Thursday, August 30, 2012
Sunday, August 26, 2012
NEW STEM CELL BREAKTHROUGH DISCOVERY
Johns Hopkins Researchers Return Blood Cells to Stem Cell State
Release Date: 08/21/2012
A colony of blood-derived human stem cells (center)
Courtesy of Dr. Tea Soon Park, Johns Hopkins
The work, described in the Aug. 8 issue of the journal Public Library of Science (PLoS), is “Chapter Two” in an ongoing effort to efficiently and consistently convert adult blood cells into stem cells that are highly qualified for clinical and research use in place of human embryonic stem cells, says Elias Zambidis, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of oncology and pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins Institute for Cell Engineering and the Kimmel Cancer Center.
“Taking a cell from an adult and converting it all the way back to the way it was when that person was a 6-day-old embryo creates a completely new biology toward our understanding of how cells age and what happens when things go wrong, as in cancer development,” Zambidis says.
“Chapter One,” Zambidis says, was work described last spring in PLoS One in which Zambidis and colleagues recounted the use of this successful method of safely transforming adult blood cells into heart cells. In the latest experiments, he and his colleagues now describe methods for coaxing adult blood cells to become so-called induced-pluripotent stem cells (iPS) --- adult cells reprogrammed to an embryonic like state, and with unprecedented efficiencies.
Zambidis says his team has managed to develop a “super efficient, virus-free” way to make iPS cells, overcoming a persistent difficulty for scientists working with these cells in the laboratory. Generally, out of hundreds of blood cells, only one or two might turn into iPS cells. Using Zambidis’ method, 50 to 60 percent of blood cells were engineered into iPS cells.
Zambidis’ team also found a way around the use of viruses to convert the cells to a stem cell state. Traditionally, scientists use viruses to deliver a package of genes to cells to turn on processes that convert the cells from one type (such as skin or blood) back to stem cell states. However, viruses used in this way can mutate genes and initiate cancers in newly transformed cells. To insert the genes without using a virus, Zambidis’ team uses plasmids, rings of DNA that replicate briefly inside cells and then degrade. The blood cells were also given an additional new step in which they were stimulated with their natural bone-marrow environment.
For the new study, the Johns Hopkins team took cord blood cells, treated them with growth factors, and used plasmids to transfer four genes into them. They then delivered an electrical pulse to the cells, making tiny holes in the surface through which the plasmids could slip inside. Once inside, the plasmids triggered the cells to revert to a more primitive cell state. The scientific team next grew some of the treated cells in a dish alone, and some together with irradiated bone-marrow cells.
When scientists compared the cells grown using the blood cell method with iPS cells grown from hair cells and from skin cells, they found that the most superior iPS cells came from blood stem cells treated with just four genes and cultured with the bone marrow cells. These cells converted to a primitive stem cell state within seven to 14 days. Their techniques also were successful in experiments with blood cells from adult bone marrow and from circulating blood.
In ongoing studies, Zambidis and colleagues are testing the quality of the newly formed iPS cells and their ability to convert to other cell types, as compared with iPS cells made by other methods.
Efficient methods to produce virus-free iPS cells may speed research to develop stem cell therapies, using nearly all cell types, and may provide a more accurate picture of cell development and biology.
The study’s co-authors were Tea Soon Park, Jeffrey S. Huo, Ann Peters, C. Conover Talbot Jr., Karan Verma, Ludovic Zimmerlin, and Ian M. Kaplan. The work was supported by grants from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, (1U01HL099775 and U01HL100397), the National Cancer Institute (CA60441), both part of the National Institutes of Health, and the Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund (2011-MSCRF II-0008-00 and 2007-MSCRF II-0379-00).
NUCLEAR RISKS
Martin Hellman, Stanford Professor Emeritus in Engineering.
Hellman and a group of defense experts, Nobel laureates and Stanford professors are calling for an in-depth analysis.
Hellman wrote in his paper “Risk Analysis of Nuclear Deterrence.”
