272 posts · 286,937 views
I am a freelance science writer based in Cambridge, England, I trained as a chemist and am a chartered member of the Royal Society of Chemistry. Currently, I write for several magazines and websites on science, technology and medicine, covering everything from astronomy to zoology, with a special focus on all things chemical, which includes materials, pharma, nano, analytical sciences.
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- May 13, 2009
- 08:00 AM
- 1,332 views
Spam or Ham?
by David Bradley in Sciencetext
A new approach to spam filtering could use your web browsing habits to help your email program filter out spam and find the ham.
A computer desktop system that follows your web surfing habits and then uses this behavior to filter out spam from your email is being developed by researchers in Japan.
Taiki Takashita, Tsuyoshi Itokawa, [...]Post from: David Bradley's Sciencetext Tips and Tricks
Spam or Ham?... Read more »
Taiki Takashita, Tsuyoshi Itokawa, Teruaki Kitasuka, & Masayoshi Aritsugi. (2008) Extracting user preference from Web browsing behaviour for spam filtering. Int. J. Advanced Intelligence Paradigms, 1(2), 126-138.
- May 11, 2009
- 03:03 PM
- 1,121 views
H1N1 Update, Five Facts Formulated
by David Bradley in SciScoop Science Forum
The MRC Centre for Outbreak Analysis and Modelling at Imperial College London and the World Health Organisation have worked with public health agencies in Mexico, to assess the ongoing swine flu epidemic. Their results are published today in Science and can be summarized:
In Mexico, influenza A (H1N1) is fatal in about 4 in 1000 cases, [...]... Read more »
Christophe Fraser. (2009) Pandemic Potential of a Novel Strain of Influenza A (H1N1): Early Findings. Science. DOI: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/1176062
- May 11, 2009
- 08:00 AM
- 991 views
Slumdog Engineer
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
Having discussed the possible environmental risks of charitable aid in the form of obsolete electronic goods to the developing world, it seemed to timely to mention other research looking into strong solutions to some of the critical problems facing people in many parts of the world.
Researchers, Priti Parikh and Allan McRobie, in Cambridge, England, suggest [...]Post from: Sciencebase Science Blog... Read more »
Parikh, P., & McRobie, A. (2009) Engineering as a tool for improving human habitat. International Journal of Management and Decision Making, 10(3/4), 270. DOI: 10.1504/IJMDM.2009.024993
- May 8, 2009
- 03:15 PM
- 1,120 views
Echinacea and Swine Flu
by David Bradley in Reactive Reports Chemistry Blog
As a follow up to my earlier post about alternative medicine and influenza, I did a little more probing among immunologist contacts of contacts.
There are several facts to consider if you’re thinking of taking echinacea to help protect you from swine flu, or indeed any form of influenza or colds.
Generally, taking these complementary therapies is [...]... Read more »
Shah, S., Sander, S., White, C., Rinaldi, M., & Coleman, C. (2007) Evaluation of echinacea for the prevention and treatment of the common cold: a meta-analysis. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 7(7), 473-480. DOI: 10.1016/S1473-3099(07)70160-3
- May 8, 2009
- 08:00 AM
- 1,054 views
Charity Computers and Environmental Waste
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
Charitable schemes to send unwanted electronic equipment, including mobile phones and computers to the developing world could be creating more environmental problems than they solve if the equipment becomes entirely obsolete in a short time. Researchers in India have carried out an evaluation of the trade-offs between cost and environmental risks to prove the point.
There [...]Post from: Sciencebase Science Blog... Read more »
Ahluwalia, P., & Nema, A. (2009) Evaluation of trade-offs between cost, perceived and environmental risk associated with the management of computer waste. International Journal of Environment and Waste Management, 3(1/2), 135. DOI: 10.1504/IJEWM.2009.024705
- May 6, 2009
- 08:00 AM
- 903 views
Swine Flu Update
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
Swine flu (H1N1) information leaflets are being delivered to households across the UK today. I suspect they do nothing but increase fear and confuse people, especially as the WHO/UN are about to lower the swine flu alert level.
In the UK, 27 people now have the virus, with 23 in England and four in Scotland and [...]Post from: Sciencebase Science Blog... Read more »
O'Dowd, A. (2009) Confirmation of first person to person transmission of swine flu in UK expected soon. BMJ, 338(may01 1). DOI: 10.1136/bmj.b1838
- May 4, 2009
- 11:27 AM
- 1,061 views
Social Networking for Terrorists
by David Bradley in SciScoop Science Forum
A new approach to analyzing social networks, reported in the current issue of the International Journal of Services Sciences, could help homeland security find the covert connections between the people behind terrorist attacks. The approach involves revealing the nodes that act as hubs in a terrorist network and tracing back to individual planners and perpetrators.
