Photo: Red poppy, Auckland Botanic Gardens, Auckland, New Zealand, by Sandy Millar via Unsplash.

As John West noted here last week, the Journal of Theoretical Biology has published an explicitly pro-intelligent design article, Using statistical methods to model the fine-tuning of molecular machines and systems. Lets take a closer look at the contents. The paper is math-heavy, discussing statistical models of making inferences, but it is also groundbreaking for this crucial reason: it considers and proposes intelligent design, by name, as a viable explanation for the origin of fine-tuning in biology. This is a major breakthrough for science, but also for freedom of speech. If the paper is any indication, appearing as it does in a prominent peer-reviewed journal, some of the suffocating constraints on ID advocacy may be coming off.

The authors are Steinar Thorvaldsen, a professor of information science at the University of Troms in Norway, and Ola Hssjer, a professor of mathematical statistics at Stockholm University. The paper, which is open access, begins by noting that while fine-tuning is widely discussed in physics, it needs to be considered more in the context of biology:

Fine-tuning has received much attention in physics, and it states that the fundamental constants of physics are finely tuned to precise values for a rich chemistry and life permittance. It has not yet been applied in a broad manner to molecular biology.

The authors explain the papers main thrust:

However, in this paper we argue that biological systems present fine-tuning at different levels, e.g. functional proteins, complex biochemical machines in living cells, and cellular networks. This paper describes molecular fine-tuning, how it can be used in biology, and how it challenges conventional Darwinian thinking. We also discuss the statistical methods underpinning finetuning and present a framework for such analysis.

They explain how fine-tuning is defined. The definition is essentially equivalent to specified complexity:

We define fine-tuning as an object with two properties: it must a) be unlikely to have occurred by chance, under the relevant probability distribution (i.e. complex), and b) conform to an independent or detached specification (i.e. specific).

They then introduce the concept of design, and explain how humans are innately able to recognize it:

A design is a specification or plan for the construction of an object or system, or the result of that specification or plan in the form of a product. The very term design is from the Medieval Latin word designare (denoting mark out, point out, choose); from de (out) and signum (identifying mark, sign). Hence, a public notice that advertises something or gives information. The design usually has to satisfy certain goals and constraints. It is also expected to interact with a certain environment, and thus be realized in the physical world. Humans have a powerful intuitive understanding of design that precedes modern science. Our common intuitions invariably begin with recognizing a pattern as a mark of design. The problem has been that our intuitions about design have been unrefined and pre-theoretical. For this reason, it is relevant to ask ourselves whether it is possible to turn the tables on this disparity and place those rough and pre-theoretical intuitions on a firm scientific foundation.

That last sentence is key: the purpose is to understand if there is a scientific method by which design can be inferred. They propose that design can be identified by uncovering fine-tuning. The paper explicates statistical methods for understanding fine-tuning, which they argue reflects design:

Fine-tuning and design are related entities. Fine-tuning is a bottom-up method, while design is more like a top-down approach. Hence, we focus on the topic of fine-tuning in the present paper and address the following questions: Is it possible to recognize fine-tuning in biological systems at the levels of functional proteins, protein groups and cellular networks? Can fine-tuning in molecular biology be formulated using state of the art statistical methods, or are the arguments just in the eyes of the beholder?

They cite the work of multiple leading theorists in the ID research community.

They return to physics and the anthropic principle, the idea that the laws of nature are precisely suited for life:

Suppose the laws of physics had been a bit different from what they actually are, what would the consequences be? (Davies, 2006). The chances that the universe should be life permitting are so infinitesimal as to be incomprehensible and incalculable. The finely tuned universe is like a panel that controls the parameters of the universe with about 100 knobs that can be set to certain values. If you turn any knob just a little to the right or to the left, the result is either a universe that is inhospitable to life or no universe at all. If the Big Bang had been just slightly stronger or weaker, matter would not have condensed, and life never would have existed. The odds against our universe developing were enormous and yet here we are, a point that equates with religious implications

However, rather than getting into religion, they apply statistics to consider the possibility of design as an explanation for the fine-tuning of the universe. They cite ID theorist William Dembski:

William Dembski regards the fine-tuning argument as suggestive, as pointers to underlying design. We may describe this inference as abductive reasoning or inference to the best explanation. This reasoning yields a plausible conclusion that is relatively likely to be true, compared to competing hypotheses, given our background knowledge. In the case of fine-tuning of our cosmos, design is considered to be a better explanation than a set of multi-universes that lacks any empirical or historical evidence.

The article offers additional reasons why the multiverse is an unsatisfying explanation for fine-tuning namely that multiverse hypotheses do not predict fine-tuning for this particular universe any better than a single universe hypothesis and we should prefer those theories which best predict (for this or any universe) the phenomena we observe in our universe.

The paper reviews the lines of evidence for fine-tuning in biology, including information, irreducible complexity, protein evolution, and the waiting-timeproblem. Along the way it considers the arguments of many ID theorists, starting with a short review showing how the literature uses words such as sequence code, information, and machine to describe lifes complexity:

One of the surprising discoveries of modern biology has been that the cell operates in a manner similar to modern technology, while biological information is organized in a manner similar to plain text. Words and terms like sequence code, and information, and machine have proven very useful in describing and understanding molecular biology (Wills, 2016). The basic building blocks of life are proteins, long chain-like molecules consisting of varied combinations of 20 different amino acids. Complex biochemical machines are usually composed of many proteins, each folded together and configured in a unique 3D structure dependent upon the exact sequence of the amino acids within the chain. Proteins employ a wide variety of folds to perform their biological function, and each protein has a highly specified shape with some minor variations.

The paper cites and reviews the work of Michael Behe, Douglas Axe, Stephen Meyer, and Gnter Bechly. Some of these discussions are quite long and extensive. First, the article contains a lucid explanation of irreducible complexity and the work of Michael Behe:

Michael Behe and others presented ideas of design in molecular biology, and published evidence of irreducibly complex biochemical machines in living cells. In his argument, some parts of the complex systems found in biology are exceedingly important and do affect the overall function of their mechanism. The fine-tuning can be outlined through the vital and interacting parts of living organisms. In Darwins Black Box (Behe, 1996), Behe exemplified systems, like the flagellum bacteria use to swim and the blood-clotting cascade, that he called irreducibly complex, configured as a remarkable teamwork of several (often dozen or more) interacting proteins. Is it possible on an incremental model that such a system could evolve for something that does not yet exist? Many biological systems do not appear to have a functional viable predecessor from which they could have evolved stepwise, and the occurrence in one leap by chance is extremely small. To rephrase the first man on the moon: Thats no small steps of proteins, no giant leap for biology.

[]

A Behe-system of irreducible complexity was mentioned in Section 3. It is composed of several well-matched, interacting modules that contribute to the basic function, wherein the removal of any one of the modules causes the system to effectively cease functioning. Behe does not ignore the role of the laws of nature. Biology allows for changes and evolutionary modifications. Evolution is there, irreducible design is there, and they are both observed. The laws of nature can organize matter and force it to change. Behes point is that there are some irreducibly complex systems that cannot be produced by the laws of nature:

If a biological structure can be explained in terms of those natural laws [reproduction, mutation and natural selection] then we cannot conclude that it was designed. . . however, I have shown why many biochemical systems cannot be built up by natural selection working on mutations: no direct, gradual route exist to these irreducible complex systems, and the laws of chemistry work strongly against the undirected development of the biochemical systems that make molecules such as AMP1 (Behe, 1996, p. 203).

Then, even if the natural laws work against the development of these irreducible complexities, they still exist. The strong synergy within the protein complex makes it irreducible to an incremental process. They are rather to be acknowledged as finetuned initial conditions of the constituting protein sequences. These structures are biological examples of nano-engineering that surpass anything human engineers have created. Such systems pose a serious challenge to a Darwinian account of evolution, since irreducibly complex systems have no direct series of selectable intermediates, and in addition, as we saw in Section 4.1, each module (protein) is of low probability by itself.

The article also reviews the peer-reviewed research of protein scientist Douglas Axe, as well as his 2016 book Undeniable, on the evolvability of protein folds:

An important goal is to obtain an estimate of the overall prevalence of sequences adopting functional protein folds, i.e. the right folded structure, with the correct dynamics and a precise active site for its specific function. Douglas Axe worked on this question at the Medical Research Council Centre in Cambridge. The experiments he performed showed a prevalence between 1 in 1050 to 1 in 1074 of protein sequences forming a working domain-sized fold of 150 amino acids (Axe, 2004). Hence, functional proteins require highly organised sequences, as illustrated in Fig. 2. Though proteins tolerate a range of possible amino acids at some positions in the sequence, a random process producing amino-acid chains of this length would stumble onto a functional protein only about one in every 1050 to 1074 attempts due to genetic variation. This empirical result is quite analog to the inference from fine-tuned physics.

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The search space turns out to be too impossibly vast for blind selection to have even a slight chance of success. The contrasting view is innovations based on ingenuity, cleverness and intelligence. An element of this is what Axe calls functional coherence, which always involves hierarchical planning, hence is a product of finetuning. He concludes: Functional coherence makes accidental invention fantastically improbable and therefore physically impossible (Axe, 2016, p. 160).

They conclude that the literature shows the probability of finding a functional protein in sequence space can vary broadly, but commonly remains far beyond the reach of Darwinian processes (Axe, 2010a).

Citing the work of Gnter Bechly and Stephen Meyer, the paper also reviews the question of whether sufficient time is allowed by the fossil record for complex systems to arise via Darwinian mechanisms. This is known as the waiting-time problem:

Achieving fine-tuning in a conventional Darwinian model: The waiting time problem

In this section we will elaborate further on the connection between the probability of an event and the time available for that event to happen. In the context of living systems, we need to ask the question whether conventional Darwinian mechanisms have the ability to achieve fine-tuning during a prescribed period of time. This is of interest in order to correctly interpret the fossil record, which is often interpreted as having long periods of stasis interrupted by very sudden abrupt changes (Bechly and Meyer, 2017). Examples of such sudden changes include the origin of photosynthesis, the Cambrian explosions, the evolution of complex eyes and the evolution of animal flight. The accompanying genetic changes are believed to have happen very rapidly, at least on a macroevolutionary timescale, during a time period of length t. In order to test whether this is possible, a mathematical model is needed in order to estimate the prevalence P(A) of the event A that the required genetic changes in a species take place within a time window of length t.

Throughout the discussions are multiple citations of BIO-Complexity, a journal dedicated to investigating the scientific evidence for intelligent design.

Lastly, the authors consider intelligent design as a possible explanation of biological fine-tuning, citing heavily the work of William Dembski, Winston Ewert, Robert J. Marks, and other ID theorists:

Intelligent Design (ID) has gained a lot of interest and attention in recent years, mainly in USA, by creating public attention as well as triggering vivid discussions in the scientific and public world. ID aims to adhere to the same standards of rational investigation as other scientific and philosophical enterprises, and it is subject to the same methods of evaluation and critique. ID has been criticized, both for its underlying logic and for its various formulations (Olofsson, 2008; Sarkar, 2011).

William Dembski originally proposed what he called an explanatory filter for distinguishing between events due to chance, lawful regularity or design (Dembski, 1998). Viewed on a sufficiently abstract level, its logics is based on well-established principles and techniques from the theory of statistical hypothesis testing. However, it is hard to apply to many interesting biological applications or contexts, because a huge number of potential but unknown scenarios may exist, which makes it difficult to phrase a null hypothesis for a statistical test (Wilkins and Elsberry, 2001; Olofsson, 2008).

The re-formulated version of a complexity measure published by Dembski and his coworkers is named Algorithmic Specified Complexity (ASC) (Ewert et al., 2013; 2014). ACS incorporates both Shannon and Kolmogorov complexity measures, and it quantifies the degree to which an event is improbable and follows a pattern. Kolmogorov complexity is related to compression of data (and hence patterns), but suffers from the property of being unknowable as there is no general method to compute it. However, it is possible to give upper bounds for the Kolmogorov complexity, and consequently ASC can be bounded without being computed exactly. ASC is based on context and is measured in bits. The same authors have applied this method to natural language, random noise, folding of proteins, images etc (Marks et al., 2017).

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The laws, constants, and primordial initial conditions of nature present the flow of nature. These purely natural objects discovered in recent years show the appearance of being deliberately fine-tuned. Functional proteins, molecular machines and cellular networks are both unlikely when viewed as outcomes of a stochastic model, with a relevant probability distribution (having a small P(A)), and at the same time they conform to an independent or detached specification (the set A being defined in terms of specificity). These results are important and deduced from central phenomena of basic science. In both physics and molecular biology, fine-tuning emerges as a uniting principle and synthesis an interesting observation by itself.

