Category: New products
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Kansas Winds Could Help Avoid Widespread Power Outages
A graduate student at Kansas State University in Manhattan is conducting research that shows how distributed energy sources like wind power can help reduce widespread power outages. Engineering doctoral student Sakshi Pahwa presented her findings earlier this year at the Capitol Graduate Research Summit in Topeka, Kansas. The research looks into distributed energy sources as…
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Organic Nanoparticle in Development for Cancer Drug Delivery
A research team at Ontario Cancer Institute in Toronto, Canada have created an organic nanoparticle that they say can potentially change the way tumors are treated. Their findings appear online in the journal Nature Materials (paid subscription required). The researchers, led by the institute’s Gang Zheng (pictured left), say these new nanoscale particles — 1…
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Clinical Trial Underway for Seasonal/H1N1 Vaccine
Medicago Inc., a biotechnology company in Quebec City, Canada has begun a phase I clinical trial of its H1N1 influenza vaccine candidate in the United States. The trial tests the drug’s safety, tolerability, and capacity to induce an immune response, with results expected in three months. The randomized, double-blind, multicenter, active- and placebo-controlled dose-ranging study…
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Engineers Research Grid Upgrades to Handle More DC Power
Engineers at University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania have begun research on upgrades needed in the U.S. electrical grid to better integrate direct current (DC) power in an infrastructure designed for alternating current (AC). Funding for the project includes a recent $600,000 support grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority, as well…
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Early Trial Indicates Stem Cells Can Reverse Heart Damage
Researchers from University of Miami in Florida and BioCardia, a cardiac device manufacturer in San Carlos, California have shown that stem cells injected into enlarged hearts can reduce heart size, reduce scar tissue, and improve function to injured heart areas. The results of this small trial appear in the journal Circulation Research, published by the…
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Univ. Bioenergy Lab to Develop Low Carbon Technologies
Aston University in Birmingham, U.K. plans to build new £16.5 million ($26.7 million) engineering laboratories to develop and demonstrate renewable low carbon technologies including a biomass fueled power plant. The facility (artist’s drawing pictured right) is scheduled to open on the Aston campus in October 2012. The labs include photo-bioreactors harnessing algae, and a 0.4MW…
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Green Rust Can Protect Groundwater Against Radioactive Waste
Researchers in Denmark have found a naturally occurring substance called green rust can help protect groundwater against radioactive contamination from stored reactor waste. Bo Christiansen’s findings are published in the March issue of the journal Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (paid subscription required). Christiansen (pictured left) is a geochemist at the University of Copenhagen who has…
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Drug in Development Targeting Nicotine Metabolism
Research underway at the Academy of Finland in Helsinki is developing a new type of drug that could help smokers quit the habit. The new drug would slow down the metabolism of nicotine, which would help reduce the addictive power of their smoking. Nicotine is absorbed quickly through the lungs and the lining of the…
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E. Coli Engineered to Produce High-Volume Biofuel
Researchers at University of California in Los Angeles have engineered the bacteria E. coli to produce butanol, a type of alcohol that can substitute directly for gasoline in today’s car motors, and in greater quantities than before. The team published its findings earlier this month in the online edition of the journal Applied and Environmental…
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FDA Approves Improved Laser Eye Surgery Technology
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved an enhanced technology for refractive (laser) eye surgery, based on research conducted at University of Rochester in New York. The Rochester Nomogram, as the technology is called, is licensed to Technolas Perfect Vision, a cataract and refractive laser company formed through a joint venture of lens manufacturer Bausch…