Through use of the new system being devised, the safety and reliability of essential transportation networks should be secured, making it better for those who make use of it. This is an answer to incidences of train wrecks caused by natural disasters such as the case during the tsunami of 2004 in Southeast Asia, when a Sri Lankan train was derailed. 1700 lives might have been saved.

The team, which includes Prof. Lev V. Eppelbaum of Tel Aviv University’s Department of Geophysics and Planetary Sciences, hopes to develop a platform using a connection of emerging technologies. This platform is aimed to be able to fit on any railway, passenger or freight carrier. While mainly created for predicting natural disasters, the platform could also be used against possible terrorist attacks.

Among some of the challenges the team faces in creating this platform is the change of climate, soil type and physical geography along the rail route. But the team continues to work towards the development of this platform. Ultimately, the outcome of the team’s work is expected to be adopted by the world’s railway systems. This becomes especially important in the work towards environmental sustainability as the trains serve as a viable alternative to transportation via car or plane. The significance of the work becomes even more apparent as at present, there is no monitoring system against natural disasters or terrorist attacks on the current railway system.

While travel by railway has been viewed by some as an old-fashioned way to get around, I believe that with the efforts of this consortium of researchers, it can be possible to modernize this mode of transportation. Take for instance the Bullet Train of Japan. By developing public transportation systems and making them more efficient and reliable, it can be possible to increase the popularity of this efficient and affordable mode of travel.

It took the young product designer eight months cooped up in a lab to create BRGP (Bullus Recycled Gum Polymer), a form of rubber that can be molded into anything from toys to a pair of Wellington boots. The Gumdrop Bin is a project that has stemmed from this innovation. Several areas in the UK, including Orpington College in Kent and Legoland in Windsor, as well as the famous Six Flags Theme Park in the US are dotted with these bright pink bubble bins, specifically put up as disposal containers for discarded gum.

The idea behind the campaign is simple. When the gumdrop bins are already filled with chewed up gum, they can be taken out and recycled into new BRGP. Since the gumdrop bin is also made of recycled chewing gum, there is no need for tedious extraction.

In July, 2010, Anna Bullus was selected by Management Today as one of the ‘35 Under 35 to Change the Future’ for her innovation. She now runs her own design company and continues to promote the Gumdrop Bin campaign through www.gumdropbin.com.

More than 3.5 billion pieces of chewing gum are discarded every year, defacing public property and causing varying degrees of annoyance among the people. If this campaign becomes widespread, not only will the streets be less littered with sticky used gum, but we may also be seeing a plausible environment friendly replacement for plastic.

A team of researchers from Tel Aviv University, led by Dr. Dan Peer and Prof. Rimona Margalit, have found a way to eliminate these debilitating side effects. Setting their sights on finding a solution to narrow down the attacking scope of chemotherapy, the team has developed a nano-sized vehicle that can deliver chemotherapy drugs directly into cancer cells while avoiding interaction with healthy cells. With this breakthrough technology, not only will side effects greatly be reduced, but the efficiency of chemotherapeutic treatment will also improve.

Dr. Peer explains that the nano-vehicle is similar to a cluster bomb. Inside the tiny module are tiny particles of chemotherapy drugs. When the vehicle comes into contact with a cancer cell, it automatically releases the drugs into it. Because the attack is contained within the cell, the cytotoxic substances can be more potent without seriously affecting neighboring healthy cells, even if their behavior is similar to that of cancer cells.

This new form of nano-device-assisted chemotherapy can be used to treat numerous types of cancer, including that of the breasts, lungs, colon, and even cancers of the brain or blood. Clinical trials are already underway, with Dr. Peer and Prof. Margalit working with ORUUS Pharma in California. The company recently licensed the “cluster bomb” platform from the Israeli university. With further fine-tuning, the treatment may prove to be one of the best improvements for modern cancer treatment in recent history.

Lipid concentrations in the blood are one of the key risk factors for coronary artery disease. This disease, also known as CAD, is currently the leading cause of death in the world. The goal of the study was to find new biomarkers to serve as indicators of risk to this disease. These findings could serve as a foundation to the development of new drugs. By targeting the key genes involved in metabolizing the lipids, heart disease could possibly be prevented.

The consortium assembled for the study brought in researchers from a variety of institutions, including some from the UK and the US. Among the institutions represented were Stanford University, the University of Cambridge and the University of California in Los Angeles.

In the study, researchers analyzed the genome-wide association results for serum lipids in more than 100,000 individuals of European ancestry. Through this intensive study, the consortium was able to identify 95 regions of the human genome, including regions identified in previous studies and the 59 novel regions involved in lipid metabolism.

Although the study was conducted on subjects with a European ancestry, the consortium demonstrated that some of these genetic locations were shared by non-European populations. This raised the significance of the subject to global relevance.

According to Massimo Mangino of the Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology at King’s College London, they are hopeful that this study will provide a basis for further research into CAD biomarkers and enable new drugs to combat it.

With the number of those suffering from heart disease growing yearly and the expected boom in population aged over 65, I believe that the study conducted by the consortium is a timely one. And perhaps, more research can be put into this to develop more effective drugs against the coronary artery disease.

Although Dr. Eger had drawn his idea from ancient texts, his findings were backed by scientific proof. His Arab neighbors concurred with the health benefits from olive oil. At that time, while the oil had been featured prominently in the diet of Arab Israelis, Jewish Israelis hadn’t picked up on it. And so Dr. Eger had to get the unrefined oil from his neighbors. This oil was low in quality since it was prepared the traditional way. Yet, he consumed it, prescribing himself a spoonful a day until, within six months, it increased to eight spoonfuls a day. Due to this self-made prescription, Dr. Eger found that his arrhythmia, which used to make him black out, had disappeared.

Thirty years ahead into the future, Dr. Eger has invested money in science to create products which would hopefully put Israel’s olive oil on a competitive footing in the world market. Together with Prof. Ishak Neeman of the Technion Institute of Technology in Hafia, Dr. Eger developed the technology for the solidification of oil which was free from water, preservatives and trans fatty acids.

The resulting spreadable olive oil could then be used as a margarine substitute, and could also be used for the creation of various other goods. With his own brand, Dr. Eger Olive Oil Products, he manufactures health products with the oil as the main ingredient.
Despite modern medicine paving the way to finding new cures by matching DNA barcodes and such, it seems to me that traditional remedies still have much to offer. Traditional remedies are usually composed of naturally occurring ingredients, making them more practical than some modern counterparts, especially in developing countries.

Theoretically, the lifespan of a rechargeable battery would be unlimited. The key players in their ability to supply electricity are the lithium ions because they are able to keep and transport electrons from one point of the battery to the other. The lithium ions stored within the battery will never diminish, thanks to the stable positively charged metal oxide cathode that keeps them at bay when there are no floating electrons to be had. However, constant charging can form deposits inside the battery’s electrolytes – the pool which facilitates ion transport. Over time, the battery cell’s capacity diminishes until it becomes too encumbered to deliver current.

Researchers from the US Department of Energy, led by material scientist Daiwan Choi, have found a simple one-step method that may allow rechargeable battery developers to manufacture more efficient, lower priced alternatives to the lithium ion-metal oxide electrode battery.

The suggested materials were highly unconventional, but they work. The scientists mixed the electrode ingredients with melted paraffin wax and oleic acid, more commonly known as soap, to create a framework for the stable and efficient flow of energy between the electrodes. The mixture was heated up to more than 400 degree Celsius (four times the temperature of boiling water), to fortify the electrode structure.

The resulting rechargeable battery performed so admirably, it hit the theoretical maximum for storage power at 168 milliAmp hours per gram, when it was slowly charged and discharged over a period of two days.

The one weakness of rechargeable lithium ion batteries seems to have been remedied. With this, rechargeable batteries may even become more common in a range of new devices that they were thought impractical for before. With their extended lifespan, it would be worth it to invest in such batteries for even simple electronic devices like flashlights and remote control.

In comparison to wind turbines, tidal turbines operate underwater. While both flowing water and wind can be used to generate power, using the tide for energy has its benefits. One is that since the turbines are underwater, they are silent and placed out of sight from residential communities. Also, in places where tidal inlets with significant energy potential are, there are sure to be densely populated areas nearby that can benefit from the energy generated.

Due to the hurdles of technical logistics of deploying the turbines, tidal power only represents a fraction of the renewable energy that can be produced worldwide. So far, most of the tidal turbines currently in operation are experimental prototypes from Europe.

Atlantis’ CEO, Timothy Cornelius remarked that the future is bright for marine power if the project would receive support from all levels of government. He likened the unveiling of the turbine to the start of a new industrial boom, similar to the development of the North Sea oil and natural gas fields.

The AK1000’s turbines were developed to withstand the harshness of the North Atlantic with its robust design. At the same time, though, the turbines were also developed to turn very slowly, so they have zero impact on the surrounding environment.

Already, the prospect of producing clean, reliable power from tidal turbines has been drawing investors in. Because of this, the company faces competition in the race to develop affordable commercial-scale tide power.

