Apple, Samsung, and Other Big Names in Tech Chosen for FDA ’s PreCert Pilot
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD told an audience Tuesday that nine firms—major tech companies among them—will take part in the new FDA Software Precertification (PreCert) Pilot Program. The companies were a select few plucked from a field of more than 100 applicants, and they have star power. Apple, Verily, Samsung, and Fitbit are just some of the well-known names. Other participants are Johnson & Johnson, Roche, New York’s Phosphorus, Palo Alto-based Tidepool, and Pear Therapeutics from Boston. “Our team will be spending the rest of the year working closely with these companies to deepen our understanding ...
Source: MDDI - September 26, 2017 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Marie Thibault Tags: Digital Health Source Type: news

A plant-based reactive ammonium phytate for use as a flame-retardant for cotton fabric - Feng Y, Zhou Y, Li D, He S, Zhang F, Zhang G.
A plant-based non-formaldehyde flame retardant containing high phosphorus ammonium phytate (APA) was synthesized for cotton fabric. The char length of treated cotton sample decreased to 31mm from the original 300mm. The LOI value of finished cotton fabric ... (Source: SafetyLit)
Source: SafetyLit - September 22, 2017 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Tags: Burns, Electricity, Explosions, Fire, Scalds Source Type: news

Titanium isotopic evidence for felsic crust and plate tectonics 3.5 billion years ago
Earth exhibits a dichotomy in elevation and chemical composition between the continents and ocean floor. Reconstructing when this dichotomy arose is important for understanding when plate tectonics started and how the supply of nutrients to the oceans changed through time. We measured the titanium isotopic composition of shales to constrain the chemical composition of the continental crust exposed to weathering and found that shales of all ages have a uniform isotopic composition. This can only be explained if the emerged crust was predominantly felsic (silica-rich) since 3.5 billion years ago, requiring an early initiatio...
Source: ScienceNOW - September 21, 2017 Category: Science Authors: Greber, N. D., Dauphas, N., Bekker, A., Ptacek, M. P., Bindeman, I. N., Hofmann, A. Tags: Geochemistry, Geophysics reports Source Type: news

The burning issue of white phosphorus: a case report and review of the literature - Aviv U, Kornhaber R, Harats M, Haik J.
BACKGROUND: Burns from white phosphorus are rare and remain a challenge for clinicians. White phosphorus burns are often associated with smaller surface areas and high morbidity rates. Classed as a chemical burn, white phosphorus is used for military purpo... (Source: SafetyLit)
Source: SafetyLit - September 5, 2017 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Tags: Burns, Electricity, Explosions, Fire, Scalds Source Type: news

Scientists from the MSU adjusted a microalgal technology for wast
(Lomonosov Moscow State University) Members of the Faculty of Biology of the Lomonosov Moscow State University proved that under Nordic conditions wastewaters could be treated with the help of microalgae, while algal biomass is suitable for processing into biofuel. The scientists have presented the optimized technique for the removal from wastewater of organic compounds, along with nitrogen and phosphorus in the article, published in the Algal Research. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - August 24, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: news

Biochar shows benefits as manure lagoon cover
(American Society of Agronomy) Manure is a reality in raising farm animals. Manure can be a useful fertilizer, returning valued nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to the soil for plant growth. But manure has problems. Odor offensiveness, gas emissions, nutrient runoff, and possible water pollution are just a few. New methods may reduce these negatives while potentially adding some positives: biochar covers. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - August 9, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: news

The good, the bad and the algae
(DOE/Sandia National Laboratories) Sandia National Laboratories is testing whether one of California's largest and most polluted lakes can transform into one of its most productive and profitable. Southern California's 350-square-mile Salton Sea has well-documented problems related to elevated levels of nitrogen and phosphorus from agricultural runoff. Sandia intends to harness algae's penchant for prolific growth to clean up these pollutants and stop harmful algae blooms while creating a renewable, domestic source of fuel. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - August 7, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: news

