Sandia’s Sunshine to Petrol project seeks fuel from thin air

December 5, 2007

Team to chemically transform carbon dioxide into carbon-neutral liquid fuels

Sandia researcher Rich Diver assembles a prototype device intended to chemically reenergize carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide, which ultimately could become the building block to synthesize a liquid combustible fuel. (Photo by Randy Montoya)
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —Using concentrated solar energy to reverse combustion, a research team from Sandia National Laboratories is building a prototype device intended to chemically “reenergize” carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide using concentrated solar power. The carbon monoxide could then be used to make hydrogen or serve as a building block to synthesize a liquid combustible fuel, such as methanol or even gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.

The prototype device, called the Counter Rotating Ring Receiver Reactor Recuperator (CR5, for short), will break a carbon-oxygen bond in the carbon dioxide to form carbon monoxide and oxygen in two distinct steps. It is a major piece of an approach to converting carbon dioxide into fuel from sunlight.

The Sandia research team calls this approach “Sunshine to Petrol” (S2P). “Liquid Solar Fuel” is the end product — the methanol, gasoline, or other liquid fuel made from water and the carbon monoxide produced using solar energy.

Sandia is a National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) laboratory.

CR5 inventor Rich Diver says the original idea for the device was to break down water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen could then fuel a potential hydrogen economy.

The Sandia researchers came up with the idea to use the CR5 to break down carbon dioxide, just as it would water. Over the past year they have shown proof of concept and are completing a prototype device that will use concentrated solar energy to reenergize carbon dioxide or water, the products of combustion. This will form carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and oxygen, which ultimately could be used to synthesize liquid fuels in an integrated S2P system.

Coresearchers on the project are Jim E. Miller and Nathan Siegel. Project champion is Ellen B. Stechel, manager of Sandia’s Fuels and Energy Transitions Department.

Stechel says that researchers have known for a long time that theoretically it might be possible to recycle carbon dioxide, but many thought it could not be made practical, either technically or economically.

“Hence, it has not been pursued with much vigor,” she says. “Not only did we think it was possible, the team has developed a prototype that they fully anticipate will successfully break down carbon dioxide in a clever and viable two-step process.”

Stechel notes that one driver for the invention is the need to reduce greenhouse gases.

“This invention, though probably a good 15 to 20 years away from being on the market, holds a real promise of being able to reduce carbon dioxide emissions while preserving options to keep using fuels we know and love,” she says. “Recycling carbon dioxide into fuels provides an attractive alternative to burying it.”

Sandia researcher Rich Diver checks out the solar furnace which will be the initial source of concentrated solar heat for the CR5 prototype. Eventually parabolic dishes will provide the thermal energy. (Photo by Randy Montoya)
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Providing funding for Sunshine to Petrol is Sandia’s internal Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program. The research has also attracted interest and some funding from DoD/DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency).

“What’s exciting about this invention is that it will result in fossil fuels being used at least twice, meaning less carbon dioxide being put into the atmosphere and a reduction of the rate that fossil fuels are pulled out of the ground,” Diver says.

As an example, he says, coal would be burned at a clean coal power plant. The carbon dioxide from the burning of the coal would be captured and reduced to carbon monoxide in the CR5. The carbon monoxide would then be the starting point of making gasoline, jet fuel, methanol, or almost any type of liquid fuel.

The prospect of a liquid fuel is significant because it fits in with the current gasoline and oil infrastructure. After the synthesized fuel is made from the carbon monoxide, it could be transported through a pipeline or put in a truck and hauled to a gas station, just like gasoline refined from petroleum is now. Plus it would work in ordinary gasoline and diesel engine vehicles.

Miller says that while the first step would be to capture the carbon dioxide from sources where it is concentrated — e.g., power plants, smokestacks, and breweries — the ultimate goal would be to snatch it out of the air. A S2P system that includes atmospheric carbon dioxide capture could produce carbon-neutral liquid fuels.

“Our overall objective with this prototype is to demonstrate the practicality of the CR5 concept and to determine how test results from small-scale testing can be expanded to work in real devices,” Miller says. “The design is conservative compared to what might eventually be developed.”

Diver says the prototype should be completed by early next year. He hand-built the precision device in a shop at Sandia’s National Solar Thermal Test Facility and is now waiting on a few parts to finalize it. Initial tests will break down water into hydrogen and oxygen. That will be followed by tests that similarly break down carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide and oxygen.

Besides having a nearly completed prototype, the research team has already proven that the chemistry works repeatedly through multiple cycles without losing performance and on a short enough cycle time for a practical device.

“We just now have to do it all in one continuous working device,” Siegel says.

Deep brain stimulation with electrical pulses may offer hope for patients trapped in a minimally conscious state.

Electrical pulses 'rouse' patient

The electrodes were placed at specific points in the brain

Deep brain stimulation with electrical pulses may offer hope for patients trapped in a minimally conscious state.

Treatment of a 38-year-old man with a severe brain injury enabled him to use words and gestures, chew and swallow and drink from a cup, say US doctors.

Before the stimulation, done through electrodes implanted in his brain, he could only make slight eye or finger movements, the team report in Nature.

Experts said more studies were needed to assess which patients may benefit.

Now, my son can eat, express himself and let us know if he is in pain. He enjoys a quality of life we never thought possible Patient's mother

Deep brain stimulation is already used in the treatment of tremors associated with Parkinson's disease.

The procedure involves electrodes implanted with millimetre accuracy to specific areas of the brain.

Badly beaten

The man involved in the study was badly beaten six years ago, leaving him severely brain injured and in a minimally conscious state, in which patients show intermittent signs of awareness.

Over a period of six months the researchers alternated periods of electrical stimulation with fake stimulation to assess whether it was having an effect.

Within 48 hours of the first stimulation, the patient was able to keep his eyes open, turn his head, and utter words.

After several treatments he is now able to perform complex tasks such as brushing his hair, although with difficulty due to severe immobility caused by his condition.

And can chew and swallows his food where before he needed a feeding tube.

Further tests on 12 patients have gained FDA approval. The researchers say if these results are replicated, it could change the standard of care for such patients, most of whom have to be cared for in long-term nursing facilities.

