News Release

American Chemical Society Weekly PressPac Oct. 15, 2008

Peer-Reviewed Publication

American Chemical Society

Facial Wrinkes

image: LEDs may help reduce skin wrinkles, researches report. view more 

Credit: American Chemical Society

ARTICLE #1 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LEDs may help reduce skin wrinkles, researchers report.
Credit: American Chemical Society

Researchers in Germany are describing a potential alternative to Botox and cosmetic surgery for easing facial wrinkles. Their study, scheduled for the November 5 issue of ACS' Crystal Growth & Design, a bi-monthly journal, reports that high intensity visible light from light emitting diodes (LEDs) applied daily for several weeks resulted in "rejuvenated skin, reduced wrinkle levels, juvenile complexion and lasting resilience." LEDs are the miniature lights used in an array of products, from TV remote controls to traffic lights.

In the study, Andrei P. Sommer and Dan Zhu point out that high-intensity visible light has been used in medicine for more than 40 years to speed healing of wounds. That light actually penetrates into the skin, causing changes in the sub-surface tissue. Until now, however, scientists have not known the physicochemical nature of those changes.

They report identifying how the visible light works — by changing the molecular structure of a glue-like layer of water on elastin, the protein that provides elasticity in skin, blood vessels, heart and other body structures. Figuratively speaking, the light strips away those water molecules that are involved in the immobilization of elastin, gradually restoring its elastic function and thus reducing facial wrinkles. "We are justified in believing that our approach can be easily converted to deep body rejuvenation programs," the researchers state. — AD

ARTICLE #1 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
"From Microtornadoes to Facial Rejuvenation: Implication of Interfacial Water Layers"

DOWLOAD FULL ARTICLE
http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/cg8000703

CONTACT:
Andrei P. Sommer, Ph.D.
University of Ulm
Ulm, Germany
Email: samoan@gmx.net


ARTICLE #2 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Spinning natural proteins into fabrics for new wound-repair products
Biomacromolecules

Scientists in Israel are reporting the first successful spinning of a key natural protein into strong nano-sized fibers about 1/50,000th the width of a human hair. The advance could lead to a new generation of stronger, longer-lasting biocompatible sutures and bandages to treat wounds. The study is scheduled for the November 10 issue of ACS' Biomacromolecules, a monthly journal.

Eyal Zussman and colleagues point out that researchers have tried for years to develop wound repair materials from natural proteins, hoping that such fibers would be more compatible with body tissue than existing materials. Scientists recently focused on producing these fibers through "electrospinning," a high-tech weaving process that uses electrical charges to draw out nano-sized fibers from a liquid. But the approach has achieved poor results until now.

In the new study, the scientists describe a new method for producing electrospun polymers using bovine serum albumin (BSA), a so-called "globular" protein found in cow's blood. BSA is similar to serum albumin, one of the most abundant proteins in the human body. The method involves adding certain chemicals to a solution of BSA to loosen the bonds that hold these highly-folded proteins together. That results in a thinner, more spinnable protein solution. Using electrospinning, the process resulted in strong fibers that are easily spun into suture-like threads or thick mats resembling conventional wound dressings. This approach is being followed by the groups of Zvi Nevo and Abraham Katzir at Tel-Aviv University, the researchers said, noting that the new method also can be applied to other types of natural proteins. — MTS

ARTICLE #2 FOR IMMMEDIATE RELEASE
"Nanofibers Made of Globular Proteins"

DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT ARTICLE
http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/bm8005243

CONTACT:
Eyal Zussman, Ph.D.
Technion-Israel Institute of Technology
Haifa, Israel
Phone: 972-4-2836
Email: meeyal@tx.tehnion.ac.il


ARTICLE #3 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Alternative fuels may drain dwindling water supplies
Environmental Science & Technology

As the search for new fuels intensifies, researchers in Texas report that switching to certain alternative fuels to power cars, trucks, and SUVs may require the use of much more water than conventional petroleum-based gasoline and diesel. The findings suggest that producing alternative fuels could strain already limited water supplies in some regions of the country. Their study is scheduled for the October 15 issue of ACS' Environmental Science & Technology, a semi-monthly journal.

