Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Algae oil extraction by ultrasonics at UWS


Biodiesel is considered to be one of the most promising renewable fuels for the future and is currently enjoying huge market growth throughout the world. The production of bio-diesel from algal oil combines biotechnology and advanced engineering in the large scale production of (ideally) high growth rate and high oil content algae. Algae are also considered far more productive per m2 than current biodiesel feedstocks produced from rapeseed and jatropher seeds.

Extraction of oil from algae usually combines a mechanical press with chemical extraction using a solvent. However, this also increases the cost and environmental impact of extraction due to the use of chemicals and specialised distillers to separate the oil from the solvent.

Associate Professor Kamali Kannangara, Dr Nguyen Tran and Dr Adriyan Milev from the School of Natural Sciences together with AusBiodiesel Pty Ltd have been awarded a UWS Research Partnership grant to investigate ultrasound effects on extraction of algal crude oils to biodiesel.

‘Extraction of crude oils from microalgae is an essential step that will impact on the efficiency of the biofuel production’ says Associate Professor Kannangara. ‘A remarkably simple, scalable technique that enables fast extraction of microalgae crude oils has been recognised as the ultrasound-assisted process. This involves significantly less volume of solvents compared to conventional techniques. However, many technical issues such as the composition, stability and chemistry of the extracts are dependent on the physical property of the algal cell, chemical composition of the cytoplasm and the ultrasound intensity and energy’. The research team will source the microalgae slurry externally which will then be filtered and the filtrate containing microalgae will be subjected to ultrasound-assisted oil extraction. Please read the full information sheet for more details on the project.

UWS has a growing list of researchers involved in renewable energy and clean technology. Contact us at ip@uws.edu.au for more information.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

"Brandjacking"! Is your brand safe online?

With the ever increasing use of internet for business, trademark brand names are being assaulted from all angles online. “Brandjacking” is an activity whereby someone acquires or otherwise assumes the online identity of another entity for the purposes of acquiring or altering that person's or business's brand reputation or equity. This is usually the use of brand images, names, and other identifiers to trick customers, and involves techniques such as search engine manipulation, PPC (pay per click) scams, cybersquatting, counterfeits, piracy, phishing, malware, and traffic diversion.

In the social networking arena, a “brandjacker” may attempt to seek to damage the reputation of the target brand for malicious or political reasons, which may or may not be directly financial, but the resulting effects on the target brand holder may often have adverse financial implications – eg, negative publicity may result for a corporation in lost sales or a reduced share price, or for a sportsperson, it may result in the termination of a lucrative sponsorship deal.

At a recent seminar presented by Professor Lisa Ramsey (Professor of Law, University of San Diego) and hosted by the University of Melbourne’s Centre for communications and media law (CMCL) and Intellectual Property Research Institute of Australia (IPRIA) it was discussed whether trademark infringement laws should apply to the unauthorised use of trademarked brand names on Facebook™, Twitter™, and other social network sites?

Professor Ramsey discussed how in the US, it is currently unclear whether infringement laws apply if the “brandjacker” is not advertising or selling goods or services, since there is a requirement for “use in commerce” of the mark for infringement provisions to apply. In the US there must also be a balance of free speech interests (ie first amendment) when deciding whether trademark infringement laws apply, and it is generally considered that where a trade mark is being used in parody, satire, criticism, comparative advertising, news reporting, and other commentary on the social network sites and there is no confusion about the source of this expression, this expressive use of the mark should be outside of the scope of the US trademark infringement laws.

Australia will soon be facing these same issues, if its not already, so watching how the US deals with this will be really interesting.

UWS Innovation &Consulting (ip@uws.edu.au) advise our staff and students in this area. Others can find Professor Ramsey’s full discussion paper at http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1498557

Thursday, March 17, 2011

UWS Solar-Hydrogen Research

Image: Leigh and Maria with the UWS Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer (SIMS) a key instrument in the solar research program.










Dr Leigh Sheppard and Dr Maria Nowotny of the Solar Energy Technologies Research Group (SETG), School of Natural Sciences, have been awarded an ARC discovery grant to investigate different methods of improving the efficiency of solar-hydrogen fuel production. A partner investigator to this award will be Dr David Kisailius from the University of California at Riverside.

