Science and Enterprise

Tag: university

  • Laser Technology Developed to Detect Improvised Explosives

    Scientists at Michigan State University in East Lansing have developed a laser that in lab tests has shown the potential to detect roadside bombs, a destructive weapon encountered by American and allied forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. The team led by MSU chemistry professor Marcos Dantus published its findings in the current issue of the…

  • Grant Awarded for Study of Blood Test to Spot Concussions

    Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio have received a grant from National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study the effectiveness of a blood test that identifies concussions in college football players. Damir Janigro and Nicola Marchi of the Cleveland Clinic are the lead researchers on this study, in collaboration with Jeffrey Bazarian at the…

  • Smartphone Advance Can Improve Efficiency, Extend Battery

    Researchers at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor have devised a more efficient “idle mode” for smartphones and Wi-Fi devices that reduces power use and can extend battery life. Computer science and engineering professor Kang Shin and doctoral student Xinyu Zhang will present their discovery, still in proof-of-concept stage, next week at the ACM International…

  • Campaign Begins to Boost Public Support for Biomed Research

    An advocacy group kicked off a national media campaign to boost what the group says is flagging public support for biomedical research, focusing on the benefits to military veterans. However, the group’s own poll and other survey data suggest a sizable majority of Americans continues to support public funding of biomedical research. The Foundation for…

  • Research-Based Healthy Eating Plate Unveiled

    Nutritionists at Harvard University’s School of Public Health have released the Healthy Eating Plate, a visual guide for eating a healthy meal that the developers say is based only on the science and not the interests of growers or industry. Eric Rimm, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the school says, “We want people…

  • Device Captures Vibrations to Power Wireless Sensors

    Engineers at MIT have designed a miniature device that harvests energy from low-frequency vibrations to power wireless sensors for industrial or environmental monitoring. Mechanical engineering professor Sang-Gook Kim and Arman Hajati, now at FujiFilm Dimatix in Santa Clara, California, published their findings last month in the  journal Applied Physics Letters (paid subscription required). While wireless…

  • Review: Reminder Packaging Can Help Medication Adherence

    A review of studies conducted in the past few years shows instruction reminders on medication packaging helps some patients more closely follow those instructions. The review, led by health sciences professor Kamal Mahtani of Oxford University in the U.K., appears in the current issue of The Cochrane Library (paid subscription required). The analysis by Mahtani…

  • Trial to Test Value of Genetic Tests for Heart Disease

    The Stanford University Medical Center in California has begun a clinical trial to determine if giving patients genetic information about their risk of coronary artery disease will help motivate them to reduce that risk by changing their behavior. The study, just underway, is expected to be completed in December 2012. The trial will test the…

  • Simulation Improves Safety at Traffic Intersections

    A computer simulation developed at Tel Aviv University in Israel incorporates human behavior data with traffic statistics to determine environmental features that lead to black spots, intersections that experience a high incidence of traffic accidents. Environmental science Ph.D. student Gennady Waizman and colleagues discussed the SAFEPED model in July at the Geocomputation 2011 conference in…

  • Cardiac Device Infections Linked to Higher Costs, Mortality

    A team of academic and industry researchers have found an association between infections from cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) and increases in mortality and hospital care costs. The findings from this study appear online in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine (paid subscription required). The researchers, led by Muhammad Sohail, from the Mayo Clinic College…