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Size matters: Bimodal imaging receives nanoparticle enhancement

indie
3 minutes

Tsukuba, Japan, Mar 10, 2021 - (ACN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - Scientists have found a way to control the size of special nanoparticles to optimize their use for both magnetic resonance and near-infrared imaging. Their approach could help surgeons use the same nanoparticles to visualize tumours just before and then during surgery using the two different imaging techniques. Their findings were published in the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Materials.The scientists injected the nanoparticle solution into the tail veins of live mice and were able to obtain high quality MRI (L) and near-infrared fluorescence (R) scans of tissues and blood vessels."Magnetic resonance imaging is routinely used in pre-operative diagnosis, while surgeons have started using near-infrared fluorescence imaging during surgical procedures," says nanobiotechnologist Kyohei Okubo of Tokyo University of Science. "Our nanoparticle probes could provide a bimodality that will be clinically appealing to medical device researchers and doctors."Ceramic nanoparticles made with the rare earth metals ytterbium (Yb) and erbium (Er) have demonstrated low toxicity and prolonged near-infrared luminescence, show...

SeaPRwire
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Marina Bay view could be priciest real estate feature in Singapore

elean
1 minute

SINGAPORE - A panoramic view of the iconic Marina Bay Sands and the Central Business District could well be the most pricey amenity in Singapore real estate. A collection of five penthouses, put up for sale recently at Marina Bay Residences with an indicative price of $138 million, will give a sense of how much a buyer would pay for this sought-after view. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month Latest headlines and exclusive stories In-depth analyses and award-winning multimedia content Get access to all with our no-contract promotional package at only $0.99/month for the first 3 months* Subscribe now *Terms and conditions apply.

SeaPRwire
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Anonymous liver donor brightens CNY for little Raenelle

aseanpr
5 minutes

SINGAPORE (THE NEW PAPER) - When their daughter Raenelle was diagnosed with biliary atresia - a rare liver disease - at 1½ months old, Ms Vicky Cheng and Mr Roger Wong were devastated. Last September, Raenelle's parents got even worse news - doctors said the 17-month-old had end-stage liver disease and gave her six months to live, unless she could get a liver donor. Dad's liver was not a match and mum was pregnant at the time. So, desperate to find a living donor to save the life of her child, Ms Cheng, a 35-year-old housewife, made an urgent plea on Facebook. On Jan 6, after three heart-rending months, the National University Hospital (NUH) found a match in an anonymous donor. The Transplant Ethics Committee conducted a review of the case on Jan 13 and Raenelle had the surgery on Jan 20. Two weeks after the surgery at NUH, the family's spirits were lifted even further - just in time for Chinese New Year - after she was moved from the high dependency ward to a general ward, where she still is today. Because of confidentiality issues, the family do not know the identity of the donor. Ms Cheng is forever grateful to the "selfless" donor and told The New Paper on Wednesday (Feb 17): "...

SeaPRwire
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Grab picks Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan for US IPO: Sources

elean
2 minutes

HONG KONG (BLOOMBERG) - South-east Asian ride-hailing giant Grab Holdings has picked banks for a potential US initial public offering (IPO), that could raise at least US$2 billion (S$2.65 billion), according to people familiar with the matter. Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase & Co have been selected to work on a listing that could happen as soon as the second half of this year, the people said. More banks could be added and details of the offering could change as deliberations continue, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the information is private. Grab's IPO considerations come after talks to combine with Indonesian rival Gojek stalled. The latter start-up is now in advanced discussions to merge with local e-commerce pioneer Tokopedia instead, creating a powerful regional player in online services that may then seek to go public, Bloomberg News reported this month. A Gojek-Tokopedia tie-up could create a South-east Asian powerhouse with a valuation of about US$18 billion and businesses encompassing ride-hailing and payments to online shopping and grocery delivery. That could threaten Grab's own effort to expand across the region, particularly in the largest market...

