nanoUtah Weekly News 03-19-11

CRANN launches Public Report 2009-2010
Trinity College Dublin March 12th, 2011 The Science Foundation Ireland funded centre CRANN has launched its public report for 2009 - 2010 today. The report highlights that CRANN, a Trinity College Dublin Institute founded in 2004, has continued to establish itself as a national and international force in nanoscience and nanotechnology research and collaborative industry engagement. The institute has achieved a number of key milestones including a significant expansion of its industry engagement programme, significant non-exchequer investment and international validation for its world class research.

Iran Reveals Plans for Giant Progress in Medicine, Technology
Fars News Agency March 12th, 2011 Iran plans to boost its capacities and capabilities to make huge and rapid advancements in drug production, aerospace, nanotechnology, civilian nuclear energy, optoelectronics and other fields in 14 years.

Catch Cancer: Now nano-technology can help us detect cancers in a jiffy
businessworld.in March 12th, 2011 The first step in treating cancer is to catch the disease early. Unfortunately, it is also the most difficult step. The standard method is to take a tissue sample and put it under a microscope, but this method works only if we have a suspect in the first place and needs skilled pathologists. You could also take the patient's blood and screen it for many known markers, but they may give false alarms and so are not definitive tests. Now, there is hope for cancer patients: many new-generation tests based on nanotechnology are about to make their way into the market. Here are two examples. Scientists from the Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have developed a handheld device that can detect gastric cancers in one hour with 96 per cent accuracy. This is not unlike the tissue sampling method, but the difference is the increased accuracy due to automation involved. At the University of California in Los Angeles, scientists are using nanotechnology to identify and collect circulating tumour cells that play a major role in the metastasis — spreading of the disease in the body — of cancer. Both results were published early this week.

Starpharma to expand agricultural program through $250,000 funding
Starpharma Holdings Limited March 13th, 2011 Starpharma Holdings Limited (ASX:SPL, OTCQX:SPHRY) has been awarded $250,000 funding to enhance agrochemicals using its Priostar® dendrimers. The funding, announced last night by the Minister of Technology, Gordon Rich-Phillips, as part of the Victorian Government's Small Technologies Industry Uptake Program (STIUP), will allow Starpharma to expand its Melbourne-based agricultural programs, further enhancing the commercial prospects of promising candidates.

Berkeley Lab Scientists Achieve Breakthrough in Nanocomposite for High-Capacity Hydrogen Storage
Berkeley Lab March 14th, 2011 Since the 1970s, hydrogen has been touted as a promising alternative to fossil fuels due to its clean combustion —unlike the combustion of fossil fuels, which spews greenhouse gases and harmful pollutants, hydrogen's only combustion by-product is water. Compared to gasoline, hydrogen is lightweight, can provide a higher energy density and is readily available. But there's a reason we're not already living in a hydrogen economy: to replace gasoline as a fuel, hydrogen must be safely and densely stored, yet easily accessed. Limited by materials unable to leap these conflicting hurdles, hydrogen storage technology has lagged behind other clean energy candidates.

Regulation must match advances in nanotechnology
www.scidev.net March 14th, 2011 It is hailed as having the potential to help solve some of the developing world's biggest problems. But what can nanotechnology — the science of the infinitely small — really do? And what are its risks and benefits?

Nanorods Developed in UC Riverside Lab Could Greatly Improve Visual Display of Information: Technology has potential applications in a wide variety of color displays
University of California, Riverside March 14th, 2011 Chemists at the University of California, Riverside have developed tiny, nanoscale-size rods of iron oxide particles in the lab that respond to an external magnetic field in a way that could dramatically improve how visual information is displayed in the future.

NJIT prof offers new desalination process using carbon nanotubes
New Jersey Institute of Technology March 14th, 2011 A faster, better and cheaper desalination process enhanced by carbon nanotubes has been developed by NJIT Professor Somenath Mitra. The process creates a unique new architecture for the membrane distillation process by immobilizing carbon nanotubes in the membrane pores. Conventional approaches to desalination are thermal distillation and reverse osmosis.

