Due to the tremendous increases in volume of scientific discovery in the integrated fields of nano/bio/cogno/info research, all press releases will be deleted each month. 

Graphene quantum dots: The next big small thing

This transmission electron microscope image shows a graphene quantum dot with zigzag edges. The quantum dots can be created in bulk from carbon fiber through a chemical process discovered at Rice University. (Credit: Ajayan Lab/Rice University)

January 12th, 2012 - A Rice University laboratory has found a way to turn common carbon fiber into graphene quantum dots, tiny specks of matter with properties expected to prove useful in electronic, optical and biomedical applications.

The Rice lab of materials scientist Pulickel Ajayan, in collaboration with colleagues in China, India, Japan and the Texas Medical Center, discovered a one-step chemical process that is markedly simpler than established techniques for making graphene quantum dots. The results were published online this month in the American Chemical Society's journal Nano Letters.

"There have been several attempts to make graphene-based quantum dots with specific electronic and luminescent properties using chemical breakdown or e-beam lithography of graphene layers," said Ajayan, Rice's Benjamin M. and Mary Greenwood Anderson Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and of Chemistry. "We thought that as these nanodomains of graphitized carbons already exist in carbon fibers, which are cheap and plenty, why not use them as the precursor?"

Quantum dots, discovered in the 1980s, are semiconductors that contain a size- and shape-dependent band gap. These have been promising structures for applications that range from computers, LEDs, solar cells and lasers to medical imaging devices. The sub-5 nanometer carbon-based quantum dots produced in bulk through the wet chemical process discovered at Rice are highly soluble, and their size can be controlled via the temperature at which they're created.

Green-fluorescing graphene quantum dots created at Rice University surround a blue-stained nucleus in a human breast cancer cell. Cells were placed in a solution with the quantum dots for four hours. The dots, each smaller than 5 nanometers, easily passed through the cell membranes, showing their potential value for bioimaging. (Credit: Ajayan Lab/Rice University)

The Rice researchers were attempting another experiment when they came across the technique. "We tried to selectively oxidize carbon fiber, and we found that was really hard," said Wei Gao, a Rice graduate student who worked on the project with lead author Juan Peng, a visiting student from Nanjing University who studied in Ajayan's lab last year. "We ended up with a solution and decided to look at a few drops with a transmission electron microscope."

The specks they saw were bits of graphene or, more precisely, oxidized nanodomains of graphene extracted via chemical treatment of carbon fiber. "That was a complete surprise," Gao said. "We call them quantum dots, but they're two-dimensional, so what we really have here are graphene quantum discs." Gao said other techniques are expensive and take weeks to make small batches of graphene quantum dots. "Our starting material is cheap, commercially available carbon fiber. In a one-step treatment, we get a large amount of quantum dots. I think that's the biggest advantage of our work," she said.

Dark spots on a transmission electron microscope grid are graphene quantum dots made through a wet chemical process at Rice University. The inset is a closeup of one dot. Graphene quantum dots may find use in electronic, optical and biomedical applications. (Credit: Ajayan Lab/Rice University)

Further experimentation revealed interesting bits of information: The size of the dots, and thus their photoluminescent properties, could be controlled through processing at relatively low temperatures, from 80 to 120 degrees Celsius. "At 120, 100 and 80 degrees, we got blue, green and yellow luminescing dots," she said.

They also found the dots' edges tended to prefer the form known as zigzag. The edge of a sheet of graphene -- the single-atom-thick form of carbon -- determines its electrical characteristics, and zigzags are semiconducting.

Their luminescent properties give graphene quantum dots potential for imaging, protein analysis, cell tracking and other biomedical applications, Gao said. Tests at Houston's MD Anderson Cancer Center and Baylor College of Medicine on two human breast cancer lines showed the dots easily found their way into the cells' cytoplasm and did not interfere with their proliferation.

"The green quantum dots yielded a very good image," said co-author Rebeca Romero Aburto, a graduate student in the Ajayan Lab who also studies at MD Anderson. "The advantage of graphene dots over fluorophores is that their fluorescence is more stable and they don't photobleach. They don't lose their fluorescence as easily. They have a depth limit, so they may be good for in vitro and in vivo (small animal) studies, but perhaps not optimal for deep tissues in humans.

"But everything has to start in the lab, and these could be an interesting approach to further explore for bioimaging," Romero Alburto said. "In the future, these graphene quantum dots could have high impact because they can be conjugated with other entities for sensing applications, too."

More information: Nano Lett., Article ASAP DOI: 10.1021/nl2038979

Provided by Rice University

The world's smallest magnetic data storage unit

Twelve iron atoms make up the world's smallest magnetic data storage unit to date. The antiferromagnetic order in the iron atom array is revealed by spin-polarized imaging with a scanning tunneling microscope. Credit: Sebastian Loth/CFEL

January 12th, 2012 - Scientists from IBM and the German Center for Free-Electron Laser Science (CFEL) have built the world's smallest magnetic data storage unit. It uses just twelve atoms per bit, the basic unit of information, and squeezes a whole byte (8 bit) into as few as 96 atoms. A modern hard drive, for comparison, still needs more than half a billion atoms per byte. The team present their work in the weekly journal Science this Friday (13 January 2012). CFEL is a joint venture of the research centre Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY in Hamburg, the Max-Planck-Society (MPG) and the University of Hamburg. "With CFEL the partners have established an innovative institution on the DESY campus, delivering top-level research across a broad spectrum of disciplines," says DESY research director Edgar Weckert.

The nanometre data storage unit was built atom by atom with the help of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) at IBM's Almaden Research Center in San Jose, California. The researchers constructed regular patterns of iron atoms, aligning them in rows of six atoms each. Two rows are sufficient to store one bit. A byte correspondingly consists of eight pairs of atom rows. It uses only an area of 4 by 16 nanometres (a nanometre being a millionth of a millimetre). "This corresponds to a storage density that is a hundred times higher compared to a modern hard drive," explains Sebastian Loth of CFEL, lead author of the Science paper.

Data are written into and read out from the nano storage unit with the help of an STM. The pairs of atom rows have two possible magnetic states, representing the two values '0' and '1' of a classical bit. An electric pulse from the STM tip flips the magnetic configuration from one to the other. A weaker pulse allows to read out the configuration, although the nano magnets are currently only stable at a frosty temperature of minus 268 degrees Centigrade (5 Kelvin). "Our work goes far beyond current data storage technology," says Loth. The researchers expect arrays of some 200 atoms to be stable at room temperature. Still it will take some time before atomic magnets can be used in data storage.

This graphic shows the atomically precise assembly of an atomic-scale antiferromagnet with the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope. Iron atoms are placed onto a copper nitride surface and bound by two nitrogen atoms (blue rods) into a regular array separated by one copper atom (yellow). Credit: Sebastian Loth/CFEL

For the first time, the researchers have managed to employ a special form of magnetism for data storage purposes, called antiferromagnetism. Different from ferromagnetism, which is used in conventional hard drives, the spins of neighbouring atoms within antiferromagnetic material are oppositely aligned, rendering the material magnetically neutral on a bulk level. This means that antiferromagnetic atom rows can be spaced much more closely without magnetically interfering with each other. Thus, the scientist managed to pack bits only one nanometre apart.

"Looking at the shrinking of electronics components we wanted to know if this can be driven into the realm of single atoms," explains Loth. But instead of shrinking existing components the team chose the opposite approach: "Starting with the smallest thing - single atoms - we built data storage devices one atom at a time," says IBM research staff member Andreas Heinrich. The required precision is only mastered by few research groups worldwide.

"We tested how large we have to build our unit to reach the realm of classical physics," explains Loth, who moved from IBM to CFEL four months ago. Twelve atoms emerged as the minimum with the elements used. "Beneath this threshold quantum effects blur the stored information." If these quantum effects can somehow be employed for an even denser data storage is currently a topic of intense research.

With their experiments the team have not only built the smallest magnetic data storage unit ever, but have also created an ideal testbed for the transition from classical to quantum physics. "We have learned to control quantum effects through form and size of the iron atom rows," explains Loth, leader of the Max Planck research group 'dynamics of nanoelectric systems' at CFEL in Hamburg and the Max-Planck-Institute for Solid State Research at Stuttgart, Germany. "We can now use this ability to investigate how quantum mechanics kicks in. What seperates quantum magnets from classical magnets? How does a magnet behave at the frontier between both worlds? These are exciting questions that soon could be answered."

A new CFEL laboratory offering ideal conditions for this research will enable Loth to follow up these questions. "With Sebastian Loth, one of the world's leading scientists in the field of time-resolved scanning tunneling microscopy has joined CFEL," stresses CFEL research coordinator Ralf Köhn. "This perfectly complements our existing expertise for the investigation of the dynamics in atomic and molecular systems."

More information: "Bistability in atomic-scale antiferromagnets," Science ,Bd. 335, S.196, DOI: 10.1126/science.1214131

Provided by Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres

Researchers discover particle which could

'cool the planet'

January 12th, 2012 - In a breakthrough paper published in Science, researchers from The University of Manchester, The University of Bristol and Sandia National Laboratories report the potentially revolutionary effects of Criegee biradicals. These invisible chemical intermediates are powerful oxidisers of pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide, produced by combustion, and can naturally clean up the atmosphere.

Although these chemical intermediates were hypothesised in the 1950s, it is only now that they have been detected. Scientists now believe that, with further research, these species could play a major role in off-setting climate change.

The detection of the Criegee biradical and measurement of how fast it reacts was made possible by a unique apparatus, designed by Sandia researchers, that uses light from a third-generation synchrotron facility, at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's Advanced Light Source.

The intense, tunable light from the synchrotron allowed researchers to discern the formation and removal of different isomeric species – molecules that contain the same atoms but arranged in different combinations.

The researchers found that the Criegee biradicals react more rapidly than first thought and will accelerate the formation of sulphate and nitrate in the atmosphere. These compounds will lead to aerosol formation and ultimately to cloud formation with the potential to cool the planet.

The formation of Criegee biradicals was first postulated by Rudolf Criegee in the 1950s. However, despite their importance, it has not been possible to directly study these important species in the laboratory.

In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about 0.8 °C with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades.

Most countries have agreed that drastic cuts in greenhouse gas emissions are required, and that future global warming should be limited to below 2.0 °C (3.6 °F).

Dr Carl Percival, Reader in Atmospheric Chemistry at The University of Manchester and one of the authors of the paper, believes there could be significant research possibilities arising from the discovery of the Criegee biradicals.

He said: "Criegee radicals have been impossible to measure until this work carried out at the Advanced Light Source. We have been able to quantify how fast Criegee radicals react for the first time.

"Our results will have a significant impact on our understanding of the oxidising capacity of the atmosphere and have wide ranging implications for pollution and climate change.

"The main source of these Criegee biradicals does not depend on sunlight and so these processes take place throughout the day and night."

Professor Dudley Shallcross, Professor in Atmospheric Chemistry at The University of Bristol, added: "A significant ingredient required for the production of these Criegee biradicals comes from chemicals released quite naturally by plants, so natural ecosystems could be playing a significant role in off-setting warming.

'

Provided by University of Manchester

Rice's Deem wins Texas academy's O'Donnell Award

Bioengineer/physicist honored as one of Texas' top researchers

HOUSTON -- (Jan. 12, 2012) -- Rice University bioengineer and physicist Michael Deem has earned one of Texas' highest scientific honors, the O'Donnell Award from The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas (TAMEST).

The O'Donnell Awards are given for excellence in medical, scientific and engineering research. Deem, a computational theorist, is being honored with the engineering award "for fundamental theoretical work that brought new tools and ideas to vaccine design, mathematical biology and nanoporous materials structure."

Deem, Rice's John W. Cox Professor of Bioengineering and professor of physics and astronomy, uses tools from statistical physics to study a broad range of problems related to evolution, immunology and materials. He will receive the award tonight at the academy's annual conference at the Omni Houston Hotel.

"Michael Deem's scientific achievements are a testament to his interdisciplinary, boundary-crossing research across a range of bioengineering and biophysics fields that have contributed significantly to our understanding of important aspects of immunology, evolution and materials science," said Rice President David Leebron. "TAMEST's selection of Michael as one of the state's top researchers is wonderful recognition of the contributions to date and yet to come of his work."

Deem has developed methods for predicting vaccine effectiveness and for determining which strain of the flu to cover in annual vaccine formulations. His pepitope measure of antigenic distance explains how the influenza vaccine can have both positive and negative efficacy and has proven to be more predictive than the gold-standard animal model studies used by the World Health Organization.

In the area of evolution, Deem has shown that the speed at which life evolves is constantly increasing because of horizontal gene transfer. His theory for how biological modularity spontaneously arises in an evolving system -- which has been used to explain observations from genomics, microbiology, physiology, ecology and even aspects of the global trade network -- has been hailed by some as a fundamental mathematical law of biology.

In the materials field, Deem has created a database of more than 4 million possible molecular configurations for zeolites. Zeolites are compounds of silicon, aluminum and oxygen that foster and promote petrochemical reactions. Chemical companies use zeolites to make everything from gasoline to laundry detergent and kitty litter to medical-grade oxygen.

Deem's research has been recognized with a CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation and an Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship. He is one of only eight people in the past 25 years who have won both the Allan P. Colburn Award and the Professional Progress Award, two of the highest honors given by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. Deem is a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, the Biomedical Engineering Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Physical Society. Deem is a Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar during the 2012-2013 year.

The O'Donnell Award includes a $25,000 honorarium, a citation and an inscribed statue. The other 2012 O'Donnell Award winners are Phillip Scherer (medicine) from The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Karl Gebhardt (science) from The University of Texas at Austin and Ted Moise (technology innovation) from Texas Instruments.

Named for Dallas philanthropists Edith and Peter O'Donnell, the O'Donnell Awards are given annually to recognize outstanding up-and-coming researchers in the state of Texas. Rice's previous O'Donnell Award winners are Jennifer West (2008), the Isabel C. Cameron Professor of Bioengineering and chair of the Department of Bioengineering, and Antonios Mikos (2007), the Louis Calder Professor of Bioengineering and professor in chemical and biomolecular engineering.

TAMEST provides broad recognition for Texas' leading researchers in medicine, engineering and science, and it helps build a strong identity for Texas as a center of achievement in each of those fields. Academy members include all Texas Nobel laureates as well as the 200-plus Texas members of the National Academies, which include the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council.

Source: Rice University

Rice's 'quantum critical' theory gets experimental boost

Study represents step toward unified theory for quantum phase transformation

HOUSTON -- (Jan. 10, 2012) -- New evidence this week supports a theory developed five years ago at Rice University to explain the electrical properties of several classes of materials -- including unconventional superconductors -- that have long vexed physicists.

The findings in this week's issue of Nature Materials uphold a theory first offered in 2006 by physicist Qimiao Si, Rice's Harry C. and Olga K. Wiess Professor of Physics and Astronomy. They represent an important step toward the ultimate goal of creating a unified theoretical description of the quantum behavior of high-temperature superconductors and related materials.

"We now have a materials-based global phase diagram for heavy-fermion systems -- a kind of road map that helps relate the predicted behavior of several different classes of materials," Si said. "This is an important step on the road to a unified theory."

High-temperature superconductivity is one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of modern physics. In the mid-1980s, experimental physicists discovered several compounds that could conduct electricity with zero resistance. The effect happens only when the materials are very cold, but still far above the temperatures required for the conventional superconductors that were discovered and explained earlier in the 20th century.

In searching for a way to explain high-temperature superconductivity, physicists discovered that the phenomenon was one of a larger family of behaviors called "correlated electron effects."

In correlated electron processes, the electrons in a superconductor behave in lockstep, as if they were a single entity rather than a large collection of individuals. These processes bring about tipping points called "quantum critical points" at which materials change phases. These phase changes are similar to thermodynamic phase changes that occur when ice melts or water boils, except they are governed by quantum mechanics.

Materials at the border of magnetism and superconductivity -- including heavy-fermion metals and high-temperature superconductors -- are the prototype systems for quantum critical points.

In 2001, Si and colleagues proposed what has now become the dominant theory to explain correlated electron effects in heavy-fermion systems. Their "local quantum critical" theory concluded that both magnetism and charged electron excitations play a role in bringing about quantum critical points.

Experiments over the past decade have provided overwhelming evidence for the role of both effects. In addition, experiments have shown that quantum critical points fall into different classes for different types of materials, including several nonsuperconductors.

"In light of the experimental evidence, an important question arose as to whether a unifying principle might exist that could explain the behavior of all the classes of quantum critical points that had been observed in heavy-fermion materials," Si said.

In 2006, Si put forward a new theory aimed at doing just that. Experiments two years ago confirmed that the theoretical global phase diagram could explain the quantum critical behavior of YRS -- composites of ytterbium, rhodium and silicon that are among the most-studied quantum critical materials.

In the new Nature Materials paper, a group led by experimental physicist Silke Paschen of Vienna University of Technology in Vienna examined a new material made of cerium, palladium and silicon (CPS). Both YRS and CPS are heavy-fermion compounds; however, YRS is a composite of stacked two-dimensional layers, and CPS has a three-dimensional crystalline structure.

"In YRS, the collapse of charged electronic excitations occurs at the onset of magnetic order," Paschen said. "In CPS, we established a similar collapse of the electronic excitations but inside an ordered phase."

To explain the difference between the observations in CPS and YRS, Si and co-author Rong Yu, a Rice postdoctoral researcher, invoked the effect of dimensionality.

"In systems like YRS, reduced dimensionality enhances the quantum fluctuations between the electrons, and that enhancement influences their collective behavior," Yu said. "In the three-dimensional material, we found that the quantum fluctuations were reduced, and this affected the quantum critical point and the correlated behavior in a way that was predicted by theory."

Si said the linkage between the quantum critical points of CPS and YRS is important for the ultimate question of how to classify and unify quantum criticality.

"Our study not only highlights a rich variety of quantum critical points but also indicates an underlying universality," he said.

Si said it is important to test the theory's ability to correctly predict the behavior of even more materials, and his group is working with Paschen and other experimentalists via the International Collaborative Center on Quantum Matter to carry out those tests.

Co-authors on the Nature Materials paper include J. Custers, K.-A. Lorenser, M. Müller, A. Prokofiev, A. Sidorenkio and H. Winkler, all of Vienna University of Technology; A.M. Strydom of the University of Johannesburg in South Africa; and Y. Shimura and T. Sakakibara, both of the University of Tokyo. The research was supported by the European Research Council, the Austrian Science Foundation, the National Science Foundation and the Welch Foundation.

Path to Flex and Stretch Electronics

Berkeley Lab Researchers Develop Solution-based Fabrication Technique

DECEMBER 13, 2011

Lynn Yarris (510) 486-5375  lcyarris@lbl.gov 302  

Feature

Optical image of flexible and stretchable thin film transistor array covering a baseball shows the mechanical robustness of this backplane material for future plastic electronic devices.

Imprinting electronic circuitry on backplanes that are both flexible and stretchable promises to revolutionize a number of industries and make “smart devices” nearly ubiquitous. Among the applications that have been envisioned are electronic pads that could be folded away like paper, coatings that could monitor surfaces for cracks and other structural failures, medical bandages that could treat infections and food packaging that could detect spoilage. From solar cells to pacemakers to clothing, the list of smart applications for so-called “plastic electronics” is both flexible and stretchable. First, however, suitable backplanes must be mass-produced in a cost-effective way.

Researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have developed a promising new inexpensive technique for fabricating large-scale flexible and stretchable backplanes using semiconductor-enriched carbon nanotube solutions that yield networks of thin film transistors with superb electrical properties, including a charge carrier mobility that is dramatically higher than that of organic counterparts. To demonstrate the utility of their carbon nanotube backplanes, the researchers constructed an artificial electronic skin (e-skin) capable of detecting and responding to touch.

“With our solution-based processing technology, we have produced mechanically flexible and stretchable active-matrix backplanes, based on fully passivated and highly uniform arrays of thin film transistors made from single walled carbon nanotubes that evenly cover areas of approximately 56 square centimeters,” says Ali Javey, a faculty scientist in Berkeley Lab’s Materials Sciences Division and a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of California (UC) Berkeley. “This technology, in combination with inkjet printing of metal contacts, should provide lithography-free fabrication of low-cost flexible and stretchable electronics in the future.”

(From left) Kuniharu Takei, Toshitake Takahashi and Ali Javey at the microscope electric probe station used to characterize flexible and stretchable backplanes for e-skin and other electronic devices. (Photo by Roy Kaltschmidt, Berkeley Lab)

Javey is the corresponding author of a paper in the journal NanoLetters that describes this work titled “Carbon Nanotube Active-Matrix Backplanes for Conformal Electronics and Sensors.” Co-authoring this paper were Toshitake Takahashi, Kuniharu Takei, Andrew Gillies and Ronald Fearing.

With the demand for plastic electronics so high, research and development in this area has been intense over the past decade. Single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) have emerged as one of the top contending semiconductor materials for plastic electronics, primarily because they feature high mobility for electrons – a measure of how fast a semiconductor conducts electricity. However, SWNTs can take the form of either a semiconductor or a metal and a typical SWNT solution consists of two-thirds semiconducting and one-third metallic tubes. This mix yields nanotube networks that exhibit low on/off current ratios, which poses a major problem for electronic applications as lead author of the NanoLetters paper Takahashi explains.

“An on/off current ratio as high as possible is essential for reducing the interruption from pixels in an off-state,” he says. “For example, with our e-skin device, when we are pressure mapping, we want to get the signal only from the on-state pixel on which pressure is applied. In other words, we want to minimize the current as small as possible from the other pixels which are supposed to be turned off. For this we need a high on/off current ratio.”

To make their backplanes, Javey, Takahashi and their co-authors used a SWNT solution enriched to be 99-percent semiconductor tubes. This highly purified solution provided the researchers with a high on/off ratio (approximately 100) for their backplanes. Working with a thin substrate of polymide, a high-strength polymer with superior flexibility, they laser-cut a honeycomb pattern of hexagonal holes that made the substrate stretchable as well. The holes were cut with a fixed pitch of 3.3 millimeters and a varied hole-side length that ranged from 1.0 to 1.85 millimeters.

(Left) Optical image of e-skin with an L-shaped object placed on top. (Right) Two-dimensional pressure mapping obtained from the L-shaped object.

“The degree to which the substrate could be stretched increased from 0 to 60-percent as the side length of the hexagonal holes increased to 1.85 mm,” Takahashi says. “In the future, the degrees of stretchability and directionality should be tunable by either changing the hole size or optimizing the mesh design.”

Backplanes were completed with the deposition on the substrates of layers of silicon and aluminum oxides followed by the semiconductor-enriched SWNTs. The resulting SWNT thin film transistor backplanes were used to create e-skin for spatial pressure mapping. The e-skin consisted of an array of 96 sensor pixels, measuring 24 square centimeters in area, with each pixel being actively controlled by a single thin film transistor. To demonstrate pressure mapping, an L-shaped weight was placed on top of the e-skin sensor array with the normal pressure of approximately 15 kilo Pascals (313 pounds per square foot).

“In the linear operation regime, the measured sensor sensitivity reflected a threefold improvement compared with previous nanowire-based e-skin sensors reported last year by our group,” Takahashi says. “This improved sensitivity was a result of the improved device performance of the SWNT backplanes. In the future we should be able to expand our backplane technology by adding various sensor and/or other active device components to enable multifunctional artificial skins. In addition, the SWNT backplane could be used for flexible displays.”

This research was supported in part by the DOE Office of Science and in part by the National Science Foundation.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory addresses the world’s most urgent scientific challenges by advancing sustainable energy, protecting human health, creating new materials, and revealing the origin and fate of the universe. Founded in 1931, Berkeley Lab’s scientific expertise has been recognized with 12 Nobel prizes. The University of California manages Berkeley Lab for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. For more, visit www.lbl.gov.

Additional Information

For more information about the research of Ali Javey, visit the Website at http://nano.eecs.berkeley.edu/

Featured MULT-EU-SIM workshop celebrated at the Trends in Nanotechnology Conference, TNT2011

Madrid - December 12, 2011

MULT-EU-SIM aims to gather the simulation research community in Europe to establish a joint vision of multiscale modelling and simulation. This will enable to prepare Europe to play a leading role in the opening era of computational sciences where multiscale simulation will profoundly change the scientific and technological practices.

This European vision will serve as the foundation for a joint effort with emphasis toward multiscale unified codes and standardized interfaces & workflows in a field that is currently very fragmented. Ultimately, the availability of such a multiscale code toolbox will put Europe’s industry in a strong IPR position.

To reach these goals several dissemination activities were implemented: website, survey online and, in particular, the organization of several meetings. On the occasion of ImagineNano (www.imaginenano.com), last April, a symposium in HPC was conducted with the aim of establishing a bird-eye description of the current state of progress in large scale simulations for nanomaterial characterization and nanodevice simulation, including application to energy, materials, nanoelectronics, nanobiotechnologies, etc. A few months later, specifically on the 24th of November, during TNT 2011 Conference in Tenerife (Spain), a satellite workshop was held, gathering speakers with worthful and relevant presentations on the field from both research institutions and industry (L’Oreal). The abstracts book of this workshop is available to download at: http://www.phantomsnet.net/MES/files/Satellite_Workshop_MULT_EU_SIM.pdf?project=7&f=1

All these initiatives should provide the European Commission with an overview on the field, allowing it to decide whether or not to launch a proactive initiative on multiscale modelling and simulation for nanoelectronics.

As a result of the meetings organized and the survey conducted over the past year, the final results and conclusions will be compiled in a report to be published late January 2012 on MULT-EU-SIM website.

Consortium:

Phantoms Foundation Spain Antonio Correia

Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives France Thierry Deutsch

Universita di Pisa Italy Massimo Macucci

ICN/CIN2 Spain Stephan Roche

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology Germany Wolfgang Wenzel

Further info about MULT-EU-SIM project here and any inputs should be addressed to: thierry.deutsch(at)cea.fr

AtMol launches its second event

International Workshop on Architecture & Design of Molecule Logic Gates and Atom Circuits

(Barcelona - January 12-13, 2012)

Madrid – December 01, 2011

AtMol, ICT-FET Integrated Project is pleased to announce the International Workshop on Architecture & Design of Molecule Logic Gates and Atom Circuits to be held from 12th to 13th of January 2012 in Barcelona.

This workshop (AtMol Conference series) is open for contributors in the ?eld of single molecule logic gates and surface atomic scale circuits theory and design based on classical, semi-classical or quantum principles where one molecule (or one atomic scale circuit) is providing the calculating power.

This International workshop, the second of AtMol series will help to establish a critical mass of R&D at an International level and to stimulate development of an interdisciplinary community of researchers. The event will take place at Hotel Campus UAB – Barcelona. Well known speakers (15) will give a talk during this two-day workshop. Registration should be done until December 9, 2011 and prices range from 230€ to 285€, accommodation included.

Workshop webpage: http://atmol.phantomsnet.net/Barcelona2012_index.php?project=7

Award-winning game designers begin work on neuroscience adventure

HOUSTON -- (Oct. 10, 2011) -- The award-winning educational game designers from Rice University's Center for Technology in Teaching and Learning (CTTL) are preparing to create their first online game series about clinical trials.

The new series, called "Virtual Clinical Trials," will be the sixth in CTTL's popular Web Adventures series for young teens. The center has designed games over the past decade with a set of titles that lets students try out different science careers, track the origin of disease outbreaks, solve crimes by using forensic science and more.

"Virtual Clinical Trials" was made possible by a five-year $1.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health and is one of eight grants nationwide funded by the Blueprint for Neuroscience award. The Rice team will design a game in which teens play the role of a patient, doctor or research nurse in a neuroscience clinical trial. By playing the game, students will learn about the steps that clinicians must take to find out whether a new treatment or therapy is effective. Over five years, three games will be developed, evaluated and disseminated worldwide.

"There is a great deal of knowledge about neuroscience topics and science process skills that can be woven into games about clinical trials," said Kristi Bowling, science education project manager at CTTL. "These are topics students normally study, but the games give real-world context and applications."

Bowling said the new game will be a role-playing adventure. Students will be able to experience from the perspective of a patient, research nurse and doctor what it is like being involved in a clinical trial. 

"As another potential, we hope to find that students who have played the game are more inclined to participate in clinical trials in the future," Bowling said.

CTTL's previous games, which are all available free online for anyone at http://webadventures.rice.edu  use some of the same techniques to get middle school students interested in science. "CSI: Web Adventures," a game based on the popular TV show "CSI," lets students gather forensic evidence to solve crimes. "MedMyst" lets students investigate infectious disease outbreaks. In "Reconstructors," students are challenged to solve mysteries about chemical substances that have both harmful and helpful effects. "N-squad" is another forensic game that focuses on the science behind alcohol abuse. "Cool Science Careers" allows students to experience what it is like to be a scientist by role-playing neuroscience-related careers and performing virtual experiments.

Bowling said it can take up to a year to produce one game. CTTL staff work with teachers and subject-matter experts to create the plot, characters, storyline and learning objectives for a game. The final step with any game is finding out whether and how much it helps students learn. CTTL completes a detailed assessment of how well the game performed. Dozens of teachers and hundreds of students are typically involved in an experimental design to test how well each game meets its objectives.

"Our goals are to create engaging games that teach science and to contribute to research about learning through games," Bowling said.

CTTL's games have won awards, but Bowling said the highest praise comes from teachers, medical professionals and students who write to tell the center's staff how helpful the games are for them.

"The room of seventh-graders was so quiet as they worked … that you could hear a pin drop!" wrote one teacher. "They even came in on their own time to finish."

To find out more about CTTL, visit http://cttl.rice.edu/ 

Gamers succeed where scientists fail

Molecular structure of retrovirus enzyme solved, doors open to new AIDS drug design

IMAGE: Dr. Firas Khatib of the University of Washington Department of Biochemistry in Seattle led a study in which online gamers solved in three weeks a molecular biology problem that had stumped scientists for more than a decade.

Credit: University of Washington

Watch the Video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWq4UG2IzAE&feature=channel_video_title

Gamers have solved the structure of a retrovirus enzyme whose configuration had stumped scientists for more than a decade. The gamers achieved their discovery by playing Foldit, an online game that allows players to collaborate and compete in predicting the structure of protein molecules.

After scientists repeatedly failed to piece together the structure of a protein-cutting enzyme from an AIDS-like virus, they called in the Foldit players. The scientists challenged the gamers to produce an accurate model of the enzyme. They did it in only three weeks.

This class of enzymes, called retroviral proteases, has a critical role in how the AIDS virus matures and proliferates. Intensive research is under way to try to find anti-AIDS drugs that can block these enzymes, but efforts were hampered by not knowing exactly what the retroviral protease molecule looks like.

"We wanted to see if human intuition could succeed where automated methods had failed," said Dr. Firas Khatib of the University of Washington Department of Biochemistry. Khatib is a researcher in the protein structure lab of Dr. David Baker, professor of biochemistry.

Remarkably, the gamers generated models good enough for the researchers to refine and, within a few days, determine the enzyme's structure. Equally amazing, surfaces on the molecule stood out as likely targets for drugs to de-active the enzyme.

"These features provide exciting opportunities for the design of retroviral drugs, including AIDS drugs," wrote the authors of a paper appearing Sept. 18 in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. The scientists and gamers are listed as co-authors.

This is the first instance that the researchers are aware of in which gamers solved a longstanding scientific problem.

Fold-it was created by computer scientists at the University of Washington Center for Game Science in collaboration with the Baker lab.

"The focus of the UW Center for Game Sciences," said director Dr. Zoran Popovic, associate professor of computer science and engineering, "is to solve hard problems in science and education that currently cannot be solved by either people or computers alone."

The solution of the virus enzyme structure, the researchers said, "indicates the power of online computer games to channel human intuition and three-dimensional pattern matching skills to solve challenging scientific problems."

With names like Foldit Contenders Group and Foldit Void Crushers Group, the gamer teams were fired up for the task of real-world molecule modeling problems. The online protein folding game captivates thousands of avid players worldwide and engages the general public in scientific discovery.

Players come from all walks of life. The game taps into their 3-D spatial abilities to rotate chains of amino acids in cyberspace. New players start at the basic level, "One Small Clash," proceed to "Swing it Around" and step ahead until reaching "Rubber Band Reversal."

Direct manipulation tools, as well as assistance from a computer program called Rosetta, encourage participants to configure graphics into a workable protein model. Teams send in their answers, and UW researchers constantly improve the design of the game and its puzzles by analyzing the players' problem-solving strategies.

Figuring out the shape and misshape of proteins contributes to research on causes of and cures for cancer, Alzheimer's, immune deficiencies and a host of other disorders, as well as to environmental work on biofuels.

Referring to this week's report of the online gamers' molecule solution opening new avenues for anti-viral drug research, Carter Kimsey, program director, National Science Foundation Division of Biological Infrastructure, observed, "After this discovery, young people might not mind doing their science homework. This is an innovative approach to getting humans and computer models to 'learn from each other' in real-time."

The researchers noted that much attention has been given to the possibilities of crowd-sourcing and game playing in scientific discovery. Their results indicate the potential for integrating online video games into real-world science.

Dr. Seth Cooper, of the UW Department of Computing Science and Engineering, is a co-creator of Foldit and its lead designer and developer. He studies human-computer exploration methods and the co-evolution of games and players.

"People have spatial reasoning skills, something computers are not yet good at," Cooper said. "Games provide a framework for bringing together the strengths of computers and humans. The results in this week's paper show that gaming, science and computation can be combined to make advances that were not possible before."

Games like Foldit are evolving. To piece together the retrovirus enzyme structure, Cooper said, gamers used a new Alignment Tool for the first time to copy parts of know molecules and test their fit in an incomplete model.

"The ingenuity of game players," Khatib said, "is a formidable force that, if properly directed, can be used to solve a wide range of scientific problems.

According to Popovic, "Foldit shows that a game can turn novices into domain experts capable of producing first-class scientific discoveries. We are currently applying the same approach to change the way math and science are taught in school."

The other scientists involved in this project were Frank DiMaio and James Thompson, both of the UW Department of Biochemistry, and Maciej Kazmierczyk, Miroslaw Gilski, Szymon Krzywda, Helena Zabranska, and Mariusz Jaskolski, all of the Faculty of Chemistry of A. Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Poland, and Iva Pichova of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague.

The project was supported by the UW Center for Game Science, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the U.S. National Science Foundation, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and Microsoft Corp.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-09/uow-gsw091611.php

Low-cost electronic tablet proves worth

in Indian classroom

I-slate designers in US, Singapore prep for early adoption of low-cost, educational tablet

Video at: http://youtu.be/nk8055kULjM

HOUSTON -- (Oct. 3, 2011) -- The U.S.- and Singapore-based creators of the low-cost I-slate electronic tablet are preparing for full-scale production now that a yearlong series of tests has shown that the device is an effective learning tool for Indian children.

The I-slate, an electronic version of the hand-held blackboard slates used by millions of Indian children, will eventually be solar-powered for use in classrooms that lack electricity. It is being developed by researchers at the Institute for Sustainable and Applied Infodynamics (ISAID), a joint program of Rice University in Houston and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore. When mass-produced, the solar-powered I-slate is expected to cost less than $50 (64 Singapore dollars).

"Our study clearly shows the I-slate is an effective learning tool for all students, regardless of their learning ability," said computer scientist and I-slate creator Krishna Palem, director of ISAID. "The first production I-slates will be pre-loaded with lessons for mathematics, science and social studies."

Palem, a Nanyang Visiting Professor at NTU and Rice's Ken and Audrey Kennedy Professor of Computing, first conceived the power-saving educational tablet in early 2009. Late last summer, Palem's Rice-NTU team began working with the Indian nonprofit Villages for Development and Learning Foundation (ViDAL) to test I-slate prototypes in a class of 10- to 13-year-olds at Mohd Hussainpalli village, about 70 miles southwest of Hyderabad.

In March, the researchers examined whether the I-slate helped students' improve in mathematics. Students use a stylus to tap and write out mathematics problems on the I-slate. They get immediate feedback about correct and incorrect answers. When answers are incorrect, the machine gives hints and tips about how to correct mistakes.

Using a series of sophisticated measures, the ISAID team analyzed each student's performance and improvement. Students were also surveyed about the features of the I-slate that were most and least useful. Palem said the tests and surveys confirmed the I-slate was effective and provided the ISAID team with valuable information needed to finalize the I-slate's design.

"We know more than 90 percent of what we need to know at this point," Palem said. "We've settled the hardware questions, and that is central to the manner in which the lessons are taught and the manner in which the students interact with the I-slate."

The hardware and graphic content for the I-slate must be developed in tandem because they will ultimately use a revolutionary new low-power computer chip -- another of Palem's inventions. The new chip will cut the power requirements for the I-slate in half and allow the device to run on solar power from small panels similar to those found on handheld calculators. The current I-slate hardware, which uses conventional chips, was designed by ISAID's Vincent Mooney, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology.

ISAID team members in Switzerland, Singapore and the U.S. are developing the first production version of the low-power computer chip. Solar-powered I-slates containing the new chips are due for production in mid-2012.

Palem said a Los Angeles-based consortium of media and content developers headed by Marc Mertens is putting the finishing touches on the math, science and social studies curriculum. Both the content and the finalized I-slate design will be rolled out with traditional chips this fall. About 50 students in Mohd Hussainpalli and other nearby villages will receive battery-powered versions of these slates for a six-month trial.

"Working with Marc, we're planning to bundle a social-networking element into the software that will allow the students to work collaboratively on writing assignments," Palem said.

"We are at an exciting stage and based on rigorous testing, we have achieved quite a few firsts in this early phase of adoption," said Rajeswari Pingali, ViDAL founding chairperson. "Soon students will be able to take the slates home for use and improving their learning outcomes. We spoke to all parents of the children; they too are equally excited about the I-slate. We are particularly happy about the potential benefits for young girls, who otherwise might be married away at a very early age."

Source: Rice University

Access to "Functional Imaging" facility of Euro-Bioimaging

From January to July 2012 the large-scale pan-European research infrastructure project Euro-BioImaging conducts a series of proof-of-concept studies and therefore offers FREE access to advanced biological and biomedical imaging facilities across Europe.

The proof-of-concept studies will be a key pillar for the development of eligibility criteria for future Euro-BioImaging nodes and specifically aim to:

·        provide the opportunity for scientists to conduct their research project using cutting edge imaging instruments

·        test and refine standardized execution and access protocols for future Euro-BioImaging facilities

·        assess potential pitfalls for running these resources

·        identify current community needs for access to different imaging technologies

Many European imaging facilities will serve as Euro-BioImaging proof-of-concept study sites and will offer free access to a wide range of cutting edge imaging technologies.

The registration for users has recently opened and we invite you and applicants from all over Europe to submit your research project proposals.

Please forward this message to colleagues and friends, who are potentially interested to participate as users in the Euro-BioImaging proof-of-concept studies.

Detailed information on the proof-of-concept studies and proposal submission are provided at www.eurobioimaging.eu.

The European Laboratory for Non Linear Spectroscopy (LENS), see address: www.lens.unifi.it/bio,  is a facility of Euro-Bioimaging  for "Access to Innovative-Advanced Light Microscopy" in the subsection of "functional imaging", facility n. 35  at the address:  http://www.eurobioimaging.eu/content-page/access-innovative-technologies-advanced-light-microscopy-wp7#Functional%20Imaging .

LENS is offering the following technologies:

Single Plane Illumination Microscopy (SPIM)

Multiphoton Systems

Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy (FLIM)

Non-linear Microscopy Techniques (e. g. CARS, SHG, THG and SRS)

Single Molecule Imaging Techniques

Technical details: see http://www.biophotonicslab.eu;

LENS also offers consultation on sample prep, setting up instrumentation, data acquisition, data processing and analysis.

The available resources at LENS are:

Instruments

Technical assistance to run instrument

Methodological setup

Data analysis and setup

Training seminar room

For any information please contact:

Prof. Francesco S. Pavone

Head of the Biophotonics Group

European Laboratory for Non Linear Spectroscopy

and Department of Physics

University of Florence

Via N. Carrara 1

50019 Sesto Fiorentino (FI)

tel. +390554572480

fax. +390554572520

www.biophotonicslab.eu

email: pavone@lens.unifi.it

Rice physicists move one step closer to

quantum computer

Electron superhighway' could pave way for creation of elusive quantum-particle pairs

CAPTION: In his quest to create a "topological insulator," Rice graduate student Ivan Knez spent hundreds of hours modifying tiny pieces of semiconductors in Rice University's clean room.

CREDIT: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University

HOUSTON -- (Oct. 4, 2011) -- Rice University physicists have created a tiny "electron superhighway" that could one day be useful for building a quantum computer, a new type of computer that will use quantum particles in place of the digital transistors found in today's microchips.

In a recent paper in Physical Review Letters, Rice physicists Rui-Rui Du and Ivan Knez describe a new method for making a tiny device called a "quantum spin Hall topological insulator." The device, which acts as an electron superhighway, is one of the building blocks needed to create quantum particles that store and manipulate data.

Today's computers use binary bits of data that are either ones or zeros. Quantum computers would use quantum bits, or "qubits," which can be both ones and zeros at the same time, thanks to the quirks of quantum mechanics.

This quirk gives quantum computers a huge edge in performing particular types of calculations, said Du, professor of physics and astronomy at Rice. For example, intense computing tasks like code-breaking, climate modeling and biomedical simulation could be completed thousands of times faster with quantum computers.

"In principle, we don't need many qubits to create a powerful computer," he said. "In terms of information density, a silicon microprocessor with 1 billion transistors would be roughly equal to a quantum processor with 30 qubits."

In the race to build quantum computers, researchers are taking a number of approaches to creating qubits. Regardless of the approach, a common problem is making certain that information encoded into qubits isn't lost over time due to quantum fluctuations. This is known as "fault tolerance."

The approach Du and Knez are following is called "topological quantum computing." Topological designs are expected to be more fault-tolerant than other types of quantum computers because each qubit in a topological quantum computer will be made from a pair of quantum particles that have a virtually immutable shared identity. The catch to the topological approach is that physicists have yet to create or observe one of these stable pairs of particles, which are called "Majorana fermions" (pronounced MAH-yor-ah-na FUR-mee-ons).

The elusive Majorana fermions were first proposed in 1937, although the race to create them in a chip has just begun. In particular, physicists believe the particles can be made by marrying a two-dimensional topological insulator -- like the one created by Du and Knez -- to a superconductor.

Topological insulators are oddities; although electricity cannot flow through them, it can flow around their narrow outer edges. If a small square of a topological insulator is attached to a superconductor, Knez said, the elusive Majorana fermions are expected to appear precisely where the materials meet. If this proves true, the devices could potentially be used to generate qubits for quantum computing, he said.

Knez spent more than a year refining the techniques to create Rice's topological insulator. The device is made from a commercial-grade semiconductor that's commonly used in making night-vision goggles. Du said it is the first 2-D topological insulator made from a material that physicists already know how to attach to a superconductor.

"We are well-positioned for the next step," Du said. "Meanwhile, only experiments can tell whether we can find Majorana fermions and whether they are good candidates for creating stable qubits."

