NASA Pluto Probe Begins Science Observations Ahead of Epic Flyby

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A NASA spacecraft's epic Pluto encounter is officially underway.

NASA's New Horizons probe today (Jan. 15) began its six-month approach to Pluto, which will culminate with the first-ever close flyby of the dwarf planet on July 14.

"We really are on Pluto's doorstep," New Horizons principal investigator Alan Stern said last month during a news conference at the annual fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) in San Francisco. [Photos from NASA's New Horizons Pluto Probe]

The $700 million New Horizons mission blasted off in January 2006 with the aim of lifting the veil on Pluto. The dwarf planet has remained a mystery since its 1930 discovery because it's so small and so far away. (On average, Pluto orbits about 40 times farther from the sun than Earth does.)

The piano-size spacecraft rocketed away from Earth at more than 36,000 mph (58,000 km/h), faster than any other probe. It has now covered about 3 billion miles (4.8 billion kilometers) during its nine-year journey through deep space.

"In a very real sense, this is the Everest of planetary exploration," Stern said of New Horizons. "This mission represents the closing of the first era of planetary reconnaissance. We've made it to the farthest place, with the fastest spacecraft ever launched."

New Horizons will use seven different science instruments to study Pluto and its five known moons. The mission's chief objectives include mapping the surface composition and temperature of Pluto and its largest moon, Charon; characterizing the atmosphere of Pluto and the geology of Pluto and Charon; and hunting for rings and additional satellites in the Pluto system.

In the 1990s, researchers began to realize that Pluto is not a lonely misfit; rather, it's just one of many dwarf planets and other icy denizens of the far-flung Kuiper Belt, which lies beyond Neptune's orbit. So New Horizons' observations should help researchers better understand an entire class of solar system bodies, mission team members said.

"We are going to the archetypal Kuiper Belt planet," New Horizons co-investigator William McKinnon, of Washington University in St. Louis, said at the AGU news briefing. "This mission will revolutionize our understanding of how the planets in the Kuiper Belt work."

Small, icy worlds like Pluto are probably the most common type of planet in the entire universe, McKinnon added.

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NASA Pluto Probe Begins Science Observations Ahead of Epic Flyby

NASA just sent its astronauts some weird stuff

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Provided by Quartz spacex launch

SpaceXs Dragon spacecraft successfullydocked with the International Space Station on Jan. 12, and astronauts will beunloading more than 5,100 lbs (2,300kg)of cargo it brought up for NASA and other space agencies over the next month. Beyond the supplies, lateChristmas presents,and replacement equipment that astronauts had been waiting for patiently, there were a few unusual items that the Dragon took up. According to a NASA factsheet, heres what else was onboard:

NASA wants to study how these generally parasitic invertebrates regenerate their cells in low gravity. The space agency says its tests will provide insight into how wounds heal in space, and how humans could potentially heal themselves. Like Wolverine.

The same insects that seemingly appear out of nowhere every time you leave fruit out in the kitchen are now on the ISS, albeit under anesthesia (as opposed toannoying astronauts whilethey eat). NASA says it will be testing the immune systems of the common fruit fly, as spaceflight affects all animals immune systems, and apparently the flies provide a good model for our own immune systems.

Christopher Nolan wouldprobably have loved to use some of the shots the astronauts are likely to get as B-roll forInterstellar.

Continuing the self-preservation-in-space theme, NASA says it has brought up the Salmonella virus to test on roundworms, tobetter understand the risks of infections (and under-cooking chicken) during long-term space flights.

NASA was unable to confirm exactlywhat was inthecare packages sent to each astronaut, or what groceries were set up beyond the usual Space Food, but we do know that the astronauts were really hankering for some mustard.

Were excited to have it on board,astronaut Barry Wilmore told mission control, USA Today reported.Well be digging in soon.

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NASA just sent its astronauts some weird stuff

Space Station Crew Safe After Partial Evacuation: NASA

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Astronauts returned to the U.S. side of the International Space Station on Wednesday, hours after an apparent false alarm raised concerns about an ammonia leak and forced a partial evacuation.

The six crew members shut down the U.S. segment and hung out on the station's Russian side for much of the day while ground controllers went about troubleshooting the problem. Eleven hours after the alarm arose, mask-wearing astronauts went back in and sampled the air.

"No ammonia indication," NASA reported in a tweet.

