#Scientists tune X-rays with tiny mirrors The secret of X-ray science like so much else is in the timing.
The new technology, developed by a team of scientists from Argonne Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM) and the Advanced Photon Source (APS), involves a small microelectromechanical system (MEMS) mirror only
MEMS are fabricated microscale devices using silicon wafers in facilities that make integrated circuits. The MEMS device acts as an ultrafast mirror reflecting X-rays at precise times and specific angles. xtremely compact devices such as this promise a revolution in our ability to manipulate photons coming from synchrotron light sources,
Associate Laboratory Director for Photon Sciences and Director of the Advanced Photon Source. his is a premier example of the innovation that results from collaboration between nanoscientists and X-ray scientists.
According to Argonne nanoscientist Daniel Lopez, one of the lead authors on the paper, the device works because of the relationship between the frequency of the mirror oscillation and the timing of the positioning of the perfect angle for the incoming X-ray. f you sit on a Ferris wheel holding a mirror,
you will see flashes of light every time the wheel is at the perfect spot for sunlight to hit it.
The speed of the Ferris wheel determines the frequency of the flashes you see, he said. he Argonne team work is incredibly exciting
because it creates a new class of devices for controlling X-rays, added Paul Evans, a professor of materials science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. hey have found a way to significantly shrink the optics,
which is great because smaller means faster, cheaper to make, and much more versatile. In the future
the MEMS devices could split an X-ray pulse into even tinier, faster, and more precise slices by oscillating the device many millions of times a second,
Lopez said. he successful application of the MEMS technology to manipulate an X-ray beam at very high frequencies will certainly lead to further,
a German synchrotron research facility. his work is a very interesting first step of the MEMS application to X-ray optics.
These include newly planned light source facilities such as the Advanced Photon Source Upgrade. uch small sources
and tiny MEMS devices form an ideal combination to make 3-D X-ray ultrafast movies with nanometer resolution,
#icrocombingcreates Stronger, More Conductive Carbon nanotube Films Researchers from North carolina State university and China Suzhou Institute of Nanoscience and Nano-Biotics have developed an inexpensive technique called icrocombingto align carbon nanotubes (CNTS),
pure CNT films that are stronger than any previous such films. The technique also improves the electrical conductivity that makes these films attractive for use in electronic
and aerospace applications. t a simple process and can create a lightweight CNT film, or ucky paper, that is a meter wide and twice as strong as previous such films it even stronger than CNT FIBERS,
says Yuntian Zhu, Distinguished Professor of Materials science and engineering at NC State and corresponding author of a paper describing the work.
The researchers begin by growing the CNTS on a conventional substrate in a closely packed array.
The CNTS are tangled together, so when researchers pull on one end of the array the CNTS form a continuous ribbon that is only nanometers thick.
This ribbon is attached to a spool, which begins winding the ribbon up. As the spool pulls, the CNT ribbon is dragged between two surgical blades.
While the blades appear straight to the naked eye they actually have micrometer-scale fissures on their cutting edge.
These fissures create a kind of icrocombthat pulls the CNTS into alignment just as a regular comb sorts through tangled hair.
When the ribbon of aligned CNTS is being wound onto the spool, the researchers apply an alcohol solution.
This pulls the CNTS closer together, strengthening the bonds between CNTS. The CNT ribbon wraps around itself as it winds around the spool,
creating a layered film of pure CNTS. Researchers can control the thickness of the film by controlling the number of layers.
The CNT films made using the microcombing technique had more than twice the tensile strength of the uncombed CNT films greater than 3 gigapascals for the microcombed material
versus less than 1. 5 gigapascals for the uncombed material. The microcombed CNT film also had 80 percent higher electrical conductivity than the uncombed film. his is a significant advance,
but we want to find ways to make CNT alignment even straighter, Zhu says. t still not perfect. n addition,
the technique would theoretically be easy to scale up for large-scale production. We like to find an industry partner to help us scale this up
and create a material for the marketplace. Source: NC Stat
#Pressure-monitoring stockings to prevent wounds in diabetics Diabetics often have little feeling in their feet
and don perceive the body pressure or temperature signals there. This can result in unnoticed wounds that then develop into abscesses.
Many diabetics have to have toes or feet amputated. Now, a novel kind of pressure stocking developed by Fraunhofer researchers is set to help protect against wounds via an integrated sensor system that sends a warning
when pressure is too high. Diabetes patients often suffer from nerve and circulation problems in the feet,
which reduce their perception of pain. They literally don know when it time to take the load off their feet.
