Monthly Archives: April 2011

When the doctor is a patient…. | Gene Expression

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So I’ve been seeing headlines like this today: Physicians Recommend Different Treatments for Patients Than They Choose for Themselves, Study Finds. Here are the numbers:

A total of 242 physicians returned the colon cancer questionnaire (response rate of 48.4 percent), and when asked to imagine they had received the cancer diagnosis, 37.8 percent of physicians chose the surgical procedure with a higher rate of death, but a lower rate of adverse effects. Conversely, when asked to make a recommendation for a patient, only 24.5 percent of physicians chose this option.

The second scenario asked 1,600 physicians to imagine that a new strain of avian influenza had just arrived in the U.S. One group of physicians were asked to imagine they had been infected, and the other group was asked to imagine that his or her patient was infected. One treatment was available for this strain of influenza: an immunoglobulin treatment, without which persons who contract flu have a 10 percent death rate and a 30 percent hospitalization rate with an average stay of one week. The treatment would reduce the rate of adverse events by half, however it also causes death in 1 percent of patients and permanent neurological paralysis in ...

I am not a genetic blend of my parents | Gene Expression

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One of the aspects of genetics which I think tends to reoccur is that people have a fixation on the two extreme ends of visible genetic inheritance. On the one hand you have discrete Mendelian or quasi-Mendelian traits where most of the variation is controlled by only a few genes, and which may exhibit dominance/recessive expression patterns. And you also have the classic quantitative traits which exhibit continuous variation and a normal distribution. Mendelism leads to strange ideas about atavism/throwbacks, and a promiscuous utilization of the idea of dominance/recessivity (e.g., “non-white genes are dominant to white genes”). Continuous traits are more comprehensible in their confusion, as they are the intuitions which led to the models of “blending inheritance” which were in the air before the triumph of Mendelian genetics in the first decade of the 20th century. But they lead to the logical inference that variation should slowly “blend away” through admixture. This was a major problem with 19th century models of evolution through natural selection; blending eliminated the variation which was necessary for the action of selection to be effective. A blending model also explains why there is a common perception that racial admixture will lead to the elimination ...

NCBI ROFL: Polish mayonnaise exhibits non-Newtonian flow. | Discoblog

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Sensory and rheological properties of Polish commercial mayonnaise.

“Sensory and rheological analyses were performed to compare seven commercial mayonnaises having various fat contents and containing, or not, thickening and stabilizing agents. It was found that mayonnaise samples differed in their sensory and rheological properties. The samples with a higher fat content scored higher in sensory analysis than the low-fat ones. The mayonnaises studied showed non-Newtonian, pseudoplastic flow with yield stress and thixotropy. All mayonnaises, although to a different degree, exhibited a decrease in the apparent viscosity at constant shear. The mayonnaise samples which contained thickeners and stabilizers had a greater rheological stability.”

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Photo: flickr/ ryPix

Related content:
Discoblog: NCBI ROFL: Garlic: a sensory pleasure or a social nuisance?
Discoblog: NCBI ROFL: Alice Waters would not approve.
Discoblog: NCBI ROFL: Effects of dining on tongue endurance and swallowing-related outcomes.

WTF is NCBI ROFL? Read our FAQ!


Craig Steidle Will Head Commercial Spaceflight Federation (Update)

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Rear Admiral Craig Steidle Named President of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation

"The Commercial Spaceflight Federation is pleased to announce that Rear Admiral Craig E. Steidle (U.S. Navy, Ret.) has been named as President, effective May 15. Admiral Steidle was approved for the position by a unanimous vote of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation's board of directors and will serve full-time in this capacity working from the organization's headquarters in downtown Washington, D.C."

Rear Admiral Craig Steidle to lead Commercial Spaceflight Federation, The Hill

"The commercial space industry truly represents the future of America in space, and I'm excited to be a part of it," Steidle said. "This industry is inspiring kids, keeping America economically competitive, creating thousands of jobs, and ensuring our leadership in space. It is a privilege to lead the Federation as we embark on the grandest adventure of the 21st century: opening up space to everyone."

Keith's note: Quite honestly, CSF probably could have done a better job explaining Craig Steidle's selection and the importance thereof. If you check the comments section of this post and you will see that Jim Muncy makes that case quiet eloquently.

2011 Spending Bill Update

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NASA Administrator Charles Bolden's Statement On The 2011 Spending Bill

"With this funding, we will continue to aggressively develop a new heavy lift rocket, multipurpose crew vehicle and commercial capability to transport our astronauts and their supplies on American-made and launched spacecraft. We are committed to living within our means in these tough fiscal times - and we are committed to carrying out our ambitious new plans for exploration and discovery."

