See Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo space plane go supersonic

Posted on by

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo space plane rockets through the stratosphere at 71,000 feet, its highest flight yet, during its third powered test flight on Jan. 10, 2014. The supersonic flight occurred over California's Mojave Air and Space Port. Virgin Galactic

A stunning new video lets viewers ride along on last-week's record-breaking test flight of Virgin Galactic's suborbital spaceliner SpaceShipTwo.

The newSpaceShipTwo rocket-powered test flight videodocuments the piloted vehicle's jaunt on Jan. 10, which set a company altitude record by reaching 71,000 feet (21,641 meters) in the skies aboveCalifornia'sMojave Air and Space Port.

SpaceShipTwoalso attained a top speed of Mach 1.4 1.4 times the speed of sound, which is roughly 761 mph (1,225 km/h) at sea level during the test, Virgin Galactic officials said.

The 2.5-minute video, which Virgin Galactic released earlier this week, captures highlights of theJan. 10 supersonic flight, beginning with a pre-dawn inspection of SpaceShipTwo on the tarmac. It then shows the spaceliner being lofted off the runway by its carrier aircraft, a behemoth known as WhiteKnightTwo.

WhiteKnightTwo is designed to drop SpaceShipTwo at an altitude of roughly 50,000 feet (15,240 m), at which point the spacecraft's rocket engine blasts into action. The video captures this dramatic moment from several different angles, incorporating footage shot from the ground and from cameras mounted on WhiteKnightTwo.

WhiteKnightTwo's cameras, in fact, show SpaceShipTwo dropping toward the parched desert below before the craft's engine kicks on, shooting a tail of flame behind the spaceliner and sending it streaking past and above its carrier plane.

Virgin Galactic remains on pace to launch its first customers to suborbital space sometime this year, company officials say. Tickets to ride the spaceliner cost $250,000, and more than 600 people have put deposits down to reserve a seat so far, including major celebrities like Ashton Kutcher and Justin Bieber.

A ride aboard SpaceShipTwo will let passengers experience a few minutes of weightlessness and afford them a view of Earth against the blackness of space.

Link:

See Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo space plane go supersonic

NASA needs commercial help putting robots on the moon

Posted on by

News

January 17, 2014 02:38 PM ET

Computerworld - NASA is looking for help creating a new robotic rover that will deliver cargo to the surface of the moon.

In an effort to advance technologies needed to get astronauts to an asteroid or Mars , NASA wants to get back to the moon. The space agency needs robotic technology to help them get there.

The robotic machine NASA wants to build must be able to ferry cargo weighing 66 pounds to 1,102 pounds to various lunar sites.

The space agency is seeking proposals from the private sector and plans to create a partnership to build robotic a lunar lander..

The program is dubbed Lunar CATALYST, for Lunar Cargo Transportation and Landing by Soft Touchdown.

"As NASA pursues an ambitious plan for humans to explore an asteroid and Mars, U.S. industry will create opportunities for NASA to advance new technologies on the moon," said Greg Williams, NASA's deputy associate administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. "[This] will help us advance our goals to reach farther destinations."

NASA noted that, in a partnership, the agency would be able to contribute the technical expertise of NASA staff, access to NASA center test facilities, equipment loans, and software for lander development and testing.

NASA will host a pre-proposal teleconference on Jan. 27 to giving companies a chance to ask questions about the program.

Continue reading here:

NASA needs commercial help putting robots on the moon

NASA Administrator Surveys Agency’s Work in Advanced Propulsion Technologies

Posted on by

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden visited NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland Jan. 17 to view progress on the advanced space propulsion technologies the center is developing to carry cargo and American astronauts further into space than ever before.

"The work going on here at Glenn is an essential part of NASA's Asteroid Redirect Mission, and by investing in this technology NASA is addressing risks that the nation's aerospace industries cannot," Bolden said. "This is a great example of a win-win for both NASA and the nation's technical capability."

Glenn Center Director Jim Free guided Bolden, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown and U.S. Rep. Marcia Kaptur, both of Ohio, on a tour of Glenn's Electric Propulsion Laboratory, which houses a large space environment simulation chamber. The chamber is being enhanced for future testing of solar electric propulsion technologies, including those supporting NASA's proposed asteroid initiative, which involves identifying, capturing and relocating an asteroid for astronauts to explore.