The research was funded by the National Science Foundation, Rice University, the Hackerman Advanced Research Program, the Welch Foundation and the Keck Foundation.

A copy of the PRL paper is available at:

http://prl.aps.org/abstract/PRL/v107/i13/e136603 

Center for Nanotechnology in Society at Arizona State University

The Video Series on Nanotechnology Private Sector Interviews has been posted at:  http://cns.asu.edu/videos/

Download the Full Report

Rice discovery points way to graphene circuits

Materials scientists find new way to control electronic properties of graphene 'alloys'

HOUSTON -- (Aug. 4, 2011) -- Rice University materials scientists have made a fundamental discovery that could make it easier for engineers to build electronic circuits out of the much-touted nanomaterial graphene.

Graphene's stock shot sky-high last year when the nanomaterial attracted the Nobel Prize in physics. Graphene is a layer of carbon atoms that is just one atom thick. When stacked atop one another, graphene sheets form graphite, the material found in pencils the world over. Thanks to the tools of nanotechnology, scientists today can make, manipulate and study graphene with ease. Its unique properties make it ideal for creating faster, more energy-efficient computers and other nanoelectronic devices.

But there are hurdles. To make tiny circuits out of graphene, engineers need to find ways to create intricate patterns of graphene that are separated by a similarly thin nonconductive material. One possible solution is "white graphene," one-atom-thick sheets of boron and nitrogen that are physically similar to graphene but are electrically nonconductive.

In a new paper in the journal Nano Letters, Rice materials scientist Boris Yakobson and colleagues describe a discovery that could make it possible for nanoelectronic designers to use well-understood chemical procedures to precisely control the electronic properties of "alloys" that contain both white and black graphene.

"We found there was a direct relationship between the useful properties of the final product and the chemical conditions that exist while it is being made," Yakobson said. "If more boron is available during chemical synthesis, that leads to alloys with a certain type of geometric arrangement of atoms. The beauty of the finding is that we can precisely predict the electronic properties of the final product based solely upon the conditions -- technically speaking, the so-called 'chemical potential' -- during synthesis."

Yakobson said it took about one year for him and his students to understand exactly the distribution of energy transferred between each atom of carbon, boron and nitrogen during the formation of the "alloys." This precise level of understanding of the "bonding energies" between atoms, and how it is assigned to particular edges and interfaces, was vital to developing a direct link from synthesis to morphology and to useful product.

With interest in graphene running high, Yakobson said, the new study has garnered attention far and wide. Graduate student Yuanyue Liu, the study's lead co-author, is part of a five-student delegation that just returned from a weeklong visit to Tsinghua University in Beijing. Yakobson said the visit was part of an ongoing collaboration between Tsinghua researchers and colleagues in Rice's George R. Brown School of Engineering.

Rice postdoctoral fellow Somnath Bhowmick also co-authored the paper. The research was funded by the Department of Energy and the Office of Naval Research, and the computational resources were supported by the National Institute for Computational Sciences and the National Science Foundation.

A copy of the research paper is available at:

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/nl2011142

Turkish scientist's discoveries draw world's attention

Assistant Professor Utkan Demirci of Medicine and Health Sciences and Technology developed a number of micro-devices including a microchip which diagnoses HIV/AIDS within a few minutes.

Cheap, portable and easy-to-use tests developed by a Turkish scientist in his laboratories at the Harvard Medical School and the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology will be put into markets in coming years.

Assistant Professor Utkan Demirci of Medicine and Health Sciences and Technology developed a number of micro-devices including a microchip which diagnoses HIV/AIDS within a few minutes.

34-year-old scientist and his 40-member team at the Harvard Medical SchoolBrigham & Women's Hospital apply nano and microscale technologies to manipulate cells in nanoliter volumes to enable solutions to real world problems in medicine including applications in infectious disease diagnostics and monitoring, cell encapsulation and assembly for cryobiology, and tissue engineering.

Demirci further developed the microchip he invented in 2006 to diagnose AIDS, and tested it on 115 patience in Tanzania last year. Results of the tests were published.

Another microchip developed by Demirci and his team enables patients to determine their sperm count and quality in only 30 minutes.

Demirci's scientific work has been recognized by numerous national and international awards. Demirci was given the Chinese International Young Scientist Award by the National Science Foundation of China in 2010. Demirci was recognized by Junior Chamber International (JCI) globally among the ten outstanding young persons of the world in "Medical Innovation" in 2009. In 2008, Demirci was given the Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School-Young Investigator Award.

Demirci received the Coulter Foundation Early Career Award in Biotechnology in 2007 and in 2009. He was also awarded by Nano-Biotechnology Award by the National Science Council of Turkey and The Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD).

In 2006, he was selected to TR-35 as one of the world's top 35 young innovators under the age of 35 by the MIT Technology Review. He is one of the few recipients of the prestigious Full Presidential Fellowship given by the Turkish Ministry of Education. In 2004, he lead a team that won the Stanford University Entrepreneur's Challenge Competition and Global Start-up Competition in Singapore based on his doctoral work.

http://www.worldbulletin.net/?aType=haber&ArticleID=77044

Researchers aim for 'direct brain control' of prosthetic arms

Engineers work to design prosthetic arm that allows amputees to feel what they touch

In tests at the University of Maryland, University of Michigan engineering researcher Brent Gillespie uses a prototype of a device that provides feedback to the wearer's arm while objects are moved with a prosthetic 'hand,' a gripper. The prototype, which incorporates noninvasive monitoring of electrical activity and blood-oxygen levels in the brain, may be incorporated into next-generation prosthetic arms.

CREDIT: J. Contreras-Vidal/University of Maryland

HOUSTON -- (July 27, 2011) -- Engineering researchers at four U.S. universities are embarking on a four-year project to design a prosthetic arm that amputees can control directly with their brains and that will allow them to feel what they touch. While it may sound like science fiction, the researchers say much of the technology has already been proven in small-scale demonstrations.

The research at Rice University, the University of Michigan, Drexel University and the University of Maryland is made possible by a $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation's Human-Centered Computing program.

"There's nothing fictional about this," said Rice University co-principal investigator Marcia O'Malley. "The investigators on this grant have already demonstrated that much of this is possible. What remains is to bring all of it -- noninvasive neural decoding, direct brain control and tactile sensory feedback -- together into one device."

O'Malley and her co-investigators on the project -- Michigan's Brent Gillespie, Drexel's Patricia Shewokis and Maryland's José Contreras-Vidal -- have previously demonstrated technology that allowed amputees to correctly perceive and manipulate objects with a prosthetic gripper based upon sensory feedback that was provided in a natural way to the remaining portion of their limbs.

"Neuroprosthetic control is an important part of our project, but an equally important challenge is providing sensory feedback for contact tasks that are performed with the prosthesis," Gillespie said.

The team plans to incorporate technology that feeds both tactile information from the prosthetic fingertips and grasping-force information from the prosthetic hand via a robotic exoskeleton and touchpads that vibrate, stretch and squeeze the skin where the prosthesis attaches to the body.

"The idea is to provide a range of sensory feedback that can be integrated by the user, much like able-bodied individuals integrate a variety of tactile, kinesthetic and force information from nerves in their skin and muscles," Contreras-Vidal said.

Contreras-Vidal has previously demonstrated technology that allowed test subjects to move a cursor on a computer screen simply by thinking about it. That technology noninvasively taps into the user's neural network using a cap of electrodes that read electrical activity on the scalp via electroencephalography (EEG). The team plans to combine this EEG information with real-time data about blood-oxygen levels in the user's frontal lobe using functional near-infrared (fNIR) technology developed by Drexel's Optical Brain Imaging Laboratory.

Shewokis said, "We want to provide intuitive control over contact tasks, and we're also interested in strengthening the motor imagery the patients are using as they think about what they want their arm to do. Ideally, this tactile or haptic feedback will improve the signal from the EEG and fNIR decoder and make it easier for patients to get their prosthetic arms to do exactly what they want them to do. We are moving toward incorporating the 'brain in the loop' for prosthetic use and control."

O'Malley said the new technology is a big leap over what's used in existing prosthetic devices, which don't allow amputees to feel what they touch. Some state-of-the-art prostheses today use force-feedback systems that vibrate -- much like the vibrate mode on a mobile phone -- to provide limited information about objects a prosthetic hand is gripping.

"Often, these vibrotactile cues aren't very helpful," O'Malley said. "Many times individuals simply rely on visual feedback -- watching their prosthesis grasp an object -- to infer whether the object is soft or hard, how tightly they are grasping it and the like. There's a lot of room for improvement."

"This truly unique team has been given the opportunity to help solve the challenging problem of brain-to-machine interface," Gillespie said. "I'm excited about our breakthroughs and the promise for future results. We are approaching the dilemma with big respect for the brain/body connection and hope to discover methods to harness the body in new ways.

"Sensory feedback, especially haptic feedback, is often overlooked, but we think it's the key to closing the loop between the brain and motorized prosthetic devices," he said. "These results indicate that we stand a very good chance to help amputees and also help others who may be suffering from motor impairments."

VIDEO is available at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1oIsXqc0U4

AUDIO of Drexel's Patricia Shewokis is available at:

http://drexel.edu/univrel/audio/Patricia-Shewokis/

First synthetic organ transplant made possible

by nanotechnology

Nanotechnology has played a critical role in the first synthetic organ transplant, a trachea (windpipe). A patented nanocomposite of unreported composition was used to form a scaffold exactly the same size and shape as the patients own windpipe, which was then seeded with adult stem cells from the patient’s own bone marrow. The surgical team then removed the patient’s cancer-ravaged windpipe and replaced it with the synthetic replica. Because the stem cells are from the patient, there is no problem with immune rejection. The breakthrough is described in two reports from the BBC: “First synthetic organ transplant” by Fergus Walsh, and by Michelle Roberts “Surgeons carry out first synthetic windpipe transplant“. Quoting the lead surgeon Professor Paolo Macchiarini from Italy:

“Thanks to nanotechnology, this new branch of regenerative medicine, we are now able to produce a custom-made windpipe within two days or one week.

“This is a synthetic windpipe. The beauty of this is you can have it immediately. There is no delay. This technique does not rely on a human donation.”

Prof. Macchiarini also expressed the opinion that it would soon be possible to repair or replace many other organs in the same way.

http://www.foresight.org/nanodot/?p=4683

Masters Course in Nanomedicine

Cranfield's unique Nanomedicine MSc is the first course of its kind within the UK and Europe to bridge the gap between nanotechnology and medicine.

Nanomedicine MSc is designed to provide students with advanced knowledge, skills and practical experience of the principles, technology and applications within the rapidly growing area of Nanomedicine. Students will discover how nanotechnology impacts upon new medicinal products, drug discovery and delivery, and acquire an understanding of the practice of medicine utilising nanotechnology.

The course covers a wide-range of subject areas including: Nanotechnology and Microsystems, Nanobiosensors, Nanomaterials, Nanopharmaceuticals, Nanotoxicology and risk perception, Bioinformatics and Medical diagnostics and devices.

The course starts in October 2011 and is available on a full and part-time basis.

Funding is available.

Find out more - register for our Open Day 17 August or 3 September 2011

Visit our website: <http://www.cranfield.ac.uk/health/postgraduatestudy/taughtcourses/nanomedicine/index.html?cid=nanomag0711>

About Cranfield 

Cranfield University is the UK's only wholly postgraduate institution specialising in science, engineering, and management. We have built a worldwide reputation for expertise in healthcare, management and manufacturing, aerospace, automotive, defence, engineering, environment and water.

Cranfield Health work with the top global organisations helping them to develop the technology and techniques which have a global effect on people's health and wellbeing. Collaborations with leading organisations inform our MSc courses to ensure they meet the requirements of industry and make our graduates sought after all over the world.

The future in nano miniatures?

InTech's new Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology Journal launched

Rijeka, Croatia, June 27th, 2011- Today Open Access publisher InTech launches its new groundbreaking Journal, the Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology Journal, available to access online, download free of charge, and submit material without publishing fees.

InTech, is an international leader in Open Access publishing, and grants free access to cutting edge, peer reviewed research from the most prospective academics and scientists around the globe. Under the editorship of Dr. Paola Prete, the Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology Journal covers red-hot developments and breakthroughs in nanoscale science and technology.

“The  primary goal of NMNT is to publish research manuscripts that include cutting-edge studies on nanoscale science and technology, bringing together the science and applications of nanoscale and nanostructured materials” underlines Dr. Prete.

Aspiring to raise the stakes and push towards opening new research perspectives has proven to be just the right mood setter to work harder on conquering the first milestone and feed the audience with exceptional material right from the start. When thinking of the potential of researching nanomaterials and nanotechnology in-depth, appliances such as super fast computers, tiny mobile devices or the miniaturization of other Hi-Tech gadgets will be commercialised in a blink of an eye. And the fun is just starting.

Among other, the first issue will feature one of the world's foremost solid state and materials chemists, scientist Prof. Dr. C.N.R. Rao. In his article Prof. Rao and co-workers focus on one  exciting, new and cutting-edge research area, also the subject of the last assigned Nobel Prize in Physics, the two-dimension nanomaterial  graphene. As Prof. Dr. C.N.R. Rao and co-workers point out in the article, “ Graphene has generated great sensation owing to its fascinating properties with possible potential applications”. Being graphene researched to substitute silicon chips in computers as the risk of such chips melting is directly proportional to the increase of its speed performances, or considering the immense strength of this nanomaterial that a tiny bit of it could hold the weight of a 4x4 jeep, it is only fair to bet on this Journal to open the gates to a whole new world of possible technologies.

For more information on InTech, its publications, to submit material or access our free of charge reading platform please visit:

www.intechweb.org

www.intechopen.com

Los Alamos National Laboratory Earns

Three R&D 100 Awards

Innovations could mean breakthroughs for energy and medical industries

NanoCluster Beacons—one of Los Alamos National Laboratory's 2011 R&D 100 Award winners—light up when they bind with specific nucleic acid targets and greatly outperform conventional molecular beacons, the “gold standard” of DNA light-up probes. As shown on the cover, NanoCluster Beacons are available in a rainbow of colors and are easily seen with the naked eye under ultraviolet (UV) light.

LOS ALAMOS, New Mexico, June 22, 2011— Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists have won three of R&D Magazine’s 2011 R&D100 Awards. Recognized as the “Oscars of Invention” by the Chicago Tribune, these awards honor the top 100 proven technological advances of the past year. The winning Laboratory technologies include a molecular beacon that targets specific nucleic acids, a spacer fluid for oil wells that shrinks when heated, and a better way to produce thorium, an elemental sustainable energy source.

“I want to congratulate this year's R&D 100 award winners,” said Energy Secretary Steven Chu. “The Department of Energy's national laboratories and sites are at the forefront of innovation, and it is gratifying to see their work recognized once again. The cutting-edge research and development done in our national labs and facilities is helping to meet our energy challenges, strengthen our national security, and enhance our economic competitiveness.”

“Once again the RD 100 awards show that Los Alamos National Laboratory's multidisciplinary scientific approach provides real-world innovation with the potential to drive job creation in the private sector while delivering benefits to the American public,” said LANL Director Charlie McMillan. “We are proud of our Los Alamos researchers, and I salute them all as well as the researchers from our sister labs and facilities who won R&D 100 Awards as well.”

This year’s winning technologies include:

NanoCluster Beacons

NanoCluster Beacons are collections of silver atoms designed to illuminate when bound to nucleic acids, such as the DNA of specific pathogens. Created by Hsin-Chih (Tim) Yeh, James Werner, Jaswinder Sharma, and Jennifer Martinez, these beacons can be used to probe for diseases that threaten humans by identifying the nucleic acid targets that represent a person’s full genome, and allow for personalized medication. They can also be used in quantitative biology applications, such as counting individual molecules inside a cell.

Once bound with a specific target, a NanoCluster Beacon lights up, emitting fluorescence approximately 200 times greater than in the unbound state and easily viewed by the naked eye under ultraviolet light. The beacons come in an array of colors for multiplexed analyses, are more photostable than beaconsused today, and can be turned on and off reversibly. Inexpensive, easy to use, and reversible, NanoCluster Beacons are superior molecular probes for detecting specific targets, human oncogene (cancer) sequences, and molecular disease sequences such as sickle cell anemia.

Revolutionizing Deepwater Oil-Well Drilling

TAPSS, or Trapped Annular Pressure Shrinking Spacer, is a spacer fluid developed by Robert Hermes of LANL, in collaboration with Chevron Energy Technology Company, Baker Hughes Incorporated’s Drilling Fluids Unit, and Lucite International Ltd., to help prevent catastrophes in offshore oil-well drilling. Conventional spacer fluids are placed between oil well casings to secure the well and balance the pressure exerted by the surrounding geological formations. Most of these fluids expand when heated during drilling, causing potential pressurebuild ups and disastrous oil spills. TAPSS, on the other hand, shrinks whenheated and can be used to offset any thermal expansion from the other fluids. TAPSS is formulated with enough methyl methacrylate to counteract the expansion of conventional spacer fluids. This new spacer is not difficult to use, is self-functioning, and requires minimal time to install.

TAPSS can be applied to any well around the world and will continue to work for the full life of the well, making it both effective and practical.

Thorium Is Now Green

Th-ING was developed by Jaqueline Kiplinger and Thibault Cantat as a straightforward, cost-effective, and safe method to produce thorium. Thorium is an element capable of producing more energy than both uranium and coal using significantly lower quantities. This element is only slightly radioactive, making it an excellent candidate for a future sustainable energy source. It is so safe that it will never lead to a nuclear meltdown when used in a nuclear reactor.

Before Th-ING, thorium could only be produced in hazardous settings at unreasonably high prices. This new method involves reacting thorium nitrate with aqueoushydrochloric acid under mild conditions, which can be performed using conventional glassware in a traditional laboratory setting. Then, a novel combination of anhydrous hydrochloric acid and trimethylsilyl chloride is used to remove coordinated water molecules, replacing them with dimethoxyethane to make the new thorium chloride

reagent. The process cuts costs of production from $5,000 per kilogram to a mere $30 per kilogram and is “green”—as it does not produce wasteful solvent ring-opening/polymerization or waste thorium (95 percent production yields). With Th-ING, thorium becomes a practical and reliable source of energy for the future.

Three Decades of Excellence in Innovation

Since 1978, Los Alamos has won 121 of the prestigious R&D100 Awards in R&D Magazine’s global competition involving industry, academia, and government-sponsored research. Winners include innovative new materials, chemistry breakthroughs, consumer items, testing equipment, manufacturing advances, high-energy physics, and biomedical products.

About Los Alamos National Laboratory (www.lanl.gov)

Los Alamos National Laboratory, a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security, is operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC, a team composed of Bechtel National, the University of California, The Babcock & Wilcox Company, and URS for theDepartment of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. Los Alamos enhances national security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, developing technologies to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction, and solving problems related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health, and global security concerns.

EUROPEAN RESEARCHERS' NIGHT: WEARABLES, MEDIA,  OPERA AND BIOMETRICS

St. Pölten, 16 June 2011 - Experience research with state-of-the-art media technology: at St. Poelten University of Applied Sciences, Austria. On the evening of 23 September, the University will merge research, art and lifestyle under the motto "FIT for research". The unique combination is Austria's contribution to European Researchers' Night 2011.

The purpose of European Researchers' Night is for scientists to make their work accessible and tangible. It is a central pillar of the European commitment to spark enthusiasm for research among the general public. Many institutions apply to participate. This year, St. Poelten University of Applied Sciences, together with PR&D, the PR agency for Research & Education, managed to convince the jury with their ideas: state-of-the-art media technologies make it possible to experience research results that surround us with all senses. Music, dance and cooking will take centre stage along with electronic wearables, audiovisual animations and intelligent biometrics.

Co-Director of St. Poelten University of Applied Sciences, Dr Gabriela Fernandes, comments on the ideas: "Universities of applied science naturally focus on application. Our research results are therefore highly relevant to the general public. It is an ideal point of departure for awakening enthusiasm for research."

The central idea of the evening is reflected in the title "FIT for research". Research makes you fit for life. Wearables represent a salient example of this - clothing with added functionality. This is a field of research with which St. Poelten University of Applied Sciences is increasingly attracting attention. On 23 September, for instance, all scientists will sport wearables that can transmit information about their work to visitors' mobile phones. And that's not all! Clothing that changes colour according to the surroundings and lederhosen with an electronic beat will also be shown.

"At more than 10 different stations, guests will be able to experience how research will make you fit", Dr Frederick Baker explains. He is a lecturer at St. Poelten University of Applied Sciences and works at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Cambridge in the UK. "We will present our research in a new fashion and demonstrate the connection between science and culture."

One of the approaches for doing this will be Dr Baker's media opera "Pitoti - Echoes of the Echoes". This work is based on 4,000-year-old World Heritage listed rock engravings in Northern Italy. At St. Poelten University of Applied Sciences, the motion patterns of the static figures are reanimated using dance, 2D and 3D design and even given a new sound dimension since, as Dr Baker demonstrates, rock engravings are often found in places where an echo can be produced. Based on this echo, a special soundtrack is being composed for the film sequences.

All in all, the evening programme has been designed according to a modern concept with the aim of sparking an interest in research and inspiring people to reconsider their preconceived notions. Dr Till C. Jelitto, Managing Partner of the agency PR&D - Public Relations for Research & Education, confirms this: "Our ideas reflect scientific communication for the 21st century. Indeed, we have moved away from a schoolmasterly presentation of research into a world of experiences, created by the research itself. Research is a natural part of our lives, and that is how it should be perceived."

Further information: www.fit-fuer-forschung.eu

NanoICT project launches a second call for exchange visits for PhD students (or senior research personnel)

Madrid, Spain - 6th June 2011

Main objectives:

Conditions:

Application proposal (year 2011):

(1 page long maximum) must be sent before 1st July, 2011 and must include the following info:

Name of the applicant

Affiliation

Brief CV

Destination institution/company

Duration of the visit Objectives (related to any nanoICT Working Group http://www.phantomsnet.net/nanoICT/groups.php?project=4)

Contact details:

Dr. Maite Fernández

Phantoms Foundation

E-mail: maite@phantomsnet.net

Alfonso Gómez, 17 - 2nd floor - Loft 16

28037 Madrid, Spain

Phone: +34 911 123 387

Phantoms Foundation: www.phantomsnet.net

Rice doubles supercomputing capacity

NIH, NSF grants boost computational capacity of dozens of Rice labs

HOUSTON -- (May 9, 2011) -- Thanks to stimulus grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Rice University expects to more than double its supercomputing capacity this month. Dozens of Rice researchers studying everything from artificial hearts to earthquakes are gearing up to use two powerful new supercomputers that are set to come online soon.

One of the new supercomputers is an expanded version of BlueBioU, a system IBM donated to Rice in 2010 to foster joint biomedical research within the Texas Medical Center. An NIH grant enabled Rice to add 30 linked "nodes" to BlueBioU's original 18. Each node is a powerful computer in its own right and contains several of IBM's latest-generation processors. BlueBioU is built with the same hardware that IBM used to create Watson, the supercomputer that bested two world champions on the television game show Jeopardy! in February.

The other new system is DAVinCI, which is short for Data Analysis and Visualization Cyber-Infrastructure for Computational Science and Engineering Applications. DAVinCI is a 192-node IBM iDataPlex system designed as a workhorse that will serve multiple scientific disciplines. The DAVinCI project will eventually incorporate a 3-D visualization lab that will let researchers literally walk through their data, viewing images from different angles and tagging elements for later study.

"While computing remains a key enabler for advancing science and engineering, managing data is increasingly becoming the bottleneck we have to address," said Jan Odegard, executive director of the Ken Kennedy Institute for Information Technology (K2I), a multidisciplinary research institute that helped Rice faculty win funding for DAVinCI, the BlueBioU expansion and several other supercomputers over past decade. "The relative cost for generating data is approaching zero, and as a result many laboratories are practically drowning in data. Our ability to extract useful information and knowledge from data is increasingly limited by our ability to effectively manipulate, move, manage and visualize data."

To address the data deluge, Rice has added a scalable, high-performance storage facility that will be shared by BlueBioU and DAVinCI. The storage system will eliminate the need for users to move or maintain multiple copies of research data. The shared storage facility uses hardware from Data Direct Networks and runs IBM's General Parallel File System.

Odegard said all of the new systems are undergoing a final shakedown in preparation for full-scale operation later this month.

"Too often we focus on how many processors a new cluster has or how many trillions of calculations it can perform each second, but the important thing to keep in mind is the scientific knowledge that it will produce," said K2I Director Moshe Vardi, Rice's Karen Ostrum George Professor in Computational Engineering.

The dozens of planned research projects on BlueBioU include analyses of horizontal gene transfer in bacterial genomes, testing of computer models that examine the neurological processes that govern memory and the design of a revolutionary rotary pump for an artificial heart.

"High-performance computers are an essential tool for 21st Century biomedical research, and the NIH's decision to place this powerful new system at Rice is another tangible sign of Rice's increasingly important role in the Texas Medical Center," said Kamran Khan, Rice's vice provost for information technology. "This sizes up well with our HPC infrastructure planning process and with the investment Rice has made to enable future growth of the supercomputing environment based on cutting-edge research."

For example, Khan said extensive expertise is needed to manage, run, and maintain high-performance computers like BlueBioU and DAVinCI. Rice's commitment to establish and grow its Research Computing Support Group is one key to the university's continued success in winning support for the increasingly powerful supercomputers that researchers need.

DAVinCI, which was funded via an NSF grant, will be used by dozens of investigators across campus. Planned research includes geodynamic modeling, simulation and testing of earthquake-tolerant bridge designs, life sciences research and seismic imaging. Alan Levander, the principal investigator on the grant and Rice's Carey Croneis Chair of Earth Science, said teams across campus are racing to be the first to use the new system.

"I can't even imagine who's going to be the fastest to get something going on it," Levander said.

The NIH and NSF funding for the new supercomputers was made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Measurement of 'hot' electrons

could have solar energy payoff

Nanoantennas hold promise for infrared photovoltaics

HOUSTON -- (May 5, 2011) -- Basic scientific curiosity paid off in unexpected ways when Rice University researchers investigating the fundamental physics of nanomaterials discovered a new technology that could dramatically improve solar energy panels.

The research is described in a new paper this week in the journal Science.

"We're merging the optics of nanoscale antennas with the electronics of semiconductors," said lead researcher Naomi Halas, Rice's Stanley C. Moore Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering. "There's no practical way to directly detect infrared light with silicon, but we've shown that it is possible if you marry the semiconductor to a nanoantenna. We expect this technique will be used in new scientific instruments for infrared-light detection and for higher-efficiency solar cells."

More than a third of the solar energy on Earth arrives in the form of infrared light. But silicon -- the material that's used to convert sunlight into electricity in the vast majority of today's solar panels -- cannot capture infrared light's energy. Every semiconductor, including silicon, has a "bandgap" where light below a certain frequency passes directly through the material and is unable to generate an electrical current. By attaching a metal nanoantenna to the silicon, where the tiny antenna is specially tuned to interact with infrared light, the Rice team showed they could extend the frequency range for electricity generation into the infrared. When infrared light hits the antenna, it creates a "plasmon," a wave of energy that sloshes through the antenna's ocean of free electrons. The study of plasmons is one of Halas' specialties, and the new paper resulted from basic research into the physics of plasmons that began in her lab years ago.

It has been known that plasmons decay and give up their energy in two ways; they either emit a photon of light or they convert the light energy into heat. The heating process begins when the plasmon transfers its energy to a single electron -- a 'hot' electron. Rice graduate student Mark Knight, lead author on the paper, together with Rice theoretical physicist Peter Nordlander, his graduate student Heidar Sobhani, and Halas set out to design an experiment to directly detect the hot electrons resulting from plasmon decay.

Patterning a metallic nanoantenna directly onto a semiconductor to create a "Schottky barrier," Knight showed that the infrared light striking the antenna would result in a hot electron that could jump the barrier, which creates an electrical current. This works for infrared light at frequencies that would otherwise pass directly through the device.

"The nanoantenna-diodes we created to detect plasmon-generated hot electrons are already pretty good at harvesting infrared light and turning it directly into electricity," Knight said. "We are eager to see whether this expansion of light-harvesting to infrared frequencies will directly result in higher-efficiency solar cells."

ImagineNano2011 becomes an International reference

in the Nano World

How small became big – ImagineNano2011 in numbers

ImagineNano event organized by Phantoms Foundation, CIC NanoGUNE, Donostia International Physics Centre, Euskampus/UPV and Bilbao Exhibition Centre gathered more than 1500 persons from 11 to 14 of April in Bilbao (Spain).

Under the same roof were held in parallel 5 International Conferences (Graphene, NanoSpain, nanoBio&Med, PPM and TNA Energy), 1 Symposium (HPC), a huge Exhibition showcasing cutting-edge advances in nanotechnology research and development, an Industrial Forum, two brokerage events organized by Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) and CIBER-BBN.

ImagineNano brought together more than 250 speakers, among them two Nobel Prizes in Physics, Kostya Novoselov (2010) known for his works in Graphene, and Albert Fert, who won it in 2007.

Pedro Miguel Echenique (1998) and Sumio Iijima (2008) who both won Prince of Asturias Scientific Research Prize were also some of the renowned speakers in this event.

Considering 2011 was proclaimed the year of Russia in Spain and Spain in Russia, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation was present showcasing the latest trends in N&N from Russia, along with other countries/regions.

ImagineNano in numbers:

·           1500 Participants from 42 countries

·           90 Booths

·           150 Companies/Institutions

·           Represented Country/Region Pavilions: 5

·           600 posters

·           More than 250 speakers

·           47% from Spain and 53% from foreign countries

·           Top six foreign visitors: France, Germany, United Kingdom, United States, Russia and Japan

ImagineNano definitely served as an international platform for communication between science and business and will return in 2013.

Website: http://www.imaginenano.com

Rice University's Moshe Vardi wins IEEE Computer

Society Goode Award

Renowned logician honored for fundamental and lasting contributions to computer science

HOUSTON -- (March 25, 2011) -- Rice University computer scientist Moshe Vardi has been named the winner of the IEEE Computer Society's 2011 Harry H. Goode Award.

Vardi, Rice's Karen Ostrum George Professor in Computational Engineering and director of Rice's Ken Kennedy Institute for Information Technology, is a renowned logician and member of the National Academy of Engineering. He also holds the high-profile post of editor-in-chief of the Association of Computing Machinery's flagship publication, Communications of the ACM.

The Goode Award was established to recognize achievement in the information-processing field -- either a single contribution of theory, design or technique of outstanding significance; or the accumulation of important contributions on theory or practice over an extended period. In announcing this year's award, the society said Vardi was honored for his "fundamental and lasting contributions to the development of logic as a unifying foundational framework and a tool for modeling computational systems."

Logic, which is sometimes called "the calculus of computer science," is fundamental to research areas such as artificial intelligence, computational complexity, distributed computing, database systems, design verification, programming languages and software engineering. Using logic as a framework, Vardi has cultivated research in intelligent databases, multi-agent systems and automated reasoning.

Vardi earned his doctorate from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1981 and is the author and co-author of approximately 400 articles and two books, "Reasoning about Knowledge" and "Finite Model Theory and Its Applications." He was honored with the 2010 Outstanding Contribution to ACM Award for his leadership, including the organization of an influential 2006 report on overseas job outsourcing in the software industry. The report dispelled some myths about software offshoring and reinforced the case that computing plays a fundamental role in defining success in a competitive global economy.

Vardi's other honors include the 2010 Distinguished Service Award from the Computing Research Association, the 2000 Goedel Prize for outstanding papers in the area of theoretical computer science and the 2008 ACM Presidential Award. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Science, the European Academy of Sciences and the Academia Europea; he also is a Guggenheim fellow and a fellow of IEEE, the ACM, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence.

The Goode Award is named in honor of computer scientist Harry Goode. For further information about the award, including a list of past recipients, visit: http://www.computer.org/portal/web/awards/harrygoode

Rice University unveils state-of-the-art

physics research facility

Federal, Rice officials dedicate Brockman Hall, which drew $11 million in stimulus funding

HOUSTON -- (March 24, 2011) -- Officials from Rice University and the U.S. Department of Commerce today dedicated Brockman Hall for Physics, a state-of-the-art research facility that is the new home for fundamental and applied physics research at Rice. The 111,000-square-foot, four-story building was partially funded by $11.1 million in federal stimulus funding from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

"Brockman Hall enhances Rice's status as one of the nation's premier research universities, and it ensures that Ricewill remain a leader in fundamental and applied physics research for years to come," said Rice President David Leebron. "The impact of Brockman Hall goes beyond bricks and mortar. This facility forges new pathways between science and engineering, between theory and practice and between Rice's first and second centuries."

Special guests at the building's dedication ceremony included Patrick Gallagher, undersecretary of commerce for science and technology and NIST director; Robert Celotta, director of NIST's Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology; and Shannon Walker, NASA astronaut and Rice alumna.

Rice faculty and staff began moving into Brockman Hall last month. When fully occupied in June, the building will be home to dozens of experimental, theoretical and applied physicists from Rice's departments of Physics and Astronomy and of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Brockman Hall will support research in atomic, molecular and optical physics; biophysics; condensed matter physics; nanoengineering and photonics.

The facility is special forseveral reasons: It was designed, constructed and occupied in just 33 months; it brings together faculty and students who formerly worked in five separate buildings scattered broadly across the campus; it is both a carefully refined 21st-century research facility and one of the most environmentally sustainable buildings at Rice; and it maintains much of the outdoor space that previously existed on Rice's Science Quadrangle.

Brockman Hall is composed of two parallel, rectilinear, spatial "bars" that are oriented east to west and connected by glass-enclosed bridges across an open passage that admits natural light and outdoor breezes. The larger south bar houses laboratories, faculty and research offices, a 150-seat lecture hall and a rooftop astronomical observatory. The elevated two-story north bar houses faculty, student and departmental offices and meeting spaces.

The open space beneath the north bar is framed by a "loggia" of tapered concrete columns that form an outdoor room, with shaded areas for class meetings, casual gathering and circulation. Beneath this serene outdoor oasis lies a sensitive and sophisticated complex of laboratories. Designed for vibration-sensitive atomic, molecular and optical physics and condensed-matter research, the hermetically controlled basement laboratories are stabilized on a two-foot-deep concreteslab and isolated from all the building's mechanical systems. State-of-the-art equipment supplies these labs with "clean" electrical power, chilled water and filtered air that is cleansed of submicroscopic dust.

One of the primary challenges faced by architect KieranTimberlake Associates was to provide such specialized and sophisticated research facilities within a context that could meet the U.S. Green Building Council's standards for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). KieranTimberlake's clever and elegant design met LEED Silver standards, and thanks to the tireless efforts of Rice's Facilities, Engineering and Planning Department and to the attention to detail by construction contractor Gilbane Building Company, Brockman is expected to contend for LEED Gold status.

Energy-saving and environmental features of the building include an energy-recovery system -- the largest in a single air unit in Texas -- that will save as much as 30 percent of the energy needed to cool the building in the summer. Another green innovation is the building's de-humidification system, which turns Houston's legendary humidity into an asset by capturing and returning 100,000 gallons of pure, clean water to Rice's central plant each year.

"This is a remarkable building in every sense, and it complements the excellent work of the physics community at Rice University," said Dan Carson, dean of Rice's Wiess School of Natural Sciences. "The future for science is extremely bright, and Brockman Hall is a clear demonstration of Rice's commitment to scholarship and achievement in the physical sciences."

To view a time-lapse video of the building from construction to completion, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C71SDo3-unk

Located on a 285-acre forested campus in Houston, Texas, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is known for its “unconventional wisdom." With 3,485 undergraduates and 2,275 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is less than 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice has been ranked No. 1 for best quality of life multiple times by the Princeton Review and No. 4 for "best value" among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance. To read "What they're saying about Rice," go to http://futureowls.rice.edu/images/futureowls/Rice_Brag_Sheet.pdf

Biofilm reorganization: Back to the theoretical drawing board

Microcinematic image analysis finds existing theories of bacterial self-organization are lacking

HOUSTON -- (March 21, 2011) -- In a surprising new study, researchers using image-analysis methods similar to those employed in facial-recognition software have made a startling discovery that rules out the two main theories scientists had created to explain how bacteria self-organize into multicellular aggregate mounds. The study by researchers from Rice University and the University of Georgia appears online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The find is important for the study of biofilms -- slimy colonies of bacteria that form on everything from teeth to pacemakers. Federal health officials have estimated that as many as 80 percent of all microbial infections arise from biofilms, and scientists know that the same bacteria can be up to 1,000 times more resistant to antibiotics if they're living inside a biofilm rather than living on their own. To better fight biofilms, scientists have been scrambling to understand the biochemical and biophysical mechanisms that allow bacteria to form aggregates, reorganize and interact.

"The results of our analysis were really surprising," said study co-author Oleg Igoshin, assistant professor in bioengineering at Rice. "Our results didn't support either of the major competing theories people have come up with. Those theories were each predicated on the idea that as the bacterial mounds were forming and reorganizing, the individual bacterium were drawn toward one or another of them by some sort of chemical signal.

"That doesn't appear to be the case at all," Igoshin said. "We didn't find any neighbor-related factors between the groups at all. Instead, there seems to be a signaling mechanism within the group itself that trumps everything else."

The study involved the bacterium Myxococcus xanthus, a common soil bacteria that's often studied for its ability to self-organize into various patterns. In the wild, M. xanthus are content to collectively hunt other bacteria. But when food is scarce, they stream together into aggregates containing up to 100,000 cells and form spores. The resulting aggregate mounds are large enough to be carried away to better environs by the wind or passing insects.

To study this behavior in the lab, Igoshin and Rice co-authors postdoctoral fellow Chunyan Xie and graduate student Haiyang Zhang created a computer program that could analyze thousands of still frames from microcinematic movies of M. xanthus. The movies were created in the laboratory of University of Georgia collaborator and co-author Lawrence Shimkets. The movies showed how M. xanthus streamed together to form "aggregates." One hallmark of the M. xanthus streaming process is that less than half of the aggregates that initially form will survive through the end of the process. The factors that control this ripening are not understood.

In designing their image-analysis application, Igoshin's team had the computer scrutinize every aggregate -- frame-by-frame -- throughout the streaming process. The computer cataloged 33 properties for each aggregate, including things like area, perimeter size,.distance to and size of the nearest neighbor. After all the data were collected, the team ran a statistical analysis to find out if any feature or combination of features could be used to predict which aggregates would eventually win out over their neighbors.

"We found that size mattered most," Igoshin said. "Not size in relation to neighbors, which is something people had previously thought might matter, but size of the aggregate itself. We found that if we answered one question -- is the size of an aggregate beyond a certain threshold -- then we could accurately predict whether the aggregate would survive with 90 percent accuracy."

Igoshin said some of the image analysis methodologies that the team applied to study M. xanthus are similar to ones that Chunyan Xies used for facial recognition analyses in her previous work. He said scientists have only recently begun to apply these sorts of image analysis techniques to fundamental biological questions like bacterial self-organization.

"One of the most exciting aspects of this study is the fact that we can apply these methods much more broadly to study self-organization in other bacteria and unicellular organisms," Igoshin said. "In fact, this kind of analysis is sorely needed, because most of the existing methods to study these phenomena are qualitative rather than quantitative. As a discipline, we need quantitative methods if we want to conduct side-by-side comparisons between real-world and computer-generated results."

Exploring the possibilities for zeolites

Rice University team creates database of 2.6 million varieties of molecular sieves

HOUSTON -- (April 2011) -- Some people collect stamps and coins, but when it comes to sheer utility, few collections rival the usefulness of Rice University researcher Michael Deem's collection of 2.6 million zeolite structures.

Zeolites are materials -- including some natural minerals -- that act as molecular sieves, thanks to a Swiss-cheese-like arrangement of pores that can sort, filter, trap and chemically process everything from drugs and petroleum to nuclear waste. Zeolites are particularly useful as catalysts -- materials that spur chemical reactions. There are about 50 naturally occurring zeolites and almost three times as many man-made varieties.

Deem's database, which is described in a new paper that will be featured on the cover of an upcoming issue of the Royal Society of Chemistry's journal Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, hints at the untapped possibilities for making even more synthetic zeolites.

"For many catalytic applications only a single material has been found," said Deem, the John W. Cox Professor in Biochemical and Genetic Engineering and professor of physics and astronomy. "Expanding the diversity of the zeolite structures would be helpful to improve performance in existing applications, to explore novel functions and to answer basic scientific questions."

Zeolites are useful because of the particular way atoms are mixed and arranged in their porous interiors. Based on these arrangements, zeolites can cause chemicals to react in particular ways, and even subtle changes in the arrangements can alter the reactions that are spurred. Deem's database was created to explore the many zeolite structures that are physically possible, and he said several researchers are already using the information to identify zeolites that could be used for carbon sequestration and other applications.

"Computational methods can play a stimulatory role in the synthesis of new zeolite materials," Deem said. "That is the motivation; that is the challenge that brings us back to zeolites time and again."

In 2007, Deem and his students used both supercomputers and unused computing cycles from more than 4,300 idling desktop PCs to painstakingly calculate every conceivable atomic formulation for zeolites. They created a database of more than 3.4 million atomic formulations of the porous silicate minerals.

In the current study, Deem, Rice graduate student Ramdas Pophale and Purdue University computational analyst Phillip Cheeseman designed tools to examine and compare the physical properties of each entry. Using these tools, they pared down the larger set by removing potential redundancies as well as "low-energy" structures that would either be unstable or impossible to synthesize.

For each of the 2.6 million remaining structures in the database, the team carried out calculations to find specific physical and chemical properties -- including X-ray diffraction patterns, ring-size distributions and dielectric constants -- that could help guide researchers interested in synthesizing them or in finding a new type of zeolite for a specific application.

Deem said the new database has been deposited in the publicly available Predicted Crystallography Open Database.

The research was funded by the National Science Foundation.

The Drive Toward Hydrogen Vehicles Just Got Shorter

Researchers make advances in rechargeable solid hydrogen fuel storage tanks

LOS ALAMOS, New Mexico, March 21, 2011—Researchers have revealed a new single-stage method for recharging the hydrogen storage compound ammonia borane. The breakthrough makes hydrogen a more attractive fuel for vehicles and other transportation modes.

In an article appearing today in the March 18 edition of Science magazine, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and University of Alabama researchers working within the U.S. Department of Energy’s Chemical Hydrogen Storage Center of Excellence describe a significant advance in hydrogen storage science.

Hydrogen is in many ways an ideal fuel.  It possesses a high energy content per unit mass when compared to petroleum, and it can be used to run a fuel cell, which in turn can be used to power a very clean engine. On the down side, H2 has a low energy content per unit volume versus petroleum (it is very light and bulky).  The crux of the hydrogen issue has been how to get enough of the element on board a vehicle to power it a reasonable distance.

