TIZER'S SCIENCE NEWS

[Bodger]

Tizer, thought it may be of interest ?
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-glas ... 1991.story

[Bodger]

Who said science is dull?, i dont know for what use this was but it's certainlygood research
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mri_ZqaBac

[Stanley]

Both interesting.

[Tizer]

Thanks for the posts, Bodger. When I was doing my PhD we were able to do a course on glassblowing, it was still considered essential. Not much glass in labs now, especially biosciences, hospitals and drug companies. Lots of plastic tubing and little plastic vials!

[Stanley]

The bloke who blew the big acid carboys must have had good lungs....
The most impressive piece of 'scientific' glass I ever saw was in an old print works at New Mills where they had the biggest mercury arc rectifier I have ever seen.

[Stanley]

See this LINK for the latest estimates of the size of the magma chamber under the caldera in Yellowstone Park which is still active. It's to be hoped it never blows!

[Tizer]

I heard Evan Davies on the Today programme asking the geologist how the eruption would compare with others we've experienced. There was a gasp from Evan when he said it would be about 2000 times greater than the Mount St Helens eruption...but then he added that it wouldn't be for a million years or so!

[Stanley]

I heard that as well. I hope the 'expert' is right!

[Tizer]

Pesky scientists again...

Stripped mobile phone camera turned into a mini-microscope for low-cost diagnostics (05 December 2013)

Simple imaging devices modified to inexpensive mini-microscopes are the new weapon in fight against tropical infectious diseases, according to researchers at the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, FIMM, University of Helsinki and Karolinska Institutet.

Microscopy, being relatively easy to perform at low cost, is the universal diagnostic method for detection of most globally important parasitic infections. Methods developed in well-equipped laboratories are, however, difficult to maintain at the basic levels of the health care system due to lack of adequately trained personnel and resources. Researchers at the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, FIMM, University of Helsinki and Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, have now shown that novel techniques for high-resolution imaging and image transfer over data networks may be utilized to solve these diagnostic problems.

The team led by Dr. Johan Lundin and Dr. Ewert Linder modified inexpensive imaging devices, such as a webcam selling for ten euros and a mobile phone camera, into a mini-microscope. The test sample was placed directly on the exposed surface of the image sensor chip after removal of the optics. The resolution of such mini-microscopes was dependent on the pixel size of the sensor, but sufficient for identification of several pathogenic parasites.

In their study published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases the researchers were able to use the mini-microscopes they constructed to yield images of parasitic worm eggs present in urine and stools of infected individuals. They first utilized this novel approach to detect urinary schistosomiasis, a severely under diagnosed infection affecting hundreds of millions, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. For diagnostics at the point-of-care they developed a highly specific pattern recognition algorithm that analyses the image from the mini-microscope and automatically detects the parasite eggs.

“The results can be exploited for constructing simple imaging devices for low-cost diagnostics of urogenital schistosomiasis and other neglected tropical infectious diseases”, says Dr. Lundin. “With the proliferation of mobile phones, data transfer networks and digital microscopy applications the stage is set for alternatives to conventional microscopy in endemic areas.”

[Tizer]

...and again:
Defending against electromagnetic attacks
(02 December 2013, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Germany)
Electromagnetic fields can interfere with or damage electronic devices. Electromagnetic radiation is invisible to people. A new measuring instrument can now determine the strength, frequency, and direction of the attack.

We are all familiar with the power of electromagnetic attacks from the movies: in Ocean‘s Eleven, George Clooney’s gang disables Las Vegas’ power grid, and Keanu Reeves’ henchmen hold off the enemy robot fighters from their spaceship in the Matrix Trilogy. The heroes in the films succeed by sending out a very strong electromagnetic pulse. This changes the voltage in the vicinity so that regulators, switches, and circuit boards in electronic equipment go crazy. You cannot smell, taste, or feel this radiation. Those affected by it do not know why computers or machines breakdown or from which direction the attack comes.