DARPA Awards $15.3M In Basic Research Grants!MARS CURIOSITY PHOTO
08/25/2012 06:34 AM CDT
This galaxy is having a bad millennium. In fact, the past 100 million years haven’t been so good, and probably the next billion or so will be quite tumultuous. Visible on the upper left, NGC 4038 used to be a normal spiral galaxy, minding its own business, until NGC 4039, toward its right, crashed into it.
Friday, August 24, 2012
NEW MILITARY TECHNOLOGY USA
New IED Defeating TECH test
A Husky
with an experimental Cause-and-Effect System trainer is prepared for a
test run at McGregor Range, N.M. (Photo by Lt. Col. Aaron Dorf, 5th
Armored Brigade, Division West)
A diverse group of scientists, trainers and soldiers from across the country — including soldiers of 3rd Battalion (Engineer), 364th Regiment, 5th Armored Brigade,”Task Force Rampant,” Division West — spent five days testing and evaluating the HUSKY Vehicle Mounted Mine Detection Cause and Effect System trainer, known as the HMDS-CES.
The HMDS-CES was designed to replicate a critical detection capability currently used in the route clearance mission in Afghanistan.
Prior to the HMDS-CES, soldiers had to wait until they arrived in Afghanistan to train on this critical route clearance system. With the HMDS-CES, soldiers will be able to conduct highly realistic training before deploying overseas.
Once fielded, this advanced counter-improvised explosive device, or C-IED, trainer will be used by the 5th Armored Brigade to train Army Reserve and Army National Guard route clearance units.
“This new system will enhance the training we provide to
soldiers as they train for deployment to Afghanistan,” said Master Sgt.
Warner Stadler, a senior route clearance trainer in the 3rd Battalion
(Engineer), 364th Regiment. “When they arrive in country and fall in on
the live system, they will become ready to conduct the critically
important route clearance mission in a short period of time with minimal
additional training.”With the trainer’s high-tech “cause-and-effect” system that simulates improvised explosive device, or IED, warnings, soldiers will be able to train in conditions that replicate the Afghanistan theater of operations without fear of damaging an expensive live system.
“The CES system has many of the same features as the live system,” said Staff Sgt. Johnathan Jacoba, an observer controller/trainer with 3rd Battalion (Engineer), 364th Regiment, and an experienced Sapper with recent combat experience in Afghanistan. “This system improves the operator’s field of vision and also aids in detecting threats near the vehicle.”
The new trainer also simulates explosions when operators fail to respond to critical warnings or indicators.
“This greatly enhances training and will save soldiers’ lives,” said Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Lindquist, a Task Force Rampant HUSKY operator and trainer. “The Cause and Effect trainer is a great improvement to the current surrogate trainer because it provides feedback similar to the live system.”
Staff
Sgt. Edward Hingula, from the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence,
ground guides a HUSKY with an experimental Cause-and-Effect System
trainer during testing at McGregor Range, N.M. (Photo by Lt. Col. Aaron
Dorf, 5th Armored Brigade, Division West)
Participants in the HMDS-CES evaluation also came from the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization, the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence, the Research and Development Command, Program Manager Explosive Ordnance Development and Counter-Mine, White Sands Missile Range, N.M., Program Executive Office — Simulations Training and Instrumentation, Army Test and Evaluation Command, and the United States Army Evaluation Center.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
ROLLING IN THE DEEP REMIX
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Media Queries
Please direct all media queries to Outreach@DARPA.mil
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Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Predicting and managing weather events
Innovation: Better Weather Prediction Using GPS | GPS World
www.gpsworld.com › GNSS
System › Signal
ProcessingCached - Similar
Jul 1, 2010 –
A team of Swiss researchers is using data from a network of GPS
receivers and the technique of tomography to obtain profiles of how
moisture ...