In healthy individuals the nerve pathways ensure that weight is transferred automatically from one foot to the other during prolonged standing.
Diabetics, however, don notice that their toes, heels or the balls of their feet are loaded too heavily the foot receives no relief,
and pressure sores may develop unnoticed. Even small uneven areas or shoe pressure can lead to open wounds or damaged tissue on the foot.
In-stocking sensors provide three-dimensional pressure readings To ensure that poorly healing wounds don occur in the first place,
researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC in Würzburg with support from industry partners and colleagues from the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated circuits IIS in Erlangen have developed a special stocking with integrated sensors.
In total 40 very fine, dielectric elastomer sensors measure compression load and distribution for diabetes patients taking over the job usually performed by the nerves in their feet. xisting systems on the market measure the pressure distribution
only on the bottom of the foot using shoe inserts. Our sensors are attached to the stocking sole, at the heel, the top of the foot and the ankle,
so they can take readings in three dimensions. This is a totally new approach, explains Fraunhofer ISC research scientist Dr. Bernhard Brunner.
A pair should cost no more than 250 euros because the measuring system can be manufactured cost-effectively in series.
Electronics transmit data to your smartphone The sensors are made from a soft and very stretchy elastomer silicone film that is easy to integrate into textiles.
This film is coated on both sides with highly flexible electrodes of graphite or carbon black. When the film deforms as a result of compression or stretching,
The sensors can recognize this, and transmit the measurement signal via a conductive thread to a wireless electronics unit developed by researchers at Fraunhofer IIS
and consisting of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chip and a controller. he unit is designed to record high-resolution readings from up to 40 capacitive sensors across an extremely wide value range,
says Johann Hauer, the Fraunhofer IIS project manager responsible for the project. The ASIC collects the measurement data
and the controller transmits it wirelessly to a smartphone or tablet, which then informs the diabetes patient that it is time to change foot position
or weight distribution. ith the current prototype, the electronics are attached to the end of the stocking.
Wee planning to relocate them to a small, button-sized housing that can be detached with a hook
-and-loop fastening strip. There no way around this until a reliable method for cleaning the electronics is developed
says Brunner. The sensors, on the other hand, have to be resistant to water and detergent. he first washability tests are in planning,
but cleaning using disinfectant is no problem, says Brunner. The sensors are stitched either or glued between two layers of fabric,
which makes the stockings more comfortable to put on or take off. The stockings themselves are made from a blend of cotton and synthetic fibers.
Brunner points out that the fabric is by necessity breathable, moisture wicking and extremely comfortable to wear. his is important,
Joggers could use the integrated sensor stockings to analyze their running style and foot positioning y
and monitor pockets of the ocean to track the health of fisheries, and survey marine habitats and species. In general, such robots are effective at carrying out low-level tasks,
When deploying autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVS), much of an engineer time is spent writing scripts, or low-level commands,
Now a new programming approach developed by MIT engineers gives robots more ognitivecapabilities enabling humans to specify high-level goals,
or reconfigure the hardware to recover from a failure, on the fly. In March, the team tested the autonomous mission-planning system during a research cruise off the western coast of Australia.
along with groups from Woods hole oceanographic institution, the Australian Center for Field Robotics, the University of Rhode island, and elsewhere, tested several classes of AUVS,
was able to adapt its mission plan to avoid getting in the way of other vehicles,
If another vehicle was taking longer than expected to explore a particular area, the glider, using the MIT system,
in order to avoid potential collisions. e wanted to show that these vehicles could plan their own missions,
a professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT, and principal developer of the mission-planning system. ith this system, we were showing we could safely zigzag all the way around the reef,
The last component works as a octor, or ngineer, diagnosing and repairing problems autonomously. e can give the system choices, like, o to either this or that science location and map it out,
or ommunicate via an acoustic modem, or a satellite link,?Williams explains. hat the system does is,
So it has the ability to adapt to its environment. Autonomy in the sea The system is similar to one that Williams developed for NASA following the loss of the Mars Observer, a spacecraft that, days before its scheduled insertion into Marsorbit in 1993,
lost contact with NASA. here were human operators On earth who were experts in diagnosis and repair,
freeing the vehicles to explore more remote recesses of the sea. f you look at the ocean right now,
#Smartphone video microscope automates detection of parasites in blood A research team led by UC Berkeley engineers has developed a new smartphone microscope that uses video to automatically detect
and quantify infection by parasitic worms in a drop of blood. This next generation of UC Berkeley Cellscope technology could help revive efforts to eradicate debilitating filarial diseases in Africa by providing critical information to health providers in the field. e previously showed that mobile phones can be used for microscopy,
but this is the first device that combines the imaging technology with hardware and software automation to create a complete diagnostic solution,
said Daniel Fletcher, an associate chair and professor of bioengineering, whose UC Berkeley lab pioneered the Cellscope. he video Cellscope provides accurate,
fast results that enable health workers to make potentially lifesaving treatment decisions in the field.
