7/8/09: Vaulting Forward

By corinnama | Published: July 9, 2009

Wednesday was another busy day with ArtSci with activities ranging from lectures on nanomedicine, cancer, and vaults to manipulating the Buckminster Balls at the zero@wave gallery.  It was also pretty crazy that we actually saw cancer cells (they belonged to a woman who had breast cancer) when we visited one of the labs.

It was so calming to just be in the zero@wave gallery.  Since the Bucky Balls were only manipulated by our shadows, so slow and deliberate movements were necessary to get them to respond.  I really had to take it down a few notches and just be really low-key, otherwise the shadows were really ineffective in getting the Bucky Balls to move. The darkness in the room also made me feel more relaxed, yet it was annoying to try and capture the shadows on my camera. However, I was successful with Underwater mode on my camera!

Unfortunately, nanotoxicology is another issue that the public needs to be aware of. Where will the particles go when they are released? Are the vault particles safe to human cells or will they ultimately impede the human vault cells? For these reasons, nanotechnology is controversial.  I think that nanotechnology has unlimited potential to be THE solution to many health problems, but these questions cannot be ignored. Nanotechnology is definitely the science of the future, but I believe that scientists must find answers to these questions to ensure safety before nanotechnology is used more widely.

I find it really fascinating that the vaults can differentiate and then release the cancer drugs to the cancerous rather than to the normal human cells because cancer cells have a lower pH.  Also, the whole pH thing is helpful for showing the visual difference between the cancerous and normal cells, because of the color indicators. Unbelievably, simple science like pH comes in to be crucial to the whole complicated process of finding a treatment for cancer.  It just proves that we can’t forget the little things in life because they’re all part of the bigger picture.   At first, the whole thing with nanomedicine really didn’t register and I couldn’t really visualize it, but I guess we’re still in the process of “imagining the impossible”.

http://www.foresight.org/Nanomedicine/

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/nn800638x

http://www.rsc.org/Publishing/Journals/cb/Volume/2009/8/Brewing_platform.asp

http://www.evidenttech.com/quantum-dots-explained/how-quantum-dots-work.html

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16002369

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Dylan Oldenburg’s Blog Day 3 Group X

By dylanoldenburg | Published: July 9, 2009

Interestingly, today my group and I realized that a glass screen could contain nanoparticles all inside a water fish tank-like container. We found some interesting information involving quantum dots, such as that they can emit noises when moving based on speed if connected to speakers, and they can also emit certain colors based on their sizes. A very strong optical microscope can focus in on the particles to make them visible to the naked eye. Also, because quantum dots are soluble in water (contain polar bonds), they are thinly coated in nonpolar polymers to keep them hydrophobic (we learned this today too in the engineering lab that teflon and other nonpolar substances are hydrophobic!). The dots can be controlled by the hand, causing them to move toward or around the screen, coming out of the water to reach the hand which acts as a conductor for heat (enthalpy) because quantum dots live off of kinetic energy, and because kinetic energy equals three halves the universal gas constant (8.3145) times temperature, the hand gives off this energy and causes the quantum dots to react. This is interesting because it can be used as a form of art. The quantum dots are so colorful, they are like an iris with various shades and can really help children learn to control objects with their hands, it is good for hand to eye coordination and also for developing other parts of the brain. Also, I believe that teflon is CH2F2, therefore it has two geometric isomers: Cis (polar, hydrophilic) and trans (nonpolar, hydrophobic).

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

http://www.kusoz.com/blog/

http://www.nn-labs.com/cdsesizingcurve.html

http://www.evidenttech.com/products/evidot-leds.html

http://www.vanderbilt.edu/exploration/stories/quantumdotled.html

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07-08-9 Blog 2

By juliamiller | Published: July 9, 2009

   Basic knowledge of scientific processes can be very useful to possess.  However, one can only glean so much from such rudimentary “textbook’ learning.   In the case of many sciences, particularly those pertaining to the medical field, such knowledge needs to be applied in the real world.  The scientific world’s response to this necessity has been the development of specialized labs for virtually any imaginable field of science. 

