Today's world is extremely dependent on hydrocarbons for its energy requirements. Unfortunately, these resources are exhaustible and are being used up at a rapid rate. Thus, there is a need for alternative energy sources. Biofuels (biodiesel and biogas) provide an efficient and inexpensive alternative. This paper shows a cost comparison between biofuels and their hydrocarbon variants.

Today, the world faces the imminent concern of environmental consequences brought on by poor technological and agricultural practices. Though political and scientific steps are being taken to prevent lasting impacts on worldwide populations, this article assesses the efficacy of a relatively new natural approach to the problem: terra preta. Found in the forests of the Amazon, this natural soil (also known as agrichar) possesses the chemical ability to modify ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) and allows the synthetic molecule to play a more definitive role in photosynthesis carbon fixation. In addition to exploring the scientific background of this solution, this article investigates its social and political implications. Bioengineering conventions, like those in Australia just starting to take form, serve as optimal champions of emphasis on agrichar production. Raising awareness about this 90% carbon-efficient soil will ensure that the environmental movement takes precedence in the public mind.

Several studies in medical publications on the effects of nail polish on pulse oximetry have yielded contradictory results. Previous studies on the effect of artificial nails on pulse oximetry have focused on acrylic nails, although there are several different types of artificial nails made of various materials that remain untested. In this study, the investigator desires to clarify the effect of nail polish; in addition, this study focuses on inexpensive "artificial nail tips" made of ABS plastic, which are sold widely in drugstores for home application. These plastic artificial nail tips tend to be quite thick; therefore, it is expedient to determine whether or not they interfere with the accurate measurement of oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry. These tips may also be painted at home with nail polish and there have been no studies on the combined effects of nail polish and artificial nails. Six colors of nail polish were tested on 23 subjects using two different types of pulse oximeter - a small portable device and a larger stationary device. The experiment was repeated using artificial nail tips made from ABS plastic that had been painted with the six colors of nail polish. Each subject had a bare index finger nail as a simultaneous control. The difference in oxygen saturation between each color finger and the control finger was determined. In addition, extended color testing was done on a single subject, using 27 different colors of various shades and brands. Colored artificial nail tips and nail polish had little or no significant effect on the measurement of oxygen saturation. There was no statistically significant effect on the measurements made by the more sophisticated stationary machine. However, with the less expensive portable device, there were trivial drops in the oxygen saturation measurement that did reach statistical significance with the blue, pink, and white nail polish and wine-colored artificial nails, but were too small to be considered clinically significant. Nail polish and plastic artificial nail tips do not interfere with the accurate measurement of oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry.