21

COVID-19 / Re: Are there trial vaccines targeting anything other than the spike protein

« on: 26/08/2020 19:26:09 »

China's Sinovac vaccine uses a brute force approach instead of targetting the spikes.
According to an interview I saw, the advantage is that live vaccines work better than those designer ones based on assessing its previous vaccines against SARS. Also, it can be stored for 3 years. Whereas the designer vaccines need refrigerated storage and lasted 1 -3 months.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-08-24/coronavirus-vaccine-china-s-covid-front-runner-uses-brute-force-approach

22

Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Re: Which forces are directable

« on: 25/08/2020 12:53:39 »

'm most interested in directing objects on earth & in space.
As AlanCaverd said "Electric and magnetic fields propagate through space but are difficult to direct over distances greater than the diameter of the source.", then it should be possible to use magnetic ring(s) of about 15 mile diameter to lift weights from the ground into space.
What formulae ?

23

Physiology & Medicine / Re: Why Do We Sometimes Miss A Word Out When Writing A Message?

« on: 25/08/2020 05:24:20 »

In my case, it is mainly due to AI manipulation of my keyboard. The web captures every key stroke I type in and look for associations useful for their purpose, then return characters, manipulate words, invoke advertisements, distract from political sensitive words/topics/URLs . . . according to their needs.

24

Physiology & Medicine / Re: What causes nosebleeds?

« on: 24/08/2020 12:56:46 »

I am on anti-coagulant for life since 2013, so nose bleeds is a personal problem.

My nose had always been prone to bleeding, and cigarrettes especially its ash causes frequent bleeding.
There is a spot deep in my right nostril which frequently starts the bleeding.

 

25

Physiology & Medicine / Re: Are There Any GOOD Viruses ?

« on: 24/08/2020 12:48:26 »

And there are the flesh eating bacteria + phage attack.
I guess without the phage, the bacteria is not deadly.

26

Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Which forces are directable

« on: 20/08/2020 10:59:51 »

Which force fields are directable so that it is possible to affect an object from a distance?

27

Cells, Microbes & Viruses / Re: What are the best links for up to date COVID-19 statistics?

« on: 18/08/2020 15:49:02 »

I noticed through www.worldometers.info that in the USA, the daily infection cases, & daily death cases have been vastly revised down for the last few days.  hmmmmm

28

COVID-19 / Re: Are there trial vaccines targeting anything other than the spike protein

« on: 10/08/2020 16:49:16 »

I'm of the opinion that at least 3 different vaccines should be adminstered to ensure that the virus populations do not evolve to counter the vaccines.

Well, we don't have 1 vaccine yet, and it would seem unwise to wait for development of 2 more  which may never exist.
We didn't need to do it with polio or smallpox.

And there's no direct interaction between the virus and the vaccine, so "resistance" of the sort that applies to bacteria isn't an issue.

At the moment, the expectation of efficacy is very low. Something like 50% effective rather than 98% effective.
By combining different vaccines, I expect the mixed vaccine would be more effective, as well as making adaptive evolution against the vaccines far more difficult for the virus.

29

Physiology & Medicine / Re: During exercise, when does the body burn sugar and when does the body burn fat?

« on: 10/08/2020 04:07:32 »

I heard on another PodCast that during the first 20 minutes of a cardiovascular workout, like running, the body is burning off only blood sugar. It is not unitl after the 20 minutes that you start actually burning fat.

That makes sense to me. It was what aerobics teachers told us too (more than 17 years ago).

30

Physiology & Medicine / Re: During exercise, when does the body burn sugar and when does the body burn fat?

« on: 10/08/2020 03:59:09 »

Aerobic teachers tend to be knowledgeable about metabolic dynamics. Every one I came across (many over the years) has an exercise teaching qualification of some sort. Often they are already in NHS physiotherapy.
Here is an article which supports what I said about using low to medium level of exercise to burn fat.

https://theconversation.com/fat-burning-zone-the-best-way-to-exercise-to-burn-fat-138662

https://us.humankinetics.com/blogs/excerpt/the-bodys-fuel-sources

31

COVID-19 / Re: Are there trial vaccines targeting anything other than the spike protein

« on: 09/08/2020 11:27:53 »

I'm of the opinion that at least 3 different vaccines should be adminstered to ensure that the virus populations do not evolve to counter the vaccines.

32

Physiology & Medicine / Re: During exercise, when does the body burn sugar and when does the body burn fat?

« on: 09/08/2020 10:54:05 »

Aerobics teachers understand when you burn fat and when you don't.

If you exercise too rigorously or too gently, you burn carbohydrate.
Moderate exercise cause you to burn fat. A brisk walk would burn fat nicely.

33

COVID-19 / Re: How could we improve PPE?