This combination of sturdiness and care for the environment present in the AK1000 are what I believe to be the marks of a success in producing green energy. Investors should note that renewable resources will not only reduce consumption of fossil fuels, and reduce carbon emissions, but it has the potential to eliminate much of the collateral environmental damage that we’ve been seeing lately.

From July 22 to 23, the long-standing emergency response organization put up an online survey, garnering 1,058 respondents representative of the US population aged 18 and above. Results reflect the youth’s affinity with social media. Nearly three in four participants were active users of Facebook, Twitter, or other social media networks. Many of the participants also answered that they get their updates on the latest news and current events through the Internet, either by frequenting various websites or through their social media feeds.

69% of all the respondents believed emergency responders should be monitoring social media channels. 74% expect help to come within an hour of a tweet or Facebook post directed to the emergency aid provider.

Social media has played a significant role in mobilizing emergency aid in recent calamities. Only moments after the Haiti earthquake, calls for help and donations were already spreading across various social media channels. When the tropical typhoon Ketsana hit Southeast Asia last year, it was through Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites that updates were propagated. In Social Media in Disasters and Emergencies, one in five social media users have reported to posting eyewitness accounts of emergency events to their respective social media networks.

I’ve heard of people using Google Maps to pinpoint their exact locations to authorities in flooded areas were street signs were no longer distinguishable. Over time, social media has proven to be an effective emergency lifeline. According to American Red Cross president and CEO Gail McGovern, the growing popularity of social media among today’s civilian calls for a shift in disaster response, one that allows for real-time collaboration between the public and skilled emergency response organizations.

Interestingly enough, what served as an impetus behind the idea was an 800-pound sculpture of Benjamin Franklin and the Liberty Bell made entirely out of butter. Each year, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the state’s Farm Show commissions a work of art crafted out of butter. In 2007, organizers asked for suggestions for what to do with the masterpiece once the farm show ended. Dr. Haas submitted the idea of making biofuel out of it, and so he gained a source of raw materials for his research.

This project was done in collaboration with BlackGold Biofuels, a small company in Philadelphia that has developed a process of creating biodiesel fuel out of inedible, low-value fats, oils and grease. Since the rancid butter was a fat, it was possible to put the sculptures through BlackGold’s chemical conversion process to transform it into usable biodiesel fuel.

Usually, this process is reserved for cooking oil but through BlackGold’s flexible chemical conversion process, it was possible to create fuel out of the butter despite it being rancid. At the end, the 800 pounds of butter sculpture became 75 gallons of a mix of biodiesel fuel and a lower-grade bunker fuel.

Despite the success of converting the rancid butter into fuel, both the researchers and BlackGold do not advocate the diversion of the nation’s butter production into creating biofuel. But BlackGold considers the project as a success, as it demonstrates the robust technology and opens the possibility of converting all kinds of low-grade waste into usable fuel.

In fact, in California, a biodiesel plant that makes use of BlackGold technology has been put up to handle pan scrapings and brown grease from restaurants and turn them into fuel. This goes to show how little goes a long way when it comes to innovation. With more avenues with which to turn waste products into usable resources, we learn to introduce less waste into the environment and reduce our ecological footprint.

To bring about this innovative device, Prof. Sobel and his team found a close link between the skill of sniffing and the braincase. Specifically, it is because sniffing is a motor skill controlled in part by the soft palate, which moves to direct air in or out through the nose or mouth. The soft palate then is controlled by several nerves that connect it straight through the braincase. The team’s theory then was that this motor skill might still be preserved even in the most acute cases of paralysis.

Their further findings also showed a link between a number of brain areas and soft palate control. This included a significant overlap between soft palate control and the language areas of the brain, which hinted to the use of sniffing to communicate.

In initial tests, both with healthy volunteers and the severely disabled, the device worked favorably. One of the most stirring results came from a test with patients with unimpaired cognitive functions but were completely paralyzed, thus ‘locked into’ their bodies. In the test, these patients found themselves able to communicate with the world and with their family, sharing thoughts and feelings after a long time of not being able to do so.

So far, this device that the disabled has found to be simple to learn has also been found relatively inexpensive to produce. Currently, Yeda Research and Development Company, the Weizmann’s technology transfer arm, is exploring the possibility of commercializing the device.

This amazing discovery is a breakthrough that can’t be ignored. As some have found that this device is more accurate than one controlled by blinking, I feel that researchers, scientists and technology developers are on their way to creating better methods for the severely disabled to reconnect with the world. It would allow great minds to flourish despite of acute paralysis.