#sodium

Simple logic for nanofluidic computing simulated

Invigorating the idea of computers based on fluids instead of silicon, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have shown how computational logic operations could be performed in a liquid medium by simulating the trapping of ions (charged atoms) in graphene (a sheet of carbon atoms) floating in saline solution. The scheme might also be used in applications such as water filtration, energy storage or sensor technology.

The idea of using a liquid medium for computing has been around for decades, and various approaches have been proposed. Among its potential advantages, this approach would require very little material and its soft components could conform to custom shapes in, for example, the human body.

NIST’s ion-based transistor and logic operations are simpler in concept than earlier proposals. The new simulations show that a special film immersed in liquid can act like a solid silicon-based semiconductor. For example, the material can act like a transistor, the switch that carries out digital logic operations in a computer. The film can be switched on and off by tuning voltage levels like those induced by salt concentrations in biological systems.

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Electrospun sodium titanate speeds up the purification of nuclear waste water

Electrospun sodium titanate speeds up the purification of water based on selective ion exchange – effectively extracts radio-active strontium

With the help of this new method, waste water can be treated faster than before, and the environmentally positive aspect is that the process leaves less solid radio-active waste.

The properties of electrospun sodium titanate are equal to those of commercially produced ion-exchange materials.

“The advantages of electrospun materials are due to the kinetics, i.e. reaction speed, of ion exchange,” says Risto Koivula, a scientist in the research group Ion Exchange for Nuclear Waste Treatment and for Recycling at the Department of Chemistry at the University of Helsinki.

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Researchers discover a novel layered superconductor based on tin and arsenic

The layered superconducting material is characterized by a crystal structure in which a SnAs layer (wherein Sn and As are two-dimensionally bonded to develop superconductivity) and a Na layer (the spacer layer) are alternately laminated. Considering that such a layered structure is similar to that of a cuprate- or iron-based high-temperature (high-Tc) superconductor, it is possible that in SnAs-based layered materials, superconductivity is developed as a result of the unconventional pairing mechanism.

The research group of Yoshikazu MIZUGUCHI (Associate Professor) and Yosuke GOTO (Project Researcher) specializes in the discovery of two-dimensional layered structures—various materials can be designed by laminating different kinds of layers. As an example, in 2012, this research group also reported the discovery of novel layered superconducting material systems, Bi₄O₄S₃ and LaO_1-xF_xBiS₂, based on bismuth (Bi) and sulfur (S). To add, as the two-dimensional crystal structure gives rise to a low-dimensional electronic state, researchers are actively studying unique quantum phenomena such as high-temperature superconductivity.

Regarding NaSn₂As₂, Mizuguchi asserts that although the transition temperature of 1.3 K (-271.85°C) is not exactly high, it is anticipated that new materials will be developed based on the SnAs conductive layer, thereby clarifying the mechanisms underlying the increase of the transition temperature as well as those responsible for high-transition-temperature superconductivity.

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Researchers create fiber optic sensors that dissolve in the body

For the first time, researchers have fabricated sensing elements known as fiber Bragg gratings inside optical fibers designed to dissolve completely inside the body. The bioresorbable fiber Bragg gratings could be used for in-body monitoring of bone fracture healing and for safer exploration of sensitive organs such as the brain.

A fiber Bragg grating is an optical element inscribed in an optical fiber, which is widely used as a sensing instrument. Although fiber Bragg gratings are commonly used for applications such as real-time monitoring of the structural health of bridges or tracking the integrity of airplane wings, until now they didn’t exhibit characteristics preferred for use in the body. With a design that allows them to break down similarly to dissolvable stitches, the new glass fibers should be safe for patients even if they accidently break, according to the researchers.

“Our work paves the way toward optical fiber sensors that can be safely inserted into the human body,” said Maria Konstantaki, a member of the research team from the Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser (IESL) of the Foundation of Research and Technology - Hellas (FORTH), Greece, that fabricated and characterized the new gratings. “Because they dissolve, these sensors don’t need to be removed after use and would enable new ways to perform efficient treatments and diagnoses in the body.”

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cenchempics:

PIEZO PRISM

Rochelle salt, aka potassium sodium tartrate tetrahydrate, NaKC₄H₄O₆·4H₂O, was the first material found to produce an electric discharge when compressed. This phenomenon, called piezoelectricity, is used in many lighters and grill starters. The salt is relatively easy to grow, says crystallization hobbyist Dmitry Shintyakov, so large, clear prisms like the one shown here are readily accessible. Shintyakov shares his methods online, so you can join the fun.

Credit: Dmitry Shintyakov

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Enhanced electron doping on iron superconductors discovered

The Institute for Basic Science research team headed by the associate director of CCES, KIM Chang Young, presented the possibility of unifying theories to explain the working mechanism of iron- based superconductors.

Their research was published in Nature Materials on August 16th. Superconductors are a relatively new concept; they were brought to prominence in the late 80’s when two Nobel Prize winners discovered a new superconducting material. The basic principle of superconductivity arises when a superconducting material is cooled to a fairly low critical temperature allowing an electric current to flow without resistance.

