Cyberpunk 2077 Night City Wire: How To Watch Today’s Stream – GameSpot

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As the November release for Cyberpunk 2077 draws closer, developer CD Projekt Red has prepared the third part in its Night City Wire series. The new episode will be streamed today, September 18, at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET and will focus on Night City and the gangs who inhabit it.

You'll be able to watch the latest Cyberpunk 2077 Night City Wire video in several different places, including the official CD Projekt Red Twitch channel. You can also check the developer's official YouTube channel, or to make it even easier for you, we've embedded the stream below.

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The first Night City Wire episode revealed Cyberpunk 2077's districts and the Braindance gameplay mechanic that allows players to hack into the psyches of various characters and explore their memories. A new anime adaptation called Cyberpunk 2077: Edgerunners was also announced, which will be produced by Kill La Kill's Studio Trigger for Netflix.

August's second episode revealed more of the various weapons that players will be able to wield, which include sub-machine guns with tracer rounds, sniper rifles that can pierce through barriers, and thermal katanas that can slice through enemies. Cyberpunk 2077 will launch on November 19 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and will include a free next-gen upgrade to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

For more on Cyberpunk 2077, be sure check out our hub where you can get the latest news on the game as well as deep dives into the lore of the sci-fi RPG series.

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Cyberpunk 2077 Night City Wire: How To Watch Today's Stream - GameSpot

Cyberpunk 2077: The Gangs of Night City | Game Rant – GameRant

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Night City is the setting for Cyberpunk 2077 and contains nine main gangs each with their own methods and philosophies for players to explore.

The setting of Cyberpunk 2077 is packed full of street gangs that players will encounter on their journey through Night City. With every side-quest in the game supposed to be like a full story, it is likely that they wont just add flavor to the game but will have distinct territories and recognizably different styles of combat.

The gangs of Cyberpunk 2077 are extremely diverse in their MOs, aesthetics, and relationships with the technology and corporations of the Cyberpunk series. Here are all nine of the gangs of Night City that players can expect to meet in the upcoming CD Projekt Red game.

RELATED:Cyberpunk Creator Talks About The High Stakes of Making a Video Game

Animals are strongmen. Obsessed with achieving the peak of human physical capabilities, they use melee combat-enhancing cyberware and pump themselves full of something they call the Juice that works like some kind of super-steroid. Players will likely be able to get their hands on some in the game if they want to increase their strength and speed. Sasquatch is their current alpha female and has led the Animals as they ally themselves with NetWatch, an anti-cybercrime task force. They can also be found as bouncers across Night City and are in a gang war with the Voodoo Boys.

Maelstroms members dress in chrome and leather, and many have chosen to enhance themselves with so much cyberware that around a third of the gang is in full-on cyberpsychosis. They mostly deal in illegal meds, but when theyre hired for hit jobs have been known to execute them in spectacularly bizarre fashion. They are rumored to produce black market braindance records that are particularly violent and disturbing. Theyre fascinated by the Net and the occult.

Scavengers are a gang that kidnaps people with cyberware and forcibly harvests it from their bodies. They can be found all over Night City, in particular at black markets for those who arent squeamish about their methods. They are the most spread thin and least philosophically unified of the gangs of Night City, but their profit incentive keeps them as one of the most common types of gang member to encounter.

The Mox was formed in 2076, making it one of the newest gangs in Night City. The Mox claim to protect working girls and guys and were formed after the death of Lizzie Borden, a club owner and former prostitute who treated her workers fairly and protected them from abuse. The gang primarily works to protect sex workers and sexual minorities, though not without a fee. Most of their income is generated through Lizzies Bar, a braindance club in Night City where character Evelyn Parker has been seen in-game.

Tyger Claws is a Japanese gang that ruthlessly protects their territory in Night Citys Japantown. Formed in 2020, they rely on martial arts over cyberware. They are heavily based on the Yakuza both in and out of universe, and own more businesses in Night City than any of the other gangs, making most of their money through human trafficking and prostitution. They also create the drug glitter and have ties to the Arasaka megacorporation, one of the most powerful forces in the world of Cyberpunk.

The Valentinos have one goal: seduce the most attractive women in Night City. They are usually non-hostile, unless the husband of one of the subjects of their desire gets involved. They are one of the largest gangs by 2077, controlling parts of Heywood with high Latino populations, though anyone is able to join the gang. The gangs intense code of loyalty helps keep corporate enforcers and police out of their areas.

RELATED:Cyberpunk 2077 Reveals New Details For Grimes Lizzy Wizzy Character

Obsessed with strange rituals, natural drugs, and sadism, the Voodoo Boys often mutilate their victims to inspire terror across Night City. They are one of the NCPDs most wanted gangs due to the public and performative nature of their crimes. In 2077 they are a mostly Haitian gang that also helps the Haitian community established on the West Coast in the 2060s after a natural disaster decimated their home country. Little is known about their goals, but they are expert hackers and appear to be invested in uncovering the secrets of the Old Net.

The Wraiths are a gang of Raffen Shiv, a subculture of the Nomads which the player can choose as one of three Life Paths in Cyberpunk 2077. They are led by Dogkiller, who is said to wear clothes made from human skin when they attack at night. They make most of their income from the spoils of these night raids. They deck out the cars they use to travel the desert just beyond Night City's boundaries, and much of the time resemble Mad Max-style raiders in both their appearances and methods.

6th Street is a gang created by Americans who formed their own police force, feeling dissatisfied with the NCPD. Many of them are former cops or veterans, and they are obsessed with bringing their own idea of justice to Night City. They wrap themselves inpatriotic tropes in Cyberpunk, but they also engage in extortion, smuggling, robbery, and other typical gang activities. Unlike the other gangs, their close personal ties to the police has allowed them to operate without much threat from either corporations or the NCPD.

There are many more factions to be found across Cyberpunk 2077, but the gangs of Night City give insight into some of the political tensions and uneasy alliances formed between the street and corporate levels of Cyberpunks society. It remains unclear whether or not fans will be able to join some of these gangs or perhaps even change the balance of power in Night City through their actions in-game.

Cyberpunk 2077launches November 19 for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One, and later for PS5 and Xbox Series X.

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Cyberpunk 2077: The Gangs of Night City | Game Rant - GameRant

HEALTH announce album of collaborations, share new song CYBERPUNK 2.0.2.0. – Brooklyn Vegan

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Since 2017, industrial/pop noisemakers HEALTH have been rolling out a series of collaborative singles with an array of artists across multiple different genres, from rap to indie pop to deathgrind and beyond, including Soccer Mommy, Perturbator, Youth Code, JPEGMAFIA, Xiu Xiu, Full of Hell, Ghostemane, and NOLIFE, and now they've announced an album featuring all eight of those collaborations, plus new collabs with 100 gecs, The Soft Moon, and Brothel, and a new HEALTH song called "CYBERPUNK 2.0.2.0."

The album's called DISCO4 :: PART I, and it comes out October 16 via Loma Vista (pre-order). "In the past each HEALTH LP has been accompanied by a corresponding remix record," the band says. "This time, despite being called DISCO 4 in the interest of continuity, we offer you a collection of original collaborations with artists we admire. Also, FUCK 2020."

"CYBERPUNK 2.0.2.0" is out now along with the announcement, and it's yet another great HEALTH song that finds them exploring a haunting, ethereal side. Listen and watch the grainy, dystopic, Zev Deans-directed video below. Also check out the full tracklist and a playlist of the eight previously released collabs below.

Tracklist1. HEALTH - CYBERPUNK 2.0.2.02. HEALTH, Perturbator - BODY/PRISON3. HEALTH, 100 Gecs - POWER FANTASY4. HEALTH, Ghostemane - JUDGEMENT NIGHT5. HEALTH, Youth Code - INNOCENCE6. HEALTH, Full of Hell - FULL OF HEALTH7. HEALTH, The Soft Moon - COLORS8. HEALTH, JPEGMAFIA - HATE YOU9. HEALTH, Brothel - D.F. LOOKS10. HEALTH, Soccer Mommy - MASS GRAVE11. HEALTH, Xiu Xiu - DELICIOUS APE12. HEALTH, NOLIFE - HARD TO BE A GOD

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HEALTH announce album of collaborations, share new song CYBERPUNK 2.0.2.0. - Brooklyn Vegan

Hackers Is a Glorious Cyberpunk Classic That Might Actually Say Nothing About Technology – Jezebel

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Hackers (1995)Screenshot: United Artists

No movie encapsulates the oft-maligned cyberpunk style of the 90s and 00s better than 1995s Hackers, 25 years old today. The film stars Dade Zero Cool Murphy (Jonny Lee Miller), Kate Acid Burn Libby (Angelina Jolie and her haircut), Ramon The Phantom Phreak Sanchez (Renoly Santiago), Emmanuel Cereal Killer Goldstein (Matthew Lillard), Paul Lord Nikon Cook (Laurence Mason) and Joey Pardella (Jesse Bradford long before he reaches heartthrob status in Bring It On) as a group of high school-aged, roller-blading hackers who use their intellect for run-of-the-mill delinquent debauchery that eventually leads to real criminal activity and the necessity of finding a fraudster in order to save themselves from prison time. Or maybe they felt the altruistic need to do the right thing in the face of corrupt authority? Really, the motivation doesnt matter, nor does the scheme, because Hackers is ultimately just a fun movie about rave clothes, a dance soundtrack (Orbital, The Prodigy, and Underworld are all represented), and an alternative reality where hacking is a skillset held by precocious, well-read teens and not political trolls looking to dismantle democracy, or whatever it is that real-life hackers do. In many ways, Hackers feels like proto-Mr. Robota collective of punk-y outcasts ripe for MIT who band together to create some good in the world and are almost destroyed because of it.

Ill try not to spoil the movie, even though it is now old enough to rent a car. But the plot to Hackers isnt what makes it worth watchingthe real attraction is the snapshot of now-vintage technology, a glimpse at what top-of-the-line gadgets looked like at the time and how optimistic a future run by floppy-disc-toting teens seemed. Everyone wore colored leather and helped each other out, and nothing hurt.

I rewatched Hackers on its 25th anniversaryhoping to draw some through-line between the retro-futurism depicted on screen and the tech-driven dystopia of modern-day existence. But that undercuts the true excellence of the film, which lies in the setting, not the plot. These teenage savants hang out at a New York City night club thats equal parts arcade, rave, laser tag, and roller rink while chain-smoking cigarettes, downing soda, and sharing classified digital security information with one anotheran image Ive carried with me since first watching the film and internalizing it as a pinnacle of 90s cool, as well as what I imagine the inside of Berghain to look like. Needless to say, it is a potent image.