In this paper we have argued that a statistical analysis of fine-tuning is a useful and consistent approach to model some of the categories of design: irreducible complexity (Michael Behe), and specified complexity (William Dembski). As mentioned in Section 1, this approach requires a) that a probability distribution for the set of possible outcomes is introduced, and b) that a set A of fine-tuned events or more generally a specificity function f is defined. Here b) requires some apriori understanding of what fine-tuning means, for each type of application, whereas a) requires a naturalistic model for how the observed structures would have been produced by chance. The mathematical properties of such a model depend on the type of data that is analyzed. Typically a stochastic process should be used that models a dynamic feature such as stellar, chemical or biological (Darwinian) evolution. In the simplest case the state space of such a stochastic process is a scalar (one nucleotide or amino acid), a vector (a DNA or amino acid string) or a graph (protein complexes or cellular networks).

A major conclusion of our work is that fine-tuning is a clear feature of biological systems. Indeed, fine-tuning is even more extreme in biological systems than in inorganic systems. It is detectable within the realm of scientific methodology. Biology is inherently more complicated than the large-scale universe and so fine-tuning is even more a feature. Still more work remains in order to analyze more complicated data structures, using more sophisticated empirical criteria. Typically, such criteria correspond to a specificity function f that not only is a helpful abstraction of an underlying pattern, such as biological fitness. One rather needs a specificity function that, although of non-physical origin, can be quantified and measured empirically in terms of physical properties such as functionality. In the long term, these criteria are necessary to make the explanations both scientifically and philosophically legitimate. However, we have enough evidence to demonstrate that fine-tuning and design deserve attention in the scientific community as a conceptual tool for investigating and understanding the natural world. The main agenda is to explore some fascinating possibilities for science and create room for new ideas and explorations. Biologists need richer conceptual resources than the physical sciences until now have been able to initiate, in terms of complex structures having non-physical information as input (Ratzsch, 2010). Yet researchers have more work to do in order to establish fine-tuning as a sustainable and fully testable scientific hypothesis, and ultimately a Design Science.

This is a significant development. The article gives the arguments of intelligent design theorists a major hearing in a mainstream scientific journal. And dont miss the purpose of the article, which is stated in its final sentence to work towards establish[ing] fine-tuning as a sustainable and fully testable scientific hypothesis, and ultimately a Design Science. The authors present compelling arguments that biological fine-tuning cannot arise via unguided Darwinian mechanisms. Some explanation is needed to account for why biological systems show the appearance of being deliberately fine-tuned. Despite the noise that often surrounds this debate, for ID arguments to receive such a thoughtful and positive treatment in a prominent journal is itself convincing evidence that ID has intellectual merit. Claims of IDs critics notwithstanding, design science is being taken seriously by scientists.

Original post:

Breakout Paper in Journal of Theoretical Biology Explicitly Supports Intelligent Design - Discovery Institute

Perhaps youve heard about the million-mile battery the latest buzz phrase electric vehicle proponents hope will energize public interest in buying EVs.

If you havent, Elon Musk will make sure you do on Tuesday, when Tesla goes online for what its calling Battery Day. Musk is expected to detail a million-mile battery project along with, he teased on Twitter, other exciting things.

Musks teasers dont always pan out. (Update: At the event, Musk undershot expectations, announcing what amounts to a pilot project he suggested could reach volume production by 2030. Theres still a lot of work to do, he said. Were not saying this is completely in the bag.)

But the idea of a million-mile battery offers real promise.

[I]t would eliminate one of the big negatives associated with electric vehicles, said Donald Sadoway, a materials chemist and battery expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology: the car owners fear that the battery will die and require costly replacement.

But because the battery industry is loaded with start-ups and inventors promoting their wares, often before theyre ready for prime time, Sadoway suggests some skepticism is in order.

A million-mile battery does not mean you can drive a million miles between recharges. It means a battery that will last for 1 million miles or more before it cant hold a charge strong enough to power an electric car anymore. Regular recharges every few hundred miles would still be needed to keep a car or truck powered.

Todays batteries face limits on the number of times they can be recharged. Right now, most car batteries are rated to handle about 1,000 full charges total. Manufacturer warranties on car batteries top out at about eight years and 150,000 miles which is proving conservative, as car batteries in general are outlasting their warranties. A battery that lasts 1 million miles could handle 4,000 full recharges or more.

Musk could extend the warranty to 15 years. You think hell do that?

Vince Battaglia, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab

No car is likely to last 1 million miles. It would fall apart long before that. But its possible to design cars so that batteries can be swapped in and out. Individual car owners, theoretically, could keep their batteries and install them into new car bodies. A long-lasting battery could increase a cars resale value.

Perhaps more important, swappable batteries could power long-haul trucks, city buses and driverless robotaxis, all of which log many miles a day, every day. The same batteries could also pump energy into the electric grid when the vehicles not being used, with less worry about battery life degradation.

For those applications, this would totally change the game, said Shirley Meng, professor of nano-engineering and materials at UC San Diego.

Tesla, which has aspirations to build electric semi trucks and deploy fleets of robotaxis while attempting to build a grid energy battery storage business, plans to begin manufacturing batteries itself. It currently buys batteries from Panasonic and LG Chem.

Maybe. Chinas battery manufacturing giant, Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd. (CATL), said in June it is ready to produce a battery that will last 16 years and 1.2 million miles but hasnt said much more about it.

The battery would cost 10% more than the typical battery CATL sells now, company Chairman Zeng Yuqun told Bloomberg in June. No detail has been provided on the batterys inner workings, its weight, range, energy or power, and no carmaker has yet announced an interest in buying it.

No battery maker beyond CATL has made a million-mile claim. If Musk announces hes ready to produce one, it would raise eyebrows throughout the industry.

Battery Day certainly creates some buzz, Sadoway said. But remarkable claims require remarkable proof.

Its not clear yet that it has one. A research paper released last September by Tesla-funded scientists at Canadas Dalhousie University reported theyd created a million-mile battery in the lab. The team was led by Jeff Dahn, a major figure in lithium-ion battery research who began working with Tesla in 2016.

The three-year project showed that by using specific combinations of cathode and electrolyte materials, charge-recharge limits could be pushed from about 1,000 cycles up to 4,000 cycles, a major step toward longer-lasting car batteries.

A big question for Musk on Battery Day is whether his manufacturing plans are getting ahead of the science. Some leading battery experts express scientific skepticism. Its one thing to show results in a lab, quite another to develop manufacturing lines and turn out large volumes at a profit.

Dahn is very famous, hes very good, hes committed to his work, said Vince Battaglia, who heads the Battery Storage Group at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. This is interesting. Who knew you could do so many cycles?

Yet he calls some of the methods and findings different from my own.

Battaglia noted the batteries Dahns lab tested were far smaller than the cells that would be used in electric vehicles. I dont know whats going to happen when you make those bigger cells and the temperature gets a little hotter inside. Youll maybe get back to an eight-to-10-year life, Battaglia said. Dahn said he stands by his findings.

The website Electrek, which sometimes gets advance looks at Teslas plans, last week published pictures of unusually large battery cylinders it said Musk might introduce. The cells in Teslas current cars look like slightly larger AA batteries. These look like junior-size beer cans.

Perhaps Tesla will reveal convincing data to show those cells can boost energy density and cost efficiency to reach a million-mile cycle life, Battaglia said but its a tall order.

The big question here is how its going to increase cost, said MITs Sadoway.

The battery price I think will go up, because dollars per kilowatt-hour will go up, Battaglia said. Maybe Tesla buyers will spend extra on a battery that will last longer.

Meng, of UC San Diego, said such a battery could be considered an asset for the car buyer. If the battery can be swapped into other vehicles and last 1 million miles, it will retain a certain value, said Meng, who drives a Tesla herself. How much that might be is unknown. It will take some economists looking into this to show how the equations will be changed, she said.

Musk created a new and significant market for electric cars. His SpaceX sends rockets into outer space and lands them on barges. He has pushed the envelope with driver-assist technologies. He has accomplished much.

Yet his promises in recent years have far outreached performance. A semi truck unveiled in 2017 has yet to be produced. He predicted 1 million driverless robotaxis by the end of this year; so far, Tesla is on pace for zero. (The company doesnt make self-driving cars, never mind 1 million robotaxis.)

A solar roof project announced with a nonfunctional prototype in 2016 remains an experiment. Grand plans to solve traffic problems with underground tunnels have amounted to a single tourist attraction in Las Vegas.

Musk has overpromised and underdelivered on battery technologies too. In 2013, he put on a show to demonstrate a plan to build a network of stations to swap batteries for Tesla owners and relieve range anxiety. Only a single station was built. Little used, it was dismantled, but not before the California Air Resources Board gave Tesla extra emissions credits for the effort, which it later sold at a profit.

Musk has set a high bar for himself on Tuesday. In a conference call with stock analysts in 2017, asked about a Toyota solid-state battery project, he said this:

You know, I could give you a PowerPoint presentation about teleportation to the Andromeda Galaxy. That doesnt mean it works, he said. When somebody has like some great claim that theyve got this awesome battery, you know what, send us a sample. Or if you dont trust us, send it to an independent lab, where the parameters can be verified. Otherwise, [shut up].

Lawrence Berkeleys Battaglia said Musk could silence the critics with one simple statement. Teslas battery warranty is good for eight years and 150,000 miles. Musk could extend the warranty to 15 years, Battaglia said. You think hell do that?

Read more from the original source:

Elon Musk's million-mile battery: What it really means - Los Angeles Times

Politecnico di Milano has won a new Starting Grant issued by the European Research Council (ERC), the European Unions programme that funds scientific research. Funds have been awarded to project B3YOND (acronym for Beyond nanofabrication via nanoscale phase engineering of matter), coordinated by Edoardo Albisetti, which proposes innovations in the nanomanufacturing scene.

The term designates the overall processes and techniques, which underpin the creation of new materials and devices bymanipulating matter with very high precision standards(in the range of one billionth of a millimetre!). These techniques have been an extraordinary stimulus for the development of nanoscience and of nanotechnology over the past decades. They seem to have achieved physical limitations that can only be overcome with original and entirely innovative approaches.

The aim of Albisettis project B3YOND is to innovate the nanotechnological approach by proving the efficacy of a new processing method calledphasic nano-engineering.A heat source of nanometric dimensions is positioned and shifted with the utmost precision on the materials surface in order to induce controlled phasic changes. Phasic manipulation of the material will allow to control its physical properties (e.g., electrical resistivity and conductivity, or magnetism) with unprecedented mastery. This innovative method will be used to develop a new class of artificial nanomaterials and devices for nanoelectronics and spintronics.

The project will be conducted at the Department of Physics, in partnership with PoliFab, Politecnico di Milanos micro and nanomanufacturing centre.

Counting 386 funded projects (amounting to a total of ca. 164,295,670 euro), Politecnico di Milano ranks as the first Italian university for the number of Horizon 2020 projects it has won.

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Politecnico di Milano: Project for innovation in Nanotechnology is the winner of ERC Starting grant - Science Business

A nanoscale replica of the coating that protects the eyes of fruit flies that retains its anti-reflective and anti-adhesive properties has been developed by a team of reserchers at the University of Geneva. This new nano-coating, which is comprised of the protein retinin and corneal wax, could find applications in contact lenses, medical implants and textiles.

The researchers were able to produce retinin cheaply by using genetically modified bacteria, and then purifying it and mixing it with various commercial waxes and coating glass and plastic surfaces. They also showed that their nano-coating can be deposited on other surfaces such as wood, paper, metal and plastic.

Our work identifies how multifunctional nano-coatings are created in nature and translates this knowledge into technological applications, the scientists explained. They noted that they achieved this through a combination of mathematical simulation, phylogeny, genetics, biochemistry and forward engineering.

The bio-inspired nano-coatings proved to be stable, even after 20 hours of washing. However, the material was easily damaged by detergent or scratching, and the researchers suggest that technological enhancements could make it stronger. Its anti-reflective properties have already caught the attention of contact lens manufacturers, and its anti-adhesive properties could be of interest to medical implant manufacturers.

Continue reading here:

Fruit flies' protective corneal coatings reproduced | Research - Chemistry World

Industry experts recommend planning ahead and starting your holiday shopping before you've even finished carving pumpkins due to changes brought on by COVID-19.

