Potato Chips and ANOVA, Part 2: Using Analysis of Variance to Improve Sample Preparation in Analytical Chemistry

In this second article of a 2-part series on the official JMP blog, I use analysis of variance (ANOVA) to assess a sample-preparation scheme for quantifying sodium in potato chips.  I illustrate the use of the “Fit Y by X” platform in JMP to implement ANOVA, and I propose an alternative sample-preparation scheme to obtain a sample with a smaller variance.  This article is entitled “Potato Chips and ANOVA, Part 2: Using Analysis of Variance to Improve Sample Preparation in Analytical Chemistry“.

If you haven’t read my first blog post in this series on preparing the data in JMP and using the “Stack Columns” function to transpose data from wide format to long format, check it out!  I presented this topic at the last Vancouver SAS User Group (VanSUG) meeting on Wednesday, November 4, 2015.

My thanks to Arati Mejdal, Louis Valente, and Mark Bailey at JMP for their guidance in writing this 2-part series!  It is a pleasure to be a guest blogger for JMP!

 

Potato Chips and ANOVA in Analytical Chemistry – Part 1: Formatting Data in JMP

I am very excited to write again for the official JMP blog as a guest blogger!  Today, the first article of a 2-part series has been published, and it is called “Potato Chips and ANOVA in Analytical Chemistry – Part 1: Formatting Data in JMP“.  This series of blog posts will talk about analysis of variance (ANOVA), sampling, and analytical chemistry, and it uses the quantification of sodium in potato chips as an example to illustrate these concepts.

The first part of this series discusses how to import the data into the JMP and prepare them for ANOVA.  Specifically, it illustrates how the “Stack Columns” function is used to transpose the data from wide format to long format.

I will present this at the Vancouver SAS User Group (VanSUG) meeting later today.

Stay tuned for “Part 2: Using Analysis of Variance to Improve Sample Preparation in Analytical Chemistry“!

 

Café Scientifique – Materials Science Seminar by Neil Branda on Wednesday, November 19, 2014

If you will attend the following seminar, please do come and say “Hello”!  The event is free, but registration is required!  For more information, visit the SFU Café Scientifique’s web site!

Time: 7:00 -8:30 pm

Date: Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Place: Boston Pizza, 1045 Columbia Street, New Westminster, BC

Title: It’s a Materials World – From Sticks and Stones to Nanotechnology, how materials have changed our world

Speaker: Neil Branda – Professor of Chemistry at Simon Fraser University, Executive Director of 4D LABS, and Chief Technology Officer of SWITCH Materials

Abstract:

Since the beginning, understanding how materials can be used for specific tasks has resulted in some of the biggest changes to civilizations. Modern society is becoming more and more dependent on the development and use of advanced materials. From the basics to the controversial, how materials have affected they way we live and play will be discussed.

Biography of Speaker:

Dr. Neil Branda is a professor of Chemistry and a Canada Research Chair at Simon Fraser University, the Executive Director of 4D LABS, a research centre for advanced materials and nano-scale devices, CTO of SWITCH Materials Inc., a company he founded to commercialize his molecular switching technology and Founder and Director of the NanoCommunity Canada Research Network, a community of nanotechnology researchers committed to sharing knowledge and working collaboratively to advance applications in medical diagnostics, therapeutics, renewable energy and advanced materials.

 

Sulfur Dioxide, Sulfur Trioxide and Acid Rain: Pollution from Burning Coal

Introduction

It is well known that burning coal produces carbon dioxide, which contributes to the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere and, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, is a major source of anthropogenic global warming and climate change.  However, burning coal releases 2 other drastic but lesser known pollutants – sulfur dioxide and sulfur trioxide – which are responsible for numerous health problems and acid rain.

Bituminous Coal – A low-grade coal with high sulfur content

Source: “Minerals and Materials Photo Gallery”,  U.S House Subcommittee on Energy and Natural Resources

via Wikimedia

Why Does Diabetes Cause Excessive Urination and Thirst? A Lesson on Osmosis

A TABA Seminar on Diabetes

I have the pleasure of being an executive member of the Toronto Applied Biostatistics Association (TABA), a volunteer-run professional organization here in Toronto that organizes seminars on biostatistics.  During this past Tuesday, Dr. Loren Grossman from the LMC Diabetes and Endocrinology Centre generously donated his time to deliver an introductory seminar on diabetes for biostatisticians.  The Institute for Clinical and Evaluative Sciences (ICES) at Sunnybrook Hospital kindly hosted us and provided the venue for the seminar.  As a chemist and a former pre-medical student who studied physiology, I really enjoyed this intellectual treat, especially since Loren was clear, informative, and very knowledgeable about the subject.

The blue circle is a global symbol for diabetes.

Source: Wikimedia Commons