Perhaps you've heard of Columbia University's Biosphere II project at their campus in Tucson Arizona. At least some of the hypothetical greenhouse gas theory was derived from those experiments, at least some of the original components of the theory. The funny thing is that the Biosphere II project was sponsored by the Hunt Brothers, who were in the oil and gas business.
No, I'm not a conspiracy theorist, I'm not going to tell you that the oil and gas industry loves the global warming theory because it keeps their prices high because all the new competition being brought forth is not reliable energy or suitable to compete with fossil fuels which are packed with energy. So, I'm not going to say that here. Rather, I would like to speak to the knowledge gained from those experiments that had to do with heat stress.
You see, I have some close friends that live in New Jersey and they have greenhouses and they grow specialty plants for commercial real estate customers. In the summertime it's hot and sweaty in New Jersey, but go inside one of those greenhouses and the amount of thermal stress makes you want to leave pretty quickly, that or go naked. Seriously, it's very hard to deal with, it's very uncomfortable.
Now then, what if we are to create an enclosed and encapsulated biosphere in a space colony on another planet or on the moon? What about the heat stress, we are going to have to have sophisticated air-conditioning systems, it will matter. We want to keep the temperature at a comfortable level, but we will also wish to help the human immune system by slowing down the rate of growth of bacteria and other things that find their way into the colony, and the best way to do that is to keep the temperature lower, this is why hospitals often have a chill factor.
In August of 2004 there was an interesting article put out by NASA (NASA/TM - 2004-212824) titled; "Stress, Cognition, and Human Performance: A Literature Review and Conceptual Framework," by Mark A. Staal of Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, which speaks to many of the issues concerning cognitive performance in various conditions, and there are several sections on "heat stress" and it appears that this is going to be a real issue for space colonies, orbiting space stations, and long-term space flight. Humans perform best, and live longest in temperatures of 70-79 degrees Fahrenheit and with a low humidity.
It takes energy to create both air-conditioning, or heat and that may not always be in abundant supply despite the constant need for the enclosed atmospheric biosphere. Here are some other issues were going to have to consider;
Depression
Mental Health
High-end Cognition and Performance
If the temperature is too cold, and the body temperatures are not kept at the proper rate, or there is not enough food for their bodies to have the energy to keep themselves warm, we may find ourselves with depression in a space colony, and that can lead to anxiety, personality challenges, mental health issues, and it could even affect the performance when doing high-intensity mental tasks. We need to get the temperature exactly correct. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.
Monday, 15 October 2012
Sunday, 14 October 2012
Can We Use High Frequency and Magnetic Alignment to Stop Bleeding For Instant Coagulation?
It is truly amazing and spectacular how far we've come in the realm of artificial blood and the ability to stop bleeding instantly allowing for much needed extra time to transport accident victims or wounded soldiers to medical facilities. Still, I suspect we may have only reached the tip of the iceberg in this regard. Thus, I'd like to take this opportunity to call for more research to take it all to the next level. In this article, I will lay out another set of components that might be added to our current latest bioscience technologies in this field. Okay so, let's talk.
Perhaps you've seen those devices you can wear on your wrist and ankles which are magnets? They help blood flow because your blood has magnetic properties and although we are not sure of the health benefits exactly, we are somewhat sure it doesn't hurt us, we also know that blood is magnetic. We also know something about fluid dynamics, molecular alignment, and frequency. We know that we can use various frequencies under various amounts of power to align atoms and molecules into near-perfect rows, or in some cases using a combination of frequencies into very cool looking designs. Nanotech manufacturing science is really coming along nicely I'd say.
When we do this with paint, coatings on a surface, water, various gases, or air molecules we are able to thicken and compress and control other properties as well. Therefore, knowing all of this, it should be relatively evident that we could use such strategies to quickly close up a wound which is gushing blood from an accident, or that which has occurred in combat. Further, if we were to take some of these strategies which I mentioned here, and use them along with similar strategies being used by first responders with artificial blood techniques, we might just be able to not only stop the surface bleeding, but also some of the internal bleeding using the same principle.
