Superstar FUTURISTIC FAUCET DESIGNS
I am thoroughly convinced that not owning a dishwasher wouldn’t be so bad if I got to clean my dishes using any one of these futuristic faucet designs. Each of these faucets is designed with a different purpose, whether it be artistic or eco-friendly, and each is guaranteed to be more innovative and technologically savvy than the current tap you have.
The kitchen faucet may be the last place you would ever think to look for inspired and innovative designs. Thankfully, designers are starting to see the error of their ways in neglecting this piece and are creating new and more awesome taps like the ones seen here. If you want to get a glimpse into the kitchen sink of tomorrow today, then you are definitely going to want to check out all of these futuristic faucet designs.
Published: Jul 26, 11 • Must SeeWTFOMGLoLCuteNerdyHot
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Two genetic variations predict second cancers after radiation for children with Hodgkin lymphoma
A genome-wide association study published in the August issue of Nature Medicine has found two tiny genetic variations that can predict which patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma are most likely to develop radiation-induced second cancers years after treatment. Knowing in advance who is at risk could help physicians tailor treatment to reduce the risks for patients who are most susceptible to long-term damage.See Also:Health & MedicineLymphomaBreast CancerPersonalized MedicineColon CancerCancerDiseases and ConditionsReferenceHodgkin's lymphomaLeukemiaBone marrow transplantLymphoma
Hodgkin's lymphoma is one of the most treatable cancers, with more than 90 percent of patients surviving after a combination of radiation and chemotherapy. But nearly 20 percent of patients treated as children develop a second cancer within 30 years. The younger the patients are when treated and the higher the radiation dose, the greater the risk. This late side effect of treatment is the second leading cause of death for long-term Hodgkin's survivors.
"This finding means we can better identify children who are most susceptible to radiation-induced cancers before treatment begins and modify their care to prevent this serious long-term complication," said Kenan Onel, MD, PhD, associate professor of pediatrics and senior author of the study. "Luckily our options for Hodgkin's are broad enough that we can find ways to control the initial disease without relying on radiation therapy."
"This is also a triumph for genome-wide association studies," he added. "Many previous GWAS studies found multiple genetic differences, with each of them playing only a modest role, with minimal impact on clinical management. In this study, which focused on the interaction between genes and a very specific environmental factor -- cancer long after radiation therapy -- a small number of genetic differences produced a very big impact."
Onel and colleagues analyzed the genomes of 178 Hodgkin's patients who had been treated between the ages of 8 and 20 with chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Within 30 years after treatment, 96 of them had developed second cancers and 82 had not.
When they scanned each patient's genome, focusing on 665,313 tiny genetic variations known as single nucleotide polymorphisms, they found three variations that appeared far more often in patients with second cancers. When they repeated the study using a different set of patients -- 62 cases with second cancers and 71 without -- two of the three markers were significant.
Those two markers were both from a small region known as 21q on chromosome 6. Both are positioned near a gene known as PRDM1.
The genetic variations closely associated with increased cancer risk, and with each other, appeared to decrease activation of the PRMD1 gene. They had no detectable effect any other genes. Cells with the protective version of both markers expressed PRDM1 after being exposed to radiation. Cells with the variants linked to subsequent cancers did not produce any PRDM1.
Previous studies have found that PRDM1 is involved in a variety of fundamental cellular processes, including proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis -- which can all go awry in cancer. The gene's activity is lost in many cancer types.
In Onel's small samples, only three percent of patients with both of the protective variants developed second cancers within 30 years; nearly 33 percent of those with both of the high-risk variations did.
"Taken together," the authors note, "our findings support a novel role for PRDM1 as a radiation-responsive tumor suppressor." PRMD1 may be important for understanding the causes of second cancers in survivors of pediatric Hodgkin's lymphoma as well as in other cancer patients treated with radiation therapy."
This study should also "bring some optimism" back to genome-wide association studies, Onel added. Most previous cancer-related markers found through GWAS have been "of little clinical value for predicting risk, response to therapy or survival." But by incorporating environmental exposure, such as radiation therapy, into genomic investigations, "much of the missing heritability can be revealed," he said. "By folding in the environmental component, we were able to ask a more targeted question. This approach could improve our ability to integrate genomics into routine cancer care."
The National Institutes of Health, the American Cancer Society, American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities, the Leukemia Lymphoma Society, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the Cancer Research Foundation, and the University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center supported this research.
Additional authors include Timothy Best, Andrew Skol, Sarah Jackson, Olufunmilayo Olopade and Stephanie Huang of the University of Chicago; Dalin Li, Thomas Mack, Wendy Cozen and David Conti of University of Southern California; Kenneth Offit and Thomas Kirchhoff of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Yutaka Yasui of the University of Alberta; Smita Bhatia of City of Hope; Louise Strong of the MD Anderson Cancer Center; Susan Domchek and Katherine Nathanson of the University of Pennsylvania; and Leslie Robison of St Jude Children's Research Hospital.
