ScienceDaily (Oct. 3, 2012) ? Engineers at The University of Texas at Dallas have used advanced techniques to make the material graphene small enough to read DNA.
Shrinking the size of a graphene pore to less than one nanometer -- small enough to thread a DNA strand -- opens the possibility of using graphene as a low-cost tool to sequence DNA.
"Sequencing DNA at a very cheap cost would enable scientists and doctors to better predict and diagnose disease, and also tailor a drug to an individual's genetic code," said Dr. Moon Kim, professor of materials science and engineering. He was senior author of an article depicted on the cover of the September print edition of Carbon.
The first reading, or sequencing, of human DNA by the international scientific research group known as the Human Genome Project cost about $2.7 billion. Engineers have been researching alternative nanomaterials materials that can thread DNA strands to reduce the cost to less than $1,000 per person.
Dr. Moon Kim, professor of materials science and engineering, was the senior author of the article.
It was demonstrated in 2004 that graphite could be changed into a sheet of bonded carbon atoms called graphene, which is believed to be the strongest material ever measured. Because graphene is thin and strong, researchers have searched for ways to control its pore size. They have not had much success. A nanoscale sensor made of graphene could be integrated with existing silicon-based electronics that are very advanced and yet cheap, to reduce costs.
In this study, Kim and his team manipulated the size of the nanopore by using an electron beam from an advanced electron microscope and in-situ heating up to 1200 degree Celsius temperature.
"This is the first time that the size of the graphene nanopore has been controlled, especially shrinking it," said Kim. "We used high temperature heating and electron beam simultaneously, one technique without the other doesn't work."
Now that researchers know the pore size can be controlled, the next step in their research will be to build a prototype device.
"If we could sequence DNA cheaply, the possibilities for disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment would be limitless," Kim said. "Controlling graphene puts us one step closer to making this happen."
Other UT Dallas researchers from the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science involved in this project are Dr. Ning Lu, research scientist in materials science and engineering; Dr. Jinguo Wang, associate EM Facility Director; and Dr. Herman Carlo Floresca, postdoctoral research fellow in materials science and engineering.
The study was funded by the Southwest Academy of Nanoelectronics, Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the World Class University Program.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Texas at Dallas.
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Journal Reference:
Ning Lu, Jinguo Wang, Herman C. Floresca, Moon J. Kim. In situ studies on the shrinkage and expansion of graphene nanopores under electron beam irradiation at temperatures in the range of 400?1200?C. Carbon, 2012; 50 (8): 2961 DOI: 10.1016/j.carbon.2012.02.078
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney hinted he could eliminate billions of dollars in U.S. oil and tax breaks if he were elected, but the reductions would be far less than what President Barack Obama wants.
Romney signaled in the first presidential debate in Denver on Wednesday that annual reductions of some $2.8 billion in tax breaks for oil and natural gas companies could be eventually traded for a lower corporate tax rate if he won on November 6.
"If we get that tax rate from 35 percent down to 25 percent, why that $2.8 billion is on the table," Romney said at the debate in Colorado, a state that produces both fossil fuels and clean energy like solar and wind power. "Of course it's on the table. That's probably not going to survive if you get that tax rate down to 25 percent."
Obama's tax plan overhaul calls for a more moderate reduction in the corporate tax rate of 28 percent. But he has long pushed for steeper reductions in oil and gas breaks of $4 billion annually.
Both candidates' plans to trim oil and gas tax breaks would face uphill battles in Congress because the industry has gotten the breaks for decades.
But Kevin Book, an analyst at ClearView Energy Partners in Washington, said he sees a potential opening for cutting some of the breaks because conservative leaders in the House of Representatives represent energy consumers rather than energy producers. The opposite was true during the administration of George W. Bush.
Romney also used the tax debate to slam Obama's 2009 green energy stimulus. "In one year you provided $90 billion in tax breaks to the green energy world," the Republican said, bringing out a line he has used on the campaign trail since August. "Now I like green energy as well, but that's about 50 years' worth of what oil and gas receives."
Americans for Prosperity, a non-profit advocacy group backed by the conservative Koch brothers, said Obama has wasted $90 billion on green energy "schemes" like Solyndra, a solar panel maker that went bankrupt after it got more that $500 million in government loans.
The $90 billion number is exaggerated, Book said, because some of the funding went to projects that were initiated during the Bush era and because some of it has yet to be distributed.
Obama did not respond to Romney's description of the size of the clean energy stimulus.
(Additional reporting by Alina Selyukh; Editing by Eric Walsh)
The 37-year-old actress and her husband, Will Kopelman, welcomed a baby girl named Olive Barrymore Kopelman on Sept. 26.