Dramatic changes needed in farming practices to keep pace with climate change
(Lancaster University) Researchers investigating nutrients in runoff from agricultural land warn that phosphorus losses will increase, due to climate change, unless this is mitigated by making major changes to agricultural practices. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - August 3, 2017 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

New system could remove two water pollutants from ag fields
(University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences) Algae blooms in the Gulf of Mexico use up the majority of the oxygen in the water, leading to massive " dead zones " that cannot support fish or other wildlife. The culprit? Nitrate, running off agricultural fields through tile drainage systems. But nitrate is only part of the problem. Algae in freshwater lakes and ponds flourishes when exposed to a different pollutant, phosphorus, and the tiniest amount is enough to trigger a bloom. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - July 31, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: news

Experimentally realized mechanochemistry distinct from force-accelerated scission of loaded bonds
We report here unambiguous experimental validation of this hypothesis: Detailed kinetic measurements demonstrate that stretching phosphotriesters accelerates dissociation of the unloaded phosphorus-oxygen bond orthogonal to the pulling axis, whereas stretching organosiloxanes inhibits dissociation of the aligned loaded silicon-oxygen bonds. Qualitatively, the outcome is determined by phosphoester elongation and siloxane contraction along the pulling axis in the respective rate-determining transition states. Quantitatively, the results agree with a simple mechanochemical kinetics model. (Source: ScienceNOW)
Source: ScienceNOW - July 20, 2017 Category: Science Authors: Akbulatov, S., Tian, Y., Huang, Z., Kucharski, T. J., Yang, Q.-Z., Boulatov, R. Tags: Chemistry reports Source Type: news

Press release: The comeback kid —black phosphorus and its new potential
(Source: Nanotechweb.org Your News)
Source: Nanotechweb.org Your News - July 6, 2017 Category: Nanotechnology Source Type: news

Palladium-catalyzed carbon-sulfur or carbon-phosphorus bond metathesis by reversible arylation
We describe palladium-catalyzed metathesis reactions of both compound classes, each of which proceeds through a reversible arylation manifold. The synthetic power and immediate utility of this approach are demonstrated in several applications that would be challenging to achieve by means of traditional cross-coupling methods. The C(sp2)–S bond metathesis protocol was used in the depolymerization of a commercial thermoplastic polymer and in the late-stage derivatization of a drug. The C(sp2)–P variant led to the convenient preparation of a variety of phosphorus heterocycles, including a potential chiral ligand a...
Source: ScienceNOW - June 8, 2017 Category: Science Authors: Lian, Z., Bhawal, B. N., Yu, P., Morandi, B. Tags: Chemistry reports Source Type: news

A better way to manage phosphorus?
A new project proposes a restructured index to build on phosphorus management efforts in farm fields in New York state and beyond. The new index structure improves upon previous approaches. It focuses on the existing risk of phosphorus runoff from a field based on the location. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)
Source: ScienceDaily Headlines - April 20, 2017 Category: Science Source Type: news

Calcium and phosphorus supplementation of human milk for preterm infants.
Preterm infants are born with low skeletal stores of calcium and phosphorus. Preterm human milk provides insufficient calcium and phosphorus to meet the estimated needs of preterm infants for adequate growth. Supplementation of human milk with calcium and phosphorus may improve growth and development of preterm infants. To determine whether addition of calcium and phosphorus supplements to human milk leads to improved growth and bone metabolism of preterm infants without significant adverse effects. (Source: Current Awareness Service for Health (CASH))
Source: Current Awareness Service for Health (CASH) - March 24, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news

Study quantifies effect of'legacy phosphorus' in reduced water quality
For decades, phosphorus has accumulated in Wisconsin soils. Though farmers have taken steps to reduce the quantity of the agricultural nutrient applied to and running off their fields, a new study reveals that a ' legacy ' of abundant soil phosphorus in the Yahara watershed of Southern Wisconsin has a large, direct and long-lasting impact on water quality. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)
Source: ScienceDaily Headlines - March 14, 2017 Category: Science Source Type: news