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Hodgkin's lymphoma is one of the most treatable cancers, with more than 90 percent of patients surviving after a combination of radiation and chemotherapy. But nearly 20 percent of patients treated as children develop a second cancer within 30 years. The younger the patients are when treated and the higher the radiation dose, the greater the risk. This late side effect of treatment is the second leading cause of death for long-term Hodgkin's survivors.
"This finding means we can better identify children who are most susceptible to radiation-induced cancers before treatment begins and modify their care to prevent this serious long-term complication," said Kenan Onel, MD, PhD, associate professor of pediatrics and senior author of the study. "Luckily our options for Hodgkin's are broad enough that we can find ways to control the initial disease without relying on radiation therapy."
"This is also a triumph for genome-wide association studies," he added. "Many previous GWAS studies found multiple genetic differences, with each of them playing only a modest role, with minimal impact on clinical management. In this study, which focused on the interaction between genes and a very specific environmental factor -- cancer long after radiation therapy -- a small number of genetic differences produced a very big impact."
Onel and colleagues analyzed the genomes of 178 Hodgkin's patients who had been treated between the ages of 8 and 20 with chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Within 30 years after treatment, 96 of them had developed second cancers and 82 had not.
When they scanned each patient's genome, focusing on 665,313 tiny genetic variations known as single nucleotide polymorphisms, they found three variations that appeared far more often in patients with second cancers. When they repeated the study using a different set of patients -- 62 cases with second cancers and 71 without -- two of the three markers were significant.
Those two markers were both from a small region known as 21q on chromosome 6. Both are positioned near a gene known as PRDM1.
The genetic variations closely associated with increased cancer risk, and with each other, appeared to decrease activation of the PRMD1 gene. They had no detectable effect any other genes. Cells with the protective version of both markers expressed PRDM1 after being exposed to radiation. Cells with the variants linked to subsequent cancers did not produce any PRDM1.
Previous studies have found that PRDM1 is involved in a variety of fundamental cellular processes, including proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis -- which can all go awry in cancer. The gene's activity is lost in many cancer types.
In Onel's small samples, only three percent of patients with both of the protective variants developed second cancers within 30 years; nearly 33 percent of those with both of the high-risk variations did.
"Taken together," the authors note, "our findings support a novel role for PRDM1 as a radiation-responsive tumor suppressor." PRMD1 may be important for understanding the causes of second cancers in survivors of pediatric Hodgkin's lymphoma as well as in other cancer patients treated with radiation therapy."
This study should also "bring some optimism" back to genome-wide association studies, Onel added. Most previous cancer-related markers found through GWAS have been "of little clinical value for predicting risk, response to therapy or survival." But by incorporating environmental exposure, such as radiation therapy, into genomic investigations, "much of the missing heritability can be revealed," he said. "By folding in the environmental component, we were able to ask a more targeted question. This approach could improve our ability to integrate genomics into routine cancer care."
The National Institutes of Health, the American Cancer Society, American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities, the Leukemia Lymphoma Society, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the Cancer Research Foundation, and the University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center supported this research.
Additional authors include Timothy Best, Andrew Skol, Sarah Jackson, Olufunmilayo Olopade and Stephanie Huang of the University of Chicago; Dalin Li, Thomas Mack, Wendy Cozen and David Conti of University of Southern California; Kenneth Offit and Thomas Kirchhoff of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Yutaka Yasui of the University of Alberta; Smita Bhatia of City of Hope; Louise Strong of the MD Anderson Cancer Center; Susan Domchek and Katherine Nathanson of the University of Pennsylvania; and Leslie Robison of St Jude Children's Research Hospital.
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Friday, July 29, 2011
Graphene's 'quantum leap' takes electronics a step closer
The Nobel Prize winning scientists Professor Andre Geim and Professor Kostya Novoselov have taken a huge step forward towards creating electronics from wonder material graphene. Writing in the journal Nature Physics, the academics, who discovered the world's thinnest material at The University of Manchester in 2004, have revealed more about its electronic properties.See Also:Matter & EnergyGrapheneSpintronicsMaterials ScienceElectronicsTechnologyQuantum PhysicsReferenceNanowireElectrical conductionSubatomic particleCarbon nanotube
Research institutes and universities around the world are already looking at ways to build devices such as touch-screens, ultrafast transistors and photodetectors. Now the research from the creators of the material promises to accelerate that research, and potentially open up countless more electronic opportunities.
