BAE Systems develops advanced radar for Eurofighter Typhoon

 

Captor E-Scan radar system installed aboard BAE's IPA5 development aircraft (Photo: BAE Systems) BAE Systems is in the process of developing and testing a next-generation radar system for the Eurofighter Typhoon. The Captor E-Scan, fitted in the nose-cone of the fighter, boasts a number of improvements over other Active Electronically Scanned Arrays (AESAs), including a wider field of regard and the provision of advanced electronic warfare protection. Many of the improvements over the current generation of radar systems are due to the sheer size of the array, coupled with the novel re-positioning mechanism upon which the plate is mounted. The ability to re-position the array inside the protective environment of the fighter's nose-cone represents a significant operational advantage over traditional fixed-plate AESA radar systems, with the extra movement allowing for a 200-degree field of regard, roughly 50 percent wider than that offered by the traditional model. Furthermore, the enlarged aperture of the plate allows for more transmitter receiver modules (TRMs) to be fitted, and this in turn allows the system to detect aircraft from farther away and with greater fidelity. In its finished form, the Captor-E plate boasts more than 1400 TRMs, roughly 60 percent more than aircraft equipped with fixed-plate AESAs. According to BAE, these advances will allow the Captor E-Scan system to outstrip its competitors across the board, offering greater detection range and therefore first fire capability, along with reduced tracking latency and advanced air-to-surface capabilities. BAE has also endeavored to reduce the number of moving parts required for the system to function, with the effect of reducing the risk of mechanical failures during flight while lowering the difficulty of maintenance. "This is a major step forward in the development of Typhoon. From the outset, the aircraft was built with capability enhancement in mind and this step is proof that we are developing Typhoon to keep it relevant for today and for the future," stated Managing Directer of the Combat Air at BAE, Martin Taylor. "Typhoon has become the backbone of a number of air forces and with the potential for further development it will be meeting the needs of modern warfare for decades to come." The Captor E-Scan radar has already begun flight testing, with a dummy unit making its first flight aboard the company's IPA5 development aircraft in July this year. In terms of compatibility, the system is currently designed for integration aboard Tranche 2 & 3 Eurofighter Typhoons, with the possibility of modifying Tranche 1 aircraft to carry the system. BAE boasts that once operational, the new system will cater to client nation's operational needs up to and beyond 2040.   Source: BAE Systems

Brasil tem 136 milhões de computadores, 2 para cada 3 habitantes

 

Dados são de estudo da FGV, que estima que até 2016 a densidade será de 100%, com uma base instalada de 200 milhões de máquinas, somando PC, notebook e tablet. O fenômeno do tablet está ajudando o Brasil a alavancar as vendas de computadores. A cada segundo um novo equipamento é comercializado no mercado local, o que contribuirá para que o País atinja, em maio de 2014, 136 milhões de máquinas em uso, somando PCs, notebooks e tablets. Desse total, 18 milhões serão tablets, cujas vendas estão com crescimento desenfreado, alavancadas principalmente pelos incentivos de PIS/Cofins do governo federal para montagem local dessa categoria, o que contribuiu para o aumento da oferta. As estatísticas fazem parte da 25ª pesquisa anual: Administração e Uso da TI- Tecnologia da Informação nas Empresas, realizada pelo Centro de Tecnologia de Informação Aplicada de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo da Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV-EAESP). O estudo divulgado na manhã desta quinta-feira (24), em São Paulo, traça um retrato do uso da TI no mercado corporativo, com cruzamentos com a comercialização de computadores também no segmento doméstico. Para saber como as organizações estão utilizando tecnologia, a FGV entrevistou 2,3 mil organizações de grande e médio porte, o que representa 68% das maiores companhias do Brasil Uma parte da pesquisa aborda a evolução da base de computadores em uso no Brasil. Segundo o estudo, ao atingir um volume de 136 milhões de computadores em uso, o País alcança uma densidade de 67% com essa tecnologia. Isto é, passa a ter dois computadores para cada três habitantes. Em 2012, quando havia 100 milhões de máquinas em uso, a proporção era um equipamento para cada dois brasileiros. As previsões da FGV são de que o Brasil chegará em 2017 com uma base instalada de 200 milhões de computadores, com cobertura da população de 100%. Ou seja, um equipamento para cada habitante. A densidade mundial de computadores, em maio 2014, será de 49%, o que coloca o Brasil numa posição confortável. Embora ainda perdendo de longe dos Estados Unidos, onde a cobertura é de 127%. Entretanto, o mercado brasileiro passa ligeiramente o norte-americano no uso de telefone. O estudo da FGV revelou que o País tem uma base de 320 milhões de linhas telefônicas em serviço, somando celulares e números fixos. Com esse volume, a densidade da telefonia no Brasil é de 158%, o que daria uma média 3 linhas para cada 2 habitantes. Nos EUA, a cobertura do serviço é de 156%. Para o professor Fernando Meirelles, coordenador do estudo, um dos fatores de o Brasil ter passado os EUA no uso de telefone é a grande adesão dos planos pré-pagos. Segundo a Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações (Anatel), esse modelo responde por 77,57% dos 273,5 milhões de celulares ativos País, até março último. Meirelles observa que nos EUA também tem celulares pré-pagos, mas com adesão menor por causa dos planos de tarifas pós pagas que são bem mais agressivos que no Brasil. Ele afirma que aqui muitos usuários das classes C e D têm dois chips. As pessoas querem economizar no uso do serviço e optam pela operadora que oferece o menor custo.                                                    fonte : Computerworld

