NASA Announces Fifth Round of CubeSat Space Mission Candidates

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NASA has selected 16 small satellites from nine states to fly as auxiliary payloads aboard rockets planned to launch in 2015, 2016 and 2017. The proposed CubeSats come from universities across the country, a primary school, non-profit organizations and NASA field centers.

CubeSats are a class of research spacecraft called nanosatellites. The cube-shaped satellites measure about 4 inches on each side, have a volume of about 1 quart and weigh less than 3 pounds.

The selections are from the fifth round of the agency's CubeSat Launch Initiative. After launch, the satellites will conduct technology demonstration, educational research or science missions. The selected spacecraft are eligible for launch after final negotiations, depending on the availability of a flight opportunity. The organizations sponsoring satellites are:

-- Boston University, Boston -- Brown University, Providence, R.I. -- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla. -- Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md. -- Lincoln Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Lexington, Mass. -- Marquette University, Milwaukee -- NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. -- NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. -- New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, N.M. -- St. Thomas More Cathedral School, Arlington, Va. -- The Aerospace Corporation, El Segundo, Calif. -- University of California, Los Angeles -- University of Florida, Gainesville -- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor -- Utah State University, Logan (2 CubeSats)

In the previous four rounds of the CubeSat Launch Initiative, 99 CubeSats from 28 states were selected. To date, 27 CubeSats have launched through the initiative as part of the agency's Launch Services Program's Educational Launch of Nanosatellite Program. This year, four separate launches will carry 17 CubeSats.

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Nanomedicine Market is Expected to Reach USD 177.60 …

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Transparency Market Research added new report "Nanomedicine Market (Neurology, Cardiovascular, Anti-inflammatory, Anti-infective, and Oncology Applications) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share,Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2013 - 2019" to its database. Browse full report: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/nanomedicine-market.html

Albany, NY (PRWEB) February 07, 2014

According to a new market report published by Transparency Market Research "Nanomedicine Market (Neurology, Cardiovascular, Anti-inflammatory, Anti-infective, and Oncology Applications) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share,Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2013 - 2019," the market for nanomedicine was valued at USD 78.54 billion in 2012 and is expected to reach a value of USD 177.60 billion in 2019, growing at a CAGR of 12.3% from 2013 to 2019.

Browse the full report with complete TOC at http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/nanomedicine-market.html

The advent of new applications and technology in the field of nanomedicine will be one of the major growth factors for the global nanomedicine market. In addition, increase of funding aimed at boosting the research activities pertaining to nanomedicine by the government as well as private institutions will expedite the process of commercialization of new products and hence will drive the market. Other driving factors include rising base of geriatric population, presence of high unmet medical needs and rising worldwide incidences of chronic diseases.

The global nanomedicine market by applications was dominated by the oncology market with a market share of approximately 38.0% in 2012 on account of the presence of high number of commercialized products in this segment. Development of nanomedicine products enabling drugs crossing blood brain barrier and targeting the tumor in brain and at other sites in the body will prove to be a significant future growth driver for this market.

Related Report: Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Devices Market http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/gastrointestinal-endoscopic-devices.html

However, the global cardiovascular market for nanomedicine is the fastest growing application segment. Factors such as the presence of large patient prevalence coupled with rising demand for nanotechnology enabled drugs and devices catering to this segment, attribute to its high growth rate.

North America dominated the market in 2012 and is expected to maintain its market position till 2019. However, theAsia-Pacific market is estimated to grow at a faster pace (CAGR of 14.6% from 2013 to 2019).Europe is expected to grow at a relatively higher rate compared to North America owing to constantly improving regulatory framework and the presence of an extensive product pipeline portfolio.

Some of the key players in the global nanomedicine market include GE Healthcare, Merck & Co Inc., Abbott Laboratories, Pfizer Inc., Nanosphere Inc., Mallinckrodt plc, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Sigma-Tau Pharmaceuticals Inc., Celgene Corporation, Novavax, Inc.; Life Technologies, MagArray, Inc., Gilead Sciences Inc. and others.

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Source: Nano jobs in Albany protected from IBM layoff plans

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Albany

IBM, one of the state's largest high-tech employers, is expected to lay off hundreds of workers in the Hudson Valley by the end of the month, union officials said.

It's unlikely that any of the hundreds of IBM scientists and engineers that work at the SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering in Albany will be included in the layoffs.