Building on a Nobel Prize

The Nobel Prize winners reported their superconducting material - oxides which contain copper and rare earth metals - becomes a superconducting material below -250° Celsius, higher than the previous temperature of -269° Celsius. This led to a boom in developing similar materials for commercial use. Today’s research has moved on greatly; oxides are replaced with iron-based superconductors which are cheaper to mass produce and also permit a current to flow unabated. To understand the working mechanism of iron-based superconductors scientists have to significantly raise the transition temperatures to source the reason for the increase. Many researchers initially work on the assumption that the nesting effect is a dominant factor, especially in the case of pnictide superconductors {PSD}. Later, scientists discovered another type of superconductor, chalogenide superconductors {CSD}. Since it turned out that CSD is not subject to the nesting effect, the discovery of CSD generated controversy on the mechanism of their superconductivity. The nesting effect states when the surface temperature is increased, electrons become unstable thereby altering their properties both electrically and magnetically, allowing conductors to turn into superconductors.

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Quantum material is promising ‘ion conductor’ for research, new technologies

Researchers have shown how to shuttle lithium ions back and forth into the crystal structure of a quantum material, representing a new avenue for research and potential applications in batteries, “smart windows” and brain-inspired computers containing artificial synapses.

The research centers on a material called samarium nickelate, which is a quantum material, meaning its performance taps into quantum mechanical interactions. Samarium nickelate is in a class of quantum materials called strongly correlated electron systems, which have exotic electronic and magnetic properties.

The researchers “doped” the material with lithium ions, meaning the ions were added to the material’s crystal structure.

The addition of lithium ions causes the crystal to expand and increases the material’s conduction of the ions. The researchers also learned that the effect works with other types of ions, particularly sodium ions, pointing to potential applications in energy storage.

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rhamphotheca:

Butterflies near salted roads grow larger eyes and muscles

by Sandhya Sekar

You might be able to cut the salt in your diet, but the wildlife near salted roads doesn’t have a choice. It’s not all bad, though – salt may boost the brawn of butterflies.

When roads are salted in icy conditions, some of the run-off is taken up by plants. To find out if raised sodium levels in roadside plants might affect animals that feed on them, Emilie Snell-Rood at the University of Minnesota, St Paul, and her colleagues assessed local monarch butterflies, which feed on milkweed plants.

The team found that milkweed plants at the roadside contained 16 times as much sodium as those 100 metres away from the road. The butterflies reared on these plants had, on average, 6 times as much sodium in their bodies as those reared on prairie plants, and were less likely to survive beyond the caterpillar stage. But sodium is essential for the development of nerve and muscle tissue in animals, and those butterflies that did survive on high-sodium leaves also experienced a growth spurt: males had bigger flight muscles and females had significantly larger eyes…

(read more: New Scientist)

photograph by Bruce Coleman Inc./Alamy

Watermelon Info

Βροχερή ημέρα, ενδείκνυται για ζεστό καφέ και ενημέρωση!
Το γάλα γαιδούρας περιέχει βιταμίνες Α1, Β1, Β2, C και Ε καθώς και ένα εξαιρετικό ποσοστό ανοσοσφαιρήνης, μαγνήσιο, ασβέστιο, κάλιο, φώσφορο, ψευδάργυρο και sodium.
Οι πρωτεΐνες γάλακτος προσφέρουν αξιόλογες ενυδατικές και θρεπτικές ιδιότητες, ως αποτέλεσμα της εξαιρετικής απορρόφησής τους από την επιδερμίδα, καθώς και της δυνατότητας τους να δεσμεύουν νερό. Παράλληλα απελευθερώνουν συγκεκριμένα αμινοξέα, τα οποία είναι πολύ σημαντικά συστατικά του φυσιολογικού ενυδατικού παράγοντα του δέρματος (ΝΜF) και της διατήρησης της φυσιολογικής μεταβολικής δραστηριότητας των κυττάρων, καθώς συμμετέχουν στη σύνθεση του κολλαγόνου, της ελαστίνης και της κερατίνης. Όλα αυτά τα χαρακτηριστικά προάγουν τη δημιουργία ενός υγροσκοπικού φιλμ στην κεράτινη στοιβάδα της επιδερμίδας.

#Rainy #day, indicated for hot #coffee and #update!
#Donkey #milk contains #vitamins A1, B1, B2, C and E and an #excellent rate of #immunoglobulins, #magnesium, #calcium, #potassium, #phosphorus, #zinc and #sodium.
The milk #proteins offer #remarkable #hydrating and #nutritional #properties, as a #result of their excellent #absorption into the #skin, and the #ability to #bind #water. Furthermore, they release specific #amino #acids, which are very #important #components of the #normal skin #moisturizing #factor (NMF) and of #preservation of the normal #metabolic #activity of #cells, as they are involved in the #synthesis of #collagen, #elastin and #keratin. All these #characteristics #promote the #creation of a #hydroscopic #film on the #stratum #corneum of our skin.

Human Body Theater gets MOLECULAR!  Here’s some table salt, being cute.

If you order this one, maybe skip the drink.