Archive for February 2015
the Year of goat, NOT ‘any ruminant horned animal’ ??
An interesting article:
also see here:
"The Chinese word yang in oracle-bone script - the ancient characters found on bones used for divination in the Bronze Age - looked like an animal with two horns and a pointy face, said Professor Ho Che-wah, head of the department of Chinese literature at Chinese University.
But the character could be translated to goat, sheep or ram in English.
Ho said that while sheep had a long history in Chinese society, the country's culinary past suggested the goat as the most likely animal to have been included in the zodiac.
"In ancient China, people ate six types of animals - horse, cow, goat, pig, dog and chicken. Goat is therefore included in the zodiac, too," Ho said.
Goats also had a higher status among the six animals in Chinese society, as in the past, only rich people and the aristocracy could afford to eat them.
The Chinese word for "envy" originally referred to a person salivating over a goat, Ho added."
“gung1 hei2 faat3 coi4”
Tag :
general,
Geoengineering - technology against our nature?
There is an interesting article on BBC-science/environment recently titled "'Next Pinatubo' a test of geoengineering" and Prof. Alan Robock from Rutgers University shared his viewpoints about this.
One topic being discussed is to take advantage of next big volcanic eruption to study sulphur dioxide how it could help against global warming. Enjoy it.
The article also points out that this is a plan Z in case there is no remarkable outcome to reduce greenhouse gas emission.
About Prof. Alan Robock
related infographcis:
Youtube about Geoengineering:
image source: The pros and cons of geoengineering
biochemistry or chemical biology?
What is Chemical Biology? and
What is Biochemistry?
I extracted the following description from a RSC book, New Frontiers in Chemical Biology
"Chemical biology is an emerging field at the interface between chemistry and biology. It utilises the tools and techniques of chemical synthesis to study and influence biological systems. Recent developments in this area have great potential in addressing the productivity challenges expressed above. For example, chemical biology studies have already led to the identification of novel targets with exciting therapeutic potential and it is clear that the field will prove a key enabler of target discovery in the future. Moreover, the precise synthetic manipulation of biological molecules involved in many chemical biology approaches is now fuelling a new wave of chemically-modified biologics, 'chemologics', with unique properties. In these, and many other ways, chemical biology is a key discipline within 21st century drug discovery and the purpose of this book is to highlight the most important developments. It provides a valuable resource for scientists in academia and industry who are looking to build their knowledge of this hot topic."
You may get more ideas from the following:
Institute of Chemical Biology, Imperial College.
Chemical Biology Graduate @ UC Berkeley
Chemical Biology PHD Program
To review what is biochemistry, try Biochemical Society.
Its booklet describes what is biochemistry:
http://www.biochemistry.org/Portals/0/Education/Docs/Biochem_Booklet_web.pdf
"explore the chemical process that take place inside all living things, from bacteria to plants and animals"
image source: The Chemistry-Biology Interface Training Program
Tag :
general,
Tips: For all Scientists: Starting up a career
Start up a career:
Tips extracted from the articles:
Lesson 1: Write a business plan.
Lesson 2: Get the right patent.
Lesson 3: Enter a contest.
Lesson 4: Funding comes in many forms.
Lesson 5: The science isn't everything
Lesson 6: Rent a bench.
Lesson 7: Assemble a good team.
Lesson 8: Biotech companies can be virtual.
Lesson 9: Entrepreneurship = experience
You will find the technology you are developing is only a tiny factor in your entrepreneurial journey.
image source: 10 Entrepreneur Lessons Not Taught in Classroom
Cars without Driver
There is an interesting article about driverless cars in Nature recently - Autonomous vehicles: No drivers required. In the first line, it states that:
"This summer, people will cruise through the streets of Greenwich, UK, in electric shuttles with no one's hands on the steering wheel — or any steering wheel at all."
No need to be scare when you find a moving car without a driver.
