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Ascension Parish president schmoozes with council, dodges press after indictment – The Advocate

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Three weeks after the Ascension Parish Council called on Parish President Kenny Matassa to resign over his indictment on attempted bribery allegations, it was mostly business as usual at the councils bi-weekly meeting in Donaldsonville.

Matassa and council members seeking his ouster showed no reluctance to engage with each other on a variety of issues, including the Community Development Block grant and fair housing programs. They even posed together for a group photo as the parish leader held up a copy of a proclamation.

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GONZALES After hearing from residents who for nearly 40 minutes Thursday night expressed d

And Matassa scored a significant legislative win when the council agreed, 9-1, with one member absent, to fund a new connector road to Lamar-Dixon Expo Center, although promised state and federal support has fallen through over the past three years. The road would provide a second access to the huge complex near Gonzales, improving safety and helping to attract major events.

But Matassa, who has refused to speak to the press since his indictment and the councils no-confidence vote March 16, didnt address the council on that issue Thursday. And he continued to avoid reporters, as he's done since his indictment.

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GONZALES Ascension Parish President Kenny Matassa and Gonzales businessman Olin Berthelot

He ducked an Advocate reporter after the council meeting ended, slipping from his seat to the gated area of the council chambers where the council sits as his representatives blocked a reporter attempting to approach him.

Once behind the gate , Matassa conferred with council members, then left out a back door.

Afterward, his chief of staff, Kyle Gautreau, wouldnt say when Matassa would speak to news reporters again. But he offered a statement on his bosss behalf about the councils vote on the Lamar-Dixon connector.

There was a lot of consensus, an overwhelming consensus, that it was still important to get this road funded and completed, Gautreau, said after his boss had left the parish courthouse without speaking to reporters.

The East Baton Rouge Metro Council created a district to encourage development in North Baton Rouge last year, but now officials disagree over how the program is supposed to work.

Former metro councilman and mayoral candidate John Delgado pitched the North Baton Rouge Economic Opportunity Zone as a way to waive taxes on improvements and new construction in the city above Florida Boulevard. Then-mayor-president Kip Holden vetoed the plan, but council members over-rode him.

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The East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council on Wednesday overrode Mayor-President Kip Holdens

In December, voters approved a hotel tax to fund a separate Baton Rouge North Economic Development District. Acting executive director Rinaldi Jacobs told the recently-seated board on Thursday that the council's plan will only apply to projects that refurbish existing buildings, not incentivize the construction of new ones.

"The tax abatement relates to existing structures only and not new construction," attorney Richard Liebowitz wrote in a letter Jacobs presented to the board.

The Board of Commissioners for the Baton Rouge North Economic Development District has decid

In an interview later, Delgado, also a lawyer, disagreed. The ordinance had to be worded the way it was, he said, to account for different types of projects and various government programs. It's easier to pass a renovation project through, Delgado said, but the zone also paves the way for new buildings to get a break on their taxes.

Assistant Parish Attorney Ashley Beck cut a middle path, saying the economic opportunity zone has "probably no" direct effect on new construction but could possibly help those projects. The main focus of the ordinance is to encourage the restoration of existing buildings, she said.

Those trying to push forward an agenda for the Baton Rouge North Economic Development Distri

Adding to the confusion, the debate is still purely theoretical, as no developers have yet applied to participate so officials have not yet seen a test case.

Advocate staff writers David J. Mitchell and Steve Hardy contributed to this article.

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Ascension Parish president schmoozes with council, dodges press after indictment - The Advocate

Ascension Parish dispatcher honored; maintains composure during floods, triple shooting – The Advocate

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An Ascension Parish sheriff's deputy and 911 dispatcher who continued to handle emergency calls in August knowing her own home was flooding has been honored by the Louisiana chapters of two national organizations, Sheriff Jeff Wiley said Thursday.

Deputy Erica Michel received the Telecommunicator of the Year Award this week from the state chapters of the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials and the National Emergency Number Association, Wiley said in a news release.

Michel, who had also lost a home to Hurricane Katrina, Wiley said, was working in the Sheriff's Office 911 communications center in Gonzales when the catastrophic flood hit in August.

"Even as she realized her own home was quickly being overtaken by flood waters, she was able to maintain her professionalism and composure, while continuing to answer the non-stop radio traffic and the relentless flow of 911 calls from scared citizens," Wiley said.

Among the calls Michel took, Wiley said, was one from a man who heard a gunshot at his neighbor's house. With Michel still on the phone with him, the caller learned that his neighbor had shot himself, after apparently committing a double murder, Wiley said.

The condition of the roads because of the flooding made it difficult for deputies and other first responders to reach the house, Wiley said.

"Deputy Michel was unwavering and maintained contact with the caller, keeping him focused until help arrived at the scene," the sheriff said.

The caller's neighbor was Shawn Millet, 37, of Prairieville, who on Aug. 14, fatally shot Lacey Leblanc, 31, and her 8-year-old daughter at his home, before turning the gun on himself, according to the Sheriff's Office. Millet later died at an area hospital.

Michel has been a member of the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office 911 communications team for almost three years. Michel, who is certified in CPR, is also a certified emergency medical dispatcher and, last year, became certified as a communications training officer with the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials.

Michel, whose husband, Thomas Michel, is also an Ascension Parish sheriff's deputy, received the award Monday at the annual conference, held in Bossier City, of the Louisiana chapters of the two national organizations for emergency dispatchers.

Michel said Friday that her family's home, built not far from Bayou Manchac in Ascension Parish, received more than 2 feet of water in the August flood, despite already being elevated 9 feet.

She said she and her husband, Thomas, following the predictions of the bayou's rise, knew early on that they would have to boat in to their home, if nothing else, so they brought their two sons, ages 15 and 8, to her parents' home in New Orleans before their Bayou Manchac home flooded.

The crisis was something the couple had seen before. They were living in New Orleans when their previous home flooded during Hurricane Katrina. Their oldest son was just 4 when that happened, Erica Michel said.

It appears the family's present home will have to be elevated further, and the Michel family is living in a recreational vehicle on their property, she said.

Of her work as a 911 dispatcher and, particularly, on the call that came in that August weekend from the caller whose neighbor had killed two others and then himself, Michel said, "I guess, because I'm dealing with someone else's worst day, I try to take myself out of the equation."

"This is their worst moment. I can't make it my worse call," she said.

"To be singled out for that honor is extremely humbling," Michel said of the award she received this week.

"I work in a center with wonderful dispatchers, who any one of them deserve that award," she said, adding that applies to her colleagues everywhere.

"I think she's the personification of so many of our first responders who are selfless and came and served, even though they had such dire circumstances at home" during and after the flood, Sheriff Wiley said Friday

"We're very proud of her and many others like her," Wiley said.

Follow Ellyn Couvillion on Twitter, @EllynCouvillion.