Of course, it will take an array of various new medical devices which have not yet been invented, and it will take some research and development money, along with some testing to make it work. Even if it doesn't work exactly as I explain it here, what we learn will be significant an incredible and the number of applications and transfer technologies in bioscience we can get from this would be substantial. Therefore this research should be funded, and we should grow another branch of the science tree to see where it leads. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.
Perhaps you've seen those devices you can wear on your wrist and ankles which are magnets? They help blood flow because your blood has magnetic properties and although we are not sure of the health benefits exactly, we are somewhat sure it doesn't hurt us, we also know that blood is magnetic. We also know something about fluid dynamics, molecular alignment, and frequency. We know that we can use various frequencies under various amounts of power to align atoms and molecules into near-perfect rows, or in some cases using a combination of frequencies into very cool looking designs. Nanotech manufacturing science is really coming along nicely I'd say.
When we do this with paint, coatings on a surface, water, various gases, or air molecules we are able to thicken and compress and control other properties as well. Therefore, knowing all of this, it should be relatively evident that we could use such strategies to quickly close up a wound which is gushing blood from an accident, or that which has occurred in combat. Further, if we were to take some of these strategies which I mentioned here, and use them along with similar strategies being used by first responders with artificial blood techniques, we might just be able to not only stop the surface bleeding, but also some of the internal bleeding using the same principle.
Of course, it will take an array of various new medical devices which have not yet been invented, and it will take some research and development money, along with some testing to make it work. Even if it doesn't work exactly as I explain it here, what we learn will be significant an incredible and the number of applications and transfer technologies in bioscience we can get from this would be substantial. Therefore this research should be funded, and we should grow another branch of the science tree to see where it leads. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.
Handheld Refractometers
A traditional handheld refractometer is an analog instrument for measuring a liquid's refractive index. It works on the critical angle principle by which lenses and prisms venture a shadow line onto a small glass reticle inside the instrument, which is then viewed by the user through a magnifying eyepiece.
In use, a sample is placed between a measuring prism and a small cover plate. Light traveling through the sample is either passed through to the reticle or totally internally reflected. The net effect is that a shadow line forms between the illuminated area and the dark area. It is where this shadow line crosses the range that a reading is taken. Because refractive index is very temperature dependent, it is important to use a refractometer with automatic temperature compensation. Compensation is achieved through the use of a small bi-metallic strip that moves a lens or prism in response to temperature changes. The use of a hand refractometer facilitates opportune and speedy measurement of concentration in a number of liquid and semi-solid samples.
Food applications include the measurement of sugar in grape must and other fresh fruit, processed food, sugar solutions and beverages. Starch, honey and salt solutions may also be measured.
Hand held refractometers are also commonly used to control blend ratios of various industrial liquids. Chemical blends such as glycols, battery acid, heat exchange fluids, automotive antifreeze, aviation wing de-icing chemicals and jet fuel ice inhibitors can be controlled easily whilst measurement of industrial fluids such as coolants, quenchants and hydraulic oils are routine.
Digital handheld refractometers are generally more accurate than traditional handheld refractometers, but less precise than most benchtop refractometers. They also may require a slightly larger amount of sample to read from since the sample is not spread thinly against the prism.
Digital Hand-Held Refractometers
The digital handheld refractometer has more functions than a simple handheld refractometer and at the same time is more cost effective than a desktop unit. Besides the refractive index, sugar and salt scales, up to two other user-defined scales can be designed. To do this, a handheld refractometer can be connected to a PC via a serial interface. The software supplied with it allows outcomes to be managed and printed out.
Manual Hand-Held Refractometers
Manual handheld refractometers are for fast everyday use. They are particularly easy to use and very sturdy. Various scales and additional functions ensure that there is exactly the right handheld refractometer for many application areas. This makes for reliability when reading, as the measured value does not have first to be converted.
In use, a sample is placed between a measuring prism and a small cover plate. Light traveling through the sample is either passed through to the reticle or totally internally reflected. The net effect is that a shadow line forms between the illuminated area and the dark area. It is where this shadow line crosses the range that a reading is taken. Because refractive index is very temperature dependent, it is important to use a refractometer with automatic temperature compensation. Compensation is achieved through the use of a small bi-metallic strip that moves a lens or prism in response to temperature changes. The use of a hand refractometer facilitates opportune and speedy measurement of concentration in a number of liquid and semi-solid samples.
Food applications include the measurement of sugar in grape must and other fresh fruit, processed food, sugar solutions and beverages. Starch, honey and salt solutions may also be measured.
Hand held refractometers are also commonly used to control blend ratios of various industrial liquids. Chemical blends such as glycols, battery acid, heat exchange fluids, automotive antifreeze, aviation wing de-icing chemicals and jet fuel ice inhibitors can be controlled easily whilst measurement of industrial fluids such as coolants, quenchants and hydraulic oils are routine.
Digital handheld refractometers are generally more accurate than traditional handheld refractometers, but less precise than most benchtop refractometers. They also may require a slightly larger amount of sample to read from since the sample is not spread thinly against the prism.
Digital Hand-Held Refractometers
The digital handheld refractometer has more functions than a simple handheld refractometer and at the same time is more cost effective than a desktop unit. Besides the refractive index, sugar and salt scales, up to two other user-defined scales can be designed. To do this, a handheld refractometer can be connected to a PC via a serial interface. The software supplied with it allows outcomes to be managed and printed out.
Manual Hand-Held Refractometers
Manual handheld refractometers are for fast everyday use. They are particularly easy to use and very sturdy. Various scales and additional functions ensure that there is exactly the right handheld refractometer for many application areas. This makes for reliability when reading, as the measured value does not have first to be converted.
Friday, 14 September 2012
Life History of Insects
Insects are creatures belonging to the category known as Insecta.
The body is separated into 3 sections:
• Head,
• Thorax,
• Abdomen.
They have 6 feet connected to the thorax. They usually have wings, also connected to the thorax. In bugs such as beetles, the hard wings protect the flying wings and lie smooth against the belly at rest.
Diseases carried by insects:
• Some blood-sucking bugs are very risky to individuals because they can bring illnesses.
• The Asian rat flea (Xenopsylla cheopis) provides bubonic problem, a condition that in the Fourteenth millennium damaged a one fourth of the inhabitants of Western nations (25 thousand people)!
• Mosquitoes are a group of blood-feeding bugs that bring illnesses, in particular malaria, which is often critical. Malaria does not happen in New Zealand but is very typical in exotic nations, where about 120 thousand individuals get the condition every year.
Food:
• Insects eat a number of different things.
• Many types of insects eat the simply departs of vegetation, like the caterpillars of flies and moths.
• Adult flies and bees are cases of bugs that have long tubular tongues to suck nectar from blossoms.
• Some bugs, like the hoping mantis, nourish on other bugs. They lie in delay for other bugs and instantly pick up them with their spiny front side feet. Sometimes the female hoping mantis will even eat the male after propagating with him.
• Many bugs stay on other creatures and are known as "parasites"; for example, ticks and go lice, which stay on creatures and wildlife, and either, suck their blood, or nourish on their epidermis and down.
Species:
• There are probably more than 5,000,000 different species on the globe, but the actual number is mysterious. By evaluation, there are only 9,000 species of wildlife and 4,000 species of creatures.
• New Zealand has about 20,000 types of bugs, and many of these still need an official medical name.
Senses:
Apart from being small than us, and regularly in risk of being consumed by something larger for example, a fowl, or even another insect), their feelings are different from ours.
1) Sight:
• Each eye of a pest is like a lot of vision all trapped together, they are known as compound eyes.
• They see the globe very diversely than us.
• They can also see color.
• They are very good at seeing activity, but they can't see forms nearly as well as individuals.
2) Smell:
• Insects don't have noses, but they can smell incredibly well.
• They smell with the antennae which keep out of the front sides of the head.
• Moths and other bugs often have antennae like feathers; this improves the surface area so that they can choose up scents particularly as well.
• Insects don't have noses, but they can fragrance incredibly well.
• Female bugs generate unique substances known as pheromones; these are like fragrances and are used to attract the males.
3) Sound:
• Most bugs don't have ears, but they can hear sounds through their epidermis.
• Some bugs have tympanal system parts, which are generally hearing, except that they are not on the head but elsewhere on the body.
• Male crickets, cicadas, and grasshoppers "sing" to entice women to companion with; each species has its own unique music.
You can view our Journal of ornithology for more related information.
The body is separated into 3 sections:
• Head,
• Thorax,
• Abdomen.
They have 6 feet connected to the thorax. They usually have wings, also connected to the thorax. In bugs such as beetles, the hard wings protect the flying wings and lie smooth against the belly at rest.
Diseases carried by insects:
• Some blood-sucking bugs are very risky to individuals because they can bring illnesses.
• The Asian rat flea (Xenopsylla cheopis) provides bubonic problem, a condition that in the Fourteenth millennium damaged a one fourth of the inhabitants of Western nations (25 thousand people)!
• Mosquitoes are a group of blood-feeding bugs that bring illnesses, in particular malaria, which is often critical. Malaria does not happen in New Zealand but is very typical in exotic nations, where about 120 thousand individuals get the condition every year.
Food:
• Insects eat a number of different things.
• Many types of insects eat the simply departs of vegetation, like the caterpillars of flies and moths.
• Adult flies and bees are cases of bugs that have long tubular tongues to suck nectar from blossoms.
• Some bugs, like the hoping mantis, nourish on other bugs. They lie in delay for other bugs and instantly pick up them with their spiny front side feet. Sometimes the female hoping mantis will even eat the male after propagating with him.
• Many bugs stay on other creatures and are known as "parasites"; for example, ticks and go lice, which stay on creatures and wildlife, and either, suck their blood, or nourish on their epidermis and down.
Species:
• There are probably more than 5,000,000 different species on the globe, but the actual number is mysterious. By evaluation, there are only 9,000 species of wildlife and 4,000 species of creatures.
• New Zealand has about 20,000 types of bugs, and many of these still need an official medical name.
Senses:
Apart from being small than us, and regularly in risk of being consumed by something larger for example, a fowl, or even another insect), their feelings are different from ours.
1) Sight:
• Each eye of a pest is like a lot of vision all trapped together, they are known as compound eyes.
• They see the globe very diversely than us.
• They can also see color.
• They are very good at seeing activity, but they can't see forms nearly as well as individuals.
2) Smell:
• Insects don't have noses, but they can smell incredibly well.
• They smell with the antennae which keep out of the front sides of the head.
• Moths and other bugs often have antennae like feathers; this improves the surface area so that they can choose up scents particularly as well.
• Insects don't have noses, but they can fragrance incredibly well.
• Female bugs generate unique substances known as pheromones; these are like fragrances and are used to attract the males.
3) Sound:
• Most bugs don't have ears, but they can hear sounds through their epidermis.
• Some bugs have tympanal system parts, which are generally hearing, except that they are not on the head but elsewhere on the body.
• Male crickets, cicadas, and grasshoppers "sing" to entice women to companion with; each species has its own unique music.
You can view our Journal of ornithology for more related information.
Powderpost Beetles - Little Drilling Machines!
The first time I heard the name Powderpost I was reminded of The Powerpuff Girls, probably because the names sound similar if you say them quickly enough. However, the two things couldn't be any more unrelated to each other, and, as it turns out, the powderpost beetles also turned out to be a rather interesting creature!
The foremost thing that one should know about these insects is that they come in a very large variety; about seventy different species of wood-boring beetles fall under the same name of powderpost. This is a huge number! The reason they are all called so is because the larvae - and even the adults - feed on the wood of deciduous trees and if left uninterrupted, can turn healthy wood into a powdery form. Of course, this process does not occur overnight, but carries from the larval stage to the emergence of the adult beetle. In some cases, it can even pass on to the next generation, but we'll get to that shortly.
These beetles normally range in shades between reddish brown and black, and also vary greatly in size according to the species. The smaller species come in at about 1/32 of an inch while the largest ones are about 3/8 inches long. What is however common to all of them is their shape - a slender, cylindrical body is the characteristic shape of the powderpost beetles. This shape is particularly helpful, considering that the adults need to burrow into the wood of trees to get their food and having such a streamlined form allows for quicker movement!
All of these beetles start off as small larvae embedded deep within the wood, and in fact spend most of their development in the wood as well. Because of this unusual habit of theirs, it has become very difficult to characterize the larvae of these fascinating insects fully. What we do know is that these larvae begin to feed on the wood of healthy deciduous trees from the inside and work their way out, creating meandering tunnels that look like small 'shot holes'. You can, however, estimate how large a single larva would be if the size of a shot hole is only 1/32 inch in diameter! The life-cycle of these insects also varies greatly with external conditions like temperature, humidity, and moisture content. In optimum conditions, a new generation of the beetles can emerge as adults within 3 months. In other cases it is even possible for the cycle to continue for as long as two years, with some extending even beyond that time!
It is rather difficult to isolate and study these beetles because they are not only hidden from us during their initial growth stage, but also do not have a very long lifespan as adults. This makes it hard to observe them in their natural habitat and understand more about their peculiar lifestyle. Nonetheless, what is certain is that despite people's notions of them, these beetles are a very intriguing group, and indeed act as Mother Nature's little drilling machines!
The foremost thing that one should know about these insects is that they come in a very large variety; about seventy different species of wood-boring beetles fall under the same name of powderpost. This is a huge number! The reason they are all called so is because the larvae - and even the adults - feed on the wood of deciduous trees and if left uninterrupted, can turn healthy wood into a powdery form. Of course, this process does not occur overnight, but carries from the larval stage to the emergence of the adult beetle. In some cases, it can even pass on to the next generation, but we'll get to that shortly.
These beetles normally range in shades between reddish brown and black, and also vary greatly in size according to the species. The smaller species come in at about 1/32 of an inch while the largest ones are about 3/8 inches long. What is however common to all of them is their shape - a slender, cylindrical body is the characteristic shape of the powderpost beetles. This shape is particularly helpful, considering that the adults need to burrow into the wood of trees to get their food and having such a streamlined form allows for quicker movement!
All of these beetles start off as small larvae embedded deep within the wood, and in fact spend most of their development in the wood as well. Because of this unusual habit of theirs, it has become very difficult to characterize the larvae of these fascinating insects fully. What we do know is that these larvae begin to feed on the wood of healthy deciduous trees from the inside and work their way out, creating meandering tunnels that look like small 'shot holes'. You can, however, estimate how large a single larva would be if the size of a shot hole is only 1/32 inch in diameter! The life-cycle of these insects also varies greatly with external conditions like temperature, humidity, and moisture content. In optimum conditions, a new generation of the beetles can emerge as adults within 3 months. In other cases it is even possible for the cycle to continue for as long as two years, with some extending even beyond that time!
It is rather difficult to isolate and study these beetles because they are not only hidden from us during their initial growth stage, but also do not have a very long lifespan as adults. This makes it hard to observe them in their natural habitat and understand more about their peculiar lifestyle. Nonetheless, what is certain is that despite people's notions of them, these beetles are a very intriguing group, and indeed act as Mother Nature's little drilling machines!
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