Daily Archives: March 4, 2016
Fuel from sunlight and the new energy economy
Hydrogen is a clean-burning fuel that is gaining increasing attention as the renewable energy economy continues to evolve. Hydrogen fuel stations appearing in California and the release of a commercial fuel-cell vehicle in mid-2015 by Toyota are
How do mistletoes use water in leafless hosts?
Mistletoes are parasitic plants that penetrate the bark of the hosts’ branches through a modified root, connecting to their host sap (xylem) from which they access all the water and nutrients they need to survive. The mechanism
Harnessing Förster energy transfer
Our fascination with light, matter and their mutual interactions has been the driving force behind the advent of new optical materials, ranging from a variety of organic and inorganic dielectrics to tailored metals, photonic crystals and more
Diagnosis of concussion in children
Children frequently injure their heads during play and sport, which often leads to visits to the Emergency Department (ED) to be checked by a doctor. Concussion is a type of brain injury, which requires an accurate and
How does the antioxidant biliverdin work?
Antioxidants as food supplements are all the rage. Antioxidants include vitamins C and E and the compound family of the flavonoids, the strongly dark-blue or red-colored compounds found in fruits, such as blueberries or blackberries, or in
Alternative determination of blood alcohol concentration
Alcohol consumption is a common and legal practice in most of the countries around the world which leads to numerous fatal traffic accidents, and other incidents like leisure injuries, alcohol poisoning and drug facilitated sexual assault. According
The future of cross-border patient mobility in the EU
Medical tourism has recently grown at an explosive pace driven by American insurances that offer reductions to policy-holders who are willing to be treated in other countries. In Europe, the number of patients that wants to be
Exploitation of bacteria for solar energy harvesting
The amount of solar light hitting the surface of the earth in one hour is enough to meet the energy requirements of the whole earth for one year, the challenge is to design a system to convert
The right tool for the right job – it is brain surgery after all!
Getting drugs into the brain to help treat cancer or neurological diseases like Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s is pretty difficult. Generally speaking you can’t just take a pill or get an injection as the brain is protected by
Radiotherapy for prostate cancer: restrictions for the treatment of recurrent disease
Patients with prostate cancer who are treated with radiotherapy are not always cured. Depending on their pre-treatment risk factors (most importantly the stage of the tumour), they are at risk of recurrent disease. These recurrences often present