A statement from Chris Miller at Barrymore's production company, Flower Films, said the baby was born "happy, healthy and welcomed by the whole family." The statement didn't provide specifics on the birth.
Barrymore wed Kopelman, an art consultant, in June. He's the son of former Chanel CEO Arie Kopelman.
She is the granddaughter of screen legend John Barrymore.
Half of all adult Americans now own either a tablet computer or a smartphone, and one-third use their mobile devices to view news stories and video clips at least once a week.
That's according to a survey by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism, which polled more than 9,500 adults from late June to early August.
The findings have "major implications for how news will be consumed and paid for," says Pew. About 20 percent of the mobile news users surveyed said they paid for an online subscription in the last year.
But mobile viewing doesn't necessarily mean that people are cutting back on viewing news on PCs or in newspapers. About half of the tablet news users that Pew surveyed say their tablets spur them to spend more time consuming news, and about one-third say they get news from new sources they didn't use before. Nearly one-third of the mobile users also have print-only subscriptions, and most have no plans to give them up.
Devices based on Google's Android platform are gaining momentum. Pew found that just over half of tablet owners reported owning Apple's iPad, compared with 81 percent a year ago. Forty-eight percent now own an Android-based device, including Amazon.com's Kindle Fire.
Copyright 2012?-?The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Low birth weight may increase risk for cardiovascular disease, kidney disease and diabetesPublic release date: 1-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Cody Mooneyhan cmooneyhan@faseb.org 301-634-7104 Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
New research in The FASEB Journal suggests that poor high blood pressure management during pregnancy may have negative long-term health consequences for offspring
Bethesda, MD Being underweight at birth may have consequences above and beyond the known short-term effects says a research report published in the October 2012 issue of The FASEB Journal. The report shows that rats with a low birth weight have an increased long-term risk for developing cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, and diabetes. What's more, older females are at higher risk of developing high blood pressure before and during pregnancy, which in turn, may restrict growth in the womb, putting offspring at risk for being born at a low birth weight.
"Ensuring adequate growth of the baby in the womb will help to minimize the risk of cardiovascular diseases for babies when they become adults," said Mary E. Wlodek, Ph.D., a researcher involved in the work from the Department of Physiology at the University of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. "Greater considerations regarding the effects of delayed child-bearing may also help to provide an optimal start to life."
To make this discovery, Wlodek and colleagues used female rats that were born small and compared them to rats of normal birth weight. These rats were aged to 12 months (middle to old age in rats) at which time they become pregnant. A number of measurements regarding health were performed on these female rats before and during pregnancy including blood pressure, kidney function and tests for diabetes. Researchers also compared these pregnant rats to a group of younger (4 month-old) pregnant rats to determine whether older rats have more difficult pregnancies that impact on the growth and development of their babies. Results showed that regardless of the mothers own birth weight, older mothers demonstrated a reduced ability to become pregnant. When they did become pregnant, they had altered blood sugar levels, poor pregnancy success and carried babies that were smaller or lighter in weight.
"This report offers more evidence that there's a Goldilocks zone for optimal human weight starting at birth," said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal. "If you're too big, there are numerous studies suggesting an increased risk for long-term health problems. Now, we're seeing that if you're born too small, long-term health risks may also exist as well."
###
Receive monthly highlights from The FASEB Journal by e-mail. Sign up at http://www.faseb.org/fjupdate.aspx. The FASEB Journal is published by the Federation of the American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB). It is among the most cited biology journals worldwide according to the Institute for Scientific Information and has been recognized by the Special Libraries Association as one of the top 100 most influential biomedical journals of the past century. FASEB is composed of 26 societies with more than 100,000 members, making it the largest coalition of biomedical research associations in the United States. Celebrating 100 Years of Advancing the Life Sciences in 2012, FASEB is rededicating its efforts to advance health and well-being by promoting progress and education in biological and biomedical sciences through service to our member societies and collaborative advocacy.
Details: Linda A. Gallo, Melanie Tran, Karen M. Moritz, Andrew J. Jefferies, and Mary E. Wlodek. Pregnancy in aged rats that were born small: cardiorenal and metabolic adaptations and second-generation fetal growth. FASEB J October 2012, 26:4337-4347; doi:10.1096/fj.12-210401 ; http://www.fasebj.org/content/26/10/4337.abstract
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Low birth weight may increase risk for cardiovascular disease, kidney disease and diabetesPublic release date: 1-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Cody Mooneyhan cmooneyhan@faseb.org 301-634-7104 Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
New research in The FASEB Journal suggests that poor high blood pressure management during pregnancy may have negative long-term health consequences for offspring
Bethesda, MD Being underweight at birth may have consequences above and beyond the known short-term effects says a research report published in the October 2012 issue of The FASEB Journal. The report shows that rats with a low birth weight have an increased long-term risk for developing cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, and diabetes. What's more, older females are at higher risk of developing high blood pressure before and during pregnancy, which in turn, may restrict growth in the womb, putting offspring at risk for being born at a low birth weight.
