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Rutgers engineers have developed a breakthrough device that can significantly reduce the cost of sophisticated lab tests for medical disorders and diseases, such as HIV, Lyme disease and syphilis.

The new device uses miniaturized channels and valves to replace “benchtop” assays – tests that require large samples of blood or other fluids and expensive chemicals that lab technicians manually mix in trays of tubes or plastic plates with cup-like depressions.

“The main advantage is cost – these assays are done in labs and clinics everywhere,” said Mehdi Ghodbane, who earned his doctorate in biomedical engineering at Rutgers and now works in biopharmaceutical research and development at GlaxoSmithKline.

A new report published today shows Scottish emissions of most air pollutants have continued to fall, with significant reductions in emissions of all air pollutants since 1990.

The announcement of the official figures was welcomed by Environment Minister Aileen McLeod who said an updated action plan to tackle nitrogen dioxide would soon be published.

Dr McLeod said: “Air pollution is harmful to human health and can contribute to climate change, and I very much welcome the significant progress that has been made reducing emissions of nitrogen oxides and other air pollutants in Scotland.

Al igual que las hojas de los maples de Nueva Inglaterra, el fitoplancton, las microalgas en la base de la mayor parte de las cadenas alimenticias oceánicas, realizan la fotosíntesis cuando se exponen a la luz solar. En el proceso, absorben dióxido de carbono de la atmósfera, convirtiéndolo a hidratos de carbono y oxígeno. Muchas especies de fitoplancton también liberan sulfuro de dimetilo (DMS) a la atmósfera, donde forma aerosoles de sulfato, que pueden reflejar la luz del sol directamente o aumentar la cobertura de nubes y la reflectividad, lo que resulta en un efecto de enfriamiento. La capacidad del fitoplancton para eliminar el dióxido de carbono (CO2) de la atmósfera y producir aerosoles que promueven el enfriamiento adicional ha hecho de la fertilización de los océanos, mediante la dispersión masiva de sulfito de hierro y otros nutrientes que estimulan el crecimiento del fitoplancton, un método de geoingeniería atractiva para reducir el calentamiento mundial.

Those of you who spend hours at the gym with the aim of burning as many calories as possible may be disappointed to learn that all the while your nervous system is subconsciously working against you. Researchers reporting in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on September 10 have found that our nervous systems are remarkably adept in changing the way we move so as to expend the least amount of energy possible. In other words, humans are wired for laziness.

Want fries with that diet soda? You aren’t alone, and you may not be “saving” as many calories as you think by consuming diet drinks. A new study that examined the dietary habits of more than 22,000 U.S. adults found that diet-beverage consumers may compensate for the absence of calories in their drinks by noshing on extra food that is loaded with sugar, sodium, fat and cholesterol.