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P2i Acquires Surface Innovations

July 15, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

ABINGDON, England–(Business Wire)–
P2i Limited, the world leader in liquid repellent nano-coating technology, has
acquired 100 per cent of the share capital of Surface Innovations Ltd, a
UK-based technology company with a wide range of functional nano-coating
patents. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The acquisition expands P2i`s product portfolio beyond its market-leading
technologies for liquid repellency, adding “functional” coating technologies
with applications including anti-bacterial resistance, liquid attracting (super
wettable), and many others.

Surface Innovations is a research and development company with 17 patent
families that focus on functional nano-coatings obtained using plasma enhanced
chemical vapor deposition. It was founded in 2001 by Professor Jas Pal Badyal as
a spin-out of Durham University. Professor Badyal will sit on a new Technical
Advisory Panel to provide ongoing scientific advice to P2i, as well as
developing new patents and applications for the company.

The acquisition of Surface Innovations comes as P2i gains commercial traction in
all five of its core markets: Electronics, Lifestyle, Energy and Filtration,
Life Sciences and Military/Institutional. In the past year, P2i has tripled its
employees to 75 and scaled up its operations, which are now located across
Europe, North America and Asia (China, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia).

Carl Francis, Chief Executive of P2i, said:
“P2i has excelled in commercializing its liquid repellent nano-coating
technology, proving beyond doubt that plasma processing is a viable, cost
effective industrial process. As our customer base expands and their
requirements broaden, the technology we have acquired will enable us to
commercialize new functional coatings that further enhance the performance of
products ranging from consumer electronics to military clothing.

Professor Jas Pal Badyal, previously majority shareholder of Surface
Innovations, commented:
“I`m delighted that my research and patents are now with P2i, which has a proven
capability in commercializing plasma technology. It is the perfect vehicle to
deploy these various technologies into global markets. We have highly
complementary skills sets and this acquisition will see many exciting new
inventions launched into P2i`s primary markets.”

-Ends-

About P2i
P2i is the world leader in liquid repellent nano-coating technology. We make
good products great by applying innovative science. Our revolutionary technology
enables our customers to improve the performance of their products and protect
them from the effects of water and all other liquids. This builds value by
commanding premium prices and/or reducing costs.

P2i Ltd was established in 2004 to commercialize liquid-repellent treatments
developed by the UK`s Ministry of Defence. Now on a commercial scale, P2i`s
patented process has been successfully applied to a wide range of products in a
wide range of markets including lifestyle, electronics, military and
institutional, life sciences, energy and filtration.

P2i
Carl Francis, Chief Executive
or
Dr Stephen Coulson, Chief Technical Officer
+44 (0)1235 833100
or
College Hill
Adrian Duffield, Carl Franklin, Victoria Cross
+44 (0)20 7457 2020
www.p2i.com

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Mobile phones may help partially sighted ””see”” better

May 19, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, May 19 (ANI): Mobile phones or hand-held games consoles can be used to provide training course for partially-sighted people, helping them become more self-reliable, according to a new study.

The new research has found that a computer-based technique developed and assessed by Durham University improved partially-sighted people””s ability to ””see”” better. It may eventually improve and broaden the portfolio of rehabilitation techniques for partially-sighted patients.

The study tested the technique on patients who suffer from a condition affecting their sight called hemianopia.

Hemianopia sufferers lose half of their visual field due to stroke or other brain injury. They are heavily dependent on others as they struggle with balance, walking, finding things around the house, and they are not normally able to drive.

The study, which tested patients”” visual ability before and after the training, found that patients became faster and more accurate at detecting objects, such as coloured dots or numbers, on a computer screen.

The researchers believe the test helped patients to compensate for their lost vision by exploring their ””blind field”” more, which is the part of the visual field affected by the brain damage. Further research is needed to pinpoint exactly why the technique helps patients to ””see”” better but the scientists believe it is likely due to improved attention, concentration and awareness of their visual problems.

The study findings offer hope that people who receive regular training like this could live more independently in their day-to-day lives because their visual ability would be improved.

Lead researcher, Dr Alison Lane, from Durham University””s Psychology Department, said: “This research shows us that basic training works in getting people to use their ””poor”” visual side better.

“Although we are not yet sure why this happens, we think it might be because training increases their attention, concentration and awareness of their ””blind”” field.

“We think attention is key in improving people””s abilities to use their limited vision.”

She added: “This simple technique is a very viable rehabilitation option and in future could be easily accessible at low cost to everyone who needs it.”