Dr Ali Rezai, the neurosurgeon at Cleveland Clinic's Center for Neurological Restoration who carried out the procedure said the changes in the man had been "remarkable and sustained".

Study leader, Dr Nicholas Schiff, associate professor of neurology and neuroscience at Weill Cornell added: "The work challenges the existing practice of early treatment discontinuation and also changes the approach to assessment and evaluation."

Communicate

His mother, who does not wish to be identified said it had been very hard for her to see her son lying in the nursing home, unable to communicate with them.

"I'll never forget the words the doctor said to us: 'if your son recovers from this in the next 72 hours, and we don't know if he will, he will be a vegetable for the rest of his life.'

"Now, my son can eat, express himself and let us know if he is in pain. He enjoys a quality of life we never thought possible.

"And the most important part is he can say 'I love you mommy'."

Professor Paul Matthews, an expert in clinical neurosciences at Imperial College London, said the study offered hope.

"The causes and severity of brain injury vary between minimally conscious state patients," he said.

"More experience with the approach is needed to understand which patients may be expected to benefit."

Professor Tipu Aziz, expert in neurosurgery at the University of Oxford, added there had been cases of patients recovering spontaneously after being in a minimally conscious state for a long time and no firm conclusions could be made.

"Much more needs to be done into the research of the best management of such patients but there is little funding to do so."

آتلانتيس سوار بر بويينگ ۷۴۷

شاتل فضايي آتلانتيس سوار بر بويينگ ۷۴۷ مخصوص حمل شاتل در آسمان ايالات متحده از غرب به شرق پرواز مي‌کند تا به پايگاه فضايي کندي در فلوريدا منتقل شود.

تحريريه نجوم

‍شاتل فضایی آتلانتیس که در ابتداي تير ۱۳۸۶ پس از سفري ۱۳ روزه به ايستگاه فضايي به جای فرود در پ‍ایگاه فضایی کندی در فلوریدا در پایگاه نیروی هوایی ادوراد واقع در غرب آمریکا-کالیفرنیا به زمین نشست (به علت آب وهواي نامناسب در فلوريدا)، عصر يک‌شنبه دهم تير به وقت ايران سوار بر هواپيماي مخصوص حمل شاتل به سوي فلوريدا پرواز کرد تا در سفري تقريبا ۲۴ ساعته با چند توقف ميانه راه از يک سوي آمريکا به سوي ديگر و پايگاه فضايي کندي برسد. با ورود شاتل به پايگاه کندي عمليات تعمير و بازبيني آن براي سفر آينده‌اش به فضا شروع مي‌شود. هواپيماي حمل شاتل يک بويينگ ۷۴۷ تغيير يافته است که اين فضاپيما را به دوش مي‌شکد. درباره ماموريت اخير آتلانتيس گزارش تصويري سفر آن را در اينجا ببينيد.

Tropical Cyclone Gonu

A storm with near-perfect symmetry and a well-defined eye hovering over the warm waters of the Caribbean or in the South Pacific is not unusual, but Tropical Cyclone Gonu showed up in a rather different place: the Arabian Sea. Though rare, cyclones like Gonu are not unheard of in the northern Indian Ocean basin. Most cyclones that form in the region form over the Bay of Bengal, east of India. Those that take shape over the Arabian Sea, west of the Indian peninsula, tend to be small and fizzle out before coming ashore. Cyclone Gonu was a rare exception. According to storm statistics maintained on Unisys Weather, the last storm of this size to form over the Arabian Sea was Cyclone 01A, which tracked northwest along the coast of India between May 21 and May 28, 2001. Unlike Gonu’s forecasted track, Cyclone 01A’s path never brought it ashore.

This image of Gonu was captured at 9:00 UTC on June 4, 2007 by the MODIS on the Aqua satellite. Oman is to the storm's left, and Iran and Pakistan are to the north of it. By 06:35 UTC on June 5, 2007, the powerful storm had reached a dangerous Category 4 status. Sustained winds were measured at 250 kilometers per hour (155 miles per hour) according to the University of Hawaii’s Tropical Storm Information Center. The storm has the hallmark tightly wound arms that spiral around a well-defined, circular eye. The eye is surrounded by a wall of towering clouds that cast shadows on the surrounding clouds. Called hot towers, these clouds are a sign of the powerful uplift that feeds the storm. The symmetrical spirals, distinct eye, and towering clouds are all features regularly seen in satellite images of other particularly powerful cyclones, which are also known as typhoons or hurricanes when they form in other parts of the world.

The forecast as of June 5 called for the storm to graze Oman’s shore, but with the center of the storm staying offshore in the Gulf of Oman. The storm’s first landfall was predicted to be in southern Iran. The cooler water along the Oman coast was expected to rob the storm of some of its intensity, and it was predicted to strike the Iranian coast at around Category 1 strength. If, however, the forecast track is not quite right and the storm stays farther from shore over shallower and much warmer waters in the Gulf of Oman, it could make landfall while still packing Category 3 winds. In either case, communities along the Gulf of Oman are poorly prepared for hurricanes, given their rarity, and severe damage to cities and oil platforms is possible due to winds and storm surge.

