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ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES • OCTOBER 2014 47
Defective dictionary definition
A Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Australia, physicist pointed out a 99-year-old
mistake to one of the world’s most authoritative dictionaries. Stephen Hughes sparked
controversy over how a humble siphon works when he noticed an incorrect definition in the
prestigious Oxford English Dictionary. In 2010, the eagle-eyed Hughes spotted the mistake,
unnoticed for 99 years, which incorrectly described atmospheric pressure, rather than gravity,
as the operating force in a siphon.
Hughes conducted an experiment in a hypobaric chamber, which simulates the effects of
high altitude, at the Institute of Aviation Medicine at the Royal Australian Air Force’s Base
Edinburgh. A siphon 1.5 m high was set up in the chamber and when the pressure was
reduced to an altitude of 40,000 ft, a waterfall appeared at the top, but the water flow
remained nearly constant. At 41,000 ft, the siphon broke into two columns of water and, when
returned to 40,000 ft, it reconnected as if nothing had happened. “The fact that the water level in the
upper and lower buckets is constant indicates that atmospheric pressure is not pushing water into the
siphon,” explains Hughes. The dictionary corrected the error and removed the reference to atmospheric
pressure after Hughes pointed it out. However, he said the new
entry “unfortunately remains ambiguous.” For more information:
Stephen Hughes, +617.3138.2327, ,
.
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a…bicycle!?
It’s 40 times more aerodynamic than a Bugatti Veyron, has a top
speed of 90 mph, generates enough power to light the average
UK home—and is entirely pedal-powered. The ARION1
Velocipede is a bicycle that a team of UK engineering students
believes will become the fastest human-powered vehicle in
history. The University of Liverpool Velocipede Team (ULVT)—all
members of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers—is hoping
their design will smash the 83.13 mph record set in September
2013 by TU Delft and VU Amsterdam universities. ARION1 will be designed, manufactured, and ready to
race by May 2015, and will attempt the record in September 2015 at the World Human Power Speed
Challenge in Battle Mountain, Nev. .
Nanosponges tackle superbugs
With support from the National Science Foundation, Liangfang Zhang and his team at the University
of California San Diego (UCSD) created a nanosponge to combat drug-resistant infections, such as those
caused by Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA). The nanosponge, made from biocompatible,
biodegradable polymer nanoparticles, is camouflaged
with a red blood cell membrane. It circulates in the
bloodstream, absorbing the toxins produced by
infection. One red blood cell membrane can be used as
a cloak for more than 3000 of these stealthy sponges.
Once they are fully loaded with toxins, the nanosponges
are safely eliminated by the liver. They are designed to
work with any type of infection or poison that attacks
the cellular membrane. Zhang is working closely with
doctors and students at the UCSD Moores Cancer
Center on this nano approach to tackling infections. He
has been testing his approach on mice, with a nearly
100% success rate against staph infections. For more
information: Liangfang Zhang, 858.246.0999,
, .
ARION1, which
produces zero
carbon emissions,
weighs less than 55
lb, is 98.4%
efficient, and will
travel at almost
double the current
sprint cycling
record.
A good disguise enables a nanosponge to soak up
toxins from drug-resistant infections or poisons.