The researchers, from the universities of Manchester, Madrid and Moscow, have studied in detail the effect of interactions between electrons on the electronic properties of graphene.
They use extremely high-quality graphene devices which are prepared by suspending sheets of graphene in a vacuum. This way most of the unwanted scattering mechanisms for electrons in graphene could be eliminated, thus enhancing the effect of electron-on-electron interaction. This is the first effect of its kind where the interactions between electrons in graphene could be clearly seen.
The reason for such unique electronic properties is that electrons in this material are very different from those in any other metals. They mimic massless relativistic particles -- such as photons.
Due to such properties graphene is sometimes called 'CERN on a desk' -- referencing the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland. This is just one of the reasons why the electronic properties are particularly exciting and often bring surprises.
Professor Geim and Professor Novoselov's pioneering work won them the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2010 for "groundbreaking experiments regarding the two-dimensional material graphene."
The pair, who have worked together for more than a decade since Professor Novoselov was Professor Geim's PHD student, used to devote every Friday evening to 'out of the box' experiments not directly linked to their main research topics. One Friday, they used Scotch tape to peel away layers of carbon from a piece of graphite, and were left with a single atom thick, two dimensional film of carbon -- graphene.
Graphene is a novel two-dimensional material which can be seen as a monolayer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice. It possesses a number of unique properties, such as extremely high electron and thermal conductivities due to very high velocities of electrons and high quality of the crystals, as well as mechanical strength.
Professor Novoselov said: "Although the exciting physics which we have found in this particular experiment may have an immediate implementation in practical electronic devices, the further understanding of the electronic properties of this material will bring us a step closer to the development of graphene electronics."
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Research institutes and universities around the world are already looking at ways to build devices such as touch-screens, ultrafast transistors and photodetectors. Now the research from the creators of the material promises to accelerate that research, and potentially open up countless more electronic opportunities.
The researchers, from the universities of Manchester, Madrid and Moscow, have studied in detail the effect of interactions between electrons on the electronic properties of graphene.
They use extremely high-quality graphene devices which are prepared by suspending sheets of graphene in a vacuum. This way most of the unwanted scattering mechanisms for electrons in graphene could be eliminated, thus enhancing the effect of electron-on-electron interaction. This is the first effect of its kind where the interactions between electrons in graphene could be clearly seen.
The reason for such unique electronic properties is that electrons in this material are very different from those in any other metals. They mimic massless relativistic particles -- such as photons.
Due to such properties graphene is sometimes called 'CERN on a desk' -- referencing the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland. This is just one of the reasons why the electronic properties are particularly exciting and often bring surprises.
Professor Geim and Professor Novoselov's pioneering work won them the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2010 for "groundbreaking experiments regarding the two-dimensional material graphene."
The pair, who have worked together for more than a decade since Professor Novoselov was Professor Geim's PHD student, used to devote every Friday evening to 'out of the box' experiments not directly linked to their main research topics. One Friday, they used Scotch tape to peel away layers of carbon from a piece of graphite, and were left with a single atom thick, two dimensional film of carbon -- graphene.
Graphene is a novel two-dimensional material which can be seen as a monolayer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice. It possesses a number of unique properties, such as extremely high electron and thermal conductivities due to very high velocities of electrons and high quality of the crystals, as well as mechanical strength.
Professor Novoselov said: "Although the exciting physics which we have found in this particular experiment may have an immediate implementation in practical electronic devices, the further understanding of the electronic properties of this material will bring us a step closer to the development of graphene electronics."
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Thursday, July 28, 2011
A day in the life of local OB/GYN doctors
The work may be endless, but this team is tireless.
OB/GYN Doctors Aaron Sudbury and Jennifer Swanson scrub up in silence. As they push through the doors of the operating room, scrub nurses and a registered nurse anesthetist are ready. Gleaming surgical instruments are lined up on a table covered in blue; a patient is draped in matching fabric with only a small, outlying hand visible. The day begins.
First, one surgical procedure. Then on to another procedure and a trip to the pathologist; heartbreaking news for one patient, but the work goes on.
OB/GYN Doctors Aaron Sudbury and Jennifer Swanson scrub up in silence. As they push through the doors of the operating room, scrub nurses and a registered nurse anesthetist are ready. Gleaming surgical instruments are lined up on a table covered in blue; a patient is draped in matching fabric with only a small, outlying hand visible. The day begins.