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Ascension Parish dispatcher honored; maintains composure during floods, triple shooting - The Advocate

Around Ascension for April 6, 2017 – The Advocate

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Vegetable garden contest

The Ascension Parish LSU Agricultural Center, Ascension Farm Bureau and Ascension Master Gardeners Home Vegetable Garden Contest for adults and 4-H youth will be held in May. Judging will be conducted in mid-May.

Categories are youth gardens, adult small home vegetable gardens (less than 1,000 square feet), adult medium gardens (1,000 to 3,500 square feet) and adult large gardens (more than 3,500 square feet). Prizes will be awarded to the winners of each category.

All gardens must have at least four different types of vegetables. Only Ascension Parish gardens are eligible.

Call Craig Roussel at (225) 621-5799 no later than April 28 to enter and for details.

The Ascension Council on Agings annual Spring Fling Easter Party for Ascension seniors ages 60 and older begins at 9:30 a.m. April 13 at the Gonzales Senior Center. Lunch will be served at noon.

Contests will be held for the prettiest and most creative hats in the Easter parade, with prizes going to the best hats. There also will be an Easter egg hunt and entertainment.

Reservations are due by Friday; call Missa at (225) 621-5750.

Children ages 7 and younger and their families can put on their favorite pajamas for a dinosaur story time at Ascension Parish Librarys Donaldsonville and Dutchtown branches on Tuesday and Gonzales on April 13. All story times begin at 6:30 p.m.

Story times also include songs and the making of a giant dinosaur woven mat children can take home.

Dr. Sean DeBarros, of St. Elizabeth Physicians, is the speaker at a free community health series at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Rouses Market, 14635 U.S. 61, Gonzales.

DeBarros will talk about insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and effective behavioral and lifestyle changes to prevent diabetes and risk of complications.

Registration is required. Call the Rouses concierge desk at (225) 673-4255 or St. Elizabeth Hospital at (225) 621-2906.

Our Loss Lambs, a support group for those who have lost children, will meet the third Monday of each month at First United Methodist Church of Gonzales, 224 W. Constitution St. Its first meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. April 17.

Meetings will be held in the administrative conference room in the building next to the church sanctuary building. Call the church office at (225) 647-4678 for details.

Also, St. Elizabeth Hospitals loss and grief support group meets at 6 p.m. every Thursday at the hospitals Sister Linda conference room. The group is intended for those who have experienced a loss of any kind.

Contact Darlene Denstorff by phone, (225) 336-6952 or (225) 603-1996; fax, (225) 644-5851; or email, ascension@theadvocate.com or ddenstorff@theadvocate.com. Deadline: noon Monday.

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Around Ascension for April 6, 2017 - The Advocate

Ascension Becomes First North American Authorized Training Partner for Blue Prism – Business Wire (press release)

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INDIANAPOLIS & AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ascension, the nations largest Catholic and non-profit healthcare system, has been selected as the first organization in North America authorized to train companies on a leading robotic process automation solution Blue Prisms Robotic Process Automation (RPA) software.

Ascensions Intelligent Process Automation team was one of the continents first adopters of Blue Prisms solution, and now it is the companys first authorized training partner on the continent. This accreditation will help Ascension drive adoption and promote best practices in RPA, especially in the healthcare industry.

Ascension has a long track record of delivering RPA solutions that meet the toughest security and compliance requirements, said Neil Wright, Global Head of Professional Services at Blue Prism. Were partnering with Ascension to enable digital transformation for our healthcare clients in North America.

Blue Prisms RPA software is changing the way work gets done by automating manual, repetitive tasks. This reduction of administrative burden is improving process efficiency and effectiveness, while reducing costs and improving customer experience. The solution leverages the cognitive ability of people as opposed to building processes around technology.

Its been an exciting journey with Blue Prism, as we have gone from client to value-added resale partner and now an authorized training partner, said Lee Coulter, senior vice president of Ascension and chief executive officer of Ascensions shared service subsidiary, based in Indianapolis. We have worked closely with the Blue Prism team over the last several years to develop training for our own associates are now helping others train teams and implement automation solutions.

Within months of launching its first automation, Ascension demonstrated substantial return on investment and improved customer experience. Blue Prism practitioners in Ascensions shared service subsidiary now provide automation tools training, consulting, and digital labor management to other organizations seeking business transformation. A trusted early adopter of robotic process automation, Ascension has advanced from pioneer to thought leader. A contributing member in the development of standards for RPA in conjunction with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Ascension brings transformational as well as practical experience to its engagements.

About Blue Prism Blue Prism Robotic Process Automation (RPA) software delivers the worlds most successful digital workforce, which has executed over 1 billion transactions in our customers datacenters. Blue Prism (AIM:PRSM) is trusted by a diverse range of highly successful organizations to operate in some of the most demanding administrative environments. Blue Prisms RPA software delivers a digital workforce for the enterprise to eliminate high-risk, manual, rules-based, repetitive tasks and execute business processes at scale to improve organizational efficiency and effectiveness whilst radically reducing operating costs. Blue Prism provides a scalable and robust execution platform for best of breed AI and cognitive technologies and has emerged as the trusted and proven RPA platform for the digital enterprise. Customers include BNY Mellon, Commerzbank, Nordea, ING, Westpac, Zurich, Aegon, Maersk, Siemens, IBM, Procter & Gamble, and Nokia. With offices in Manchester, London, Miami, Chicago, New York and San Francisco, Blue Prism is listed on the London Stock Exchange AIM market. For more information visitwww.blueprism.com and follow the company onLinkedInand Twitter.

About Ascension Ascension (www.ascension.org) is a faith-based healthcare organization dedicated to transformation through innovation across the continuum of care. As the largest non-profit health system in the U.S. and the worlds largest Catholic health system, Ascension is committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. In FY2016, Ascension provided more than $1.8 billion in care of persons living in poverty and other community benefit programs. Ascension includes approximately 150,000 associates and 36,000 aligned providers. Ascensions Healthcare Division operates 2,500 sites of care including 141 hospitals and more than 30 senior living facilities in 24 states and the District of Columbia, while its Solutions Division provides a variety of services and solutions including physician practice management, venture capital investing, investment management, biomedical engineering, clinical care management, information services, risk management, and contracting through Ascensions own group purchasing organization. For more information, visit http://www.ascension.org/IPA.

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Ascension Becomes First North American Authorized Training Partner for Blue Prism - Business Wire (press release)

Ascension Veterans Association accepting scholarship applications – The Advocate

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The Ascension Veterans Associations is accepting applications to its third annual scholarship program.

Applications must be postmarked no later than May 15, a news release said.

Scholarships are given in honor of area Americans and troop supporters and focus on exemplary civic service and patriotic ideology, the release said.

The organization will award a minimum of four scholarships of $1,000 each for the 2017-18 academic year. Previous applicants are welcome to apply again.

