When
Thursday, 4 September 2008
Monday, 25 August 2008
Scientists Overcome Nanotech Hurdle
�When you make a new material on a nanoscale how can you see what you give made? A team spark advance by a Biotechnology and Biological Sciences research Council (BBSRC) mate has made a significant step toward overcoming this major challenge faced by nanotechnology scientists. With fresh research promulgated in ChemBioChem, the team from the University of Liverpool, The School of Pharmacy (University of London) and the University of Leeds, read that they have developed a proficiency to probe tiny protein molecules called peptides on the surface of a gold nanoparticle. This is the first time scientists have been able to build a detailed picture of self-assembled peptides on a nanoparticle and it offers the promise of new shipway to design and manufacture novel materials on the tiniest scale - one of the key aims of nanoscience.
Engineering new materials through assembly of complex, just tiny, components is hard for scientists. However, nature has become adept at engineering nanoscale building blocks, e.g. proteins and RNA. These are able to mannikin dynamic and efficient nanomachines such as the cell's protein assembly machine (the ribosome) and minute motors used for swimming by bacteria. The BBSRC-funded team, led by Dr Rapha�l L�vy, has borrowed from nature, developing a mode of constructing complex nanoscale building blocks through initiating self-assembly of peptides on the surface of a metal nanoparticle. Whilst this approach can provide a massive number and variety of new materials relatively easily, the challenge is to be able to examine the structure of the material.
Using a chemistry-based attack and information processing system modelling, Dr L�vy has been able-bodied to measure the distance between the peptides where they sit assembled on the au nanoparticle. The technique exploits the ability to differentiate between deuce types of connection or 'cross-link' - one that joins different parts of the same molecule (intramolecular), and some other that joins together deuce separate molecules (intermolecular). As two peptides get closer together there is a transition between the iI different types of connexion. Computer simulations allow the scientists to measure the distance at which this transition occurs, and thence to apply it as a sort of molecular ruler. Information obtained through this combination of chemistry and estimator molecular dynamics shows that the interactions between peptides leads to a nanoparticle that is relatively organized, but non uniform. This is the first time it has been possible to meter distances betwixt peptides on a nanoparticle and the first time computer simulations have been used to model a single bed of self-assembled peptides.
Dr L�vy aforesaid: "As nanotechnology scientists we face a challenge similar to the one faced by structural biologists half a century agone: determining the structure with atomic shell precision of a whole range of nanoscale materials. By victimisation a combination of chemical science and electronic computer simulation we have been able to demonstrate a method by which we can take off to see what is going on at the nanoscale.
"If we canful understand how peptides self-assemble at the surface of a nanoparticle, we tooshie open up a route towards the design and synthesis of nanoparticles that have complex surfaces. These particles could find applications in the biomedical sciences, for exercise to deport drugs to a particular target in the body, or to design raw diagnostic tests. In the longer term, these particles could likewise find applications in new generations of electronic components."
Professor Nigel Brown, BBSRC Director of Science and Technology, aforementioned: "Bionanotechnology holds expectant promise for the future. We may be able to create stronger, light and more durable materials, or unexampled medical applications. Basic science and techniques for functional at the nanoscale are providing the understanding that will permit future such applications of bionanotechnology."
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
More info
Engineering new materials through assembly of complex, just tiny, components is hard for scientists. However, nature has become adept at engineering nanoscale building blocks, e.g. proteins and RNA. These are able to mannikin dynamic and efficient nanomachines such as the cell's protein assembly machine (the ribosome) and minute motors used for swimming by bacteria. The BBSRC-funded team, led by Dr Rapha�l L�vy, has borrowed from nature, developing a mode of constructing complex nanoscale building blocks through initiating self-assembly of peptides on the surface of a metal nanoparticle. Whilst this approach can provide a massive number and variety of new materials relatively easily, the challenge is to be able to examine the structure of the material.
Using a chemistry-based attack and information processing system modelling, Dr L�vy has been able-bodied to measure the distance between the peptides where they sit assembled on the au nanoparticle. The technique exploits the ability to differentiate between deuce types of connection or 'cross-link' - one that joins different parts of the same molecule (intramolecular), and some other that joins together deuce separate molecules (intermolecular). As two peptides get closer together there is a transition between the iI different types of connexion. Computer simulations allow the scientists to measure the distance at which this transition occurs, and thence to apply it as a sort of molecular ruler. Information obtained through this combination of chemistry and estimator molecular dynamics shows that the interactions between peptides leads to a nanoparticle that is relatively organized, but non uniform. This is the first time it has been possible to meter distances betwixt peptides on a nanoparticle and the first time computer simulations have been used to model a single bed of self-assembled peptides.