"Ensuring adequate growth of the baby in the womb will help to minimize the risk of cardiovascular diseases for babies when they become adults," said Mary E. Wlodek, Ph.D., a researcher involved in the work from the Department of Physiology at the University of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. "Greater considerations regarding the effects of delayed child-bearing may also help to provide an optimal start to life."
To make this discovery, Wlodek and colleagues used female rats that were born small and compared them to rats of normal birth weight. These rats were aged to 12 months (middle to old age in rats) at which time they become pregnant. A number of measurements regarding health were performed on these female rats before and during pregnancy including blood pressure, kidney function and tests for diabetes. Researchers also compared these pregnant rats to a group of younger (4 month-old) pregnant rats to determine whether older rats have more difficult pregnancies that impact on the growth and development of their babies. Results showed that regardless of the mothers own birth weight, older mothers demonstrated a reduced ability to become pregnant. When they did become pregnant, they had altered blood sugar levels, poor pregnancy success and carried babies that were smaller or lighter in weight.
"This report offers more evidence that there's a Goldilocks zone for optimal human weight starting at birth," said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal. "If you're too big, there are numerous studies suggesting an increased risk for long-term health problems. Now, we're seeing that if you're born too small, long-term health risks may also exist as well."
###
Receive monthly highlights from The FASEB Journal by e-mail. Sign up at http://www.faseb.org/fjupdate.aspx. The FASEB Journal is published by the Federation of the American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB). It is among the most cited biology journals worldwide according to the Institute for Scientific Information and has been recognized by the Special Libraries Association as one of the top 100 most influential biomedical journals of the past century. FASEB is composed of 26 societies with more than 100,000 members, making it the largest coalition of biomedical research associations in the United States. Celebrating 100 Years of Advancing the Life Sciences in 2012, FASEB is rededicating its efforts to advance health and well-being by promoting progress and education in biological and biomedical sciences through service to our member societies and collaborative advocacy.
Details: Linda A. Gallo, Melanie Tran, Karen M. Moritz, Andrew J. Jefferies, and Mary E. Wlodek. Pregnancy in aged rats that were born small: cardiorenal and metabolic adaptations and second-generation fetal growth. FASEB J October 2012, 26:4337-4347; doi:10.1096/fj.12-210401 ; http://www.fasebj.org/content/26/10/4337.abstract
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
BOSTON (AP) -- Gov. Deval Patrick wants Massachusetts men to know that they also can get breast cancer.
Men rarely get breast cancer, but those who do often don't survive as long as women, mainly because they don't even realize they can get it and are slow to recognize the warning signs.
A recent study found that men's breast tumors were larger at diagnosis, more advanced and more likely to have spread to other parts of the body.
Many men have no idea that they can get breast cancer, and some doctors are in the dark, too, dismissing symptoms that would be an automatic red flag in women.
Patrick is hoping to change that in Massachusetts beginning Monday, when he signs a bill designating the third week of October as Male Breast Cancer Awareness Week.
As the young United States expanded, inventions became one of the cornerstones of progress. Inventors could come from any class of people, including many who worked long and hard in the dominant industry of 1862, agriculture
By Daniel C. Schlenoff
From our comfortable viewpoint in 2012, the United States of 1862 sounds wretchedly backward: Most of the population lived and labored in rural areas. Water and sewer services were almost nonexistent. Small children worked in coal mines. Life expectancy was a miserable 44 years (34 years for slaves). Civil War dominated the news.
Yet three-quarters of the population could read (for instance, such fine publications as Scientific American). Service and manufacturing businesses were growing rapidly. Thousands of miles of railways and telegraph wires crisscrossed the country, moving people, goods, news and ideas. The ideals of learning and progress were enshrined in the U.S. Constitution: ?to promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts.?
Inventions were a cornerstone of Progress. Any device that could save labor or improve some process or product could bring fortune and even fame to the successful inventor. Agriculture had its share of hopeful farmer/inventors, as the following slide show of agricultural improvements from 1862 attests.
? View the Agricultural Inventions from 1862 Slide Show
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Public release date: 1-Oct-2012
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