EurekAlert! - Nanotechnology

Findings show nanomedicine promising for treating spinal cord injuries

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Purdue University) Researchers at Purdue University have discovered a new approach for repairing damaged nerve fibers in spinal cord injuries using nano-spheres that could be injected into the blood shortly after an accident.

Magnetic nanoparticles to simultaneously diagnose, monitor and treat

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Institute of Physics) The future for magentic nanoparticles (mNPs) appears bright With the design of "theranostic" molecules. mNPs could play a crucial role in developing one-stop tools to simultaneously diagnose, monitor and treat a wide range of common diseases and injuries.

Rice wins NIH funding for oral-cancer test

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Rice University) Rice University has won a $2 million NIH stimulus grant to develop an inexpensive test for oral cancer that a dentist or oral surgeon could perform by passing a brush over a suspicious lesion. Oral cancers have a five-year survival rate around 50 percent, largely because of late diagnoses. Rice's test would take less than 30 minutes, require no scalpels or off-site lab tests and could be ready for clinical tests within two years.

November 2009 story tips from the US Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory) Fuel economy ratings for the new 2010 model year automobiles are posted at www.fueleconomy.gov, which ORNL maintains for the US Department of Energy and the US Environmental Protection Agency. A team led by ORNL's Nina Balke has moved closer to developing more rugged memory and logic devices. Heavy trucks are less heavy but just as safe and rugged because of steel rail frames. A new approach to crunching massive volumes of data uses neural networks like an artificial brain.

How size matters for catalysts

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(University of Utah) University of Utah chemists demonstrated the first conclusive link between the size of catalyst particles on a solid surface, their electronic properties and their ability to speed chemical reactions. The study is a step toward the goal of designing cheaper, more efficient catalysts to increase energy production, reduce Earth-warming gases and manufacture a wide variety of goods from medicines to gasoline.

Tiny injector to speed development of new, safer, cheaper drugs

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(McMaster University) Engineering researchers at McMaster University have fabricated a palm-sized, automated, micro-injector that can insert proteins, DNA and other biomolecules into individual cells at volumes exponentially higher than current procedures, and at a fraction of the cost. This will allow scientists to vastly increase preclinical trials for drug development and genetic engineering, and provide greater control of the process.

Singapore's IBN and NUH to test cutting-edge materials to treat eye diseases

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore) Marking a significant bench to bedside research milestone in Singapore, the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, world's first bioengineering and nanotechnology research institute, and National University Hospital launched IBN iCare and the NUH Eye Centre @ Biopolis Nov. 3, 2009.

Mobile microscopes illuminate the brain

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Max-Planck-Gesellschaft) By building a tiny microscope small enough to be carried around on a rat's head, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tübingen, Germany, have found a way to study the complex activity of many brain cells simultaneously while animals are free to move around. With this new technology scientists can actually see how the brain cells operate while the animal is behaving naturally, giving rise to immense new insights into the understanding of perception and attention.

'Engineering Careers for the Next Generation,' Nov. 18

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Stevens Institute of Technology) The International Council on Systems Engineering and the Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers North Jersey Chapter and Graduates of the Last Decade will be hosting an event at Stevens Institute of Technology, "Engineering Careers for the Next Generation," Nov. 18.

UD wins $4.4 million to develop next-generation magnets

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(University of Delaware) The University of Delaware has won a $4.4 million grant from the US Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency to lead a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional research project to develop the next generation of high-performance permanent magnets.

Breakthrough in industrial-scale nanotube processing

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Rice University) Rice University scientists today unveiled a method for the industrial-scale manufacturing of pure carbon-nanotube fibers, a breakthrough that could lead to revolutionary advances in materials science, power distribution and nanoelectronics. The method builds upon tried-and-true processes the chemical industry has used for decades to produce polymer fibers. Findings from Rice's methodical, nine-year program are detailed in this week's Nature Nanotechnology.

Where do nanomaterials go in the body?

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(North Carolina State University) Tiny, engineered nanomaterials can already be found in many consumer products, and have been hailed as having widespread future uses in areas ranging from medicine to industrial processes. However, little is known about what happens if these nanomaterials get into your body -- where do they go? NC State researchers are working to answer that question under a grant from the National Institutes of Health.