Dr L�vy aforesaid: "As nanotechnology scientists we face a challenge similar to the one faced by structural biologists half a century agone: determining the structure with atomic shell precision of a whole range of nanoscale materials. By victimisation a combination of chemical science and electronic computer simulation we have been able to demonstrate a method by which we can take off to see what is going on at the nanoscale.
"If we canful understand how peptides self-assemble at the surface of a nanoparticle, we tooshie open up a route towards the design and synthesis of nanoparticles that have complex surfaces. These particles could find applications in the biomedical sciences, for exercise to deport drugs to a particular target in the body, or to design raw diagnostic tests. In the longer term, these particles could likewise find applications in new generations of electronic components."
Professor Nigel Brown, BBSRC Director of Science and Technology, aforementioned: "Bionanotechnology holds expectant promise for the future. We may be able to create stronger, light and more durable materials, or unexampled medical applications. Basic science and techniques for functional at the nanoscale are providing the understanding that will permit future such applications of bionanotechnology."
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
More info
Friday, 15 August 2008
Geri Halliwell strips for a bikini shoot
Washington (ANI): Spice Girls star Geri Halliwell has bared her stunning two-piece body for a aphrodisiac photo fritter in seven years, insistence that she's finally comfortable with her body. Throughout her life history, the 36-year-old has battled eating disorders, but is adamant that she is now fit and well after gift birth to her daughter Bluebell in 2006.
And in a new spread for British magazine Hello! the
And in a new spread for British magazine Hello! the
Thursday, 7 August 2008
Sixties Concert Discs Capture James Brown In His Prime
xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
Sixties Concert Discs Capture James Brown In His Prime -- Vulture -- Entertainment & Culture Blog -- New York Magazine
.sixties_concert_discs_capture_james_brown_in_his_prime {
background-color: hypertext transfer protocol://nymag.comhttp://nymag.
Friday, 27 June 2008
50 Cent served restraining order by ex
50 Cent has been served with a restraining order that bars him from coming in contact with the mother of his 11-year-old son.
According to the Long Island, New York court order, the rapper must avoid all contact with Shaniqua Tompkins, and must pickup and drop off his son at curb-side during visitations.
The rapper, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, retaliated by filing a $20 million defamation suit and a petition holding Tompkins in contempt of court, reports E! Online.
Tompkins has alleged that 50 Cent is responsible for a fire last month that destroyed her residence -- the New York mansion they once shared. 50 Cent has vehemently denied the accusations.
--By our Los Angeles staff.
Find out more about NME.
According to the Long Island, New York court order, the rapper must avoid all contact with Shaniqua Tompkins, and must pickup and drop off his son at curb-side during visitations.
The rapper, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, retaliated by filing a $20 million defamation suit and a petition holding Tompkins in contempt of court, reports E! Online.
Tompkins has alleged that 50 Cent is responsible for a fire last month that destroyed her residence -- the New York mansion they once shared. 50 Cent has vehemently denied the accusations.
--By our Los Angeles staff.
Find out more about NME.
Monday, 23 June 2008
Louise Redknapp expecting second child
'The Clothes Show' presenter Louise Redknapp has announced that she is expecting her second child.
The 33-year-old television star said the news came as a shock because she had difficulty conceiving her first child due to a condition called endometriosis.
According to The Mirror, Redknapp said: "It was just absolute shock when I found out. It took me four years to have Charley and so this time, after just a month, it was very unexpected."
"We had talked about having another baby and we kind of expected the same problems as last time."
"When I did the pregnancy test, I nearly fell off the chair. The doctors don't know why it has been so much easier this time - it's just the luck of the draw I guess."
The television presenter has been married to former football player and pundit Jamie Redknapp. The couple already have a 3-year-old son.
The 33-year-old television star said the news came as a shock because she had difficulty conceiving her first child due to a condition called endometriosis.
According to The Mirror, Redknapp said: "It was just absolute shock when I found out. It took me four years to have Charley and so this time, after just a month, it was very unexpected."
"We had talked about having another baby and we kind of expected the same problems as last time."
"When I did the pregnancy test, I nearly fell off the chair. The doctors don't know why it has been so much easier this time - it's just the luck of the draw I guess."
The television presenter has been married to former football player and pundit Jamie Redknapp. The couple already have a 3-year-old son.
