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lunedì 12 ottobre 2020

# chem: choose a molecule from an online 'Spotify' for chemistry and synthesize it with a desktop-sized bot

AA << have found a way to create new sets of instructions for robot chemists by harnessing the power of natural language processing. They developed a computer program called SynthReader to scan through scientific papers and recognize sections which outline procedures for organic and inorganic chemical synthesis. Synthreader automatically breaks those procedures down to simple instructions and stores them in a format the team call Chemical Description Language, or XDL, which is a new open source language for describing chemical and material synthesis. Those XDL files are chemical instructions which can in principle be read any chemical robot in. The team built an easy-to-use interface called ChemIDE to integrate with any robotic chemist system and allow the XDL instructions to be turned into chemicals. The only human input required is ensuring that the equipment the robot needs to make the molecules is set up correctly. >>

'Digital chemistry' breakthrough turns words into molecules. University of Glasgow. Oct 2, 2020. 


S. Hessam M. Mehr, Matthew Craven, et al. A universal system for digitization and automatic execution of the chemical synthesis literature. Science. Vol. 370, Issue 6512, pp. 101-108. doi: 10.1126/ science.abc2986. Oct 2, 2020.





giovedì 8 ottobre 2020

# gst: observing the crystallization process in a droplet

<< Crystallization is the assembly of atoms or molecules into highly ordered solid crystals, which occurs in natural, biological, and artificial systems. However, crystallization in confined spaces, such as the formation of the protein shell of a virus, is poorly understood. Researchers are trying to control the structure of the final crystal formed in a confined space to obtain crystals with desired properties, which requires thorough knowledge of the crystallization process. >>

AA << used a droplet of a colloid—a dispersion of liquid particles in another liquid, like milk—as a model for single atoms or molecules in a sphere. Unlike single atoms or molecules, which are too small to easily observe, the colloid particles were large enough to visualize using a microscope. This allowed the researchers to track the ordering of single particles in real time during crystallization. >>

<< We visualized the organization process of colloid particles in numerous droplets under different conditions to provide a picture of the crystallization process in a sphere, >> Peng Tan

<< Based on their observations, the team proposed that the crystallization process involved three stages: initial ordering on the surface "skin" of the droplet, nucleation and growth in the core of the droplet, and then slow ripening of the whole structure. First, a skin consisting of a single layer of ordered colloid particles rapidly formed on the droplet surface. Next, crystallization occurred in the core of the droplet, far from the crystallized skin. The competition between crystallization in these two regions controlled the structure of the final crystal. The researchers found that the "soft" (long-range) interactions between the negatively charged colloid particles affected their organization and the resulting crystal structure. These soft interactions are dominated by kinetics, that is, the interactions that form the fastest, rather than those that use the least energy to give the thermodynamically stable structure, illustrating that kinetics plays an important role in crystallization in a confined space. It was already known that thermodynamics contributes strongly to the final structure of crystals. >>

Having a ball: Crystallization in a sphere. University of Tokyo. Sep 21, 2020.


Chen Y., Yao Z., et al. Morphology selection kinetics of crystallization in a sphere. Nat. Phys. doi: 10.1038/ s41567-020-0991-9. Sep 21, 2020.


Also

Control of material crystallization by agitation. Osaka University. Jun 08, 2017.


keyword 'drop' or 'droplet' in FonT





mercoledì 7 ottobre 2020

# astro: the turbulent history of Ryugu

<< The asteroid Ryugu may look like a solid piece of rock, but it's more accurate to liken it to an orbiting pile of rubble. >>

<< Ryugu is considered a C-type, or carbonaceous, asteroid, meaning it's primarily composed of rock that contains a lot of carbon and water (..) As expected, most of the surface boulders are also C-type; however, there are a large number of S-type, or siliceous, rocks as well. These are silicate-rich, lack water-rich minerals and are more often found in the inner, rather than outer, solar system. Given the presence of S- as well as C-type rocks on Ryugu, researchers are led to believe the little rubble-pile asteroid likely formed from the collision between a small S-type asteroid and Ryugu's larger C-type parent asteroid.  If the nature of this collision had been the other way around, the ratio of C- to S-type material in Ryugu would also be reversed. >>

Rock types on Ryugu provide clues to the asteroid's turbulent history. University of Tokyo. Sep 21, 2020. 


Tatsumi E., Sugimoto C., et al. Collisional history of Ryugu’s parent body from bright surface boulders. Nat Astron. doi: 10.1038/ s41550-020-1179-z. Sep 21, 2020.


Also

How small particles could reshape an asteroid. FonT. Sep 26, 2020.





martedì 6 ottobre 2020

# zoo: Tatupa, a random genus name for fixing a rare species of tropical Heteroptera with long antennas

AA << has discovered a new genus and species of bug from the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. It was named Tatupa grafei and classified as belonging to plant bugs (Miridae). >>

Miridae << are extremely rare in different collections. The fact is that in nature they live in the forest floor and have a cryptic lifestyle. >>

<< Most aspects of the behavior of the Tatupa grafei bugs are unknown due to the extremely small number of its representatives. These insects are often found on fungi growing on rotten wood. Because of this, it has been suggested that these bugs feed on fungi, but whether this is true remains to be explored. It is also possible that Tatupa grafei eats smaller insects, which feed on fungi. The third version is that the bug menu can be mixed and consist of both fungi and insects. >>

<< The genus name Tatupa is a random combination of letters. The scientists could not come up with a suitable name for it for a long time. It was important that no animal has the same name. Additionally, the scientists needed to find out if the word Tatupa exists in any languages and what it means. It turned out that there was only one hit on the Internet—in an episode of a Polish television game where its participants are busy coining new words. The species is named after the Brunei professor Ulmar Grafe, who had provided significant support to the scientists. >>

Entomologists discover a rare species of tropical Heteroptera with long antennae. St. Petersburg State University. Sep 22, 2020. 