Btw, this is not a new things. Google Driverless Project may give you more confident on driverless technology. Take a look here:
A Ride in the Google Self Driving Car
A First Drive
related news:
Ten ways that driverless cars will change the world, the Telegraph
There is a good academic reference for you, edited by Prof. Azim Eskandarian:
I hope the test in UK works and it will be a good news for all travelers without driving licence. Anyway, this news remind me the Google Driverless project.
image source: Autonomous vehicles: No drivers required
Tag :
general,
Open questions: seeking a holistic approach for mitochondrial research
Correspondence: Heidi M McBride heidi.mcbride@mcgill.ca
Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, 3801 University Avenue, Rm 622C H3A 2B4, Montreal H3A 0G4, QC, Canada
BMC Biology 2015, 13:8 doi:10.1186/s12915-015-0120-x
[More about author]
Collaborate
Most of us are not geniuses, and cannot operate with an encyclopaedic knowledge of metabolism, calcium homeostasis, tissue physiology, bioenergetics and lipid chemistry. On the other hand, clinician scientists or physiologists who hope to incorporate mitochondria into their signalling paradigms feel overwhelmed with the complexity of the organelle, the experimental approaches, and sometimes, the dogma common to such established fields. The first step is an obvious one - forge meaningful collaborations that will truly push the field forward. I think we are finally past the point where non-mitochondrial scientists simply write us off, assuming that the mitochondria are a known entity, uninteresting, boring. Indeed the potential for fundamental new concepts in mitochondrial function has never been higher, and the disease relevance is clear. Mitochondrial pathways are practically untouched as a therapeutic target, for example.
For those of us working on the fundamental aspects of mitochondrial function, we must work harder to consider the physiology of real tissues. I’m not suggesting we abandon our fundamental projects, certainly not! Basic discoveries will remain the lifeblood of clinical development. But with collaborations we can extend our studies simultaneously and move into ‘real’ cells. Adapting these models will more rapidly push our discoveries up the ladder of biomedical translation. My own collaborations have provided me with confidence and helped me to understand complex physiologies that would otherwise have not crossed my radar screen. It sounds obvious, but funding agencies and promotion mechanisms do not always reward collaborations enough. Grants need a single principal applicant and team grants can be more political than functional. It is also clear that collaborations are more difficult than simply continuing along a successful, independent track. However, understanding the complexities of mitochondrial function and signalling will require open, and sometimes challenging, collaborations.
The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/13/8
There is an interesting video on Youtube about mitochondria!! - "Power Pack - The Mitochondria Rock Song"
image source: Blame it On Your Mother
Nanyang Technological University produced a 3D printed concept car
Of course this is not the first 3D printer car, but it is good to see a group of students from Nanyang Technological University to get it done.
They are NTU Venture 8 & NTU Venture 9, both with round 150 parts are 3D-pritned.
For the NTU Venture 8, honeycomb structure and a unique joint design was employed, to ensure the car doesn't come apart. Also, the car chassis is see-through when hit by the light at the right angle. Presumably, most of the light will be absorbed by the solar cells so that the inside of the car doesn't heat up overmuch during summer.
NTU Venture (NV) 9, a slick three-wheeled racer which can take sharp corners with little loss in speed due to its unique tilting ability inspired by motorcycle racing.
NTU unveils Singapore’s first 3D-printed concept car
3D-printed green vehicle to blaze a trail for future car technology
This first 3D printed car is like this:
image source: straitstimes
Valorisation of food waste to biofuel: current trends and technological challenges
Corresponding author: Carol SK Lin carollin@cityu.edu.hk
School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Sustainable Chemical Processes 2014, 2:22 doi:10.1186/s40508-014-0022-1
<More about author>
Introduction
Food waste is creating serious environmental and social problems in Hong Kong and across the world. According to a recent report released by the Hong Kong Environment Bureau, among the 9,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste that is thrown away everyday at landfills, 40% of which is composed of “putrescibles” [1]. These putrescibles are organic wastes that are known to create odour upon decomposition. Approximately, 90% of putrescibles are food wastes. Food waste can be raw, cooked, edible and inedible parts generated during production, storage distribution, and consumption of food stuffs. In 2011, Hong Kongers threw away approximately 3,600 tonnes of food waste everyday [1],[2]. Two third of the food waste was obtained from household; whereas, one third of food waste came from commercial and industrial sources. Hong Kong is not the only country generating large quantities of food waste. For instance, other developed cities like Taipei and Seoul are producing 182,000 tonnes/per year and 767,000 tonnes/per year of food wastes respectively [1],[2].