First, one surgical procedure. Then on to another procedure and a trip to the pathologist; heartbreaking news for one patient, but the work goes on.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Epigenetic 'memory' key to nature versus nurture
ScienceDaily (July 24, 2011) — Researchers at the John Innes Centre have made a discovery, reported this evening (24 July) in Nature, that explains how an organism can create a biological memory of some variable condition, such as quality of nutrition or temperature. The discovery explains the mechanism of this memory -- a sort of biological switch -- and how it can also be inherited by offspring.See Also:Health & MedicineHuman BiologyEpigeneticsMind & BrainMemoryDementiaFossils & RuinsEvolutionOrigin of LifeStrange ScienceReferenceMemory biasAmnesiaTrait (biology)Circadian rhythm
The work was led by Professor Martin Howard and Professor Caroline Dean at the John Innes Centre.
Professor Dean said "There are quite a few examples that we now know of where the activity of genes can be affected in the long term by environmental factors. And in some cases the environment of an individual can actually affect the biology or physiology of their offspring but there is no change to the genome sequence."
For example, some studies have shown that in families where there was a severe food shortage in the grandparents' generation, the children and grandchildren have a greater risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, which could be explained by epigenetic memory. But until now there hasn't been a clear mechanism to explain how individuals could develop a "memory" of a variable factor, such as nutrition.
The team used the example of how plants "remember" the length of the cold winter period in order to exquisitely time flowering so that pollination, development, seed dispersal and germination can all happen at the appropriate time.
Professor Howard said "We already knew quite a lot about the genes involved in flowering and it was clear that something goes on in winter that affects the timing of flowering, according to the length of the cold period."
Using a combination of mathematical modelling and experimental analysis the team has uncovered the system by which a key gene called FLC is either completely off or completely on in any one cell and also later in its progeny. They found that the longer the cold period, the higher the proportion of cells that have FLC stably flipped to the off position. This delays flowering and is down to a phenomenon known as epigenetic memory.
Epigenetic memory comes in various guises, but one important form involves histones -- the proteins around which DNA is wrapped. Particular chemical modifications can be attached to histones and these modifications can then affect the expression of nearby genes, turning them on or off. These modifications can be inherited by daughter cells, when the cells divide, and if they occur in the cells that form gametes (e.g. sperm in mammals or pollen in plants) then they can also pass on to offspring.
Together with Dr Andrew Angel (also at the John Innes Centre), Professor Howard produced a mathematical model of the FLC system. The model predicted that inside each individual cell, the FLC gene should be either completely activated or completely silenced, with the fraction of cells switching to the silenced state increasing with longer periods of cold.
To provide experimental evidence to back up the model, Dr Jie Song in Prof. Dean's group used a technique where any cell that had the FLC gene switched on, showed up blue under a microscope. From her observations, it was clear that cells were either completely switched or not switched at all, in agreement with the theory.
Dr Song also showed that the histone proteins near the FLC gene were modified during the cold period, in such a way that would account for the switching off of the gene.
Funding for the project came from BBSRC, the European Research Council, and The Royal Society.
Professor Douglas Kell, Chief Executive, BBSRC said "This work not only gives us insight into a phenomenon that is crucial for future food security -- the timing of flowering according to climate variation -- but it uncovers an important mechanism that is at play right across biology. This is a great example of where the research that BBSRC funds can provide not only a focus on real life problems, but also a grounding in the fundamental tenets of biology that will underpin the future of the field. It also demonstrates the value of multidisciplinary working at the interface between biology, physics and mathematics."
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The work was led by Professor Martin Howard and Professor Caroline Dean at the John Innes Centre.
Professor Dean said "There are quite a few examples that we now know of where the activity of genes can be affected in the long term by environmental factors. And in some cases the environment of an individual can actually affect the biology or physiology of their offspring but there is no change to the genome sequence."
For example, some studies have shown that in families where there was a severe food shortage in the grandparents' generation, the children and grandchildren have a greater risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, which could be explained by epigenetic memory. But until now there hasn't been a clear mechanism to explain how individuals could develop a "memory" of a variable factor, such as nutrition.
The team used the example of how plants "remember" the length of the cold winter period in order to exquisitely time flowering so that pollination, development, seed dispersal and germination can all happen at the appropriate time.
Professor Howard said "We already knew quite a lot about the genes involved in flowering and it was clear that something goes on in winter that affects the timing of flowering, according to the length of the cold period."
Using a combination of mathematical modelling and experimental analysis the team has uncovered the system by which a key gene called FLC is either completely off or completely on in any one cell and also later in its progeny. They found that the longer the cold period, the higher the proportion of cells that have FLC stably flipped to the off position. This delays flowering and is down to a phenomenon known as epigenetic memory.
Epigenetic memory comes in various guises, but one important form involves histones -- the proteins around which DNA is wrapped. Particular chemical modifications can be attached to histones and these modifications can then affect the expression of nearby genes, turning them on or off. These modifications can be inherited by daughter cells, when the cells divide, and if they occur in the cells that form gametes (e.g. sperm in mammals or pollen in plants) then they can also pass on to offspring.