A look at North Korea's limited internet capabilities

 

12/23/2014    An hours-long Internet outage Tuesday in one of the world's least-wired countries was probably more inconvenient to foreigners than to North Korean residents, most of whom have never gone online. Even for wired Koreans south of the heavily armed border separating the rivals, the temporary outage made little difference - southerners are banned by law from accessing North Korean websites. While North Korea tightly controls its citizens' activities, especially their access to information on the outside world, it does have a cyberspace. Here's a look at North Korea's unique broadband and mobile Internet, the country's use of email and its tightly controlled use of a domestic Intranet. INTERNET VS INTRANET Only a very small number of people among North Korea's elite use the Internet, as the rest of the world knows it. A slightly larger group of privileged North Koreans can see a tightly controlled Intranet called "Kwangmyong," meaning "Bright." On this self-contained, authoritarian alternative to the World Wide Web, chats and emails are monitored and content comes pre-filtered by the state. The Intranet provides a connection between industry, universities and government. Its role seems to be to spread information, rather than for commerce, entertainment or communication, Will Scott, a computer science instructor at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, told the AP in February. It is unclear how many Internet-connected devices are used in North Korea. But it's likely that the number of Internet users is small considering that the country has only 1,024 Internet Protocol addresses for a population of 25 million, according to So Young Seo, a researcher at South Korea's state-run Korea Information Society Development Institute. North Korea's small circle of Internet users consist of elites in the government and military, propagandists and media workers, state-trained hackers and researchers at education institutes such as Kim Il Sung University and the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, Seo said. Other North Koreans are limited to the intranet, which provides access to state media and a limited number of information sources that were pulled and censored from the real Internet. Most common North Koreans probably don't actively use Kwangmyong because owning a computer requires permission from government authorities and would cost as much as three months' salary for the average worker, Seo said. It's unclear what was behind the temporary shutdown of key North Korean websites. The shutdown followed a U.S. vow to respond to a crippling cyberattack on Sony Pictures that Washington blames on Pyongyang. The White House and the State Department declined to say whether the U.S. government was responsible. A cyberattack on North Korea would be an exercise in futility if the purpose was to cause a serious disruption, said Chang Yong Seok, a North Korea expert at Seoul National University. "Even if their Internet is shut down, the inconvenience will be shared only by members of the power elite," Chang said. "It would be an entirely different matter if hackers manage to penetrate the Kwangmyong network, but that has never happened before." MOBILE PHONES Cell phone use in North Korea is also controlled by the government. While mobile phones are now a popular gateway to the Internet in the South, for North Koreans cell phones are used for domestic calls. They can't access the Internet or make overseas calls. Cellular service is provided by Koryolink, a joint venture between North Korea's Korea Post & Telecommunications Corporation and Egypt's Orascom Telecom Media and Technology Holding SAE. More than 2 million cellphones are used in North Korea, according to the International Telecommunication Union. But the number of mobile users is believed to be significantly smaller, Seo said, because elite North Koreans often use more than one device because it's cheaper to buy a new phone than buy additional minutes on the same handset. In 2013, North Korea began to allow foreigners to access the Internet through the 3G networks. They could upload posts or photos on Twitter and Instagram from North Korea. Starting last year, North Korea began selling monthly mobile Internet data plans to foreigners for use with a USB modem or on mobile devices using their SIM cards. Orascom built a 3G network more than five years ago. The network now covers most major cities. PROPAGANDA USE AND PAST ATTACKS North Korea's use of the Internet targets outsiders more than residents, who still mostly rely on traditional outlets for information and entertainment. Various North Korean government bodies have launched websites as well as English-language Facebook pages, YouTube channels and Twitter accounts to spread propaganda aimed at international audiences. The North uses social media to praise its system and leaders, and to repeat commentaries sent out by the country's official Korean Central News Agency. In 2013, some of these social media accounts run by North Korea were hacked by those who purported to be part of the hacker activist group Anonymous. Hackers left a message on Twitter and posted a picture of the North Korean leader's face with a pig-like snout and a drawing of Mickey Mouse on his chest. In another attack, Pyongyang saw intermittent Internet access for two days in March 2013. North Korea blamed the shutdown on the United States and South Korea, accusing the allies of "intensive and persistent virus attacks." South Korea denied the allegation and the U.S. military declined to comment.