Nanoscale whiskers from sea creatures could grow human muscle tissue
The University of Manchester March 14th, 2011 Minute whiskers of nanoscale dimensions taken from sea creatures could hold the key to creating working human muscle tissue, University of Manchester researchers have discovered. Scientists have found that cellulose from tunicates, commonly known as sea squirts, can influence the behaviour of skeletal muscle cells in the laboratory.

UAlbany NanoCollege to Host Expanded Business Plan Competition for Students: Applications due March 25 for second annual event showcasing student-born innovations
UAlbany NanoCollege March 15th, 2011 Expanding eligibility to college students from across the state, while offering additional categories and enhanced cash prizes, the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) of the University at Albany, in partnership with UAlbany's School of Business, the Lally School of Management and Technology at Rensselaer, and Union Graduate College School of Management today announced plans for the second annual New York State Business Plan Competition, to be held Thursday, April 28 at the UAlbany NanoCollege.

Nanotech Research into Improving Cladding of Nuclear Fuel Rods
spectrum.ieee.org March 15th, 2011 Last July, Dr. Hongbing Lu, a nanomaterials expert and researcher at the University of Texas at Dallas, received nearly $900,000 from the US Department of Energy (DoE) to begin to look at how it may be possible to improve the materials used for cladding nuclear fuel rods. At the time of the announcement, it seemed the main benefit to come from the research would be a reduction in fuel burn rate and increasing efficiency of nuclear power plants. But now with the unfolding nuclear disaster in Japan one can't help but wonder if improving the cladding materials of the nuclear rods might have helped avoid leakage when the rods were temporarily exposed.

GE Scientists Demonstrate Breakthrough Thermal Material System to Enable Faster Computing
GE Global Research March 15th, 2011 Develops prototype substrate for high-speed electronics that conducts heat better than copper.

Structural Engineer, Loading Expert Available to Comment on Stability of Nuclear Reactors
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville March 15th, 2011 For questions about structural stability of reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex in Japan, please consider Panneer Selvam, professor of civil engineering at the University of Arkansas.

'Pruned' microchips are faster, smaller, more energy-efficient: Experts produce leaner, greener microchips by trimming away little-used circuits
Rice University March 16th, 2011 Computing experts from the United States, Switzerland and Singapore have unveiled a technique for doubling the efficiency of computer chips by trimming away rarely used circuits. While these "pruned" microchips make a few calculation errors, tests show that cleverly managing the errors can yield chips that are two times faster, consume about half the energy and take up about half the space of traditional microchips.

Bayer MaterialScience strengthens position in carbon nanotubes
Bayer MaterialScience March 16th, 2011 Greater freedom for development of new areas of application: Bayer MaterialScience strengthens position in carbon nanotubes License agreement with U.S.-based company Hyperion concluded

CEA-Leti and partners developing injectable tracer for diagnosing and operating on tumors
CEA-Leti March 16th, 2011 CEA-Leti announced today that it and four French partners are developing an injectable tracer that can provide both nuclear imaging in the pre-operative evaluation of tumors and optical imaging during ablation or biopsy.

The 4th Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Symposium, 23-25 September 2011, Bali Indonesia
The 4th Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Symposium 2011 Committee March 16th, 2011 The 4th Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Symposium is an international symposium organized by Institut Teknologi Bandung, Materials Research Society of Indonesia (Himpunan Riset Material Indonesia), Indonesian Pure and Appllied Physics (IPAP) and Indonesian Vacuum Society (IVS). All presented papers with extended abstract in the NNS2011 will be included in the Conference Proceedings of American Institute of Physics (AIP) and indexed in Scopus. The Conference Proceeding of AIP for The 3rd Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Symposium 2010 has been published and can be found at scitation.aip.org/dbt/dbt.jsp?KEY=APCPCS&Volume=1284&Issue=1.

