CORDIS EXPRESS

With volcano ash shutting down airports in much of northern Europe, CORDIS Express arrives this week with stories about the oceans and the various stages of life. Laser technology has taken a quantum leap with a new finding from the University of Innsbruck in Austria. Going further, the Spanish Presidency of the European Union recently made progress in its aim to promote the potential of science and technology to combat poverty and inequality. An EU project is showing how organisations and companies can best use the experience of older professionals. In Finally and Briefly, French scientists have found the limit of multi-tasking.

United effort to stop Mediterranean degradation

Over the next 4 years, more than 60 researchers from 15 countries will work together to improve the coastal management of the Mediterranean Sea. For the first time under the one research agenda, an EU-funded project will undertake an all-inclusive study of the sea, its coasts and marine ecosystems in a bid to build consensus on the future governance and prosperity of the ailing basin. The project 'People for ecosystem based governance in assessing sustainable development of ocean and coast' (Pegaso) was funded with EUR 6.99 million under the environment theme of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). The Mediterranean Sea (like the Black Sea) continues to suffer from extreme environmental degradation.

Lifestyle changes key to diabetes prevention

EU-funded researchers and clinicians have gone head to head with diabetes and it looks as though they are winning the fight. The partners of the project 'Development and implementation of a European guideline and training standards for diabetes prevention' (IMAGE) have developed the first-ever pan-European strategy for the prevention of this disease which refuses to step out of the limelight. IMAGE received EUR 1.2 million in support from the European Commission's Directorate General (DG) for Health and Consumer Protection. Experts predict that the number of diabetes cases will rise from 53.2 million to 64.1 million within the next 15 years, a jump of more than 20%. Just as worrying is the fact that 10% of the population aged between 20 and 79 will suffer from diabetes by 2030.

Life in minimum-oxygen ocean zones at risk

Even areas of the deep ocean with very low oxygen concentrations can be awash with life. However, these habitats are threatened by global climate change, as it has the potential to cause further oxygen depletion. New research, published in the journal Marine Ecology, analysed biodiversity in oxygen-minimum zones (OMZs) in the Arabian Sea, eastern Pacific and Bay of Bengal. The study was supported by the EU-funded project 'Hotspot ecosystem research and man's impact on European seas' (Hermione), part of the environment theme of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). Hermione has received EUR 8 million in financial support. OMZs are mid-water areas in the ocean where oxygen saturation is at its lowest. They are created by the degradation of organic matter from the upper water levels, which are rich in oxygen. Tiny marine algae (phytoplankton) populate these levels.

Laser technology takes a quantum leap

An EU-funded research team from Austria's University of Innsbruck has invented a single atom laser which works on the same principle as a classic laser but also has quantum mechanical properties in its atom-photon interactions. The results of the research, which are published in the journal Nature Physics, will lead to a better understanding of the properties of lasers and will be used for measuring trace gases and carbon isotope compositions in the air and soil. EU support for the work came from the QUBITS project, which stands for 'Quantum based information processing and transfer using single atoms and photons', and QUEST project, both financed through the Fifth Framework Programme (FP5), and from the 'Scalable quantum computing with light and atoms' (SCALA) project, which is funded under the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6). Additional funding came from the Federation of Austrian Industry Tirol and the Austrian Science Fund.

EU project spotlights older worker value

Researchers from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden are participating in a new EU project that will determine how organisations and businesses can best use the skills and experiences of older professionals. The ‘Best agers’ project, funded in part by the European Regional Development Fund, will specifically use the competences of these older professionals to foster business and skills development in the Baltic Sea region. The initiative has received more than EUR 4.5 million in funding. The European Commission says that one of the biggest challenges facing European regions is the change in demographics. Experts believe that professionals aged 55 and over (also defined as older professionals by the ‘Best agers’ project partners) could be the ace up the Baltic Sea region's sleeve.

Presidency commitment to science helping combat poverty highlighted

The Spanish Minister of Science and Innovation, Cristina Garmendia recently highlighted the priority of the Spanish Presidency of the European Union to forge a new way of dealing with one of the greatest challenges for European science and innovation policies - the contribution they can make to the agenda in the battle against poverty and inequality. Speaking just after a recent event on the topic, the minister said that research and technology have 'immense potential' in promoting human development, such as helping to reduce infant mortality, boosting the effectiveness of agricultural research in the fight against hunger, and guaranteeing electricity supplies in disadvantaged areas through renewable energy systems.

