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Technology/Engineering/Computer Science
Key: Meeting Journal Funder Dissertation
Public Release: 2-Dec-2012
Nature Chemistry
A better way to make chemicals?
For the first time, scientists have studied a mechanochemical milling reaction in real time, using highly penetrating X-rays to observe the surprisingly rapid transformations as the mill mixed, ground, and transformed simple ingredients into a complex product. This research, reported in Nature Chemistry, promises to advance scientists' understanding of processes central to the pharmaceutical, metallurgical, cement and mineral industries – and could open new opportunities in "green chemistry" and environmentally friendly chemical synthesis.
Herchel Smith Fund, FRQNT Centre for Green Chemistry and Catalysis, ESRF Grenoble

Contact: Chris Chipello
christopher.chipello@mcgill.ca
514-717-4201
McGill University

Public Release: 2-Dec-2012
Nature Chemistry
A shock to pollution in chemistry
Solvents are everywhere in chemistry and a major environmental concern. High-frequency milling is an energy-efficient alternative: the impact of steel balls in a rapidly moving jar drives reactions. Direct observation of the underlying chemistry is difficult but scientists used X-rays to observe, for the first time, in real time the chemistry when a mill mixes, grinds and transforms simple ingredients into a complex product. The study opens new opportunities in Green Chemistry and environmentally-friendly synthesis.

Contact: Claus habfast
claus.habfast@esrf.fr
33-666-662-384
European Synchrotron Radiation Facility

Public Release: 2-Dec-2012
Nature Materials
Bismuth provides perfect dance partners for quantum computing qubits
New research has demonstrated a way to make bismuth electrons and nuclei work together as qubits in a quantum computer.

Contact: Anna Blackaby
a.blackaby@warwack.ac.uk
44-024-765-75910
University of Warwick

Public Release: 1-Dec-2012
Journal of Thoracic Oncology
Lung cancer patients with pockets of resistance prolong disease control by 'weeding the garden'
This study of 65 patients showed that continuing either crizotinib or erlotinib after the treatment of resistant pockets with focused radiation ("weeding the garden") was associated with more than half a year of additional cancer control.
NIH/National Cancer Institute

Contact: Garth Sundem
garth.sundem@ucdenver.edu
University of Colorado Denver

Public Release: 30-Nov-2012
NASA's TRMM satellite video reveals 2012 hurricane season rainfall
The 2012 Atlantic Hurricane season was a busy one as there were 19 tropical cyclones. A new NASA animation using data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite known as TRMM shows rainfall from tropical cyclones in the western Atlantic, as measured from space.
NASA

Contact: Rob Gutro
robert.j.gutro@nasa.gov
443-858-1779
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Public Release: 30-Nov-2012
Human Factors
Preventing 'Cyber Pearl Harbor'
A new study shows computer network security analysts are not prepared for drawn out cyber attacks.

Contact: Lois Smith
lois@hfes.org
310-394-1811
Human Factors and Ergonomics Society

Public Release: 30-Nov-2012
ORNL develops lignin-based thermoplastic conversion process
Turning lignin, a plant's structural "glue" and a byproduct of the paper and pulp industry, into something considerably more valuable is driving a research effort headed by Amit Naskar of Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

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

Public Release: 30-Nov-2012
NASA sees 'hot towers' in intensifying Typhoon Bopha
Bopha intensified into a typhoon today, Nov. 30, as it continues to affect the islands in Micronesia in the western North Pacific Ocean. NASA's TRMM satellite captured rainfall data of Bopha and noticed "Hot Tower" thunderstorms as it was intensifying from a tropical storm into a typhoon.
NASA

Contact: Rob Gutro
robert.j.gutro@nasa.gov
443-858-1779
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Public Release: 30-Nov-2012
2012 AGU Fall Meeting
Geoscientists cite 'critical need' for basic research to unleash promising energy resources
Developers of renewable energy and shale gas must overcome fundamental geological and environmental challenges if these promising energy sources are to reach their full potential, according to a trio of leading geoscientists. Their findings will be presented on Dec. 4, at 5:15 pm (PT), at the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco in Room 102 of Moscone Center West.
Stanford University, Cornell University, Colorado School of Mines