Monday, 16 June 2008
Tuesday, 10 June 2008
Charlize Theron - Theron Prefers To Party With Friends
Actress CHARLIZE THERON snubs the Hollywood party circuit to spend time with her friends.
The Monster star is often inundated with invites to celebrity parties, but she prefers to be with her real friends.
She tells Britain's GQ magazine, "I'd rather get drunk on red wine and talk with people I love. Friends come over and we cook, take long walks and hang out on the beach."
See Also
Jon Lord with the Hoochie Cooc
Artist: Jon Lord with the Hoochie Cooc
Genre(s):
Rock: Blues
Discography:
Live at the Basement (CD2)
Year: 2003
Tracks: 9
Live at the Basement (CD1)
Year: 2003
Tracks: 13
The Band's Visit
The Band's Visit is both a clever, subtle slice-of-life comedy, and poignant cross-cultural exploration.
AC/DC 'To Release Album Exclusively In American Department Store'
AC/DC's new album will be available exclusively in chains of Wal-Mart, according to a new report.
The as-yet-untitled record, which is produced by Brendan O'Brien, will go on sale at chains of the American department store later this year.
Today's reports, published in the Wall Street Journal, suggest that the band will follow veteran act The Eagles, who chose to release 'Long Road Out Of Eden' via Wal-Mart last winter.
The album has gone on to sell almost 3million copies in the US alone – and topped the charts in its first week.
AC/DC's last studio effort came with 'Stiff Upper Lip' in 2000. The band are expected to confirm tour plans to coincide with the release.
See Also
Tickets on sale Saturday for Madonna's appearance at Michigan film fest
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. - Tickets go on sale Saturday for Madonna's one-time-only appearance at the Traverse City Film Festival.
But don't bother trying to order them by phone or online. They'll be available only at the State Theatre in downtown Traverse City, where the pop megastar will show her newly released film, "I Am Because We Are," on Aug. 2.
Festival founder Michael Moore announced recently that Madonna would personally introduce the documentary, which describes the plight of impoverished people in the African nation of Malawi.
Madonna and Moore are friends and Michigan natives.
The theatre seats about 540 people. Tickets cost $25 each and Moore said Wednesday that all the money from the ticket sale will go to Madonna's Raising Malawi Foundation.
-
On the Net: www.traversecityfilmfest.org.
See Also
My Bloody Valentine announce low key warm-up show
My Bloody Valentine are to play a low key warm-up show on June 13.
The band will play the ICA in London ahead of their full live return on June 20 at the Roundhouse also in the capital.
To check the availability of My Bloody Valentine tickets and get all the latest listings, go to NME.COM/GIGS now, or call 0871 230 1094.
There will be no support for the show.
Jun 20, 2008 at Roundhouse, London -
Jun 28, 2008 at Apollo, Manchester -
Jul 2, 2008 at Barrowlands, Glasgow -
More My Bloody Valentine tickets
The band will play the ICA in London ahead of their full live return on June 20 at the Roundhouse also in the capital.
To check the availability of My Bloody Valentine tickets and get all the latest listings, go to NME.COM/GIGS now, or call 0871 230 1094.
There will be no support for the show.
Jun 20, 2008 at Roundhouse, London -
Jun 28, 2008 at Apollo, Manchester -
Jul 2, 2008 at Barrowlands, Glasgow -
More My Bloody Valentine tickets
Languard
Artist: Languard
Genre(s):
Other
Discography:
Eden Of A Parallel Dimension
Year: 2004
Tracks: 12
Karina and Mario Call it Quits!
Better sound and more non-music events at Vector
Vector Arena is promising better sound and more non-music events as it enters its second year.
The venue marks its first anniversary this month and has already chalked up 44 shows. More than 400,000 ticket-holders have visited the arena, with acts like pop star Justin Timberlake grossing up to $4 million in venue hire and ticket sales.
General manager Guy Ngata says year two will see more focus on non-music and corporate events, with wrestling, motocross and an ice-skating musical planned. The waterfront venue had a rocky start, coming several months late and more than $20 million over budget after builder Mainzeal ran into construction problems.
Sound quality was also an issue, with the venue's first sell-out act, American rock band the Red Hot Chili Peppers, complaining publicly about poor acoustics.
A year on, Ngata says those problems are in the past.
"We don't dwell on the lows too much. We've got a year under our belt, which in a way speaks for itself."
The 12,000-seat venue was paid for by the Auckland City Council and leased to private company Quay Park Area Management (QPAM), which will own and manage the arena for the next 39 years. Lines company Vector holds the naming rights.
Ngata wouldn't say how much the arena had made in its first year.
