Advances in nanomedicine for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis | IJN – Dove Medical Press

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Yanhai Xi,1,* Tingwang Jiang,2,* Birendra Chaurasiya,3 Yanyan Zhou,1 Jiangmin Yu,1 Jiankun Wen,1 Yan Shen,3 Xiaojian Ye,1 Thomas J Webster4

1Department of Spine Surgery, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, Peoples Republic of China; 2Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Institution of Laboratory Medicine of Changshu, Changshu, Jiangsu 215500, Peoples Republic of China; 3Department of Pharmaceutics, Center for Research Development and Evaluation of Pharmaceutical Excipients and Generic Drugs, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Peoples Republic of China; 4Department of Chemical Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: Xiaojian YeDepartment of Spine Surgery, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, 360 Huntington Avenue, Shanghai, MA 200003, Peoples Republic of ChinaTel +86 1 381 734 6934Email xjyespine@smmu.edu.cn

Thomas J WebsterDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USATel +1 617 373 6585Email th.webster@neu.edu

Abstract: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a complex disease characterized by inflammation and ankylosis primarily at the cartilagebone interface. The disease is more common in young males and risk factors include both genetic and environmental. While the pathogenesis of AS is not completely understood, it is thought to be an immune-mediated disease involving inflammatory cellular infiltrates, and human leukocyte antigen-B27. Currently, there is no specific diagnostic technique available for this disease; therefore conventional diagnostic approaches such as clinical symptoms, laboratory tests and imaging techniques are used. There are various review papers that have been published on conventional treatment approaches, and in this review work, we focus on the more promising nanomedicine-based treatment modalities to move this field forward.

Keywords: ankylosing spondylitis, pathogenesis, genetic factors, environmental factors, treatment approaches

This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License.By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms.

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Advances in nanomedicine for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis | IJN - Dove Medical Press

Market Share in Nanotechnology and Nanomedicine for Treatment of Viral Infections Could Reach Tens of Billion Dollars – P&T Community

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PALM BEACH, Florida, Oct. 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- There is much activity in the nanotechnology & nanomedicine markets as new treatments and human clinical trials are growing at a record pace. And these new treatment are hope they could be key to combating viral infections such as, bacteria, viruses, fungi,HBV, hepatitis C, Influenza, HSV, Human papillomavirus and parasites account for approximately 15million deaths worldwide, with acute respiratory infections and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) being the leading causes. The National Institutes for Health NCBI Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) reports: "Infectious diseases are the leading cause of mortality worldwide, with viruses in particular making global impact on healthcare and socioeconomic development. In addition, the rapid development of drug resistance to currently available therapies and adverse side effects due to prolonged use is a serious public health concern. The development of novel treatment strategies is therefore required. The interaction of nanostructures with microorganisms is fast-revolutionizing the biomedical field by offering advantages in both diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Nanoparticles offer unique physical properties that have associated benefits for drug delivery." Mentioned in today's commentary includes: TG Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: TGTX), NanoViricides, Inc. (NYSE: NNVC), Matinas BioPharma Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: MTNB), Clovis Oncology, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLVS), Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE).

Nanoparticle-based delivery systems present new opportunities to overcome challenges associated with conventional drug therapies and have therefore attracted enormous interest in the treatment of viral infections. Nanomaterials can be engineered to incorporate conventional antiviral properties with those modifications that are unique to nanosystems (ultra small and controllable size, large surface area to volume ratio, and the ability to tailor the surface with the possibility of multi-functionalization). This is undoubtedly a promising tool for biomedical research and clinical use.

One of the more active companies in the industry includes NanoViricides, Inc. (NYSE American: NNVC). NanoViricides,a leader in nanomedicines with novel platform technology to treat difficult and life-threatening viral diseases, on October 9, 2019 announced that it has initiated bio-analytical studies as part of the required IND-enabling preclinical safety and toxicology studies of NV-HHV-101, moving towards human clinical trials.

The Company has contracted NorthEast BioLab, Hamden CT, to conduct the bio-analytical studies and facilitate the toxicokinetic analyses. These studies and analyses are part of the required general safety and toxicology studies that will go into an Investigational New Drug (IND) Application to the US FDA.

NorthEast BioLab has already performed the bio-analytical assay development and validation and is in the process of determining the concentrations of NV-HHV-101 in blood samples from the general safety and toxicology studies that are required for IND.

The company feels that the market size for its immediate target drugs in the HerpeCide program is variously estimated into Billions to tens of Billions of Dollars. The Company believes that its dermal topical cream for the treatment of shingles rash will be its first drug heading into clinical trials. The Company believes that additional topical treatment candidates in the HerpeCide program, namely, HSV-1 "cold sores" treatment, and HSV-2 "genital ulcers" treatment are expected to follow the shingles candidate into IND-enabling development and then into human clinical trials.

NanoViricidesalso released a report this past August that its first drug candidate, NV-HHV-101, is on track with required preclinical GLP Safety and Toxicology studies moving towards human clinical trials. The Company reports that NV-HHV-101 has been found to be safe and well tolerated in the clinical observation portion of the GLP Safety/Toxicology study of NV-HHV-101 as a dermal treatment.

The Company has previously found that NV-HHV-101 was safe and well tolerated in non-GLP safety/toxicology studies. The GLP studies are an expanded version of the non-GLP studies, with extended treatment, larger number of subjects, and stringent operational requirements as specified by the current Good Laboratory Practices guidelines for such studies.

Additional studies required for the Safety and Toxicology datasets for filing an IND are in progress.

The Company anticipates advancing NV-HHV-101 into human clinical trials for topical dermal treatment of the shingles rash as the initial indication, assuming that these studies are successful. The Company also continues to evaluate this broad-spectrum drug candidate as well as certain variations based on the same candidate, for the treatment of other herpesviruses, namely HSV-1 cold sores and HSV-2 genital herpes. The market size for its immediate target drugs in the HerpeCide program is variously estimated into billions to tens of billions of dollars. The Company believes that its dermal topical cream for the treatment of shingles rash will be its first drug heading into clinical trials. The Company believes that additional topical treatment candidates in the HerpeCide program, namely, HSV-1 "cold sores" treatment, and HSV-2 "genital ulcers" treatment are expected to follow the shingles candidate into IND-enabling development and then into human clinical trials.