Attention, shoppers. The first of 2020's trending toy lists for the upcoming holiday season is upon us.

The Toy Insider,a trusted go-to resource for parents and gift-givers, unveiled its expert picks for the best kids toys and gifts in its 15th annual holiday gift guide.

The guide's Hot 20 list consists of the most wish-for items of the year.

The STEM 10 (a list of science, math, technology and engineering toys) and the 12 Under $12 (a list of affordable toys packed with play value and unboxing experiences) are also available at toyinsider.com.

Shopping for holiday gifts will look different this year as the Coronavirus pandemic continues: social distancing guidelines are still in place, limiting the number of in-store shoppers; retailers are starting holiday promotions earlier; and consumers are increasingly conscious of their spending during a tough economic year.

"This holiday shopping season will be unlike any other," said Laurie Schacht, Chief Toy Officer of Toy Insider. "It will be in your best interest to plan ahead and grab these hot toys before you start carving out your pumpkins.

"Playtime offers a powerful way of coping with the world we live in, and the wide assortment of toys we reviewed for this year's holiday gift guide showcase the innovative, creative and affordable ways toymakers are serving the needs of families during challenging times.

This years hand-picked selections represent an extensive variety of open-ended toys to keep kids busy; screen-free playthings filled with educational value; toys that promote diversity, sustainability, and accessibility; and affordable toys that fit any budget, among many more categories that are sure to please kids of all ages this holiday season.

0-2 years

Pick fruits and vegetables, play with the light-up juicer, spin the honey jar, turn the lights on and off, and more with this two-sided interactive kitchen and garden. Includes more than 30 removable pieces and 125 songs, sounds, and phrases.

This puppy features head movements, paw buttons, songs, and real-time responses to help teach babies about animals, food, feelings, letters, and numbers. It features three levels of play to grow with babies: babble, talk, and music.

3-4 years

This colorful truck features sounds, seven Blippi phrases, and a working lever to collect bins and dispose of the pretend trash. Comes with an exclusive Blippi figure.

Press the buttons on Joshs guitar to activate the plush Blue, who will dance along to music from the show and wiggle her ears. Press the guitar strings to speed up or slow down Blues dancing.

This set features multiple layers of unboxing with more than 35 surprises, including Color Reveal Barbie and Chelsea dolls, three Color Reveal Pets, a long-haired wig, slumber party accessories, pet accessories, and more.

Assemble this vibrant nano Flash habitat with snap-together track pieces and obstacles. Comes with three newly designed, light-up nano Flash that move at twice the speed, plus four additional nanos.

Kids can dance along with Baby Shark to seven fun songs and popular remixes. Features Dance Detection technology and three game modes to get kids moving, and even helps teach ABCs and 123s.

Transform the PJ Masks Seeker into a 3-foot-tall Headquarters featuring five levels of play, a lights and sounds control board, drop-down ramps, a ground-level exit ramp, and a cage. Includes a Catboy figure and a Cat-Car.

This stealth dojo storage case is filled with martial arts-themed surprises, including six exclusive mystery figures, a ninja star spinner, a foam ninja sword, a headband, and more. Kids can be just like Ninja Ryan with this set.

Touch the top of The Childs head to activate more than 25 sound and motion combinations. Become the interactive creatures protector and pretend to harness the power of the Force as The Child closes its eyes, raises its arms, giggles, and more.

5-7 years

This kid-friendly camera features more than 20 animated backgrounds that set the stage for creative videos. It also includes on-screen editing capabilities and comes with a green screen and a tabletop tripod/selfie stick.

Build a level inspired by the Super Mario video games, then play through the level with the interactive LEGO Mario figure. Collect coins for your best score, then rebuild to create new challenges.

Discover Present Pets, the only gifts that unbox themselves! Unboxing on Oct. 1.

Each of the articulated dolls in the Rainbow High collection Ruby Anderson, Poppy Rowan, Sunny Madison, Jade Hunter, Skyler Bradshaw, and Violet Willow comes with two complete outfits and mix-and-match fashion accessory pieces.

Squeakee is an interactive balloon dog pet that kids can train and feed. Hell listen and respond with more than 60 sounds and movements activated by voice commands and multiple touch sensors.

This 18-inch dolls hair is specially designed with curl power. Kids can wash it with real products and style it in different ways, such as puffs and box braids. Zoe empowers kids to learn to love the hair theyre born with.

8+ years

This customizable Beystadium has four sections for multiple ways to play. Comes with two Beyblade Burst launchers with Hypersphere battling tops that can climb up ramps and drop in from the Brick Plane for head-to-head collisions.

Load the pen with real chocolate, then draw, write, and fill the candy molds. The colorful, edible creations harden in minutes and the included warming tray keeps the chocolate melted.

The first board game adaptation of the classic Pokmon Trading Card Game makes gameplay an easy-to-learn family experience. Two players can battle with the three included 60-card decks, featuring Raichu, Charizard, and Mewtwo.

Build to battle with the largest and most heavily armed Snap Ship. Follow the instructions to create two different crafts using 124 interchangeable pieces, including an action-ready UJU piece. Includes two pilot figures.

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Toy Insider unveils its Hot 20 List of the year's most wished-for toys - FOX43.com

Researchers have developed the world's first photodetector that can see all shades of light, in a prototype device that radically shrinks one of the most fundamental elements of modern technology.

Photodetectors work by converting information carried by light into an electrical signal and are used in a wide range of technologies, from gaming consoles to fibre optic communication, medical imaging and motion detectors.Currently photodetectors are unable to sense more than one colour in the one device.

This means they have remained bigger and slower than other technologies, like the silicon chip, that they integrate with.

The new hyper-efficient broadband photodetector developed by researchers at RMIT University is at least 1,000 times thinner than the smallest commercially available photodetector device.

In a significant leap for the technology, the prototype device can also see all shades of light between ultraviolet and near infrared, opening new opportunities to integrate electrical and optical components on the same chip.

*New possibilities*

The breakthrough technology opens the door for improved biomedical imaging, advancing early detection of health issues like cancer.

Study lead author, PhD researcher Vaishnavi Krishnamurthi, said in photodetection technologies, making a material thinner usually came at the expense of performance.

"But we managed to engineer a device that packs a powerful punch, despite being thinner than a nanometre, which is roughly a million times smaller than the width of a pinhead," she said.

As well as shrinking medical imaging equipment, the ultra-thin prototype opens possibilities for more effective motion detectors, low-light imaging and potentially faster fibre optical communication.

"Smaller photodetectors in biomedical imaging equipment could lead to more accurate targeting of cancer cells during radiation therapy," Krishnamurthi said.

"Shrinking the technology could also help deliver smaller, portable medical imaging systems that could be brought into remote areas with ease, compared to the bulky equipment we have today."

*Lighting up the spectrum*

How versatile and useful photodetectors are depends largely on three factors: their operating speed, their sensitivity to lower levels of light and how much of the spectrum they can sense.

Typically, when engineers have tried improving a photodetector's capabilities in one of those areas, at least one of the other capabilities have been diminished.

Current photodetector technology relies on a stacked structure of three to four layers.

Imagine a sandwich, where you have bread, butter, cheese and another layer of bread - regardless of how good you are at squashing that sandwich, it will always be four layers thick, and if you remove a layer, you'd compromise the quality.

The researchers from RMIT's School of Engineering scrapped the stacked model and worked out how to use a nanothin layer - just a single atom thick - on a chip.

Importantly, they did this without diminishing the photodetector's speed, low-light sensitivity or visibility of the spectrum.

The prototype device can interpret light ranging from deep ultraviolet to near infrared wavelengths, making it sensitive to a broader spectrum than a human eye.

And it does this over 10,000 times faster than the blink of an eye.

*Nano-thin technology*

A major challenge for the team was ensuring electronic and optical properties didn't deteriorate when the photodetector was shrunk, a technological bottleneck that had previously prevented miniaturisation of light detection technologies.

Chief investigator Associate Professor Sumeet Walia said the material used, tin monosulfide, is low-cost and naturally abundant, making it attractive for electronics and optoelectronics.

"The material allows the device to be extremely sensitive in low-lighting conditions, making it suitable for low-light photography across a wide light spectrum," he said.

Walia said his team is now looking at industry applications for their photodetector, which can be integrated with existing technologies such as CMOS chips.

"With further development, we could be looking at applications including more effective motion detection in security cameras at night and faster, more efficient data storage", he said.

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Thin and ultra-fast photodetector sees the full spectrum - Science Codex

18th September 2020, London

DiOX, part of Liquid-Nano, a global company which develops protective coatings using emerging nanotechnologies, has produced high performance fabric coatings which offer water and oil repellency as well as anti-viral properties. Diox entire product portfolio is now being made available through Kem-Color, in Istanbul, Turkey.

The coatings include a flagship DiOX D1, a carbon free (C) DWR coating which has been independently tested to AATCC22 giving exemplary water repellent performance up to 40 washes, DiOX says. The nano-scale Silica Dioxide technology has been developed to be applied as a finishing chemical either through pad or spray and DiOX has worked with both mills and machinery manufacturers to ensure simple and easy implementation.

DiOX D4 is a QUATS based anti-viral coating that is one of the few treatments that has been independently tested against mammalian coronavirus, which is the closest surrogate to SARS-COVID available, DiOX adds. Tests carried out by Cambridge Universitys department of chemical engineering and biotechnology have shown that D4 reduces surface virons by 97% within an hour and 99.99% in four hours and continues to be effective up to 20 washes.

DiOX D4 is already being applied to LiquidNano masks by Akbaslar in Bursa, Turkey.

Dr. Graham Christie, senior lecturer at Cambridge Universitys department of chemical engineering and biotechnology oversaw the tests of DiOX D4 and commented: We followed the industry standard testing for viruses on material (ISO18184:19) but made some critical adaptations to give it a more real-world relevance. This included conducting splash tests with the inoculum to mimic sneezing to ensure the tests were as rigorous as possible. We also used a mammalian Coronavirus as the inoculum, although we expect this material will be effective against many viruses, it is this class of viruses that the world is obviously watching right now.

D4 is also effective against the usual array of bacteria, fungus and mildew making it not only an ideal treatment for apparel fabric but also wider textiles being used in upholstery, carpets and mattresses, explains DiOX.

Commenting on the deal, Kem-Colour GM, Cengiz Kahraman said: The DiOX product portfolio fits in very well with our current range of finishing chemicals and dyes. There is no doubt the demand for the products in the DiOX range is significant, and brands are in dire need of proven anti-viral and carbon free DWR so were looking forward to a very busy time and were ready to go now.

DiOX is now ready for testing by mills, and independent test results from accredited labs and academic intuitions are all available, the company sayss. Working with some mills and machinery manufacturers, DiOX is also building a comprehensive library of performance across its products with a number of fabrics and substrates.

Dave Evans, DiOX lead said: Behind every overnight success is always a lot of hard work and perseverance, which sums up the last 12 months with DiOX. We are market ready with a commercially compelling portfolio of products which are all based on four main pillars. EPIC stands for Environmental, Performance, Implementation and Cost and in each of these elements we aim to be best-in-class.

We are really pleased to form what I am sure will be a highly successful collaboration with Kem-Color and we are on the hunt for territory-exclusive partnerships that can bring DiOX to market.

http://www.liquidnano.com

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DiOX carbon free DWR and anti-viral treatments launch in Turkey - Innovation in Textiles

Written by AZoOpticsSep 23 2020

Scientists have created the worlds first photodetector that can visualize all shades of light, in a prototype device that profoundly shrinks one of the most underlying elements of contemporary technology.

The function of photodetectors is to convert data carried by light into an electrical signal. They are used in a broad range of technologies, right from medical imaging to gaming consoles, fiber optic communication, and motion detectors.

At present, photodetectors are incapable of sensing more than one color in a single device. This means they have continued to remain slower and bigger than other technologies, similar to the silicon chip, that they combine with.

The new highly-efficient broadband photodetector built by RMIT University scientists is at least 1,000 times thinner than the smallest photodetector device available in the market.

In a major leap for the technology, the prototype device is also capable of seeing all shades of light between near-infrared and ultraviolet, paving the way for new opportunities to incorporate optical and electrical components on the same chip.

The innovative technology also paves the way for better biomedical imaging, improving early detection of health problems like cancer.

According to Vaishnavi Krishnamurthi, the studys lead author and Ph.D. researcher, in photodetection technologies, creating a thinner material would mean compromising on performance.

