Environmental

Technologies

Imagine curling up on the couch with the

morning paper and then using the same

sheet of paper to read the latest novel by

your favorite author. In the United States

alone, more than 55 million newspapers are

sold each weekday.

6. Bury the Bad Stuff

Carbon dioxide is the most prominent

greenhouse gas contributing to global

warming. According to the Energy

Information Administration, by the year 2030

we will be emitting close to 8,000 million

metric tons of CO2. Some experts say it's

impossible to curb the emission of CO2 into

the atmosphere and that we just have to find

ways to dispose of the gas. One suggested

method is to inject the gas into the ground

before it reaches the atmosphere. After the

CO2 is separated from abandoned oil wells,

saline reservoirs and rocks. While this may

sound great, scientists are not sure whether

the injected gas will stay underground and

what the long-term effects are, and the costs

of separation and burying are still far too

high to consider this technology as a

practical short-term solution.

5. Let Plants and Microbes Clean Up After Us

Bioremediation is a method of cleaning up

contamination using microbes and plants.

Examples include the cleanup of nitrates in

contaminated water with the help of

microbes, and using plants to take up

arsenic from contaminated soil, in a process

known as phytoremediation. The U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency has used

phytoremediation to clean up several sites.

Often, native plant species can be used for

site cleanup, which are helpful because in

most cases they don't require pesticides or

watering. In other cases, scientists are trying

to genetically modify the plants to take up

contaminants in their roots and transport

them all the way to the leaves for easy

harvesting.

4. Plant Your Roof

It's a wonder that this concept - attributed to

the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the

Seven Wonders of the Ancient World - didn't

catch on sooner in the modern world.

Legend has it that the roofs, balconies and

terraces of the royal palace of Babylon were

turned into gardens by the king's order to

cheer up one of his wives. Roof gardens help

absorb heat, reduce the carbon dioxide

impact by taking up CO2 and gving off

oxygen, absorb storm water, and reduce

summer air conditioning usage. Ultimately,

the technique could lessen the "heat island"

effect that occurs in urban centers.

Butterflies and songbirds could also start

frequenting urban garden roofs to cheer up

the inhabitants of the building, like the king's

wife.

3. Harness Waves and Tides

The oceans cover more than 70 percent of

the Earth's surface. Waves contain an

abundance of energy that could be directed

to turbines, which can then turn this

mechanical power into electrical energy. The

obstacle to using this energy source has

been the difficulty in harnessing it.

Sometimes the waves are too small to

generate sufficient power. The trick is to

store the energy when enough mechanical

power is generated. New York City's East

River is now in the process of becoming a

test bed for tide-powered turbines.

1. Capture Ocean Heat Energy

Our oceans are the biggest solar energy

collectors on Earth. According to the U.S.

Department of Energy, the seas absorb

enough heat from the sun to equal the

thermal energy contained in 250 billion

barrels of oil each day. The United States

consumes about 7.5 billion barrels a year.

Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC)

technologies convert the thermal energy

contained in the oceans into electricity by

using the temperature difference between

the water's surface, which is heated by the

sun, and the cold ocean bottom. This

difference in temperature can operate

turbines that can drive generators. The major

shortcoming of this technology is that it's

still not efficient enough to be used as a

major mechanism for generating power.

2. Turn Photons into Electricity

The sun's energy, which hits Earth in the

form of photons, can be converted into

electricity or heat. Solar collectors come in

many different forms and are already used

successfully by energy companies and

individual homeowners. The two widely

known types of solar collectors are solar

cells and solar thermal collectors. But

researchers are pushing the limits to convert

this energy more efficiently by concentrating

solar power using mirrors and parabolic

dishes. Part of the challenge for employing

solar power involves motivation and

incentives from governments. A number of

states have programs that provide incentives

toward solar development. However, the cost

of installation and the fear of unsightly

panels discourage many homeowners from

adopting the technology.

