Tag Archives: production

Researchers discover hormone that controls supply of iron in red blood cell production

By Guest PostJuly 18, 2014Healthbone marrow, control, failure behavior, fairness, fake news, level of rigidity, material failure, media propaganda, production, red blood cell, sibylle schroer, strassenbeleuchtung, tomas ganz, verlust der nacht, why materials break

Findings could lead to treatments for blood disorders associated with both iron deficiencies and overloads

A UCLA research team has discovered a new hormone called erythroferrone, which regulates the iron supply needed for red blood-cell production.

Iron is an essential functional component of hemoglobin, the molecule that transports oxygen throughout the body. Using a mouse model, researchers found that erythroferrone is made by red blood-cell progenitors in the bone marrow in order to match iron supply with the demands of red blood-cell production. Erythroferrone is greatly increased when red blood-cell production is stimulated, such as after bleeding or in response to anemia. (more…)

Vicious cycle: Changes in brain chemistry sustain obesity

By Guest PostJune 25, 2013Sciencealpha msh, amparo romero, bogdan litvinov, brain cells, brain chemistry, breakdown, brown university, calorie burning, cell, change, chemical called tudca, cycle, diet induced obesity, eduardo a nillni, endoplasmic reticulum, er, gene, high calorie diet, hormone, hormone trh, isin cakir, key enzyme, key proteins, leptin, lifespan researcher, mario perello, nicole cyr, normal weight, obesity, pc2, pomc, pro opiomelanocortin, production, protein processing mechanism, rhode island hospital, ronald stuart, vicious cycle

In a new discovery reported in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, Brown University and Lifespan researchers show that in the brain cells of rats, obesity impedes the production of a hormone that curbs appetite and inspires calorie burning. The root cause appears to be a breakdown in the protein-processing mechanism of the cells. In the lab, the researchers showed they could fix the breakdown with drugs.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — With obesity reaching epidemic levels in some parts of the world, scientists have only begun to understand why it is such a persistent condition. A study in the Journal of Biological Chemistry adds substantially to the story by reporting the discovery of a molecular chain of events in the brains of obese rats that undermined their ability to suppress appetite and to increase calorie burning. (more…)

Paper Offers Framework for Amazon Oil and Gas Development

By Guest PostMay 12, 2013Environment, Generalamazonian hydrocarbon exploration, amazonian region, analysis, bill powers, blue moon fund, clinton jenkins, critical ecosystems, cultural diversity, dynamic hydrocarbon zones, earth, emergency, environmental state, erd, etech international, extended reach drilling, future conflicts, gas, key component, matt finer, national geographic society, negative impact, north Carolina, northern peru, oil, production, state university, technique, tropical forest environment, vital watersheds, western amazon

Oil and gas development continues to press into the most remote corners of the western Amazon, one of the most biologically and culturally diverse zones on Earth. Now a study proposes a new 10-point, best-practice framework that combines technical engineering criteria with consideration of ecological and social concerns to reduce the negative impacts of Amazonian hydrocarbon exploration and production.

The researchers say, for example, that by using extended reach drilling (ERD), a technique to reach a larger subsurface area from one surface drilling location, it is possible to greatly reduce the total number of needed drilling platforms and access roads for a given project. (more…)

Unchecked Antibiotic Use in Animals May Affect Global Human Health

By Guest PostFebruary 20, 2013Healthabsorbed by animals, animal health, animal production, animals, antibiotic resistance genes, antibiotics in china, args, bacteria, China, china alone, chinese, commercial pig farms, consumer of antibiotics, downstream, fend off diseases, fertilizer, global human health, global risk, groundwater, impact on environment, james tiedje, largest producer, management of wastes, michigan state university, microbes carrying args, multidrug resistance, pollutants, production, rivers, unchecked antibiotic use, united states, use of antibiotics, veterinary antibiotic, world organization, yong guan zhu

The increasing production and use of antibiotics, about half of which is used in animal production, is mirrored by the growing number of antibiotic resistance genes, or ARGs, effectively reducing antibiotics’ ability to fend off diseases – in animals and humans.

A study in the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that China – the world’s largest producer and consumer of antibiotics – and many other countries don’t monitor the powerful medicine’s usage or impact on the environment. (more…)

Biofuels from Algae Hold Potential, but Not Ready for Prime Time

By Guest PostNovember 6, 2012Environmentalgae, algae biomass, algal biofuels, biofuel, biosystems, cycle, energy, energy security, engineering aspect, environmental engineering, environmentally sustainable, factor, gallons, joel cuello, nrc, potential, production, scaling up, Technology, transportation fuel, water source

UA biofuel expert Joel Cuello explains how future innovations could help realize algal biofuels’ full potential.