The group of hackers, too, are more diverse than, say, Cher Horowitzs Clueless crew, another coming-of-age classic released in 1995. And yet, unlike Clueless, which doesnt sacrifice story for world-building, Hackers can get a little lost in its own ornamentation. The gadgety new world that these techno types inhabit [attracts] legitimate movie interest, even if it still hasnt proved gripping enough to sustain a whole film, critic Janet Maslin wrote in The New York Times in 1995. At first, Hackers stays enjoyable just by showing off the principals and their toys... But eventually Hackers turns tedious, perhaps not realizing that an audience can get tired of the same old equations floating in cyberspace. The same remains true in 2020.

That said, the specificity of the films aesthetic lends itself to revisionist viewing. Perhaps theres something to dissect about the teens ability to do what the government cannot and stop a massive cyberattack, but in reality, they wouldve been thwarted. I dont think any of it is that serious. Hackers might simply be a movie about technology that says very little about technology 25 years on, save for the fact that an interest in techno-futurism that was once subcultural is now a dominating force in everyday life. Or that technology becomes outmoded quickly, but when tethered to cultural iconographythe roller blades, the leather jackets, the asymmetrical punk haircuts all portrayed in a celebratory filmit becomes an art object worth feeling nostalgic over.

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However, would the kids of Hackers exist today, Im sure theyd all be found drinking soylent in Silicon Valley, and who wants to consider that reality? Instead, watching the movie so many years later, Im struck by the same details that drew me the first time I watched it: a comprehensive image of a well-developed world and the fascinating characters that live within it. Also, mesh tank tops and chain wallets. They still look cool as hell.

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Hackers Is a Glorious Cyberpunk Classic That Might Actually Say Nothing About Technology - Jezebel

French Exotrail signs two contracts with ESA and stays on track for its electric propulsion mission – SpaceWatch.Global

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Image: Exotrail

Luxembourg, 16 September 2020. The French space start-up Exotrail continues its steady development in a challenging environment and has signed two nano- and micro-satellite contracts with the European Space Agency (ESA), the companies cofounder and CEO David Henri said on Wednesday at the Luxembourg Space Forum.

Exotrail will build and deliver engineering, qualification, and flight models of its nano- and micro-electric propulsion systems called ExoMG-nano and ExoMG-micro, the company said.

The first contract follows a General Support Technology Programme (GSTP) under which Exotrail has been supported by the French space agency CNES and will accelerate the qualification and flight demonstration of ExoMG-micro. The second contract follows a standard competitive procurement process from ESA and will enable Exotrail to test and deliver an electric propulsion system in 2021.

Exotrail develops flexible and modular solutions for on-orbit transportation, including electric propulsion, mission optimisation and operation solutions for small satellites, Henri said in an interview at the ICT Spring Europe Space Forum in Luxembourg. The contracts will allow us to develop new features on both products ready to be demonstrated in space.

We have signed a row of contracts with enterprises and institutions in the admittedly difficult first half of the year; this puts us in a position to reach our business plan objectives and allowed us to secure a second funding round in difficult times.

Exotrail employs 30 people in Massy, France, where it works on propulsion systems, and in Toulouse, France, where it develops mission software, Henri said. Exotrail has raised to date more than 17 million of funding, out of which11 million were secured this year.

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French Exotrail signs two contracts with ESA and stays on track for its electric propulsion mission - SpaceWatch.Global

Kanazawa University research: Potential drug treatment for particular type of lung-cancer – PRNewswire

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KANAZAWA, Japan, Sept. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers at Kanazawa University report in Nature Communications the mechanism making some lung-cancer patients resistant to the drug osimertinib. In addition, they suggest a combined drug treatment resolving osimertinib resistance in the case of cancer cells expressing low amounts of AXL, a protein belonging to the class of receptor tyrosine kinases.

The effectiveness of cancer treatment is often hampered by cancer cells being heterogeneous. This is the case for EGFR-mutated lung cancer: drugs based on biomolecules of a type known as tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) have been used to treat the disease, but with various levels of efficacy. (EGFR stands for "epidermal growth factor receptor", a protein playing an important role in signaling processes from the extracellular environment to a cell.) Sometimes, tumor cells are simply resistant to the drug. Now, Seiji Yano from Kanazawa University and colleagues have investigated the efficacy of the TKI osimertinib for treating EGFR-mutated lung cancer, and how it relates to the expression in tumor cells of a particular protein called AXL. They found that both AXL-high and -low expressing tumor cells showed tolerance (acquired resistance) to osimertinib, but that the mechanisms involved are different for the two situations. Moreover, the researchers suggest a way to enhance the success of osimertinib treatment for the case of AXL-low expressing tumors.

First, the scientists compared the susceptibility to osimertinib in both AXL-high and -low expressing tumor cells in in vitro experiments. They observed that osimertinib inhibited the viability of the cancer cells in both cases, but that the sensitivity to the drug was higher for AXL-low expressing EGFR-mutated lung cancer cells.They also noticed that a small number of tumor cells survived the procedure an indication of osimertinib tolerance.These findings were consistent with results from the clinical study of the drug performed earlier on 29 patients with EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer.

Through experiments aiming to understand the mechanism behind osimertinib tolerance, Yano and colleagues discovered that phosphorylation of IGF-1R was increased in AXL-low-expressing tumor cell lines, but not in AXL-high expressing tumors. (IGF-1R stands for 'insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor'; it is a protein located on the surface of human cells. Phosphorylation is the chemical process of adding a phosphoryl group.) The researchers then found that phosphorylated IGF-1R supported the survival of AXL-low expressing tumors after exposure to osimertinib.

The scientists then tested whether the observed osimertinib resistance could be resolved by administering linsitinib, a substance known to inhibit the phosphorylation of IGF-1R. Encouraged by the positive outcome of the experiment, Yano and colleagues went further and evaluated the combination of osimertinib and linsitinib. Their conclusion was that the transient combination of linsitinib with continuous osimertinib treatment could cure or at least dramatically delay tumor recurrence in AXL-low-expressing EGFR-mutated lung cancer. More investigating needs to be done, though. Quoting the researchers: " the safety and efficacy of the transient combination of IGF-1R inhibitor and osimertinib should be evaluated in the clinical trials."

Background

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors

A tyrosine kinase inhibitor is a drug inhibiting (that is, preventing or reducing the activity of) a specific tyrosine kinase. A tyrosine kinase is a protein (enzyme) involved in the activation of other proteins by signaling cascades. The activation happens by the addition of a phosphate group to the protein (phosphorylation); it is this step that a tyrosine kinase inhibitor inhibits. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors are used as anticancer drugs. One such drug is osimertinib, used to treat EGFR-mutated lung cancer.

AXL

AXL is a receptor tyrosine kinase a tyrosine kinase consisting of an extracellular part, a transmembrane part ('sitting' within a cell membrane) and an intracellular part. AXL regulates various important cellular processes, including proliferation, survival and motility.

In recent years, it has become clear that AXL is a key facilitator of drug tolerance by cancer cells. Seiji Yano from Kanazawa University and colleagues have found that this is also the case for EGFR-mutated lung cancer. While a high expression of AXL correlates with resistance to osimertinib, such tolerance also occurs in AXL-low-expressing cancer cells. Yano and colleagues have now found that for the latter case, phosphorylation of IGF-1R (insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor) is responsible for the resistance to osimertinib.

Reference

Rong Wang, Tadaaki Yamada, Kenji Kita, Hirokazu Taniguchi, Sachiko Arai, Koji Fukuda, Minoru Terashima, Akihiko Ishimura, Akihiro Nishiyama, Azusa Tanimoto, Shinji Takeuchi, Koshiro Ohtsubo, Kaname Yamashita, Tomoyoshi Yamano, Akihiro Yoshimura, Koichi Takayama, Kyoichi Kaira, Yoshihiko Taniguchi, Shinji Atagi, Hisanori Uehara, Rikinari Hanayama, Isao Matsumoto, Xujun Han, Kunio Matsumoto, Wei Wang, Takeshi Suzuki, and Seiji Yano. Transient IGF-1R inhibition combined with osimertinib eradicates AXL-low expressing EGFR mutated lung cancer, Nature Communications 11, XX(2020).

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18442-4

URL: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18442-4

Link to figure https://nanolsi.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Figure-768x567.png

Figure CaptionMechanism of targeted drugs tolerance in lung cancer cells

Further information

About WPI NanoLSI Kanazawa University Hiroe YonedaVice Director of Public AffairsWPI Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI)Kanazawa UniversityKakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, JapanEmail: [emailprotected]Tel: +81 (76) 234-4550

About Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI) https://nanolsi.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/en/

Nano Life Science Institute (NanoLSI), Kanazawa University is a research center established in 2017 as part of the World Premier International Research Center Initiative of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The objective of this initiative is to form world-tier research centers. NanoLSI combines the foremost knowledge of bio-scanning probe microscopy to establish 'nano-endoscopic techniques' to directly image, analyze, and manipulate biomolecules for insights into mechanisms governing life phenomena such as diseases.

About Kanazawa Universityhttp://www.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/e/

As the leading comprehensive university on the Sea of Japan coast, Kanazawa University has contributed greatly to higher education and academic research in Japan since it was founded in 1949. The University has three colleges and 17 schools offering courses in subjects that include medicine, computer engineering, and humanities.

The University is located on the coast of the Sea of Japan in Kanazawa a city rich in history and culture. The city of Kanazawa has a highly respected intellectual profile since the time of the fiefdom (1598-1867). Kanazawa University is divided into two main campuses: Kakuma and Takaramachi for its approximately 10,200 students including 600 from overseas.

SOURCE Kanazawa University

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Kanazawa University research: Potential drug treatment for particular type of lung-cancer - PRNewswire

Could Tattoo Ink Be Used to Detect Cancer? – Smithsonian Magazine

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When amateur artist Cristina Zavaleta signed up to take an illustration class with Pixar animators on character design, she had no idea shed also be embarking on a new scientific study. At the time, Zavaletas work as a post-doctoral biomedical researcher in a molecular imaging lab at Stanford involved evaluating contrasting agents, like dyes, used to detect tumors in animals. During her art class, the researcher was struck by the intensity of the colors of gouache, vibrant water-based paints, that her fellow illustrators were using. They were bringing back these pieces that were just incredible, really rich colors. And I thought, how do you even achieve that color, visually, says Zavaleta.

