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Molycorp, Ames Lab to Partner on Rare Earth Magnets

(U.S. Geological Service)

Molycorp Inc. in Greenwood Village, Colorado and Ames National Laboratory have signed a research and development agreement to devise new methods to create commercial-grade rare-earth permanent magnets. Ames Lab in Ames, Iowa is a division of the U.S. Department of Energy.

Rare-earth elements are key components in modern electronic technologies, . . . → Read More: Molycorp, Ames Lab to Partner on Rare Earth Magnets

Grants to Fund Research on High Altitude Sickness

(Army.mil)

The Department of Defense has awarded two grants to the Altitude Research Center at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver to develop new ways to combat high altitude sickness. The grants, totaling $4 million, are aimed at finding ways to overcome Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) that often strikes service . . . → Read More: Grants to Fund Research on High Altitude Sickness

iPhone App Helps Doctors Deal with Cardiac Emergencies

Daniel Low (Wiley-Blackwell)

A study of an iPhone application giving emergency medical instructions suggests that the app helps doctors perform better in a simulated cardiac arrest case. The results of the study appear online in the journal Anaesthesia.

The iResus app was developed by the U.K.’s Resuscitation Council and offers guidelines on medical . . . → Read More: iPhone App Helps Doctors Deal with Cardiac Emergencies

Prof. Develops Open-Space Laser Transmission Technology

Ranier Martini (Stevens Institute of Technology)

An emerging technology for transmitting data with lasers through open space is being developed at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey. The technology that aims to exceed the communications capabilities of fiber-optic transmission without the fiber is being studied by physics and engineering professor Rainer . . . → Read More: Prof. Develops Open-Space Laser Transmission Technology

U.K. Grant Funds Composite Materials Research

(National Renewable Energy Lab)

A research team from two universities in the U.K. have been awarded a grant to develop a new generation of high performance, fiber-reinforced polymer composites to overcome failures that can happen with little warning. The £6 million ($US 9.6 million) six-year grant by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research . . . → Read More: U.K. Grant Funds Composite Materials Research

FDA Approves Melanoma Immunotherapy Drug

(NOAA)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Yervoy — ipilimumab — to treat patients with late-stage metastatic melanoma, a dangerous type of skin cancer. Yervoy is marketed by Bristol-Myers Squibb, in Princeton, New Jersey.

Melanoma is the leading cause of death from skin disease. An estimated 68,130 new cases of melanoma . . . → Read More: FDA Approves Melanoma Immunotherapy Drug

Electrolyte Nanocrystals Increase Efficiency of Fuel Cells

(National Renewable Energy Laboratory)

Researchers at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in the Netherlands found that adding small crystals to solid electrolyte material can raise the efficiency of fuel cells. The TU Delft team published its findings, the second recent article on this subject, in the journal Advanced Functional Materials (paid subscription . . . → Read More: Electrolyte Nanocrystals Increase Efficiency of Fuel Cells

Light posting today

I will be traveling to New York on Friday, 25 March, to hear what fellow science journalist Angela Saini has to say about her new book Geek Nation, at a meeting of the South Asian Journalists Association. Regular posting will resume on Monday.

* * *

University Spinoff Company Commercializes Robotic Modules

iMobot module (Barobo Inc.)

A University of California at Davis engineering professor and former student have developed robot modules for teaching and research, and formed a company to take their invention to market. Davis professor Harry Cheng and former grad student Graham Ryland developed the iMobot, as their invention is called, while Ryland . . . → Read More: University Spinoff Company Commercializes Robotic Modules

European Patent Office to Translate Patents with Google Tech

The European Patent Office (EPO), headquarted in Munich, Germany and Google signed an agreement to collaborate on machine translation of patents into 32 European and Asian languages. The signing follows a November agreement between EPO and Google to pursue the deal.

EPO will use Google’s technology to offer translation of patents on its Web site . . . → Read More: European Patent Office to Translate Patents with Google Tech