“What works on the silver screen is also conceivable in reality,” confirms Michael Jöster from the Fraunhofer Institute for Technological Trend Analysis INT in Euskirchen, just south of Cologne, Germany. The researchers there are concentrating on the question of how these attacks can be detected. They have developed a measurement instrument for this purpose that is capable of determining the strength, fre- quency, and direction of electromagnetic attacks. The engineering requirements are steep: the detector must measure very high field strengths from very short pulses, yet not be destroyed or damaged itself.

Four specialized antennas make up the INT demonstration instrument that sample the environment around the subject device to be protected. Each of these covers a quadrant of 90 degrees and detects all types of electromagnetic sources. A high-frequency module preconditions the signals for measurement and determines when the electromagnetic pulse started and stopped. A computer in a monitoring station connected via an optical conductor then calculates the values for the signal and presents them on a screen. “We identify the type and location of the source of the invisible attack as well as its duration as though we had a sixth sense. Those affected by the attack can use this information to mount a rapid and appropriate protective response,” explains Jöster. The threat scenarios are real: criminals disrupt computer networks of banks, exchanges, and companies. They cause confusion in order to bypass monitoring points or overcome alarm systems, en- abling them to penetrate into secure areas. Individual cases of these kinds of attacks have already been documented: thieves used electromagnetic waves to crack the security sys- tems of limousines in Berlin. Their weapons are no larger than a suitcase. High-power microwave sources are suitable for those kinds of attacks, for example. Depending on the field strength, the attacker using these high-power microwaves can be located several meters from the target of the attack. “Located In the right position, it is enough to press a button to trigger the pulse. Just like in Ocean’s Eleven or Matrix, the electronic systems nearby can fail or be damaged,” as Jöster describes the danger.

Electronic devices can withstand a certain amount of radiation. This is measured in volts per meter (V/m) – called the electromagnetic compatibility (EMC). Otherwise, they would not operate reliably. Every device could interfere with others in its immediate vicinity. Depending on the category of usage, they therefore have to fulfill specific EMC requirements. These are significantly higher for industrial applications than for common things like Smartphones, televisions, or stereo equipment. One example where safety is important is automotive engineering. “The importance of electronic components will continue to increase in the future. Completely shielding individual devices from electromagnetic radiation would certainly be theoretically possible, but much too expensive though. Systems are needed that can detect these kinds of attacks. If you know what is attacking, you can also react correctly to it,” according to Jöster.

http://www.fraunhofer.de/en/press/resea ... tacks.html

[Stanley]

Fascinating stuff Tiz. What strikes me is how science catches up with science fiction. Many years ago I had a year's worth of Boys Own comics in one large volume. They dated from the 1920s and one of the serial stories was about an alien race who attacked earth and had short stick-like rods that disabled anyone or any thing they were pointed at. Totally incredible then but from the sound of it, within the power of modern science now. Tin Hats at the ready Lads!

[David Whipp]

Defending against electromagnetic attacks

Shouldn't this have been in 'Lights in the sky' thread! And foil, rather than tin hats?

[Bodger]

Washing with plastic pellets, and made in Yorkshire, never sure wether thats a + or a - in Barlic ?
SAC for soap dodger
By PRW Staff
Posted 11 December 2013

Sheffield-based Xeros has developed a method for cleaning clothes that largely replaces water with polymer beads.

According to the company, its washing machines use 70% less water, 50% less energy and 50% less detergent than traditional appliances.

In order to promote the ‘green clothing’ message Xeros has joined the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), which also includes Adidas, Burberry, Coca Cola and Levi Strauss.

Bill Westwater, chief executive officer, Xeros, said: “We’re pleased to be joining the SAC, which is a natural fit for us, given the outstanding environmental benefits our machines deliver to users.”