« on: 09/08/2020 10:38:39 »

The sensation of the smell changes with concentration.
With light concentration, it smells rather like scented paper.
With higher concentration, it smells between pleasant and ambiguous.
With high concentration, it is a bad smell, & one whiff is enough to cause hallucination of the smell for a few hours.

34

Chemistry / Re: How to reduce aluminum melting point?

« on: 07/08/2020 10:58:18 »

This may be of interest: https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/aluminum-alloys-melting-points-d_1432.html

Aluminium Melting point: 933.47 K ​(660.32 °C, ​1220.58 °F)

35

Chemistry / Re: How does hydro dipping work?

« on: 07/08/2020 09:15:53 »

Hydro dipping? Are you talking about dyes?
A lot of dyes are made from plants as far as I know.  Food dyes for example are mainly made from edible foods that have dyes.
Lipstick, eyelash colouring, . . . all have dyes.

36

Chemistry / Re: Is electrolysed water a disinfectant?

« on: 07/08/2020 07:56:50 »

For use by the general public, the obvious choice for electrodes is graphite (conductive carbon with lots of hexagonal plane arrangement): get it from a pencil.
What was the chemistry with the copper electrodes?
The electrolyte contains Na⁺ Cl ^- from salt, H ⁺ OH ^- from water. Cu ⁺⁺ from the copper electrode.
At the cathode, -ve charges go into the water: -ve + H ⁺ -> H, 2H-> H₂ gas; 
At the anode, +ve charges go into the water:
Cu ⁺⁺ ;
OH ^- - -ve -> OH, 2(OH) ->  H₂O + O; then either  -> H₂O₂ (disinfectant)
or 2O -> O₂ gas

The Cu ⁺⁺ makes the water go green, displace H₂ gas, and create 2(OH ^- ) in water hence the pH goes up.

With carbon electrodes, you might get 
At the anode, 2(OH ^- ) - 2(-ve) -> H₂O + O -> H₂O₂ (disinfectant) or O₂ gas
At the cathode, H⁺ + -ve -> H;  2H -> H₂ (gas)

But what would happen to the pH?
(Just testing my knowledge of school chemistry)

37

Chemistry / Re: What are the white rings that form during the Beirut ammonium nitrate explosion?

« on: 07/08/2020 06:20:38 »

Another interesting artifact is the "mouth" in the white cloud behind the shockwave.
- It grows faster than the speed of sound to eat Beirut...

Is it possible that the shockwave was attenuated or diffracted by the hot smoke of the prior fireworks show?

I think the mouth was created by the presence of the tall building.
As bored chemist explained that the white cloud is the vapor trail of the explosion. As the shock wave expand in a bubble fashion, the molecules are propelled away from the centre forming a low pressure area behind the shockwave thus forming the vapor. As the tall building is in the way, the volume of air behind the building is pressurised into an elipsoid volume, thus failing to form the vapor until after passing the building hence the mouth shape.
The moment of explosion:-
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-53657745/beirut-blast-city-explosion-causes-widespread-damage

38

Chemistry / Re: What are the white rings that form during the Beirut ammonium nitrate explosion?

« on: 07/08/2020 04:21:09 »

The first video had a white spiral BBC logo added at the start.
- But the white clouds behind the shockwave are real in all the videos.

Some other videos I have seen showed a fire in a fireworks warehouse. The people seeing the fireworks seemed to think this was quite entertaining - quite unlike the massive explosion that appeared to be triggered by the fireworks.

Chemists on TV tonight said that you have to get Ammonium Nitrate quite hot before it explodes - so fireworks should probably not be stored next to  Ammonium Nitrate!

It makes sense now, thanks. Fire at the fireworks storage caused the big explosion.
So sad that the Judge for Urgent Matters failed to do anything to get rid of the fertilizer for so many years, so this should all be totally avoidable.
 The current story:-
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-53668493?intlink_from_url=https://www.bbc.com/news/topics/c88p951myv0t/beirut-port-explosion&link_location=live-reporting-story
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-53683082
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/05/europe/lebanon-russian-ship-blast-intl/index.html

39

Chemistry / Re: What are the white rings that form during the Beirut ammonium nitrate explosion?

« on: 06/08/2020 10:09:46 »

Looks like the white rings are added artwork to the video.
This BBC article has the video without the rings at the beginning.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/world-middle-east-53656220?__twitter_impression=true

40

Chemistry / What are the white rings that form during the Beirut ammonium nitrate explosion?

« on: 06/08/2020 10:00:28 »

Ammonium nitrate (NH₃ N0₄) Beirut explosion videos.
TV in  Hong Kong said it was caused by heat.
(1) what on earth are those white bands at the beginning of the BBC video? https://twitter.com/BBCWorld/status/1290720709623320583?s=19
(2) what is the explosion's chemistry?