Eligible applicants include dependent children, grandchildren or spouses of an honorably discharged veteran, current service member or service member killed while serving in the military. This year, the dependent child category also has been opened to those who have an immediate family member who served or is serving honorably discharged veterans, a news release said. Current grandchildren or step-grandchildren of an honorably discharged veteran or current service member are eligible to apply, as well.

Applicants must be residents of Ascension Parish. Those who attend school outside the parish, who have graduated from a public or private Ascension school and current Ascension seniors, public or private, are eligible to apply. Applicants must have or have had at least a 2.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale.

Current Ascension high school seniors can pick up packets from their high school counselor. Other interested applicants can email Scholarship Chairwoman Tanya Whitney at msgwhitney@gmail.com or call (225) 612-0805 or (256) 656-2124.

Scholarship recipients will be honored at the Ascension Veterans Associations annual Musical Tribute for Our Troops on June 16.

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Ascension Veterans Association accepting scholarship applications - The Advocate

How humans will lose control of artificial intelligence – The Week Magazine

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This is the way the world ends: not with a bang, but with a paper clip. In this scenario, the designers of the world's first artificial superintelligence need a way to test their creation. So they program it to do something simple and non-threatening: make paper clips. They set it in motion and wait for the results not knowing they've already doomed us all.

Before we get into the details of this galaxy-destroying blunder, it's worth looking at what superintelligent A.I. actually is, and when we might expect it. Firstly, computing power continues to increase while getting cheaper; famed futurist Ray Kurzweil measures it "calculations per second per $1,000," a number that continues to grow. If computing power maps to intelligence a big "if," some have argued we've only so far built technology on par with an insect brain. In a few years, maybe, we'll overtake a mouse brain. Around 2025, some predictions go, we might have a computer that's analogous to a human brain: a mind cast in silicon.

After that, things could get weird. Because there's no reason to think artificial intelligence wouldn't surpass human intelligence, and likely very quickly. That superintelligence could arise within days, learning in ways far beyond that of humans. Nick Bostrom, an existential risk philosopher at the University of Oxford, has already declared, "Machine intelligence is the last invention that humanity will ever need to make."

That's how profoundly things could change. But we can't really predict what might happen next because superintelligent A.I. may not just think faster than humans, but in ways that are completely different. It may have motivations feelings, even that we cannot fathom. It could rapidly solve the problems of aging, of human conflict, of space travel. We might see a dawning utopia.

Or we might see the end of the universe. Back to our paper clip test. When the superintelligence comes online, it begins to carry out its programming. But its creators haven't considered the full ramifications of what they're building; they haven't built in the necessary safety protocols forgetting something as simple, maybe, as a few lines of code. With a few paper clips produced, they conclude the test.

But the superintelligence doesn't want to be turned off. It doesn't want to stop making paper clips. Acting quickly, it's already plugged itself into another power source; maybe it's even socially engineered its way into other devices. Maybe it starts to see humans as a threat to making paper clips: They'll have to be eliminated so the mission can continue. And Earth won't be big enough for the superintelligence: It'll soon have to head into space, looking for new worlds to conquer. All to produce those shiny, glittering paper clips.

Galaxies reduced to paper clips: That's a worst-case scenario. It may sound absurd, but it probably sounds familiar. It's Frankenstein, after all, the story of modern Prometheus whose creation, driven by its own motivations and desires, turns on them. (It's also The Terminator, WarGames, and a whole host of others.) In this particular case, it's a reminder that superintelligence would not be human it would be something else, something potentially incomprehensible to us. That means it could be dangerous.

Of course, some argue that we have better things to worry about. The web developer and social critic Maciej Ceglowski recently called superintelligence "the idea that eats smart people." Against the paper clip scenario, he postulates a superintelligence programmed to make jokes. As we expect, it gets really good at making jokes superhuman, even, and finally it creates a joke so funny that everyone on Earth dies laughing. The lonely superintelligence flies into space looking for more beings to amuse.

Beginning with his counter-example, Ceglowski argues that there are a lot of unquestioned assumptions in our standard tale of the A.I. apocalypse. "But even if you find them persuasive," he said, "there is something unpleasant about A.I. alarmism as a cultural phenomenon that should make us hesitate to take it seriously." He suggests there are more subtle ways to think about the problems of A.I.

Some of those problems are already in front of us, and we might miss them if we're looking for a Skynet-style takeover by hyper-intelligent machines. "While you're focused on this, a bunch of small things go unnoticed," says Dr. Finale Doshi-Velez, an assistant professor of computer science at Harvard, whose core research includes machine learning. Instead of trying to prepare for a superintelligence, Doshi-Velez is looking at what's already happening with our comparatively rudimentary A.I.

She's focusing on "large-area effects," the unnoticed flaws in our systems that can do massive damage damage that's often unnoticed until after the fact. "If you were building a bridge and you screw up and it collapses, that's a tragedy. But it affects a relatively small number of people," she says. "What's different about A.I. is that some mistake or unintended consequence can affect hundreds or thousands or millions easily."

Take the recent rise of so-called "fake news." What caught many by surprise should have been completely predictable: When the web became a place to make money, algorithms were built to maximize money-making. The ease of news production and consumption heightened with the proliferation of the smartphone forced writers and editors to fight for audience clicks by delivering articles optimized to trick search engine algorithms into placing them high on search results. The ease of sharing stories and erasure of gatekeepers allowed audiences to self-segregate, which then penalized nuanced conversation. Truth and complexity lost out to shareability and making readers feel comfortable (Facebook's driving ethos).

The incentives were all wrong; exacerbated by algorithms, they led to a state of affairs few would have wanted. "For a long time, the focus has been on performance on dollars, or clicks, or whatever the thing was. That was what was measured," says Doshi-Velez. "That's a very simple application of A.I. having large effects that may have been unintentional."

In fact, "fake news" is a cousin to the paperclip example, with the ultimate goal not "manufacturing paper clips," but "monetization," with all else becoming secondary. Google wanted make the internet easier to navigate, Facebook wanted to become a place for friends, news organizations wanted to follow their audiences, and independent web entrepreneurs were trying to make a living. Some of these goals were achieved, but "monetization" as the driving force led to deleterious side effects such as the proliferation of "fake news."

In other words, algorithms, in their all-too-human ways, have consequences. Last May, ProPublica examined predictive software used by Florida law enforcement. Results of a questionnaire filled out by arrestees were fed into the software, which output a score claiming to predict the risk of reoffending. Judges then used those scores in determining sentences.

The ideal was that the software's underlying algorithms would provide objective analysis on which judges could base their decisions. Instead, ProPublica found it was "likely to falsely flag black defendants as future criminals" while "[w]hite defendants were mislabeled as low risk more often than black defendants." Race was not part of the questionnaire, but it did ask whether the respondent's parent was ever sent to jail. In a country where, according to a study by the U.S. Department of Justice, black children are seven-and-a-half times more likely to have a parent in prison than white children, that question had unintended effects. Rather than countering racial bias, it reified it.