A Prototype Battery Could Double the Range of Electric Cars

 

Startup Seeo has developed batteries that store far more energy than conventional ones, which could extend the range of electric cars. By Kevin Bullis on December 23, 2014 Batteries are the costliest part of electric cars. A flat, high-energy battery cell from Seeo, in front of a battery pack that contains many cells. An experimental lithium-ion battery based on materials developed at a U.S. Department of Energy lab stores twice as much energy as the batteries used in most electric cars. If the technology can be commercialized, it could give affordable electric cars a range of over 200 miles per charge, says Hal Zarem, CEO of Seeo, a startup that’s working on the technology. Today the cheapest electric cars, which cost around $30,000, typically have a range of less than 100 miles. Alternatively, the improved storage capacity could be used to cut the size of battery packs in half while maintaining the current driving range, making electric vehicles considerably cheaper. A conventional battery pack with a range of 100 miles costs roughly $10,000. Seeo, which is based in Hayward, California, recently raised $17 million from investors, including Samsung Ventures. It plans to start shipping batteries to potential customers for evaluation next year. Seeo’s prototype is what’s known as a solid-state battery, meaning the liquid electrolyte used in conventional lithium-ion batteries is replaced with a solid one. Solid electrolytes have a number of potential advantages; the one Seeo has developed uses pure lithium, which allows it to store more energy. Other companies have developed batteries with solid electrolytes and pure lithium, but their energy storage capacity—at least for the large batteries needed in electric cars–has typically been less than what Seeo has achieved. Seeo manufactures its batteries on conventional equipment. Normally, solid electrolytes don’t conduct ions as well as liquid electrolytes. Also, pure lithium tends to form metal filaments, or dendrites, that cause short circuits. That problem is usually prevented by incorporating the lithium into another material, such as graphite. Seeo’s solid electrolyte, however, contains two polymer layers. One is soft and conducts ions; the other is hard and forms a physical barrier between the electrodes, to prevent dendrites from causing short circuits. Other companies that have developed solid-state batteries with pure lithium have been forced to make changes elsewhere in the battery that decreased storage capacity, largely as a result of the voltage limitations of solid electrolytes. Seeo has been able to avoid that problem, though it’s not giving details. Zarem says the batteries can be made using conventional equipment for manufacturing lithium-ion batteries, which could help keep costs down. Some key questions remain. Seeo doesn’t yet know how many times the batteries can be recharged, for example. In an ongoing test, prototype cells have so far survived more than 100 charges, but to be practical they will need to last over 1,000 cycles. Another challenge is that existing lithium-ion batteries are quickly getting cheaper and better. By scaling up production of conventional batteries, Tesla Motors and Panasonic aim to produce electric cars that cost $35,000 and have a 200-mile range. source: MIT Technology Review

Registramos recorde de produção diária e superamos patamar de 700 mil barris/dia operados no pré-sal

 

23.Dez.2014 Leia o comunicado que divulgamos nesta terça-feira (23/12): A Petrobras informa que bateu um novo recorde histórico de produção própria diária de óleo e LGN no último dia 21/12, quando produziu 2 milhões 286 mil barris. O volume produzido não considera a parcela de seus parceiros e supera o recorde anterior de 2 milhões 257 mil barris, alcançado no dia  27/12/2010. A Petrobras também bateu recorde diário de produção operada no dia 21/12, tendo produzido 2 milhões 470 mil bpd. O novo patamar histórico decorre principalmente da contribuição de nove sistemas de produção. Cinco deles começaram a operar em 2013 e tiveram novos poços interligados ao longo de 2014. Outros quatro sistemas de produção foram instalados este ano. Das plataformas instaladas em 2013, contribuíram para esse resultado a P-63, no campo de Papa-Terra, e P-55, no campo de Roncador, ambas na Bacia de Campos; o FPSO Cidade de Itajaí, em Baúna, no pós-sal da Bacia de Santos; além dos FPSOs Cidade de São Paulo, no campo de Sapinhoá, e Cidade de Paraty, na área de Lula Nordeste - ambos no pré-sal da Bacia de Santos. Os sistemas de produção que entraram em operação em 2014 e que colaboraram para o desempenho foram a P-58, no Parque das Baleias, e P-62, no campo de Roncador, na Bacia de Campos; e os FPSOs Cidade de Mangaratiba, na área de Iracema Sul, e Cidade de Ilhabela, na de Sapinhoá Norte, ambos no pré-sal da Bacia de Santos. A alta eficiência operacional dos campos localizados nas porções fluminense e capixaba da Bacia de Campos, como resultado do Programa de Aumento da Eficiência Operacional (Proef), também contribuiu com o recorde. Essas áreas têm mantido a produção sustentável, diante do declínio natural dos reservatórios. Cabe destacar também a alta eficiência operacional e a  manutenção da estabilidade da produção nas Unidades Operacionais do Norte e Nordeste do país, que praticamente compensaram todo o declínio natural dos campos maduros da área. Com a chegada de novas embarcações do tipo PLSV (Pipe Laying Support Vessel) e com a redução do tempo não produtivo dessas unidades - fruto das ações do PRC-Sub -, a companhia interligou 68 novos poços - produtores e injetores - até novembro de 2014, o que já se constitui em um número bem superior aos 45 poços interligados ao longo de todo ano de 2013. Produção operada pela Petrobras no pré-sal bate novo recorde e ultrapassa o patamar de 700 mil barris de petróleo por dia A produção de petróleo nos campos operados pela Petrobras na província do pré-sal das bacias de Santos e Campos atingiu a marca histórica de 700 mil barris de petróleo por dia (bpd) no dia 16 de dezembro de 2014. Desse volume, cerca de 74% (523 mil bpd) correspondem à parcela da companhia e o restante à das empresas parceiras nas diversas áreas de produção da camada  pré-sal. A produção de 700 mil barris por dia foi alcançada apenas oito anos depois da primeira descoberta de petróleo na camada pré-sal, ocorrida em 2006, e apenas seis meses após a marca dos 500 mil barris, obtida em junho. Essa produção representa uma marca extremamente significativa na indústria do petróleo, especialmente diante do fato de os campos se situarem em lâminas  d'água profundas e ultraprofundas. O patamar de 700 mil bpd foi conseguido com a contribuição de somente 34 poços produtores. Isso evidencia a elevada produtividade dos campos já descobertos na camada pré-sal. Desses poços, 16 estão localizados na Bacia de Santos, que responde por cerca de 61% do volume produzido no pré-sal – aproximadamente 429 mil barris por dia. Os demais 18 poços estão localizados no  pré-sal da Bacia de Campos e respondem pelos 39% restantes da produção – cerca de 273 mil barris por dia. Atualmente, o petróleo do pré-sal é produzido por 12 diferentes plataformas, oito delas produzindo exclusivamente naquela camada geológica. O aumento da produção deve-se, também, ao excelente desempenho operacional das atividades de construção e interligação de poços, com suporte dos programas estratégicos PRC-Poço (Programa de Redução de Custos em Poços) e PRC-Sub (Programa de Redução de Custos em Sistema Submarinos). Esses programas integram iniciativas que vêm incorporando  melhorias contínuas na redução da duração e dos custos não só de poços, como também de instalações submarinas dos projetos de E&P.