DNA Discoverer Gets Own Genome

HOUSTON, June 1--The Nobel Prize laureate scientist who helped discover the molecular structure of DNA has become the first person to receive his own personal genome map. The map, a breakdown of his DNA that shows illnesses he is predisposed to contracting, is the first step in making the sequencing of individual human genomes quick, affordable and a routine part of medical care. James Watson, 79, was presented the map during a ceremony at Baylor College of Medicine. The human genome--a map of all the DNA--was completed in 2003 at a cost of $400 million, including a $300 million government-funded effort and a $100 million private project. Leaders of the Watson genome project said it was a step toward speeding up the process and lowering its cost. "I knew I was risking possible anxiety when I saw it, but it's much more that if I don't sleep at night it's due to thinking about Iraq rather than about my genome," he said. Watson was chosen for the project because of his contributions to the field, and the map was completed after he submitted a blood sample. A review showed he has some variances that could induce cancer--which appeared to mirror his actual health. Watson said that he has had skin cancer and that his sister had breast cancer. The $1 million, two-month project was a collaboration between 454 Life Sciences Corp., a Connecticut company that specializes in DNA sequencing, and Baylor College of Medicine's Human Genome Sequencing Center. At the moment, there are no plans to complete more maps in the immediate future, though researchers want to eventually map more people. Jonathan Rothberg, founder and former chairman of 454 Life Sciences, said the price of mapping someone's genome sequence could eventually drop to $1,000, making it easy for people to incorporate it into their medical care. That potential price tag is in sharp contrast to the cost of the Human Genome Project, the international, publicly financed effort to first identify all the approximately 20,000-25,000 genes in human DNA. That project, seen as one of history's great scientific milestones, cost $3 billion and was completed in 2003, after 13 years. Watson shared a Nobel Prize for his role in discovering the structure of DNA in 1953 and who launched the Human Genome Project in 1990. He said thousands more individual human genomes need to be mapped out before researchers can make better sense of the information they can provide. Amy McGuire, an assistant professor of medicine with Baylor's Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, said integrating human genomes into medical diagnoses raises various ethical questions. Those include what to do when they reveal personal information about a patient's relatives and whether someone's genetic code could result in discrimination from insurance companies or employers. "I think we'll have a healthier and more compassionate world 50 years from now because of the technological advances we are celebrating today," Watson said. While Watson said that he would review the map further, there was at least one part he would avoid. He planned to skip the section of the map that would tell him if he was at risk for Alzheimer's disease, which his grandmother died from. That, he said, he didn't want to know.

Too much praise too young is not a good thing, say experts

Hong Kong - You tell them they are beautiful, talented and special - and they believe it. But in the long term, compliments and encouragements could be damaging your children.

Researchers in the United States claim telling children they are special too often is creating a 'self-centred' generation, who are more likely to grow up into narcissistic people who suffer failed relationships, lack emotional warmth, react violently to criticism, lack empathy and commit infidelities.

The findings are by a group of American psychologists, led by Professor Jean Twenge of San Diego State University, who examined the responses of more 16,000 college students over the last 24 years using a survey called the Narcissistic Personality Inventory.

The inventory, used to assess narcissistic tendencies, asks them to respond to statements such as: 'I think I am a special person' and 'If I ruled the world, it would be a better place.'

Students today emerged higher on the narcissistic scale with 30 per cent more scoring above average than those in 1982, they found.

Children nowadays were more self-centred than previous generations and blamed it on the rise of the 'self-esteem movement' in the 1980s when its importance was championed by parents and child-carers, the researchers said.

They pointed to MySpace and YouTube saying such websites, which encouraged 'attention-seeking', showed the trend for narcissisms and in fact fuelled it.

Professor Twenge, author of the book, Generation Me: Why Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled - And More Miserable Than Ever Before, said it was time to stop telling kids 'they're special' or that they can do or be anything and instead help them set more realistic goals in life.

But the consequences of the other extreme - not enough praise, appreciation and encouragement - can be equally, if not more, damaging. Research says people with low self-esteem are more at risk of destructive behaviour including alcohol and drug abuse, violence and crime.

According to Hong Kong mother and author Shirley Yuen, children with low self-esteem will lack the self-confidence they need to succeed in life.

'They will either turn out to be timid and fearful because they think that they are not good enough to survive in this world, or they will be self-centred and arrogant because they want to cover their fear by barking around,'she said.

Yuen, the author of The Three Virtues of Effective Parenting, believes that a narcissistic generation as outlined by the US researchers is not something Asians particularly Hong Kong Chinese have to worry about. Instead, she says in general the opposite is true with many parents suppressing a child's self-esteem development.

'They do this for three reasons,' said Yuen. 'First, they are afraid that if they allow themselves to build the self-esteem of their children, their children will have 'a mind of their own', which will intimidate their authority as parents.

'Second, they are afraid that once a child has high self-esteem, he or she will not be 'humble,' which according to Chinese culture is an important virtue. Thirdly, Chinese parents tend to focus much more on the 'negative' side of their children than their 'positive' side.'

Leung Li Chi-mei, principal coordinator of Hong Kong Christian Service Family Networks, agrees, pointing to a recent study by the network which found that 30 per cent of 845 pupils aged eight to 11 interviewed had felt hurt and upset by 'negative' comments by parents.

They included 'you're useless,' 'stupid' and very harsh threats such as 'I'll beat you' and 'go away and die' - all the type of comments to encourage low self-esteem.

Where does this leave parents? Praise too much and they risk raising self-centred narcissistic children. Praise too little and their children could develop low self-esteem and become more at risk of drug addiction, abuse and other social ills.

At the end of the day, it's all about striking the right balance. Parents need to be praise more, says Leung but quality not quantity which counts.

'I think the real meaning of having a healthy self-esteem is that we can look at ourselves in a more appropriate and reasonable way. It is a process of self-evaluation, a very balanced self-evaluation in which we can recognise our strengths, limitation and weaknesses,' said Leung.

'If we over-appreciate, overcompliment children, we risk making them becoming self-centred. Instead, we should be helping them see and accept their limitation and find some ways to improve themselves and set realistic goals. Self-esteem is okay, but push it the wrong way and it can be harmful.'

Shirley Yuen says the key is teaching children benevolence and to see the world from other perspectives. Professor Twenge agrees, saying building 'empty self-esteem and narcissism' lacking in empathy is the problem.

'Although it's great for kids to aim high, parents and teachers should make sure that kids set realistic goals,'says Twenge on the San Diego State University website.

'Help them develop the talents they do have, while gently helping them realize that most people do not become famous or rich. It's possible to encourage kids without telling them that they can do or be anything.'

How do you 'go' in space?

WHO, WHAT, WHY? The Magazine answers...

A tour of a space facility in the US apparently prompted Prince Philip to ask how astronauts deal with "natural functions" in space. So how exactly do they go to the toilet (or should that be the loo)?

It's all to do with air flow. On earth, in the West at least, your standard toilet is a water-flush affair, that takes waste and washes it down a pipe.

THE ANSWER Space toilets use air flow as water flushes have drawbacks in zero gravity Adult nappies are used on space walks and during take-off and landing

The lack of gravity on the shuttle and the space station mean a water-flush system is not an option. You don't need a particularly vivid imagination to see the potential problems.

