#Quantum optical hard drive breakthrough The team's record storage time of six hours is a major step towards a secure worldwide data encryption network based on quantum information
which could be used for banking transactions and personal emails. We believe it will soon be possible to distribute quantum information between any two points on the globe said lead author Manjin Zhong from the Research School of Physics and Engineering (RSPE) at The Australian National University (ANU.
Quantum states are very fragile and normally collapse in milliseconds. Our long storage times have the potential to revolutionise the transmission of quantum information.
The team of physicists at ANU and the University of Otago stored quantum information in atoms of the rare earth element europium embedded in a crystal.
Their solid-state technique is a promising alternative to using laser beams in optical fibres an approach which is used currently to create quantum networks around 100 kilometres long.
what is the best way to distribute quantum data Ms Zhong said. Even transporting our crystals at pedestrian speeds we have less loss than laser systems for a given distance.
We can now imagine storing entangled light in separate crystals and then transporting them to different parts of the network thousands of kilometres apart.
So we are thinking of our crystals as portable optical hard drives for quantum entanglement. After writing a quantum state onto the nuclear spin of the europium using laser light the team subjected the crystal to a combination of a fixed and oscillating magnetic fields to preserve the fragile quantum information.
The two fields isolate the europium spins and prevent the quantum information leaking away said Dr Jevon Longdell of the University of Otago.
The ANU group is excited also about the fundamental tests of quantum mechanics that a quantum optical hard drive will enable.
We have had never before the possibility to explore quantum entanglement over such long distances said Associate professor Matthew Sellars leader of the research team.
We should always be looking to test whether our theories match up with reality. Maybe in this new regime our theory of quantum mechanics breaks s
#Preventing transformer explosions Transformer failures have cost human lives when things have gone seriously wrong says Hkon Nordhagen a materials specialist at SINTEF in Trondheim Norway the largest independent research organisation in Scandinavia.
Large oil filled transformers are found in all power and switching stations as well as in many large buildings.
If an internal short-circuit occurs an electrical arc gas formation and pressure increase will be the result.
According to Nordhagen the likelihood that Norway could experience major explosions caused by short-circuits of this sort is low.
and his colleagues now want the electricity supply sector to adopt safety measures used by vehicle manufacturers.
Today transformers are installed in stiff steel tanks. The risk of explosions can be reduced if the industry changes to soft housings that absorb energy in the same way as modern car bodies he says.
The idea of using automotive industry technology in transformer housings has led to a pilot project in which SINTEF's materials and electricity experts are collaborating.
Almost four years ago the initiators of the project began to seek solutions to the problem.
Now they want to acquire more fundamental knowledge within this area and in the pilot project they have been joined by four Norwegian electricity generators.
All large transformers use oil for insulation and cooling as this greatly reduces energy losses and improves reliability compared to dry type transformers.
The increasing focus on energy efficiency actions might also enforce a substitution of many smaller dry isolated transformers with oil filled transformers.
Statistics suggest that internal failure will occur on average in about 15 of Norway's 3000 transformers every year.
The arc which occurs in such situations makes the oil evaporate and form combustible gasses.
In the wake of a large internal fault the gas expands violently causing a powerful and extremely rapid pressure build up in the transformer tank.
If the tank ruptures combustible gases will leak out. If these are ignited an explosion will follow
and any combustible materials in the vicinity of the transformer can catch fire. The fire may also be fed with oil from the tank.
If so it will keep burning Two different measures are adopted usually to prevent fire and explosion incidents of this sort:#
#Transformers are equipped with relay protection that disconnect them from the grid within a few power cycles
when internal short-circuits occur thus rapidly extinguishing the arc.##Additionally transformer tanks are reinforced by means of welded steel beams
in order to make them withstand pressure rises and allowing for vacuum filling of oil. However the stiffness that is usually incorporated has an unfortunate side-effect Nordhagen points out.
On one hand the transformer tanks are able to withstand more pressure than they could have done without the reinforcement on the other the extra stiffness means that they cannot expand
when the electric arc is burning causing the pressure in the oil and gas to rise dramatically.
Moreover stresses occur within the material of the tank increasing the probability that it will rupture.
Car bodywork is designed with soft zones that absorb energy from collisions by crumpling. Our idea is to design transformer tanks in such a way that they expand
when their internal pressure increases without risking that major rises in tension and weak points in their material occur as a result of the expansion.