The Durham study compared two types of rehabilitation techniques – one focused on exploration and the other on attention. Neither training option is currently available on the NHS although alternative training programmes can be bought privately.

The research, which tested 46 patients, found that the basic attention training without the need for patients to move their eyes extensively was for the most part as effective at rehabilitation as the more specialised exploration technique.

The scientists say patients may even be able to see similar improvements in their vision by playing mainstream computer games, particularly those whereby you need to scan virtual environments with your eyes.

The study has been published in the academic journal, Brain. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Alison Lane, brain damage, brain injury, coloured dots, computer screen, concentration, Dr Alison, durham university, further research, games consoles, Hand Held Games, Mobile Phones, people, psychology department, Rehabilitation Techniques, researcher, Scientists, stroke, study findings, Visual Ability

Experts predict that more powerful Icelandic volcano will explode soon

April 21, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

London, Apr.21 (ANI): A far bigger Icelandic volcano, Katla, is tipped to erupt in the coming months, potentially causing much more savage and sustained disruption to industry and society, The Independent reports.

A week ago, sister volcano Eyjafjallajokull erupted, forcing European governments to impose a no-fly zone.

Historically, each time Eyjafjallajokull has erupted in the past 2,000 years, the Katla has exploded within six months.

“I certainly wouldn”t be surprised if Katla erupted within the next year, but how much it affects Britain and northern Europe depends on what happens with the winds at the time,” volcanologist Bill McGuire told The Independent.

Professor McGuire, who sits on the Government”s Cobra emergency committee, pointed out that Katla was 10 times bigger than Eyjafjallajokull. It also has a much bigger ice cap, and it is the mixture of melting cold water and lava that causes explosions and for ash to shoot to high altitudes.

Professor McGuire, a professor of geophysical and climate hazards at University College London, suggested airlines should draw up contingency plans for coping with Katla, which he said had been known about for a long time – but he added that there was probably not much that could be done.

Jon Davidson, a professor of Earth sciences at Durham University, shared his concern, saying that because Katla has invariably exploded into life after Eyjafjallajokull, the aviation industry should be “less surprised” by its potential impact. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: aviation industry, Bill Mcguire, Climate Hazards, Cold Water, contingency plans, disruption, durham university, earth sciences, Emergency Committee, European Governments, explosions, Fly Zone, Geophysical, high altitudes, independent reports, Katla, lava, northern Europe, university college london, volcano

Astronomers get sharpest view ever of star factories in distant galaxy

March 22, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, March 22 (ANI): Reports indicate that astronomers have combined a natural gravitational lens and a sophisticated telescope array to get the sharpest view ever of “star factories” in a galaxy over 10 billion light-years from Earth.

They found that the distant galaxy, known as SMM J2135-0102, is making new stars 250 times faster than our Galaxy, the Milky Way.

They also pinpointed four discrete star-forming regions within the galaxy, each over 100 times brighter than locations (like the Orion Nebula) where stars form in our Galaxy.

This is the first time that astronomers have been able to study properties of individual star-forming regions within a galaxy so far from Earth.

“To a layperson, our images appear fuzzy, but to us, they show the exquisite detail of a Faberge egg,” said Steven Longmore of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA).

Due to the time it takes light to travel to us, we see the galaxy as it existed just 3 billion years after the Big Bang.

It was Milky Way-sized at the time.

If we could see it today, 10 billion years later, it would have grown into a giant elliptical galaxy much more massive than our own.

“This galaxy is like a teenager going through a growth spurt,” said Mark Swinbank of Durham University.

“If you could see it today as an ‘adult’, you’d find the galactic equivalent of Yao Ming the basketball player,” he added.

The Submillimeter Array (SMA) data revealed four extremely bright star-forming regions. The large luminosities, 100 times greater than typical for nearby galaxies, imply a very high rate of star formation.

“We don’t fully understand why the stars are forming so rapidly, but our result suggests that stars formed much more efficiently in the early universe than they do today,” said Swinbank. (ANI)

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Galaxy in early Universe went through ‘teenage growth spurt’

March 22, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, March 22 (ANI): Reports indicate that an international team of scientists has found a massive galaxy in the early Universe creating stars like our sun up to 100 times faster than the modern-day Milky Way, which they have described as “a teenager going through a growth spurt”.

Due to the amount of time it takes light to reach Earth, the scientists observed the galaxy as it would have appeared 10 billion years ago – just three billion years after the Big Bang.

They found four discrete star-forming regions within the galaxy known as SMM J2135-0102.