Work at LANL and elsewhere has focused on chemical hydrides for storing hydrogen, with one material in particular, ammonia borane, taking center stage. Ammonia borane is attractive because its hydrogen storage capacity approaches a whopping 20 percent by weight—enough that it should, with appropriate engineering, permit hydrogen-fueled vehicles to go farther than 300 miles on a single “tank,” a benchmark set by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Hydrogen release from ammonia borane has been well demonstrated, and its chief drawback to use has been the lack of energy-efficient methods to reintroduce hydrogen into the spent fuel once burned. In other words, until now, after hydrogen release, the ammonia borane couldn’t be recycled efficiently enough.

The Science paper describes a simple scheme that regenerates ammonia borane  from a  hydrogen depleted “spent fuel” form (called polyborazylene) back into usable fuel via reactions taking place in a single container. This “one pot” method represents a significant step toward the practical use of hydrogen in vehicles by potentially reducing the expense and complexity of the recycle stage. Regeneration takes place in a sealed pressure vessel using hydrazine and liquid ammonia at 40 degrees Celsius and necessarily takes place off-board a vehicle. The researchers envision vehicles with interchangeable hydrogen storage “tanks ” containing ammonia borane that are used, and sent back to a factory for recharge.

The Chemical Hydrogen Storage Center of Excellence was one of three Center efforts funded by DOE. The other two focused on hydrogen sorption technologies and storage in metal hydrides. The Center of Excellence was a collaboration between Los Alamos, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and academic and industrial partners.

LANL researcher Dr. John Gordon, a corresponding author for the paper, credits collaboration encouraged by the Center model with the breakthrough.

“Crucial predictive calculations carried out by University of Alabama Professor Dave Dixon’s group guided the experimental work of the Los Alamos team, which included researchers from both the Chemistry Division and the Materials Physics and Applications Division at LANL,” Gordon said.

The success of this particular advance built on earlier work by this team (see: Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2009, 37, 6812).

Input from colleagues at Dow Chemical (also a Center Partner), indicated that an alternative approach to the work in the Angew. Chem. paper would be required if ammonia borane recycle were to be feasible on a large scale. Armed with this information, it was “the insight, creativity and hard work of Dr. Andrew Sutton of Chemistry Division at LANL that provided the key to unlocking the ‘one-pot’ chemistry,” Gordon said.

An electronic version of the article as it appears in the March 18 issue of Science is available online: http://www.sciencemag.org/content/331/6023/1426.full.pdf

'Pruned' microchips are faster, smaller,

more energy efficient

Experts produce leaner, greener microchips by trimming away little-used circuits

GRENOBLE, France -- (March 16, 2011) -- An international team of computing experts from the United States, Switzerland and Singapore has created a breakthrough technique for doubling the efficiency of computer chips simply by trimming away the portions that are rarely used.

"I believe this is the first time someone has taken an integrated circuit and said, 'Let's get rid of the part that we don't need,'" said principal investigator Krishna Palem, the Ken and Audrey Kennedy Professor of Computing at Rice University in Houston, who holds a joint appointment at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore. "What we've shown is that we can boost performance and cut energy use simultaneously if we prune the unnecessary portions of the digital application-specific integrated circuits that are typically used in hearing aids, cameras and other multimedia devices."

Palem, who heads the Rice-NTU Institute for Sustainable and Applied Infodynamics (ISAID), and his collaborators at Switzerland's Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM) are unveiling the new pruning technique this week in Grenoble, France, at DATE11, the premier European conference on the design, automation and testing of microelectronics.

Pruning is the latest example of "inexact hardware," the key approach that ISAID is exploring with CSEM to produce the next generation of energy-stingy microchips.

The probabilistic concept is deceptively simple: Slash power demands on microprocessors by allowing them to make mistakes. By cleverly managing the probability of errors and by limiting which calculations produce errors, the designers have found they can simultaneously cut energy demands and boost performance.

At DATE11, Rice graduate student Avinash Lingamneni will describe "probabilistic pruning," the novel technique the team created for trimming away the least-used portions of integrated circuits. Lingamneni used the method to create prototype chips at CSEM. The test prototypes contain both traditional circuits and pruned circuits that were produced side by side on the same silicon chip.

"Our initial tests indicate that the pruned circuits will be at least two times faster, consume about half the energy and take up about half the space of the traditional circuits," Lingamneni said. He said he hopes that the system performs even better in the final tests, which are still under way.

Christian Enz, who leads the CSEM arm of the collaboration and is a co-author of the DATE study, said, "The cost for these gains is an 8 percent error magnitude, and to put that into context, we know that many perceptive types of tasks found in vision or hearing applications can easily tolerate error magnitudes of up to 10 percent."

Palem said the next hurdle for "pruning" will be to use the technique to create a complete prototype chip for a specific application. Lingamneni said he hopes to start designing just such a chip for a hearing aid this summer.

"Based on what we already know, we believe probabilistic computing can produce application-specific integrated circuits for hearing aids that can run four to five times longer on a set of batteries than current hearing aids," Palem said. "The collaboration between ISAID and CSEM was key to achieving these results."

Tying the knot with computer-generated holograms: Winding optical path moves matter

Graphic: A laser beam is imprinted with a hologram in the input pupil of an objective lens. The hologram is projected through the objective's focal plane and comes to a focus along a 3-D curve parameterized by its arc length, s. Credit: Optics Express

In the latest twist on optical knots, New York University physicists have discovered a new method to create extended and knotted optical traps in three dimensions. This method, which the NYU scientists describe in the Optical Society's open-access journal Optics Express, produces "bright" knots, where the maximum of the light intensity traces out a knotted trajectory in space, for the first time allowing microscopic objects to be trapped along the path of the knot. The method may even, one day, help enable fusion energy as a practical power source, according to the NYU team.

Optical traps can be used to confine and manipulate small objects—ranging in size from a few nanometers to several hundred micrometers—in 3-D. They work because variations in the intensity of the light produce forces that push small objects toward bright regions. The trapping of small objects is widely used for a broad range of research applications in biophysics, condensed matter physics and medical diagnostics.

Ordinary optical traps use Gaussian laser beams that focus to a spot. The beams being used to create extended optical traps focus instead to curves, much like the bright patterns on the bottom of swimming pools. And these bright curves can be tied in knots.

Knotted traps are made by imprinting a computer-generated hologram on the wavefronts of an otherwise ordinary beam of light. NYU undergraduate student Elisabeth Shanblatt and NYU physicist David Grier, the authors of the Optics Express paper, use a "liquid-crystal spatial light modulator" to project their holograms. This is essentially the first cousin of a conventional LCD television screen. The spatial light modulator imprints a calculated pattern of phase shifts onto the light. When the modified beam is brought to a focus with a high-power lens, the region of maximum intensity takes the form of a 3-D curve. This curve can cross over and through itself to trace out a knot. Moreover, the same hologram can redirect the light's radiation pressure to have a component along the curve, so that the total optical force "threads the knot."

When Shanblatt and Grier began this investigation, they thought that creating knots would be a compelling and aesthetically pleasing demonstration of their method's power. Once the knots actually worked, they realized that there are very few—if any—other practical ways to create knotted force fields. Previously reported knotted vortex fields have intensity minima along the knot, rather than the intensity maxima, or "bright knots" that can be created using the computer-generated holograms.

Shanblatt was working on a project with Grier investigating these holographic optical traps, when they discovered a method for projecting holographic optical traps along arbitrary curves in 3-D, with amplitude and phase profiles independently specified (See figure above).

"The knotted optical force fields we created use intensity gradients to hold microscopic objects in place and phase gradients to thread them through the knot," says Shanblatt, describing their method. "These optical knots are a special type of a very general class of 3-D optical traps that can be created using holographic techniques."

Ordinary optical traps have current applications in biophysics, where they are used as surgical tools and to probe the elastic properties of biomolecules, and in condensed matter physics, where they assemble nanomaterials into 3-D functional structures and gauge the forces between microscopic objects. Extended optical traps are especially handy in moving small objects such as biological cells through microfluidic lab-on-a-chip devices. And they can be used to measure very small interactions among such objects, which is helpful for medical diagnostic tests.

Perhaps the most exciting and futuristic potential application the NYU team sees for their method is to create knotted current loops of charged particles in high-temperature plasmas. This is a long-sought-after goal for developing fusion energy as a practical power source.

How can their knots of light solve problems of fusion energy? Fusion reactors work by slamming light atomic nuclei into each other so hard that the nuclei fuse into heavier elements, releasing lots of energy. The best way to accomplish this, Grier says, is to heat the atoms to a high enough temperature so that they can overcome all of the barriers to fusion. At these temperatures, the atoms' electrons ionize and the gas becomes a plasma.

This is doubly good, notes Grier, because you can pass large electric currents through the plasma, therefore heating it still more. "You can also act on the currents with magnetic fields to contain the hot plasma, preventing it from destroying its physical container. These fusion plasmas are literally as hot as the core of the sun," he adds.

A problem occurs when currents flowing through plasma in a fusion reactor become unstable; this is similar to what occurs when the currents flowing through the plasma in a neon sign flicker. The currents thrash around, cool the plasma, damage the container, and generally prevent the process from generating useful energy.

"If the currents in a plasma are tied into a knot, the knot can eliminate most, if not all, of these instabilities because the magnetic field lines generated by the knotted current can't pass though each other," explains Grier.

Shanblatt and Grier believe that projecting a knotted optical force field into a plasma might prove to be a good way to initiate a knotted current loop. If so, the knotted current could then be ramped up by other conventional means. The result? Perhaps, a stable, high-temperature plasma capable of producing bountiful fusion energy.

More information: "Extended and Knotted Optical Traps in Three Dimensions," Elisabeth R. Shanblatt, David G. Grier, Optics Express, Vol. 19, Issue 7, pp. 5833-5838, http://www.opticsi … oe-19-7-5833

Provided by Optical Society of America

Large Hadron Collider could be world's first time machine

These are theoretical physicists Thomas Weiler, right, and Chui Man Ho.

Credit: John Russell / Vanderbilt University

March 15, 2011 - If the latest theory of Tom Weiler and Chui Man Ho is right, the Large Hadron Collider – the world's largest atom smasher that started regular operation last year – could be the first machine capable causing matter to travel backwards in time.

"Our theory is a long shot," admitted Weiler, who is a physics professor at Vanderbilt University, "but it doesn't violate any laws of physics or experimental constraints."

One of the major goals of the collider is to find the elusive Higgs boson: the particle that physicists invoke to explain why particles like protons, neutrons and electrons have mass. If the collider succeeds in producing the Higgs boson, some scientists predict that it will create a second particle, called the Higgs singlet, at the same time.

According to Weiler and Ho's theory, these singlets should have the ability to jump into an extra, fifth dimension where they can move either forward or backward in time and reappear in the future or past.

"One of the attractive things about this approach to time travel is that it avoids all the big paradoxes," Weiler said. "Because time travel is limited to these special particles, it is not possible for a man to travel back in time and murder one of his parents before he himself is born, for example. However, if scientists could control the production of Higgs singlets, they might be able to send messages to the past or future."

Unsticking the "brane"

The test of the researchers' theory will be whether the physicists monitoring the collider begin seeing Higgs singlet particles and their decay products spontaneously appearing. If they do, Weiler and Ho believe that they will have been produced by particles that travel back in time to appear before the collisions that produced them.

Weiler and Ho's theory is based on M-theory, a "theory of everything." A small cadre of theoretical physicists have developed M-theory to the point that it can accommodate the properties of all the known subatomic particles and forces, including gravity, but it requires 10 or 11 dimensions instead of our familiar four. This has led to the suggestion that our universe may be like a four-dimensional membrane or "brane" floating in a multi-dimensional space-time called the "bulk."

According to this view, the basic building blocks of our universe are permanently stuck to the brane and so cannot travel in other dimensions. There are some exceptions, however. Some argue that gravity, for example, is weaker than other fundamental forces because it diffuses into other dimensions. Another possible exception is the proposed Higgs singlet, which responds to gravity but not to any of the other basic forces.

Answers in neutrinos?

Weiler began looking at time travel six years ago to explain anomalies that had been observed in several experiments with neutrinos. Neutrinos are nicknamed ghost particles because they react so rarely with ordinary matter: Trillions of neutrinos hit our bodies every second, yet we don't notice them because they zip through without affecting us.

Weiler and colleagues Heinrich Päs and Sandip Pakvasa at the University of Hawaii came up with an explanation of the anomalies based on the existence of a hypothetical particle called the sterile neutrino. In theory, sterile neutrinos are even less detectable than regular neutrinos because they interact only with gravitational force. As a result, sterile neutrinos are another particle that is not attached to the brane and so should be capable of traveling through extra dimensions.

Weiler, Päs and Pakvasa proposed that sterile neutrinos travel faster than light by taking shortcuts through extra dimensions. According to Einstein's general theory of relativity, there are certain conditions where traveling faster than the speed of light is equivalent to traveling backward in time. This led the physicists into the speculative realm of time travel.

Ideas impact science fiction

In 2007, the researchers, along with Vanderbilt graduate fellow James Dent, posted a paper titled "Neutrino time travel" on the preprint server that generated a considerable amount of buzz.

Their ideas found their way into two science fiction novels. Final Theory by Mark Alpert, which was described in the New York Times as a "physics-based version of The Da Vinci Code," is based on the researchers' idea of neutrinos taking shortcuts in extra dimensions. Joe Haldeman's novel The Accidental Time Machine is about a time-traveling MIT graduate student and includes an author's note that describes the novel's relationship to the type of time travel described by Dent, Päs, Pakvasa and Weiler.

Ho is a graduate fellow working with Weiler. Their theory is described in a paper posted March 7 on the arXiv.org physics preprint website.

More information: Causality-Violating Higgs Singlets at the LHC, Chiu Man Ho, Thomas J. Weiler, arXiv:1103.1373v1 [hep-ph]. http://arxiv.org/abs/1103.1373

Provided by Vanderbilt University

The Balzan Prizes 2011

HISTORY, ENLIGHTENMENT, BIOINFORMATICS

AND ASTROPHYSICS

Milan, 2 March 2011 - The General Prize Committee of the International Balzan Foundation "Prize", chaired in Milan by Salvatore Veca, has announced the subject areas for the 2011 Balzan Prizes:

- Ancient History (The Graeco-Roman World)

- Enlightenment Studies

- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics

- The Early Universe (From the Planck Time to the First Galaxies)

Submissions are invited from renown international cultural and scientific Institutions (Universities, Research Institutes, Academies).

Nominations may be submitted by 15 March 2011; names submitted must be accompanied by a description of the reasons for the nomination, a list of main publications and a complete curriculum vitae. Self-nominations will not be accepted.

The Prizewinners of the four Balzan Prizes 2011 will be officially announced in Milan on 5 September 2011.

The Balzan Prize is unique among international awards in recognising, on an annual basis, particularly relevant, innovative and specific research carried out in two broad categories: 1) literature, moral sciences and the arts, and 2) physical, mathematical and the natural sciences and medicine. Consequently, the Balzan Prize aims to promote the humanities and the sciences in all fields of knowledge.

The amount of each prize is 750,000 Swiss Francs. Prize winners are required to earmark half of the sum for the financing of research projects preferably conducted by young scientists and humanists.  For more information visit:www.balzan.org

SILICON CHIP "REPLACES" RARE EARTHS

Rare earths are an expensive and necessary component of strong permanent magnets. However, their use for this purpose can be optimised and thereby reduced. This has been demonstrated in computer simulations by a Special Research Program funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF. The results, which will be presented in the US tomorrow, show that such magnets may contain local deformations in the crystal lattice of the material. These deformations are above all located at the boundary of material grains. According to the calculations of the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences, the magnetic force of the material is weakened in these areas. This could be avoided by optimising the material structure, which would save resources by reducing the amount of rare earths required.

With an annual production of 150,000 tonnes, rare earths are really not that rare. The real problem is that they are rather difficult to extract. In view of rapidly growing global demand, a shortage is therefore imminent. Due to their particular chemical properties, rare earths are sought after for modern environmental technology. This is a good reason for the main exporter, China, to limit exports - and for other countries to optimise their use of the resource. High-end computer simulations, such as the computations from St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences, carried out as part of an FWF-funded Special Research Program, could make a major contribution to this optimization. Tomorrow, at the annual meeting of the US Minerals, Metals & Materials Society in San Diego, California, these simulations will be presented for the first time.

CRYSTAL CRISES

The team at St. Pölten University studied the exact structure of neodymium magnets. In addition to the rare earth element neodymium, the magnets consist of iron and boron. The head of the Industrial Simulations study course, Prof. Thomas Schrefl, commented on the recent findings: "Our simulations show disturbances in the crystalline structure in neodymium magnets. Such disturbances cause the magnetising direction to change in these areas. In a so-called anisotropic magnet, like the neodymium magnet, in which all parts must have the same magnetising direction, this phenomenon weakens the magnet." The team´s simulations show that such disturbances in the junctions between individual material grains occur when three different grains meet. In these triple junctions, a non-magnetic enclosure is formed and the crystal lattice near the enclosure is disturbed. In the same region, a high demagnetising field weakens the magnet further.

The influence of disturbances on the magnet´s behaviour were found in multiscale simulations that take into account several different dimensions: from the atomistic to the visible range. Conventional simulations were unable to cover this range of size until now. It was the combination of individual numerical computational methods, such as fast boundary element methods and tensor grid methods for computing the magnetic fields, which finally made it possible. The development was achieved by Prof. Schrefl´s team as part of the Special Research Program ViCoM - Vienna Computational Materials Laboratory.

COHESION THROUGH MOVEMENT

The spokesperson for the Special Research Program, Prof. Georg Kresse from the research group Computational Materials Physics at the University of Vienna, explained the aims of the Special Research Program: "We want to describe the correlated movement of electrons more accurately. This electron correlation is mainly responsible for the cohesion of solid-state bodies and molecules. An accurate description is therefore crucial for precisely predicting the mechanical, electronic and optical properties of materials."

In a total of twelve project groups, more than 50 scientists are working on describing material properties, which will be of key importance to numerous technologies of tomorrow, including microelectronics, solar technology and polymer production. What is more, the Special Research Program helps with the optimisation of magnetic and magneto-optical storage, as in high-performance permanent magnets for electric cars or wind turbines, thereby making a substantial contribution to developing future-oriented technologies. The work of this Special Research Program, which is funded by the FWF, therefore transcends mere scientific interest - as is clear from recent discussions about the availability and strategic importance of rare earths. It is a convincing testament to how insights acquired in basic research can rapidly gain unexpected import.

America Competes Reauthorization Fosters Nanomanufacturing Research, Innovation, and Public-Private Partnerships

Written by Jeff Morse, Ph.D.

February 24, 2011

The America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science (COMPETES) Reauthorization Act of 2010 (America Competes Act -H.R. 5116) recently signed into law has extended the oversight activities of several government agencies to coordinate appropriations and expenditures made in several areas aimed to bolster U.S. competitiveness in science and technology.

In assigning these oversight activities to specific agencies under the coordination of an interagency committee within the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) established by the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), strategies and roadmaps will be established in areas including science education, advanced manufacturing, innovation, and effective technology transfer. The cornerstones of this will include a coordinated strategy on Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) education; the establishment of national goals and priorities in advanced manufacturing; identification and reduction of regulatory, logistical, and fiscal barriers that inhibit manufacturing; effectively facilitating technology transfer of federally supported research from academia to commercialization; identification of key challenges that may be addressed through public-private partnerships; and encouragement of such partnerships to address those challenges for transition to U.S. based manufacturing.

While OSTP maintains primary responsibility for coordination and reporting of the above activities, specific agencies have more specific oversight of appropriations in related areas. For example, the National Institute of Standards and technology (NIST) would oversee the Manufacturing extension Partnership which would instruct Regional Centers for the Transfer of Manufacturing Technology to provide community colleges with information about job skills needed in manufacturing sectors, as well as establish a green manufacturing and construction initiative to promote sustainability in manufacturing and improve energy performance, service life, and air quality in buildings. Additionally, the National Science Foundation (NSF) will carry out a program to award merit-reviewed, competitive grants to institutions of higher education to support fundamental research leading to transformative advances in manufacturing technologies, processes, and enterprises supporting United States manufacturing through improved performance, productivity, sustainability, and competitiveness. Research areas cited included nanomanufacturing, materials processing and information technologies for manufacturing, including predictive and real-time models and simulations, and virtual manufacturing. Additionally, the NSF will ensure a well-trained manufacturing workforce, by strengthening and expansion of scientific and technical education and training in advanced manufacturing.

New to the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 is the establishment of an Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship by the Department of Commerce (DOC) to foster innovation and the commercialization of new technologies, products, processes, and services. Furthermore, the DOC would establish a program to provide loan guarantees to small- and medium-sized manufacturers and define eligible projects as those that reequip, expand, or establish manufacturing facilities in the United States to use an innovative technology or an innovative process in manufacturing, or to manufacture an innovative technology product or an integral component of such a product. The Innovation program further institutes a regional innovation program that encourages and supports the development of regional innovation strategies, including regional innovation clusters. In this model the DOC is authorized to award regional innovation cluster grants that require a 50% matching requirements for grant recipients; establish a regional innovation research and information program to determine and distribute best practices and metrics to assess performance, With the goal of accelerating innovation, technology transfer and commercialization, the DOC will conduct studies based on the effectiveness of these strategies to refine them in order to provide sustainable, long term impact towards U.S. economic competitiveness.

The reauthorization of the America Competes Act provides a window of opportunity for the nanomanufacturing community to evaluate translational research activities that potentially impact present and future manufacturing infrastructure within the U.S. As an example, the opportunity is presented to establish strategies towards the formation of local and regional clusters which are supported by academic centers of excellence in combination with the strengths of local industry sectors could foster collaborative demonstrations of new and emerging manufacturing capabilities. The NNN would like to solicit feedback from members and stakeholders regarding focus topics and industry sectors that could possibly benefit by some of the new initiatives in the America Competes Act, and further consider this for future workshop topics.

CSEM partners with Nano Retina to

restore sight to the blind

Positioning of the retinal implant after the operation (picture on the left)

View of the bionic chip and its interface with the retina (picture on the right)

Neuchâtel, 8 February 2011 – CSEM announced today that its scientists and engineers are collaborating with Nano-Retina to develop an implantable bionic chip, especially designed to return sight to those blinded by retinal degenerative diseases.

There are currently about 10 million people worldwide aged 40 and older who are legally blind, most of them due to degenerative conditions like age-related macular degeneration (AMD). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), (AMD) is the third cause worldwide of visual impairment, accounting for 8.7% of such cases. To date, there is no preventive or curative treatment available for this condition.

Nano-Retina Inc, an Israeli company with laboratories in Herzliya, Israel and Dallas Texas USA, is developing an ultra small, high resolution and easy to implant, artificial retina designed to restore sight. This bionic retina incorporates various nano-size components in one tiny, flat implant, approximating the size of a child’s fingernail bed. Nano-Retina has entrusted CSEM – given its state-of-the-art competencies in the area of low power IC design and photosensors – with the development of an artificial retinal chip. The aim of this project is to develop a new generation of tiny retinal implants that compensate for the damaged retina, without having to resort to an operation, which would be traumatic for the patient: simple local anaesthesia, a small incision (approx. 5 mm) in the sclera, followed by “gluing” of the implant over the damaged retina. The implant procedure will last barely half-an-hour. The implant is designed to work harmoniously with the natural functionalities of the eye, such as pupil dilation and eyeball movement. Restoring sight in a blind person is no longer something belonging to the realm of science fiction!

How does it work?

In a healthy eye, light travels through the eyeball into the retina. The retinal photoreceptors react to the light by converting it into an electrical signal which is transmitted to the brain via the optic nerve. The brain thereafter recreates the image that we see.

When the nerve connections and the optic nerve are still functioning, the artificial retina will enable the relaying of the visual information to the brain in place of the damaged retinal photoreceptors. The information can then be processed and the transmitted visual data recreated.

The bionic chip comprises a small imager, similar to that used in a digital camera, and an electronic interface including a network of electrodes designed to stimulate the optic nerve so that it sends the visual data – collected by the chip – to the brain. The implant will be powered by an external source integrated in a pair of special spectacles that the patient will have to wear.

The first clinical trials on humans are scheduled for 2013.

Early tests find nanoshell therapy effective

against brain cancer

Rice bioengineers, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s physician-scientists zap tumors with light-activated nanoparticles

HOUSTON -- (Feb. 2011) -- Rice University bioengineers and physician-scientists at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital have successfully destroyed tumors of human brain cancer cells in the first animal tests of a minimally invasive treatment that zaps glioma tumors with heat. The tests involved nanoshells, light-activated nanoparticles that are designed to destroy tumors with heat and avoid the unwanted side effects of drug and radiation therapies.

The results of the new study are available online in the Journal of Neuro-Oncology. The researchers reported that more than half of the animals that received the nanoshell treatment for glioma tumors had no signs of cancer more than three months after treatment.

"This first round of in vivo animal tests suggests that photothermal therapy with nanoshells may one day be a viable option for glioma patients," said study co-author Jennifer West, the Isabel C. Cameron Professor of Bioengineering at Rice and chair of Rice's Department of Bioengineering. West cautioned that follow-up work in the laboratory is needed before any human testing of the therapy can begin. She said human clinical trials of nanoshell phototherapy for glioma are likely at least a year away.

Glioma is among the most aggressive and difficult-to-treat of all brain cancers. Fewer than five percent of glioma patients survive beyond five years. The disease is particularly difficult to treat because glioma tumors are often highly invasive and inoperable.

Study co-authors include pediatric oncologist Susan Blaney, deputy director of Texas Children's Cancer Center and Baylor College of Medicine professor and vice chair for research in the department of pediatrics, and Rebekah Drezek, professor in bioengineering at Rice. West, Blaney, Drezek and colleagues tested mice with abdominal tumors of human glioma cells. The researchers injected the mice with nanoshells and waited 24 hours for the nanoparticles to accumulate in the tumors. A laser of near-infrared light -- which is harmless to healthy tissue -- was shined at the tumor for three minutes. The nanoshells converted the laser light into tumor-killing heat. All seven animals that received the nanoshell treatment responded, but cancer returned in three. The other four remained cancer-free 90 days after treatment.

"The results of this study are encouraging, and we are cautiously optimistic that this process may bring us closer to finding a cure for glioma," said Blaney, also associate director for clinical research at Baylor College of Medicine's Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center and co-director of The Institute for Clinical and Translational Research. "This is very exciting, especially given the poor prognosis of the disease and the importance of finding brain tumor treatment alternatives that have minimal side effects."

Gold nanoshells, which were invented by Rice researcher Naomi Halas in the mid-1990s, are smaller than red blood cells. Nanoshells are like tiny malted milk balls that are coated with gold rather than chocolate. Their core is nonconducting, and by varying the size of the core and thickness of the shell, researchers can tune them to respond to different wavelengths of light.

Houston-based biomedical firm Nanospectra Biosciences, which holds the license for medical use of Rice's nanoshell technology, began the first human clinical trial of nanoshell phototherapy in 2008.

West, a co-founder and director of Nanospectra Biosciences, said the new glioma study is part of a larger ongoing effort within the Texas Medical Center to adapt nanoshell phototherapy for use against a variety of cancers. Researchers at Rice, Texas Children's Hospital, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine and other institutions are working to develop nanoshell-based treatments for prostate cancer and pancreatic cancer.

The glioma study was funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and Hope Street Kids.

Significant progress for CSEM Brasil

Brazilian development bank BNDES approves US$8M for agricultural microsystems-based monitoring systems and a research lab in Brazil.

Neuchâtel, 28 January 2011, Brazilian development bank BNDES approves funding of US$8M (12.9 million reais) for the Innovation Center CSEM Brasil, Belo Horizonte (MG), to develop technological systems for crop monitoring and to set-up an applied-research facility in nanotechnology, microsystems and sensors aiming to serve - among others - the automotive, oil & gas, aerospace and semiconductor markets. The transaction, made in the framework of the bank’s technology fund (Funtec), also involves investments in technology transfer and the training of professionals.

Brazil is a huge agricultural power. It is the world's largest producer of sugarcane and coffee, and a net exporter of cocoa, soybeans, orange juice, tobacco, forest products and tropical fruits and nuts. Brazil’s share of global food production, currently at 26%, is expected to rise to 35% by 2019[1].

CSEM Brasil is an applied-research institute founded by CSEM of Switzerland in collaboration with Brazilian venture capital firm FIR Capital and the government of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. The country’s second largest state, Minas Gerais is rapidly evolving from a commodity-driven economy to one based on innovation and high-tech. CSEM Brasil´s mission for agriculture is to equip the Brazilian and world farming sectors with a set of tools which provide relevant plant and soil information to assist farmers in achieving lower costs and higher yields with reduced environmental impact, whilst providing CSEM Brasil with a platform for further developments in other markets.

The precision agriculture systems being developed by CSEM Brasil will enable the monitoring of integrated sensors, connected to a wireless network for data transmission, distributed throughout the area. Accurate and automated readings of many physical aspects of the environment are possible and will provide consolidated data to the user. The project will have a concrete impact on next generation equipment for precision agriculture and thereby contribute to a smarter planet, creating, for example, devices able to contribute to water savings.

Among the many merits of the project, we would like to highlight the stimulus towards applied-research by  creating modern infrastructure, the very real synergies created by bringing together business communities with the knowledge generated in universities and centers of excellence, and the training of professionals and students in the new technologies of segments strategic for Brazil.

CSEM Switzerland’s participation in the project will be in the field of knowledge transfer regarding wireless-sensor networks and microsystems. Mario El-Khoury, CEO of CSEM SA, states: “CSEM is increasingly involved in technologies which serve the environment. Sustainable agriculture is at the heart of this involvement and of our collaboration in Brazil”.

The Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) has also contributed to the development of specific sensors potentially useful to the project and Embrapa (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation), the Brazilian national champion of agricultural research, with many branches worldwide, will also participate, specifically in tests and field trials.

Technologies used in the project and new to Brazil will also enable applied research and development work to be conducted in the country, targeting differentiated chip-packaging solutions, and the development of hybrid microsystems, all of which have applications in various strategic industries, particularly those working in harsh environments such oil & gas, automotive and aeronautical.

Rice scientist recognized for stellar work on nanoparticles, cell membranes

The Welch Foundation honors 'rising star' with $100,000 Hackerman Award

HOUSTON -- (Jan. 27, 2011) -- The Welch Foundation today awarded its prestigious Hackerman Award to Rice University scientist Jason Hafner '96, who was named this year's "rising star" for his innovative chemical research. Hafner's discoveries include a new type of nanostructure called gold nanostars, which are proving useful for sensing, imaging and medicine, and the first method for measuring large electrical fields inside cell membranes.

"I've always known I wanted to be a scientist; nothing gets me more excited than figuring out how things work," said Hafner, an assistant professor in chemistry and in physics and astronomy. "To be recognized for doing what I love – especially with an award named after Norman Hackerman, a man who gave so much to science – is a very special honor."

Hafner will be presented the award and an accompanying prize of $100,000 at a luncheon today.

"Dr. Hafner is known for approaching questions from unusual angles," said Ernest H. Cockrell, chair of The Welch Foundation. "His creative thinking, careful experiments and willingness to tap into research tools from a variety of disciplines have led to breakthroughs in several areas and epitomize the type of scientist this award was created to recognize."

Hafner began developing his interest in applying nanomaterials and nanoscale tools to study biological systems while he was a graduate student studying with Rice Nobel laureate Richard Smalley.

Half physicist and half chemist, Hafner studies how to modify the surface chemistry of metal nanoparticles to affect how they grow and how they interact with living cells. This is important because the resulting size and shape of the nanoparticles determine their optical properties. In this process, he created gold nanostars, a complex new structure whose many elongated points absorb and scatter light at varying wavelengths. Hafner has mapped the optical properties of the stars and how they may be used for imaging (by scattering light) and sensing (by tracking changes in optical properties caused by the environment). The gold nanostars also are expected to have important therapeutic applications. For example, Hafner collaborates with Rice colleague Dmitri Lapotko, who uses the nanostars and lasers to create nanobubbles that can pinpoint and kill individual cancer cells.

On the analytical front, Hafner is using the tip of an atomic force microscope to detect the large electrical field inside lipid membranes, where most of the cell's work is done. Created by molecular dipoles, this membrane property is thought to be important, but its biological role is largely unexplored because it is difficult to measure. Hafner has mapped the spatial variation of the dipole moment of membranes, and he is now trying to see how that membrane parameter may affect the interactions of small biomolecules with the membrane. In a related effort, he also hopes to develop a more traditional optical method to measure the dipole moment so that it may be studied more broadly.

Other analytical research involves applying his expertise with nanomaterials, surface chemistry and optics to make surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, or SERS, a more reliable and quantitative tool.

"Jason is an example of the best of today's researchers – those men and women who work across disciplinary boundaries to pursue interesting problems, using persistence, thoughtfully designed experiments, smart thinking and an open mind to find the answers," said James Kinsey, chair of The Welch Foundation's Scientific Advisory Board and Rice's D.R. Bullard-Welch Foundation Professor Emeritus of Science in the Department of Chemistry. "He also gives back to science beyond his own research as an inspiring teacher and mentor to the next generations of scientists."

A Texas native, Hafner grew up south of Dallas and earned an undergraduate degree in physics at Trinity University. After graduate school at Rice, he completed postdoctoral work at Harvard University before returning to Rice as a faculty member in 2001.

The Hackerman Award is named in honor of Norman Hackerman, a former Rice president, noted scientist and long-time chair of The Welch Foundation's Scientific Advisory Board. The Hackerman Award is presented annually to young scientists conducting basic research in chemistry in Texas.

A SOLUTION THAT COUNTS: LONG-STANDING MATHEMATICAL CONJECTURE FINALLY PROVED

A conjecture presented in 1985 - the Andrews and Robbins conjecture - has recently been proved for the first time. It is thus clear that the structure which goes by the name of "totally symmetric plane partitions" can be described using a single formula. Producing the proof required vast computer resources and was only possible after the formula had been prepared for computer-assisted calculation. This finding by a Austrian Science Fund FWF supported research group based in Linz, Austria will be published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences today. The proof means that the last of a long list of famous mathematical conjectures relating to plane partitions has finally been proved.

Even mathematicians play with building blocks. At least if they are interested in so-called plane partitions, which are visualized with columns of "building blocks" (cubes) on a surface resembling a chessboard. When "building" such plane partitions, the mathematicians must adhere to certain rules: No column may be higher than the width of the surface, or than another column behind it or left of it. The question of how many column permutations may be built on a given surface area is easily answered, thanks to a specific formula. However, it becomes trickier if the permutations must follow stipulated symmetries, or if, instead of counting the permutations, you wish to count its constituents. Although formulas have been designed to do this too, the crux of the matter is that not all of these formulas have really been proved to be accurate. It is only conjectured.

THE PROOF IS IN THE COMPUTER

The proof that one of these formulas is correct has now been found by Dr. Christoph Koutschan and Dr. Manuel Kauers from the Research Institute for Symbolic Computation of the Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria, in cooperation with Prof. Doron Zeilberger from the United States. It is a formula that is employed for calculating the individual components in totally symmetric plane partitions. Dr. Koutschan comments on the special method they used to find the proof: "We let the computer do the work! In some areas of mathematics this has long been a matter of routine." The underlying principle of such computer-assisted proof is simple. In order to prove A=B, the computer calculates an adjoint equation U=V with the following two properties: "If U=V is true, then A=B is also true" and "it is easy to verify that U=V".

Although it may sound easy, it represents a great challenge, according to Dr. Koutschan: "This method does not work for every equation. The most important step was for us to convert the Andrews-Robbins conjecture into a suitable form for the computer to be able to prove it." The fact that the adjoint equation was really somewhat more complex than "U=V", is illustrated by its size: if it were printed, it would cover approximately 1 million A4 pages, which makes it probably the longest equation ever used in a mathematical proof.

STANLEY`S LIST

In the end, the work that was spent on the "formulation" was well worth it. With the proof of the Andrews and Robbins conjecture, the scientists have managed to prove the last of a number of famous conjectures, which were presented by US mathematician Richard Stanley at a historic conference in Montreal in 1985. In the years following the conference, all of these conjectures were proved except for the Andrews and Robbins conjecture. Dr. Kauers comments: "As the last remaining item on Stanley s list, this conjecture attracted the attention of many experts. Still, it remained unproved for almost thirty years. The proof was finally obtained with an automatic method, which goes to show that modern computer programs can crack mathematical problems where traditional mathematicians fall short."

Granted, such successful results are still an exception. However, this FWF project underscores the potential of computer-based proof. Given the great pace at which computer performance is advancing, such methods will perhaps one day even offer answers to the great unsolved questions in mathematics.

Image and text will be available from Tuesday, 25th January 2011, 9 am CET onwards:

http://www.fwf.ac.at/en/public_relations/press/pv201101-2en.html

Original publication: A proof of George Andrews` and David Robbins` q-TSPP conjecture. C. Koutschan, M. Kauers, D. Zeilberger. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1019186108

Photonics, Plasmonics and Magneto-Optics International Conference (PPM 2011) will feature high profile speakers

Madrid (Spain): January 2010 - Phantoms Foundation is pleased to announce PPM 2011 (Photonics, Plasmonics and Magneto-Optics), one of the 6 conferences organized in parallel under the ImagineNano 2011 event between 11th and 14th of April 2011 in Bilbao, Spain.

(http://www.imaginenano.com/SCIENCE/Scienceconferences_PPM2011.php)

The conference aims to bring together top researchers and future leaders encouraging interactions between students, young speakers and senior figures in the field.

Topics:

The high level invited speakers to be announced in PPM 2011 conference are:

  Javier Aizpurua

    (CSIC-UPV/EHU & DIPC, Spain)

  Harry Atwater

    (Caltech, USA)

  Nader Engheta

    (Univ of Pennsylvania, USA)

  Shanhui Fan

    (Stanford University, USA)

  Harald Giessen

    (University of Stuttgart, Germany)

   Evelyn Hu

    (Harvard SEAS, USA)

  Mitsuteru Inoue

    (Toyohashi Univ of Technology, Japan)

  Thomas F Krauss

    (University of St. Andrews, UK)

  Luis M. Liz-Marzan

    (Universidad de Vigo, Spain)

   John Pendry

    (Imperial College London, UK)

  Theo Rasing

    (Radboud Univ, The Netherlands)

  Vasily Temnov

    (MIT, USA)

  Paolo Vavassori

    (CIC nanoGUNE Consolider, Spain)

A one-day NanoMagma workshop is also being planned on the 13th of April.

NanoMagma is a European funded project and the main purpose is the study, development and application of a novel concept of nanostructured materials formed by the combination of components with plasmonic and magneto-optic (MO) activity. This smart combination will produce “magneto-plasmonic” nanomaterials tailored on the nanoscale.

The deadline to send an abstract is the 24th of January and registration with Early Bird fee must be done before the 21st of February.

For the first time, ImagineNano will comprise in 15.000 m2, 6 conferences in parallel, a huge exhibition carried out with the latest nanotrends for the future, an Industrial Forum and a social component where everyone can meet and greet Nanotechnology side by side. ImagineNano will therefore gather global nanotechnology community, including researchers, industry policymakers, investors and plans to be a reference in Europe in the next upcoming years. The organization is expecting attendance of 1500 participants.

POSTDOCTOR OR RESEARCHER POSITION IN PHILOSOPHY/STS  AT NTNU, NORWAY

A position is available connected to the interdisciplinary project ‘Crossover Research: Well constructed systems biology’. The position is for a period of three years, starting August 1, 2011. Applicants should hold a PhD in philosophy or STS-related fields and preference will be given to those who have a documented interest in the sciences, particularly post-genomic life sciences.

This project is one of three integrated projects at the Faculty of Humanities, NTNU financed by the Research Council of Norway’s ELSA program, comprising different forms of experiments on ways of integrating scholars from the humanities in ongoing research projects. The postdoctor or researcher will join a team of philosophers/STS researchers expected to collaborate with members of the systems biology research group. Applicants should have an interest in philosophical or normative questions relating to ethics and epistemology which they will pursue while embedded within the research domain of systems biology.

For the complete call see

http://www.jobbnorge.no/job.aspx?jobid=71979

For a complete project description for the project see

http://www.ntnu.no/anvendtetikk/fileadmin/Offentlig_tilgjengelige_filer/Crossover_project_description.pdf

Application deadline: 14th February, 2011.

BATTELLE CEO ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF INAUGURAL GORDON BATTELLE PRIZE

COLUMBUS, Ohio-Battelle, the world's largest non-profit independent research and development organization, today announced 10 winners of the inaugural Gordon Battelle Prizes for scientific discovery and technology impact.

Selected from 19 entries submitted by laboratories where Battelle plays a significant management role, the awards were divided into two categories: scientific advances published within the last three years that have significantly advanced human knowledge in any field of the physical, life, or social sciences; and technology innovations that are on track, or have high promise, to provide substantial social and/or economic benefit.

Each award-winning team receives a $5,000 education grant to their school of choice (K-12 or higher education).

"Battelle manages to excellence in scientific discovery, and we are grounded in a history of applying science and technology to accelerate innovation," said Jeff Wadsworth, President and CEO. "These awards are an opportunity to celebrate and honor the breakthrough achievements of the laboratories we manage, while promoting our commitment to learning and education."

In the category of Scientific Discovery, the awards were presented to:

In the category of Innovation Impact, the awards were presented to:

As the world's largest, independent research and development organization, Battelle provides innovative solutions to the world's most pressing needs through its four global businesses: Laboratory Management; National Security; Health and Life Sciences; and Energy, Environment and Material Sciences. It advances scientific discovery and application by conducting $6.5 billion in global R&D annually through contract research, laboratory management and technology commercialization. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Battelle oversees 22,000 employees in more than 130 locations worldwide, including seven national laboratories which Battelle manages or co-manages for the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and a nuclear energy lab in the United Kingdom.

Battelle also is one of the nation's leading charitable trusts focusing on societal and economic impact and actively supporting and promoting science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.

Vienna Center for Quantum Science and Technology:

Viennese quantum physicists join forces

On Wednesday, 15 December 2010, the Presidents of the University of Vienna, Vienna University of Technology and the Austrian Academy of Sciences signed a cooperation agreement which aims to pool the expertise of the three Viennese institutions in the area of quantum physics. The agreement marks the starting point for the "Vienna Center for Quantum Science and Technology" (VCQ). Earlier in the day, the new challenges in the field of quantum technology were discussed during an international workshop at the University of Technology. The signing of the agreement was followed by an event with highly distinguished guests like the Austrian Federal Minister for Science and Research Beatrix Karl as well as representatives from the European Commission and the City of Vienna. The opening ceremony included a public lecture by Christopher Monroe and a panel discussion at the University of Vienna.

VCQ - a joint initiative organized by quantum physicists from Vienna's research institutions

"We are establishing a center for quantum physics in Vienna, modeled on international predecessors", as Markus Aspelmeyer, Professor of Quantum Physics at University of Vienna and spokesperson for "Vienna Center for Quantum Science and Technology" (VCQ) stated. The initiators and founding members - Markus Arndt, Markus Aspelmeyer, Frank Verstraete and Anton Zeilinger from the University of Vienna and the Austrian Academy of Sciences, as well as Arno Rauschenbeutel and Jörg Schmiedmayer from Vienna University of Technology - are convinced that this strategic partnership will do more than just reinforce Austria as a scientific location for basic research in the area of quantum physics. The pooling of the existing potential will enhance international perception, and, in the long term, also encourage companies to invest in quantum technologies.

