Innovation_Two Commented Videos not to be Overlooked_Your Company (profit and loss) and even Country (Survival) bottom lines in Greatest Danger!

LINK
Conversations-on-Innovations: Innovation_Two Commented Videos not to be Overlooked_You Company (profit and loss and even Country (Survival) bottom lines in Greatest Danger

In need of Inspiration_Link to my blog, No-Holds-Bard_ poems on science, poems by scientists

Poem in prose by Richard P. Feynman,

Source and link:

"The Physics of Poetry (or the Poetry of Physics)" from Laura Orem

Material Matters™ and Materials Matter™?_Part II_ Acknowledgement and Dedication to the late Prof. John Edwin Harris (Jack)

Dedication to a friend and mentor.

Jack Harris, the regular Materials World columnist, presents his views on topical issues under the heading Materials Matter. The journal has recently announced, "the sad news that Jack Harris, Fellow of the Institute (FIMM) died in February 2009. There will therefore be no Materials Matters columns for the time being. A full obituary for Jack will appear in due course in Materials World. "

Jack, Prof. John Edwin Harris, MBE, FRS, FREng, FIMMM to give him his full title, was a true friend, in that he gave me much needed encouragement to pursue my contribution to my profession as a metallurgist, materials scientist and engineer. He encouraged me, and certainly many others to write. His column and contact led me to write again in english, after many years in France. I was honored that he found time to exchange correspondence, giving a reference or again an opinion, often simply adding an (s) to make a word plural "for growth-inclusiveness versus exclusion" At the time he was Editor in chief of Interdisciplinary Science Reviews an Institute of Materials Minerals and Mining Journal. This was a timely reminder of the interdisciplinary nature of our subject it's art and practice. He introduced me to some of his friends, shining examples and role model to follow. This encouraged me to write regularly, not only my web pages but several full papers, and book reviews the latter on behalf of the Institute. His column, Materials Matter, in Materials World was the first page I turned to, upon receiving my members journal in the post each month.

-My last exchange with Jack was via the open comment through his column "Comparing nuclear power in France and England" and more specifically picking up his pointer on renewable energy Bureaucracy spawns chaotic energy policy', by Sir William Lithgow, The Times, 8 October 2008.
- Jack's last column corresponded with the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin 150th anniversary of the publication of his epoch-making book, On the Origin of Species, published after his death.

For me Materials Matter™, in spite of Jack's passing away, will in my mind remain his trade mark, ™, a difficult act and to follow.

Jack's lead continues after his death. He once advised me in a quiet way that a good place to start an enquiry was via the Royal Society and her members. While writing this and thanks to the Internet, I paid a new visit to both Royal Societies of which Jack was a member, The Royal Academy of Engineering, FREng, and The Royal Society FR. My current interest being in media assisted learning, I was more than well recompensed both The Academy and The Royal Society propose rich media materials, Web TV, lectures and conferences which I viewed with Realplayer
The Royal Academy of Engineering Media Website TV and Video.
The Royal Society Media Website TV and Video.

Let me end with this quote from Lord Rees, (FRS) current president of the Royal Society, who described John Edwin Harris (Jack) as "a fine example of the 'activist' and socially concerned scientist. We need more like him."

A fuller tribute has been given by his friend Dr. Frank Duckworth and published in the Guardian.

PS. I hope you and more especially your family, your friends, colleagues and peers approve of my personal tribute and attempt to keep his memory and guidance alive for the benefit of younger generations, generations of scientists, engineers and writers. Jack was perhaps a gifted Alchemist.

Material Matters and Materials Matter™?_Part I_ Acknowledgements and Dedication

This is really a double appreciation and a dedication to a lost friend.

The first acknowledgment is to the Materials Chemists whom I feel I have been neglecting of late, although some overlap occurs with my Materials Science and Engineering "defined" site.

In this case I am referring, the reader to the commercial materials chemistry company Sigma-Aldrich and their Learning Centre freely available reviews Material Matters ™ (12 quarterly reviews from 2006 to date,subjects covered: Alternative Energy Materials,Biomaterials, Metal & Ceramic Science, Micro & Nanoelectronics, Nanomaterials, Nanotechnology,Organic Electronics, Polymer Science) and Tutorials.