"The advanced space propulsion technologies that will one day help humans land safely on an asteroid are just some of the remarkable discoveries being made at Glenn," Kaptur said. "It is my hope that this visit will give Mr. Bolden more data about the importance of Glenn's role in future missions and the agency's direction."

Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) serves two critical functions: it provides the low thrust, long duration "push" needed to deflect an asteroid, coupled with the versatility of changing a spacecraft's trajectory after launch. SEP also is a critical technology that can be scaled up to cost effectively send cargo and astronauts to Mars.

"The agency's asteroid initiative represents an unprecedented technological challenge that will lead to new scientific discoveries and technological capabilities that will help protect our home planet and achieve the goal of sending humans to an asteroid by 2025," Bolden added. "And NASA's path to capturing and exploring an asteroid runs through Glenn Research Center."

Later this year, NASA and its commercial partners will mark another milestone in industry partnerships when it tests at Glenn the large solar array system to demonstrate the structural integrity of large array designs that one day will support advanced SEP.

"Glenn Research Center is an important reason why NASA is a global leader in advanced technology," Brown added. "Ohio has a proud history of innovation and NASA Glenn's asteroid and de-icing work continue that tradition. Not only does this research and technology make the world safer, it advances what mankind is capable of achieving."

For more information on the agency's asteroid initiative, visit:

View original post here:

NASA Administrator Surveys Agency's Work in Advanced Propulsion Technologies

Google’s New Sugar-Sensing Contact Lens

Posted on by

The Google lab known for working on unusual projects like self-driving cars is crafting a contact lens that could help diabetics manage blood sugar levels.

"We're now testing a smart contact lens that's built to measure glucose levels in tears," project co-founders Brian Otis and Babak Parviz said Thursday in a blog post.

The lens works "using a tiny wireless chip and miniaturized glucose sensor that are embedded between two layers of soft contact lens material," Otis and Parviz said.

They said prototypes have undergone clinical tests and talks were underway with the US Food and Drug Administration. The project was described as being in its early days, and partners were being sought to make the lenses marketplace reality.

"As you can imagine, tears are hard to collect and study," the Google X lab team members said.

"We wondered if miniaturized electronics -- think chips and sensors so small they look like bits of glitter, and an antenna thinner than a human hair -- might be the way to crack the mystery of tear glucose and measure it with greater accuracy."

Prototype lenses being tested at Google X can generate glucose readings about once a second. Researchers are looking into integrating tiny lights that would warn when blood sugar levels go above or below threshold levels, according to the blog post.

"We've always said that we'd seek out projects that seem a bit speculative or strange," Otis and Parviz said. "At a time when the International Diabetes Federation is declaring that the world is 'losing the battle' against diabetes, we thought this project was worth a shot."

Google cited figures indicating that diabetes affects one in every 19 people on the planet.

View post:

Google's New Sugar-Sensing Contact Lens

Automobile Newsletter – January 13 to 17, 2014

Posted on by

Top News

Tata Motors launches Nano Twist at Rs 2.36 lakh

Tata Motors announced the launch of the new Nano Twist, a new addition to the Nano range. The new Nano Twist, will now allow hassle-free and relaxed driving in city traffic with the new first-in-class Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) system, designed for easy manoeuvring in tight driving and parking situations. A new signature Damson Purple colour, with chrome accents, new sporty interiors with new fabrics and stunning in-car features, make the Nano Twist an exciting car to drive.

Unveiling the Nano Twist - Ranjit Yadav, President, Passenger Vehicle Business Unit, Tata Motors, said, Since its inception, the Nano has been a path-breaking invention and has been constantly developed to provide class-leading value, with our core philosophy of anticipating customers needs. Blending best-in-class technology and design engineering, we at Tata Motors have worked closely with our partners to take Awesomeness to a whole new level with the Nano Twist. The Nano Twist will redefine customers driving experience in city traffic with the EPAS. It comes loaded with trendy features, exciting new colour and sporty interiors, which makes it a cool, smart city car to hang-out with. We at Tata Motors will continuously innovate on the Nano platform, catering to the dynamic desires of our growing customer base of young, trendy urbanites.

