University researchers tackle the end of the world

Will the human species survive the 21st century? What are the biggest threats to global civilization and human well-being? Are we addressing the right risks? These questions will be examined at a unique conference hosted by Oxford University’s Future of Humanity Institute, part of the Philosophy Faculty, from 17 to 20 July 2008.

www.ox.ac.uk/media


(1)The Oxford Invention

The Oxford Invention is a design protocol for inserting filled molecules of Buckminsterfullerene ("Buckyballs") into carbon, and other types of, nanotube. The Buckyballs are themselves filled with molecules that have either an electronic or structural property which can be used to represent the quantum bit (Qubit) of information, and which can be associated with other adjacent Qubits. The improved stability of the system now allows several thousand operations to be executed before quantum interference occurs ("decoherence").


(2)THE OXFORD INVENTION
A multiwalled carbon-nanotube (MWCNT)-based ammonia sensing method has been developed by scientists at Oxford University. Figure A shows how intercalation can lead to exfoliation of graphite, whilst Figure B shows the how intercalation does not occur with bamboo MWCNTs; hence electron transfer occurs at edge plane sites. X-Ray diffraction measurements (Figure C) over time further show that the bamboo MWCNT structure is not affected by intercalation. Experimental results show that MWCNTs provide excellent quantitative voltammetric response to the oxidation of NH3 allowing useful electrochemical measurements to be made.


(3)THE OXFORD INVENTION

Oxford researchers hypothesised that the activity of a particular protein previously thought to be unrelated to cancer may play a direct role in the regulation of tumour cell proliferation and progression. Subsequent investigation of levels of expression of the protein in human tumour samples using immunohistochemical staining confirmed that, compared with normal tissues, the protein is expressed excessively in tissues from patients with lung, breast, head and neck cancers as well as lymphomas.

http://www.isis-innovation.com/licensing







CARBON NANOTUBE BASED AMMONIA SENSOR - Isis Project No 2861

Introduction

Isis Innovation, the technology transfer company of the University of Oxford, releases a new method for sensing ammonia aimed at industrial applications.
Marketing Opportunity

Ammonia (NH3) is a noxious and toxic gas. Determination of NH3 concentration is important in monitoring industrial processes and also in the water industry for ensuring that effluent meets regulations. Semi-conductor based sensors are widely used, but are known to become less effective over time. Electrochemical sensors have also been used, however such systems have experienced premature failure from analyte or solvent intercalation of the graphite-based electrodes. Clearly a more robust electrochemical sensor, capable of accurate measurement of NH3 concentration in industrial environments, would be highly desirable.

http://www.isis-innovation.com/licensing/2861.html







....Scientists have many tools for studying the size, shape, and surface properties of particulates outside of the physiological environment; however, it is difficult to measure many of these same properties in situ without perturbing the environment, leading to spurious findings. Characterizing nanoparticle systems in situ can be further complicated by an organism's active clearance, defense, and/or immune responses. As toxicologists begin to examine nanomaterials in a systematic fashion, there is consensus that a series of guidelines or recommended practices is necessary for basic characterization of nanomaterials. These recommended practices should be developed jointly by physical scientists skilled in nano characterization and biological scientists experienced in toxicology research.

Power et al, Research Strategies for Safety Evaluation of Nanomaterials, Oxford Journals; Toxicological Sciences 2006 90(2):296-303; doi:10.1093/toxsci/kfj099






How often people had conversations with others of differing political viewpoints.

One logical conjecture would be to expect this form of political behavior to be much like any other. In other words, it would be disproportionately the province of well-educated, high-income populations. Indeed, the frequency of general political discussion tracks closely with these characteristics of high socioeconomic status. But the correlates of cross-cutting conversation are strikingly different. there are clear patterns of difference with respect to race, income, and education, but they are not in the usual directions. Nonwhites are significantly more likely to engage in cross-cutting political conversation than whites. And as income increases, the frequency of disagreeable conversations declines. Exposure to disagreement is highest among those who have completed less than a high school degree and lowest among those who have attended graduate school.

http://www.fhi.ox.ac.uk/index.html





Acetylcholine to enhance attention

According to research published in this week's issue of Nature, a nervous system chemical called acetylcholine is vital for our brain cells to pay attention to a demanding task.

"For the first time we have been able to precisely identify the mechanism by which the brain implements a state of attention and increases awareness for important tasks," says Professor Alex Thiele from Newcastle University, who led the research.

Attention is essential for perception, awareness, learning and memory. This research is important because it increases understanding of how our brains work and also has potential use in the development of treatments for neurological conditions linked to awareness and attention, including Alzheimer's disease and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

In the study, which was part-funded by the Wellcome Trust, Professor Thiele and colleagues used a primate model to explore the role in attention of acetylcholine - a naturally occurring chemical involved in signal transmission in the nervous system.

Researchers applied small amounts of acetylcholine to animals before they took part in an exercise demanding high attention. The receptors and nerve cells in the animals' brains showed greater activity associated with attention, and the animals showed an increased awareness of the task. Blocking specific acetylcholine receptors reversed this process and reduced attention.

source: www.wellcome.ac.uk//News/News-archive/Browse-by-date/2008/News/WTX049857.html




Drug receptors and nanomedicine

G-coupled receptors are neurologically located and are involved in most sensory and brain functions. As such they are the major focus of drug research. However, this activity is hampered by the lack of receptors on which to work, details about their structure since we do not have any ligand-activated GPCR structures yet, and the lack of details of how they are activated at the molecular level. By focusing on one GPCR, which is uniquely expressed in E. coli and available purified and functionally competent, we are in a position to develop generic technology which will be applicable to other GPCRs, when they become available. In particular, a novel development of a detection methods involving surface plasmon resonance, has been developed within the IRC, and this is now suitable for high throughput screening of ligands for this and other similar GPCRs. Also, single GPCR molecules have been visualized by electron microscopy, and fluorescently labeled GPCR has been produced for single molecul interaction studies at the nanoscale. To gain insight into the activation mechanism, solid state NMR detection of the natural activating hormones is being carried out, yielding conformational information at sub-nm resolution and dynamics at the nanosecond level.

http://www.bionanotechnology.ox.ac.uk/
index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=53&Itemid=78




Bioinformatics Links Directory
A complete list of all links listed in Nucleic Acids Research 2008 Web Server issue can be accessed online at http://bioinfomatics.ca/links_directory/narweb2008/. The 2008 update of the Bioinformatics Links Directory, which includes the Web Server list and summaries, is also available online at the Nucleic Acids Research website, http://nar.oxfordjournals.org/.