The article says that the batteries could be significant to energy storage for transportation; wind, solar, and other forms of alternative energy; smart-grid electricity management; viable electric vehicles; and others. The article says that there is currently a lack of oversight on other potential risks and that only a few studies exist on the potential environmental implications of recycling and disposing these new batteries.
The article can be viewed here.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
A World of Science in the Developing World
A World of Science in the Developing World
The public and policy-makers are increasingly looking to the scientific community to address critical global problems. Finding solutions will require the collective insights and experience of scientists, policy-makers, industry and non-governmental groups. A World of Science in the Developing World reflects the expertise of members and associates of TWAS, the academy of sciences for the developing world, and coincides with its twenty-fifth anniversary.
Nature has published as supplement collection of articles by eminent developing world scientists. Most of them are free access...
READ MORE...
Source: Nature
The public and policy-makers are increasingly looking to the scientific community to address critical global problems. Finding solutions will require the collective insights and experience of scientists, policy-makers, industry and non-governmental groups. A World of Science in the Developing World reflects the expertise of members and associates of TWAS, the academy of sciences for the developing world, and coincides with its twenty-fifth anniversary.
Nature has published as supplement collection of articles by eminent developing world scientists. Most of them are free access...
READ MORE...
Source: Nature
Patenting of publicly funded research
Is Bayh-Dole Good for Developing Countries? Lessons from the US Experience
Recently, countries from China and Brazil to Malaysia and South Africa have passed laws promoting the patenting of publicly funded research, and a similar proposal is under legislative consideration in India. These initiatives are modeled in part on the United States Bayh-Dole Act of 1980. Bayh-Dole (BD) encouraged American universities to acquire patents on inventions resulting from government-funded research and to issue exclusive licenses to private firms, on the assumption that exclusive licensing creates incentives to commercialize these inventions. A broader hope of BD, and the initiatives emulating it, was that patenting and licensing of public sector research would spur science-based economic growth as well as national competitiveness. And while it was not an explicit goal of BD, some of the emulation initiatives also aim to generate revenues for public sector research institutions.
We believe government-supported research should be managed in the public interest. We also believe that some of the claims favoring BD-type initiatives overstate the Act's contributions to growth in US innovation. Important concerns and safeguards —learned from nearly 30 years of experience in the US— have been largely overlooked. Furthermore, both patent law and science have changed considerably since BD was adopted in 1980. Other countries seeking to emulate that legislation need to consider this new context....
Anthony D. So and six co-authors, Is Bayh-Dole Good for Developing Countries? Lessons from the US Experience, PLoS Biology, October 28, 2008.
Source: PLoS Biology
Recently, countries from China and Brazil to Malaysia and South Africa have passed laws promoting the patenting of publicly funded research, and a similar proposal is under legislative consideration in India. These initiatives are modeled in part on the United States Bayh-Dole Act of 1980. Bayh-Dole (BD) encouraged American universities to acquire patents on inventions resulting from government-funded research and to issue exclusive licenses to private firms, on the assumption that exclusive licensing creates incentives to commercialize these inventions. A broader hope of BD, and the initiatives emulating it, was that patenting and licensing of public sector research would spur science-based economic growth as well as national competitiveness. And while it was not an explicit goal of BD, some of the emulation initiatives also aim to generate revenues for public sector research institutions.
We believe government-supported research should be managed in the public interest. We also believe that some of the claims favoring BD-type initiatives overstate the Act's contributions to growth in US innovation. Important concerns and safeguards —learned from nearly 30 years of experience in the US— have been largely overlooked. Furthermore, both patent law and science have changed considerably since BD was adopted in 1980. Other countries seeking to emulate that legislation need to consider this new context....
Anthony D. So and six co-authors, Is Bayh-Dole Good for Developing Countries? Lessons from the US Experience, PLoS Biology, October 28, 2008.
Source: PLoS Biology
Materials for electrochemical capacitors
The recent issue of Nature Materials carries a review article on electrochemical capacitors. It will be very much useful for reserachers in this field.
Abstract of the review can be viewed here.
Abstract of the review can be viewed here.
The Future of Food: How Science Will Solve the Next Global Crises.
The Future of Food: How Science Will Solve the Next Global Crises.
Forty years ago, advances in fertilizers and pesticides boosted crop yield and fed a growing planet. Today, demand for food fueled by rises in worldwide consumption of meat and protein is again outpacing farmers ability to keep up. It's time for the next Green Revolution.
READ MORE...
Source: Wired Magazine
Forty years ago, advances in fertilizers and pesticides boosted crop yield and fed a growing planet. Today, demand for food fueled by rises in worldwide consumption of meat and protein is again outpacing farmers ability to keep up. It's time for the next Green Revolution.
READ MORE...
Source: Wired Magazine
US scientist to develop anti corrosion metal alloys
October 29, 2008
US scientist to develop anti corrosion metal alloys
It is reported that American scientists have found ways to make metal alloys which are more resistant to corrosion. Oxide scales develop on the outer surface of alloys, creating a protective barrier that prevents carbon-bearing molecules from getting into the alloy and causing corrosion.However, scientists at the US Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory have discovered networks of continuous metal nano particles in the coating. These let the carbon dissolve and diffuse through the layer, leading to increased corrosion rates and brittleness.According to the scientists, by eliminating these nano particles, alloys can be made to be more corrosion resistant and longer lasting. They have already created 22 kilogram batches of modified alloys which are said to have ten times the life expectancy of similar commercial alloys.The researchers say these alloys will be commercialized in due course, and will be of interest to the chemical, petrochemical and refining industry.
Source: Steelguru
The original article can be seen in Nature Materials 7, 641 - 646 (2008) Published online: 11 July 2008 doi:10.1038/nmat2227
US scientist to develop anti corrosion metal alloys
It is reported that American scientists have found ways to make metal alloys which are more resistant to corrosion. Oxide scales develop on the outer surface of alloys, creating a protective barrier that prevents carbon-bearing molecules from getting into the alloy and causing corrosion.However, scientists at the US Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory have discovered networks of continuous metal nano particles in the coating. These let the carbon dissolve and diffuse through the layer, leading to increased corrosion rates and brittleness.According to the scientists, by eliminating these nano particles, alloys can be made to be more corrosion resistant and longer lasting. They have already created 22 kilogram batches of modified alloys which are said to have ten times the life expectancy of similar commercial alloys.The researchers say these alloys will be commercialized in due course, and will be of interest to the chemical, petrochemical and refining industry.
Source: Steelguru
The original article can be seen in Nature Materials 7, 641 - 646 (2008) Published online: 11 July 2008 doi:10.1038/nmat2227
The Search for a Better Battery Seems Everlasting
Computer chips double in speed every two years. The typical personal computer's storage capacity has expanded 36,000 times since 1989. Internet-connection speeds climb at about 50% a year.
But the batteries that run these devices can't keep up. Their power is rising at only about 10% a year. They hold a charge for maddeningly short periods that have, at one time or another, frustrated every laptop-, cellphone- or Blackberry-toting road warrior. In airport waiting areas, freeloaders routinely rush to the outlets to recharge their gadgets for the next leg of the trip.
READ MORE...
But the batteries that run these devices can't keep up. Their power is rising at only about 10% a year. They hold a charge for maddeningly short periods that have, at one time or another, frustrated every laptop-, cellphone- or Blackberry-toting road warrior. In airport waiting areas, freeloaders routinely rush to the outlets to recharge their gadgets for the next leg of the trip.
READ MORE...
Source: The Wall Street Journal
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