Instead, on the shuttle, urine and faeces are carried away by rapid flow of air.

The unisex toilet resembles a conventional loo, but with straps over the feet and bars over the thighs to make sure that the astronauts don't drift off mid-go. The seat is designed so the astronaut's bottom can be perfectly flush to make a good seal.

The good news for fans of convenience is that, on the shuttle at least, urinating standing up is possible. A funnel-on-a-hose contraption is included so that astronauts - both male and female - can urinate standing up. Or sitting down if they prefer. They just attach it to the toilet using a pivoting bracket.

I would wait for 10 hours and then once back inside get someone to help me off with the suit and rush to the bathroom British astronaut Piers Sellers to Prince Philip

The system separates solid and liquid waste. Solids are compressed and remain on-board to be unloaded after landing. Liquids are released into space. Nasa hopes one day to recycle waste productively.

Researchers at the University of Guelph in Canada have said such recycling will be key to tackling any future mission to Mars in order to feed the astronauts.

The air used in the space shuttle's toilet system has to be filtered to get rid of the smell and bacteria before it is returned to the living area.

Incinerated waste

On the International Space Station, the fundamental principle is similar. The fan-powered air-flow toilet system stores waste. Urine is sucked up and stored in 20 litre containers which are dumped into the Progress resupply craft. The ship is later ejected into the atmosphere, where it burns up.

WHO, WHAT, WHY? A regular feature in the BBC News Magazine - aiming to answer some of the questions behind the headlines

For solid waste, a plastic bag covered in holes is placed inside the toilet. Air is sucked through the holes so everything ends up in the bag. The elasticised top closes and the bag is pushed into a metal container. A new bag is popped in for the next visitor. Again the waste heads off to Progress.

Space toilets have come a long way. In the book The Right Stuff and its film adaptation, an astronaut on an early mission feels the need to urinate during a massively delayed take-off. With no facilities provided - and no adult nappies, as used today during take-off and landing - he is eventually allowed to urinate in his suit, causing his sensors to go haywire.

And Prince Philip is among good company in wondering how astronauts attend to their bodily functions.

A spokesman for Nasa confirms it is a question much asked by children and journalists alike.

Gliese 581 c

The Planets

VideoJug: The Planets Explained

Benjamin Franklin Medal awarded for Sudbury Neutrino Observatory measurements

Benjamin Franklin Medal awarded for Sudbury Neutrino Observatory measurements - Albert Einstein, Alexander Graham Bell among past recipients

KINGSTON, ON, April 23 /CNW Telbec/ - Queen's University physicist Arthur McDonald and the team of scientific sleuths from the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) have won another prestigious international award for their groundbreaking discoveries about the nature of matter and the structure of the universe.

This week at a gala ceremony in Philadelphia, Dr. McDonald will receive the 2007 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Physics, with co-winner Yoji Totsuka from the University of Tokyo, for "the discovery that neutrinos change flavour and have mass." The Franklin Institute Awards Program honours scientists, innovators and entrepreneurs who have made extraordinary scientific achievements, benefited humanity, advanced science, launched new fields of inquiry and increased the understanding of the universe.



Past winners of these medals - which date back to 1824 - include Albert Einstein, Alexander Graham Bell, Marie and Pierre Curie, and Orville Wright. More than 100 Franklin Institute Laureates have gone on to receive Nobel Prizes.

"This is an outstanding international recognition for SNO Director Art McDonald and the whole SNO Project team," says Vice-Principal (Research) Kerry Rowe. "The Franklin Institute Awards are among the world's oldest and most prestigious comprehensive science awards, with laureates representing some of the most distinguished scientific achievements of the past 180 years."

Dr. McDonald and his SNO team solved the 30-year-old puzzle of the "missing solar neutrinos" in their underground laboratory two kilometres below the surface of CVRD-INCO's Creighton Mine in Sudbury, Ontario. Their discovery that neutrinos (sub-atomic particles considered the basic building blocks of the universe) change from one type to another on their journey to Earth from the Sun modifies the long-held Standard Model of particle physics, and was designated as one of the most important scientific breakthroughs in the world in 2001 by the journal Science.

In 2006 the SNO team members were the first recipients of the John C. Polanyi Award for outstanding scientific achievement. Dr. McDonald is the Gordon and Patricia Gray Chair in Particle Astrophysics at Queen's, an Officer of the Order of Canada, and past recipient of the Gerhard Herzberg Gold Medal from NSERC Canada, the Tom W. Bonner Prize in Nuclear Physics from the American Physical Society, and the Bruno Pontecorvo Prize from Russia.

The SNO team includes more than 150 scientists from Queen's, Carleton, Laurentian and Oxford Universities; the Universities of Guelph, British Columbia, Pennsylvania, Washington and Texas; TRIIUMF, Berkeley, Los Alamos and Brookhaven National Laboratories and LIP, Lisbon.

"I am honored to accept the Franklin Medal for the scientific results obtained by our SNO team", said Professor McDonald. "This has been a tremendous collaborative effort over many years. Our success has arisen from the combined talents and hard work of many colleagues and from the tremendous support that we have received from our many international partners."

Events surrounding the Franklin Institute Awards this week include seminars, lectures by the nine recipients, interactive demonstrations and educational programs for Philadelphia area students. The Franklin medals will be presented on Thursday April 26.

Many of the Canadian SNO scientists are involved in the development of the new SNOLAB international underground science laboratory, expanding the existing SNO research laboratory 2 km underground in INCO's Creighton mine near Sudbury, Ontario. This new laboratory will provide opportunities for very sensitive future measurements of Dark Matter particles thought to make up about 25 per cent of the Universe, as well as other frontier measurements of neutrino properties made possible by eliminating almost all sources of radioactive background.

