Monthly Archives: September 2013

NASA declares Deep Impact lost

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Artist's impression of Deep Impact (Image: NASA)

On Friday, NASA officially abandoned its attempts to regain contact with the Deep Impact comet probe and have declared the mission over. The space agency lost contact with the unmanned spacecraft in August and repeated attempts to reestablish the link have failed.

NASA says that the exact cause of the communications failure is unknown, but engineers suspect that the problem lies in computer time tagging, which caused a loss of attitude control in Deep Impact and sent it tumbling. Unable to aim its radio antennas at Earth, contact could not be reestablished and the probes solar panels couldn't charge the batteries properly to power the systems and keep the electronics warm. This means that the spacecraft will eventually freeze and become inoperable.

Despite this unexpected final curtain call, Deep Impact already achieved much more than ever was envisioned," says Lindley Johnson, the Discovery Program Executive at NASA Headquarters and the Program Executive for the mission. "Deep Impact has completely overturned what we thought we knew about comets and also provided a treasure trove of additional planetary science that will be the source data of research for years to come.

Launched in 2005, Deep Impact has traveled 4.7 billion miles (7.58 billion km). On its encounter with the comet Tempel 1, Deep impact fired an impactor containing and instrument package into the comets nucleus, and was later put on extended missions that saw it flyby comet Hartley 2 in 2010, comet C/2009/1 in 2012 and comet ISON in 2013.

Source: NASA

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NASA declares Deep Impact lost

TREND: Big applications for nanotechnology

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23 September 2013| last updated at 07:16PM

IMAGINE switching on a lamp in a room. Instead of just lighting up the room, the lamp also sanitises air by killing microorganisms in the air without the use of harmful sanitisers or chemicals.

In another scenario, hospital staff are required to ensure their uniforms are carefully cleaned and free from bacteria. But imagine this: What if the textile is layered with an anti-bacterial surface that not only allows it to self clean but is also dust repellent? Wouldnt it be convenient?

These are not works of fiction but are possible with the application of nanotechnology in solutions, says Manju Gunawardana, principal research scientist and co-founder of Sri Lanka-based Hybrid Technologies. Manju, whose nanotechnology-based inventions won two awards gold and silver at the 41st Inventions Geneva exhibition in April, would certainly know.

The Gold award was for his Air Purifying Nano Photocatalytic CFL lamp and the Silver was for the Nano Visible Light Photocatalysis Based Hospital infection Control System.

MULTIDISCIPLINARY SCIENCE Nanotechnology, says Manju, is a multidisciplinary science that looks at how we can manipulate matter at the molecular and atomic level. One nanometre is just one billionth of a metre. In general, a typical atom is about one-tenth of a nanometre in diameter.

By manipulating molecules, we can make all sorts of interesting materials. Passive things can be converted into active products such as wall and fabric. Light source can be converted to purifying elements through the application of nanotechnology solutions, he explains.

THE TECHNOLOGY Nanotechnology, Manju adds, has immensely contributed to the manufacture of polymers based on molecular structure and the design of computer chip layouts based on surface science while the other commercial applications relates to the use of colloidal nanoparticles in bulk form to create personal care products and cloths.

Nanotechnology is sometimes referred to as a general-purpose technology. Thats because in its advanced form, it will have significant impact on almost all industries and areas of society. It will offer better built, longer lasting, cleaner, safer and smarter products for the home, communications, medicine, transportation, agriculture, and for industry in general, says Manju.

Asked about the type of solutions that can be created based on nanotechnology, he cites examples that can be derived from various nano particles. When exposed to light, titanium dioxide nano particles starts to purify.

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TREND: Big applications for nanotechnology

Putting medicine in its (right) place

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Sheriff Lt. John Sprague empties a 'take-back' bin at the sheriff's office. Residents are invited to bring back expired and unused medications instead of flushing the medication.

image credit: Contributed photo

Before flushing a pill or liquid medicine in the toilet, think again.