"We expect our Center for Quantum Science to attract the best junior scientists from all over the world by offering them highly attractive research and career opportunities", explained Anton Zeilinger, Professor of Quantum Physics at the University of Vienna and Director of the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information (IQOQI) at the Austrian Academy of Sciences. "An intriguing and highly realistic ambition", enthused Jörg Schmiedmayer, Professor of Quantum Physics at Vienna University of Technology, "that could lead to the emergence of companies which use basic research as a foundation for technological applications in quantum physics".

Another objective is to invest in the advancement of "in-house" junior scientists. "The Vienna Doctoral Program on Complex Quantum Systems (COQUS) which is jointly hosted and co-financed by the University of Vienna and the Vienna University of Technology, was evaluated by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) and shows that we are on the right track to promoting and holding on to highly talented junior quantum physicists by offering them excellent training", as Markus Arndt, Professor of Quantum Nanophysics at the University of Vienna outlined.

Prestigious event to present the VCQ at the University of Vienna

On Wednesday 15 December 2010 at 5.30 pm, an event was organized to celebrate the signing of the VCQ cooperation agreement. The event included a public lecture, followed by a panel discussion in the principle hall of the University of Vienna.

Lecture by Christopher Monroe (USA)

Christopher Monroe, Professor of Physics at the University of Maryland, College Park, USA, gave a lecture entitled "Quantum Technology: Putting Weirdness to Use", in which he outlined the dynamics of basic research (in quantum science) and its technological application. Monroe is also a member of the Joint Quantum Institute, a union of scientific institutes in Maryland, similar to the VCQ. The Joint Quantum Institute served as a model for the initiative in Vienna, together with the internationally renowned Center for Ultracold Atoms, founded by Harvard University and Boston MIT.

Panel discussion "What is the cost for progress?"

In the panel discussion following the lecture, which was chaired by Tarek Leitner (ORF, Austrian Broadcasting), the topic "What is the cost for progress" was debated by Rainer Blatt (University of Innsbruck and IQOQI Innsbruck, Austrian Science Board), Ronald Holzwarth (CEO Menlo-Systems, Germany), Jörg Schmiedmayer (Vienna University of Technology) and Anton Zeilinger (University of Vienna and IQOQI Vienna).

Expert workshop at the Vienna University of Technology

Experts from science and industry across the European Union met prior to the evening event at the international "From Quantum Foundations to Quantum Technologies - Challenges for Europe" workshop at the Vienna University of Technology. This workshop focused on the current state of quantum physics and quantum technologies in Europe, as well as the potential for development. Various aspects of basic research were examined, but above all its application in new technologies. Innovative initial products in this field were also presented.

VCQ website: http://vcq.quantum.at

MICHAEL J. FOX FOUNDATION FUNDS AFFiRiS AG TO DEVELOP PARKINSON'S VACCINE

Vienna (Austria), 16 December 2010 - With a grant of USD 475,000, the Michael J. Fox Foundation is funding preclinical development of a vaccine against Parkinson's disease by AFFiRiS AG. The vaccine, known as PD01, targets the protein alpha-synuclein and might offer for the first time a possibility for a treatment that can slow or stop the progression of Parkinson's disease. The basis of PD01 is the company's AFFITOME® technology, which already delivered, among others, two vaccines from AFFiRiS AG for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

AFFiRiS AG, based in Vienna, Austria, today announced that one of its current nine development programs will receive funding from the US Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF). The American actor, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1991, established the foundation in 2000. Its aim is to fund peer reviewed therapeutic development for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, a progressive disease of the nervous system. The foundation will now support the development of the PD01 vaccine by AFFiRiS AG with USD 475,000. This sum has been committed for the completion of the preclinical development of the vaccine. The successful preclinical proof of concept was only recently announced by the company, in March 2010.

Dr. Markus Mandler, Head of the department of Neurodegenerative Diseases at AFFiRiS AG, is delighted about the financial contribution to the development of PD01 and the recognition that it represents: "As many as one in a hundred people over age 60 develops Parkinson's disease. Despite this large number, medical developments to date have mainly addressed the symptoms of the disease - a treatment that can slow or stop disease progression has not been successfully developed."

The vaccine PD01 targets the protein known as alpha-synuclein (alpha-syn), whose accumulation and associated deposition in the brain are considered to be key for the progression of Parkinson's disease. A reduction in the alpha-syn concentration in the brain should therefore have a positive effect on the clinical progression of Parkinson's. PD01 triggers an effective immune response to the harmful alpha-syn, to allow the patients' own immune system to reduce this protein.

The current industry report from GlobalData* confirms that such new solutions are urgently needed for Parkinson's disease, an area which, according to the report, suffers from a lack of innovation and a focus on purely symptomatic treatments.

In its pursuit of breakthrough treatments for Parkinson's, MJFF has ranked alpha-syn one of its "top therapeutic targets". The Foundation works with top researchers in academic and industry settings around the globe to both develop new therapeutics that can modulate the activities of its top targets, and to increase biological understanding of Parkinson's in order to more effectively test potential new treatments. In 2011 the Foundation will bring the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (www.michaeljfox.org/PPMI), its landmark clinical study seeking biomarkers of Parkinson's disease, to Austria's University of Innsbruck and four other European sites. Alpha-synuclein will be one of the proteins tested in PPMI for its potential as a Parkinson's biomarker.

As in the case of the Alzheimer vaccines previously developed, AFFiRiS AG has once again succeeded in presenting a plan for developing a medical treatment that is urgently needed. The company's CEO, Dr. Walter Schmidt, comments on this repeated achievement: "Our AFFITOME® technology continues to deliver vaccines with an extraordinary fine specificity. Consequently, these vaccines may very accurately reduce the protein type which contributes to a disease." Dr. Frank Mattner, CSO of AFFiRiS AG, explains why this fine specificity is particularly important for a Parkinson's vaccine: "The protein alpha-syn, for example, belongs to a family of proteins that also comprises neuroprotective factors, such as beta-synuclein (beta-syn). A vaccination aimed at reducing alpha-syn must therefore ensure that the triggered antibody immune response exclusively addresses alpha-syn, without affecting beta-syn. Our AFFITOME® technology does exactly ensure that."

*Link: http://www.globaldata.com/reportstore/Report.aspx?ID=Parkinsons-Disease Pipeline-Assessment-and-Market-Forecasts-to-2016&ReportType=Industry_Report

About AFFiRiS AG (date December 2010):

On the basis of the company's own patent positions AFFiRiS develops tailor-made peptide vaccines for Alzheimer's disease, atherosclerosis, Parkinson's disease, hypertension and several other conditions for which there are urgent medical needs and attractive market volumes. Alzheimer's is the current lead indication. For the Alzheimer's vaccine program, a license agreement with GlaxoSmithKline was closed in October 2008, triggering an upfront payment of EUR 22.5 million. The contract envisages (milestone-dependent) payments of up to EUR 430 million. A first milestone payment of EUR 10 million was made in October 2009. AFFiRiS currently employs 75 highly-qualified staff at the Campus Vienna Biocenter in Vienna, Austria (www.affiris.com).

About The Michael J. Fox Foundation:

MJFF is dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson's disease through an aggressively funded research agenda and to ensuring the development of improved therapies for those living with Parkinson's today. The Foundation has funded nearly USD 214 million in research to date. For more information, visit (www.michaeljfox.org).

Study probes link between magnetism, superconductivity

US-European team revisits 30-year-old breakthrough with new methods, understanding

HOUSTON -- (Dec. 13, 2010) -- European and U.S. physicists this week are offering up the strongest evidence yet that magnetism is the driving force behind unconventional superconductivity. The findings by researchers from Rice University, the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids (MPI-CPfS) in Dresden, Germany, and other institutions were published online today in Nature Physics.

The findings follow more than three decades of research by the team that discovered unconventional superconductivity in 1979. That breakthrough, which was led by MPI-CPfS Director Frank Steglich, preceded by seven years the more widely publicized discovery of unconventional superconductivity at high temperatures. In the latest study, the team revisited the same heavy-fermion material -- a mix of cerium, copper and silicon -- that was used in 1979, applying new experimental techniques and theoretical knowledge unavailable 30 years ago.

"In 1979, there was not much understanding of quantum criticality or of the collective way that electrons behave at the border of magnetism," said Rice physicist Qimiao Si, the lead theorist and co-author of the new paper. "Today, we know a great deal about such collective behavior in the regime where materials transition to a superconducting state. The question we examined in this study is, How does all of that new knowledge translate into an understanding of the superconducting state itself?"

Magnetism -- the phenomenon that drives compass needles and keeps notes stuck to refrigerators the world over -- arises when the electrons in a material are oriented in a particular way. Every electron is imbued with a property called spin, and electron spins are oriented either up or down. In most materials, the arrangement of electron spins is haphazard, but in everyday refrigerator magnets -- which scientists call ferromagnets -- electron spins are oriented collectively, in the same direction.

Classical superconductors, which were discovered almost a century ago, were the first materials known to conduct electrons without losing energy due to resistance. Electrons typically bump and ricochet from atom to atom as they travel down a wire, and this jostling leads to a loss of energy in the form of electrical resistance. Resistance costs the energy industry billions of dollars per year in lost power, so scientists have been keen to put superconducting wires to widespread use, but it hasn't been easy.

It took physicists almost 50 years to explain classical superconductivity: At extremely low temperatures, electrons pair up and move in unison, thus avoiding the jostling they experience by themselves. These electron twosomes are called Cooper pairs, and physicists began trying to explain how they form in unconventional superconductors as soon as Steglich's findings were published in 1979. Si said theorists studying the question have increasingly been drawn to the collective behavior of electrons, particularly at the border of magnetism -- the critical point where a material changes from one magnetic state to another.

In the new experiments, Steglich, the lead experimentalist co-author, and his group collaborated with physicists at the Jülich Centre for Neutron Science at the Institut Laue-Langevin in Grenoble, France, to bombard heavy fermion samples with neutrons. Because neutrons also have spin, those experiments allowed the team to probe the spin states of the electrons in the heavy fermions.

"Our neutron-scattering data provide convincing evidence that the cerium-based heavy fermion compound is located near a quantum critical point," said Oliver Stockert, a study co-author and a neutron-scattering specialist from MPI-CPfS. "Moreover, the data revealed how the magnetic spectrum changes as the material turns into a superconductor."

From the data, Si and co-author Stefan Kirchner, a theorist from the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems and a former postdoctoral fellow at Rice, determined the amount of magnetic energy that was saved when the system entered the superconducting state.

"We have calculated that the saved magnetic energy is more than 10 times what is needed for the formation of the Cooper pairs," Kirchner said.

"Why the magnetic exchange in the superconductor yields such a large energy saving is a new and intriguing question," said Si, Rice's Harry C. and Olga K. Wiess Professor of Physics and Astronomy. He said one possible origin is the electronic phenomenon known as the "Kondo effect," which is involved in a class of unconventional quantum critical points advanced by Si and colleagues in a theoretical paper published in Nature in 2001. Regardless of the final answer, Si said the present study already constitutes a definitive proof that "collective fluctuations of the electrons at the border of magnetism are capable of driving superconductivity."

Si and Steglich found it remarkable that the notion of quantum criticality is providing fresh insights into the workings of the very first unconventional superconductor ever discovered. At the same time, both said more studies are needed to determine the precise way that quantum-critical fluctuations give rise to heavy-fermion superconductivity. And thanks to key differences between the heavy-fermion materials and high-temperature superconductors, additional work must be done to determine whether the same findings apply to both.

"We are certain that we are on the right track with our investigations, however," Steglich said.

The research was facilitated by the International Collaborative Center on Quantum Matter, a collaborative entity formed by Rice, MPI-CPfS, China's Zhejiang University and the London Centre for Nanotechnology. Research support was provided by the German Research Foundation, the National Science Foundation and the Welch Foundation.

Los Alamos Neutron Science Center Gets Capacity Boost

Los Alamos National Security funds upgrade to key facility

LOS ALAMOS, New Mexico, DECEMBER 2, 2010—The National Nuclear Security Administration’s Los Alamos Site Office and Los Alamos National Security, LLC, the contractor that operates Los Alamos National Laboratory, have agreed to allocate money LANS could have earned from its prime contract fee to upgrade a facility serving industrial designers and researchers at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center that helps ensure the reliability of semiconductor chips.

In early 2011, LANSCE—one of the nation’s highest intensity linear proton accelerators—will begin upgrades that will effectively double the facility’s capacity for experiments and tests on electronic devices by Laboratory, industrial, and academic users. The facility has been used for more than a decade by a virtual Who’s Who of the semiconductor industry to simulate the potential failures posed by cosmic-ray-induced neutrons upon miniature electronic devices, such as chips that help control aircraft or complex integrated circuits in automobiles. The facility can simulate the effects of hundreds or thousands of years of cosmic-ray-induced neutrons in a single hour. This same capability also aids scientists in understanding how components of nuclear weapons age.

“The Los Alamos Neutron Science Center has consistently shown its value to the nation,” said LANL Director Michael Anastasio, president of LANS, LLC. “We are extremely pleased to be able to reinvest in a key LANL facility to ensure continuing scientific excellence and national service.”

Knowing how integrated circuitry will perform is important. When cosmic rays from space strike Earth’s upper atmosphere, they unleash a shower of neutrons. While the radioactive dose from these showers is relatively harmless to human health, each neutron can interact with integrated circuits to produce charged particles that can potentially disrupt normal operation of devices and the data that is stored within them.

“As integrated circuitry gets smaller and smaller, and operating voltages decrease, the potential for these single-event upsets rises dramatically,” said Steve Wender, leader of LANSCE’s neutron and nuclear science group. “Although, the probability that a neutron will disrupt a particular circuit is extremely small—something you might never see during the practical life of the device—the large number of semiconductor devices used in everyday life make the total number of failures significant. At our ICE (Irradiation of Chips and Electronics) House facility, we can simulate hundreds of years of life of a device in a short time, allowing circuit manufacturers to better understand risks of cosmic-ray-generated neutrons and potentially incorporate strategic designs to cope with the risks. Consequently, ICE House has become an international standard for putting new circuits through their paces.”

The facility’s popularity has generated more potential users than available beam time. In addition to industrial users, Los Alamos scientists increasingly use the facility to accomplish the Laboratory’s central mission of ensuring the safety and reliability of the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile. Several key stockpile stewardship questions could not be easily answered without ICE House.

Industry users such as Honeywell, Intel, Oracle, Texas Instruments, AMD, Freescale, and others have used the ICE House facility; the tests have also played a key role in helping Los Alamos fine-tune its own supercomputers.

At the end of this year’s LANSCE beam cycle, construction will begin on a 4,000-square-foot building that will house additional experimental capacity.

This additional capacity will allow the semiconductor companies to not only have more beam time, but also allow them to better coordinate beam tests with their production schedules. The upgrade should

cost about $2 million. The newly upgraded facility is expected to be operational by July 2011.

“When complete, we will be able to double our industrial capacity and our availability for stockpile stewardship activities,” said Kurt Schoenberg, deputy associate director for Experimental Physical Sciences. “The increased capacity and upgraded instrumentation are a first step toward development by Los Alamos of a future signature facility to help scientists create better materials by design and to understand materials behavior in extreme conditions.”

About Los Alamos National Laboratory www.lanl.gov

Los Alamos National Laboratory, a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security, is operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC, a team composed of Bechtel National, the University of California, The Babcock & Wilcox Company, and URS for the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration.

Los Alamos enhances national security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, developing technologies to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction, and solving problems related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health, and global security concerns.

Vietnam

Potential for nano research recognised

HCM CITY — Viet Nam has the potential to be one of the world's leaders in nanomaterial research and development, according to an American scientist, professor Omar M. Yaghi of University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).

Yaghi is UCLA's Jean Stone professor of chemistry and has received many awards recognising his research in the design and development of porous metal-organic frameworks.

Speaking to the press this week, Yaghi said that Viet Nam's students and researchers were well-suited for work in nano-technology.

He noted that a new centre on molecular and nano-architecture (MANAR-Viet Nam), expected to open in March 2011 at the Viet Nam National University-HCM City, would help the country develop this field rapidly.

The Viet Nam National University-HCM City has been working with UCLA to help build and establish the MANAR-Viet Nam Centre as one of the most excellent centres of its kind in Southeast Asia.

In addition, the programme will involve industry partnerships, international collaborations and scholarship exchange.

According to Yaghi, the research and related activities would enable local students to have access to internationally renowned universities and attractive jobs in academia and industry.

Dr. Hoang Dung, head of the Science and Technology Department under the Viet Nam National University-HCM City, said the university would submit to agencies and the Government a call for funds as well as a request for the centre to be officially recognised as the national centre for nanotechnology research. — VNS

http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/Industries/206217/Potential-for-nano-research-recognised.html

IEEE Signal Processing Society offers free educational content via Connexions

Partnership assures quality of open-access educational materials

HOUSTON -- (Dec. 1, 2010) -- Rice University's Connexions and the IEEE Signal Processing Society (IEEE-SPS) today announced the release of a broad collection of free, high-quality lessons that practicing engineers can use for their own education and career growth and that engineering instructors can mix and match to build customized courses, textbooks and study guides. The free material, all of it peer-reviewed to ensure high quality, is available online via the popular education site Connexions (cnx.org), which attracts more than 2 million visits per month.

A novel aspect of the collaboration is the rigorous peer review of the quality of the materials by experts identified by the IEEE-SPS. Materials found to be of high quality are certified and collected in the IEEE-SPS "lens," which is available at http://cnx.org/lenses/ieeesps/endorsements

"Connexions' lenses adapt the time-tested peer-review process to open-access educational content, thus erasing a major concern for academic authors," said Joel Thierstein, executive director of Connexions.

While the open-education movement has grown rapidly in recent years, critics have questioned how open-access publishers can ensure the quality of freely authored and edited materials. An oft-proposed option is adapting peer review -- the process academic researchers have used for centuries to vet and certify research papers and books.

Founded more than a decade ago, Connexions is among the world's most popular open- education sites. Connexions' repository of free educational content can be employed, adapted and modified by anyone. The number of people using Connexions has grown exponentially in recent years.

"All materials must pass thorough a rigorous quality evaluation before they appear on the IEEE Signal Processing Society's branded portal in Connexions," said Roxana Saint-Nom, chair of the society's Connexions Lens Subcommittee.

"While quality assurance of content was a key issue for us, Connexions offers other tangible benefits for our members," said SPS President Mos Kaveh. "Compared with traditional publishing, Connexions is much faster, has global reach and is perfectly suited for the rapid pace of change in our field."

In Connexions, anyone can create modules or "learning objects." Like Lego blocks, these modules can be assembled and reassembled by users to create an almost endless variety of customized Web courses, textbooks, study guides and curricula.

While Connexions welcomes contributions from anyone, anywhere, it also features filtering layers called lenses. These lenses are what IEEE-SPS and other groups use to certify content. While Connexions supplies the tools, each organization develops its own processes for certifying contributed materials. In the case of the IEEE-SPS, the society developed a lens with social software features like a keyword tag cloud, discussion areas and tools that allow authors to track the worldwide impact of their contributions. The society's lens can also single out exemplary signal processing-related content.

"Lenses are a key feature that differentiates Connexions from other open-education projects," said Rice engineering professor and Connexions founder Richard Baraniuk, an IEEE-SPS member. "We're glad to see the IEEE Signal Processing Society taking leadership both in establishing peer review for the open-access environment and in encouraging their members to contribute open-access materials to Connexions."

IEEE, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., is the world's largest technical professional organization; it has more than 350,000 members worldwide. The IEEE-SPS represents the technical interests of its more than 15,000 members in 148 countries. It is widely known as a publisher of archival journals and sponsor of major conferences across the broad landscape of signal processing science and technology.

E-jet printing: The first realistic approach to high-speed sub-micron functional printing

URBANA, Ill. (November 30, 2010) -- What if you could have access to state-of-the-art E-jet printing technology for your own manufacturing processes?

New high-resolution printing capabilities are possible with electrohydrodynamic jet printing (E-jet) technology being developed in the Center for Nanoscale Chemical-Electrical-Mechanical Manufacturing Systems (NanoCEMMS, a National Science Foundation Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

This printing technology uses electrohydrodynamic jetting from microcapillary nozzles for printing patterns and functional devices with line resolutions to 500 nanometers and dots to less than 300 nanometers with a wide variety of inks including organic materials (DNA, proteins), polymers (PEDOT, PSS, NDA, polyethylene), metal nanoparticle suspensions (gold, silver), other materials (silicon rods, carbon nanotubes) and it can even print charge.  Using advanced pulsed mode jetting, printing at speeds above 10,000 droplets/second have been demonstrated.

“The resolution that one can achieve easily with e-jet is more nearly two orders of magnitude better than that possible with traditional thermal or piezo ink jet systems,” said NanoCEMMS director John Rogers, who developed the technology. Rogers, along with NanoCEMMS center professors Placid Ferreira and Andrew Alleyne, are working to commercialize this nanomanufacturing technology. They have developed a desktop, user-friendly unit that provides a vehicle for industry to explore potential applications of the technology.

“One of these test units has been installed at Sharp Labs of America to investigate applications for electronic displays,” Rogers said. “We are in conversations with several other companies who are interested in acquiring test units for their applications.” Similar E-jet units also have been installed in other university labs, and NanoCEMMS is making designs, parts lists, and software freely available to industry and academia. NanoCEMMS will also provide help to potential users in assembling a test unit and in training operating personnel. (Interested parties can contact the Center’s Dave Hamman for more information, 217/ 244-8274.) 

Currently, NanoCEMMS is developing integrated computer-controlled multiple nozzle systems and advanced control schemes required to effectively print complex patterns at the submicron scale and to print multiple materials simultaneously. The unique capabilities of this technology have potential application in electronics, biotechnology and microelectromechanical systems  for printed metal interconnects, electrodes and probing pads for representative circuit patterns and functional transistors with critical dimensions as smaller than 1 micron for printed electronics as well as micro dot arrays.

MATERIALS RESEARCH WITH ANTIPARTICLES:

UNRAVELLING THE SECRET OF NANOCRYSTALLINE MATERIALS

Certain structural defects in materials are what make innovative nanocrystalline bulk metals very hard and yet readily malleable. As these defects are found at the atomic level of the metal structure they are difficult to investigate in experiments. However, Austrian scientists have recently taken a significant step towards understanding such atomic defects. They succeeded in doing so by combining two special methods in a project funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF. The results have now been published in the renowned scientific journal Physical Review Letters.

Extremely hard but still easily malleable - the properties of the so-called nanocrystalline bulk metals give rise to many questions among physicists. Scientists at Graz University of Technology have finally managed to answer some of those questions through experiments.

The scientists set out to monitor the structural changes in the metals in real time. They were thus able to conclude that atomic defects are a central cause of the interesting physical material properties. Nanocrystalline metals consist of countless crystallites (grains), which are mostly smaller than one hundred nanometres - and the smaller the grain, the more solid is the metal. The structure of nanocrystalline metals is actually very regular: the atoms in the grains lie tightly packed in rank and file. However, when the metals are produced, atomic defects are involuntarily introduced which disturb the atomic order within the grains. For example, certain layers are not located directly on top of each other: some atoms are missing or rows are misaligned. Austrian materials physicists have now produced the first experimental evidence of these effects, which are closely related to the mechanical properties. They have published their results in the journal Physical Review Letters, where they describe how the combination of two special methods can be used to closely examine atomic defects.

SPY ATTACKS ON METALS

As atomic defects on the nanoscale are difficult to spot, the scientists worked with so-called positrons. Dr. Wolfgang Sprengel from Graz University of Technology explains: "A positron is a subatomic particle that is almost identical to the electron, with one difference: it is positively charged. If a positron and an electron meet, they annihilate each other. In the places where atomic defects are present, there are fewer electrons and therefore fewer occurrences of annihilation. The positrons therefore serve as spies that deliver detailed information about the atomic defects. We have used this effect to analyse the fast processes of atomic defects in metals." To carry out the experiments, the scientists availed themselves of the FRM II research reactor at the Technische Universität München (TUM), where they deployed the positron beam with the highest intensity in the world.

TWO METHODS, ONE RESULT

In addition to the positron-electron annihilation, macroscopic length-change measurements were made upon annihilation of the defects - by means of dilatometry. This combination of dilatometry and positron-electron annihilation is a first of its kind and it delivered the evidence that some of the seemingly mysterious physical properties of the nanocrystalline bulk metals can be attributed to these structural defects. The cause of the defects can be found in the production background of the metals. Nanocrystalline bulk metals are produced using very complex methods - such as high-pressure torsion (Erich Schmidt Institute Leoben) - which give rise to the atomic defects.

The FWF project headed by Dr. Roland Würschum is carried out in close cooperation with the University of Vienna and the Erich Schmidt Institute in Leoben, and is also closely linked to the National Research Network (NFN) on nanocrystalline bulk metals. The project has enabled a better understanding of fundamental principles, which is essential for the application of these innovative materials.

Originalpublikation:

In situ probing of fast defect annealing in Cu and Ni with a high-intensity positron beam. B. Oberdorfer, E-M. Steyskal, W. Sprengel, W. Puff, P. Pikart, C. Hugenschmidt, M. Zehetbauer, R. Pippan, R. Wüschum. Published September 28, 2010. Physical Review Letters 105, 146101. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.146101.

FOUR BALZAN PRIZEWINNERS AWARDED. 1 MILLION SWISS FRANCS TO STEM CELL RESEARCHER

Rome, 19 November 2010 - The Balzan Prizes for 2010 were presented on November 19 by the President of the Italian Republic. During the ceremony, which took place at the Palazzo del Quirinale, the prizes were presented to:

The ceremony took place in the presence of the Chairmen of the International Balzan Foundation "Prize", Bruno Bottai, and "Fund", Achille Casanova. In accordance with the ceremony s usual formalities, each Prizewinner, introduced in turn by Salvatore Veca, Chairman of the General Prize Committee, gave a speech of acceptance and thanks.

According to established tradition reflecting the Italo-Swiss nature of the International Balzan Foundation, the Award Ceremony takes place in alternate years in Rome, in the presence of the President of the Italian Republic, and in Bern, in the presence of a Representative of the Federal Council of the Swiss Confederation, usually the Head of the Federal Department of Home Affairs.

The Balzan Prize 2010 for Stem Cells: Biology and Potential Applications went to Shinya Yamanaka "for the discovery of a method to transform already differentiated cells into cells presenting the characteristics of embryonic stem cells".

The Prize for The History of Theatre in All Its Aspects was given to Manfred Brauneck "for his wide-ranging account of two and a half millennia in the history of European theatre, as well as his research on currents and events of an international nature in the world of theatre".

Carlo Ginzburg received the Balzan Prize for European History, 1400-1700 "for the exceptional combination of imagination, scholarly precision and literary skill with which he has recovered and illuminated the beliefs of ordinary people in Early-modern Europe".

In the field of Mathematics (pure or applied) Jacob Palis was recognized "for his fundamental contributions to the Mathematical Theory of Dynamical Systems".

The International Balzan Foundation awarded one million Swiss Francs (approx. 750,000 Euros, 1,000,000 USD) for each 2010 prize, a figure which places the Balzan Prize amongst the biggest prize funds in the world of Science and Culture. The winners are each required to allocate half of their prize money to funding research projects carried out preferably by young scholars or scientists in their respective fields.

The subject fields honoured (which change every year and which are chosen from arts, letters, moral and physical sciences, mathematics and medicine) and the winners are chosen by the General Prize Committee, an independent body belonging to the International Balzan Foundation "Prize" which is presided over by Salvatore Veca and is composed of twenty leading academics from ten European countries.

The Ceremony was preceded on Thursday, 18 November, by the Balzan Prizewinners Interdisciplinary Forum 2010, which took place in the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei. The Forum was a public event dedicated to the Balzan Prize subject areas for 2010 with the four Prizewinners playing a prominent role with Members of the Balzan General Prize Committee and Members of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei.

UAlbany Nanocollege Establishes Its First Global Education And Research Partnerships In The Pacific Rim

Albany, NY- November 16th, 2010 - The College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering ("CNSE") of the University at Albany today announced the establishment of partnerships with a trio of Japan's leading educational and technological institutions, marking the UAlbany NanoCollege's first formal collaborations in nanoscale education, research and development, and commercialization in the Pacific Rim.

Joint programs are now underway between CNSE and Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology ("AIST"), National Institute for Materials Science ("NIMS"), and the University of Tsukuba. The partnerships will feature academic exchanges and joint research initiatives concentrated in six core areas: nanoelectronics, power electronics, nano-MEMS, nano-material safety, carbon nanotubes, and green innovations driven by nanotechnology.

Both faculty and students at CNSE will have the opportunity to conduct research and engage in educational programs through intensive summer courses at AIST, NIMS and the University of Tsukuba. At the same time, faculty and students at the University of Tsukuba, as well as leading researchers at AIST and NIMS, will work collaboratively with the top innovative minds in the academic and industrial worlds at CNSE's Albany NanoTech Complex, a $6.5 billion megaplex that is the most advanced in the academic world.

Dr. Alain E. Kaloyeros, Senior Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of CNSE, said, "The UAlbany NanoCollege is pleased to establish its first educational and technological partnerships in the Pacific Rim through these exciting collaborations with three of Japan's leading institutions. These pioneering initiatives provide a platform to advance critical research and enable unique educational experiences, while offering new opportunities to build strategic global partnerships for the benefit of each participant and the nanoelectronics industry."

Dr. Makoto Hirayama, Associate Vice President for Asian and Pacific Rim Strategic Alliances for CNSE, said, "We are delighted to begin collaborations with the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, the National Institute for Materials Science, and the University of Tsukaba. These important programs will support world-class education and leading-edge research that will be beneficial to each institution, while further building CNSE's global footprint in nanoscale education and innovation."

Tamotsu Nomakuchi, President of AIST, said, "This partnership with the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, a recognized global leader in nanotechnology, recognizes that a collaborative model is essential to fostering 21st century education and innovation. We look forward to working together to open up new opportunities for education and research that are essential to academic and industrial competitiveness."

Sukekatsu Ushioda, President of NIMS, said, "In collaborating with the world-class College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, we see an exciting opportunity to accelerate nanoscale technologies and help to develop the skilled workforce that is critical to our future success. We anticipate a cooperative and cohesive interaction that will utilize the unique capabilities of each institution to drive important and groundbreaking innovations."

Nobuhiro Yamada, President of the University of Tsukuba, said, "By participating in this unique collaborative educational and research partnership with the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering - the most advanced research complex at any university in the world - we look forward to building a strategic alliance that is essential for our future development and growth. We are excited about this new collaboration and look forward to a mutually beneficial partnership."

The collaborations grew out of a first-ever conference, the Joint Workshop on Advanced Materials Research for Nanotechnology, that took place at CNSE's Albany NanoTech Complex in December of 2009. The conference was designed to build strategic alliances and collaborative programs between CNSE and leading Japanese organizations to support and enhance the development of leading-edge nanoscale technologies. The 2nd annual event is being planned for February of 2011.

New Florida Initiative Powers UCF's Plans To Help Local Space Industry, State Economy

By Zenaida Gonzalez Kotala, UCF Newsroom

Nov. 15, 2010 - The University of Central Florida will offer two new programs to retrain residents who lose their jobs as the space shuttle program ends, thanks in part to grants from the Florida Board of Governors of the State University System.

UCF received five grants worth about $1.3 million for projects that will help strengthen education, research and Florida’s economy.

The grants are part of the 2010 New Florida Initiative. The goal of the program is to create partnerships among universities in the areas of health, science and engineering while creating high-wage jobs.

Eleven universities were awarded $10 million for 31 projects. The grants were announced Monday.

Grants awarded to UCF cover space technology, nanoscience, workfoce development, engineering and medicine.

“From aerospace to nanotechnology and biomedical engineering, UCF has built solid research foundations in several areas that are already transitioning to the marketplace,” said MJ Soileau, UCF’s vice president for Research and Commercialization. “We are excited about the potential statewide impact of these projects." 

UCF’s College of Engineering and Computer Science will use one grant to create a Florida Center of Excellence in Advanced Aero-propulsion in partnership with Florida State University.

This grant establishes two training programs that will aid local residents who may lose their jobs due to the changes at NASA. Specifically, certificate programs will be offered in the areas of active flow and noise control, which play critical roles in today’s aerospace, propulsion and power-generation industries.

The grant also will pay for research initiatives aimed at developing innovative engineering technology. The technology is expected to create jobs and new companies helping Florida’s economy. One area of particular interest is wind tunnel technology. A portion of the grant also will help sponsor a weeklong summer engineering camp for high school students interested in this field.

Another grant will help UCF’s Department of Physics work with Space Florida and the Kennedy Space Center to create a Center for Microgravity Research. The goal is to establish Florida as an international center for microgravity research, a new area with plenty of economic opportunities.

Working together, the groups will grow and develop the new commercial suborbital spaceflight industry in Florida. More flights provide scientists with a great opportunity to conduct more regular research that will likely have global applications.

“This day marks the realization of a vision we announced in partnership with the Legislature that we would ensure our State University System both pursues and achieves our obligation to help transform Florida’s economy into one that is sustainable and knowledge-based, featuring high-skill and high-wage jobs,” said Ava L. Parker, chair of the Florida Board of Governors.

'Prima donna' protein doesn't work well in pairs

Rice University bioengineers measure pulling power of hitched pairs of protein motors

HOUSTON -- (Nov. 5, 2010) -- A new study by Rice University bioengineers finds that the workhorse proteins that move cargo inside living cells behave like prima donnas. The protein, called kinesin, is a two-legged molecular machine. Rice's scientists invented tools that could measure the pulling power of kinesin both singly and in pairs, and they report this week in Biophysical Journal that kinesins don't work well together -- in part because they are so effective on their own.

"Researchers have been investigating the mechanical properties of individual motor proteins for some time now, but this is the first time anyone's been able to tie a defined number of molecular motors to a cargo and watch them work together," said lead researcher Michael Diehl, assistant professor in bioengineering at Rice. "We know that more than one of these motors is attached to most cargoes, so understanding how they work together -- or fail to -- is a key to better understanding the intracellular transport system."

Cargoes inside cells are hitched to teams of motor proteins and hauled from place to place like horse-drawn wagons. Like stagecoaches or wagons, many cargoes are pulled by several horses. But unlike a wagon, cellular cargoes often also have multiple teams pulling in opposite directions.

"Motor proteins move directionally," Diehl said. "They either move toward the cell's nucleus or they move away from the nucleus toward the periphery. Grouping different types of motors together allows cells to regulate cargo movement. But when there are multiple motors pulling antagonistically in opposite directions, what determines which group wins? What influences the balance? How do they cooperate or compete to get the right packages to the right place? Those are the kinds questions we're trying to answer."

Diehl said intracellular transport has become an increasingly hot topic over the past decade, in part because researchers have found that breakdowns in the transport system are linked to neurodegenerative diseases like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Huntington's disease.

One question Diehl and lead co-authors Kenneth Jamison and Jonathan Driver helped answer in the new study is how much pulling power a pair of kinesins could apply to a cargo compared with the amount applied by a single kinesin.

The apparatus they created to study the problem was years in the making. Driver and Jamison, both graduate students, used strands of DNA to make a scaffold, a sort of molecular yoke that they could use to hitch a pair of kinesins to an experimental cargo. The cargo in their tests was a microscopic plastic bead. Using laser beams in an instrument called an optical trap, they attached teams of bead-pulling proteins to microtubule roadways.

As the motors walked down the road, they pulled the bead away from the center of the optical trap. At the same time, the lasers in the trap exerted counterpressure in an effort to move the bead back to the center of the trap. Eventually, the light won out, forcing the motors to let go and the cargo to snap back to the middle of the beam. By measuring the precise movements of the bead during this reaction, Diehl's team was able to determine exactly how much force a team of motors exerted on a bead.

"Compared with other motors, kinesin is actually a pretty strong performer," he said. "Single kinesin motor molecules can produce relatively large forces, and they rarely step in the wrong direction when walking along microtubules. This is remarkable behavior, considering kinesin is a molecular-scale machine that experiences significant thermal and chemical fluctuations."

Given how well they perform alone, it would be easy to assume that a group of kinesins would pull harder than a single kinesin. But Diehl points out that a team of kinesins can only harness the combined potential of both motors under certain circumstances.

"Our analyses show that the two kinesins must stay in close proximity to one another to cooperate effectively," he said. "Otherwise, one of the motors will tend to assume all of the applied force imposed on the cargo. Kinesin is relatively fast and efficient on its own, but they have trouble keeping up with one another when they are connected together."

Diehl said the group suspects that other classes of motor molecules, which are somewhat weaker than kinesin, may function better in groups. The team is carrying out follow-up experiments to see if that's the case, and they are examining how such distinctions may play a role in regulating cargo movement in cells.

Diehl's research group, which is located in Rice's new BioScience Research Collaborative, has spent years refining the tools used in the new study, and the work is paying off in numerous ways. Within the past four months, the group won an R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health worth more than $1.4 million, and Diehl also published a theoretical study of motor proteins with Rice chemist Anatoly Kolomeisky.

Diehl's research is funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the Welch Foundation.

Scientists Produce Transparent, Light-Harvesting Material

Breakthrough could lead to solar-power-generating windows

LOS ALAMOS, New Mexico, NOVEMBER 3, 2010—Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Laboratory and Brookhaven National Laboratory have fabricated transparent thin films capable of absorbing light and generating electric charge over a relatively large area. The material, described in the journal Chemistry of Materials, could be used in development of transparent solar panels.

“Potentially, with future refinement of this technology, windows in a home or office could generate solar power,” said Hsing-Lin Wang, a co-corresponding author of the paper and a researcher in the Chemistry Division at Los Alamos.

The new material is a semiconducting polymer spiked with “fullerenes”—soccer-ball-shaped, cage-like molecules composed of 60 carbon atoms. When applied to a surface under carefully controlled conditions, the material self-assembles in a repeating pattern of micron-sized hexagonal-shaped cells resembling a honeycomb. Researchers created reproducible films of up to several square millimeters in area.

The material is largely transparent because the polymer chains pack together at the edges of the hexagons, remaining loosely packed and relatively thin across the centers. The densely packed edges strongly absorb light and could facilitate electrical conductivity, according to the researchers.

“Though such honeycomb-patterned thin films have previously been made using conventional polymers like polystyrene, this is the first report of such a material that blends semiconductors and fullerenes to absorb light and efficiently generate charge and charge separation,” said lead scientist Mircea Cotlet, a physical chemist at Brookhaven’s Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN).

Perfecting large-scale application of the material could enable a wide range of practical applications, such as energy-generating solar windows, or new types of optical displays.

The researchers fabricated the thin films by creating a flow of micron-sized (about 1/100th the width of a human hair) water droplets across a thin layer of the polymer-fullerene solution. The droplets assembled themselves into arrays within the polymer solution. Once the water evaporated, the scientists were left with thin films of polymer in a honeycomb pattern. The deposition method is cost effective and potentially scalable to industrial size.

The research was supported at Los Alamos by the DOE Office of Science. The work was also carried out in part at Office of Science User Facilities CFN and the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies. The Brookhaven team included Mircea Cotlet, Zhihua Xu, and Ranjith Krishna Pai. Collaborators from Los Alamos include Hsing-Lin Wang and Hsinhan Tsai, who are both users of the CFN facilities at Brookhaven, Andrew Dattelbaum from the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, and project leader Andrew Shreve of the Materials Physics and Applications Division.

About Los Alamos National Laboratory  http://www.lanl.gov 

Los Alamos National Laboratory, a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security, is operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC, a team composed of Bechtel National, the University of California, The Babcock & Wilcox Company, and URS for the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration.

Los Alamos enhances national security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, developing technologies to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction, and solving problems related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health, and global security concerns.

The Center for Functional Nanomaterials at Brookhaven National Laboratory and the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies are two of the five DOE Nanoscale Science Research Centers (NSRCs), premier national user facilities for interdisciplinary research at the nanoscale. Together the NSRCs comprise a suite of complementary facilities that provide researchers with state-of-the-art capabilities to fabricate, process, characterize and model nanoscale materials, and constitute the largest infrastructure investment of the National Nanotechnology Initiative. The NSRCs are located at DOE’s Argonne, Brookhaven, Lawrence Berkeley, Oak Ridge and Sandia and Los Alamos national laboratories. For more information about the DOE NSRCs, please visit http://nano.energy.gov

Rice, TMC team take aim at pancreatic cancer

National Cancer Institute funds preclinical 'theranostic' study

HOUSTON -- (Oct. 18, 2010) -- Researchers from Rice University's Laboratory for Nanophotonics (LANP), the radiology department at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center are preparing to test a combined approach for diagnosing and treating pancreatic cancer with a specially engineered nanoparticle.

The five-year, preclinical testing program will be funded by a newly announced $1.8 million grant from the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer program.

"Pancreatic cancer is notoriously difficult to treat, and we hope nanoparticle-based 'theranostics' can change that," said LANP Director Naomi Halas, Rice's Stanley C. Moore Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering and professor of chemistry and biomedical engineering. "Our nanoparticles are designed to specifically target cancer cells and to function as both diagnostic and therapeutic agents."

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly forms of cancer. Surgery is often the only treatment option, and the five-year, postsurgical survival rate is less than 25 percent.

Halas is the inventor of gold nanoshells, tiny gold-sheathed particles that can harvest light and convert it to heat. She also helped pioneer the use of nanoshells for cancer treatment, and she is the principal investigator on the new NCI grant. The theranostic project team includes co-principal investigators Amit Joshi, assistant professor of radiology at BCM; Sunil Krishnan, associate professor in radiation oncology at MD Anderson; and Peter Nordlander, professor of physics and astronomy at Rice.

Theranostics involve technologies and agents that can diagnose and treat diseases in a single procedure. The theranostic particle that will be tested at Rice, BCM and MD Anderson was invented at LANP.

"A seamless integration of multiple imaging and therapeutic technologies within a single nanoparticle is required to tackle diseases like pancreatic cancer, which often resist conventional therapies," Joshi said.

At the heart of the particle is a nanoshell that can be used to kill cancer cells with heat. The particle can also be tagged with antibodies that allow it to home in on specific types of cancer cells. In addition, the nanoparticle is designed to provide high-resolution images regarding its location in the body and in the tumor. This is accomplished by combining an FDA-cleared dye for fluorescence imaging with an active marker for MRI imaging. These combined capabilities allow researchers to track the nanoparticles throughout the body and even observe their distribution within the tumor before, during and after treatment.

"This level of highly detailed information on nanoparticle location in the body has not been obtainable previously," Halas said.

In the first published tests of the new particle last year, Joshi, Halas and colleagues showed it could be used to simultaneously detect and destroy breast and ovarian cancer cells in cell cultures.

