Science and Enterprise

Tag: U.K.

  • UV Device Kills Computer Keyboard Bacteria

    Environmental tests at University of Hertfordshire in the U.K. support claims that a device for killing bacteria on computer keyboards works as advertised. The university’s Biodet lab tested the Germ Genie made by Falcon Innovations in High Wycombe, U.K., and reported the results at recent industry and academic meetings. The results of the university’s tests…

  • Genes Associated with Glaucoma Identified

    Researchers in Australia and the U.K. have identified two genes associated with open-angle glaucoma (OAG), the most common form of the disease that can lead to blindness. The team’s findings are published online this week in the journal, Nature Genetics. The researchers tested some 4,500 patients in Australia and New Zealand, including 590 individuals with…

  • Manuka Honey Shows Potential For Drug-Resistant Wounds

    Research at University of Wales Institute, Cardiff suggests that manuka honey can help reverse bacterial resistance to antibiotics. Cardiff biologist Rose Cooper will report on her findings this week at a meeting of the Society for General Microbiology. Manuka honey is produced by bees fed on the flowers of the New Zealand manuka bush, and…

  • Ozone Acts As Vaccine to Protect Fruit from Spoilage

    Biologists at Newcastle University in the U.K. have found that exposing fruit to a blast of ozone gas can protect them against spoilage from fungus. Microbiologist Ian Singleton (pictured right) and plant biologist Jerry Barnes at Newcastle present their findings today at the spring conference of the Society for General Microbiology. Singleton says the ozone…

  • iPhone App Helps Doctors Deal with Cardiac Emergencies

    A study of an iPhone application giving emergency medical instructions suggests that the app helps doctors perform better in a simulated cardiac arrest case. The results of the study appear online in the journal Anaesthesia. The iResus app was developed by the U.K.’s Resuscitation Council and offers guidelines on medical emergency responses for adults and…

  • U.K. Grant Funds Composite Materials Research

    A research team from two universities in the U.K. have been awarded a grant to develop a new generation of high performance, fiber-reinforced polymer composites to overcome failures that can happen with little warning. The £6 million ($US 9.6 million) six-year grant by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council was awarded to University of…

  • New Blood Test Evaluation Identifies More Heart Attacks

    A more sensitive blood test protocol developed at University of Edinburgh and other research institutes in the U.K. could help identify heart attacks in thousands of patients who would otherwise have gone undiagnosed. The research team published its findings this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association (paid subscription required). The standard blood…

  • Study: Food Scares and Product Recalls Increasing

    Researchers at Queen’s University in Belfast, U.K. have completed the first analysis of all food recalls announced in the U.S., U.K., and Ireland over the last decade. The findings will be presented at the Food Integrity and Traceability Conference taking place at Queen’s University this week. The research by Antony Potter at the university’s Centre…

  • Univ. Bioenergy Lab to Develop Low Carbon Technologies

    Aston University in Birmingham, U.K. plans to build new £16.5 million ($26.7 million) engineering laboratories to develop and demonstrate renewable low carbon technologies including a biomass fueled power plant. The facility (artist’s drawing pictured right)  is scheduled to open on the Aston campus in October 2012. The labs include photo-bioreactors harnessing algae, and a 0.4MW…

  • Novartis to Close U.K. Plant, Consolidate R&D Sites

    The pharmaceutical company Novartis, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, says it has begun talks to close its factory in Horsham, U.K. and consolidate its R&D facilities in Europe. According to the Financial Times, Novartis will continue its other U.K. plants in Grimsby, Liverpool, and Dundee. Closing the Horsham plant will mean the loss of 550 jobs,…