Dedication to a friend and mentor.
Jack Harris, the regular Materials World columnist, presents his views on topical issues under the heading Materials Matter. The journal has recently announce quote: "the sad news that Jack Harris, Fellow of the Institute (FIMM) died in February 2009. There will therefore be no Materials Matters columns for the time being. A full obituary for Jack will appear in due course in Materials World. "

Conversations-on-Innovations: Information Overload Mastered_Renewable and Alternative Energy Sources Ranked_Review of solutions to global warming, air pollution, energy security

Conversations-on-Innovations: Information Overload Mastered_Renewable and Alternative Energy Sources Ranked_Review of solutions to global warming, air pollution, energy security

And
Originally full post on Materials Science and Engineering Defined.

Renewable and Alternative Energy Sources Ranked_Review of solutions to global warming, air pollution, energy security_Information Overload Mastered

More EU RSS Feed-Flux - 17 First Class Choices

Some items will appear in more than one feed because they relate to, for example, both Health & Life Sciences and the Information Society. The categories used are the same ones you will find in the Information Centre menus.

Full list as follows:
Astronomy
Communicable diseases
Energy
Environment
FP7
Health & life sciences
Information society
International cooperation
Materials & products
Pure sciences
Research policy
Science & society
SMEs
Social sciences and humanities
Sustainable development
Teledetection
Transport

Introducing Snap Shots from Snap.com - New Widget Enhanced Functionality

Introducing Snap Shots from Snap.com

I just installed a nice little tool on this site called Snap Shots that enhances links with visual previews of the destination site, interactive excerpts of Wikipedia articles, MySpace profiles, IMDb profiles and Amazon products, display in-line videos, RSS, MP3s, photos, stock charts and more.

Sometimes Snap Shots bring you the information you need, without your having to leave the site, while other times it lets you "look ahead," before deciding if you want to follow a link or not.

Please feel free to comment on this widget.

Should you decide this is not for you, just click the Options icon in the upper right corner of the Snap Shot and opt-out.

NEW RSS CHEM. BLOGS and WEBSITE FEEDS APPROACH - SCROLL DOWN

As a new year feature for 2009, I trust readers fellow bloggers and webmasters will appreciate my use of RSS feed.

Please do not hesitate to let me know how useful this approach is.

All sites are worth special mention some famous such as Chemistry World some less so bravely maintained by individual chemist.

Good luck and good chemisty for the common good.

NB. Check that you and your lab has a carbon foot-print bottom-up approach, for progress begins with science!

Whisky - Chemical up-date from the RCS-Chemistry World

Quote: "Donnez de l'eau à un Ecossais, il fera du 12 ans d'age!"

Translation.
"Give water to a Scot and he'll make a 12 year old mature malt whisky"

A materials chemist well worth knowing, especially at this time of year as the New Year 2009 approaches. Victoria "Gill" RCS, Editor at Chemistry World is well named for the article she wrote.

In "A Whisky Tour",
Victoria attempts to unlock some of the mysteries of Scotch malt whisky, and asks if whisky - Scotch to thze rest of the world, is the most chemically complicated drink in the world?

Put in a nut shell or should I say in a cask, whisky is a law in it's own right!

-The finely-tuned process of Scotch whisky production is governed by its own law -the Scotch Whisky Act
-There are 92 malt whisky distilleries in Scotland, and each one has a slightly different process with different stills, malts and casks for maturation
-Under the Act, Scotch whisky must be matured for at least three years, during which time the spirit reacts with compounds in the timber casks
-Chemists continue to study the complex effects of dilution on the sensory perception of whisky flavours.

