NASA Conducts Second Spacewalk to Fix Coolant Pump on ISS
Expedition 38 astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Mike Hopkins ventured outside the space station on Dec. 24, for the second in a series of spacewalks to remove ...
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NASA Conducts Second Spacewalk to Fix Coolant Pump on ISS - Video
This week, NASA released the results of its Lunar Laser Communication Demonstrations (LLCD) 30-day test carried out by its Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) that is currently in orbit around the Moon. According to the space agency, the LLCD mission proved that laser communications are practical at a distance of a quarter of a million miles and that such a system could perform as well, if not better, than any NASA radio system.
The LLCD is a demonstration of the practicality of using broadband lasers for deep space communications with download speeds orders of magnitude greater than conventional radio communications. With the ability to download data to Earth at 622 megabits per second (Mbps) and upload at 20 Mbps, the LLCD transmitted a record-breaking download on October 20 from lunar orbit using a pulsed laser beam that was picked up by the main LLCD ground station in New Mexico, which is one of three set up in the US and Spain.
Lasers have inherent advantages over radio, not the least of which is that they have a much greater bandwidth capacity and their ability to produce a narrow, coherent beam means that they use less power over longer distances a prime concern for spacecraft that often have to make do with power levels usually associated with incandescent bulbs.
NASA says that the LLCD mission performed better than expected during its 30-day trial. The laser was able to communicate with the Earth stations in broad daylight and even when the Moon had less than four degrees of separation from the Sun. It also worked without error when the Moon was low on the horizon, forcing the laser to pass through a much thicker layer of atmosphere, with atmospheric turbulence having little effect. The space agency was even surprised that light clouds werent an obstacle.
In addition to this lack of error, the LLCD was able to switch from one ground station to the next as the Earth turned in a manner that NASA compared to how a mobile phone network operates, and the system did so without human intervention. The system could even lock on to the ground stations without using a radio signal.
"We were able to program LADEE to awaken the LLCD space terminal and have it automatically point and communicate to the ground station at a specific time without radio commands," says Don Cornwell, LLCD mission manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "This demonstrates that this technology could serve as the primary communications system for future NASA missions."
NASA says that not only was the test successful, but that the LLCD was able to download the LADEE spacecrafts entire library of data at unprecedented speeds, sending a gigabyte of information to Earth in under five minutes at a speed that was largely limited by LADEEs ability to hand the data off to the LLCD. Normally, such a download would take several days.
NASA says that with the LLCD mission complete, the next phase will be the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LRCD) satellite set to launch in 2017 with a more advanced laser system capable of handling up to 2.880 Gbps from geosynchronous orbit as part of a five-year demonstration.
The video below is a high-definition transmission of congratulations from NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, which was transmitted to the Moon and back using the laser system.
Source: NASA
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NASA's LLCD tests confirm laser communication capabilities in space
A NASA observatory that will make the most precise, highest-resolution and most complete, space-based measurements of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere to date has marked a key milestone in preparation for its planned July 2014 launch.
The Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO)-2 spacecraft was moved into a thermal vacuum chamber at Orbital Science Corporation's Satellite Manufacturing Facility in Gilbert, Ariz., southeast of Phoenix, in late November, where it underwent a series of environmental tests that were completed last week.
The thermal vacuum tests are designed to confirm the integrity of the observatory's electrical connections and to subject the OCO-2 instrument and spacecraft to the extreme hot, cold, airless environment they will encounter once in orbit.
The observatory, consisting of the OCO-2 instrument, built by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., and the Orbital-built OCO-2 spacecraft bus, is continuing its integration and test campaign, scheduled for completion in the spring. The observatory will then be shipped to Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., for final preparations for its planned July 1, 2014, launch.
