Super rich holiday in New Zealand

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The super rich are mixing it with locals at holiday spots around New Zealand this summer but the trappings of wealth can be a giveaway.

Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll is spending five months in New Zealand, following his son Lance competing in the Toyota Racing series, The Press reports.

There are doubts the large motorhome he's imported from Europe to stay in is suitable for some New Zealand roads but Mr Stroll, who's behind the fashion labels Tommy Hilfiger and Michael Kors, has been spotted hanging out casually clad in jeans and sneakers.

The self-confessed racing fanatic will likely face questions he's thinking of investing in a Formula One racing team.

In Central Otago, a US businessman credited with pioneering computer desktop publishing in the 1980s has opened a general store for the summer.

Seattle-based Paul Brainerd and his wife Debbi have visited New Zealand for 18 years and spend the summer here.

They plan to redevelop the Glenorchy Holiday Park as a model for environmental sustainability and have opened a general store at the "top of the lake" from January 1 to April 2015.

In Northland, staff working for Russian oligarch Alexander Abramov are helping rebuild Ngatiwai's Te Uri o Hikihiki wharenui at Mokau Marae, north of Whangarei, after it was badly damaged by fire two years ago, the New Zealand Herald reports.

The marae is near Mr Abramov's $50 million-plus Helena Bay luxury lodge, which is expected to be ready next summer. It's thought to be New Zealand's most expensive new residential project.

New Zealand is also making it easier for superyachts to visit.

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Super rich holiday in New Zealand

Stem-cell therapy clinic to open in Valley

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The new clinic claims its stem-cell treatment can benefit those suffering from emphysema, chronic bronchitis, pulmonary fibrosis and most forms of lung disease.(Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The Lung Institute, a national clinic that uses adult stem cells extracted from fat and blood to treat pulmonary conditions, is set to open next month in Scottsdale, the for-profit company's first location in the western United States.

The new clinic claims its treatment can benefit those suffering from emphysema, chronic bronchitis, pulmonary fibrosis and most forms of lung disease.

Such stem-cell therapy is part of a growing trend particularly among affluent Americans who can afford it to treat a variety of health problems with cells taken from their own bodies.

The industry remains largely controversial, with plenty of doubters and detractors who say the science is unproven and potentially dangerous.

The International Society for Stem Cell Research, an independent non-profit organization based in Illinois, cautions against the potential risk of some treatments, which it says could cause cancer or result in infection from the procedure itself. The group suggests patients speak with their doctor about the potential benefits or risks of stem-cell therapy.

For its part, Lung Institute says the treatment helps fight lung conditions including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, one of the world's leading killers. Cells extracted from one organ can create healthy tissue in another organ, the company claims.

The therapy is provided as an outpatient service, and patients can have cells drawn, isolated and planted in the affected area all in the same day. The clinic does not use embryonic, umbilical cord or donor stem cells.

Lung Institute, a clinic that uses stem cells to treat pulmonary conditions, is set to open its first West Coast location in Scottsdale in February 2015.(Photo: Courtesy of Lung Institute)

Patients typically visit the clinic for a few hours over three consecutive days. The treatment seeks to slow disease progression, calm inflammation or repair damaged tissue.

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Stem-cell therapy clinic to open in Valley

Treating non-healing bone fractures with stem cells

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UC Davis to test device that offers new approach to obtaining stem cells during surgery

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) -- A new device that can rapidly concentrate and extract young cells from irrigation fluid used during orthopaedic surgery holds promise for improving the delivery of stem cell therapy in cases of non-healing fractures. UC Davis surgeons plan to launch a "proof-of-concept" clinical trial to test the safety and efficacy of the device in the coming months.

"People come to me after suffering for six months or more with a non-healing bone fracture, often after multiple surgeries, infections and hospitalizations," said Mark Lee, associate professor of orthopaedic surgery, who will be principal investigator of the upcoming clinical trial. "Stem cell therapy for these patients can be miraculous, and it is exciting to explore an important new way to improve on its delivery."

About 6 million people suffer fractures each year in North America, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Five to 10 percent of those cases involve patients who either have delayed healing or fractures that do not heal. The problem is especially troubling for the elderly because a non-healing fracture significantly reduces a person's function, mobility and quality of life.

Stem cells - early cells that can differentiate into a variety of cell types - have been used for several years to successfully treat bone fractures that otherwise have proven resistant to healing. Applied directly to a wound site, stem cells help with new bone growth, filling gaps and allowing healing and restoration of function. However, obtaining stem cells ready to be delivered to a patient can be problematic. The cells ideally come from a patient's own bone marrow, eliminating the need to use embryonic stem cells or find a matched donor.

But the traditional way of obtaining these autologous stem cells - that is, stem cells from the same person who will receive them - requires retrieving the cells from a patient's bone marrow, a painful surgical procedure involving general anesthesia, a large needle into the hip and about a week of recovery.

In addition, the cells destined to become healing blood vessels must be specially isolated from the bone marrow before they are ready to be transplanted back into the patient, a process that takes so long it requires a second surgery.