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08/21/2012 06:57 AM CDT
For many service members the military can open some unexpected doors. You learn unique and necessary skills, you forge unforgettable friendships and - on some occasions – you discover a talent or a passion that you didn’t even knew you had. For Air Force veterans Keith Houin, Jason Tudor, and Michael J. Wistock, it was
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
The titanic supernova, called SN 1987A, blazed with the power of 100 million suns for several months following its discovery on Feb. 23, 1987. This image shows the entire region around the supernova. . The ring, about a light-year across, was probably shed by the star about 20,000 years before it exploded. (Credit: NASA,
08/20/2012 06:57 AM CDT
Bad things can come in
tiny packages. The post- 9/11 anthrax mailings drove that point home in
a dramatic manner. Fortunately, America has a new sentinel on duty –
the Tactical Biological Detector (TAC-BIO), an aerosol biological
detector that has redefined the state-of-the-art with its small,
low-cost, low-power design. The TAC-BIO team started with a [...]
Monday, August 20, 2012
Saturday, August 18, 2012
CANCER CURE
Molecular 'Movies' May Accelerate Anti-Cancer Drug Discovery
ScienceDaily (Aug. 16, 2012)
— Using advanced computer simulations, University of Utah College of
Pharmacy researchers have produced moving images of a protein complex
that is an important target for anti-cancer drugs. This advancement has
significant implications for discovering new therapies that could attack
cancer without damaging the DNA of healthy cells, according to an
article published July 31, 2012 in the Proceedings of the National
Academy of
The researchers used high-performance computing technology to
demonstrate that a protein complex called LSD1/CoREST undergoes major
changes in shape, which are regulated by binding to a DNA-packaging
protein known as histone H3. LSD1 gene expression is increased in many
cancers and insight into the changes in the LSD1/CoREST complex may help
to accelerate development of epigenetic drugs that reprogram cancer
cells to behave more normally.Epigenetics is the study of changes in gene expression that are not caused by alterations in the DNA itself. Instead, these changes are caused by chemical modifications that switch parts of the genome on and off to regulate gene activity. These chemical modifications occur within the epigenome, a layer of chemical labels that covers the genome, and help to determine whether specific genes are active or inactive. Epigenetic drug discovery is based on the knowledge that the epigenome is flexible and could potentially be altered by therapeutic drugs.
Lysine-specific demethylase-1 (LSD1)/CoREST is a protein complex involved in epigenetic changes. Recent studies have shown that LSD1-CoREST is a binding partner for various proteins involved in regulating genes and modifying chromatin, the combination of DNA and DNA-packaging proteins called histones that make up the nucleus of a cell. Previous research also revealed that LSD1-CoREST binds to histone H3.
"In our earlier work, we discovered that LSD1/CoREST functions as a tiny clamp that can reversibly open and close to adjust the size of its binding partners," says Riccardo Baron, Ph.D., assistant professor of medicinal chemistry at the University of Utah and lead author on the study. "The goal of this study was to learn more about the conformational changes that occur when LSD1/CoREST binds to H3."
Baron and Nadeem A. Vellore, Ph.D., postdoctoral researcher in the Baron lab, performed molecular dynamics computer simulation on existing x-ray crystal structures of LSD1/CoREST, effectively transforming a static photo of the protein complex into a molecular movie. They discovered that, in an unbound state, the arms of the LSD1/CoREST clamp exhibit remarkable rotation, shifting back and forth among open or closed configurations. They also found that binding to H3 reduces the overall flexibility of the clamp and triggers a major loss of rotation. These dynamic changes in shape help to explain the ability of LSD1/CoREST to bind to such a wide variety of partners and may also be relevant to how LSD1/CoREST performs chromatin remodeling.
Epigenetics is an active topic in cancer research because an epigenetic mechanism known as DNA or histone methylation is commonly disrupted in cancer cells. In cancer, methylation turns off critical genes, and previous research has suggested that the use of drugs to inhibit the alteration mechanism may lead to re-expression of the affected genes. Unlike traditional chemotherapy drugs, epigenetic drugs would not affect the DNA of healthy cells. This makes epigenetic drug discovery extremely promising for reducing the side effects of chemotherapy.
"Epigenetic drug discovery hinges upon identifying the right protein targets and drug molecules, which is challenging because both are highly dynamic," says Vellore. "It would be extremely difficult to hit a dynamic target using only a static photo. Increasing our understanding of the molecular dynamics of LSD1 has allowed us to screen large compound libraries effectively and to identify the molecules that are most likely to inhibit epigenetic targets."