That simple question ultimately led Zavaleta, now an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Southern California, and her colleagues to create a first-of-its-kind library detailing the optical imaging properties of commonly used pigments and dyes, found in everything from tattoos to food coloring. The researchers hope their study will open the doors for the novel use of everyday colorants as imaging agents in medical tests, that may be more effective at early detection of several kinds of cancers.

Currently, only three dyes with fluorescent properties used as optical imaging contrast agentsmethylene blue, indocyanine green and fluoresceinare approved for human use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In diagnostic medicine and in some surgical procedures, imaging contrast agents are materials used to improve internal body pictures produced by X-rays, computed tomography (CT) scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and ultrasounds. These materials can be ingested or injected and temporarily color targeted parts of the body, like specific cells, organs, blood vessels and tissues, to help clinicians see differences and abnormalities that may indicate disease. Yet, Zavaleta wondered about the significant catalogue of approved food, drug and cosmetic dyes that people routinely encounter in their everyday lives. Are there other imaging agents hiding in plain sight?

As my art brain was thinking about these paints [from class], I thought to myself, what paints are already being used in humans? says Zavaleta. And a lightbulb went off.

Tattoos. High quality pigments used in tattooing are made from mineral salts and metal chelates, which have been isolated from natural sources and used by humans for thousands of years.

Zavaletas next step was to do her homework, as any good researcher would. She contacted Adam Sky, a tattoo artist in the Bay Area whose work she admired. Sky was interested in her research, and gave her samples of some of the inks he was using, which Zavaleta collected in a well plate, a tray with multiple divots, or wells, that can be used as test tubes, shed brought along, just in case.

I immediately took them to my microscope over at Stanford, and I did all these different tests on them, Zavaleta says. I was amazed at what I was seeing.

She measured two optical elements of the inks, their fluorescence properties and Raman properties. Fluorescence relates to a dye or pigments capacity for absorption and emission of light, while Raman indicates how light scatters. Both are commonly used in imaging techniques in the cancer field. Highly fluorescent agents offer sensitivity in imaging; very small amounts are needed for them to illuminate areas very brightly. Raman imaging, on the other hand, offers specificity by allowing multiplexing, or the ability to look at several processes happening inside the human body at once. These can help show whether cells or tissues are expressing multiple genes, for example, or expressing one more highly that may be associated with a particular cancer, like HER2 and breast cancer or EGFR with lung cancer. Each of the targets has different receptors that will be illuminated by different agents, and depending on their optical properties, some agents will be better than others.

In all, the researchers evaluated the optical properties of 30 approved food, drug and cosmetic coloring dyes and tattoo ink pigments using a spectrophotometer, an instrument that measures the intensity of light after it passes through a sample solution. Seven of the colorants displayed fluorescence properties that were comparable to or exceeded the three FDA-approved clinical dyes. The researchers next measured the Raman signatures, to see how high the colors unique signatures of light photon peaks were, with high peaks being indicative of usefulness in terms of multiplexing. Finally, they tested the best-performing dyes and pigments by injecting them as imaging agents in mice with cancerous tumors.

Data from Zavaleta and her colleagues study showed that FDA-approved Green 8 dyes used in drugs and cosmetics have significant tumor targeting potential in mice with cervical and colon tumors, and the Orange 16 pigment found in tattoo inks also showed, according to the authors, promising fluorescent properties and tumor targeting potential. This is significant because, as they note in the study, no single imaging modality currently meets all the clinical needs of high sensitivity, high spatial and temporal resolution, high multiplexing capacity, high depth of penetration, low cost, and high throughput. In other words, no single imaging agent can provide all the information a doctor might need.

The USC lab where Zavaleta and her colleagues conducted the research uses nano-based imaging contrast agents, or tiny spherical vesicles that are loaded with the dyes or pigments. While nano-based agents are approved for use as a medium in human imaging, they have been controversial in the past because of potential toxicity. Metallic-based nanoparticles like those made from gold and silver have been known to stay inside the body for long periods of time after exposure. This is one of the main reasons the team instead uses liposomal nanoparticles, made up of biodegradable materials with fatty skins similar to human body cells, that are already used in other applications, like drug and nutrient delivery.

You can think of it as us having all these different batches of nanoparticles, and one has a different tattoo ink [or other dye or pigment] inside of it. And that tattoo ink has a very special barcode thats associated with it; every ink has a unique fingerprint, yellow different from red, red different from purple, Zavaleta explains. So, if we have all these different flavors of nanoparticles that we can now target to different receptors on tumors, we can enhance our ability to distinguish between different [cancers].

One use for such materials could be gathering real-time information during a test, such as a colonoscopy, where physicians are visually searching for certain kinds of polyps. Enhanced imaging agents have the potential to also reduce the invasiveness of disease detection and diagnosis, such as the number and size of biopsies needed, by providing more information from a smaller sample.

Christian Kurtis, who made the career change from biomedical researcher at the National Institutes of Health to tattoo artist in Rockville, Maryland, spent his post-doctoral period in a cancer research lab at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Kurtis says the specificity these kinds of dyes could offer for imaging is key to better treatment.

The unfortunate problem with malignant [tumors] is that they comprise a [variety] of molecular markers that may not be present on all cell types. The increased metabolic activity of malignancy is the signature most commonly exploited in imaging, and is the reason these liposomal techniques are effective, says Kurtis. In other words, because cancer cells tend to spread quickly, researchers and physicians are able to track their growth with imaging. Having multiple types of agents that bind to the different markers would be even more helpful. In my opinion, it will be personalized or individualized medicine that will hold the key to meaningful early diagnosis of disease, he adds.

Jocelyn Rapelyea, the associate director of breast imaging and the program director of the radiology residency program at the George Washington University Cancer Center, adds that while tools like molecular breast imaging have been around for a while and help to identify problematic cells before they grow into lumps, advancing knowledge is always a positive. What works well for one patient may not for another.

Its always exciting to have the ability to be able to identify tumors at a potentially early stage. It's quite interesting how [Zavaleta] came to dyes, Rapelyea says. This is obviously a model in mice at this point, but it is promising to see that there could be potential of being able to identify earlier development.

Zavaleta knows the dyes and pigments her team has catalogued in a library will be subject to the FDAs rigorous regulatory procedures before they could ever be used as imaging agents in humans. We're not suggesting in any way that theyre safe, she says. Were saying, Hey, these are dyes that were continuously being exposed to on a day-to-day basis. Lets have a look at them further.

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Could Tattoo Ink Be Used to Detect Cancer? - Smithsonian Magazine

Simulation Software Market Key Drivers, Business Insights, Trends And Forecast 2026 Altair Engineering, Inc., Bentley Systems, Ansys, Inc, Ptc – The…

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Top Key Players: Simulation Software Market

Few Of The Major Competitors Currently Working In The Global Simulation Software Market Are Altair Engineering, Inc., Bentley Systems, Ansys, Inc, Ptc, Siemens Industry Software Inc., Autodesk Inc, Cpfd Software Llc., Cybernet Systems Corp., Dassault Systmes, Design Simulation Technologies, Inc., Synopsys, Inc., The Mathworks, Inc., Gse Systems, Simulations Plus, Esi Group, The Anylogic Company, Flexsim Software Products, Inc, Rockwell Automation, Simio Llc, Among Others.

Global Simulation Software Market Is Set To Witness A Healthy Cagr Of 14.73% In The Forecast Period Of 2019- 2026. The Report Contains Data Of The Base 2018 And Historic Year 2017. Rising Demand Of Simulation Software From Automobile & Healthcare Industry And Increasing Need To Manage And Analyse Data Are The Factor For The Market Growth.

The Simulation Software Market Report Consists of the Following Points:

The Report Covers the Following, Major Points Precisely:

Major Table of Contents for Methanol Market:

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Key Questions Answered:

Regional Analysis for Methanol Market:

Research objectives Simulation Software Market:

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Simulation Software Market Key Drivers, Business Insights, Trends And Forecast 2026 Altair Engineering, Inc., Bentley Systems, Ansys, Inc, Ptc - The...

Faculty and Staff Achievements Summer 2020 – CSUN Today

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The work of CSUNfaculty and staff members is recognized in a variety of ways, including:

Please use this link toannounce your achievements for publication in CSUN Today.

Below is a list of the individuals whose work was recognized during the summer and through August 2020.

Andrew P. Weiss, Ahmed AlwanandJulieta Garcia (CSUN Library) and Eric P. Garcia (Educational Psychology and Counseling)published an article titled Surveying Fake News: Assessing University Facultys Fragmented Definition of Fake News and Its Impact on Teaching Critical Thinking in theInternational Journal for Educational Integrity.

Ravinder Abrol (Chemistry and Biochemistry) received $145,000 from the National Institutes of Health, in support of a project titled Probing the Structural Basis of Innate G Protein Specificity in G Protein-Coupled Receptor Signaling.

Mads Peter Andersen (Chemistry and Biochemistry) received $60,146 from the National Science Foundation, in support of a project titled RUI: Far Ultra-Violet (172 nm) Photolysis of Gaseous Anthropogenic Pollutants.

Annette Besnilian (Family and Consumer Sciences) and David Boyns (Sociology) received $121,667 from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, in support of a project titled Champions for Change: Healthy Communities Initiative. She also received$8,000 from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, in support of a project titled HEALERS (Healthy Eating + Active Living to Enable Regenerative Sustainability).

Annette Besnilian (Family and Consumer Sciences) and Merav Efrat (Health Sciences) received $250,000 from the US Department of Agriculture, in support of a project titled Pathways to Success for Hispanic Students as Registered Dietitians.

Danielle Bram (Geography) received $43,816 from California State University, San Bernardino, in support of a project titled Developing a Standardized Statewide Geospatial Dataset of Water Agencies for California.She also received $62,000 from CSU Chico, in support of a project titled California Broadband Field Testing.

Danielle Bram and Regan Maas (Geography) received $43,816 from California State University, San Bernardino, in support of a project titled DACIP Task Order 3 Ventura, and$397,000 from the CA Department of Water Resources, in support of a project entitled NHD/WBD Statewide Update Project 2.0.

Gary Chapman and Debi Prasad Choudhary (Physics and Astronomy) received $79,899 from NASA, in support of a project titled Comparing Spacecraft TSI and SSI with Proxies from Space- and Ground-Based Images.

Gabriela Chavira (Psychology), Carrie Saetermoe (Psychology), Crist Khachikian(Civil Engineering and Construction Management) and Patchareeya Kwan (Health Sciences) received $4,607,794 from the National Institutes of Health, in support of a project titled BUILD II.