But we managed to engineer a device that packs a powerful punch, despite being thinner than a nanometre, which is roughly a million times smaller than the width of a pinhead.

Vaishnavi Krishnamurthi, Study Lead Author and PhD Researcher, RMIT University

In addition to reducing the size of medical imaging equipment, the ultra-thin prototype opens the door for low-light imaging, more effective motion detectors, and possibly faster fiber optical communication.

Smaller photodetectors in biomedical imaging equipment could lead to more accurate targeting of cancer cells during radiation therapy. Shrinking the technology could also help deliver smaller, portable medical imaging systems that could be brought into remote areas with ease, compared to the bulky equipment we have today.

Vaishnavi Krishnamurthi, Study Lead Author and PhD Researcher, RMIT University

The level of usefulness and versatility of photodetectors are largely dependent on three factors:their sensitivity to lower levels of light, their running speed, and the amount of the spectrum that can be detected by them.

Normally, when engineers have attempted to enhance the capabilities of a photodetector in one of those areas, at least one of the other features has been reduced. Existing photodetector technology depends on a stacked structure of three to four layers.

Individuals can visualize a sandwich made with bread, cheese, butter, and another layer of breadand irrespective of how good they are at squashing it, the sandwich will invariably have the same thickness of four layers, and if a layer is removed, the quality would be compromised.

The team from RMIT Universitys School of Engineering rejected the stacked model and explored how to use a nano thin layer (only a single atom thick) on a chip.

Most significantly, they did this without reducing the photodetectors speed, visibility, or low-light sensitivity of the spectrum.

The prototype device can deduce light ranging from deep ultraviolet to near-infrared wavelengths, rendering it sensitive to a wider spectrum than a human eye.

And it does this more than 10,000 times faster than the blink of an eye.

A huge challenge for the researchers was to make sure that optical and electronic properties did not decline when the size of the photodetector was reduceda technological bottleneck that had formerly inhibited the miniaturization of light detection technologies.

Professor Sumeet Walia, chief investigator and Associate explained that the material usedtin monosulfideis economical and naturally abundant, making it advantageous for optoelectronics and electronics.

The material allows the device to be extremely sensitive in low-lighting conditions, making it suitable for low-light photography across a wide light spectrum.

Sumeet Walia, Chief Investigator and Associate Professor, RMIT University

Walia added that his team is currently exploring industry applications for their photodetector, which can be combined with present-day technologies, like CMOS chips.

With further development, we could be looking at applications including more effective motion detection in security cameras at night and faster, more efficient data storage, Walia concluded.

Krishnamurthi, V., et al. (2020) Liquid-metal synthesized ultra-thin SnS layers for high-performance broadband photodetectors. Advanced Materials. doi.org/10.1002/adma.202004247.

Source: https://www.rmit.edu.au

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New Thin and Ultra-Fast Photodetector can See the Full Spectrum of Light - AZoOptics.com

Image: Exotrail

Luxembourg, 16 September 2020. The French space start-up Exotrail continues its steady development in a challenging environment and has signed two nano- and micro-satellite contracts with the European Space Agency (ESA), the companies cofounder and CEO David Henri said on Wednesday at the Luxembourg Space Forum.

Exotrail will build and deliver engineering, qualification, and flight models of its nano- and micro-electric propulsion systems called ExoMG-nano and ExoMG-micro, the company said.

The first contract follows a General Support Technology Programme (GSTP) under which Exotrail has been supported by the French space agency CNES and will accelerate the qualification and flight demonstration of ExoMG-micro. The second contract follows a standard competitive procurement process from ESA and will enable Exotrail to test and deliver an electric propulsion system in 2021.

Exotrail develops flexible and modular solutions for on-orbit transportation, including electric propulsion, mission optimisation and operation solutions for small satellites, Henri said in an interview at the ICT Spring Europe Space Forum in Luxembourg. The contracts will allow us to develop new features on both products ready to be demonstrated in space.

We have signed a row of contracts with enterprises and institutions in the admittedly difficult first half of the year; this puts us in a position to reach our business plan objectives and allowed us to secure a second funding round in difficult times.

Exotrail employs 30 people in Massy, France, where it works on propulsion systems, and in Toulouse, France, where it develops mission software, Henri said. Exotrail has raised to date more than 17 million of funding, out of which11 million were secured this year.

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French Exotrail signs two contracts with ESA and stays on track for its electric propulsion mission - SpaceWatch.Global

KANAZAWA, Japan, Sept. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers at Kanazawa University report in Nature Communications the mechanism making some lung-cancer patients resistant to the drug osimertinib. In addition, they suggest a combined drug treatment resolving osimertinib resistance in the case of cancer cells expressing low amounts of AXL, a protein belonging to the class of receptor tyrosine kinases.

The effectiveness of cancer treatment is often hampered by cancer cells being heterogeneous. This is the case for EGFR-mutated lung cancer: drugs based on biomolecules of a type known as tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) have been used to treat the disease, but with various levels of efficacy. (EGFR stands for "epidermal growth factor receptor", a protein playing an important role in signaling processes from the extracellular environment to a cell.) Sometimes, tumor cells are simply resistant to the drug. Now, Seiji Yano from Kanazawa University and colleagues have investigated the efficacy of the TKI osimertinib for treating EGFR-mutated lung cancer, and how it relates to the expression in tumor cells of a particular protein called AXL. They found that both AXL-high and -low expressing tumor cells showed tolerance (acquired resistance) to osimertinib, but that the mechanisms involved are different for the two situations. Moreover, the researchers suggest a way to enhance the success of osimertinib treatment for the case of AXL-low expressing tumors.

First, the scientists compared the susceptibility to osimertinib in both AXL-high and -low expressing tumor cells in in vitro experiments. They observed that osimertinib inhibited the viability of the cancer cells in both cases, but that the sensitivity to the drug was higher for AXL-low expressing EGFR-mutated lung cancer cells.They also noticed that a small number of tumor cells survived the procedure an indication of osimertinib tolerance.These findings were consistent with results from the clinical study of the drug performed earlier on 29 patients with EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer.

Through experiments aiming to understand the mechanism behind osimertinib tolerance, Yano and colleagues discovered that phosphorylation of IGF-1R was increased in AXL-low-expressing tumor cell lines, but not in AXL-high expressing tumors. (IGF-1R stands for 'insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor'; it is a protein located on the surface of human cells. Phosphorylation is the chemical process of adding a phosphoryl group.) The researchers then found that phosphorylated IGF-1R supported the survival of AXL-low expressing tumors after exposure to osimertinib.

The scientists then tested whether the observed osimertinib resistance could be resolved by administering linsitinib, a substance known to inhibit the phosphorylation of IGF-1R. Encouraged by the positive outcome of the experiment, Yano and colleagues went further and evaluated the combination of osimertinib and linsitinib. Their conclusion was that the transient combination of linsitinib with continuous osimertinib treatment could cure or at least dramatically delay tumor recurrence in AXL-low-expressing EGFR-mutated lung cancer. More investigating needs to be done, though. Quoting the researchers: " the safety and efficacy of the transient combination of IGF-1R inhibitor and osimertinib should be evaluated in the clinical trials."

Background

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors

A tyrosine kinase inhibitor is a drug inhibiting (that is, preventing or reducing the activity of) a specific tyrosine kinase. A tyrosine kinase is a protein (enzyme) involved in the activation of other proteins by signaling cascades. The activation happens by the addition of a phosphate group to the protein (phosphorylation); it is this step that a tyrosine kinase inhibitor inhibits. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors are used as anticancer drugs. One such drug is osimertinib, used to treat EGFR-mutated lung cancer.

AXL

AXL is a receptor tyrosine kinase a tyrosine kinase consisting of an extracellular part, a transmembrane part ('sitting' within a cell membrane) and an intracellular part. AXL regulates various important cellular processes, including proliferation, survival and motility.

In recent years, it has become clear that AXL is a key facilitator of drug tolerance by cancer cells. Seiji Yano from Kanazawa University and colleagues have found that this is also the case for EGFR-mutated lung cancer. While a high expression of AXL correlates with resistance to osimertinib, such tolerance also occurs in AXL-low-expressing cancer cells. Yano and colleagues have now found that for the latter case, phosphorylation of IGF-1R (insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor) is responsible for the resistance to osimertinib.

Reference

Rong Wang, Tadaaki Yamada, Kenji Kita, Hirokazu Taniguchi, Sachiko Arai, Koji Fukuda, Minoru Terashima, Akihiko Ishimura, Akihiro Nishiyama, Azusa Tanimoto, Shinji Takeuchi, Koshiro Ohtsubo, Kaname Yamashita, Tomoyoshi Yamano, Akihiro Yoshimura, Koichi Takayama, Kyoichi Kaira, Yoshihiko Taniguchi, Shinji Atagi, Hisanori Uehara, Rikinari Hanayama, Isao Matsumoto, Xujun Han, Kunio Matsumoto, Wei Wang, Takeshi Suzuki, and Seiji Yano. Transient IGF-1R inhibition combined with osimertinib eradicates AXL-low expressing EGFR mutated lung cancer, Nature Communications 11, XX(2020).

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18442-4

URL: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18442-4

Link to figure https://nanolsi.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Figure-768x567.png

Figure CaptionMechanism of targeted drugs tolerance in lung cancer cells

Further information

About WPI NanoLSI Kanazawa University Hiroe YonedaVice Director of Public AffairsWPI Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI)Kanazawa UniversityKakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, JapanEmail: [emailprotected]Tel: +81 (76) 234-4550

About Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI) https://nanolsi.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/en/

Nano Life Science Institute (NanoLSI), Kanazawa University is a research center established in 2017 as part of the World Premier International Research Center Initiative of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The objective of this initiative is to form world-tier research centers. NanoLSI combines the foremost knowledge of bio-scanning probe microscopy to establish 'nano-endoscopic techniques' to directly image, analyze, and manipulate biomolecules for insights into mechanisms governing life phenomena such as diseases.

About Kanazawa Universityhttp://www.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/e/

As the leading comprehensive university on the Sea of Japan coast, Kanazawa University has contributed greatly to higher education and academic research in Japan since it was founded in 1949. The University has three colleges and 17 schools offering courses in subjects that include medicine, computer engineering, and humanities.

The University is located on the coast of the Sea of Japan in Kanazawa a city rich in history and culture. The city of Kanazawa has a highly respected intellectual profile since the time of the fiefdom (1598-1867). Kanazawa University is divided into two main campuses: Kakuma and Takaramachi for its approximately 10,200 students including 600 from overseas.

SOURCE Kanazawa University

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Kanazawa University research: Potential drug treatment for particular type of lung-cancer - PRNewswire

When amateur artist Cristina Zavaleta signed up to take an illustration class with Pixar animators on character design, she had no idea shed also be embarking on a new scientific study. At the time, Zavaletas work as a post-doctoral biomedical researcher in a molecular imaging lab at Stanford involved evaluating contrasting agents, like dyes, used to detect tumors in animals. During her art class, the researcher was struck by the intensity of the colors of gouache, vibrant water-based paints, that her fellow illustrators were using. They were bringing back these pieces that were just incredible, really rich colors. And I thought, how do you even achieve that color, visually, says Zavaleta.

That simple question ultimately led Zavaleta, now an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Southern California, and her colleagues to create a first-of-its-kind library detailing the optical imaging properties of commonly used pigments and dyes, found in everything from tattoos to food coloring. The researchers hope their study will open the doors for the novel use of everyday colorants as imaging agents in medical tests, that may be more effective at early detection of several kinds of cancers.

Currently, only three dyes with fluorescent properties used as optical imaging contrast agentsmethylene blue, indocyanine green and fluoresceinare approved for human use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In diagnostic medicine and in some surgical procedures, imaging contrast agents are materials used to improve internal body pictures produced by X-rays, computed tomography (CT) scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and ultrasounds. These materials can be ingested or injected and temporarily color targeted parts of the body, like specific cells, organs, blood vessels and tissues, to help clinicians see differences and abnormalities that may indicate disease. Yet, Zavaleta wondered about the significant catalogue of approved food, drug and cosmetic dyes that people routinely encounter in their everyday lives. Are there other imaging agents hiding in plain sight?

As my art brain was thinking about these paints [from class], I thought to myself, what paints are already being used in humans? says Zavaleta. And a lightbulb went off.