The likeliest cause of the alarm was a malfunctioning card in a signal-processing box, NASA space station project manager Mike Suffredini said during a televised update.

"At this point, the team does not believe we leaked ammonia. ... What we are dealing with is a failure, probably of a card inside a multiplexer-demultiplexer," he said. The space station has a number of multiplexer-demultiplexer boxes that process readings from components aboard the orbital outpost, which has as much livable space as a six-bedroom house.

NASA said turning the box off and then back on cleared up the worrisome readings.

The alarm was raised at 4 a.m. ET, when Mission Control saw pressure changes that could have been caused by an internal leak in the station's coolant system, which uses water on an inside loop and toxic ammonia on an outside loop. "If this is possible, then we immediately 'safe' the vehicle and get the crew in a safe place," Suffredini said.

Crew members put on emergency masks, powered down the systems on the station's U.S.-built segment, moved into the Russian segment and closed a connecting hatch. The ammonia coolant system services only the U.S. side of the station, so controllers said there was no risk to the crew.

"The safety of the team was preserved thanks to swift actions of the cosmonauts and astronauts themselves and the team on the ground in Moscow and Houston," said Maksim Matyushin, the chief of Russia's Mission Control.

Follow-up readings indicated no sign of an actual ammonia leak into the station, although fluctuations in cabin pressure continued to cause concern. Suffredini said those fluctuations were probably the system's "normal reaction to the events that started to unfold."

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Space Station Crew Safe After Partial Evacuation: NASA

Germs be gone: New nanotechnology keeps bacteria from sticking to surfaces

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15 hours ago E. coli cells. Credit: Cornell University

Just as the invention of nonstick pans was a boon for chefs, a new type of nanoscale surface that bacteria can't stick to holds promise for applications in the food processing, medical and even shipping industries.

The technology, developed collaboratively by researchers from Cornell University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, uses an electrochemical process called anodization to create nanoscale pores that change the electrical charge and surface energy of a metal surface, which in turn exerts a repulsive force on bacterial cells and prevents attachment and biofilm formation. These pores can be as small as 15 nanometers; a sheet of paper is about 100,000 nanometers thick.

When the anodization process was applied to aluminum, it created a nanoporous surface called alumina, which proved effective in preventing surrogates of two well-known pathogens, Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes, from attaching, according to a study recently published in the journal Biofouling. The study also investigates how the size of the nanopores changes the repulsive forces on bacteria.

"It's probably one of the lowest-cost possibilities to manufacture a nanostructure on a metallic surface," said Carmen Moraru, associate professor of food science and the paper's senior author. Guoping Feng, a research associate in Moraru's lab, is the paper's first author.

Finding low-cost solutions to limiting bacterial attachments is key, especially in biomedical and food processing applications. "The food industry makes products with low profit margins," said Moraru. "Unless a technology is affordable it doesn't stand the chance of being practically applied."

Anodized metals could be used to prevent buildups of biofilms slick communities of bacteria that adhere to surfaces and are tricky to remove in biomedical clean rooms and in equipment parts that are hard to reach or clean, Moraru said.

Anodized metal could also have marine applications, such as keeping ship hulls free of algae.

The collaborating group from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is led by Diana Borca-Tasciuc, associate professor of mechanical, aerospace and nuclear engineering.

Explore further: New tech application keeps bacteria from sticking to surfaces

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Germs be gone: New nanotechnology keeps bacteria from sticking to surfaces

Q&A: Alivisatos, Kavli directors explore future of nanoscience

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The directors of three Kavli nanoscience institutes Paul Alivisatos, Paul McEuen, and Nai-Chang Yeh discuss what makes the nanoscale so important, the fields grand challenges, safety challenges, and their thoughts on funding, training and the future.

SOMETHING VERY SMALL has the potential to make some very big changes in our world.

Over the past decade, nanoscale materials and devices so small that hundreds could fit inside the diameter of a single strand of hair, have begun to show up in everything from golf clubs to targeted drug delivery systems and new types of optical and electronic devices. In the laboratory, researchers are demonstrating nanoscale devices that may hold the key to quantum computing, artificial photosynthesis, high-speed genomic analysis, and even invisibility cloaks.

In fact, nanosciences reach is so broad and so profound, it is often difficult to understand how its various strands are alike and different, and what we must do to nurture further innovation. The Inaugural Symposium of the new Kavli Energy NanoScience Institute (Kavli ENSI) at University of California, Berkeley, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratoryseems a good time to step back and address some of those issues, as well as nanosciences future potential.