Contact: Mark Shwartz
mshwartz@stanford.edu
650-723-9296
Stanford University

Public Release: 30-Nov-2012
Computers and Electronics in Agriculture
A digital portrait for grapes indicates their ripeness
Researchers at the University of Seville (Spain) have developed a technique for estimating grape composition and variety using computer imaging. They have also put forward an index for identifying the ripeness of seeds without the need for chemical analysis. This new method can help to decide the best moment for picking.

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

Public Release: 30-Nov-2012
Science
Clearest evidence yet of polar ice losses
After two decades of satellite observations, an international team of experts brought together by ESA and NASA has produced the most accurate assessment of ice losses from Antarctica and Greenland to date. This study finds that the combined rate of ice sheet melting is increasing.

Contact: Robert Meisner
robert.meisner@esa.int
European Space Agency

Public Release: 30-Nov-2012
PLOS ONE
Electrically spun fabric offers dual defense against pregnancy, HIV
Electrically spun cloth with nanometer-sized fibers show promise as a cheap, versatile platform to simultaneously offer contraception and prevent HIV. New funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will further test the system's versatility and feasibility.
National Institutes of Health, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Contact: Hannah Hickey
hickeyh@uw.edu
206-543-2580
University of Washington

Public Release: 30-Nov-2012
PLOS ONE
Men and women explore the visual world differently
New research by scientists from the University of Bristol has found that men and women see things differently.

Contact: Joanne Fryer
joanne.fryer@bristol.ac.uk
44-011-733-17276
University of Bristol

Public Release: 29-Nov-2012
Advanced Materials
Predicting material fatigue
A small crack in a metal wheel caused Germany's worst-ever rail accident -- the 1998 Eschede train disaster. The problem: it was practically impossible to detect damage of that nature to a metal by inspecting it externally. But now scientists have succeeded in making material fatigue visible. They designed new synthetic materials that emit light to report high mechanical stress.
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

Contact: Barbara Wankerl
wankerl@zv.tum.de
49-892-892-2562
Technische Universitaet Muenchen

Public Release: 29-Nov-2012
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
Adapting fish defenses to block human infections
Living in an environment teaming with bacteria and fungi, fish have evolved powerful defenses, including antimicrobial peptides located in their gills. Undergraduate researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute are studying the biology and mechanics of one of those peptides with the aim of creating engineered surfaces that can kill bacteria responsible for foodborne illnesses and hospital-acquired infections. The team reports its latest findings online in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.
National Science Foundation

Contact: Michael Cohen
mcohen@wpi.edu
508-868-4778
Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Public Release: 29-Nov-2012
Genetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers
Can a genetic variation in the vitamin D receptor protect against osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis, or reduced bone mineral density that can increase the risk of fractures, may affect as many as 30 percent of women and 12 percent of men worldwide.

Contact: Vicki Cohn
vcohn@liebertpub.com
914-740-2100 x2156
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

Public Release: 29-Nov-2012
Advanced Materials
Precisely engineering 3-D brain tissues
Borrowing from microfabrication techniques used in the semiconductor industry, MIT and Harvard Medical School engineers have developed a simple and inexpensive way to create three-dimensional brain tissues in a lab dish.
National Science Foundation, Paul Allen Family Foundation, NY Stem Cell Foundation, National Institutes of Health, IET A F Harvey Prize, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Lab

Contact: Sarah McDonnell
s_mcd@mit.edu
617-253-8923
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Public Release: 29-Nov-2012
The future looks bright: ONR, marines eye solar energy
The Office of Naval Research is looking to the sun for energy in an effort to help Marines do away with diesel-guzzling generators now used in combat outposts, officials announced Nov. 29.

