Month: March 2013
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Symbols and Calorie Labels Influence Restaurant Choices
Economists at University of Illinois in Urbana and Oklahoma State University in Stillwater found the combination of calorie counts and stoplight symbols had the most influence on choices made by restaurant diners. The team led by Illinois’s Brenna Ellison (pictured right) published its findings in a recent issue of the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition…
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University, Companies to Partner on Wound Care Sensors
Researchers at University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland and Hamad Medical Corporation in Qatar are collaborating on development of sensors that monitor wound dressings, starting with a product created by a spin-off company from Strathclyde. The three-year project is funded by the Qatar National Research Fund, but financial aspects of the agreement were not disclosed.…
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Dementia Screening Test Adapted for Smartphone App
Neuroscientists and clinicians from the U.K. and Australia translated a paper-based screening test for dementia into a smartphone app that the developers believe will make the tool more accurate and widely used. The researchers from Plymouth University in the U.K., Derriford Plymouth Hospitals, and Neuroscience Research Australia in Sydney unveiled an advance version of the…
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Patent Granted for Nanotech-Enhanced Biodegradable Polymers
Cereplast Inc., a developer of bio-based plastics in El Segundo, California, received a patent for its process of making biodegradable polymers enhanced with mineral nanoparticles. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued patent number 8,389,614 to Cereplast’s CEO Frederick Scheer and research executive William Kelly, and assigned the patent to Cereplast Inc. on 5 March…
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Computer Model Identifies Concussion-Producing Conditions
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and University of Ottawa in Canada developed a technique that combines computer modeling and imaging to calcuate damage capable of causing head trauma and concussion. The team led by Johns Hopkins engineering professor K.T. Ramesh published its findings in a recent issue of the Journal of Neurotrauma (paid…
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Robotics Cloud Software Platform Being Demonstrated
Computer scientists and engineers at five European universities and the Dutch electronics company Phillips designed and are implementing an Internet-based robotics software repository to relieve individual robots of heavy processing tasks. Workshops on cloud robotics, featuring hands-on practice with the RoboEarth system, are being offered next week at the euRobotics Forum in Lyon, France. RoboEarth…
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BASF, Massachusetts Universities to Partner on Materials
Researchers at the German chemical company BASF and three universities in Massachusetts will collaborate on the development of new materials for the automotive, building and construction, and energy industries. Financial details of the new five-year North American Center for Research on Advanced Materials were not disclosed, but the universities in consortium — Harvard University, MIT,…
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Statistical Tool Helps Cut Heart Failure Readmissions
Medical researchers at Intermountain Heart Institute in Murray, Utah developed a statistical index that evaluates a cardiac patient’s condition and calculates the risk of readmission for the same disorder within 30 days. The team led by Benjamin Horne, director of cardiovascular and genetic epidemiology at the institute, a division of Intermountain Medical Center in Salt…
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Surgical Masks Shown to Cut Flu Transmission
Public health researchers at University of Maryland, with colleagues at Harvard, Boston University, and University of Hong Kong identified the main ways flu virus spreads through populations and specifically recommend flu sufferers wear surgical masks to stop the virus. The team led by Maryland and Harvard professor Donald Milton published their findings yesterday in the…
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Air-Breathing Biobattery Developed for Medical Devices
Researchers at the Institute of Physical Chemistry in Warsaw, part of the Polish Academy of Sciences, developed a power source for implanted medical devices that works with the body’s chemistry, including oxygen taken from the from the air. The team working in the lab of the institute’s Marcin Opallo developed a prototype battery that powers…