This research is currently fueling international collaborations with leading experimentalists in enzymology and epigenetics, including the group of Andrea Mattevi at the University of Pavia in Italy.
In the past decades, computing power has steadily risen, increasing by more than one order of magnitude every six years or less. High performance computing using graphic processing units and special-purpose hardware is currently pushing scientific boundaries even further. By taking advantage of such technological advancements, the development and application of chemical theory and computational approaches are becoming increasingly relevant for addressing important biomedical problems.
"My group's long-term goal is to significantly advance the use of computer chemistry in pharmacological applications," says Baron. "I believe in the extremely fascinating idea that physics-based approaches and computers can drive the discovery of new molecules and their practical use."
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Massive galaxy cluster spawns more than 700 stars a year
Los Angeles Times - 15 hours agoCluster SPT-CLJ2344-4243 is among the most massive clusters of galaxies in ... It also creates new stars at an “unmatched” pace of more than 700 per year, ... it produces a lot of stars -- making it look as if it is emerging anew.
08/15/2012 06:54 AM CDT
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory scientists from the Radio Astrophysics and Sensing Section of the Remote Sensing Division in conjunction with radio astronomers and engineers from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), Socorro, N.M., achieve “First Light” image at frequencies below 1-gigahertz (GHz) on the Jansky Very Large Array (JVLA). Through the combined expertise of NRL
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
MARS CURIOSITY PICTURES
(Credit:
NASA)
News and Events
- Energy Department Invests in Materials for Vehicle Fuel Economy
- Army Announces $7 Billion Action to Support Renewable Energy
- Energy Report: U.S. Wind Industry Surges in 2011
- White House Expedites Seven Major Renewable Energy Projects
- Interior Department to Review Proposal for First U.S. Floating Wind Turbine
- Ex-Im Bank to Help Finance U.S. Clean Tech Exports to South Africa
Energy Blog
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
NEW Federal Lands OpenGOLD RUSH FOR LAND RICH IN SOLAR
A 14.2 MW solar installation at the Nellis
Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Nevada, meets 25% of the base’s electricity
requirements and saves the Defense Department about $1 million annually
Federal Lands Open to Renewables
Department of Defense and Department of the Interior make it possible to build new renewable energy projects on land previously used for military purposes.
High Tech Night Vision And Helmet Sensors
NASA
The image above, but white balanced to look like
it would if the Martian landscape were under Earth sunlight.
Monday, August 13, 2012
CERN scientists, who announced last month that
the elusive Higgs boson had been discovered, are going through the vast
volume of material produced in the Geneva research center's Large Hadron
Collider (LHC) for "SUSY."
Formally known as Supersymmetry, SUSY is the idea that every one of the elementary particles that make up the universe and everything in it has an almost, but not quite identical, "superpartner."
"SUSY is still a very valid option and we have just started to constrain it on the energy scale," CERN particle physicist Oliver Buchmueller told Reuters.
"There are many regions on the map of where it should be that we have still to explore."
Its existence, many researchers say, was supported by the presumed discovery of the Higgs with which, physicists say, it is inextricably linked.
Matt Strassler says, "it is a conjectured symmetry of space and time." It could be integrated with the theory of relativity to provide an explanation of the laws of nature.
Physicists say SUSY may explain the dark matter that makes up around 80 percent of the solid substance of the universe, and would provide backing for "string theory"
String theory holds that instead of particles, the universe is composed of microscopic strings.
Formally known as Supersymmetry, SUSY is the idea that every one of the elementary particles that make up the universe and everything in it has an almost, but not quite identical, "superpartner."
"SUSY is still a very valid option and we have just started to constrain it on the energy scale," CERN particle physicist Oliver Buchmueller told Reuters.
"There are many regions on the map of where it should be that we have still to explore."
Its existence, many researchers say, was supported by the presumed discovery of the Higgs with which, physicists say, it is inextricably linked.