In addition, the Company also recently announced that its first clinical drug candidate, NV-HHV-101, for the treatment of the Shingles virus (aka VZV), is on track with required preclinical GLP Safety and Toxicology studies moving towards human clinical trials. The Company has reported that NV-HHV-101 has been found to be safe and well tolerated in the clinical observation portion of the GLP Safety/Toxicology study of NV-HHV-101 as a dermal treatment.

NanoViricides' current programs target a potential market opportunity of over $20 Billion. Investors are urged to view an informative video interview with Anil R. Diwan, PhD, President and Executive Chairman, who was interviewed by broadcast journalist Christine Corrado of Proactive Investors, a leading multi-media news organization, investor portal and events management business with offices in New York, Sydney, Toronto, Frankfurt, and London. Click here to access the video interview.

In other biotech news in the markets this week:

TG Therapeutics, Inc.(NASDAQ: TGTX), a biopharmaceutical company developing medicines for patients with B-cell mediated diseases, announced that the follicular lymphoma (FL) cohort of the UNITY-NHL Phase 2b pivotal trial evaluating single agent umbralisib, the Company's novel, once daily, PI3K delta inhibitor, met the primary endpoint of overall response rate (ORR) as determined by Independent Review Committee (IRC) for all treated patients (n=118) who have received at least two prior lines of therapy including an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody and an alkylating agent. The results met the Company's prespecified ORR target of 40-50%. Importantly, umbralisib monotherapy appeared to be well tolerated with a safety profile consistent with previous reports.

The Company plans to present the data at a future medical conference as well as discuss the data with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Matinas BioPharma Holdings, Inc.(NYSE AMER: MTNB), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, this month announced that it has initiated its Phase 2 EnACT clinical study, which will explore the use of MAT2203 for both induction and maintenance therapy in HIV-patients with cryptococcal meningitis, a life-threatening fungal infection most commonly observed in immunocompromised individuals.

"We are extremely pleased to advance clinical development of MAT2203 for the treatment of cryptococcal meningitis," commented Theresa Matkovits, Ph.D., Chief Development Officer of Matinas.

Clovis Oncology, Inc.(NASDAQ: CLVS) this month announced that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended that women with relapsed ovarian cancer in England have access to rucaparib through the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF).1 Rucaparib is available for use within the CDF as an option for the maintenance treatment of relapsed, platinum-sensitive high-grade epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer that has responded to platinum-based chemotherapy in adults, based on the conditions outlined in the managed access agreement.

"Ovacome welcomes the availability of rucaparib via the CDF as an option for maintenance treatment of platinum-sensitive relapsed high grade serous epithelial ovarian cancer regardless of BRCA status or line of treatment in the relapsed maintenance setting," said Victoria Clare, CEO of Ovacome, a United Kingdom ovarian cancer charity focused on providing support to anyone affected by ovarian cancer.

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) reported financial results for third-quarter 2019 and updated certain components of its 2019 financial guidance.Third-Quarter 2019 Revenues of $12.7 Billion, Reflecting 3% Operational Decline; Excluding the Impact from Consumer Healthcare, Third-Quarter 2019 Revenues were Flat Operationally - See the full financial reporting at: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/pfizer-reports-third-quarter-2019-104500229.html

DISCLAIMER:FN Media Group LLC (FNM), which owns and operates Financialnewsmedia.com and MarketNewsUpdates.com, is a third- party publisher and news dissemination service provider, which disseminates electronic information through multiple online media channels.FNM is NOT affiliated in any manner with any company mentioned herein.FNM and its affiliated companies are a news dissemination solutions provider and are NOT a registered broker/dealer/analyst/adviser, holds no investment licenses and may NOT sell, offer to sell or offer to buy any security. FNM's market updates, news alerts and corporate profiles are NOT a solicitation or recommendation to buy, sell or hold securities. The material in this release is intended to be strictly informational and is NEVER to be construed or interpreted as research material. All readers are strongly urged to perform research and due diligence on their own and consult a licensed financial professional before considering any level of investing in stocks.All material included herein is republished content and details which were previously disseminated by the companies mentioned in this release.FNM is not liable for any investment decisions by its readers or subscribers.Investors are cautioned that they may lose all or a portion of their investment when investing in stocks.For current services performed FNM was compensated twenty five hundred dollars for news coverage of current press release issued by NanoViricides, Inc.by a non-affiliated third party.FNM HOLDS NO SHARES OF ANY COMPANY NAMED IN THIS RELEASE.

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Market Share in Nanotechnology and Nanomedicine for Treatment of Viral Infections Could Reach Tens of Billion Dollars - P&T Community

A highly biocompatible and intravenous injectable hafnium oxide nanocrystal synthesized to enhance radiaotherapy efficacy for cancer treatment -…

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On October 11, the research team led by ZHOU Min from the Zhejiang University Institute of Translational Medicine published a research article entitled Gram-scale synthesis of highly biocompatible and intravenous injectable hafnium oxide nanocrystal with enhanced radiotherapy efficacy for cancer theranostic in the journal of Biomaterials.

Bio-inorganic nanomaterials are one of the hottest research topics in biomaterials, but materials that can be successfully applied to clinical trials are far and few between. The Hafnium Oxide (HfO2) based nanoagent has been employed in clinical trials for radiosensitized tumor therapy. However, the current clinically used HfO2 nanoparticles rely heavily on intratumoral injection, thus considerably hindering therapeutic effects.

To address this challenge, ZHOU Min et al. developed an intravenously injectable and clearable HfO2 nano-assembly (NA) which can be produced on a large scale. This NA can not only enhance radiotherapeutic effects, but it can also be removed from the body effectively, thereby reducing its side effect.