Together with Dr Andrew Angel (also at the John Innes Centre), Professor Howard produced a mathematical model of the FLC system. The model predicted that inside each individual cell, the FLC gene should be either completely activated or completely silenced, with the fraction of cells switching to the silenced state increasing with longer periods of cold.
To provide experimental evidence to back up the model, Dr Jie Song in Prof. Dean's group used a technique where any cell that had the FLC gene switched on, showed up blue under a microscope. From her observations, it was clear that cells were either completely switched or not switched at all, in agreement with the theory.
Dr Song also showed that the histone proteins near the FLC gene were modified during the cold period, in such a way that would account for the switching off of the gene.
Funding for the project came from BBSRC, the European Research Council, and The Royal Society.
Professor Douglas Kell, Chief Executive, BBSRC said "This work not only gives us insight into a phenomenon that is crucial for future food security -- the timing of flowering according to climate variation -- but it uncovers an important mechanism that is at play right across biology. This is a great example of where the research that BBSRC funds can provide not only a focus on real life problems, but also a grounding in the fundamental tenets of biology that will underpin the future of the field. It also demonstrates the value of multidisciplinary working at the interface between biology, physics and mathematics."
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Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Fans relish Humane Society at LWR event
LAKEWOOD RANCH -- Fierce July humidity didn’t deter 500 from coming to Adventure Park on Sunday to be a part the first Dog Days of Summer fund-raiser for the new Humane Society at Lakewood Ranch.
Fans of hot dogs and real dogs both had something to cheer about as eight teams competed for “Top Dog” in the hotdog grilling portion of the event.
And for the canine-loving crowd, the event raised “an extremely generous amount” of money for the new Humane Society at Lakewood Ranch, said Debbie Rubin, co-president of the group with Susan Giroux.
Fans of hot dogs and real dogs both had something to cheer about as eight teams competed for “Top Dog” in the hotdog grilling portion of the event.
And for the canine-loving crowd, the event raised “an extremely generous amount” of money for the new Humane Society at Lakewood Ranch, said Debbie Rubin, co-president of the group with Susan Giroux.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Pocket chemistry: DNA helps glucose meters measure more than sugar
ScienceDaily (July 24, 2011) — Glucose meters aren't just for diabetics anymore. Thanks to University of Illinois chemists, they can be used as simple, portable, inexpensive meters for a number of target molecules in blood, serum, water or food.See Also:Health & MedicineGenesDiet and Weight LossHuman BiologyMatter & EnergyOrganic ChemistryMicroarraysChemistryReferenceBiosensorBlood sugarBlood testDrug discovery
Chemistry professor Yi Lu and postdoctoral researcher Yu Xiang published their findings in the journal Nature Chemistry.
"The advantages of our method are high portability, low cost, wide availability and quantitative detection of a broad range of targets in medical diagnostics and environmental monitoring," Lu said. "Anyone could use it for a wide range of detections at home and in the field for targets they may care about, such as vital metabolites for a healthy living, contaminants in their drinking water or food, or potential disease markers."
A glucose meter is one of the few widely available devices that can quantitatively detect target molecules in a solution, a necessity for diagnosis and detection, but only responds to one chemical: glucose. To use them to detect another target, the researchers coupled them with a class of molecular sensors called functional DNA sensors.
Functional DNA sensors use short segments of DNA that bind to specific targets. A number of functional DNAs and RNAs are available to recognize a wide variety of targets.
They have been used in the laboratory in conjunction with complex and more expensive equipment, but Lu and Xiang saw the potential for partnering them with pocket glucose meters.
The DNA segments, immobilized on magnetic particles, are bound to the enzyme invertase, which can catalyze conversion of sucrose (table sugar) to glucose. The user adds a sample of blood, serum or water to the functional DNA sensor to test for drugs, disease markers, contaminants or other molecules. When the target molecule binds to the DNA, invertase is released into the solution. After removing the magnetic particle by a magnet, the glucose level of the sample rises in proportion to the amount of invertase released, so the user then can employ a glucose meter to quantify the target molecule in the original sample.
"Our method significantly expands the range of targets the glucose monitor can detect," said Lu, who also is affiliated with the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology and with the Frederick Seitz Materials Research Lab at U. of I. "It is simple enough for someone to use at home, without the high costs and long waiting period of going to the clinics or sending samples to professional labs."
The researchers demonstrated using functional DNA with glucose meters to detect cocaine, the disease marker interferon, adenosine and uranium. The two-step method could be used to detect any kind of molecule that a functional DNA or RNA can bind.
Next, the researchers plan to further simplify their method, which now requires users to first apply the sample to the functional DNA sensor and then to the glucose meter.
