analysis & Strategic Management
Spanish biotechnology should focus on food and plant sectors to be more competitive
Spain and Latin American countries have an opportunity to take the lead in two small biotechnology sectors. Researchers from the University of Valencia, working together with the IDICHUS Foundation, have studied the productive fabric of the Spanish biotechnology industry. Their conclusion is that Spain's food and plant sectors have more clout than those in English-speaking countries.

Contact: SINC
info@plataformasinc.es
34-914-251-820
FECYT - Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology

Public Release: 19-Nov-2009
62nd Annual Meeting of the American Physical Society's Division of Fluid Dynamics
On the crest of wave energy
The ocean is a potentially vast source of electric power, yet as engineers test new technologies for capturing it, the devices are plagued by battering storms, limited efficiency and the need to be tethered to the seafloor.

Contact: Joshua A. Chamot
jchamot@nsf.gov
703-292-7730
National Science Foundation

Public Release: 19-Nov-2009
Electrophoresis
New antioxidant compounds have been identified in foods such as olive oil, honey and nuts
Scientists from the University of Granada have used two new techniques, capillary electrophoresis and high resolution liquid chromatography, to enable them to identify and quantify a great part of the phenolic compounds in such foods. These compounds have a chemopreventive effect in humans and a great influence on the stability of oxidation levels of food.

Contact: Ana Gomez Caravaca
anagomez@ugr.es
34-958-248-593
University of Granada

Public Release: 19-Nov-2009
Why Israeli rodents are more cautious than Jordanian ones
A series of studies carried out at the University of Haifa have found that rodent, reptile and ant lion species behave differently on either side of the Israel-Jordan border. "The border line, which is only a demarcation on the map, cannot contain these species, but the line does restrict humans and their diverse impact on nature," says Dr. Uri Shanas.

Contact: Rachel Feldman
rfeldman@univ.haifa.ac.il
972-482-88722
University of Haifa

Public Release: 19-Nov-2009
International Journal of Internet Protocol Technology
Building the smart home wirelessly
Like the paperless office, the smart home has been a long time coming, but a report published in the International Journal of Internet Protocol Technology, suggests that radio tags coupled with mobile communications devices could soon provide seamless multimedia services to the home.

Contact: Yueh-Min Huang
huang@mail.ncku.edu.tw
886-939-931-111
Inderscience Publishers

Public Release: 19-Nov-2009
International Journal of Electronic Healthcare
ICT fails to accelerate drug approvals
Drug approvals are taking just as long as they ever did despite increased expenditure on new information technology at the Food and drug Administration. So says a statistical analysis of approval intervals from 1997 to 2006, published in the International Journal of Electronic Healthcare.

Contact: John Kros
krosj@ecu.edu
252-328-6364
Inderscience Publishers

Public Release: 19-Nov-2009
Science
U of M plant scientist uncovers clues to yield-boosting quirks of corn genome
The offspring of two inbred strains tend to be superior to both of their parents. Characterizing the gene-level variability that leads to this phenomenon, known as heterosis or hybrid vigor, could boost our ability to custom-tailor crops for specific traits, such as high protein content for human consumption or high glucose content for biomass fuel.

Contact: Patty Mattern
mattern@umn.edu
612-624-2801
University of Minnesota

Public Release: 19-Nov-2009
Science
Amaizing: Corn genome decoded
In recent years, scientists have decoded the DNA of humans and a menagerie of creatures but none with genes as complex as a stalk of corn, the latest genome to be unraveled. A team of scientists led by the Genome Center at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis published the completed corn genome in the Nov. 20 journal Science, an accomplishment that will speed efforts to develop better crop varieties to meet the world's growing demands for food, livestock feed and fuel.
National Science Foundation, US Department of Agriculture, US Department of Energy

Contact: Caroline Arbanas
arbanasc@wustl.edu
314-286-0109
Washington University School of Medicine

Public Release: 19-Nov-2009
Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research
Examining mathematical abilities in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder
Children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) have a number of cognitive deficits. Mathematical ability seems particularly damaged in children with FASD. A new study supports the importance of the left parietal area for mathematical abilities in children with FASD.
Canadian Language and Literacy Research Network

Contact: Catherine Lebel, B.Sc.
catherine.lebel@ualberta.ca
780-492-8098
Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research