In 2013, the Kavli Energy NanoScience Institute at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory was founded. Its mission: to unravel the most intimate details of nature's energy secrets and harness them to build fundamentally new types of energy systems. On its inauguration, re-read the profile of Kavli ENSI announcing its establishment.

Kavli ENSI, which is dedicated to energy-related nanoscience research, is the fifth nanoscience institute funded by The Kavli Foundation. The other four, each with its own special focus, include:

In advance of the Kavli ENSI Inaugural Symposium, the directors of three Kavli nanoscience institutes discussed the future of nanoscience. They include:

The following is an edited transcript of a roundtable discussion. The participants have been provided the opportunity to amend or edit their remarks.

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Carbon Nanotube Finding Could Lead to Flexible Electronics with Longer Battery Life

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Newswise MADISON, Wis. University of Wisconsin-Madison materials engineers have made a significant leap toward creating higher-performance electronics with improved battery life and the ability to flex and stretch.

Led by materials science Associate Professor Michael Arnold and Professor Padma Gopalan, the team has reported the highest-performing carbon nanotube transistors ever demonstrated. In addition to paving the way for improved consumer electronics, this technology could also have specific uses in industrial and military applications.

In a paper published recently in the journal ACS Nano, Arnold, Gopalan and their students reported transistors with an on-off ratio thats 1,000 times better and a conductance thats 100 times better than previous state-of-the-art carbon nanotube transistors.

Carbon nanotubes are very strong and very flexible, so they could also be used to make flexible displays and electronics that can stretch and bend, allowing you to integrate electronics into new places like clothing, says Arnold. The advance enables new types of electronics that arent possible with the more brittle materials manufacturers are currently using.

Carbon nanotubes are single atomic sheets of carbon rolled up into a tube. As some of the best electrical conductors ever discovered, carbon nanotubes have long been recognized as a promising material for next-generation transistors, which are semiconductor devices that can act like an on-off switch for current or amplify current. This forms the foundation of an electronic device.

However, researchers have struggled to isolate purely semiconducting carbon nanotubes, which are crucial, because metallic nanotube impurities act like copper wires and short the device. Researchers have also struggled to control the placement and alignment of nanotubes. Until now, these two challenges have limited the development of high-performance carbon nanotube transistors.

Building on more than two decades of carbon nanotube research in the field, the UW-Madison team drew on cutting-edge technologies that use polymers to selectively sort out the semiconducting nanotubes, achieving a solution of ultra-high-purity semiconducting carbon nanotubes.

Previous techniques to align the nanotubes resulted in less-than-desirable packing density, or how close the nanotubes are to one another when they are assembled in a film. However, the UW-Madison researchers pioneered a new technique, called floating evaporative self-assembly, or FESA, which they described earlier in 2014 in the ACS journal Langmuir. In that technique, researchers exploited a self-assembly phenomenon triggered by rapidly evaporating a carbon nanotube solution.

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Carbon Nanotube Finding Could Lead to Flexible Electronics with Longer Battery Life

Flotek Industries Announces Introduction of FracMax(TM) Canada, Appoints Stephen A. Marinello, PhD Director of Applied …

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HOUSTON Flotek Industries, Inc. (NYSE: FTK) this morning announced the introduction of FracMax Canada, introduced Steve Marinello, PhD as the new Director of Applied Chemistry Research and announced an upcoming Society of Petroleum Engineers presentation by John Chisholm in Saudi Arabia.

Flotek Introduces FracMax Canada

Building upon technology developed to analyze U.S. production results, Flotek today introduced FracMax Canada, its patent-pending, advanced analytics software now for the Canadian oil and gas markets. With nearly 7,700 wells, including over 800 that have utilized Flotek's patented, proprietary Complex nano-Fluid completion chemistries, the initial release of FracMax Canada provides a broad representation of Canadian production across nearly all Western Canadian producing basins.

"The introduction of FracMax Canada extends Flotek's commitment to provide industry-leading analytics as well as a platform by which to show the efficacy of CnF chemistries based on widespread, empirical data," said John Chisholm, Flotek's Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Based on the current data set, Canadian wells with CnF perform at levels superior to those without, very similar to results obtained from the U.S. data set, consisting of over 85,000 wells. We look forward to working with our Canadian clients and others to improve well performance and, through FracMax, better understand best practices in well completions."