[Tizer]

More here on Bodger's polymer bead story:
http://www.xeroscleaning.com/polymer-bead-cleaning/
I hope it doesn't result in polymer beads getting into waste water and the environment. I listened to a Radio 4 programme where they discussed the fine plastic particles now accumulating and contaminating the environment. We used to worry about plastic bottles floating around in the ocean but it turns out the real problem is physically degraded plastic materials, very fine and capable of being ingested by aquatic organisms and passed up the food chain. What surprised me most was to learn that exfoliating creams, which have used ground up nut shells such as walnut, now also contain tiny polythene beads, so people are spreading these polythene beads over their faces. All this will end up in the environment, bioaccumulate and pass up the food chain. Surely the Environment Agency should be opposing the use of such plastic beads in applications where they will enter the environment. The Health & Safety Executive should be looking at it too, to ensure that the beads are not so fine that they can be absorbed through the skin and enter the bloodstream. The manufacturers and retailers involved in these products seem to have no ethical values.

An example of such a cream is `Dove Gentle Exfoliating Cream Bar' sold by Tesco and other outlets. Its ingredients list is:
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Stearic Acid, Sodium Stearate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Parfum, Helianthus Annuus, Tocopheryl Acetate, Polyethylene, Sodium Chloride, Trisodium EDTA, Zinc Stearate, Tetrasodium Etidronate, CI 42090, CI 77891.

The CI 77891 is titanium dioxide, used as a white pigment. CI 42090 is a blue synthetic dye. The list also includes `Helianthus Annuus' which is the Latin name for the sunflower plant but it's useless to tell us this without stating which part of the plant or which chemical from the plant is being used in the cream. I sometimes wonder if the people writing these ingredients lists know what they are talking about!

[Stanley]

I don't need exfoliating soap....
Bodge, question is, how would it work in a dolly tub and posser?

[plaques]

Have we all gone mamby pamby. What's wrong with the good old fashioned loofah and pumice stone. In my safe cracking days a bit of wet and dry did the trick. Got the old pinkies really pink. Exfoliation, just another marketing term that gets under your skin.

[Stanley]

Not always P. I remember impressing the people at ERF no end when I told them that vibration in the prop shaft of our new wagon was causing exfoliation of the case hardening on the crown wheel and pinion in the back axle. They gave us a new back axle and eventually agreed with me where the fault was.
My dad had a mate called Harry White who was a signwriter in Stockport and a bit of a fly-boy. After the war when soap was in short supply he bought a large quantity of ex-army soap very cheap and hoped to make a killing. Turned out it was foot soap and contained an abrasive to exfoliate the skin. Poor Harry lost out on the deal....

[Tizer]

At least Unilever have now recognised the problem. Here is their statement:
"Unilever has decided to phase out plastic scrub beads from personal care products. This is because we believe we can provide consumers with products that deliver a similar exfoliating performance without the need to use plastics. We expect to complete this phase out globally by 2015 and are currently exploring which suitable alternatives can best match the sensory experience that the plastic scrub beads provide."
http://www.unilever.com/sustainable-liv ... oplastics/

[Stanley]

The foot soap had sand in it. We used to use sand with Swarfega after doing really dirty jobs. It's a wonder the skin on my hands survived!

[Cathy]

Oatmeal soap is as good as any for getting rid of dry skin, used with a loofah or one of those 'net scrunchies'. After using Swarfega I would be looking for the pure lanolin moisturiser.

[Stanley]

I found that out in later years Cathy but not before I started to get mild industrial dermatitis on my left hand, no doubt due to using Swarfega and sand. It's like abrasive paint stripper!
I noted the -92C recorded in Antarctica in 2010.
Bat guano and tsunamis.... See this LINK for news about how scientists used the boundary layers between bat guano deposits and tsunami borne sand layers to identify and date tsunamis over thousands of years.

[Stanley]

report this morning that more people are addicted to prescription drugs than illegal ones. (LINK)

[Stanley]

Good programme on World Service about Mawson in the Arctic and the poisoning from Vitamin A in dog liver. Here's a LINK.

[Whyperion]

Polyethylene- I thought that ingrediant was for the bottle, with the little indentations/protrusions being rubbed on the body.
I wonder how long it takes for the fabrics to dissapear in the wash too , mine are already breaking up more due to the machines than there wearing of the apparel.
Was the ex-Army soap little green blocks with sand in , if so that was reasonably good to get dirt and oil off , but did not lather up very well.

[Stanley]

Met Office are to start forecasting 'weather' in space. Advance warning of solar storms etc. (LINK)