NIST's new way of 'seeing': A neutron microscope
A prototype microscope that uses neutrons instead of light to "see" magnified images has been demonstrated at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Neutron microscopes might eventually offer certain advantages over optical, X-ray and electron imaging techniques such as better contrast for biological samples.... ...Described in the July 19 issue of Applied Physics Letters, the...Something's fishy about new NIST food standard
Accurately measuring exactly what's in the food we eat, before we eat it, is a surprisingly difficult job. The latest effort by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to make the process both easier and more accurate is Standard Reference Material (SRM) 1946, which is a set of five bottles of frozen, homogenized trout from Lake Superior.... ...With carefully measured values for...NIST study shows computerized fingerprint matching is highly accurate
Computerized systems that automatically match fingerprints have become so sophisticated that the best of them are accurate more than 99 percent of the time, according to the most comprehensive known study of the systems ever conducted.... ...Computer scientists at the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) tested 34 commercially available systems provide...Field Museum gives Parker/Gentry Award to Chinese conservationist
CHICAGO--The Field Museum will give its ninth annual Parker/Gentry Award to Prof. Yang Yuming, one of the People's Republic of China's foremost conservation advocates. He is a leading opponent of the massive project to build 13 dams on the Nu River in Southwestern China that was to begin construction this year.... ...The Nu is one of only two major rivers in China that has not been dammed. Last y...Rutgers ecologists and Brooklyn Botanic Garden botanists to plan Beijing Olympics Forest Park
New Brunswick, NJ-- Ecologists at Rutgers' Cook College & New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) and botanists from Brooklyn Botanic Garden have been selected as the winning team in the international competition to design the new Forest Park for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games. The ecologists and botanists are affiliated with the Center for Urban Restoration Ecology (CURE), a co...NIST-led research de-mystifies origins of 'junk' DNA
A debate over the origins of what is sometimes called "junk" DNA has been settled by research involving scientists at the Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology (CARB) and a collaborator, who developed rigorous proof that these mysterious sections were added to DNA "late" in the evolution of life on earth--after the formation of modern-sized genes, which contain instructions for making pro...Policy review in Science calls for Bush Administration to protect wild salmon
Authors of the Policy Forum in the March 26th issue of the international journal Science call for the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to protect wild salmon stocks whose status under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is now in jeopardy as a result of legal and political pressures from landowners and timber interests. A substantial fraction of the salmon populations currently listed under...Naropin now approved for intrathecal (spinal) administration in the European Union (EU)
Sdertlje, Sweden, 3 March 2004 - AstraZeneca announced today that its long-acting local anaesthetic Naropin (ropivacaine) 5.0 mg/ml was recommended for approval in all EU member states for a new route of administration, intrathecal (spinal) administration. This is an extended clinical use within the indication surgical anaesthesia. ... ..."Naropin has the potential to become the drug of choice...Bush Administration plan to reduce global warming could devastate sea life
KINGSTON, R.I. -- November 17, 2003 -- A Bush Administration proposal to mitigate the effects of global warming by capturing carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and injecting it into the deep sea could have disastrous effects on sea life, according to a University of Rhode Island researcher. ... Brad Seibel, assistant professor of marine biology at URI, said that while the Administration's...NIST chemist receives rare forensics award
John Butler, a research chemist at NIST, has been awarded the Scientific Prize of the International Society for Forensic Genetics (ISFG) for outstanding work on standardization and pioneering work on new DNA analysis technologies for forensic applications.... ...Few scientists have ever received the prize. The ISFG can award it as often as every two years, but only two other winners have been nam...Weizmann Institute scienists find that stem cells in the bone marrow become liver cells
They still don't have a personality, and they're waiting for the maturity call. Stem cells in our bone marrow usually develop into blood cells, replenishing our blood system. However, in states of emergency, the destiny of some of these stem cells may change: They can become virtually any type of cell liver cells, muscle cells, nerve cells responding to the body's needs.... ...Prof. Tsvee Lapi...NIST advances in DNA analyses help Identify 9/11 victims
Remains from 16 additional victims of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center have been positively identified thanks in part to a new method for analyzing DNA developed with assistance from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).... Based on a concept developed at NIST, the new method allows accurate identification of DNA samples that are too damaged or degraded to be a...Botanist explores fascinating world of plant resins and amber in comprehensive new book