OCO-2 is NASA's first mission dedicated to studying atmospheric carbon dioxide and is the latest mission in NASA's study of the global carbon cycle. Carbon dioxide is the most significant human-produced greenhouse gas and the principal human-produced driver of climate change. The mission will uniformly sample the atmosphere above Earth's land and ocean, collecting between 100,000 and 200,000 measurements of carbon dioxide concentration over Earth's sunlit hemisphere every day for at least two years. It will do so with the accuracy, resolution and coverage needed to provide the first complete picture of the regional-scale geographic distribution and seasonal variations of both human and natural sources of carbon dioxide emissions as well as the places where carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and stored.
Scientists will use OCO-2 mission data to improve global carbon cycle models, better characterize the processes responsible for adding and removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and make more accurate predictions of global climate change.
The mission provides a key new measurement that can be combined with other ground and aircraft measurements and satellite data to answer important questions about the processes that regulate atmospheric carbon dioxide and its role in the carbon cycle and climate. The aim of this information is to help policymakers and business leaders make better decisions to ensure climate stability and retain our quality of life. The mission will also serve as a pathfinder for future long-term satellite missions to monitor carbon dioxide.
OCO-2 is managed by JPL for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Orbital built the spacecraft and provides mission operations under JPL's leadership. The California Institute of Technology in Pasadena manages JPL for NASA.
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The new Global Precipitation Measurement, or GPM, Core Observatory satellite will be launched abroad a Japanese H-IIA rocket between 1:07 p.m. and 3:07 p.m. EST on Feb. 27, 2014 from JAXA's Tanegashima Space Center in Tanegashima, an island located 936 miles off Japan's east coast. The GPM satellite is expected to provide advanced observations of rain and snowfall around the world several times a day to help better understand the water and energy cycles that drive Earth's climate.
Launching this core observatory and establishing the Global Precipitation Measurement mission is vitally important for environmental research and weather forecasting, Michael Freilich, director of NASA's Earth Science Division in Washington, said in a statement. Knowing rain and snow amounts accurately over the whole globe is critical to understanding how weather and climate impact agriculture, fresh water availability, and responses to natural disasters.
According to NASA, the data provided by the GPM satellite will be used to standardize rainfall measurements made by an international network of partner satellites to quantify when, where, and how much it rains or snows around the world.
We will use data from the GPM mission not only for Earth science research but to improve weather forecasting and respond to meteorological disasters, Shizuo Yamamoto, executive director of JAXA, said in the statement. We would also like to aid other countries in the Asian region suffering from flood disasters by providing data for flood alert systems.
The GPM satellite is developed based on the sensor technology used in the NASA-JAXA Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission, which was launched in 1997.
The satellite includes two new instruments -- the GPM Microwave Imager to observe rainfall and snowfall at 13 different frequencies, and the Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar to transmit radar frequencies that will detect ice and light rain, as well as heavier rainfall. The second instrument will also measure the size and distribution of raindrops, snowflakes and ice particles, NASA said.
For more information on the GPM Core Observatory satellite, click here.
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NASA And Japan’s JAXA To Launch New Global Precipitation Satellite In February
NASA is exercising an option to extend its contract with DB Consulting Group, Inc., in Silver Spring, Md., to provide information technology, multimedia, information management and external relations support services at the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
The extension to the Information Technology and Multimedia Services contract is valued at $50.5 million. The total value of the contract increases to $201.4 million from its base value of $150.9 million.
The services provided are primarily under the management of Johnson's Information Resources Directorate, with participation by the Office of External Relations. The services include: operation and maintenance of primary information technology services; graphics; library management; imagery acquisition, processing and cataloguing; television systems support for human spaceflight missions; public affairs services; and education program support.
The one-year extension covers work between Jan. 18, 2014, and Jan. 18, 2015. One additional $50.5 million option is available under the original terms of the cost-plus-incentive, indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract.
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Move over cultured pearls: Scientists have successfully grown liquid crystal flowers with grains of sand. These structures resemble insect eyes andcould be used as complex lenses.