Mariano Loza Coll (Biology) received $145,000 from the National Institutes of Health, in support of a project entitled Genetic Co-Regulation by Master Transcription Factors in Drosophila Intestinal Stem Cell Saribbean Octocorals.

Rafi Efrat (Accounting and Information Systems) received $649,559 from the United States Department of Education (USDE), in support of a project titled Developing Californias Workforce: Creating Pathways for Latino Transfer Students in High Demand Careers.

Michael Eller (Chemistry and Biochemistry) received $65,000 from Intel Corporation, in support of a project titled Nano-scale molecular analysis of materials for Intel.

Eileen Evans (Chemistry and Biochemistry) received $56,230 from the US Geological Survey, in support of a project titled Geodesy-Based Modeling to Inform the National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM) of the USGS.

Joyce Feucht-Haviar (Tseng College) received $24,000 from the City of Los Angeles, in support of a project titled ReLAY Institute.

Gilberto Flores (Biology) received $346,750 from the National Institutes of Health, in support of a project titled Mechanisms and Consequences of Human Milk Oligosaccharide Growth and Bile Stress Across Diverse Strains of the Potential Therapeutic Bacterium, Akkermansia Muciniphila.

Kim Goldberg-Roth (Educational Psychology and Counseling) received two donations from the L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services:$500,000 in support of a project titled Family Preservation San Fernando Valley, and$310,200 in support of a project entitled Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention, Intervention and Treatment (CAPIT) San Fernando Valley. Goldberg-Roth also received$130,000 from the Caliornia Governors Office of Emergency Services, in support of a project titled California State Nonprofit Security Grant Program; $87,434 from the California Governors Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), in support of a project titled Sexual Assault Response Team (XS) Program;$52,500 from the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence, in support of a project titled Emergency COVID 19 Victim Services Response CO Program;$23,679 from the Childrens Advocacy Centers of California, in support of a project titled 2020 Pandemic (CO) Program; and$10,000 from the LA County of Board of Supervisors, in support of a project titled Third District Discretionary Funding.

Christine Hayashi (Educational Leadership and Policy Studies) received $5,652 from the LA Unified School District, in support of a project titled Professional Development Services in Support of Private Schools.

Ray Hong (Biology) received $108,750 from the National Institutes of Health, in support of a project titled The Mode-of-Action for Pheromone-Induced Paralysis in Pristionchus Pacificus.Timothy Karels (Biology) received $2,500 from the Western North American Naturalist, in support of a project titled Post-Fire Recolonization of Woodrats (Neotoma Macrotis) in Southern California.

Jonathan Kelber (Biology), Maria De Bellard (Biology), Daniel Tamae (Chemistry and Biochemistry) and David Bermudes (Biology) received $5,000 from the National Institutes of Health, in support of a project titled California State University Interdisciplinary Cancer Meeting (CSU-ICM).

Luciana Lagaa (Psychology) has received $108,750 from the National Institutes of Health, in support of a project titled A Preliminary Model of Physical Pain Among Community-Dwelling Multiethnic Older Women.

Clement Lai (Asian American Studies) received $100,000 from the CSU Entertainment Alliance, in support of a project titled Pioneering Asian American Representations in Media and Entertainment: Wong Fu Production and Angry Asian Man.

Julian Lozos (Geological Sciences) received $27,000 from the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC), in support of a project titled SCEC5 Year 4 USGS Research Collaboration at California State University, Northridge.

Gang Lu (Physics and Astronomy) received two donations from the National Science Foundation: $691,250 in support of a project titled PREM: Partnership between CSUN and Princeton for Quantum Materials and$659,550 in support of a project titled Unraveling Exciton Dynamics in Van der Waals Heterostructures for Optoelectronic and Photonic Applications.

Ariel Malka (Management) received $100,000 from the City of Los Angeles, in support of a project titled L.A. City Gang Injunction Settlement Evaluation.

Kathleen Marsaglia (Geological Sciences) received $14,989 from The Trustees of Colombia University in the City of New York, in support of a project titled U.S. Science Support Program Office Associated with the International Ocean Discovery Program.

Nathan Martin (Recreation and Tourism Management) received $40,000 from the California Division of Boating and Waterways, in support of a project titled Aquatic Center Grant FY 2019-20.

Thomas Minehan(Chemistry and Biochemistry) received $330,662 from the National Science Foundation, in support of a project titled RUI: Exploring Shape-Selective Binding of the DNA Major Groove by Haiprin Bis (Siarylmethylene) Hydrazides.

Ignacio Osorno (Electrical and Computer Engineering) received $45,393 from Aerojet Rocketdyne, in support of a project entitled Development of Internship Honors Co-Op Program.

Miroslav Peric (Physics and Astronomy) received $265,000 from the National Science Foundation, in support of a project titled RUI: Bimolecular Collisions in Ionic Liquid.

Bethany Rainisch (Health Sciences) received $253, 044 from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration SAMHSA, in support of a project titled Collaborative Research: Pattern and Process in the Abundance and Recruitment of Caribbean Octocorals.

S.K. Ramesh (Electrical and Computer Engineering) and Robert Ryan (Mechanical Engineering) received $1,199, 471 from the US Department of Education, in support of a project titled Bridging the Gap: Enhancing AIMS2 for Student Success.

Shelley Ruelas-Bischoff (Student Affairs), Nelida Duran (Family and Consumer Sciences) and Mirna Sawyer (Health Sciences) received $185,016 from California State University, Chico, in support of a project entitled CalFresh Healthy Living on Campus.

Cristian Ruiz-Rueda (Biology) received $232,013 from the National Science Foundation, in support of a project titled RUI: Unraveling the physiological roles of multidrug efflux pumps in bacteria.

Jacklyn Stallcup (College of Humanities) received $89,640 from the University of Maryland, in support of a project titled STARTALK CSUN Russian Language and Cultural Immersion Program.

Jessica Vey (Chemistry and Biochemistry) received $105,150 from the National Institutes of Health, in support of a project titled Mechanistic Studies to Enable Rational Design of Isobutylamine N-hydroxylase.

Ivor Weiner (Special Education) received $14,165.64 from the California Family Resource Association (CFRA), in support of a project titled Project Diaper.

Li Ye(Chemistry and Biochemistry), Virginia Oberholzer Vandergon (Biology), Brian Foley (Secondary Education) and Matthew dAlessio (Geological Sciences) received $88,388 from the University of California, in support of a project titled San Fernando Valley Science Project One Time Allotment.

Jeremy Yoder (Biology) received $436,696 from the National Science Foundation, in support of a project titled RoL, Collaborative Research, RUI: Understanding the Ecological and Genomic Bases of Local Adaptation in an Obligate Pollination Mutualism.

MariaElena Zavala (Biology) received $229,981 from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, in support of a project titled MARC U-STAR at CSUN: Preparing Scientists Holistically. Zavala also received$27,303 from the American Society for Cell Biology, in support of a project titled Improving Diversity and Career Transitions through Society Support.

MariaElena Zavala, Ray Hongand Cheryl Hogue (Biology) received $255,248 from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, in support of a project titled Bridges to the Doctorate Research Training Program at CSUN.

Xu Zhang (Physics and Astronomy) received $55,000 from the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund, in support of a project titled Tuning Interfacial Excitonic Binding in Twisted Two-Dimensional MoS2 Bilayers.

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Faculty and Staff Achievements Summer 2020 - CSUN Today

Diomics Announces Agreement With Department of Defense to Accelerate Development and Testing of Diocheck SARS-CoV-2 Immune Response Indicator Patch -…

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SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Diomics, a San Diego-based biotech company, today announced that it has been awarded a $2,125,000 Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium (MTEC) Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) with the U.S. Department of Defense to accelerate development and testing of its Diocheck SARS-CoV-2 Visual Immune Response Indicator, a transdermal skin patch that monitors and reports when the wearers body has mounted an immune response to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

A change in skin color visible through the patch indicates that the person has either recently been exposed to the virus and should get tested and quarantine, or has recovered from a previous coronavirus infection and may still retain immunity. The patch begins to detect an immune response within 24 to 36 hours of application and is expected to effectively monitor for up to 14 days.

The Diocheck patch answers one of the biggest roadblocks to halting the spread of COVID-19a simple, universal way for people to continually monitor their own immune status over an extended period of time. Until theres an effective vaccine in widespread use, large populations can use the patch to monitor themselves and know quickly if they have been exposed to the virus and need to get tested and take precautions to avoid infecting others.

The Diocheck patch responds to the great unknown of how many people are unintentionally widening the spread by being asymptomatic carriers, Diomics CEO Anthony Zolezzi said. Enabling people to monitor their own health status and be confident of the status of those around them is the key to being able to safely reopen schools, theaters, offices and other places. Widespread use of the Diocheck indicator patch will give us a simple, effective, non-invasive way to know that we are all actively protecting each other.

The key to Diochecks ability to monitor for an immune response over an extended period of time is Diomics proprietary biopolymer material, Diomat, which is made from an already FDA-approved material used in a range of other diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

The company is also developing an intradermal version of Diocheck that uses nano-sized beads of the same biopolymer inserted just under the skin to detect and visually report the formation of an immune reaction to a SARS-CoV-2 protein.

Both versions of Diocheck are readily scalable to provide consistent, accurate, ongoing monitoring of the immunity status of essential front-line workers, including military, healthcare, transportation and public safety personnel, as well as teachers and students.

The Diocheck system is entering preclinical animal studies under the guidance of Jonathan R.T. Lakey, Ph.D., M.S.M., Professor of Surgery and Biomedical Engineering at the University of California, Irvine. Human clinical trials are expected to begin in December 2020.

To learn more about Diocheck and the Diomics Pandemic Prevention Platform visit diomics.com.

About Diomics, Inc.

Diomics Corporation is a biotechnology company focused on science-based innovation and the development of life-improving products. Our proprietary Diomat technology platform is optimized for the collection and delivery of compounds and proteins and can also be used for drug delivery, long-term monitoring, diagnostics and production of life-saving hormones and other bio-compounds. Based in San Diego, California, Diomics has developed numerous products, tools and services for the molecular, diagnostic and forensic industries. For more information visit diomics.com.

About the University of California, Irvine

Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 36,000 students and offers 222 degree programs. Its located in one of the worlds safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange Countys second-largest employer, contributing $5 billion annually to the local economy. For more on UCI, visit http://www.uci.edu.