IBM told analysts in January that it was planning a worldwide reorganization of its workforce that would cost $1 billion about the same magnitude as a reorganization last year that led to 3,300 U.S. workers being laid off, including 700 in Poughkeepsie and in East Fishkill, home to an IBM computer chip factory.

A main reason for the layoffs is the poor performance of IBM's Systems and Technology Group. IBM recently announced the sale of one of its low-end server units to China-based Lenovo as a way to stem the losses.

Alliance@IBM, an affiliate of the Communications Workers of America, said the latest round of layoffs are expected to be announced on Feb. 26 for employees in New York and Vermont, home to thousands of workers in the Systems and Technology Group unit. IBM, which does not speak about layoffs typically, did not return a call seeking comment.

Jobs at the NanoCollege are protected, according to a source close to IBM.

"There will not be any layoffs in Albany," the source said.

Many employees support IBM's most innovative computer chip program research that the company does in partnership with the state, such as the Global 450 Consortium, a five-year, $4.8 billion program to develop the next generation of computer chip factories.

The state has committed hundreds of millions of dollars to the effort and other programs with IBM at the NanoCollege, which typically have job creation and retention requirements that IBM must meet.

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Was Mourinho's masseur revelation just a bluff about Chelsea title chances?

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Bridge Banter: Was Jose Mourinho's Billy McCulloch masseur revelation just a bluff about Chelsea title chances?

12:17pm Friday 7th February 2014 in Sport By Tim Ashton

You never know whats going to happen in this beautiful game.

The Chelsea lads may have arrived in Manchester on a bus (OK, more likely a luxury coach) but it was parked in an allotted space outside the Etihad stadium.

Ask any self-important sports journalist, and they would have insisted that the bus was going to be plonked in front of Petr Cechs goal.

Ask any pundit who graces a comfy chair in a TV studio because he used to play the game, and they would have told you the same.

Ask Jose Mourinho and he just tells you what he wants you to hear.

Then he turns in a performance of such tactical genius that those aforementioned scribblers and bawlers can be found quickly deleting their wayward predictions and whistling an innocuous tune.

Chelsea did not do a containing job on the previously invincible City, because they did not need to.

Straight from the off they went at the jugular and they were unlucky not to score more than Branislav Ivanovics decisively sweet strike.

