32 new grants made for innovative technology R&D
...n process for low-temperature, low-pressure direct conversion of methane in stranded gas fields to methanol. wTe Corporation (Bedford, Mass.) Optoelectronic Sensing of Liquid Metal CompositionDevelop a novel process for determining, in situ and in real time, the chemical composition of molten pools of me...Plants provide model for new shape-changing materials
...ovide a new class of materials based on the direct conversion of biochemical energy into mechanical work. In this manner it will provide a truly integrated "smart" material that serves as the foundation for a new generation of biologically inspired engineering systems. In this unique program, researchers will ...Taking the next step toward growing our own fuel
...ving to overcome the obstacles related to biomass conversion into value-added products. "The beneficiaries of this research will be agriculture and agriculture-based industries in Illinois," Blaschek said, "but ultimately all of us will benefit as consumers of energy." He believes that renewable fuel made f...World's top theoretical physicists converge to consider 'future of physics'
...of scientists at the interaction sites; (3) conversion of a facility initially conceived in terms of a banker's nine-to-five work-day to one that accommodates the more erratic schedule of the scientific researcher freed from the routine duties of his or her home institution who may want to work anytime i...Channel protein converts vibrations to electrical signal
... evidence that TRPA1 plays an integral role in the conversion of a mechanical stimulus to an impulse that the brain can interpret, Corey is eager to determine whether defects in TRPA1 might play a role in inherited deafness. "At the moment there are no known deafnesses that map to the same chromosomal location ...Researchers find protein that makes long-term memory possible
... is converted to mBDNF and whether defects in this conversion process could lead to disorders of long-term memory. Dr. Lu added that mBDNF may also play a role in Alzheimer's disease, as some studies have shown that the brains of Alzheimer's patients have reduced levels of mBDNF or plasmin. ...UT Southwestern researchers uncover process for sugar-induced fat formation
...the sugars are converted to fat. The sugar-to-fat conversion occurs two ways an immediate response, where enzymes are mobilized to rapidly convert sugars into fat; and a slower response, in which several different genes are turned on and off, creating more enzymes that can also turn sugar into fat. ChREBP is ...Conversion of flower organs into leaves
...s have found that these genes are critical for the conversion of leaves into flower organs. Although peop... loss of activity of all four genes results in the conversion of flower organs toward leaves. ...JCI table of contents, November 15 2004
...ctors PGC-1alpha and PGC-1beta (which activate the conversion of protein to glucose) in the skeletal muscle of individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and in first degree relatives who do not have diabetes. However it was previously unknown whether this was an inherited genetic defect or the result of ...Aging affects susceptibility to type 2 diabetes
...ctors PGC-1alpha and PGC-1beta (which activate the conversion of protein to glucose) in the skeletal muscle of individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and in first degree relatives who do not have diabetes. However it was previously unknown whether this was an inherited genetic defect or the result of ...Discovery of real-time natural gas formation offers prospect for renewable energy resource
... The company has termed sites where this microbial conversion of hydrocarbon deposits (coals, organic shales, or oil) to methane occurs "Geobioreactors TM ," and believes the careful management of such sites may offer a new long-term solution to U.S. energy needs. Robert Pfeiffer, LU...Tracking orangutans from the sky
...thought--provided illegal hunting and agricultural conversion are controlled. Having reliable estimates of orangutan numbers is vital to conservation efforts. These aerial surveys will speed that work, and help sustain orangutans' refuge in the treetops, above their human relatives....Idaho lab, Utah company achieve major milestone in hydrogen research
...rature system has the potential to achieve overall conversion efficiencies in the 45 percent to 50 percent range, compared to approximately 30 percent for conventional electrolysis. Added benefits include the avoidance of both greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel consumption. "We've shown that hydrogen c...Canola study solves seed oil mystery
...d by developing canola seeds. During the conversion of sugars to oils, researchers expected to see the...nzyme that captures atmospheric carbon dioxide for conversion into sugars. However, the MSU team was surprised to see Rubisco the enzyme's shorthand...Certain genetic test helps detect mutations that may be missed by conventional DNA test
...l cancer cases. Recent studies have suggested that conversion analysis, in which human chromosomes are separated...comparing the relative accuracy and specificity of conversion analysis with other mutation testing methods in a rigorous way, which is essential if the method is ...Future diabetes drugs may target new protein interaction
...r and other tissues. In the liver, it triggers the conversion of fats into sugar, particularly when access to food is limited. But no one knew exactly how it was controlled or what else it might need in order to launch the sugar-making process. Sirtuin1, like its sirtuin relatives, is best known for removing mo...South America's vast pantanal wetland may become next everglades, UNU experts warn
... development, alterations of its water courses and conversion to other land uses." "Moreover, global climate change poses great environmental threats to wetlands," according to the analysis, "fundamentally altering their ecology, biodiversity and species composition." The global threat to the Pantanal: Climat......ing said. "As in all photosynthetic systems, the conversion of light into chemical energy is driven by electro... to transfer energy from sunlight and initiate its conversion into chemical energy with an efficiency of nearly 100-percent. If we can learn to emulate Nature's ...Scientists find molecular pathway suspected in precancerous stomach lesions
...s of the stomach are almost always preceded by the conversion of the stomach type of lining to an intestinal type," says Shivdasani. In the developing fetus, the entire digestive tract is initially lined with intestinal-type cells. At a certain point, the activation of a molecular signaling pathway causes this ...The promise of new medical uses for sodium nitrite for heart attack and organ damage
... dilating molecule that increases blood flow. The conversion of nitrite to NO will occur only in tissue or bloo... and they believe it is related in some way to the conversion of nitrite to nitric oxide. "The remarkable thing about nitrite is that it is only converted to nitr...