Matt Strassler says, "it is a conjectured symmetry of space and time." It could be integrated with the theory of relativity to provide an explanation of the laws of nature.
Physicists say SUSY may explain the dark matter that makes up around 80 percent of the solid substance of the universe, and would provide backing for "string theory"
String theory holds that instead of particles, the universe is composed of microscopic strings.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Londonderry NewsPerseid Meteor Shower
Space.com - 4 hours agoThe annual Perseid meteor shower is set to peak tonight, offering skywatchers views of up to 100 shooting stars a minute.
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CSAF Change of Responsibility
As Delivered by Secretary
of Defense Leon E. Panetta, The Pentagon, Friday, August 10, 2012
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Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, leaders of the Department
of Defense, Norty, Mark, family members. It's a real honor and pleasure
to be able to with you today to pay tribute to General Norty Schwartz
for four decades of exceptional service to this country.
Norty is, I believe, one of the finest officers I've had the honor to work with. He came at a critical time in the history of the Air Force and he responded with incredible leadership in making the Air Force an essential, credible, and capable partner in our national defense. Norty, I think you know by now that I'm the son of Italian immigrants, and my parents instilled in me a unique Italian vocabulary, particularly when my father was kicking me in the butt. But let me refer back to a family expression that I think is appropriate to this occasion, and say to you: Mazel Tov. Well done! I'm also thrilled to have the opportunity to welcome General Mark Welsh back to Washington and back to work here. I was honored to work with Mark when he served as my principal military advisor at the CIA, and I look forward to continuing that partnership as he begins his new job. America's greatness depends on men like Norty Schwartz and Mark Welsh who choose to selflessly serve this great country of ours. But, as we all know, and has been commented upon by the prior speakers, none of them could do their jobs without the support of their families. I too would like to thank Norty's wife Suzie for supporting him every step of the way, through countless moves and extended absences from home. I would like to also thank Mark's wife Betty, and their children, for the sacrifices that have enabled Mark to take on his many assignments over the years. Military families seldom get the recognition they deserve. The separation, the pressures, the moves, the loneliness, the stress that faces each family – but it is the love for each other and for this country that gives each family the strength to prevail, to endure, to grow closer. That is why I am grateful to have the opportunity to personally thank all of them today. A native of Toms River, New Jersey...by the way, I have a hell of a lot of people from New Jersey who are involved in the military...this guy, Norty, Odierno's another guy from New Jersey, and as an Italian I don't mind that, got to watch my back...but too Norty grew up, as many of us did, in the hard-working, blue-collar, in the Jersey world that is celebrated by Bruce Springsteen. Except that - with apologies to the Boss - Norty wasn't "Born to Run," he was "Born to Fly." As a young man, Norty understood the importance of hard work and dedication to his country, values that led to his decision to serve the nation in uniform. These values have guided him through a distinguished career in both the conventional and special operations communities. One of the best things that I have in Norty Schwartz and I'm thankful that I have it in all of my key service leaders is straight talk, honest talk. When it comes to the problems and challenges that they face, I know I can trust them to tell me the truth, and that's what Norty Schwartz is all about. Early on, Norty served in the 1975 airlift evacuation in Saigon, assisting those in desperate need. Later, he helped lead a joint special operations task force during the Gulf War. More recently, Norty took on the huge task of running U.S. Transportation Command during a time of tremendous demand as we fought wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. As the 19th Air Force Chief of Staff, Norty has led the Air Force with tremendous judgment, vision, and honesty. Even though he was planning to retire after his time at TRANSCOM, when called upon to help the institution he loves, he accepted the mission – and he always has. Norty led the Air Force during a period of intense operational demands and evolving strategic and fiscal challenges. He quickly moved to restore confidence in our nuclear enterprise – an absolutely vital component of our national security. He also recognized how critically important it was to have remotely piloted aircraft. And how important they are to our troops on the ground in Afghanistan. And thanks to him, and history will mark this, he helped get more of this capability into the field. And I can personally tell you, from my prior capacity and my current capacity, how essential