Scaling up the production of biofuels made from algae to meet at least 5 percent – about 10 billion gallons – of U.S. transportation fuel needs would place unsustainable demands on energy, water and nutrients, says a new report from the National Research Council, or NRC. However, these concerns are not a definitive barrier for future production, and innovations that would require research and development could help realize algal biofuels’ full potential.

“Algal biofuels are not quite ready for prime time,” said NRC committee member Joel Cuello, a professor in the UA department of agricultural and biosystems engineering who co-authored the report. “In other words, if scaled up today, the resources that have to go into production would not be sustainable. However, in our report we say that this not a show stopper, because there are technology combinations that can be designed and developed to make the production process more environmentally sustainable.” (more…)

Commentary: John E. Savage – Cybersecurity Needed in the Public Domain

By Guest PostOctober 24, 2012Technology, Weaponsaramco, awareness month, cutting edge, cyber security, cyberattack, cybersecurity, defense, department, domestic industry, flooding attack, gas, global internet, john e savage, leon panetta, national, national level, october, oil, oil company, policy, President Obama, production, qatar, ras gas company, saudi arabian, secretary, shamoon virus, solution, state, Technology, united states, wang professor

President Obama designated October as National Cyber Security Awareness Month. We asked John E. Savage, the An Wang Professor of Computer Science, to share his views on what can and should be done to ensure cybersecurity at the national level. Savage is active in cybersecurity from both a policy and technology point of view, having spent the 2009-10 academic year in the U.S. Department of State as a Jefferson Science Fellow.

In a major policy speech delivered last week, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta sparked a new discussion of cyberwarfare threats, warning that cyberattacks “could virtually paralyze the nation.” The three-part response Panetta outlined emphasizes new cyberwarfare capabilities in the Department of Defense, new policies and organizations across the federal government, and stronger partnerships between the government and international partners and domestic industry. (more…)

Graphene Membranes May Lead To Enhanced Natural Gas Production, Less CO2 Pollution, Says CU Study

By Guest PostOctober 16, 2012Environment, Science2010, andre geim, argon, atomic crystal, atomic scale, carbon atom, carbon dioxide, chicken wire, colorado boulder, diameter, emission, energy-efficient, engineering faculty, England, exhaust pipe, gas molecule, graphene membrane, hexagonal, hydrogen, industrial scale, john pellegrino, konstantin novoselov, lattice, luda wang, manchester university, membrane, methane, molecular sieve, molecular size, nanometer, natural gas, nature nanotechnology, nitrogen, nobel prize, oxidative etching, pore, power plant, production, scott bunch, sieving, size selective, steven koenig, sulphur hexafluoride, ultraviolet light, university

Engineering faculty and students at the University of Colorado Boulder have produced the first experimental results showing that atomically thin graphene membranes with tiny pores can effectively and efficiently separate gas molecules through size-selective sieving.

The findings are a significant step toward the realization of more energy-efficient membranes for natural gas production and for reducing carbon dioxide emissions from power plant exhaust pipes.

Mechanical engineering professors Scott Bunch and John Pellegrino co-authored a paper in Nature Nanotechnology with graduate students Steven Koenig and Luda Wang detailing the experiments. The paper was published Oct. 7 in the journal’s online edition. (more…)

Cosmic Ray Mystery

By Guest PostApril 19, 2012Scienceactive galaxies, Antarctica, array of detector, australia, bakhtiyar ruzybayev, barbados, belgium, black hole, canada, charged particle, chris elliott, cosmic ray, cosmic ray protons, data, density of radiation, detector, earth, energy, fermi satellites, fireballs, francis halzen, gamma ray bursts, Germany, ghostly nature, glacial ice, grbs, greg sullivan, icecube, icetop, james roth, Japan, katie shirey, NASA, national science foundation, neutrinos, new zealand, nsf, production, proton, pyramid of giza, south pole, Sweden, swift, switzerland, telescope, thomas gaisser, universe, university of delaware, university of wisconsin, US

Massive detector homes in on cosmic ray production

IceCube, an international collaboration involving University of Delaware scientists, is shedding new light on cosmic ray production.

Although cosmic rays were discovered 100 years ago, their origin remains one of the most enduring mysteries in physics. Now, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, a massive detector in Antarctica, is homing in on how the highest energy cosmic rays are produced. (more…)