Yoshiharu [...]... Read more »
Yoshiharu Maeno, & Yoshiharu Maeno. (2009) Analysing covert social network foundation behind terrorism disaster. International Journal of Services Sciences, 2(2), 125-141.
- May 3, 2009
- 09:18 AM
- 960 views
9 Influenza Puzzles
by David Bradley in Reactive Reports Chemistry Blog
A research paper published last year aimed to address 9 puzzling things about influenza:
Why is influenza seasonal and ubiquitous, where does the virus hide between epidemics?
Why are the epidemics so fast to spread?
Why do they end so quickly?
Why do countries on similar latitudes have coincidental epidemics?
Why is the serial interval obscure?
Why is the secondary attack [...]... Read more »
Cannell, J., Zasloff, M., Garland, C., Scragg, R., & Giovannucci, E. (2008) On the epidemiology of influenza. Virology Journal, 5(1), 29. DOI: 10.1186/1743-422X-5-29
- April 30, 2009
- 04:57 AM
- 1,325 views
XBox Forensics
by David Bradley in SciScoop Science Forum
US researchers have developed a forensics toolkit for the XBox gaming console that could let law enforcement agencies find any and all hidden materials easily stored on the console’s hard disk.
Computer scientist David Collins of Sam Houston State University spends many a happy day messing around with the Microsoft XBox purely in the name of [...]... Read more »
David Collins. (2009) XFT: a forensic toolkit for the original Xbox game console. Int. J. Electronic Security and Digital Forensics, 2(2), 199-205.
- April 16, 2009
- 08:00 AM
- 986 views
Blogging Voice
by David Bradley in Sciencetext
The reports of the death of blogging are somewhat exaggerated even if there are rumors circulating of some big collaboration between the Googleplex and the Twitter nest. And, of course, if Twitter’s 140-character limit is still too much for you, there’s always nanoblogging with Flutter, or my latest concept pico-blogging concept phartr.
Asia has, of course, [...]Post from: David Bradley's Sciencetext Tips and Tricks
Blogging Voice... Read more »
Akhil Prasad, & Aditi Agarwala. (2009) Introducing the vox populi of the wired world – how ‘blogs’ are evolving as dynamic web-based social networks. International Journal of Private Law, 4(2), 459-472. DOI: 10.1504/IJPL.2009.024484
- April 15, 2009
- 08:00 AM
- 1,199 views
The Developing Digital Divide
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
Are digital inclusion projects in the developing world booming or are they doomed to failure? That’s the question asked by legal expert Dinusha Mendis of the University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK.
Mendis has investigated the digital divide in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nigeria, and how laws such as those governing intellectual property rights and copyright [...]Post from: Sciencebase Science Blog... Read more »
Dinusha Mendis. (2009) Bridging the digital divide: booming or doomed? A study of digital inclusion projects in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nigeria. International Journal of Private Law, 2(4), 371-384. DOI: 10.1504/IJPL.2009.024478
- April 9, 2009
- 08:00 AM
- 1,492 views
Private Texts Not So Confidential
by David Bradley in Sciencetext
Should your boss be allowed to read your text messages, your emails, your tweets? The answer to that question is not, legally speaking, quite so clear cut as you might hope. After all, if you’re texting (SMS) or tweeting on company time, using a company computer or cell phone, then you might be breaking your [...]Post from: David Bradley's Sciencetext Tips and Tricks
Private Texts Not So Confidential... Read more »
Gregory C. Mosier. (2009) Text messages: privacy in employee communications in the USA. Int. J. Private Law, 2(3), 260-266.
- April 8, 2009
- 08:00 AM
- 1,384 views
Flatus Impudicus, Plume-seeking Insectibot
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
It’s a crude schoolroom axiom around which many an adult pub debate might also revolve: He who smelt it, dealt it.
However, there is a serious side to quickly locating the source of noxious odours in an indoor environment of varying airflow, as Zhenzhang Liu and Tien-Fu Lu of The University of Adelaide, Australia, will attest. [...]Post from: Sciencebase Science Blog... Read more »
Zhenzhang Liu, & Tien-Fu Lu. (2009) Odour source localisation in a wind-varying indoor environment. Int. J. Mechatronics and Manufacturing Systems, 2(1/2), 168-186.
