Nanoparticle drug-delivery system developed to treat brain disorders

In the past few decades, researchers have identified biological pathways leading to neurodegenerative diseases and developed promising molecular agents to target them. However, the translation of these findings into clinically approved treatments has progressed at a much slower rate, in part because of the challenges scientists face in delivering therapeutics across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and into the brain. To facilitate successful delivery of therapeutic agents to the brain, a team of bioengineers, physicians, and collaborators at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Boston Children's Hospital created a nanoparticle platform, which can facilitate therapeutically effective delivery of encapsulated agents in mice with a physically breached or intact BBB. In a mouse model of traumatic brain injury (TBI), they observed that the delivery system showed three times more accumulation in brain than conventional methods of delivery and was therapeutically effective as well, which could open possibilities for the treatment of numerous neurological disorders. Findings were published in Science Advances.

EXPLAINER: Should vaccine volunteers now get the real thing?

Tens of thousands of Americans have volunteered to test COVID-19 vaccines, but only about half of them got the real thing during trials.

France tightens virus curfew in several regions

The French government on Friday announced that it was bringing forward by two hours a the nighttime curfew in 15 regions to help combat the coronavirus, as infections remain high.

Boeing 737 MAX to return to US skies with American flight

American Airlines passengers are set to fly Tuesday on the first US commercial flight on a Boeing 737 MAX since the aircraft was allowed to return to service after a nearly two-year absence.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-12-boeing-max-american-flight.html

Wind powers more than half of UK electricity for first time

Wind power accounted for more than half of Britain's daily generated electricity on Saturday in the wake of Storm Bella, according to energy giant Drax.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-12-powers-uk-electricity.html

How coronavirus made 2020 the year of the electric bike

Walking and cycling gained a higher profile than ever in 2020 as a result of the pandemic. Governments around the world encouraged individuals to go on foot or take their bikes where possible instead of using crowded public transport, and invested in widescale cycling infrastructure to help them do so.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-12-coronavirus-year-electric-bike.html

Japanese pairing looking into using wood to build satellites

Japanese company Sumitomo Forestry has announced a joint development project with Kyoto University to test the idea of using wood as a component in satellite construction. As part of the announcement, officials with Sumitomo Forestry told reporters that work on the project will begin with experiments designed to test different types of wood in extreme environments.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-12-japanese-pairing-wood-satellites.html

New AI tool can predict in seconds what a movie will be rated

Movie ratings can determine a movie's appeal to consumers and the size of its potential audience. Thus, they have an impact on a film's bottom line. Typically, humans do the tedious task of manually rating a movie based on viewing the movie and making decisions on the presence of violence, drug abuse and sexual content.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-12-ai-tool-seconds-movie.html

Football: 'The wall' can make it harder to save free kicks – new research

In football, free kicks occur when the referee believes a rule has been broken. If central enough and within 30 metres from the goal, the attacking team typically attempts a direct shot on goal. However, the goalkeeper routinely places a "wall" of defensive players in between the ball and the goal to complicate the kicker's task of shooting on target.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-12-football-wall-harder-free.html

What's the best way to boost the economy? Invest in high-voltage transmission lines

When, in the midst of the pandemic, the Economic Society of Australia invited 150 of Australia's keenest young thinkers to come up with "brief, specific and actionable" proposals to improve the economy, amid scores of ideas about improving job matching, changing the tax system, providing non-repayable loans to businesses and accelerating telehealth, two proposals stood out.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-12-boost-economy-invest-high-voltage-transmission.html

Extremely energy efficient microprocessor developed using superconductors

Researchers from Yokohama National University in Japan have developed a prototype microprocessor using superconductor devices that are about 80 times more energy efficient than the state-of-the-art semiconductor devices found in the microprocessors of today's high-performance computing systems.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-12-extremely-energy-efficient-microprocessor-superconductors.html

EU ready to help expand vaccine production

The European Union is ready to help drug companies expand coronavirus vaccine production to clear a "bottleneck" in distribution, its top health official said Saturday.

Gibraltar in new lockdown as virus cases soar

Gibraltar on Saturday imposed a second lockdown to slow soaring rate of virus cases, just days after a landmark deal to ensure post-Brexit fluidity along its border with Spain.

Vatican to begin vaccinations second half of January

The Vatican announced Saturday its COVID-19 vaccination campaign will begin "in the next few days" with health workers and the elderly to receive vaccines from the second half of January.

India holds vaccine drills ahead of mass inoculation drive

India on Saturday staged nationwide drills to start one of the world's biggest coronavirus vaccination programmes as the drug regulator prepared to approve the first vaccine.

Bangkok imposes partial lockdown to combat virus

Bangkok's nightlife will go quiet as a ban on bars, nightclubs and restaurant alcohol sales goes into effect Saturday, among a raft of restrictions aimed at curbing the kingdom's rising coronavirus toll.

