Diffusion in Biological News

Prenatal meth exposure linked to abnormal brain development

... children of the same ages. The MRI scans used diffusion tensor imaging to help measure the diffusion of molecules in a child's brain, which can ... meth exposure had up to four percent lower diffusion of molecules in the white matter of their brains. ...

Abnormal brain circuits may prevent movement disorder

... the study published in the Journal of Neuroscience , said that they used diffusion tensor imaging a type of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that measures ... The puzzle was why. In the latest study, the new advances in diffusion imaging allowed them to see something for the first time. They saw that ...

'Microfluidic palette' may paint clearer picture of biological processes

... mix fluids more actively, by pumps and the circulation of currents. diffusion gradients allow cells being studied to remain in the microchamber without the chance of their being swept away. diffusion also permits chemical molecules to move in and out of the cells naturally ...

International prize for Nottingham spine research

... paper, entitled What influence does sustained mechanical load have on diffusion of small solutes in the human intervertebral discs, was recognised when ... They found that the molecule moved across the discs in two ways; by diffusion or by being swept through the disc as water moved in and out of it. As ...

Strange travels

... of contaminant traps. The second paper is devoted to the analysis of diffusion in heterogeneous media with sharply contrasting properties; the authors ... the medium. In the fourth paper, the authors develop a model of anomalous diffusion to simulate solute transport in highly heterogeneous media, and the new ...

Researcher helping to pioneer medical therapy for Fragile X Syndrome presents latest findings

... risk for FXTAS using a state-of-the-art imaging technique called diffusion tensor imaging. Schedule of scientific and family friendly sessions led ... presentations: FXTAS (Fragile X-Associated Tremor/Ataxia Syndrome) diffusion Tensor Imaging in Male FMR1 Premutation Carriers With and Without FXTAS, ...

UCLA researchers solve decade-old mystery

... essential for the extraction of hydrogen from the material which involves diffusion of aluminum ions within the bulk of the hydride. By comparing the ... to the experimentally determined values, Ozolins group found that aluminum diffusion is the key rate limiting process in materials catalyzed with titanium. ...

American Chemical Society's Weekly PressPac -- Sept. 19, 2007

... onto large surfaces. But current nanoprinting technology relies on the diffusion of ink, and cannot reproduce details smaller than one hundred nanometers ... behind an imprint almost like an old-fashioned rubber stamp. Because no diffusion of ink is involved in the process, the resolution of microcontact printed ...

Brain difference in psychopaths identified

... the uncinate fasciculus (UF). However, nobody had ever studied the UF in psychopaths. The team from King's used an imaging method called in vivo diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DT-MRI) tractography to analyse the UF in psychopaths. They found a significant reduction in the integrity of ...

Spontaneous assembly

... not actively distributed or attached to specific locations in cells, as had been hypothesized. "Instead," said Liphardt, "random lateral protein diffusion and proteinprotein interactions are probably sufficient to generate the observed complex, ordered patterns. This simple stochastic self-assembly ...

UT nanomedicine project to be tested in space

... that near weightlessness has been achieved, the experiment will activate itself and begin a series of tests designed to learn more about the diffusion of micro nanoparticles through tiny microchannels measured in millionths of a meter, said Alessandro Grattoni, experiment project manager and senior ...

When every photon counts

... They need lots of rods to detect the little available light - but that makes their retinas thicker, so that more light is lost by scatter and diffusion before it reaches the photoreceptor outer segments", explains Leo Peichl at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research. Evolution solved the ...

First tri-continuous mesoporous Silica complex structure developed in Singapore

... systems along with a unique nano-fiber morphology," said Jackie Y. Ying, Ph.D., who led this research. "Such a mesostructure makes distinct diffusion rates in different directions possible. This property would be very attractive for gas separation and drug delivery systems" added Dr. Ying, ...

Cellular discovery may lead to targeted treatment for rare form of anemia

... cellular damage, therefore protecting the body from overgrowth of defective cells. Previous research has attributed p53 activation to the passive diffusion of ribosomal protein L11 from the nucleolus, the part of the nucleus where ribosomes are produced to the nucleoplasm. The UC research, however, ...

New light shed on marine luminescence

... impulses, and in which light can be modulated with the help of reflectors, lenses and filters. By these means, organisms can adjust the wavelength, diffusion and intensity of light according to need. But the exact mechanisms behind these processes remain shrouded in mystery. Jenny Krnstrm, a researcher ...

Hope for a rabies eradication strategy in Africa

... Our findings show that this is extremely unlikely as there is strong geographical clustering of the dog rabies subspecies and the time-scale for diffusion of the virus is measured in decades. Similarly, people transporting dogs, some of them eventually becoming infectious or in incubation, over this ...

Root system architecture arises from coupling cell shape to auxin transport

... the root is key in provoking new growth. They used computational modeling of the transport of a well-known plant hormone, auxin, and by following the diffusion of this hormone they reveal that its accumulation leads to the specification of new growth regions in the root structure. In particular, the ...

13 UCR faculty members recognized by American Association for the Advancement of Science

... arthropod management programs." Cynthia K. Larive, a professor of chemistry and a UCR alumna: "For significant contributions in applying NMR diffusion measurements to characterize complex mixtures, polydisperse samples, and ligand-protein interactions." Carol J. Lovatt, a professor of plant ...

Root system architecture arises from coupling cell shape to auxin transport

... the root is key in provoking new growth. They used computational modeling of the transport of a well-known plant hormone, auxin, and by following the diffusion of this hormone they reveal that its accumulation leads to the specification of new growth regions in the root structure. In particular, the ...