The food wastes produced in Hong Kong includes rotten fruits, vegetables, fish, poultry organs, fruits and vegetable peelings, meat, fish, shellfish shells, bones, food fats, sauces, condiments, soup pulp, Chinease medicinal pulp, egg shells, cheeses, ice cream, yogurts, tea leaves, teabags, coffee grounds, breads, cakes, biscuits, desserts, jam, different cereals, leftover of cooked food, BBQ raw or cooked leftovers, and pet food [1]. The Hong Kong Government plans to cut down the food waste that goes to landfill to approximately 40% by 2022. Landfills are the most common place for garbage deposition. Landfills spread offensive smell and are known to cause hazardous effects on people, animals, and the environment. Landfills are unsustainable as they produce methane which is a common green house gas. Furthermore, landfills also generate large amount of harmful leachate when rainwater falls on the garbage. This leachate can contaminate water and soil. Nevertheless, anaerobic digestion of food wastes that occurs naturally in the absence of oxygen employing bacteria can be used to produce biogas. Biogas is used as an energy source. Alternatively, food wastes can be valorized for the production of energy by using different common techniques such as composting, recycling and incineration. Although, these processes are capable of converting food waste into fuels and value-added products development of greener and advanced technologies are required [3].
Biofuel production is rapidly growing as the world encounters pollution problems due to burning of petroleum and coal based fuels. In addition, petroleum fuels are finite reserves and most of the petroleum reserves are geographically located in politically unstable countries. This reinforces the fact that alternative fuels are important from both environmental and energy security point of view. Along this line, many countries are formulating energy policies for the production of renewable energy.
At present, biofuels such as biodiesel and bioethanol are largely produced from edible food materials [4]. Various edible plant oils from soybean, rapeseed and canola oils are used for the preparation of biodiesel. Whereas, ethanol can be produced from a variety of feedstocks such as sugar cane, bagasse, sugar beet, grain, switchgrass, barley, potatoes, molasses, corn, stover, wheat and many other sources rich in carbohydrate [4],[5]. Chemical biodiesel production process is called transesterification [4],[5]. During transesterification, the tri-,di-and mono-glycerides react with methanol in the presence of a catalyst to produce biodiesel. On the other hand, the production of bioethanol process involves pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, fermentation and distillation steps. Preparation of biofuels from edible food materials is attributed for the reason of food scarcity and a food vs fuel debate is already raging [6]. Alternatively, nonedible feedstocks can be used for the production of biofuels. Jatropha, Pongamia and other nonedible plant oils are already used for the preparation of biodiesel [5]. Along this line, nonedible lignocellulosic biomass is also employed for the production of bioethanol [7].
Food waste is a well-known nonedible source of lipids, carbohydrates, amino acids and phosphates [8],[9]. Reserach in our laboratory reveals that bakery and mixed food wastes contain significant amount of lipids and carbohydrates [8],[9]. Depending on the source of food waste the average lipid content was around 30% and the average carbohydrate content was around 50% [8],[9]. Different types of food wastes can be hydrolysed enzymatically to produce food hydrolysate and lipids [8],[9]. The food hydrolysate was rich in carbohydrate and can be used for the production of bioethanol; whereas, the obtained lipid can be converted to biodiesel (Figure 1).
thumbnailFigure 1. Recycling of food waste into biodiesel and bioethanol.
