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Basal Science (BS) Clarified
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- January 14, 2013
- 10:52 PM
- 143 views
Brighter LEDs bioinspired from fireflies
by Cath in Basal Science (BS) Clarified
A team of researchers from Belgium, Canada, and France have developed a more efficient gallium nitride (GaN)-based LED using a design inspired by the firefly. The design, fabrication, and characterization of this [...]... Read more »
Bay, A., André, N., Sarrazin, M., Belarouci, A., Aimez, V., Francis, L., & Vigneron, J. (2013) Optimal overlayer inspired by Photuris firefly improves light-extraction efficiency of existing light-emitting diodes. Optics Express, 21(S1). DOI: 10.1364/OE.21.00A179
Bay, A., Cloetens, P., Suhonen, H., & Vigneron, J. (2013) Improved light extraction in the bioluminescent lantern of a Photuris firefly (Lampyridae). Optics Express, 21(1), 764. DOI: 10.1364/OE.21.000764
- January 7, 2013
- 09:24 PM
- 185 views
QR Codes to be used to prevent drug counterfeiting
by Cath in Basal Science (BS) Clarified
Think Quick Response (QR) codes are just for advertising products or transferring addresses and contact information between smartphones? Well, it turns out they can also be used to prevent drug [...]... Read more »
Han, S., Bae, H., Kim, J., Shin, S., Choi, S., Lee, S., Kwon, S., & Park, W. (2012) Lithographically Encoded Polymer Microtaggant Using High-Capacity and Error-Correctable QR Code for Anti-Counterfeiting of Drugs. Advanced Materials, 24(44), 5924-5929. DOI: 10.1002/adma.201201486
- December 30, 2012
- 06:42 PM
- 183 views
Is asparagus a hangover cure?
by Cath in Basal Science (BS) Clarified
As you get ready to celebrate the New Year, you’ve likely come across articles about different food ‘cures’ that can prevent or reduce alcohol hangovers. Aside from anecdotic ‘evidence’ that [...]... Read more »
B.-Y. KIM, Z.-G. CUI, S.-R. LEE, S.-J. KIM, H.-K. KANG, Y.-K. LEE, & D.-B. PARK. (2009) Effects of Asparagus officinalis Extracts on Liver Cell Toxicity and Ethanol Metabolism. JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE. info:/10.1111/j.1750-3841.2009.01263.x
- December 16, 2012
- 10:37 PM
- 153 views
Using light to detect the internal damage of materials
by Cath in Basal Science (BS) Clarified
You can usually tell when a material is about to fail, you might see sagging, cracks, dents, holes, etc. But sometimes materials can fail suddenly—without warning— this known as catastrophic [...]... Read more »
Jin, X., Götz, M., Wille, S., Mishra, Y., Adelung, R., & Zollfrank, C. (2012) A Novel Concept for Self-Reporting Materials: Stress Sensitive Photoluminescence in ZnO Tetrapod Filled Elastomers. Advanced Materials. DOI: 10.1002/adma.201203849
- November 10, 2012
- 09:45 PM
- 209 views
Detecting bacteria with fluorescent nanoparticles
by Cath in Basal Science (BS) Clarified
pH indicators are more than just tools for helping students visualize the differences between acids and bases. They can also be used in sensors to monitor bacterial growth in packaged [...]... Read more »
Wang, X., Meier, R., & Wolfbeis, O. (2012) Fluorescent pH-Sensitive Nanoparticles in an Agarose Matrix for Imaging of Bacterial Growth and Metabolism. Angewandte Chemie. DOI: 10.1002/ange.201205715
- October 11, 2012
- 10:14 PM
- 291 views
Powering electronics with stretchable batteries
by Cath in Basal Science (BS) Clarified
Potential health monitors like this one made of interlocking nanofibres are great—it’s flexible and conforms to your body. But what you don’t usually see is how these monitors might be [...]... Read more »
Abhinav M. Gaikwad, Alla M. Zamarayeva, Jamesley Rousseau, Howie Chu, Irving Derin, & Daniel A Steingart. (2012) Highly Stretchable Alkaline Batteries Based on an Embedded Conductive Fabric. Advanced Materials. DOI: 10.1002/adma.201201329
- September 22, 2012
- 12:37 PM
- 197 views
What are you wearing on your arm?
