Stuff & Stuff ( September 2014 ) Sci-Tech News & Olds

http://phys.org/news/2014-08-scientists-splitter-ordinary-aaa-battery.html
Aug 22, 2014

Scientists develop a water splitter that runs on an ordinary AAA battery

In 2015, American consumers will finally be able to purchase fuel cell cars from Toyota and other manufacturers. Although touted as zero-emissions vehicles, most of the cars will run on hydrogen made from natural gas, a fossil fuel that contributes to global warming.

Now scientists at Stanford University have developed a low-cost, emissions-free device that uses an ordinary AAA battery to produce hydrogen by water electrolysis. The battery sends an electric current through two electrodes that split liquid water into hydrogen and oxygen gas. Unlike other water splitters that use precious-metal catalysts, the electrodes in the Stanford device are made of inexpensive and abundant nickel and iron.

"Using nickel and iron, which are cheap materials, we were able to make the electrocatalysts active enough to split water at room temperature with a single 1.5-volt battery," said Hongjie Dai, a professor of chemistry at Stanford. "This is the first time anyone has used non-precious metal catalysts to split water at a voltage that low. It's quite remarkable, because normally you need expensive metals, like platinum or iridium, to achieve that voltage."

In addition to producing hydrogen, the novel water splitter could be used to make chlorine gas and sodium hydroxide, another important industrial chemical, according to Dai. He and his colleagues describe the new device in a study published in the Aug. 22 issue of the journal Nature Communications.

The promise of hydrogen

Automakers have long considered the hydrogen fuel cell a promising alternative to the gasoline engine. Fuel cell technology is essentially water splitting in reverse. A fuel cell combines stored hydrogen gas with oxygen from the air to produce electricity, which powers the car. The only byproduct is water – unlike gasoline combustion, which emits carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas.

Earlier this year, Hyundai began leasing fuel cell vehicles in Southern California. Toyota and Honda will begin selling fuel cell cars in 2015. Most of these vehicles will run on fuel manufactured at large industrial plants that produce hydrogen by combining very hot steam and natural gas, an energy-intensive process that releases carbon dioxide as a byproduct.

Stanford graduate student Ming Gong (left) and Professor Hongjie Dai

Splitting water to make hydrogen requires no fossil fuels and emits no greenhouse gases. But scientists have yet to develop an affordable, active water splitter with catalysts capable of working at industrial scales.

"It's been a constant pursuit for decades to make low-cost electrocatalysts with high activity and long durability," Dai said. "When we found out that a nickel-based catalyst is as effective as platinum, it came as a complete surprise."

Saving energy and money

The discovery was made by Stanford graduate student Ming Gong, co-lead author of the study. "Ming discovered a nickel-metal/nickel-oxide structure that turns out to be more active than pure nickel metal or pure nickel oxide alone," Dai said. "This novel structure favors hydrogen electrocatalysis, but we still don't fully understand the science behind it."

The nickel/nickel-oxide catalyst significantly lowers the voltage required to split water, which could eventually save hydrogen producers billions of dollars in electricity costs, according to Gong. His next goal is to improve the durability of the device.

"The electrodes are fairly stable, but they do slowly decay over time," he said. "The current device would probably run for days, but weeks or months would be preferable. That goal is achievable based on my most recent results."

The researchers also plan to develop a water splitter than runs on electricity produced by solar energy.

"Hydrogen is an ideal fuel for powering vehicles, buildings and storing renewable energy on the grid," said Dai. "We're very glad that we were able to make a catalyst that's very active and low cost. This shows that through nanoscale engineering of materials we can really make a difference in how we make fuels and consume energy."

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-28834058
18 August 2014

Hair loss reversed in alopecia areata sufferers

by

Smitha Mundasad
Health reporter, BBC News

Alopecia can lead to patchy or complete hair-loss People saw their hair fully restored after just five months of treatment

Scientists have completely reversed hair loss in three people by giving them a drug normally used to treat bone marrow disorders.

The patients had alopecia areata - a condition that can cause severe, patchy baldness that is difficult to treat.

But after five months of taking the medication ruxolitinib, all three saw total hair re-growth.