Along this line, noodle is a common starch based food material. In South Korea around 3 billion packages of instant noodle were consumed in 2011 and more than 2,100 tons of instant noodle residues were disposed as waste. Kim et al. have used instant noodle waste for the production of biofuels [10],[11]. Kim et al. recovered the oil from noodle waste by extraction using nonpolar hexane as a solvent. From 100 g of noodle waste 83 g of purified starch and 5 g of oil was obtained. The obtained oil free starch residue was used for simultaneous saccharification and fermentation process for the production of bioethanol [10],[11]. The hexane extract was evaporated and the obtained oil was reacted with methanol in the presence of acid and alkali catalysts for the preparation of biodiesel. One major limitation of this process is that the excess use of hexane during the extraction of oil from food waste [10],[11]. The Centers for Disease Control classifies n-hexane as a neurotoxin. It is also listed as a “hazardous air pollutant” by the Environmental Protection Agency as it helps in the formation of ozone at the ground level which is primarily responsible for smog. Nevertheless, these experiments demonstrate the potential utilization of waste noodle waste as a resource for biofuel production.
Research on the use of food wastes for the production of biofuel is becoming attractive in different countries. Sulaiman et al. have conceptualized a halal biorefinery for the production of fuels and value added products in Malaysia [12]. Yao et al. from the Chinese Academy of Sciences investigated the application of food waste to generate hydrolysates for the production of bioethanol [13]. In this context, potato peel is a well-known waste generated by the potato industries in Europe [14]. As reported by Christakopoulos.et al. this “no value” potato peel waste was converted to bioethanol using environmentally benign biocatalytic methods [13]. Researchers have also used household food waste for the production of bioethanol. During this process liquefaction and saccharification methods were employed to increase both ethanol production and productivity of the process [15]. Subsequently, fermentation of the remaining solids obtained from this process was performed to increase the overall yield of ethanol [15].
It is clear from the above discussion that environmental pollution and upcoming shortage of fossil fuels have turned the attention of researchers largely on the utilization of renewable feedstocks. Additionally, scientists and policy makers are devoting much efforts to use nonedible and zero cost food wastes for fuel and energy production to reduce the direct competition between fuel and food. It is known that food wastes are generated in large quantities and their handling is a challenge. As discussed earlier, these food wastes are potential resources as they contain substantial amount of carbohydrates and lipids. Thus, zero value food waste can be used as a resource for the production of low-cost biofuels. Research by various groups is currently underway for the production of biodiesel and bioethanol from food waste [16]-[22]. So far, the “proof of concept” for the synthesis and characterization of biofuels from different food wastes has been established [16]-[22].
Currently, technologies are available for the production of biodiesel and bioethanol in industrial scale. In this regard, a pilot scale production of ethanol from food waste using Saccharomyces cerevisiae H058 is already reported [22]. Nevertheless, low cost, greener and advanced technologies are needed for the production of fuels from food wastes [3],[23]. The industrial production of biofuel from food waste is largely depended on i) availability of food waste, ii) efficiency of hydrolyis process, iii) the amount of lipid and carbohydrate obtained from food waste, and iv) efficiency of fermentation and transesterification methods. In Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, US and in many other European countries plenty of food wastes are available. Thus, the future work should be primarily focused on large scale pretreatment and hydrolysis of food waste for production of lipid and sugar enriched hydrolysate. Several microorganisms and enzymes are known to hydrolyze food waste to carbohydrate, lipid, amino acids and phosphates. The catalytic efficiencies of the existing biocatalysts can be tested for the large scale hydrolysis of food wastes. Afterwards, the commercially available technologies can be employed for the production of biodiesel and bioethanol.
To make biofuels economically viable, the business and scientific communities and policy makers should come together to start a joint venture into the business of converting food waste into fuels. With proper financial and policy based supports from government, food waste biorefineries can be realized. In this context, it is particularly important to overcome the existing technological challenges of conventional food waste valorization methods. Simultaneously, it is crucial to develop environmental friendly and cost effective recycling methods that can convert food wastes into biofuels and chemicals [24]-[26]. Recently, combi-protein coated microcrystals of lipases are used for the production of biodiesel from oil of spent coffee grounds [27]. In this regard, both chemo- and biocatalytic methods can be explored for the preparation of biofuels from food waste [27]-[31].
