Google Leases NASAs Silicon Valley Airfield

Posted on by

TIME Business Tech Google Leases NASAs Silicon Valley Airfield Crew members walk the Solar Impulse to its hangar following a test flight at Moffett Field in Mountain View, California April 19, 2013. Robert GalbraithReuters Google plans to use the sprawling facility for research and develop space and robot technology

With dreams of an increased footprint in space, NASA is cutting back on its Earthly properties.

The agency said Monday it will lease its Moffett Field airbase in Silicon Valley to a shell company owned by Google. The tech giant will pay $1.16 billion over the course of a 60-year lease, according to NASA.

Google plans to use the sprawling facility for research and testing in the areas of spaceships, robotics and other technologies.

Located on 1,000 acres in southern end of San Francisco Bay, the Moffett lease is expected to save NASA approximately $6.3 million annually in maintenance and operation costs, the agency said. The airfield home to NASA Ames Research Center, including an airfield, a golf course, office space and several giant hangers that once housed blimps.

As NASA expands its presence in space, we are making strides to reduce our footprint here on Earth, said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden in a statement. We want to invest taxpayer resources in scientific discovery, technology development and space exploration not in maintaining infrastructure we no longer need.

Moffett Field plays an important role in the Bay Area and is poised to continue to do so through this lease arrangement, he added.

In February, NASA had agreed to negotiate exclusively with Google to lease the property. The base is close to Googles headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., and its airfield is home to a fleet of private jets owned by Googles co-founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, along with executive chairman Eric Schmidt.

Google had previously signed a deal to develop a new office complex on 42 acres at Moffett Field. But last year, the company halted those plans, possibly to await an agreement to manage the entire facility.

Under the latest deal, Planetary Ventures, Googles real estate arm, is expected to pump $200 million in improvements to the property, including refurbishing a hangar and creating a facility for the public to explore the sites legacy and learn about Silicon Valley.

Continue reading here:

Google Leases NASAs Silicon Valley Airfield

NASA's plan to visit an asteroid faces rocky start

Posted on by

NASAs next vehicle designed to carry astronauts to space is set to launch early next month atop a trusty Delta 4 rocket for a crewless test flight. Current plans call for a piloted flight in the new Orion spacecraft in the mid-2020s, when the vehicle will ride atop a new NASA heavy-lift rocket to take astronauts beyond Earth orbit for the first time in a half-century. Whats far less certain in the postspace shuttle era is where theyll go from there.

If the Obama administration and NASA have their way, the astronauts will be visiting a small asteroid that will have been nudged by a solar-powered robotic probe into a high, stable lunar orbit. During the monthlong mission the astronauts will rendezvous with the asteroid, perform spacewalks to gather samples and then return to Earth. The target asteroid has yet to be announced and a robotic space tug has yet to be built but NASA hopes to have the space rock relocated to the moons vicinity as soon as 2021.

NASA calls this complex concept the Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) and bills it as the first crucial step toward human missions to Mars in the 2030s.

Others arent so sure. In June of this past summer the National Research Council issued a report stating ARM could divert US resources and attention from more worthy missions. A month later NASAs Advisory Council criticized ARM as a dead-end element on the path to Mars. The harshest criticisms of all surprisingly came from asteroid scientists who voiced their discontent via statements from NASAs Small Bodies Assessment Group, calling ARMs science not compelling. Mark Sykes, director of the Planetary Science Institute, blasted ARM in September while testifying to a congressional committee, saying that NASAs cost estimate of less than US$1.25 billion for the robotic component of the mission strains credulity.

NASA

One option would involve sending a robotic probe to snatch a piece of rock from a large asteroid.

Im not a big fan of human space exploration as performance art, which is what ARM is, Sykes says. Because the problem with performance art is that your next trick has to be bigger than your last trick and that quickly gets unsustainable. ARM will never be funded. It will never happen. Its a waste of money. It doesnt advance anything and everything that could benefit from it could be benefited far more by other, cheaper, more efficient means.