Tattoos. High quality pigments used in tattooing are made from mineral salts and metal chelates, which have been isolated from natural sources and used by humans for thousands of years.

Zavaletas next step was to do her homework, as any good researcher would. She contacted Adam Sky, a tattoo artist in the Bay Area whose work she admired. Sky was interested in her research, and gave her samples of some of the inks he was using, which Zavaleta collected in a well plate, a tray with multiple divots, or wells, that can be used as test tubes, shed brought along, just in case.

I immediately took them to my microscope over at Stanford, and I did all these different tests on them, Zavaleta says. I was amazed at what I was seeing.

She measured two optical elements of the inks, their fluorescence properties and Raman properties. Fluorescence relates to a dye or pigments capacity for absorption and emission of light, while Raman indicates how light scatters. Both are commonly used in imaging techniques in the cancer field. Highly fluorescent agents offer sensitivity in imaging; very small amounts are needed for them to illuminate areas very brightly. Raman imaging, on the other hand, offers specificity by allowing multiplexing, or the ability to look at several processes happening inside the human body at once. These can help show whether cells or tissues are expressing multiple genes, for example, or expressing one more highly that may be associated with a particular cancer, like HER2 and breast cancer or EGFR with lung cancer. Each of the targets has different receptors that will be illuminated by different agents, and depending on their optical properties, some agents will be better than others.

In all, the researchers evaluated the optical properties of 30 approved food, drug and cosmetic coloring dyes and tattoo ink pigments using a spectrophotometer, an instrument that measures the intensity of light after it passes through a sample solution. Seven of the colorants displayed fluorescence properties that were comparable to or exceeded the three FDA-approved clinical dyes. The researchers next measured the Raman signatures, to see how high the colors unique signatures of light photon peaks were, with high peaks being indicative of usefulness in terms of multiplexing. Finally, they tested the best-performing dyes and pigments by injecting them as imaging agents in mice with cancerous tumors.

Data from Zavaleta and her colleagues study showed that FDA-approved Green 8 dyes used in drugs and cosmetics have significant tumor targeting potential in mice with cervical and colon tumors, and the Orange 16 pigment found in tattoo inks also showed, according to the authors, promising fluorescent properties and tumor targeting potential. This is significant because, as they note in the study, no single imaging modality currently meets all the clinical needs of high sensitivity, high spatial and temporal resolution, high multiplexing capacity, high depth of penetration, low cost, and high throughput. In other words, no single imaging agent can provide all the information a doctor might need.

The USC lab where Zavaleta and her colleagues conducted the research uses nano-based imaging contrast agents, or tiny spherical vesicles that are loaded with the dyes or pigments. While nano-based agents are approved for use as a medium in human imaging, they have been controversial in the past because of potential toxicity. Metallic-based nanoparticles like those made from gold and silver have been known to stay inside the body for long periods of time after exposure. This is one of the main reasons the team instead uses liposomal nanoparticles, made up of biodegradable materials with fatty skins similar to human body cells, that are already used in other applications, like drug and nutrient delivery.

You can think of it as us having all these different batches of nanoparticles, and one has a different tattoo ink [or other dye or pigment] inside of it. And that tattoo ink has a very special barcode thats associated with it; every ink has a unique fingerprint, yellow different from red, red different from purple, Zavaleta explains. So, if we have all these different flavors of nanoparticles that we can now target to different receptors on tumors, we can enhance our ability to distinguish between different [cancers].

One use for such materials could be gathering real-time information during a test, such as a colonoscopy, where physicians are visually searching for certain kinds of polyps. Enhanced imaging agents have the potential to also reduce the invasiveness of disease detection and diagnosis, such as the number and size of biopsies needed, by providing more information from a smaller sample.

Christian Kurtis, who made the career change from biomedical researcher at the National Institutes of Health to tattoo artist in Rockville, Maryland, spent his post-doctoral period in a cancer research lab at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Kurtis says the specificity these kinds of dyes could offer for imaging is key to better treatment.

The unfortunate problem with malignant [tumors] is that they comprise a [variety] of molecular markers that may not be present on all cell types. The increased metabolic activity of malignancy is the signature most commonly exploited in imaging, and is the reason these liposomal techniques are effective, says Kurtis. In other words, because cancer cells tend to spread quickly, researchers and physicians are able to track their growth with imaging. Having multiple types of agents that bind to the different markers would be even more helpful. In my opinion, it will be personalized or individualized medicine that will hold the key to meaningful early diagnosis of disease, he adds.

Jocelyn Rapelyea, the associate director of breast imaging and the program director of the radiology residency program at the George Washington University Cancer Center, adds that while tools like molecular breast imaging have been around for a while and help to identify problematic cells before they grow into lumps, advancing knowledge is always a positive. What works well for one patient may not for another.

Its always exciting to have the ability to be able to identify tumors at a potentially early stage. It's quite interesting how [Zavaleta] came to dyes, Rapelyea says. This is obviously a model in mice at this point, but it is promising to see that there could be potential of being able to identify earlier development.

Zavaleta knows the dyes and pigments her team has catalogued in a library will be subject to the FDAs rigorous regulatory procedures before they could ever be used as imaging agents in humans. We're not suggesting in any way that theyre safe, she says. Were saying, Hey, these are dyes that were continuously being exposed to on a day-to-day basis. Lets have a look at them further.

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Could Tattoo Ink Be Used to Detect Cancer? - Smithsonian Magazine

While creating this Simulation Software Market report market type, organization size, end-users organization type, availability on-premises in the areas such as North America, South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Middle East & Africa have been considered. The well demonstrated methods and tools such as SWOT analysis and Porters Five Forces Analysis are employed carefully while forming this market research report. Moreover, to structure these Simulation Software Market reports, markets on the local, regional and global level is explored. Depending on clients needs, business and product information has been brought together via this report that assists businesses in taking better decisions.

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Simulation Software Market Key Drivers, Business Insights, Trends And Forecast 2026 Altair Engineering, Inc., Bentley Systems, Ansys, Inc, Ptc - The...

The work of CSUNfaculty and staff members is recognized in a variety of ways, including:

Please use this link toannounce your achievements for publication in CSUN Today.

Below is a list of the individuals whose work was recognized during the summer and through August 2020.

Andrew P. Weiss, Ahmed AlwanandJulieta Garcia (CSUN Library) and Eric P. Garcia (Educational Psychology and Counseling)published an article titled Surveying Fake News: Assessing University Facultys Fragmented Definition of Fake News and Its Impact on Teaching Critical Thinking in theInternational Journal for Educational Integrity.

Ravinder Abrol (Chemistry and Biochemistry) received $145,000 from the National Institutes of Health, in support of a project titled Probing the Structural Basis of Innate G Protein Specificity in G Protein-Coupled Receptor Signaling.

Mads Peter Andersen (Chemistry and Biochemistry) received $60,146 from the National Science Foundation, in support of a project titled RUI: Far Ultra-Violet (172 nm) Photolysis of Gaseous Anthropogenic Pollutants.

Annette Besnilian (Family and Consumer Sciences) and David Boyns (Sociology) received $121,667 from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, in support of a project titled Champions for Change: Healthy Communities Initiative. She also received$8,000 from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, in support of a project titled HEALERS (Healthy Eating + Active Living to Enable Regenerative Sustainability).

Annette Besnilian (Family and Consumer Sciences) and Merav Efrat (Health Sciences) received $250,000 from the US Department of Agriculture, in support of a project titled Pathways to Success for Hispanic Students as Registered Dietitians.

Danielle Bram (Geography) received $43,816 from California State University, San Bernardino, in support of a project titled Developing a Standardized Statewide Geospatial Dataset of Water Agencies for California.She also received $62,000 from CSU Chico, in support of a project titled California Broadband Field Testing.

Danielle Bram and Regan Maas (Geography) received $43,816 from California State University, San Bernardino, in support of a project titled DACIP Task Order 3 Ventura, and$397,000 from the CA Department of Water Resources, in support of a project entitled NHD/WBD Statewide Update Project 2.0.

Gary Chapman and Debi Prasad Choudhary (Physics and Astronomy) received $79,899 from NASA, in support of a project titled Comparing Spacecraft TSI and SSI with Proxies from Space- and Ground-Based Images.

Gabriela Chavira (Psychology), Carrie Saetermoe (Psychology), Crist Khachikian(Civil Engineering and Construction Management) and Patchareeya Kwan (Health Sciences) received $4,607,794 from the National Institutes of Health, in support of a project titled BUILD II.

Mariano Loza Coll (Biology) received $145,000 from the National Institutes of Health, in support of a project entitled Genetic Co-Regulation by Master Transcription Factors in Drosophila Intestinal Stem Cell Saribbean Octocorals.

Rafi Efrat (Accounting and Information Systems) received $649,559 from the United States Department of Education (USDE), in support of a project titled Developing Californias Workforce: Creating Pathways for Latino Transfer Students in High Demand Careers.

Michael Eller (Chemistry and Biochemistry) received $65,000 from Intel Corporation, in support of a project titled Nano-scale molecular analysis of materials for Intel.

Eileen Evans (Chemistry and Biochemistry) received $56,230 from the US Geological Survey, in support of a project titled Geodesy-Based Modeling to Inform the National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM) of the USGS.

Joyce Feucht-Haviar (Tseng College) received $24,000 from the City of Los Angeles, in support of a project titled ReLAY Institute.

Gilberto Flores (Biology) received $346,750 from the National Institutes of Health, in support of a project titled Mechanisms and Consequences of Human Milk Oligosaccharide Growth and Bile Stress Across Diverse Strains of the Potential Therapeutic Bacterium, Akkermansia Muciniphila.

Kim Goldberg-Roth (Educational Psychology and Counseling) received two donations from the L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services:$500,000 in support of a project titled Family Preservation San Fernando Valley, and$310,200 in support of a project entitled Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention, Intervention and Treatment (CAPIT) San Fernando Valley. Goldberg-Roth also received$130,000 from the Caliornia Governors Office of Emergency Services, in support of a project titled California State Nonprofit Security Grant Program; $87,434 from the California Governors Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), in support of a project titled Sexual Assault Response Team (XS) Program;$52,500 from the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence, in support of a project titled Emergency COVID 19 Victim Services Response CO Program;$23,679 from the Childrens Advocacy Centers of California, in support of a project titled 2020 Pandemic (CO) Program; and$10,000 from the LA County of Board of Supervisors, in support of a project titled Third District Discretionary Funding.

Christine Hayashi (Educational Leadership and Policy Studies) received $5,652 from the LA Unified School District, in support of a project titled Professional Development Services in Support of Private Schools.

Ray Hong (Biology) received $108,750 from the National Institutes of Health, in support of a project titled The Mode-of-Action for Pheromone-Induced Paralysis in Pristionchus Pacificus.Timothy Karels (Biology) received $2,500 from the Western North American Naturalist, in support of a project titled Post-Fire Recolonization of Woodrats (Neotoma Macrotis) in Southern California.

Jonathan Kelber (Biology), Maria De Bellard (Biology), Daniel Tamae (Chemistry and Biochemistry) and David Bermudes (Biology) received $5,000 from the National Institutes of Health, in support of a project titled California State University Interdisciplinary Cancer Meeting (CSU-ICM).

Luciana Lagaa (Psychology) has received $108,750 from the National Institutes of Health, in support of a project titled A Preliminary Model of Physical Pain Among Community-Dwelling Multiethnic Older Women.

Clement Lai (Asian American Studies) received $100,000 from the CSU Entertainment Alliance, in support of a project titled Pioneering Asian American Representations in Media and Entertainment: Wong Fu Production and Angry Asian Man.

Julian Lozos (Geological Sciences) received $27,000 from the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC), in support of a project titled SCEC5 Year 4 USGS Research Collaboration at California State University, Northridge.

Gang Lu (Physics and Astronomy) received two donations from the National Science Foundation: $691,250 in support of a project titled PREM: Partnership between CSUN and Princeton for Quantum Materials and$659,550 in support of a project titled Unraveling Exciton Dynamics in Van der Waals Heterostructures for Optoelectronic and Photonic Applications.

Ariel Malka (Management) received $100,000 from the City of Los Angeles, in support of a project titled L.A. City Gang Injunction Settlement Evaluation.

Kathleen Marsaglia (Geological Sciences) received $14,989 from The Trustees of Colombia University in the City of New York, in support of a project titled U.S. Science Support Program Office Associated with the International Ocean Discovery Program.

Nathan Martin (Recreation and Tourism Management) received $40,000 from the California Division of Boating and Waterways, in support of a project titled Aquatic Center Grant FY 2019-20.