The researchers working on new nanotech dream of a day when all the complex, tiny parts can just manufacture themselves. Getting that to actually happen is called directed assembly, and a team from the University of Pennsylvania recently made a sweet step forward.
Gorgeous Computer-Generated Flowers Bloom: Photos
In the past theyd tried creating nanoscale structures using microposts that acted like a trellis to direct growth, according to a university press release. This time, theyused silica beads, which are basically polished grains of sand, planted in a pool of transparent liquid crystal. This time they generated patterns of petal-shaped bumps that look like flowers. Each transparent petal can function as a lens.
Physics and astronomy professor Randall Kamien, who worked on the flowers, told Gizmags Lakshmi Sandhana that the process was similar to making rock candy, where a stick or string acts like a seed for sugar to make crystals naturally.We have just done this on a smaller scale, Kamien said, making smaller bits of ordered material cued by smaller elements, like our silica beads.
The research was led by a team that included Kamien, chemical and biomolecular engineering professor Kathleen Stebe, professor of materials science, engineering, chemical and biomolecular engineering Shu Yang, as well as lead author, grad student Daniel Beller. They published their work in the journal Physical Review X (abstract).
You might be wondering what the big deal is about growing a bunch of tiny lenses. It might not be as wearable as cultured pearls or as edible as rock candy, but GizmagsSandhana pointed out that thetechnique could make producing complex dragonfly-like eyes containing millions of spherical lenses easier, faster and cheaper to achieve.
Picture being able to grow compound lenses that could cover a whole surface, lenses that can heal themselves, or even biosensors that could use the lenses to collect information. All that is a long way off but the scientists did tell Gizmag they think their lenses will go into liquid crystal displays within the next decade.
Nanoflowers Grow in Tiny Garden
Professor Shu Yang also suggested that their lens construction could be incorporated into futuristic metamaterials such as an acousticallyinvisible cloak. Given how far we are from a real invisibility cloak,I think were more likely to see a prosthetic eye with nearly X-ray capabilities first, similar to Mad-Eye Moodys in the Harry Potter series. Heck, weve already got Google Glass.
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Brittany Hillen
Many have dreamed of the day when clothes no longer require washing -- or require it far less often than they currently do, at least. With nanotechnology came this reality, though not in any significant way. That could be changing with the introduction of the Silic, a t-shirt that repels liquids and avoids being stained by both liquid substances and sweat.
The shirt is said to be made with hydrophobic nanotechnology, and while such has been achieved in the past, the Silic has one bragging point the others don't -- the substance that gives the clothing its liquid adversion doesn't disappear if the shirt is washed, meaning the Silic can be tossed in with the rest of the laundry. Beyond that, the folks behind the clothing also say their hydrophobic nanotechnology is not cancerous.
As you may have guessed based on its name, the fabric is layered with silica particles -- to the tune of billions -- which results in water-based liquids forming a 150-degree sphere and rolling off the shirt. You can see that process in action in the video above, where various beverages are poured onto the shirt without issue. In the event something gets on the shirt that does leave its mark, the fabric can be washed up to 80 times before losing its hydrophobic state.
The project is funded through Kickstarter, and has already surpassed its funding goal of $20,000 -- by a present amount of $112,254 USD. There are 1690 backers at the moment and 33 days to go. $40 is the lowest threshold amount to get one of the shirts, while those who pony up $10 will get a section of the material instead, perhaps good as a bar trick or novelty gift.
SOURCE: Kickstarter
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Silic shirt utilizes nanotechnology to repel liquids, avoid stains
Medical School Pathology, Chapter 21
Chapter 21 -- The Lower Urinary Tract and Male Genital System (Robbins Pathology) Other chapters- http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5146550A90FFBCEB Vid...
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Medical School - Antibiotics: Fluoroquinolones
Discussion of the fluoroquinolone class of antibiotics Follow us on twitter: https://twitter.com/iMedSchool Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Imedicalschool?ref=hl iTunes Podcast:...