The U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command

The U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, 820 Chandler Street, Fort Detrick MD 21702-5014 is the awarding and administering acquisition office. This work was supported by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Commands (USAMRDC) Military Infectious Disease Research Program (MIDRP) and the Military Operational Medicine Research Program (MOMRP), through the Wearable Diagnostic for Detection of COVID-19 Infection Request for Project Proposals issued under the MTEC OTA (W81XWH-15-9-0001). Opinions, interpretations, conclusions and recommendations are those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by the MIDRP or MOMRP.

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Diomics Announces Agreement With Department of Defense to Accelerate Development and Testing of Diocheck SARS-CoV-2 Immune Response Indicator Patch -...

Ashok Leyland, Hindustan Zinc team up with IIT-M to develop Zinc air battery – BusinessLine

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Truck major Ashok Leyland and Hindustan Zinc have (separately) joined hands with IIT-Madras in the technology institutes endeavour to develop a Zinc air battery.

While Lithium-ion batteries are the darling of the energy storage industry today, they pose challenges such as concentration of raw material source with a handful of countries, high charging time and safety issues in hot climates. (Technologies for fast charging are coming up, but they are expensive.) Therefore, a worldwide search is under way for a good alternative. Sodium-ion, iron-ion and metal air batteries are the emerging candidates.

Indian researchers develop sustainable, cost-friendly Li-S batteries

Dr Aravind Kumar Chandiran of the Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Madras, heads a team that is developing a Zinc air battery. His target is two-fold: a battery whose cost per kWhr is at least half of the conventional Lithium-ion batteries and one that re-charges really fast.

Talking to BusinessLine, Dr Chandiran said that while Ashok Leyland is the industry partner under the government of Indias IMPRINT-2 programme (under which the research has been granted 1.5 crore), Hindustan Zinc is a separate funding arrangement with different deliverables. Hindustan Zincs interest is, obviously, to create a market for Zinc.

Dr Chandiran said that today a Lithium-ion battery costs $270-300 per kWhr (unless contracted for huge quantities, when the price could come down to $220 a kWhr). In contrast, a Zinc air battery produced today would cost $150 a kWhr; if produced on the same scale as Lithium-ion batteries, the costs would come down to $30-40 a kWhr, he said.

At the heart of the battery is the Zinc anode which can be taken out once the battery discharges its power, and replaced. Like pulling a cassette out and inserting another, says Chandiran. The cathode of the battery is, as for metal air batteries, air. Zinc reacts with the Oxygen in the air to deliver electricity, and becomes Zinc oxide. In an external contrivance, which could be solar-powered, Oxygen is kicked out of the Zinc oxide and the metal is won back a process called electrowinning.

Chandirans team is working on a design to develop battery packs of 15Ah and ~24V that are mechanically rechargeable and run a 5 kW drive motor. The novelty lies in the design of battery pack for maximum power and ultra fast electrode replacement, he says.

Of course, it is theoretically possible to recharge the battery onboard the vehicle, but it calls for a different research at a more fundamental level. It involves developing a bi-functional catalyst for two activities discharging and recharging known in chemistry as oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). This is also an area that Dr Chandiran is working on, but is not connected to the Zn air battery project.

Battery storage, smart grid, energy efficiency companies raise $252 m in VC funding in Q1 2020

Meanwhile, another research is going on IIT Madras to develop a new type of anode for the Lithium-ion batteries. The conventional anode used is graphite which, according to Prof Prathap Haridoss, has its own practical issues such as lower capacity and limited fast-charging capability.

In a recent paper published in Advanced Energy Materials, an international scientific journal, Dr Haridoss and his team (which included Dr Raghavan Gopalan of IIT Madras, Dr Abhijit Chatterjee of IIT Bombay, Dr Raju Prakash, Dr Vallabha Rao Rikka and Dr Sumit Ranjan Sahu of International Advanced Research Center,) have mentioned their development of a composite made of molybdenum trioxide and carbon nanohorns. Carbon nanohorns are nano materials, just like nanotubes and graphene.

The battery developed using this new anode material will have about three times the energy density as conventional Lithium-ion batteries, Prof Haridoss told BusinessLine. The anode will cost about the same as graphite.

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Ashok Leyland, Hindustan Zinc team up with IIT-M to develop Zinc air battery - BusinessLine

The next generation of American nuclear – Power Technology

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On 18 June 2020, the US Department of Energyannounced it would be awarding more than $65m in nuclear energy research, cross-cutting technology development, facility access, and infrastructure awards.

The awards fall underthe departments nuclear energy programmes the Nuclear Energy University Programme, the Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies, and the Nuclear Science User Facilities.

Since 2009, the Office of Nuclear Energy, part of the US Department of Energy,has allocated more than $800m to research, aiming to boost American leadership in clean energy innovation and train the next generation of nuclear engineers and scientists.

One of the notable projects in the nuclear energy category examines the risk of nuclear reactor parts fabricated via additive manufacturing that usesa novel rendition of an artificial intelligence (AI)learning strategy, the so-called multi-armed bandit reinforcement learning (RL).

Also known as 3D printing, additive manufacturing could allow for the rapid prototyping and manufacture of complex parts, saving timeandmoney,as well ascreating more scope for design flexibility.

The main objective of the RL project is the development and demonstration of the strategy using data from the Transformational Challenge Reactor (TCR)Program. Sensor and physics-based simulation data will be used in combination with the associated open source DREAM.3D-based digital platform, installed at Purdue University, Indianato calculate risk measures.

The project focuses on a critical need to upgrade validation practices by developing mathematically-rigorous QA procedures that can be scientifically defended to the nuclear regulatory body in order to qualify the risk associated with the additive manufactured parts.

Another goal of the project is the incorporation of a sensitivity analysis to estimate the importance of post-build tests, improve reliability,and ensure reduced need for post-build testing.

TheTCR programmeat the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)is designed to help change the economic paradigm of nuclear energy,according to the research team. The current basis for this TCR design is a gas-cooled reactor with multiple solid material types in a unique arrangement. The planned demonstration of the project will last over 60 months.

Gas-cooled reactors have been used for some time due to their improved energy conversion efficiency, which allows the reactor to operate at a higher safe temperature to water-cooled reactors. By using different material types in this unique arrangement, the team will be hoping to take the technology that much further with the goal of transformational efficiency in mind.

As part of the sensitivity analysis (SA), researchers from MITwill undertake uncertainty quantification (UQ) of TCR design parameters, using open-source time dependent Monte-Carlo code, NQA1 qualified commercial codes (STARCCM+), and ABAQUS for thermal-hydraulics and structural mechanics.

The SA/UQ analysis aims to find out more about the development of performance metrics of robustness for autonomous operation sensors, by processing signals such as neutron flux, temperature,and strains.

The Massachusettsteam will benefit from a decade-long collaboration on the development of high-fidelity tools for reactor applications. The team consists of a fuel and reactor design expert, computational fluid dynamics expert, neutronics expert, and a member of the TCR analyst team, to provide the necessary baseline information and keep the team well-connected with TCR progress.

As part of this cybersecurity project, Ohio State University researchers will create a simulation environment to compare different cyber architecturesand the various levels of protection they offer on the basis of risk.

IT networks have become a battlefield and critical energy infrastructure is at high risk, as was plainly illustrated by a sophisticated attack on the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tamil Nadu, India in 2019. With so much at stake, the ability to effectively simulate an attack on a nuclear power plant will be key to any efforts to protect such important assets.

While the research focuses on the application to nuclear power plants, the model could also be applied to other critical infrastructures. The simulation environment could be used in nuclear power plant operator education and training. Related Report

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The methods employed in the prototype involve: dynamic probabilistic risk assessment, as a method to characterise risk and the unfolding of an attack; modifiable and adaptive libraries; communication components; defenders or attackers and their levels of skills or prior experiences; defense responses; methods for composing canonic games into games-of-games, and more.

This project involves designinga nuclear and renewable Integrated Energy System (IES) fortheco-generation of cost-competitive electricity and clean water. In addition, tools will be modelled to allow the IES to be simulated, so as to ensure a crucial toolset for present and future studies of this type.

The planned IESis designed to be compatible with the RAVEN/Modelica framework(a combined software framework that allows for simulation and system optimisation). The components included in the IES are concentrated solar power, the supercritical CO2/sCO2cycle, multi-effect distillation, and a lead-cooled fast reactor.

As electricity markets like those in the US gradually transform to operate off an energy mix, projects that combine several elements are becoming more attractive for their flexibility and cost but also for their environmental credentials. A project that harnesses renewable solar with clean water as a waste product is bound to tick a lot of boxes.

A reference configuration for the IES will be set, with the technical and lifecycle aspects (Cyber Informed Engineering, regulatory environment), as well as system costs considered. The RAVEN/Modelica framework will be connected to the freely available and open-source System Adviser Model, with its capability then being applied to the analysis of the proposed concept.

The outcomes of this project are expected to include: a report on the feasibility and viability of the proposed IES and an analysis framework and models, compatible with the existing RAVEN/Modelica ecosystem, which can be used for future studies.

Another project that stands out in the infrastructure award category is the university of Nevada, Renos bid to study a nano-scaled structure, composition,and defects examination infrastructure system for irradiated materials that uses a Hysitron PI-95 Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) PicoIndenter.

Accuracy at the nanoscale should go a long way to improving safety and preventing power plant failure for an industry where security and reliability of assets are naturally in the spotlight.

This system is designed to work jointly withahigh resolution TEM to enable successful in-situ characterisation of the materials.

The instrument will be used for a nanomechanical testing system, which can acquire quantitative nanomechanical and observe the sample before, during, and after each test for a complete understanding of deformation and failure processes, such as room temperature and elevated temperature.

The Hysitron PI-95 TEM PicoIndenter was chosen to complement the micro-mechanical testing capabilities of the Alemnis in-situ Scanning Electron Microscopes (SEM) Indenter system, which was awarded to the University of Nevada, Reno through the DOE FY 2018 General Scientific Infrastructure Support for Universities programme.

While the Alemnis SEM Indenter system from last years DOE Infrastructure Support allows in-situ mechanical testing inside the SEM, this testing at the TEM level is yet not possible without the proposed Hysitron PI 95 in-situ TEM nano-scaled straining test system.

Gas and Steam Turbine Insulation Products

Flow and Level Measurement Instruments for Power Generation Facilities

Optimisation of Water Circuits

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The next generation of American nuclear - Power Technology

Cloth masks are effective at reducing virus transmission because it spreads in respiratory droplets, which are larger than smoke particles and the…

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CLAIM

Cloth masks cannot block smoke particles which are larger than viruses, so masks cannot stop virus transmission

DETAILS

Misleading: The claim fails to account for the way that viruses travel in the air, which factors into the effectiveness of cloth masks at reducing transmission. Even though viruses are smaller than smoke particles and the pores in the fabric of a cloth mask, a virus cannot travel in the air on its own and must be transported by respiratory droplets, unlike smoke particles. Respiratory droplets are larger than smoke particles and pores in the fabric, hence they can be blocked by cloth masks.