The UC Berkeley engineers teamed up with Dr. Thomas Nutman from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious diseases (NIAID),
and collaborators from Cameroon and France to develop the device. They conducted a pilot study in Cameroon,
where health officials have been battling the parasitic worm diseases onchocerciasis (river blindness) and lymphatic filariasis. The video Cellscope,
which uses motion instead of molecular markers or fluorescent stains to detect the movement of worms,
May 6) in the journal Science Translational Medicine. his research is addressing neglected tropical diseases, said Fletcher. t demonstrates
but treatable, diseases. Battling parasitic worms River blindness is transmitted through the bite of blackflies and is the second-leading cause of infectious blindness worldwide.
Lymphatic filariasis, spread by mosquitoes, leads to elephantiasis, a condition marked by painful, disfiguring swelling.
It is the second-leading cause of disability worldwide and like river blindness, is highly endemic in certain regions in Africa.
The antiparasitic drug ivermectin, or IVM, can be used to treat these diseases, but mass public health campaigns to administer the medication have been stalled because of potentially fatal side effects for patients co-infected with Loa loa,
which causes loiasis, or African eye worm. When there are high circulating levels of microscopic Loa loaworms in a patient,
treatment with IVM can potentially lead to severe or fatal brain or other neurologic damage.
The standard method of screening for levels of Loa loa involves trained technicians manually counting the worms in a blood smear using conventional laboratory microscopes
representing a major setback in the efforts to eradicate river blindness and elephantiasis. Next generation Cellscope uses video, automation For this latest generation of the mobile phone microscope, named Cellscope Loa, the researchers paired a smartphone with a 3d printed plastic base where the sample of blood
is positioned. The base included LED LIGHTS microcontrollers, gears, circuitry and a USB port. Control of the device is automated through an app the researchers developed for this purpose.
With a single touch of the screen by the healthcare worker, the phone communicates wirelessly via Bluetooth to controllers in the base to process
and analyze the sample of blood. Gears move the sample in front of the camera, and an algorithm automatically analyzes the telltale rigglingmotion of the worms in video captured by the phone.
The worm count is displayed then on the screen. Fletcher said previous field tests revealed that automation helped reduce the rate of human error.
The procedure takes about two minutes or less starting from the time the sample is inserted to the display of the results.
Pricking a finger and loading the blood onto the capillary adds another minute to the time.
The short processing time allows health workers to quickly determine on site whether it is safe to administer IVM. he availability of a point-of-care test prior to drug treatment is a major advance in the control of these debilitating diseases,
said aquatic ecologist Vincent Resh, a professor in UC Berkeley Department of Environmental science, Policy and Management. he research offering a phone-based app is ingenious,
practical and highly needed. Resh, who is involved not in the Cellscope project, has worked in West Africa for 15 years on the control of onchocerciasis.
The researchers are now expanding the study of Cellscope Loa to about 40,000 people in Cameroon o
#NIH study solves ovarian cell mystery, shedding new light on reproductive disorders Scientists at the National institutes of health have solved a longstanding mystery about the origin of one of the cell types that make up the ovary.
Researchers believe this new information on basic ovarian biology will help them better understand the cause of ovarian disorders,
such as premature ovarian failure and polycystic ovarian syndrome, conditions that both result in hormone imbalances and infertility in women.
As a result of their work Yao and his colleagues uncovered the molecular signaling system that enables theca cells to make androgen.
we can search for possible genetic mutations or environmental factors that affect the process leading to ovarian cell disorders.
For future work, Yao wants to explore the two types of cells that make up theca cells.
