Month: January 2011
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University of Oklahoma to Develop Shale Gas Simulator
University of Oklahoma researchers in Norman are developing a new simulator for shale gas reservoirs to provide oil and gas companies with a tool for managing production and choosing drilling locations. The three-year project is supported with $1,053,778 from the group Research for Partnership to Secure Energy for America plus an additional $250,000 in matching…
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Community Management Can Sustain Small Fisheries
Small-scale commercial fishing operations, the kind that often feed millions of people worldwide, can be sustained when managed cooperatively with their communities. This conclusion is drawn from a study published 5 January in the online issue of the journal Nature (paid subscription required). Nicolas Gutiérrez, a University of Washington fisheries scientist and lead author of…
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Partnership To Advance Military Field Energy Sources
A team from Maxwell Technologies Inc. in San Diego, California, University of Massachusetts in Amherst, and the U.S. Navy will develop a lighter, longer-lasting, energy source for field radios and other portable electronic equipment carried by military personnel. Maxwell Technologies says today that Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded the company a $1.7 million…
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Helicopter Transport Improves Survival of Severely Injured
The first national study of helicopters to transport injured patients from accidents shows patients delivered to trauma centers by helicopter are more likely to survive than those brought by ground ambulance. The results were published recently in the Journal of Trauma: Injury, Infection, and Critical Care (paid subscription required). The research, led by Mark Gestring…
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Study: Pill Splitting Inaccurate, Potentially Dangerous
A study in the January 2011 issue of the Journal of Advanced Nursing (paid subscription required) suggests that the practice of cutting prescription tablets in half results in wide dosage variations, which can be dangerous for patients needing accurate doses of their medicines. The research was done by the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Ghent…
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Recycled Haitian Concrete Found Safe, Strong
Nearly one year after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake rocked Haiti, engineering and concrete experts at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta report that concrete and other debris in Port-au-Prince can be safely recycled into strong new construction material. Their findings appear in the Bulletin of the American Ceramic Society, published today (4 January 2011). Georgia Tech…
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NSF Awards Small Business Grant for Antioxidant Processes
ChromaDex Corporation in Irvine, California says it received a $500,000 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant to commercialize its technology for anthocyanins, a form of plant-based antioxidants. Anthocyanins are naturally occurring plant pigments or colorants that contribute to the vivid coloring of berries. They are also considered helpful in protecting against oxidative stress and control…
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Pharma, Biotech Ink Deal on Anti-Inflammatory Candidate
XOMA Ltd., a biotechnology company in Berkeley, California, and Les Laboratoires Servier a French pharmaceutical company, announced an agreement to develop and commercialize XOMA 052, XOMA’s anti-inflammatory drug candidate. XOMA 052 is designed to inhibit the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1 beta believed to be a primary trigger of pathologic inflammation in multiple diseases. Under the agreement,…
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Nanomaterial to Boost Lithium-Ion Battery Performance
A new type of nanomaterial developed at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York could sharply reduce the time needed to recharge lithium (Li)-ion batteries, the type of battery found in electric automobiles, laptop computers, mobile phones, and other portable devices. Nanomaterials are made from technologies that operate at nanometer, or one-billionth of a meter,…
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Biotech Licenses Natural Anti-Bacterial Compounds
AMRI, a biotechnology company in Albany, New York agreed to a research and licensing deal with Genentech, a Roche Group company, for AMRI’s anti-bacterial compounds from its natural products sample collection. Under the agreement, Genentech will receive an exclusive license to develop and commercialize potential products from AMRI’s anti-bacterial program. AMRI will also collaborate with…