"It's been successful. Suffice to say we're operating."
Ngata said there were significant one-off costs involved in opening a building, which would not need to be paid in year two.
He is still working with Mainzeal to "soften" the sound and find a permanent solution to some echoing glass balustrades.
Ngata said sound quality would keep getting better as local sound engineers - and audiences - got used to the building. Tasks like advising promoters about ticket pricing should also be easier now the venue has a year under its belt.
QPAM worked with at least three Auckland City mayors, including John Banks twice, on the arena. It is one of the first public-private deals of its kind in New Zealand. Under the deal, 20c from every ticket sold goes into a community events fund, to be administered by QPAM, the council, Ngati Whatua (who own the land on which the arena is built) and a community representative. About $80,000 has been raised so far.
Ngata said the arena opened at a good time for musical acts, as falling album sales meant many artists were now making their money from playing live. "The touring market is very robust. The strength of the dollar to the US dollar certainly helps."
Ngata doesn't see things getting any easier. "You're essentially as good as your last event, and we know that."
See Also
Fox talks about Lost in the future
Actor Matthew Fox, who plays Jack in 'Lost', has been talking about what lies ahead in the series.
Speaking to the film website comingsoon.net about his new thriller 'Vantage Point', Fox found the time to talk about 'Lost'.
Following the resolution of the writers' strike in the US, Fox said that he would be going back to shoot more episodes for the fourth series of 'Lost' this spring.
"We probably won't get all of the eight [episodes] we owe," said Fox, "but I'm sure we'll get five or six of them."
Fox remained coy on the development of his character, Jack, and whether he would become a hero or villain in the series.
He said: "I think the idea of hero or good guy, bad guy is sort of an antiquated notion in a lot of respects. I think it's more interesting to accept the complexity of all of us and hope that he makes heroic choices in very difficult circumstances."
He continued: "I really feel like 'Lost' and what I'm getting to do on that show is pretty complex, and it's evolving as well. (Jack) sort of started as this idea. Everybody wanted him to be this heroic guy, and actually, he's really flawed and the island is stripping away this deep compassion in him and bringing out a much darker side, so there's an evolution that's happening in the character that's always been important to Damon [Lindelof, 'Lost' creator] and myself."
Of the fourth series, Fox said: "I think the fourth season will close those two moments of time of Jack in the future and Jack feeling like he's being rescued. The season will be about answering all those questions of who got off with him? Who's in the casket? Why does he want to go back, this guy of all people? Why is he suicidal and desperate to go back?"
In his interview with comingsoon.net, Fox did offer a hint about the timeframe of the series, when asked how much time had passed on the island since the aeroplane crash.
He said: "If you're going to talk about from Jack in the plane crash to Jack in the future, that's about a year-and-a-half, and Jack on the island now would be about 120 days."
For more on 'Lost', read our blog here.
Visit the show's website here.
Speaking to the film website comingsoon.net about his new thriller 'Vantage Point', Fox found the time to talk about 'Lost'.
Following the resolution of the writers' strike in the US, Fox said that he would be going back to shoot more episodes for the fourth series of 'Lost' this spring.
"We probably won't get all of the eight [episodes] we owe," said Fox, "but I'm sure we'll get five or six of them."
Fox remained coy on the development of his character, Jack, and whether he would become a hero or villain in the series.
He said: "I think the idea of hero or good guy, bad guy is sort of an antiquated notion in a lot of respects. I think it's more interesting to accept the complexity of all of us and hope that he makes heroic choices in very difficult circumstances."
He continued: "I really feel like 'Lost' and what I'm getting to do on that show is pretty complex, and it's evolving as well. (Jack) sort of started as this idea. Everybody wanted him to be this heroic guy, and actually, he's really flawed and the island is stripping away this deep compassion in him and bringing out a much darker side, so there's an evolution that's happening in the character that's always been important to Damon [Lindelof, 'Lost' creator] and myself."
Of the fourth series, Fox said: "I think the fourth season will close those two moments of time of Jack in the future and Jack feeling like he's being rescued. The season will be about answering all those questions of who got off with him? Who's in the casket? Why does he want to go back, this guy of all people? Why is he suicidal and desperate to go back?"
In his interview with comingsoon.net, Fox did offer a hint about the timeframe of the series, when asked how much time had passed on the island since the aeroplane crash.
He said: "If you're going to talk about from Jack in the plane crash to Jack in the future, that's about a year-and-a-half, and Jack on the island now would be about 120 days."
For more on 'Lost', read our blog here.
Visit the show's website here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)