Category Technology/Electronics

When the nanoclew comes into contact with a cell, the cell absorbs the nanoclew completely — swallowing it and wrapping it in a protective sheath called an endosome. But the nanoclews are coated with a positively charged polymer that breaks down the endosome, setting the nanoclew free inside the cell. The CRISPR-Cas9 complexes can then free themselves from the nanoclew to make their way to the nucleus. Credit: North Carolina State University

CRISPR-Cas system, found in bacteria and archaea, protects bacteria from invaders such as viruses. CRISPR RNA has been used in gene-editing to ID a targeted portion of relevant DNA, and Cas protein cleaves it. But for Cas9 to do its work, it must first find its way into the cell...

Using pattern recognition software, the prototype analyses changes in breathing patterns and converts ‘breath signals’ into words. Credit: Image courtesy of Loughborough University

Billed as a tool to help bring back the art of conversation for sufferers of severe paralysis and loss of speech, the prototype analyses changes in breathing patterns and converts ‘breath signals’ into words using pattern recognition software and an analogue-to-digital converter. A speech synthesizer then reads the words aloud.

The Augmentative and Alternate Communication (AAC) device is designed for patients with complete or partial loss of voluntary muscle control who don’t have the ability to make purposeful movements such as sniffing or blinking – gestures which previous AAC devices have come to rely upon.

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Conceptual model shows how porphyrin COFs embedded in a cathode could be used to split carbon dioxide (CO2) into carbon monoxide (CO) and oxygen for making renewable fuels and other valuable chemical products. Credit: Courtesy of Omar Yaghi, Berkeley Lab/UC Berkeley

Porphyrin CO2 catalysts have been incorporated into the sponge-like crystals of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) to create a molecular system that not only absorbs carbon dioxide, but also selectively reduces it to CO, a primary building block for a wide range of chemical products including fuels, pharmaceuticals and plastics.

With the reduction of atmospheric CO2 emissions in mind, Yaghi and his MIU group designed and developed the first COFs as a means of separating CO2 from flue gases...

Coupling with perovskite solar cell holds potential for cleaner cars, home power sources and more. Researchers have wired 4 perovskite solar cells in series to enhance the voltage and directly photo-charged lithium batteries with 7.8% efficiency – the most efficient reported to date, the researchers believe.

“Others have used polymer solar cells to charge lithium batteries, but not with this efficiency.” Perovskite solar cells have active materials with a crystalline structure identical to the mineral perovskite and are considered a promising new design for capturing solar energy. Compared to silicon-based cells, they convert a broader spectrum of sunlight into electricity..

Dai’s lab made multilayer solar cells, which increases their energy density, performance and stability...