Contact: Peter Vietti
onrcsc@onr.navy.mil
703-696-5031
Office of Naval Research

Public Release: 29-Nov-2012
BMC Systems Biomedicine
Brain inflammation likely key initiator to prion and Parkinson's disease
In a recent publication, researchers of the Computational Biology group at the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine showed that neuro-inflammation plays a crucial role in initiating prion disease.

Contact: Isaac Crespo
isaac.crespo@uni.lu
352-466-644-6197
University of Luxembourg

Public Release: 29-Nov-2012
FASEB Journal
Insects beware: The sea anemone is coming
Insects are becoming resistant to insecticides, presenting a growing need to develop novel ways of pest control. New research in The FASEB Journal shows that the sea anemone's venom harbors toxins that could pose a new generation of environmentally friendly insecticides, which avoid insect resistance. These toxins disable ion channels that mediate pain and inflammation, and could also spur drug development aimed at pain, cardiac disorders, epilepsy and seizure disorders, and immunological diseases.

Contact: Cody Mooneyhan
cmooneyhan@faseb.org
301-634-7104
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology

Public Release: 29-Nov-2012
Maths helps mobiles & tablets match eyes' ability to switch from sunshine to shadow
Researchers have pushed the boundaries of High Dynamic Range (HDR) video to match our own eyes' ability to cope with the real world's ever rapidly changing light intensity -- such as sun simply going behind clouds. Now researchers at WMG at the University of Warwick, have found a way to compress and stream HDR video directly to monitors and mobile devices, such as an iPad, bringing enormous benefits to industries including gaming and security.

Contact: Alan Chalmers
Alan.Chalmers@gohdr.com
44-024-765-22102
University of Warwick

Public Release: 29-Nov-2012
Science China: Information Sciences
Method for accurate extraction of a target profile developed at Beijing Institute of Technology
The detection and recognition of an object with small radar cross-section (RCS) is a difficult problem. In the 2012(10) issue of Science China, a paper proposes a novel imaging algorithm to extract the target profile using the shadow inverse synthetic aperture signal in forward-scatter radar. The algorithm is an effective tool with which to detect and recognize an object with a small RCS, such as a stealth target or an unmanned aerial vehicle.
National Natural Science Foundation of China

Contact: HU Cheng
cchchb@163.com
Science China Press

Public Release: 29-Nov-2012
Science China: Information Sciences
A new anti-windup design paradigm for control systems with actuator saturation was developed
The traditional anti-windup scheme involves a single anti-windup loop designed for activation immediately at the occurrence of actuator saturation. In the September 2012 issue of SCIENCE CHINA Information Sciences, a new anti-windup design paradigm was developed that includes three anti-windup loops, simultaneously designed for immediate, delayed and anticipatory activations, and results in significantly improved closed-loop system performances.
Shanghai Jiao Tong University, University of Virginia

Contact: LIN Zongli
zl5y@virginia.edu
Science China Press

Public Release: 29-Nov-2012
Science China: Information Sciences
Significant progress in intelligent radio-over-fiber (I-ROF) systems
Chinese researchers have conducted extensive research into enabling technologies for intelligent radio-over-fiber systems and have made significant progress toward providing an effective method to achieve broadband and ubiquitous information access. The study was published in SCIENCE CHINA Information Sciences, 2012, vol. 42, (10).
National Program for Key Basic Research Project of China, National High-Tech R&D Program of China

Contact: Yan Bei
yanbei@scichina.org
86-106-400-8316
Science China Press

Public Release: 29-Nov-2012
Current Biology
Hand use improved after spinal cord injury with noninvasive stimulation
By using noninvasive stimulation, researchers were able to temporarily improve the ability of people with spinal cord injuries to use their hands. The findings, reported on November 29th in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, hold promise in treating thousands of people in the United States alone who are partially paralyzed due to spinal cord injury.

Contact: Mary Beth O'Leary
moleary@cell.com
617-397-2802
Cell Press