For further information on the Franklin Awards:
http://www.fi.edu/tfi/exhibits/bower/07/laureates.html

For further information on SNO:
http://www.sno.phy.queensu.ca/

For further information: Nancy Dorrance, Queen's News & Media Services, (613) 533-2869; Lorinda Peterson, Queen's News & Media Services, (613)
533-3234

Prof. Reza Mansouri's talk at the University of Toronto

Prof. Reza Mansouri's talk at the University of Toronto (1)

Prof. Reza Mansouri's talk at the University of Toronto (2)

دکتر منصوری در گفتگو با مهر : کشور آمادگی هزینه کردن برای علم را ندارد

دکتر منصوری در گفتگو با مهر : کشور آمادگی هزینه کردن برای علم را ندارد / مراودات علمی در ساختار کشور تعریف نشده است

دکتر رضا منصوری با انتقاد از وضعیت بودجه پژوهشی کشور گفت : با روند فعلی، علیرغم تأکیدات مقام معظم رهبری و قولهای وزیر علوم مبنی بر گذشتن از مرز بحرانی پژوهش در کشور و تحقق یک درصد از تولید ناخالص ملی به تحقیقات، دستیابی به 2/1 درصد GDP طی 2 سال آینده بعید به نظر می رسد.

مراودات علمی در ساختار کشور تعریف نشده است دکتر رضا منصوری استاد دانشگاه صنعتی شریف در گفتگو با خبرنگار مهر در خصوص ارتباطات علمی در کشور گفت : علم در کشور ما تنها به چاپ مقالات، شرکت در کنفرانس و نگارش کتاب محدود شده ، این در حالی است که ارتباطات علمی و انجام پروژه های مشترک با سایر کشورها پیشرفت علمی در سطح بین المللی را افزایش می دهد. میانگین مراودات بین المللی در دانشگاههای دنیا بیش از تعداد اعضای هیات علمی هر دانشگاه است اما این موضوع در ساختار کشور ما تعریف نشده است. وی ادامه داد : در وزارت علوم علمی با ایجاد دفتر روابط بین الملل بحث مراودات بین المللی و حمایت از دانشگاهها برای این منظور آغاز شد. این دفتر با ساختاری جدید و علاقمند به فعالتر شدن در دولت نهم به فعالیت خود ادامه می دهد اما تا کنون کار اجرایی جدی دراین زمینه آغاز نشده است. معاون پژوهشی وزارت علوم دولت هشتم اضافه کرد : تنها کاری که در وزارت علوم به شدت دنبال شده و اکنون نیز افزایش داشته است، اعزام دانشجوی دکتری به بورسهای مطالعاتی کوتاه مدت است. منصوری با اشاره به وضعیت بودجه های پژوهشی کشور گفت : دکتر زاهدی در آغاز وزارت در دولت نهم قاطعانه در شهریور 84 اعلام کرد که یک درصد از تولید ناخالص ملی را برای پژوهش کشور محقق می کند . پس از آن مقام معظم رهبری در چند جلسه معترضانه و با گله مندی در خصوص بودجه های پژوهشی صحبت کردند. همه انتظار داشتند بودجه های پژوهشی پس از اعتراض رهبر معظم انقلاب و تعهد دولت تحقق یابد، اما چنین نشد. وی ادامه داد : اکنون به لحاظ اختصاص درصد تولید ناخالص ملی به پژوهش در دهه 70 به سر می بریم و حتی به لحاظ مطلق بودجه پژوهش نیز هیچ افزایشی مشاهده نمی شود. معاون پژوهشی وزارت علوم در دولت هشتم گفت : درصد رقم مصوب مجلس و تحقق آن نیز متفاوت است به طوری که سال گذشته 46 صدم درصد برای پژوهش مصوب شد، اما تحقق آن 3 دهم درصد بود. وی با بیان این که کشور و دولت ما هیچ ارزشی برای پژوهش قائل نیست، افزود : در نوشتن اولین برنامه 5 ساله کشور مقرر شد که بودجه پژوهش 6 دهم درصد از GDP باشد، اما تا کنون پس از 4 برنامه به این رقم نرسیدیم. منصوری تأکید کرد : باید در برنامه سهم پژوهش از تولید ناخالص ملی را همان یک درصد عنوان کرد و بر تصویب کمترین حد اصرار داشت تا همان رقم مصوب شود. باید از این یک درصد که مرز بحران برای بودجه پژوهش است عبور کرد تا بتوانیم به سمت توسعه حرکت کنیم. شورای عالی علوم، تحقیقات و فناوری عملا تعطیل است وی گفت : قطعا با این روند علیرغم تمام فشارها، تحقق سهم پژوهش از تولید ناخالص ملی به 2/1 درصد تا پایان دولت نهم نیز امکانپذیر نیست. عضو هیات علمی دانشگاه صنعتی شریف اضافه کرد : شورای عالی علوم، تحقیقات و فناوری نیز عملا تعطیل است و واقعیت این است که کشور آماده هزینه کردن برای علم نیست. وی ادامه داد : 150هزار دانشجو در سال 1357 به 3 میلیون دانشجو در حال حاضر رسیده است، تعداد دانشگاه ها نیز به 100 دانشگاه افزایش یافته اما از سوی دیگر تعداد دانشگاه هایی که تنها یک ساختمان ابتدایی هستند و با کمترین امکانات اقدام به پذیرش دانشجوی دکتری می کنند نیز رو به فزونی است. هرم اعضای هیات علمی به طرز وحشتناکی نزول کرده است رئیس انجمن علمی فیزیک ایران با اشاره به رشد اعضای هیات در دانشگاه های کشور افزود: اعضای هیات علمی نیز از نظر کمی افزایش داشته و اکنون به 30 هزار نفر رسیده اما هرم اعضای هیات علمی به طرز وحشتناکی نزول کرده است. وی با بیان این که قطعا کیفیت آموزش عالی کشور پس از انقلاب اسلامی بهتر شده است، گفت : اکنون ما شاهد وقایعی در نظام آموزش عالی هستیم که پیش از این مشاهده نمی شد. وجود شرکتهایی که تز تحصیلات تکمیلی عرضه می کنند و به دانشجویان می فروشند از جمله این وقایع به شمار می آید

New planet could be earthlike, scientists say

The most enticing property yet found outside our solar system is about 20 light-years away in the constellation Libra, a team of European astronomers said Tuesday.

The astronomers have discovered a planet five times as massive as the Earth orbiting a dim red star known as Gliese 581.