Similar to the United States, the FracMax architecture will remain proprietary to Flotek with well studies run for clients through the Company's FracMax analytics subsidiary. The closed architecture provides for consistency and integrity of the data and processes of the software application.

"While data availability and access is diverse across countries, it is our intention to continue to look for ways to expand the FracMax analytical power to oil and gas producing regions around the globe," added Chisholm. "We believe the power of FracMax not only benefits Flotek's efforts to increase penetration of CnF in the global completion market, the analytical capabilities stand to add value in many ways to exploration and production as well as energy service companies. We look forward to continue building this powerful platform in the coming months."

Flotek Appoints Veteran Reservoir Engineer to Lead Applied CnF Technology Efforts

Flotek also announced the appointment of Stephen A. Marinello, PhD to the position of Director of CnF Applied Technology. In his role Dr. Marinello brings over two decades of reservoir engineering and completion experience to lead Flotek's research team in expanding the application of its research to develop pragmatic solutions to specific oilfield challenges. In addition, Dr. Marinello will assist in the development of new CnF markets and new applications of CnF around the globe. He will also be an integral part of the team that develops research protocol and standards for the growth of FracMax Analytics, Flotek's subsidiary that will provide customized research based on the FracMax platform.

Most recently, Dr. Marinello spent nearly three years as the Senior Reservoir Engineer with Shell International Exploration and Production. Specifically, Dr. Marinello led a team responsible for analyzing field performance of mobility enhancement fluids and completion systems. During his time at Shell he worked closely with Complex nano-Fluids. Prior to Shell Dr. Marinello worked with Halliburton, Baroid Fluid Services, M-I Swaco and Newpark Resources. His broad range of experience includes reservoir, stimulation and production engineering, petroleum and environmental research and academic program development. He holds an undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences from Stanford University and was awarded an M.S. and Ph.D. in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Southern California.

"We are thrilled that someone with Steve's credentials, experience and depth of knowledge in reservoir and completion engineering is joining the Flotek team," added Chisholm. "Steve's understanding of the impact of Flotek's Complex nano-Fluids on production and economic returns can only add to the groundswell of credibility surrounding our proprietary chemistry. In addition, Steve's research acumen will allow him to have an immediate impact on the growth of FracMax Analytics and our quest to accelerate our practical research, including the possibility of developing field laboratories where Flotek can validate the efficacy of its technologies through direct field research and operations."

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Flotek Industries Announces Introduction of FracMax(TM) Canada, Appoints Stephen A. Marinello, PhD Director of Applied ...

Universal Forensics Corp. Announces the Appointment of Dr. Brian Reese to the Position of Senior Scientist

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Somerset, Pennsylvania (PRWEB) January 15, 2015

In a recent announcement by Universal Forensics Corporation, company President and CEO, Julie Cramer, commented, "We are pleased and proud to make the appointment of Dr. Brian Reese to the position of Senior Scientist. Dr. Reese has an extensive background and experience in genetics and molecular medicine which will serve us and our industry well as we continually explore new methods to improve our DNA paternity and relationship testing protocols. We invite all of our distributor lab partners to get to know Dr. Reese and welcome him to our growing team of professionals."

Dr. Reese received his undergraduate degree in biology and chemistry from Allegheny College of Meadville, PA. and his doctorate degree from the prestigious Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine where he majored in molecular medicine. Dr. Reese also received a research fellowship from the University of Pittsburgh Drug Discovery Institute. Most recently, Dr. Reese served as a Technology Consultant with Thermo Fisher Scientific, one of the leading biotechnology companies in the United States. Dr. Reese and his wife, Amy, are natives of Western Pennsylvania and when asked about his new position with Universal Forensics, Brian commented, "My wife and I are thrilled for the opportunity and new challenge...we love the outdoors and all the recreational possibilities that Western Pennsylvania has to offer our family. We are so glad to be able to call this area home."

Universal Forensics Corp. is an accredited AABB (American Association of Blood Banks) laboratory headquartered in Somerset, Pennsylvania. Additional information can be obtained through the company website http://www.ufclab.com or by contacting services(at)ufclab(dot)com.