Flipping a photonic shock wave

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(American Physical Society) Physicists at Zhejiang University in China and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has developed a new metamaterial structure that successfully demonstrates reverse Cerenkov radiation.

CSIRO enters landmark research alliance with Orica

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(CSIRO Australia) CSIRO has signed a five-year, $25M strategic research alliance agreement with one of Australia's leading public companies -- Orica Ltd.

3-D system based on optical fiber could provide new options for photovoltaics

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Georgia Institute of Technology Research News) Converting sunlight to electricity might no longer mean large panels of photovoltaic cells atop flat surfaces like roofs.

An exquisite container

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Washington University in St. Louis) A tiny cage of gold covered with a smart polymer responds to light, opening to empty its contents and resealing when the light is turned off. The smart nanocages could be used to deliver drugs directly to target sites, thus avoiding systemic side effects.

Pitt-led researchers create nanoparticle coating to prevent freezing rain buildup

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Pittsburgh) Preventing the havoc wrought when freezing rain collects on roads, power lines, and aircrafts could be only a few nanometers away. A University of Pittsburgh-led team demonstrates in the Nov. 3 edition of Langmuir a nanoparticle-based coating developed in the lab of Di Gao, a chemical and petroleum engineering professor in Pitt's Swanson School of Engineering, that thwarts the buildup of ice on solid surfaces and can be easily applied.

LANL Roadrunner simulates nanoscale material failure

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(DOE/Los Alamos National Laboratory) How nanowires evolve under stress is simulated atom-by-atom over a period of time that is closer than ever to experimental reality.

UCF secures $7.5 million research grant to improve hybrid photovoltaic solar cells

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Central Florida) The grant will allow UCF to study ways to make photovoltaic solar cells more efficient in capturing and converting solar energy into electricity and less costly to manufacture. The research can lead to ways to produce highly flexible solar panels used to support a variety of products, spanning from solar roof shingles to portable energy.

Rice University cuts deal to research graphene-infused drilling fluids

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Rice University) Rice University and Houston-based M-I SWACO, the world's largest producer of drilling fluids for the petrochemical industry, have signed an agreement for research funds to develop a graphene additive that will improve the productivity of wells.

University of Cincinnati researchers create all-electric spintronics

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Cincinnati) Scientists have always attempted to develop spin transistors by incorporating local ferromagnets into device architectures. A far better and practical way to manipulate the orientation of an electron's spin would be by using purely electrical means. A team of researchers led by the University of Cincinnati's Philippe Debray and Marc Cahay is the first to find an innovative and novel way to control an electron's spin orientation using purely electrical means.

Magnetic mixing creates quite a stir

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(DOE/Sandia National Laboratories) Sandia researchers have developed a process that can mix tiny volumes of liquid, even in complicated spaces.Researchers currently use all types of processes to try and create mixing, with only "mixed" success. "In small devices," says Sandia materials scientist Jim Martin, "people have tried all kinds of pillars and mixing cells to initiate mixing, but these approaches don't work well." Researchers need simpler and more reliable ways to mix in tiny places such as micrometer-sized channels, Martin said.

Major research collaboration will improve British athletes' performance on world stage

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Imperial College London) Scientists are developing a range of miniaturized wearable and track-side sensors, computer modeling tools and smart training devices to help British athletes improve their performance on the world stage, as part of a new £8.5 million project that will be officially launched tomorrow.

UT leads collaborative initiative for innovative cancer research

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston) A consortium led by the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston has been awarded a major grant from the National Cancer Institute to establish a center to conduct innovative cancer research. The center will receive $2.4 million during the first year and could receive funds totaling $11.6 million over a five-year period. The new center is called the Center for Transport Oncophysics.

New look for antiques

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Wiley-Blackwell) Italian researchers working with Piero Baglioni at the University of Florence have developed a technique to effectively remove old polymer layers from sensitive historic artworks. As the researchers report in the journal Angewandte Chemie, the new cleaning system involves only a tiny proportion of volatile organic compounds.