World's smallest supercharged four-stroke V8 engine now in production

 

The Conley Stinger 609 supercharged four-cycle V8 gasoline engine - 6.09 cubic inches and 9.5 horsepower at 10,000 rpm (Photo: Conley Precision Engines) Image Gallery (19 images) Giant-scale model cars (and airplanes) powered by small gasoline engines have been popular with adult racers for quite a few years now. The largest scale models available through conventional RC hobby outlets are one-fifth or one-sixth scale, but the serious racers go quarter-scale. Now the smallest (quarter-scale) blown V8 gasoline engine in commercial production is being turned out by Conley Precision Engines to power. A quarter-scale gasoline-powered car is about 1.2 m (4 feet) in length, weighs around 50 kg (110 lbs), and can top out at over 160 kph (100 mph). The engines for such large models are usually two-cycle engines not dissimilar from the engines that power weedwackers and leaf blowers, typically beginning at about 33 cc (2.0 cu. in.) displacement, providing 3 to 4 hp at 6-8000 rpm. Even the larger engines for quarter scale models are simple and relatively inexpensive. For example, a 160 cc (10 cu. in.) displacement gasoline motor that provides 17 hp at 9000 rpm while weighing only 4 kg (8.8 lbs) is available for about US$1000. (I did say relatively inexpensive). This is plenty of power for any quarter-scale wheeled vehicle one might want to race. Gary Conley holding a production model of his new supercharged V8 engine (Photo: Conley Precision Engines) Why then is the racing community reacting with crackling excitement over the Conley Stinger 609, a new quarter-scale V8 with supercharging, 100 cc (6.09 cu. in.) displacement, and a power output of 9.5 horsepower at 10,000 rpm – especially with a list price over US$7000? Simply enough, other engines don't look or sound right. If you are going to spend a significant portion of a year's salary on a scale model car, expecting to own a true scale model isn't unreasonable. For example, the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona, one of the quintessential Detroit muscle cars, was 5.75 m (18.9 ft.) long, weighed about 1690 kg (3730 lbs), and had a 7.0 l (426 cu in) hemi V8 that put out 425 hp. Scaling to one-quarter the size would give a model 1.44 m (4.7 ft) in length and weighing about 26 kg (57 lb). The scaled engine would have a displacement of 109 cc (6.6 cu in) with an output of 6.6 horsepower. To some extent, the changes required to make a scale model look and perform in a properly scaled manner can be accomplished by changing the materials of which the model is constructed. For example, using strict scaling the loading on the tires on the pavement is considerably smaller for the scale model than for the original car. This makes for poorer handling and performance, as the power of the engine will cause the tires to break free, wasting power and losing traction in curves. It may be possible to save the performance and the appearance of the model, for example, by substituting a rubber for the tires that either has proportionally larger contact areas (a more compliant material) or a stickier rubber, or both. Such substitutions may allow a scale model to perform properly while keeping its scale appearance. Quarter-scale model of a 1923 roadster equipped with the Conley Stinger 609 V8 (Photo: Conley Precision Engines) But a powered scale model of a car isn't just one with the right appearance, or even if properly scale performance is produced. A great deal of the enjoyment of racing is the sound of the car, and especially of the engine. Nothing else in the world quite sounds like a big block V8 turning over, then running up through the power curve. The rumble at low speeds is hypnotic, while the special screaming wail at high rpms adds greatly to the excitement of the race. In short, serious quarter-scale racers want their models to sound right, and this largely drives the demand for the Conley 609. It sounds like the real thing – only two octaves higher in pitch. Internal parts of the Conley Stinger 609 V8 engine (Photo: Conley Precision Engines) Of course, a scale-model engine also encounters difficulties associated with simple scaling. A particular problem comes from lubrication – it is very hard to adequately lubricate the cylinder and piston walls to survive running at 10,000 rpm. This problem was eventually solved with the help of manufacturing engineers from Sunnen Products Co., a leader in precision honing who worked with Conley to make the engine's cylinder liners. It proved necessary to deeply hone a cross-hatched pattern in the cylinder liners, and then to plateau hone the liners to remove any lips and edges protruding from the first set of patterns. The cylinder liners then had sufficient excess oil capacity to adjust to the movements of the piston, and were smooth enough to significantly reduce the effects of those movements by maintaining closer tolerances between the pistons and the cylinder liners. The production models can be run for long periods at high rpm without excessive heating or wear. The Conley Stinger 609 V-8 has an electric starter and a centrifugal clutch as standard equipment, and is available with or without the supercharger. The list price of the Stinger 609 in its naturally aspirated form is US$5695, although lower prices are available from some suppliers. The supercharger allows the engine to produce about 60 percent more power for an additional cost of US$1700. Rear end of quarter-scale drag racecar equipped with the Conley Stinger 609 V8 (Photo: Conley Precision Engines) Giant-scale model car racing is a high-tech sport which can be approached without having to put a new mortgage on the house. It also doesn't require "hold harmless" clauses in life insurance policies against accidents during races. The practitioners are an enthusiastic, outgoing lot who truly enjoy their hobby. More power to them. Source: Conley Precision Engines via Design News