#Hard-wearing sensor defying soot and heat Measuring the content of nitrogen oxides (NOX) in the exhaust gases from a ship is, in itself,
and in 2016, new rules will enter into force that will restrict emissions of nox in specific areas.
several ports worldwide are now requesting shipping companies to restrict their NOX emissions. ith a new sensor,
explains Poul K. Sørensen, Executive Technical Advisor in the Danish company Green Instruments. More customers making green requirements A prototype of the sensor has passed just a practical test where it has been in operation for more than four months on board one of Maersk Line container vessels.
The shipping company participates in an innovation project which was initiated in 2011. The objective of the project was to develop a reliable method
First with direct measurements ight from the start, it became clear that infrared sensors would be able to perform the required measurements.
The big challenge was that the sensors would be required to continue to deliver reliable measurements over very long periods in an aggressive environment,
says Mogens Havsteen Jakobsen, Associate professor at DTU Nanotech. He has been coordinating DTU participation in the project.
and the level of soot and various aggressive substances that the sensors are exposed in the exhaust gases from a marine engine during day-to-day operation.
which in combination makes the sensor glass dirt-repellent. In other words, the glass in the instrument is not in itself ano?
Following successful testing at sea, the sensor will now be put through a series of tests at Green Instruments
and marketing the new sensor
#Ebola Vaccine Demonstrates 100%Protection in Latest African Trial According to an unusual new study, published last week in the world most prestigious medical journal Lancet, the deadly outbreak
of the Ebola virus, which has been devastating West Africa for more than 18 months now, might finally come to an end a vaccine,
developed by the Public health Agency of Canada and manufactured by the American pharmaceutical company Merck Sharp & Dome, was shown just to confer 100%protection against the disease,
starting mere 10 days after receiving a single shot. his will go down in history as one of those hallmark public health efforts,
said Michael Osterholm, Director of the Center for Infectious disease Research and Policy in Twin cities, Minnesota,
who wasn involved in the study. e will teach about this in public health schools. he vaccine,
which consists of the Vesicular stomatitis virus (pathogenic in livestock, but harmless in humans) with the Ebola surface protein stitched onto it,
was greenlit for a trial in October, but got off the ground only in March,
the researchers opted for a design called ring vaccination, whereby only the contacts, and the contactscontacts, of new Ebola patients were vaccinated.
This type of approach has never been used in a formal vaccine study ever before. The rings, also called clusters, were randomized such that 48 of them received the vaccine right after a new Ebola case sprung up in their community,
while the other 42 received a shot only three weeks afterwards. Of the 2, 380 people who were assigned to the latter group,
16 got infected. In the second group consisting of 2 014 people the count of new Ebola cases was zero,
The Director-General of THE WHO Margaret Chan called for further studies to clear up any lingering doubts about the vaccine efficacy,
but was hopeful it will soon prove to be a game-changer in managing both the current and possible future outbreaks of the virus. Experts have noted also that
while current statistics on the epidemic are the most promising in well over a year last week only four new cases were observed in Guinea
#Artificial blood vessels become resistant to thrombosis Scientists from ITMO University developed artificial blood vessels that are not susceptible to blood clot formation.
The results of the study were published in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. Surgery, associated with cardiovascular diseases, such as ischemia,
often require the implantation of vascular grafts artificial blood vessels, aimed at restoring the blood flow in a problematic part of the circulatory system.
which results in compulsory and lifelong intake of anticoagulants among patients and sometimes may even require an additional surgical intervention.
head of the International Laboratory of Solution Chemistry of Advanced Materials and Technologies at ITMO University proposed a solution to the problem.
The team managed to synthesize a thin film made of densely packed aluminum oxide nanorods blended with molecules of a thrombolytic enzyme (urokinase-type plasminogen activator.
The matrix protects the plasminogen activator from the aggressive environment of the organism, at the same time preserving the ability of the enzyme to interact with certain external agents through a system of pores.
they actively release medicine into the blood. The lifetime of such grafts is determined often by the amount of drug stored within the graft
but to any kind of implants. You just need to take the right kind of drug. For example, after the implantation of an artificial ureter, urease crystals often start to grow inside
and doctors do not know how to deal with this problem. It is possible to apply a similar drug-containing coating that dissolves urease.
The same approach may be used for kidney or liver surgery but these are plans for the future,
concludes Vladimir Vinogradov
#Molecular spies to fight cancer Tracking the tumor: PNA-antibodies detect initially the diseased cells (red)
and accumulate at the tumor site. Afterwards the radioactively labeled probes (blue) selectively bind to them by specific base pairing.