If such an expansion is allowed there will be more time available for the transformer to be disconnected from the grid before rupture occurs.
while at the same time ensuring that the housing is stiff enough to withstand transport stresses and the vacuum treatment.
The aim of the recently launched transformer safety pilot project is to pave the way for a large-scale competence-building main project.
With better knowledge and new mathematical models we will be able to observe the relationships between the physics of electric arcs the transformer tank and the electrical protection system.
Resilience to extreme conditions Researchers from the University of Exeter have discovered that Graphexeter--a material adapted from the'wonder material'graphene--can withstand prolonged exposure to both high temperature and humidity.
The previously unknown durability to extreme conditions position Graphexeter as a viable and attractive replacement to indium tin oxide (ITO) the main conductive material currently used in electronics such as'smart'mirrors or windows or even solar panels.
The research also suggests that Graphexeter could extend the lifetime of displays such as TV screens located in highly humid environments including kitchens.
Lead researcher University of Exeter engineer Dr Monica Craciun said: This is an exciting development in our journey to help Graphexeter revolutionize the electronics industry.
By demonstrating its stability to being exposed to both high temperatures and humidity we have shown that it is a practical and realistic alternative to ITO.
This is particularly exciting for the solar panel industry where the ability to withstand all weathers is crucial.
Dr Saverio Russo also from the University of Exeter added: The superior stability of Graphexeter as compared to graphene was unexpected
Having a metallic conductor stable at temperatures above 600c that is also optically transparent and flexible can truly enable novel technologies for space applications and harsh environments such as nuclear power centrals.
At just one atom thick graphene is the thinnest substance capable of conducting electricity. It is very flexible
and engineers to adapt graphene for flexible electronics. This has been a challenge because of its sheet resistance
In 2012 the teams of Dr Craciun and Profesor Russo from the University of Exeter's Centre for Graphene science discovered that sandwiched molecules of ferric chloride between two graphene layers make a whole new system that is the best known transparent
material able to conduct electricity. The same team have discovered now that Graphexeter is also more stable than many transparent conductors commonly used by for example the display industry y
#Suitcase laboratory developed for rapid detection of the Ebola virus No electricity, no reliable cold chain,
no diagnostic equipment available--scientists in field laboratories who diagnose and deal with Ebola infections often work under challenging conditions.
Researchers at the DPZ have developed Diagnostics-in-a-Suitcase, which contains all reagents and equipment to detect the Ebola virus within 15 minutes at point-of-need.
Moreover, the mobile suitcase laboratory will be operated by an integrated solar panel and a power pack. The mobile suitcase laboratory will enter a field trial in Guinea, in collaboration with the Institut pasteur de Dakar
Senegal, the Public health Institute of Guinea, the University of Stirling, Robert Koch Institute, and Twistdx Ltd.
Dr. Ahmed Abd El Wahed, scientist in the Unit of Infection Models at the DPZ, is the innovator of the suitcase laboratory.
Current tests rely on the detection of Ebola genome by the real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique which is not suitable for on-site screening.
Samples collected from the site of an outbreak are transported therefore over long distances to laboratories for testing.
criminals have stolen a motor vehicle, which transported infected material. The fear is that this might cause a wider spread of the virus
but extremely rapid and works at a constant temperature, meaning no rapid heat-cycling equipment is required.
since medical staff can identify and isolate confirmed Ebola cases more rapidly, "said Dr. Christiane Stahl-Hennig, the Head of the Unit of Infection Models."
"In remote field hospitals, resources such as electricity and cold storage are often in short supply.""added Dr. Ahmed Abd El Wahed,"The Diagnostics-in-a-Suitcase will
therefore contribute to a better management during the Ebola-outbreak.""From 216 applications, this project was one of six selected for funding by The british Enhancing Learning
and Research for Humanitarian assistance (ELRHA) hosted by Save the Children Fund as part of the Research for Health in Humanitarian Crisis (R2hc) programme e
which could lead to new drug design for psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases, has been discovered by researchers at Georgia State university.
Their findings are published in the journal Nature Communications this week. The research team has been studying a metabolic pathway called the tryptophan kynurenine pathway,
which is linked to psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders, including depression, anxiety, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, AIDS dementia complex, asphyxia in newborns and epilepsy.
The medical potential of this pathway warrants detailed study to provide information about the pathway's enzymes and their regulation.