Google unveils first complete self-driving car prototype

 

Google has unveiled the first complete prototype of its self-driving car Google has been developing autonomous car technology since 2010. Now, it has unveiled the first complete prototype of its self-driving car. The company expects the vehicle to be hitting the streets of California some time in 2015. An early prototype of the self-driving car was shown off in May this year. In place of manual controls, such as a steering wheel, the car featured mapping systems and sensor technology that allowed it to "see" what was going on around it. There were, however, a number of features yet to be added, such as headlights. Since then, Google says it has been working with a number of different prototype vehicles, each being used to test the different systems required by an autonomous vehicle. Some of these have included the systems required to recognize road signs and road user gestures that are used on the city streets. These systems have now all been brought together in a first complete prototype. Although few specifications about the car have been released, it appears to sport a remodeled roof-top sensor module and newly-added indicators and headlights, as well as a lighter gray paint job. Google says its will continue testing the vehicles with its safety drivers for a "while longer." Source: Google

Researchers move closer to new range of biosensors

 

Researchers from North Carolina State University have found a way of binding peptides to the surface of gallium nitride (GaN) in a way that keeps the peptides stable even when exposed to water and radiation. The discovery moves researchers one step closer to developing a new range of biosensors for use in medical and biological research applications. GaN is a biocompatible material that fluoresces, or lights up, when exposed to radiation. Researchers are interested in taking advantage of this characteristic to make biosensors that can sense specific molecules, or "analytes," in a biological environment. To make a GaN biosensor, the GaN is coated with peptides -- chains of amino acids that are chemically bound to the surface of the material. These peptides would respond to the presence of specific analytes by binding with the molecules. The idea is that, when exposed to radiation, the intensity of the light emitted by the GaN would change, depending on the number of analytes bound to the peptides on the surface. This would allow researchers and clinicians to monitor the presence of different molecules in a biological system. But it's not quite that simple. "A key challenge in developing GaN biosensors has been finding a technique to bind the peptides to the GaN surface in a way that keeps the peptides stable when exposed to aqueous environments -- like a cell -- and to radiation," says Dr. Albena Ivanisevic, senior author of a paper on the work and an associate professor of materials science and engineering at NC State. "Now we have done that." "We used a two-step process to bind the peptides," explains Nora Berg, a Ph.D. student at NC State and lead author of the paper. "First we used a combination of phosphoric and phosphonic acids to etch the GaN and create a stable 'cap' on the surface. We were then able to attach the relevant peptides to the phosphonic acids in the cap." To determine the stability of the peptides, the researchers placed the coated GaN in an aqueous solution and then placed the solution in a "phantom material" that mimics animal tissue. The GaN, solution and phantom material were then exposed to high levels of radiation, beyond what would be expected in a clinical setting. The material was then evaluated to see if there was any degradation of the peptides or of the GaN itself. "The peptides remained on the surface," Berg says. "The aqueous solution caused an oxide layer to form on the surface but there is no indication that this would affect the functionality of the peptides." "Now that we've shown that this approach allows us to create functional, stable peptide coatings on this material, we're moving forward to develop a particle configuration -- which would be injectable," Ivanisevic says. "This will open the door to in vitro testing of the material's sensing capabilities." The paper, "Surface Characterization of Gallium Nitride Modified with Peptides Before and After Exposure to Ionizing Radiation in Solution," was published online Dec. 5 in the journal Langmuir. The paper was co-authored by Dr. Michael Nolan, an assistant professor of radiation biology and oncology at NC State, and Dr. Tania Paskova, a research professor of electrical engineering at NC State. Story Source: The above story is based on materials provided by North Carolina State University. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: Nora G. Berg, Michael W. Nolan, Tania Paskova, Albena Ivanisevic. Surface Characterization of Gallium Nitride Modified with Peptides before and after Exposure to Ionizing Radiation in Solution. Langmuir, 2014; 141217115639005 DOI: 10.1021/la5040245