Modern imaging methods allow the scientists thus to visualize the tumor. Scientists at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), in cooperation with colleagues at the University of Zurich and the Ruhr-Universität Bochum, have tested for the first time successfully a new tumor diagnosis method under near-real conditions.
The new method first sends out an antibody as a pyto detect the diseased cells and then binds to them.
This antibody in turn attracts a subsequently administered radioactively labeled probe. The scientists could then clearly visualize the tumor by utilizing a tomographic method.
This procedure could improve cancer treatment in the future by using internal radiation. The human immune system forms antibodies that protect the body from pathogens.
Antibodies can also, however, be produced in a laboratory to precisely bind to tumor cells. They are used in cancer research to detect
and fight malignant tumors. For example, antibodies can serve as transport vehicles for radionuclides, with which the affected regions can be visualized
or can even be damaged. Until recently, a stumbling block has been their large molecular mass. his causes them to circulate in the body for too long before they reach the diseased cells
explains Dr Holger Stephan from the Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research at HZDR. his is a disadvantage
because organs that are affected not by the disease are exposed to radiation. It also makes the exact localization of the tumor in the body more difficult
because the resulting images are less sharp. ogether with colleagues at the University of Zurich and the Ruhr-Universität Bochum,
the researchers from Dresden therefore chose an alternative strategy. y using what is known as re-targeting the antibodiestask is divided into two steps, Dr Kristof Zarschler, a member of Stephan team,
explains. n a figurative sense, we first send spies out in advance, over a longer period of time,
to scout out the enemy the tumor cells. The piesthen share their position with their troops,
which we subsequently send out so that they will directly reach their target with the radioactive material.
The researchers fall back on the cetuximab antibody as the scout, which binds selectively to the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR).
In various types of tumors, there is an increase in this molecule formation or it might be found in a mutated form,
which then leads the cells to grow and multiply uncontrolled. Clear Visualizationthe Dresden researchers combined the antibody with a peptide nucleic acid (PNA) derivative
which Prof Gilles Gasser and Prof Nils Metzler-Nolte developed together with their respective working groups in Switzerland
and Germany. t is a very stable synthetic variant of DNA, says Holger Stephan. imilar to a single strand of DNA,
it consists of a certain sequence of the four organic bases. Complementary PNA with matching sequence binds to it in a highly precise and stable manner.
During their experiments the scientists first injected the PNA-EGFR antibody into tumor-bearing mice
and gave this pytime to accumulate at the tumor site. They then administered the PNA counterpart,
labeled with the radioactive substance technetium-99m. mages we took using single photon emission computed tomography show that both the antibody
and its counterpart located each other quickly, says Zarschler, pleased with the results. The tumor could
thus be visualized clearly within a short period of time. urthermore, the radioactively labeled probes had disappeared already from the bloodstream after sixty minutes,
explains Holger Stephan. his minimizes radioactive exposure risk of healthy body tissue. By pre-targeting
we can overcome limitations of conventional, radioactively marked antibodies. According to the researchers, it will, however, take some time before the combination of PNA antibodies
and their matching PNA counterparts can be used in diagnosing tumors in humans. ur results however show that the PNAS we tested are suitable candidates for further preclinical studies, Stephan sums up.
They could provide new possibilities not only for visualizing diseased cells but also for fighting them. f the method is proven to work,
it could also be used to transport therapeutically effective radioactive substances to the tumor in order to irradiate it from within
and ultimately damage it. o
#New insight into how the immune system sounds the alarm T cells are the guardians of our bodies:
they constantly search for harmful invaders and diseased cells, ready to swarm and kill off any threats.
, cancer or infections), or to silence it when it mistakenly attacks the body itself (e g.,
, autoimmune disorders or allergies. Now, scientists at the Salk Institute have discovered that T cell triggering relies on a dynamic protein network at the cell surface,
in Nature Immunology. his is a completely new principle for how T cell activity is controlledhether it ignores
says senior author Björn Lillemeier, an assistant professor in the Nomis Foundation Laboratories for Immunobiology and Microbial Pathogenesis and the Waitt Advanced Biophotonics Center at the Salk Institute.
T cells become active when a signalften from a virus or bacteriumriggers molecular sensors on their surface
In contrast, the new discovery shows that T cell receptors are incredibly activeore like a bustling train station,
in order to recognize and eliminate diseases. Lillemeier team is working to identify new principles that determine
Because proteins have many of the same modular building blocks, in principle, any protein with structural characteristics comparable to those of ZAP-70 could be controlled by similar mechanisms,
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