The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.sustainablechemicalprocesses.com/content/2/1/22
image source: 10 Green vehicles that run on food waste
Understanding acute kidney injury in low resource settings: a step forward
* Corresponding author: Fredric O Finkelstein fof@comcast.net
Author Affiliations
Yale University, 136 Sherman Avenue, New Haven, USA
BMC Nephrology 2015, 16:5 doi:10.1186/1471-2369-16-5
<More about author>
The International Society of Nephrology has recently set a goal of eliminating preventable or treatable deaths from acute kidney injury (AKI) by 2025—the “0X25” initiative. Programmatic implementation in low resource settings (LRS) is a key mission of this initiative. But a major challenge in designing effective programs to treat AKI in LRS is that we do not know the extent and nature of the problem.
Main text
Few studies describe the epidemiology of AKI in LRS [1-3]. In a 2013 meta-analysis examining 154 studies on the incidence of AKI, the authors could identify only two adult studies from LRS which used a standard definition of AKI with sample sizes exceeding 500 adults or 50 children [1]. A number of factors contribute to this paucity of good quality data. In LRS, late presentation of patients to tertiary care centers is common. Often, limited resources force a difficult choice between spending money on serial laboratory tests or treatment, resulting in ascertainment bias. Even when an attempt is made to study AKI systematically, the limitations on laboratory services with rapid turn-around sometimes lead to use of alternate AKI definitions, since current consensus AKI definitions are partly based on serial creatinine measurements. Furthermore, most centers still use paper rather than electronic medical records, making data extraction less efficient and multicenter collaboration more difficult. As a result, many studies are often single center with small sample sizes [2]. They often do not make it to publication in high profile journals, but instead are published in regional journals which are not readily accessible to the general medical community.
Thus, the study published in this issue of BMC Nephrology by Bagasha et al. begins to fill an important data gap [4]. Using the Acute Kidney Injury Network definition, the study describes the epidemiology and correlates of AKI among 387 adult patients admitted to Mulago National Referral Hospital (the largest hospital in Uganda) who fit criteria for a diagnosis of sepsis. The prevalence of AKI as assessed at a single time point was 16%, with 46% of patients developing severe AKI. Overall mortality was 21%.
The numbers presented in this study, while stark, are likely underestimates for several reasons. The authors excluded patients with chronic kidney disease, a group at high-risk for AKI in the setting of sepsis. The assessment for AKI occurred only at enrollment, and patients who may have developed AKI in their clinical course were not included. Moving away from a tertiary care center, we can speculate that in rural or other urban centers without academic support, the diagnosis of AKI is often missed or delayed, and outcomes will likely be even worse.
Nonetheless, the study by Bagasha et al. provides an important snapshot of the patients admitted for sepsis likely to develop AKI in Uganda: most are young, have HIV, and may well have used herbal medications prior to admission. We can extrapolate that such a patient will likely not receive intensive unit care, and if he/she develops severe AKI, the likelihood of death will approach 40%. Dialysis initiation will occur rarely or not at all, even at the largest referral center in Uganda.
This picture contrasts with the one seen in high-resource settings, where AKI is most often hospital acquired, in patients with multiorgan failure and/or multiple co-morbidities who have been exposed to polypharmacy and invasive procedures. In a study of 22 centers in the U.S., Canada, and Saudi Arabia, patients with AKI were often critically-ill, with close to 40% having 2 or more co-morbidities [5]. Average age of patients with sepsis-related AKI exceeded 60 years in this and other reports from Italy [6], Germany [7], and New Zealand [8]. Dialytic support was used in 2-10% of AKI patients [1,6-8].