UCLA is home to many such labs, including one we visited today.  Personally, I thought the most interesting thing we were shown was a culture of breast cancer sells taken from a women who had died in 1996.  However, the cancerous cells continued to grow in the petri dish for over ten years because they were placed in a nutrient rich solution/medium.  Additionally, the solution in which the cells were growing was notably red.  Interestingly, this vibrant color served an important role.  The distinct color of the solution indicated the pH of the solution, ensuring that the environment remained stable to ensure the continued growth of the cells.  Therefore, any variation in the color of the solution would be a sure indicator of an environmental inbalance in the pH.  Thus, color clearly can serve both an important purpose in science and art.

Digital representation of breast cancer cells

 red-petri

In the afternoon, a lecture on the use of nanotechnology in biomedicine brought up the earlier discovery and potential use of “vault” cells.  Found in virtually every modern day eukaryote, scientists discovered these vaults fairly recently.  However, though theories exist, no one is entirely certain as to the purpose vaults currently solve, if any.  The potential of vaults lies in their hollow interior.  Currently, scientists envision using vaults to possibly transport chemotherapy drugs throughout the body and to sites containing cancerous tumors.  For now, however, vaults remain in the early experimental stage of this new field of “nanomedicine”.

vault-cell

Related Links:
1)  Division and growth of cancer cells- http://www.cancerquest.org/index.cfm?page=262
2)  Basic information on petri dishes-
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-petri-dish.htm
3)  pH balance-
http://www.prlog.org/10241785-the-basics-of-ph-balance.html
4)  Vault cells-
http://www.vaults.arc.ucla.edu/
5)  Nanotechnology in medicine-
http://www.understandingnano.com/medicine.html
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Ironman is in the present 7/10/09 Blog 3

By andrewhuh | Published: July 9, 2009

 

ironman

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 “Its on the strength of observation and reflection that one finds a way. So we must dig and delve unceasingly” said Monet, the renowned artist. This quote is applicable to both the scientific mind and the artistic capacity. The brilliant mind of Isaac Newton observed light as a particle and the creative conscious of Yoyoi Kusame, who said “You are a dot, I am a dot, everyone is a dot..”, was a visionary who saw the world in complete harmony as a symphony of dots. The Newtonian fluid excellently exemplifies the melody that the syncopated music of the merging of art and science plays. The Newtonian fluid acts as a liquid, but when a pressure is forced upon it, the fluid poses as a solid for a brief period of time. The junction between art and science will diminish to such an extent to become insignificant. A new discovery known as quantum dots discussed in an earlier blog can be used for many practical purposes, such as labeling the embryo of an organism and finding tumors in the body in order to diagnose certain cancers such as that on the penis, breast, lung, brain, and pancreas before they metastasize. The artistic masterpiece made by scientists includes the multi-touch computer, made popular in the recent film Ironman, featuring Robert Downey Jr., incorporates many interactive features that are popular in arts and presents a unique beauty that boggles the mind. Sol gel, a new invention in which glass can be manufactured at room temperature rather than at 1000 C, can be used to block laser guided missiles. With this technology, we can protect ourselves from the laser guided missiles from hostile countries. A new invention from UCLA is a source of clean fuel. With this innovation, which reacts with sugar and releases water, the new source of energy will be environmentally safe and economically green. A new form of energy being installed in many areas on the globe is solar energy. During the day, the sun will power the solar energy, and ,during the night, the same process that the bioluminescent dinoflagellates, causing red tide, will substitute the sun. The scientific process and majestic development of art are constantly growing onto each other and closing the gap that separate the two.

Links
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7/8

By elanahubert | Published: July 9, 2009

Our day today was filled with teachings on nano silver, cancer cells, and different types of microscopes. What I found especially interesting was the research being done to find some cures for cancer. There are many surprising differences between cancer cells and normal cells such as pH level, rigidity, and nucleus size. Using these differences the scientists were able to get a lead on the different and innovative ways they could find a cure. He mentioned how limited cures were at the moment such as keno therapy and radiation. Chemotherapy not only kills cancerous cells but healthy ones as well and has proven to sometimes kill the patient before the cancer does! When we were showed cancer cells that were 10 years old I was very surprised to find out that they were still alive and in fact cancer cells never die – they simply continue to grow and spread. By using the pH levels in the cells the scientists are trying to experiment with a drug which would target only cells with the pH of a cancerous cell and the normal cells would remain unaffected. These new innovations seemed so creative and I was amazed to see how close the researchers seemed to be to finding something new. This day got me very interested in cancer research and the new technologies available due to the nano sciences.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/134550.php