SeaPRwire
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Bitcoin falls, bringing dizzying rally to a halt

elean
3 minutes

NEW YORK (BLOOMBERG) - Bitcoin fizzled in trading on Monday (Jan 4) as the famously volatile cryptocurrency pulled back after a spectacular new-year rally. Prices fell as much as 17 per cent in the biggest drop since March before recovering. The losses are small in the context of Bitcoin's broader rally, with a 50 per cent jump in December alone. After a parabolic 2020, the digital currency had started the new year with a bang, surging as high as US$34,000 (S$44,890) and hitting all-time highs on Sunday. Bitcoin was down 7 per cent to US$31,227 as of 12:59pm in London. "Today's selloff is a reminder this is a relatively new asset, highly volatile, and still yet to find its place in the market," said Adrian Lowcock, head of personal investing at Willis Owen. "There are many (major) hurdles for it to overcome for it to be a useful mainstream asset." As ever in the world of crypto, it's hard to pinpoint the proximate cause for the latest bout of volatility. Bitcoin is up more than 300 per cent over the past year, driven by a speculative fever from retail and institutional investors on the belief that cryptocurrencies are emerging as a mainstream asset class and can act as a store of v...

SeaPRwire
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US Fed opens policy final 2020 meeting amid uncertain economy

elean
3 minutes

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US central bankers on Tuesday (Dec 15) opened their final policy meeting of the year to review how best to support the economy as the Covid-19 vaccine rollout gets underway. But with the benchmark lending rate already at zero, there is little left for the Federal Reserve to do, absent an agreement in Congress on a new federal relief package to help ailing businesses and unemployed workers. At most, economists say officials in the policy-setting Federal Open Markets Committee (FOMC) could provide more information on potentially increasing the pace of bond purchases above the current US$120 billion a month. But economist Diane Swonk of Grant Thornton said anyone waiting for an announcement of more asset purchases is "likely to be disappointed." "Officials will only increase asset purchases if credit markets hit another roadblock and begin to seize," Ms Swonk said in an analysis. However, she said "they are likely to signal they will keep those purchases in place until the economy is well beyond the current crisis." Officials could make adjustments in the types of assets they buy, extending into longer-term debt as an insurance policy against the near-term risks. Ev...

SeaPRwire
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Sites for homes in Tengah, Ang Mo Kio up for sale

elean
3 minutes

The first executive condominium (EC) site in Tengah and a condo site in Ang Mo Kio were launched for sale yesterday under the second half of the 2020 government land sales (GLS) programme. Both residential sites are on the confirmed list, which was released in June. The two sites combined can yield about 985 residential units, although the actual number may vary depending on the developers, said the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and the Housing Board (HDB) yesterday. Sites on the confirmed list are launched according to schedule, regardless of demand. The Tengah parcel in Tengah Garden Walk has a site area of 22,020 sq m and a maximum gross floor area (GFA) of 61,659 sq m. The 99-year leasehold site is expected to yield about 615 EC units. Located next to the upcoming Garden Vines @ Tengah Build-To-Order project, it will be the first EC housing project in the "forest town" of Tengah. JLL senior director of research and consultancy Ong Teck Hui said developers are likely to view the EC market "favourably", as there are only four EC projects in the launch pipeline. "While the Tengah plot is in a relatively less developed area, it could be in fair demand due to the lack of new E...

SeaPRwire
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Quest to bridge the digital divide

aseanpr
1 minute

SINGAPORE - While the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated digitalisation in some sectors, it has also raised concerns that vulnerable segments of society are being left behind in a so-called digital divide. In the absence of a clear measure of the digital divide here, there are some official figures that suggest there could be some who fall through the cracks. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month Latest headlines and exclusive stories In-depth analyses and award-winning multimedia content Get access to all with our no-contract promotional package at only $0.99/month for the first 3 months* Subscribe now *Terms and conditions apply.