these operations were to the fight against terrorism. During Norty's time as Chief, the Air Force played a critical role in enabling our forces to draw down from Iraq, while surging personnel and equipment to Afghanistan. As the first airlift officer to serve as Chief of Staff, Norty was uniquely qualified to help oversee this massive undertaking. Norty's accomplishments remind me of the old adage, "Amateurs talk strategy, professionals talk logistics." In the Libya operation, the Air Force flew over 8,000 sorties – conducting airstrikes and providing ISR and air refueling capabilities to the NATO-led coalition. All of this helped rid the world of a brutal dictator. In Afghanistan, the Air Force flew more than 33,000 close air support sorties in 2011 alone, in addition to having thousands of airmen serving on the ground. As the ground Infantrymen tell me, there is no more comforting sound than jets arriving overhead to help get them out of a jam. With his teammate Mike Donley, both of them have come in and worked together to help make the Air Force prepare for the future – a future that includes the security challenges like cyber, and opportunities to have to deal with fiscal constraints, and opportunities to open up the Air Force to all of those who want to serve their country. They helped in all of those areas. Norty in particular played a key role in helping craft our new defense strategy. He has put the Air Force on a stronger footing by streamlining the fleet and pushing ahead with key platforms for the future: the Joint Strike Fighter, the new tanker, a next-generation bomber, and new, more advanced UAVs. And perhaps most importantly, America's airmen and their families were never far from the minds of Norty and Suzie, who championed numerous support programs that have improved their quality of life. One of the things that we have in the military, even as we will deeply miss Norty and Suzie and the leadership they provided, and they will always be part of the legacy of the Air Force. One of the things that we have in the military thank God, is a great bench. And I know the Air Force will be in good hands as Mark Welsh takes the controls from Norty. Mark is a straight-shooter. I worked with him, as I said, at the CIA. He's a little bit like John Wayne, and he keeps life-size cutout of John Wayne in his office and has kept in his office for well over 25 years. I kept waiting for him to walk into the office when I was CIA Director and say, "Well, Pilgrim, what do you want me to do now?" I am depending on Mark to call it the way he sees it. He's son of a highly-decorated Air Force colonel, who towed a glider into action during the D-Day assault on Normandy, Mark has distinguished himself in his own right in numerous operational, command, and staff positions. Now, I do have to tell you that Mark did make me nervous once. We were on a flight from Tampa, I think we'd gone to CENTCOM, and we were flying from Tampa to Washington DC. Suddenly, the plane lost altitude, it depressurized, the oxygen masks popped out, the pilots were scrambling to find a manual, and I looked at Mark for some assurance. He looked at the oxygen masks and he looked at me and he said, "Oh no, this is not good." That was not reassuring. But you know, I think Norty will tell you that you'll get to say that a lot as Chief. His character, experience, and judgment will serve him well as the United States confronts a complex range of threats and challenges that will require us to maintain unquestioned dominance of the skies, dominance of space, and dominance of cyberspace. Thanks to the stewardship of General Schwartz and now General Welsh, the Air Force will be prepared for that future, and it will celebrate its 65th birthday next month as the finest Air Force the world has ever known. Norty, I wish you all the best in your retirement. I hope you get to spend more time with Suzie enjoying a quiet life, though I don't think that will be the case. And I hope you get to fly around in that plane you've always dreamed of owning. I've even got the perfect name for it: Air Schwartz One. Mark and Betty, I wish you and your family the very best as you embark on this important mission. The United States military, and in particular the United States Air Force, has no shortage of cutting edge weapons and systems – we have stealth fighters, we have bombers, and we have remotely piloted aircraft. But reflecting on these men's careers reminds me of something that I have come to know more deeply as the Secretary of Defense. The reason why we are the greatest military on earth, lies not in our weapons, or our planes, or our fancy systems. It lies in our people... the men and women in uniform who serve this country. And it lies in their leaders, people like Norty Schwartz and Mark Welsh. May God bless both of you, may God bless the Air Force, and may God bless the United States of America. | |
Friday, August 10, 2012
Thursday, August 9, 2012
MYSTERIOUS PHOTO MARS CURIOSITY
23 PRIME NUMBERS FEATURE
1. Curiosity
Rover and Associated Hardware Spotted on Mars
NASA's Curiosity
rover and its landing sky crane, parachute and other hardware are seen
by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in this image released Aug. 7, 2012.