The findings from Columbia University Medical Center are published in the journal Nature Medicine.

'Devastating disease'

Alopecia areata affects around two in every 1,000 people in the UK and is thought to be caused by the immune system attacking hair follicles.

The US scientists had previously identified a set of immune cells involved in the destruction of hair and conducted a number of successful trials in mice.

They then gave three patients with moderate to severe alopecia areata a twice daily dose of ruxolitinib.

This medication is already approved for use in bone marrow conditions in the United States and European Union.

All three patients had lost at least a third of their hair but saw dramatic hair growth within five months of therapy.

Lead researcher Dr Raphael Clynes said: "We've only begun testing the drug in patients, but if the drug continues to be successful and safe, it will have a dramatic positive impact on the lives of people with the disease."

Prof David Bickers, a dermatologist at Columbia University who has treated many patients with the disease, said: "There are few tools in the arsenal for the treatment of alopecia areata that have any demonstrated efficacy.

"This is a major step forward in improving the standard of care for patients suffering from this devastating disease."

Researchers say more work is now needed to see if the drug can be offered more widely.

Alopecia areata can occur at any age but is most often seen in teenagers and young adults.

It is not related to the more common male-pattern hair loss that is thought to be driven by hormones.

Scientists say as the mechanisms behind this condition are different, the therapy is less likely to prove effective for this more common problem.

Patents

Methods for Treating Hair Loss Disorders
US2014065153 // WO2013149194 // WO2012061536
The invention provides for methods for treating a hair loss disorder in a subject by administering a JAK/STAT inhibitor

METHODS FOR DETECTING AND REGULATING ALOPECIA AREATA AND GENE COHORTS THEREOF
US2013078244

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruxolitinib

Ruxolitinib

(3R)-3-cyclopentyl-3-[4-(7H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4-yl)pyrazol-1-yl]propanenitrile
Trade names     Jakafi, Jakavi
CAS number     941678-49-5 Yes
ATC code     L01XE18
ChemSpider     25027389 Yes
UNII     82S8X8XX8H Yes
ChEMBL     CHEMBL1789941
Synonyms     INCB018424, INC424

Ruxolitinib (INC424, INCB18424, trade names Jakafi and Jakavi, by Incyte Pharmaceuticals and Novartis) is a drug for the treatment of intermediate or high-risk myelofibrosis, a type of bone marrow cancer.[2][3] It is also being investigated for the treatment of other types of cancer (such as lymphomas and pancreatic cancer),[4] for polycythemia vera,[4] for plaque psoriasis, and for alopecia areata [5].

The phase III Controlled Myelofibrosis Study with Oral JAK Inhibitor-I (COMFORT-I) and COMFORT-II trials showed significant benefits by reducing spleen size, relieving debilitating symptoms, and improving overall survival.[6][7][8][9]

Mechanism of action

Ruxolitinib is a Janus kinase inhibitor with selectivity for subtypes JAK1 and JAK2 of this enzyme.[10][11] Ruxolitinib inhibits dysregulated JAK signaling associated with myelofibrosis. JAK1 and JAK2 recruit signal transducers and activators of transcription (STATs) to cytokine receptors leading to modulation of gene expression.
Side effects

Immunologic side effects have included herpes zoster (shingles) (1.9%) and case reports of opportunistic infections.[12] Metabolic side effects have included weight gain (7.1%). Laboratory abnormalities have included alanine transaminase (ALT) abnormalities (25.2%), aspartate transaminase (AST) abnormalities (17.4%), and elevated cholesterol levels (16.8%).[citation needed]

Legal status

In November 2011, ruxolitinib was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of intermediate or high-risk myelofibrosis based on results of the COMFORT-I and COMFORT-II Trials.[13]

Economics

Some analysts believe this to be a potential blockbuster drug.[4] As of the end of March 2012, and according to an Incyte spokesman, approximately 1000 physicians had prescribed the drug in the United States, out of a total 6500 hematologists and oncologists nationwide.[4]

References

"Jakafi (ruxolitinib) dosing, indications, interactions, adverse effects, and more". Medscape Reference. WebMD

Mesa, Ruben A.; Yasothan, Uma; Kirkpatrick, Peter (2012). "Ruxolitinib". Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 11 (2): 103–4. doi:10.1038/nrd3652. PMID 22293561.