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Our 10 Favorite Toy Movies

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There is nothing that sells movie tickets more than nostalgia, and there are few things moviegoers are more fond of than their childhood toys. With that in mind, it seems a no-brainer that Warner Bros. should be pairing a walk down memory lane with proven comedic talent in The LEGO Movie. Making a film built entirely out of toys demands imagination, and the results are already clear: when appealing to an audiences' inner child, superheroes, wizards, and even presidents can all coexist. But this isn't the first time filmmakers have turned to toys to do the impossible on film. Here is a brief look at Our 10 Favorite Toy Movies. Victor Herbert's operetta Babes in Toyland has been adapted a number of times, but the 1934 film starring comedy duo Laurel and Hardy has to be our favorite. Set in the fairy tale land of Santa Claus, Little Bo Peep and the Three Little Pigs, the film is anything but suitable for children. Featuring six-foot-tall wooden soldiers unaware of their own strength or lethality; threats of medieval torture; pignapping, and an army of Bogeyman, the fact that toys come to life is almost an afterthought. Nevertheless, the fever-dream plot and characters are unforgettable. Every child dreams of bringing their toys to life, but few ever dream of their army men or toy soldiers teaching them about 18th Century colonization. Somehow, author Lynne Reid Banks made that seem exciting in the novel The Indian in the Cupboard, adapted to film by director Frank Oz. The story begins a when young boy receives a small cupboard for his birthday, but the potential for 'worst birthday gift ever' is redeemed when he realizes it can bring toys placed inside of it to life. As the title suggests, Omri forges a fast friendship with Little Bear, a small Native American figure. We would experiment a bit more than Omri did, grabbing any chance to see a Transformer or Ninja Turtle stomp around our bedroom... but then Michael Bay would be out of a job. The basic premise of The Last Mimzy seems fairly standard for this list: a young boy and girl are stunned and delighted when their stuffed rabbit turns out to be more than a simple stuffed animal. Where Mimzy differs is the fact that it's not a magical being, but an artificially intelligent creation of future humans, sent back in time to return with DNA uncorrupted by widespread pollution. Also, it turns children into telekinetics and telepaths so it can communicate. That's a heavy story for a young audience - even moreso when the plot is placed under a microscope. Mimzy's young master is needed to save the future, but the plan was never to prevent the pollution in the first place. So the children will be forced to watch humanity stumble, with or without superpowers. The Misfit Toys may not be the star of the stop-motion classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, but they are just as well-known as Santa's gifted sled-puller. An addition to the original story, Rudolph discovers the Island of Misfit Toys after leaving Santa's Village, populated by toys deemed unsuitable for giving to children. Ruled over by King Moonracer (a winged lion, because why not?) the island's inhabitants feature an airplane that won't fly, a swimming bird, an ostrich-riding cowboy, and a polka-dotted elephant, to name a few. Seeing them brought to life made every child realize that each toy is deserving of love, whatever their faults. That's a dangerous excuse for hoarding, but memorable nonetheless. Toys often appear in animated children's films, but rarely are they the sole star. When Disney adapted the classic Italian tale of Pinocchio into the studio's second animated film, they had to make some serious changes before it became the classic it is today. The story of Geppetto's marionette wished to be a real boy is one of the most iconic in Disney's history, with many other films on our list owing their existence at least partly to it. To this day, we can't help but wish there was a small, singing, top-hat-wearing cricket sitting on our shoulder, telling us when we're headed for trouble. But if that comes at the price of a nose that grows with every lie, and the chilling run-ins with 'Pleasure Island,' the film is more than enough of an escape. Given its title and subject matter, director Barry Levinson's Toys must be mentioned for this list - as much for its approach to the idea of childlike play as the cinematic riddle it wound up being. The story is simple enough: Leslie Zevo (Robin Williams) is too immature to take over control of his father's toy company, and must wage war against the military toys created by his three-star general uncle. But the overall detachment from reality makes the film more of an abstract painting of a film, sure to confuse almost every viewer at one point or another. Thankfully, the film's third act includes an all-out war between traditional toys and military-grade toy tanks and helicopters - not to mention the enormous (and deadly) 'toys' sprinkled throughout. Toy fans may not love it, but it's one they simply must see to believe. What happens when a toy coming to life turns out not to be a dream come true, but a nightmare made real? That's the case with Chucky, the bloodthirsty star of the Child's Play film series - an everyday 'Good Guy' doll brought to life and infused with the departing soul of "The Lakeshore Slasher." It wasn't the first movie to place an animated doll as its deadly villain, and there have been plenty of imitators since. But whether it's the red hair, the freckles, or the voice work of Brad Dourif (Lord of the Rings) that make Chucky remain as unsettling today as when first released, the movie made us forever suspicious of even the cutest dolls (more than we were already). To a child, there's nothing more wondrous than the idea of having your favorite stuffed animal come to life and become the best friend you'd always hoped for. While Seth MacFarlane's Ted featured a talking teddy bear that did just that, it followed the story through to the end, with the titular plushie's persona of 'best friend' aging alongside Mark Wahlberg. It may not be as revered as others on our list, but Ted did what no other 'talking toy' movie ever had: shown adult audiences what it would be like to have a toy for a best friend. For that alone (not to mention the experience of seeing a friendly fistfight between a human being and stuffed bear), the movie is worth some recognition. It's one thing to see your toys come to life, but in Small Soldiers, Alan Abernathy is dropped right into the middle of a full-on toy war. Essentially, gross mismanagement and shortsightedness led a toy company to design toys that would "play back" with the children who owned them. The Commando Elite were outfitted with artificial intelligence, as were their sworn enemies, the Gorgonites. Predictably, the situation spun out of control when the Commandos decided humans would only get in the way of eliminating their Gorgonite foes, and the star-studded cast raised this toy-led adventure up from a simple children's movie. In fact, much of the film is far darker than any kids movie should be - but that doesn't mean older audiences can't appreciate a brutal action-figure massacre. As the name implies, it was Pixar's goal to weave a tale beginning and ending with children's playthings, but in chronicling the adventures of Woody, Buzz Lightyear and the rest of Toy Story's cast, they proved that animated films could be relevant for an entirely new generation, and crafted one of the best examples in history. For the sake of the other entries on our list, we've grouped together the entire trilogy. There is little the series as a whole leaves uncovered, and for viewers who aged right along with Toy Story's Andy, no film will better capture the love of dolls, action figures, or stuffed animals - and the need to one day leave them all behind. That's just 10 of the many films starring or featuring toys that are far more than simple playthings, but each movie fan is sure to have their favorites. Which toy characters stick out the most in your memory? Is it due to the quality of the film, the strength of the performance, or simply nostalgia? Be sure to mention your own favorites in the comments. _____ The LEGO Movie is in theaters now. Follow me on Twitter @andrew_dyce.