In the NCI study, researchers will test whether the particles can be used to image and treat pancreatic cancer in mice. The tests will investigate how well the particles work as imaging agents -- both in MRI scans and in fluorescent optical scans, how well they target specific cell types, where they go inside the body after testing and treatment and how well they perform as therapeutic agents. In addition, Krishnan's lab at MD Anderson has a particular interest in testing the particles to see if they can be used to boost the effectiveness of radiation therapy.

"Nanoparticle-based theranostics holds great promise, not only for treating pancreatic cancer, but for treating other forms of cancer as well," Halas said. "But successfully translating new technology like this from the lab to the clinic requires excellent research partnerships, like those we have at Baylor College of Medicine and MD Anderson."

The Laboratory for Nanophotonics at Rice was formed in 2004 with the mission to invent, understand, develop, simulate, control, optimize and apply nanoscale optical elements, components and systems. LANP features a strong interdisciplinary research program in three primary areas: metal-based plasmonics, nanoparticle-enhanced sensing and spectroscopy, and nanophotonic applications in biomedicine.

Globalized economy more sensitive to recessions

Rice University scientists study global trade using evolutionary theory

HOUSTON -- (Oct. 18, 2010) -- By applying the same rules that explain how genomes evolve, Rice University physicists have shown that the world economy is more sensitive to recessionary shocks and recovers more slowly from recessions now than it did 40 years ago, due to increased trade globalization.

Their findings are available online and will appear in an upcoming issue of the Physical Review Letters.

"Standard economic theory suggests that trade networks with a more modular structure tend to recover more slowly from recessions, but using evolutionary theory we predicted the opposite, and U.N. trade data indicate we were right," said Michael Deem, the John W. Cox Professor in Biochemical and Genetic Engineering and professor of physics and astronomy at Rice.

Deem and co-author Jiankui He, a graduate student in physics and astronomy, studied United Nations trade data from the past 40 years and found the global economy has tended to react more sharply to recessions and to recover more slowly from them as globalization has increased.

The concept of modularity is key to understanding their findings. In biology, a module is a structure that is part of a larger system but can also function partly on its own, in much the same way that a modular piece of furniture might function either by itself or as part of larger ensemble. In living things, modularity is rampant at every scale -- from the genomes inside cells to the organs in human bodies.

In 2007, Deem and former postdoctoral fellow Jun Sun offered an explanation for biological modularity. They showed that modularly arose spontaneously in systems where evolution occurred relatively slowly and where information -- like genes -- could be swapped.

"What we showed in 2007 was that under certain conditions, a changing environment leads to the development of a modular structure," Deem said. "We considered the world trade network to be an evolving system, and we know information in the form of business practices is readily swapped throughout the trade network. Since it matches the conditions for our theory, we hypothesized that it would also follow the same physical rules."

To test their idea, He and Deem had to create a mathematical description of the global trade network. Scientists often use a tree-like structure to study networks -- much like a geneologist might use a family tree to describe family relationships. By applying a tree-like geometry to the U.N. data, Deem and He computed a variable called the "CCC" that described the amount of modularity in the global trade network for any given year. In a "flattened" global economy, CCC is low, and it increases as modularity in the trade network increases. Examples of increased modularity could include protectionist tariffs or regional trade associations, each of which acts to restrain trade between countries.

"Another of our predictions was that recessions would cause the world trade network to become more hierarchical, and this is something that was borne out by the data as well," Deem said. "With increasing globalization, we see the CCC trending down since 1969, but we also see it increasing, for a brief period, after each recession."

Deem and He found the trend held true for three major recessions and four minor ones over the past four decades.

The research was funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

The full research paper is available at:

http://arxiv.org/abs/1010.0410 

ASU awarded $6.5M to study nanotechnology, society

Tempe, Arizona -October 15, 2010 - The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded $6.5 million to the Center for Nanotechnology in Society at Arizona State University (CNS-ASU) to continue its work regarding the societal aspects of nanotechnology for another five years. CNS-ASU was founded in 2005 when NSF made its first five-year award of $6.2 million to Arizona State University to create the center. These awards are part of NSF's initiative to support research and education on nanotechnology and social change, as well as educational and public outreach activities, and international collaborations.

In 2001, the federal government established the National Nanotechnology Initiative, which identifies "responsible development" as one of four strategic goals for nanotechnology research. This award to CNS-ASU reflects NSF's commitment to investigating the societal aspects of this promising but uncertain technology.

"As technology moves forward into the nano sphere and across thousands of applications, we need new tools to help guide decision making to ensure the best and highest net impact of use," said ASU president Michael M. Crow. "CNS will focus on this critical set of complex questions and will provide a new level of systems thinking with regard to these future technologies and their use."

Nanotechnology allows controlling matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Societal benefits of using the science to create new materials, devices for medicine, electronics and energy production could be transformative. But creating such things through molecular manipulation raises not only health and safety risks but ethical and legal questions as well.

In their first five years, CNS-ASU researchers have worked side by side with scientists, engineers, social scientists, scholars and decision makers to combine research, training and engagement to develop a new approach to governing emerging nanotechnologies. They have developed new knowledge and tools to increase the capacity for social learning that informs about the available choices in decision making, and to engage in anticipatory governance of nanotechnology -- the ability of society and institutions to seek and understand a variety of inputs to manage emerging technologies while such management is still possible.

"The biggest question for the Center," said David Guston, director and principal investigator at CNS-ASU and professor of politics and global studies, "is how far anticipatory governance can take us, not only in guiding societal research but in assuring the responsible development of nanotechnologies." Guston also is the co-director of ASU's Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes (CSPO), which is CNS-ASU's parent organization.

Under the renewal, CNS-ASU will continue its collaborations with partner institutions Georgia Tech and University of Wisconsin to further two types of integrated research programs. First, its programs in "real-time technology assessment" (RTTA) - a social science tool that relies on understanding the social, moral, political and economic dynamics of nanotechnologies - work to understand the evolving dynamics of the nano enterprise, discern the changing perspectives of the public and scientists about nanotechnologies, and develop techniques to foster deliberation on future nanotechnology applications and integration of social and humanistic perspectives into nano-scale science and engineering.

The second set of programs are thematic research clusters (TRCs), which pursue fundamental knowledge on particular nano-and-society themes. The first TRC, continuing from the earlier award, focuses on issues in equity, equality and responsibility in the development of nanotechnologies. Under the renewal, CNS-ASU will initiate a new TRC, "Urban Design, Materials and the Built Environment," which will launch and complete a problem-oriented stakeholder analysis for the creation, dissemination and sustainable use of nanotechnologies in urban environments.

"It is particularly important," Guston said, "to locate nanotechnologies in the city because cities are home to most of humanity and are also focal points of complex systems for such things as energy, water and transportation that will be sites for nanotechnological innovation." Assessing how nanotechnologies may or may not contribute to the sustainability of these systems in an urban context is the primary goal of this new program.

Under the renewal, CNS-ASU will also continue to pursue formal and informal educational opportunities and build new capacities among a broad array of stakeholders and the public. CNS-ASU provides: undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral education and research training; opportunities for K-12 teacher training, assistance and curricular development; engaging events for the public, such as science museum informal education and monthly Science Cafés; and practitioner training, such as its earlier development of piloted training modules in the ethical and societal implications of nanotechnology for scientists and engineers.

A sister Center for Nanotechnology in Society at the University of California, Santa Barbara, also is being renewed by NSF with a $6.1 million grant. "These Centers play a pivotal role in understanding and anticipating the potential societal impacts of nanotechnology and engaging multiple stakeholders in discussions about the future of emerging technologies," said Myron Gutmann, NSF assistant director of Social Behavioral and Economic Sciences. "They are truly interdisciplinary centers, spanning the social, natural and engineering sciences."

To find out more about CNS-ASU, visit online at www.cns.asu.edu

ASU Justice and Social Inquiry Assistant Professor Positions

ASSISTANT/ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR: Justice & Social Inquiry in the School of Social Transformation.  The faculty of Justice and Social Inquiry in the School of Social Transformation at Arizona State University-Tempe invites applications for two full-time, tenure-track assistant professor positions.

Justice & Social Inquiry is an innovative, interdisciplinary academic program that places social justice at the center of its scholarship and teaching. Our 17 tenure track faculty hold degrees from a range of social science and humanities disciplinary and interdisciplinary programs.  We offer a robust undergraduate program with both B.S. and BA degrees in Justice Studies, a minor in Justice Studies, and three undergraduate certificate programs in Economic Justice, Human Rights, and Socio-legal Studies. We also offer an M.S. and Ph.D .in Justice Studies as well as a graduate certificate in Socio-Economic Justice and a Ph.D./JD option.  Our areas of research specialization include: Citizenship, Migration and Human Rights; Globalization, Sustainability and Economic Justice; Law, Policy and Social Change;  Media, Technology, and Culture; Social Identities and Communities. 

We seek applications from candidates with research interests in one or more of the following: economic justice/political economy, human rights, media studies, science and technology studies, sustainability.

We invite applications from candidates trained in social science and humanities disciplines including anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, psychology, and sociology, or interdisciplinary fields such as American studies, ethnic studies, gender studies, and justice studies.

Qualified candidates must have a PhD in a relevant field completed by August 1, 2011. We seek candidates who have a strong research and teaching profile in one or more of the above areas and a commitment to teaching undergraduate and graduate courses from interdisciplinary justice perspectives. For one position, preference will be given to quantitative researchers interested in teaching graduate-level quantitative methods.

To apply please send letter of application, writing sample (maximum 30 pages), curriculum vitae, and have three letters of reference sent to Dr. Nancy C. Jurik, Search committee chair. Email address is Jennifer.Brown@asu.edu. Postal address is Dr. Nancy C. Jurik, c/o Jennifer Brown, Justice & Social Inquiry, School of Social Transformation, Arizona State University, PO Box 874902, Tempe AZ 85287-4902.

The review of applications will begin on November 29, 2010 and continue until the position is filled.

Background check is required for employment and Arizona State University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer committed to excellence through diversity. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. For more information please visit http://justice.clas.asu.edu or contact Dr. Nancy Jurik at nancy.jurik@asu.edu.

Rice University's award-winning NanoJapan program

wins $4M grant

Undergraduate program combines study-abroad, research experiences

HOUSTON -- (Sept. 21, 2010) -- Rice University's award-winning undergraduate summer research program NanoJapan will soon expand, thanks to a new five-year, $4 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

NanoJapan, which is open to students from all U.S. universities, combines a traditional study-abroad experience in Japan with a targeted undergraduate research internship in nanotechnology. The program was created in 2005 with funding from the NSF's Partnerships for International Research and Education (PIRE) initiative, which awarded a new five-year grant this month for continued support of the program.

"The status of the United States in science and engineering is changing," said NanoJapan founder Junichiro Kono, professor in electrical and computer engineering and of physics and astronomy at Rice.

"More and more people outside the U.S. are doing cutting-edge research," said Kono, the principal investigator on the NanoJapan grant. "Graduate students today are more likely to succeed if they are prepared to work in a cross-cultural, multinational environment, and that is one area where NanoJapan is particularly successful."

Kono and NanoJapan co-principal investigator Cheryl Matherly, assistant provost for global education at the University of Tulsa, said NanoJapan is unique, in part, because it targets freshmen and sophomores.

"Most programs like this target juniors, seniors and graduate students," said Matherly, who co-founded NanoJapan while serving as assistant dean of students for career and international education at Rice. "Our idea was that we wanted to touch students at a point when there was still time that they could do something with this information."

Kono goes to great lengths to ensure that every NanoJapan student intern -- 16 each summer -- has a successful research experience. Kono personally visits each host lab prior to the students' arrival. He also gets weekly reports from each student and makes a point of regularly telephoning faculty hosts to make certain the students' research progresses regularly throughout their 12-week stay in Japan.

Although research and technology are heavily emphasized -- all the student interns arriving in Japan have a three-week crash course in nanotechnology before going to their individual laboratories -- Kono, Matherly and NanoJapan participants said the program's language and cultural programs are what truly set NanoJapan apart.

Matthew Diasio, a Rice junior who interned at Hokkaido University this summer, said he focused heavily on the research component of the experience before leaving for Japan. "I was interested in learning about Japanese culture, but I guess I thought, 'Oh well, that will just happen naturally.'"

In fact, the cultural orientation for NanoJapan interns begins the day before they leave the U.S., when the group meets for a session that, as one participant said, "ensured that we weren't totally shocked when we arrived in Tokyo."

Once in Tokyo, the students undergo three weeks of intensive language training -- three hours a day -- and this is complemented with field trips to important cultural sites like the Daibutsu at Kamakura and to cultural events, including sumo wrestling.

"This was my first time outside of the country, and it was a really nice experience to be thoroughly saturated in a new and different culture," said Nicholas Riggall, a Rice junior who interned this summer at RIKEN, a national laboratory in Saitama. "The most fulfilling aspect for me was the realization that even though it's a completely different culture -- it doesn't get much more different than Japan -- I was still able to get comfortable and meet people. I was able to make friends who spoke virtually no English."

Kono said the new NSF grant will allow NanoJapan to expand its internships beyond nanotechnology and into the field of terahertz science. The study of terahertz radiation, also known as t-rays or submillimeter radiation, is a hot topic in research laboratories worldwide because of potential uses in airport security scanners and a number of other cutting-edge technologies as well as in fundamental studies of a variety of low-energy excitations of charge, spin and vibrations in nanomaterials.

"The U.S. and Japan are both leaders in terahertz science, and this will give our students a chance to participate firsthand," Kono said.

The NanoJapan research experience clearly makes a lasting impression on participants. Many program alumni have opted for follow-up internships or go on to graduate studies in science and engineering.

Kevin Chu, a Rice sophomore who interned at the University of Tokyo, said, "In high school chemistry classes, you're given a little cookbook. You follow the procedures step by step, and you get the results that millions of others have gotten. But in my lab in Tokyo, I was able to design my own experiment and carry it out and produce some really nice results. That kind of independence was tremendous."

NanoJapan was honored at the United Nations in 2008 with an Andrew Heiskell Award for Innovation in International Education. The award, which was given by the Institute of International Education, recognized NanoJapan for "Best Practice in Study Abroad."

Kono said the continued support and recognition of the program are welcome but not nearly as gratifying as the impact that the program has made in the lives of students.

Diasio said he expects the friendships that he formed this summer to last for many years. "My mentor and another graduate student from the lab that I was in are going to be at Rice in the fall, and we're all very excited because now I get to return the favor and show them Houston and America."

Other co-principal investigators and senior personnel for the new PIRE grant include Pulickel Ajayan, Rice's Benjamin M. and Mary Greenwood Anderson Professor in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and of chemistry; Rui-Rui Du, professor of physics and astronomy at Rice; Daniel Mittleman, professor in electrical and computer engineering at Rice; Jonathan Bird, professor of electrical engineering, and Vladimir Mitin, distinguished professor of electrical engineering, both of the State University of New York at Buffalo; Christopher Stanton, professor of physics at the University of Florida; Alexey Belyanin, professor of physics and astronomy at Texas A&M University; and Saikat Talapatra, assistant professor of physics, and Aldo Migone, professor of physics, both of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.

Battelle and Edison Nation

Collaborate to Boost Innovation

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Battelle and Edison Nation have formed an innovative collaboration that will enable great ideas to get to the market faster. Under this three-year agreement, Edison Nation will be able to draw on Battelle's resources to augment its offerings and Battelle will broaden its engagement in consumer product innovation.

Edison Nation has created an innovative way to harness the power of open innovation to quickly link companies looking for new products with inventors who can help them. Battelle is the world's largest, independent research and development organization with a track record of getting scientific and technical solutions into the marketplace.

"Battelle is all about innovation - turning inventions into products. We're pleased to be working with the creative team at Edison Nation to help get innovative ideas into the market," said Spencer Pugh, Vice President and Manager of Industrial and International Markets at Battelle. "Edison Nation gives us direct entrée into hundreds of companies looking for new products to develop."

Edison Nation works with major companies such as Rawlings, Proctor & Gamble, Walmart, and Yahoo. Edison Nation founder Louis Foreman also created the Emmy® Award winning reality PBS television program "Everyday Edisons," which features inventors trying to break into the marketplace.

While Edison Nation works mainly with thousands of individual inventors, the agreement with Battelle means the company can begin match making Battelle with like-minded organizations that also do the kind of high-tech science in which Battelle specializes, Foreman said. Foreman is an inventor with 10 registered U.S. patents as well as publisher of Inventors Digest magazine.

"This is a great opportunity for Edison Nation. Battelle's strength is as a discovery company while Edison Nation is expert at getting discoveries into the hands of the companies that can manufacture and sell them," he said. "Linking with Battelle's world-class scientific organization is the other side of the coin to Edison Nation's traditional role of helping creative individual inventors from around the world."

Study finds possible 'persistence' switch for tuberculosis

Computer model finds probable genetic mechanism for TB dormancy

HOUSTON -- (Sept. 17, 2010) -- An examination of a portion of the tuberculosis genome that responds to stress has allowed Rice University bioengineers Oleg Igoshin and Abhinav Tiwari to zero in on a network of genes that may "switch" the disease into dormancy.

The bacteria that cause tuberculosis (TB), Mycobacterium tuberculosis, can transition into a dormant state to ward off attacks from antibiotics and the immune system. A new report from Igoshin and Tiwari in this month's issue of Physical Biology examines a network of genes that may make this possible. A computer model of the network showed it can act as a "persistence" switch that toggles the organism from a fast-growing to a slow-growing state.

"The molecular mechanisms that allow Mycobacterium tuberculosis to switch into this slow-growing, persistent state have been associated with genes that are activated when the microorganism is under stress," said Igoshin, senior author of the study and an assistant professor in bioengineering at Rice.

Tiwari, lead author of the study and a graduate student in Igoshin's lab, said, "We examined a stress-response network of genes that are found in both the TB bacterium and other closely related mycobacteria. We analyzed the role of multiple feedback loops in this network, and were eventually able to identify an ultrasensitive mechanism that works in combination with the feedback loops to form a switch. This switch can possibly activate transition to the persistent state."

The study was a collaborative effort between Igoshin's laboratory at Rice's BioScience Research Collaborative and the research groups of Gabor Balazsi at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and Maria Laura Gennaro at the Public Health Research Institute of the New Jersey Medical School.

Scientists have long known that the TB bacterium has the ability to "hunker down" and go dormant under stressful conditions. Previous studies have confirmed that both the slow-growing and fast-growing forms of the bacteria have identical genes.

"The fact that the same organism can exist in two states at the same time in the same environment raises many questions," Igoshin said. "What is the basis for this bistability? What are the environmental cues that activate the switch?"

Other bacteria can switch between stable states as well, but Mycobacterium tuberculosis' ability to make this transition is one reason TB is such a widespread disease. As much as 30 percent of the world's population is believed to be infected with TB, which causes about 2 million deaths every year.

Igoshin said advances in molecular microbiology have allowed researchers to identify networks of mycobacterial genes that become activated when the organism is stressed. One of these networks contains genes that make mycobacterial transcription factor (MprA) and another protein called sigma factor E (SigE).

"Our collaborative team developed an approach that allowed us to formulate general conclusions about the properties of the mycobacterial stress-response network, even though we had limited knowledge of the underlying parameter values," Igoshin said.

Tiwari said, "Using this approach, we systematically examined the different modules, or subsets, of the full network. We found that bistability was linked to a positive feedback loop between MprA and SigE, a protein that binds to RNA polymerase to promote the production of both MprA and SigE."

Igoshin and Tiwari believe their modular approach to investigate the role of multiple feedback loops could also be used to unravel mechanisms that other bacteria use to control bistability.

"There are many outstanding questions regarding the specific ways that gene regulatory networks operate in bacteria," Igoshin said. "The generality of this modular approach opens up a promising avenue for answering some of those questions because it can be readily adapted to other networks."

And that is precisely what Igoshin's lab and its collaborators are preparing to do thanks to a recently awarded five-year, $1.35 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

"We want to understand -- at a network-level -- how different organisms mount these types of responses," Igoshin said. "We need this to better understand how cells function and to build better computer models of pathogenic bacteria that cannot be easily manipulated in the laboratory."

The Physical Biology study was supported by the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, the European Commission's Seventh Framework Programme for Research and the NIH Director's New Innovator Award Program.

Rice study examines how bacteria acquire immunity

First theoretical description of bacterial system to silence viral genes

HOUSTON -- (Sept. 15, 2010) -- In a new study this week, Rice University scientists bring the latest tools of computational biology to bear in examining how the processes of natural selection and evolution influence the way bacteria acquire immunity from disease.

The study is available online from Physical Review Letters. It builds upon one of the major discoveries made possible by molecular genetics in the past decade -- the revelation that bacteria and similar single-celled organisms have an acquired immune system.

"From a purely scientific perspective, this research is teaching us things we couldn't have imagined just a few years ago, but there's an applied interest in this work as well," said Michael Deem, the John W. Cox Professor in Biochemical and Genetic Engineering and professor of physics and astronomy at Rice. "It is believed, for instance, that the bacterial immune system uses a process akin to RNA interference to silence the disease genes it recognizes, and biotechnology companies may find it useful to develop this as a tool for silencing particular genes."

The new study by Deem and graduate student Jiankui He focused on a portion of the bacterial genome called the "CRISPR," which stands for "clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats." The CRISPR contain two types of DNA sequences. One type -- short, repeating patterns that first attracted scientific interest -- is what led to the CRISPR name. But scientists more recently learned that the second type -- originally thought of as DNA "spacers" between the repeats -- is what the organism uses to recognize disease.

"Bacteria get attacked by viruses called phages, and the CRISPR contain genetic sequences from phages," Deem said. "The CRISPR system is both inheritable and programmable, meaning that some sequences may be there when the organism is first created, and new ones may also be added when new phages attack the organism during its life cycle."

The repeating sequences appear to be a kind of bookend or flag that the organism uses to determine where a snippet from a phage begins and ends. The CRISPR will often have between 30 and 50 of these snippets of phage sequences. Previous studies have found that once a bacteria has a phage sequence in its CRISPR, it has the ability to degrade any DNA or RNA that match that sequence -- meaning it can fend off attacks from any phages that have genes matching those in its CRISPR.

"What we wanted to explore was how the history of a bacterium's exposure to phages influences what's in the CRISPR," Deem said. "In other words, how is an organism's previous exposure to viruses reflected in its own genome?"

From earlier published studies, Deem and He knew that phage sequences were added to the CRISPR sequentially. So, in a CRISPR system containing 30 snippets, the newest one would be in position one, at the front of the line. In another study in 2007, researchers examining the CRISPR of whole populations of bacteria noticed some statistical irregularities. They found that the likelihood of two different organisms having the same snippet in their CRISPR increased exponentially as they progressed away from position one. So, in the organism with 30 snippets, the phage gene in position 30 was the most likely to be conserved time and again across all the bacteria in the population.

To use the power of computers to examine why this happens, Deem and He needed a mathematical description of what was happening over time to both the bacterial and phage populations. The equations they created reflect the way the bacterial and phage populations interact via the CRISPR.

"Each population is trying to expand, and selective pressure is constantly being applied on both sides," Deem said. "You can see how this plays out in the CRISPR over time. There's a diverse assortment of genes in the first spacer, but the second spacer has been in there longer, so there's been more selective pressure applied to that spacer. Because bacteria that contain the dominant viral strain in their CRISPR are more likely to survive than those that don't, they tend to squeeze out their neighbors that are more vulnerable. At position N, the farthest way from position one, selection has been at work the longest, so the genes we find there were the most common and the ones that tended to afford the most overall protection to the organism."

In addition to interest from biotechnology firms, Deem said the workings of the CRISPR are of interest to drugmakers who are investigating new types of antibiotics.

The research was supported by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

Live Webinar (presented free of charge)

Obtaining Representative Raman Spectra

from Carbon Nanotubes

Thermo Scientific Molecular Spectroscopy Product Group

Thursday, September 23 at 11 am EDT (3 p.m. UTC/GMT)

Register at: http://www.accelacomm.com/jaw/ntnem/35/51118278

Getting a representative and reproducible Raman spectrum from samples of carbon nanomaterials is important for both producers and users. Sample preparation, Raman sampling, and measurement conditions all have an impact on the spectrum obtained from carbon nanotubes. This 30-minute webinar provides insight into how to optimize each of these factors and will allow you to obtain representative Raman data for carbon nanotubes produced or used in your process.

Who Should Attend

* Carbon Nanotube Manufacturers

* Materials Formulators

* Polymer Composite Groups

* Quality Control Engineers in Nanotech

* Anyone looking to improve processes in nanomaterials

What You Learn

* Proper sample prep for nanomaterials

* Setting up experimental measure conditions

* Optimizing Raman sample collection

* Thermo Scientific tools for Raman characterization

Register at: http://www.accelacomm.com/jaw/ntnem/35/51118278/ 

Check the starting time in your area:

http://www.worldtimeserver.com/convert_time_in_US-MA.aspx?y=2010&mo=9&d=23&h=11&mn=0

Science Foundation Arizona Bisgrove Postdoctoral Scholars

Deadline

Applications are currently being reviewed. Final deadline for submissions is September 30, 2010.

Purpose

The Bisgrove Postdoctoral Scholars program is designed to attract the nation's best early career scientists who exhibit the potential for outstanding competence and creativity in their research areas, strong communication skills, a passion for communicating the importance of their research to society, and a keen interest in educational science outreach to the community.

"The Bisgrove Scholars will help put Arizona on the map as a research hub, where young and talented scientists and engineers are welcomed and encouraged to innovate," said William Harris, president and chief executive officer of Science Foundation Arizona.

In return for the investment in their talents, the Bisgrove Scholars are expected to:

contribute to ASU's scholarly and intellectual environment

commit time to mentoring graduate fellows and undergraduates in STEM related disciplines

commit to engaging with educators in the K-12 system (e.g., guest lecturer) to foster K-12 successes

The Bisgrove Leadership Academy

The Bisgrove Leadership Academy has been launched to provide training and guidance for Bisgrove Postdoctoral Scholars in areas of collaborative interdisciplinary research, use-inspired research, laboratory management and leadership, together with related resources, that will ensure their success as they develop as scientists in a multidisciplinary setting.

The major activity of the Academy will be monthly workshops/seminars, which will be led by experts in a range of fields (from ASU or invited). Topics will include: challenges and opportunities in interdisciplinary research as they relate to program themes, grant writing and funding, budget development, grant administration, intellectual property, getting published, interviewing skills, research ethics (case studies), and science policy.

Contact

Andrew Webber, Science Foundation Arizona.

Associate Vice Provost

Graduate College

PO Box 871003

Arizona State University

Tempe, AZ 85287-1003

phone: 480-965-5906 

fax: 480-727-6615

andrew.webber@asu.edu

NNSA Participates in White House

HBCUs National Conference

President Obama declared Sept. 12-18 National Historically Black Colleges

and Universities Week

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Officials from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) participated this week in a White House-led conference designed to strengthen the capacity of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to provide excellence in education.

The three-day conference, which concludes today, brought together HBCU leaders, nonprofits and federal government representatives to focus on issues including access and retention; public and private partnerships; and building capacity in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. President Obama also proclaimed this week National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week.

“During National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week, we celebrate the immeasurable contributions these crucibles of learning have made to our Nation,” President Obama wrote in the proclamation. “As we continue strengthening the capacity of HBCUs, let us also recommit to preserving and enriching their long tradition of hope and success, and to sustaining our collective effort to meet and exceed America's goals for educational excellence.”

Since its inception in 2000, NNSA has been a strong supporter of student development in education to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics at Minority Serving Institutions across the United States. During FY 2010, which ends Sept. 30, NNSA is awarding more than $17 million in grants to HBCUs. More than 300 minority students have participated in summer internships across the nuclear security enterprise since the program’s inception.

“Our longstanding involvement with HBCUs has enabled highly skilled students to become engaged with our national security missions and gain exposure to leading science, technology and engineering professionals across the country,” said NNSA Administrator Thomas D’Agostino. “We rely on these relationships to recruit the next generation of nuclear security experts, and we support the President’s goal to further develop HBCU partnerships with the federal government.”

NNSA’s Minority Serving Institutions program has produced an increase in collaborative research projects among HBCU institutions and majority institutions and NNSA laboratories, resulting in several pending patents. The program also has increased collaborative projects with small and large businesses such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing and General Motors.

Established by Congress in 2000, NNSA is a semi-autonomous agency within the U.S. Department of Energy responsible for enhancing national security through the military application of nuclear science in the nation's national security enterprise. NNSA maintains and enhances the safety, security, reliability, and performance of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile without nuclear testing; reduces the global danger from weapons of mass destruction; provides the U.S. Navy with safe and effective nuclear propulsion; and responds to nuclear and radiological emergencies in the U.S. and abroad.

Connexions content now available as e-books

Connexions content available in EPUB format; can be used on most e-readers

HOUSTON -- (Sept. 10, 2010) -- All content from Rice University's open education initiative Connexions is now available for download as e-books. Connexions rolled out the availability of more than 1,000 titles this week in the popular EPUB file format. EPUB is the standard used by most smart phones and e-readers worldwide. The files can be accessed with enTourage’s eDGe, Apple's iPad and iPhone and with Google's Android, among others.

"More and more students are accessing educational materials on phones and e-readers," said Joel Thierstein, executive director of Connexions. "The mobile device is, in many cases, the primary access point for educational content in the developing world."

Detailed instructions for downloading e-books from Connexions are available at:

http://cnx.org/help/viewing/epub-help

Connexions is a leading global provider of free, open educational materials. With more about 1.5 million visits per month, its repository is also one of the world's most-used open education resources. The repository contains nearly 17,000 educational modules, which are grouped into more than 1,000 collections. Many of Connexions' collections were compiled by university faculty and are already used as textbooks, either by students who access them online or print them at low cost.

Connexions is available free for anyone to contribute to or learn from at http://cnx.org

Joint Team to Conduct Fuel-Slosh Experiment in

NASA's FAST Program

Daytona Beach, Fla., Sept. 8, 2010 - Members of a joint team from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Daytona Beach campus, NASA?s Kennedy Space Center, Orbital Sciences Corp., and United Launch Alliance will get the chance to test a fuel-slosh experiment in weightlessness thanks to NASA's Facilitated Access to the Space Environment for Technology (FAST) program.

The annual  program allows U.S. companies, universities, and governmental agencies to assess emerging technologies of their own design onboard a specially modified Boeing 727 aircraft that performs parabolic trajectories simulating the reduced gravity of the moon and Mars. This year, 17 teams from across the nation will gather at Ellington Field in Houston, Texas, from Sept. 24 to Oct. 1 to receive astronaut flight training and conduct their experiments.

Other schools whose teams were chosen include California State Polytechnic University, Cornell University, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Purdue University, and Stanford University.

When selecting the teams each year, NASA favors research proposals that have potential value for its flight programs and other commercial aerospace applications. The prediction of  liquid behavior in spacecraft fuel tanks is of critical importance because the dynamic motion of liquid propellant and its interaction with the solid body of a spinning spacecraft can destabilize the spacecraft, an undesirable and expensive problem. 

The Embry-Riddle members of the team are Dr. Sathya Gangadharan, mechanical engineering professor; Dillon Sances, mechanical engineering graduate student; and Nathan Silvernail, aerospace engineering undergraduate student, all from the Daytona Beach campus. The other members are James Sudermann and Brandon Marsell of NASA; Bernard Kutter of United Launch Alliance; and Keith Schlee of Orbital Sciences Corp.

"The selection of our joint team for the FAST program is welcome recognition of the significance of Embry-Riddle's ongoing research and testing in the area of spacecraft propellant slosh," said Dr. Gangadharan. "This current experiment is a continuation of ones conducted by Dillon and Nathan in NASA's Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program (RGSFOP), which is similar to NASA's FAST program. It's been a rewarding  experience to advise our microgravity student teams over the years, and I look forward to joining Dillon and Nathan for my first-ever flight in weightlessness."

The Daytona Beach students conducted their most recent fuel-slosh experiment in NASA's RGSFOP program this past June; a student team from the University's Prescott, Ariz., campus was also selected for that program, during which they studied the effect of torque, or twisting force, on the movement of a microsatellite.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world's largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, offers more than 30 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Engineering. Embry-Riddle educates more than 34,000 students annually at residential campuses in Prescott, Ariz., and Daytona Beach, Fla., through the Worldwide Campus at more than 170 campuses in the United States, Europe, Asia, Canada, and the Middle East, and through online learning. For more information, visit www.embryriddle.edu

NEW WINTER SCHOOL ON EMERGING NANOTECHNOLOGIES

Grenoble Ecole de Management is launching a new Winter School on Nanotechnology in collaboration with IEP - Grenoble, ESIEE-Univ Paris Est-LAST, FRIDA and supported by ANR-France*.

The aim of the winter school is to explore issues related to nanotechnologies so as to better understand possible trajectories of development of nanotechnologies in different areas: To what extent do nanotechnologies exemplify a new regime of development? To what extent social scientists may focus on nanotechnologies to renew scientific approaches in sociology, economics and management of innovation? To what extent can we transfer strategies and recommendations from biotechnology and information technologies to nanotechnologies?

Vincent Mangematin, Professor of Strategic Management of Innovation at Grenoble Ecole de Management, said: “Nanotechnology is a growing multidisciplinary field of interest for social scientists. Recognizing the tremendous scientific and economic potential of nanoscale science and technology, public authorities and firms are investing in the development of nanotechnologies. At the same time, nanotechnologies raise many societal, managerial and economic questions including how nanotechnology differs from prior technologies, the role of public policies in driving the development of nanotechnologies, the emergence of clusters and networking in nanotechnologies, and the wider implications of nanotechnology for social and economic development.”

The five-day workshop, starting on March 28th 2011, is organised around five areas:

1. Management of nanotechnologies, Business models, managing converging technologies, etc.

2. New ethical questions around nanotechnologies and risk governance, from risk safety to public debates

3. Scientific and technological dynamics in nanotechnologies, institutional arrangement, individual logics, role of regulation, role of platforms, clusterisation and networks, etc.

4. Geography of nanotechnologies, governance of clusters and networks, institutional transformations

5. Economics of nanotechnologies: Lessons from previous high tech in the hype, respective roles of incumbents and start-ups, etc.

In particular, the workshop seeks to facilitate the academic socialisation of junior scholars by offering sessions and in-depth discussion about forefront research studying the evolution of nanotechnologies. The winter school also offers support in improving junior scholars’ publication capabilities as a means to strengthen their publication record and contribute to the advancement of the scientific community.

This winter school is aimed at senior and junior scholars who are studying nanotechnologies: PhDs, post docs etc.

For further information, please contact Vincent Mangematin Vincent.mangematin@grenoble-em.com

*The Institut d'études politiques de Grenoble, IEP, also known as Sciences Po Grenoble, is a political science grande école located in the campus of the University of Grenoble.

ESIEE Paris is a hub of higher education and research focussed on all aspects of technological innovation and a founder member of the newly-created "Université Paris-Est".

The FRIDA (‘Fostering Regional Innovation and Development through Anchors and Networks’) project aims to improve regional policy making within the EU, by advancing state of the art understanding of the importance of anchor firms to regional development and cohesion.

The French National Research Agency (l'Agence Nationale de la Recherche), the ANR, was founded in 2005 and is a funding agency for research projects. Its aim is to increase the number of research projects issued from the entire scientific community, and to provide funding based on calls for proposals and peer review selection processes.

About Grenoble Ecole de Management

Located in the heart of the French Alps, Grenoble Ecole de Management is one of the few business schools worldwide to hold the three accreditations that distinguish leading international business schools: EQUIS (European Quality Improvement System), AACSB (The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) and AMBA (The Association of MBAs). Often described as the Alpine Silicon Valley of Europe, Grenoble is a hotbed of micro and nanotechnology activity. Building on the strength of its expertise in Management, Technology and Innovation and its geographical location, to better respond to the needs of businesses and the evolutions of the business world, the School has developed a specific expertise in nanotechnologies.

BALZAN PRIZE FOR MATHEMATICS GOES TO JACOB PALIS

One million Swiss Francs (around EUR 760.000, USD 980.000, GBP 640.000) for Mathematics (pure or applied). Half of the amount must be destined by the winner to research projects.

Milan,Italy - The names of the 2010 Balzan Prizewinners were announced today in a public event:

Jacob Palis (Brazil), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, National Institute of pure and applied Mathematics (IMPA), for Mathematics (pure or applied)

Shinya Yamanaka (Japan/USA), Kyoto University, Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences, for Stem Cells: Biology and Potential Applications

Carlo Ginzburg (Italy), Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, for European History, 1400-1700 (including the British Isles)

Manfred Brauneck (Germany), University of Hamburg, Center for Theatre Research, for the History of Theatre in All Its Aspects

The Balzan Prizes 2010 have been announced in Milan by the Chairman of the Balzan General Prize Committee, Salvatore Veca, together with the President of the International Balzan Foundation Prize , Ambassador Bruno Bottai, at the Corriere della Sera Foundation.

The profiles of the winners and the motivations of the Prizes (which will be awarded by the President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, during a ceremony to be held in Rome on November 19 at the Quirinale Palace) were presented by four prestigious members of the General Prize Committee:

Étienne Ghys* read the motivation for the assignment of the prize for Mathematics (pure or applied) to Jacob Palis:

"For his fundamental contributions to the Mathematical Theory of Dynamical Systems."

* Research Director at the CNRS, Pure and Applied Mathematics Unit, École Normale Supérieure de Lyon.

Nicole Le Douarin* read the motivation for the assignment of the prize for Stem Cells: Biology and Potential Applications to Shinya Yamanaka:

"For the discovery of a method to transform already differentiated adult cells into cells presenting the characteristics of embryonic stem cells."

* Honorary Professor at the Collège de France; Member of the Institut de France, Honorary Permanent Secretary of the Académie des Sciences.

Quentin Skinner* read the motivation for the assignment of the prize for European History, 1400-1700 (including the British Isles) to Carlo Ginzburg:

"For the exceptional combination of imagination, scholarly precision and literary skill with which he has recovered and illuminated the beliefs of ordinary people in Early-modern Europe."

* Barber Beaumont Professor of the Humanities, Queen Mary, University of London; Fellow of the British Academy and of Christ`s College Cambridge.

Gottfried Scholz* read the motivation for the assignment of the prize for the History of Theatre in All Its Aspects to Manfred Brauneck:

"For his wide-ranging account of two and a half millennia in the history of European theatre, as well as his research on currents and events of an international nature in the world of theatre."

* Professor Emeritus of Music Analysis at the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna; Fellow of the Sudetendeutsche Akademie der Wissenschaften und Künste, Munich.

The President of the General Prize Committee, Professor Salvatore Veca, announced that the 2011 Balzan Prizes will be awarded in the following fields: Ancient History (The Greco-Roman World), Enlightenment Studies, Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, The Early Universe (from Planck-time to the first galaxies).

The amount of each of the four 2011 Balzan Prizes will be 750.000 Swiss Francs (approx. EUR 577.000, USD 740.000, BPD 470.000).

The award fields vary each year and can be related to either a specific or an interdisciplinary field, and look to go beyond the traditional subjects both in the humanities (literature, the moral sciences and the arts) and in the sciences (medicine and the physical, mathematical and natural sciences), so as to give priority to innovative research.

Half of the amount received by the winner of each of the four prizes must be destined for research work, preferably involving young scholars and researchers.

The public announcement, under the auspices of the City of Milan, was followed by a lecture by Paolo Rossi Monti, 2009 Balzan Prize for the History of Science, entitled "La scienza e la sua storia" (The science and its history).

The International Balzan Foundation, founded in 1957, operates through two different institutions. The International Balzan Foundation "Prize" (chaired in Milan by Ambassador Bruno Bottai) selects the subjects to be awarded and the candidates through its General Prize Committee. The International Balzan Foundation "Fund" (chaired in Zurich by Achille Casanova) administers the estate left by Eugenio Balzan.

Summer School: College Students Tackle

International Safeguards through NNSA Courses

Partnership with five national laboratories provides opportunity

for next generation of experts

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As colleges and universities across the nation begin the fall semester, the National Nuclear Security Administration congratulates those students who spent a few extra weeks in the classroom this summer learning about nuclear safeguards and their application to modern nuclear security policy.

Through its Next Generation Safeguards Initiative http://nnsa.energy.gov/mediaroom/factsheets/nextgenerationsafeguards, NNSA conducts five summer safeguards courses at the national laboratories for undergraduate and graduate students as well as young professionals. International safeguards are a central pillar of the nuclear nonproliferation regime. They are the framework through which the International Atomic Energy Agency monitors nuclear activities under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and are the primary vehicle for verifying compliance with peaceful use and nuclear nonproliferation undertakings.

“These courses allow NNSA and the DOE national laboratories, in partnership with universities across the United States, to provide hands-on training to the next generation of nuclear nonproliferation experts,” said Principal Assistant Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Ken Baker. “The science and technology that stems from more than six decades of nuclear security experience is paving the way for a safer, more secure future under a robust international safeguards regime.”

This summer, 114 college students from 51 universities spent time learning about topics ranging from safeguards technology, nuclear materials measurement and the policy and legal challenges surrounding the implementation of safeguards. A list of universities is included with this release.

Descriptions of the five courses:

Los Alamos National Laboratory/Texas A&M University Summer Safeguards Course

In 2010, LANL/TAMU held their third annual technical safeguards course featuring both lectures by safeguards experts and laboratory experiments. This summer, three advanced nuclear safeguards technical modules were conducted on the topics of material holdup, advanced gamma-ray measurement, and calorimetric assay. More than 25 students and mid-career staff from 18 different universities attended the course.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory/Monterey Institute of International Studies Summer Safeguards Course

The LLNL/MIIS one-week safeguards course, also in its third year, welcomed 30 students this summer. The course, aimed at advanced students and young professionals, featured lectures on the history and evolution of international safeguards implementation. The students participated in two in-class simulation exercises focused on state-level safeguards analysis and the political challenges surrounding questions of safeguards compliance.  The course also required students to complete an on-line introductory module with tests on nuclear nonproliferation and safeguards issues prior to participating in the program to ensure that they all began with a good grasp of nonproliferation issues.

Brookhaven National Laboratory Summer Safeguards Course

BNL offered a safeguards course in the summer of 2010 for the second time, combining familiarization of safeguards approaches and design information verification with a strong emphasis on the development of today’s strengthened safeguards system and the evolution of both the international nonproliferation regime and the challenges to it.  The three-week course was attended by 23 students.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Summer Safeguards Course

Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Safeguards Technology Integration Center conducted a course on non-destructive assay (NDA) applications for international safeguards for 20 nuclear engineering students from the University of Florida. The class consisted of both lectures and valuable hands-on experience with safeguards instrumentation and software that provided the students with practical understanding of a number of NDA techniques used for analyzing special nuclear material.  This course was also held earlier in the year for student groups from the University of Michigan, University of Tennessee, Texas A&M University, North Carolina State University, and Georgia Institute of Technology. 

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Summer Safeguards Course

PNNL conducted a one-week intensive safeguards summer course for 28 students, the second year this course has been held.  The course featured 40 hours of exercises and instructions, including introductions to the nuclear fuel cycle, process monitoring, information collection techniques, safeguards at item/bulk facilities, and hands-on exercises.  A tour of 329 lab at Hanford and the HAMMER training facility were also part of the course.