KEY TAKE AWAY

When considering effective mechanisms for reducing virus transmission, it is the size of respiratory dropletsrather than the size of the virus itselfthat needs to be considered. While viruses are smaller than smoke particles or the pores in the fabric of a cloth mask, viruses cannot travel in the air on their own and must be carried by respiratory droplets, which are much larger than smoke particles or pores in fabric. Therefore, cloth masks are effective at reducing virus transmission as they block respiratory droplets, but ineffective at reducing smoke particle transmission.

REVIEW Memes appeared on Facebook in late August 2020 claiming that cloth masks are ineffective at reducing virus transmission because smoke particles are larger than virus particles and cannot be filtered by cloth masks (see examples here and here). These memes were published following a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisory warning people not to rely on cloth masks for protection against wildfire smoke. The advisory was published on Facebook on 31 August 2020 in response to the wildfires in California.

These memes echo many Facebook posts which appeared several months ago (see example) stating that the virus is smaller than pores in the fabric of cloth masks, likening it to a mosquito flying through a chain link fence. And based on the size difference, these posts claim that cloth masks do not work to reduce virus transmission. As we demonstrate below, these claims are misleading as they fail to take into account the differences between how viruses and smoke particles travel in the air.

While both smoke particles and the virus that causes COVID-19 (the size of the virus is between 60 to 140 nanometers)[1] are much smaller than the pores in fabric, a key difference between viruses and smoke particles is that viruses cannot travel in the air on their own and are instead carried by respiratory droplets. In a fact-check by USA Today, Linsey Marr, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech who specializes in airborne transmission of viruses, stated, There is never a naked virus floating in the air or released by people.

In its advisory, the CDC also emphasizes the importance of respiratory droplets in virus transmission when explaining why cloth masks can reduce virus transmission, but not the inhalation of small smoke particles:

Cloth masks that are used to slow the spread of COVID-19 by blocking respiratory droplets offer little protection against wildfire smoke. They do not catch small, harmful particles in smoke that can harm your health.

Respiratory droplets are generated by coughing, sneezing, speaking, and singing. These droplets range from 5 to 10 micrometers in size and can be blocked by cloth masks. According to the World Health Organization, scientific evidence demonstrates that droplet transmission and close contact are the main routes of transmission of the virus that causes COVID-19. It is also possible that the virus is transmitted by aerosols, which are droplets less than 5 micrometers in size, although its unclear how much this mode of transmission contributes to the number of infections.

N95 masks are the most effective at filtering respiratory droplets. However the CDC advises the general public not to use N95 masks for slowing the spread of COVID-19, as these are in limited supply and should be reserved for healthcare professionals who are at greater risk of exposure to infectious material. Instead, the CDC recommends that the general public use cloth masks.

Studies show that cloth masks can reduce the spread of respiratory droplets, although they do not provide 100% protection. A 2020 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that wearing a damp washcloth greatly reduced the release of speech droplets into the air[2]. Another study published in ACS Nano found that well-fitted face masks made of common materials, such as cotton, filtered out 80 to 99% of droplets, depending on droplet size[3]. Studies also demonstrate that face masks can reduce the transmission of viruses that cause respiratory infections, as reported in this Health Feedback review.

However, for people with pre-existing respiratory issues, prolonged use of face masks, including cloth masks, should be exercised with caution. The CDC indicated, Masks should not be worn by: children younger than 2 years old, anyone who has trouble breathing, or anyone who is unconscious, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.

The recommendation to use cloth masks to reduce virus transmission contrasts with the CDCs advice against using cloth masks for protection from wildfire smoke, because unlike the virus, smoke particles can travel in the air without the aid of another larger particle. This renders smoke particles small enough to pass through the pores of cloth masks.

Smoke contains a variety of particles that can cause asthma, chest pain, and other harmful effects on human health. The most damaging particles are those smaller than 2.5 micrometers, also called PM2.5. Luke Montrose, an assistant professor of community and environmental health at Boise State University, explained in this article in The Conversation:

[PM2.5] defines the cutoff for particles that can travel deep into the lungs and cause the most damage.

The human body is equipped with natural defense mechanisms against particles bigger than PM2.5. As I tell my students, if you have ever coughed up phlegm or blown your nose after being around a campfire and discovered black or brown mucus in the tissue, you have witnessed these mechanisms firsthand.

The really small particles bypass these defenses and disturb the air [sacs] where oxygen crosses over into the blood. Fortunately, we have specialized immune cells present in the air [sacs] called macrophages. Its their job to seek out foreign material and remove or destroy it. However, studies have shown that repeated exposure to elevated levels of wood smoke can suppress macrophages, leading to increases in lung inflammation.

Because of these harmful effects, the CDC recommends that people living in areas affected by wildfires stay indoors as much as possible and use an indoor air filter. These recommendations are particularly important for vulnerable populations, such as the elderly and young children, who are living in the household. When outdoor activity cannot be avoided, the CDC recommended that people avoid wearing cloth masks, which are unable to keep out PM2.5. Instead, they recommend people wear N95 masks, which can filter out about 95% of particles that are 0.3 micrometers (microns) or larger.

In summary, while the Facebook posts and memes are correct in asserting that the pores in the fabric of cloth masks are larger than both the virus that causes COVID-19 and smoke particles, they fail to acknowledge the mechanics of virus transmission. The CDCs advice not to use cloth masks as protection from wildfire smoke is not evidence that cloth masks do not work to reduce virus transmission. Unlike smoke particles, viruses cannot travel in the air on their own and must be carried by droplets, which are much larger than smoke particles and the pores in fabric, and can therefore be blocked by cloth masks.

This fact check is available at IFCNs 2020 US Elections FactChat #Chatbot on WhatsApp. Click here, for more.

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Cloth masks are effective at reducing virus transmission because it spreads in respiratory droplets, which are larger than smoke particles and the...

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a Liberal Voice on Supreme Court, Dies at 87 – The Wall Street Journal

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Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a pioneering figure in the fight for womens legal equality and the second woman to serve on the Supreme Court, died Friday in her Washington home, surrounded by her family. She succumbed to metastatic pancreas cancer at the age of 87, the Supreme Court said.

Our Nation has lost a jurist of historic stature. We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague, said Chief Justice John Roberts. Today we mourn, but with confidence that future generations will remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg as we knew hera tireless and resolute champion of justice.

Justice Ginsburgs death leaves the court with eight members and a vacancy just 46 days before the presidential election. Just last week, President Trump added 20 more names to his list of potential Supreme Court nomineesall of whom with views sharply to the right of Justice Ginsburg. A political battle over who will fill her seat is certain to shape the final act of the contest between Mr. Trump and his Democratic challenger, former Vice President Joe Biden.

Cast by seniority to lead the high courts liberal bloc, the 1993 Clinton appointee spent her last years on the bench pushing back against an emboldened conservative majority, sometimes winning surprise victories or mitigating expected defeats by peeling off a vote from conservatives including Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Anthony Kennedy, Neil Gorsuch or Brett Kavanaugh.

But it was a period more often of defeat for the liberal jurisprudence that shaped Justice Ginsburg, who attended law school and began practice during the ambitious era of the Warren Court, and which she then helped steer as a womens rights advocate in the 1970s. In recent years, she spoke most forcefully in dissent, sometimes reading from the bench, from decisions she viewed as antithetical to the social progress she believed the Constitution embraced.

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Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a Liberal Voice on Supreme Court, Dies at 87 - The Wall Street Journal

Why Liberals Should Unite With Socialists, Not the Right – Jacobin magazine

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Last month, the conservative philosopher Yoram Hazony published an essay in Quillette on The Challenge of Marxism. Hazony is known for his 2018 book The Virtue of Nationalism, which lodged some valid critiques of liberalism, but was ultimately unconvincing in its effort to reframe nationalism as an anti-imperialist endeavor. His chosen exemplars included the United Kingdom, France, and the United States all countries with long histories of colonialism and expansionism.

With his new essay, Hazony has jumped into the culture wars, attempting to explain and criticize the astonishingly successful Marxist takeover of companies, universities and schools, major corporations and philanthropic organizations, and even the courts, the government bureaucracy, and some churches. He concludes with a call for liberals to unite with conservatives to halt this takeover, lest the dastardly Marxists achieve their goal of conquering liberalism itself.

Hazonys essay, though long and detailed, has many flaws. In the end, its less a compelling takedown of contemporary leftists than another illustration of why conservatives should read Marx.

Hazony opens his essay with an odd claim. Contemporary Marxists, he argues, arent willing to wear their colors proudly, instead attempting to disorient their opponents by referring to their beliefs with a shifting vocabulary of terms, including the Left, Progressivism, Social Justice, Anti-Racism, Anti-Fascism, Black Lives Matter, Critical Race Theory, Identity Politics, Political Correctness, Wokeness, and more. Nonetheless the essence of the political left remains staunchly Marxist, building upon Marxs framework as Hazony understands it.

For him, Marxism has four characteristics. First, it is based on an oppressor/oppressed narrative, viewing people as invariably attached to groups that exploit one another. Second, it posits a theory of false consciousness where the ruling class and their victims may be unaware of the exploitation occurring, since it is obscured by the ruling ideology. Third, Marxists demand the revolutionary reconstitution of society through the destruction of the ruling class and its ideology. And finally, once the revolution is accomplished, a classless society will emerge.

This account ignores a tremendous amount of what makes Marxism theoretically interesting, focusing instead on well-known tropes and clichs. It is startling, but telling, that Hazony never once approaches Marxism as a critique of political economy, even though Marx was kind enough to label two of his books critiques of political economy. By effacing this fundamental characteristic of Marxism, Hazony reduces it to a simplistic doctrine that could be mapped onto more or less anything.

If it is true that Marxism is just an oppressor/oppressed narrative with some stuff about a ruling ideology and revolution tacked on, then mostly every revolutionary movement through history has been Marxist even before Marx lived. The American revolutionaries who criticized the ruling ideology of monarchism and waged a war for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness would fit three of Hazonys four characteristics, making them borderline proto-Marxists. About the only thing that remains of what distinguished Marx in Hazonys account is his claim that we are moving toward a classless society, something about which the German critic wrote very little.

