News
Posted: 24th May 2013
One of the most effective, yet underappreciated, human defence mechanisms relies on antimicrobial peptides - short protein fragments that identify bacteria and disrupt their membrane structure to prevent infection. This in-built defence, virtually untouched by evolution, is now giving scientists clues as to how to create better medicines to combat infection.
There is an urgent need to find new antibiotics as bacteria are constantly evolving and steadily becoming resistant to the current arsenal used by doctors around the world. A key question is whether it is possible to create better...
Posted: 20th May 2013
NPL's acoustic and materials experts were involved in a large European project to design novel ear-defender technology to prevent noise-induced hearing loss.
The project known as Piezoselex ('Piezo Pair Materials for the Selective Exclusion of Workplace Noise') was funded by Europe's Framework 7 programme.
The Challenge
Many people will be familiar with the 'ringing' in one's ears after leaving a noisy environment such as a factory, nightclub, or concert. Where people are exposed to noise levels in excess of 80 dB, many...
Posted: 16th May 2013
The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and Cryogenic Ltd have designed and developed the most accurate instrument for comparative measurements of electric current. The instrument can now be used by National Measurement Institutes (NMI) and laboratories around the world, providing a more accurate standard for current ratio, and ensuring current measurement is not a limiting factor in innovation.
This new Cryogenic Current Comparator (CCC) provides the world's most accurate ratio of current, which together with the quantum Hall effect allows resistance...
Posted: 7th May 2013
Alan Woodward, a cyber security expert and a visiting professor of the Department, commented for Computing Magazine on the deployment of Source Address Validation Architecture (SAVA) security feature of the IPv6 network in China. He highlighted the reluctance of ISPs in other countries to welcome this new security feature of IPv6 network and the subtle balance between security and privacy. More detail about the story can be found out here.
For more news and updates from Surrey, please visit http://www.surrey.ac.uk. This article was sourced from here ...
Posted: 29th April 2013
A new tool developed at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) could help improve the quality of ultrasound treatment for soft tissue injuries such as muscle strains and ligament damage.
Ultrasound - high-frequency sound waves - is used in physiotherapy to accelerate healing of tissue injuries. Ideally, the sound waves should be applied uniformly to the treatment site, but it is well-known that this does not happen in practice. This can affect quality of treatment and even cause damage.
NPL has developed a way to quickly map the intensity and distribution of ultrasound, allowing treatment...