EurekAlert! - Chemistry, Physics and Materials Sciences

Saving the single cysteine: New antioxidant system found

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(University of Michigan) We've all read studies about the health benefits of having a life partner. The same thing is true at the molecular level, where amino acids known as cysteines are much more vulnerable to damage when single than when paired up with other cysteines.

NJIT receives NSF funding to improve Big Bear Telescope, study solar energy

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(New Jersey Institute of Technology) The National Science Foundation has recently provided support that totals nearly $4.3 million for the diverse efforts of the following investigators under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

International expedition investigates climate change, alternative fuels in Arctic

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Naval Research Laboratory) NRL marine biogeochemistry and geology and geophysics scientists return from Arctic expedition exploring methane hydrate deposits in the Beaufort Sea and spatial variation of sediment contribution to Arctic climate change.

Just like old times: Generating RNA molecules in water

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) A key question in the origin of biological molecules like RNA and DNA is how they first came together billions of years ago from simple precursors. Now, in a study appearing in this week's JBC, researchers in Italy have reconstructed one of the earliest evolutionary steps yet: generating long chains of RNA from individual subunits using nothing but warm water.

From toxic dust and algae to ill winds from Africa

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(United States Geological Survey) Media tipsheet on USGS scientific presentations at SETAC conference, Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.

Carvedilol shown to have unique characteristics among beta blockers

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) In a new study, researchers report that a class of heart medications called beta-blockers can have a helpful, or harmful, effect on the heart, depending on their molecular activity.

Lehigh receives grant to reduce cost of carbon capture at coal-fired power plants

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Lehigh University) A US Department of Energy grant will help develop methods of recovering and reusing heat generated by the compression of CO2 in a carbon-capture system. The goal is to facilitate carbon capture and sequestration and limit the amount of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere by coal-fired power plants. Unlike other modeling studies, which focus on specific components of the carbon-capture system, the Lehigh researchers will look at the entire power plant.

Gaining a better picture of lung disease

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(University of Western Ontario) Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a respiratory disease commonly known as chronic bronchitis or emphysema, is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide. 600 million people live with COPD and while researchers have yet to find any real treatment or cure, Grace Parraga of Robarts Research Institute at The University of Western Ontario in London, Canada, is using various imaging techniques to gain new insight into the disease.

Flax and yellow flowers can produce bioethanol

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(FECYT - Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology) 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.

Discovery of new type of immune cells regulating inflammation in chronic diseases

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health) Scientists of Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen and the Center of Allergy and Environment of Technische Universitaet Muenchen have discovered a new type of immune cells -- the Th22 cells -- which can protect the body against inflammation and aid in tissue repair.

Watching a cannibal galaxy dine

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(ESO) A new technique using near-infrared images, obtained with ESO's 3.58-meter New Technology Telescope, allows astronomers to see through the opaque dust lanes of the giant cannibal galaxy Centaurus A, unveiling its "last meal" in unprecedented detail -- a smaller spiral galaxy, currently twisted and warped. This amazing image also shows thousands of star clusters, strewn like glittering gems, churning inside Centaurus A.

Researchers begin to decipher metabolism of sexual assault drug

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Michigan Technological University) It's a naturally occurring brain chemical with an unwieldy name: 4-hydroxybutyrate (4-HB). Taken by mouth, it can be abused or used as a date-rape drug.

Now, a team of Ohio and Michigan scientists have determined new routes by which 4-HB is metabolized by the body. "This is new and important information," said K. Michael Gibson, professor and chair of biological sciences at Michigan Technological University and a member of the research team.

Dispensing prescription drugs in 3-month supplies reduces drug costs by a third

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(University of Chicago Medical Center) Purchasing prescription drugs in a three-month supply rather than a one-month supply has long been regarded as a way to save money. New research from the University of Chicago quantifies the savings for the first time.

UCSB physicists move 1 step closer to quantum computing

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(University of California - Santa Barbara) Physicists at UC Santa Barbara have made an important advance in electrically controlling quantum states of electrons, a step that could help in the development of quantum computing. The work is published online today on the Science Express Web site.

Nanotube defects equal better energy and storage systems

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(University of California - San Diego) Most people would like to be able to charge their cell phones and other personal electronics quickly and not too often. A recent discovery made by UC San Diego engineers could lead to carbon nanotube-based supercapacitors that could do just this.

University of Miami receives grant towards research of hypersonic materials and structures

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(University of Miami) The University of Miami College of Engineering has been awarded a grant from the newly established National Hypersonic Science Center for Hypersonic Materials through Teledyne Scientific and Imaging, to work collaboratively with other research institutions to develop hypersonic materials and structures, such as those used for thermal protection of space vehicles during re-entry to the Earth's atmosphere.

Microorganism may provide key to combating giant salvinia throughout Louisiana

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Louisiana Tech University) A team of researchers at Louisiana Tech University has found that a naturally occurring microorganism acts as a natural herbicide against giant salvinia.

Weill Cornell science briefs: November 2009

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(New York- Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center/Weill Cornell Medical College) The following articles are contained in this issue: Designing speedier lab tests; Reducing neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease; Body's own cholesterol processing may lead to innovative therapies; Making a better vaccine; and New way to get a boost in energy disorder.

An atomic-level look at an HIV accomplice

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(University of Michigan) Since the discovery in 2007 that a component of human semen called SEVI boosts infectivity of the virus that causes AIDS, researchers have been trying to learn more about SEVI and how it works, in hopes of thwarting its infection-promoting activity.

Reference genome of maize, most important US crop, is published by team co-led by CSHL scientists

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) 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.

New antioxidant compounds have been identified in foods such as olive oil, honey and nuts

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(University of Granada) 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.

WPI researchers take aim at hard-to-treat fungal infections

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Worcester Polytechnic Institute) Researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute have developed a new model system to study fungal infections. The system can be a powerful tool for screening potential drug targets for conditions like thrush, athlete's foot and vaginal yeast infections, which affect millions of people each year but are difficult to treat with existing medications. Using the new model, the researchers also identified a gene that may be a promising target for a new anti-fungal drug.

NIEHS awards Recovery Act funds to focus more research on health and safety of nanomaterials

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(NIH/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences) The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health, is increasing its investment in understanding the potential health, safety and environmental issues related to tiny particles that are used in many everyday products such as sunscreens, cosmetics and electronics. The NIEHS will award about $13 million over a two-year period, through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, to bolster the NIEHS's ongoing research portfolio in the area of engineered nanomaterials.

Multidisciplinary meeting on urological cancers aims to benefit cancer patients

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(European Association of Urology) Urological cancer patients will benefit greatly if the delivered treatment is the result of a combined effort. Collaboration of experts from various fields is necessary to take cancer-related research and medical practice to the next level. The 2nd European Multidisciplinary Meeting on Urological Cancers -- Embracing Excellence in Prostate, Bladder and Kidney Cancer -- which is to take place on Nov. 27-29, 2009, in Barcelona, brings together urologists, radiologists and medical oncologists by enabling them to share their knowledge and experience.

ICT fails to accelerate drug approvals

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Inderscience Publishers) 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.