"We are working on integrating the procedures into one step to make it even simpler," Lu said. "Our technology is new and, given time, it will be developed into an even more user-friendly format."
The U.S. Department of Energy, the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation supported this work.
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Chemistry professor Yi Lu and postdoctoral researcher Yu Xiang published their findings in the journal Nature Chemistry.
"The advantages of our method are high portability, low cost, wide availability and quantitative detection of a broad range of targets in medical diagnostics and environmental monitoring," Lu said. "Anyone could use it for a wide range of detections at home and in the field for targets they may care about, such as vital metabolites for a healthy living, contaminants in their drinking water or food, or potential disease markers."
A glucose meter is one of the few widely available devices that can quantitatively detect target molecules in a solution, a necessity for diagnosis and detection, but only responds to one chemical: glucose. To use them to detect another target, the researchers coupled them with a class of molecular sensors called functional DNA sensors.
Functional DNA sensors use short segments of DNA that bind to specific targets. A number of functional DNAs and RNAs are available to recognize a wide variety of targets.
They have been used in the laboratory in conjunction with complex and more expensive equipment, but Lu and Xiang saw the potential for partnering them with pocket glucose meters.
The DNA segments, immobilized on magnetic particles, are bound to the enzyme invertase, which can catalyze conversion of sucrose (table sugar) to glucose. The user adds a sample of blood, serum or water to the functional DNA sensor to test for drugs, disease markers, contaminants or other molecules. When the target molecule binds to the DNA, invertase is released into the solution. After removing the magnetic particle by a magnet, the glucose level of the sample rises in proportion to the amount of invertase released, so the user then can employ a glucose meter to quantify the target molecule in the original sample.
"Our method significantly expands the range of targets the glucose monitor can detect," said Lu, who also is affiliated with the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology and with the Frederick Seitz Materials Research Lab at U. of I. "It is simple enough for someone to use at home, without the high costs and long waiting period of going to the clinics or sending samples to professional labs."
The researchers demonstrated using functional DNA with glucose meters to detect cocaine, the disease marker interferon, adenosine and uranium. The two-step method could be used to detect any kind of molecule that a functional DNA or RNA can bind.
Next, the researchers plan to further simplify their method, which now requires users to first apply the sample to the functional DNA sensor and then to the glucose meter.
"We are working on integrating the procedures into one step to make it even simpler," Lu said. "Our technology is new and, given time, it will be developed into an even more user-friendly format."
The U.S. Department of Energy, the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation supported this work.
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Bennett Park project extension on table
tool name close tool goes here
MANATEE -- Work on the 180-acre Tom Bennett Park near the intersection of Interstate 75 and State Road 64 East is taking a little longer, and costing a little more than county officials expected.
Manatee County Commissioners are set Tuesday to consider a 63-day extension of the project and an additional $481,373.46, pushing the total cost to $3,028,784.
More time is needed for the new county regional park because of delays caused by the Southwest Florida Water Management District permit modification.
“In addition, Manatee County added needed elements to the project that were not apparent at the onset of contract, for example additional communications and related electrical devices and extension of water sewer and facility investment fees,” according to a meeting agenda memorandum.
Groundbreaking for the park was in May 2010, but 124 construction days were lost because of permitting delays, and another 14 were lost to bad weather.
Holland Construction Corp. is the contractor for the project.
In other business Tuesday, county commissioners are expected to:
n Consider authorizing the county attorney’s office and the county administrator to attend the mediation and dispute resolution process with representatives of The Bearded Clam Waterfront Restaurant & Tiki Bar, 7150 N. Tamiami Trail.
In June, county commissioners sided with neighbors who complained about loud live music from the establishment.
By a 4-3 vote, commissioners supported a recommendation of the county staff to restrict amplified outdoor music at the restaurant.
n Manatee County commissioners are not expected to take any action on a new development of regional impact called Parrish Lakes that would allow 3,300 residential units, 400,000 square feet of retail, and 50,000 square feet of retail.
The request for approval has been continued to Oct. 6.
Parrish Lakes would be east of Interstate 75 between Moccasin Wallow Road and Erie Road.
n Declare Aug. 1-7 World Breastfeeding Week in Manatee County. The week is designed to call attention to the health benefits to babies of mother’s milk, and cost savings to families of money spent on formula.
n Approve distribution of $16,999 in fees from the Choose Life speciality auto plate program to Family Creations Inc., Manasota SOLVE Inc., Kimberly Home Inc., and Carenet Manasota. Each nonprofit will receive $5,083, with the exception of Carenet, which will receive $1,750.
James A. Jones Jr., East Manatee editor, can be contacted at 745-7021.