Schematic illustration of the synthesis process of HfO2 nanocrystal assemblies and enhanced radiotherapy performance against tumor.

ZHOU Min et al. found that this new type of HfO2 radiotherapy sensitizer can not only destroy breast cancer tumor cells efficiently upon X-ray radiation but also significantly inhibit the growth of tumor stem cells. CT and in vivo fluorescence imaging demonstrate its efficient tumor-homing ability and exhibit remarkable radiotherapeutic sensitization effects in a 4T1 breast tumor model after intravenous injection. More importantly, this HfO2 NA has low toxicity even at high concentrations. Moreover, it can be degraded and excreted effectively within a reasonable period in a living body, thus able to eschew long-term toxicity.

This work provides a new approach to promoting radiotherapeutic efficiency and safety. At present, this research is confined to small animals. However, it is expected that the HfO2 NA will be tested on large animals, thus attesting to the feasibility of clinical translation.

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A highly biocompatible and intravenous injectable hafnium oxide nanocrystal synthesized to enhance radiaotherapy efficacy for cancer treatment -...

Doheny and UCLA Stein Eye Institutes Welcome Kaustabh Ghosh, PhD, to the Scientific and Clinical Research Faculty – PRNewswire

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"I am tremendously proud and honored to begin this position at Doheny-UCLA," says Dr. Ghosh. "I entered the field of biomedical research from an engineering background, which perhaps gave me a new perspective to see things differently. As a biomedical engineer, it allowed me to think about diseases in a way that a typical biomedical researcher and clinician may not."

Dr. Ghosh states that also as a vascular biologist, one such perspective he was able to successfully introduce was the importance of "stiffness" of blood vessels in disease pathogenesis.

"Doheny will be the ideal place for me to realize the true translational potential for my work as it offers strength and resources in ophthalmic imaging," shares Dr. Ghosh. "Doheny also provides the perfect balance between basic science and clinical research."

He adds, "I look forward to developing strong, collaborative relationships with members of Doheny-UCLA engineering, biomedical sciences and clinical infrastructure. Our goal will be to discover effective treatment strategies from a multidisciplinary approach especially in the area of investigating the role of chronic vascular inflammation, a major determinant of various debilitating conditions including macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy."

Dr. Ghosh was most recently Associate Professor of Bioengineering at University of California, Riverside (UCR) as well as Participating Faculty in the Division of Biomedical Sciences, Stem Cell Center and the Program in Cell, Molecular and Developmental Biology. The Ghosh Research Group at UCR focused on leveraging the principles of mechanobiology to examine and treat inflammationmediated vascular degeneration associated with diabetic retinopathy and agerelated macular degeneration, the leading causes of vision loss in the diabetic and aging population. In 2016, these studies were supported by two R01 grants from the National Eye Institute (NEI), and a macular degeneration grant from the BrightFocus Foundation. Dr. Ghosh has received numerous awards during his research career, including the Hellman Fellowship and the NIH Postdoctoral Training Grant, and has published 24 peer-reviewed papers in highly-regarded journals that include PNAS, The FASEB Journal, Science, and Nano Letters, among others.

In 2011, prior to joining UCR, Dr. Ghosh was a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Donald Ingber, MD, PhD, part of the Vascular Biology Program at Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School. In 2006, Dr. Ghosh received his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Stony Brook University, New York. He obtained his undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering from National Institute of Technology, Warangal, India in 2001.

Dr. Ghosh's dedication to collaborative research and team building is evident in his numerous and illustrious achievements. His distinguished scientific leadership demonstrates an excellence that will contribute greatly to Doheny Eye Institute's research programs.

About Doheny Eye InstituteFor over 70 years, Doheny Eye Institute has been at the forefront of vision science. From seeking new ways to free blockages that prevent fluid drainage in glaucoma, to replacing retinal cells in age-related macular degeneration, to providing colleagues worldwide with standardized analyses of anatomical changes in the eyes of patients, Doheny clinicianscientists and researchers are changing how people see and also how they think about the future of vision. Please visit doheny.org for more information.

Doheny Eye Institute and UCLA Stein Eye Institute have joined forces to offer the best inpatient care, vision research and education. This affiliation combines the strength, reputation and distinction of two of the nation's top eye institutions to advance vision research, education and patient care in Southern California.

CONTACT INFORMATIONMedia Contact:Matthew RabinDirect: (323) 342-7101Email: mrabin@doheny.org

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Doheny and UCLA Stein Eye Institutes Welcome Kaustabh Ghosh, PhD, to the Scientific and Clinical Research Faculty - PRNewswire

NASA: Four Astronauts Will Stay on the Moon For Two Weeks – Futurism

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Double Time

Two NASA scientists just shared fascinating new details about the agencys planned Moon mission.

During Wednesdays annual meeting of the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group, John Connolly and Niki Werkheiser said that NASA plans for the next two astronauts on the Moons surface to post up for 6.5 days, according to a new Ars Technica story twice as long as any NASA astronauts before them.

Connolly and Werkheiser said that the astronauts may conduct as many as four spacewalks while on the Moons surface. During those walks, theyll sample water ice and perform other scientific observations.

The pair also shared details on an unpressurized rover NASA plans to send to the Moons surface ahead of the crewed mission. NASA is designing the rover so that astronauts will be able to control it remotely, according to Connolly and Werkheiser a capability Ars described as like Teslas Smart Summon feature, only on the Moon.

The scientists told the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group that NASA is already looking beyond the next crewed mission to the Moon, with plans to send a team of four astronauts to the lunar surface for 14-day-long missions before 2030.

However, Congress still hasnt approved the funding NASA needs for the 2024 mission, so whether it can meet any of these goals is still unclear.

READ MORE: NASA shares details of lunar surface missionsand theyre pretty cool [Ars Technica]

More on Artemis: Congress Is Preparing to Kill 2024 Moon Mission

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NASA: Four Astronauts Will Stay on the Moon For Two Weeks - Futurism

Here’s How 20 Years of Office Work Will Disfigure the Human Body – Futurism

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Emma doesnt look so great.