 

http://www.nano-silver.com/

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Daily Blog #3

By stevenlim | Published: July 9, 2009

Its the third day, and my mood is uneasy. I’ve tried my hardest during the lectures to stay awake but my eye lids seem to get heavier and heavier every second.

sleepy_flower_121906

Well, let me try to give my opinion of what I have heard or remembered. Solar cells seem to be a “new” technology. Well, I guess five years since its creation is “new”. I have a problem getting over the fact that 5 years is considered “new” because that is 1/3 of my life. I always had this prenotion that science is always cutting edge and that even a year old was “obsolete” but I guess that’s not true. The creation of the solar cell was a breakthrough in technology, but it still lags behind the electricity provided by the burning of coal. Solar cells can be essential, but personally I think a huge problem is its ineffectiveness. How effective can it be when weather can be so random. Southern California can have very stable weather with a sunny sky, but most of the world doesn’t have the benefits we have. Instead other parts of the countries are covered with clouds and are constantly under rainfall. Not only does it become ineffective under weird weather, but it also fails during the night. Unless we find an extremely effective way to utilize moonlight, scientists need to develope a solar cell that can keep and contain energy throughout the day.  I believe that we are still far away from weaning ourselves off of fuel and gasoline, but as humanity, we must have a positive and optimistic outlook.

solar_cells_panels_array_monocrystaline

One idea provided is the algae that glows in the dark. These algea seems to create a “red tide” that is beautiful to look at. These, when shaken, create a bright, luminescent light. This light can provide the solar cell with energy during the night. We still need to develope a way in order to create light through the algae.

bioluminescencethu423

This is my two cents for today. Good Night.

http://www.tampaelectric.com/community/education/electricitycreated/

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

http://www.sustainlane.com/reviews/how-to-grow-your-own-bioluminescent-algae/W78VHS4ZUZYAMDYSBHW2FBRBU2SB

http://www.physorg.com/news119107136.html

http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/19044/

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The First Thursday: Many different worldviews

By lucygao | Published: July 9, 2009

07.09.09

Our worldviews= the way we look at our world.
One’s personal view of the world and how one interprets it; The totality of one’s beliefs about reality; A general philosophy or view of life. (as defined by Wikitionary)

But then take a step back, and you realize that the world you view is just… LIGHT! And that light is the teensiest tiniest bit of the full electromagnetic spectrum.

Today’s theme of Materials and Sensing began with that idea, immediately broadcast to us in the morning presentations. It was a quick way to restart my ancient musings of seeing the world differently through different “eyes”, or more scientifically: through different color spectrums. That sci-fi-ish idea that something exists outside of what our eyes can perceive.

Yeah, that’s it—like an alternate universe might exist. Like what you see really isn’t what’s there. Or there’s just so much beyond what you see. All these kinds of thoughts. I think this idea is most commonly explored in astronomy, actually. For example, check out this article.

What you see… A=visible light, B=near-infrared, C=longer wavelengths, D=even looonger

 

Then even beyond that, this entire topic keeps reminding me of a discovery I made earlier this year—that one of my good friends is color blind! The idea that his conception of the color red is completely different from my own is just so… strange!

(simulated kinds of color blindness)

 

And then that leads me to another thought—the idea that people who are blind from birth have no conception of color at all. They have to rely on all other senses to pick up the shape and form of the world around them. Here‘s a simple Q & A about how a blind person could possibly “see” color.

 

After all these random thoughts on light and color and seeing the world, it’s pretty amazing to just focus on the idea that so much beauty could be created from our tiny slice of the electromagnetic spectrum.