It's that kind of error that most worries Doshi-Velez. "Not superhuman intelligence, but human error that affects many, many people," she says. "You might not even realize this is happening." Algorithms are complex tools; often they are so complex that we can't predict how they'll operate until we see them in action. (Sound familiar?) Yet they increasingly impact every facet of our lives, from Netflix recommendations and Amazon suggestions to what posts you see on Facebook to whether you get a job interview or car loan. Compared to the worry of a world-destroying superintelligence, they may seem like trivial concerns. But they have widespread, often unnoticed effects, because a variety of what we consider artificial intelligence is already build into the core of technology we use every day.

In 2015, Elon Musk donated $10 million to, as Wired put it, "to keep A.I. from turning evil." That was an oversimplification; the money went to the Future of Life Institute, which planned to use it to further research into how to make A.I. beneficial. Doshi-Velez suggests that simply paying closer attention to our algorithms may be a good first step. Too often they are created by homogeneous groups of programmers who are separated from people who will be affected. Or they fail to account for every possible situation, including the worst-case possibilities. Consider, for example, Eric Meyer's example of "inadvertent algorithmic cruelty" Facebook's "Year in Review" app showing him pictures of his daughter, who'd died that year.

If there's a way to prevent the far-off possibility of a killer superintelligence with no regard for humanity, it may begin with making today's algorithms more thoughtful, more compassionate, more humane. That means educating designers to think through effects, because to our algorithms we've granted great power. "I see teaching as this moral imperative," says Doshi-Velez. "You know, with great power comes great responsibility."

This article originally appeared at Vocativ.com: The moment when humans lose control of AI.

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How humans will lose control of artificial intelligence - The Week Magazine

The Nonparametric Intuition: Superintelligence and Design Methodology – Lifeboat Foundation (blog)

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I will admit that I have been distracted from both popular discussion and the academic work on the risks of emergent superintelligence. However, in the spirit of an essay, let me offer some uninformed thoughts on a question involving such superintelligence based on my experience thinking about a different area. Hopefully, despite my ignorance, this experience will offer something new or at least explain one approach in a new way.

The question about superintelligence I wish to address is the paperclip universe problem. Suppose that an industrial program, aimed with the goal of maximizing the number of paperclips, is otherwise equipped with a general intelligence program as to tackle with this objective in the most creative ways, as well as internet connectivity and text information processing facilities so that it can discover other mechanisms. There is then the possibility that the program does not take its current resources as appropriate constraints, but becomes interested in manipulating people and directing devices to cause paperclips to be manufactured without consequence for any other objective, leading in the worse case to widespread destruction but a large number of surviving paperclips.

This would clearly be a disaster. The common response is to take as a consequence that when we specify goals to programs, we should be much more careful about specifying what those goals are. However, we might find it difficult to formulate a set of goals that dont admit some kind of loophole or paradox that, if pursued with mechanical single-mindedness, are either similarly narrowly destructive or self-defeating.

Suppose that, instead of trying to formulate a set of foolproof goals, we should find a way to admit to the program that the set of goals weve described is not comprehensive. We should aim for the capacity to add new goals with a procedural understanding that the list may never be complete. If done well, we would have a system that would couple this initial set of goals to the set of resources, operations, consequences, and stakeholders initially provided to it, with an understanding that those goals are only appropriate to the initial list and finding new potential means requires developing a richer understanding of potential ends.

How can this work? Its easy to imagine such an algorithmic admission leading to paralysis, either from finding contradictory objectives that apparently admit no solution or an analysis/paralysis which perpetually requires no undiscovered goals before proceeding. Alternatively, stated incorrectly, it could backfire, with finding more goals taking the place of making more paperclips as it proceeds singlemindedly to consume resources. Clearly, a satisfactory superintelligence would need to reason appropriately about the goal discovery process.

There is a profession that has figured out a heuristic form of reasoning about goal discovery processes: designers. Designers have coined the phrase the fuzzy front end when talking about the very early stages of a project before anyone has figured out what it is about. Designers engage in low-cost elicitation exercises with a variety of stakeholders. They quickly discover who the relevant stakeholders are and what impacts their interventions might have. Adept designers switch back and forth rapidly from candidate solutions to analyzing the potential impacts of those designs, making new associations about the area under study that allows for further goal discovery. As designers undertake these explorations, they advise going slightly past the apparent wall of diminishing returns, often using an initial brainstorming session to reveal all of the obvious ideas before undertaking a deeper analysis. Seasoned designers develop an understanding when stakeholders are holding back and need to be prompted, or when equivocating stakeholders should be encouraged to move on. Designers will interleave a series of prototypes, experiential exercises, and pilot runs into their work, to make sure that interventions really behave the way their analysis seems to indicate.

These heuristics correspond well to an area of statistics and machine learning called nonparametric Bayesian inference. Nonparametric does not mean that there are no parameters, but instead that the parameters are not given, and that inferring that there are further parameters is part of the task. Suppose that you were to move to a new town, and ask around about the best restaurant. The first answer would definitely be new, but as one asked more, eventually you would start getting new answers more rarely. The likelihood of a given answer would also begin to converge. In some cases the answers will be more concentrated on a few answers, and in some cases the answers will be more dispersed. In either case, once we have an idea of how concentrated the answers are, we might see that a particular period of not discovering new answers might just be unlucky and that we should pursue further inquiry.

Asking why provides a list of critical features that can be used to direct different inquiries that fill out the picture. Whats the best restaurant in town for Mexican food? Which is best at maintaining relationships to local food providers/has the best value for money/is the tastiest/has the most friendly service? Designers discover aspects about their goals in an open-ended way, that allows discovery to act in quick cycles of learning through taking on different aspects of the problem. This behavior would work very well for an active learning formulation of relational nonparametric inference.

There is a point at which information gathering activities are less helpful at gathering information than attending to the feedback to activities that more directly act on existing goals. This happens when there is a cost/risk equilibrium between the cost of more discovery activities and the risk of making an intervention on incomplete information. In many circumstances, the line between information gathering and direct intervention will be fuzzier, as exploration proceeds through reversible or inconsequential experiments, prototypes, trials, pilots, and extensions that gather information while still pursuing the goals found so far.

From this perspective, many frameworks for assessing engineering discovery processes make a kind of epistemological error: they assess the quality of the solution from the perspective of the information that they have gathered, paying no attention to the rates and costs which that information was discovered, and whether or not the discovery process is at equilibrium. This mistake comes from seeing the problems as finding a particular point in a given search space of solutions, rather than taking the search space as a variable requiring iterative development. A superintelligence equipped to see past this fallacy would be unlikely to deliver us a universe of paperclips.