Purdue startup hopes to change the way we test cancer drugs
Purdue University March 16th, 2011 Phosphorylation Assay Based on Multifunctionalized Soluble Nanopolymer Anton Iliuk, Juan S. Martinez, Mark C. Hall, and W. Andy Tao Quantitative phosphorylation analysis is essential to understanding cellular signal transductions. Here we present a novel technology for the highly efficient assay of protein phosphorylation in high-throughput format without the use of phospho-specific antibodies. The technique is based on a water-soluble, nanosize polymer, termed pIMAGO, that is multifunctionalized with titanium(IV) ions for specific binding to phosphoproteins and with biotin groups that allow for enzyme-linked spectrometric detection. The sensitivity, specificity, and quantitative nature of pIMAGO for phosphorylation assays were examined with standard phosphoproteins and with purified phosphoproteins from whole cell extracts. As low as 100 pg of phosphoprotein can be measured quantitatively with the pIMAGO chemiluminescence assay. The pIMAGO assay was applied to an in vitro kinase assay, kinase inhibitor screening, and measurement of endogenous phosphorylation events. The technique provides a universal, quantitative method for global phosphorylation analysis with high sensitivity and specificity.

State, national leaders to speak at Nanotechnology New Ventures event led by Purdue, Notre Dame
Purdue University March 16th, 2011 Two leading nanotechnology industry experts and Indiana's top economic development officer will highlight a daylong focus on entrepreneurship at Purdue University next month, culminating with the inaugural Nanotechnology New Ventures Competition. Sean Murdock, executive chairman of NanoBusiness Alliance, will deliver the keynote address during the awards reception and dinner beginning at 6 p.m., March 25, in the Venture Café of Discovery Park's Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship.

NanoArt 2011 Call to Artists - Reminder - Two Weeks Left to Deadline
nanoart21.org March 16th, 2011 The 5th Anniversary Edition FREE Entries - Open to All Artists and Scientists - Seed Images of 3 Nanosculptures are Provided for Further Artistic CreationSubmission deadline March 31, 2011 The worldwide competition NanoArt 2011 is open to all artists 18 years and older. The online exhibition will open for public in April, 2011. Winners will be notified and published online on May 31, 2011.

All Wrapped Up: Researcher's Graphene Cloak Protects Bacteria, Leading to Better Images
Kansas State University March 16th, 2011 It's a cloak that surpasses all others: a microscopic carbon cloak made of graphene that could change the way bacteria and other cells are imaged.

Berkeley Lab Scientists Control Light Scattering in Graphene
Berkeley Lab March 16th, 2011 Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California at Berkeley have learned to control the quantum pathways determining how light scatters in graphene. Controlled scattering provides a new tool for the study of this unique material - graphene is a single sheet of carbon just one atom thick - and may point to practical applications for controlling light and electronic states in graphene nanodevices.

New blood analysis chip could lead to disease diagnosis in minutes
University of California, Berkeley March 16th, 2011 A major milestone in microfluidics could soon lead to stand-alone, self-powered chips that can diagnose diseases within minutes. The device, developed by an international team of researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, Dublin City University in Ireland and Universidad de Valparaíso Chile, is able to process whole blood samples without the use of external tubing and extra components.

Sri Lanka gets Japanese nano-tech support
Lanka Business Onlin March 17th, 2011 Japan has sent a nano-technology expert and will provide related equipment to Sri Lanka to help the island develop applications that make exports more competitive.

The Fantastic Voyage Continues! - World first for Professor Sylvain Martel's team: localized delivery of an anti-cancer drug by remote-controlled microcarriers
Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal March 17th, 2011 Fantastic Voyage: from science fiction to reality? École Polytechnique de Montréal researchers successfully control and navigate a wireless device inside an artery using a clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, paving the way for novel, minimally invasive and more accurate surgeries

The Centre for Process Innovation confirmed in Government’s announcement of its first elite technology innovation centre
CPI March 17th, 2011 he Deputy Prime Minister today announced the formation of the government's first elite technology innovation centre. Focusing in the area of high value manufacturing, it will provide access for business to the best technical expertise, infrastructure, skills and equipment that would otherwise be outside the reach of individual companies.

