Tag: physical sciences

  • University Consortium to Research Nanotech Health Monitors

    North Carolina State University in Raleigh will lead a group of universities in the U.S., Australia, and Asia to develop self-powered health monitoring sensors and devices. Some 30 industry partners are expected to join the five-year, $18.5 million consortium, known as the Center for Advanced Self-Powered Systems of Integrated Sensors and Technologies (ASSIST), and funded…

  • RNA Nanoparticles Advanced for Cancer Drug Delivery

    Medical researchers at University of Kentucky and University of Nebraska developed nanoscale particles using RNA to deliver cancer drugs that could bind to and regulate cells in mice without harming other tissue. The results of the research carried out in the the lab of Kentucky’s Peixuan Guo (pictured right) appear in the August issue of…

  • Electronic Enhanced Carpet Monitors Walking, Detects Falls

    Researchers at University of Manchester in the U.K. added electronic optical fibers on the underside of carpets to monitor and detect changes in walking patterns that can lead to falls. Patricia Scully, who led the the interdisciplinary team from Manchester’s Photon Science Institute, reports the team’s findings today at the Photon12 conference at Durham University…

  • Feasibility Demonstrated of Tiny Wireless Cardiac Implants

    Engineers at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California showed that millimeter-sized implanted cardiac devices could be powered by radio waves transmitted from outside the body. The findings from the team led by electrical engineering professor Ada Poon (pictured right) appear online in the journal Applied Physics Letters; paid subscription required. Poon, with doctoral candidates Sanghoek…

  • Methods Developed to Detect, Remove Ice from Aircraft Wings

    Engineers at two Fraunhofer Institutes in Germany are devising new solutions for dealing with ice accumulating on aircraft wings in flight, a serious safety concern. The technologies developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability in Darmstadt and Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials in Bremen will be discussed at the…

  • Clinical Eye Testing Simulation Software Developed

    Physicists at University of Tennessee Space Institute in Tullahoma developed a computer model to simulate human eye behavior for testing potential eye treatments. The system written by space institute physics faculty member Ying-Ling Chen (pictured left) aims to improve the efficiency and reduce the time needed by clinical trials involving human eyes. Clinical trials of…

  • Nanotech Solution Could Block Laser Beams from Aircraft

    Researchers at University of Central Florida in Orlando and Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh created a new material based on nanotechnology that could keep lasers from affecting aircraft pilots and sensitive equipment. Optical science professor Jayan Thomas of Central Florida’s NanoScience Technology Center (pictured right) led the team, which published its findings last month in…

  • EU Grant Funds Research on Programmable Chemical Systems

    The European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme is funding a project to build autonomous self-assembling electronic microreagents that can exchange chemical and electronic information. Biochemistry professor John McCaskill at Ruhr University Bochum in Germany (pictured left) with colleagues at Bochum and teams from Europe, Israel, and New Zealand, will take part in the three-year, €3.4 million…

  • Leukemia Genetic Signature, Drug Candidates Identified

    Researchers at University of Rochester in New York identified a set of genes behind the early growth of leukemia stem cells, and used those cells to highlight potential existing drugs with the chemistry to target those cells. The team led by senior investigator and Rochester medical school professor Craig Jordan — with colleagues from Weill…

  • National Lab, Software Company Form Text Analysis Subsidiary

    Oak Ridge National Lab in Tennessee formed a subsidiary with Professional Project Services (Pro2Serve), an engineering company in Oak Ridge, to provide text analysis services using software developed at the lab. The software, known as Piranha, performs high-volume document analysis for military and security users. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Piranha analyzes…