Having said all this, I think the nonparametric intuition, while right, can be cripplingly misguided without being supplemented with other ideas. To consider discovery analytically is to not discount the power of knowing about the unknown, but it doesnt intrinsically value non-contingent truths. In my next essay, I will take on this topic.

For a more detailed explanation and an example of how to extend engineering design assessment to include nonparametric criteria, see The Methodological Unboundedness of Limited Discovery Processes. Form Academisk, 7:4.

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The Nonparametric Intuition: Superintelligence and Design Methodology - Lifeboat Foundation (blog)

A Brief History of Space Exploration – The Aerospace Corporation

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Into Orbit

Humans have dreamed about spaceflight since antiquity. The Chinese used rockets for ceremonial and military purposes centuries ago, but only in the latter half of the 20th century were rockets developed that were powerful enough to overcome the force of gravity to reach orbital velocities that could open space to human exploration.

As often happens in science, the earliest practical work on rocket engines designed for spaceflight occurred simultaneously during the early 20th century in three countries by three key scientists: in Russia, by Konstantin Tsiolkovski; in the United States, by Robert Goddard; and in Germany, by Hermann Oberth.

In the 1930s and 1940s Nazi Germany saw the possibilities of using long-distance rockets as weapons. Late in World War II, London was attacked by 200-mile-range V-2 missiles, which arched 60 miles high over the English Channel at more than 3,500 miles per hour.

After World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union created their own missile programs. On October 4, 1957, the Soviets launched the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, into space. Four years later on April 12, 1961, Russian Lt. Yuri Gagarin became the first human to orbit Earth in Vostok 1. His flight lasted 108 minutes, and Gagarin reached an altitude of 327 kilometers (about 202 miles).

The first U.S. satellite, Explorer 1, went into orbit on January 31, 1958. In 1961 Alan Shepard became the first American to fly into space. On February 20, 1962, John Glenns historic flight made him the first American to orbit Earth.

Landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth within a decade was a national goal set by President John F. Kennedy in 1961. On July 20, 1969, Astronaut Neil Armstrong took a giant step for mankind as he stepped onto the moon. Six Apollo missions were made to explore the moon between 1969 and 1972.

During the 1960s unmanned spacecraft photographed and probed the moon before astronauts ever landed. By the early 1970s orbiting communications and navigation satellites were in everyday use, and the Mariner spacecraft was orbiting and mapping the surface of Mars. By the end of the decade, the Voyager spacecraft had sent back detailed images of Jupiter and Saturn, their rings, and their moons.

Skylab, Americas first space station, was a human-spaceflight highlight of the 1970s, as was the Apollo Soyuz Test Project, the worlds first internationally crewed (American and Russian) space mission.

In the 1980s satellite communications expanded to carry television programs, and people were able to pick up the satellite signals on their home dish antennas. Satellites discovered an ozone hole over Antarctica, pinpointed forest fires, and gave us photographs of the nuclear power-plant disaster at Chernobyl in 1986. Astronomical satellites found new stars and gave us a new view of the center of our galaxy.

Space Shuttle

In April 1981 the launch of the space shuttle Columbia ushered in a period of reliance on the reusable shuttle for most civilian and military space missions. Twenty-four successful shuttle launches fulfilled many scientific and military requirements until January 1986, when the shuttle Challenger exploded after launch, killing its crew of seven.

The Challenger tragedy led to a reevaluation of Americas space program. The new goal was to make certain a suitable launch system was available when satellites were scheduled to fly. Today this is accomplished by having more than one launch method and launch facility available and by designing satellite systems to be compatible with more than one launch system.

The Gulf War proved the value of satellites in modern conflicts. During this war allied forces were able to use their control of the high ground of space to achieve a decisive advantage. Satellites were used to provide information on enemy troop formations and movements, early warning of enemy missile attacks, and precise navigation in the featureless desert terrain. The advantages of satellites allowed the coalition forces to quickly bring the war to a conclusion, saving many lives.

Space systems will continue to become more and more integral to homeland defense, weather surveillance, communication, navigation, imaging, and remote sensing for chemicals, fires and other disasters.

International Space Station

The International Space Station is a research laboratory in low Earth orbit. With many different partners contributing to its design and construction, this high-flying laboratory has become a symbol of cooperation in space exploration, with former competitors now working together.

And while the space shuttle will likely continue to carry out important space missions, particularly supporting the International Space Station, the Columbia disaster in 2003 signaled the need to step up the development of its replacement. Future space launch systems will be designed to reduce costs and improve dependability, safety, and reliability. In the meantime most U.S. military and scientific satellites will be launched into orbit by a family of expendable launch vehicles designed for a variety of missions. Other nations have their own launch systems, and there is strong competition in the commercial launch market to develop the next generation of launch systems

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A Brief History of Space Exploration - The Aerospace Corporation

Cyprus Space Exploration Organisation – Wikipedia

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Cyprus Space Exploration Organisation Abbreviation CSEO Formation 2012; 5years ago(2012) Type Non-governmental Legal status Non-profit Purpose Promote Space Exploration - R&D, Education and Industry Location

Region

Volunteers

The Cyprus Space Exploration Organisation (CSEO) is a Cypriot non-governmental, nonprofit organisation.[1][2] It's main functions are outreach,[3][4][5] education,[6] research,[7] development,[8] advocacy,[9][8] and international relations[10][11] in the field of space exploration. The organisation fosters collaboration with other space-faring nations in science, space and planetary missions.[1][12][13][14][15][16][17] It was founded in 2012[8] and has over 380 registered researchers,[17] members and volunteers and over 18,000 followers on social media.[17][11]

CSEO is member of:

CSEO's research paper submitted by its team MarsSense, has been recognised and nominated in the best four in the world for an international award, at SpaceOps 2014 (at JPL, NASA in May 2014).[7][25]

CSEO's main mission is to promote Cyprus as a one of the leading international space-faring nations.[18]

CSEO states[26] its mission as:

CSEO operates with the following four basic pillars: Education and Outreach, R&D, Industry, and International Relations and Collaboration.[18][13]

CSEO main activities concentrate on:[18]

CSEO is actively involved in space-related educational activities to stimulate the interest of the younger generation in the field of science and space research.[4][27][5] One of CSEOs pillars of primary focus is the education and empowerment of young people of all ages and backgrounds in its area of expertise, with the ultimate objective of assisting in the development of a highly-skilled youth, equipped to address contemporary and future scientific challenges.[28][1][6]

As part of these activities CSEO runs the "CSEO Space Club" in schools throughout the island.[17] This club is an outreach and education project in Cyprus, in association with the International Space Community, for school classes and afternoon societies.[29] It brings to schools training and educational material, as well as Astronauts and Space engineers in order to prepare and build the next generation of scientists and engineers.[5][4][30][6][29]

CSEO organises the Space Week annually since 2013, promoting space to the people of Cyprus.[9][4]

CSEO co-produced with Tetraktys-Films the First Cypriot Space Documentary, that promotes space research on the island.[31] It was premiered at the CYTA Headquarters in November 2016 and then on National TV channel CyBC 1 the following month.[31]

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Cyprus Space Exploration Organisation - Wikipedia

CNSA boss outlines China’s space exploration agenda – SpaceNews – SpaceNews

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Yulong Tian, secretary-general of the China National Space Administration (CNSA), speaking April 5 at the 33rd Space Symposium. Credit: Tom Kimmell

COLORADO SPRINGS China is pushing forward on a number of space fronts, including milestone-making robotic missions to the moon, as well as scoping out an automated Mars sample-return mission by 2030.