Curiosity landed on Aug. 5 PDT.
MYSTERIOUS PHOTO MARS CURIOSITY
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
08/06/2012 08:53 AM CDT
In case you missed it last night, the Mars Curiosity Rover touched down on the surface of Mars! The Mars rover Curiosity is NASA’s most advanced yet. The one-ton rover, hanging by ropes from a rocket backpack, touched down onto Mars Sunday to end a 36-week flight and begin a two-year investigation. The Mars Science
Monday, August 6, 2012
Sunday, August 5, 2012
NASA INFRARED SURVEY Orion Flame Nebula
This image shows a vast cloud of gas and dust where new stars are being born. Three familiar nebulae are visible in the central region: the Flame Nebula, the Horsehead Nebula and NGC 2023. The Flame Nebula is the brightest and largest in the image. It is lit by a star inside it that is 20 times the mass of the sun and would be as bright to our eyes as the other stars in Orion’s belt if it weren’t for all the surrounding dust, which makes it appear 4 billion times dimmer than it actually is.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA
Picture provided by NASA
Saturday, August 4, 2012
MARS CURIOSITY
HIGGS BOSON
The Higgs boson is an integral part of our understanding of nature. It is a particle that is an excitation of what is called the Higgs field. The Higgs field permeates all of space and when some of the fundamental particles travel through it they acquire mass. The amount of mass they acquire depends on how strongly they interact with the Higgs field. Some like the electron acquire a small mass while others acquire a much larger mass.
One peculiar aspect of this is that this Higgs field that permeates throughout all space is part of what we call empty space or the vacuum. It is only its impact on the particles that travel through it and the Higgs boson that we can observe in the laboratory. The Higgs boson lives for a very short amount of time so we don't observe it directly but rather we observe the particles it decays into and have to infer its existence from that. In the current theory we have for understanding nature we can make precise statements about what fraction of the time it decays into two photons versus two bottom quarks.
Going forward we want to see if those predictions are in agreement with the measurements from ATLAS and CMS. So this is the beginning of a very exciting story.
The current theory we have for basic interactions we observe in nature (the strong interactions that bind protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom, the weak interactions that are responsible for radioactive decay, and the electromagnetic interactions that play such a crucial role in the structure of atoms and much of modern technology) is called the standard model.
The Higgs boson is an integral part of our understanding of nature. It is a particle that is an excitation of what is called the Higgs field. The Higgs field permeates all of space and when some of the fundamental particles travel through it they acquire mass. The amount of mass they acquire depends on how strongly they interact with the Higgs field. Some like the electron acquire a small mass while others acquire a much larger mass.
One peculiar aspect of this is that this Higgs field that permeates throughout all space is part of what we call empty space or the vacuum. It is only its impact on the particles that travel through it and the Higgs boson that we can observe in the laboratory. The Higgs boson lives for a very short amount of time so we don't observe it directly but rather we observe the particles it decays into and have to infer its existence from that. In the current theory we have for understanding nature we can make precise statements about what fraction of the time it decays into two photons versus two bottom quarks.
Going forward we want to see if those predictions are in agreement with the measurements from ATLAS and CMS. So this is the beginning of a very exciting story.
The current theory we have for basic interactions we observe in nature (the strong interactions that bind protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom, the weak interactions that are responsible for radioactive decay, and the electromagnetic interactions that play such a crucial role in the structure of atoms and much of modern technology) is called the standard model.
Both experiment groups said the signal detected by the LHC had a statistical significance of 5 sigma, meaning there's only a 5-in-10 million chance the signal was due to background processes rather than a new particle.
The Atlas group is reporting further analysis has raised the statistical significance of their Higgs signal to nearly 6 sigma, which puts the chance of the signal they observed being due to background processes down to 2 in a billion.
a new mobile application
from National Center for Telehealth and Technology (T2),
a Defense Centers of Excellence
for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury center, can be
essential resources for coping and building resilience.