Thomas Minehan(Chemistry and Biochemistry) received $330,662 from the National Science Foundation, in support of a project titled RUI: Exploring Shape-Selective Binding of the DNA Major Groove by Haiprin Bis (Siarylmethylene) Hydrazides.

Ignacio Osorno (Electrical and Computer Engineering) received $45,393 from Aerojet Rocketdyne, in support of a project entitled Development of Internship Honors Co-Op Program.

Miroslav Peric (Physics and Astronomy) received $265,000 from the National Science Foundation, in support of a project titled RUI: Bimolecular Collisions in Ionic Liquid.

Bethany Rainisch (Health Sciences) received $253, 044 from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration SAMHSA, in support of a project titled Collaborative Research: Pattern and Process in the Abundance and Recruitment of Caribbean Octocorals.

S.K. Ramesh (Electrical and Computer Engineering) and Robert Ryan (Mechanical Engineering) received $1,199, 471 from the US Department of Education, in support of a project titled Bridging the Gap: Enhancing AIMS2 for Student Success.

Shelley Ruelas-Bischoff (Student Affairs), Nelida Duran (Family and Consumer Sciences) and Mirna Sawyer (Health Sciences) received $185,016 from California State University, Chico, in support of a project entitled CalFresh Healthy Living on Campus.

Cristian Ruiz-Rueda (Biology) received $232,013 from the National Science Foundation, in support of a project titled RUI: Unraveling the physiological roles of multidrug efflux pumps in bacteria.

Jacklyn Stallcup (College of Humanities) received $89,640 from the University of Maryland, in support of a project titled STARTALK CSUN Russian Language and Cultural Immersion Program.

Jessica Vey (Chemistry and Biochemistry) received $105,150 from the National Institutes of Health, in support of a project titled Mechanistic Studies to Enable Rational Design of Isobutylamine N-hydroxylase.

Ivor Weiner (Special Education) received $14,165.64 from the California Family Resource Association (CFRA), in support of a project titled Project Diaper.

Li Ye(Chemistry and Biochemistry), Virginia Oberholzer Vandergon (Biology), Brian Foley (Secondary Education) and Matthew dAlessio (Geological Sciences) received $88,388 from the University of California, in support of a project titled San Fernando Valley Science Project One Time Allotment.

Jeremy Yoder (Biology) received $436,696 from the National Science Foundation, in support of a project titled RoL, Collaborative Research, RUI: Understanding the Ecological and Genomic Bases of Local Adaptation in an Obligate Pollination Mutualism.

MariaElena Zavala (Biology) received $229,981 from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, in support of a project titled MARC U-STAR at CSUN: Preparing Scientists Holistically. Zavala also received$27,303 from the American Society for Cell Biology, in support of a project titled Improving Diversity and Career Transitions through Society Support.

MariaElena Zavala, Ray Hongand Cheryl Hogue (Biology) received $255,248 from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, in support of a project titled Bridges to the Doctorate Research Training Program at CSUN.

Xu Zhang (Physics and Astronomy) received $55,000 from the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund, in support of a project titled Tuning Interfacial Excitonic Binding in Twisted Two-Dimensional MoS2 Bilayers.

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Faculty and Staff Achievements Summer 2020 - CSUN Today

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Diomics, a San Diego-based biotech company, today announced that it has been awarded a $2,125,000 Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium (MTEC) Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) with the U.S. Department of Defense to accelerate development and testing of its Diocheck SARS-CoV-2 Visual Immune Response Indicator, a transdermal skin patch that monitors and reports when the wearers body has mounted an immune response to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

A change in skin color visible through the patch indicates that the person has either recently been exposed to the virus and should get tested and quarantine, or has recovered from a previous coronavirus infection and may still retain immunity. The patch begins to detect an immune response within 24 to 36 hours of application and is expected to effectively monitor for up to 14 days.

The Diocheck patch answers one of the biggest roadblocks to halting the spread of COVID-19a simple, universal way for people to continually monitor their own immune status over an extended period of time. Until theres an effective vaccine in widespread use, large populations can use the patch to monitor themselves and know quickly if they have been exposed to the virus and need to get tested and take precautions to avoid infecting others.

The Diocheck patch responds to the great unknown of how many people are unintentionally widening the spread by being asymptomatic carriers, Diomics CEO Anthony Zolezzi said. Enabling people to monitor their own health status and be confident of the status of those around them is the key to being able to safely reopen schools, theaters, offices and other places. Widespread use of the Diocheck indicator patch will give us a simple, effective, non-invasive way to know that we are all actively protecting each other.

The key to Diochecks ability to monitor for an immune response over an extended period of time is Diomics proprietary biopolymer material, Diomat, which is made from an already FDA-approved material used in a range of other diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

The company is also developing an intradermal version of Diocheck that uses nano-sized beads of the same biopolymer inserted just under the skin to detect and visually report the formation of an immune reaction to a SARS-CoV-2 protein.

Both versions of Diocheck are readily scalable to provide consistent, accurate, ongoing monitoring of the immunity status of essential front-line workers, including military, healthcare, transportation and public safety personnel, as well as teachers and students.

The Diocheck system is entering preclinical animal studies under the guidance of Jonathan R.T. Lakey, Ph.D., M.S.M., Professor of Surgery and Biomedical Engineering at the University of California, Irvine. Human clinical trials are expected to begin in December 2020.

To learn more about Diocheck and the Diomics Pandemic Prevention Platform visit diomics.com.

About Diomics, Inc.

Diomics Corporation is a biotechnology company focused on science-based innovation and the development of life-improving products. Our proprietary Diomat technology platform is optimized for the collection and delivery of compounds and proteins and can also be used for drug delivery, long-term monitoring, diagnostics and production of life-saving hormones and other bio-compounds. Based in San Diego, California, Diomics has developed numerous products, tools and services for the molecular, diagnostic and forensic industries. For more information visit diomics.com.

About the University of California, Irvine

Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 36,000 students and offers 222 degree programs. Its located in one of the worlds safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange Countys second-largest employer, contributing $5 billion annually to the local economy. For more on UCI, visit http://www.uci.edu.

The U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command

The U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, 820 Chandler Street, Fort Detrick MD 21702-5014 is the awarding and administering acquisition office. This work was supported by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Commands (USAMRDC) Military Infectious Disease Research Program (MIDRP) and the Military Operational Medicine Research Program (MOMRP), through the Wearable Diagnostic for Detection of COVID-19 Infection Request for Project Proposals issued under the MTEC OTA (W81XWH-15-9-0001). Opinions, interpretations, conclusions and recommendations are those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by the MIDRP or MOMRP.

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Diomics Announces Agreement With Department of Defense to Accelerate Development and Testing of Diocheck SARS-CoV-2 Immune Response Indicator Patch -...

Truck major Ashok Leyland and Hindustan Zinc have (separately) joined hands with IIT-Madras in the technology institutes endeavour to develop a Zinc air battery.

While Lithium-ion batteries are the darling of the energy storage industry today, they pose challenges such as concentration of raw material source with a handful of countries, high charging time and safety issues in hot climates. (Technologies for fast charging are coming up, but they are expensive.) Therefore, a worldwide search is under way for a good alternative. Sodium-ion, iron-ion and metal air batteries are the emerging candidates.

Indian researchers develop sustainable, cost-friendly Li-S batteries

Dr Aravind Kumar Chandiran of the Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Madras, heads a team that is developing a Zinc air battery. His target is two-fold: a battery whose cost per kWhr is at least half of the conventional Lithium-ion batteries and one that re-charges really fast.

Talking to BusinessLine, Dr Chandiran said that while Ashok Leyland is the industry partner under the government of Indias IMPRINT-2 programme (under which the research has been granted 1.5 crore), Hindustan Zinc is a separate funding arrangement with different deliverables. Hindustan Zincs interest is, obviously, to create a market for Zinc.

Dr Chandiran said that today a Lithium-ion battery costs $270-300 per kWhr (unless contracted for huge quantities, when the price could come down to $220 a kWhr). In contrast, a Zinc air battery produced today would cost $150 a kWhr; if produced on the same scale as Lithium-ion batteries, the costs would come down to $30-40 a kWhr, he said.

At the heart of the battery is the Zinc anode which can be taken out once the battery discharges its power, and replaced. Like pulling a cassette out and inserting another, says Chandiran. The cathode of the battery is, as for metal air batteries, air. Zinc reacts with the Oxygen in the air to deliver electricity, and becomes Zinc oxide. In an external contrivance, which could be solar-powered, Oxygen is kicked out of the Zinc oxide and the metal is won back a process called electrowinning.

Chandirans team is working on a design to develop battery packs of 15Ah and ~24V that are mechanically rechargeable and run a 5 kW drive motor. The novelty lies in the design of battery pack for maximum power and ultra fast electrode replacement, he says.

Of course, it is theoretically possible to recharge the battery onboard the vehicle, but it calls for a different research at a more fundamental level. It involves developing a bi-functional catalyst for two activities discharging and recharging known in chemistry as oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). This is also an area that Dr Chandiran is working on, but is not connected to the Zn air battery project.

Battery storage, smart grid, energy efficiency companies raise $252 m in VC funding in Q1 2020

Meanwhile, another research is going on IIT Madras to develop a new type of anode for the Lithium-ion batteries. The conventional anode used is graphite which, according to Prof Prathap Haridoss, has its own practical issues such as lower capacity and limited fast-charging capability.

In a recent paper published in Advanced Energy Materials, an international scientific journal, Dr Haridoss and his team (which included Dr Raghavan Gopalan of IIT Madras, Dr Abhijit Chatterjee of IIT Bombay, Dr Raju Prakash, Dr Vallabha Rao Rikka and Dr Sumit Ranjan Sahu of International Advanced Research Center,) have mentioned their development of a composite made of molybdenum trioxide and carbon nanohorns. Carbon nanohorns are nano materials, just like nanotubes and graphene.

The battery developed using this new anode material will have about three times the energy density as conventional Lithium-ion batteries, Prof Haridoss told BusinessLine. The anode will cost about the same as graphite.

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Ashok Leyland, Hindustan Zinc team up with IIT-M to develop Zinc air battery - BusinessLine

On 18 June 2020, the US Department of Energyannounced it would be awarding more than $65m in nuclear energy research, cross-cutting technology development, facility access, and infrastructure awards.

The awards fall underthe departments nuclear energy programmes the Nuclear Energy University Programme, the Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies, and the Nuclear Science User Facilities.

Since 2009, the Office of Nuclear Energy, part of the US Department of Energy,has allocated more than $800m to research, aiming to boost American leadership in clean energy innovation and train the next generation of nuclear engineers and scientists.

One of the notable projects in the nuclear energy category examines the risk of nuclear reactor parts fabricated via additive manufacturing that usesa novel rendition of an artificial intelligence (AI)learning strategy, the so-called multi-armed bandit reinforcement learning (RL).

Also known as 3D printing, additive manufacturing could allow for the rapid prototyping and manufacture of complex parts, saving timeandmoney,as well ascreating more scope for design flexibility.

The main objective of the RL project is the development and demonstration of the strategy using data from the Transformational Challenge Reactor (TCR)Program. Sensor and physics-based simulation data will be used in combination with the associated open source DREAM.3D-based digital platform, installed at Purdue University, Indianato calculate risk measures.

The project focuses on a critical need to upgrade validation practices by developing mathematically-rigorous QA procedures that can be scientifically defended to the nuclear regulatory body in order to qualify the risk associated with the additive manufactured parts.

Another goal of the project is the incorporation of a sensitivity analysis to estimate the importance of post-build tests, improve reliability,and ensure reduced need for post-build testing.

TheTCR programmeat the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)is designed to help change the economic paradigm of nuclear energy,according to the research team. The current basis for this TCR design is a gas-cooled reactor with multiple solid material types in a unique arrangement. The planned demonstration of the project will last over 60 months.

Gas-cooled reactors have been used for some time due to their improved energy conversion efficiency, which allows the reactor to operate at a higher safe temperature to water-cooled reactors. By using different material types in this unique arrangement, the team will be hoping to take the technology that much further with the goal of transformational efficiency in mind.

As part of the sensitivity analysis (SA), researchers from MITwill undertake uncertainty quantification (UQ) of TCR design parameters, using open-source time dependent Monte-Carlo code, NQA1 qualified commercial codes (STARCCM+), and ABAQUS for thermal-hydraulics and structural mechanics.

The SA/UQ analysis aims to find out more about the development of performance metrics of robustness for autonomous operation sensors, by processing signals such as neutron flux, temperature,and strains.

The Massachusettsteam will benefit from a decade-long collaboration on the development of high-fidelity tools for reactor applications. The team consists of a fuel and reactor design expert, computational fluid dynamics expert, neutronics expert, and a member of the TCR analyst team, to provide the necessary baseline information and keep the team well-connected with TCR progress.

As part of this cybersecurity project, Ohio State University researchers will create a simulation environment to compare different cyber architecturesand the various levels of protection they offer on the basis of risk.

IT networks have become a battlefield and critical energy infrastructure is at high risk, as was plainly illustrated by a sophisticated attack on the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tamil Nadu, India in 2019. With so much at stake, the ability to effectively simulate an attack on a nuclear power plant will be key to any efforts to protect such important assets.

While the research focuses on the application to nuclear power plants, the model could also be applied to other critical infrastructures. The simulation environment could be used in nuclear power plant operator education and training. Related Report

Latest report from Visit GlobalData Store

The methods employed in the prototype involve: dynamic probabilistic risk assessment, as a method to characterise risk and the unfolding of an attack; modifiable and adaptive libraries; communication components; defenders or attackers and their levels of skills or prior experiences; defense responses; methods for composing canonic games into games-of-games, and more.

This project involves designinga nuclear and renewable Integrated Energy System (IES) fortheco-generation of cost-competitive electricity and clean water. In addition, tools will be modelled to allow the IES to be simulated, so as to ensure a crucial toolset for present and future studies of this type.

The planned IESis designed to be compatible with the RAVEN/Modelica framework(a combined software framework that allows for simulation and system optimisation). The components included in the IES are concentrated solar power, the supercritical CO2/sCO2cycle, multi-effect distillation, and a lead-cooled fast reactor.

As electricity markets like those in the US gradually transform to operate off an energy mix, projects that combine several elements are becoming more attractive for their flexibility and cost but also for their environmental credentials. A project that harnesses renewable solar with clean water as a waste product is bound to tick a lot of boxes.

A reference configuration for the IES will be set, with the technical and lifecycle aspects (Cyber Informed Engineering, regulatory environment), as well as system costs considered. The RAVEN/Modelica framework will be connected to the freely available and open-source System Adviser Model, with its capability then being applied to the analysis of the proposed concept.

The outcomes of this project are expected to include: a report on the feasibility and viability of the proposed IES and an analysis framework and models, compatible with the existing RAVEN/Modelica ecosystem, which can be used for future studies.

Another project that stands out in the infrastructure award category is the university of Nevada, Renos bid to study a nano-scaled structure, composition,and defects examination infrastructure system for irradiated materials that uses a Hysitron PI-95 Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) PicoIndenter.

Accuracy at the nanoscale should go a long way to improving safety and preventing power plant failure for an industry where security and reliability of assets are naturally in the spotlight.

This system is designed to work jointly withahigh resolution TEM to enable successful in-situ characterisation of the materials.

The instrument will be used for a nanomechanical testing system, which can acquire quantitative nanomechanical and observe the sample before, during, and after each test for a complete understanding of deformation and failure processes, such as room temperature and elevated temperature.

The Hysitron PI-95 TEM PicoIndenter was chosen to complement the micro-mechanical testing capabilities of the Alemnis in-situ Scanning Electron Microscopes (SEM) Indenter system, which was awarded to the University of Nevada, Reno through the DOE FY 2018 General Scientific Infrastructure Support for Universities programme.

While the Alemnis SEM Indenter system from last years DOE Infrastructure Support allows in-situ mechanical testing inside the SEM, this testing at the TEM level is yet not possible without the proposed Hysitron PI 95 in-situ TEM nano-scaled straining test system.

Gas and Steam Turbine Insulation Products

Flow and Level Measurement Instruments for Power Generation Facilities

Optimisation of Water Circuits

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The next generation of American nuclear - Power Technology

CLAIM

Cloth masks cannot block smoke particles which are larger than viruses, so masks cannot stop virus transmission

DETAILS

Misleading: The claim fails to account for the way that viruses travel in the air, which factors into the effectiveness of cloth masks at reducing transmission. Even though viruses are smaller than smoke particles and the pores in the fabric of a cloth mask, a virus cannot travel in the air on its own and must be transported by respiratory droplets, unlike smoke particles. Respiratory droplets are larger than smoke particles and pores in the fabric, hence they can be blocked by cloth masks.

KEY TAKE AWAY

When considering effective mechanisms for reducing virus transmission, it is the size of respiratory dropletsrather than the size of the virus itselfthat needs to be considered. While viruses are smaller than smoke particles or the pores in the fabric of a cloth mask, viruses cannot travel in the air on their own and must be carried by respiratory droplets, which are much larger than smoke particles or pores in fabric. Therefore, cloth masks are effective at reducing virus transmission as they block respiratory droplets, but ineffective at reducing smoke particle transmission.

REVIEW Memes appeared on Facebook in late August 2020 claiming that cloth masks are ineffective at reducing virus transmission because smoke particles are larger than virus particles and cannot be filtered by cloth masks (see examples here and here). These memes were published following a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisory warning people not to rely on cloth masks for protection against wildfire smoke. The advisory was published on Facebook on 31 August 2020 in response to the wildfires in California.

These memes echo many Facebook posts which appeared several months ago (see example) stating that the virus is smaller than pores in the fabric of cloth masks, likening it to a mosquito flying through a chain link fence. And based on the size difference, these posts claim that cloth masks do not work to reduce virus transmission. As we demonstrate below, these claims are misleading as they fail to take into account the differences between how viruses and smoke particles travel in the air.

While both smoke particles and the virus that causes COVID-19 (the size of the virus is between 60 to 140 nanometers)[1] are much smaller than the pores in fabric, a key difference between viruses and smoke particles is that viruses cannot travel in the air on their own and are instead carried by respiratory droplets. In a fact-check by USA Today, Linsey Marr, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech who specializes in airborne transmission of viruses, stated, There is never a naked virus floating in the air or released by people.

In its advisory, the CDC also emphasizes the importance of respiratory droplets in virus transmission when explaining why cloth masks can reduce virus transmission, but not the inhalation of small smoke particles:

Cloth masks that are used to slow the spread of COVID-19 by blocking respiratory droplets offer little protection against wildfire smoke. They do not catch small, harmful particles in smoke that can harm your health.

Respiratory droplets are generated by coughing, sneezing, speaking, and singing. These droplets range from 5 to 10 micrometers in size and can be blocked by cloth masks. According to the World Health Organization, scientific evidence demonstrates that droplet transmission and close contact are the main routes of transmission of the virus that causes COVID-19. It is also possible that the virus is transmitted by aerosols, which are droplets less than 5 micrometers in size, although its unclear how much this mode of transmission contributes to the number of infections.

N95 masks are the most effective at filtering respiratory droplets. However the CDC advises the general public not to use N95 masks for slowing the spread of COVID-19, as these are in limited supply and should be reserved for healthcare professionals who are at greater risk of exposure to infectious material. Instead, the CDC recommends that the general public use cloth masks.

Studies show that cloth masks can reduce the spread of respiratory droplets, although they do not provide 100% protection. A 2020 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that wearing a damp washcloth greatly reduced the release of speech droplets into the air[2]. Another study published in ACS Nano found that well-fitted face masks made of common materials, such as cotton, filtered out 80 to 99% of droplets, depending on droplet size[3]. Studies also demonstrate that face masks can reduce the transmission of viruses that cause respiratory infections, as reported in this Health Feedback review.

However, for people with pre-existing respiratory issues, prolonged use of face masks, including cloth masks, should be exercised with caution. The CDC indicated, Masks should not be worn by: children younger than 2 years old, anyone who has trouble breathing, or anyone who is unconscious, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.

The recommendation to use cloth masks to reduce virus transmission contrasts with the CDCs advice against using cloth masks for protection from wildfire smoke, because unlike the virus, smoke particles can travel in the air without the aid of another larger particle. This renders smoke particles small enough to pass through the pores of cloth masks.

Smoke contains a variety of particles that can cause asthma, chest pain, and other harmful effects on human health. The most damaging particles are those smaller than 2.5 micrometers, also called PM2.5. Luke Montrose, an assistant professor of community and environmental health at Boise State University, explained in this article in The Conversation:

[PM2.5] defines the cutoff for particles that can travel deep into the lungs and cause the most damage.

The human body is equipped with natural defense mechanisms against particles bigger than PM2.5. As I tell my students, if you have ever coughed up phlegm or blown your nose after being around a campfire and discovered black or brown mucus in the tissue, you have witnessed these mechanisms firsthand.

The really small particles bypass these defenses and disturb the air [sacs] where oxygen crosses over into the blood. Fortunately, we have specialized immune cells present in the air [sacs] called macrophages. Its their job to seek out foreign material and remove or destroy it. However, studies have shown that repeated exposure to elevated levels of wood smoke can suppress macrophages, leading to increases in lung inflammation.

Because of these harmful effects, the CDC recommends that people living in areas affected by wildfires stay indoors as much as possible and use an indoor air filter. These recommendations are particularly important for vulnerable populations, such as the elderly and young children, who are living in the household. When outdoor activity cannot be avoided, the CDC recommended that people avoid wearing cloth masks, which are unable to keep out PM2.5. Instead, they recommend people wear N95 masks, which can filter out about 95% of particles that are 0.3 micrometers (microns) or larger.

In summary, while the Facebook posts and memes are correct in asserting that the pores in the fabric of cloth masks are larger than both the virus that causes COVID-19 and smoke particles, they fail to acknowledge the mechanics of virus transmission. The CDCs advice not to use cloth masks as protection from wildfire smoke is not evidence that cloth masks do not work to reduce virus transmission. Unlike smoke particles, viruses cannot travel in the air on their own and must be carried by droplets, which are much larger than smoke particles and the pores in fabric, and can therefore be blocked by cloth masks.

This fact check is available at IFCNs 2020 US Elections FactChat #Chatbot on WhatsApp. Click here, for more.

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Cloth masks are effective at reducing virus transmission because it spreads in respiratory droplets, which are larger than smoke particles and the...

Products featured here are selected by our partners at StackCommerce.If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission.These Smart Nano Bots come with 70 parts, 250 components, and tools.

Image: geeek club

By StackCommerceMashable Shopping2020-09-06 09:00:00 UTC

TL;DR: Have fun while working on your engineering skills with Smart Nano Bots (including 70 parts, 250 components, and tools) for $50.15, a savings of over $100 as of Sept. 6.

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The technical geniuses building these complex creations are mostly electrical and mechanical engineers but with this Geeek Club Robot Construction Kit, you can get a little taste of their genius and develop your own robot-building skills that will amaze and entertain. Successfully funded on Kickstarter and Indiegogo at $137k and $145k, respectively, this DIY kit allows you learn engineering skills and build robots without boring yourself to tears with courses and textbooks.

In the kit, you'll get all the motors, sensors, and robotic pieces you need to craft your own miniature troop of seven smart, roving robots. Plus, you'll get step-by-step instructions that make building robots no more complicated than other common construction toys and instructional videos where the inventor of the kit shows you exactly how they work. Of course, you'll also learn all the electrical information to familiarize yourself with the components and how to solder them onto the printed circuit boards.

Check out this unboxing video to get a glimpse at what you'll be working with:

Beyond having a bunch of tiny robots to show off to your friends, family, and coworkers, you'll also develop structural, hardware, and electrical engineering skills, artistic design skills, and soldering skills. And the best part? You don't have to sit in a classroom or read a textbook to do it.

Regularly $99 and on sale for $59, you can snatch this kit for a steal for a limited time. Take an extra 15% off the sale price using the code GOFORIT15 and you'll pay just $50.15 during Labor Day weekend.

Prices subject to change.

Excerpt from:

Build your own robots with this kit on sale for $50.15 - Mashable

With a mastery of material phases, over the years scientists have developed more sustainable and groundbreaking technological advancements.

Image credit: chuttersnap on Unsplash

From Harry Potters cloak of invisibility and Star Treks transparent aluminum glasses, an intricate manipulation of the structure of matter has been envisaged to lend material properties that almost seem magical. Arthur Clarkes third law well encapsulates these scenarios from fantasies to fiction: any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic!

