Probiotic clinical trial for Autism

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is diagnosed when individuals exhibit characteristic behaviors that include repetitive actions, decreased social interactions and impaired communication. Curiously, many individuals with ASD also suffer from gastrointestinal (GI) issues, such as abdominal cramps and constipation. Using the co-occurrence of brain and gut problems in ASD as their guide, researchers are investigating a new therapy. R&D Daily Dec 07,2013

Recharge your Smartphone less in the future?

Transistors, the workhorses of the electronics world, are plagued by leakage current. This results in unnecessary energy losses, which is why smartphones and laptops, for example, have to be recharged so often. Researchers have recently shown that this leakage current can be radically reduced by "squeezing" the transistor with a piezoelectric material. Using this approach, they have surpassed the theoretical limit for leakage current. R&D Daily Dec. 06,2013

New energy conversion principle could double engine efficiency

Professor Ken Naitoh of Waseda Univ.'s Faculty of Science and Engineering has discovered a new compressive combustion principle that could yield engines with a much higher level of thermal efficiency: up to 60% or more in applications including automobiles, power generation and aircraft R&D Daily Nov 27, 2013 NOVEMBER3
NOVEMBER 27, 2013

Blueprint for semi artificial photovoltaics

 R&D Daily November 21 2013 In leaves, two proteins are responsible for photosynthesis, and they perform the conversion of carbon dioxide into oxygen and biomass very efficiently. Scientists have now harnessed this capability by embedding these proteins into complex molecules developed in the laboratory. Their bio-based solar cell creates electron current instead of biomass.

Insulin without the needle

A new nanotechnology-based technique for regulating blood sugar in diabetics may give patients the ability to release insulin painlessly using a small ultrasound device, allowing them to go days between injections-rather than using needles to give themselves multiple insulin injections each day. The technique was developed by researchers at North Carolina State Univ. and the Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. R&D DAILY November 21

Uncovering hidden structures in massive data collections

Computer scientists at Princeton Univ. have developed a method that offers a solution to massive data overload. Using a mathematical method that calculates the likelihood of a pattern repeating throughout a subset of data, the researchers have been able to cut dramatically the time needed to find patterns in large collections of information such as social networks. R&D Daily 10/29/2013 I think someone at U. Waterloo is doing something like this too.

Promising Discovery for the Treatment and Prevention of Prion Diseases

Case Western Reserve Univ. researchers have published findings that point to a promising discovery for the treatment and prevention of prion diseases, rare neurodegenerative disorders that are always fatal. The researchers discovered that recombinant human prion protein stops the propagation of prions, the infectious pathogens that cause the diseases. R&D Daily Oct 10, 2013

Cellulosic Ethanol gets a boost.

Scientists report in Nature Communications that they have engineered yeast to consume acetic acid, a previously unwanted byproduct of the process of converting plant leaves, stems and other tissues into biofuels. The innovation increases ethanol yield from lignocellulosic sources by about 10%. R&D Daily summary 9 Oct 2013

Biomimetic Imaging at last!

For hundreds of years, optical devices like telescopes and microscopes have relied on solid lenses that slide up and down to magnify and to focus. To tune how much light is received, conventional devices use mechanical contraptions like the blades that form the adjustable aperture in cameras.  Engineers from the Univ. of Freiburg in Germany have built a novel type of imaging system inspired by the elegance and relative mechanical simplicity of the human eye. R&D daily highlights Oct2, 2013

Non Oxidative Gylcolysis. VERY efficient biofuel conversion

 

New metabolic pathway more efficiently converts sugars into biofuels

Univ. of California, Los Angeles chemical engineering researchers have created a new synthetic metabolic pathway for breaking down glucose that could lead to a 50% increase in the production of biofuels. The new pathway is intended to replace the natural metabolic pathway known as glycolysis, a series of chemical reactions that nearly all organisms use to convert sugars into the molecular precursors that cells need.

A stretchable, foldable transparent electronic display

Imagine an electronic display nearly as clear as a window, or a curtain that illuminates a room, or a smartphone screen that doubles in size, stretching like rubber. Now imagine all of these being made from the same material. Researchers from Univ. of California, Los Angeles have developed a transparent, elastic OLED that could one day make all these possible. R&D Highlights Sept 24, 2013

Environmentally friendly cement is stronger than ordinary cement

New research from the Niels Bohr Institute shows that cement made with waste ash from sugar production is stronger than ordinary cement. The study shows that the ash helps to bind water in the cement so that it is stronger, can withstand higher pressure and crumbles less. R&D Sept 16,2013

Self-assembling sunlight "sponges"

In diagrams it looks like a confection of self-curling ribbon with bits of bling hung off the ribbon here and there. In fact it is a carefully designed ring of proteins with attached pigments that self-assembles into a structure that soaks up sunlight. R&D Daily Wed 08/21/13

One-pot saccharification of cellulosic feedstock

In this latest effort, Simmons, Singh, Gladden and their colleagues (at the DOE’s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI))used Jtherm (a compost-derived consortium of bacterium adapted to grow on switchgrass) for the saccharification of switchgrass following an imidazolium-based ionic liquid pretreatment. With this one-pot system, they liberated 81.2% glucose and 87.4% xylose over the course of a 72 hour processing at 70 C. They were then able to separate the sugars at better than 90% efficiency. R&D Daily 08/14/2013

Microfabrication record.

Making a mini Mona Lisa

The world's most famous painting has now been created on the world's smallest canvas. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have "painted" the Mona Lisa on a substrate surface approximately 30 micrometers in width-or one-third the width of a human hair. The team's creation, the "Mini Lisa," demonstrates a technique that could potentially be used to achieve nanomanufacturing of devices. R&D Daily August 6, 2013

Detect Caffeine today...