It is the smallest of the 200 or so planets that are known to exist outside of our solar system, the extrasolar or exo-planets. It orbits its home star within the so-called habitable zone where surface water, the staff of life, could exist if other conditions are right, said Dr. Stephane Udry of the Geneva Observatory.

"We are at the right place for that," said Udry, the lead author of a paper describing the discovery that has been submitted to the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.

But he and other astronomers cautioned that it was far too soon to conclude that liquid water was there without more observations. Sara Seager, a planet expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said, "For example, if the planet had an atmosphere more massive than Venus's, then the surface would likely be too hot for liquid water."

Nevertheless, the discovery in the Gliese 581 system, where a Neptune-size planet was discovered two years ago and another planet of eight Earth masses is now suspected, catapults that system to the top of the list for future generations of space missions.

"On the treasure map of the universe, one would be tempted to mark this planet with an X," said Xavier Delfosse, a member of the team from Grenoble University in France, according to a news release from the European Southern Observatory, a multinational collaboration based in Garching, Germany.

Dr. Dimitar Sasselov of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, who studies the structure and formation of planets, said: "It's 20 light-years. We can go there."

The new planet was discovered by the wobble it causes in its home star's motion as it orbits, using the method by which most of the known exo-planets have been discovered. Udry's team used an advanced spectrograph on a 141-inch-diameter telescope at the European observatory in La Silla, Chile.

The planet, Gliese 581c, circles the star every 13 days at a distance of about seven million miles. According to models of planet formation developed by Sasselov and his colleagues, such a planet should be about half again as large as the Earth and composed of rock and water, what the astronomers now call a "super Earth."

The most exciting part of the find, Sasselov said, is that it "basically tells you these kinds of planets are very common." Because they could stay geologically active for billions of years, he said he suspected that such planets could be even more congenial for life than Earth. Although the new planet is much closer to its star than Earth is to the Sun, the red dwarf Gliese 581 is only about a hundredth as luminous as the Sun. So seven million miles is a comfortable huddling distance.

How hot the planet gets, Udry said, depends on how much light the planet reflects, its albedo. Using the Earth and Venus as two extreme examples, he estimated that temperatures on the surface of the planet should be in the range of 0 degrees to 40 degrees centigrade.

"It's just right in the good range," Udry said. "Of course, we don't know anything about its albedo."

One problem is that the wobble technique only gives masses of planets. To measure their actual size and thus find their densities, astronomers have to catch the planets in the act of passing in front of or behind their stars. Such transits can also reveal if the planets have atmospheres and what they are made of.

Udry said he and Sasselov would be observing the Gliese system with a Canadian space telescope named MOST to see if there are any dips in starlight caused by the new planet. Failing that, they said, the best chance for more information about the system lies with the Terrestrial Planet Finder, a NASA mission, and the Darwin missions of the European Space Agency, which are designed to study Earthlike planets, but have been delayed by political, technical and financial difficulties.

"We are starting to count the first targets," Udry said.

Earth Day April 22 2007

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Einstein was right, probe shows

Einstein was right, probe shows

The mission's data is shedding light on Einstein's theory of relativity

Early results from a Nasa mission designed to test two key predictions of Albert Einstein show the great man was right about at least one of them.

It will take another eight months to determine whether he got the other correct say scientists analysing data from Nasa's Gravity Probe B satellite.

The spacecraft was launched into orbit from California, US, on 20 April 2004.

The mission's chief scientist presented details at a physics meeting in Jacksonville, Florida.

Gravity Probe B uses four ultra-precise gyroscopes to measure two effects of Einstein's general relativity theory.

A scientist starts with a bulldozer, follows with a shovel, and then finally uses dental picks and toothbrushes to clear the dust away from the treasure. We are passing out the toothbrushes now William Bencze, Stanford University

One of these effects is called the geodetic effect, the other is called frame dragging. A common analogy is that of placing a heavy bowling ball on to a rubber sheet.

The bowling ball will sit in a dip, distorting the rubber sheet around itself in much the way a massive object such as the Earth distorts space and time around itself.

Minute measurements

In the analogy, the geodetic effect is similar to the shape of the dip created when the ball is placed on to the rubber sheet.

Einstein is now being tested under highly controlled conditions

If the bowling ball is then rotated, it will start to drag the rubber sheet around with it. In a similar way, the Earth drags local space and time around with it - ever so slightly - as it rotates.

Over the course of a year, these effects would cause the angle of spin of the gyroscopes to shift by minute amounts.

The mission's principal investigator, Professor Francis Everitt, from Stanford University, discussed preliminary results at the American Physical Society meeting in Jacksonville at the weekend.

The data from Gravity Probe B's gyroscopes clearly confirm Einstein's geodetic effect to a precision of better than 1%.

The scientists from Stanford are still trying to extract its signature of frame-dragging from the data.

They plan to announce the final results of the experiment in December 2007, following eight more months of data analysis.

Larger puzzle

Professor Tim Sumner, a physicist at Imperial College London, told BBC News: "Having an announcement at this stage, on the way to the final result, is very encouraging. I'm very pleased to see that the result has now been released.

There is an expectation that at some level we will expose a departure from pure general relativity as envisaged by Einstein Professor Tim Sumner, Imperial College London

"Most individual measurements are part of a larger puzzle. But general relativity is one of the big branches of physics and it is poorly tested at the moment because of the relative weakness of gravity as a force."

"I would see this as a piece of solid verification to underpin general relativity, which occupies a special place in physics."

William Bencze, Gravity Probe B programme manager at Stanford University in California, said: "Understanding the details of this science data is a bit like an archaeological dig.

"A scientist starts with a bulldozer, follows with a shovel, and then finally uses dental picks and toothbrushes to clear the dust away from the treasure. We are passing out the toothbrushes now."

Unified theory

Tim Sumner said few physicists were expecting to see a deviation from Albert Einstein's predictions in this experiment.

But he said that other tests could start to reveal cracks in general relativity, suggesting where modifications might be made.

The gyroscopes were called the most perfect spheres ever made

Physicists have been unable to incorporate gravity into a unified theory to describe all that is known about the fundamental forces between elementary particles in nature.

Modifications to general relativity could be important steps towards a unified theory.

"There is an expectation that at some level we will expose a departure from pure general relativity as envisaged by Einstein," Professor Sumner said.