The device Lee and his UC Davis colleagues will be testing processes the "wastewater" fluid obtained during an orthopaedic procedure, which makes use of a reamer-irrigator-aspirator (RIA) system to enlarge a patient's femur or tibia by high-speed drilling, while continuously cooling the area with water. In the process, bone marrow cells and tiny bone fragments are aspirated and collected in a filter to transplant back into the patient. Normally, the wastewater is discarded.

Although the RIA system filter captures the patient's own bone and bone marrow for use in a bone graft or fusion, researchers found that the discarded effluent contained abundant mesenchymal stem cells as well as hematopoietic and endothelial progenitor cells, which have the potential to make new blood vessels, and potent growth factors important for signaling cells for wound healing and regeneration. The problem, however, was that the RIA system wastewater was too diluted to be useful.

Now, working with a device developed by SynGen Inc., a Sacramento-based biotech company specializing in regenerative medicine applications, the UC Davis orthopaedic team will be able to take the wastewater and spin it down to isolate the valuable stem cell components. About the size of a household coffee maker, the device will be used in the operating room to rapidly produce a concentration of stem cells that can be delivered to a patient's non-union fracture during a single surgery.

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Treating non-healing bone fractures with stem cells

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KOTA KINABALU: The IM4U Mount Kinabalu Climb for Charity and Spirituality 2015 was launched yesterday to give opportunity to Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) students and staff, who are orphans, to experience mountain climbing for the first time.

President of Management and Non-academic Professionals Officers Association of UMS (PPUMS), Zawawi Tiyunin said the mountain climb was more of a spiritual journey for the participants.

Programmes such as this not only help students in mental and physical health but also to increase their spiritual strength, he said at the opening ceremony of the programme held at UMS here, yesterday.

The programme which was organised for the first time was participated by around 105 people, with 18 PPUMS members and UMS staff.

Held from January 14 until January 16, the programme was co-organised by PPUMS, Umno Youth and sponsored by Kelab Eksplorasi 7 Benua Malaysia (KE7B) IM4U, DRB-HICOM and Pearl Haya.

Also present was the political secretary to Sabah Chief Minister cum Umno Youth Malaysia Exco, Armizan Mohd Ali.

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Site Last Updated 3:11 pm, Thursday

Lets Play Alien Isolation Gameplay – Part 14 – I’m soo Sneaky…Oh wait – Video

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Lets Play Alien Isolation Gameplay - Part 14 - I #39;m soo Sneaky...Oh wait
Lets Play Alien Isolation. This gameplay takes place 15 years after the first Alien movie. Amanda Ripley tries to discover what happened to her Mother, everything goes wrong and encounters...

By: Agentc0re

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Lets Play Alien Isolation Gameplay - Part 14 - I'm soo Sneaky...Oh wait - Video

John Huldt being introduced to Aspen Pittman for the first time 1-13-2014 – Video

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John Huldt being introduced to Aspen Pittman for the first time 1-13-2014
The Space Station Kemper Profiler meet! What a World of difference the sound is of the Kemper through the Space Station. Check out the spec at http://www.CenterPointStereo.com Be sure to come check...

By: John Kaye

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John Huldt being introduced to Aspen Pittman for the first time 1-13-2014 - Video

Elite: Dangerous – Seeking Luxuries – 600cr per tonne in 3 minutes – Video

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Elite: Dangerous - Seeking Luxuries - 600cr per tonne in 3 minutes
A video showing the Seeking Luxuries black market trade scenario. The Seeking Luxuries instances pops randomly in systems with a High Tech economy and a space station in a Boom state, buying...

By: Commander Reload

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Elite: Dangerous - Seeking Luxuries - 600cr per tonne in 3 minutes - Video

Scott Kelly to spend a year in space

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Story highlights Astronaut Scott Kelly to live in space one year Kelly's twin brother, Mark, will take part in a "twins study" from the ground

A year is a long time to stay anyplace. But staying a year in space has some special challenges.

There's what to pack: How many changes of clothes do you bring?

Kelly says NASA supplies most of what he needs but he's taking his own tool pouch, some sweatshirts and special shoes to use when he's lifting weights.

"I bought a special kind of shoes I thought would be better for that," Kelly said at a NASA briefing on Thursday.

Then there's what to do for a year in space. You get a great view of Earth, so the scenery is amazing. But the space station orbits Earth about every 90 minutes, or about 16 times a day. Could get a little repetitive. So how do you keep from getting bored?

Experiments. Lots and lots of experiments. NASA says space station crews normally work on about 200 experiments over six months, but Kelly will be doing many more. He says he's actually fascinated with the space station itself as a giant experiment in living in space.

"Building this facility that allows us to understand how to operate for long periods of time in space to allow us someday to go to Mars."

In his free time Kelly says he'll spend a lot of time talking to people on Earth, messaging on social media, reading email, watching TV and writing.

"I'm going to keep a personal journal of the experience," Kelly said. He also will share some of his journal with researchers studying the psychological impacts of long-term space flight. Will he tell all?

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Scott Kelly to spend a year in space

Astronaut to spend one year in space

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Story highlights Astronaut Scott Kelly to live in space one year Kelly's twin brother, Mark, will take part in a "twins study" from the ground

A year is a long time to stay anyplace. But staying a year in space has some special challenges.