Marxism is a very specific modernist doctrine, inspired by the events and ideas of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Marx drew on three dominant currents in European thought at the time: the German philosophical reaction to Hegel, French radicalism, and English political economy.

From Hegel, Marx took the idea that history is the story of humanity moving toward greater freedom, understood by both Hegel and Marx as the capacity for self-determination. Marx famously attempted to turn Hegel right side up by contending that the renowned philosophers emphasis on ideas was misguided: material relations, Marx argued, largely moved history forward. From French radicalism, Marx took the idea of a class conflict between workers and the bourgeoisie. He was certain that one day we would live in a classless society, where every individual could develop each side of their nature.

And from the English political economists, Marx took much of his understanding about how capitalism worked; in particular, he drew on David Ricardo to argue that the exchange value of commodities lay in the socially necessary labor time invested in them. This last point was important for Marx circa Capital Volume One, since it seemed to explain the mechanism of workers exploitation. As David Harvey has pointed out, in the later posthumous volumes things become more complicated as Marx began to theorize on the nature of fictitious capital in the stock and credit markets. These developments demonstrated how capitalism was able to adapt to its own contradictions, but only through quick fixes that left the fundamental tensions intact and could even sharpen them over time.

This quick summary by no means captures the breadth of Marxs work. But it should at least suggest how much richer Marxism is than the simple antagonisms Hazony puts forward.

This tendency for crude simplification extends to Hazonys treatment of neo-Marxism, which he associates with successor movements led by Michel Foucault, postmodernism, and more including the Progressive or Anti-Racism movement now advancing toward the conquest of liberalism in America and Britain. But how or why these movements owe much, if anything, to Marxism is left extremely vague. Michel Foucault famously denigrated Marxism as outdated nineteenth-century economics and even flirted with neoliberalism. So much for class conflict as the engine of history. As for the anti-racist movements gathering steam across the world, theyre more likely to look to Martin Luther King and other totems of the black freedom struggle than Marx.

None of this is to say these movements dont or shouldnt draw from Marx (they should!). But reducing them to simply updated Marxism ignores the particularities and histories of progressive figures and movements rather ironic given that Hazony spends a great deal of The Virtue of Nationalism arguing for the benefits of a world of particular nations, each with its own identity, history, and customs that warrant respect.

Later in his essay, Hazony makes the novel decision to criticize liberals who believe Marxism is nothing but a great lie. This isnt because he wishes to praise Marxisms theoretical insights or political ambitions, but because he shares its progenitors critical appraisal of liberal individualism.

Hazony argues Marx was well aware that the liberal conception of the individual self, possessing rights and liberties secured by the state, was an ideological and legal fiction. While liberals felt that the modern state had provided full liberty for all, Hazony takes the Marxist insight to be that there will always be disparities in power between social groups, and the more powerful will always oppress or exploit the weaker. As he puts it:

Marx is right to see that every society consists of cohesive classes or groups, and that political life everywhere is primarily about the power relations among different groups. He is also right that at any given time, one group (or a coalition of groups) dominates the state, and that the laws and policies of the state tend to reflect the interests and ideals of this dominant group. Moreover, Marx is right when he says that the dominant group tends to see its own preferred laws and policies as reflecting reason or nature, and works to disseminate its way of looking at things throughout society, so that various kinds of injustice and oppression tend to be obscured from view.

Hazony goes on to criticize American liberals for pushing secularization and liberalization, particularly by excluding religion from schools and permitting pornography, which amount to quiet persecution of religious families. Liberals tend to be systematically blind to the oppression they wreak against conservatives, merely assuming that their doctrines provide liberty and equality for all. Hazony thinks Marx was far savvier in recognizing that by analyzing society in terms of power relations among classes or groups, we can bring to light important political phenomena to which Enlightenment liberal theories theories that tend to reduce politics to the individual and his or her private liberties are systematically blind.

None of this means Hazony is sympathetic to the idea that workers are the victims of exploitation or anything else that smacks of left-wing critique. Later in the essay, he criticizes Marxism for having three fatal flaws. First, Marxists assume any form of power relation is a relationship of oppressor and oppressed, even though some are mutually beneficial. Second, they believe that social oppression must be so great that any given society will inevitably be fraught with tension, leading to its eventual overthrow. And finally, Marx and Marxists are notoriously vague about the specifics of post-oppression society, and their actual track record is a parade of horrors.

Of the three, only the last strikes me as at all compelling. It is true that Marx never spelled out what a postcapitalist society would look like, and this ambiguity has led to figures like Stalin invoking his theories to justify tyranny. Socialists are better-off confronting this problem than pretending it doesnt exist, which makes us easier prey for critiques like Hazonys.

But whatever Marx intended, we can infer from his Critique of the Gotha Program that he wanted a democratic society free of exploitation, where the means of production were owned in common and distribution was organized according to the principle from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs. Whatever that might look like, it bears little resemblance to the litany of dictatorships conservatives love to point to when trashing Marxism. (Conservatives critics also skate by the central role that class struggle and Marxist-inspired parties played in building social democracies, even if those societies never transcended capitalism.)

There are big problems with pretty much every other feature of Hazonys analysis of the flaws of Marxism and leftism. Hazony never takes on the specifically Marxist point that the relation between capital and labor is indeed oppressive and exploitative a key point, since Marx never claimed that all types of power relations or hierarchies were illegitimate. His argument was far more specific: capitalist relations were oppressive because they were based on the systematic exploitation of labor.

Hazony might have been on firmer ground with his second criticism if hed leaned into his critique of the teleological vision of history, which led some classical Marxists to claim capitalism was going to inevitably fall and be replaced by communism. But his contention doesnt even rise to this level. Instead, he wants to argue that in a conservative society, it is possible weaker groups [would] benefit from their position, or at least are better-off than in a revolutionarily reconstituted polity.

And this is where things get interesting.

Hazony isnt fond of liberalism. He sees American liberalism in particular as an oppressive force that has bullied religious and conservative families by advancing a pornographic, secular agenda. But Hazony is also deeply anxious that liberals will ally with progressive and Marxist groups the great evil, in his mind to further corrode conservatism.

In the most insightful part of his essay, Hazony describes the dance of liberalism and Marxism. Liberals and Marxists both believe in freedom and equality, and both are hostile to inherited traditions and hierarchies. Marxists and other progressives just take things a step further by arguing that real freedom and equality havent been achieved because of capitalism and other elements of liberal society. Under the right conditions, Hazony argues, liberals might become sympathetic to these arguments, since they often draw on the principles and rhetoric of liberalism. Liberals might even start pushing a Marxist agenda.

Hazony, then, isnt criticizing Marxism in the name of defending liberalism. What he is doing trying to entice centrists to side with the political right rather than the political left. He is willing to tolerate liberals as part of an alliance to prevent the Marxist conquest of society.

To make this attractive to liberals, Hazony raises the stakes by suggesting the political left wants to destroy democracy and eliminate both conservatives and liberals. He argues that both conservatives and liberals are distinct in allowing at minimum a two-party system dominated by themselves. By contrast, Marxists are only willing to confer legitimacy on ... one political party the party of the oppressed, whose aim is the revolutionary reconstitution of society. And this means that the Marxist political framework cannot co-exist with democratic government.

This is patently wrong. One of socialists ambitions since the nineteenth century has been to advance democracy in the political sphere, which is why they were central to the struggle for workers suffrage in Europe and elsewhere. Socialists deplore liberal capitalism for not being democratic enough. Likewise, the other progressive groups denigrated in Hazonys essay are hardly foes of democracy: anti-racist movements have been agitating against voter suppression.

It is also telling that Hazonys essay ignores the antidemocratic efforts of contemporary conservative strongmen, from Viktor Orbns dismantling of democracy in Hungary to Trumps flirtations with canceling the 2020 election. Probably a savvy move given that none of this supports Hazonys contention that liberal democrats have nothing to fear from aligning with the political right.

Interestingly, Hazonys essay skirts near a deep insight, before rushing away, perhaps for tactical reasons. The insight: both liberalism and Marxism properly understood are eminently modernist doctrines. Both emerged within a few centuries of each other and are committed to the principles of respecting moral equality by securing freedom for all.

The march of liberalism and socialism have razed traditionalist orders and hierarchies that insisted on naturalizing inequities of power. These traditionalist orders were neither natural nor particularly beneficent, subordinating women, LGBT individuals, religious and ethnic minorities, and so on for millennia.

Liberalism often failed to live up to its principles, which is partly why the political left emerged and remains so necessary. Liberals often engaged in just the kind of tactical alliances with conservative traditionalists Hazony calls for in order to maintain unjustifiable hierarchies. But this alliance is always fraught, since a liberal who doesnt believe in freedom and equality for all is no liberal.

The same is true of those of us on the political left, except we believe that these ideals cannot be achieved within the bounds of the liberal state and ideology. More radical reforms are needed to complete the historical process of emancipation from necessity and exploitation, though what reforms and how radical are matters of substantial debate. (My own preference is for what the philosopher John Rawls would call liberal socialism.)

All this brings us squarely back to Karl Marx, who was very aware of these dynamics. With Engels, he applauded liberal capitalism for both its productive capacity and, for the first time, enshrining formal equality for all. It had achieved this precisely by upending the old traditionalist order, profaning all that was sacred, and forcing humanity to face up to its real conditions for the first time.

But liberalism remained just one stage in the movement of history, and like all before it would eventually give way to a new form of society. Whether this is inevitable, as Marx sometimes seemed to imply, there are indeed many limitations to liberal democracy as it exists today. Liberals sincerely committed to freedom and equality should recognize that and ask if they are better-off allied to a political right committed to turning back the clock or striding into the future with progressives and socialists who share many of their fundamentally modernist convictions.

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Why Liberals Should Unite With Socialists, Not the Right - Jacobin magazine

Akland will stop liberal Democrats | Letters To The Editor – Mankato Free Press

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We live in unprecedented times. A pandemic, social unrest, and the movement to incorporate Marxist ideologies into our society have put our country and the freedoms that we value and cherish at risk.

This election is critical for stopping the wave of liberal Democrats from ripping the foundation that our founding fathers laid out in our constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

We need candidates that have common sense and wont be afraid to oppose those that are working to destroy our society. Susan Akland (running for House District 19A) is that candidate. She is speaking up for the values that southern Minnesotans care about.

Her commitment to lowering health-care costs, controlling taxes and unnecessary government spending, and protecting the freedoms that are at risk is her number one priority. Aklandis not interested in playing politics, but she is committed to using sound reason and common sense to make decisions for change.

If you want someone to fight for the people of this community, Akland is the only choice.