Here' s another view of the Prototyping High Bay in the LEGO model. In
the actual Prototyping High Bay, lighting can be adjusted to simulate
nighttime conditions.
(Photo: U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Jamie Hartman) 
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The LEGO model displays a replica of the LASR's Littoral High Bay, which
includes tanks and pools that can support autonomous systems research
in water environments. In this view, the NRL Deformable Fin UUV is in
the pool.
(Photo: U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Jamie Hartman) 
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The LASR's green mill in the machine shop is represented along with
other machine tools in the foreground.
(Photo: U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Jamie Hartman) 
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NRL's William Adams with his completed LEGO model of the newly opened
Laboratory for Autonomous Systems Research.
(Photo: U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Jamie Hartman) 
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The LASR's machine shop, which supports rapid prototyping and set
construction, is visible with all of its tools when the false front wall
is opened. Visible in this view are the lathe, mill, table saw, small
drill press, and jointer.
(Photo: U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Jamie Hartman) 
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The LEGO model has a replica of the LASR's Desert High Bay, which
provides sand and rock for evaluating autonomous systems designed for to
those challenging environments.
(Photo: U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Jamie Hartman) 
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The LEGO model shows the Human-System Interaction Labs, which overlook
the Prototyping High Bay looking through glass walls. The Vicon motion
capture cameras and audio array speakers are located along the walls.
(Photo: U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Jamie Hartman) 
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The LEGO model shows the Prototyping High Bay, which measure 150 feet by
75 feet by 30 feet high in real life. The LASR's JLG lift and Bobcat
are modeled, along with a menagerie of NRL's ground and flying
autonomous vehicles.
(Photo: U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Jamie Hartman) 
|
Here the LEGO model depicts one of the Mobile, Dexterous, Social robots.
Using these robots, NRL scientists study embodied cognition, voice and
gesture recognition, and dynamic autonomy. This scene shows the MDS
robot "Octavia" working with a human team leader to detect and
extinguish a fire in a mockup of a ship space for the Damage Control for
the 21st Century (DC-21) project.
(Photo: U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Jamie Hartman) 
|
Here's an exterior view of the LEGO model LASR facility. The two LEGO
characters depict Alan Schultz (right), Director of NRL's Laboratory
for Autonomous Systems Research, and Darrell King (left), the LASR
Facilities Manager.
(Photo: U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Jamie Hartman) 
|
The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory is the Navy's full-spectrum corporate laboratory, conducting a broadly based multidisciplinary program of scientific research and advanced technological development. The Laboratory, with a total complement of nearly 2,500 personnel, is located in southwest Washington, D.C., with other major sites at the Stennis Space Center, Miss., and Monterey, Calif. NRL has served the Navy and the nation for over 85 years and continues to meet the complex technological challenges of today's world. For more information, visit the NRL homepage or join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
aging/ toxic environment/ HIV
08/01/2012 06:32 AM CDT
Imagine a world where the aging process slowed significantly. Where you didn’t have to worry about toxic radioactive waste in the environment (which is a common concern now?). Where the threat of infections such as HIV were a thing of the past.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
News for Getting Electric Power Restored India
Power Is Restored Across India After Crippling Blackout
New
York Times - by
Vikas Bajaj - 3 hours ago
As electricity was restored across India
on Wednesday, the nation's new power minister ... NEW DELHI — As
electric power was restored across northern India
on ....
07/31/2012 03:19 PM CDT
The computer age has dramatically impacted the practice of medicine. No matter what specialty of health care you look to, technology has enabled new tools to support the work of providers and facilitate the healing of patients. Behavioral health is no exception. Mobile computing platforms, such as smart phones and tablet computers, provide capabilities that....
07/31/2012 06:38 AM CDT
The National Football
League now wants to put into the helmets of its players the same type of
sensors used by the Army to evaluate concussive events that could lead
to traumatic brain injury. The Army is working with the National
Football League, or NFL, to help the league develop ways to protect
football players ....
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