Her legs are puffy and covered in varicose veins. Her eyes are flat and dead, and her backlooks like she spends her days ringing the bell at Notre-Dame Cathedral.

Its harsh but true. Emma is a life-sized doll depicting what the average office worker in the United Kingdom could look like in 20 years if changes arent made to the workplace environment.

For a new report titled The Work Colleague of The Future, a team of health experts led by behavioral futurist William Higham looked at survey data submitted by more than 3,000 office workers in France, Germany, and the U.K.

The percentages of U.K. office workers who said they already suffered from sore eyes (50 percent), sore backs (48 percent), and headaches (48 percent) as a direct result of their work environment informed the design of the sickly Emma, who also suffers from stress-related eczema, excess weight, and swollen limbs.

If we dont majorly shake-up the standard office environment, according to Higham, were headed toward a future rife with Emmas.

Unless we make radical changes to our working lives, such as moving more, addressing our posture at our desks, taking regular walking breaks, or considering improving our workstation setup, our offices are going to make us very sick, he said, according to The Independent.

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Here's How 20 Years of Office Work Will Disfigure the Human Body - Futurism

This Creepy Life-Sized Doll Is a Warning About What Office Life Is Doing to Us – ScienceAlert

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Emma doesn't look so great.

Her legs are puffy and covered in varicose veins. Her eyes are flat and dead, and her back looks like she spends her days ringing the bell at Notre-Dame Cathedral.

It's harsh but true. Emma is a life-sized doll depicting what the team think an average office worker in the United Kingdom could look like in 20 years if changes aren't made to the workplace environment.

For a new report titled The Work Colleague of The Future, a team of health experts led by behavioral futurist William Higham looked at survey data submitted by more than 3,000 office workers in France, Germany, and the UK.

The percentages of UK office workers who said they already suffered from sore eyes (50 percent), sore backs (48 percent), and headaches (48 percent) as a direct result of their work environment informed the design of the sickly Emma, who also suffers from stress-related eczema, excess weight, and swollen limbs.

If we don't majorly shake-up the standard office environment, according to Higham, we're headed toward a future rife with Emmas.

"Unless we make radical changes to our working lives, such as moving more, addressing our posture at our desks, taking regular walking breaks, or considering improving our workstation setup, our offices are going to make us very sick," he said, according to The Independent.

Of course, this isn't a peer-reviewed study, and Fellowes the office furniture company which commissioned the report is undoubtedly trying to promote its own products here. But it's still an interesting concept looking into exactly what our office spaces could be doing to our bodies.

This article was originally published by Futurism. Read the original article.

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This Creepy Life-Sized Doll Is a Warning About What Office Life Is Doing to Us - ScienceAlert

This Amazing Visualization Shows You How Big Space Really Is – Futurism

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October 30th 19__Dan Robitzski__Filed Under: Hard Science

A new website called The Size of Space illustrates how incomprehensibly vast the cosmos are.

As you scroll to the side, the site takes you on a journey from the size of an astronaut all the way up to the entire observable universe. As the scale ramps up, from spacecraft to moons to planets and onward, the smaller objects become tiny dots before vanishing altogether.

Neal Agarwal, the coder behind The Size of Space whos also built pages like Grandpas Art Show and Share This Page, used some of the best visualizations for each of the objects a rotating Earth based on satellite imagery, for example.

That means that most of the black holes are simply hand-drawn circles mixed in among the colorful images of distant galaxies and supernovas. Except, that is, for the giant black hole M87*, which was imaged earlier this year.

More on space visualizations: NASAs New Black Hole Simulation Will Completely Melt Your Brain

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This Amazing Visualization Shows You How Big Space Really Is - Futurism

Colliding Galaxies Look Like the Glowing Eyes of a Ghostly Face – Futurism

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Ghostly Face

Even NASA is getting into the Halloween spirit.

On Tuesday, the agency released an image captured by the Hubble Space Telescope and it depicts what looks like a ghostly face with glowing spiral eyes.

Obviously, thereisnt really a giant face staring us down from 704 million light-years away. But what were actually seeing in the new Hubble image is just about as wild: a collision between two galaxies.

Each eye is the bright core of a galaxy, the result of one galaxy slamming into another, NASA wrote in a news release. The outline of the face is a ring of young blue stars. Other clumps of new stars form a nose and mouth.

This isnt the first time NASA has bridged the gap between the scientific and the spooky.

For Halloween 2018, the agency released Hubble images of a glowing ghost nebulaand a bat shadow formed by a young star. Four years prior to that, it shared an image of the Sun that looked remarkably like a flaming jack-o-lantern.

READ MORE: Hubble Captures Galaxies Ghostly Gaze [NASA]

More on Halloween: AI Dreamed up These Nightmare Fuel Halloween Masks

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Colliding Galaxies Look Like the Glowing Eyes of a Ghostly Face - Futurism

Watch Astronauts Play Baseball on the International Space Station – Futurism

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a day ago__Dan Robitzski__Filed Under: Off World

Astronauts on the International Space Station took a few minutes to play some zero-gravity baseball last week.

Thankfully, no windows were broken and no balls were lost in the neighbors yard during the stunt, which the New York Post reports was a promotion for the World Series. There was no room to run bases, but one pitch captured on video is a cool glimpse into how astronautscan blow off some steam on board the ISS.

The ISS crewmembers got their hands on a real baseball, but apparently had to replace a normal bat with a large flashlight, per the Post.

The pitch appears pretty slow whipping a fastball across a space station seems like a way to cause a catastrophe. But as Space.com reports, the astronauts were quick to take credit for throwing a 17,500 mph fastball the speed at which the International Space Station orbits Earth.

READ MORE: Astronauts play baseball aboard ISS to celebrate World Series [New York Post]

More on baseball: Baseball Coach Ejected For Fighting With Robot Umpire

Up Next__Watch MITs Robot Cubes Self-Assemble Into Structures >>>

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Watch Astronauts Play Baseball on the International Space Station - Futurism

Here Are The First-Ever Images From the Dark Matter Telescope – Futurism

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X-Ray Observations

Scientists just released the first-ever images taken with the German space agencys X-ray telescope eROSITA, at an event at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics.