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MANATEE -- Work on the 180-acre Tom Bennett Park near the intersection of Interstate 75 and State Road 64 East is taking a little longer, and costing a little more than county officials expected.
Manatee County Commissioners are set Tuesday to consider a 63-day extension of the project and an additional $481,373.46, pushing the total cost to $3,028,784.
More time is needed for the new county regional park because of delays caused by the Southwest Florida Water Management District permit modification.
“In addition, Manatee County added needed elements to the project that were not apparent at the onset of contract, for example additional communications and related electrical devices and extension of water sewer and facility investment fees,” according to a meeting agenda memorandum.
Groundbreaking for the park was in May 2010, but 124 construction days were lost because of permitting delays, and another 14 were lost to bad weather.
Holland Construction Corp. is the contractor for the project.
In other business Tuesday, county commissioners are expected to:
n Consider authorizing the county attorney’s office and the county administrator to attend the mediation and dispute resolution process with representatives of The Bearded Clam Waterfront Restaurant & Tiki Bar, 7150 N. Tamiami Trail.
In June, county commissioners sided with neighbors who complained about loud live music from the establishment.
By a 4-3 vote, commissioners supported a recommendation of the county staff to restrict amplified outdoor music at the restaurant.
n Manatee County commissioners are not expected to take any action on a new development of regional impact called Parrish Lakes that would allow 3,300 residential units, 400,000 square feet of retail, and 50,000 square feet of retail.
The request for approval has been continued to Oct. 6.
Parrish Lakes would be east of Interstate 75 between Moccasin Wallow Road and Erie Road.
n Declare Aug. 1-7 World Breastfeeding Week in Manatee County. The week is designed to call attention to the health benefits to babies of mother’s milk, and cost savings to families of money spent on formula.
n Approve distribution of $16,999 in fees from the Choose Life speciality auto plate program to Family Creations Inc., Manasota SOLVE Inc., Kimberly Home Inc., and Carenet Manasota. Each nonprofit will receive $5,083, with the exception of Carenet, which will receive $1,750.
James A. Jones Jr., East Manatee editor, can be contacted at 745-7021.
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Sunday, July 24, 2011
Soft spheres settle in somewhat surprising structure
ScienceDaily (July 24, 2011) — Latex paints and drug suspensions such as insulin or amoxicillin that do not need to be shaken or stirred may be possible thanks to a new understanding of how particles separate in liquids, according to Penn State chemical engineers, who have developed a method for predicting the way colloidal components separate based on energy.See Also:Matter & EnergyNature of WaterNanotechnologyQuantum PhysicsPhysicsEnergy TechnologyGrapheneReferenceMechanicsList of phases of matterSedimentary rockChemical compound
"The ongoing assumption was that if you have a mixture of different sized particles in a liquid, the faster-settling particles will end up on the bottom," said Darrell Velegol, professor of chemical engineering. "We found that in many cases it doesn't matter how fast they settle. The particles keep jostling until they reach the low-energy state."
Another known mechanism for settling is the Brazil nut effect, where dry particles eventually sort themselves out with the larger particles on the top -- the way the Brazil nuts are always found on the top of the can of mixed nuts. This mechanism, however, does not apply to particles in liquids.
Velegol, working with César González Serrano, former graduate student, and Joseph J. McDermott, graduate student, found that settling speeds were not the determining characteristics of settling mixtures, but that the particles on the bottom are the ones in the lowest energy state. They reported their results in the July 24th online issue of Nature Materials.
"Sedimentation is an old field, and it's taken us a long time to figure it out," said Velegol.
Velegol explains that small colloidal particles -- roughly 1 micrometer, about 1 percent as thick as a human hair -- in weakly ionic liquids like water are soft, surrounded by an electrostatic field that allows them to feel other particles before they actually touch. Because of the electrostatic charge, repel the other particles, allowing the particles and the liquid to keep in constant motion.
In higher-ionic-strength liquids like seawater, spheres are hard, unable to sense other spheres until they actually touch. They create glassy mixtures where the particles become locked in place before they find their lowest energy state.
"Soft particles, because they have forces between, avoid becoming glassy," said Velegol. "All things try to go to the lowest energy state, but most of the time particles can't get to that state. The Brazil nut effect is not a minimal energy state. The nuts are frozen in a non-equilibrium state, not where they really want to be in the end."
The road to understanding this separation process was initially accidental. González Serrano, working on another project was having difficulty seeing the two kinds of colloidal particles he was using, so he decided to use two different colors of material. He left the extra mixture in a beaker overnight and found two distinct color layers in the morning. The researchers repeated the experiment and consistently found the same result, but were initially unable to explain why it happened.
"We found that dense particles went to the bottom, even if they were very small and settled slowly," said Velegol.