Each region was more than 100 times brighter than star-forming regions in the Milky Way, such as the Orion Nebula.

The researchers suggested that star formation was more rapid and vigorous in the early Universe as galaxies went through periods of huge growth.

The findings provide a unique insight into how stars formed in the early Universe, the scientists added.

According to lead author Dr Mark Swinbank, in the Institute for Computational Cosmology, at Durham University, “This galaxy is like a teenager going through a growth spurt. If you could see it today as an adult, you’d find the galactic equivalent of the football player Peter Crouch.”

“We don’t fully understand why the stars are forming so rapidly but our results suggest that stars formed much more efficiently in the early Universe than they do today,” he said.

“Galaxies in the early Universe appear to have gone through rapid growth and stars like our sun formed much more quickly than they do today,” he added.

The scientists estimate that the observed galaxy is producing stars at a rate equivalent to 250 suns per year. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: amount of time, big bang, computational cosmology, dr mark, durham university, early universe, football player, galaxies, Growth Spurt, Massive Galaxy, Milky Way, orion nebula, periods, Peter Crouch, Rapid Growth, Rate Equivalent, Scientists, star-formation, Suns, teenager

Milky Way survived ancient heat wave because of dark matter

July 1, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, July 1 (ANI): A new theory by scientists says that our Milky Way galaxy survived intense heat generated by the “ignition” of the Universe about half-a-billion years after the Big Bang, because it was already immersed in a large clump of dark matter that trapped gases inside it.

Tiny galaxies, inside small clumps of dark matter, were blasted away by the heat that reached approximate temperatures of between 20,000 and 100,000 degrees centigrade, according to the scientists, including experts at Japan’s University of Tsukuba.

The researchers said that the early Milky Way, which had begun forming stars, held on to the raw gaseous material from which further stars would be made.

This material would otherwise have been evaporated by the high temperatures generated by the “ignition”.

Using computer simulations carried out by the international Virgo Consortium (which is led by Durham), the scientists examined why galaxies like the Milky Way have so few companion galaxies or satellites.

Astronomers have found a few dozen small satellites around the Milky Way, but the simulations revealed that hundreds of thousands of small clumps of dark matter should be orbiting our galaxy.

Dark matter is thought to make up 85 per cent of the Universe’s mass and is believed to be one of the building blocks of galaxy formation.

The scientists said the heat from the early stars and black holes rendered this dark matter barren and unable to support the development of satellite star systems.

According to Joint lead investigator Professor Carlos Frenk, Director of the Institute for Computational Cosmology, at Durham University, “The validity of the standard model of our Universe hinges on finding a satisfactory explanation for why galaxies like the Milky Way have so few companions.”

“The simulations show that hundreds of thousands of small dark matter clumps should be orbiting the Milky Way, but they didn’t form galaxies,” he explained.

“We can demonstrate that it was almost impossible for these potential galaxies to survive the extreme heat generated by the first stars and black holes,” he added.

“The heat evaporated gas from the small dark matter clumps, rendering them barren. Only a few dozen front-runners which had a head start on making stars before the Universe ignited managed to survive,” he further added.

By providing a natural explanation for the origin of galaxies, the simulations support the view that cold dark matter is the best candidate for the mysterious material believed to make up the majority of our Universe. (ANI)

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Now, a 3-minute test to detect prostate cancer

May 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, May 19 (ANI): Researchers from Durham University and University of Maryland have developed a new test that will help detect prostate cancer within three minutes.

The test uses light energy to measure the level of citrate in fluid samples from the prostate gland

The new technique could provide the basis of a rapid means of detecting prostate cancer in the future.

Lead researcher Prof David Parker from Durham University’s Chemistry Department and colleagues from the University of Maryland, USA developed the technique that measures the wavelength of light as it is shone through diluted samples of body fluids.

“Citrate provides a significant biomarker for disease that may provide a reliable method for screening and detecting prostate cancer, and for the monitoring of people with the disease,” said Prof Parker.

“This technique could form the basis of a simple screening procedure for prostate cancer that could be used in outpatient departments at local hospitals,” he added.

The new test requires only a microlitre of fluid and the sample can be easily measured in an optical instrument. Using samples from male volunteers, the researchers have developed a portable instrument that can give results in 3 minutes.

“Citrate is formed in cell metabolism processes which alter as cancers grow. The analysis of the citrate concentration of prostatic fluid can provide an accurate way to screen and diagnose prostate cancer,” said Prof Leslie Costello from the University of Maryland.