Eric Litynski

St. Peter

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Akland will stop liberal Democrats | Letters To The Editor - Mankato Free Press

$1B supply bill passed in N.L. falls short of Liberal governments wishes – Global News

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ByThe StaffThe Canadian Press

Posted September 18, 2020 12:44 pm

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Though it wasnt exactly what it had sought, the Newfoundland and Labrador government has succeeded in passing a bill to get through the coming months while awaiting an approved budget.

The minority Liberal government had originally proposed a three-month $1.56-billion interim supply bill, which would let the government keep spending despite not having passed a budget.

But after pushback from the opposition parties, the bill that passed on Thursday provided $1.04 billion for two months.

Finance Minister Siobhan Coady told the legislature that a three-month bill is standard.

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She said the shortened timeline means the opposition parties will have to pass the upcoming budget in good time or another supply bill will be needed.

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The provinces budget was delayed this year because of the pandemic but is expected to be tabled Sept. 30.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2020.

2020 The Canadian Press

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$1B supply bill passed in N.L. falls short of Liberal governments wishes - Global News

The ethics czar rules on another Liberal conflict of interest of interest – Maclean’s

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Politics Insider for Sept. 17: Canada's former ambassador in Washington gets a wrist slap, COVID testing capacity is a nightmare in Ottawa and the feds are selling an electric guitar

Welcome to a sneak peek of theMacleansPolitics Insidernewsletter.Sign up to get it deliveredstraight to your inbox.

The federal ethics commissioner, Mario Dion, has ordered nine Liberal politicians, senior staffers and top public servants notto conduct any official dealings with David MacNaughton, Canadas former ambassador to the U.S. and a longtime Trudeau government insider, for one year. The order applies to Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland andIndustry Minister Navdeep Bains, as well as two ministerial chiefs of staff andthree deputy ministers. Rick Theis, the PMs director of policy and cabinet affairs, is on the list. So is General Jonathan Vance, the outgoing chief of defence staff.

The commissioner found that in the pandemics early days, MacNaughton pitched thepro bono services of Palantir Technologies Canada, the software company he now heads up in Ottawa. Dion ruled that the former ambassador had broken the rule against taking improper advantage of a previous government gig, but also concluded that Palantir did not benefit from the meetings. Back in April,The Logic first reported on MacNaughtons claimsduring a private event that hed lined up meetings with top federal officials(Read the full report.)

Erin OToole and his family got tested yesterday for COVID-19. One of OTooles staffers had come back positive, so the Tory leader and his brood took no chances. It wasnt a banner day for testing capacity in the nations capital. Families eager to get tested faced hours-long outdoor lines.Macleans own Ottawa bureau chief, Shannon Proudfoot, endured a logistical testing nightmare. She gave up on a suburban testing centre when a security guard warned of a six-hour wait. After a wasted trip to a testing centre in Winchester, an hours drive away, she ended up lucking into an appointment at the citys drive-in centre tonight. These ordeals may, she writes, foreshadow a frightening fall. Either well all muddle along, missing work and school

or average, well-intentioned people with busy families and lives that need living are going to start fudging their answers to screening questions, sending kids off to school or daycare or themselves off to their workplaces even when they know symptoms have cropped up in their households, because they cant handle the hassle or outright impossibility of getting tested. After the nightmare I experienced today, I cant say I blame them.

What is Ontarios testing capacity?Every premier sent a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that outlined how theyd spend their share of the $19-billion federal-provincial Safe Restart Agreement. Premier Doug Fords letter boasted about Ontarios increased capacity, per capita testing rate and overall tests administeredall the highest in Canada. Ford also committed to future capacity well beyond the near-term goal of 50,000 tests a day, and surge testing capacity of up to 78,000 tests per day. Theyll use $1.28 billion in federal payola to make it happen in the coming months. Meanwhile, in the real world, lines grow longer.

The Canadian Press scored an interview with Peter MacKay, the Tory leadership runner-up whos contemplating his next move back home in Nova Scotia. MacKay identified his campaigns fatal flaw:The plan was in retrospect too much focused on the next steps and not enough on winning the party. As he tried to win over soft Liberals and lapsed Tories, his rivals were shoring up their core voteand chipping away at MacKays lead.

Did the WE scandal make charitable Canadians think twice about donating? Yes, says a new Angus Reid Institute poll. Charitable giving was already trending down before the scandal, says the pollster: 37 per cent of respondents have donated less in the past six months (49 per cent remain unchanged and only 9 per cent have increased donations). Fifty-five per cent of Canadians say the scandal is seriousand a similar majority say its raised questions about the whole sector. While most Canadians say WEs troubles havent had an impact on their donations, a solid 38 per cent still say theyre rethinking their giving.

Parks Canada has declared a caribou herd in Jasper National Park locally extinct. On Sept. 3, the agency snuck an update on the population of the maligne herd onto its website. That declining herd was last observed in 2018 and is considered extirpated. Two other herds, the tonquin and brazeau, do not have enough female caribouto be able to grow the herds. That update marked a stark change to the same webpage earlier this year. The Rocky Mountain Outlook quotedthe Alberta Wilderness Association saying the extirpation was a tragic, predictable result of decades-long habitat and wildlife errors.

Need an electric guitar? The federal government would be happy to sell one to you. The federal surplus website is auctioning off a used Dean Hollywood axethe closing date is today at 2 pm ETthats replete with scratches, and comes with no strings, no power cable and a damaged case. Full functionality, reads a description, is unknown. That hasnt stopped bidders, whove ratcheted up the price from $75 to, at this writing, a cool $89.70. Theres still time.

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The ethics czar rules on another Liberal conflict of interest of interest - Maclean's

Liberals hold thin advantage federally as possible election looms – Business in Vancouver

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Over the past few weeks, the notion of the federal government holding an early election has been discussed at length.

Capitalizing on the inexperience of an incoming leader of the Opposition can result in a fresh mandate and more seats, as Jean Chrtiens Liberal Party proved in 2000 just 20 weeks after Stockwell Day became the leader of the now-defunct Canadian Alliance.

The countrys situation is extremely different two decades later. Erin OToole is the new leader of the Conservative Party, and todays federal Liberals unlike Chrtiens version two decades ago oversee a minority government. An election in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic may be problematic for the governing party.

In the latest check on federal politics by Research Co. and Glacier Media, the Liberals remain ahead. Almost two in five decided voters (38%) would support the Liberal candidate in their riding, with the Conservatives at 32% and the New Democratic Party (NDP) at 17%.

On a regional basis, the most compelling race would take place in British Columbia, with the Conservatives currently at 34%, the Liberals at 31% and the New Democrats at 29%. The governing party remains dominant in Ontario with a 13-point lead over the Conservatives (43% to 30%), while Alberta is still solidly behind the Tories (58%).

Canadas three minor parties have seen some fluctuations since our last survey in May. The Bloc Qubcois has jumped to 8% nationally (and 34% in the only province where it fields candidates, five points behind the Liberals). In Quebec, the Conservatives, new leader and all, are at 12%. It will take a lot of work for the Tories to become competitive again in this province.

For the Green Party, the situation is dire. As the party stands to select a new leader to replace Elizabeth May, the Greens have dropped to 3% across the country. Even in British Columbia, the party has fallen to low single digits (4%). The proportion of Canadians who think the environment is the most important issue facing the country stands at 7%, a number that is pushed to respectability by 16% of Quebecers one of the provinces where the Greens have never elected a Member of Parliament.

The Peoples Party is at 1%, with 2% of Canadians saying that Maxime Bernier would make the best prime minister. Some may have expected Conservatives who were disenchanted with OTooles victory in the leadership race to give the Peoples Party a second look. So far, this is not happening.

The issue landscape once again shows a country rich with regional concerns. The top issue in Canada is the economy and jobs (30%, climbing to 52% in Alberta), followed by health care (25%, but reaching 44% in Atlantic Canada) and housing, homelessness and poverty (12%, but at 19% in British Columbia and Ontario).

It is important to note that only 9% of respondents to this survey selected Other when asked what the biggest issue facing the country is. Many of them typed in COVID-19 or a different variation of the term.

As we reported on earlier this month, the level of satisfaction from Canadians in how the federal government has handled COVID-19 remains high (64%, 25 points higher than the 39% of Americans who are content with their own federal administration). Still, it is clear that COVID-19 does not take precedence over the action that Canadians demand on other issues. Most Canadians have already made peace with the fact that the pandemic, with all of its consequences, will be with us for a few more months.

The personal appeal of party leaders is also crucial if a federal election happens before the end of the year. A majority of Canadians (51%) approve of Justin Trudeaus performance as prime minister and Liberal leader. Only Jagmeet Singh of the NDP comes close (44%), but the New Democrats continue to be plagued by a sizable gap in sympathy for their leader and votes for their candidates.

At this stage, OToole divides Canadians in three practically identical components: 33% approve of his performance, 34% disapprove of it, and 33% are undecided. The numbers are lower on disapproval than what Andrew Scheer posted in the eve of last years federal election. We will have to see how the undecideds turn once they get to know the new leader of the official Opposition.

If an election took place tomorrow, not much would change. For the NDP, as it was in the second federal balot where the party was led by Jack Layton in 2006, it becomes a matter of expanding the seat count. The chances of the Conservatives hinge on OToole establishing a superior emotional connection and a viable economic recovery plan. At this point, even with the extraordinary level of satisfaction with how the pandemic has been managed, there is no guarantee of a majority government for the Liberals.

Mario Canseco is president of Research Co.

Results are based on an online study conducted from September 11 to September 13, 2020, among 1,000 adults in Canada. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region. The margin of error, which measures sample variability, is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

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Liberals hold thin advantage federally as possible election looms - Business in Vancouver

Letter to the editor: Kesich column reflects a liberal bias – Press Herald

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Greg Kesichs View from here (Tale of two sandwich shops Sept. 6)sums up the liberal bias of your paper.

You say at the shop across the street, they dont care if I die. Im only surprised you didnt call them deplorables for not requiring masks.

In the more expensive, inefficient and confusing shop, you had to break the rules to get your meal. (No wonder you support Speaker Pelosi).

To show how open-minded you are, you wonder how someone applying for unemployment or Medicaid must feel. How about those trying to open a business, or run a pipeline in Maine? Or how about just trying to avoid bankruptcy with the governors draconian and last-minute edicts?

Maybe we should just roll back the clock to 1820 and rejoin Taxachussetts.

Bill ThorntonSaco

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Letter to the editor: Kesich column reflects a liberal bias - Press Herald