The programs attracted students from the following universities:

American University

Boise State University

Boston University

College of Idaho

College of St. Benedict (MN)

Eckerd College

George Washington University

Georgia Institute of Technology

Gonzaga University

Johns Hopkins University

King's College, London

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Montana State

Monterey Institute

Oregon Institute of Technology

Oregon State University

Pennsylvania State University

Reed College

Rutgers University

Seton Hall University

State University of New York, Stony Brook

Texas A&M University

Tufts University

University of Antwerp, Belgium

University of California, Berkeley

University of California, Irvine

University of California, San Diego

University of Denver

University of Dundee, UK

University of Florida

University of Georgia

University of Idaho

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

University of Maryland

University of Massachusetts, Lowell

University of Michigan

University of Missouri

University of New Mexico

University of North Dakota

University of North Florida

University of Pittsburgh

University of Tennessee

University of Texas, Austin

University of Tokyo

University of Washington

Washington State University

Washington University in St. Louis

Willamette University

Wofford College

Yale University

York University, UK

Evolution writ small

Rice study measures physical effects of evolution at molecular scale

HOUSTON -- (Aug. 25, 2010) -- A unique experiment at Rice University that forces bacteria into a head-to-head competition for evolutionary dominance has yielded new insights about the way Darwinian selection plays out at the molecular level. An exacting new analysis of the experiment has revealed precisely how specific genetic mutations impart a physical edge in the competition for survival.

The new research, which could lead to more effective strategies to combat antibiotic drug resistance, was the most downloaded article this month in the journal Molecular Systems Biology.

The research builds upon an ingenious 2005 study involving bacteria called "thermophiles," which thrive at high temperatures. Researchers in the laboratory of Rice biochemist Yousif Shamoo "knocked out" a key gene that allowed the thermophiles to make energy at high temperatures. These crippled versions of the bacteria were then grown inside fermentors for several weeks. Each day, the temperature of the fermentors was increased. As a result, the bacteria were forced to either starve or adapt to survive at high temperature.

Of the hundreds of possible mutations, only five proved successful in allowing the cells to adapt and survive at high temperature. Each of these had mutations in a gene that creates a key enzyme that helps make energy at high temperature. Each of the five made a slightly different version of the enzyme.

"One of these five eventually won out entirely and drove all the others to extinction," said Shamoo, associate professor of biochemistry and cell biology and director of Rice's Institute of Biosciences and Bioengineering. "The question is what physical advantage did that particular mutant have? What were the precise physical changes to the enzyme that allowed that strain to outcompete its cousins?"

Finding the answer to that question was painstaking. While the genetic mutations were known from the earlier study, it fell to graduate student Matt Peña to find out how small changes in the DNA structure of the bacteria translated into specific enzymatic changes. He found that adaptation depended critically on simultaneously keeping the enzyme working while also increasing its resistance to inactivation as the temperatures increased.

He found that versions of the enzyme -- which is a specific kind of protein -- that became inactive were also subject to protein misfolding. In humans, an inability to maintain properly folded and active proteins has been linked to several human diseases, including Alzheimer's.

"Studies like this can help us understand the physical basis for these kinds of diseases, and they can give us a better understanding for the molecular basis for adaptation," Shamoo said. "For example, what we learn from these thermophiles carries over into our work on drug-resistant bacteria because the principles of adaptation are the same no matter whether you're studying temperature, pH, antibiotic resistance or whatever," he said.

Shamoo's lab won funding from the National Institutes of Health in 2009 to study how bacteria evolve antibiotic resistance. One of the ultimate goals of the project is to predict how evolution will play out so that drugmakers can head off resistance before it arises.

"With the thermophile study we've shown that it is possible to build a fitness function -- a mathematical expression -- that translates enzyme performance into a specific measure of competitive advantage," Shamoo said. "That's important because if you can't do that for one protein of interest, then there's no way you're going to be able to do it for a more complicated problem like antibiotic resistance, which involves simultaneous mutations to more than one gene."

Co-authors of the new research paper include Milya Davlieva, research scientist; Matthew Bennett, assistant professor of biochemistry and cell biology; and John Olson, the Ralph and Dorothy Looney Professor of Biochemistry and Cell Biology at Rice. The research was funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and the Welch Foundation.

Postdoctoral Researcher Position

The NSF Center for Nanotechnology in Society (CNS) at the University of California, Santa Barbara seeks a highly qualified postdoctoral scholar who will conduct spatial analysis research on new media and emerging technologies, specifically nanotechnologies.

The successful candidate will join a team investigating social response to emerging nanotechnologies, and will take the lead in spatial analysis of nanotechnology risk (and innovation) coverage in new media, including the blogosphere and Twitter. Applicants should possess a Ph.D. (in hand by start of appointment) in geography or a related discipline with a strong background in visualization, spatial analysis, GIS/cartography, spatial statistics, and/or new media. Background in societal dimensions of nanotechnology is not required. Applicants should have experience in conducting independent research, a record of communicating research results via publications and presentations, and be willing to participate in collaborative, interdisciplinary research while in residence at UCSB.

UCSB has world-class resources in this area of research, and the successful candidate will have access to the expertise of the UCSB Center for Spatial Studies, including its Director Michael Goodchild, and the UCSB Center for Information Technology and Society, directed by Andrew Flanagin.

The position is full time, in residence at UCSB, with a salary of $42,000--$50,000 depending on experience, plus some health benefits and a modest research and travel budget. Preferred start-date for the position is Jan 1,

2011 (negotiable). The initial appointment is for one year, renewable, based on performance and availability of funding. Initial review of applications will begin on 15 October 2010, however the position will remain open until filled.

When applying, a prospective postdoctoral researcher should submit a full C.V., a relevant sample of published or submitted work, and a plan for research to be done while in residence at CNS with the Risk Perception interdisciplinary research group. The applicant should also provide two letters of reference, either with the application or mailed directly to the CNS. All application materials should be sent to:

Barbara Gilkes

CNS Assistant Director

ISBER MC 2150

University of California

Santa Barbara, CA 93106-2150

Email: bgilkes@cns.ucsb.edu

Phone: (805) 893-3995 Fax: (805) 893-7995

The CNS-UCSB (cns.ucsb.edu) conducts collaborative interdisciplinary research on public and expert risk perception; technologies and the public sphere; science policy/public policy; the historical context of emerging technologies; new technology innovation policy and R&D systems; and globalization and technology development issues, including challenges to equitable development. CNS-UCSB research helps policy makers,scientists and engineers, industry, community organizations, and the general public understand the opportunities

and risks that nanotechnology affords.

An Equal Opportunity Employer.

Research Highlight: RTTA 3

  Crafting Research Agendas in Plausibility:

The Plausibility Project Workshop at Arizona State University

Cynthia Selin, Assistant Research Professor

The Center for Nanotechnology in Society at

Arizona State University

Arnim Wiek, Assistant Professor

School of Sustainability

Arizona State University

There are no future facts yet.

At the same time, there is a need to think ahead, to consider consequences, risks, implications of actions, and desirability in the face of uncertainty and indeterminacy.

This predicament gives rise to a question: How do we assess the quality of anticipatory knowledge?

Our normal ways of managing risk and thinking about the future are unsatisfying. Our normal ways of assessing knowledge quality in terms of accuracy, reliability, precision and consistency are problematic. Plausibility arises as a viable—though under-theorized and illusive—concept that moves beyond the search for a “factual” encounter with the future.

In November 2009, the Center for Nanotechnology in Society, in collaboration with the Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes (Arizona State University) and the Institute for Science, Policy and Innovation (University of Oxford), joined forces with an interdisciplinary group of scenario practitioners, science and society scholars, philosophers and historians to explore the conceptual and methodological underpinnings of plausibility: what is it, why does it matter, where is it evaluated and for whom is it a central value.

Three outcomes emerged:

Identification of the "state of the art" (concepts, empirical studies) regarding plausibility;

An accounting for research and knowledge gaps surrounding plausibility;

Development of a coordinated research agenda.

The Center for Nanotechnology in Society at Arizona State University facilitates the public's involvement in nanoscale research and development, to build new capabilities for understanding and governing the power of nanotechnology to transform society. CNS-ASU is affiliated with the Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes (CSPO), in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at ASU.

Royal Celebration for Kavli Prize Laureates

OSLO, Norway, Aug. 20 (AScribe Newswire) -- His Majesty King Harald will present the Kavli Prize in Astrophysics, Nanoscience and Neuroscience to the eight laureates from the U.S., Germany and the UK at a gala performance at Oslo Concert Hall, Norway, on Sept. 7. The laureates will receive a gold medal, a scroll and a share of the one million U.S. dollars awarded in each of the scientific fields. Artist and former Minister of Culture Ase Kleveland, and the American actor, director and writer Alan Alda will host the award ceremony.

       The 2010 Kavli Prize laureates have made discoveries that have dramatically expanded human understanding in the fields of astrophysics, nanoscience and neuroscience. The chairmen of the international prize committees, Oddbjorn Engvold, Arne Skjeltorp and Jon Storm-Mathisen respectively, will introduce the winners and give a brief account of why they were chosen to receive the Kavli Prize.

       KING HARALD PRESENTS THE PRIZES

       King Harald will present the Kavli Prize, awarded by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, to the laureates. The Kavli Prize is a partnership between The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, The Kavli Foundation (U.S.) and the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research.

       The Kavli Prize in Astrophysics will be presented to Jerry Earl Nelson, Raymond Neil Wilson and Roger Angel for their contributions to the development of giant telescopes that have allowed us glimpses of ever more distant and ancient objects and events in the remote corners of the Universe.

       The Kavli Prize in Nanoscience will be presented to Donald M. Eigler and Nadrian C. Seeman for their development of unprecedented methods to control matter on the nanoscale.

       The Kavli Prize in Neuroscience will be presented to Thomas C. Sudhof, Richard H. Scheller and James E. Rothman for their work to reveal the precise molecular basis of the transfer of signals between nerve cells in the brain.

       The names of the 2010 Kavli Prize laureates were announced by Nils Christian Stenseth, President of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters on June 3. Professor Stenseth will also give the opening speech at the award ceremony.

       KAVLI PRIZE SCIENCE FORUM

       The Kavli Prize Science Forum, to take place at the University of Oslo on Sept. 6, is a new biennial international forum meeting to facilitate high-level, global discussion of major topics on science and science policy. For the inaugural forum, ten global leaders critical in shaping science policy in the U.S., Europe and Asia will convene to discuss "The Role of International Cooperation in Science." Jonas Gahr Store, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Norway, will make the opening speech. The two keynote speakers are John P. Holdren, Science Advisor to President Barack Obama and Ernst-Ludwig Winnacker, the first Secretary General of the European Research Council and now the Secretary General of the Human Frontier Science Program. This will be followed by a panel discussion chaired by Charles Vest, President, U.S. National Academy of Engineering.

       The panelists are:

       Ralph J. Cicerone, President, National Academy of Science, U.S.

       Herbert Jaeckle, Vice President, Max Planck Society, Germany

       Kristina Johnson, Under Secretary for Energy, U.S. Department of Energy

       Ichiro Kanazawa, President, Science Council of Japan

       Yongxiang Lu, President, Chinese Academy of Sciences

       Martin Rees, President, The Royal Society, United Kingdom

       Nils Christian Stenseth, President, Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters

       KAVLI PRIZE SYMPOSIA AND LECTURES

       As part of the scientific program during the Kavli Prize week there will also be Kavli Prize Symposia in Astrophysics, Nanoscience and Neuroscience in Oslo on Sept. 6. The Kavli Prize laureates will give their lectures at the University of Oslo on Sept. 8. There will also be two lectures by Bill Bryson in Oslo on Sept. 6. The bestselling American author gives a lecture based on his book "A Short History of Nearly Everything".

       For more details about all the events please consult the Kavli Prize web site http://www.kavliprize.no/ 

UNL research funding tops record $139M

By KEVIN ABOUREZK / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Thursday, August 19, 2010 10:40 am

Federal stimulus dollars pushed the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's research funding to a record $139.2 million this year, according to the university.

Total research funding, including all external funds awarded for research in the fiscal year that ended June 30, was up nearly 14 percent from $122.5 million last year.

But $21 million of the new funding came from 55 grants awarded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

"UNL faculty and staff worked very hard during the past year preparing research proposals to compete for stimulus funding," said Prem S. Paul, vice chancellor for research and economic development. "In addition, these funds provide critical investments for new facilities in nanoscience and virology."

Paul said he is concerned about the lack of stimulus funding next year but is hopeful UNL researchers will continue to win new grants.

"We are planning to compete, and we plan to win," he said. "The effort is there. The desire is there. We are hungry."

More than $94 million of this year's research funding came from federal sources such as the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health and Department of Defense. UNL's federal funding for research grew more than 12 percent from $83.8 million in 2009.

This year, the university earned $40.2 million in total stimulus funding for sponsored programs, which not only includes external funds for research but funding for public service activities, teaching and student services.

Total external funding for sponsored programs this year climbed 28 percent to a record $246.3 million, up from $192.3 million in fiscal year 2009.

UNL's research funding has grown 180 percent since 2000, when it was $49.6 million.

"The impressive growth in our research in the past decade is the result of hard work and innovative ideas of our faculty," Paul said.

Major grants that contributed to the fiscal year's sponsored programs funding increase included these:

$10 million from the U.S. Department of Education for the nation's only National Center for Research on Rural Education.

$8 million, National Institutes of Health's National Center for Research Resources for a laboratory wing addition to the Ken Morrison Life Sciences Research Center, home to the Nebraska Center for Virology.

$6.9 million, National Institute of Standards and Technology in the U.S. Department of Commerce to help pay for construction of a $14.8 million Nanoscience Metrology Facility.

$2.5 million from the National Science Foundation to expand ANDRILL, the Antarctic Geological Drilling Program. UNL is home to the program's U.S. Science Management Office.

Paul said UNL's success in gaining research funding has created public-private partnerships that will eventually benefit Innovation Campus, the research and development campus being built on the former state fairgrounds.

"This success that our faculty are having is very satisfying," he said. "As a result of that, we will have more opportunities to attract companies."

Reach Kevin Abourezk at 402-473-7225 or kabourezk@journalstar.com.

India-Saudi Arabia ties growing stronger

By KHALED AFTAB

Published: Aug 15, 2010 04:39 Updated: Aug 15, 2010 04:39

INDIA’s ties with the people of the Arabian Peninsula go back several millennia when sailors and merchants from South Asia and the Gulf used to cross the Indian Ocean in boats constructed with teak from Malabar. Our ancestors not only shared merchandise but, through this long and substantial contact, also exchanged ideas on culture, religion and society.

As a result of this rich exchange, today there is a remarkable cultural and social affinity between the people of India and the people of the Arabian Peninsula. These ties have continued to be refreshed and enriched over the centuries.

India used to fulfill most of the requirements of the people in the peninsula, including necessities like foodstuff and textiles, as well as luxury goods such as silk and jewelry, and in return imported dates and pearls.

Relations between India and Saudi Arabia have grown stronger over the centuries due to shared feelings of respect and regard between our peoples. India admired the efforts of King Abdul Aziz to unify the various tribes of the Arabian Peninsula and set up the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Indians also supported the great efforts made by King Abdul Aziz and the later rulers of the Kingdom to improve all aspects of Haj management so that pilgrims from across the world are able to perform their pilgrimage in safety and comfort.

The leaderships of both countries have also shown unwavering commitment to strengthen these historic bonds of friendship. Our high-level engagements commenced when King Saud visited India in 1955, followed, within a year, by the visit of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to the Kingdom. Later visits were those of then Crown Prince Faisal to India in 1959 and of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1982.

However, it is the visit of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to India in January 2006, when he was the chief guest at India’s Republic Day, that the foundations of the contemporary relationship were laid.

Through the “Delhi Declaration” signed at the end of the visit, the two leaders committed themselves to pursuing a joint strategic vision to promote bilateral relations for mutual benefit as well as for the peace and security of the region as a whole.

Based on the road map set out in the Delhi Declaration, our bilateral relations have been strengthened since then with regular visits at ministerial level and stronger economic ties based on substantial trade relations and investments. Today, Saudi Arabia is India’s fourth largest trade partner, with bilateral trade being valued at over $25 billion.

Indian investments in Saudi Arabia have also increased significantly since King Abdullah’s visit and today there are over 550 small and medium Indian enterprises in the Kingdom with a total value of more than $2.5 billion.

India and Saudi Arabia are witnessing a new and dynamic phase in their bilateral ties. There is increased cooperation in frontier technologies such as information services, biotechnology, nanotechnology and space. India has one of the largest scientific and technical pools of manpower in the world and is known for the excellence of its knowledge-based industries. The development of the knowledge economy promises to be a major joint endeavor.

Read entire article at:

http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article102481.ece

Nanotechnology Info Gap Widening: Is Outreach Getting to the Right Audiences?

Dr. Deitram A. Scheufele, John E. Ross Chaired Professor

in Science Communication, College of Agricultural & Life

Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Dr. Elizabeth A. Corley, Lincoln Professor of

Public Policy, Ethics & Emerging Technologies

Arizona State University College of Public Programs

The gap in nanotechnology knowledge between the least educated and the most educated citizens has widened over the past five years. According to a CNS-ASU study of national survey data published in the January, 2010 The Scientist magazine of the life sciences, Americans with at least a college degree have shown an increased understanding of the new technology since 2004. On the other hand, for those with education levels of less than a high school diploma, knowledge about nanotechnology has declined significantly. These results raise concerns that the group most in need of knowledge and information – those with the lowest levels of formal education – are not being reached by current outreach and education efforts.

Every day that researchers spend not addressing these emerging gaps will create a larger disconnect between scientifically literate audiences and the information poor. There is therefore a real urgency to find ways of communicating effectively with all groups in society. Fortunately, the study also found that the Internet is one of the most effective methods for informing the less educated about nanotechnology. The number of days a week that respondents spent online was significantly related to nanotech knowledge levels. In other words, the Internet may finally live up to its hype as a tool for creating a more informed citizenry by serving as a "leveler" of knowledge gaps about nanotech. The CNS-ASU study offers a clear mandate to researchers to explore the potential of nontraditional ways of connecting with lay audiences.

 Download PDF 

'Tea bag' filter delivers purified water

July 27, 2010 - Combining years of research on water purification, food microbiology and nanotechnology, scientists at South Africa's Stellenbosch University have developed a high-tech "tea bag" filter that fits into the neck of a bottle and turns polluted water into clean water as you drink from it.

It promises to provide easy access to clean drinking water for vulnerable communities, for instance those living near polluted water streams. There are also plans to commercialise the filter bag into a product that can be used by outdoor enthusiasts on hiking or camping trips.

When microbiologist Professor Eugene Cloete became Dean of the Faculty of Science at Stellenbosch University (SU) in January 2009, he picked up on relevant research outside his own field of expertise, which sparked the invention of a high-tech disposable filter that looks like a tea bag and cleans highly polluted water.

Together with researchers from the Department of Microbiology and SU polymer scientists, he recently patented the innovative invention –a portable, easy-to-use, environmentally friendly water filter bag that fits into the neck of a bottle.

"The water is cleaned right then and there when you drink from the bottle," Cloete said in a statement issued by the university last week.

Water provision, sustainability

As a past executive vice-president of the International Water Association and a member of Coca-Cola's worldwide panel of water experts, Cloete believes water provision and sustainability go hand in hand.

"The lack of availability of adequate, safe and affordable water supplies impacts severely on vulnerable groups such as the poor, the elderly, HIV/Aids patients and children," he said.

"More than 90% of all cholera cases are reported in Africa, and 300-million people on our continent do not have access to safe drinking water. Clearly, something has to be done about this."

Cloete believes the "tea bag" filter shows the way forward because it represents decentralised, point-of-use technology. It can help meet the needs of people who live or travel in remote areas, or people whose regular water supply is not being treated to potable standards.

"It is simply impossible to build purification infrastructure at every polluted stream. So we have to take the solution to the people," he said.

Trans-disciplinary initiatives

The invention has become one of the first major projects of the new Stellenbosch University Water Institute, a trans-disciplinary initiative established to intensify the search for lasting solutions to the country and continent's water woes.

Cloete, who is the chairperson of the Water Institute, says he got the idea for the filter on an introductory visit to InnovUS, the university's technology transfer company, some 18 months ago.

"I was shown the electro-spinning technique of spinning ultra-thin fibres on a nanoscale developed by Dr Eugene Smit of the Department of Chemistry and Polymer Science," he said.

"Right away, my mind started churning through the possibilities of how it could be used to clean polluted water."

'Off-the-shelf materials'

A research team was put together and, after various trials and experiments, a filter sachet was developed that not only resembles a tea bag in shape and size, but is made of the same biodegradable material as off-the-shelf rooibos tea bags:

The inside of the tea bag material is coated with a thin film of biocides encapsulated within minute nanofibres, which kills all disease-causing microbes.

The bag is filled not with tea leaves but with active carbon granules that remove all harmful chemicals, for instance endocrine disruptors.

Each "tea bag" filter can clean one litre of the most polluted water to the point where it is 100% safe to drink.

Once used, the bag is thrown away, and a new one is inserted into the bottle neck.

"We tested the filter with water taken from a river here in the Stellenbosch area. The samples were highly polluted with pathogens, but they came out completely clean on the other side," said Dr Michéle de Kwaadsteniet, a postdoctoral fellow working on the project with Cloete and Professor Leon Dicks of the Department of Microbiology.

The "tea bag" filter is currently being tested by the South African Bureau of Standards, after which the team hopes to roll it out to various communities.

"It really is exciting to be part of a potentially life-changing project," said Dr Marelize Botes, postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Microbiology and a member of the water filter bag research team. "It's such an easy-to-use and practical solution to something that’s been a major problem for so long."

HOPE Project

The Stellenbosch University Water Institute and its "tea bag" water filter form part of its HOPE Project, a set of development goals aimed at improving lives in South Africa and the rest of the continent.

"We firmly believe that science should serve the needs of society. By aligning the expertise of our scientists with the national and international development agenda, we want to become more relevant to society," said Professor Russel Botman, rector and vice-chancellor of the University.

SAinfo reporter

To watch video go to:

http://www.southafrica.info/business/trends/innovations/waterpurifier-270710.htm

Nanomaterials poised for big impact in construction

Rice study give pros, cons of nanotech-enhanced building materials

HOUSTON -- (July 28, 2010) -- Nanomaterials are poised for widespread use in the construction industry, where they can offer significant advantages for a variety of applications ranging from making more durable concrete to self-cleaning windows. But widespread use in building materials comes with potential environmental and health risks when those materials are thrown away. Those are the conclusions of a new study published by Rice University engineering researchers this month in ACS Nano.

"The advantages of using nanomaterials in construction are enormous," said study co-author Pedro Alvarez, Rice's George R. Brown Professor and chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. "When you consider that 41 percent of all energy use in the U.S. is consumed by commercial and residential buildings, the potential benefits of energy-saving materials alone are vast.

"But there are reasonable concerns about unintended consequences as well," Alvarez said. "The time for responsible lifecycle engineering of man-made nanomaterials in the construction industry is now, before they are introduced in environmentally relevant concentrations."

Alvarez and co-authors Jaesang Lee, a postdoctoral researcher at Rice, and Shaily Mahendra, now an assistant professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, note that nanomaterials will likely have a greater impact on the construction industry than any other sector of the economy, after biomedical and electronics applications. They cite dozens of potential applications. For example, nanomaterials can strengthen both steel and concrete, keep dirt from sticking to windows, kill bacteria on hospital walls, make materials fire-resistant, drastically improve the efficiency of solar panels, boost the efficiency of indoor lighting and even allow bridges and buildings to "feel" the cracks, corrosion and stress that will eventually cause structural failures.

In compiling the report, Lee, Mahendra and Alvarez analyzed more than 140 scientific papers on the benefits and risks of nanomaterials. In addition to the myriad benefits for the construction industry, they also identified potential adverse health and environmental effects. In some cases, the very properties that make the nanomaterials useful can cause potential problems if the material is not disposed of properly. For example, titanium dioxide particles exposed to ultraviolet light can generate molecules called "reactive oxygen species" that prevent bacterial films from forming on windows or solar panels. This same property could endanger beneficial bacteria in the environment.

"There are ways to engineer materials in advance to make them environmentally benign," Alvarez said. "There are also methods that allow us to consider the entire lifecycle of a product and to ensure that it can be recycled or reused rather than thrown away. The key is to understand the specific risks and implications of the product before it it is widely used."

The study is available for download at:

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021%2Fnn100866w

Quantum fractals at the border of magnetism

Study of quantum phase changes reveals surprising relationship

between magnetism and electricity

HOUSTON -- (July 28, 2010) -- U.S., German and Austrian physicists studying the perplexing class of materials that includes high-temperature superconductors are reporting this week the unexpected discovery of a simple "scaling" behavior in the electronic excitations measured in a related material. The experiments, which were conducted on magnetic heavy-fermion metals, offer direct evidence of the large-scale electronic consequences of "quantum critical" effects.

The experimental and theoretical results are reported this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science by physicists at Rice University in Houston; the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids and the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, both in Dresden, Germany; and the Vienna University of Technology in Austria.

"High-temperature superconductivity has been referred to as the biggest unsolved puzzle in modern physics, and these results provide further support to the idea that correlated electron effects -- including high-temperature superconductivity -- arise out of quantum critical points," said Rice physicist Qimiao Si, the group's lead theorist.

"Our experiments clearly show that variables from classical physics cannot explain all of the observed macroscopic properties of materials at quantum critical points," said lead experimentalist Frank Steglich, director of the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids.

The experiments by Steglich's group were conducted on a heavy-fermion metal containing ytterbium, rhodium and silicon that is known as YbRh2Si2 (YRS). YRS is one of the best-characterized and most-studied quantum critical materials.

Quantum criticality refers to a phase transition, or tipping point, that marks an abrupt change in the physical properties of a material. The most common example of an everyday phase change would be the melting of ice, which marks the change of water from a solid to a liquid phase. The term "quantum critical matter" refers to any material that undergoes a phase transition due solely to the jittering of subatomic particles as described by Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle. Heavy-fermion metals like YRS are one such material class, and considerable evidence exists that high-temperature superconductors are another.

Scientists are keen to better understand high-temperature superconductivity because the technology could revolutionize electric generators, MRI scanners, high-speed trains and other devices.

High temperature superconductivity typically arises at the border of magnetism, and some physicists believe it originates in the fluctuations associated with magnetic quantum criticality. In magnetic systems such as YRS, traditional theories attempt to explain quantum criticality by considering magnetism alone. In this view, electrons – the carriers of electricity – are considered as microscopic details that play no role in quantum criticality.

In 2001, Si and colleagues proposed a new theory based upon a new type of quantum critical point. Their "local quantum criticality" incorporates both magnetism and charged electronic excitations. A key prediction of the theory is that Fermi volume collapses at a quantum critical point.

"Fermi volume" refers to the combined momenta, or wavelengths, of all the electrons in a crystalline solid. It exists because electrons -- part of the family of elementary particles called "fermions" – must occupy different quantum mechanical states.

The newly reported results about YRS are the culmination of more than seven years' worth of research by Si, Steglich and colleagues. In 2004, they reported the first evidence for the collapse of a Fermi volume in a quantum critical matter, and three years later they reported the first telltale signs of a link between the Fermi-volume collapse and thermodynamic properties in YRS.

In YRS, the transition from one quantum phase to another -- the tipping point -- is marked by a flip between magnetic and nonmagnetic states. By cooling YRS to a set temperature near absolute zero, and adjusting the magnetic field applied to the supercooled YRS, Steglich's team can mark the points along the magnetic continuum that mark both the onset and the end of the Fermi-volume collapse.

In the current study, this method was applied systematically, over a broad range of temperature and magnetic-field settings. To rule out the possibility that irregularities in a particular sample were influencing the results, Steglich's team studied two samples of different qualities and applied an identical set of tests to each. For each sample, the researchers measured the "crossover width," the distance between the beginning and ending points of the Fermi-volume change. The extensive experiments established that the Fermi-volume change is robust, or happens roughly the same way even in different types of samples. The experiments also revealed something entirely new.

"After hundreds of experiments, we plotted the crossover width as a function of temperature, and the plot formed a straight line that ran through the origin," Steglich said. "The effect was the same, regardless of differences between samples, so it is clearly not an artifact of the sample preparation."

"The linear dependence of the Fermi-volume crossover width on the temperature reveals particular quantum-critical scaling properties regarding the electronic excitations," said Si, Rice’s Harry C. and Olga K. Wiess Professor of Physics and Astronomy. "It is striking that the electronic scaling is so robust at a magnetic quantum critical point."

Scaling refers to the fact that the mathematics that describes the electronic relationship is similar to the math that describes fractals; the relationships it describes are the same, regardless of whether the scale is large or small. Si said scaling at a quantum critical point is also "dynamical," which means it occurs not only as a function of length scales but also in terms of time scales.

"The experiments provide, for the first time, the evidence for a salient property of local quantum criticality, namely the driving force for dynamical scaling is the Fermi-volume collapse, even though the quantum transition is magnetic," said co-author Silke Paschen, professor and head of the Institute of Solid State Physics at the Vienna University of Technology.

Additional co-authors include Sven Friedmann, Niels Oeschler, Steffen Wirth, Cornelius Krellner and Christoph Geibel, all of the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids, and Stefan Kirchner, a former postdoctoral fellow at Rice University who is now at the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems. The research was supported by the German Research Foundation, the European Research Council, the National Science Foundation and the Welch Foundation.

NSF grant supports global nanomedicine program

July 27, 2010-Northeastern University has received a five-year, $3.1 million grant from the National Science Foundation to build on the success of its innovative Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) nanomedicine program through the development of new global research and educational partnerships.

The new partners include Harvard Medical School, the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, Tuskegee University and universities in Naples, Italy; Sao Paulo, Brazil, York, England; and Delhi.

The program will offer highly competitive fellowships to outstanding doctoral students in science, technology, and mathematics disciplines for research training in nanomedicine.

IGERT fellows from Northeastern and partner universities will have the opportunity to conduct research at Northeastern and Harvard-affiliated hospitals during their fellowship.

Srinivas Sridhar, director of Northeastern's IGERT nanomedicine program, noted that the National Science Foundation (NSF) funds fewer than 5 percent of IGERT program proposals. "The new award is an endorsement of the current nanomedicine program, as well as the vision presented in the new proposal," he said.

Sridhar, a professor of physics at Northeastern, added that "nanomedicine is an emerging field and in this program the fellows will learn how to translate fundamental knowledge in nanoscience and nanotechnology into medical treatments that have the potential to save lives."

Fellows will help develop new nanotechnology-based approaches to deliver drugs for treating cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other illnesses. Fellows can also participate in internships working with scientists in research hospitals, government laboratories and industry.

When Northeastern's first IGERT program in nanomedicine was established in 2005, it included the world's first PhD program in nanomedicine. The new NSF grant will support the development a new standalone PhD program open to non-IGERT students as well as fellows.

Nanomedicine research and education spans seven departments at Northeastern, including biology, chemistry, physics, chemical engineering, mechanical and industrial engineering, electrical and computer engineering and pharmaceutical sciences.

The new program will be under the direction of Sridhar, Mansoor Amiji, professor and chair of the department of pharmaceutical sciences, and Laura Lewis, chair of the department of chemical engineering

Nanotech coatings produce 20 times

more electricity from sewage

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Engineers at Oregon State University have made a significant advance toward producing electricity from sewage, by the use of new coatings on the anodes of microbial electrochemical cells that increased the electricity production about 20 times.

The findings, just published online in Biosensors and Bioelectronics, a professional journal, bring the researchers one step closer to technology that could clean biowaste at the same time it produces useful levels of electricity – a promising new innovation in wastewater treatment and renewable energy.

Engineers found that by coating graphite anodes with a nanoparticle layer of gold, the production of electricity increased 20 times. Coatings with palladium produced an increase, but not nearly as much. And the researchers believe nanoparticle coatings of iron – which would be a lot cheaper than gold – could produce electricity increases similar to that of gold, for at least some types of bacteria.

“This is an important step toward our goal,” said Frank Chaplen, an associate professor of biological and ecological engineering. “We still need some improvements in design of the cathode chamber, and a better understanding of the interaction between different microbial species. But the new approach is clearly producing more electricity.”

In this technology, bacteria from biowaste such as sewage are placed in an anode chamber, where they form a biofilm, consume nutrients and grow, in the process releasing electrons. In this context, the sewage is literally the fuel for electricity production.

In related technology, a similar approach may be able to produce hydrogen gas instead of electricity, with the potential to be used in hydrogen fuel cells that may power the automobiles of the future. In either case, the treatment of wastewater could be changed from an energy-consuming technology into one that produces usable energy.

Researchers in the OSU College of Engineering and College of Agricultural Sciences, including Hong Liu, an assistant professor of biological and ecological engineering, are national leaders in development of this technology, which could significantly reduce the cost of wastewater treatment in the United States. It might also find applications in rural areas or developing nations, where the lack of an adequate power supply makes wastewater treatment impractical. It may be possible to create sewage treatment plants that are completely self-sufficient in terms of energy usage.

The technology already works on a laboratory basis, researchers say, but advances are necessary to lower its cost, improve efficiency and electrical output, and identify the lowest cost materials that can be used.

This research has been supported by the National Science Foundation and the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute.

“Recent advances in nanofabrication provide a unique opportunity to develop efficient electrode materials due to the remarkable structural, electrical and chemical properties of nanomaterials,” the researchers wrote in their report. “This study demonstrated that nano-decoration can greatly enhance the performance of microbial anodes.”

About Oregon State University: OSU is one of only two U.S. universities designated a land-, sea-, space- and sun-grant institution. OSU is also Oregon’s only university designated in the Carnegie Foundation’s top tier for research institutions, garnering more than 60 percent of the total federal and private research funding in the Oregon University System. Its enrollment of nearly 22,000 students come from all 50 states and more than 90 nations. OSU programs touch every county within Oregon, and its faculty teach and conduct research on issues of national and global importance.

NIH awards Rice $1.7M for cartilage-regeneration research

Bioengineers explore whether adult stem cells can help heal joints

HOUSTON -- (July 19, 2010) -- Bioengineers from Rice University's BioScience Research Collaborative have won a $1.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop an injectable mix of polymers and adult stem cells that can spur the growth of new cartilage in injured knees and other joints.

"Millions of people live with pain, limited mobility and arthritis that often result from cartilage injuries, particularly those to the knee," said Rice researcher Kurt Kasper, a principal investigator on the new five-year grant. "By combining just enough of a patient's own stem cells with the proper mix of growth factors and polymers, we hope to allow the body to do something it cannot normally do -- fill in small gaps with healthy, new bone-protecting cartilage."

The research lies at the cutting-edge of basic science and engineering, and Kasper said a human treatment, if it proves feasible, would still be at least a decade away.

In joints like the knee, elbow and shoulder, a thin layer of cartilage covers and protects the bones at the point where they meet and rotate against one another. This "articular" cartilage is one of many types of cartilage found in the body, and it has wondrous material properties. For example, it's so impact-resistant and resilient that no currently available synthetic materials can stand up to the punishment it endures.

Because no synthetics can suitably replace articular cartilage, and because the body has almost no natural ability to repair it, Kasper and other researchers are looking for ways to reinforce and expand upon the healing abilities the body already has.

Rice's research team on the new project includes Kasper, a faculty fellow in the Department of Bioengineering, and Antonios Mikos, the Louis Calder Professor of Bioengineering, professor in chemical and biomolecular engineering and director of Rice's Center for Excellence in Tissue Engineering.

The team will use mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), a type of stem cell that the body uses naturally to repair broken bones, injured skin and other tissues. Researchers have long known that MSCs can be coaxed into becoming cartilage-generating cells with the right combination of growth factors.

"We aim to find the optimal formulation of MSCs and growth factors for regenerating articular cartilage," Mikos said. "We will deliver that mix in a nontoxic, biodegradable polymer system that can be injected as a liquid and that gels quickly to form a temporary support matrix to guide the growth of the new cartilage."

Kasper said a unique aspect of the study is its focus on developing techniques that will allow the newly formed cartilage to attach naturally to the underlying bone in the joint. To do this, the team hopes to develop a two-layered system where the upper layer of articular cartilage is grown atop a segment of newly formed bone. A different formulation of growth factors and MSCs will be needed in each layer, and tests in animals will be used to determine the optimal mix that might be needed for future clinical translation to humans.

White House Seeks Input on National Nanotech Plan

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) recently issued a request for information (RFI) to gain insight from stakeholders in developing the National Nanotechnology Initiative's (NNI) 2010 strategic plan. OSTP is seeking input about the initiative's goals and objectives, research priorities, investments, coordination and partnerships, evaluation, and policies. The NNI will use these responses to develop a federal common vision for the future use of nanotechnology and to advance the goals outlined in the 2007 under the original NNI strategic plan.

The NNI includes 25 federal agencies working together to discover, develop and deploy nanotechnology towards agency missions and broader national interests. Of the 25 agencies, 15 will have budgets for nanotechnology R&D in 2011. This R&D program is managed within the framework of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC). The Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology (NSET) Subcommittee coordinates the planning, budgeting, program implementation, and review of the program.

The 2010 strategic plan will build upon and advance the goals identified in the 2007 strategic plan (http://www.nano.gov/NNI_Strategic_Plan_2007.pdf). These goals include:

Advance a world-class nanotechnology research and development program;

Foster the transfer of new technologies into products for commercial and public benefit;

Develop and sustain educational resources, a skilled workforce, and the support infrastructure necessary to advance nanotechnology; and,

Support responsible development of nanotechnology.

OSTP also will stage several online, public events to gain specific input on the strategic plan. Four of these events will be held between July 13 and August 15. To find out more about the events visit the website (http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ostp/NNIStrategy/).

Responses must be submitted by August 15, 2010. The new strategic plan will be released in December 2010.

Read the RFI at: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/2010-16273.htm.

Nanotubes pass acid test

Rice researchers' method untangles long tubes, clears hurdle toward armchair quantum wire

HOUSTON – (July 14, 2010) – Rice University scientists have found the "ultimate" solvent for all kinds of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), a breakthrough that brings the creation of a highly conductive quantum nanowire ever closer.

Nanotubes have the frustrating habit of bundling, making them less useful than when they're separated in a solution. Rice scientists led by Matteo Pasquali, a professor in chemical and biomolecular engineering and in chemistry, have been trying to untangle them for years as they look for scalable methods to make exceptionally strong, ultralight, highly conductive materials that could revolutionize power distribution, such as the armchair quantum wire.

The armchair quantum wire -- a macroscopic cable of well-aligned metallic nanotubes -- was envisioned by the late Richard Smalley, a Rice chemist who shared the Nobel Prize for his part in discovering the the family of molecules that includes the carbon nanotube. Rice is celebrating the 25th anniversary of that discovery this year.

Pasquali, primary author Nicholas Parra-Vasquez and their colleagues reported this month in the online journal ACS Nano that chlorosulfonic acid can dissolve half-millimeter-long nanotubes in solution, a critical step in spinning fibers from ultralong nanotubes.

Current methods to dissolve carbon nanotubes, which include surrounding the tubes with soap-like surfactants, doping them with alkali metals or attaching small chemical groups to the sidewalls, disperse nanotubes at relatively low concentrations. These techniques are not ideal for fiber spinning because they damage the properties of the nanotubes, either by attaching small molecules to their surfaces or by shortening them.

A few years ago, the Rice researchers discovered that chlorosulfonic acid, a "superacid," adds positive charges to the surface of the nanotubes without damaging them. This causes the nanotubes to spontaneously separate from each other in their natural bundled form.

This method is ideal for making nanotube solutions for fiber spinning because it produces fluid dopes that closely resemble those used in industrial spinning of high-performance fibers. Until recently, the researchers thought this dissolution method would be effective only for short single-walled nanotubes.

In the new paper, the Rice team reported that the acid dissolution method also works with any type of carbon nanotube, irrespective of length and type, as long as the nanotubes are relatively free of defects.

Parra-Vasquez described the process as "very easy."

"Just adding the nanotubes to chlorosulfonic acid results in dissolution, without even mixing," he said.

While earlier research had focused on single-walled carbon nanotubes, the team discovered chlorosulfonic acid is also adept at dissolving multiwalled nanotubes (MWNTs). "There are many processes that make multiwalled nanotubes at a cheaper cost, and there's a lot of research with them," said Parra-Vasquez, who earned his Rice doctorate last year. "We hope this will open up new areas of research."

They also observed for the first time that long SWNTs dispersed by superacid form liquid crystals. "We already knew that with shorter nanotubes, the liquid-crystalline phase is very different from traditional liquid crystals, so liquid crystals formed from ultralong nanotubes should be interesting to study," he said.

Parra-Vasquez, now a postdoctoral researcher at Centre de Physique Moleculaire Optique et Hertzienne, Universite’ de Bordeaux, Talence, France, came to Rice in 2002 for graduate studies with Pasquali and Smalley.

Study co-author Micah Green, assistant professor of chemical engineering at Texas Tech and a former postdoctoral fellow in Pasquali’s research group, said working with long nanotubes is key to attaining exceptional properties in fibers because both the mechanical and electrical properties depend on the length of the constituent nanotubes. Pasquali said that using long nanotubes in the fibers should improve their properties on the order of one to two magnitudes, and that similar enhanced properties are also expected in thin films of carbon nanotubes being investigated for flexible electronics applications.

An immediate goal for researchers, Parra-Vasquez said, will be to find "large quantities of ultralong single-walled nanotubes with low defects -- and then making that fiber we have been dreaming of making since I arrived at Rice, a dream that Rick Smalley had and that we have all shared since."

Co-authors of the paper are graduate students Natnael Behabtu, Colin Young, Anubha Goyal and Cary Pint; Pulickel Ajayan, the Benjamin M. and Mary Greenwood Anderson Professor in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and of chemistry, and Robert Hauge, a distinguished faculty fellow in chemistry, all at Rice; and Judith Schmidt, Ellina Kesselman, Yachin Cohen and Yeshayahu Talmon of the Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.

The Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Air Force Research Laboratory, the National Science Foundation Division of Materials Research, the Robert A. Welch Foundation, the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation and the Evans-Attwell Welch Postdoctoral Fellowship funded the research.

Read the abstract at: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/nn100864v

For more about Rice’s 25th anniversary Year of Nano celebrations, visit: http://buckyball.smalley.rice.edu/year_of_nano/

World records by UCLA chemists, Korean colleagues

enhance ability to capture CO2

By Stuart Wolpert July 14, 2010

Crystal structure of MOF-200, in UCLA's blue and goldChemists from UCLA and South Korea report the "ultimate porosity of a nano-material," achieving world records for both porosity and carbon dioxide storage capacity in an important class of materials known as MOFs, or metal–organic frameworks.

MOFs, sometimes described as crystal sponges, have pores — openings on the nanoscale which can store gases that are usually difficult to store and transport. Porosity is crucial for compacting large amounts of gases into small volumes and is an essential property for capturing carbon dioxide.