 

 

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Nanosilver

By charlottelaven | Published: July 9, 2009

Nanosilver is a new discovery in science that is making many improvements. nanosilver is pure de-ionized water with silver in suspension. the nano particles are able to kill bacteria and are starting to be seen as something that can help cure diseases. nanosilver is used in socks to prevent smell. the only harm with the nano silver is if these socks were washed some of the nanosilver particles could be released into the water and that is harmful to the environment. the silver nano particles are also said to be toxic to certain living cells.
Samsung home appliances such as refrigerator or air conditioner with silver nano coating to their inner surfaces for an overall anti-bacterial and anti-fungal effect. As air circulates, the coated surfaces contact with the silver ions which can resist any airborne bacteria. this affects the metabolism of the cell and eventually stops cell growth.
Nanosilver seems useful in many ways but its harmful affects is what makes it now as widely used. I am interested to see what improvements will be made to this and what advances will be made because of nanosilver. I found it really interesting to learn about something like this because I had never heard about it before. There are so many things that people do not know about that can make a difference in science and nanosilver may just be one of those things.

http://www.nano-silver.com/

http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp/2006/12/07/nano_silver_kills_microbes_epa_up_in_arms.htm

http://nano.foe.org.au/node/190

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080406175050.htm

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

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Where’s My Jetpack!

By zacharywong | Published: July 9, 2009

870280350_74a4a3473b-1

hey sugar...

After watching the sci-fi thriller, “Children of Men” I have realized that the tone of sci-fi movies, as well as our view of the future, has drastically changed from say fifty years ago. We have all geared our taste towards movies with a very cynical and mundane outlook of the future; there will be a deterioration of society and technology is seen as a drawback rather than a benefit. In the earlier days, the future was seen as a sleek and sexy world, filled with flying cars, robots, and jetpacks. Early science fictions like Buck Rogers, 2001 a Space Odyssey, Star Wars, and Star Trek believed that this “future” was inevitable. However, Daniel Wilson states in his book, Where’s My Jetpack, that that this “future” is theoretical, and that none of the predictions of those days are true and asks the question, “Where’s all that stuff?”

Today, we know this to be true; we aren’t driving flying cars or jetpacks, we aren’t living in the sleek or sexy world proposed in those movies, in fact we are in a massive global recession and climate crisis. Our once esteemed fantasy has been disheartened. I think that our current sci-fi movies reflect that fact. Movies like, Blade Runner, Children of Men, I am Legend, Battlestar

Scene from "Children of Men" 2006
Scene from “Children of Men” 2006

Gallatica –they all view the future as an almost post-apocalyptic world. It shows the future in a way that can be believable to the modern audience by reflecting on the society as well as on its views and outlooks. However back in the day, the sleek and sexy sci-fi films were very appealing and believable to their audiences because it reflected on the peoples’ views; there were many scientific breakthroughs and people believed that the rapid pace of technological innovation would remain constant. It has, but not in the way they had expected. But although we have evolved from the chimerical futurama science fiction, the heart of our sci-fi movies still remains the same.

star-trek-tos-cast1

Links:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/05/29/jetpack/

http://danielhwilson.blogspot.com/

http://www.classicmovies.org/articles/aa050299.htm

http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/ctnlistPubDate.asp

http://morrischia.com/david/portfolio/boozy/research/futurama.html

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Team X: Shaun Herzig blog 1

By shaunherzig | Published: July 9, 2009

When I first arrived the ART / Sci NanoLab I was unaware of the heavy theme of Art in the program, and how, indeed, the joining of art and science was the main focus. I learned about art/sci through my highschool chemistry teacher and the way he had described the program had been in purely science and primarily focused on chemistry. When I arrived I learned that I was absolutely wrong. Thrown off by the Art element of the program I was originally disappointed and confused. I quickly grasped the concept of how art and science were supposed to mutually benefit through the sharing of techniques and knowledge, but I assumed that it ended there. Art influenced by science and science influenced by art. I didn’t see how a full two week program could focus soley on the joining of two totally opposite subjects. One of the first counselors I met, Brent, tried to explain to a group of us the point of view of Art/Sci. Brent described the two as inseparable, one could not exist without the other. Thoughrouly confused I attended my first lecture where David continued with this theme of art and science being joined. Also I was introduced to the nano portion of the course. The lecture was given in the C(n)SI and the discussion involved nano-particles. I was relieved to learn that there was going to be some of what I had expected. The nano-particles and nano-science described in the lecture however were not what I expected. What David and the other speakers were talking about sounded more like science fiction than cutting edge science. So my first day ended with me confused. The next day however would clear my confusion and end any lingering doubts I had about the program.

 

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links

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

http://movies.nytimes.com/2008/05/30/movies/30wond.html

http://www.lacma.org/art/ExhibFuture.aspx

http://www.nano.gov/

http://www.summer.ucla.edu/Institutes/ArtScience/overview.htm

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