Tag: physical sciences
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Computer Model Created for Uterine Contractions
1 June 2016. A medical engineering team developed a computer model that measures muscle activity at various levels in the uterus and can help predict preterm birth. Researchers from Washington University in St. Louis, with colleagues from University of Arkansas in Little Rock, describe the model in a PLoS One article appearing at the end…
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St. Jude Hospital to Test Nanotech Flu Virus Drugs
31 May 2016. A company developing anti-viral drugs delivered in nanoscale particles is partnering with scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to test drug candidates to treat influenza. Financial details of the agreement between NanoViricides Inc. in Shelton, Connecticut and St. Jude hospital in Memphis were not disclosed. NanoViricides makes drugs that fight dangerous…
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Self-Driving Truck Software Based on Biological Model
26 May 2016. Researchers from Sweden are developing software for controlling self-driving trucks, using the way animals react and adapt to their environment as a model. The team from Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg plans to demonstrate the package on Saturday, 28 May, in a Volvo heavy truck as part of the Grand Cooperative…
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Start-Up, Univ. Lab Partner on Computational Drug Discovery
25 May 2016. A two-year old company developing algorithms for drug discovery is collaborating with University of Chicago medical school to identify candidates to prevent atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. Financial aspects of the agreement between twoXAR Inc. in Palo Alto, California and the lab of Yun Fang at University of Chicago were not…
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Sensor Patch Tracks Chemical, Physical Vital Signs
24 May 2016. Engineers at University of California in San Diego developed a patch device worn on the skin with sensors that measure chemical indicators as well as physical vital signs. The UC-San Diego team that designed the device published its findings in yesterday’s issue of the journal Nature Communications. The researchers led by nanoengineering…
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Smart Laser Device Tracks, Kills Mosquitoes
23 May 2016. Tests with two species of insects show an electronic device called a photonic fence can identify, track, and kill harmful bugs while in flight. Results of the tests, conducted by Intellectual Ventures Laboratory in Bellevue, Washington, developer of the photonic fence, appear in this week’s issue of Optics Express, published by the…
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Graphene Adds Stretch to Natural Rubber, Plastic Films
20 May 2016. A team in the U.K. discovered that adding a small amount of the material graphene creates more stretchable thin films made from natural rubber and plastic. Researchers from the lab of materials science professor Aravind Vijayaraghavan at University of Manchester describe their findings in a recent advance publication of the journal Carbon.…
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New Process Boosts Injectable Drug Purity, Safety
20 May 2016. A team of engineers and chemists developed a process for enhancing the purity and safety of drugs given with injections by removing excess additives, while keeping the drugs easy to inject. Researchers from University at Buffalo in New York, led by biomedical engineering professor Jonathan Lovell, describe their process in yesterday’s issue…
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Grid Computing Power Applied to Zika Research
Carolina Horta Andrade at Federal University of Goiás in Brazil, the lead researcher on the OpenZika project. (Ana Fortunato, IBM) 19 May 2016. A consortium in Brazil and the U.S. is employing distributed grid computing to provide processing power for research on prospective compounds for treating Zika virus infections. The OpenZika project is using World…
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Fast, Inexpensive Test for Water Bacteria Developed
18 May 2016. A team at York University in Toronto designed a water-testing kit connecting to a smartphone that makes testing for water-borne bacteria faster and less expensive. The Mobile Water Kit, from the lab of engineering professor Sushanta Mitra, is described in a recent issue of the journal Analyst (free registration required). Developers of the…