Month: May 2012
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Two Paralyzed People Use Brain-Controlled Robotic Arms
Two stroke victims with tetraplegia — total loss of the use of limbs and torso — were able to control robotic arms with brain activity to reach, grasp, and use physical objects. The results of this study from the BrainGate project are reported today online in the journal Nature (paid subscription required). The BrainGate project…
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New Heart-Healthy Oat Variety Developed
Agricultural researchers at University of Wisconsin-Madison have developed a new kind of oat grain with greater amounts of a compound that can lower the amount of the harmful cholesterol in humans. BetaGene, as the new variety is called, is a product of a 14-year project in the Small Grains Breeding Program in UW-Madison’s agronomy department.…
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Technique Devised to Measure Pipeline Gas Bubbles
Researchers at University of Southampton in the U.K. have discovered a method to more accurately measure gas bubbles that develop in pipelines. The team led by Tim Leighton of Southampton’s Institute of Sound and Vibration Research describe their findings online in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society A (paid subscription required). Pipelines are used…
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U.S. Patent Awarded for Synthetic Hepatitis C Biocatalysts
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awarded yesterday a patent covering biocatalysts and biocatalytic processes used to make intermediate products in the synthesis of hepatitis C drugs. Patent number 8,178,333 was awarded to 13 inventors and assigned to Codexis Inc. in Redwood City, California. Codexis is a biotechnology company that develops and markets engineered enzymes…
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Engineering Students Build Inexpensive IV Drip Controller
A group of engineering undergraduate students at Rice University in Houston have built a simple device to control the flow of intravenous (IV) feeding tubes, like those used with children to treat dehydration. The students, who started the project earlier this year as freshmen, designed the IV device as part of the university’s Beyond Traditional…
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U.K. Universities, Companies Developing Fishmeal Substitute
A consortium of universities and companies in the U.K., led by University of Liverpool, is developing a plant-based substitute for fishmeal as feed for farm-raised fish. Fishmeal is made from fishery by-products or various species caught for fishmeal processing, which is then fed to farm-raised fish as a protein source. In addition to Liverpool, the…
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Microbe Found to Survive Ionic Liquid for Biofuel Processing
Researchers from the U.S. Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) of the Department of Energy have isolated a tropical microbe that can endure high concentrations of ionic liquids, the solvents used to process cellulosic biomass into economical commercial biofuels. The team led by the institute’s Michael Thelen reported its findings this week online in the journal Proceedings…
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NIH Grant Awarded for Smoking Relapse Prevention Drug
National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter, Florida a grant to develop drugs that help prevent relapse in smokers who are kicking the habit. The five-year $8.4 million grant will support a team led by Scripps researcher Paul Kenny (pictured right). Scripps…
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LED Process Adapts Ultraviolet Light to Kill Pathogens
Researchers from North Carolina and Japan have devised a light-emitting diode (LED) process that uses ultraviolet (UV) light to kill pathogens such as bacteria and viruses. Their discoveries are described in the May issue of the journal Applied Physics Letters (paid subscription required). The research team included materials scientists and engineers from North Carolina State…
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Funding Approved for Piracy, Policing Widget Development
The U.S. Office of Naval Research will fund development of compact Web applications, called widgets, to help international navies police for pirates and other illegal activities on the high seas. The $1 million award to support the International Collaborative Development for Enhanced Maritime Domain Awareness (ICODE MDA) project is expected to be made this fall…