Monthly Archives: February 2011

A Nebula by Any Other Name

Posted on by

Nebulae are enormous clouds of dust and gas occupying the space between the stars. Some have pretty names to match their good looks, for example the Rose nebula, while others have much more utilitarian names. Such is the case with LBN 114.55+00.22, seen here in an image from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE.

Named after the astronomer who published a catalogue of nebulae in 1965, LBN stands for "Lynds Bright nebula." The numbers 114.55+00.22 refer to nebula's coordinates in our Milky Way galaxy, serving as a sort of galactic home address.

Astronomers classify LBN 114.55+00.22 as an emission nebula. Unlike a reflection nebula, which reflects light from nearby stars, an emission nebula emits light. Emission nebulae are usually found in the disks of spiral galaxies, and are places where new stars are forming.

The colors used in this image represent specific wavelengths of infrared light. Blue and cyan represent light emitted at wavelengths of 3.4 and 4.6 microns, which is predominantly from stars. Green and red represent light from 12 and 22 microns, respectively, which is mostly emitted by dust.

For more information visit http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_1863.html

Turn Table with Pneumatic Vibration

Posted on by

i has a problem about turn table.... right now,that turn able was at site...the problem is that turn table take a pallet....and when the pneumatic extract or in,turn table has a vibration that no need it..... turn table was rotate in 90 degree....kindly hope someone can help me....ASAP....

CMS to Rescind Physician Signature Requirement; CMS’ Change in Policy Illustrates the Power of Grassroots Advocacy

Posted on by

The American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) is pleased to announce that it has learned that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is planning to rescind its recent rule requiring a physician's signature on requisitions for laboratory tests reimbursed under the Medicare clinical laboratory fee schedule. The CMS rule proved very controversial and prompted not only the collective opposition of the entire laboratory coalition but also the American Medical Association and a number of other medical specialty societies.

ASCP, in tandem with its partners in the Clinical Laboratory Coalition, mounted an aggressive campaign to protest the proposal. ASCP launched two separate advocacy campaigns on the rule. The first campaign let CMS know directly the concerns of ASCP members, while the second campaign was intended to encourage members of Congress to contact CMS in opposition to the rule. In total, ASCP members wrote more than 2,000 letters in opposition to the rule. CMS received a loud and clear message from Congress today as the agency received a letter from 89 members of the U.S. House of Representatives and another letter from more than 30 U.S. Senators.

In announcing the agency's intent to withdraw the rule, it was mentioned that the agency would officially withdraw the rule well in advance of the April 1 date that the rule was supposed to go into effect. For more information on the rule, click here.

 

Vacuum Control

Posted on by

just put 4.2 v6 in 1998 f150 on the back of the lower intake there is two controls on the lower intake for the butterfly inside the intake . I have no vacum at these two switches

Energy drinks may pose risks for kids, study says – MiamiHerald.com

Posted on by

The Hindu
Energy drinks may pose risks for kids, study says
MiamiHerald.com
The study, co-authored by Dr. Steven Lipshultz, chief of pediatrics at the UM Medical School, says the drinks “have no therapeutic benefit, ...
Pediatrics report details risks from energy drinks, says docs should warn kids ...The Canadian Press
Energy Drinks Pose Serious Health Risks for Young PeopleMedscape
Energy Drink Ingredients May Pose Risk to ChildrenBloomberg
NewsNet5.com -KBOI -WTAQ
all 286 news articles »

House CR Seeks To Enforce Bar on China Cooperation

Posted on by

House continuing resolution would bar NASA from China ties, Politico

"None of the funds made available by this division may be used for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration or the Office of Science and Technology Policy to develop, design, plan, promulgate, implement, or execute a policy, program, order, or contract of any kind to participate, collaborate, or coordinate in any way with China or any Chinese-owned company unless such activities are specifically authorized by a law enacted after the date of enactment of this division," the bill's drafters wrote."

Just When You Thought No One At NASA Was Thinking Ahead

Posted on by

Nautilus-X - NASA's Multi-mission Space Exploration Vehicle Concept

- Long-duration space journey vehicle for crew of 6 for periods of 1 -24 months
- CIS-lunar would be initial Operations Zone [shakedown phase]
- Exo-atmospheric, Space-only vehicle
- Integrated Centrifuge for Crew Health
- Life Support in deployed Large Volume with shirt-sleeve servicing
- Truss & Stringer thrust-load distribution concept (non-orthogird)
- Capable of utilizing variety of Mission-Specific
- Propulsion Units [integrated in LEO, semi-autonomously
- Utilizes Inflatable & Deployed structures
- Incorporates Industrial Airlock for construction/maintenance
- Integrated RMS
- Supports Crewed Celestial-body Descent/Return Exploration vehicle(s)
- Utilizes Orion/Commercial vehicles for crew rotation & Earth return from LEO

Linearly Independent Proof

Posted on by

Need help with finishing this proof.

Question

Let {x1 , . . . , xk} be a linearly independent finite set in a normed linear space. Show that there exists delta > 0 such that the condition

max||xi-yi||<delta ,1<=i<=k

implies that {y1 , . . . , yk} is al

Getting started on the Rights of Non-Human Persons project

Posted on by

Now that we've officially launched the Rights of Nonhuman Persons program at the IEET, you can expect to see more of these discussions right here at Sentient Developments. Specifically, the questions we're asking right now include:

  • What is a person?
  • What are the criteria for personhood? And why should these capacities matter and/or confer a higher degree of moral consideration?
  • When it comes to human-level rights and protections, what exactly are we talking about? What aren't we talking about?
  • How do we actually go about changing the laws?

There are obviously many more questions to ask, but this should give you an idea of some of our launching points.

Looking at the big picture, I'd like to see it such that all nonhuman persons are protected from such things as torture, experimentation, slavery, confinement, and threat of unnatural death (i.e. hunting and murder). Ideally, I'd like to see the day when elephants are no longer forced to perform at circuses, great apes gawked upon at zoos, or dolphins confined to unacceptably small tanks at oceanariums. And so on. Essentially, the rule of thumb should be: If you wouldn't do it to a human, you shouldn't do it to a nonhuman person.

Speaking of actual species, my initial short list of (suspected) nonhuman persons includes:

  • Great apes (chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans); it's worth noting that humans are classified as a great ape
  • Cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises)
  • Elephants
  • Cephalopods (especially the octopus)
  • Grey parrots

Given how many species live on this planet, it's a pretty exclusive club. And I'm somewhat on the fence about the last two, but we have to perform our due diligence to ensure that these particular species get the protections we think they may deserve.

It's also worth noting that this is a starting point. I suspect that more species will be added to this list over time. This will be an iterative process as we (1) gain public acceptance on the issue and normalize the concept of nonhuman personhood, (2) create legal precedents and enact laws, and (3) learn more about the neurology and behavior of other nonhuman person candidate species so that they can also be included.

And although not a priority right now, we will also be considering the potential for nonbiological personhood. We foresee the day when an AI or brain emulation ceases to become an object of experimentation and instead becomes an agent worthy of moral consideration. We're not there yet, but we want to be ready for that eventuality.

It's also important to think about realizable and tangible goals. While we have a lot of work to do—and lots of minds to change—we should strive for nothing less than the actual achievement of our mission. I'm confident we'll get there. I suspect that the initial breakthrough will see great apes protected first, followed by dolphins. We're pretty much ready to conceptualize and accept these species as being persons; it's a relatively easy sell.

And from there, we'll move on the next species until we're done.