Tata Motors Group global wholesales at 79,220 in December 2013

The Tata Motors Group global wholesales in December 2013, including Jaguar Land Rover, were 79,220 nos. Cumulative wholesales for the fiscal were 753,949 nos.

Global wholesales of all Tata Motors' commercial vehicles and Tata Daewoo range -- were 29,499 nos. Cumulative commercial vehicles wholesales for the fiscal were 335,926 nos.

Global wholesales of all passenger vehicles in December 2013 were 49,721 nos. Cumulative passenger vehicles wholesales for the fiscal were 418,023 nos.

Global wholesales of Tata Motors' passenger vehicles in December 2013 were 9,477 nos. Cumulative wholesales for the fiscal were109,115 nos.

Global wholesales for Jaguar Land Rover for the month were 40,244 vehicles. Jaguar wholesales for the month were 6,613 vehicles and cumulative wholesales were 57,783 vehicles, while Land Rover wholesales for the month were 33,631 vehicles and cumulative wholesales were 251,125 vehicles. Cumulative wholesales for Jaguar Land Rover for the fiscal were 308,908 vehicles.

Read more here:

Automobile Newsletter – January 13 to 17, 2014

Farmers urged to use nano technology

Posted on by

A meet convened by the district administration to redress farmers grievances at the Collectorate here on Friday had an unexpected visitor as T. Anitha Sironmani, Chairperson of the School of Biotechnology of Madurai Kamaraj University walked in and offered to assist the farmers with innovations achieved through nanotechnology.

Ms. Sironmani told the farmers that just one litre of nano solution, available with the Genetic Engineering Department of the university, could purify about 30,000 to 40,000 litres of dirty water. The purified water could be used for irrigation, fish culture and a host of other activities.

Each litre of the nano solution costs Rs. 200, she added.

She also said that herbal preparations of her department were capable of curing foot and mouth disease as well as rabies.

Just one dose of the preparation to be consumed orally in the form of a soup could cure the diseases in no time without any side effects. We have tried it out on animals as well as humans and they recovered completely, she said.

Collector L. Subramanian introduced her to the gathering as an expert in nano technology and urged them to make use of the innovations. Later, Ms. Sironmani said that people interested in trying out the innovations could contact her by dialling 9942146141.

More here:

Farmers urged to use nano technology

DNA clamps could stop cancer in its tracks

Posted on by

Scientists have developed a special DNA clamp to act as a diagnostic nano machine. It's capable of detecting genetic mutations responsible for causing cancers, hemophilia, sickle cell anemia and other diseases, more efficiently than existing techniques. Not only can the clamp be used to develop more advanced screening tests, but it could also help create more efficient DNA-based nano machines for targeted drug delivery.

To catch diseases at their earliest stages, researchers have begun looking into creating quick screening tests for specific genetic mutations that pose the greatest risk of developing into life-threatening illnesses. When the nucleotide sequence that makes up a DNA strand is altered, it is understood to be a mutation; specific types of cancers are understood to be caused by certain mutations. Even if one single nucelotide base has been inserted, deleted or changed, it can change the entire DNA sequence scientists call this a single point mutation.

To detect this type of mutation and others, researchers typically use molecular beacons or probes, which are DNA sequences that become fluorescent on detecting mutations in DNA strands. The team of international researchers that developed the DNA clamp state that their diagnostic nano machine allows them to more accurately differentiate between mutant and non-mutant DNA.

"Our DNA clamp probes can perform very similar applications compared to molecular beacons, which are being used in many diagnostic clinics around the world since they enable the rapid, fluorescent detection of specific DNA sequences, or mutations," Alexis Valle-Blisle, a Chemistry Professor at the Universit de Montral, Canada tells Gizmag."However, since they bind DNA using a clamp mechanism, i.e. a single DNA sequence from a patient is recognized by two DNA sequences on our clamp, they are now able to detect single point mutations with much more efficiency than molecular beacons do."

