Medicine

Thu 2 Sep 2010 Molecular Imaging Predicts Treatment Success in Many Cancers. A series of studies shows that molecular imaging plays a critical role in the evaluation and treatment planning for a broad spectrum of cancers, including thyroid cancer and lymphoma. According to researchers, molecular imaging allows physicians to identify the severity and extent of disease and, in turn, provide patients with personalized care. In addition, molecular imaging allows doctors to see how effective a treatment is early in the process so that changes can be made to ensure the best treatment for each individual patient. more

  Biology

Wed 18 Aug 2010 Gene Discovery Could Help to Boost Crop Yields. A discovery by scientists at the University of York of a vital feature of a plant's temperature sensing and growth mechanism could help to increase yields from crops. Researchers have found a gene that plays a significant role in the growth rate of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. The study reveals that plants without the SPT gene grow at a faster rate at lower temperatures, but nevertheless have the same tolerance to freezing as plants that have the gene. The research also shows that daytime temperatures have a particular influence on plant growth and that the SPT gene allows plants' to measure temperature in the morning.


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  ICT

Tue 27 Jul 2010 Position-Based Quantum Cryptography: New Method for Securing Location-Sensitive Data. A research group led by computer scientists at the UCLA has proved that cryptography -- the practice and study of hiding information -- that is based solely on physical location is possible by using quantum mechanics. Such a method allows one to encrypt and decrypt data at a secure location without pre-sharing any cryptographic keys that can be used to lock or unlock sensitive information. The idea behind location-based cryptography is that only a recipient at a precise geographic location can receive an encrypted message -- the location itself acts as the credential required for generating an encryption key.more

  Physics

Sun 25 Jul 2010 New Quantum State of Matter Discovered in Heusler Compounds: Applications in Spintronics, Quantum Computing and New Physical Effects. For many years, scientists at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) in Germany have been researching Heusler compounds, which are an important material class for the use in spintronic applications. Over the past few years, new application areas have emerged in the field of renewable energy, such as solar energy and thermoelectrics. And now Heusler compounds are also being considered for future technologies such as quantum computers.