Energy Drinks and Your Heart

Recently, energy drinks have been shown to have a short-term effect on heart function. Research was conducted that showed an increase in strain in the heart's left ventricle, where oxygenated blood comes into the heart.


More research needs to be done to see what the long-term effects of drinking energy drinks have on heart health. The study will be ongoing, but currently research suggest that if you have a heart arrhythmia to stop drinking energy drinks. Personally, I have seen this work, as relatives of mine have had heart arrhythmia go away when the stopped drinking caffeinated beverages. It will be interesting to see what long term effects a study like this could have, including the potential for increased risk of heart disease. The original article can be found here.

Delivery Drones

The online marketplace Amazon has plans in the future to use drones to deliver packages to doorsteps. Although it seems almost science-fiction, Amazon seems to be taking it seriously, even coming out with this video:



Amazon says that this technology would bring new meaning to same-day delivery, as they project that orders could be shipped within 30 minutes. It would also be more eco-friendly, reducing emissions. However this would take time to develop and perfect, as they would not have this available for 4-5 years. It also seems as though it would be extremely expensive to have anything shipped this way, but it is definitely an exciting new use for drones. The original article can be found here. This futuristic technology was also featured on "60 Minutes":

Using Nanotechnology to Help Avoid Injections

Researchers from North Carolina have a developed a biodegradable nanotechnology-based device that gives diabetics to the ability to administer insulin without daily injections. First nanoparticles are filled with insulin and then injected into the patient. The insulin then diffuses from the nanoparticles to form an insulin reservoir beneath the skin of the patient. The patient can then use an ultrasound device to excite the insulin and "push" it into the bloodstream.


After the initial injection, administering insulin using ultrasound is painless. However, it is harder to pinpoint exactly how much insulin is being administered. The insulin supply can last up to ten days, after which the biocompatible nanoparticles then dissolve into the body, then a new "nanonetwork" of insulin must be injected. This technology could definitely make treating diabetes less painful in the future. The original article is located here.

3D Printer in Space

NASA is looking to put the first ever 3D printer in space on the International Space Station (ISS) in August of 2014. There are many exciting applications for how they will put this printer to use:



Currently whenever the ISS needs a tool or part replaced or made, it must be sent up from earth, costing a lot of money in fuel. However with this new technology, astronauts will be able to manufacture parts right on board the ISS. This will save time and money while further advancing space exploration. There is still work and testing to be done with different materials and metals, as well as microgravity applications, but the future looks promising. An article detailing more of how NASA will use this 3D printer can be found here.

Converting Microwaves into Energy

A wireless device developed by researchers at Duke university is able to convert microwaves into electricity using metamaterials, which behave differently than normal matter. The device works similarly to a solar cell, except it harvests different frequencies than a typical solar panel.


The potential for a device such as this is enormous, as it could use stray signals from satellites and appliances, maybe even use wi-fi for conversion to electricity. It could also convert sound and vibrational energy due their frequencies. One impact of the device is allowing for longer battery life, as mobile devices could charge wirelessly while not in use. This is all possible because of the new-found ability to work with metamaterials. If this device could be made marketable it would help use a lot of wasted energy and make lives easier. The original article is located here.

How Type 1 Diabetes Works

Chances are, if you live in the United States, you know someone who has type 1 diabetes. When people hear the term diabetes, they often think of a disease that is caused by a poor lifestyle. However, there are two types of this disease. Type 1 Diabetes is a chronic condition that develops in children and young adults. Type 2 diabetes, however, usually affects obese adults, and is much more prevalent than type 1. Diabetes results in high blood glucose levels which in turn affect the whole body to give a variety of symptoms. However, those with type 1 diabetes are still able to live a normal life through active monitoring of the disease. Before the advent of insulin discovery in 1921, those diagnosed with type 1 diabetes would have a life expectancy of one year, usually dying in painful process. Thankfully insulin is currently available to help treat diagnosed type 1 diabetes, though the exact source of this disease is unknown. In this paper, the causes, implications, and treatment will be addressed to inform how type 1 diabetes works. First, one must understand how a normal person functions and what makes a person with type 1 diabetes different.

What Happens

Glucose is the simple sugar that humans utilize for energy that supports muscles and tissues. When glucose is consumed in the form of carbohydrates or produced in the liver, it enters the bloodstream (Freudenrich 2). In order to process the glucose in the bloodstream, a functioning pancreas produces insulin (note fig 1.). The insulin essentially makes the glucose available to cells, thus lowering the amount of amount of glucose in the bloodstream, and supplying energy to cells. Insulin is the “key” which unlocks the cell’s “door” to receive energy. Without insulin the cell does not get any energy and starves. The problem with a type 1 diabetic, however, is that their pancreas no longer produces insulin. Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune disease, meaning that the body’s immune system thinks that the islets, which contain the insulin-producing beta cells, are pathogenic and destroys them. This is like friendly fire in a war, where the body thinks your pancreas is the enemy and devastates your insulin producing cells. Exactly why this happens is unknown, but a genetic link has been shown (JDRF). On rare occasion environmental factors, such as ingesting a poison such as the rodenticide Vacor, kill the beta cells, yielding the same inability to produce insulin (Karam 971).

Fig. 1. This graphic shows the components of the pancreas and the location of the beta-cells that produce insulin(MacDonald).

In a normal person, the pancreas will secrete insulin to monitor the blood glucose levels, as insulin is needed throughout the day and in higher amounts when glucose (carbohydrates) is consumed. In a diabetic person, insulin is no longer available to monitor the blood-glucose levels, resulting in hyperglycemia—high blood glucose levels. Hyperglycemia causes the major symptoms of untreated diabetes, which include:

• ·         Frequent Urination
• ·         Thirst
• ·         Dehydration
• ·         Weight Loss
• ·         Irritability

As previously mentioned, diabetes is generally associated with overweight inactive people, a common characteristic in type 2 diabetes. In contrast, type 1 is characterized by weight loss and decrease in energy.  As insulin is no longer produced, energy cannot be absorbed and fat and muscles are depleted by the starving cells. Thus treatment of diabetes is crucial to return the body to proper function.

Treatment

Insulin therapy begins as soon as type 1 diabetes is diagnosed and continues for the rest of the patient’s life. Insulin is manufactured by several companies through biosynthesis, and plays the same role that insulin from the pancreas does. Simply put, injecting insulin works similarly to and acid-base titration in chemistry. If used in the right amount, insulin “neutralizes” the carbohydrates and high blood glucose levels. Conversely, if excess insulin is administered, the blood glucose levels will plummet to an undesirable low. Normally, insulin is administered through injection. There are two major ways insulin is injected: shots and pumps.

Shots: With shots there are two types of insulin that are used. One is fast-acting insulin which is taken before eating to account for carbohydrates that will be consumed. Taking insulin for consumed carbohydrates is known as “bolusing”. The other shot is a background insulin, known as a basal dosage, and is taken once a day to help control blood glucose levels when a person is not eating.

Fig.2. This graphic illustrates how insulin is administered
using an insulin pump(DiabetxCare)

Pumps: Modern insulin pumps can function much like a pancreas located outside the body. A three-day supply of insulin is placed in a reservoir within the pump, and the pump is connected to the body through an injection site (see fig. 2). The pump provides the basal dosage by continuously providing a small amount of insulin for the body (the basal dosage). For bolusing, a user can simply plug in the amount of carbohydrates he or she intends to consume, and the pump will use a predetermined bolus rate to administer the correct amount of insulin.

Another important part of successfully treating type 1 diabetes is monitoring blood-glucose levels. To check blood-glucose levels, one must prick their finger to draw a drop of blood, and place the blood on a test strip which is connected to a meter. The meter then displays the blood glucose level. A diabetic is continuously involved in a balancing act between hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia (low blood glucose levels). If too much insulin is administered, the blood glucose levels will decline. If levels fall too low, it can result in coma and even death. On the other hand, if the amount of insulin is administered for the food taken is inadequate, hypoglycemia will result, which is also negative for your health, potentially producing many of the symptoms that an undiagnosed diabetic experiences.

Conclusion

Currently there is no cure for diabetes. Although much research has been done for transplantation in diabetics, the body will usually reject the new pancreas or transplanted cells. Even if a new pancreas could be built or transplanted into a type 1 diabetic, there is no reason to suggest that the diabetic’s immune system would not attack the beta cells all over again. Research should be continually pursued in order to find a cure, as a cure would prolong and benefit many type 1 diabetics’ lives. If you know someone with diabetes, understand that they can still live a normal life, and give them support, as managing diabetes is no small task. Knowing how this chronic disease works is fundamental to understanding what type 1 diabetics need to live, and how to support them in their constant fight against diabetes.

Flaring Natural Gas in North Dakota

Due to the ever-increasing oil production in North Dakota, oil companies are choosing to burn off the natural gas. This is known as flaring.

Picture of natural gas being flared in North Dakota

The companies do this in order to access the more valuable oil, without having to transport the natural gas. There are so many fires that combine to produce lights that make North Dakota look like it has a cluster of cities in the western part of the state, as shown in the picture below:

This however is a terrible waste of gas and money, but currently there are no pipelines in this area of North Dakota. Oil can be transported by train, but pipelines or specially designed tanks are necessary for transportation of natural gas. Oil Companies are being sued by mineral owners for the lost income due to the burnt gas. Thus a solution needs to be reached where the natural gas can be transported, or refined nearby, to save money and use the valuable resources coming from the ground.

An article from NYT addressing this issue is found below:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/18/business/energy-environment/oil-companies-are-sued-over-natural-gas-flaring-in-north-dakota.html?src=recg

Another article I found from geology.com addresses this issue as well:
http://geology.com/stories/13/natural-gas-flaring-in-north-dakota/

Current Limitations of Fusion Energy

Although fusion energy seems to always be having a breakthrough, an article I just read seems to suggest that not enough energy (no pun intended) is put towards substantial advancement in this field. Although fusion energy could take care of energy problems and emissions for many years to come, and change the economy, scientists still have not been able to get more energy out than they have put in. A breakthrough was obtained when scientists were able to get more energy out of the fuel than the energy hitting the fuel. However the amount of energy generated was significantly lower than the of the amount of energy used to create the light (energy) that hit the fuel.


The above picture shows a facility where a 2 million joule laser is fired at the fuel to produce a fusion reaction

The problem with fusion energy is that it takes enormous amount of energy to create an environment where a fusion reaction will take place. However, if conditions could be reached where a high-yield fusion reaction could take place, it would take very little fuel to produce enormous amounts of power, as energy equals the mass dissipated in the reaction, times the speed of light squared, or the famous e=mc^2. Since the speed of light is 300 million meters/second, a efficient fusion reaction would take hardly any fuel at all. Therefore, fusion energy could experience a breakthrough in the near future, or it could continue to slowly progress without ever becoming a viable source of energy.

Nobel Prize for Chemistry

As many of you may have heard, the Nobel Prize for Chemistry was awarded on Wednesday this past week. What the three scientists were awarded for was developing a computer program that simulated chemical process. This was an extremely useful development, as chemical processes are very complex and it can be difficult to determine what is going on. As a chemical engineering major, I see the importance of this programming to improve the products and the efficiency of the process. An article detailing who won the Nobel Prize and a little background on the whole subject in found at the following link:

Nobel for Trio Who Took Chemistry to Cyberspace

Promising Future for Plastic Solar Cells (Science in the News Summary)

Fellman, Megan. (2013, August 14). Plastic solar cells’ new design promises bright

future. McCormick Northwestern Engineering. Retrieved October 3, 2013, from: http://www.mccormick.northwestern.edu/news/articles/2013/08/plastic-solar-cells-new-design-promises-bright-future.html

Fellman’s Article introduced the topic of plastic solar cells and their potentially positive future. While silicon solar cells have been used for years as alternative source of energy, they are heavy and are expensive to produce. Silicon solar cells are expensive mainly due to the cost that it takes to purify the silicon. Plastic (or polymer) based solar cells are much lighter and flexible which opens up possibilities that are not available with silicon solar cells. One example cited in the article is the possibility of manufacturing it in rolls, much like paper is produced. However, plastic solar cells have not been a viable option due to inefficiency. Though the science behind how solar cells function is very complex, researchers at Northwestern University and other universities around the world have come up with a way to make plastic solar cells nearly as efficient as typical silicon cells. Simply put, in past inefficient plastic cells, the electrons (electricity) being donated by the polymer chains was being wasted as it would be recaptured by the cell due to disorganization. What the new research has been able to do is orient the polymer chains and other components within the solar cell in order to greatly improve upon the power-conversion efficiency.

Above picture demonstrating the flexibility of plastic solar cells

The article was based on research and featured quotes from Tobin Marks of Northwestern University.  The article started out with a good “hook” of how using energy from the sunlight is a prominent form of alternative energy. However, after this opening statement it stopped talking about the economics and possibilities involved with plastic solar cells, which would have been helpful to any reader. However I did find another article that covers some more of these topics for those who are interested. Fellman’s article also got very technical, as it assumed that you knew what a fill-factor and other technical terms are, but it was still very informative for the experienced reader. It also prompts further research on what an inexperienced reader might not know about solar cells. Currently, I believe that silicon solar cells are not usually an economically viable option compared to coal-produced energy due to the large upfront cost. If plastic solar cells could greatly reduce the upfront cost, this would encourage more people to buy into solar energy. A flexible product would also have many more applications. But when will (if ever) plastic solar cells be a sustainable energy option in the future? What are the effects that plastic solar cells would have on alternative energy? Should we look at replacing coal power with plastic solar cells or other alternative energy should the technology make it sustainable and economical?

Using the Mind to Control Prosthetics

This week I read an article on how technology has been developed that allows for the mind to control a bionic prosthetic leg. A video explaining some of this new technology is shown below:



Although they have had  this technology for arms and hands for a while, using it with legs is much more complicated, as if some of the information from the nerves is misinterpreted, there is a good chance that the person using this bionic leg will fall. There is more research and improvements that need to be made, but this technology could make lives easier for many amputees.

Here is a link to the original article:

New Prosthetic: Man Controls Bionic Leg with Thoughts

Using Eels to Detect Disease

This week I found an article on how a protein found in eels will glow when it interacts with a pigment known as bilirubin.

Bilirubin:


Eel Glowing:

This pigment is usually destroyed by the body, but in the case of liver disease, the bilirubin levels will rise, resulting in jaundice, and other harmful effects such as brain damage or even death. Although their is much research to be done, this could be used to help detect when a body is malfunctioning before the full effects of high bilirubin levels do their damage.