Ocean acidification from CO2 emissions will cause physiological impairment to jumbo squid

... CO 2 levels may prevent this. The band of habitable depths during the night may become too narrow." Carbon dioxide enters the ocean via passive diffusion from the atmosphere in a process called ocean acidification. This phenomenon has received considerable attention in recent years for its effects on ...

Expert recommends town councils to design low-allergy impact green spaces

... temperatures between 20-25C in spring and 50-60% humidity facilitate the emission of pollen. This, together with a moderate wind speed, makes diffusion even stronger". In addition, "town councils use too many examples for the ornamentation of parks and gardens, and they do not observe the minimum ...

CO2 increase in the atmosphere augments tolerance of barley to salinity

... of CO 2 have a positive influence on the photosynthesis of the plant because, despite the fact that the plant keeps its stomas shut, the diffusion of CO 2 between the exterior and the interior of the leaf is greater. Finally, Dr. Prez-Lpez determined the oxidative stress level of the barley ...

Beijing game for clean air challenge

... of cars in Beijing has increased sharply at a rate of 10-20% a year - and weather conditions, particularly dry air and lack of rain which hinder the diffusion and deposition of pollutants. A series of measures such as reducing vehicle emissions, encouraging the use of public transport, eliminating ...

Sierra Nevada rose to current height earlier than thought, say Stanford geologists

... has been deposited on the surface of the Earth, rainwater, runoff and near-surface groundwater are all available to interact with it. Mulch said the diffusion process continues until the glass is effectively saturated with water. Other researchers have shown that once such volcanic glass is fully ...

Yerkes researchers identify language feature unique to human brain

... have identified a language feature unique to the human brain that is shedding light on how human language evolved. The study marks the first use of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), a non-invasive imaging technique, to compare human brain structures to those of chimpanzees, our closest living relative. The ...

Nuclear cannibals

... highest-concentration ores and switch to fuel enrichment based on gas centrifuge technology, which is much more energy-efficient than current gaseous diffusion methods. Nuclear plants might be used as combined heat and power systems so the "waste" heat is used, rather than allowing them to vent huge ...

March GEOLOGY and GSA TODAY media highlights

... cooling, and bring the climate proxy records into line with the climate model predictions. Earths copper resources estimated from tectonic diffusion of porphyry copper deposits Stephen Kesler, Department of Geology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA; Bruce Wilkinson, ...

MIT sculpts 3-D particles with light

... that would both provide structural support for growing cells and release growth factors and other nutrients. The particles can be designed so diffusion occurs in a particular direction, allowing researchers to control the direction of nutrient flow. ...

American Chemical Society's Weekly PressPac -- Nov. 7, 2007

... Mark Saltzman and colleagues showed that linking the anticancer drug campothecin (CPT) to the polymer polyethylene glycol (PEG), increased drug diffusion to more than a centimeter from the implant site. They also identified a promising CPT-PET compound that could deliver 11 times more medication to the ...

Scientists uncover how hormones achieve their effects

... of Michael Knop and Philippe Bastiaens at EMBL labelled members of the MAP kinase signalling chain with fluorescent molecules and observed their diffusion and interaction in living yeast cells stimulated with pheromones using a novel microscopic approach that does not disturb the natural state of the ...

Pig study sheds new light on the colonisation of Europe by early farmers

... the establishment of farming in Europe. Durham Universitys Dr Keith Dobney explained: Many archaeologists believe that farming spread through the diffusion of ideas and cultural exchange, not with the direct migration of people. However, the discovery and analysis of ancient Middle Eastern pig remains ...

Study defines effective microbicide design for HIV/AIDS prevention

... a topical microbicide. The model describes the diffusion of the virus and active ingredients into the ... form -- especially its ability to restrict viral diffusion and remain in place -- in microbicide ... conducting studies to experimentally measure the diffusion of viral particles through various delivery ...

New imaging method gives early indication if brain cancer therapy is effective, U-M study shows

... the assessment, which they call a functional diffusion map. They used a magnetic resonance imaging scan ... water through the brain and mapped the changes in diffusion from the start of therapy to three weeks later. ... the flow of water, so as those cells die, water diffusion changes. In the study of 20 people with ...

Dual-imaging technique useful before -- and during -- brain surgery

... meeting, June 9–13 in Chicago. To combine both functional MRI and diffusion tensor tractography images in the operating room, Leach and his colleagues ... data to identify brain areas linked to speech, movement and vision, and diffusion tensor imaging data to map critical “white-matter tracts”—the electrical ...

New tool tracks brain development in babies

... through tissue. Ischemia results in tissue changes that are visible with diffusion tensor imaging at least two to three hours before they can be seen on ... a 3-D visualization of the brain's white matter tracts based on the diffusion tensor images. The procedure was repeated after three months to monitor ...

Motor transport in bio-nano systems

... regular patterns of filaments have been shown to lead to enhanced motor diffusion along the substrate surface. All of these results have been obtained from ... way before they are actually constructed in the lab. The enhanced diffusion of motors at regular patterns of filaments provides an instructive ...

Soft-cell approach cuts animal tests

... directly exposes human cells to airborne toxicants and measures cytotoxic effects. The cells are grown on a porous polyester membrane inside a small diffusion chamber and then exposed to selected toxic air pollutants. After as little as one hour's exposure, they can study cell growth and metabolism, and a ...

New fMRI technology making brain tumor surgery safer

... may make brain stimulation unnecessary for many surgeries in the future. The new BrainLAB equipment also enables physicians to integrate diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), which provides a map of critical white-matter tracts in the brain. “White-matter tracts,?said Dr. Leach, “are like the ...

Life in the extreme

... Cold seeps are deep-sea environments, usually a few square meters in size, where fluid is released through slow diffusion from the sea floor. Mud volcanoes which are active areas of fluid seepage, are other extreme environments discovered in the 1990s. These harsh ...