"One of the areas of general relativity that is less well founded is when you get into very intense gravitational field interactions. Some astrophysical objects will be in very high field situations such as pairs of massive black holes orbiting one another."

A joint mission between Nasa and the European Space Agency called Lisa (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) will study gravitational waves coming from binary systems such as these.

General relativity is not expected to break down in these situations. But Lisa should help scientists understand how the theory works in "high field" gravitational regimes such as pairs of massive black holes.

Other experiments are due to test the equivalence principle, one of the foundation stones of general relativity. This principle stems from the observation that when two objects are dropped, they will accelerate at the same rate.

"Here there is a theoretical framework where one might expect to see a departure from the equivalence principle," said Professor Sumner. "This might give us pointers as to the way forward."

The Imperial College physicist is involved in two mission concepts to test the equivalence principle. One is the Satellite Test of the Equivalence Principle (Step), which has been proposed by some of the same scientists involved in the Gravity Probe B mission. Another is the GrAnd Unification and Gravity Explorer (Gauge).

Gravity Probe B was launched from Vandenburg Air Force Base in California on 20 April 2004. It transmitted its data for exactly 50 weeks, from August 2004 to August 2005.

Genetic Flaw Linked to Early Heart Disease Association With Osteoporosis Also Found

Tracy Hampton, PhD

JAMA. 2007;297:1643-1644.

A rare mutation in an Iranian family led researchers to potentially important determinants of risks for developing heart disease and osteoporosis. A recent study found that many family members with a single genetic defect had high blood pressure, high low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, diabetes, and early onset coronary artery disease. Many of them also experienced unexplained hip fractures at young ages (Mani A et al. Science. 2007;315:1278-1282).

The cause of these effects was found within the gene that codes for LDL receptor-related protein 6 (LRP6). While this mutation is not found in most individuals in the population who develop heart disease or osteoporosis, it may provide clues to common abnormalities underlying altered glucose homeostasis, elevated blood pressure, dyslipidemia, and low bone density.

A rare mutation in the LRP6 gene on chromosome 12 causes high blood pressure, elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, diabetes, and early onset heart disease.

RARE MUTATION

From a screen of patients and families with coronary artery disease, a collaborative team of scientists in the United States and Iran found that among 58 blood relatives of one patient, 28 were diagnosed with early coronary artery disease, 23 of whom died of the condition by an average age of 52. In obtaining medical records and blood samples from 19 surviving members of the family (7 with early onset coronary artery disease, 5 who were unaffected, and 7 who were too young to assess) and performing a detailed genetic comparison of affected and disease-free individuals, the investigators found that a specific segment of chromosome 12 was the most likely genetic cause of the disease.

It was not until the researchers noted an increased incidence in hip fractures among affected family members that the gene, which lies within this segment of chromosome 12, was implicated. (In addition to the original patient identified, 2 other affected family members had early hip fractures, and 3 affected individuals had low bone density.) Members of the LRP family are known to be important in bone development. For example, inhibition of LRP5 and LRP6 causes osteopenia in mice (Li J et al. Bone. 2006;39:754-766), and in humans, mutations in the LRP5 gene cause the autosomal recessive disorder osteoporosis-pseudoglioma syndrome, a disease hallmarked by severe visual impairment and osteoporosis (Gong Y et al. Cell. 2001;107:513-523). Cardiovascular effects have also been noted—for example, loss of expression of LRP5 contributes to elevated cholesterol levels and impaired glucose tolerance in mice (Fujino T et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2003;100:229-234). The mutation found in this study is extremely rare, however; investigators did not find it in 400 unrelated coronary artery disease patients in the United States and Iran.

While a mutation in LRP6 plays a major role in both coronary artery disease and osteoporosis in this particular family, the study's authors doubt that either condition causes or affects the other. "Instead, it's likely that these are independent consequences of an alteration in the same underlying signaling pathway," said principal investigator Richard Lifton, MD, PhD, of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Yale University School of Medicine, in New Haven, Conn.

WNT SIGNALING

That underlying signaling pathway, called Wnt, is made up of a complex network of proteins that play a role in embryonic development, cancer, and other processes. "Wnt signaling is one of those pathways that is used for many different functions throughout the body," said Lifton, adding that it plays a role in cell-to-cell interactions, particularly during development.

Experiments initiated by Arya Mani, MD, of Lifton's laboratory, revealed that the LRP6 mutation within the Iranian family causes an amino acid substitution in the encoded protein that compromises its function within the Wnt signaling pathway. LRP6's precise role and how things go awry when it is mutated are not known, however. "It's a classic scientific paradox—we know a genotype and we know a phenotype, but there's a black box in between," said Lifton.

Because of these latest findings, the Wnt signaling pathway will likely become a research target for understanding coronary artery disease and osteoporosis in some individuals. Lifton plans to study whether other mutations in the pathway might contribute to the metabolic syndrome and coronary artery disease. While many other variables influence the manifestation of these conditions, and alterations in the Wnt signaling pathway may come into play in only a minority of cases, the work might have therapeutic implications for some. "Down the road, one can think about whether one might be able to intervene in therapeutically useful ways in the Wnt signaling pathway," said Lifton. Specifically, scientists may be able to disrupt or increase the activity of various components of the pathway.

Lifton also plans to explore the curious link between coronary artery disease and osteoporosis, as others have suggested that the 2 conditions occur together more often than expected by chance (Marcovitz PA et al. Am J Cardiol. 2005;96:1059-1063). "This has not been widely studied at this point but it is a tantalizing observation that dovetails into the current study," said Lifton.

Signs of water seen on planet outside solar system ( HD 209458b)

By Will Dunham

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Evidence of water has been detected for the first time in a planet outside our solar system, an astronomer said on Tuesday, a tantalizing find for scientists eager to know whether life exists beyond Earth.

Travis Barman, an astronomer at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, said water vapor has been found in the atmosphere of a large, Jupiter-like gaseous planet located 150 light years from Earth in the constellation Pegasus. The planet is known as HD 209458b.

Other scientists reported in February that they were unable to find evidence of water in this planet's atmosphere, as well as another Jupiter-like planet.