The new images could give us invaluable insight into the nature of dark energy the mysterious form of unknown energy that accounts for roughly 68 percent of the known universe by mapping the structure of the cosmos in new ways.

Visible light shows the structure of a galaxy traced by its stars, but the X-rays are dominated by supermassive black holes growing at their centres, Kirpal Nandra, director of High Energy astrophysics at the Max Planck Institute. And where we see clusters of galaxies with optical telescopes, X-rays reveal the huge reservoirs of gas filling the space between them and tracing out the dark matter structure of the Universe.

The two X-ray exposures were taken by eROSITAs seven mirrors, which launched as part of the Russian-German Spektr-RG space observatory back in July. One shows our neighbor galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud, and the other shows two galaxy clusters 800 million light years away.

Scientists believe X-ray observations can provide new data about the existence and nature of dark energy. Since it can only be observed by its effects on other objects and never directly, the eROSITA team will be examining galaxy clusters that emit substantial amounts of X-rays.

We now know that eROSITA can deliver on its promise and create a map of the whole X-ray sky with unprecedented depth and detail, said eROSITA project scientist Andrea Merloni.

The potential for new discoveries is immense, Predehl added. Now we can start reaping the fruits of more than ten years of work.

READ MORE: German X-Ray Telescope Takes First Images of Universe. Here They Are! [Space.com]

More on X-ray observations: Three Supermassive Black Holes Are About to Collide

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Here Are The First-Ever Images From the Dark Matter Telescope - Futurism

Life Could Evolve on Tiny Planets With 3% of Earth’s Mass – Futurism

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Could a tiny planet, with weak gravity, harbor life?

A team of scientists from Harvard University say theyve found the smallest possible mass a planet could be before its lack of gravitational forces would cause it to lose its atmosphere and any liquid water.

They found that the smallest possible planet that could maintain those life-enabling properties would be about 2.7 percent of the mass of Earth. Thats a little more than twice the mass of the Moon and roughly half the mass of Mercury.

An exoplanet is said to be in a stars habitable zone if its at the right distance to be able to support liquid water. If its too close, it would receive too much radiation from its sun, making it too hot. Too far, and itd be too cold for liquid water.

When people think about the inner and outer edges of the habitable zone, they tend to only think about it spatially, meaning how close the planet is to the star, astronomer Constantin Arnscheidt, lead author of the paper describing the research, published in The Astrophysical Journal in August, told Astrobiology Magazine. But actually, there are many other variables to habitability, including [a planets] mass.

If exoplanets are big enough, the researchers found theres enough of a greenhouse effect to keep them at the right temperature, regardless of their positions inside the habitable zone. Thats because the atmosphere of these relatively small planets would expand outwards thanks to relatively low gravity, which in turn would cause it to absorb more radiation from its star and thereby stabilize temperatures on its surface.

Interestingly, the research would rule out tiny ice worlds in Jupiters orbit theyd be too small. These icy moons have had scientists excited about the possibility of life thanks to massive underground oceans.

But the research suggests that there could be plenty of other places we havent discovered yet that are just the right size.

READ MORE: How small is the smallest habitable exoplanet? [EarthSky]

More on exoplanets: This Rocky World With Three Suns May Have an Atmosphere

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Life Could Evolve on Tiny Planets With 3% of Earth's Mass - Futurism

It’s Official: Elon Musk Will Go to Trial Over "Pedo" Comments – Futurism

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Court Date

Remember last year, when Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk called a cave diver a pedo guy on Twitter after the diver criticized his plan to rescue a soccer team of Thai boys who were trapped in a cave?

Now the cave diver, Vernon Unsworth, has sued over the comments and a U.S. District Judge in Los Angeles ruled yesterday thatthe case will go to trial, according to Bloomberg.

The jury will have to decide whether Musk was negligent for failing to ensure that his accusation of pedophilia was true.

Its the second time Musk and his legal team have tried unsuccessfully to have Unsworths lawsuit thrown out. A previous attempt by his team argued that seriously pedo guy doesnt mean pedophile.

Musk paid a convicted felon to dig up dirt on Unsworth, according to a bombshell report by BuzzFeed News. Muskeven called Unsworth a child rapist in emails sent to BuzzFeed News at the time.

In a statement to Bloomberg, Musks lawyer Alex Spiro wrote: We look forward to the trial. We understand that, while Musk has apologized, Unsworth would like to milk his 15 minutes of fame.

Meanwhile, Unsworths lawyer told Bloomberg that he believes Musk could easily be found to be guilty of negligence, as the burden of proof is much higher to prove malice.

READ MORE: Elon Musk Headed to Trial in U.K. Cavers Defamation Case [Bloomberg]

More on the controversy: Court Documents: Elon Musk Called Himself a Fucking Idiot

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Doctors Just Livestreamed a Brain Surgery on Facebook – Futurism

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On Tuesday, doctors performed surgery on a womans brain while thousands of people watched on Facebook Live.

Jenna Schardt was the person under the knife and in the spotlight during the livestreamed brain surgery at Methodist Dallas Medical Center. She needed a mass of seizure-causing blood vessels removed from her brain, and when the hospital approached her about streaming the procedure via Facebook Live, she was more than willing.

[Jenna] wanted to show the rest of the community if you have this problem you can fix it, Nimesh Patel, the hospitals chief of neurosurgery, told The Guardian. She was a role model for us, and we supported her because of that.

The stream didnt show any of the bloody bits of the surgery, as that could have violated Facebooks policy against streaming graphic content. But it did show Schardt awake in the middle of the procedure.

Thankfully, that wasnt an accident caused by too little anesthesia the surgeons needed their patient to be awake so they could ensure they didnt disrupt any parts of her brain responsible for speech or movement.