Our ability to manipulate materials into a functional form correlates with the evolution of civilization. Metrics on the quality of life improved as we progressed from stone to bronze to iron to ceramic to polymer, and now, to the electronic age. Progress, however, came with a penalty, as is evident from estimates of the enormity of the climate crisis and species extinction rates. Hence, the quest to leapfrog towards sustainable energy technologies is ever more critical.

Mastery over materials has come about as a result of material processing at high temperatures. The high temperature facilitates overcoming energy barriers and enables the material to seek its lowest energy state. While the implications of high-temperature manipulation may be intuitive in non-carbon hard materials like steel, even for soft materials like polymers, pioneering applications came via thermosetting polymers like nitrocellulose. However, the associated most stable structureis not always the one with desired properties. In addition to high temperature, if processing involves high pressure, atoms can be brought closer to each other and the material can be temporarily stabilized with structures not corresponding to that of the lowest energy phase. For example, nature manages to metastabilize carbon as desirable diamonds, but this is via a route that includes both high-pressure and high temperature.

Exploring materials properties as a function of their characteristic dimension, besides just temperature and pressure, gave raise to the birth of nanoscience and nanotechnology. It is only on the nanoscale that one can discuss the phase of materials and still have the surfaces of materials play a vibrant role in terms of energetics of the material. Below the nano-lengthscale, there are only fluxional aggregates of molecules without meaningful convergent properties to deliberate phases of materials. Above the nano-lengthscale, the materials have matured to a less exciting asymptote and do not show any variation in properties as a function of their dimension.

Nanostructures with their emergent properties, like size-dependent optical properties, have captured the imagination of scientists for the last four decades. For example, nanoparticles with the same chemical composition but different sizes may appear to have different colors. Critical to the control of the size of the nanoparticle are chemical species called ligands a word whose Latin origin means to bind. The chemical structure and amount of ligands determine to what extent they bind to the nanoparticles, which in turn control their energy and sizes. Thus, synthesis of nanoparticles in the last four decades involves ligandsetting as opposed to thermosetting practiced over the last four thousand years. This ligand-driven method of manipulation is the essence of chimie douce or soft chemistry, which involves the assembly of materials at ambient pressures and temperatures.

Mother nature is a master of chimie douce and uses it to bequeath biomolecules with an infinite variety of properties. The exquisite variation in properties is most evident in proteins. A protein folds and assembles in an aqueous medium to generate its functional form, which is called its native structure. An artificial physicochemical intervention, like excess salt and heat, may result in the misfolding of proteins into its non-functional structure, which is referred to as non-native polymorph. The non-native protein forms can have a debilitating consequence and have been implicated in diseases like Prions and Alzheimers diseases.

Over the last decade, the concept of non-native polymorphs has been extended systematically to inorganic systems and explored in the context of solar-energy conversion, optoelectronics, electrocatalysis, and lithium-ion-batteries. Using the material design strategy of non-native polymorphs, it is demonstrated that the performance of a variety of electrochemical devices can be improved without changing its chemical composition, thereby broadening the phase space for materials exploration.

With the broadening of (material phase) space and scientists reconnoitering where no one has ever one before, the revelations of the Ministry of Magic and of Star Trek may well appear to be scientific facts rather than fantasy or fiction!

Written by:

Raj Ganesh S. Pala, professor at the Department of Chemical Engineering and an associate faculty of the materials science program, Indian Institute of Technology at Kanpur (IIT-K)

Prashant Kumar Gupta, visiting assistant professor at the Indian Institute of Technology at Dhanbad

Sulay Saha, post-doctoral-fellow at the Washington University at St. Louis

Reference: Sulay Saha, Prashant Kumar Gupta, Raj Ganesh S. Pala, Stabilization of Non-Native Polymorphs for Electrocatalysis and Energy Storage Systems, WIREs Energy and Environment (2020). DOI: 10.1002/wene.389

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Phase engineering and the final frontier! - Advanced Science News

Dr. Shirley Meng is a professor and Zable Endowed Chair at the Jacobs School of Engineering, UC San Diego. She is the principal investigator for the Laboratory for Energy Storage and Conversion (LESC), and also the founding director of the Sustainable Power and Energy Center (SPEC) at UCSD, whose faculty studies materials and devices for energy capture, conversion, and utilization. Dr. Meng was the featured speaker at the Women in Microscopy Breakfast at M&M 2020, where she spoke about her career and the continued importance of women in science. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Im actually a microscopist by training. My undergraduate and graduate degrees are both in materials science and engineering, and I have operated electron microscopes and used electron microscopy since I was an undergraduate student.I still remember seeing the rows of atoms show up in the detector for the first time. Its a thrilling feeling thats indescribable. They werent just drawings of balls in a textbook, I was actually seeing the atoms on the screen right in front of me. Youre essentially making the invisible visible, and there are no other tools that allow you to do this, only top-of-the-line microscopes allow you to see atom columns like that.

The center consists of a group of faculty members who are working on the materials and devices that can capture and store energy, convert it from one form to the other, and utilize it. Broadly, we call this distributed energy generation and storage as well as integrated power management.

I lead the Laboratory for Energy Storage and Conversion(LESC), where we work to diagnose and characterize materials for energy storage.

For instance, we look at state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries in order to understand why their electrode materials degrade and how we can capture this degradation while the device is in operation. We call this operando characterization. Once we figure out how and why the materials degrade, we can formulate engineering strategies to improve their properties in this case, make the batteries safer, more powerful, and longer-lasting.

We use X-ray, neutron, and electron-based tools. For the X-ray and neutron-based experiments, we work with national laboratories in order to access their instrumentation, but we have local access to the electron-based tools, such as electron microscopes and focused ion beam instruments. These are oftentimes Thermo Fisher Scientific products.

Lets be clear; at the moment, batteries are a very safe product. Safe enough that people carry them around every day in their phones, laptops, etc.

The typical accident rate is less than 1 in 10 million cells; however, we now have hundreds of thousands of electric cars (running on lithium-ion batteries) being sold everywhere around the world. As they are part of a vehicle, the safety of the batteries is now extremely important; when theres a vehicular accident, we don't want to see it amplified by the battery catching fire or exploding. Thats why current research focuses on things like solid-state batteries, where the flammable liquid electrolyte is replaced by a solid-state electrolyte, making the battery safer without sacrificing energy or power.

So, thats one of the main areas of battery research, and we are very excited to be part of it. At the same time, characterization and diagnostic tools allow us to figure out which solid-state electrolytes are the best choice for the next generation of batteries.

Energy storage is typically considered the Achilles heel of the renewable energy transition and is one of the biggest drivers of research in the field. When youre producing wind and solar energy, you have to have sufficient energy storage capacity so that it can be stored when its available and then used later, when its needed.

In this regard, electrochemical devices, like batteries, are really critical. They convert the electricity to chemical bonding energy and then back from chemical energy to electricity without combustion. So, it's an extremely efficient process. This technology will really be a game-changer if we want to cut CO2 emission and enable renewable energy technologies. Electric motors can have infinite torque, therefore, the transition to electric vehicles (EV) is driven by the combination of better technology and societal benefits we can be green while enjoying a better vehicle driving experience.

In fact, I think whats different now, compared to 20 years ago, is that corporations can be green, can achieve sustainability, and can make a profit. I believe a lot of industry leaders are going to step in and say, you know, this is an economic decision. We're no longer doing this because there are government subsidies or because we're just getting social returns.

If companies can be even more profitable by being green and being sustainable, this would go a long way to addressing climate change, really slow it down and make the planet a more livable and enjoyable place. I think thats the message I really want to give; you can now be sustainable and make a lot of money.

I think the motivation for all the researchers, graduate students, and postdocs in my laboratory is a fundamental understanding of a materials properties, but this knowledge is only impactful if we find the end-users, the companies, who are actually going to make or utilize these materials in their products. I want to know how we can help them make a better product that is going to positively impact society. Thats why I am actually very motivated to have a strong collaboration with industry partners.

For instance, SPEC has a program where companies can partner with us to fund a graduate student fellowship. This way, they can get a first-hand look at all the intellectual property that is generated. Meanwhile, the students have a very oriented mission for their research, since what they are doing is clearly connected to a final product.

We use high-end instruments, like transmission electron microscopes (TEMs) and synchrotron X-ray sources, to answer specific questions that our industrial partners cant. We can actually dissect the samples and go down to the atomic level, to the nanoscale, to find true answers. Where are the defects? Where are the problems that have happened? Then we feed that knowledge back to our industry partners.

If things like battery failure are happening at the nanoscale, at a molecular level, you need advanced tools to really dig into where the failure starts. You also need the ability to interpret the results of your experiments. This is where academic institutions are extremely useful; our skills are complementary to what the industry is trying to accomplish, and its why our partnership usually works very well.

Yes, our group is also funded through the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, and several other federal agencies. Our researchers can use these resources to generate a lot of fundamental understanding and knowledge.

Of course, ideally, this research can reach a point where some actual impact can be measured; I think our most impactful work is directly applicable to the products created by our industry partners. So, really, its a collaborative effort between academia, industry, and the federal government; they all complement each other.

Obviously, there are very clear boundaries as well. As a research institution, we don't develop a product. Our students and postdocs, the human capital, is what we'll offer to society later knowledge and human resources.

The common tool we use is scanning electron microscopy (SEM). However, if you take a battery, it's very bulky and there are layers of cathode, anode, electrolytes, and separators. And on these layers, you have millions of particles you want to analyze. In order to do a detailed diagnosis of the battery, we need some kind of tool to extract samples. For this, we use a focused ion beam (FIB). In the past, this was a gallium ion beam, but through our collaboration with Thermo Fisher Scientific, we now have access to a plasma FIB, where we can cut a much larger area with higher efficiency.

With the combined FIB and SEM, we can see particles at the micrometer level. Once we have processed the sample, we can then go to the transmission electron microscope, where we can look at the sample at the nanoscale or even the angstrom scale, allowing us to see atoms and molecules. We do this because, to really diagnose battery materials properly, we need to have access to multiple scales with a suite of tools, allowing us to actually probe materials and understand their properties.

So, in my world, I view myself as a doctor for batteries. When a person is sick, the doctor needs a correct diagnosis in order to give the right prescription. To do that, they run many different tests; they draw blood, they take an X-ray or an MRI, etc.

Similarly, we diagnose and characterize materials in order to make sure they are operating at their best optimum conditions. This is critical because they end up in devices that billions of people are carrying every day, everywhere, in the car, on planes, everywhere. We need to diagnose where failures could happen, where issues might occur, using the most advanced tools, characterization, and computations possible. That's why I'm doing what I'm doing, and I'm very excited to share this experience.

We now have a very big community of battery researchers across the world, and I'm hoping that even more, bright and brilliant young scientists will join this field in the future. Were already seeing the younger generation of researchers introduce things like higher throughput characterization and artificial intelligence for data interpretation. The field is really exciting, and there are so many things that could be enabled with advanced characterization tools.

Diversity and inclusion drive innovation and creativity. My own journey as a woman in science started at the age of seven when my dad introduced to me the story about Dr. Marie Curie, the only woman who was awarded the Nobel Prize twice: Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Her words have been the guiding principle for me since then. Over the last hundred years, women collectively have made a lot of inroads in the STEM field, but to achieve true equity, our journey will continue. The field of science will attract more talent and become the first choice for women to launch and build their careers if all of us (men and women) are in this together. I feel privileged to be one of the women in science and to be part of the force to implement change. I hope these messages are clearly conveyed to the attendees of the Women in Microscopy Breakfast.

Dr. Y. Shirley Meng received her Ph.D. in Advance Materials for Micro & Nano Systems from the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) Centre in 2005, after which she worked as a postdoc research fellow and subsequent research scientist at MIT. Dr. Meng is currently a professor at the Jacobs School of Engineering at the University of California San Diego (UCSD), where she holds the position of Zable Endowed Chair in Energy Technologies.

Dr. Meng is the principal investigator of the Laboratory for Energy Storage and Conversion (LESC) and is the founding Director of the Sustainable Power and Energy Center (SPEC) at UCSD. In 2020, she was also named as the inaugural director of the Institute for Materials Discovery and Design (IMDD).

She is the author and co-author of more than 200 peer-reviewed journal articles, two book chapters and four issued patents, and is the Editor-in-Chief for the Materials Research Society journal MRS Energy & Sustainability.

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily represent the views of AZoM.com Limited (T/A) AZoNetwork, the owner and operator of this website. This disclaimer forms part of the Terms and Conditions of use of this website.

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The Role of Electron Microscopy in Battery Research - AZoM