Then some start their physical chemistry career studying bubbles in liquid steel publish in lessor known conference proceedings etc while others, more experienced, study bubbles in champagne, and publish via the ACS-American Chemical Society in no joking

SOUCE RCS Chemistry World


Bubbles in Champagne

Bubbles in Liquid Steel on Refractory surfaces
21. J. Alexander, G. S. F. Hazeldean and M. W. Davies: ‘Chemical Metallurgy of. Iron and Steel' 1973
Cited by:
(1)Smets S.; Parada S.; Weytjens J.; Heylen G.; Jones P.T.; Guo M.; Blanpain B.; Wollants P. in
Behaviour of magnesia-carbon refractories in vacuum-oxygen decarburisation ladle linings
(2) J. Alexander, G. S. F. Hazeldean, and M. W. Davies: "Chemical Metallurgy of. Iron and Steel", Iron and Steel Inst., London, 1973, p. 107. cited by
George Langford and Robert E. Cunningham in Steel casting by diffusion solidification

MELAMINE-New global slant- Materials, Substances and Poisons

This can only be considered a materials chemistry subject by some small stretch of the imagination.

The fact that a young blogger from the Philippines posted on melamine "in eggs" and the reported efforts by the Chinese officials to "erradicate all use of Melamine in the foodstock chain? " motivated me as a concerned scientist to speak-up on such themes. I found the global repercussions of this encouraging in terms of global health and safety.

Hopefully the "Melamine Case" may encourage all concerned chemists, scientists, experts in general, to take-up such worthy causes as fighting commercial abuse of science and chemistry, where ever they occur and so up-hold the values many of us share in choosing scientifically based careers.

I shall try not bore readers too much with the subject, which by now must have almost as many links on the web as Barack Obama, but not quite, perhaps unfortunately for this concerns human life right now?

As a chemist I ran my rapid Google search key words: Melamine Chemical Formula.

This turned up two noteworthy sites. 

The first in the list was Wikipedia which gives a very good encyclopedic rendering of the many melimine based materials, chemical compounds or substances and the poisonous effects with many excellent references to check and substantiate for the most sceptical.

images from Wikipedia

The question I asked myself was "Why in hell would anyone wish to use melamine - better known as a composant of glue - in food" The answer is fairly simple quoting from Wikipedia:

"Surplus melamine has been a popular adulterant for feedstock and baby formula in mainland China for several years now, because it can make diluted or poor quality material appear to be higher in protein content by elevating the total nitrogen content detected by some simple protein tests."

I shall not delve into this in any depth but one may pursue the questioning as to what National actions are taken following well published recommendations from say the USA's FDA-Food & Drug Administration, the European Union and of course from The WHO-World Health Organisation?

A well documented and popular account of melanine, the melamine scandal and follow-up measures is a cause which has being taken under the wing by D. Bradley in his well ranked blog Sciencebase.

Good luck David, I trust all the chemistry community will take heed and time for action in their daily duties and concerns.

It could well be that bloggers may have an ever increasing useful role to play in global affairs.

Bloggers can perhaps be more out-spoken than International Organisations who must respect rules of diplomacy and perhaps are major targets for powerful lobbying.

Sources:

-Young concerned blogger from the Philippines posts on Melamine

-Melamine - Wikipedia

-Melamine - Sciencebase

-More concerns from the same Young blogger from the Philippines

Conversations-on-Innovations: Link: Limits to Nanoelectronics – Theoretical and Physical Limits-Plasmonics – Economic analogies of limits to growth fr

Conversations-on-Innovations: Link: Limits to Nanoelectronics – Theoretical and Physical Limits-Plasmonics – Economic analogies of limits to growth from the bulk metals industry

Conversations-on-Innovations: Forgotten Scientists? -"Should auld acquaintences be forgot and never brought to mind!"

Conversations-on-Innovations: Forgotten Scientists? -"Should auld acquaintences be forgot and never brought to mind!"

Nobel Chemistry 08 - Fluo Proteins - Biomarker -Dangerous and Chancey Business

Let me tell you this anecdote:

The 2008 Prize for chemistry brings to mind an Innocentive Challenge, to find a biomarker, for Charcot’s Disease – a still incurable type of sclerosis. This challenge, by the way, is still open to the end of the current year, from memory, and is now supported by the Rockefeller Foundation. I echoed this at the time; for the importance of the subject and the equivalent highest award of all Innocentive challenge rewards. In my humbler case it was essentially for marketing purposes-a good thing to do, to help in any small way. It was impossible for me to do more than help a foreign contribution via my english mother tongue. I really took “cold feet” when reading a case study in the ENBIS (European Network for Business and Industrial Statistics) pages of Scientific Computing World-Europa Science. The ENBIS Case concerned a biomarker for something, maybe Alzeimer, something serious in any case. To an innocent novice, such as I, I felt that a biomarker would be less dangerous than a the drug itself. Well, injected into a wee rat - the rat “kicked the bucket” ie died. Injected into our close cousin the pig – it got an unpleasant skin rash, so it was said. Result? This biomarker was abandoned for any human trials.

