New molecule boosts antioxidants

University of Pittsburgh researchers have found a way to prolong the life of antioxidants, substances that are commonly added to sunscreens, exterior paints and plastics to protect against oxidation caused by exposure to sun or air.

Although they protect surfaces against ultraviolet light, antioxidants are themselves vulnerable over time to oxidation by UV light. But the Pitt researchers found that they could make one antioxidant, known as Trolox, less vulnerable to UV light by attaching it to benzotriazole, a chemical that absorbs UV light.

The combination of these two compounds into a single molecule, called a co-polymer, proved to be more effective than simply mixing the two compounds together. The benzotriazole portion of the co-polymer preferentially absorbs the UV radiation, preserving the function of the Trolox portion.

Alan Russell, director of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and research associate Bhalchandra Lele reported their results last week in the journal Biomacromolecules. Pitt has applied for a patent for this method of stabilizing antioxidants with a UV-absorbing compound.

Supercomputer update

The Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center reports that the first half of its new Cray XT3 "Red Storm" computer has been installed and its capacity for performing up to 5 trillion calculations per second already is being put to use.

Ten black-and-gold cabinets housing more than 1,000 processors were installed at the Westinghouse Energy Center in Monroeville over the holidays. When complete, the system will be capable of up to 10 trillion calculations per second.

The National Science Foundation awarded the center a one-year, $9.7 million grant to obtain the machine, which is expandable and will be the center's new workhorse. The system already is being used for such research projects as storm forecasting, earthquake modeling and cosmology.

Data over power lines

Overhead electric power lines have the potential to carry computer data at rates far exceeding those of DSL and cable modems, a Penn State electrical engineer says.

Mohsen Kavehrad, director of the Center for Information and Communciations Technology Research, says his computer models suggest that power lines theoretically could send data to individual homes at rates of hundreds of megabits per second, compared with the typical DSL rate of two or three megabits per second. He presented his findings earlier this month at a networking conference in Las Vegas.