Research Today

By 19884 it became obvious that the NEMCA effect, this large apparent violation of Faraday s law, is a general phenomenon not limited to a few oxidation reactions on Ag. Of key importance in understanding NEMCA came the observation that NEMCA is accompanied by potential-controlled variation in the catalyst work function.6 Its importance was soon recognized by leading electrochemists, surface scientists and catalysis researchers. Today the NEMCA effect has been studied already for more than 60 catalytic systems and does not seem to be limited to any specific type of catalytic reaction, metal catalyst or solid electrolyte, particularly in view of... 

FIGURE 7 Scientific research today often requires sophisticated equipment and computers. This chemist is using an Auger electron spectrometer to probe the surface of a crystal. The data collected will allow the chemist to determine which elements are present in the surface. 

In summary, database capability may be the single most valuable computer tool which can be provided to research today. 

The preparation of enantiomerically pure drugs is one factor that makes enantioselective synthesis and the resolution of racemic drugs (separation into pure enantiomers) active areas of research today. 

The chemistry of carbon, and radiocarbon, in the atmosphere represents one of the most important areas of environmental research today. The primary practical reason for this is the increasing attention which must be paid to the critical balance between energy and the environment, especially from the viewpoint of man s perturbations of natural processes and his need to maintain control. Probably more than other species, carbonaceous molecules play a central role in this balance. Some of the deleterious effects of carbonaceous gases and particles in the atmosphere are set down in Table 3. The potential effects of increased local or global concentrations of these species on health and climate have led to renewed interest in the carbon cycle and the "C02 Problem". It should be evident from the table, however, that carbon dioxide is not the only problem. In fact, the so-called "trace gases and particles" in the atmosphere present an important challenge to our interpretation of the climatic effects of carbon dioxide, itself [20]. 

The need for animal models of human disease to search for new therapeutic agents is also mandatory to be able to move forward with new drug discovery and development. Computers are widely used in biomedical research today, as are isolated tissues, animal... 

Lockeretz, W. 2000. Organic farming research, today and tomorrow. In Alfbldi, T., Lockeretz, W. and Niggli, U. (eds) Proceedings of the 13th International IFOAM Scientific Conference. Hochschulverlag ETH, Zurich, pp. 718-720. 

Lockeretz, W. 2000. Organic farming research today and tomorrow. In Alfbldi, T., Lockeretz,... 

THE HOLY GRAIL OF NUCLEAR RESEARCH TODAY IS CONTROLLED FUSION... 

Our technical researchers will no doubt improve the efficiency factor as well as the preformance indices. Today the average direct efficiency of the use of available energy in fossil fuels is not above 25% and well below 25% when considering energy cost of obtaining and converting it (1). The improvement in efficiency is-the most important challenge before the combustion research today. 

Number of Particle Families. How many families of matter may exist Three, four, or more An acceptable number among researchers today is three, Three family entities make up matter—the stars, the planets, molecules, and the atoms in the paper upon which this is printed. These fundamental particles are the up1 quark, the down quark, and the electron,. Some other researchers are not quite so confident. One is reminded of the quotation from Jonathan Swift ... 

Some studies in humans did find reproductive effects from marijuana however, they were found to be temporary. For example, in a study in which men smoked up to 20 marijuana cigarettes a day (considered a very heavy dose), researchers found a decrease in their sperm concentrations. However, by the end of one month, sperm counts had returned to normal despite continued dosing of marijuana. This temporary effect was also shown in animal studies. In a study of female monkeys, high doses of THC resulted in hormonal changes and a disruption of their menstrual cycle. However, after six months of similar THC doses, the monkeys hormonal levels and menstrual cycles returned to normal. Overall, the consensus of most researchers today is that THC has little impact on the reproductive system. 

Scientific research today sometimes produces strange bedfellows, teams of scholars from fields that might seem very far apart and distinct from each other. Research on biomaterials is one area with many such examples. Someone interested in developing an artificial heart, a blood substitute, or a new material that can be used for bone must know a little something about many topics from biology, chemistry, and physics. Even better, such research can be carried out most efficiently when scholars from each of these fields is involved in a research program. One of the best examples of that point is found in the history of research on artificial skin, in which loannis V. Yannas made an important breakthrough. 

Many of the new materials developed by early humans were modeled on substances found in nature. The first alloys, for example, were little more than artificial copies of substances produced when fire, lightning, or some other natural source of energy caused the fusion of naturally occurring materials on the Earth s surface. Over time, however, people learned how to modify these processes to produce new alloys and other materials that were superior to those found in nature. This pattern has dominated materials research since the dawn of time. Many of the best new materials available today were created when scientists discovered how nature makes its composites and found new and better ways to duplicate those processes. One of the most exciting fields of materials research today involves the development of new biomaterials, substances similar to naturally occurring products found in living organisms that can be used in a host of new ways by medical workers. 

Even in fields in which materials science had become somewhat routine and boring, such as the development of new polymers, unexpected and promising breakthroughs have occurred. The invention of polymers that conduct an electrical current—once considered a contradiction in terms—has made possible new substances with many of the advantages of traditional polymers and the added benefit of electrical conductivity. Like most other fields of materials research today, polymer research is turning out products with almost unheard of molecular structures, such as dendrimers and hyper-branched polymers. These products are so different from any natural or previously manufactured substance that researchers scarcely know the applications in which they may he employed. 

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