Michele Gates, NASAs program director for ARM, says that the mission concept is meeting its developmental milestones and that an independent cost assessment study is underway. She and other NASA officials note that the advanced propulsion required for ARM would be enabling technology for a broad range of future missions and that ARM would be a crucial test for many deep-space activities crucial for someday reaching Mars. And it would do all this while keeping astronauts sufficiently close to home so that if something goes wrong, they could attempt an emergency return to Earth.

Last year, when the National Research Council released their report, we had very little detail on the ARM concept while their technical panel was doing their analysis, Gates says. Given the amount of work that has been done in the past year, and the positive reception weve received from so many communities to our most recent sharing of results, I would encourage everyone to look at the latest data.

ARMs fortunes now appear more fragile than ever, and its fate may have already been sealed by this years midterm elections, in which Republicans opposed to the mission took control of Congress. Still, NASA plans to conduct a formal review of the ARM concept in February 2015, and the Obama administrations next budget proposal is expected to request more funding for ARM, its signature effort in human spaceflight.

Link:

NASA's plan to visit an asteroid faces rocky start

Updated Nanotechnology Standards Database Features Improved Functionality and Utility

Posted on by

The American National Standards Institute's Nanotechnology Standards Panel (ANSI-NSP) has implemented significant updates to its ANSI-NSP Nanotechnology Standards Database, improving the functionality and utility of this essential tool.

The ANSI-NSP Nanotechnology Standards Database is a free, comprehensive resource for individuals and groups seeking information about standards and other relevant documents related to nanomaterials and nanotechnology products and processes. It can also serves as a useful tool for developers seeking to identify gaps in the existing nanotechnology standards landscape, generating ideas regarding potential areas of new work.

ANSI Nanotechnology Standards Panel The ANSI-NSP serves as the U.S.s cross-sector coordinating body for the facilitation of standards development in the area of nanotechnology. Formed in 2004, the panel works to provide a forum for SDOs, government entities, academia, and industry to identify needs and establish recommendations for the creation or updating of standards related to nanotechnology and nanomaterials. In addition, the ANSI-NSP solicits participation from nanotechnology-related groups that have not traditionally been involved in the voluntary consensus standards system, while also promoting cross-sector collaborative efforts.

The database was developed as part of a larger ongoing effort by the ANSI-NSP and its members and partners to bolster the visibility of existing and in-development nanomaterials and nanotechnology guidance documents, reference materials, and standards. It does not directly host standards and other similar documents, but is intended to provide information about such documents; however, standards developing organizations (SDOs) have the option of adding links to their relevant documents.

The new updates to the database include the creation of a single data entry form designed to allow standards developers and other organizations to more easily enter information. This change allows for a straightforward transition for those documents included in the database that change status from unpublished to published. In addition, the database has added a government-focused section, allowing representatives of governmental bodies to post policy and position documents that could be of interest to the greater nanotechnology community.

"The diverse nanotechnology community has been very productive in creating methods and procedures that are of general interest, said ANSI-NSP co-chair Shaun Clancy, Ph.D., the director of product regulatory services for the Evonik Corporation. Unfortunately, these are often hard to find even though they are publicly available. The creation of the ANSI-NSP Nanotechnology Standards Database has made it easier to find these documents and facilitate continued improvements in productivity in the community.

To continue growing the database and optimize it for the needs of the user community, ANSI-NSP encourages SDOs, government bodies, and other relevant organizations to contribute information about their current and in-progress documents and standards. Organizations are required to register for free on the database site before submitting their information, to ensure relevancy and accuracy. The database includes information from a wide range of organizations from around the world that develop standards and other similar documents, and is accessible to a global audience of individuals and groups interested in learning more about nanotechnology standardization.

To access the database, click here. For more information, visit the ANSI-NSP webpage or contact Heather Benko (hbenko@ansi.org), ANSI senior manager, nanotechnology standardization activities.

Link:

Updated Nanotechnology Standards Database Features Improved Functionality and Utility

ANSI-NSP Launches Nanotechnology Standards Database

Posted on by

The American National Standards Institute Nanotechnology Standards Panel (ANSI-NSP) is pleased to announce the launch of a new database compiling information about nanotechnology-related standards and affiliated activities. The creation of the database, which was first discussed during a February 2013 meeting of the ANSI-NSP in Washington, DC, is part of a larger ongoing effort by the ANSI-NSP and its members and partners to bolster the visibility of existing and in-development nanomaterials and nanotechnology guidance documents, reference materials, and standards.

