Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore have developed a novel 3-D imaging approach that may improve the accuracy of treatment for ventricular tachycardia, a potentially life-threatening heart rhythm disorder that causes the heart to beat too fast. The new approach couples CT (computed tomography) images with conventional ablation techniques to […]
High definition diagnostic ultrasonics on the nanoscale
Scientists and Engineers at The University of Nottingham have built the world’s smallest ultrasonic transducers capable of generating and detecting ultrasound. These revolutionary transducers which are orders of magnitude smaller than current systems — are so tiny that up to 500 of the smallest ones could be placed across the width of one human hair. […]
A heart beats to a different drummer
Love, exercise and, new research shows, an infrared laser can make a heart beat faster. Scientists at Case Western Reserve University and Vanderbilt University found that pulsed light can pace contractions in an avian embryonic heart, with no apparent damage to the tissue. The work, “Optical pacing of the embryonic heart,” will be published in […]
Implantable silk metamaterials could advance biomedicine, biosensing
MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, Mass. — Researchers at the Tufts University School of Engineering and Boston University have fabricated and characterized the first large area metamaterial structures patterned on implantable, bio-compatible silk substrates. The research, reported online July 21, 2010, in the journal Advanced Materials, provides a promising path towards the development of a new class of metamaterial-inspired […]
Tinnitus study looks for cure to ‘ringing in the ears’
The NIH has granted a University of Texas at Dallas researcher and a university-affiliated biomedical firm $1.7 million to investigate whether nerve stimulation offers a long-term cure for tinnitus. Described as a ringing in the ears, tinnitus affects 20 percent to 40 percent of recently returned military veterans and about 10 percent of all people […]
Micromachines for a safer world
Tiny sensors known as accelerometers are everywhere. The near-weightless technology can measure the impact of a dangerous tackle on a football player’s helmet, control the flow of highway and runway traffic, analyze a golf pro’s swing, orient the next generation of smart phones, and keeping fighter jets and missiles on target. And as sensing devices […]
Innovation could bring super-accurate sensors, crime forensics
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A new technology enabling tiny machines called micro electromechanical systems to “self-calibrate” could make possible super-accurate and precise sensors for crime-scene forensics, environmental testing and medical diagnostics. The innovation might enable researchers to create a “nose-on-a-chip” for tracking criminal suspects, sensors for identifying hazardous solid or gaseous substances, as well as […]
Purdue-IU team uncovers potential prostate cancer marker
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Studies by a Purdue University-led team have revealed a potential marker for prostate cancer that could be the starting point for less invasive testing and improved diagnosis of the disease. The team used a new analysis technique to create a profile of the lipids, or fats, found in prostate tissue and […]
Breaking the language barrier: NIST tests language translation devices for US troops
VIDEO: At dusk, a car stops at a checkpoint in Afghanistan. It is a tense moment for all. Because an interpreter is not available, U.S. Marines use hand gestures to ask the driver to step out of the car and open the trunk and hood for inspection. There’s a lot of room for error. This […]
Nanomaterials poised for big impact in construction
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. […]