Funny how the mind can be stimulated by taking any small step forward. This anecdote is just to give the news reader some idea just how serious, difficult and often ungrateful, biomedical-biochemistry can be.

The prestigious 10 million Swedish crown ($1.4 million) prize recognized Osamu Shimomura of Japan and Americans Martin Chalfie and Roger Tsien for their discovery of the protein GFP. The the Nobel Committee for Chemistry at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences' statement said:
"The remarkable brightly glowing green fluorescent protein, GFP, was first observed in the beautiful jellyfish, Aequorea victoria in 1962,".

"Since then, this protein has become one of the most important tools used in contemporary bioscience. With the aid of GFP, researchers have developed ways to watch processes that were previously invisible, such as the development of nerve cells in the brain or how cancer cells spread."

Chalfie picked up on the discovery to demonstrate the value of GFP as a genetic tag for biological phenomena and Tsien extended the color palette beyond green, allowing scientists to follow several different biological processes at the same time.

SCIENCE (certainly) AND ART?

The strong green color of the jellyfish protein appears under blue and ultraviolet light, allowing researchers to illuminate cancer tumors, show the development of Alzheimer's disease in the brain or the growth of harmful bacteria. GFP has been used for art as well as for science. A green-glowing bunny named Alba was made in 2000 at the request of Chicago artist Eduardo Kac and green-glowing pigs have been gene engineered and bred to make green-glowing piglets!

Incredible cf. Anecdote above. Reminds me also of Dolly the sheep, 1st known sucessive clone.

Other Posts on Nobel Prizes 2008

Sources
-Yahoo News By Niklas Pollard (Editing by Angus MacSwan)
-Innocentive. ENBIS.
-SCW - Scientific Computing World - Europa Science.

NOBEL PRIZE AWARDS -2008 Fathers of Invention II -

Biochemistry and Nanotechnology are two areas tipped for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

The Nobel prize Winners, the elected few in the heady rarefied atmosphere of the highest summits of scientific endeavour reached and the national flag firmly planted. The "Nobel Class" all surely highly eminent, deserving candidates. "Losers?" often applied undeservedly in the world of sport etc (note the order - not "the sporting world-or sports world") The word "looser is obviously hardly applicable. I logged a post in my "conversations" blog_link html on the "human angle" with one recent and currently open wound example-in the medical field. A day latter I had news that a support committee will be formed to tell as best as possible the full story to this great research break-through. Great, all have certainly made remarkable contributions.

Better I hope to improve my own approach to honouring science. In fact an excellent way is to have the full list of candidates and their main contribution - the detail will drown the ordinary even the most highly educated reader.

Here is one prognostic "Biochem. or Nanotech-em"? -Other?:

If the vote sway in favour of Biochemistry, Americans Stuart Schreiber and Gerald Crabtree are among potential candidates for pioneering work in chemical biology, shedding light on how tiny molecules can be used on cell circuits and signaling pathways.

On the other hand if the prize honours nanotechnology, sways towards the European continent, possible winners could include British (Scottish) chemist James Fraser Stoddart or again to Asia-Pacific, Japan's Sumio Iijima, who discovered carbon nanotubes in 1991. who needs no introduction to the materials chemistry and materials science, technology & engineering communities.

Good luck all whatever the outcome.

Comments welcome, "No-Holds-Bard".


Source:

Yahoo News

Wikipedia: James Fraser Stoddart

Wikipedia: Stuart Schreiber and Gerald Crabtree

Wikipedia Sumio Iijima

NOBEL PRIZE AWARDS -2008 "Poetry to the Ears & Father of Invention"

Calling all Scientists! "Check and grab the Nobel Prize Widget for your blogs, websites and enjoy the lates Nobel news.

ref: Nobel Prize Organisation