The team is pursuing a solution that is based on a photoelectrochemical process where sunlight is used to “split water” into its component parts - oxygen and hydrogen. The hydrogen gas produced in this way is solar-hydrogen fuel. This project aims to enhance solar-hydrogen generation from water splitting by addressing a major scientific roadblock that prohibits the visible fraction of sunlight being used during the oxidation of water. Read the full story here.

As many would be aware, the development of cost effective renewable energy technologies is of critical national and international importance. This was explored in detail at the 7th Australasian Cleantech forum that was held from Feb 28th to March 2nd 2011 at the Hilton Hotel, Sydney. It was made obvious that no currently available renewable energy source has the ability to monopolise the market and the prevailing vision is for an energy economy that exists through the contributions of multiple energy sources. Cleaner, cheaper, more reliable and more efficient technologies are needed. With solar, wind, geothermal and a range of bio-fuels currently propping up the list of successful renewables, it is hoped that UWS researchers at the SETG will be able to contribute to the great potential that solar-hydrogen energy presents.

If you have any inquiries about harnessing UWS research for your business, or accessing UWS equipment like the SIMS, please do not hesitate to contact the UWS Innovation team.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

New Big Pharma Opportunities for Academic Research

It may be hard to believe, but many big pharma companies may be facing a tough time in the near future. Within the next five years, patents for a number of lucrative drugs will expire, and it is estimated that these drugs currently contribute approximately $140 billion per year in revenue. When a patent expires it becomes available for competitors to exploit commercially. This poses a big problem, as it is always hard to predict when the next blockbuster will arrive to make up for lost revenue.

Pharmaceutical companies do have strategies to soften the impact of patent expiration. Examples include increasing the use of a drug through extension to other uses, the introduction of a novel improvement, or the creation of a generic version. However, these strategies may not be sufficient to adequately differentiate themselves from their competitors. That is why the industry is working on a new way to revitalise their portfolio: the combination of IT and health care.

Mobile phone applications (apps) are currently a hot topic in the industry. According to an Ernst & Young report, pharmaceutical companies started 97 projects in 2010. The majority of projects are focused on smartphone apps and examples include software for blood sugar level monitoring, the provision of clinical trials results and vaccination data management. The combination of easy access to information and treatment increases the efficiency of drug development and drug usage. At a time when regulatory bodies require ever more complex trials and a huge amount of data, the provision of adequate and relevant patient information helps in the design of more cost-effective clinical trials. Mobile apps may also improve the way patients, drug developers and medical practitioners communicate. This will allow for customised treatment and the development of new strategies for drug prescription and patient monitoring.

Although universities play an important role as an innovation supplier for the pharmaceutical industry, the research and development of a compound or biological agent is very resource intensive. The expansion of drug companies into the IT sector provides universities with the opportunity to leverage their intellectual capital and address a fast growing market without needing to invest in product development programs costing millions of dollars.

Through increased collaboration, UWS's growing capability at the School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, School of Medicine and School of Computing and Mathematics places the university in a great position to capitalise on these emerging trends.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Who is an Expert Witness?

















Image: Gavin Stuart (Bartier Perry) cross examines Dr Ross Heisey (I&C)

This question was thoroughly investigated in the Expert Witness training program organised by UWS Innovation & Consulting at the UWS Moot Court House on the 23rd of February. Gavin Stuart, an experienced solicitor, from Bartier and Perry was the trainer for the day which was attended by twenty UWS academics and two visitors from the Forensic Accounting unit of the NSW Police. Dr Kerry Hudson, Director of UWS I&C, welcomed the participants to this inaugural training event which is the start of the UWS expert witness service. The presentation covered a range of topics such as the roles, regulation and responsibilities of an expert, expert evidence, engagement of experts, expert report writing, giving court evidence and the pitfalls to be avoided by expert witness.

Gavin found our own Dr Ross Heisey unflappable under a simulated cross examination as an expert witness in the Court. Finally he touched on the potential criminal and civil liability issues for experts.

If you want to know more about the program or accessing expert witnesses at UWS please contact UWS Innovation & Consulting on (02) 9685 9836 or by email at ip@uws.edu.au.