According to the team, the DNA clamp is designed to recognize complementary DNA target sequences like a clamp-switch. As soon as it recognizes them, it binds with them to form a stable triple helix structure, while fluorescing at the same time. Being able to identify single point mutations more easily this way is expected to help doctors identify different types of cancer risks, with greater sensitivity, accuracy and precision, and to inform patients about the specific cancers they are likely to develop. Diagnosing cancer at a genetic level could potentially help arrest the disease, before it even develops properly.

"Cancer is a very complex disease that is caused by many factors," explains Valle-Blisle. "However, most of these factors are written in DNA. We only envisage identifying the cancers or potential of cancer. As our understanding of the effect of mutations in various cancer will progress, early diagnosis of many forms of cancer will become more and more possible."

Currently the team has only tested the probe on artificial DNA, and plans are in the works to undertake testing on human samples. The team believes that the DNA clamp will "provide a new weapon in the toolbox of nano engineers, to help them to design more efficient and versatile DNA nano machines." For instance, to deliver drugs to only the tumor cells, and not healthy cells, scientists can make use of DNA-based nano machines, that are created by assembling many different small DNA sequences together to create a 3D structure, kind of like a box. When it encounters a disease marker, the box opens up and delivers the drug, enabling smart drug delivery. The DNA clamps are expected to help this whole process function better.

"The clamp switches that we have designed and optimized can recognize a DNA sequence with high precision and high affinity," Professor Francesco Ricci, at the University of Rome,Tor Vergata, Italy, tells us."This means that our clamp switches can be used, for example, as super-glue to assemble these nano machines and create a better and more precise 3D structure that can, for example, open in the presence of a disease marker and release a drug."

The international research project was funded by the US National Institutes of Health, the Italian Ministry of Universities and Research (MIUR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Grand Challenges Explorations program and the European Commission Marie Curie Actions program. Their paper describing the development was recently published in the journal ACS Nano.

Source: Universit de Montral

See original here:

DNA clamps could stop cancer in its tracks

Missouri S&T Names ‘Signature’ Areas of Manufacturing, Infrastructure

Posted on by

Contact Information

Available for logged-in reporters only

More news from Missouri S&T: http://news.mst.edu

Newswise ROLLA, Mo. Advanced manufacturing and advanced materials for sustainable infrastructure are the first of four best-in-class or signature areas Missouri University of Science and Technology intends to focus on in the coming years.

The two areas were chosen from among 15 proposals submitted by Missouri S&T faculty. The proposals and subsequent presentations were screened by a committee of faculty representatives from all academic areas on campus, then selected by S&T Chancellor Cheryl B. Schrader and Provost Warren K. Wray. The proposals were judged on how well they connected to long-term critical national issues, research and entrepreneurship potential, and alignment with Missouri S&Ts strategic plan.

From the beginning, we have known that to successfully implement our strategic plan, we would have to focus on signature areas of excellence, Schrader says. Our plan isnt about being everything to everyone. It is about deciding where it makes the most sense to invest, enable and grow, and providing the best return on that investment to our customers. These two areas represent a bold step in the future vitality of this university and will offer research and educational solutions to benefit Missouri, the nation and the world.

Attaining signature status in these areas means that Missouri S&T will build on their distinctive strengths in teaching and research to make the areas among the nations best, Schrader says. To better position S&T to achieve this status, last September Schrader announced new funding from campus and the University of Missouri System to support the hiring of additional faculty in signature areas, as well as in other areas of strategic importance. In all, S&T plans to add 100 new faculty positions by 2020, an increase of nearly 20 percent.

In the signature area of advanced manufacturing, S&T will emphasize instruction and research in the emerging fields of additive manufacturing; energy manufacturing; micro- and nano-scale manufacturing; network-centric and cloud manufacturing; advanced materials for manufacturing; and intelligent, sensor-enabled manufacturing.

The area will be led by a multidisciplinary team of researchers. That team includes Dr. Ming Leu, the Keith and Pat Bailey Missouri Distinguished Professor of Integrated Product Manufacturing; Dr. Wayne Huebner, professor and chair of materials science and engineering; Dr. Jag Sarangapani, the William A. Rutledge-Emerson Electric Co. Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Dr. Suzanna Long, assistant professor of engineering management and systems engineering; Dr. Frank Liu, professor of computer science; Dr. Greg Hilmas, Curators Professor of ceramic engineering; and Dr. Frank Liou, the Michael and Joyce Bytnar Professor of Product Innovation and Creativity.