"I'm very confident," Barman said in an interview. "It's definitely good news because water has been predicted to be present in the atmosphere of this planet and many of the other ones for some time."

Lowell Observatory, a privately owned astronomical research institution, announced the finding, which has been accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal. The research was backed by
NASA, it said.

The detection of the presence of water vapor was possible because this planet, from the vantage point of Earth, orbits directly in front of its star every 3-1/2 days, allowing crucial measurements to be made. It is what is known as a transiting planet.

Scientists searching for signs of life beyond Earth are keen to learn about the presence of water on other planets -- both in and beyond our solar system -- because water is thought to be fundamental to the existence of life.

Barman noted that a Jupiter-like gaseous planet such as this one, as opposed to a rocky one like Earth, is highly unlikely to harbor life, and said the finding about water vapor in its atmosphere does not answer one way or another questions about the existence of extraterrestrial life.

'PART OF PUZZLE'

The findings, he said, "are not adequate to really address a question as deep and profound as the existence of life elsewhere. We're not there yet."

"Certainly this is part of that puzzle -- understanding the distribution of water in other solar systems is important for understanding whether or not conditions for life are possible. The presence of water does not exclude the possibility of life, but it doesn't mean it's there, either," Barman added.

He said his findings do provide good reason to believe other planets beyond our solar system also have water vapor in their atmospheres.

The conclusions stemmed from an analysis of
Hubble Space Telescope measurements by Harvard University's Heather Knutson and new theoretical models developed by Barman, Lowell Observatory said.

Water is plentiful on Earth and has been found elsewhere in our solar system, for example in large deposits of ice at the north and south poles of Mars.

Planet HD 209458b also was the first planet outside the solar system found with an atmosphere and the first detected transiting planet. There are more than 200 known planets outside our solar system.

Are mobile phones wiping out our bees?

Scientists claim radiation from handsets are to blame for mysterious 'colony collapse' of bees

By Geoffrey Lean and Harriet Shawcross

Published: 15 April 2007

It seems like the plot of a particularly far-fetched horror film. But some scientists suggest that our love of the mobile phone could cause massive food shortages, as the world's harvests fail.

They are putting forward the theory that radiation given off by mobile phones and other hi-tech gadgets is a possible answer to one of the more bizarre mysteries ever to happen in the natural world - the abrupt disappearance of the bees that pollinate crops. Late last week, some bee-keepers claimed that the phenomenon - which started in the US, then spread to continental Europe - was beginning to hit Britain as well.

The theory is that radiation from mobile phones interferes with bees' navigation systems, preventing the famously homeloving species from finding their way back to their hives. Improbable as it may seem, there is now evidence to back this up.

Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) occurs when a hive's inhabitants suddenly disappear, leaving only queens, eggs and a few immature workers, like so many apian Mary Celestes. The vanished bees are never found, but thought to die singly far from home. The parasites, wildlife and other bees that normally raid the honey and pollen left behind when a colony dies, refuse to go anywhere near the abandoned hives.

The alarm was first sounded last autumn, but has now hit half of all American states. The West Coast is thought to have lost 60 per cent of its commercial bee population, with 70 per cent missing on the East Coast.

CCD has since spread to Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece. And last week John Chapple, one of London's biggest bee-keepers, announced that 23 of his 40 hives have been abruptly abandoned.

Other apiarists have recorded losses in Scotland, Wales and north-west England, but the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs insisted: "There is absolutely no evidence of CCD in the UK."

The implications of the spread are alarming. Most of the world's crops depend on pollination by bees.

Albert Einstein once said that if the bees disappeared, "man would have only four years of life left".

No one knows why it is happening. Theories involving mites, pesticides, global warming and GM crops have been proposed, but all have drawbacks.

German research has long shown that bees' behaviour changes near power lines.

Now a limited study at Landau University has found that bees refuse to return to their hives when mobile phones are placed nearby. Dr Jochen Kuhn, who carried it out, said this could provide a "hint" to a possible cause.

Dr George Carlo, who headed a massive study by the US government and mobile phone industry of hazards from mobiles in the Nineties, said: "I am convinced the possibility is real."

The case against handsets

Evidence of dangers to people from mobile phones is increasing. But proof is still lacking, largely because many of the biggest perils, such as cancer, take decades to show up.

Most research on cancer has so far proved inconclusive. But an official Finnish study found that people who used the phones for more than 10 years were 40 per cent more likely to get a brain tumour on the same side as they held the handset.

Equally alarming, blue-chip Swedish research revealed that radiation from mobile phones killed off brain cells, suggesting that today's teenagers could go senile in the prime of their lives.

Studies in India and the US have raised the possibility that men who use mobile phones heavily have reduced sperm counts. And, more prosaically, doctors have identified the condition of "text thumb", a form of RSI from constant texting.

Professor Sir William Stewart, who has headed two official inquiries, warned that children under eight should not use mobiles and made a series of safety recommendations, largely ignored by minister

new obese gene discovered

People with two copies of a particular gene have a 70% bigger risk of being obese than those who do not carry the gene, scientists have revealed.

This means that there could be a genetic link to obesity according to the research carried out by the Peninsula Medical School and Oxford University and published in Science.

The study of 40,000 people showed that carriers of the two copies could weigh, on average, three kilos more.

But this doesn't mean that we don't need to look after ourselves. A good lifestyle is still the best way to control weight, but some will have a genetic reason for finding it more difficult to shift the pounds.

The gene, FTO was identified in research into type two diabetes which is associated with obesity.

They found that people with type two diabetes were more likely to have a particular variant of the FTO gene, which is also linked to increased body weight.

The variant making people fatter differed from the other version of the FTO gene by a single mutation in the DNA sequence.

People carrying one FTO variant had a 30% increased risk of being obese compared to someone who does not have that version.

But those carrying two copies of the variant had a 70% increased risk of being obese, and were on average 3kg heavier than a similar person with no copies.

Professor Andrew Hattersley of the Peninsula Medical School said this could explain why two people can seem to eat the same things and do the same amount of exercise yet one may struggle to lose weight more than the other.

The authors say their work, funded by the Wellcome Trust, could improve understanding of obesity and eventually help prevent it, as well as an illness it is linked to