University of Maryland Archives

Conjugation chemistry creates affordable childhood vaccines

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Andrew Lees has developed a conjugation method for the development of conjugate vaccines using the chemical CDAP, and combining this with a minimal-profit business model, is providing vaccines at affordable rates to children in developing countries.

The immune system provides a formidable defence against pathogens. However, many bacteria possess a protective sugar polymer coat. In children, the immune system does not respond to these polymers unless they are chemically linked to a carrier. This is the basis of conjugate vaccines, a powerful but expensive means to fight diseases like pneumonia, the leading cause of death in […]

The problem of targeted sympathy in justice for sex workers

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Professors Leon and Shdaimah have conducted research into the effectiveness of PDPs for street-based sex workers, exploring the concept of targeted sympathy in relation to sex workers

Professor Chrysanthi Leon, Associate Professor of Sociology & Criminal Justice and founding member of the Center for the Study and Prevention of Gender-based Violence at the University of Delaware, and Professor Corey Shdaimah, Daniel Thursz Distinguished Professor of Social Justice at the University of Maryland School of Social Work, research prostitution diversion programs (PDPs). These programs ostensibly offer a more […]

Asthenospheric flow and plate tectonics in the Antarctic

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New geophysical research has provided evidence to support a 40-year-old theory about the effects of the split in the Earth’s tectonic plates which separated South America and Antarctica. In studies carried out by Manuel Catalán for the Spanish Royal Naval Observatory and Yasmina M. Martos, for NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and the University of Maryland (UMD) in the […]

Birds prefer sound texture over sound order

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For zebra finches, the subtle nuances in sound texture or timbre are more important than the sequence of repeated sounds.

How exactly do birds ‘talk’ to one another? And might research into how birds listen to birdsong help us understand communication both in humans and birds? Dr Robert Dooling and his team, based at the University of Maryland, USA, showed that – for zebra finches at least – the subtle nuances in sound texture or timbre are more important than […]

A measure to predict critical errors in open emergency surgery

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Medical errors are a leading cause of worldwide deaths. Surgeons are sometimes required to carry out procedures that they do not perform frequently, which leads to surgical errors that can have severe consequences for patients. To confront this issue, Professor Colin Mackenzie, Emeritus Professor at the University of Maryland, School of Medicine, developed with his team, the Trauma Readiness Index […]