New distance rehabilitation system developed for patients with heart pathologies

 

December 22, 2014 Asociación RUVID A new distance heart rehabilitation system based on physical exercise routines for people affected by heart pathologies has been developed by researchers. The system is designed for both chronic patients and the recovery of people who have suffered a heart event (for instance, a heart attack) or if they have had heart surgery. In any of these cases, it helps patients to exercise and adopt a healthy lifestyle. HeartCycle GEx has been developed within the European project HeartCycle. This system creates an online connection between the cardiologist in the hospital and the patients in their homes. The latter, equipped with sensorized t-shirts, do the rehabilitation exercises while their mobile telephones receive all the information about their heart and respiration rate, and messages to make more or less effort according to the doctor’s instructions, etc. A team of Spanish researchers of the Universitat Politècnica de València, the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and the company Medtronic have participated in the development of a new distance heart rehabilitation system based on physical exercise routines for people affected by heart pathologies. The system is designed for both chronic patients and the recovery of people who have suffered a heart event (for instance, a heart attack) or if they have had heart surgery. In any of these cases, it helps patients to exercise and adopt a healthy lifestyle. HeartCycle GEx has been developed within the European project HeartCycle. This system creates an online connection between the cardiologist in the hospital and the patients in their homes. The latter, equipped with sensorized t-shirts, do the rehabilitation exercises while their mobile telephones receive all the information about their heart and respiration rate, and messages to make more or less effort according to the doctor's instructions, etc. Its main advantage is its ability to motivate patients; GEx helps patients follow the rehabilitation program in an easier and more entertaining way. To that end, GEx incorporates multimedia content, an avatar, as well as graphic information about the indicators related to the patient's performance (heart rate, effort level, etc). "The Achilles' heel of heart rehabilitation is that patients abandon it in a few weeks, so its effect is watered down. If the user is motivated, the level of compliance will increase and their health will improve. The most important aspect is to improve adherence to the rehabilitation plan and maintain it over time, and this system does just that," explains Álvaro Martínez, researcher at the ITACA Institute of the Universitat Politècnica de València. In addition, GEx will be connected to the hospital information systems in order to guarantee optimum, personalised health care for the patient. The system enables each user's condition to be monitored and the response to the instructed therapy assessed, so personalised plans can be created and any deterioration in health status that requires immediate intervention can be detected. The doctor has a web application in which to program the personalised rehabilitation plan that is sent to the patient -- the prescribed plan is adapted to the patient's physical condition, who performs an effort test -- to design the most suitable prescription possible. "Every time the patient does one of the exercises, the system sends new data, so the doctor can immediately determine whether the patient's effort meets the standard set and make adjustments to the prescription if necessary," adds Álvaro Martínez. This doctor's web application was entirely developed at the ITACA Institute of the Universitat Politècnica de València. "Today, the heart rehabilitation programs in Spain take place in hospitals or specialized centres. HeartCycle GEx is a different and convenient alternative to access to those programs since the patients can follow them anywhere, even at home, maintaining the level of health care that they receive," says Cecilia Vera, researcher at the Life Supporting Technologies Group of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. Validation in hospitals GEx has been validated with 132 patients at three hospitals in Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom and, according to the tests performed, it provides better results than traditional rehabilitation programs, "This improvement is seen in the patient's functional capacity, as well as in weight loss and a reduction in cholesterol levels," says Álvaro Martínez. "HeartCycle GEx is an initial step to the new heart rehabilitation systems of the future, providing personalised solutions, adapted to each patient and accessible from any location," adds Cecilia Vera. The results have been released in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. Story Source: The above story is based on materials provided by Asociación RUVID. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: E. Skobel, A. Martinez-Romero, B. Scheibe, P. Schauerte, N. Marx, J. Luprano, C. Knackstedt. Evaluation of a newly designed shirt-based ECG and breathing sensor for home-based training as part of cardiac rehabilitation for coronary artery disease. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 2013; 21 (11): 1332 DOI: 10.1177/2047487313493227

