Month: April 2011
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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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Patent Allowance Given for Glucose Monitoring Method
Symphony tCGM (Echo Therapeutics) Echo Therapeutics Inc. in Franklin, Massachusetts says it received a notice of allowance from the U.S. Patent Office on the methods for using its continuous non-invasive glucose monitoring system. A notice of allowance indicates that the patent application has not been successfully contested and the company may proceed with registering the…
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Company-University Partnership to Help Develop Nuclear Fuel
IBC Advanced Alloys Corp. in Vancouver, Canada signed research agreements with Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana and Texas Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) operated by Texas A&M University in College Station, to advance the company’s beryllium oxide (BeO) nuclear fuels R&D project. The project aims to develop high thermal conductivity BeO nuclear fuel that is…
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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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Q1 2011 Venture Fund Raising Up in U.S., Down in Europe
Venture capital (VC) funds in the U.S. raised $7.7 billion in the first quarter of 2011, nearly double the $3.9 billion raised in the first quarter of 2010, according to Dow Jones LP Source. Early-stage funds — those that invest in start up companies, such enterprises begun by university researchers — were among the VCs…
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Business Council Releases Ecosystem Valuation Guide
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) in Geneva, Switzerland released today its Guide to Corporate Ecosystem Valuation (CEV), to help businesses better understand the benefits and value of ecosystem services like fresh water, food, fiber, and natural hazard protection. The CEV guide can be downloaded free of charge from the WBCSD Web site.…
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Field Test of New Clinical Trial Method Underway
A field test has begun of a new type of clinical trial at the Veterans Affairs Boston (Mass.) Healthcare System, which proponents say is less costly and can also guide doctors to switch to the best treatment before the trial is completed. The new approach — called a point-of-care clinical trial — is described in…