Source:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/200

91207/sc_livescience/top10emerginonme

ntaltechnologies

05 March 2007

Nanotechnology Could Improve Health, Water in Developing Nations Brazil, China, India, South Africa working

on research initiatives

By Cheryl Pellerin

USINFO Staff Writer

Washington – Nanotechnology, science on the scale of atoms and molecules, could give developing nations new ways to diagnose and treat disease and make clean water more available, if governments, nongovernmental organizations, industry and others would work to apply the powerful technology to these challenges, scientists say.

Nanotechnology is the ability to see, measure, manipulate and manufacture things on a scale of 1 to 100 nanometers. A nanometer is 1 billionth of a meter; a sheet of paper is about 100,000 nanometers thick.

"Nanotechnology has the potential to generate enormous health benefits for the more than 5 billion people living in the developing world,” said Peter Singer, senior scientist at the McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health and professor of medicine at the University of Toronto, at a February 27 meeting, Using Nanotechnology to Improve Health Care in Developing Countries.

The event was organized by two Woodrow Wilson International Center efforts – the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies and the Global Health Initiative.

Nanotechnologies are being developed in nearly every industry, including electronics, magnetics and optoelectronics, energy, information technology, materials development,

transportation, pharmaceuticals and medicine. (See related article.)

The emerging field involves scientists from many disciplines, including physicists, chemists, engineers, materials scientists and biologists. More than 400 consumer products worldwide are derived from the use of nanotechnology in some way.

NANOTECHNOLOGY AND DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

In 2005, Singer’s group in Toronto published a study identifying and ranking the 10 nanotechnologies most likely to benefit the developing world in the near future.

At the top of the list were nanotechnology applications related to energy storage, production and conversion; enhancement of agricultural productivity; water treatment and remediation; and the diagnosis and treatment of disease.

The group also showed that a surprising amount of nanotechnology research and development activity is ongoing in several developing countries, and that these nations are directing their nanotechnology innovation systems to address their more pressing needs.

"Countries like Brazil, India, China and South Africa have significant nanotechnology research initiatives that could be directed toward the particular needs of the poor,” said Andrew Maynard, chief science adviser for the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies.

In a 2005 paper describing his team’s study, Nanotechnology and the Developing World, Singer said India's Department of Science and Technology would invest $20 million in 2004–2009 for a Nanomaterials Science and Technology Initiative.

The number of nanotechnology patent applications from China ranks third, behind the United States and Japan. In Brazil, the projected budget for nanoscience during 2004-2007 was about $25 million.

The South African Nanotechnology Initiative is a national network of academic researchers involved in nanotechnology, and other developing countries, such as Thailand, the Philippines, Chile, Argentina and Mexico, are pursuing nanotechnology, according to Singer’s paper

NANOTECHNOLOGY AND DISEASE

In the United States, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Cancer Institute (NCI) has formed the Nanotechnology Alliance for Cancer to move more quickly molecular-based science from the laboratory into the clinic.

"Nanotechnologies could revolutionize health care in developing countries,” said Alliance Director Piotr Grodzinski, “and make that claim millions of lives around the world each year."

Nanomaterials and nanomedical devices, he added, “will play increasingly critical and beneficial roles in improving the way we diagnose, treat, and ultimately prevent cancer and other diseases.”

It might one day be possible, for example, for citizens in Bangladesh to place contaminated water in inexpensive transparent bottles that will disinfect the water when placed in direct sunlight, or for doctors in Mexico to give patients vaccines that can be inhaled and that do not need to be refrigerated.

The challenges, Grodzinski said, include the complexity of bringing such treatments into the clinic and the cost of care. As a result, the distribution of nanotechnology treatments might be more gradual in some developing countries.

ADDRESSING GLOBAL CHALLENGES

To help the international community support the application of nanotechnology to critical sustainable development challenges in developing countries, including health care, Singer and his group proposed an initiative called “Addressing Global Challenges Using Nanotechnology.”

Modeled after the Foundation for the NIH/Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's Grand Challenges in Global Health, the initiative would be funded by national and international foundations, and from collaboration among nanotechnology initiatives in industrialized and developing countries.

Responsible development of nanotechnology must include benefits for people in both rich and poor nations and at relatively low cost,” Maynard said. “This also requires that careful attention be paid to possible risks nanotechnology poses for human health and the environment." (See related article.)

The full text of Singer's 2005 study, Nanotechnology and the Developing World, is available online.

Information about the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies and the Global Health Initiative is available at the Woodrow Wilson International Center Web site.

More information about the NIH/NCI Nanotechnology Alliance for Cancer is available at the NIH Web site.

(USINFO is produced by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

Read more:

http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-

english/2007/March/20070305134101lcnirellep0.9842035

.html#ixzz0Ye8tUlH6

You're more than

the sum of your

genes

Bio Crossword

P V O Y O E E M T N H R

S T S I C I T E N E G H

F H E L A R I V I E M T

M D L M Y L O Z D A T N

B V N O I T U L O V E E

Y A V K S K R N F H U M

Q C O S L F K Q S X W T

N C L F L X S E N E G A

T I D M E E M O N E G E

Z N E A C L S U R I V R

K E E U P A A F Y P B T

Z S Q R S T N A T U M B

00:30 September 3, 2009 PDTBy Darren Quick

The disc and roller system used in Torotrak's

CVT and IVTs

/

Source: http://www.gizmag.com/torotrak-new-gen-transmissions/12692/

Ingenious! - aircraft

system design -

Brief Article

Approach, July, 2001 by Joel Zupfer

At the risk of damaging my ego, let me tell

you about a situation I feel very lucky to be

able to write about. I was a senior lieutenant

and functional-check pilot, doing a routine

track and balance on an SH-60B. My copilot

was an O-4 select and a newly designated

HAC, who had transitioned to aviation from

surface line and recently had completed his

first deployment.

Our crewman had a few hundred helo hours

and was new to FCFs. All the ground checks

went smoothly, and before long we were

taxiing to the parallel for hover checks.

During taxi, I noticed the helo randomly

hopping and the flight controls doing. I

asked the crew if they felt the hop. They say

they didn't until I pointed out the next time it

happened.

The movement was very small, and we

thought it might have been caused by the

automatic flight-control system (AFCS).

However, securing both the SAS 1 and SAS 2

didn't solve the problem, and we continued

taxiing to the helo pad for hover work.

Thinking it may have something to do with

yaw control, we discussed what we would

do if we lost thrust in a hover.

After the takeoff checks, I smoothly added

power, lifting the helo into a stable, 10-foot

hover. The controllability checked normal, so

we continued with the remaining hover

checks. After completing the hover portion

of our vibration mn on the VATS box, we

departed the pattern to collect the

remaining data for the track and balance.

The aircraft flew normally, with no noticeable

deviations from the trimmed attitude. While

taxiing back to our line, I noticed the same

hopping and again tried to isolate the

cause. The wind was gusty that day, but I

had never experienced anything like this.

Not feeling good about the condition of the

aircraft, we taxied back to the line, shut

down, and asked for an airframes

troubleshooter. After explaining the problem

to him, he opened the hydraulics bay and

asked me to move the flight controls while

he inspected the boost servos. After a

minute, he climbed down, told us he'd found

the problem, and asked us to shut down the

APU. break was so clean that when the two

pieces matched up, you could not detect

the break (hence the reason for missing it on

preflight). The break could only be detected

when the flight controls moved. Whenever

the cylinder rod moved forward, the pieces

would separate. When it moved aft, it would

bump the loose end, causing a small impulse

into the collective channel (which explained

the hopping during taxi).

If the collective channel was in two pieces,

how could we control the aircraft at all

during flight? On the H-60, a C-shaped

bracket runs parallel to the collective-boost

servo, connecting the input and output of

the servo in the event of such a failure.

Another function of the bracket is to allow

the aircraft to be flown without the using the

boost or pilot-assist servos. After talking with

the maintenance control chief, I found out

that he knew of similar instances. Knowing I

wasn't the only one to have this happen

made me feel a little better, but I still felt less

than smart for taking the aircraft flying in the

first place.

As an engineer, I certainly appreciate the

ingenuity of the system design. As a pilot, I

am just plain thankful.

LCdr. Zupfer flies with VC-8

COPYRIGHT 2001 U.S. Naval Safety Center

COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group

Source: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FKE/is_7_46/ai_78333956/