“Since citrate concentrations decrease markedly early in malignancy, this technique makes it possible to analyse what’s happening quickly in the early and treatable stage of prostate cancer. It shows much promise as a clinical tool,” Costello added. (ANI)

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Having a bad teacher in first year can harm kids’ entire academic life

April 26, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, April 26 (ANI): Having a bad teacher in the reception year can harm a child’s entire education, according to a new study.

Researchers at Durham University found that the effect of having an exceptionally poor – or an unusually good – teacher in the first year at primary school was still detectable six years later.

The findings suggest that many pupils are being betrayed by schools that, in an effort to rise up national league tables, concentrate their best teachers on pupils about to take their Sats tests at the age of 11.

“More effort needs to be spent on the most valuable years which are the earliest years,” Times Online quoted study’s lead author Peter Tymms, professor of education at Durham University, as saying.

For the study, the researchers analysed the progress in learning vocabulary, reading and mathematics of more than 73,000 primary school pupils who were tested at the beginning of their schooling in 1999 and then annually until 2005.

Kids who were in classes in the bottom 16 percent of progress in the reception year performed, on average, around a fifth of a level worse in their Sats test than those whose class progress was average.

On the other hand, those whose classes progressed most in reception year performed about a fifth of a level better.

According to researchers, the effect of good and bad teaching is cumulative, so if a child is unlucky enough to have a poor teacher every year of their primary school career, this would make a difference of an entire level in their test performance.

“The residual effect lasts as long as we can measure it,” said Tymms.

The study is published in the journal Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability. (ANI)

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Birds face longer migrations due to climate change

April 15, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

By Alister Doyle, Environment Correspondent

OSLO (Reuters) – Some European birds will have to fly further as global warming shifts their breeding grounds northwards in the biggest challenge to the tiny migrants since the Ice Age, scientists said on Wednesday.

Some types of warbler would have to add 400 kms (250 miles) to twice-yearly trips up to 6,000 kms to and from Africa, according to the report which said it was the first to examine the potential impact of climate change on avian migration.

“For some birds the extra distance might make the difference between being able to make it or not,” Stephen Willis of Durham University told Reuters of the study he led with a team of British-based scientists.

The report, adding to projected threats to animals and plants from global warming, said an estimated 500 million birds migrate from Africa to Europe and Asia every year. Some weigh just 9 grams (0.3 ounces).

Nine of 17 warbler species studied would have to fly further under projected warming by 2071-2100, especially the whitethroat, the barred warbler or the Orphean warbler that cross the Sahara Desert, according to the study in the Journal of Biogeography.

“Some species may be able to adapt and change, for example by adopting shorter migration routes, if they can find enough food at the right time,” Willis said in a statement. Some blackcap warblers in Germany had dropped winter flights south.

“As temperatures rise and habitats change, birds will face their biggest challenge since the Pleistocene era,” he said.

The end of the last Ice Age 10,000 years ago marked the end of the Pleistocene.

The study said breeding grounds were moving northwards because of climate change, while wintering regions nearer the equator were less affected. The Arctic region is warming almost twice as fast as the rest of the globe.

STOPOVERS

The report, which also involved experts from Cambridge University and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, said the European Union should review protected areas for migrant species that need stopovers on their marathon flights.

Still, Willis said migratory birds had proved adaptable before — surviving Ice Ages and the drying out of the once greener Sahara region about 6,000 years ago.

Willis said the scientists picked warblers because of their widely differing strategies.

Cyprus warblers, for instance, stay on the Mediterranean island year round and would be among those unaffected.

(Reporting by Alister Doyle; Editing by Sophie Hares)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: animals and plants, arctic region, breeding grounds, cambridge university, climate change, durham university, environment correspondent, european birds, journal of biogeography, last ice age, migration routes, orphean warbler, pleistocene era, royal society for the protection of birds, sahara desert, stephen willis, Temperatures Rise, warbler species, warblers, winter flights

Indicator shows climate change affecting Europe’s birds now

March 5, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, March 4 (ANI): In what is the world’s first indicator of the climate change impacts on wildlife at a continental scale, scientists have determined that climate change is already having a detectable impact on birds across Europe.

The finding is a result of a study by Durham University scientists working with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

They have shown a strong link between recent population changes of individual species and their projected future range changes, associated with climate change, among a number of widespread and common European birds, including the goldfinch and the lesser spotted woodpecker.

By pulling together Europe-wide monitoring data, the team has compiled an indicator showing how climate change is affecting wildlife across Europe.