There's what to pack: How many changes of clothes do you bring?

Kelly says NASA supplies most of what he needs but he's taking his own tool pouch, some sweatshirts and special shoes to use when he's lifting weights.

"I bought a special kind of shoes I thought would be better for that," Kelly said at a NASA briefing on Thursday.

Then there's what to do for a year in space. You get a great view of Earth, so the scenery is amazing. But the space station orbits Earth about every 90 minutes, or about 16 times a day. Could get a little repetitive. So how do you keep from getting bored?

Experiments. Lots and lots of experiments. NASA says space station crews normally work on about 200 experiments over six months, but Kelly will be doing many more. He says he's actually fascinated with the space station itself as a giant experiment in living in space.

"Building this facility that allows us to understand how to operate for long periods of time in space to allow us someday to go to Mars."

In his free time Kelly says he'll spend a lot of time talking to people on Earth, messaging on social media, reading email, watching TV and writing.

"I'm going to keep a personal journal of the experience," Kelly said. He also will share some of his journal with researchers studying the psychological impacts of long-term space flight. Will he tell all?

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Astronaut to spend one year in space

First SLS Engine Blazes to Life in Mississippi Test Firing Igniting NASAs Path to Deep Space

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The RS-25 engine fires up for a 500-second test Jan. 9, 2015 at NASAs Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Credit: NASA

NASAs goal of sending astronauts to deep space took a major step forward when the first engine of the type destined to power the mighty Space Launch System (SLS) exploration rocket blazed to life during a successful test firing at the agencys Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

The milestone hot fire test conducted on Jan. 9, involved igniting a shuttle-era RS-25 space shuttle main engine for 500 seconds on the A-1 test stand at Stennis.

A quartet of RS-25s, formerly used to power the space shuttle orbiters, will now power the core stage of the SLS which will be the most powerful rocket the world has ever seen.

The RS-25 is the most efficient engine of its type in the world, said Steve Wofford, manager of the SLS Liquid Engines Office at NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center, in Huntsville, Alabama, where the SLS Program is managed. Its got a remarkable history of success and a great experience base that make it a great choice for NASAs next era of exploration.

The SLS is NASAs mammoth heavy lift rocket now under development. It is intended to launch the Orion deep space crew capsule and propel astronauts aboard to destinations far beyond Earth and farther into space than ever before possible beyond the Moon, to Asteroids and Mars.

The over eight minute RS-25 engine test firing provided NASA engineers with critical data on the engine controller unit, which is the brain of the engine providing communications between the engine and the vehice, and inlet pressure conditions.

The controller also provides closed-loop management of the engine by regulating the thrust and fuel mixture ratio while monitoring the engines health and status. The new controller will use updated hardware and software configured to operate with the new SLS avionics architecture, according to NASA.

This also marked the first test of a shuttle-era RS-25 since the conclusion of space shuttle main engine testing in 2009.

For the SLS, the RS-25 will be configured and operated differently from their use when attached as a trio to the base of the orbiters during NASAs four decade long Space Shuttle era that ended with the STS-135 mission in July 2011.

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First SLS Engine Blazes to Life in Mississippi Test Firing Igniting NASAs Path to Deep Space

SeaSteading -for personal freedom – PIRASS-SEASTEAD.NET

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Theres another mob out there who want to try SeaSteading. They want to build a city, entire, full of hard working, innovative entrepreneurial types; the real cream of the crop (One of the very early suggestions, as I recall, was siting this Nirvana close to a third world country, to take advantage of cheap labour).

They call themselves Libertarians.

As I understand it, the Libertarian idea of Liberty is having the right -for aggressive, overbearing individuals- to exploit their fellow humans to whatever degree they want or can, without any restrictions.

If thats Liberty, Ill talk about Freedom. For me, freedom is the right not to be exploited. Not to be taken advantage of, discriminated against, or beaten, robbed, raped or stabbed Or being told what to do, and how to live.

But thats just me. I could be wrong.

Thats the great advantage of diversity, not having to rely on Ideology. I dream not of building a city, but just a house. A modular, floating house which could be expanded to any size you like. The owner would have the option of joining with as many houses as he or she likes, if they look like being compatible neighbours, or splitting off again if theyre not.

Communities could aggregate -or divide-, according to interests, philosophies or religions (for me, diversity means an infinite number of communities, all doing their own thing. Not one community, trying to be all things to all people).

And they could join or leave communities on a whim; not tied down by financial commitment or residential ties, because they could just take their house with them. Dont get along with your neighbours? Just detach and move along. The very best protest against repressive governments or societies is simply leaving -as millions of refugees world wide have tried to do. But what a difference it would make if all those refugees could take their homes with them, and start their own communities, beholden to no-one.

Thats Freedom.

To be completely free of course, each house unit would need to be substantially self-sufficient; not only able to produce or collect its own power and water (both easily achievable with existing technologies) but also basic food staples -also largely achievable, with small scale hydroponics.

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SeaSteading -for personal freedom - PIRASS-SEASTEAD.NET