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Glendale, CA (PRWEB) December 27, 2013
Audio-Digest Foundation announces the release of Neurology Volume 04, Issue 17: Update on Chronic Pain.
The goals of this program are to improve the management of chronic nonmalignant pain and to improve the management of fibromyalgia. After hearing and assimilating this program, the clinician will be better able to:
1. Employ a multi-modal treatment plan to manage the patient with chronic pain. 2. Prescribe appropriate pharmacotherapy for the patient with chronic pain. 3. Follow the harm and benefit paradigm when using opioids in the treatment of chronic pain. 4. Summarize the recent research findings that suggest fibromyalgia is a disorder of sensory processing. 5. Effectively treat a patient diagnosed with fibromyalgia
The original programs were presented by Richard C. Wender, MD, Alumni Professor and Chair of Family and Community Medicine, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA. Benjamin Wang, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education, Jacksonville, FL.
Audio-Digest Foundation, the largest independent publisher of Continuing Medical Education in the world, records over 10,000 hours of lectures every year in anesthesiology, emergency medicine, family practice, gastroenterology, general surgery, internal medicine, neurology, obstetrics/gynecology, oncology, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, otolaryngology, pediatrics, psychology, and urology, by the leading medical researchers at the top laboratories, universities, and institutions.
Recent researchers have hailed from Harvard, Cedars-Sinai, Mayo Clinic, UCSF, The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, The University of Kansas Medical Center, The University of California, San Diego, The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine, The University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and many others.
Out of these cutting-edge programs, Audio-Digest then chooses the most clinically relevant, edits them for clarity, and publishes them either every week or every two weeks.
In addition, Audio-Digest publishes subscription series in conjunction with leading medical societies: DiabetesInsight with The American Diabetes Association, ACCEL with The American College of Cardiology, Continuum Audio with The American Academy of Neurology, and Journal Watch Audio General Medicine with Massachusetts Medical Society.
For 60 years, the global medical community of doctors, nurses, physician assistants, and other medical professionals around the world has subscribed to Audio-Digest specialty series in order to remain current in their specialties as well as to maintain their Continuing Education requirements with the most cutting-edge, independent, and unbiased continuing medical education (CME).
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Amanda Dukinfield, of Round Hill and a junior at Woodgrove High School, has been nominated to attend the Congress of Future Medical Leaders in Washington, DC, Feb. 14-16,.
The Congress is an honors-only program for high school students who want to become physicians or go into medical research fields. The purpose of this event is to honor, inspire, motivate and direct the top students in the country who aspire to be physicians or medical scientists, to stay true to their dream and, after the event, to provide a path, plan and resources to help them reach their goal.
Dr. Connie Mariano, the medical director of the National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists nominated Dukinfield to represent Woodgrove High School based on her academic achievement, leadership potential and determination to serve humanity in the field of medicine.
During the three-day Congress, Dukinfield will join students from across the country and hear Nobel Laureates and National Medal of Science Winners talk about leading medical research; be given advice from Ivy League and top medical school deans on what is to expect in medical school; witness stories told by patients who are living medical miracles; be inspired by fellow teen medical science prodigies; and learn about cutting-edge advances and the future in medicine and medical technology.
The Academy offers free services and programs to students who want to be physicians or go into medical science. Some of the services and programs the Academy plans to launch in 2013 and 2014 are online social networks through which future doctors and medical scientists can communicate; opportunities for students to be guided and mentored by physicians and medical students; and communications for parents and students on college acceptance and finances, skills acquisition, internships, and career guidance. Based in Washington, D.C., the Academy was chartered as a nonpartisan, taxpaying institution to help address this crisis by working to identify, encourage and mentor students who wish to devote their lives to the service of humanity as physicians, medical scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians.