In the study, Carey King and Michael Webber point out that as the need for alternative transportation fuels increases, it is important to understand how fuels based on raw materials other than petroleum could affect other essential resources, such as water. While petroleum-based fuels have had a small impact on U.S. water reserves, alternative fuels could put a much larger dent in our water supply.

The scientists analyzed the amount of water withdrawn (used and returned directly to its source) and consumed (not directly returned to its source) during the production and use of different fuels. They found that vehicles running on electricity and hydrogen produced with electricity withdraw up to 20 times more water and consume more than five times more water than those using petroleum-based gasoline. But not all fuels are created the same — hydrogen and electricity can also be derived from renewable energy sources that use no water, they note. The authors suggest that additional research could determine viable areas where fuels can be mined, farmed, refined, and consumed to minimize regional impacts while maximizing water resource and energy sustainability. — KSD

ARTICLE #3 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
"Water Intensity of Transportation"

http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/es800367m

CONTACT:
Carey W. King, Ph.D.
The University of Texas at Austin
P.O. Box X
Austin, TX, 78713-8902
Carey.king@beg.utexas.edu
Phone: 512-471-2764
Fax: 512-471-0140


ARTICLE #4 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Squeezing more synthetic fuel from abundant supplies of coal
Energy & Fuels

Scientists in Italy are reporting that a new process could eliminate key obstacles to expanded use of coal gasification to transform that abundant domestic energy resource into synthetic liquid fuels for cars and trucks. The study is scheduled for the November 19 issue of ACS' bi-monthly journal, Energy & Fuels.

In the study, Maria Sudiro and colleagues note that coal is the only conventional energy source with the potential for meeting global energy demands in the near future. World coal reserves, they note, are 25 percent greater than crude oil and the United States alone has enough coal to supply its own energy needs for centuries. However, existing processes for converting coal into much-needed liquid fuels are uneconomical and release too much carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, and other air pollutants.

Based on laboratory simulations and comparisons with conventional coal gasification, their system was 70 percent more energy efficient, yielded 40 percent more fuel and released 32 per cent less carbon dioxide. "The new process configuration can represent a valuable alternative route to obtain syngas both for electric power generation and for synthetic fuel production," the report states. — MTS

ARTICLE #4 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
"Improving process performances in Coal Gasification for Power and Synfuel Production"

DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT ARTICLE
http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ef800293h

CONTACT:
Maria Sudiro, Ph.D.
University of Padova, Italy
Padova, Italy
Phone: +39-0498275472
Fax: +39-0498275461
Email: maria.sudiro@unipd.it


Race for better superconductors heats up
Chemical & Engineering News

Scientists have discovered a new family of superconductors — materials that carry electricity more efficiently than copper and other metals — whose properties rekindle enthusiasm about the possibility that these exotic materials could have practical applications in ultra-efficient electrical motors, power-generating stations, and other areas. The latest developments are chronicled in an article scheduled for the Oct. 20 issue of Chemical & Engineering News, ACS' weekly newsmagazine.

In the C&EN cover story, Senior Editor Mitch Jacoby notes that traditional superconductors, the first examples of which were discovered almost a century ago, must be cooled to very low temperatures with expensive liquid helium. In the mid-1980s, however, scientists discovered so-called high-temperature superconductors, which could be cooled more economically with liquid nitrogen. But even then, the cost of cooling the conductors, as well as the difficulty in forming the materials in wires and other practical shapes, ruled out practical large-scale applications, such as municipal power systems.

Jacoby describes the discovery earlier this year of new superconductors whose compositions include iron and arsenic that still must be chilled below liquid-nitrogen temperatures but could lead to HTSCs that work at much higher temperatures. Until now, researchers thought that this high-temperature behavior was limited to superconductors composed of copper oxides, the article notes. The discovery has reignited an international scientific race to discover additional HTSCs that require less cooling — perhaps even no cooling — and that could have many practical applications, the article notes.

ARTICLE #5 EMBARGOED FOR 9 A.M., EASTERN TIME, Oct. 20, 2008
"Superconductivity heats up again"

This story will be available on Oct. 20 at http://pubs.acs.org/cen/coverstory/86/8642cover.html

FOR ADVANCE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Michael Bernstein
ACS News Service
Phone: 202-872-6042
Fax: 202-872-4370
Email: m_bernstein@acs.org


Journalists' Resources

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