This is a perfect fit for Missouri S&T because of the national importance of advanced manufacturing, the existing S&T strength in this area and our confidence in developing it to be among the best in the nation, Leu says.

View post:

Missouri S&T Names 'Signature' Areas of Manufacturing, Infrastructure

Large International Tumor Profiling Study of Colorectal Cancer Provides Key Treatment Insights for World’s Third Most …

Posted on by

-- Research findings enable disease molecular sub-typing to lead to more informed clinical decision-making

IRVING, Texas, Jan. 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --Caris Life Sciences, a leading biosciences company focused on fulfilling the promise of personalized medicine, will present a large international tumor profiling study of colorectal cancer (CRC) at the 2014 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium this week in San Francisco, Calif. With more than 7,000 patients comprehensively profiled by Caris Molecular Intelligence, this study represents the largest, multi-national analysis in a single laboratory setting of the main molecular anomalies in colorectal cancer. Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide, with metastatic disease accounting for 40 to 50 percent of newly diagnosed patients.

"This comprehensive analysis of more than 7,000 patient cases illustrates that treatment of this cancer as one single disease is a flawed approach. The variety of mutations identified also point the way to new combinations of therapies and protein targets that can help direct future treatments," said Fadi Braiteh, M.D. and co-author on the study. "We are definitely moving from treating colon cancer as one disease to treating it as 20 to 30 different diseases. This research also highlights the feasibility of tumor profiling for colorectal cancer in the community setting, as well as establishes a high bar for standard of care for these patients."

This colorectal cancer study evaluated protein and DNA alterations in the EGFR pathway, including analysis of KRAS, NRAS, HRAS, BRAF, PIK3CA, ERBB4 and HER2 mutations/amplifications, as well as PTEN loss of expression and mutation in KRAS wild-type colorectal cancer patients. This dataset highlights the importance of the EGFR pathway in treating this disease by identifying a high frequency of specific and co-incident pathway alterations that have therapeutic implications.

"EGFR targeting therapies, cetuximab and panitumumab, are effective treatment for KRAS wild type CRC. Although mutations in KRAS predict resistance to EGFR Mab therapy, only 80 percent of CRC patients with KRAS wild type status respond to treatment," said Gargi Basu, Ph.D., from Caris Life Sciences and presenting author. "Testing for additional molecular alterations utilizing a multi-platform approach is critical to identifying those patients that are not likely to respond to anti-EGFR therapy alone and may respond better to a combination of targeted agents."

About Caris Molecular Intelligence

Caris Molecular Intelligence has been the leading cancer profiling service on the market since 2006, having been used for more than 60,000 cancer patients and counting by more than 6,000 oncologists in at least 59 countries to help develop individualized and actionable treatment plans that seek to improve patient care. Caris Molecular Intelligence utilizes the most comprehensive range of analytical technologies endorsed by the latest and most robust evidence immunohistochemistries, fluorescence and chromogenic in situ hybridization, polymerase chain reaction and Next-Generation sequencing to provide oncologists the most complete and clinically relevant profile of a patient's unique cancer-related biomarkers. Unlike other commercially available tumor profiling services, Caris Molecular Intelligence more completely interrogates a patient's unique tumor biology by going beyond just DNA analysis. Caris' service assesses additional important biological components like RNA and protein expression levels to establish a multi-dimensional profile of a patient's tumor that reveals more fully the complex biological processes that are driving that patient's cancer and, therefore, more, relevant targets for potential clinical action.

With a multi-dimensional profile of a patient's unique tumor, Caris Molecular Intelligence integrates insights from its proprietary and industry-leading evidence curation and bioinformatics platform to identify and report the most clinically relevant associations to drug therapies that are approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration or are in active clinical trials in the U.S. Managed by the Caris Evidence Design Board, a dedicated team of oncology experts that includes 5 Ph.D.s and 6 M.D.s, the Caris Molecular Intelligence evidence and bioinformatics platform curates, classifies and catalogues the findings and evidence from all relevant clinical studies in cancer and cancer biology available in the published scientific and medical literature, using a methodology adapted from the evidence review process of U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org) of the Agency for Health Research and Quality (www.ahrq.gov). This platform incorporates the review of more than 100,000 publications and counting. Relying on the most robust evidence that meets Caris' quality standards, the Caris Molecular Intelligence evidence and bioinformatics platform can currently provide therapeutic guidance for up to 43 drug associations with Caris' multi-dimensional approach to tumor profiling, far exceeding the 12 that can be identified using next-generation sequencing alone. The Caris Molecular Intelligence bioinformatics platform electronically delivers the profile and all of these results in an easy-to-use report format that gives oncologists access to underlying evidence, enabling them to develop tailored treatment plans for each unique patient. For more information on Caris Molecular Intelligence, visit http://www.carismolecularintelligence.com.

About Caris Life Sciences

Caris Life Sciences is a leading biosciences company focused on fulfilling the promise of personalized medicine. As the first commercial mover in comprehensive molecular profiling in oncology, Caris Molecular Intelligence is an industry vanguard, with 60,000-plus patients profiled and counting. Ordered by nearly 6,000 oncologists in 59 countries, Molecular Intelligence correlates molecular data generated from a patient's tumor with biomarker/drug associations derived from clinical cancer literature. Using a variety of advanced and clinically-relevant technologies, Caris provides oncologists with the most clinically actionable information to help them personalize treatment for cancer patients. This multi-technology approach enables Caris to provide therapeutic guidance for 43 drug associations, compared to the 12 that can be found through use of next-generation sequencing alone. The company is also developing a series of blood tests based on its proprietary Carisome platform a revolutionary blood-based testing technology for diagnosis, prognosis, and theranosis of cancer and other complex diseases. Headquartered in Irving, Texas, Caris Life Sciences offers services throughout the U.S., Europe, Australia and other international markets. To learn more, please visit http://www.carislifesciences.com.

Read the original post:

Large International Tumor Profiling Study of Colorectal Cancer Provides Key Treatment Insights for World's Third Most ...

michael jacson you rock my world acapella mixed with plies Medicine instrumental – Video

Posted on by


michael jacson you rock my world acapella mixed with plies Medicine instrumental
Download: http://instromusic.net/download/1183765.html michael jacson you rock my world acapella mixed with plies Medicine instrumental michael jacson you ro...

By: Steve Collins

More here:

michael jacson you rock my world acapella mixed with plies Medicine instrumental - Video

Merced med school a priority … for some

Posted on by

In a conversation over barbecued pork and green curry this week, Adam Gray said that a medical school for UC Merced remains one of his top priorities.

Its a dream shared by many in the region and one Gray believes he can help us realize even in the term-limited lifespan of a California assemblyman.

In 10 years, we should be able to make that happen, he said.

We think he might have to push a little harder than he expects.

Earlier last week, UC President Janet Napolitano met with the combined editorial boards of the Sacramento and Modesto Bees (OK, we joined by phone) and she was asked how the new med school in Merced was progressing.

Napolitano is an impressive, straightforward, no-nonsense woman. In listening to her, you understand why Arizonans elected her governor and why President Obama tapped her to head the Department of Homeland Security. After only three months on the job, she has acquired a thorough grasp of the issues confronting not only the UC system, but also the companion CSU and community college systems. She sees big pictures and her place in them. Shes moving forward.

But shes also a politician. That was evident as she deflected that UC Merced med school question.

Weve got to get Riverside right first, she said, noting that UC Riversides med school only this year went from a two-year program to four years. In the past, med students spent their first two years on the Riverside campus then their last two years at UCLA. Now, it will be all four at Riverside. Its a tremendously complicated undertaking. We know one of the missions is to help California meet its public needs, she said.

But about that med school in Merced?

Im focused on Merced, said Napolitano. The build-out of the primarily undergraduate aspect of it. The campus currently houses 6,500 students, and we want to be at 10,000 by 2020 and that means weve got to build some labs and classrooms. Theyre having biology classes at 9 oclock at night.

See more here:

Merced med school a priority ... for some