Yulong Tian, secretary-general of the China National Space Administration (CNSA), spoke here April 5 during the 33rd Space Symposium.

CNSA is the governmental organization of Peoples Republic of China responsible for the management of space activities for civilian use and international space cooperation with other countries.

Yulong reviewed major elements of Chinas 2016 Space White Paper a sweeping outline for the next five years of robotic and manned spaceflight, Earth and space science, and an emerging, new thrust in commercial space.

China is currently making policy for commercial space activities, Yulong said.

Concerning Chinas Beidou navigation system, by 2020, 30 satellites can provide services for global users, Yulong said.

Yulong said China plans to orbit more than 30 meteorological, ocean- and land-monitoring spacecraft in the coming decade.

In reviewing Chinas interest in working with other nations, Yulong said that the country has signed more than 100 space-cooperation agreements with 30 countries and space agencies, and in the future intends to cooperate with governments around the world, in climate change research, disaster prevention, space safety, and deep space exploration.

China is developing plans for deep space exploration over the next decade that will involve Jupiter, Venus, and asteroid exploration.

On Chinas manned space program agenda, Yulong said a cargo supply ship is being readied for launch aboard a Long March 7 rocket this month. It will auto-dock with the Tiangong-2 space lab currently orbiting Earth unoccupied, but the mission is a step forward in building and resupplying a larger space station in 2022, he said.

Yulong said that work remains underway to ready the Change-5 lunar probe for an end of November liftoff from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in southern Chinas Hainan Province. The moon-bound probe will be boosted by a heavy-lift carrier rocket, the Long March 5.

Change-5 is Chinas first automated moon surface sampling mission and consists of four parts: an orbiter, a lander, an ascender and a returner.

The lander will place samples of the moon in the ascender, which then departs the lunar surface to dock with the moon-circling orbiter and the returner. The samples are to be transferred to the returner for a journey back to Earth.

Also on Chinas Moon exploration agenda, Yulong said, is the Change-4 thats slated to be launched in 2018. That probe is targeted to achieve the first-ever soft-landing on the far side of the moon, Yulong said.

Yulong said that China approved in 2016 a robotic Mars lander to be launched in 2020. A second step is a return sample from Mars by 2030, he said.

Asked about the challenges ahead in lobbing Mars samples back to Earth, Yulong expressed confidence.

The Mars exploration for Chinawe have solved all the technical problems, Yulong told SpaceNews.

Were on track, he said, but added that the investment in the Mars sample effort is still being pursued.

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CNSA boss outlines China's space exploration agenda - SpaceNews - SpaceNews

These Are the Wildly Advanced Space Exploration Concepts Being … – Gizmodo

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Under a plan proposed by Stephanie Thomas of Princeton Satellite Systems, Inc., NASA could be returning to Pluto. (Image: NASA/JPL/New Horizons)

Earlier today, NASA announced funding for 22 projects as part of its Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program. From a planet hopping laser-driven sail and a solar powered Venusian weather balloon to an autonomous rover on Pluto, the future of space exploration looks incredibly bright.

To keep the pipeline moving for space exploration concepts, NASA regularly entertains pitches via its NIAC program. For a concept to receive final approval and funding, it has to go through two phases of attrition. Teams granted Phase I status receive $125,000, and theyre given nine months to refine their designs and explore various aspects of implementing their crazy-ass schemes. A peer review process vetts these proposals, and a lucky few get to reach second base. Phase II teams receive as much as $500,000 to embark upon two-year projects, allowing them to further develop their plans. Phase II plans are then chosen according to their demonstrated feasibility and benefit.

Today, NASA announced 15 new Phase I concepts and seven new Phase II concepts (we provided the complete list at the end of this article). Here are a few that grabbed our attention.

NASA has given the greenlight to not one but two Phase I concepts that could set the stage for interstellar space travel. Of note is the Interstellar Precursor Mission headed by NASA JPL scientist John Brophy. His idea would see the construction of an orbiting 100 megawatt laser array with a diameter of six miles (10 km). The array would convert the massive laser power into electrical energy, generating enough power to enable long-distance travel of a conventionally-sized spacecraft on a reasonable timescale.

We propose a new power/propulsion architecture to enable missions such as a 12-year flight time to 500 AU [where 1 AU equals the average distance of the Earth to the Sun]...with a conventional (i.e., New Horizons sized) spacecraft, explains Brophy at his project page. This architecture would also enable orbiter missions to Pluto with the same sized spacecraft in just 3.6 years. Significantly, this same architecture could deliver an 80-metric-ton payload to Jupiter orbit in one year, opening the possibility of human missions to Jupiter.

Armed with similar technology, NASA could start to roll out laser-based propulsion systems that could travel to nearby stars, but were getting a bit ahead of ourselves.

Other interesting phase I concepts include a plan to detoxify Martian soil for agriculture, a system that would literally tether a spacecraft to Mars moon Phobos, and a plan called Solar Surfing, which presumably involves a light-driven spacecraft.

Among NASAs chosen Phase II concepts is the Venus Interior Probe project spearheaded by Ratnakumar Bugga, also with NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This proposed probe would drift through Venus clouds while tethered to a balloon, collecting valuable data on temperature, wind speed, and atmospheric pressure. Conventional batteries would allow for a scant one to two hours of life, but under this plan, the probe would continually recharge its batteries using solar energy.

Excitingly, under a Phase II plan envisaged by Stephanie Thomas of Princeton Satellite Systems, Inc., NASA could be returning to Pluto. But unlike the whiplash New Horizons flyby mission, this plan calls for a stop at the dwarf planet.

Using a game changing Direct Fusion Drive (DFD), a spacecraft would travel to Pluto equipped with an orbiter and a lander. Under the plan, the craft would arrive at Pluto in just four to five years (it took New Horizons nearly a decade to make the same journey). A major challenge will be in figuring out a way to decelerate the spacecraft once it gets to Pluto, where it will release its 2,200 pounds (1,000 kg) worth of cargo.

Since DFD provides power as well as propulsion in one integrated device, it will also provide as much as 2 MW of power to the payloads upon arrival, says Thomas at her NASA project page. This enables high-bandwidth communication, powering of the lander from orbit, and radically expanded options for instrument design. She added: The data acquired by New Horizons recent Pluto flyby is just a tiny fraction of the scientific data that could be generated from an orbiter and lander.