This pathway produces several neurotransmitter regulators and is responsible for metabolizing nearly 99 percent of the tryptophan in the body.
professor in the Department of chemistry and core member of the Center for Diagnostics and Therapeutics at Georgia State, organized a research team,
including graduate students Lu Huo, Ian Davis, Fange Liu and Shingo Esaki, and researchers at Brookhaven National Laboratory and Kansai University in Osaka,
Japan. They used new scientific techniques, including time-lapse crystallography and single-crystal spectroscopy, to slow down the reaction rate by nearly 10,000 times.
This allowed them to observe a new intermediate step, the thiohemiacetal intermediate, and discover an unexpected isomerase activity in AMSDH."
"This pathway is associated highly with neurodegenerative diseases and depression.""The researchers took a high concentration of the purified protein,
grew single crystals, mixed them with their substrate and froze them at different time points in liquid nitrogen at 77 Kelvin to stop all molecular activity.
They sent the crystals to Argonne National Laboratory for remote data collection. The X-ray diffraction patterns collected there were used to create an electron density map, a 3-D, atomic-level resolution of the molecule's shape.
The researchers used time-lapse crystallography and single-crystal spectroscopy to observe intermediate steps of the reaction."
"Enzymes work by stabilizing reactive intermediates. Through this isomerization mechanism, we found a new reactive intermediate stabilized by this enzyme.
Basically, we found a new transition state in this work.""Information from the study has been deposited in the protein database,
which can be accessed by other scientists. In the next phase of this project, the researchers will determine how the enzymes in this pathway affect one another.
They will partner with Dr. Andy Miller, director of psychiatry at Emory University, to determine the physiological application of this pathway in humans s
#Tracking subtle brain mutations systematically Described in the January 7th issue of Neuron, the technique uses"deep,
"highly sensitive whole-genome sequencing of single neurons and a new technology that identifies inserted bits of DNA caused by retrotransposons,
one of several kinds of so-called somatic mutations that can arise as the brain develops.
The technique picks up somatic mutations that affect just a fraction of the brain's cells, in a"mosaic"pattern.
"showing when during brain development the mutations arise and how they spread through brain tissue as the mutated cells grow,
replicate and migrate, carrying the mutation with them.""There is a lot of genetic diversity from one neuron to the other,
and this work gets at how somatic mutations are distributed in the brain, "says Christopher Walsh, MD, Phd, chief of Genetics and Genomics at Boston Children's and co-senior author on the paper."
"Some mutations may occur on one side of the brain and not the other. Some may be clumped,'affecting just one gyrus fold of the brain,
disrupting just a little part of the cortex at a time.""The study examined brain tissue from a deceased 17-year-old who had been neurologically normal,
It builds on work published by the Walsh lab in 2012, which developed methods to sequence the genomes of single neurons,
and represents the first time single neurons have been sequenced in their entirety. The single-cell technique is better at detecting subtle mosaicism than usual DNA sequencing methods,
Somatic brain mutations, affecting just pockets of cells can be harmful, and have been suggested as a possible cause of neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism,
epilepsy or intellectual disability (see this review article for further background). But they also can be completely benign
or have just a subtle effect.""Our findings are intriguing because they suggest that every normal brain may in fact be a mosaic patchwork of focal somatic mutations,
though in normal individuals most are likely silent or harmless,"says Gilad Evrony, Phd, in the Walsh Lab, co-first author on the Neuron paper."
"These same technologies can now be used to study the brains of people who died from unexplained neuropsychiatric diseases to determine
whether somatic mutations may be the cause.""Finally, says Evrony, the findings provide a proof-of-principle for a systematic way of studying how brain cells disperse
Co-first author Alice Eunjung Lee, Phd, from the lab of Peter Park, Phd, at the Center for Biomedical Informatics at Harvard Medical school, developed the study's retrotransposon analysis tool,
which detects somatic retrotransposon mutations in single-cell sequencing data. Mirroring these findings, study published by Walsh's lab in 2014 used single-neuron sequencing to detect copy number variants--another type of mutation affecting the number of copies of chromosomes or chromosome fragments.
The study found that these mutations can occur in both normal and neurologically diseased brains s
#Nanowire clothing could keep people warm without heating everything else To stay warm when temperatures drop outside,
we heat our indoor spaces--even when no one is in them. But scientists have developed now a novel nanowire coating for clothes that can both generate heat
and trap the heat from our bodies better than regular clothes. They report on their technology,
which could help us reduce our reliance on conventional energy sources, in the ACS journal Nano Letters.