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A Creator of Skynet Ponders Google

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After an eight-year detour in which he served as governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger has returned to his true calling as a cyborg assassin. Shooting on a new Terminator film reportedly got under way last month in New Orleans and is expected to be released sometime next year. But the resurgence of one of the films main characters, the self-aware computing network Skynet, is already a fait accompli. Skynet is invoked every time a military contractor dispatches a fleet of autonomous vehicles, or a shadowy corporation begins rallying a robot army, or scientists develop a cloud-based hive mind for robots to upload and download information and learn new tasks from each other, completely independent of humans.

With life imitating art, I spent a few minutes discussing our robot overlords with William Wisher, who wrote the original Terminator movies along with James Cameron. (Wisher is not working on the new Terminator movie.) The following transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

Skynet sure gets a lot of attention in recent days. Have you been following along? Wisher: I have, and I cant say Im crazy about it. Terminator 1 and 2 were not how-to movies. They were more cautionary tales. But a lot of that kind of thing seems to be happening, between the NSA spying and Google (GOOG) Glass, which apparently has a new app with facial recognition software, designed to look at you and then your face compared to millions of others in the database, including social networks, and it comes up and tells the person who you are, where you live, and so forth and so on, and all the information thats available to you in the Internet. Here we are, welcome to the future.

What parallels do you see to the Terminator films? I think very general ones. The thing we wrote in the films was about Skynet becoming self-aware. Every program the NSA has is just collecting information. That feedback loop might change, and human beings might become redundant. Terminator was about AI deciding it can operate without human thought. Then the movies start. Im unaware of any private or government program regarding artificial intelligence thats on the verge of becoming self-aware, but what I do see is a rather amazingly fast erosion of privacy in this country.

Are you familiar with the concept of the singularity, which many people in Silicon Valley seem to believe is just around the corner? Oh yes. I know that there are people working on achieving the singularity, and I think it will happen. Its just a matter of application and a few more rungs on the ladder. Does it necessarily mean that it will be a bad thing? Thats an important question.

The tech is just a technology; its just a hammer. You can use a hammer to build a house, you can also use it to crush somebodys skull. Its not the hammers fault. But what do you do with stuff once youve created it? That question is hanging out there. I would imagine that artificial intelligence would reflect the goals, aspirations, personalities, and flaws of the people whove created it. What is AIs personality like?

A lot of this stuff has for decades and decades been an inspiration for people working on real world stuff. That becomes a goal. Theyll go and see a film or read a book and think thats cool, why dont we work on that. I dont mean to say that people like me are responsible for it, but we do have an influence on real-world events, just like we were influenced by trends in the real world. It becomes part of a massive exchange between real-world technology and fictional imagination.

What was the real-life technology you used as a model for the Terminator films? One of my inspirations was Darpa, although I dont know that there was any particular technology. People were talking about what the possibilities were. It was in the air, as more of a general thing, kind of a feeling of where tech industries were heading. We imagined a rather dark conclusion.

Does the stuff happening now plant the seeds of new fiction in your brain? Oh, lots of things. Im working on something right now that has to do with the NSA and the CIA, and a kind of a competition that may indeed be happening right now. I dont want to say much more.

Anything else youve seen in films or media exploring these issues that youve found compelling? Real life, at the moment, is far more fascinating than whats on TV.

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Fijian Government Hands Over Donated Medicine to Sea Mercy for Tonga Cyclone Relief. Part 1 of 2. – Video

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Fijian Government Hands Over Donated Medicine to Sea Mercy for Tonga Cyclone Relief. Part 1 of 2.
Deputy Secretary for Hospital Services, Dr. Mecuisela Tuicakau officiates the handing over of medicines to Sea Mercy Program.

