Category: New products
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Faster Process Developed for Ultrasound Materials Testing
Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Non-Destructive Testing (IZFP) in Saarbrücken, Germany have developed a faster process for testing industrial materials with ultrasound. The new methods provide three-dimensional images at up to 100 times the speed of conventional ultrasound. Ultrasound now has the technical capability to be a quality assurance tool for industrial materials —…
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Drug Trial Reports Reduced Movements in Parkinson’s Patients
A clinical trial of the investigational drug safinamide indicates the drug can reduce dyskinesia or involuntary movements in some patients with mid-to-late stage Parkinson’s disease. The findings will be presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Honolulu, Hawaii. Study author Ravi Anand, with Newron Pharmaceuticals in Bresso, Italy, says the…
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New Pilots’ Forecast Computes In-Flight Icing Chances
Researchers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado has developed a computer-generated forecast that provides pilots with information on the chance of encountering dangerous in-flight icing conditions. The Federal Aviation Administration provided funding for the project. Each year in the United States, 20-40 aircraft accidents are linked to in-flight icing encounters,…
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Dow Chemical, Biotech to Partner on Bio-Based Acrylic Acid
Dow Chemical Company in Midland, Michigan and OPX Biotechnologies Inc. in Boulder, Colorado have agreed to develop an industrial scale process for the production of bio-based acrylic acid from renewable feedstocks. OPX Bio recently completed an 18-month pilot project showing that its technology based on genomic engineering could manufacture acrylic acid from renewable sources. The…
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NSF Grant Awarded for Nanotech Color-Enhanced MRI Scans
An engineering faculty member at University of Houston received a grant from National Science Foundation (NSF) for research on a process that adds color to the standard black-and-while MRI image. The three-year, $300,000 grant supports the work of mechanical engineering professor Li Sun (pictured left), as well as colleagues at Houston and the University of…
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Ozone Acts As Vaccine to Protect Fruit from Spoilage
Biologists at Newcastle University in the U.K. have found that exposing fruit to a blast of ozone gas can protect them against spoilage from fungus. Microbiologist Ian Singleton (pictured right) and plant biologist Jerry Barnes at Newcastle present their findings today at the spring conference of the Society for General Microbiology. Singleton says the ozone…
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African Plants Tested as Malaria Therapies, Insecticides
Researchers at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, near Oslo, are studying and testing plant extracts that have been used in traditional African medicine to fight malaria. The team hopes the project leads to supplements and replacements for today’s conventional medicines. Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease caused by a parasite. People with malaria often experience…
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Antidepressants Aid in Long-Term Stroke Recovery
A study at University of Iowa in Iowa City finds stroke victims can benefit from a brief treatment of antidepressants, with physical recovery continuing many months after the medication is stopped. The results of the study appeared in a recent issue of the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry (paid subscription required). A team led by…
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Gene Added to Soybean Plants Adds Protein to Seeds
Research conducted at Iowa State University in Ames found an external gene introduced to soybeans can substantially increase the amount of protein in soybean seeds. The university has filed a patent and aims to commercialize the technology. Professor of genetics Eve Wurtele and adjunct professor Ling Li placed a gene found only in Arabidopsis plants…
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Brain Damage Potential from Welding Fumes Exposure
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri have found that workers exposed to welding fumes may face increased risks of damage to the same brain area harmed by Parkinson’s disease. The study appears online 6 April 2011, in the journal Neurology (paid subscription required). Fumes produced by welding contain manganese, an…