The researchers found that the particles settled in the order of their density. Particles of silica and gold, for example, will always settle with the gold on the bottom and the silica on top because gold is denser than silica. This occurs even when they used gold nanoparticles, which settle extremely slowly.
When it comes to particles of the same material, the process becomes more difficult to explain. Using differently sized and colored particles of the same substance, the researchers found what appeared to be a layer of large particles below a layer of smaller particles. On closer inspection, while the top layer was completely small particles, the bottom layer was actually a layer of the large particles with a small amount of small particles.
The separation of particles occurs because of packing densities. Normally uniform spheres filling a space can occupy only 64 percent of the space. However, if one material is smaller, the packing density can increase.
"The unusual thing is that this mixture of spheres in water behaves as a single substance with a higher density than one type of sphere in water," says Velegol. "We can predict the percentage of the bottom layer that will be composed of each size particle because we can calculate the energy of the entire system."
Some of the separations even create a uniform layer on the top and bottom with a mixed layer in between.
"We ran one mixture after calculating the minimum energy and predicted three phases," said Velegol. "Sure enough, we had three phases when we did the experiment. The lower phase was a mixture of polystyrene and poly(methyl methacrylate), the middle was pure PMMA and the top layer was pure polystyrene. No one would have predicted that before."
The U.S. Department of Energy supported this work.
Email or share this story:Norway Attacks: Brutal Massacre Tests Norwegian Society
OSLO, July 24 (Reuters) - Before Friday's deadly attacks by a Norwegian on a self-styled mission to save European "Christendom" from Islam, it was not uncommon to see Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg taking public transport to work and senior ministers walking in Oslo without bodyguards.
Such openness could now be at an end after Anders Behring Breivik's devastating car bomb attack on the prime minister's offices and the slaying of young activists from the ruling Labour party trapped on an island.
The attacks, in which at least 93 people were killed, will also affect Norway's debate on immigration but are unlikely to close the shutters of one of Europe's most open societies.
"We will have a society based on less trust ... we will be a bit more anxious than before," said Thomas Hylland Eriksen, a social anthropologist from the University of Oslo.
Stoltenberg said on Sunday that Norway would "keep going" but that there would be a definite break between the country before and after the attacks.
"But I am quite sure that you will also recognise Norway afterwards -- it will be an open Norway, a democratic Norway and a Norway where we take care of each other," Stoltenberg said.
Breivik, who admitted to the shooting spree and bomb blast, has said through his lawyer that his actions aimed to "change Norwegian society" which he saw as being undermined by multi-culturalism.
Such openness could now be at an end after Anders Behring Breivik's devastating car bomb attack on the prime minister's offices and the slaying of young activists from the ruling Labour party trapped on an island.
The attacks, in which at least 93 people were killed, will also affect Norway's debate on immigration but are unlikely to close the shutters of one of Europe's most open societies.
"We will have a society based on less trust ... we will be a bit more anxious than before," said Thomas Hylland Eriksen, a social anthropologist from the University of Oslo.
Stoltenberg said on Sunday that Norway would "keep going" but that there would be a definite break between the country before and after the attacks.
"But I am quite sure that you will also recognise Norway afterwards -- it will be an open Norway, a democratic Norway and a Norway where we take care of each other," Stoltenberg said.
Breivik, who admitted to the shooting spree and bomb blast, has said through his lawyer that his actions aimed to "change Norwegian society" which he saw as being undermined by multi-culturalism.
Weekend Box Office: Captain America: The First Avenger blows Harry Potter last sequel
It was a first for dollar spangled Captain America: The First Avenger. Despite being the last to strike, the most famous superheroes of the summer of 2011 comic-book assault delivered the best opening salvo of the cluster, while the latter is Harry Potter fell blowed to the adage , "the bigger they are, the more they fall."
Captain America makes an estimated $ 65.8 million on approximately 7,100 screens at 3,715 locations, beating fellow Avenger Thor $ 65.7 million and 53.2 million are Green Lantern dollars and the X-Men: First Class of $ 55.1 million to launch superhero of the summer. Although the difference is a raw tape, the master had nine percent felt that more participation Thor, which received more than enhance the 3D (IMAX and had) from the 3D master was 40 percent in 2511 locations in 3D, compared to 60 percent of Thor in 2737.
Finale of “Entourage”
“Entourage's” Season 8 premieres Sunday at 10:30 p.m. EST. It is set for eight episodes.
Season 7 of “Entourage” left off with Vince having a major cocaine problem– After his friends stage an intervention and he loses his girlfriend, porn star Sasha Grey, he becomes reckless and heads to Eminem’s party. Ultimately, Vince gets beat up at the party and hospitalized, where police discover a bag of cocaine in his sweater.
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