Standards have a significant impact when they are broadly used. This database will be a valuable tool that can enable information sharing and raise awareness about available standards or those under development and can play an important role in furthering the responsible development and commercialization of nanotechnology, said ANSI-NSP co-chair Ajit Jilavenkatesa, Ph.D., senior standards policy advisor at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) of the U.S. Department of Commerce (DoC).

The ANSI-NSP Nanotechnology Standards Database serves as a free, comprehensive resource for individuals and groups seeking information about standards and other relevant documents related to nanomaterials and nanotechnologyrelated products and processes. The database does not directly host standards and other similar documents, but is intended to provide information about such documents; however, standards developing organizations (SDOs) are given the option of adding links to their relevant documents.

"The diverse nanotechnology community has been very productive in creating methods and procedures that are of general interest, said ANSI-NSP co-chair Shaun Clancy, Ph.D., the director of product regulatory services for the Evonik Corporation. Unfortunately, these are often hard to find even though they are publicly available. The creation of the ANSI-NSP Nanotechnology Standards Database will make it easier to find these documents and facilitate continued improvements in productivity in the community.

To make the database relevant to the needs of the user community and help it grow, SDOs, government bodies, and other relevant organizations are encouraged to contribute information about their current and in-progress documents and standards. Organizations are required to register before submitting, to ensure that information added to the database is accurate and up to date. The database is expected to include information from a wide range of organizations from around the world that develop standards and other similar documents, and will be accessible to a global audience of individuals and groups interested in learning more about nanotechnology standardization.

Formed in 2004, ANSI-NSP serves as the cross-sector coordinating body for the facilitation of standards development in the area of nanotechnology.

To access the database, click here. For more information, visit the ANSI-NSP webpage or contact Heather Benko (hbenko@ansi.org), ANSI senior manager, nanotechnology standardization activities.

Continue reading here:

ANSI-NSP Launches Nanotechnology Standards Database

Interim Director of U.S. National Nanotechnology Coordination Office Testifies before Congress

Posted on by

Lloyd Whitman, Ph.D., the interim director of the U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI)s National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO), testified on May 20, 2014, before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space and Technologys Subcommittee on Research and Technology. Dr. Whitman, who was appointed interim director in January 2014, also serves as the deputy director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)s Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST).

His remarks were delivered as part of the subcommittees hearing in Washington, DC, titled Nanotechnology: From Laboratories to Commercial Products. During the hearing, the subcommittee also heard testimony from representatives of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), Northwestern Universitys McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, the University of Texas at Austins Center for Nano- and Molecular Science and Technology, and nanotechnology company F Cubed LLC.

During his testimony, Dr. Whitman discussed the NNI's ongoing efforts to advance nanotechnology in the United States, including its support of effective collaboration between government agencies in connection with nanotechnology and nanomaterials. He also highlighted the NNIs development and regular updating of its NNI Strategic Plan, which sets down common goals and objectives for government bodies carrying out nanotechnology work.

Nanotechnology is the application of scientific knowledge to manipulate and control matter in the nanoscale (approximately 1 nanometer [nm] to 100 nm) in order to make use of size- and structure-dependent properties and phenomena, as distinct from those associated with individual atoms or molecules or with bulk materials.

Nanotechnology and nanomanufacturing which refers to the intentional synthesis, generation or control of nanomaterials, or fabrication steps in the nanoscale for commercial purpose hold the potential to trigger significant economic benefits while also impacting on a wide variety of fields and industries.

Dr. Whitman noted the major role that U.S. government agencies and bodies have played in supporting the development of voluntary consensus standards related to nanomaterials and nanotechnology, and pointed to the work carried out by experts employed by federal agencies in the development of international standards on these topics. The establishment of standards for nanomaterials and nanomanufacturing processes is expected to encourage the development of this technology in a scientific and responsible manner.