Nanotube-Based Filter Cleans Drinking Water - Water Treatment: New filtration system removes bacteria and viruses
ACS March 17th, 2011 For 1 billion people in developing countries, finding clean drinking water is a daily challenge. Now researchers demonstrate a carbon nanotube-based filtration and electrolysis system that can completely remove or inactivate viruses and bacteria from water (Environ. Sci. Technol., DOI: 10.1021/es2000062). Coauthor Chad Vecitis of Harvard University thinks this technology could lead to inexpensive commercial water filters, potentially saving millions every year from diseases and death caused by waterborne pathogens.

Xanofi Demonstrates Their Game Changing Production of Nanofibers
March 17th, 2011 Xanofi, a company specializing in producing custom, low-cost, functional nanofibers for applications announces their upcoming event schedule and demonstrations. The company is currently identifying industry partners that seek nanotechnology solutions for their products.

Study Finds More Efficient Means Of Creating, Arranging Carbon Nanofibers
North Carolina State University March 17th, 2011 "Effects of Ligand Monolayers on Catalytic Nickel Nanoparticles for Synthesizing Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanofibers" Authors: Mehmet F. Sarac, Robert M. Wilson, Aaron C. Johnston-Peck, Junwei Wang, Ryan Pearce, Anatoli V. Melechko, Joseph B. Tracy, North Carolina State University; Kate L. Klein, National Institute of Standards and Technology Published: online March 17 in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces Abstract: Vertically aligned carbon nanofibers (VACNFs) were synthesized using ligand-stabilized Ni nanoparticle (NP) catalysts and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Using chemically synthesized Ni NPs enables facile preparation of VACNF arrays with monodisperse diameters below the size limit of thin film lithography. During pregrowth heating, the ligands catalytically convert into graphitic shells that prevent the catalyst NPs from agglomerating and coalescing, resulting in a monodisperse VACNF size distribution. In comparison, significant agglomeration occurs when the ligands are removed before VACNF growth, giving a broad distribution of VACNF sizes. The ligand shells are also promising for patterning the NPs and synthesizing complex VACNF arrays.

Important funding for nanomedicine research to improve diagnosis and treatment
Canadian Institutes of Health Research March 17th, 2011 Seven new research projects on regenerative medicine and nanomedicine received $16 million in funding. The studies, co-funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), were announced today at the University of Toronto by Dr. Colin Carrie, Member of Parliament for Oshawa; Dr. Jane Aubin, Scientific Director of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis; Mr. Gilles Leclerc, Director General, Space Exploration at the Canadian Space Agency; and Professor Peter Lewis, Associate Vice President (Research) at the University of Toronto. "The Government of Canada is proud to support regenerative medicine and nanomedicine projects that will translate into improved health for Canadians," said Dr. Carrie. "The knowledge that emerges from these research projects could also have wide ranging social and economic benefits."

A Quantum Pen for Single Atoms
Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics March 18th, 2011 Physicists at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics succeeded in manipulating atoms individually in a lattice of light and in arranging them in arbitrary patterns. These results are an important step towards large scale quantum computing and for the simulation of condensed matter systems.

Solar: Kurzweil Sees Energy Need Met In 16 Years
blogs.barrons.com March 18th, 2011 Inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil was the subject of a brief interview at the Big Think blog late yesterday, in which the editors write that Kurzweil projects solar energy will be able to meet all the world's energy needs in 16 years from now. Kurzweil cites the dramatic improvement curve of nanotechnology used in solar panels, and predicts it will take "eight doublings" of the technology to meet energy demand through solar. Kurzweil's central thesis has long been that development curves of technology are an evolutionary process. Through a positive feedback loop, improvements are made that constantly raise the rate of progress, leading to a kind of hyper-exponential rate of improvement. Thus, the pace of change is always greater than it appears to mere mortal's, by Kurzweil's line of thought.

nanoUtah Weekly News 03-19-11

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