Officials at the Kitsap Public Health District and Kitsap County Sheriffs Office want to remind residents of a permanent take back program designed for proper disposal of medications. The receptacle boxes are located in the lobbies of the Kitsap County Sheriffs Offices in the Port Orchard and Silverdale locations.

The goal is to have a safe, legal and environmentally friendly alternative to disposing of prescription medications. While waterways are a point of concern for the health district, so is the chance of overdose and poisoning.

The thing that we mostly support about it in public health is that were trying to get these things out of medicine cabinets because theyre very widely abused, said Scott Daniels, Kitsap Public Health District deputy director. Poisoning, suicide those kind of things. Were trying to get them out of medicine cabinets.

According to the Washington State Department of Health Vital Statistics as analyzed by the Kitsap Public Health District, drug-associated deaths are a problem in Kitsap County. From 2009 through 2011, one in 10 people intentionally poisoned themselves. Six out of 10 people died of drug-associated death due to unintended poisoning. The drug-associated death rate is 16 per 100,000 residents, according to a May 2013 Kitsap County Core Public Health Indicator report.

Prior to the installation of the bins earlier this year, the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration hosted twice-yearly drug take-back events. Now, items can be returned five days a week. Medications accepted at the sheriffs office include prescription medications, ointments and patches, over-the-counter medications, sample prescription medications, vitamins and medications for pets.

The sheriffs office is the conduit where unwanted medications are dropped off. The drop off bins are periodically checked during the week by two sheriffs officers, said Deputy Scott Wilson, Kitsap County Sheriffs Office Public Information Officer.

If a disposal bin is full, or close to becoming full, the bin is emptied and the medications weighed. The medications are then sealed in a container and entered into the sheriffs property/evidence system until they are destroyed. Dropped off medications are subsequently destroyed by incineration at designated locations for this purpose.

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Putting medicine in its (right) place

New Website Seeks to Give Medical School Applicants the Edge

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(PRWEB) September 22, 2013

The decision to attend medical school is a major choice that requires proper investigation and research. The application process for each school can be costly and time consuming. This makes narrowing down the list of schools to apply to an essential step that every student must take. Many students want to seek out the best schools to apply to but they dont know where to begin to find information regarding medical school rankings.

A new website is helping students, who are bound for medical school, access the critical information they need in order to make an informed decision.

We provide the tools and resources to empower future students to make the right decision over which medical school to attend, said MedicalSchoolsinUSA.com spokesperson Ben Davidson. This new website lays all the cards out on the table in terms of medical school rankings, available programs, and admissions requirements.

The website features everything a student needs to know before starting the application process for admission into medical school. In addition to medical school rankings, MedicalSchoolsinUSA.com provides students with resources about how to finance their education, how to prepare for MCAT examinations, and other insights into perusing an education in the medical field.

We want to really immerse our users in the experience of medical school, said Davidson. They are going to learn about what life is like as a medical student and what type of test scores they need to strive for in order to get into the best schools.

The site provides a wealth of practical knowledge and the opportunity to search medical school rankings by state. This website is intended to be a future medical students best friend, according to Davidson. We walk you through the steps of finding your dream school and succeeding at the application process.

The website offers practical tips on how to make a good impression on personal statements and interviews during the application process for medical school. Its all designed to give applicants the edge over the competition.

Davidson hopes that visitors to the website will reach out using the contact page to ask any specific questions about medical school rankings.

For additional information about the process of applying to medical school, please visit MedicalSchoolsinUSA.com.

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New Website Seeks to Give Medical School Applicants the Edge

Review of the Thule Force XXL Rooftop Cargo Box on a 2008 Jeep Liberty – etrailer.com – Video

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Review of the Thule Force XXL Rooftop Cargo Box on a 2008 Jeep Liberty - etrailer.com
http://www.etrailer.com/Thule/TH626.html Today on our 2008 Jeep Liberty we #39;ll be test fitting the Thule Force Double XL Rooftop Cargo Box, part number th...

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Review of the Thule Force XXL Rooftop Cargo Box on a 2008 Jeep Liberty - etrailer.com - Video