Clarithromycin-statin mix can cause drug interactions, requiring hospitalization

 

December 22, 2014 Canadian Medical Association Journal The combination of the common antibiotic clarithromycin with some statins increases the risk of adverse events, which may require hospital admission for older people, according to a new study. Statins, used to lower cholesterol, are one of the most widely prescribed drugs, with projections estimated at more than 1 billion people around the globe. Although uncommon, severe adverse events can occur in some patients when certain medications interact with the statin and affect the way it is metabolized. The combination of the common antibiotic clarithromycin with some statins increases the risk of adverse events, which may require hospital admission for older people, according to a new study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Statins, used to lower cholesterol, are one of the most widely prescribed drugs, with projections estimated at more than 1 billion people around the globe. Although uncommon, severe adverse events can occur in some patients when certain medications interact with the statin and affect the way it is metabolized. There are some types of statins, namely rosuvastatin and pravastatin, that are metabolized differently than other types of statins. Traditional thinking is that the metabolism of this group of statins is not affected by some other medications; however, new biological studies suggest this may not be the case. To study this issue further, researchers compared the use of two common antibiotics, clarithromycin and azithromycin, in older adults who were also taking rosuvastatin, pravastatin or fluvastatin to determine if adverse events occurred. They looked at data from the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences on 104,041 statin users aged 66 or over in Ontario, Canada, who also had a prescription for one of the antibiotics (51,523 clarithromycin and 52,518 azithromycin). Co-prescription of clarithromycin and a statin was associated with a modest increase in the number of deaths and hospital admissions for acute kidney injury or high potassium levels. The authors suggest that these adverse events may reflect statin toxicity among older adults. "The population impact of this preventable drug-drug interaction can be considered in the context of the high frequency of clarithromycin and statin co-prescription (rosuvastatin, or Crestor, was the second most commonly dispensed drug in Canada in 2010)," writes Dr. Amit Garg, a nephrologist in the Department of Medicine, Western University, and scientist at the Lawson Health Research Institute and Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences Western, London, Ont. Previous studies have indicated that these types of statins are safer than others to take with clarithromycin. "Our findings indicate that unintended adverse events may still occur, possibly because of [other metabolic pathways]. To prevent toxicity, the use of azithromycin or another antibiotic that does not interact with statins can be considered," conclude the authors. Story Source: The above story is based on materials provided by Canadian Medical Association Journal. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: Amit X. Garg et al. Risk of adverse events among older adults following co-prescription of clarithromycin and statins not metabolized by cytochrome P450 3A4. CMAJ, December 2014 DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.140950

Existing drug, riluzole, may prevent foggy 'old age' brain, research shows

 

Better memory makers: When researchers looked at certain neurons (similar to the one shown on top) in rats treated with riluzole, they found an important change in one brain region, the hippocampus: more clusters of so-called spines, receiving connections that extend from the branches of a neuron (bottom). Forgetfulness, it turns out, is all in the head. Scientists have shown that fading memory and clouding judgment, the type that comes with advancing age, show up as lost and altered connections between neurons in the brain. But new experiments suggest an existing drug, known as riluzole and already on the market as a treatment for ALS, may help prevent these changes. Researchers at The Rockefeller University and The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai found they could stop normal, age-related memory loss in rats by treating them with riluzole. This treatment, they found, prompted changes known to improve connections, and as a result, communication, between certain neurons within the brain's hippocampus. "By examining the neurological changes that occurred after riluzole treatment, we discovered one way in which the brain's ability to reorganize itself -- its neuroplasticity -- can be marshaled to protect it against some of the deterioration that can accompany old age, at least in rodents," says co-senior study author Alfred E. Mirsky Professor Bruce McEwen, head of the Harold and Margaret Milliken Hatch Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology. The research is published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Neurons connect to one another to form circuits connecting certain parts of the brain, and they communicate using a chemical signal known as glutamate. But too much glutamate can cause damage; excess can spill out and excite connecting neurons in the wrong spot. In the case of age-related cognitive decline, this process damages neurons at the points where they connect -- their synapses. In neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, this contributes to the death of neurons. Used to slow the progress of another neurodegenerative condition, ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease), riluzole was an obvious choice as a potential treatment, because it works by helping to control glutamate release and uptake, preventing harmful spillover. The researchers began giving riluzole to rats once they reached 10 months old, the rat equivalent of middle age, when their cognitive decline typically begins. After 17 weeks of treatment, the researchers tested the rats' spatial memory -- the type of memory most readily studied in animals -- and found they performed better than their untreated peers, and almost as well as young rats. For instance, when placed in a maze they had already explored, the treated rats recognized an unfamiliar arm as such and spent more time investigating it. When the researchers looked inside the brains of riluzole-treated rats, they found telling changes to the vulnerable glutamate sensing circuitry within the hippocampus, a brain region implicated in memory and emotion. "We have found that in many cases, aging involves synaptic changes that decrease synaptic strength, the plasticity of synapses, or both," said John Morrison, professor of neuroscience and the Friedman Brain Institute and dean of basic sciences and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Mount Sinai. "The fact that riluzole increased the clustering of only the thin, most plastic spines, suggests that its enhancement of memory results from both an increase in synaptic strength and synaptic plasticity, which might explain its therapeutic effectiveness." In this case, the clusters involved thin spines, a rapidly adaptable type of spine. The riluzole-treated animals had more clustering than the young animals and their untreated peers, who had the least. This discovery led the researchers to speculate that, in general, the aged brain may compensate by increasing clustering. Riluzole appears to enhance this mechanism. "In our study, this phenomenon of clustering proved to be the core underlying mechanism that prevented age-related cognitive decline. By compensating the deleterious changes in glutamate levels with aging and Alzheimer's disease and promoting important neuroplastic changes in the brain, such as clustering of spines, riluzole may prevent cognitive decline," says first author Ana Pereira, an instructor in clinical investigation in McEwen's laboratory. Taking advantage of the overlap of neural circuits vulnerable to age-related cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease, Pereira is currently conducting a clinical trial to test the effectiveness of riluzole for patients with mild Alzheimer's. Story Source: The above story is based on materials provided by Rockefeller University. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: Ana C. Pereira, Hilary K. Lambert, Yael S. Grossman, Dani Dumitriu, Rachel Waldman, Sophia K. Jannetty, Katina Calakos, William G. Janssen, Bruce S. McEwen, John H. Morrison. Glutamatergic regulation prevents hippocampal-dependent age-related cognitive decline through dendritic spine clustering. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2014; 201421285 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1421285111

Smoke signals: New evidence links air pollution to congenital defects

 

The health effects of air pollution are a major concern for urban populations all over the world. Children, the elderly, and people with impaired respiratory systems (such as asthmatics) tend to be especially sensitive to the impact of exposure to ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, and particulate matter. A recent study by Tel Aviv University researchers provides new evidence linking high exposure to air pollution to an increased risk of congenital malformations. The research, published in Environmental Research, was led by Prof. Liat Lerner-Geva of TAU's Sackler Faculty of Medicine and School of Public Health and the Gertner Institute for Epidemiology and Health Policy Research, Dr. Adel Farhi of the Gertner Institute for Epidemiology and Health Policy Research, in collaboration with Prof. Itzhak Benenson of TAU's Department of Geography and Human Environment and Prof. Yinon Rudich of the Weizmann Institute of Science. The nationwide study is the first to assess the association between different modes of conception-assisted reproductive technology (ART) versus spontaneous conception (SC) -- and the risks of exposure to air pollution to each. "Our results suggest that exposure to higher levels of air pollution during pregnancy is associated with various adverse pregnancy outcomes," said Prof. Lerner-Geva. "While our study mainly followed SC infants, we also had the opportunity to assess a small sample of pregnancies that were conceived through ART, and observed a higher impact of air pollution -- particularly with regard to ozone exposure. This is clearly a uniquely susceptible population that should be further explored." Statistics link pollution to defects For the study, funded by the Environmental Health Fund (EHF), the research team analyzed data on 216,730 born in Israel between 1997 and 2004. Air pollution data, including levels of sulfur dioxide (SO2), particulate matter (PM10), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and ozone (O3), were obtained from air monitoring stations for the study period. Using a geographic information system, exposure to air pollution during both the first trimester and the entire pregnancy was assessed for each woman according to her place of residence. The researchers found that exposure to PM10 and NOX pollutants throughout full-term pregnancies were associated with an increased risk of congenital malformations, with specific defects evident in the circulatory system (from PM10 and NOX exposure) and genital organs (from NOX exposure). They also discovered that exposure to SO2 and O3 in ART pregnancies were associated, although not significantly, with a higher risk of congenital defects. "Considering the worldwide decline in fertility, and the increasing number of children born through ART treatments, our findings about their increased risk of congenital malformations are very relevant," said Prof. Lerner-Geva. "It is essential we continue to evaluate this unique population." According to Prof. Lerner-Geva, a national ART registry has been established in Israel to provide important data on all ART cycles. This database will serve as a basis for a future larger study to identify susceptible subpopulations at higher risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Prof. Lerner-Geva is currently engaged in a more detailed assessment of environmental exposure during pregnancy. Story Source: The above story is based on materials provided by American Friends of Tel Aviv University. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: Adel Farhi, Valentina Boyko, Jonatan Almagor, Itzhak Benenson, Enrico Segre, Yinon Rudich, Eli Stern, Liat Lerner-Geva. The possible association between exposure to air pollution and the risk for congenital malformations. Environmental Research, 2014; 135: 173 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2014.08.024