- March 25, 2009
- 10:07 AM
- 1,046 views
Very Personal Data Rights
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
Across the globe privacy laws and property rights are confused. Having usually been established in centuries past it is unlikely that any established legal system can cope easily with the requirements of the digital age. Nowhere is this more likely to hold true than when discussing the use of peoples’ biometric information, which are very [...]Post from: Sciencebase Science Blog... Read more »
Yue Liu. (2009) Property rights for biometric information – a protection measure?. International Journal of Private Law, 2(3), 244-259.
- March 23, 2009
- 09:00 AM
- 1,132 views
Disease Mongering or Medicalization
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
The medicalization of many social facets of our lives, multitasking pharmaceuticals and disease mongering are problems we should face head one.
The overlap between business ethics and medical ethics represent a moral minefield. Nowhere more so than in the domain of newly recognised and previously untreated disorders, syndromes and diseases, among them social anxiety disorder, non-physiological [...]Post from: Sciencebase Science Blog... Read more »
Poitras, G. (2009) Business ethics, medical ethics and economic medicalization. International Journal of Business Governance and Ethics, 4(4), 372. DOI: 10.1504/IJBGE.2009.023789
- March 19, 2009
- 06:27 AM
- 956 views
Nature’s Chemistry
by David Bradley in Reactive Reports Chemistry Blog
Eight chemists share their vision of chemistry in the inaugural issue of Nature Chemistry is published today.
Nobel Laureate Ryoji Noyori considers how chemical synthesis should develop so that chemists might tackle global problems. Harry Gray outlines plans for making solar power viable, while Jim Clark discusses the green chemistry revolution.
Barbara Imperiali highlights how chemistry allows [...]... Read more »
Ryoji Noyori, Harry Gray, Mark Johnson, Barbara Imperiali, Gary Hieftje, James Clark, Achim Müller, & Fraser Stoddart. (2009) The future of chemistry. Nature Chemistry, 1(1), 5-5. DOI: 10.1038/nchem.139
- March 13, 2009
- 09:00 AM
- 1,188 views
Staying in with Friends on a Wireless Mesh
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
The difference between staying in with friends and going out? Obvious, really. But, translate that idea to networks and you have the basis of self-organized virtual communities, according to Panayotis Antoniadis of the Université Pierre et Marie Curie, in Paris France.
Writing in the IJWBC (reference below), Antoniadis and Benedicte Le Grand discuss the bootstrapping problem [...]Post from: Sciencebase Science Blog... Read more »
Panayotis Antoniadis, & Benedicte Le Grand. (2009) Self-organised virtual communities: bridging the gap between web-based communities and P2P systems. Int. J. Web Based Communities, 5(2), 179.
- March 11, 2009
- 09:00 AM
- 1,158 views
Converting Carbon Dioxide
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
“Nothing beats finding vast lakes of oil for the pumping, or vast deposits of coal for the digging; thanks mother nature!” proclaimed Craig Grimes of Penn State University in an emailed response to my skeptical question regarding his work on catalysts that can convert the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide into a fuel, methane.
I report on [...]Post from: Sciencebase Science Blog... Read more »
Oomman K. Varghese, Maggie Paulose, Thomas J. LaTempa, & Craig A. Grimes. (2009) High-Rate Solar Photocatalytic Conversion of CO2 and Water Vapor to Hydrocarbon Fuels. Nano Letters, 9(2), 731-737. DOI: 10.1021/nl803258p
- March 10, 2009
- 09:00 AM
- 1,687 views
SIMONE takes control of corporate email
by David Bradley in Sciencetext
Employees are spending increasing amounts of time handling email, time that may detract from their primary role within an organization. As such, business researchers have repeatedly raised concerns about email overload, constant interruptions, technology addiction, attention deficiency and productivity loss. And that doesn’t take into account social media and social bookmarking sites like twitter, facebook, [...]Post from: David Bradley's Sciencetext Tips and Tricks
SIMONE takes control of corporate email... Read more »
Ashish Gupta, & Ramesh Sharda. (2008) SIMONE: A Simulator for Interruptions and Message Overload in Network Environments. Int. J. Simulation and Process Modelling, 4(3/4), 237-247.
- March 9, 2009
- 09:01 AM
- 1,605 views
Meta Tags and Web 3.0
by David Bradley in Sciencetext
In 2008, Google spidered its trillionth web page. That sounds impressive, but as LISNews, the Librarian And Information Science News, recently pointed out that figure represents but a tiny fraction of the information on the web. How so, you ask? Well, think of all those ecommerce databases, library catalogs, transport system fares and timetables… There [...]Post from: David Bradley's Sciencetext Tips and Tricks
Meta Tags and Web 3.0... Read more »
Badawia M. Albassuny. (2008) Automatic metadata generation applications: a survey study . Int. J. Metadata, Semantics and Ontologies, 3(4), 260-282.
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