If we go into the wrong spot, that could cost her the ability to speak, so thats why we have to map out the speech areas first before we go on, Bartley Mitchell, Schardts neurosurgeon, told NBC News. We have to physically map them out on the brain while shes awake and talking to us.

The Guardian noted that the 45-minute-long video racked up more than 45,000 views and 1,000 comments by the time it ended and based on some of those comments, Schardts experience did help others, just as she had wanted.

Watching this surgery has given me hope about my future similar left temporal lobe surgery, one viewer commented, according to The Guardian.

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Doctors Just Livestreamed a Brain Surgery on Facebook - Futurism

This Electric Toothbrush Uses AI Because Nothing is Sacred Anymore – Futurism

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Brush AI

These days, it seems like every brand is trying to leverage machine learning to imbue their products with special powers and, most importantly, make an extra buck in the process.

But does your next electric toothbrush really need a dose of AI? Oral-Bssays its new $220 electric toothbrush, called Oral-B GENIUS X with Artificial Intelligence, will leverage data from sensors inside the brush head and Bluetoothto deliver AI-derived brushing tips through an app. The future is now, huh?

The company claims to have learned how to brush teeth real good by deepening our understanding of consumer behavior across 60 countries.

Oral-B has created an algorithm from more than 2,000 brushing sessions to gain exclusive insights into brushing behaviors from around the world, reads an incredulous press release.

If that doesnt sound overbearing enough, its at least a little simpler than having to set up your smartphone to literally watch you brush your teeth every time, like Oral-Bs earlier attempt at leveraging smart tech from 2015.

READ MORE: This Electric Toothbrush Uses AI Because Nothing is Sacred Anymore [The Verge]

More on AI: In This Browser Game, Your Opponents Are Neural Networks

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This Electric Toothbrush Uses AI Because Nothing is Sacred Anymore - Futurism

THE HIGH SEAS: Brunswick looks bounce back and send seniors off on high note – Brunswick News

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Brunswick High takes on Bradwell Institute tonight as the Pirates have senior night for the final home game of the year.

Any loss is tough, but last week was a heart breaker for the Pirates after they lost 24-21 to their arch-rivals Glynn Academy.

However, the regular season can end on a good note with a big win over Bradwell tonight.

Senior quarterback Anthony Mountain had one of his best performances last week, and with it being his final home game as a Pirate, look for him to put on a show as well.

This season, hes 110-of-209 for 1,531 yards, 10 touchdowns, and six interceptions. Mountain can use his legs to make plays as well if he needs to.

His favorite target, Chequerdo Foy leads the way for the Pirates with 35 catches for 529 yards and four touchdowns. He is also a senior for the Pirates that had an impressive game last week.

Xavier Bean is another one of Mountains favorite to throw to. He has 29 catches for 340 yards and three touchdowns.

While the Pirates can make some noise through the air, their rush attack is as dominate.

Brunswicks dynamic duo, Chuckobe Hill and Ree Simmons are two sophomores that have made defenses pay all season. Hill has 136 carries for 881 yards and eight touchdowns. He has four games with over 100 yards and averages 6.5 yards a touch. Hill needs 119 yards to have 1,000 yards on the season, and that could happen against Bradwell.

Simmons has 85 carries for 507 yards and eight touchdowns as well. He averages six yards a carry and 56.3 yards a game.

These two are also big receiving threat for the Pirates as well. Hill has 17 catches for 213 yards and two scores while Simmons has eight catches for 208 yards and two touchdowns as well.

However, if it wasnt for a stacked and rather sizeable offensive line, the Pirates offense might not be what it is now.

Bradwells offense is quite balanced. The Tigers average 186.6 through the air and 161.4 yards on the ground.

Like Brunswick, the Tigers also have a senior quarterback with Dariuse Cooper. He is 83-of-124 for 1,153 yards, 10 touchdowns, and five interceptions. Cooper is also the leading rusher on the team with 60 carries for 505 yards and six touchdowns. He has three games with over 100 yards and averages 8.4 yards a carry.

The Pirates need to be ready for him as he is the Tigers biggest playmaker on the offense.

Corrie Walker is also a force on the ground for Bradwell. He has 28 carries for 194 yards and two scores.

Walker averages 6.9 yards a carry and is Coopers favorite target to throw to as he has 21 catches for 391 yards and three touchdowns.

Brunswicks defense has to continue its success from last week. Despite falling to Glynn, the Pirates defense played well and got a lot of penetration on the Terrors. Now they need to do that against the Tigers.

The game is for third place in Region 2-6A. Kickoff is tonight at Glynn County Stadium at 7:30 p.m. as the seniors will get honored before the game.

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THE HIGH SEAS: Brunswick looks bounce back and send seniors off on high note - Brunswick News

This Cruise Line Sails 5-Star Luxury Hotels On The High Seas. I Had To Find Out More. – Forbes

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When I heard there was a cruise line thats sailing, in essence, a fleet of mobile ultra-luxury hotels, I wanted to know more.

The company, Seabourn Cruise Line, is a small, elite division of Carnival Corporation, and the waySeabourndoes things is intended to delineate itself in nearly every way from the larger and more populist cruise options out there:

Small ships: Seabourns crafts carry 458 to 600 passengers, where the industry norm is several thousand, with some of todays most massive cruise ships carrying as many as 5,000.

An unusually high (nearly 1:1) ratio of crew to passengers.

Ultra-fine dining options, including an actual Thomas Keller restaurant (The Grill), staffed by crew members who have been trained in the ways of Chef Kellers organization, which of course includes his flagship French Laundry on the West Coast and Per Se on the East.

Strikingly well-outfitted (and, of course, spacious) staterooms. Evenstandard staterooms on a Seabourn ship measure 300 square feet, and available accommodations extend to more than 1,000 square feet for some of the premium suites. Beyond size, each room is graced by custom woodwork and other high-end fittings throughout.