Veronica D. Tyts, Anna A. Namyatova, et al. Tatupa grafei, a new genus and species of Cylapinae (Heteroptera, Miridae) from Brunei Darussalam.  ZooKeys 946: 37-52. doi: 10.3897/ zookeys.946.51780. Jul 6, 2020. 





lunedì 28 settembre 2020

# life: oops! aprops of tsunami wave hazards, exposure to other 'Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant' accidents appear to exist ...

<< A major tsunami in the northern Arabian Sea could severely impact the coastlines of India and Pakistan, which are studded with sensitive installations including several nuclear plants, >>

<< Atomic power stations functioning along the Arabian Sea include Tarapur (1,400 megawatts) in India's Maharashtra state, Kaiga (being expanded to 2,200 megawatts) in Karnataka state and Karachi in Pakistan (also being expanded to 2,200 megawatts). A mega nuclear power plant coming up at Jaitapur, Maharashtra will generate 9,900 megawatts, while another project at Mithi Virdi in Gujarat may be shelved because of public opposition. >>

<< Nuclear power plants are located along coasts because their enormous cooling needs can be taken care of easily and cheaply by making using abundant seawater. >>

Nuclear plants in Arabian Sea face tsunami risk. SciDev.Net. Sep 21, 2020.


Rajendran, C.P., Heidarzadeh, et al. The Orphan Tsunami of 1524 on the Konkan Coast, Western India, and Its Implications. Pure Appl. Geophys. doi: 10.1007/ s00024-020-02575-0. Sep 7, 2020. 


<< The earthquake had also generated a 14 m high tsunami that arrived shortly afterwards and swept over the plant's seawall and then flooded the lower parts of reactors 1–4. This caused the failure of the emergency generators and loss of power to the circulating pumps.(..) The resultant loss of reactor core cooling led to three nuclear meltdowns, three hydrogen explosions, and the release of radioactive contamination in Units 1, 2 and 3 between 12 and 15 March. >>

Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.  Last edited Sep 25, 2020 by Dougsim.


Also

2157 - il pino di takata matsubara. Notes. Apr 01, 2011. (quasi-stochastic poetry)


Also

keyword 'onda' in Notes (quasi-stochastic poetry)


Also

keyword 'wave' in Font




sabato 26 settembre 2020

# gst: how small particles could reshape an asteroid

<< In January 2019, NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft was orbiting asteroid Bennu when the spacecraft's cameras caught something unexpected: Thousands of tiny bits of material, some just the size of marbles, began to bounce off the surface of the asteroid—like a game of ping-pong in space. Since then, many such particle ejection events have been observed at Bennu's surface. >>

AA have been studying << asteroids for a long time, and no one had ever seen this phenomenon before—these little particles getting shot off of the surface  (..) such seemingly small occurrences may add up over time—perhaps even helping to give the asteroid its telltale shape, which is often compared to a spinning top. >>

<< basic orbital calculations suggest that all of these particles should do one of two things: Jump off the surface and fall right back down or escape from Bennu's gravity and never come back. >>

<< When particles eventually land on Bennu's surface, many appear to disproportionately fall near its equator where the asteroid has a distinct bulge. As a result, these events could be reshaping the asteroid over thousands or millions of years by moving mass from its north and south to its middle. >>

Daniel Strain. How small particles could reshape Bennu and other asteroids. University of Colorado at Boulder. Sep 9, 2020.


McMahon Jay W, Scheeres Daniel J, et al. Dynamical Evolution of Simulated Particles Ejected From Asteroid Bennu. J Geophys Res: Planets. 125 (8). doi: 10.1029/ 2019JE006229. May 18, 2020.


Scheeres Daniel J, McMahon Jay W, et al. Particle Ejection Contributions to the Rotational Acceleration and Orbit Evolution of Asteroid (101955) Bennu. 
J Geophys Res: Planets. 125 (3). doi: 10.1029/ 2019JE006284. March 11, 2020. 




venerdì 25 settembre 2020

# biophys: to sense 'fever' in tiny bio-entities (worms C. elegans)

<< a reliable, precise, microscope-based thermometer using quantum technology (..) measures the temperature for microscopic animals. The technology detects temperature-dependent properties of quantum spins in fluorescent nanodiamonds. >>

<< Quantum sensing is a technology that exploits the ultimate sensitivity of fragile quantum systems to the surrounding environment. High-contrast MRIs (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) are examples of quantum spins in fluorescent diamonds and are some of the most advanced quantum systems working at the forefront of real-world applications. Applications of this technique to thermal biology were introduced seven years ago to quantify temperatures inside cultured cells. However, they had yet to be applied to dynamic biological systems where heat and temperature are more actively involved in biological processes. >>

Get diamonds, take temperature: Quantum thermometer using nanodiamonds senses a 'fever' in tiny worms C. elegans. Osaka City University. Sep 11, 2020. 


The technique << demonstrates the submicrometer localization of temperature information in living animals and direct identification of their pharmacological thermogenesis, which may allow for quantification of their biological activities based on temperature. >>

Masazumi Fujiwara, Simo Sun, et al. Real-time nanodiamond thermometry probing in vivo thermogenic responses. Science Advances. Vol. 6, no. 37, eaba9636. doi: 10.1126/ sciadv.aba9636. Sep 11, 2020.