Alien Life on Earth

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Astrobiologists Discover Strange Benthic Microbial Mats in Antarctica

"Photosynthetic microbial mats forming large conical structures up to half a meter tall have been discovered by astrobiologists in Lake Untersee, Antarctica. This research is described in a forthcoming article in the journal Geobiology. During the expedition, three members of the field team, Dale Andersen (SETI Institute), Ian Hawes (University of Canterbury), and Chris McKay (NASA ARC) explored the lake beneath its 3 meter thick ice-cover and discovered the large conical structures that dominate the under-ice landscape."

Yuri’s Night On Orbit

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Photo: Space Station Crew Celebrates Yuri's Night On Orbit

"On Orbit Expedition 27 crew members pose for a photo near the galley in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station in honor of the 50th anniversary of the spaceflight of Yuri Gagarin, the first human launched in space on April 12, 1961. A portrait of Gagarin is at center. Pictured are Russian cosmonaut Dmitry Kondratyev (bottom center), commander; NASA astronaut Cady Coleman, Russian cosmonauts Alexander Samokutyaev (center) and Andrey Borisenko (top left), NASA astronaut Ron Garan and European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli (right), all flight engineers."

Morpheus Hot Fire A Success: JSC PAO Is Incompetent

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Keith's 14 Apr note: Successful firing (Image). More at their Facebook page. Nothing whatsoever has been issued by JSC PAO about this event. This is sheer incompetence on the part of JSC PAO.

Keith's 16 Apr note: The project's official website is now online.

NASA JSC Project Morpheus Update

Internal NASA memo: "Out in the open field at the new Morpheus launch pad. West of JSC Building 14. If all goes well and there is no Govt. shutdown, the series of test firings may begin sometime Monday. The rocket engine burns methane and oxygen and is pressurized with helium. Note the ground restraint straps to keep it from "wandering." This constraint is necessary since there is no active flight control system installed yet. There is ES Div. engineering support to this program, but very little publicity."

Keith's 11 Apr note: I asked JSC PAO why they are ignoring Morpheus. I got this response: "Morpheus is at an early phase of testing, there will be more info as the project continues to develop.  The release was the initial step in making people in the local area aware of the upcoming tests that the project will be conducting this week and next.  NASA social media sites are in the process of being linked to NASA web pages which will continue to provide updates." In other words, they are not interested.

According to posts made today to the Project's Facebook page "Hot fire delayed until tomorrow due to weather." This image has the caption "Running through final checks and tweaks with the extra time. Hot fire, here I come!". This image is captioned "My team is covering the straps with insulation in preparation for Monday's hot fire." Follow their Twitter for updates on the hot fire test since JSC PAO won't be paying attention.

Keith's 12 Apr note: This image shows a view looking down at Morpheus. This image shows prepaprations for today's test. Meanwhile JSC PAO continues to officialy ignore this activity. FAIL.

Keith's 12 Apr 6:00 pm EDT note: Twitter update: "Hot fire portion of test scrubbed for today. Continue with an igniter test and then wrap up for the day. Watch here for info on future tests"

Keith's 13 Apr 11:00 pm EDT note: According to a Twitter update: "Unless something comes up in the post test overviews, my next hot fire test will be on Thursday." ... "Problem appears to have been faulty regulator on the helium trailer used to bring tanks up to pressure. This is why we test, and test a lot"

Why Does JSC Hide Their Cool Stuff?, earlier post

Why Houston Did Not Get A Shuttle

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Why Houston Did Not Get A Shuttle, Wayne Hale

"Immediate reaction from many people in the Houston area was that the Orbiter disposition decision was politically tainted. For example, this was the explanation of my old Rice classmate Annise Parker, her honor the Mayor of Houston. Maybe there is some truth to that. It's hard to say what goes on inside the Washington beltway with any certainty. But my suspicions lie closer to home. Houston didn't get an orbiter because Houston didn't deserve it."

Kay Bailey Hutchison Is Against Commercial Space – Not Good for Texas

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NASA Chief Suggests JWST Won't Launch before 2018, Space News

"Hutchison also said NASA's 2012 budget includes too much money for commercial crew initiatives. NASA is seeking $850 million to seed development of privately developed spacecraft and rockets capable of transporting astronauts to the international space station. "While I know the commercial companies will eventually become successful I do not feel that the information now available justifies such a large investment of federal dollars for commercial vehicles," Hutchison said."

White House Logo Police Call NASA Watch to Complain

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President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology Meeting 19 May 2011

"This notice sets forth the schedule and summary agenda for a partially closed meeting of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), and describes the functions of the Council. "

Keith's 12 Apr note: I just got a call from from someone rather senior Rick Weiss at OSTP at the White House. He Weiss called to officially complain about the use of the OSTP logo with this meeting notice and told me that their lawyers told him that they wanted it removed (or something scary would happen to me I guess). I have been doing this for more than a decade as do many news outlets. Use of the logo to illustrate a story on an agency does not imply any sort of affiliation or endorsement and is covered by fair use provisions.