The European Union (EU) has adopted the indicator as an official measure of the impacts of climate change on the continent’s wildlife; the first indicator of its kind.

According to Dr Stephen Willis, of Durham University, “The impact of climatic changes, both positive and negative, can now be summarised in a single indicator which we’ve called the Climatic Impact Indicator.”

A period of stable annual average temperatures in Europe ended in the early 1980s, and this new Indicator shows that climate change is affecting many species, but in different ways.

Climate change is having an adverse effect on many birds, though some species are actually benefiting from the recent changes.

“Our indicator is the biodiversity equivalent of the FTSE index, only instead of summarising the changing fortunes of businesses, it summarises how biodiversity is changing due to climate change,” said Dr Willis.

“Those birds we predict should fare well under climate change have been increasing since the mid-80s, and those we predict should do badly have declined over the same period. The worry is that the declining group actually consists of 75 per cent of the species we studied,” he explained.

The Climate Change Indicator combines two independent strands of work; bioclimate envelope-modelling and observed populations trends in European birds, derived from the Pan-European Common Bird Monitoring Scheme.

When a bird’s population changes in line with the projection, the indicator goes up. Species whose observed trend does not fit the projection cause the indicator to decline.

According to RSPB’s Dr Richard Gregory, “We hear a lot about climate change, but our paper shows that its effects are being felt right now. The results show the number of species being badly affected outnumbers the species that might benefit by three to one.” (ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: adverse effect, average temperatures, changing fortunes, climate change impacts, climatic impact, continental scale, Dr. Stephen, durham university, european birds, ftse index, goldfinch, impact of climatic changes, impacts of climate change, lesser spotted woodpecker, mid 80s, population changes, royal society for the protection of birds, stephen willis, temperatures in europe, university scientists

Indicator shows climate change affecting Europe’s birds now

March 5, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

The finding is a result of a study by Durham University scientists working with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

By pulling together Europe-wide monitoring data, the team has compiled an indicator showing how climate change is affecting wildlife across Europe.

The European Union (EU) has adopted the indicator as an official measure of the impacts of climate change on the continent’s wildlife; the first indicator of its kind.

A period of stable annual average temperatures in Europe ended in the early 1980s, and this new Indicator shows that climate change is affecting many species, but in different ways.

Climate change is having an adverse effect on many birds, though some species are actually benefiting from the recent changes.

When a bird’s population changes in line with the projection, the indicator goes up. Species whose observed trend does not fit the projection cause the indicator to decline.

Indicator shows climate change affecting Europe’s birds now

March 5, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

The finding is a result of a study by Durham University scientists working with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

By pulling together Europe-wide monitoring data, the team has compiled an indicator showing how climate change is affecting wildlife across Europe.

The European Union (EU) has adopted the indicator as an official measure of the impacts of climate change on the continent’s wildlife; the first indicator of its kind.

A period of stable annual average temperatures in Europe ended in the early 1980s, and this new Indicator shows that climate change is affecting many species, but in different ways.

Climate change is having an adverse effect on many birds, though some species are actually benefiting from the recent changes.

When a bird’s population changes in line with the projection, the indicator goes up. Species whose observed trend does not fit the projection cause the indicator to decline.

Too much coffee ‘triples hallucination risk’

February 15, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Jan 14 (ANI): Too much coffee not just makes napping difficult but also dramatically increases the risk of hallucinating, according to a new study.

The research has found that people with a higher caffeine intake, from sources such as coffee, tea and caffeinated energy drinks, are more likely to report hallucinatory experiences such as hearing voices and seeing things that are not there.

‘High caffeine users’ can be defined as those individuals who consume more than the equivalent of seven cups of instant coffee a day.

Such drinkers were three times more likely to have heard a person’s voice when there was no one there compared with ‘low caffeine users’ who consumed less than the equivalent of one cup of instant coffee a day, the study found.

In the study, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and the Medical Research Council, 200 students were asked about their typical intake of caffeine containing products, such as coffee, tea and energy drinks as well as chocolate bars and caffeine tablets.

Their proneness to hallucinatory experiences, and their stress levels, were also assessed. Seeing things that were not there, hearing voices, and sensing the presence of dead people were amongst the experiences reported by some of the participants.

The researchers, whose paper is published in the academic journal Personality and Individual Differences, say their finding could be down to the fact that caffeine has been found to exacerbate the physiological effects of stress.

When under stress, the body releases a stress hormone called cortisol. More of this stress hormone is released in response to stress when people have recently had caffeine. It is this extra boost of cortisol which may link caffeine intake with an increased tendency to hallucinate, say the scientists.