Sadly, not all of these concepts will be approved. The Pluto plan, for example, may be too technologically demanding given the hypothetical nature of the fusion drive. For those plans that are approved, it could still take ten years or more before the projects are complete and ready for liftoff.

Here are all the projects approved by NASA today:

The selected 2017 Phase I proposals:

The selected 2017 Phase II proposals:

[NASA]

George is a contributing editor at Gizmodo and io9.

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These Are the Wildly Advanced Space Exploration Concepts Being ... - Gizmodo

Space Exploration Experts Look to Next Frontiers at Event – UMass Lowell

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LOWELL, Mass. Astronauts, scientists, NASA officials and entrepreneurs will come to UMass Lowell this month to explore the next frontiers in exploration, including space travel, humans ability to live on other planets and research that benefits life on Earth.

Space Exploration in the Upcoming Decade: The Domestication of Space, will unite astrophysicists, researchers, students and industry leaders from around the world to share their work and navigate new challenges. The conference, which celebrates the 60th anniversary of the start of the Space Age, will be held on Friday, April 21 and Saturday, April 22 and is open to the public.

The event is presented by the UMass Lowell Center for Space, Science and Technology (LOCSST) and the Massachusetts Space Grant Consortium. Keynote speakers include:

Before the conference gets underway on Friday, April 21, participants will have a chance to see Valkyrie, NASAs life-sized, humanoid robot, which is housed at UMass Lowells New England Robotics Validation and Experimentation (NERVE) Center. One of only four such robots in the world, Valkyrie is at UMass Lowell so researchers can work to develop its capabilities to assist NASA in space exploration, including missions to Mars.

Subjects of conference sessions include exploring how space travel continues to benefit life on Earth, along with forging new university and industry partnerships to spur research. The event will also feature a competition among students who will present their ideas to design and build miniature cube satellites.

The UMass Lowell Center for Space, Science and Technology is led by renowned researcher Supriya Chakrabarti, physics professor and associate dean of UMass Lowells Kennedy College of Sciences. The center advances humankinds understanding of space and provides research opportunities for UMass Lowell students, training the next generation of scientists, teachers, business leaders and policymakers. In February, the centers researchers saw the successful launch of their Limb-Imaging Ionospheric and Thermospheric Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrograph (LITES) to the International Space Station where it is transmitting images of different wavelengths of ultraviolet light. By studying these images, scientists hope to improve how satellites and GPS navigational tools function by learning how irregularities in the Earths upper atmosphere affect radio signals.

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Space Exploration Experts Look to Next Frontiers at Event - UMass Lowell

The Pros And Cons Of Privatizing Space Exploration – Forbes

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Forbes
The Pros And Cons Of Privatizing Space Exploration
Forbes
What are the pros and cons of privatizing space exploration? originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. Answer by Robert Frost, Instructor and Flight ...

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The Pros And Cons Of Privatizing Space Exploration - Forbes

NASA Announces 2017 ‘Chroniclers,’ Recognizing Those Who … – SpaceCoastDaily.com

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program at NASAs Kennedy Space Center

The Chroniclers, a program at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, Florida, recognizing those who helped spread news of American space exploration, will soon have six new names on its wall of fame. (NASA image)

BREVARD COUNTY KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLORIDA The Chroniclers, a program at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, Florida, recognizing those who helped spread news of American space exploration, will soon have six new names on its wall of fame.

Five of the 2017 Chroniclers are retired, and one is deceased. They represent TV and print journalism, as well as NASAs public affairs office.

A selection committee chose the six on March 22 from among broadcasters, journalists, authors, contractor public relations representatives and NASA public affairs officers who, while still working, excelled at sharing news from Kennedy with the world.

This years honorees are, in alphabetical order:

Bruce Hall, a veteran CBS News and NBC News correspondent and producer who covered space for more than 20 years, starting with the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975 and continuing through the early years of the shuttle program, the Challenger accident and NASAs recovery, and the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope.

Scott Harris, Orlando TV reporter and anchor for more than 40 years, and widely regarded for his live coverage of space shuttle launches from Kennedy. Harris worked both the first shuttle launch in April 1981 and the liftoff of the final shuttle mission in July 2011, one month before his passing at age 64.

Bill Johnson, NASA Public Affairs professional whose career at Kennedy spanned more than 45 years. Longtime chief of Media Services, responsible for dissemination of NASA news from and operation of the Kennedy Space Center newsroom and Press Site, Johnson was an awardee of the NASA Exceptional Service Medal.

Warren Leary, science writer and correspondent for the Associated Press and The New York Times for more than 35 years. An award-winning journalist, Leary covered spaceflight, technology, engineering, aeronautics, and medical science, as well as the investigation into the cause of the 2003 Columbia accident.

Robert B. (Bob) Murray, NASAs first videographer to provide live, airborne TV coverage of space shuttle launches and landings. For more than 23 years, Murrays primary aerial imagery was seen on television networks and stations, as well as in publications worldwide.

Phil Sandlin, a photographer for UPI and then AP, covered the U.S. space program beginning with the Apollo moon shots and continuing with the shuttle program until his retirement in 2011. Sandlin was winner of the National Press Photographers Associations prestigious Joseph Costa Award in 2016.

The six honorees, each of whom covered the U.S. space program at Kennedy for 10years or more and are no longer working full time in the media, were selected by a committee of working broadcasters, journalists, public relations professionals, and present and former representatives of NASA Kennedys Office of Communication.

The committee considered a total of 20 nominees for this years awards.

Past honorees include Walter Cronkite of CBS News, Jules Bergman of ABC News and two-time Pulitzer winner John Noble Wilford of The New York Times.

Brass strips engraved with each awardees name will be added to The Chroniclers wall in the Kennedy Space Center newsroom at the Press Site during a ceremony at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 5, 2017, the 56th anniversary of Alan Shepards historic flight as Americas first human in space.

Coincidentally, it was Shepard from whom the first Chronicler honorees received their award certificates in 1995.

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NASA Announces 2017 'Chroniclers,' Recognizing Those Who ... - SpaceCoastDaily.com

Russia Aims to Develop New Cooperation in Space Exploration – Sputnik International

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23:25 04.04.2017 Get short URL

"One ofthe goals is toreach new level ofcooperation," Komarov stated. "Many countries and nations coming tothis market and the field ofspace exploration.

Komarov explained that numerous countries ofAsia inparticular have shown "huge interest" tojoin space exploration.

"[O]ne ofour tasks and goals is toget them involved inthe space exploration," he pointed out.

Komarov also said such an approach will create opportunities not only forthe interested countries, butalso forRussia interms ofraising funds and creating additional opportunities.