A team of researchers in Singapore and South Korea have developed a fluorescent caffeine detector and a detection kit that lights up like a traffic light when caffeine is present in various drinks and solutions. Based on a technology called "lab-on-a-disc", the detection system identifies caffeine concentrations using laser light. R&D daily August 7, 2013

Petri-Burgers: Did anyone believe they would NEVER be here?

Scientists serve lab-made burger from cow cells Two volunteer taste-testers in London got the unusual opportunity of sampling a stem-cell burger. Though it was reportedly short on taste, the burger represents five years of research. Made from meat grown in a laboratory from the stem cells of cattle, the the burger is part of an effort to help solve both the food crisis and climate change. R&D Daily August 05, 2013

Microfluidics may help early Cancer detection

Reaching a clinic in time to receive an early diagnosis for cancer-when the disease is most treatable-is a global problem. And now a team of Chinese researchers proposes a global solution: have a user-friendly diagnostic device travel to the patient, anywhere in the world. R&D Daily Aug. 02,2013

Canada's Number ONE university business incubator.

TEC Edmonton, located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, has been named the 17^th best university business incubator in the world and top Canadian university business incubator by the Scandinavian University Business Incubator (UBI) Index: Global Top 25 report.

Yet another inspiration from Mother Nature

A recent publication evaluates the latest advances toward using a protein called resilin in nanosprings, biorubbers, biosensors and other applications. This remarkable protein is rubber-like and enables dragonflies, grasshoppers and other insects to flap their wings, jump and chirp. Resilin could have major potential uses in medicine. R&D Daily July 31, 2013

ANY plant can fix Nitrogen now!

Nitrogen fixation, the process by which nitrogen is converted to ammonia, is vital for plants to survive and grow. However, only a very small number of plants, most notably legumes (such as peas, beans and lentils) have the ability to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere with the help of nitrogen fixing bacteria. The vast majority of plants have to obtain nitrogen from the soil, and for most crops currently being grown across the world, this also means a reliance on synthetic nitrogen fertilizer. R&D Daily July 26, 2013

Solar Hydrogen Production "breakthrough".

Using a simple solar cell and a photo anode made of a metal oxide, scientists in Europe have successfully stored nearly 5% of solar energy chemically in the form of hydrogen. The significance of the advance is based on the design of the solar cell, which is much simpler than that of the high-efficiency triple-junction cells based on amorphous silicon or class III-V semiconductors. R&D DAILY July 29 2013

Ryerson University strikes partnership with Bombay Stock Exchange

A project that started in one room at Ryerson University three years ago will now be a bridge for Canadian start-ups looking to expand to India, as well as Indian start-ups looking to enter the Canadian market.
Canada-India Daily Newsbrief July 29,2013

Are you burning fat?

A simple portable device shows you (on your smatrphone if you like) more or less instantly whether you are burning fat or not.
R&D Daily July 18, 2013

New approach protects prion protein from altering shape

A mechanism has been identified that can prevent the normal prion protein from changing its molecular shape into the abnormal form responsible for neurodegenerative diseases. R&D Daily July 18, 2013.

Intelligent Scalpals

Dr Zoltan Takats of Imperial College London has invented a scalpal that can identify cancerous tissue instantly. R&D Daily July 17, 2013

Biometrics today and 3D TV Developments.

Here are two posts from the July 16 R&D Daily. I thought that they may be of interest

NEWS

Who are you? NIST biometric publication provides two new ways to tell quickly

A Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card is a government-issued smart card used by federal employees and contractors to access government facilities and computer networks. To assist agencies seeking stronger security and greater operational flexibility, NIST has made several modifications to the previous version of Biometric Data Specification for PIV cards. NEWS Researchers develop 3-D display with no ghosting for viewers without glasses With existing 3-D television displays, viewers must wear stereo glasses to get the effect of seeing images on the screen in three dimensions, while viewers without the glasses see a blurry image. Researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, have developed a prototype for 3-D+2-D television that allows viewers with stereo glasses to see 3-D images, while viewers without the glasses see a normal 2-D image.

Could Roaches one day HELP us?

North Carolina State Univ. researchers are using video game technology to remotely control cockroaches on autopilot, with a computer steering the cockroach through a controlled environment. The researchers are using the technology to track how roaches respond to the remote control, with the goal of developing ways that roaches on autopilot can be used to map dynamic environments.

R&D Daily June 25, 2013.

"By rerouting the metabolic pathway that makes fatty acids in E. coli bacteria, researchers at Harvard University have devised a new way to produce a gasoline-like biofuel. According to the scientists, who are tweaking metabolic pathways in bacteria, new lines of engineered bacteria can tailor-make key precursors of high-octane biofuels that could one day replace gasoline."

R&D Daily 25, 2013

Nanosensors that "reset" themselves.

Imagine a swarm of tiny devices only a few hundred nanometers in size that can detect trace amounts of toxins in a water supply or the very earliest signs of cancer in the blood. Now imagine that these tiny sensors can reset themselves, allowing for repeated use over time inside a body of water-or a human body. In a recent Yale Univ. breakthrough, this has become a reality.

The R&D Daily June 24 2013.

New method 700 times faster at magnifying digital images

"A computer engineer in Spain has been developing new image thresholding algorithms to greatly speed the process of image magnification without compromising image quality. Images transferred over the Internet are often reduced; restoring them to their former quality requires complex mathematical routines, many of which are time-consuming. The faster algorithm could affect a wide variety of imaging routines, such fingerprints or MRI scans."

http://www.rdmag.com/news/2013/06/new-method-700-times-faster-magnifying-digital-images?et_cid=3327059&et_rid=381664800&type=headline