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For more information on these science news and feature story tips, please contact the public information officer at the end of each item at (703) 292-8070. Editor: Peter West Contents of this News Tip:
Spectrograph Could Identify Chemical and Biological AgentsA team of researchers has developed a rugged portable detection system that could provide real-time recognition of chemical and biological weapons using infrared spectroscopy. John Rabolt, Mei-Wei Tsao, Douglas Elmore and Simon Frisk of the University of Delaware, and Bruce Chase of the DuPont Company developed the planar array infrared spectrograph with GOALI (Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry) and instrumentation grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The shoebox-sized device can detect small amounts of chemical agents in solid, liquid or vapor phases. When programmed to recognize specific compounds and placed near at-risk sites, the sensor can report the presence of a compound in real time via wireless transmitters. The sensor, with further development, may be made able to sense chemical agents from a distance, Rabolt said. A patent is pending on the device. The detection system is also expected to have broad applications in industrial and environmental monitoring. For example, it could measure the thickness and chemical composition of various films, coatings and liquids during a production process, which could help improve the efficiency of production lines, cut down waste and detect imperfections. The scientists will report their results in an upcoming issue of Applied Spectroscopy. [Amber Jones] Bone-Like Material Created by Nanoscale Self-Assembly
Materials scientists at Northwestern University, Ill., have used nanoscale self-assembly to create a composite material very similar to bone tissue. Their NSF-supported work could be the first step in creating better material for bone repair, as they report in the November 23 issue of Science. Samuel Stupp and his colleagues at Northwestern synthesized new polymeric molecules that self-assemble to form cylindrical nano-sized fibers. When a reinforcing mineral, hydroxyapatite, is added, the fibers direct the growth of the mineral's crystals into an alignment very similar to that of hydroxyapatite around the collagen fibers in natural bone. Developing bone repair materials, especially of load-bearing bones, is a continuing challenge for bioengineers and biomaterials researchers. Current technology usually relies on solid metallic implants that are coated to minimize rejection by the body. The researchers' self-assembly techniques not only hold promise for development of artificial bone, but are expected to be useful for a wide variety of other applications, such as repairing nerve fibers, creating nanoelectronic wires or preparing high-strength polymeric composites. [Amber Jones] OMB Director Praises NSF EfficiencyWhite House Office of Management and Budget director Mitch Daniels lauded NSF as a model of administrative efficiency in a speech at the National Press Club Nov. 28. Daniels called NSF one of the "true centers of excellence in this government" for its low overhead costs and efficient use of tax dollars. He praised the proposal review process, which determines how tax dollars are to be disseminated "on a competitive basis directly to researchers pursuing the frontiers of science." Daniels also mentioned that eight of the 12 most recent Nobel Laureates were supported by NSF. Daniels made his remarks in the context of the economic slowdown and "newly necessary spending" to deal with terrorist threats at home and abroad. He singled out the National Science Foundation, the National Weather Service and the Department of Agriculture's Women, Infants and Children Program, as models. "Programs like this...that are accountable to taxpayers for reaching for real results and measuring and attaining those results deserve to be singled out...fortified and strengthened," he said. [Mary Hanson] For Daniels' full remarks, see: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/pubpress/2001-61.html
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