Harrison, C; Mesa, R; Ross, D; Mead, A; Keohane, C; Gotlib, J; Verstovsek, S (2013). "Practical management of patients with myelofibrosis receiving ruxolitinib". Expert Review of Hematology 6 (5): 511–23. doi:10.1586/17474086.2013.827413. PMID 24083419.

Natoli, Cori Anne (May 5, 2012), "Incyte looks to ride on drug's success", The News Journal,

Xing, Luzhou et al (2014). "Letter, Alopecia areata is driven by cytotoxic T lymphocytes and is reversed by JAK inhibition". Nature Medicine. doi:10.1038/nm.3645.

Harrison, C.; Kiladjian, J. J.; Al-Ali, H. K.; Gisslinger, H.; Waltzman, R.; Stalbovskaya, V.; McQuitty, M.; Hunter, D. S.; Levy, R.; Knoops, L.; Cervantes, F.; Vannucchi, A. M.; Barbui, T.; Barosi, G. (2012). "JAK Inhibition with Ruxolitinib versus Best Available Therapy for Myelofibrosis". New England Journal of Medicine 366 (9): 787–798. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1110556. PMID 22375970.

Verstovsek, S.; Mesa, R. A.; Gotlib, J.; Levy, R. S.; Gupta, V.; Dipersio, J. F.; Catalano, J. V.; Deininger, M.; Miller, C.; Silver, R. T.; Talpaz, M.; Winton, E. F.; Harvey Jr, J. H.; Arcasoy, M. O.; Hexner, E.; Lyons, R. M.; Paquette, R.; Raza, A.; Vaddi, K.; Erickson-Viitanen, S.; Koumenis, I. L.; Sun, W.; Sandor, V.; Kantarjian, H. M. (2012). "A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Ruxolitinib for Myelofibrosis". New England Journal of Medicine 366 (9): 799–807. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1110557. PMID 22375971.

Tefferi, A. (2012). "Challenges Facing JAK Inhibitor Therapy for Myeloproliferative Neoplasms". New England Journal of Medicine 366 (9): 844–846. doi:10.1056/NEJMe1115119. PMID 22375977.

ASCO Annual Meeting 2011: JAK Inhibitor Ruxolitinib Demonstrates Significant Clinical Benefit in Myelofibrosis

Mesa, RA (2010). "Ruxolitinib, a selective JAK1 and JAK2 inhibitor for the treatment of myeloproliferative neoplasms and psoriasis". IDrugs : the investigational drugs journal 13 (6): 394–403. PMID 20506062.

Pardanani, A.; Tefferi, A. (2011). "Targeting myeloproliferative neoplasms with JAK inhibitors". Current Opinion in Hematology 18 (2): 1. doi:10.1097/MOH.0b013e3283439964. PMID 21245760.

Wysham, NG; Allada G; Sullivan DR (2013). "An opportunistic infection associated with ruxolitinib, a novel janus kinase 1,2 inhibitor.". Chest 143 (5): 1478–9. doi:10.1378/chest.12-1604. PMID 23648912.

"FDA Approves Incyte's Jakafi(TM) (ruxolitinib) for Patients with Myelofibrosis" (Press release). Incyte.

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/tofacitinib-citrate-arthritis-drug-that-cured-alopecia-universalis-1453489
International Business Times
June 20, 2014

Tofacitinib Citrate: The Arthritis Drug That Cured Alopecia Universalis

by

Hannah Osborne

An arthritis drug has been used to cure a man who was almost completely bald from alopecia universalis.

Tofacitinib citrate was used to treat the 25-year-old who had lost most of his hair after getting alopecia – a disease there is currently no long-term treatment or cure for.

The man had not grown hair for seven years. However, after being treated with the arthritis drug for just three months, he had regrown a head of hair, eyebrows, eyelashes, some facial hair and armpit hair.

Alopecia universalis occurs in approximately one in every 200,000 people. It is thought to be an auto immune disorder and can affect anyone at any age.

Senior author of the study Brett A King, a dermatologist from Yale University School of Medicine, said: "The results are exactly what we hoped for. This is a huge step forward in the treatment of patients with this condition.

"While it's one case, we anticipated the successful treatment of this man based on our current understanding of the disease and the drug. We believe the same results will be duplicated in other patients, and we plan to try."

As well as alopecia, the man was also diagnosed with plaque psoriasis, a condition that meant he had red scaly areas of skin.
alopecia
The patient's head a) before treatmen with tofacitinib, b) two months into treatment, c) five months into treatment, and d) eight months into treatment.Yale University

Researchers decided to try treating him with tofacitinib – an FDA approved drug for rheumatoid arthritis – as it had been successful used to treat psoriasis on humans in the past. It had also reversed alopecia areata, a less extreme form of the disease, in mice.

King thought the drug might address both diseases simultaneously. After two months of being treated with tofacitinib, the man's psoriasis had started to improve and he had started to grow hair. After three months, he had grown a full head of hair.

Study co-author Brittany G Craiglow said: "By eight months there was full regrowth of hair. The patient has reported feeling no side effects, and we've seen no lab test abnormalities, either."

Published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, the authors say this is the first reported case of a successful targeted treatment of alopecia universalis.

"There are no good options for long-term treatment of alopecia universalis," King said. "The best available science suggested this might work, and it has."

The drug treats alopecia by turning off the immune system's attack on hair follicles. The researchers have now submitted a proposal for a clinical trial of a cream form of tofacitinib for treatment of alopecia.

halfpasthuman.com

Clif High reports :

USA is #1!

World's first cFF (cyber false flag) invented here! And coming to a bank/gov't near you in September!

Linguistics show that USA politbureau is linking [banks] and [national security] very heavily. They will be shutting down banks in response to a [cyber false flag] and they will then use this as [excuse for war]. We all really know that this is to try and save some zionist bankster butts from a very early, and violent death later as the revolution heats up for a cold winter.

Their 'target' in this first ever cyber false flag is Russia.

http://www.naturalblaze.com/2014/08/can-this-new-solar-powered-device.html
August 16, 2014

Can This New Solar-Powered Device Purify Polluted Water?

by
Kevin Samson

Water shortages continue to make the news across the world, and governments seem to be offering very few if any solutions. Recently, I covered a novel low-cost, simple device called Warka Water that aims to extract water from the air and offer regions with little to no infrastructure the possibility of water self-sufficiency.

However, in addition to shortages, pollution is another grave problem; even if some areas technically have water it is often unfit to drink.

A sophomore in the Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering at the University of Buffalo, Deshawn Henry, believes he has found a solution.

Henry has created essentially a six-foot tall magnifying glass that he has termed a "water lens."

It is another low-cost solution that can reach areas that have little in the way of conventional infrastructure, offering a speedy way to self-sufficiency and decreased deaths from unsafe water.

Since the frame for the lens can be constructed from commonly found materials — wood, plastic sheeting and water — the lens can be built for almost no cost, offering an inexpensive method to treat water.

The device may not look like much, but it can heat a liter of water to between 130 and 150 degrees Fahrenheit in a little more than an hour, destroying 99.9 percent of bacteria and pathogens.

“The water lens could have a huge impact in developing countries,” says Henry ... “Millions of people die every year from diseases and pathogens found in unclean water, and they can’t help it because that’s all they have. Either they drink it or they die.”

Henry's device is still in the testing phase, but shows promise. The University of Buffalo relates the details that still need to be worked out in order to provide the most efficient, practical system that could be used on widespread basis by families.

The lens consists of a plastic sheet covered with water supported by a wooden frame. The frame holds a small container of water below the lens in line with a focal point created from a concentrated ray of sunlight. Barring the weather, once assembled, the lens functions freely. Due to the sun’s movement throughout the day, Henry needs to repeatedly shift the container to match the focal point.

Henry’s research tested how altering the thickness of the plastic sheet and the volume of water over the sheet affected the efficiency of the lens. The device was tested with plastic sheets that were 0.7, 1 and 2 millimeters thick, and water volumes of four, six and eight liters.

The study found that adding more water to the lens improved efficiency, as larger areas of water transmitted more energy from sunlight. However, thicker plastic sheets consumed more energy from light, lowering the lens’ efficiency.

A plastic sheet that was too thin or excessive amounts of water could break the lens. Henry concluded that the 0.7-millimeter sheet could efficiently heat the container while supporting eight liters of water, but any more and the sheet could potentially break.

With 1.1 billion people lacking access to clean drinking water, Henry’s work could make a difference in the world, says Jensen, who frequently mentors undergraduate students during summer research programs.

“I have seen how intense research activities can inspire UB students and educate the next generation of innovators,” says Jensen. “Deshawn’s work would allow a family in sunny regions to treat drinking water without having to expend energy or rely on imported technologies.”

Building a larger water lens that remains efficient is the next step in Henry’s research. A family of five would need a lens at least three times the size of the device he constructed, which was designed to heat one liter of water at a time, says Henry.

As fresh water continues to dwindle with recent studies showing that global crisis levels will be reached by 2040 and corporate water predators seek to hoard this "blue gold," Deshawn Henry's invention could be a welcome practical solution to maintaining water sovereignty.

http://www.buffalo.edu/ubreporter/featured-stories.host.html/content/shared/university/news/ub-reporter-articles/stories/2014/August/lens_purification.detail.html
August 14, 2014

Student’s water and solar-powered lens purifies polluted water

by
Marcene Robinson

“The water lens could have a huge impact in developing countries.”

Water may appear to be an abundant resource, but in some parts of the world clean water is hard to come by.

That could change through the work of Deshawn Henry, a sophomore civil engineering major, who researched how to improve a 6-foot-tall, self-sustaining magnifying glass.

Properly termed a water lens, the device uses another abundant resource — sunlight — to heat and disinfect polluted water. Since the frame for the lens can be constructed from commonly found materials — wood, plastic sheeting and water — the lens can be built for almost no cost, offering an inexpensive method to treat water.

The device may not look like much, but it can heat a liter of water to between 130 and 150 degrees Fahrenheit in a little more than an hour, destroying 99.9 percent of bacteria and pathogens.

“The water lens could have a huge impact in developing countries,” says Henry, who performed the study under James Jensen, professor in the Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering.

“Millions of people die every year from diseases and pathogens found in unclean water, and they can’t help it because that’s all they have. Either they drink it or they die.”

The lens consists of a plastic sheet covered with water supported by a wooden frame. The frame holds a small container of water below the lens in line with a focal point created from a concentrated ray of sunlight. Barring the weather, once assembled, the lens functions freely. Due to the sun’s movement throughout the day, Henry needs to repeatedly shift the container to match the focal point.

Henry’s research tested how altering the thickness of the plastic sheet and the volume of water over the sheet affected the efficiency of the lens. The device was tested with plastic sheets that were 0.7, 1 and 2 millimeters thick, and water volumes of four, six and eight liters.

The study found that adding more water to the lens improved efficiency, as larger areas of water transmitted more energy from sunlight. However, thicker plastic sheets consumed more energy from light, lowering the lens’ efficiency.

A plastic sheet that was too thin or excessive amounts of water could break the lens. Henry concluded that the 0.7-millimeter sheet could efficiently heat the container while supporting eight liters of water, but any more and the sheet could potentially break.

With 1.1 billion people lacking access to clean drinking water, Henry’s work could make a difference in the world, says Jensen, who frequently mentors undergraduate students during summer research programs.

Henry studied under Jensen through the UB Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program, which connects underrepresented students with research opportunities in STEM fields. LSAMP is one of many programs in the Office of Undergraduate Education focused on increasing experiential-learning opportunities for students.

“I have seen how intense research activities can inspire UB students and educate the next generation of innovators,” says Jensen. “Deshawn’s work would allow a family in sunny regions to treat drinking water without having to expend energy or rely on imported technologies.”

Building a larger water lens that remains efficient is the next step in Henry’s research. A family of five would need a lens at least three times the size of the device he constructed, which was designed to heat one liter of water at a time, says Henry.