A number of important standards in this area have been developed by both the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), with the support of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-accredited U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to ISO Technical Committee (TC) 229, Nanotechnologies, and the U.S. National Committee (USNC)-approved U.S. TAG to IEC TC 113, Nanotechnology standardization for electrical and electronic products and systems. ANSI administers the U.S. TAG to ISO TC 229, while the U.S. TAG to IEC TC 113 is administered by ANSI member the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA). The U.S. has been very involved in this space and led the development of ISO/TS 80004-8:2013, Nanotechnologies -- Vocabulary -- Part 8: Nanomanufacturing, a notable recent Technical Specification.

Several ANSI member organizations also have been active in creating new documents to address nanotechnology standards needs, including IEEE and ASTM International, which recently developed ASTM E2909-13, Standard Guide for Investigation/Study/Assay Tab-Delimited Format for Nanotechnologies (ISA-TAB-Nano): Standard File Format for the Submission and Exchange of Data on Nanomaterials and Characterizations.

The ANSI Nanotechnology Standards Panel (ANSI-NSP) serves as the U.S.s cross-sector coordinating body for the facilitation of standards development in the area of nanotechnology. Formed in 2004, the panel works to provide a forum for standards developing organizations (SDOs), government entities, academia, and industry to identify needs and establish recommendations for the creation or updating of standards related to nanotechnology and nanomaterials. In addition, the ANSI-NSP solicits participation from nanotechnology-related groups that have not traditionally been involved in the voluntary consensus standards system, while also promoting cross-sector collaborative efforts.

To learn more about ANSI-NSP and its work, or to get involved, visit its official webpage or contact Heather Benko (hbenko@ansi.org; 212-642-4912), ANSI senior manager, nanotechnology standardization activities.

Read the original post:

Interim Director of U.S. National Nanotechnology Coordination Office Testifies before Congress

Global Market for Nanotechnology-Enabled Printing Technology to Reach $31.8 Billion by 2018; Asia-Pacific to Retain …

Posted on by

Wellesley, Mass. (PRWEB) November 12, 2014

BCC Research (http://www.bccresearch.com) reveals in its new report, Nanotechnology in Printing: Global Markets, the global market for nanotechnology-enabled printing technology is expected to grow at a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.7% over the next five years to total $31.8 billion by 2018. The Asia-Pacific region is the largest buyer of printing technologies and will retain growth through the forecast period with 17.3% CAGR and reach revenues of $20.2 billion.

2012 witnessed many new developments in nanotechnology-enabled products and systems, such as the inkjet printing and ink cartridges. These were followed by nanomaterial inks such as coated inks, metal oxide inks and inks with same size particles and flexes. BCC Research predicts that by 2015 there will be a noticeable development in the commercial market. Printed electronics, RFIDs, sensors and taggants for smart packaging as well as photovoltaic and solar cells, and security printing are major industries that will benefit from these upcoming innovations.

In terms of region, growth in Asia-Pacific will be steady through the forecast period due to major business requirements in printed electronics, printing of sensors, RFIDs and photovoltaics. On the other end, the U.K., Germany and Israel will be the leading European countries developing printed electronics, sensors and RFID tags for smart packaging.

With business potential of billions of dollars, nanotechnology in the printing industry is growing across the globe, says BCC Research analyst Anand Gijare. Nanotechnology has brought new opportunities for printing technologists and manufacturers of electronic components and inks.

Nanotechnology-enabled printing has excited industries with its astonishing potential to introduce next generation products. These industries include smart television, mobile gadgets, industries that manufacture and use flexible solar and photovoltaic cells, biotechnology, medicine and diagnostics, military and government agencies, and institutions designing human genes and implants.

Nanotechnology in Printing: Global Markets reviews the semiconductor industry and developments based on Moores law. The study is focused on nanomaterials that are used in printing, printing techniques, such as nanolithography and inkjet printing, and key applications that benefit from nanotechnology enabled printing. Forecast data is provided for 2018.

Editors and reporters who wish to speak with the analyst should contact Steven Cumming at steven.cumming(at)bccresearch(dot)com.