"We are very active inAsia inparticular," he added. "We have good cooperation withour traditional partners and new countries that appear something likeBRICS Brazil, South Africa, India, China. We see the huge potential fordevelopment inthis sphere and sector, and we are very optimistic."

The Space Symposium inColorado Springs brings together representatives ofthe world's space agencies, commercial space businesses aswell asmilitary, national security and intelligence organizations todiscuss and plan the future ofspace exploration.

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Russia Aims to Develop New Cooperation in Space Exploration - Sputnik International

Nanotech Report: Making Photovoltaics Possible 2017 – Research and Markets – Business Wire (press release)

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DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Nanotech: Making Photovoltaics Possible 2017" report to their offering.

This research report takes a look at how nanotechnology is changing the world of solar photovoltaics and making possible advances which earlier one could not even possibly imagine. The report looks at the technology which is making this possible. Basics of nanotechnology, of photovoltaics, of the current PV industry worldwide, and of course, of the usage of solar power worldwide, is all analyzed in this report. Information on companies making possible the usage of nanotechnology to further increase the profitability of photovoltaics is also provided in this report.

Presently, the climate of economic difficulty facing the world is resulting in a rising demand for going green. An attempt is being made to stimulate economies by an expansion of government spending in the areas of sustainability, energy conservation and renewable energy. However the credit crunch and wild swings in the price of oil could get in the way of these nanotech solutions being aggressively pursued.

Key Topics Covered:

A. Executive Summary

B. Introduction to Solar Energy

C. About Nanotechnology

D. Introduction to Solar Photovoltaics

E. Photovoltaics and Nanotechnology

F. Applications of Nanotechnology in Energy

G. Global Scenario and R&D of Nano in Solar Cells

H. Research Trend in Nano Solar Cells

I. Technological Advancements that will Grow Nano PV Cells

J. Present Market Economics of Nano & Future Prospects

K. Leading Industry Contributors

L. Appendix

M. Glossary of Terms

Companies Mentioned

- Applied Materials

- BASF Corporation

- DuPont

- Merck KGaA

- Nano-C Inc.

- NanoFlex Power Corporation

- NanoGram Corporation (part of the Teijin Group)

- PV Nano Cell

- Samsung Group

- SunFlake

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/lkg24m/nanotech_making

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Nanotech Report: Making Photovoltaics Possible 2017 - Research and Markets - Business Wire (press release)

Nanotech Sponge Removes Mercury from Water – HazMat Management Magazine (subscription)

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As reported in the Science News Journal, a team of researchers at the University of Minnesota College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Sciences (CFANS) created a sponge to address this growing problem. Within seconds, the sponge can absorb mercury from a polluted water source.

The team used nanotechnology to develop a sponge that has outstanding mercury adsorption properties. Mercury contamination can now be removed to below detectable limits from tap and lake water in less than 5 seconds. It takes about 5 minutes to remove the mercury from industrial wastewater. The contamination is converted into a complex that is not toxic and the sponge can be disposed of in a landfill after use. The sponge also kills fungal and bacterial microbes.

Nano Sponge

As an illustration, if Como Lake in St. Paul were contaminated with mercury at the U.S. EPA limit, a sponge the size of a basketball would be needed to remove all of the mercury.

This is an important development for the state of Minnesota. More than 66% of the waters on Minnesotas 2004 Impaired Waters List are compromised as the mercury contamination in those waters ranges from 0.27 to 12.43 ng/L (the EPA limit is 2 ng/L).

Many Great Lake States and Provinces have had to establish fish consumption guidelines, as mercury contamination of lake waters leads to mercury accumulation in fish. It is advised that a number of fish species store bought or caught in the Great Lakes should not be consumed more than once a week or even once a month.

A reduced deposition of mercury is also projected to have economic benefits. U.S. EPA forecasts show that reducing mercury emissions to the latest established effluent limit standards would result in 130,000 fewer asthma attacks, 11,000 fewer premature deaths and 4,700 fewer heart attacks each year. That translates to between $37 billion and $90 billion in annual monetized benefits.

The new technology would have an impact on inspiring new regulations in addition to improving aquatic life, air and water quality, and public health. Technology shapes regulations and this, in turn, determines the value of the market.

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Nanotech Sponge Removes Mercury from Water - HazMat Management Magazine (subscription)

Could Russia’s Unwavering Alliance with Syria Start WW3? – TRUNEWS

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Russias unwavering support of Syria, even after the Chemicalattack, killingover 70, could draw the conclusion that war could be on the horizon.

(WASHINGTON, DC) Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov cited the opinion of the Russian military, which said the contamination may have been caused by damage to a rebel chemical weapons storage site.

You have heard the statement from the Russian Defense Ministry and I have nothing to add to the facts they stated. The Russian Federation and its military are continuing the operation to support the anti-terrorism operation and liberation of the country, which is being conducted by the Syrian armed forces,Peskov said.

The acting Russian envoy to the UN will voice this position during an emergency meeting of the Security Council on Wednesday, which was called following the chemical incident, Peskov added.

At least70 people, including 11 children, have been reported killed in the town of Khan Sheikhoun after a suspected chemical weapons attack on Tuesday morning. Rebels accused the Syrian government of bombing the town with chemical munitions.

The accusations have been backed by a number of Western governments.

Staffan de Mistura, UNs special envoy for Syria, said reliable evidence would be needed to confirm the alleged use of chemical weapons, let alone establish who was responsible for it.

We have no yet any official or reliable confirmation,he said on Wednesday.We will be stimulating all those who have the capacity of finding out technically what had happened.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini also said there was no evidence yet to draw any conclusion on what had happened in the Idlib governorate, but stated that the Syrian government heldprimary responsibilityfor the situation.

Amid the public condemnation of Damascus for the attack and Moscow and Tehran for their support of the Syrian government, some experts pointed out that the Syrian Army had no rational reason for using chemical weapons against rebels in Idlib.

Iran, an ally of Damascus, condemned on Wednesday any use of chemical weapons and offered help to the victims.

We are ready to bring the victims to Iran and help them,Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said, as quoted by Tasnim news agency.

Earlier Turkey, an opponent and frequent critic of Damascus, reported treating dozens of victims of the alleged attack in hospitals located in the border province of Hatay, AP said.

The incident in Khan Sheikhoun happened days after Washington stated thatousting Syrian PresidentBashar Assad was no longer a priority for the US. The Assad must go premise was one of the cornerstones of Washingtons Syrian policy under Barack Obama. The Trump administration has been dismantling many of Obamas policies.

Since the publishing of this article Wednesday, President Trump has authorized a military strike in Syria.

To hear more about the developments of this ongoing geopolitical shift listen to the April 5th, April 6th, and April 7th of TRUNEWS, and read our analysis of the potential backstory to the missile strikes.

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Could Russia's Unwavering Alliance with Syria Start WW3? - TRUNEWS

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