Champagne service in a Seabourn Encore stateroom

Understated (but clearly costly) elegance in the construction, outfitting, and maintenance of the vessel: The high-end finishes to be found throughout the ship are reminiscent of the most intimate and luxe land-bound hotels, such as the one-of-a-kind Ritz-Carlton hotel in Kyoto and the stunning EDITION hotel in Barcelona (which was particularly close to mind for me, as it was from there that we set out for our ocean-bound Seabourn adventure).

Unique architectural touches intended to spark new traditions for the cruise lines guests (guest is howSeabourn religiously refers to its passengers): notable here is the central, circular stairwell that most passengers take to and from their staterooms, allowing them to incidentally encounter each other en route; its a sociable bunch who travel with Seabourn, by and large. (Thank you, central staircase, as well, for helping me beat my daily step-count target, even on days that didnt include a shore excursion.)

The centrally located circular staircase, here pictured on the Seabourn Encore

Another architectural element included on each one of the fleets ships thats designed to create a new tradition is Seabourn Square, a commons area for reading newspapers, provided, library-like, on hanging rollers, and the books in the ships library; engaging with the concierges and other passengers; and indulging in small bites and irresistiblegelato, which the culinary crew learned how to make authentically through training from a top proprietor in Rome that, after some cajoling, agreed to share its creamy secrets.

All of which is quite striking in intent and execution. Yet to be considered an ultra-luxury hotel (whether at sea or onshore) means to engage in and uphold essential customer service principles, at least in my estimation and methodology, which Ive developed in the course of my practice as acustomer service consultant, both outside of and within the hospitality industry itself. [Clarification: Even though I use the term 5-star colloquially in this articles title, the Forbes 5-Star standard for hotels, arguably the most meticulously reviewed and enforced grading system in the hospitality industry, has its own proprietary standards, which are not specifically considered below.]

Lets see how, from my subjective viewpoint, Seabourn measures up to the standards of the worlds best purveyors of hospitality and customer service.

The $300 million Seabourn Odyssey, arriving in Sydney Harbour

The power of recognition

The first element that a great customer service experience requires is recognition.Every guest needs to feel that they are seen, welcomed, and, if theyre returning, welcomed back.

Recognition, as restaurateur and master of hospitality Danny Meyer puts it in an interview I included in my book,The Heart of Hospitality,is the number one reason guests cite for wanting to return.

Here, Seabourn excelled, starting even before passengers had boarded the ship. Each of the employees checking in passengers at the Barcelona port terminal was adept at making returning passengers (of which there were many) feel like old friends coming back to grace the ship with their presence. And for us, completely new to Seabourn, the recognition was palpable as well. The crew was clearly aware that this was our first time with them, and they seemed dedicated to making sure we didnt feel like outsiders who had failed to uncover the secret handshake shared by Seabourn veterans.

Once aboard, the power of recognition continued to warm us, including Seabourn employees impeccableuncanny, reallyuse of our names. But recognition went beyond this. It included the crews awareness of us as people, individual people and members of a family, in a way that went well beyond the generic.

Anticipatory Customer Service

Beyond recognition, an exceptional customer experience can only be delivered by an organization that knows how to apply a special spice I callanticipatory customer service.Anticipatory customer service is the element that elevates a merely okay customer experiencewhat I refer to assatisfactorycustomer serviceto a level that builds true customer engagement and, ultimately, customer loyalty. This is the level of customer experience which, if achieved, makes customers excited to come back and willing to spend more money with you on line extensions and upgrades, as well as making them price-insensitive (within reason) and eager to do all they can to act as ambassadors for your brand, spreading the word and singing your praises online and off.

The best definition I can offer for anticipatory customer service comes from the methodology and ethos of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. It meansto serve even the unexpressed needs and wishes of your customers or guests.

Your guests may have failed to express such needs and wishes because...

Your customer doesnt want to be a bother.

Your customer doesnt know enough about the situation to know what they should be asking for.

Your customer isnt aware of the range of what you can offer as a service organization, and therefore has no inkling that such a request might be reasonable.

Your customer simply doesnt have the problem-solving, solution-creating ability that you, the service professionals, can bring to bear on the situation.

You simply beat your customer to it: you took care of what they were hoping for before they even had time to express it in words.

Anticipatory customer service is clearly smack-dab right within the Seabourn wheelhouse (Oh yeah! I got the chance to use the term wheelhouse in an actual nautical context.) Here are just two examples, selected from many.

In passing I had mentioned to a Seabourn employee, when we booked our passage, that our son is an aspiring pianist. Once aboard, we found that the crew had arranged to have one of the ships pianos available for his daily practice, and that the nearby employees were, without us needing to ask, proactive about turning down the music coming out of nearby speakers so he could hear himself play.

Noting our family itinerary, which included one day where I had opted out of the shore excursion and would be remaining aboard, and having pegged me as an incurable worker bee, the crew offered me a day pass to the retreat, a hidden-away poolside adults only area with cabanas and its own service staff, where I could type away in piece. (The adults-only restriction was unneeded, at least on this autumnal cruise; my fifteen-year-old was the youngest guest aboard by a margin of about 18 years. Apparently, other parents are better about observing truancy rules than we are.)

A Conduit for Relationships

One of the realities of providing hospitality (or customer service, the term used in most other industries) is that the most important relationships your guests have arenotgoing to be with you, but rather with their friends and loved-ones. So, a great provider needs to strive to be aconduit for relationships. In the Seabourn context, this was often achieved via their attention to the onboard groupings of passengers at their food venues. Seating areas were designed to allow for flexible configurations that could accommodate, when needed, everyone from a solo traveler or a couple to the many multi-generational groups on board. Although waitstaff were, of course, supremely attentive, they also took care to not interrupt intimate and animated conversations as they were cresting. And they seemed well aware of everyones relationship to each other, a l, Mr. Solomon, your wife and son are in the outdoor seating area; let me take you to their table.

The Prominence of the Human Touch

As a customer service consultant and customer experience designer, its my belief that the human touch is the new luxury, at least in many contexts and for many customers. After a recent period in time when it seemed like tablets were taking over the world, something different has in fact evolved, at least among very luxe service providers: a realization that technology is best kept below eye level or otherwise out of view of the customer.

