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Fuel Cell Powered Forklifts Built for Demo Project
A fleet of 30 forklift trucks that run on hydrogen fuel cells are being built and tested for use at ports and loading docks in Europe. The trucks are being built under the auspices of the HyLIFT-DEMO project, funded by the EU. The 2.5 ton forklifts are being built by the Danish forklift manufacturer Dantruck…
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Grants Awarded for Biomass Research and Development
The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Energy have awarded a new series of grants for research on the production of biofuels and related bio-based products from a variety of biomass sources. The eight project awards — four recipients in the private sector and four university or federal lab projects — total $47 million. Funding is…
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FDA Approves Staph Bacteria Resistance Test
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today cleared the first test for Staphylococcus aureus (S.aureus) infections that can identify whether the bacteria are methicillin resistant (MRSA) or methicillin susceptible (MSSA). The KeyPath MRSA/MSSA Blood Culture Test is made by Microphage Inc. of Longmont, Colorado. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, MRSA is…
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Neural Network Simulates Human Schizophrenia Symptoms
A research team from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut and University of Texas in Austin developed a simulation of schizophrenia using a computer network model. Their findings appear in the April issue of the journal Biological Psychiatry (paid subscription required). The researchers used a virtual computer model called a neural network to simulate the…
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New Technology Promises Faster Drug Candidate Testing
Scientists at the Universities of Toronto, Stanford, and Columbia have developed a technology called mass cytometry that measures the action and function of candidate prescription drugs faster and on a larger scale. The team’s findings appear this week in the journal Science (paid subscription required). Mass cytometry enables the measurement of up to 100 biomarkers…
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One Nation, Under Geeks
Review: Geek Nation by Angela Saini. Hodder & Stoughton (3 Mar 2011). Science writer Angela Saini describes the rise of science and engineering in India in her new book Geek Nation. But if you’re looking for a triumphant Indian victory march you may be disappointed. The book instead offers a sophisticated and nuanced analysis of…
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Antibody-Based Biosensor Aids Environmental Cleanups
Researchers at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) in Gloucester Point have built and tested an aquatic sensor device that uses antibodies to detect marine pollutants. The developers of the device published their test results that appear today in the journal Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (paid subscription required). The research team that built the…
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California Supporting Embryonic Stem Cell Clinical Trial
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) awarded a $25 million grant to support the first FDA-approved clinical trial based on human embryonic stem cells. The award to Geron Corporation in Menlo Park, California, will support the company’s early phase trial, already underway, for people with spinal cord injury. CIRM, the state’s stem cell agency,…
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Unregulated Drug Market Hurting TB Public Health Efforts
The campaign against tuberculosis is generally considered a public health responsibility, but a new study indicates that private, unregulated TB drug sales may be hurting rather than helping those efforts. Results of the study appear in the new issue of the journal PLoS ONE. The research, conducted by the organization TB Alliance and health care…
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Grant Awarded for New Technology to Develop Polio Vaccine
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded University of Central Florida in Orlando a grant to develop a tablet-based vaccine for polio using a new technology that promises to make vaccines faster, safer, and less expensive. The $761,302 two-year grant will fund research by UCF biotechnology professor Henry Daniell (pictured left). Most vaccines are…