EurekAlert! - Technology, Engineering and Computer Science

NTU sets up centre on micro-organism research for environmental engineering and sustainability

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Nanyang Technological University) The National Research Foundation and the Ministry of Education announced the funding support for a Research Centre of Excellence called the Singapore Centre on Environmental Life Sciences Engineering to be set up at the Nanyang Technological University, in collaboration with the National University of Singapore.

Star chef points the way

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft) Master chef Johann Lafer is a virtuoso in the kitchen -- and with modern technology too. At his cookery school the TV celebrity adopts a high-tech approach to make things easier in the kitchen with the touchless iPoint-Presenter.

2010 FEBS/EMBO Women in Science award honors Ingrid Grummt

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(European Molecular Biology Organization) The European Molecular Biology Organization and the Federation of European Biochemical Societies announced Ingrid Grummt from the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg, Germany, as the winner of the 2010 FEBS/EMBO Women in Science Award. Ingrid Grummt has made important contributions to the field of transcriptional regulation in cells throughout her career.

Semi-finalists named for Global Venture Challenge 2010

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory) Student teams from 22 universities have been selected to advance to the semi-final round of the 2010 Global Venture Challenge hosted March 25-26 by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Mescal 'worm' test shows DNA leaks into preservatives

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(International Barcode of Life) University of Guelph research team use the Mexican liquor mescal (the one with the worm) to prove that the DNA of a preserved specimen can be obtained from the preservative liquid.

Office of Naval Research to expand international science and technology partnership

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Office of Naval Research) The Office of Naval Research reached an agreement to establish an ONR Global liaison office in Prague, Czech Republic, on Feb. 26.

High-performance microring resonator developed by INRS researchers

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(INRS) A new, more efficient low-cost microring resonator for high speed telecommunications systems has been developed and tested by Professor Roberto Morandotti's INRS team in collaboration with Canadian, American, and Australian researchers. This technological advance capitalizes on the benefits of optical fibers to transmit large quantities of data at ultra-fast speeds. The results of the team's work, just published in the prestigious journal Nature Photonics, will facilitate the transition from electronic to optical communications.

Caltech researchers develop nanoscale structures with superior mechanical properties

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(California Institute of Technology) Researchers at Caltech have developed a way to make some notoriously brittle materials ductile -- yet stronger than ever -- simply by reducing their size. The work could eventually lead to the development of innovative, superstrong, yet light and damage-tolerant materials. These new materials could be used as components in structural applications, such as in lightweight aerospace vehicles that last longer under extreme environmental conditions and in naval vessels that are resistant to corrosion and wear.

Handling emergencies online

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Inderscience Publishers) Online social networking sites could solve many problems plaguing information dissemination and communications when disaster strikes, according to a report from US researchers in a recent issue of the International Journal of Emergency Management.

WPI, Colorado School of Mines found Center for Sustainable Metals Recovery and Recycling

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Worcester Polytechnic Institute) With National Science Foundation support, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and Colorado School of Mines have established the Center for Resource Recovery and Recycling, the nation's first research center dedicated to developing new technologies for maximizing the recovery and recycling of metals used in manufactured products and structures. By promoting a more sustainable approach to the use of metals, the center aims to dramatically reduce the energy usage and the carbon footprint associated with metals production.

Basque Country University researcher studies atom to atom cement

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Elhuyar Fundazioa) Two thousand years after the Romans invented cement, this material is still the most commonly used in construction throughout the world. Its complex internal structure means that many questions about this material continue to have unsatisfactory answers.

Comprehensive study using bioinformatics predicts the molecular causes of many genetic diseases

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Buck Institute for Age Research) It is widely known that genetic mutations cause disease. What are largely unknown are the mechanisms by which these mutations wreak havoc at the molecular level, giving rise to clinically observable symptoms in patients. Now a new study using bioinformatics, led by scientists at the Buck Institute for Age Research, reports the ability to predict the molecular cause of many inherited genetic diseases. These predictions have led to the creation of a web-based tool available to academic researchers who study disease.

NTU wins three out of five inaugural Environment Technology and Research Programme grants

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Nanyang Technological University) Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has won three out of the five inaugural Environment and Technology Research Programme grants awarded by the National Environment Agency (NEA). Awards reaffirm NTU as a leader in environmental engineering and urban sustainability.

Perfectly shaped solid components

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft) When metals are shaped, the materials they are made of are often damaged in the process. One cause of this is excessive press force, which cracks and perforates the material. By running simulations on a PC, research scientists can now calculate how to avoid component defects.

Electric cars are going places in the Harz region

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft) The Harz region is banking on electric cars. Electric cars will soon be rolling through Quedlinburg, Werningerode and other cities in the region. Seventeen partners from research, academia and industry have committed themselves to this with their project Harz.ErneuerbareEnergien-mobility, or Harz.EE-mobility for short.

New research report of the Max-Delbrück Center published

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres) The Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch, Germany, has published its new research report. In the 284-page book, 54 research groups at the MDC give an overview of their work in 2008 and 2009. Research at the MDC focuses on cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, cancer, and neurosciences.

Extra large carbon

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(American Physical Society) The nucleus of one form of carbon is much larger and more stable than expected.

'Revolutionary' water treatment units on their way to Afghanistan

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Sam Houston State University) The US army takes delivery of its first waste-water treatment units for Afhganistan, technology that 'would be immensely useful in Haiti right now.'

Study: Cell-phone bans while driving have more impact in dense, urban areas

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) A new study analyzing the impact of hand-held cell phone legislation on driving safety concludes that usage-ban laws had more of an impact in densely populated urban areas with a higher number of licensed drivers than in rural areas where there are fewer licensed drivers, according to a University of Illinois researcher.

Phone app providing real-time statistics on physical activity around the world

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(University of Houston) An iPhone application created by University of Houston researchers is providing first-of-its-kind real-time statistics of physical activity around the world. Those annual rankings of America's fattest and fittest cities that use government statistics and a host of indirect indicators may soon have a little more muscle. The information being collected at UH provides objective data.

Center for Science Writings presents: "Are We Born to Wage War?"

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Stevens Institute of Technology) The Center for Science Writings at Stevens Institute of Technology will present the talk, "Are We Born to Wage War? If Not, Why Do We Do It?" by Brian Ferguson, on Wednesday, February 17, 2010.

UB geographers help map devastation in Haiti

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(University at Buffalo) In the wake of the earthquake in Haiti, University at Buffalo geography students are participating in a global effort to enhance the international response and recovery effort by helping to assess damage, using images hosted by Google Earth and the Virtual Disaster Viewer, which shares imagery of disasters from various sources.

Millimeter-scale, energy-harvesting sensor system developed

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(University of Michigan) A 9 cubic millimeter solar-powered sensor system developed at the University of Michigan is the smallest that can harvest energy from its surroundings to operate nearly perpetually.

UC Riverside licenses technology to OlFactor Laboratories, Inc.

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(University of California - Riverside) OlFactor Laboratories, Inc., a majority owned subsidiary of Avisio, Inc. acquired an exclusive license to patented technology from the University of California, Riverside. The technology is based on an advanced scientific understanding of how two-winged blood-feeding insects, e.g. mosquitos and black flies, utilize their olfactory neurons to detect carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from animals and humans. CO2, which is a major component in human and animal breath, attracts the insect to its prey.

Scientist explore future of high-energy physics

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(University of Chicago) A collaboration between the University of Chicago and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory aims to improve the efficiency of superconducting radio frequency cavities made of niobium to accelerate beams of subatomic particles in the next generation of high-energy physics experiments. The result could be accelerators powerful enough to open new frontiers in physics without the need for a massive increase in size. The project has $1.5 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy.