Scientists 'clone' carbon nanotubes to unlock their potential for use in electronics

ScienceDaily (Nov. 14, 2012) ? The heart of the computer industry is known as "Silicon Valley" for a reason. Integrated circuit computer chips have been made from silicon since computing's infancy in the 1960s. Now, thanks to a team of USC researchers, carbon nanotubes may emerge as a contender to silicon's throne.

Scientists and industry experts have long speculated that carbon nanotube transistors would one day replace their silicon predecessors. In 1998, Delft University built the world's first carbon nanotube transistors. Carbon nanotubes have the potential to be far smaller faster, and consume less power than silicon transistors.

A key reason carbon nanotubes are not in computers right now is that they are difficult to manufacture in a predictable way. Scientists have had a difficult time controlling the manufacture of nanotubes to the correct diameter, type and ultimately chirality -- factors that control nanotubes' electrical and mechanical properties.

Think of chirality like this: If you took a sheet of notebook paper and rolled it straight up into a tube, it would have a certain chirality. If you rolled that same sheet up at an angle, it would have a different chirality. In this example, the notebook paper represents a sheet of latticed carbon atoms that are rolled up to create a nanotube.

A team led by Professor Chongwu Zhou of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering and Ming Zheng of the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Maryland solved the problem by inventing a system that consistently produces carbon nanotubes of a predictable diameter and chirality.

Zhou worked with group members Jia Liu, Chuan Wang, Bilu Liu, Liang Chen, as well as Zheng and Xiaomin Tu of the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

"Controlling the chirality of carbon nanotubes has been a dream for many researchers. Now the dream has come true," Zhou said. The team has already patented its innovation, and its research was published Nov. 13 in Nature Communications.

Carbon nanotubes are typically grown using a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) system in which a chemical-laced gas is pumped into a chamber containing substrates with metal catalyst nanoparticles, upon which the nanotubes grow. It is generally believed that the diameters of the nanotubes are determined by the size of the catalytic metal nanoparticles. However, attempts to control the catalysts in hopes of achieving chirality-controlled nanotube growth have not been successful.

The USC team's innovation was to jettison the catalyst and instead plant pieces of carbon nanotubes that have been separated and pre-selected based on chirality, using a nanotube-separation technique developed and perfected by Zheng and his co-workers. Using those pieces as seeds, the team used CVD to extend the seeds to get much longer nanotubes, which were shown to have the same chirality as the seeds.

The process is referred to as "nanotube cloning." The next steps in the research will be to carefully study the mechanism of the nanotube growth in this system, to scale up the cloning process to get large quantities of chirality-controlled nanotubes and to use those nanotubes for electronic applications.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Southern California. The original article was written by Robert Perkins.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Jia Liu, Chuan Wang, Xiaomin Tu, Bilu Liu, Liang Chen, Ming Zheng, Chongwu Zhou. Chirality-controlled synthesis of single-wall carbon nanotubes using vapour-phase epitaxy. Nat. Commun., 13 Nov, 2012 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2205

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/matter_energy/electronics/~3/r6ELpFsCZYM/121114134702.htm

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The ins and outs of home inspection - The CanEquity Mortgage ...

Imagine buying your dream home. It?s not cheap, but it?s worth it. You and your family will make it your own, spending many happy years living, laughing and making memories in it. Now imagine finding out that your beautiful new home is infested with mice. So infested, in fact, that you?ll now have to tear apart your million dollar investment. Sound crazy? That?s exactly what happened to a woman in Winnipeg, according to CBC News.

Connie Forsythe bought her $1 million home in September and began opening up walls to make renovations. It wasn?t long before she discovered that her 5,000-square-foot home already belonged to an immense nest of rodents. Now the home?s drywall, insulation and vapor barrier will have to be ripped out and replaced. Meanwhile, the previous owner denies having any knowledge of the infestation. Most likely, Forsythe will end up in court fighting for restitution.

Besides being the stuff of homebuyer nightmares, this story illustrates the importance of something that is often overlooked by househunters: home inspection. During the deluge of home loans and mortgage rates, common sense sometimes goes out the window. If you?re forking over hundreds of thousands of dollars for a place to lay your head down at night, the least you can do is make sure your new abode is clean, safe and structurally sound. The following is a primer for homebuyers unfamiliar with the ins and outs of home inspection.

Why?
Home inspections will not only put your mind at ease, they will will also help you plan for the future, and, in some cases, save you money. Home inspections will highlight potential maintenance issues for your new house, allowing you to plan ahead and make your purchase with full knowledge of your home?s upkeep needs. If you do discover issues over the course of your home inspection, it gives you the opportunity to try to negotiate a lower price with the seller, or, at the very least, have the seller take care of the issues before you move in.

Of course, home inspections aren?t just important for buyers. Sellers who use home inspections will help protect themselves while gaining peace of mind. First of all, making sure your home is in tip top condition will help the sell go more smoothly, as well as enhance the value in some cases. It also shows that you?re trying to make an honest transaction, something wary buyers will take into account.

How?
There are numerous home inspectors on the market, but quality is more important than quantity. You want someone thorough, someone you can trust. You could try looking online to find reviews of certified inspectors, or better yet, speak with your real estate agent to get the names of some well-respected professionals. Once you decide on a home inspector, it?s important to know just what information you?ll be getting. Find out how long it will take and how much it will cost. More importantly, make sure that you and the inspector understand what information will be provided, that way you can ask questions or add requests accordingly. Once your inspector comes back with a clean bill of health, you can continue your home buying process with newfound serenity.

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Source: http://www.canequity.com/blog/2012-11-the-ins-and-outs-of-home-inspection/

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Maine Freeze fundraiser for Breast Cancer Awareness shines ...

ORONO, Maine ? The Maine Freeze Midget Minors? fundraiser to benefit the Eastern Maine Medical Center Breast and Osteoporosis Center turned out to be a resounding success.

The team members collected contributions at their final four home games of October while also collecting pledges and adding additional money by allowing parents to purchase the pink jerseys their sons wore during those games. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The 20 players tripled their goal and will present a check for more than $1,500 to Terri Sleeper, the philanthropy officer at EMMC, before the team?s final practice at 7:20 p.m. Wednesday at Penobscot Ice Arena in Brewer.

Tobin Trautz, coach of the Freeze Midget Minors (Under-16), came up with the fundraising idea and is expanding it. Now, the teams currently in season (Squirts, Peewees, Bantams and Girls) in the Freeze organization will take part.

?I have taken the opportunity as the Coaching Coordinator for the Maine Freeze to put together a program that we are dubbing ?Community Outreach? where each month the teams in the organization will work together toward a common charitable cause,? said Trautz in an email.

The November program, partnered with BBI Waste Industries, is a food drive to fill Thanksgiving baskets through the Salvation Army.

BBI Waste Industries will donate up to 100 turkeys, and the food drive will collect nonperishable items to fill out each basket. The items will be delivered to the Salvation Army on Nov. 19 in order for them to be presented to families by Thanksgiving on Nov. 22.

Source: http://bangordailynews.com/2012/11/06/sports/maine-freeze-fundraiser-for-breast-cancer-awareness-shines-thanksgiving-food-drive-set/

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Bertie's Blog of Food and Drink: Soup, glorious soup.

Soup on a cold day

Summer months have long since past taking with them any possibility for delicious, cold soups. Our summer was so poor that there were only a handful of days when anyone appreciated a cold bowl of soup anyway and now we are in the middle of autumn and hot soups for lunch are a good way to battle the onset of winter.

Hopefully you will have a supply of stock on your fridge or deep freeze. If you haven't, then you can use stock cubes but the taste is nowhere near as good, I don't think. Stock is the key to a decent bowl of soup. As for the rest, there are of course a hundred and one different recipes you can follow but generally speaking, soup can be thrown together from pretty much anything. This has always been known in my family as "Fridge Soup" - using up whatever leftovers are in the fridge and made into soup. Yesterday I gave up working at 12.15 because hunger swept in. There had been no time to go to the shop but there was a bowl of stock, a sad looking celeriac and half a squash that needed to be eaten. This is the great thing about soup - using up the old stuff to make something delicious - nobody need know the celeriac was reaching the end of his life and the squash had been open for a few days. To brighten up the two main ingredients, I added some extras that the squash and celeriac like to mix with. Garlic, which warms things up in a rounded friendly flavour, a pinch of cayenne which warms the inner soul quite literally [especially if you put in more than a pinch] a bit of grainy mustard which lifts the celeriac, some cream to smooth things out and a bit of earthy cumin because it tastes good. As for quantity of veg, go with what you find as there is no real rule. Here follows what would make a larger amount without having to use half a squash [the reason we had half a squash anyway is another story].

1 medium sized butternut squash

1 small celeriac

1.5 pints stock

3 cloves garlic - chopped

1 level teaspoon grainy French mustard

Glug of cream

Teaspoon of cumin

Salt and pepper

Small pinch of Cayenne

Skin the squash and chop into small bits

Peel the celeriac and chop into small bits

Put the squash into a saucepan with the stock and bring to the boil. After 5 mins, add the celeriac and the other ingredients except the cream. Bring to the boil then simmer until the veg is cooked.?

Using a stick blender, whizz it all up then add the cream and taste for seasoning. You can add more of any spices now and continue to simmer for a bit to let the flavours infuse.

As to the consistency - this is entirely your call. I like it to just coat the back of a spoon and be reasonably gloopy. Some people like it so thick it's almost a puree. Either way, start thick and you can add more stock to thin it down as you wish.

Serve with a large chunk of warm brown bread.

Source: http://bertiesfood.blogspot.com/2012/11/soup-glorious-soup.html

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OncoGenex completes enrollment of patients to Phase III trial of ...

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Sitemaster

Well, it?s taken a little over 2 years, but OncoGenex has completed enrollment of patients into the randomized, double-blind, Phase III SYNERGY trial, which is designed to assess whether the addition of custirsen (OGX-011) to docetaxel-based chemotherapy can extend the survival of men with metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).

The SYNERGY study is one of two ongoing, pivotal Phase III studies evaluating the potential benefits of treatment with custirsen for men with castration-resistant forms of prostate cancer.

According to a media release from OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals earlier today, the company has enrolled > 1,000 men into the SYNERGY study, at 142 different clinical trials sites (mostly in the USA, Canada, and Europe). The company has stated that survival data are now expected by the end of 2013.

For those who have forgotten, custirsen in combination with docetaxel-based chemotherapy had shown a survival benefit of 6.9 months over docetaxel-based chemotherapy alone in Phase I and Phase II trials involving some 294 patients, and completed several years ago now. Adverse events to custirsen recorded in those trials were relatively mild. The most common adverse events associated with custirsen were flu-like symptoms. However, more serious adverse events associated with custirsen and docetaxel included febrile neutropenia, fever, pleural effusion, and dyspnea, with each of these types of adverse event occurring in some 2 to 4 percent of patients in the Phase II study.

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Filed under: Drugs in development Tagged: | custirsen, mCRPC, OGX-011, Phase III, trial

Source: http://prostatecancerinfolink.net/2012/11/06/oncogenex-completes-enrollment-of-patients-to-phase-iii-trial-of-custirsen-in-mcrpc/

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Shawn Levy to Direct THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU Replacing ...

We have word that Shawn Levy (Real Steel) is stepping in to direct the ensemble comedy, ?This Is Where I Leave You as a replacement for Adam Shankman (Rock of Ages). ?Shankman was attached to the Warner Bros. film as recently as this past summer, but he departed the picture along with star Jason Bateman. ?The studio then put the picture in limbo, but have recently entered final negotiations with Levy to direct. ?The original cast also featured?Jason Sudeikis, Malin Akerman, Zac Efron and Leslie Mann, but it?s not yet clear whether their schedules can accommodate the shoot. ?Hit the jump for more.

Variety reported that Levy will take over directorial duties for Warner Bros.??This Is Where I Leave You. ?It looks like Levy will make this his next film and plans to shoot next summer after a quick revision of the script. ?Based on the best-selling Jonathan Tropper novel, the comedy centers on a?dysfunctional family that is forced to reunite when their father requests they sit Shivah for seven days following his death.

Read the synopsis for the book below.

The death of Judd Foxman?s father marks the first time that the entire Foxman family-including Judd?s mother, brothers, and sister-have been together in years. Conspicuously absent: Judd?s wife, Jen, whose fourteen-month affair with Judd?s radio-shock-jock boss has recently become painfully public.

Simultaneously mourning the death of his father and the demise of his marriage, Judd joins the rest of the Foxmans as they reluctantly submit to their patriarch?s dying request: to spend the seven days following the funeral together. In the same house. Like a family.

As the week quickly spins out of control, longstanding grudges resurface, secrets are revealed, and old passions reawakened. For Judd, it?s a weeklong attempt to make sense of the mess his life has become while trying in vain not to get sucked into the regressive battles of his madly dysfunctional family. All of which would be hard enough without the bomb Jen dropped the day Judd?s father died: She?s pregnant.

This Is Where I Leave You?is Jonathan Tropper?s most accomplished work to date, a riotously funny, emotionally raw novel about love, marriage, divorce, family, and the ties that bind-whether we like it or not. [Amazon]

Source: http://collider.com/shawn-levy-this-is-where-i-leave-you/208821/

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Gender pay gap a problem for recent college graduates

This is a must read for women graduating from college:

Don?t assume your first pay offer will be the same as what a similar male graduate will get.

Fifty years after the Equal Pay Act was passed, studies continue to find a pay gap between men and women. Some of the difference ? women earn about four-fifths of men?s pay ? can be attributed to women choosing lower-paying fields, or women temporarily leaving the workforce to raise children, or women taking more part-time jobs.

But a comprehensive report by the American Association of University Women, released last week, zeroed in on a workforce segment that, theoretically, should be on par: women and men getting their first jobs after college graduation.

The finding: Nearly the same gender gap as for the workforce at large. Young women, on average, are earning 82 percent of what their male peers are earning one year after college graduation.

Again, the choice of major and profession makes a difference. Men are more likely to be in the higher paying engineering and science fields.

But even in comparable business and management positions, women are earning less. Among business majors, for example, the survey found women earning about $38,000, on average, compared to men?s average of $45,000.

So here are the career recommendations for women who are concerned about the gap:

??Don?t count on equal pay laws. Be prepared to tackle the pay issue head-on. Women?s advocacy groups say most women aren?t as aggressive about negotiating pay as men.

??Don?t blindly accept the first number a prospective employer offers. Know a reasonable, competitive pay amount ? that you?ve researched through your campus career office or online pay sources, such as Salary.com ? and don?t be afraid to negotiate before you accept the job.

??Studies repeatedly show that if you start out behind your male peer, it can make a lifetime pay difference of tens of thousands of dollars. And that can hurt your ability to repay student loans and, eventually, your retirement pay amount.

Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/11/04/3081657/gender-pay-gap-a-problem-for-recent.html

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