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Universal Forensics Corp. Announces the Appointment of Dr. Brian Reese to the Position of Senior Scientist

Medicine Help – Find Medicines

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Medicines are generally prescribed by Brand Names, rather than by Generic Names. As a result Generic Medicines, despite being comparatively Cheap and Equivalent in quality to Brand Medicines, are still not being used by most of us.medi-help is our initiative with help from TrueMD to empower individuals to be able to find Equivalent Substitutes Brands with their Generic Names and Price.#1 FREE App in Medical Category on Android & iOS.India's First & Only Comprehensive Generic Drug Search Engine. Do rate us on Google Play if you loved our app!It is the resource most used by the common consumers and also healthcare professionals for clinical information & as a medical dictionary.Use it to discover cost effective generic drugs that can substitute prescription medicine. Further, you can explore how prescription medicine works & understand the required precaution and contraindication. The application also empowers you to compare drugs by prices, so that you can choose the most cost effective generic drug for a given prescription.FEATURES:- Search medicines- Find alternative medicines in India- Choose generics of the drugs- Search Medicines by Brand Name & Generic Name- Price Comparison- Over 1 Lakh drugs included in the database- Save huge on your medicine bills- Use as a Medical Dictionary for Medical Students & DoctorsMEDICINE GUIDE INCLUDES:- Detailed Drug Information- Maximum Retail Price- Drug Manufacturer- Drug Alternatives & PricesKeywords: medicine, drug dictionary, alternate medicines, medical help, medicines online, alternatives, dawaai, drug substitute, truemd, iMed, generic medicine, cheap medicineContent rating: Everyone

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Medical School Coming to Martinsville

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Martinsville, Va.-A large medical school is coming right here to the small town of Martinsville.

"The need is large locally, the need is large nationally, said Dr. Noel Boaz, President & CEO, ICSM Medical Center.

This has been Dr. Boaz's dream. The Martinsville man will open up a medical school right here in his hometown. It's called College of Henricopolis School of Medicine. It will teach the next generation of primary care physicians.

Once they get started, they will admit 320 students each year. The school has also promised to create 111 jobs over the next three years.

"These aren't $8 an hour jobs, said Leon Towarnicki, Martinsville City Manager. These are highly trained faculty and staff relating to a medical school."

With more people coming to the city, that means greater demand for more businesses; which means even more jobs in the city.

"When you look at an influx of 60, 70, 80 people of that caliber into any community; it's going to be significant in terms of housing, in term of the economic impact."

The new medical school will begin construction within the next few months. Their goal is to have their first semester start in the fall of 2016.

This medical school will operate a little bit differently than your normal med school. This school is considered a, 'benefit corporation.' Unlike public colleges, it will have investors and shareholders.

The college is also expected to invest more than three-million-dollars into the Martinsville economy over the next three years.

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Private medical school planned for former Hoffmann-LaRoche site in Nutley, Clifton

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January 14, 2015, 4:49 PM Last updated: Wednesday, January 14, 2015, 11:27 PM

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Roches exit from Clifton and Nutley

The first private medical school in New Jersey in 50 years is expected to open in 2017 at the former Hoffmann-La Roche site in Clifton and Nutley under a partnership between Seton Hall University and the parent company of Hackensack University Medical Center.

Officials from both institutions, who confirmed their alliance Wednesday, said they plan to make a formal announcement Thursday morning.

The medical school, as yet unnamed, is being touted as an economic boost and a remedy for the shortage of physicians in New Jersey, estimated to reach 2,400 by 2020. Officials hope the school will serve as an anchor at the empty site, attracting biomedical and research companies and high-paying jobs to the 116-acre campus.

We are excited to be taking this next step with Seton Hall University, said Robert C. Garrett, president and CEO of Hackensack University Health Network. Our academic reputations, combined with our clinical expertise, will guarantee the establishment of a world-class academic institution in the Garden State.

Hospitals in Hackensacks network, the states largest, will serve as the primary clinical teaching sites for the school, which officials hope will elevate a leading regional medical center into the next tier a top academic health care institution. For Seton Hall, a Catholic university in South Orange established nearly 160 years ago, it is an opportunity to expand its graduate level programs, which already include law, business and nursing.

The new medical school would take over two buildings at the empty site. Architects are at work to redesign some of the 500,000 square feet the school is leasing to accommodate labs, students, staff and space for research and development. Funding for the school is likely to include grants and low-interest loans from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, Hackensack officials said.

Starting a new medical school will be daunting, experts say. It could take up to $30 million to launch the first class, experts estimated, and accreditation is a rigorous multiyear process.

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Private medical school planned for former Hoffmann-LaRoche site in Nutley, Clifton