by Cath in Basal Science (BS) Clarified
I’ve blogged about wearable sensors in the past. Those sensors were made of carbon nanotubes and special because of their stretchability. But now, Changhyun Pang of the Seoul National University [...]... Read more »
Changhyun Pang,, Gil-Yong Lee,, Tae-il Kim,, Sang Moon Kim,, Hong Nam Kim,, Sung-Hoon Ahn,, & and Kahp-Yang Suh. (2012) A flexible and highly sensitive strain-gauge sensor using reversible interlocking of nanofibres. Nature. info:/10.1038/NMAT3380
- September 11, 2012
- 05:28 PM
- 295 views
A tougher and more stretchable hydrogel
by Cath in Basal Science (BS) Clarified
Why settle for good enough, when there can be improvements? “Conventional hydrogels are very weak and brittle—imagine a spoon breaking through jelly,” says lead author Jeong-Yun Sun, a postdoctoral fellow [...]... Read more »
S. Khetan, C. Chung, & JA. Burdick. (2009) Tuning hydrogel properties for applications in tissue engineering. Conference proceedings : .. Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Conference, 2094-6. PMID: 19963530
O. Wichterle, & D. Lim. (1960) Hydrophilic Gels for Biological Use. Nature, 117. DOI: 10.1038/185117a0
Jeong-Yun Sun, Xuanhe Zhao, Widusha R. K. Illeperuma Ovijit Chaudhuri, Kyu Hwan Oh, David J. Mooney, Joost J. Vlassak, & Zhigang Suo. (2012) Highly stretchable and tough hydrogels. Nature, 133. DOI: 10.1038/nature11409
- August 29, 2012
- 10:53 PM
- 220 views
What are we really recycling?
by Cath in Basal Science (BS) Clarified
Having grown up with reduce, reuse, recycle campaigns (Tweety’s Global Patrol circa 1990), recycling is part of my daily routine. In fact, I’ve even spent time at a Japanese university lab [...]... Read more »
Reck BK, & Graedel TE. (2012) Challenges in metal recycling. Science (New York, N.Y.), 337(6095), 690-5. PMID: 22879508
- August 9, 2012
- 04:47 PM
- 333 views
Building the tallest sandcastle
by Cath in Basal Science (BS) Clarified
The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) opens in Toronto next Friday (can’t wait!) and they hold an international sand sculpting competition every year. I’m always impressed by the size and detail [...]... Read more »
Pakpour M, Habibi M, Møller P, & Bonn D. (2012) How to construct the perfect sandcastle. Scientific reports, 549. PMID: 22870378
- July 27, 2012
- 03:36 PM
- 393 views
Capturing carbon dioxide emissions
by Cath in Basal Science (BS) Clarified
You may already be familiar with various technologies that minimize the generation of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions like hybrid-electric vehicles, biodegradable plastics, or even solar panels. But what happens when [...]... Read more »
Yasutaka Kuwahara, Dun-Yen Kang, John R. Copeland, Nicholas A. Brunelli, Stephanie A. Didas, Praveen Bollini, Carsten Sievers, Takashi Kamegawa, Hiromi Yamashita, & Christopher W. Jone. (2012) Dramatic Enhancement of CO2 Uptake by Poly(ethyleneimine) Using Zirconosilicate Supports. J. Am. Chem. Soc. DOI: 10.1021/ja303136e
- June 29, 2012
- 04:42 PM
- 445 views
How fireworks light up the sky
by Cath in Basal Science (BS) Clarified
Many countries/regions will be celebrating their national/independence day over the weekend and into next week, so you’ll likely have a chance to see some fireworks whether in person, on television, [...]... Read more »
Roncone, K. (2004) Things that go boom in the night: The art and science of fireworks. JOM JOURNAL OF THE MINERALS, METALS AND MATERIALS SOCIETY. DOI: 10.1007/s11837-004-0084-8
- June 20, 2012
- 11:10 PM
- 467 views
A bright future with self-assembling nanocubes
by Cath in Basal Science (BS) Clarified
What does the home pregnancy test and stained glass have in common? Both contain nanometer sized particles of metal (nanoparticles) that play a key role in how they work. The [...]... Read more »
Barnes, W.L., Dereux, A., & Ebbesen, T.W. (2003) Surface plasmon subwavelength optics. Nature. DOI: 10.1038/nature01937
Gao, B., Arya, G., & Tao, A.R. (2012) Self-orienting nanocubes for the assembly of plasmonic nanojunctions. Nature. DOI: 10.1038/NNANO.2012.83
- May 31, 2012
- 09:32 PM
- 526 views
Injection molding nano-features with metallic glasses
by Cath in Basal Science (BS) Clarified
Lego blocks are awesome—they snap together easily and perfectly. These blocks are made using injection molding and wouldn’t fit so flawless together without the precise features of the metal molds [...]... Read more »
Zhang, N., Byrne, C., Browne, D., & Gilchrist, M. (2012) Towards nano-injection molding. Materials Today, 15(5), 216-221. DOI: 10.1016/S1369-7021(12)70092-5
- May 24, 2012
- 02:18 PM
- 566 views
Paving the road with nanoclay
by Cath in Basal Science (BS) Clarified
Summer time means BBQ season but it’s also the start of road construction. Road construction usually leads to traffic jams and slowdowns, so it makes sense to avoid construction in [...]... Read more »
