 | 
Times Higher Education World Reputation Ranking 2012: In the latest edition of the World Reputation Ranking compiled by the Times Higher Education magazine, the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich (LMU) has once again come out very well, improving its position by no less than six places in comparison with last year's showing. Now ranked in 42nd position, LMU is the leading German university in the table and number two among continental European institutions (after ETH in Zurich). The Reputation Ranking assesses universities on the basis of their perceived stature as teaching and research institutions, and is based on a survey of the considered opinions of eminent and experienced experts from all over the world. Read more... Add new comment
|
Simulator computes evacuation scenarios for major events: Predicting how large numbers of visitors to major events will behave is difficult, even using evidence based on past experience. To prevent disasters, however, the police, rescue services and event organizers have to be able to identify dangerous bottlenecks, hidden obstacles and unexpected escape routes in advance. A research group with engineers and computer scientists at Technische Universität München (TUM) has developed a simulator that can be used to compute different scenarios at specific venues. The program can simulate the behavior of tens of thousands of people, making emergency management significantly easier. |
Strokes and other vascular diseases remain the leading cause of death in Germany. Researchers from the Maximilians-University in Munich (LMU) have developed a novel treatment for stroke, based on nitric oxide. They have shown that administration of the toxic gas reduces brain damage in an animal model. Tests on humans are already underway. |
Positively charged star polymers containing a magnetic core are particularly suitable as DNA-delivery vectors. They show extremely high gene transfer efficiency and afterwards enable the quick and simple separation of the transfected cells from the transfection pool. A research team from the University of Bayreuth reports this result in the current edition of “Biomacro-molecules”.
|
Chemists build light-controlled neural inhibitor: The notion of a pain switch is an alluring idea, but is it realistic? Well, chemists at LMU Munich (Ludwig-Maximilians-University), in collaboration with colleagues in Berkeley and Bordeaux, have now shown in laboratory experiments that it is possible to inhibit the activity of pain-sensitive neurons using an agent that acts as a photosensitive switch. For the LMU researchers, the method primarily represents a valuable tool for probing the neurobiology of pain. (Nature Methods, 19.02.2012) |
