New Nanostructure Technology Provides Advances In Eyeglass, Solar Energy Performance

Chemical engineers at Oregon State University have invented a new technology to deposit "nanostructure films" on various surfaces, which may first find use as coatings for eyeglasses that cost less and work better.

Ultimately, the technique may provide a way to make solar cells more efficiently produce energy.

The films reduce the reflectance of light, and in the case of eyeglasses would capture more light, reduce glare and also reduce exposure to ultraviolet light. Some coatings with these features are already available, but the new technology should perform better at a lower cost, and be able to be applied on-site in a dispenser's office.

"There's really a whole range of things this technology may ultimately be useful for," said Chih-hung Chang, an associate professor in the OSU Department of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering. "They should be able to make almost any type of solar energy system work more efficiently, and ultimately could be used in cameras or other types of lenses."

A patent has been applied for on the new technology, and the first commercial products may be ready within a year, Chang said.

The key to the process is use of a chemical bath, controlled by a microreactor, to place thin-film deposits on various substrates such as glass, plastic, silicon or aluminum. In this case, the technology will create a type of nanostructure that resembles millions of tiny pyramids in a small space, which function to reduce the reflectance of any light that strikes the material.

The scientists are now working on the application of this thin film to polycarbonate, the type of plastic most commonly used in eyeglass production, and also plan to create a small unit that can apply the films inexpensively in an office setting.

The final product should be faster to apply, less costly, reduce waste of materials and perform better than existing technologies, the researchers said.

SOURCE: Oregon State University

http://www.surfacefinishing.com/article.mvc/New-Nanostructure-Technology-Provides-0001?atc~c=771+s=773+r=001+l=a&VNETCOOKIE=NO

Stop-Smoking Vaccine in the Works

MONDAY, Oct. 12 (HealthDay News) -- The National Institute on Drug Abuse has given a $10 million grant to a Maryland company to help it in the final phases of research regarding a possible anti-nicotine vaccine.

Nabi Biopharmaceuticals of Rockville will launch a phase III study of a potential vaccine called NicVAX. The study, which could be the last step of research if the vaccine works, represents the most advanced investigation of a smoking-cessation vaccine.

The vaccine is designed to help people quit smoking and not relapse. According to a statement by institute director Dr. Nora D. Volkow, the vaccine has received "fast track" designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and has survived a successful "proof-of-concept" study.

There's no guarantee that the study will prove that the vaccine works, nor is it clear whether it will get federal approval if it does. But researchers are hopeful.

The vaccine works by making the immune system kick into action when it detects nicotine. The idea is that antibodies will bond to nicotine molecules and prevent them from entering the brain, where they give smokers the high that they crave.

Study results are preliminary so far, but they suggest that smokers who develop high levels of the antibodies in their bodies are most likely to quit for good. Researchers reported few side effects.

They expect that the vaccine will be effective for six to 12 months after it is given.

In the United States, tobacco use is linked to 400,000 deaths a year, according to background information.

Source:http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20091012/hl_hsn/stopsmokingvaccineintheworks

Gene Mutation May Speed Learning

MONDAY, Oct. 12 (HealthDay News) -- People with a specific genetic mutation seem to be "smarter," in the sense of being able to adapt to changing situations and continue to make correct decisions quickly, a new German study suggests.

And people graced with this genotype showed more activity in the prefrontal cortex of the brain, activity that is probably linked to metabolism of the brain chemical dopamine.

"Dopamine is related to reward so perhaps some individuals can make quicker decisions because they have more dopamine in the prefrontal cortex," said Paul Sanberg, a professor of neurosurgery and director of the University of South Florida Center for Aging and Brain Repair in Tampa.

The findings, reported this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, raise the hope of one day helping people with disorders such as Parkinson's disease that involve dopamine irregularities.

"Dopamine is involved heavily in diseases such as Parkinson's and schizophrenia for which we give drugs affiliated with the dopamine system," Sanberg said. "This might give us a better handle on why cognitive impairment occurs associated with Parkinson's and other diseases. It might also give us a clue as to how to increase cognitive ability in individuals that might have cognitive impairment."

For the study, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin asked 26 healthy men and women in their 20s to play a "game" in which they tried to accumulate points by choosing the most profitable among four choices. Monetary payoffs would change based on the participants' behavior, forcing them to adapt to keep up.

By adapting more easily and learning quickly from mistakes, volunteers with a version of the so-called COMT gene known as Val/Val won more points than participants with a version of the gene called Met/Met.

COMT encodes for an enzyme that breaks down dopamine and other neurotransmitters. Drugs known as COMT inhibitors are used to treat Parkinson's and other disorders.

"This is not something that's going to be a cure right now," said Gerald Frye, a neuropharmacology and neurotoxicology professor at the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine. "It's better understanding how the brain works and how a polymorphism [like the ones studied here] could make a difference in who you are as far as how you're brain works."

The dynamics identified by the study are just one part of a larger whole, experts said.

"They're pulling out one part of the brain-mind interface," Frye explained. "Brain programs like this are like players in the orchestra. Each one has a part to play. This may mean that the Val/Val may be a more strident player in the symphony, [but] this is just one player out of the symphony."

Source:http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20091012/hl_hsn/genemutationmayspeedlearning