By: minfofiji

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Book Review: Extreme Medicine

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Books and recommendations from Scientific American

Extreme Medicine: How Exploration Transformed Medicine in the Twentieth Century by Kevin Fong Penguin Press, 2014

With degrees in medicine, astrophysics and engineering, Fong has dedicated as much of his life to discussing the health challenges of space travel as he has to treating trauma patients. In Extreme Medicine, he writes of those challenges as well as more terrestrial medical advancements that have pushed the boundaries of possibility. While our medical pioneers weren't concerned with geographical conquest, he writes, they were very much in the business of exploration. From the tale of a young woman revived after hours without a heartbeat in an icy Nordic river to stories of World War II soldiers who served as early guinea pigs for facial skin grafting, Fong interweaves historical accounts with engrossing stories of clinical doctors charting new territories to save their patients. In each case, their encounter with physical extremes powered rapid medical advances. The next frontier to push science forward, Fong writes, may be sending humans to Mars. The book shows how, by probing the very limits of our biology, we may ultimately return with a better appreciation of precisely how our bodies work, what life is, and what it means to be human.

This article was originally published with the title "Extreme Medicine."

2014 Scientific American, a Division of Nature America, Inc.

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Penn Medicine Launches Innovative Program for LGBT Health Across University and Health System

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Newswise PHILADELPHIAPenn Medicine is the first academic medical center in Philadelphia one among just a handful of academic medical centers in the U.S.to launch a program across multiple professional schools and affiliated hospitals at Penn to improve the health of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals. Health disparities and inequalities within this community have become increasingly recognized, but are rarely addressed in todays health care settings.

The Penn Medicine Program for LGBT Health is focusing on five key areas to help address these gaps:

Climate Nurture and support LGBT diversity and inclusion in the workplace, classroom, and healthcare settings EducationEnhance education of faculty, students, and staff in LGBT health and health disparities ResearchFoster research on the optimal ways to improve the care for LGBT patients and their families Patient CareProvide patient and family-centered care to the LGBT community. OutreachIncrease collaboration between Penn, affiliated health systems, and the Philadelphia LGBT community

This program is unique to the region because of its comprehensive and interdisciplinary nature, touching on parts of the Penn family that are pivotal to moving the needle in LGBT health caretaking patient care, research, and education to the next level, said Baligh Yehia, MD, MPP, MSHP, director of the program and assistant professor of Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine. Our vision is to improve the care of LGBT individuals in our communities by becoming a local and national leader in LGBT health.

The program is being rolled out in the Perelman School of Medicine, Penn School of Nursing, Penn School of Dental Medicine, Penns Center for Public Health Initiatives, and hospitals and facilities of the University of Pennsylvania Health System.

Leading federal institutions and national organizations have recognized that many members of the LGBT community face barriers to high-quality, patient-centered care, including decreased access to health care, lack of awareness and insensitivity to their unique health needs, and inequitable health system policies and practices. These barriers contribute to the multiple health disparities experienced by LGBT individuals.

For instance, compared to their heterosexual counterparts, LGBT populations have higher rates of HIV, certain forms of cancer, depression, suicide, and tobacco use. LGBT adults are also more likely to delay or avoid seeking medical care due to decreased access and fear of discrimination.

Research is also scanta recent study found that only one half of 1 percent of National Institutes of Health-funded studies between 1989 and 2011 focused on LGBT healthand though its improving, education is minimal in todays medical schools. Students receive, on average, less than 5 hours of LGBT health training, according to a survey of 150 deans of medical education.

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tmi196x196.gif

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February 07, 2014

First, do no harm

Though these exact words are not in the Hippocratic oath, it is what medical students will hear on their first day of medical school and will probably be reminded for the rest of their lives.

Being a doctor in this day and age is not easy. Modern medicine has progressed leaps and bounds, offering treatment that was unthinkable in yesteryears. But with all the advancement, the health profession is under scrutiny like never before.

However, the core of being a doctor remains. To serve, to treat and to make lives better. Every doctor will have his or her own story and their own unique experience. I cannot tell students how to become a doctor, which is something they will have to learn by themselves. But I can certainly share my thoughts with them.

The studying years

Your time in medical school is your formative years. Think of entering medical school as the first step in a long journey, but no less rewarding. The goal is not just to graduate as doctors but also to learn and build on your knowledge. Make no mistake, you will need to put in the hours and studying hard cannot be avoided. But that does not mean you cannot enjoy the student life. Being a student is one of the best times of your life, enjoy it and make use of those years.

A hell called housemanship

Almost all doctors will tell you their housemanship years are the worst of their careers. Worst here is subjective. Though it will be a harsh reality from your student days, and you will be pushed to the limit, but please do not think this as a method to torture young doctors. What you do in these 2 years will define your career as a doctor. So take the chance to learn not only to be a safe doctor, but also how to balance your work and life. It is not hell if you make the best of it.

It is not a race

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