France tightens curfew as illegal mass rave ends

Millions in France faced tightened curfew restrictions Saturday to combat a high rate of coronavirus cases, as police booked hundreds of New Year revellers for flouting anti-COVID measures at an illegal rave in the country.

Dutch authorities to quickly begin vaccinating health staff

The Dutch government announced Saturday that it will begin vaccinating thousands of frontline health care workers as soon as possible to ease pressure on hospitals hit by coronavirus-related staffing shortages.

Turkey finds 15 people carrying new U.K. coronavirus variant

Turkey's health minister says the country has identified 15 people who carry a highly contagious coronavirus variant that was discovered in the United Kingdom.

Mexico City ban on single-use plastics takes effect

A broad ban on single-use containers, forks, straws and other ubiquitous items takes effect in Mexico's capital, one of the world's largest cities, after more than a year of preparation.

Watch out LA: Feds calculate riskiest, safest places in US

Spending her life in Los Angeles, Morgan Andersen knows natural disasters all too well. In college, an earthquake shook her home hard. Her grandfather was affected by recent wildfires in neighboring Orange County.

Fast rollout of virus vaccine trials reveals tribal distrust

The news came during a hopeful time on the largest Native American reservation.

Free Live "Investing for Success" Conference from the Tax Lien Lady

Joanne will be interviewing 9 other experts on these topics and Joanne will also be interviewed on how she got started with tax lien investing and what’s going on now in the tax lien investing market. [PR.com]

TVS Hollywood History Network.Com to Produce 12 New Episodes of Portraits of Power Beginning with One Man Show on General Patton

The original TVS Portraits of Power series was produced in association with the New York Times and featured episodes on Roosevelt, DeGaulle, Stalin, Churchill, Hitler, Kruschev, Eisenhower, and the Shah of Iran. It was hosted by Henry Fonda. The new series will be one man performances depicting American icons of the 20th Century [PR.com]

2020 Year in Review – Citizens Commission on Human Rights, Nashville Chapter

2020 saw many changes to the way nonprofit organizations operate, and Citizens Commission on Human Rights, Nashville Chapter, was no different in that regard. [PR.com]

Jazzy Web Design Launches First Website

A new website designer in Barnsley, have launched their debut website. Built entirely on WordPress it hopes to attract South Yorkshire businesses. [PR.com]

2020 Year in Review - The Way to Happiness Association of Tennessee

2020 saw many changes to the way nonprofit organizations operate, and The Way to Happiness Association of Tennessee was no different in that regard. [PR.com]

ArcherHall Acquires eDiscovery Inc.

ArcherHall has acquired eDiscovery Inc., a provider of digital forensics and electronic discovery consulting services to the legal community in Washington. “The eDiscovery Inc. team brings unique expertise and an exceptional reputation in the legal and digital forensics communities,” said Nicolas Anderson, CEO of ArcherHall. “We’re excited to enhance their services with a larger team of experts at [PR.com]

MDRT Professional Association Discount Renewed by AALTCI

The special discount for agents joining or renewing membership in the Million Dollar Roundtable has been renewed by the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance. [PR.com]

com-ESCO Acquires Professional Window & Door

General contractor com-ESCO, LLC (www.com-esco.com) has acquired the assets of Davie-based Professional Window & Door, (https://professionalwindowanddoor.com/), a 38-year-old window and door business. Specializing in hurricane impact windows and doors for both residential and commercial installations, the business has served primarily Broward and Palm Beach Counties (Florida) since 1982. Known for its attention to [PR.com]

SFBay Boudoir Photography Announces Its Studio Grand Opening, Offering Bay Area Boudoir Photography

Boudoir Photography is the fastest growing photography genre in 2020. To address this growing demand for photography services, SF Bay Boudoir has now opened it’s doors with a new portrait studio. Serving the greater Alamo, San Ramon, Walnut Creek, and Danville, CA area they are proud to join the local community of artists. The creative team at SF Bay Boudoir Photography has the experience and expertise needed to [PR.com]

BitVPN Reveals Decentralized Technology Plans and Cybersecurity Trends to Watch for 2021

Cybersecurity experts at BitVPN today released the company’s strategic technology plans and cast their predictions on the cybersecurity trends for 2021. As a decentralized VPN service based on blockchain technology, BitVPN avoids the core vulnerability and limits of traditional VPN services and protects users from censorship, data breaches and cyber-attacks with its multi-layer data encryption. The scrambling in a [PR.com]

The Jane Austen Society of North America’s Southwest Region Announces Winners of Its 2020 Short Film Contest

Six winners submitted short films judged by preeminent experts in the industry; each entry examined the life and works of Jane Austen in new and innovative ways. [PR.com]

Crane Warning Systems Atlanta Provides After-Sales Support and Service for RaycoWylie Products in the US

The crane safety systems distributor offers parts, service, sales, and support for RaycoWylie products in the United States. [PR.com]