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Woodgrove's Dukinfield Tapped For Congress of Future Medical Leaders
Cambridge Health Alliance has named Assaad Sayah MD as its chief medical officer. Dr. Sayah, CHAs senior vice president of primary and emergency care, will succeed Gerald Steinberg MD, who announced his retirement last month.
Since joining CHA in 2006 as the chief of emergency medicine, Sayah has led advancements in the emergency departments at all three of CHAs hospital campuses -- Cambridge, Somerville and Whidden -- resulting in improved efficiency, quality, volume and patient satisfaction. He spearheaded many initiatives, including rapid assessment protocols, the implementation of an electronic patient tracking system and the addition of patient partners, that have contributed to better patient flow and established CHAs emergency department as a national model that has been showcased in venues across the country. He has shown the same commitment to innovation and operational enhancement during his tenure as CHAs senior vice president of primary and emergency care, a role he assumed earlier this year.
As CHAs chief medical officer, Sayah, who has served as CHAs medical staff president and chairman of its chiefs council, will provide physician leadership, ensure high quality care for patients, and be a committed advocate for CHAs physicians and all associates.
He will also oversee CHAs academic mission, ensuring its training programs attract top candidates and instill a commitment to serve vulnerable populations. He serves on the faculty of Harvard Medical School and has published on a variety of subjects including emergency department operation, continuous quality improvement, advanced directives, and access to care in Massachusetts following health reform.
Prior to going to CHA, Sayah held several leadership roles in area hospitals, including director of EMS for Brigham and Women's Hospital, associate chief for the Department of Emergency Medicine at St. Elizabeths Medical Center, and chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Caritas Good Samaritan Medical Center. He has received numerous honors for his work, including the Presidents Award and Vanguard Award from the Massachusetts College of Emergency Physicians and the EMS Physician of the Year Award from the Metropolitan Boston EMS Council. He earned his medical degree at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and completed his residency in emergency medicine at William Beaumont Hospital in Michigan.
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RFE/RL Video Roundup: December 23, 2013
Two Pussy Riot activists are freed in Russia, Armenians protest against a Russian gas deal, and a Belarusian businessman is jailed, plus stories from Afghani...
By: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
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College Bowl Picks: Rice vs Mississippi St Liberty Bowl Preview with Joe Duffy and Peter Loshak
Rice vs. Mississippi St. | College Bowl Picks http://www.sbrforum.com/video Mississippi State come in to this year #39;s Liberty Bowl as seven point favorites over the Rice Owls, but has this...
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Grand Theft auto Liberty City Stories Episode 1 The Life OF Toni Cipriani
BY:SGT WARGOD 1USA Grand Theft auto Liberty City Stories Episode 1 Toni Cipriani.
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Grand Theft auto Liberty City Stories Episode 1 The Life OF Toni Cipriani - Video
1486 - Golden Italian Passive Tone Chamber LM 120 $795
http://www.libertybellows.com Email: web@libertybellows.com Cream Gold Italian Piano Accordion 17" 41/120 18lbs Reeds 2/4 LM, Registers 4/2 Passive tone chamber to ...
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1486 - Golden Italian Passive Tone Chamber LM 120 $795 - Video
Webster Tarpley Compares Fear Mongering Over Syria to Doomer Libertarian Dogma
By: Sunny Max
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Webster Tarpley Compares Fear Mongering Over Syria to Doomer Libertarian Dogma - Video
Don #39;t Feed the Libertarian Trolls - Rebutted!
Stefan Molyneux responds to the article "Don #39;t Feed the Trolls, and Other Advice For Dealing With Libertarians" by Emmett Rensin. Original Article: http://ww...
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A Libertarian Haven in the Works? Mark Warden (Free State Project)
Creating a near stateless country will not happen in our lifetime but as David Ortiz discloses New Hampshire could become a freedom haven within the next decade if the activist cause "The Free...
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A Libertarian Haven in the Works? Mark Warden (Free State Project) - Video