The research could lead to cleaner energy and the ability to capture heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions before they reach the atmosphere and contribute to global warming, rising sea levels and the increased acidity of oceans.

The research will be published July 23 in the print edition of the journal Science and is currently available in the journal's advance online edition.

"We are reporting the ultimate porosity of a nano-material; we believe this to be the upper limit or very near the upper limit for porosity in materials," said the paper's senior author, Omar Yaghi, a UCLA professor of chemistry and biochemistry and a member of both the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA and the UCLA–Department of Energy Institute of Genomics and Proteomics.

"Porosity is a way to do a lot with little," said Yaghi, who holds UCLA's Irving and Jean Stone Chair in Physical Sciences and directs the CNSI's Center for Reticular Chemistry. "Instead of having only the outside surface of a particle, we drill small holes to dramatically increase the surface."

With lead author Hiroyasu (Hiro) Furukawa, co-author Jaheon Kim and colleagues, Yaghi reports on two materials that not only break the porosity record, but do so by an extremely large margin. The materials are MOF-200, made at UCLA by Furukawa, a postdoctoral scholar in Yaghi's laboratory, and MOF-210, made at Seoul's Soongsil University in South Korea by Kim, a chemistry professor and former graduate student in Yaghi's laboratory, and colleagues.

"We have made not just incremental strides with MOFs," said Yaghi, whose research overlaps chemistry, materials science and engineering. "What is special about MOF-200 and MOF-210 is that they are approaching the limit of what you can get in a material. We may be able to design better structures, but they will not be easy to make."

Invented by Yaghi the early 1990s, MOFs are like scaffolds made of linked rods, with nanoscale pores that are the right size to trap carbon dioxide. The components of MOFs can be changed nearly at will, and Yaghi's laboratory has made several hundred MOFs, with a variety of properties and structures.

Since 1999, MOFs have held the record for having the highest porosity of any material. MOFs can be made from low-cost ingredients, such as zinc oxide, a common ingredient in sunscreen, and terephthalate, which is found in plastic soda bottles.

Yaghi discovered the key to making highly porous structures, which he and colleagues reported in the journal Nature in 2004 (MOF-177 broke the previous porosity record, which had been held since 1999 by Yaghi's MOF-5) and in Science in 2005. Since then, chemists have been in a race to make higher and higher surface areas for materials, with the highest porosity.

Now Yaghi, Furukawa and Kim have made MOFs that are twice the porosity of MOF-177, three times the porosity of MOF-5 and 10 times the porosity of the most porous material prior to 1999. This means they can now store twice as much gas as they could in 2004, an enormous increase.

"If I take a gram of MOF-200 and unravel it, it will cover many football fields, and that is the space you have for gases to assemble," Yaghi said. "It's like magic. Forty tons of MOFs is equal to the entire surface area of California.

"This is only the beginning of MOFs," he said, "because now we can see the platform of materials on which we can build. In science, achieving the limit by experiment is magnificent, and now we can test the properties of these materials for various applications. Requirements for making a viable material for carbon dioxide capture are high capacity and high selectivity. We reported before on how to get high selectivity for carbon dioxide; now we are showing how to get high capacity. The industrial applications are being deployed or, in certain cases, are in the process of being developed. Many companies are working on the development of MOFs."

For example, BASF, a global chemical company based in Germany, makes large quantities of MOFs, which are sold by Sigma-Aldrich, a life science and high-technology company.

Yaghi, Furukawa and Kim also report in Science a record for carbon dioxide storage capacity. MOF-200 and MOF-210 take up the highest amount of hydrogen, methane and carbon dioxide, by weight, ever achieved.

On Feb. 12 of this year, Yaghi, UCLA graduate student Hexiang Deng, Furukawa and UCLA colleagues reported in Science their creation of a synthetic "gene" that could capture carbon dioxide emissions.

Carbon dioxide is polluting Earth's atmosphere and damaging coral reefs and marine life —impacts that are irreversible in our lifetime, Yaghi said.

With the new research, it is now possible to develop the synthetic gene with MOF-200 and MOF-210, giving it a much larger surface area.

"MOFs are a class of materials unparalleled by any other," Yaghi said. "MOFs are among the largest class of materials ever made, in number, variety and diversity of composition."

Furukawa, who has worked in Yaghi's laboratory for seven years, earned his Ph.D. from the University of Tokyo.

"Hiro discovered a way of evacuating completely the solvent that otherwise would fill the holes, which allowed access to the porosity," Yaghi said. "That was the magic."

Learning from 'As the World Turns' and 'Three's Company'

When Furukawa came to the United States on a Japanese fellowship, he spoke almost no English.

Yaghi, one of the world's great scientists, recalls without embarrassment how he watched "As the World Turns" and "Days of Our Lives" to learn English when he came to New York from Jordan at age 15.

"When I picked Hiro up," Yaghi said, "I thought, 'He has no clue about the world he is entering' — America or my lab. I said to him, 'I will not talk with you until you buy a small TV and you watch soap operas every day; I want you to learn English.' The way I learned English was to read the newspaper with a dictionary and underline words I didn't understand. Almost every other line had an underlined word that I looked up, but you learn very quickly. I watched soap operas, too. I used to run back to my room from school to watch what happened. The stories don't move very fast; it's almost like doing research."

Furukawa took Yaghi's advice and watched reruns of "Three's Company."

"I couldn't understand it at first," he said, "but later, it was easy to follow."

How does Yaghi decide which students to accept into his laboratory?

"You have to look into their eyes and see whether there is passion and energy," Yaghi said. "Technical ability has to be coupled with the ability to harness your potential and elevate your mind."

Furukawa frequently works until 4 a.m., often on his computer at home.

"When I want to finish something, I like to keep working," he said.

"The best thing I learned from Professor Yaghi," Furukawa said, "is not chemistry but his way of thinking. When I joined his group, I was very surprised because I have never seen a professor who thinks like him in Japan. He publishes only exceptional results. That is why he is the leader of the field. He motivates us to find breakthroughs, new concepts and world records. The experience of working in his laboratory has definitely improved my mind and my thinking process."

The new Science research was funded by BASF, the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Basic Energy Sciences, and South Korea's Hydrogen Energy R&D Center (one of the Korean Ministry of Education, Science and Technology's 21st Century Frontier R&D Programs).

How does Yaghi feel about the achievements reported in Science?

"Ready for the next challenge," he said. "MOFs are a gold mine."

UCLA is California's largest university, with an enrollment of nearly 38,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The UCLA College of Letters and Science and the university's 11 professional schools feature renowned faculty and offer more than 323 degree programs and majors. UCLA is a national and international leader in the breadth and quality of its academic, research, health care, cultural, continuing education and athletic programs. Five alumni and five faculty have been awarded the Nobel Prize.

http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/world-records-by-ucla-chemists-163439.aspx

Turkish scientists carrying nanotechnology to space

Turkish engineers have developed nanotechnology material that provides 100 fold more resistance against high radiation in space than existing materials. 

The new material will be utilized in satellites to be manufactured in Turkey. The new material is part of a space project co-sponsored by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBITAK) and Undersecretariat of Defense Industry (SSM).

The new generation nanotechnology material makes it possible for electronic circuits in satellites to be used for longer periods, thus bringing down costs enormously.

The new nanotechnology material will make it possible to manufacture satellites that are lighter in weight than their predecessors.

Experts want Turkey to be the first country in the world to use such nanotechnology material in space.

Thanks to the new nanotechnology material, satellites will be able to resist radiation much more strongly. Currently, satellites are protected against space radiation by aluminum plates.

The new nanotechnology material will make the manufacturing of satellites less costly and extend the life term of the satellites.

Turkey's Bilkent University and ASELSAN defense corporation have worked together to invent the new nanotechnology material under the project titled "TÜBITAK 2007".

Nanotechnology, shortened to "nanotech", is the study of the controlling of matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally nanotechnology deals with structures sized between 1 to 100 nanometer in at least one dimension, and involves developing materials or devices within that size.

Nanotechnology is very diverse, ranging from extensions of conventional device physics to completely new approaches based upon molecular self-assembly, from developing new materials with dimensions on the nanoscale to investigationg whether we can directly control matter on the atomic scale.

There has been much debate on the future implications of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology has the potential to create many new materials and devices with a vast range of applications, such as in medicine, electronics, biomaterials and energy production. On the other hand, nanotechnology raises many of the same issues as with any introduction of new technology, including concerns about the toxicity and environmental impact of nanomaterials, and their potential effects on global economics, as well as speculation about various doomsday scenarios. These concerns have led to a debate among advocacy groups and governments on whether special regulation of nanotechnology is warranted.

13.07.2010 

News 

THE ANATOLIA NEWS AGENCY

http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/news-215911-100-turkish-scientists-carrying-nanotechnology-to-space.html

Webinars on Nanotechnology for a Knowledge Society in Emerging Economies and Developing Countries

An invitation to a series of two unique free online events:

Session 1:

2 September 2010 13.00-15.00 GMT (15.00-17.00 Continental European Summer Time)

Session 2:

7 September 2010 8.45-10.45 GMT (10.45-12.45 Continental European Summer Time)

Join the online debate on contributions nanotechnology may make to a knowledge society in developing countries and emerging economies from your own office with experts on Nanotechnology and Society in the Netherlands, Brazil, South Africa and India. The webinars offer a platform for information exchange on good practices and proposals for international cooperation among governments of the Netherlands, the EU and International Cooperation Partner Countries of the EU (developing countries and emerging economies).

Invited speakers:

Prof Dr Peter Nijkamp, President Committee Societal Dialogue Nanotechnology

www.nanopodium.nl/english/

Dr Malini Balakrishnan of TERI (project Capability, Governance and nanotechnology developments: a focus on India)

www.teriin.org/ResUpdate/nano.php

Prof Dr Arie Rip (University of Twente, Netherlands) www.mb.utwente.nl/steps/people/adjoined/rip/

Prof Dr Julian Kinderlerer (University of Cape Town, South Africa and TU Delft, Netherlands)

www.privatelaw.uct.ac.za/staff/jkinderlerer/

Prof Dr Noela Invernizzi, University of Parana, Brazil, co-coordinator of ReLANS network

www.estudiosdeldesarrollo.net/~webrelans/inicio.html

Ineke Malsch (Malsch TechnoValuation, The Netherlands)

The webinars take place in the framework of the Nanorecht & Vrede project supported by Nanopodium www.nanopodium.nl and ICPC-NanoNet www.icpc-nanonet.org. The outcome of the workshop will be reported to the Dutch Commission for the Societal Dialogue on Nanotechnology who is currently organising a public dialogue on nanotechnology in the Netherlands.

Language: English.

Requirements: PC/laptop with broadband internet connection and headset or speakers.

Workshop participants must be registered users of ICPC-Nanonet

(www.icpc-nanonet.org).

Registration is free. 

http://www.icpc-nanonet.org/

Lessons of Engagement: How Scientists Can Learn from Policy-Makers and the Public

Dr. Jameson Wetmore, Assistant Professor

School of Human Evolution and Social Change, and

The Center for Nanotechnology in Society at Arizona State University 

Scientists are often called to present their work to the public in a way that those with no science background can understand. The argument often is made that if the public could only understand what scientists do, there would be undying support for research. The Center for Nanotechnology in Society at Arizona State University challenges this unidirectional notion of influence. While the ability to explain scientific information in simple terms is an important aspect of public communication, it is not a one-way street. Science as a whole will benefit greatly if it regards its relationship with the public as a two-way conversation.

Some of the world’s most influential scientists gained their status because they listened to and engaged with those outside of science. There are scientists in academia, industry, and government who are able to understand the questions and concerns of both the public and science. These individuals have served as important ambassadors between the two realms—scientists and non-scientists—that are increasingly codependent.

At the American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Meeting in February, 2010, CNS-ASU hosted a panel discussion with three young scholars who had all participated in engagement projects with policy-makers and/or the general public. They explained not only why they undertook such projects and what they learned through the process, but moreover, how their experiences subsequently shaped their careers and how their scientific work changed as a result.

Troy Benn is a PhD candidate in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment at Arizona State University. Troy has partnered with CNS-ASU on several projects, including presenting, at the Arizona Science Center, his research on the release into wastewater of nanosilver in consumer products. The experiences have helped him contextualize, communicate, and grapple with the social and political implications of his research, as he has received much attention from policy, regulatory and industrial professionals.

Naveen Sinha, a PhD candidate in Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, participated in a program at the Museum of Science, Boston. By developing analogies and visual aids to explain his research to a general audience, he better understood what fundamental questions remain unanswered in his field. He also discovered that much science today is so interdisciplinary that he has to be able to explain his own field simply, even for other scientists in other disciplines to understand.

The final panel member was Lekelia Jenkins, a PhD and AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow working for the National Marine Fisheries Services. Lekelia has learned how to bridge the gap between academic and government scientists in order to address today's increasingly complex science and conservation management challenges.

Share your comments about this highlight on our CNS-ASU Highlights Blog.

 http://cnshighlights.asu.edu/comments/?p=5

The Center for Nanotechnology in Society at Arizona State University facilitates the public's involvement in nanoscale research and development, to build new capabilities for understanding and governing the power of nanotechnology to transform society. CNS-ASU is affiliated with the Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes (CSPO), in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at ASU.

Update on Nanomaterials Application Center

at Texas State University, San Marcos, TX.

Texas State University will return ownership of the Nanomaterials Application Center to Advanced Technology Incubator, Inc., effective August 1, 2010.  All functions of the Center will be under control of Advanced Technology Incubator, Inc. management.  In February, 2003, Advanced Technology Incubator, Inc. transferred ownership of the then named "Nanoparticles Applications Center" to Texas State University. Texas State, in collaboration with Applied Nanotech, Inc. and strong support of Winstead, helped manage and grow the Center by promoting solid scientific advancements in technology, disseminating nanotechnology research information, and helping emerging technology companies. 

The University will continue to focus its efforts on the development of nanotechnology breakthroughs in the fields of research through the Departments of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Technology, and the Ingram School of Engineering.  The University is continuing to work with emerging technology companies and has supported a number of successful ETF awardees.

The Nanomaterials Applications Center has matured to a point where operationally it is more effective to be managed by a dedicated enterprise than a public university. This new dedicated enterprise, Nanotechnology Advancement Center, will be configured as a non-profit organization and is in the process of forming a steering committee that will be comprised of Texas, national and international experts in nanotechnology. The founders' vision for the most important roles of Nanotechnology Advancement Center is:

Texas State University and the present NAC members will continue to partner as appropriate in order to help innovators develop their ideas into successful companies.

New Guide:  What is nanotechnology?

Available to download now from NANO Magazine, this short guide to nanotechnology gives a basic introduction to nanotechnology and its applications, perfect for anyone who is a newcomer to the nanotech world to grasp the basics fast.

The guide looks at new applications of nanotechnology, nano for healthcare, nano for the environment, nanomaterials, nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, textiles, food and drink, the car industry and how nano can be applied to impart scents and flavours. It also asks the big question “Are there risks?”.

Download at:  http://bit.ly/whatisnano

1st Adriatic School on Nanoscience

The 1st Adriatic School on Nanoscience – ASON-1 is the result of a common initiative between the University of Jyväskilä, Finland, Joanneum Research, Graz, Austria and the Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Zagreb, Croatia.

http://www.nanopaprika.eu/profiles/blogs/1st-adriatic-school-on

CSEM SA leads a European consortium in revolutionizing infrared chemical sensing

Calculation of light going through a very small slit in a nano-structured metal film

Neuchâtel, 30th June 2010 – The European Union has awarded a grant of 2.8 million Euro to the project PLAISIR (Plasmonic Innovative Sensing in the Infrared) which started 1st January 2010 and will run for three years. The goals of the project are to create ultra-sensitive chemical sensors and smarter, cheaper infrared (IR) photodetectors; these will have a significant impact on the marketplace.

IR technology is starting to flourish in areas from health and the environment through to security and chemical process control. In particular, the mid-IR is also the key region for finger-printing molecules and proteins, so any advances in mid-IR detectors are of fundamental importance.

To identify a specific molecule, spectroscopic chemical sensing (SCS) is used. SCS systems have yet to benefit from recent developments in optical telecommunications and nanotechnology. The goal of the PLAISIR project is to use these developments to enhance SCS systems to help in the detection of CO2, a critical factor in global warming, and glucose, a key diagnostic marker for diabetes in an aging population. In addition, the same advances in technology will help us to develop better IR cameras.

The key to improving both mid-IR detectors and SCS is nanotechnology, which has the ability to confine and control light at both wavelength and sub-wavelength scales through a phenomenon known as plasmonics. While European know-how in plasmonics is amongst the best in the world, it is only now attracting the attention of the SMEs who are dynamic in the mid-IR market. CSEM will be playing a key role in coordinating and facilitating technology transfer between the SMEs and the academic partners.

About PLAISIR EU Consortium

This project includes 3 SMEs (Xenics NV, Belgium, Photon Design Ltd, UK and Vigo System SA, Poland), 3 leading actors in fundamental and applied plasmon research (Queen’s University Belfast, UK, University of Zaragoza, Spain, Technical University of Dresden, Germany) and is lead by CSEM SA.

www.plaisir-project.eu

About CSEM

CSEM – an innovation center

CSEM, Centre Suisse d’Electronique et de Microtechnique SA (Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology), founded in 1984, is a private research and development center specializing in microtechnology, nanotechnology, microelectronics, system engineering and communications technologies. It offers its customers and industry partners tailor-made innovative solutions based on its knowledge of the market and technological expertise derived from applied research. Having founded several start-ups, it contributes to developing Switzerland as an industrial location. To date, a total of 29 such enterprises, with more than 500 employees, have been launched by CSEM.

Approximately 400 highly qualified and specialized employees from various scientific and technical disciplines work for CSEM in Neuchâtel, Zurich, Basel, Alpnach and Landquart. They represent more than 30 nationalities and constitute the basis of the company’s creativity, dynamism and innovation potential.

Further information is available at www.csem.ch.

Off-the-shelf cancer detection

Consumer-grade camera detects cancer cells in real time

HOUSTON -- (June 24, 2010) -- Using an off-the-shelf digital camera, Rice University biomedical engineers and researchers from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center have created an inexpensive device that is powerful enough to let doctors easily distinguish cancerous cells from healthy cells simply by viewing the LCD monitor on the back of the camera.

The results of the first tests of the camera were published online this week in the open-access journal PLoS ONE.

"Consumer-grade cameras can serve as powerful platforms for diagnostic imaging," said Rice's Rebecca Richards-Kortum, the study's lead author. "Based on portability, performance and cost, you could make a case for using them both to lower health care costs in developed countries and to provide services that simply aren't available in resource-poor countries."

Richards-Kortum is Rice's Stanley C. Moore Professor of Bioengineering, professor of electrical and computer engineering and the founder of Rice's global health initiative, Rice 360°. Her Optical Spectroscopy and Imaging Laboratory specializes in tools for the early detection of cancer and other diseases. Her team has developed fluorescent dyes and targeted nanoparticles that let doctors zero in on the molecular hallmarks of cancer.

In the new study, the team captured images of cells with a small bundle of fiber-optic cables attached to a $400 Olympus E-330 camera. When imaging tissues, Richards-Kortum's team applied a common fluorescent dye that caused cell nuclei in the samples to glow brightly when lighted with the tip of the fiber-optic bundle. Three tissue types were tested: cancer cell cultures that were grown in a lab, tissue samples from newly resected tumors and healthy tissue viewed in the mouths of patients.

Because the nuclei of cancerous and precancerous cells are notably distorted from those of healthy cells, Richards-Kortum said, abnormal cells were easily identifiable, even on the camera's small LCD screen.

"The dyes and visual techniques that we used are the same sort that pathologists have used for many years to distinguish healthy cells from cancerous cells in biopsied tissue," said study co-author Mark Pierce, Rice faculty fellow in bioengineering. "But the tip of the imaging cable is small and rests lightly against the inside the cheek, so the procedure is considerably less painful than a biopsy and the results are available in seconds instead of days."

Richards-Kortum said software could be written that would allow medical professionals who are not pathologists to use the device to distinguish healthy from nonhealthy cells. The device could then be used for routine cancer screening and to help oncologists track how well patients were responding to treatment.

"A portable, battery-powered device like this could be particularly useful for global health," she said. "This could save many lives in countries where conventional diagnostic technology is simply too expensive."

Co-authors of the paper include Dongsuk Shin and Mark Pierce, both of Rice, and Ann Gillenwater and Michelle Williams, both of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Release of Nano-Silver from Textiles into Human Sweat

Researchers in Thailand have demonstrated that fabrics laced with silver nanoparticles release those particles when the fabric is exposed to artificial human sweat. These finding raise concerns about the potential effects of the release of larger amounts of antibacterially active silver on human skin.

Silver nanoparticles are increasingly being added to clothes to reduce bacterial growth and odor. However, there is increasing concern that exposure to these nanoparticles may cause potential adverse effects to humans and the environment.

This study determined the quantity of silver released from commercially claimed nanosilver and laboratory-prepared silver coated fabrics into various formulations of artificial sweat, each made according to AATCC, ISO and EN standards. For each fabric sample, the initial amount of silver and the antibacterial properties against the model Gram-positive (S. aureus) and Gram-negative (E. coli) bacteria on each fabric was investigated.

The results showed that silver was not detected in some commercial fabrics. Furthermore, antibacterial properties of the fabrics varied, ranging from 0% to greater than 99%. After incubation of the fabrics in artificial sweat, silver was released from the different fabrics to varying extents, ranging from 0 mg/kg to about 322 mg/kg of fabric weight.

The team of researchers tested five fabrics that were treated in the laboratory with a silver nanoparticle solution, and six commercially made shirts sold as containing nanosilver. Fabric samples were incubated in different artificial sweat formulations for 24 hours, after which the sweat was analyzed for silver nanoparticles.

The laboratory-prepared fabrics released up to 322 mg/kg of fabric weight with silver particles ranging in size from 200-500 nanometers. The commercially made shirts released far less, as they contained less silver to begin with - and some of the shirts labeled as "nanosilver" did not actually contain any silver.

Source: Particle and Fibre Toxicology (Open Access)

Liquid method: pure graphene production

Research could yield novel composites, touch-screen displays

HOUSTON -- (June 1, 2010) -- In a development that could lead to novel carbon composites and touch-screen displays, researchers from Rice University and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology today unveiled a new method for producing bulk quantities of one-atom-thick sheets of carbon called graphene.

The research is available online in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.

When stacked together, graphene sheets make graphite, which has been commonly used as pencil lead for hundreds of years. It wasn't until 2004 that stand-alone sheets of graphene were first characterized with modern nanotechnological instruments. Since then, graphene has come under intense scrutiny from materials scientists, in part because it is both ultrastrong and highly conductive.

"There are high-throughput methods for making graphene oxide, which is not as conductive as graphene, and there are low-throughput methods for making pure graphene," said lead co-author Matteo Pasquali, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and chemistry at Rice. "Our method yields very pure material, and it is based on bulk fluid-processing techniques that have long been used by the chemical industry."

Pasquali said the research team found it could dissolve graphite in chlorosulphonic acid, a common industrial solvent. The researchers had to devise new methods to measure the aggregation of the dissolved graphene flakes, but at the end the team was pleasantly surprised to find that the individual graphene layers in the graphite peeled apart spontaneously. The team was able to dissolve as much as two grams of graphene per liter of acid to produce solutions at least 10 times more concentrated than existing methods.

The researchers took advantage of novel cryogenic techniques for electron microscopy that allowed them to directly image the graphene sheets in the chlorosulfonic acid.

"We applied new methods that we had developed to directly image carbon nanotubes in acid," said co-author Yeshayahu "Ishi" Talmon, professor of chemical engineering at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. "This was no small feat considering the nature of the acid and the difficulty of specimen preparation and imaging."

Using the concentrated solutions of dissolved graphene, the scientists made transparent films that were electrically conductive. Such films could be useful in making touch screens that are less expensive than those used in today's smart phones. In addition, the researchers also produced liquid crystals.

"If you can make liquid crystals, you can spin fibers," said study co-author James Tour, Rice's T.T. and W.F. Chao Professor of Chemistry. "In liquid crystals, the individual sheets align themselves into domains, and having some measure of alignment allows you to flow the material through narrow openings to create fibers."

If the method proves useful for making graphene fibers in bulk, it could drive down the cost of the ultrastrong carbon composites used in the aerospace, automotive and construction industries.

The research was funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Department of Energy, the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Welch Foundation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the USA-Israel Binational Science Foundation. Co-authors include Natnael Behabtu, Jay Lomeda, Micah Green, Amanda Higgenbotham, Alexander Sinitskii, Dmitry Kosynkin, Dmitri Tsentalovich and Nicholas Parra-Vasquez, all of Rice's Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology; and Judith Schmidt, Ellina Kesselman and Yachin Cohen, all of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.

Optical Legos: building nanoshell structures

Self-assembly method yields materials with unique optical properties

HOUSTON -- (May 27, 2010) -- Scientists from four U.S. universities have created a way to use Rice University's light-activated nanoshells as building blocks for 2-D and 3-D structures that could find use in chemical sensors, nanolasers and bizarre light-absorbing metamaterials. Much as a child might use Lego blocks to build 3-D models of complex buildings or vehicles, the scientists are using the new chemical self-assembly method to build complex structures that can trap, store and bend light.

The research appears in this week's issue of the journal Science.

"We used the method to make a seven-nanoshell structure that creates a particular type of interference pattern called a Fano resonance," said study co-author Peter Nordlander, professor of physics and astronomy at Rice. "These resonances arise from peculiar light wave interference effects, and they occur only in man-made materials. Because these heptamers are self-assembled, they are relatively easy to make, so this could have significant commercial implications."

Because of the unique nature of Fano resonances, the new materials can trap light, store energy and bend light in bizarre ways that no natural material can. Nordlander said the new materials are ideally suited for making ultrasensitive biological and chemical sensors. He said they may also be useful in nanolasers and potentially in integrated photonic circuits that run off of light rather than electricity.

The research team was led by Harvard University applied physicist Federico Capasso and also included nanoshell inventor Naomi Halas, Rice's Stanley C. Moore Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering and professor of physics, chemistry and biomedical engineering.

Nordlander, the world's leading theorist on nanoparticle plasmonics, had predicted in 2008 that a heptamer of nanoshells would produce Fano resonances. That paper spurred Capasso's efforts to fabricate the structure, Nordlander said.

The new self-assembly method developed by Capasso's team was also used to make magnetic three-nanoshell "trimers." The optical properties of these are described in the Science paper, which also discusses how the self-assembly method could be used to build even more complex 3-D structures.

Nanoshells, the building blocks that were used in the new study, are about 20 times smaller than red blood cells. In form, they resemble malted milk balls, but they are coated with gold instead of chocolate, and their center is a sphere of glass. By varying the size of the glass center and the thickness of the gold shell, Halas can create nanoshells that interact with specific wavelengths of light.

"Nanoshells were already among the most versatile of all plasmonic nanoparticles, and this new self-assembly method for complex 2-D and 3-D structures simply adds to that," said Halas, who has helped develop a number of biological applications for nanoshells, including diagnostic applications and a minimally invasive procedure for treating cancer.

Additional co-authors of the new study include Rice graduate students Kui Bao and Rizia Bardhan; Jonathan Fan and Vinothan Manoharan, both of Harvard; Chihhui Wu and Gennady Shvets, both of the University of Texas at Austin; and Jiming Bao of the University of Houston. The research was supported by the National Science Foundation, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Department of Defense, the Robert A. Welch Foundation, the Department of Energy and Harvard University.

Los Alamos-Argonne partnership will aid

understanding of complex materials

LOS ALAMOS, New Mexico, May 27, 2010—An intimate understanding of complex materials that lie at the heart of pharmaceuticals or even nuclear weapons can occur more quickly and efficiently thanks to an agreement between Los Alamos and Argonne national laboratories.

Thomas Proffen of the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center’s Manuel Lujan Jr. Neutron Scattering Center and Peter Chupas and Karena Chapman of Argonne’s Advanced Photo Source have developed an agreement that allows researchers to readily use complementary facilities at both locations. The agreement has created a protocol under which researchers can collect data on the Neutron Powder Diffractometer (NPDF) at the Lujan Center as well as the high-energy X-ray beamline 11-ID-B at Argonne’s APS facility and then use specially developed user-friendly software to combine the high-quality X-ray and neutron scattering data.

Together, the two experiments provide “total scattering” data with different scattering weights for each atom type.  This allows materials scientists to peer even deeper into the structure and behavior of materials at the atomic level.

Prior to the agreement between the two institutions, scientists needed to present separate proposals for use of each facility; this sometimes meant that researchers collected data from different samples or gathered information at a second facility years after using the first. Now that the agreement is in place, researchers can get combined access to each machine more quickly and easily.

Perhaps even more significant, the agreement increases collaboration between the staff members at each facility, which may lead to improvements in the modeling software and in the techniques used to capture data.

“Complex materials are all around us,” said Proffen. “We find them in cell phones, hard drives, pharmaceuticals, and materials of interest to the weapons community. Total scattering is becoming a powerful new characterization tool that can advance our understanding of these complex materials. This initiative may help us someday develop models that allow us to predict the behavior of materials in extreme or specialized environments, or to design materials with desirable properties such as superconductivity at room temperature or designer medicines.”

Synthetic enzymes could help ID proteins

'Smart' catalysts programmed to recognize specific molecular shape

HOUSTON - Using a rare metal that's not utilized by nature, Rice University chemists have created a synthetic enzyme that could help unlock the identities of thousands of difficult-to-study proteins, including many that play key roles in cancer and other diseases.

The research was published online this week in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

"We have combined the chemical capabilities of rhodium with what biology already knows about recognizing and selecting specific proteins," said study co-author Zachary Ball, assistant professor of chemistry at Rice. "The result is a tool that, in many ways, is more powerful than any biological or chemical approach alone."

Ball began studying dirhodium catalysts more than three years ago. He did not start out trying to create enzymes with them, but he was intrigued by a study that showed dirhodium catalysts could be used to modify tryptophan, one of the 21 amino acids that are the basic building blocks of life.

Catalysts enhance chemical reactions by increasing the rate of reaction without being consumed themselves. In living things, proteins called enzymes serve the same purpose. But unlike many inorganic catalysts, enzymes are very selective. In a process that biologists often liken to a "lock and key," enzymes associate only with molecules that match their shape exactly. This prevents them from spurring extraneous reactions throughout the cell.

Ball and postdoctoral research associate Brian Popp wondered if they could marry the selectivity of enzymatic reactions with a rhodium-based catalyst. They tested the idea by attaching their catalyst to a short segment of protein that can wrap with other proteins, like strands of rope fiber. This "coiled coil" wrapping motif is common in biology, particularly in signaling proteins. Signaling proteins are those that activate or deactivate key processes like apoptosis, the "programmed death" response that's known to play a key role in cancer.

"Signaling pathways are like a trail of dominos," Ball said. "Dozens of proteins can be involved, and they interact one after the other in a cascade. In most cases, the interactions are both fleeting and weak. They are difficult to observe with traditional methods, and as a result we are still in the dark about the roles that key signaling proteins play in health and disease."

Ball said his and Popp's synthetic enzyme strategy might help solve that problem. In their tests, the chemists were able to develop synthetic enzymes that could selectively bind with proteins and attach tags that would allow biologists to identify them.

In addition to tryptophan, the method worked with phenylalanine and tyrosine, two amino acids commonly found in signaling proteins. And recent unpublished studies indicate the researchers' strategy might work for even more amino acids.

Ball said the process must be refined before it can be used in the majority of biology labs, but he and Popp are already working toward realizing broad applications of the strategy.

The research was funded by the Welch Foundation and Rice University.

Drug design: New book introduces fresh approach

Rice professor says drug industry can improve drug safety, lower costs

HOUSTON -- (April 28, 2010) – The pharmaceutical industry can reduce costs, bring new drugs to market more quickly and decrease the dangerous side effects of new medications if it pays closer attention to the latest research regarding the subtle differences between closely related protein targets.

A new book, "Transformative Concepts for Drug Design: Target Wrapping" (Springer) by Rice University bioengineering professor Ariel Fernandez, suggests new methods the industry can use to improve its bottom line today. The same methods could also usher in an era of personalized medicine by allowing drugmakers to identify idiosyncratic differences among individuals and to tailor drugs for patients.

"The industry is at a crossroad," said Fernandez, Rice's Hasselmann Professor of Bioengineering. "The old way of finding therapeutic compounds by trial and error is playing out. Genomics has revealed the protein targets for many major diseases, but current methods of drug discovery are often hopelessly inadequate for the task of attacking these targets."

Fernandez said it takes about a decade and costs about $1 billion to bring a new drug to market, and the lead time and costs for drug development are increasing.

When the human genome was sequenced a decade ago, many believed it would lead to an era of "rational" drug design in which drugmakers would create drugs molecule by molecule. But rational drug design hasn't panned out, largely because scientists still don't understand the fundamental biophysical principles that govern how drug molecules interact with proteins, Fernandez said.

"Proteins come in families, and the members of these families, or paralogs, can be almost identical," he said. "It is very difficult to find a compound that will selectively target one paralog without targeting the others."

For example, blocking the protein called "focal adhesion kinase," or FAK, has been shown to decrease the risk of metastasis of some types of cancer. But a standard structural analysis shows that FAK is nearly identical to the protein that insulin molecules use to dock with cells. Designing a drug that blocks FAK and does not block the insulin receptor signaling on cells has proven extremely difficult.

The similarities between proteins that are linked with diseases and those that are crucial for healthy function in other parts of the body are the underlying cause for the side effects of drugs.

A crucial proof of concept for the innovative remedial approaches proposed in the book came in 2007. At that time, Fernandez and colleagues from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center used the new methods to re-engineer the powerful anticancer drug imatinib -- best known by its brand name Gleevec -- to more specifically target one type of cancer while curbing a rare life-threatening cardiotoxic side effect.

The redesigned drug is identical to imatinib, save for the addition of four atoms at a key point. Though the change is minimal, it allows the drug to effectively target cancer-related proteins without affecting similar proteins in heart cells.

"Almost all proteins have minor defects or structural deficiencies that leave some of their hydrogen bonds poorly shielded from water," Fernandez said. "These incompletely wrapped bonds, which I termed dehydrons, differ even between closely related protein paralogs, and drugmakers can use them as the basis for re-engineering drugs to be more selective."

Fernandez said many potential drug compounds are effective disease fighters but are dropped during late-stage trials -- and at great cost -- because of toxic side effects. Re-engineering such compounds could save drugmakers a fortune in research and development costs.

"This is not a de novo rational drug design," he said of the re-engineering method. "It extends the tried-and-true drug discovery methods industry is comfortable with, but it does this in a rational way that will save R&D costs, reduce toxic side effects and ultimately increase the safety of molecular targeted therapy."

Source: Rice University

Bizarre matter could find use in quantum computers

Rice physicists: Odd electron mix has fault-tolerant quantum registry

From left, Rice University physicist Rui-Rui Du, graduate students Chi Zhang and Yanhua Dai, and former postdoctoral researcher Tauno Knuuttila (not pictured) have found that odd groupings of ultracold electrons could be useful in making fault-tolerant quantum computers.

PHOTO CREDIT:Jeff Fitlow/Rice University

HOUSTON -- (April 21, 2010) -- There are enticing new findings this week in the worldwide search for materials that support fault-tolerant quantum computing. New results from Rice University and Princeton University indicate that a bizarre state of matter that acts like a particle with one-quarter electron charge also has a "quantum registry" that is immune to information loss from external perturbations.

The research appeared online April 21 in Physical Review Letters. The team of physicists found that ultracold mixes of electrons caught in magnetic traps could have the necessary properties for constructing fault-tolerant quantum computers -- future computers that could be far more powerful than today's computers. The mixes of electrons are dubbed "5/2 quantum Hall liquids" in reference to the unusual quantum properties that describe their makeup.

"The big goal, the whole driving force, besides deep academic curiosity, is to build a quantum computer out of this," said the study's lead author Rui-Rui Du, professor of physics at Rice. "The key for that is whether these 5/2 liquids have 'topological' properties that would render them immune to the sorts of quantum perturbations that could cause information degradation in a quantum computer."

Du said the team's results indicate the 5/2 liquids have the desired properties. In the parlance of condensed-matter physics, they are said to represent a "non-Abelian" state of matter.

Non-Abelian is a mathematical term for a system with "noncommutative" properties. In math, commutative operations, like addition, are those that have the same outcome regardless of the order in which they are carried out. So, one plus two equals three, just as two plus one equals three. In daily life, commutative and noncommutative tasks are commonplace. For example, when doing the laundry, it doesn't matter if the detergent is added before the water or the water before the detergent, but it does matter if the clothes are washed before they're placed in the dryer.

"It will take a while to fully understand the complete implications of our results, but it is clear that we have nailed down the evidence for 'spin polarization,' which is one of the two necessary conditions that must be proved to show that the 5/2 liquids are non-Abelian," Du said. "Other research teams have been tackling the second condition, the one-quarter charge, in previous experiments."

The importance of the noncommutative quantum properties is best understood within the context of fault-tolerant quantum computers, a fundamentally new type of computer that hasn't been built yet.

Computers today are binary. Their electrical circuits, which can be open or closed, represent the ones and zeros in binary bits of information. In quantum computers, scientists hope to use "quantum bits," or qubits. Unlike binary ones and zeros, the qubits can be thought of as little arrows that represent the position of a bit of quantum matter. The arrow might represent a one if it points straight up or a zero if it points straight down, but it could also represent any number in between. In physics parlance, these arrows are called quantum "states." And for certain complex calculations, being able to represent information in many different states would present a great advantage over binary computing.

The upshot of the 5/2 liquids being non-Abelian is that they have a sort of "quantum registry," where information doesn't change due to external quantum perturbations.

"In a way, they have internal memory of their previous state," Du said.

The conditions needed to create the 5/2 liquids are extreme. At Rice, Tauno Knuuttila, a former postdoctoral research scientist in Du's group, spent several years building the "demagnetization refrigerator" needed to cool 5-millimeter squares of ultrapure semiconductors to within one-10,000th of a degree of absolute zero. It took a week for Knuuttila to simply cool the nearly one-ton instrument to the necessary temperature for the Rice experiments.

The gallium arsenide semiconductors used in the tests are the most pure on the planet. They were created by Loren Pfieiffer, Du's longtime collaborator at Princeton and Bell Labs. Rice graduate student Chi Zhang conducted additional tests at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory in Tallahassee, Fla., to verify that the 5/2 liquid was spin- polarized.

Study co-authors include Zhang, Knuuttila, Pfeiffer, Princeton's Ken West and Rice's Yanhua Dai. The research is supported by the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation and the Keck Foundation.

  Source: Rice University

Rice's Moshe Y. Vardi elected fellow of

American Academy of Arts and Sciences

-HOUSTON -- (April 20, 2010) -- Rice University computer scientist Moshe Y. Vardi has been elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences -- one of the nation's foremost scholarly honors.

Founded in 1780, the academy is among the oldest and most prestigious honorary societies in the country. The society's who's who list of current and former members includes Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein and James A. Baker III, honorary chairman of Rice's Baker Institute for Public Policy.

The 2010 class of 211 fellows and 18 foreign honorary members includes Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners and recipients of Academy and Grammy awards. The class includes actor Denzel Washington, Nobel Prize-winning economist Myron Scholes and CNN international correspondent Christiane Amanpour.

Vardi is Rice's Karen Ostrum George Professor in Computational Engineering and director of the Ken Kennedy Institute for Information Technology. He has won international recognition both for his research on the application of logic to computer science and for his many contributions to the computing research community. A member of the National Academy of Engineering, Vardi recently received both the Association for Computing Machinery's (ACM) 2010 Outstanding Contribution to ACM Award and the Computing Research Association's 2010 Distinguished Service Award.

Vardi earned his doctorate in computer science from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1981 and managed the Mathematics and Related Computer Science Department at IBM's Almaden Research Center prior to joining Rice in 1993. His research interests include database systems, computational-complexity theory, multi-agent systems, and design specification and verification.

The academy's 2010 class of fellows also includes film director Francis Ford Coppola, U.S. special envoy to North Korea Stephen Bosworth, actor Steve Martin, New York Times political columnist David Brooks and Microsoft chief software architect Ray Ozzie. Foreign honorary members elected to the academy this year include playwright Mike Leigh, architect Toyo Ito and Indian industrialist Ratan Tata.

The new class of fellows will be inducted Oct. 9 in Cambridge, Mass.

More information is available at http://www.amacad.org/.

Viruses harnessed to split water

Angela Belcher, the Germeshausen Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and Biological Engineering, demonstrates a virus-templated catalyst solution used in harnessing energy from water.  Photo: Dominick Reuter

MIT team’s biologically based system taps the power of sunlight directly, with the aim of turning water into hydrogen fuel.

David L. Chandler, MIT News Office

April 12, 2010

A team of MIT researchers has found a novel way to mimic the process by which plants use the power of sunlight to split water and make chemical fuel to power their growth. In this case, the team used a modified virus as a kind of biological scaffold that can assemble the nanoscale components needed to split the hydrogen and oxygen atoms of a water molecule.

Splitting water is one way to solve the basic problem of solar energy: It’s only available when the sun shines. By using sunlight to make hydrogen from water, the hydrogen can then be stored and used at any time to generate electricity using a fuel cell, or to make liquid fuels (or be used directly) for cars and trucks.

Other researchers have made systems that use electricity, which can be provided by solar panels, to split water molecules, but the new biologically based system skips the intermediate steps and uses sunlight to power the reaction directly. The advance is described in a paper published on April 11 in Nature Nanotechnology. The Italian energy company Eni supported the research through the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI).

The team, led by Angela Belcher, the Germeshausen Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and Biological Engineering, engineered a common, harmless bacterial virus called M13 so that it would attract and bind with molecules of a catalyst (the team used iridium oxide) and a biological pigment (zinc porphyrins). The viruses became wire-like devices that could very efficiently split the oxygen from water molecules.

Over time, however, the virus-wires would clump together and lose their effectiveness, so the researchers added an extra step: encapsulating them in a microgel matrix, so they maintained their uniform arrangement and kept their stability and efficiency.

While hydrogen obtained from water is the gas that would be used as a fuel, the splitting of oxygen from water is the more technically challenging “half-reaction” in the process, Belcher explains, so her team focused on this part. Plants and cyanobacteria (also called blue-green algae), she says, “have evolved highly organized photosynthetic systems for the efficient oxidation of water.” Other researchers have tried to use the photosynthetic parts of plants directly for harnessing sunlight, but these materials can have structural stability issues.

Belcher decided that instead of borrowing plants’ components, she would borrow their methods. In plant cells, natural pigments are used to absorb sunlight, while catalysts then promote the water-splitting reaction. That’s the process Belcher and her team, including doctoral student Yoon Sung Nam, the lead author of the new paper, decided to imitate.

In the team’s system, the viruses simply act as a kind of scaffolding, causing the pigments and catalysts to line up with the right kind of spacing to trigger the water-splitting reaction. The role of the pigments is “to act as an antenna to capture the light,” Belcher explains, “and then transfer the energy down the length of the virus, like a wire. The virus is a very efficient harvester of light, with these porphyrins attached.