Yi Cui and colleagues note that nearly half of global energy consumption goes toward heating buildings and homes.
But this comfort comes with a considerable environmental cost--it's responsible for up to a third of the world's total greenhouse gas emissions.
the special nanowire cloth trapped body heat far more effectively. Because the coatings are made out of conductive materials,
they can also be warmed actively with an electricity source to further crank up the heat. The researchers calculated that their thermal textiles could save about 1
000 kilowatt hours per person every year--that's about how much electricity an average U s. home consumes in one month h
#New approach may lead to inhalable vaccines for influenza pneumonia The work led by Cathy Fromen
When delivered through the lung particles with a positive surface charge were shown to induce antibody responses both locally in the lung and systemically in the body.
In contrast negatively charged particles of the same composition led to weaker and in some cases undetectable immune responses suggesting that particle charge is an important consideration for pulmonary vaccination.
The findings published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences also have broad public health implications for improving the accessibility of vaccines.
An inhalable vaccine may eliminate the need for refrigeration which can not only improve shelf life but also enable distribution of vaccines to low-resource areas including many developing countries where there is significant need for better access to vaccines s
#Study pinpoints autism-linked protein for sculpting brain connections A new study by Duke researchers provides a close up of synapse refinement
and identifies a protein that is crucial in this process. Disruptions in the protein called hevin have previously been linked to autism depression
and suicide but the molecule's role in the developing brain was mostly unknown until now.
Neuroscience has assumed long that these little nubs serve as sites for single synapses. But this study which appeared early online last month in the open access journal elife shows that in the brains of newborn mice some of the spines initially receive two or more inputs.
However gene expression studies showed that it is churned actually out by non-neuronal cells called astrocytes.
Interested in the relationship between astrocytes synapse formation and disease Eroglu's group showed in 2011 that hevin triggers the formation of new neural connections.
That was the first description of hevin's function in the nervous system said Eroglu an assistant professor of cell biology and neurobiology and a member of the Duke Institute for Brain sciences.
The spines that receive multiple synapses tend to be occupied by both cortical and thalamic connections at the same time suggesting that these spines are sites for synaptic competition.
The balance of those two types of types of connections in the cortex could go awry in neurological diseases such as autism
The group is now studying the molecular mechanisms of hevin and its potential contribution to health and disease.
Other authors include Sagar Patel Jonnathan Singh Alvarado Osman Calhan Il Hwan Kim Akiyoshi Uezu and Scott Soderling of Duke's Cell biology Department;
Srishti Bhagat and Nicole Calakos of Duke Neurology Department; Louis-Jan Pilaz and Debra Silver of Duke's Molecular genetics and Microbiology Department;
and Daniel Wilton and Beth Stevens of Boston Children's Hospital Department of Neurology Harvard Medical school.
This research was funded by the National institutes of health (R01 DA031833 2t32ns51156-6 NRSA 1f32ns08328 01a1 NS059957 MH103374 NS083897 NS071008) the Holland-Trice Fellowship the Wakeman Fellowship the Esther and Joseph
#Researchers uncover key cancer-promoting gene One of the mysteries in cancer biology is how one protein,
TGF-beta, can both stop cancer from forming and encourage its aggressive growth. Now, researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have uncovered a key gene that may explain this paradox
and provide a potential target for treatment. TGF-beta is known as a tumor suppressor, meaning it necessary to keep cells in check
and growing normally. But at some point, its function flips and it becomes a tumor promoter, fostering aggressive growth and spread of cancer.
The researchers identified Bub1 as a key gene involved in regulating TGF-beta receptor. The study is published in Science Signaling. ur data that Bub1 is involved at the receptor level is unexpected completely,
says study director Alnawaz Rehemtulla, Ph d, . Ruth Tuttle Freeman Research Professor of radiation oncology and radiology and co-director of the Center for Molecular Imaging at the University of Michigan Medical school. ub1 is well-known for its role in cell division.
But this is the first study that links it to TGF-beta. We think this may explain the paradox of TGF-beta as a tumor promoter and a tumor suppressor,
he adds. The team of researchers at the University of Michigan, including Shyam Nyati, Ph d,
. and Brian D. Ross, Ph d.,developed a way to screen for genes that regulate the TGF-beta receptor.
When 720 genes from the human genome were screened against lung cancer and breast cancer cells, Bub1 emerged as playing a strong role in TGF-beta signaling.
Bub1 was shown to bind to the TGF-beta receptor and allows it to turn on aggressive cell growth.
Researchers also have known that Bub1 is expressed highly in many different types of cancer. Because Bub1 is found in many types of cancer
developing a drug to target it could potentially impact multiple cancers. A compound to target Bub1 has been developed
but is not ready for testing in patients. Initial lab testing suggests that a Bub1 inhibitor can very specifically target Bub1 without causing damage to other parts of the cell. hen you look at gene expression in cancer,
Bub1 is in the top five. In addition, Bub1 expression levels correlate with outcome in patients with lung and breast cancer.
Doctors have begun routinely using a device known as the Pea pod to measure the body composition of the infants.
With this information health care workers can then personalize the baby's nutritional supplements to help with appropriate weight gain.
Charles Simmons, MD, chair of the Department of Pediatrics and director of the Division of Neonatology, says,
Cedars-Sinai is continuing a study of breast milk composition, using a device that analyzes the percentages of fat, protein and carbohydrates in breast milk.
To date health care workers have performed hundreds of analyses of breast milk. Simmons, the Ruth and Harry Roman Chair in Neonatology in honor of Larry Baum said the information from both analyses should ultimately lead to healthier weight gain, better neurological outcomes and shorter hospital stays
for babies in the neonatal intensive care unit. Cedars-Sinai received the Pea pod in late spring and has begun just using it on a regular basis.
There are only several in use around the country and throughout the world. In addition to improving nutrition, Cedars-Sinai is also using new specially designed mattresses to help improve sleep patterns
when babies were placed on their backs to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, the incidence of plagiocephaly--commonly known as flat head--have risen dramatically.
Ellen Mack, RNC, MN, neonatal clinical nurse specialist, said the babies are evaluated constantly to determine
if they are sleeping well and the infants seem to be comfortable with the new mattresses.
because with the lower surface tension we expect less risk of head flattening and less risk for pressure ulcers."
#New cells may help treat diabetes In the new study published Jan 28 in the journal PLOS ONE the UI team led by Nicholas Zavazava MD Phd UI professor of internal medicine reprogrammed human skin cells
When these cells were transplanted into diabetic mice the cells secreted insulin and reduced the blood sugar levels of the mice to normal or near-normal levels.
Although the cells were not as effective as pancreatic cells in controlling blood sugar levels Zavazava says that the results are an encouraging first step toward the goal of generating effective insulin-producing cells that can be used to potentially cure type 1 diabetes.
This raises the possibility that we could treat patients with diabetes with their own cells says Zavazava who also is a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research center at the UI.
which will accelerate treatment of diabetes. In type 1 diabetes a person's immune system attacks
and destroys the pancreatic beta cells that produce insulin. Although it is possible to treat type 1 diabetes with pancreas transplants from deceased donors the demand for transplants far exceeds the availability of donated organs.
Zavazava's team is among several groups aiming to create an alternative source of insulin-producing pancreatic cells that can be transplanted into patients with type 1 diabetes.
However the UI study is the first to use human ips cells to create the insulin-producing cells.
but would also mean patients could receive transplants without needing to take immunosuppressive drugs. Using ips cells rather than embryonic stem cells as a starting point also avoids the ethical concerns some people have with using embryonic stem cells.
In the mouse study the insulin-producing cells were placed under the kidney capsule--a thin membrane layer that surrounds the kidney--where they developed into an organ-like structure with its own blood supply.
and gradually corrected the blood sugar levels in the diabetic mice over a period of several months.
This meant they were able to remove very immature (undifferentiated) cells that could form tumors.
None of the mice developed tumors from the transplanted cells s
#New technology enables ultra-fast steering and shaping of light beams A team of engineers has developed a new acousto-optic device that can shape
Professor of Ultrasonics at the University of Bristol and Dr Mike Macdonald at the University of Dundee is published in the journal, Optics Express.
which act as high frequency loudspeakers. The complex sound field generated deflects and sculpts any light passing through the new device.
Professor Drinkwater from the Department of Mechanical engineering said:""This reconfigurability can happen extremely fast, limited only by the speed of the sound waves.
Dr Mike Macdonald, Head of the Biophotonics research group at the University of Dundee, explained:"
or even fast and high power control of light beams for free space optical communications using orbital angular momentum to increase signal bandwidth,
"Professor Drinkwater added:""The number of applications of this new technology is vast. Optical devices are everywhere
and are used for displays, communications as well as scientific instruments.""The capabilities of laser beam shaping and steering are crucial for many optical applications,
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