(Sigh) I have to hope that these White House guys have more important things to do than to have their senior staff call little websites to complain about logos used in connection with OSTP stories and information. The caller Weiss did not sound too thrilled to have to make the call (I guess their lawyers are afraid to do so).

Here are more websites that are not authorized to use this logo for the White House Logo Police to call. Rest assured, I'll be tracking the White House logo cop enforcement progress: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

F.B.I., Challenging Use of Seal, Gets Back a Primer on the Law, NY Times

"Cindy Cohn, the legal director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, called the dust-up both "silly" and "troubling"; Wikipedia has a First Amendment right to display the seal, she said. "Really," she added, "I have to believe the F.B.I. has better things to do than this."

Keith's 13 Apr note: Wikipedia openly uses the OSTP logo here, here, here and here. Why hasn't Weiss called them with a take-down notice?

None of the websites I have listed has removed the OSTP logo. I informed Weiss of this list. Selective enforcement = no enforcement, Rick.

Waiting Forever For Webb

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NASA Chief Suggests JWST Won't Launch before 2018, Space News

"Last November, an independent review ordered by Mikulski and led by John Casani of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, concluded that the JWST was at least $1.5 billion over budget and 15 months behind schedule. The Casani report said NASA would need to add $500 million to JWST's budget in 2011 and 2012 in order to keep the telescope on track for a September 2015 launch. NASA's 2012 budget request, sent to Congress in February, includes $375 million or less for JWST for each of the next five years. NASA said at the time that those were placeholder budget figures likely to be revised once NASA completes its own assessment of the program's cost and schedule. Bolden indicated during the hearing that NASA would not be seeking the amount of money recommended in the Casani report and would accept a lengthier launch delay instead."

Do You Feel Overworked and Overstressed?

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When a company downsizes, many employees feel compelled to produce more than is humanly possible to avoid jeopardizing the company's health or the jobs of the people who remain. The resulting pressure may prove counter-productive, because it can serve as a distraction that can reduce workers' concen

Can Social Networking Help You at Work?

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Specialized groups on certain social networking sites are designed specifically to share knowledge; some groups focus on automation knowledge. Engineers and technicians can help solve each other's problems. What tips can you share about using social networks to get advice on technical problems?

The

Students Shoot for 2,500 MPG. Seriously

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From Wired Top Stories:

The car runs, so there is that. But as the Cal Super Mileage Vehicle Team loaded its ultralight carbon-fiber three-wheeler into a trailer for the long haul from Berkeley to Houston, Murphy was definitely in the driver's seat. Anything that could go wrong did -

The Watched Pot and Fast CMEs

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If you've ever stood in front of a hot stove, watching a pot of water and waiting impatiently for it to boil, you know what it feels like to be a solar physicist.

Back in 2008, the solar cycle plunged into the deepest minimum in nearly a century. Sunspots all but vanished, solar flares subsided, and the sun was eerily quiet.

"Ever since, we've been waiting for solar activity to pick up," says Richard Fisher, head of the Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington DC. "It's been three long years."

Quiet spells on the sun are nothing new. They come along every 11 years or so—it's a natural part of the solar cycle. This particular solar minimum, however, was lasting longer than usual, prompting some researchers to wonder if it would ever end.

News flash: The pot is starting to boil. "Finally," says Fisher, "we are beginning to see some action."

As 2011 unfolds, sunspots have returned and they are crackling with activity. On February 15th and again on March 9th, Earth orbiting satellites detected a pair of "X-class" solar flares--the most powerful kind of x-ray flare. The last such eruption occurred back in December 2006.

Another eruption on March 7th hurled a billion-ton cloud of plasma away from the sun at five million mph (2200 km/s). The rapidly expanding cloud wasn't aimed directly at Earth, but it did deliver a glancing blow to our planet's magnetic field. The off-center impact on March 10th was enough to send Northern Lights spilling over the Canadian border into US states such as Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan.

"That was the fastest coronal mass ejection in almost six years," says Angelos Vourlidas of the Naval Research Lab in Washington DC. "It reminds me of a similar series of events back in Nov. 1997 that kicked off Solar Cycle 23, the solar cycle before this one."

"To me," says Vourlidas, "this marks the beginning of Solar Cycle 24."

The slow build-up to this moment is more than just "the watched pot failing to boil," says Ron Turner, a space weather analyst at Analytic Services, Inc. "It really has been historically slow."

