Category: New products
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Nanotech Composites Aid Tooth Cavity Repair
Researchers at the University of Maryland dental school have developed cavity-filling composites based on nanotechnology that kill bacteria and regenerate the tooth structure. The university has filed patents and is seeking licensees to commercialize the technology. The work of Maryland dental school professor Huakun (Hockin) Xu aims to improve on the standard dental fillings that…
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Starch-Based Fibers for Bandages and Paper Developed
A graduate student in food science at Pennsylvania State University in University Park has developed a fibrous material from ordinary food starch that can be woven into bandages and household paper products. A provisional patent has been filed for the discovery by Lingyan Kong, working under food science professor Greg Ziegler, with the research funded…
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Glare-Free Water-Resistant Nanotech Glass Developed
Engineers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a new type of glass that eliminates almost all reflection and causes water to bounce off. The team of MIT graduate students, faculty, and former postdoc — now at North Carolina State University — published their findings earlier this month in the journal ACS Nano (paid subscription…
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DNA Bar Code Identifiers Developed for Species Tracking
Botanists at University of Bonn, with researchers from 10 other German institutions, are devising a system of standard identifiers based on DNA sequencing to identify plant and animal species more efficiently. The German Barcode of Life (GBOL) project is coordinated by the Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig in Bonn. “In the DNA of living beings,…
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Damage, Security Sensors Added to New Bridge Construction
Engineers at Iowa State University in Ames have added gauges and sensors to detect for damage on a reconstructed bridge in Iowa Falls, some 50 miles north of Ames. The project is serving as a prototype for similar systems with other bridge construction projects in the state. The project involves Iowa State’s Bridge Engineering Center,…
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Vibrating Steering Wheel Helps Maintain Driver Attention
Research at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and AT&T Labs in Florham Park, New Jersey reveals that a vibrating steering wheel helps keep a driver’s eyes safely on the road by providing an additional means to convey directions from a car’s navigation system. The team’s findings will be presented in June at the International Conference on…
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Automated Device Developed for Limb Lengthening Adjustments
Student engineers at Rice University in Houston have developed a system that automatically adjusts distraction osteogenesis devices used to correct bone deformities that leave children with one limb shorter than the other. The LinDi — short for Linear Distractor — was designed in collaboration with Shriners Hospital for Children in Houston, as a senior-year undergraduate…
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Immune System Signatures Proposed for Disease Diagnostics
Researchers at Arizona State University in Tempe have developed a technique for harnessing the body’s immune system to give early indicators of disease. Student Brian Chase, postdoctoral fellow Barten Legutki, and faculty member Stephen Johnston at Arizona State’s Biodesign Institute published their findings in last month’s issue of the journal Clinical and Vaccine Immunology (paid…
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Microemulsion Shows Promise for Extending Vaccine Shelf Life
A U.S. Army medical researcher has devised a new process for mixing vaccine ingredients with the potential for extending the shelf life of vaccines. Maj. Jean Muderhwa (pictured left) , a deputy laboratory director at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, presented his findings yesterday at a meeting of the American Society for…
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Computer Model to Predict Hip Fracture Risk
Researchers at University of Arizona in Tucson are developing a computer model to predict which people are most at risk of a hip fracture. The study, led by engineering professor Samy Missoum and epidemiology and biostatistics professor Zhao Chen (pictured left), is funded by a two year, $357,982 grant from the National Institute of Arthritis…