And this was how it was on Seabourn: plenty of places to plug in your own devices, of course, but no need to use a tablet to order amenities such as room service. (Nor did we have to attempt to manage one of those horrific scrolling-via-remote scenarios on the in-room TV, one of the worst technical developments of our era.)

Nor were employees of Seabourn visibly burdened by electronics themselves. The only time that the crew had to break eye contact with a guest was on occasions when they had to refer to a clipboard sign-up sheet for a shore excursion or when they used a handheld ID card scanner when we were embarking and disembarking the boat.

(For an in-depth look at human vs. technologically deployed customer service, you may enjoy myarticleon how to use my Jetsons Test to make such decisions.)

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This Cruise Line Sails 5-Star Luxury Hotels On The High Seas. I Had To Find Out More. - Forbes

Opinion | Another auto merger across the high seas – Livemint

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Frances PSA Group, the owner of carmaker Peugeot, and its US-Italian rival Fiat Chrysler are in talks for a potential merger. If the talks lead to an eventual deal, it would create a $50-billion behemoth of a car-maker. Reports also suggest that the combined entity would become the fourth largest car-maker in the world, with just Volkswagen, Toyota, and Renault-Nissan ahead of it.

Investors appear to see merit in the two companies merger drive, as it would bring several brandssuch as Alfa Romeo, Citroen, Jeep, Opel, Peugeot and Vauxhallunder one umbrella. Paris-listed Peugeots shares rallied more than 6% to an 11-year high, while those of Fiat Chrysler jumped about 10% in Milan.

The global automobile industry has been in a churn for a while. The world over, car-makers are seeing a deceleration in sales. This coincides with an increasing shift towards electric vehicles, stricter emission norms, and the development of disruptive technologies such as driverless vehicles pioneered by the likes of Tesla. It requires huge resources to keep pace with such rapid changes in the regulatory and technological environment. Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot would hope to leverage each others knowhow and financial heft to better compete against groups that are seen to have vroomed ahead. Yet, the deal could find itself up against a political barrier. The Chinese government has a considerable stake in PSA, and despite the occasional claims to the contrary, there has been no let up in the tariff war between China and the US.

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Opinion | Another auto merger across the high seas - Livemint

What’s Leaving Netflix in November 2019? All the Movies and Shows on Last Call List – Newsweek

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Time is running out for dozens of movies and TV shows available now for streaming on Netflix, and November will bring the removal of many titles from the platform.

The first eight seasons of New York police drama Blue Bloods, starring Tom Selleck as police commissioner Frank Raegan, is set to make its exit from Netflix in November. The series' ninth season wrapped in the spring and never made its way to Netflix. The removal of the show signals the potential decline of CBS programs that will be available on the network as CBS plans to expand their CBS All Access streaming portal.

Blue Bloods isn't the only series getting the boot. All four seasons of The CW's action-thriller Nakita will be leaving Netflix in November along with Continuum, Life Unexpected, The Red Road, Last Tango in Halifax and Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby.

A number of movies will make their departure from the streaming platform, too, from family-friend films like A Dog's Life and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa to horror films likes Scream and The Sixth Sense.

Of course, for every title to leave Netflix, several more will be released on the network. Hundreds of movies and TV series, including plenty of original features, are set to make their debut on Netflix in the new month. Fan-favorite series like The Crown and High Seas are set to return to Netflix, while a few highly anticipated original films like The King and The Irishmen will finally make premiere.

In the meantime, subscribers still have a little bit of time left to binge-watch a few of the titles on Netflix's last call list. See everything leaving Netflix in November below.

November 1

42

300

A Dog's Life

As Good as It Gets

Caddyshack

Caddyshack 2

Chasing Liberty

Gran Torino

Groundhog Day

Little Women

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa

Recess: Taking the Fifth Grade

Road House

Romeo Is Bleeding

Scary Movie 2

Scream

Seal Team Six: The Raid on Osama Bin Laden

Sex and the City: The Movie

Stardust

Stitches

Taking Lives

The American

The Bank Job

The Bishop's Wife

The House Bunny

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

The Sixth Sense

November 2

Last Tango in Halifax, Season 1 through 3

November 3

Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby, Season 1

November 5

Blue Bloods, Season 1 through 8

November 15

Continuum, Season 1 through 4

November 16

Mamma Mia!

November 22

Nikita, Seasons 1 through 4

November 23

The Red Road, Seasons 1 and 2

November 25

Boyhood

November 29

Coco

November 30

Life Unexpected, Season 1 and 2

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What's Leaving Netflix in November 2019? All the Movies and Shows on Last Call List - Newsweek

Highland cadets witness life on the high seas on UK’s newest aircraft carrier – Press and Journal

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A group of cadets got the chance to explore the newest and largest UK aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, over the weekend.

Cadets and staff from 161 (1st Highland) Squadron, 379 (County of Ross) Squadron and 2405 (Dingwall) Squadron of Highland Wing, Royal Air Force Air Cadets had the unique opportunity to board the ship while she was berthed at Cromarty Firth in Invergordon.

HMS Prince of Wales will be commissioned at the end of 2019, and will be handed over to the Royal Navy and fully ready for frontline duties from 2023.

The ship is currently planned to carry up to 40 F-35B Lightning II stealth multi-role fighters piloted by both Navy and Royal Air Force pilots, along with Merlin helicopters for airborne early warning and anti-submarine warfare.

A total of 29 staff and cadets were given a tour of HMS Prince of Wales by Lieutenant Commander Graeme Flint and Lieutenant Martin Wardle, who took them through the numerous decks including the main control room, hangar deck, flight deck and control tower.

Squadron Leader Andy Dobson said: The cadets and staff thoroughly enjoyed the visit gaining such coveted access to the Navys newest ship. It is always possible that one of our young cadets today could be flying off this aircraft carrier in the years to come.

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Highland cadets witness life on the high seas on UK's newest aircraft carrier - Press and Journal