You, Z., Mills-Beale, J., Foley, J., Roy, S., Odegard, G., Dai, Q., & Goh, S. (2011) Nanoclay-modified asphalt materials: Preparation and characterization. Construction and Building Materials, 25(2), 1072-1078. DOI: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2010.06.070
- May 15, 2012
- 11:00 AM
- 527 views
Nature’s Hand in Climate Change
by Char in Basal Science (BS) Clarified
The heat wave throughout most of North America in the beginning of April had bought climate change into my mind. Was the heat wave caused by climate change? Likely not, I can’t imagine the effect of climate change happening so abruptly. But it made me think about what really causes climate change on this lovely blue planet of ours?... Read more »
J. Wilkinson. (2012) The Sun and Earth’s Climate . New Eyes on the Sun, , 201-217. info:/
Mufti, S., & Shah, G. (2011) Solar-geomagnetic activity influence on Earth's climate. Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics, 73(13), 1607-1615. DOI: 10.1016/j.jastp.2010.12.012
Lockwood, M. (2011) Solar physics: Shining a light on solar impacts. Nature Climate Change, 1(2), 98-99. DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1096
Oreskes, N. (2004) BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER: The Scientific Consensus on Climate Change. Science, 306(5702), 1686-1686. DOI: 10.1126/science.1103618
Rivera, . (2012) Discovery of the Major Mechanism of Global Warming and Climate Change. Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 8(1). DOI: 10.6000/1927-5129.2012.08.01.29
- May 7, 2012
- 09:28 PM
- 548 views
Science in superheroes
by Cath in Basal Science (BS) Clarified
The magic of the movies mean almost anything can happen. You can time travel, control objects with your mind, or even heal yourself no matter how serious your injuries are. But did you know that filmmakers often consult scientists and engineers for their input in movies? Dr. Jim Kakalios, a professor at the University of [...]... Read more »
Lynne Robinson. (2012) The Super Materials of the Super Heroes. JOM, 64(1), 13-19. DOI: 10.1007/s11837-012-0256-x
- April 26, 2012
- 10:43 PM
- 682 views
Phthalates–why you should care about these plastic additives
by Cath in Basal Science (BS) Clarified
Aside from cost, aesthetics, and functionality, materials selection is now a topic priority for many consumers when they make a purchase. Consumers are becoming more aware of their choices for sustainable and reusable materials—even the potential health risks/toxicity associated with materials. This is especially true for products containing plastics, particularly the additives used to make [...]... Read more »
Saravanabhavan, G., & Murray, J. (2012) Human Biological Monitoring of Diisononyl Phthalate and Diisodecyl Phthalate: A Review. Journal of Environmental and Public Health, 1-11. DOI: 10.1155/2012/810501
RAHMAN, M., & BRAZEL, C. (2004) The plasticizer market: an assessment of traditional plasticizers and research trends to meet new challenges. Progress in Polymer Science, 29(12), 1223-1248. DOI: 10.1016/j.progpolymsci.2004.10.001
- April 19, 2012
- 11:02 PM
- 573 views
Nanoparticle-treated wood minimizes biocide leaching
by Cath in Basal Science (BS) Clarified
Sitting on the deck to drink your morning cup of coffee is a great way to start the day—but not when your deck is rotting. Fortunately wood products are protected with wood preservatives, often with chromate copper arsenate (CCA) [3]. But growing concerns over the safety and health effects [...]... Read more »
Ding, X., Richter, D., Matuana, L., & Heiden, P. (2011) Efficient one-pot synthesis and loading of self-assembled amphiphilic chitosan nanoparticles for low-leaching wood preservation. Carbohydrate Polymers, 86(1), 58-64. DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2011.04.002
- April 12, 2012
- 12:24 PM
- 887 views
Why the RMS Titanic fractured: clues from the ship’s hull
by Cath in Basal Science (BS) Clarified
This Sunday will be 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Royal Mail Ship (RMS) Titanic. Over the years this tragic accident has been the topic of numerous books, films, exhibits—even a memorial cruise. Not only has this shipwreck captured the attention of the public, but the scientific community as well. Ever since the wreckage [...]... Read more »
Felkins, K., Leigh, H., & Jankovic, A. (1998) The royal mail ship Titanic: Did a metallurgical failure cause a night to remember?. JOM, 50(1), 12-17. DOI: 10.1007/s11837-998-0062-7
Foecke, T., & Hooper-McCarty, J. (2009) Quantitative Metallography And Microanalytical Analysis Of Particles In Iron Rivets Recovered From The Wreck Of The RMS Titanic. Microscopy and Microanalysis, 15(S2), 524. DOI: 10.1017/S1431927609099127
Leighly Jr, H., Bramfitt, B., & Lawrence, S. (2001) RMS Titanic: A Metallurgical Problem. Practical Failure Analysis, 1(2), 10-37. DOI: 10.1361/152981501770352978
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