SANTA CRUZ, CA--From the Stone Age to the present day, people have found a wide range of uses for plant resins and have been fascinated by amber, which is fossilized resin. Plant resins--sticky plant secretions that harden when exposed to air--have been used as medicines, fuels, varnishes, adhesives, and perfume ingredients, to mention just a few examples. ...... Jean Langenheim, professor emerit...USF study: Nicotine antagonist relieves depression in children with Tourette's
Tampa, FL (Dec. 10, 2002) -- A well-tolerated drug that blocks nicotine receptors in the brain appears to relieve depression and mood instability in children and adolescents with Tourette's syndrome, a preliminary study by University of South Florida College of Medicine researchers has found....... The multicenter, placebo-controlled study of the drug mecamylamine is published in the latest issue...NIST genetics research lends a hand in World Trade Center IDs
A new tool for genetic analysis developed with National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) assistance may help scientists identify the remains of victims of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York--the largest effort of its kind in history....... Remains from about half of the approximately 2,800 victims have been identified, many through the analysis of DNA in...NIST chemists define and refine properties of plastic microsystems
There may well be a plastic biochip in your future, thanks in part to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).... ...Microfluidics devices, also known as "lab-on-a-chip" systems, are miniaturized chemical and biochemical analyzers that one day may be used for quick, inexpensive tests in physicians' offices. Most microfluidics devices today are made of glass materials. Cheaper, d...Field Museum's Parker/Gentry Award goes to Peruvian conservationists
CHICAGO The seventh annual Parker/Gentry Award goes to an outstanding team of Peruvian conservationists in recognition of their leadership in helping to preserve two remarkable Peruvian natural treasures: the Cordillera Azul and Los Amigos. ... ...Their tireless efforts on behalf of these two regions culminated in ... the protection of the last large, intact tract of lower montane forest in Pe...Singapore's Ministry of Education to improve life sciences education
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory's Dolan DNA Learning Center (DNALC) and the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Singapore have signed a Memorandum of Understanding commencing a multi-year collaboration to develop two DNALC sister institutions in an effort to boost life sciences education in Singapore....... DNALC director David Micklos and other educators at the DNALC will lend their expertise...Botanists discover new conifer species in Vietnam
An unusual conifer found in a remote area of northern Vietnam has been identified as a genus and species previously unknown to science. The limestone ridges where the tree grows are among the most botanically rich areas in Vietnam, said Daniel Harder, director of the University of California at Santa Cruz (UCSC) Arboretum and a co-discoverer of the new species. The discovery is published in the...New standards from NIST may provide 'all-natural' benefits
A new National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) effort to develop standard reference materials (SRMs) for a number of popular botanical dietary supplements will provide tools that manufacturers can use to improve quality control during production, that researchers can use to ensure that their laboratory analyses of test substances are accurate, and that the Food and Drug Administratio...New NIST procedure seeks improved diagnosis of Fragile X syndrome
A robust protocol for measuring a specific class of genetic elements called "trinucleotide repeats" has been optimized at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to help clinical laboratories accurately identify Fragile X syndrome, the most common cause of inherited mental retardation. The research is part of a NIST effort to develop standards for measuring the expansion of thes...Genistein-containing supplements may stop tamoxifen
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. Isoflavone-enhanced dietary supplements containing genistein may negate the tumor-fighting effects of tamoxifen, a commonly prescribed medication for women battling estrogen-dependent breast cancer, according to new findings appearing in the May 1 issue of the journal Cancer Research.... The research was led by William G. Helferich, a professor of food science and human nutritio...UNC botanist spearheads ongoing effort to curtail movement of pest plant species
CHAPEL HILL Whether theyre anthrax, West Nile virus or some other species, biological organisms moving from one region to another are big news these days and pose not only environmental, but political and social concerns as well.... ...Transport of pest plants, which attract less attention because they dont usually make people sick beyond allergies, are nonetheless important, says Dr. Peter S....Findings demonstrate for the first time that the impact of oral estrogen extends beyond effects on circulating IGF-I levels as GH-induced stimulation of fat oxidation, protein metabolism also affected.... ...November 25, 2001 -- Bethesda, Md. The American Journal of Physiology: Endocrinology and Metabolism, one of the 14 peer-reviewed journals published by the American Physiological Society (APS)...NIST 'microhotplate' may help search for extraterrestrial life
