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Researchers Solve Riddle of What Has Been Holding Two Unlikely Materials Together

By Guest PostMarch 23, 2013Sciencebi2te3, bismuth telluride, bonds, electricity, electronics, gaas, gallium arsenide, heat into electricity, houston dycus, james lebeau, jonathan pierce, molecules, north Carolina, rama venkatasubramanian, rti international, state university, super x, thin films, van der waals, weak electrical forces

For years, researchers have developed thin films of bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) – which converts heat into electricity or electricity to cooling – on top of gallium arsenide (GaAs) to create cooling devices for electronics. But while they knew it could be done, it was not clear how – because the atomic structures of those unlikely pair of materials do not appear to be compatible. Now researchers from North Carolina State University and RTI International have solved the mystery, opening the door to new research in the field.

“We’ve used state-of-the-art technology to solve a mystery that has been around for years,” says Dr. James LeBeau, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at NC State and co-author of a paper on the research. “And now that we know what is going on, we can pursue research to fine-tune the interface of these materials to develop more efficient mechanisms for converting electricity to cooling or heat into electricity. Ultimately, this could have applications in a wide range of electronic devices.” (more…)

Tenfold boost in ability to pinpoint proteins in cancer cells

By Guest PostMarch 23, 2013Healthantibodies, array of colors, biology, biomarkers, cancerous, cell behavior, cell function, characteristics, color coding cells, color fluorescence, cyclical testing, diagnosis, fluorescent balls, low ph fluid, molecular level, oncology, pathology, patterns, pavel zrazhevskiy, quantum dots, semiconductor material, single cell, Technology, tissue biopsies, treatment of cancer, university of washington, xiaohu gao

Better diagnosis and treatment of cancer could hinge on the ability to better understand a single cell at its molecular level. New research offers a more comprehensive way of analyzing one cell’s unique behavior, using an array of colors to show patterns that could indicate why a cell will or won’t become cancerous.

A University of Washington team has developed a new method for color-coding cells that allows them to illuminate 100 biomarkers, a ten-time increase from the current research standard, to help analyze individual cells from cultures or tissue biopsies. The work is published this week (March 19) in Nature Communications. (more…)

Man who received nation’s first ‘breathing lung’ transplant at UCLA thankful for gift of life

By Guest PostMarch 23, 2013Healthbreathing lung device, breathing lung transplant, donor lungs, lung transplant, organ preservation system

Grandfather, 57, looks forward to celebrating Easter with family and friends

Fernando Padilla could barely breathe or walk more than a few steps. An incurable disease, pulmonary fibrosis, was causing his lungs to turn to hardened scar tissue, and he was permanently tethered to an oxygen tank. His only hope was a double lung transplant.
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Protected areas successfully prevent deforestation in Amazon rainforest

By Guest PostMarch 22, 2013EnvironmentAmazon, amazon deforestation rates, Amazon rainforest, arun agrawal, betty moore foundation, brazilian amazon, christoph nolte, datasets, deforestation pressure, deforestation rates, human settlements, indigenous groups, kirsten m silvius, prevent deforestation, protected areas, reducing carbon emissions, reducing deforestation, remote sensing, snre, statistical analysis, university of michigan

ANN ARBOR — Strictly protected areas such as national parks and biological reserves have been more effective at reducing deforestation in the Amazon rainforest than protected zones that allow for controlled removal of trees and other natural resources.

In addition, protected areas established primarily to safeguard the rights and livelihoods of indigenous people performed especially well in places where deforestation pressures are high, two University of Michigan researchers and their colleagues determined. (more…)

IBM Taps Big Data to Help Solve Water Challenges Across South Africa

By Guest PostMarch 22, 2013Technologyandroid, big data challenge, california, city of tshwane, creekwatch, Facebook, ibm, kgosientso ramokgopa, leak hot spot, map, project, roadmap, san josé, smarter public safety, sms, South Africa, south african households, tshwane executive mayor, Twitter, water distribution system, waterwatchers, world water day

“WaterWatchers,” a new mobile app, harnesses the power of crowdsourcing

Johannesburg, South Africa – 22 Mar 2013: IBM marks World Water Day with the launch of a crowdsoucing project to help capture, share and analyze information about the water distribution system in South Africa. The project, called “WaterWatchers,” is driven by a new mobile phone application and SMS capability that will enable South African citizens to report water leaks, faulty water pipes and general conditions of water canals. Every update will provide vital data points to an aggregated “WaterWatchers” report to create a single view of the issues challenging South Africa’s water distribution system.

The free app, which is currently available for Android and available for download at www.ibmwaterwatchers.co.za, and the SMS capability* together provide an easy way for anyone to collect and report issues on local waterways and pipes to a centralized portal. After taking a photo and answering three simple questions about the particular water canal or pipe, the data is uploaded in real-time to a central database. After 30 days, the data will be analyzed and aggregated into a meaningful “leak hot spot” map for South Africa. (more…)

Planck Mission Brings Universe into Sharp Focus

By Guest PostMarch 22, 2013Sciencecosmic microwave, dark matter, expansion of universe, planck data, planck mission, space mission

PASADENA, Calif. — The Planck space mission has released the most accurate and detailed map ever made of the oldest light in the universe, revealing new information about its age, contents and origins. (more…)

Stemming Russia’s HIV Epidemic

By Guest PostMarch 21, 2013Healthblood borne pathogens, bmc public health, clean syringes, disease, district level, drug users, factor, hiv epidemic, hiv prevalence, hiv-positive, pharmacies, public health, public health sector, robert heimer, russia, sex partners, social costs, social structures, st. petersburg, state university, transmission, unsafe injection practices, virus, yale school

Clean Syringes Often Unavailable in St. Petersburg, YSPH Research Finds

Russia’s HIV epidemic is among the fastest growing in the world and injection drug users who often share needles and other supplies are hardest hit. This occurs even though pharmacies are a legal source for clean syringes and can sell them without restriction.

A recent study led by the Yale School of Public Health and St. Petersburg State University mapped the city’s 965 pharmacies and compared their locations and density to HIV prevalence at the district level. (more…)

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