“We use components people have used before,” she adds, “but we use biology to organize them for us, so you get better efficiency.”

Using the virus to make the system assemble itself improves the efficiency of the oxygen production fourfold, Nam says. The researchers hope to find a similar biologically based system to perform the other half of the process, the production of hydrogen. Currently, the hydrogen atoms from the water get split into their component protons and electrons; a second part of the system, now being developed, would combine these back into hydrogen atoms and molecules. The team is also working to find a more commonplace, less-expensive material for the catalyst, to replace the relatively rare and costly iridium used in this proof-of-concept study.

Thomas Mallouk, the DuPont Professor of Materials Chemistry and Physics at Pennsylvania State University, who was not involved in this work, says, “This is an extremely clever piece of work that addresses one of the most difficult problems in artificial photosynthesis, namely, the nanoscale organization of the components in order to control electron transfer rates.”

He adds: “There is a daunting combination of problems to be solved before this or any other artificial photosynthetic system could actually be useful for energy conversion.” To be cost-competitive with other approaches to solar power, he says, the system would need to be at least 10 times more efficient than natural photosynthesis, be able to repeat the reaction a billion times, and use less expensive materials. “This is unlikely to happen in the near future,” he says. “Nevertheless, the design idea illustrated in this paper could ultimately help with an important piece of the puzzle.”

Belcher will not even speculate about how long it might take to develop this into a commercial product, but she says that within two years she expects to have a prototype device that can carry out the whole process of splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen, using a self-sustaining and durable system.

Source: MIT news office

New hope for ultimate clean energy: fusion power

April 12, 2010- Imagine if you could generate electricity using nuclear power that emitted no radioactivity: it would be the answer to the world's dream of finding a clean, sustainable energy source.

That is the great hope raised by researchers who believe they have found a radical new path to the ultimate goal of solving the world's energy crisis through nuclear fusion power, as detailed in a paper published in the journal Energy and Environmental Science.

The international team of researchers - led by Emeritus Professor Heinrich Hora, of the University of New South Wales Department of Theoretical Physics -has shown through computational studies that a special fuel ignited by brief but powerful pulses of energy from new high-energy lasers may be the key to a success that has long eluded physicists.

The intense laser beam would be used to ignite a fuel made of light hydrogen and boron-11. The resulting ignition would be largely free of radioactive emissions and would release more than enough energy to generate electricity.

The amount of radiation released would be even less than that emitted by current power stations that burn coal, which contains trace amounts of uranium. In another plus, the fuel source is plentiful and readily accessible and the waste product of ignition would be clean helium gas.

"This has the potential to be the best route to fusion energy," says Steve Haan, an expert in nuclear fusion at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, in a news report in the Royal Chemical Society's Highlights in Chemical Technology.

Both Haan and Hora caution that the study only demonstrates the potential of the new process and that much work would need to be done to demonstrate it in practice.

The conventional fusion process uses highly compressed spheres of deuterium and tritium as fuel. Hora says the proposed new process overcomes previous objections to hydrogen-boron11 fuel because it would not have to be compressed and therefore need much less energy than previously thought to start the ignition.

"It was a surprise when we used hydrogen-boron instead of deuterium-tritium," says Hora. "It was not 100,000 times more difficult to ignite, as it would be under the usual compression process. It would be only 10 times more difficult, using the latest generation of lasers."

As it happens, a unique new laser capable of producing the required amount of ignition energy is in its early stages of testing in the US at the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Another extraordinarily powerful US laser known as the National Ignition Facility has been built at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory: "It is the largest laser on earth and has cost about US$ 4 billion," he says. "The laser pulse of about few billionths of a second duration produces 500 times more power than all US power stations."

Professor Hora, who founded the UNSW Department of Theoretical Physics in 1975 and has been an Emeritus Professor since 1992, is known for his work on the theory of fusion energy with lasers.

More information: The new paper is here:

http://www.rsc.org/Publishing/Journals/EE/article.asp?doi=b904609g (reference Energy and Environmental Science, Vol. 3, (2010) 479-486).

It builds on a previous publications in the journal Optics Communications, Vol. 282 (2009) p4124, and in Laser and Particle Beams Vol. 27 (2009) p495.

Provided by University of New South Wales

Ultrasensitive imaging method uses gold-silver 'nanocages'

New research findings suggest that an experimental ultrasensitive imaging technique that uses a pulsed laser and tiny metallic "nanocages" might enable both the early detection and treatment of disease. This composite image shows luminous nanocages, which appear like stars against a black background, and a living cell, at upper left. The gold-silver nanocages exhibit a bright "three-photon luminescence" when excited by the ultrafast pulsed laser, with 10-times greater intensity than pure gold or silver nanoparticles. The signal allows live cell imaging with negligible damage from heating. Credit: Purdue University graphic/Ji-Xin Cheng

New research findings suggest that an experimental ultrasensitive medical imaging technique that uses a pulsed laser and tiny metallic "nanocages" might enable both the early detection and treatment of disease.

The system works by shining near-infrared laser pulses through the skin to detect hollow nanocages and solid nanoparticles - made of an alloy of gold and silver - that are injected into the bloodstream.

Unlike previous approaches using tiny metallic nanorods and nanospheres, the new technique does not cause heat damage to tissue being imaged. Another advantage is that it does not produce a background "auto fluorescent" glow of surrounding tissues, which interferes with the imaging and reduces contrast and brightness, said Ji-Xin Cheng (pronounced Gee-Shin), an associate professor of biomedical engineering and chemistry at Purdue University.

"This lack of background fluorescence makes the images much more clear and is very important for disease detection," he said. "It allows us to clearly identify the nanocages and the tissues."

The improved performance could make possible early detection and treatment of cancer. The tiny gold-silver cages also might be used to deliver time-released anticancer drugs to diseased tissue, said Younan Xia, the James M. McKelvey Professor for Advanced Materials in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis. His team fabricated the nanocages and nanoparticles used in the research.

The gold-silver structures yielded images 10 times brighter than other experimental imaging research using gold nanospheres and nanorods. The imaging technology provides brightness and contrast potentially hundreds of times better than conventional fluorescent dyes used for a wide range of biological imaging to study the inner workings of cells and molecules.

Findings were detailed in a research paper published online April 6 in the journal Angewandte Chemie's international edition. The paper was written by Purdue chemistry doctoral student Ling Tong, Washington University graduate student Claire M. Cobley and research assistant professor Jingyi Chen, Xia and Cheng.

The new imaging approach uses a phenomenon called "three-photon luminescence," which provides higher contrast and brighter images than conventional fluorescence imaging methods. Normally, three-photon luminescence is too dim to be used for imaging. However, the presence of gold and silver nanoparticles enhances the brightness, overcoming this obstacle. The ultrafast laser also is thought to possibly play a role by causing "third harmonic generation," which increases the brightness.

Previous research to develop the imaging system has required the use of "plasmons," or clouds of electrons moving in unison, to enhance brightness and contrast. However, using plasmons generates tissue-damaging heat. The new technique does not use plasmon enhancement, eliminating this heating, Cheng said.

The three-photon effect might enable scientists to develop advanced "non-linear optical techniques" that provide better contrast than conventional technologies.

"The three-photon imaging capability will potentially allow us to combine imaging and therapy for better diagnosis and monitoring," Xia said.

Researchers used a laser in the near-infrared range of the spectrum pulsing at the speed of femtoseconds, or quadrillionths of a second. The laser pulses 80 million times per second to illuminate tissues and organs after nanocages have been injected, Cheng said.

The cages and particles are about 40 nanometers wide, or roughly 100 times smaller than a red blood cell.

The researchers intravenously injected the nanocages into mice and then took images of the tiny structures in tissue samples from organs such as the liver and spleen.

More information: Bright Three-photon Luminescence from Au-Ag Alloyed Nanostructures for Bioimaging with Negligible Photothermal Toxicity, Angewandte Chemie, April 6, 2010.

Provided by Purdue University

'Facebook for scientists'

A network visualization of the "Facebook for scientists" project, above, displays how universities using the proposed VIVOweb would network with existing databases like the gene ontology information center GO and UniProt, and protein knowledge database, and its non-redundant archive, UniParc.

Indiana University has received more than $1.8 million from the National Institutes of Health to collaborate on a $12.2 million, seven-university project designed to network researchers around the country.

While the proposed new networking system will contain authentication mechanisms to protect sensitive data and intellectual property, it is being described as a "Facebook for scientists."

IU's portion of the project is led by Katy Börner, Victor H. Yngve Professor of Information Science and director of the Cyberinfrastructure for Network Science Center at IU. Co-investigators with Börner at IU are Ying Ding, an assistant professor of Information Science, and Robert McDonald, associate dean for library technologies at IU and associate director for the Data to Insight Center at the Pervasive Technology Institute.

Börner's team at the Cyberinfrastructure for Network Science Center will conduct research and development on data analysis and visualization, Ding will be responsible for ontology development and McDonald will be responsible for implementation at IU of VIVO, a networking template currently in place at Cornell University that brings together publicly available information on the people, departments, graduate fields, facilities and other resources that collectively make up the research and scholarship environment in all disciplines at Cornell.

Ding explained that ontology is a formally represented community consensus that enables data integration into a form that allows for machine involvement for information understanding and processing.

"One of the major VIVO ontologies models the scholarly activities of research communities, where paper, grant, teaching, research interest, organization and event are interlinked and formally represented," she said. "This could gather all the related information for one researcher into one place and further links to any other related semantic datasets. Linking and formal representation generate great power to realize more intelligent knowledge discovery."

In a recent announcement referencing the importance of the agency's disbursement of 12,000 American Reinvestment and Recovery Act grants that included the $12.2 million VIVO project, NIH director Francis Collins said scientists like Börner, Ding and McDonald were committed to improving the lives of Americans.

"We're investigating new problems with powerful new tools and looking at old problems from entirely new perspectives," he said. "President Obama began his administration by making a strong commitment to 'listening to scientists.' This is not just because he didn't want to hurt our feelings. It's because he sees great opportunities to use science to improve lives, whether it's creating new medicines, developing better prevention strategies, or devising smarter policies to do everything from reducing greenhouse gas emissions to building a more effective health care system."

Success of the VIVO project could translate into enhancing scientific gains in each of those areas noted by Collins, and even more broadly, Börner said.

"There are many sites that extract and serve researcher profiles, plus there are services that aim to help people communicate and connect more efficiently," she said. "Many researchers have profiles and evolving networks on multiple, but incompatible, sites. They try to use Facebook and Google for their research, however, these tools and services do not completely address the needs of scholars."

McDonald said the Cornell VIVO software will offer IU significant opportunities for advancing enhanced data mining capabilities towards discovering semantic relationships among faculty research both within the IU system and in external comparison to other research institutions that also use the software.

"For a multi-faceted area like translational medicine this type of enhanced researcher relationship will strengthen research collaboration as well as provide new insights into the types of research collections that are needed by the libraries to support researchers who work in a multi-disciplinary framework," he noted.

As it is currently envisioned, the system will federate information about faculty and staff from institutional repositories, listings of published articles from academic publishers, and researchers would provide information regarding their own interests. Users will still view the information on what looks like regular Web pages, but VIVO is designed to then collect the facts a researcher wants and then assemble a unique page.

In addition to IU and Cornell, also involved in the project are the University of Florida, Weill Cornell Medical College, Washington University in St. Louis, the Scripps Research Institute and the Ponce School of Medicine in Puerto Rico.

Provided by Indiana University

A brighter idea

Wake Forest receives patent for new fiber solar cells

David Carroll is director of Wake Forest's Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials, which has developed a more efficient and less expensive fiber solar cell.

Wake Forest has received the first patent for a new solar-cell technology that can double the energy production of today’s flat cells at a fraction of the cost.

“It comes at a pretty high price to be green,” said David Carroll, the director of Wake Forest’s Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials, where the fiber cell was developed. “This device can make a huge difference.”

The University received the patent for fiber-based photovoltaic, or solar, cells from the European Patent Office; applications to the U.S. Patent Office are pending.

The patent on the technology has been licensed to FiberCell Inc. to develop a way to manufacture the cells. The company, based in the Piedmont Triad Research Park in downtown Winston-Salem, is producing its first large test cells.

The new solar cells are made from millions of miniscule plastic fibers that can collect sunlight at oblique angles – even when the sun is rising and setting. Flat-cell technology captures light primarily when the sun is directly above.

Where a flat cell loses energy when the sun’s rays bounce off its shiny surface, the fiber-based design creates more surface area to confine the sun’s rays, trapping the light in the tiny fiber “cans” where it bounces around until it is absorbed almost completely. That means much greater energy production with fiber-based cells: the new fiber cells could produce about twice as many kilowatt hours per day as standard flat cells.

“We’ve been able to show that with a standard absorber we can collect more of the photons than anyone else can,” Carroll said. “Because of the way the device works, I get more power.”

To make the cells, the plastic fibers are assembled onto plastic sheets, with a technology similar to that used to create the tops of soft-drink cups. The absorber – either a polymer or a dye – is sprayed on. The plastic makes the cells lightweight and flexible – a manufacturer could roll them up and ship them anywhere cheaply.

Carroll envisions several key uses for fiber cells:

Green building: “We’ve known how to build the ‘smart house,’ it’s just been too expensive,” he said. “The fiber cell can change that.” Alter the dimensions and dye color, and builders can integrate the cells nearly anywhere in the home’s design. Because fiber cells can collect light at various angles, they no longer have to stay on the roof to work. Partner the cells with devices that could store the power more efficiently, turn off lights and appliances when not in use, and capture and redirect the heat the building radiates at night, and you have a more affordable, energy-efficient structure.

Bringing power to developing countries: Once the primary manufacturer ships the lightweight, plastic fiber cells, satellite plants in poor countries can spray them with the dye and prepare them for installation. Carroll estimates it would cost about $5 million to set up a finishing plant – about $15 million less than it would cost to set up a similar plant for flat cells.

Revolutionizing the power grid: “What if you didn’t own your roof,” Carroll asked. “What if the power company did?” The fiber cells installed on some homes in each neighborhood would feed the grid, and the power company would monitor energy collection and distribution through a computer network. The homeowner would not maintain the cells; that responsibility would fall to the power company.

http://www.wfu.edu/wowf/2010/20100407.solar.php

Bilbao welcomes ImagineNano - one of the largest 2011 European events in Nanotechnology

Madrid,Spain: April 2010 - Bilbao, Spain, will host one of the largest 2011 European Events in Nanoscience & Nanotechnology from 11th until 14th of April at BEC (Bilbao Exhibition Centre).

The Phantoms Foundation and CIC nanoGUNE, in cooperation with other institutions will bring ImagineNano, a newly Nanoscience & Nanotechnology concept in Europe.

For the first time, ImagineNano will comprise in 15.000 m2 extensive thematic conferences in parallel, a huge industrial exhibition carried out with the latest nanotrends for the future and a social component where everyone can meet and greet Nanotechnology side by side. ImagineNano will therefore gather global nanotechnology community, including researchers, industry policymakers, investors and plans to be a reference in Europe in the next upcoming years.

One place, five conferences in parallel covering hot science trends:

Opportunities are now available for industrial, academic and governmental organizations to share common objectives and drive the commercialization and the know-how of nanotechnology, which has been estimated to value 3.000 trillion Us dollars by 2015.

ImagineNano aims to provide an outlook of the most innovative projects and products in various fields of Nanoscience & Nanotechnology.

About Phantoms Foundation: This Non-Profit organization was established in 2002 (Madrid, Spain) in order to provide high level Management profile to scientific projects. This association plays an important role in the 6th and 7th Framework Programs as a platform for European funded projects (nanoICT, nanomagma & NanoCODE) to spread excellence amongst a wider audience, and to help in forming new networks. This Association is now a key actor in structuring and fostering European Excellence in “Nanoscience and Nanotechnology”, having a world leading position in organizing conferences, training and dissemination activities in this field.

About CIC nanoGUNE: Is a newly established center created with the mission of addressing basic and applied world-class research in nanoscience and nanotechnology, fostering high-standard training and education of researchers in this field, and promoting the cooperation among the different agents in the Basque Science, Technology, and Innovation Network (Universities and Technological Centers) and between these agents and the industrial sector. CICs are promoted by the Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism of the Basque Government and are designed with the aim of creating an effective framework of collaboration that strengthens interdisciplinary basic and applied world-class research in order to provide technology transfer and promote competitiveness of the Basque Industry in strategic areas.

Carbon Nanostructures—Elixir or Poison?

Los Alamos researchers find a case where size really does matter

LOS ALAMOS, New Mexico, March 31, 2010—A Los Alamos National Laboratory toxicologist and a multidisciplinary team of researchers have documented potential cellular damage from “fullerenes”—soccer-ball-shaped, cage-like molecules composed of 60 carbon atoms. The team also noted that this particular type of damage might hold hope for treatment of Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, or even cancer.

The research recently appeared in Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology and represents the first-ever observation of this kind for spherical fullerenes, also known as buckyballs, which take their names from the late Buckminster Fuller because they resemble the geodesic dome concept that he popularized.

Engineered carbon nanoparticles, which include fullerenes, are increasing in use worldwide. Each buckyball is a skeletal cage of carbon about the size of a virus. They show potential for creating stronger, lighter structures or acting as tiny delivery mechanisms for designer drugs or antibiotics, among other uses. About four to five tons of carbon nanoparticles are manufactured annually.

“Nanomaterials are the 21st century revolution,” said Los Alamos toxicologist Rashi Iyer, the principal research lead and coauthor of the paper. “We are going to have to live with them and deal with them, and the question becomes, ‘How are we going to maximize our use of these materials and minimize their impact on us and the environment?’”

Iyer and lead author Jun Gao, also a Los Alamos toxicologist, exposed cultured human skin cells to several distinct types of buckyballs. The differences in the buckyballs lay in the spatial arrangement of short branches of molecules coming off of the main buckyball structure. One buckyball variation, called the “tris” configuration, had three molecular branches off the main structure on one hemisphere; another variation, called the “hexa” configuration, had six branches off the main structure in a roughly symmetrical arrangement; the last type was a plain buckyball.

The researchers found that cells exposed to the tris configuration underwent premature senescence—what might be described as a state of suspended animation. In other words, the cells did not die as cells normally should, nor did they divide or grow. This arrest of the natural cellular life cycle after exposure to the tris-configured buckyballs may compromise normal organ development, leading to disease within a living organism. In short, the tris buckyballs were toxic to human skin cells.

Moreover, the cells exposed to the tris arrangement caused unique molecular level responses suggesting that tris-fullerenes may potentially interfere with normal immune responses induced by viruses. The team is now pursuing research to determine if cells exposed to this form of fullerenes may be more susceptible to viral infections.

Ironically, the discovery could also lead to a novel treatment strategy for combating  several debilitating diseases. In diseases like Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s, nerve cells die or degenerate to a nonfunctional state. A mechanism to induce senescence in specific nerve cells could delay or eliminate onset of the diseases. Similarly, a disease like cancer, which spreads and thrives through unregulated replication of cancer cells, might be fought through induced senescence. This strategy could stop the cells from dividing and provide doctors with more time to kill the abnormal cells.

Because of the minute size of nanomaterials, the primary hazard associated with them has been potential inhalation—similar to the concern over asbestos exposure.

“Already, from a toxicological point of view, this research is useful because it shows that if you have the choice to use a tris- or a hexa-arrangement for an application involving buckyballs, the hexa-arrangement is probably the better choice,” said Iyer. “These studies may provide guidance for new nanomaterial design and development.”

These results were offshoots from a study (Shreve, Wang, and Iyer) funded to understand the interactions between buckyballs and biological membranes. Los Alamos National Laboratory has taken a proactive role by initiating a nanomaterial bioassessmnet program with the intention of keeping its nanomaterial workers safe while facilitating the discovery of high-function, low-bioimpact nanomaterials with the potential to benefit national security missions. In addition to Gao and Iyer, the LANL program includes Jennifer Hollingsworth, Yi Jiang, Jian Song, Paul Welch, Hsing Lin Wang, Srinivas Iyer, and Gabriel Montano.

Los Alamos National Laboratory researchers will continue to attempt to understand the potential effects of exposure to nanomaterials in much the same way that Los Alamos was a worldwide leader in understanding the effects of radiation during the Lab’s early history. Los Alamos workers using nanomaterials will continue to follow protocols that provide the highest degree of protection from potential exposure.

Meantime, Los Alamos research into nanomaterials provides a cautionary tale for nanomaterial use, as well as early foundations for worker protection. Right now, there are no federal regulations for the use of nanomaterials. Disclosure of use by companies or individuals is voluntary. As nanomaterial use increases, understanding of their potential hazards should also increase.

About Los Alamos National Laboratory : http://www.lanl.gov  

Los Alamos National Laboratory, a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security, is operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC, a team composed of Bechtel National, the University of California, The Babcock & Wilcox Company, and URS for the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration.

Los Alamos enhances national security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, developing technologies to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction, and solving problems related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health, and global security concerns.

Arkansas Ambassadors of Education and Commerce

Governor Mike Beebe's weekly column and radio address:

Last week, I welcomed a group of French educators to the Capitol to discuss a new student-exchange program. This program will benefit Arkansas's economy and enhance the way we prepare Arkansans for careers in engineering, science, and technology.

The CESI Group, founded in France in 1958, was created to train engineers in the management skills of manufacturing projects. Today, the school serves more than 17,000 trainees, apprentices, and students a year in France, Spain, and Algeria. All of its programs have an international dimension and require a four-month internship abroad. I'm very pleased that CESI has chosen the University of Arkansas at Little Rock as one of only two U.S. partners, providing its students with access to UALR's world-class facilities and staff.

UALR's Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology and the university's Department of Applied Science have each developed international reputations for their high quality of instruction. Dr. Mary Good, dean of the Donaghey College, is among America's most esteemed scientists and educators. She is creating a culture at UALR that values both cutting-edge research as well as the practical training of skilled professionals to fill critical jobs in Arkansas's workforce.

Dr. Alex Biris, who leads the UALR Nanotechnology Center, shares this vision of using science and technology to increase our understanding of the world while generating practical results to create new companies and jobs for Arkansans. Dr. Biris and his colleagues are on the frontiers of science, working to control matter on an atomic scale and create new materials that have never before existed on the Earth. While this may seem like science fiction, the fact is that nano-material research may help create the next generation of great Arkansas companies.

What attracted CESI to Arkansas and UALR was the quality of our programs and a shared philosophy about the role that universities must play in economic development. CESI pioneered the approach that Dr. Good and Dr. Biris are putting to work at UALR. They train scientists and engineers to respond to the industry's needs by exposing students to the specific training needed by real companies.

CESI serves more than 2,000 companies in an expansive range of industries, from aerospace to computer science and from energy to transportation and medicine. These industry connections represent a long-term economic opportunity for Arkansas. A strong relationship with CESI and its students will create ambassadors on behalf of Arkansas with CESI's partner companies. Furthermore, we hope to expand our relationship with CESI to allow Arkansas students to spend a four-month internship in France where they will attend classes and work part-time for French companies.

Our future depends on our ability to cultivate high-tech, high-paying industries in our State by attracting investment from around the world and by cultivating the next generation of Arkansas entrepreneurs. Both approaches require us to develop a workforce with the knowledge and skills to compete on a global scale. The relationship between CESI and UALR is another important step toward that goal.

 http://arkansasmatters.com/content/fulltext/?cid=303782 

Safer Nuclear Reactors Could Result

from Los Alamos Research

‘Loading-unloading’ effect of grain boundaries key to repair of irradiated metal

LOS ALAMOS, New Mexico, March 25, 2010—Self-repairing materials within nuclear reactors may one day become a reality as a result of research by Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists.

In a paper appearing today in the journal Science, Los Alamos researchers report a surprising mechanism that allows nanocrystalline materials to heal themselves after suffering radiation-induced damage. Nanocrystalline materials are those created from nanosized particles, in this case copper particles. A single nanosized particle—called a grain—is the size of a virus or even smaller. Nanocrystalline materials consist of a mixture of grains and the interface between those grains, called grain boundaries.

When designing nuclear reactors or the materials that go into them, one of the key challenges is finding materials that can withstand an outrageously extreme environment. In addition to constant bombardment by radiation, reactor materials may be subjected to extremes in temperature, physical stress, and corrosive conditions. Exposure to high radiation alone produces significant damage at the nanoscale.

Radiation can cause individual atoms or groups of atoms to be jarred out of place. Each vagrant atom becomes known as an interstitial. The empty space left behind by the displaced atom is known as a vacancy. Consequently, every interstitial created also creates one vacancy. As these defects—the interstitials and vacancies—build up over time in a material, effects such as swelling, hardening or embrittlement can manifest in the material and lead to catastrophic failure.

Therefore, designing materials that can withstand radiation-induced damage is very important for improving the reliability, safety and lifespan of nuclear energy systems.

Because nanocrystalline materials contain a large fraction of grain boundaries—which are thought to act as sinks that absorb and remove defects—scientists have expected that these materials should be more radiation tolerant than their larger-grain counterparts. Nevertheless, the ability to predict the performance of nanocrystalline materials in extreme environments has been severely lacking because specific details of what occurs within solids are very complex and difficult to visualize.

Recent computer simulations by the Los Alamos researchers help explain some of those details.

In the Science paper, the researchers describe the never-before-observed phenomenon of a “loading-unloading” effect at grain boundaries in nanocrystalline materials. This loading-unloading effect allows for effective self-healing of radiation-induced defects. Using three different computer simulation methods, the researchers looked at the interaction between defects and grain boundaries on time scales ranging from picoseconds to microseconds (one-trillionth of a second to one-millionth of a second).

On the shorter timescales, radiation-damaged materials underwent a “loading” process at the grain boundaries, in which interstitial atoms became trapped—or loaded—into the grain boundary. Under these conditions, the subsequent number of accumulated vacancies in the bulk material occurred in amounts much greater than would have occurred in bulk materials in which a boundary didn’t exist. After trapping interstitials, the grain boundary later “unloaded” interstitials back into vacancies near the grain boundary. In so doing, the process annihilates both types of defects—healing the material.

This unloading process was totally unexpected because grain boundaries traditionally have been regarded as places that accumulate interstitials, but not as places that release them. Although researchers found that some energy is required for this newly-discovered recombination method to operate, the amount of energy was much lower than the energies required to operate conventional mechanisms—providing an explanation and mechanism for enhanced self-healing of radiation-induced damage.

Modeling of the “loading-unloading” role of grain boundaries helps explain previously observed counterintuitive behavior of irradiated nanocrystalline materials compared to their larger-grained counterparts. The insight provided by this work provides new avenues for further examination of the role of grain boundaries and engineered material interfaces in self-healing of radiation-induced defects. Such efforts could eventually assist or accelerate the design of highly radiation-tolerant materials for the next generation of nuclear energy applications.

The Los Alamos National Laboratory research team includes: Xian-Ming Bai, Richard G. Hoagland and Blas P. Uberuaga of the Materials Science and Technology Division; Arthur F. Voter, of the Theoretical Division; and Michael Nastasi of the Materials Physics and Applications Division.

The work was primarily sponsored by the Los Alamos Laboratory-Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program, which, at the discretion of the Laboratory Director, invests a small percentage of the Laboratory’s budget in high-risk, potentially high-payoff projects to help position the Laboratory to anticipate and prepare for emerging national security challenges. The research also received specific funding through the Center for Materials under Irradiation and Mechanical Extremes, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences.

About Los Alamos National Laboratory (www.lanl.gov <http://www.lanl.gov/> )

Los Alamos National Laboratory, a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security, is operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC, a team composed of Bechtel National, the University of California, The Babcock & Wilcox Company, and URS for the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration.

Los Alamos enhances national security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, developing technologies to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction, and solving problems related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health, and global security concerns.

From pollutant to profit --

nanoscience turns carbon on its head

March 23rd, 2010 - Three new complementary research projects will turn carbon from a pollutant into useful products that could help both industry and the environment.

Nanotechnology solutions will be used to:

Catalytic reactor

University College London scientists led by Professor Nora De Leeuw will work with Johnson Matthey to mimic biological systems and produce a catalytic reactor that can convert CO2 into useful chemicals for applications such as fuel cells in laptops and mobile phones.

The reactor will use novel nano-catalysts based on compounds formed in warm springs on the ocean floor that are considered to have triggered the emergence of life. The team's design will take inspiration from biological systems that can carry out complex processes to convert CO2 into biological material, and exploit a wide range of computational and experimental chemistry techniques.

Professor De Leeuw says: "If we were able to emulate nature and convert CO2 into useful products without having to use large amounts of energy, the benefits would be enormous. One of the major gases responsible for climate change would become an important raw material for the chemical and pharmaceutical industries."

Artificial leaf

At Imperial College London and University College London a research team led by Dr Charlotte Williams will reduce CO¬2 with hydrogen, electrical energy or photon energy to produce vehicle fuels.

To achieve this, they will develop nanostructured catalysts that operate using solar or other renewable energy inputs. These will be used in a process that mimics CO¬2 activation in nature - an 'artificial leaf' concept - that effectively reverses the polluting process of burning fossil fuels. The team will collaborate with industrial partners Millennium Inorganic Chemicals, Cemex, Johnson Matthey and E.ON.

Dr Williams, of Imperial College London, says: "The key economic issue lies in decreasing the energy required for the processes. We hope to achieve this by developing new, highly active metal/metal oxide nanostructured catalysts, which offer superior performance."

Carbon lock-in

The Universities of Bath, Bristol and the West of England are working together to produce materials that can remove CO¬2 from the atmosphere and lock it into useful products.

At the heart of the project, led by Dr Frank Marken at the University of Bath, will be a one-step process that links catalysts directly with a novel CO2 absorber, and is powered by solar or an alternative renewable energy source. The resulting 'carbon lock-in' products include polymers, carbohydrates or fuels.

Dr Marken says: "Current processes rely on using separate technology to capture and utilise the CO2, which makes the process very inefficient. By combining the processes the efficiency can be improved and the energy required to drive the CO2 reduction is minimised."

The projects are part of Research Councils UK (RCUK) cross-Council programme 'Nanoscience: through Engineering to Application'. www.rcuk.ac.uk/nano

As part of the selection process, researchers were asked to consider potential environmental, health, societal and ethical concerns that may result from the innovation process. Using this responsible innovation approach, the projects all recognise that the solution to one problem should not create another.

The research will benefit a range of UK industries including companies that emit carbon dioxide in significant quantities, such as power suppliers, steel and aluminium manufacturers, fuel companies and fuel users.

The new technologies and materials produced by the research could create a new branch of manufacturing with worldwide distribution of carbon capture devices, and a new mechanism for carbon credit trading.

Last week the Department for Business Innovation and Skills published a cross-departmental strategy, 'UK Nanotechnologies Strategy: Opportunities Ahead', which stated that the global market in nanotechnologies is expected to grow from US$2.3 billion in 2007 to US$81 billion in 2015*.

More information: * Nanomaterials and Markets 2008 - 2015, Nanopost, quoted in Nanoscale Technologies Strategy 2009 - 12, Technology Strategy Board, September 2009

Provided by Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

Open Access Chinese Nano Research Journal

Makes it into Science Citation Index

Thomson ISI has announced that Nano Research, an English-language journal jointly published by Springer and Tsinghua University Press, is now listed in the Science Citation Index-Expanded (SCI-E). The academic journal, founded in July 2008, has been covered in the index from Volume 1, Issue 1. Nano Research is part of Springer's Chinese Library of Science, a collection comprising more than 90 journals.

Nano Research is an international, interdisciplinary journal which publishes high-quality, peer-reviewed, original research papers and review articles on nanometer scale material and nanotechnology. With an open access publishing model, Nano Research allows readers worldwide to download full articles via the online platform SpringerLink free of charge, thus enhancing rapid access to the journal.

Nano Research, featuring prompt review and timely publication, implements an online submission system. Furthermore, all articles are published electronically via Online First before they appear in print. The journal has gained support from many top scientists in the field of nanoscience and has attracted world-class contributors and reviewers from such renowned universities and research institutes as MIT, Stanford University and the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology. Articles contributed by Chinese mainland scientists account for 20 percent of the total articles published. Editors-in-chief are Dr. Dai Hongjie, professor at Stanford University in the US, and Dr. Xue Qikun, professor at Tsinghua University in China.

Dr. Dai said, "Nano Research is committed to publishing high-quality results and exciting new discoveries in nanoscience in the timeliest manner possible. We are determined to make a difference in publishing in these dynamic times, when nanoscience continues to rapidly develop and expand."

Junfeng Zong, President of Tsinghua University Press, said, "Nano Research was selected for inclusion in the SCI-E shortly after it was launched. This shows that international cooperation is an effective way to publish a new journal, and also demonstrates that Tsinghua publications are recognized globally and that Tsinghua University Press is capable of producing high-level international publications. We are confident that the efforts of the editorial board, combined with the support of many leading scientists all over the world, will result in even greater success for Nano Research in the future."

Peter Hendriks, President of STM Global Publishing and Marketing at Springer, said, "The joint efforts of Tsinghua University Press, Springer, and the editors-in-chief have produced a superior publication. Nano Research is a successful example of state-of-the-art publishing which demonstrates the supportive effect of open access to a newly launched academic journal."

Tsinghua University, under the Ministry of Education of the Republic of China, is a multidisciplinary comprehensive university specializing in science and engineering. It is one of the most important national bases for higher education, scientific research and technological development. Tsinghua University Press, under the charge of the Ministry of Education and sponsored by Tsinghua University, is one of the most respected academic publishing houses in China.

http://www.azom.com/news.asp?NewsID=20976

Study: grass, fungus combination affects ecology

Six-year study examines impacts of fescue and symbiotic fungus

HOUSTON -- (March 15, 2010) -- The popular forage and turf grass called tall fescue covers a vast amount of land in the U.S. -- an area that's estimated to be larger than Virginia and Maryland combined -- and a new study by ecologists at Rice University and Indiana University suggests there is more to fescue than meets the eye.

Results of the six-year study, which are available online in the Journal of Applied Ecology, show that a symbiotic fungus living inside fescue can have far-reaching effects on plant, animal and insect communities.

"Competition and environment have traditionally been seen as the driving forces for community dynamics, so it's significant to see that the composition and diversity of a plant community can be affected by changing a few genes in an invisible fungus inside one species of grass," said study co-author Jennifer Rudgers, Rice's Godwin Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. "This suggests that cooperative microorganisms should not be overlooked as significant contributors to ecological diversity."

Tall fescue is hearty, low-maintenance and stays green year-round, which makes it a favorite for home lawns, golf courses and highway rights-of-way across the U.S. But fescue, which is native to Europe and North Africa, can also be highly invasive in North America. It can also sicken livestock, thanks to a symbiotic fungus called Neotyphodium coenophialum. The fungus and fescue have a mutually beneficial relationship. The fungus lives inside the plant, where it gets shelter and food, and in return it laces the plant's leaves with toxic alkaloids that are a turnoff to some plant-eating animals.

In 2002, Rudgers and Indiana University ecologist Keith Clay, a study co-author, selected 42 grassland plots, each about 1,000 square feet, at the Indiana University Research and Teaching Preserve north of Bloomington, Ind. The researchers selected two varieties of fescue called Georgia-5 and Jesup, and two varieties of the fungus, called KY-31 and AR-542. KY-31 is a common variety that produces alkaloids that are toxic to mammals, and AR-542 naturally lacks these alkaloids. Additionally, some plots were planted with grass and no fungus.

Over the next six years, the team returned to the plots several times. The investigation was painstaking. In randomly selected areas, the researchers counted individual flowers, cataloged the number and species of every plant and even counted the number of stems of grass that had been gnawed by plant-eating voles.

The investigation offered specific results for conservation managers: Jesup with either fungus works best for maintaining a fescue monoculture; and if a symbiotic fungus is desirable, the combination of Georgia-5 and AR-542 supports maximum plant diversity and minimal invasiveness.

The study also suggested that the ecological effects of plant-microbe symbiosis aren't easy to predict. For example, the researchers found that voles were less likely to eat fescue that contained either fungus, including the AR-542 variety, which lacks mammal-toxic alkaloids.

"That indicates that plant-microbe symbioses have complex ecological effects," said Clay, professor of biology and director of the Indiana University Research and Teaching Preserve. "It signals the need for more investigations of the long-term effects of cooperative symbiosis."

Indiana University undergraduate Susan Fischer also co-authored the study. The research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the Indiana University Research and Teaching Preserve.

3-D cell culture: making cells feel right at home

Startup Nano3D Bio's system based on Rice-M.D. Anderson tech

HOUSTON -- (March 15, 2010) -- The film "Avatar" isn't the only 3-D blockbuster making a splash this winter. A team of scientists from Houston's Texas Medical Center this week unveiled a new technique for growing 3-D cell cultures, a technological leap from the flat petri dish that could save millions of dollars in drug-testing costs. The research is reported in Nature Nanotechnology.

The 3-D technique is easy enough for most labs to set up immediately. It uses magnetic forces to levitate cells while they divide and grow. Compared with cell cultures grown on flat surfaces, the 3-D cell cultures tend to form tissues that more closely resemble those inside the body.

"There's a big push right now to find ways to grow cells in 3-D because the body is 3-D, and cultures that more closely resemble native tissue are expected to provide better results for preclinical drug tests," said study co-author Tom Killian, associate professor of physics at Rice. "If you could improve the accuracy of early drug screenings by just 10 percent, it's estimated you could save as much as $100 million per

drug."

For cancer research, the "invisible scaffold" created by the magnetic field goes beyond its potential for producing cell cultures that are more reminiscent of real tumors, which itself would be an important advance, said co-author Wadih Arap, professor in the David H. Koch Center at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

To make cells levitate, the research team modified a combination of gold nanoparticles and engineered viral particles called "phage" that was developed in the lab of Arap and Renata Pasqualini, also of the Koch Center. This targeted "nanoshuttle" can deliver payloads to specific organs or tissues.

"A logical next step for us will be to use this additional magnetic property in targeted ways to explore possible applications in the imaging and treatment of tumors," Arap said.

The 3-D modeling raises another interesting long-term possibility. “This is a step toward building better models of organs in the lab,” Pasqualini said.

The new technique is an example of the innovation that can result when experts come together from disparate fields. Killian studies ultracold atoms and uses finely tuned magnetic fields to manipulate them. He had been working with Rice bioengineer Robert Raphael for several years on methods to use magnetic fields to manipulate cells. So when Killian's friend Glauco Souza, then an Odyssey Scholar studying with Arap and Pasqualini, mentioned one day that he was developing a gel that could load cancer cells with magnetic nanoparticles, it led to a new idea.

"We wondered if we might be able to use magnetic fields to manipulate the cells after my gels put magnetic nanoparticles into them," said Souza, who left M.D. Anderson in 2009 to co-found Nano3D Biosciences (www.n3dbio.com), a startup that subsequently licensed the technology from Rice and M.D. Anderson.

The nanoparticles in this case are tiny bits of iron oxide. These are added to a gel that contains phage. When cells are added to the gel, the phage causes the particles to be absorbed into cells over a few hours. The gel is then washed away, and the nanoparticle-loaded cells are placed in a petri dish filled with a liquid that promotes cell growth and division.

In the new study, the researchers showed that by placing a coin-sized magnet atop the dish's lid, they could lift the cells off the bottom of the dish, concentrate them and allow them to grow and divide while they were suspended in the liquid.

A key experiment was performed in collaboration with Jennifer Molina, a graduate student in the laboratory of Maria-Magdalena Georgescu, an M.D. Anderson associate professor in neuro-oncology and also a co-author, in which the technique was used on brain tumor cells called glioblastomas. The results showed that cells grown in the 3-D medium produced proteins that were similar to those produced by gliobastoma tumors in mice, while cells grown in 2-D did not show this similarity.

Souza said that Nano3D Biosciences is conducting additional tests to compare how the new method stacks up against existing methods of growing 3-D cell cultures. He said he is hopeful that it will provide results that are just as good, if not better, than longstanding techniques that use 3-D scaffolds.

Raphael, a paper co-author, associate professor in bioengineering and a member of Rice's BioScience Research Collaborative, said, "The beauty of this method is that it allows natural cell-cell interactions to drive assembly of 3-D microtissue structures. The method is fairly simple and should be a good point of entry in 3-D cell culturing for any lab that's interested in drug discovery, stem cell biology, regenerative medicine or biotechnology."

Other co-authors include Daniel Stark and Jeyarama Ananta, both of Rice; Carly Levin of Nano3D Biosciences; and Michael Ozawa, Lawrence Bronk, Jami Mandelin, James Bankson and Juri Gelovani, all of M.D. Anderson.

The research was funded by M.D. Anderson's Odyssey Scholar Program, the Department of Defense's Breast Cancer Research Program, the National Science Foundation, the Packard Foundation, the Gillson-Longenbaugh Foundation, AngelWorks, the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute.

New analysis of the structure of spider silks

explains paradox of super-strength

March 14, 2010- Spiders and silkworms are masters of materials science, but scientists are finally catching up. Silks are among the toughest materials known, stronger and less brittle, pound for pound, than steel. Now scientists at MIT have unraveled some of their deepest secrets in research that could lead the way to the creation of synthetic materials that duplicate, or even exceed, the extraordinary properties of natural silk.

Markus Buehler, the Esther and Harold E. Edgerton Associate Professor in MIT's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and his team study fundamental properties of materials and how those materials fail. With silk, that meant using computer models that can simulate not just the structures of the molecules but exactly how they move and interact in relation to each other. The models helped the researchers determine the molecular and atomic mechanisms responsible for the material's remarkable mechanical properties.

Silk's combination of strength and ductility — its ability to bend or stretch without breaking — results from an unusual arrangement of atomic bonds that are inherently very weak, Buehler and his team found. Doctoral student Sinan Keten, postdoctoral associate Zhiping Xu and undergraduate student Britni Ihle are co-authors of a paper on the research to be published on March 14 in the journal Nature Materials.

Silks are made from proteins, including some that form thin, planar crystals called beta-sheets. These sheets are connected to each other through hydrogen bonds — among the weakest types of chemical bonds, unlike, for example, the much stronger covalent bonds found in most organic molecules. Buehler's team carried out a series of atomic-level computer simulations that investigated the molecular failure mechanisms in silk. "Small yet rigid crystals showed the ability to quickly re-form their broken bonds, and as a result fail 'gracefully' — that is, gradually rather than suddenly," graduate student Keten explains.

"In most engineered materials" — ceramics, for instance — "high strength comes with brittleness," Buehler says. "Once ductility is introduced, materials become weak." But not silk, which has high strength despite being built from inherently weak building blocks. It turns out that's because these building blocks — the tiny beta-sheet crystals, as well as filaments that join them — are arranged in a structure that resembles a tall stack of pancakes, but with the crystal structures within each pancake alternating in their orientation. This particular geometry of tiny silk nanocrystals allows hydrogen bonds to work cooperatively, reinforcing adjacent chains against external forces, which leads to the outstanding extensibility and strength of spider silk.

One surprising finding from the new work is that ther