Astronauts or unmanned space vehicles may one day detect and quantitate the gases found on other planets using tiny chemical sensors each measuring about 100 microns, approaching the width of a human hairbased on a design developed at NIST....... NIST researchers under chemist Steve Semancik (301-975-2606) are collaborating with the National Aeronautics and Space Administrations Jet Propulsion...Dendritic cell-based vaccination to prevent opportunistic fungal infections
Because HIV depletes the population of CD4+ T cells, AIDS patients and others with immunosuppressive conditions are in a poor position to mount a protective response to vaccines. The absence of T cell help is particularly troublesome because of the opportunistic infections that are common among these patients. Noting that CD4+ cell-independent immunization would be useful to protect immunosuppres...Botanists collect, study rare Hawaiian plants
ATHENS, Ohio Tourists flock to Hawaii for its lush landscape of breathtaking flora, but this summer the most remote island ecosystem in the world is serving as a living laboratory for a pair of botanists examining the origins and evolution of plant life on Earth....... The Ohio University botanists, accompanied by four students, are conducting studies on three Hawaiian islands in a journey th...... ...Boston, MA, August 10, 2001 - ViaCell, Inc., a fully-integrated cellular therapy company committed to enabling the development of additional therapeutic applications for umbilical cord blood stem cells, commended the Bush Administrations decision to support additional funding for alternative sources of stem cells. Umbilical cord blood is considered an attractive alternative source and is...Genes don`t control human behavior, evolutionist says
."Evolutionary psychology" - the discipline that attempts to explain much of human behavior as a creation of natural selection that operated during our hunter-gatherer past - "is dead but doesn`t seem to know it yet," Stanford University evolutionist Paul R. Ehrlich told the annual meeting of the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) in Arlington, Va., on March 26.. ."Genetic evolutio...UniStates, Tufts University collaborate on new technology
. . . . . Medford, Mass. -- Cars and planes will be lighter, tougher and roomier in a few years thanks to a breakthrough technology announced today at an international gathering of automotive industry experts in California. . UniStates Technology Corporation and Tufts University are collaborating to apply this technology to make lightweight materials used in everything from cars and...$1.5 million awarded to marine conservationists
. . .Ten ocean ambassadors from five continents, ranging from nonprofit conservation managers, to an environmental writer and marine scientists, to ocean advocates and policy makers, have been awarded $150,000 each by the Pew Fellows Program in Marine Conservation. . .An initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts in partnership with the New England Aquarium, the fellowships are awarded annually to...Pioneering evolutionist Ledyard Stebbins dies at age 94
. . .University of California, Davis, professor G. Ledyard Stebbins, so brilliant that his theories on.plant evolution established the discipline, yet so chronically absorbed in his thoughts that he once.drove 120 miles without noticing a dead rattlesnake on the hood of his car, died Wednesday at his.Davis home. He was 94.. ."There's no doubt whatsoever that UC Davis' fame in the general field o...UF nutritionist: Better to vow to eat healthy for new year
... ... ... ... ... GAINESVILLE -- Instead of vowing to lose weight in the next millennium, a University of Florida nutrition specialist says a better resolution to make at midnight Friday is to promise to treat yourself to a healthier diet.... ... Linda Bobroff, an associate professor of food and nutrition with UF's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, said most people will fa....NEW HAVEN, CONN., DECEMBER 8, 1999 -- VION PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. (NASDAQ NM: VION) today announced that VNP20009, the company's first generation TAPET® bacterial vector, has been administered to the first patients enrolled into Vion's Phase I intratumoral trial, which is being conducted at The Cleveland Clinic Foundation. The patients were initially monitored in the hospital and subsequent...New Zealand's prime minister addresses environmental risk
.Washington, DC (August 31, 1999) - Prime Minister Simon Upton will discuss.strategies for managing ecological risk when he delivers the inaugural Robert C..Barnard Environmental Lecture at AAAS on Thursday, September 2. Upton is New.Zealand's Minister of the Environment and the Deputy Minister for Foreign.Affairs and Trade. His remarks will be delivered at a lecture honoring local.lawyer Robert.... The material of choice for longer-lasting orthopedic implants--such as.joint replacements for hips and knees--is ultrahigh molecular weight.polyethylene paired with an alloy of cobalt and chromium, a combination that has.proven to be durable and compatible with the human body. But even joints made.from these components last only about a decade, prompting industry to search.for better mate.... .SEATTLE, WASHINGTON (May 28, 1998): Scientists at Avigen, Inc. (Nasdaq: AVGN),.and The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have developed a gene therapy.approach for the treatment of hemophilia B using a single intramuscular.administration of an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector containing the gene for.coagulation factor IX. Katherine A. High, M.D., a hematologist at The.Children's Hospi...