Lead author, Simon Jones, a PhD student at Durham University’s Psychology Department, said: “This is a first step towards looking at the wider factors associated with hallucinations. Previous research has highlighted a number of important factors, such as childhood trauma, which may lead to clinically relevant hallucinations.

“Many such factors are thought to be linked to hallucinations in part because of their impact on the body’s reaction to stress. Given the link between food and mood, and particularly between caffeine and the body’s response to stress, it seems sensible to examine what a nutritional perspective may add.” (ANI)

Filed Under: Health News Tagged With: academic journal, caffeine intake, caffeine tablets, chocolate bars, coffee tea, durham university, economic and social research council, effects of stress, energy drinks, hearing voices, instant coffee, journal personality and individual differences, Medical Research Council, personality and individual differences, physiological effects of stress, psychology department, seeing things, simon jones, stress hormone, stress levels

Too much coffee ‘triples hallucination risk’

February 15, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Jan 14 (ANI): Too much coffee not just makes napping difficult but also dramatically increases the risk of hallucinating, according to a new study.

‘High caffeine users’ can be defined as those individuals who consume more than the equivalent of seven cups of instant coffee a day.

Computer simulation reveals ‘dawn’ of the cosmos

February 11, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Feb 11 (ANI): Scientists have used a computer simulation to come up with images that show the formation of the first big galaxies in the Universe, which is literally the ‘cosmic dawn’.

The images, produced by scientists at Durham University’s Institute for Computational Cosmology, predict what the very early Universe would have appeared like 500 million years after the Big Bang.

The Cosmic Dawn began as galaxies began to form out of the debris of massive stars which died explosively shortly after the beginning of the Universe.

The Durham calculation predicts where these galaxies appear and how they evolve to the present day, over 13 billion years later.

Gravity produced by dark matter is an essential ingredient in galaxy formation and by studying its effects the scientists eventually hope to learn more about what the substance is.

The work combined a massive simulation showing how structures grow in dark matter with a model showing how normal matter, such as gas, behaves to predict how galaxies grow.

Gas feels the pull of gravity from dark matter and is heated up before cooling by releasing radiation and turning into stars.

The simulation images show which galaxies are forming stars most vigorously at a given time.

Although the galaxies are biggest at the present day, the rate at which they are making new stars has dropped greatly compared with the rate in the early Universe.

The calculations of the Durham team, supported by scientists at the Universidad Catolica in Santiago, Chile, can be tested against new observations reaching back to early stages in the history of the Universe almost one billion years after the Big Bang.

According to lead author, Alvaro Orsi, a research postgraduate in Durham University’s Institute for Computational Cosmology (ICC), “We are effectively looking back in time and by doing so we hope to learn how galaxies like our own were made and to understand more about dark matter.”

“The presence of dark matter is the key to building galaxies. Without dark matter, we wouldn’t be here today,” he said.

“Our research predicts which galaxies are growing through the formation of stars at different times in the history of the Universe and how these relate to the dark matter,” said co-author Dr Carlton Baugh, a Royal Society Research Fellow, in the ICC, at Durham University.

“We give the computer what we think is the recipe for galaxy formation and we see what is produced which is then tested against observations of real galaxies,” he added. (ANI)

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Antiques dealer charged with stealing £3M Shakespeare’s work from UK

January 29, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, January 29 (ANI): An antiques dealer has been charged with stealing a three million pounds worth of first edition of Shakespeare’s works from Durham University.

Raymond Scott, 51, was arrested in June last year on suspicion of taking the 1623 First Folio from the university in 1998.

The probe started after the world-renowned Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC was asked to verify the genuineness of the book, which was claimed by the person who brought it to have been found in Cuba.

Suspecting that the book was stolen, the experts at the library called in the British Embassy.

When Durham Police and the FBI joined forces to find out the man who had introduced himself to the library staff as an “international businessman”, their probe led to Scott, who lived with his 80-year-old mother in a cul-de-sac in Washington, Tyne and Wear.

Scott, however, publicly denied the theft.

The Shakespeare folio was returned to Britain last October.

According to the Daily Express, a Durham Police spokesman said on Wednesday: “Shortly before midday, a 51-year-old man was charged with the theft of a £3million book taken from Durham University more than 10 years ago.”

Scott was charged after answering bail at Durham City police station.

He was also charged with four offences – two of handling stolen goods and two of theft – relating to a driving licence, credit cards and a personal organiser.

He was bailed to appear before North Durham magistrates on February 10. (ANI)

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