The differences between AKI in LRS, as noted in the Bagasha et al. study and other single center studies, and high resource settings are important to note for several reasons. First, AKI is potentially more “preventable and treatable”. Appropriate hygiene may decrease the incidence and spread of diarrheal diseases. Volume depletion, when recognized sufficiently early, could potentially be addressed by inexpensive oral rehydration strategies in the community or intravenous fluids in the hospital. Given that the majority of patients in the study by Bagasha et al. had received <1L of fluid at the time of diagnosis, how many episodes of AKI could have been prevented if appropriate hemodynamic support were provided? Early administration of antibiotics or antimalarials could also help address potentially remediable diseases. Avoidance of nephrotoxins, another cornerstone of the management of critically ill patients, can also make a major difference in limiting the incidence and/or progression of AKI, especially given that close to 25% of patients with AKI used herbal medications prior to their admission to the hospital.
Second, the patients are young. Nearly half of patients experiencing AKI in the Bagasha et al. study were younger than 40 years; a similarly young age distribution has been reported from South Africa [9] and Sri Lanka [10]. Few patients have co-morbidities other than HIV. Often the kidney is the only failed organ. These factors contribute to a higher likelihood of full renal and overall recovery, and return of young individuals to become active members of society.
Third, if patients do progress to AKI in LRS, many have no options for dialysis therapy. Dialytic support is limited by the lack of resources, lack of available equipment, and lack of funding necessary to support such therapy. Patients are often asked to pay the high costs of treatment—costs which are generally beyond their means. These sobering facts make the prevention or at least the mitigation of AKI even more important.
Thus, the 0X25 initiative has been embraced by the nephrology community worldwide, and strategies are actively being organized to address the problem of AKI in LRS. The cornerstones of the program involve identifying the causes of AKI, understanding what resources are available to treat patients at risk for AKI, developing education programs to increase the awareness of the importance of early diagnosis and treatment of AKI, and then developing appropriate treatment strategies.
Understanding how to approach education and treatment strategies requires that plans be thought of in the structural, cultural, and financial context of the setting in which these programs are being developed. Thus, in a thoughtful and detailed review of the Millenium Village Project, Nina Munk provides a cautionary story [11]. Munk, who spent 6 years examining the impact of the Millenium Project in Africa, describes the dangers inherent in imposing outside theories on the complex and ever-changing lives of African villagers. She reflects on the cultural difficulties that outside aid efforts are likely to encounter in rural Africa. In terms of renal replacement therapy, the use of peritoneal dialysis (PD) is now being again recognized as an acceptable, cost-efficient, and technologically simple therapy to be used not only in LRS but in high income countries as well [12,13]. Thus, Chionh et al. have suggested that outcomes with PD for the treatment of AKI are as good as with extracorporeal therapies [13]. Comprehensive guidelines for the use of PD to treat patients (children and adults) with AKI have recently been published [13]. The feasibility of using PD to treat patients with AKI in LRS is now well documented with excellent outcomes being reported in recent publications from Tanzania [14], Sudan [15], and Nigeria [16]. The Saving Young Lives Program has been actively helping support and develop PD programs to treat patients with AKI in LRS [17].
The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2369/16/5
image source: Kent Surrey Sussex Academic Health Science Network
Toward Scalable Systems for Big Data Analytics: A Technology Tutorial
Do you know what is big data? the following article published on IEEE will help you more about the history and related technology behind this new term.
"Recent technological advancements have led to a deluge of data from distinctive domains (e.g., health care and scientific sensors, user-generated data, Internet and financial companies, and supply chain systems) over the past two decades. The term big data was coined to capture the meaning of this emerging trend. In addition to its sheer volume, big data also exhibits other unique characteristics as compared with traditional data. For instance, big data is commonly unstructured and require more real-time analysis. This development calls for new system architectures for data acquisition, transmission, storage, and large-scale data processing mechanisms."
Corresponding author: Yonggang Wen ygwen@ntu.edu.sg
DOI 10.1109/ACCESS.2014.2332453
You can find the complete article (open access) below:
Alibaba sets up HK$1b fund to help young Hong Kong entrepreneurs
From South China Morning Post, Monday 02, Feb, 2015
image source: http://www.cmoney.tw/notes/note-detail.aspx?nid=22713