Science and Enterprise

Month: April 2011

  • New Process Devised For Efficient Hydrogen Production

    A research team at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland has discovered that catalysts based on the element molybdenum can make possible a more cost-effective and sustainable process for producing hydrogen. Their findings appear in the journal Chemical Science (paid subscription required). Hydrogen is an abundant element on earth, but still remains difficult…

  • Chlorine Found to Boost Flat Panel Display Technology

    Materials scientists at University of Toronto in Canada have found a simple way to use chlorine to reduce the complexity of Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) devices and improve their efficiency. The faculty/student team published their findings in this week’s issue of the journal Science (paid subscription required). OLEDs are used in a wide variety of…

  • Duke, Novartis to Develop Pandemic Virus Vaccines

    The Duke Human Vaccine Institute in Durham, North Carolina agreed today with the pharmaceutical company Novartis to collaborate on the rapid development of a vaccines in case of virus threats such as pandemic influenza. The agreement also creates a research partnership to tackle both basic and translational vaccine studies. The five-year agreement calls for the…

  • High-Capacity Bandwidth Provided for Research Institutions

    The networking company Level 3 Inc. in Broomfield, Colorado will provide high-bandwidth fiber optic network capacity for the Internet2 consortium’s network supporting research and educational institutions. Internet2, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is an advanced networking consortium of 200 U.S. universities as well as corporations, government agencies, national labs, and other regional and local institutions. Under…

  • Sensors, Computer Controls Reduce Building HVAC Energy

    A computer engineer at University of California in San Diego (UCSD) looked no further than his own office building to conduct research on the use of sensors and computer algorithms to better control heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Yuvraj Agarwal and his colleagues at UCSD presented their findings yesterday at an Information Processing…

  • Monsanto, Venture Company to Fund Life Science Start Ups

    Monsanto Company in St. Louis, Missouri and Atlas Venture, a venture capital firm in Cambridge, Massachusetts, agreed to jointly explore investments in early-stage life sciences companies. Monsanto is a manufacturer of agricultural chemicals; Atlas Venture invests in early-stage technology and life sciences businesses. Under the agreement, Monsanto and Atlas will identify investments in several agricultural…

  • New Material Filters Radioactive Drinking Water Contaminates

    Researchers at North Carolina State University in Raleigh have developed a material from natural sources that can remove radioactive contaminates from drinking water. The material, made from a combination of forest byproducts and crustacean shells, works without electric power and can also remove heavy metals from drinking water, or salt from sea water. A team…

  • Lab: Algae Can Produce Fuel Equivalent to 17 Pct of Imports

    A study by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland, Washington estimates that growing algae for biofuel could realistically replace 17 percent of the nation’s imported oil for transportation. The research team from the lab, part of the U.S. Department of Energy, and other colleagues published its findings in the journal Water Resources Research…

  • Manuka Honey Shows Potential For Drug-Resistant Wounds

    Research at University of Wales Institute, Cardiff suggests that manuka honey can help reverse bacterial resistance to antibiotics. Cardiff biologist Rose Cooper will report on her findings this week at a meeting of the Society for General Microbiology. Manuka honey is produced by bees fed on the flowers of the New Zealand manuka bush, and…

  • 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 —…