There have been 24 numbered solar cycles since researchers started keeping track of them in the mid-18th century. In an article just accepted for publication by the Space Weather Journal, Turner shows that, in all that time, only four cycles have started more slowly than this one. "Three of them were in the Dalton Minimum, a period of depressed solar activity in the early 19th century. The fourth was Cycle #1 itself, around 1755, also a relatively low solar cycle," he says.

In his study, Turner used sunspots as the key metric of solar activity. Folding in the recent spate of sunspots does not substantially alter his conclusion: "Solar Cycle 24 is a slow starter," he says.

Better late than never.

For more information visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/watchedpot-fastCME.html

Do Cosmic Strings of Gas Come From Sonic Booms?

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The Herschel Space Observatory has revealed that clouds between stars contain networks of tangled gaseous filaments. Intriguingly, each filament is approximately the same width, hinting that they may result from interstellar sonic booms throughout our Milky Way galaxy.

The filaments are huge, stretching for tens of light years through space, and Herschel has shown that newborn stars are often found in the densest parts of them. One filament imaged by Herschel in the Aquila region contains a cluster of about 100 infant stars.

Such filaments in interstellar clouds have been glimpsed before by other infrared satellites, but they have never been seen clearly enough to have their widths measured. Now, Herschel has shown that, regardless of the length or density of a filament, the width is always roughly the same.

The team suggests that as sonic booms from exploding stars travel through the clouds, they lose energy and, where they finally dissipate, they leave these filaments of compressed material.

Herschel is a European Space Agency cornerstone mission, with science instruments provided by consortia of European institutes and with important participation by NASA. NASA's Herschel Project Office is based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. JPL contributed mission-enabling technology for two of Herschel's three science instruments. The NASA Herschel Science Center, part of the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, supports the United States astronomical community. Caltech manages JPL for NASA.

For more information visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/herschel/herschel20110413.html

NASA Telescopes Help Discover Surprisingly Young Galaxy

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Astronomers have uncovered one of the youngest galaxies in the distant universe, with stars that formed 13.5 billion years ago, a mere 200 million years after the Big Bang. The finding addresses questions about when the first galaxies arose, and how the early universe evolved.

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope was the first to spot the newfound galaxy. Detailed observations from the W.M. Keck Observatory on Mauna Kea in Hawaii revealed the observed light dates to when the universe was only 950 million years old; the universe formed about 13.7 billion years ago.

Infrared data from both Hubble and the post-coolant, or "warm," phase of NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope mission revealed the galaxy's stars are quite mature, which means they must have formed when the universe was just a toddler.

"This challenges theories of how soon galaxies formed in the first years of the universe," said Johan Richard of the Centre de Recherche Astronomique de Lyon, Université Lyon 1 in France, lead author of a new study accepted for publication in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. "It could even help solve the mystery of how the hydrogen fog that filled the early universe was cleared."

This galaxy is not the most distant ever observed, but it is one of the youngest to be observed with such clarity. Normally, galaxies like this one are extremely faint and difficult to study, but, in this case, nature has provided the astronomers with a cosmic magnifying glass. The galaxy's image is being magnified by the gravity of a massive cluster of galaxies parked in front of it, making it appear 11 times brighter. This phenomenon is called gravitational lensing.

"Without this big lens in space, we could not study galaxies this faint with currently available observing facilities," said co-author Eiichi Egami of the University of Arizona in Tucson. "Thanks to nature, we have this great opportunity to see our universe as it was eons ago."

The findings may help explain how the early universe became "reionized." At some point in our universe's early history, it transitioned from the so-called dark ages to a period of light, as the first stars and galaxies began to ignite. This starlight ionized neutral hydrogen atoms floating around in space, giving them a charge. Ultraviolet light could then travel unimpeded through what had been an obscuring fog.

The discovery of a galaxy possessing stars that formed only 200 million years after the big bang helps astronomers probe this cosmic reionization epoch. When this galaxy was developing, its hot, young stars would have ionized vast amounts of the neutral hydrogen gas in intergalactic space. A population of similar galaxies probably also contributed to this reionization, but they are too faint to see without the magnifying effects of gravitational lensing.

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), scheduled to launch later this decade, will be able to see these faint galaxies lacking magnification. A successor to Hubble and Spitzer, JWST will see infrared light from the missing population of early galaxies. As a result, the mission will reveal some of our universe's best-kept secrets.

"Seeing a galaxy as it appeared near the beginning of the universe is an awe-inspiring feat enabled by innovative technology and the fortuitous effect of gravitational lensing," said Jon Morse, NASA's Astrophysics Division director at the agency's headquarters in Washington. "Observations like this open a window across space and time, but more importantly, they inspire future work to one day peer at the stars that lit up the universe following the big bang."

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Spitzer Space Telescope mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Science operations are conducted at the Spitzer Science Center at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

For more information visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/spitzer/news/spitzer20110412.html