Final conference of the ‘My science’ project, Bolzano, Italy

The final conference of the 'European programme for young journalists' (My science) project will be held in Bolzano, Italy on 28 May 2010. Conference sessions will focus on a number of areas related to science and communications. First, a panel presentation, debate and discussion will look at training researchers to be science communicators and how to give journalists deeper insight into science communication. Next, a roundtable will focus on the importance of ethics in research. Specifically, participants will hear about the ethical side of research on mummies, with an emphasis on Ötzi, the frozen mummy who is on display at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano. There will also be individual presentations on science communication in the EU, including best practices and types of science communication. Questions of communicating science to the wider public will also be discussed.

18th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, Lyon, France

The 18th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition will be held from 3 to 7 May 2010 in Lyon, France. Conference subjects will cover the entire range of bioenergy issues: resource availability, conversion technologies, demonstration projects, integration in the energy system, environmental impact and market deployment, as well as the need for policy initiatives. Oral and visual presentations will be supplemented by topical workshops and policy debates outlining the bioenergy options and their contribution to meeting the world's future energy demand. Sessions on biomass resources, biomass conversion, markets of today and tomorrow, and policies in Europe and in the world will also give the participants detailed insight on not only scientific results but also policy formulation. The Fourth Biomass Industry Forum will take place at the same time as the conference.

Call for an industrial partner for the TOBI project

The EU-funded 'Tools for brain-computer interaction' (TOBI) project has issued a call for an industrial partner. TOBI has a vacancy in its consortium for an industrial partner, established in an EU Member State or Associated State, to perform the following tasks: a) support the development of one or more application and/or research project areas, according to applicant experience, b) actively participate in the development of TOBI’s industrial strategy to bring project results in the field of brain-computer interaction (BCI) technology to market. TOBI is designing non-invasive BCI prototypes that will be combined with existing assistive technologies and rehabilitation protocols. Users will be able to couple brain interaction with muscle-based interaction or can naturally switch between the different ways of interacting.

Expertise in supra-regional spatial strategies highlighted

Fundación Metrópoli of Spain is offering expertise in supra-regional spatial strategies designed to foster cooperation between key decision-makers on global development issues. This includes a focus on connectivity, complementary, cooperation, mitigation of adverse climate change and sustainable design. In 1997, Fundación Metrópoli initiated the ‘Proyecto cities’ research, a joint effort focusing on 20 cities from 5 continents. Based on a specific methodology developed by Fundación Metrópoli, the basic aim of the ‘Proyecto cities’ research is to identify the competitive advantages of each participating city and present the principal urban innovations that they are developing, especially those that impact on the physical form of the city and the structure of the city-region. Fundación Metrópoli would also like to participate in projects in the area of urban development, as well as coordinating projects.

Development of a common methodology and tools to evaluate earthquake hazards in Europe

The ‘Seismic hazard harmonisation in Europe’ (SHARE) project is set to deliver measurable progress in all steps leading to a harmonised assessment of seismic hazard in the definition of engineering requirements, in the collection and analysis of input data, in procedures for hazard assessment, and in engineering applications. SHARE researchers will create a unified framework and computational infrastructure for seismic hazard assessment and produce an integrated European probabilistic seismic hazard assessment (PSHA) model and specific scenario-based modelling tools. The project's results will have a long-lasting structural impact in areas of societal and economic relevance; they will serve as a reference for the Eurocode 8 application, and will provide homogeneous input for the correct seismic safety assessment for critical industry, such as energy infrastructures and the re-insurance sector.

Multi-tasking has its limits, find French researchers

With several reports in the news recently about the ability of humans to multi-task, a study came to the attention of Finally and Briefly that looked at how the human brain divides up more than one activity going on at the same time.

A team of researchers at the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research in Paris studied 32 volunteers who were asked to solve two puzzles. At the same time, the test subjects' brains were monitored for activity.