About BCC Research

BCC Research publishes market research reports that make organizations worldwide more profitable with intelligence that drives smart business decisions. These reports cover today's major industrial and technology sectors, including emerging markets. For more than 40 years, we have helped customers identify new market opportunities with accurate and reliable data and insight, including market sizing, forecasting, industry overviews, and identification of significant trends and key competitors. We partner with analysts who are experts in specific areas of industry and technology, providing unbiased measurements and assessments of global markets. Our clients include the top companies in industries around the world as well as universities, business schools, start-ups, consulting firms and investment companies. Visit our website at http://www.bccresearch.com. Contact us: (+1) 781-489-7301 (U.S. Eastern Time), or email information(at)bccresearch(dot)com.

View post:

Global Market for Nanotechnology-Enabled Printing Technology to Reach $31.8 Billion by 2018; Asia-Pacific to Retain ...

Patent awarded for genetics-based nanotechnology against mosquitoes, insect pests

Posted on by

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

12-Nov-2014

Contact: Kun Yan Zhu kzhu@k-state.edu 785-532-4721 Kansas State University @k_state_news

MANHATTAN, Kansas -- Kansas State University researchers have developed a patented method of keeping mosquitoes and other insect pests at bay.

U.S. Patent 8,841,272, "Double-Stranded RNA-Based Nanoparticles for Insect Gene Silencing," was recently awarded to the Kansas State University Research Foundation, a nonprofit corporation responsible for managing technology transfer activities at the university. The patent covers microscopic, genetics-based technology that can help safely kill mosquitos and other insect pests.

Kun Yan Zhu, professor of entomology; Xin Zhang, research associate in the Division of Biology; and Jianzhen Zhang, visiting scientist from Shanxi University in China, developed the technology: nanoparticles comprised of a nontoxic, biodegradable polymer matrix and insect derived double-stranded ribonucleic acid, or dsRNA. Double-stranded RNA is a synthesized molecule that can trigger a biological process known as RNA interference, or RNAi, to destroy the genetic code of an insect in a specific DNA sequence.

The technology is expected to have great potential for safe and effective control of insect pests, Zhu said.

"For example, we can buy cockroach bait that contains a toxic substance to kill cockroaches. However, the bait could potentially harm whatever else ingests it," Zhu said. "If we can incorporate dsRNA specifically targeting a cockroach gene in the bait rather than a toxic substance, the bait would not harm other organisms, such as pets, because the dsRNA is designed to specifically disable the function of the cockroach gene."

Researchers developed the technology while looking at how to disable gene functions in mosquito larvae. After testing a series of unsuccessful genetic techniques, the team turned to a nanoparticle-based approach.

Once ingested, the nanoparticles act as a Trojan horse, releasing the loosely bound dsRNA into the insect gut. The dsRNA then triggers a genetic chain reaction that destroys specific messenger RNA, or mRNA, in the developing insects. Messenger RNA carries important genetic information.

More here:

Patent awarded for genetics-based nanotechnology against mosquitoes, insect pests

Innovative approach to treating pancreatic cancer combines chemo- and immuno-therapy

Posted on by

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

12-Nov-2014

Contact: John Wallace wallacej@vcu.edu 804-628-1550 Virginia Commonwealth University @vcunews

VCU Massey Cancer Center and VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM) researchers discovered a unique approach to treating pancreatic cancer that may be potentially safe and effective. The treatment method involves immunochemotherapy - a combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy, which uses the patient's own immune system to help fight against disease. This pre-clinical study, led by Paul B. Fisher, M.Ph., Ph.D., and Luni Emdad, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., found that the delivery of [pIC]PEI - a combination of the already-established immune-modulating molecule, polyinosine-polycytidylic acid (pIC), with delivery molecule polyethlenimine (PEI), a polymer often used in detergents, adhesives and cosmetics - inside pancreatic cancer cells triggers cancer cell death without harming normal pancreatic cells.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers, with an overall five-year survival rate of less than six percent. Its high fatality is attributed to failure to diagnose the disease before it spreads to other organs, as well as its resistance to current therapies. Surgical removal of the cancer, chemotherapy and radiation each offer little resistance against this aggressive disease.

"Pancreatic cancer is currently the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the US. Developing an effective treatment is a vital step, and immunochemotherapy may be the key," said Emdad, member of the Cancer Molecular Genetics research program at VCU Massey, assistant professor in the Department of Human and Molecular Genetics at VCU School of Medicine and member of the VIMM.

Published in Cancer Research, this is the first study that links the proteins involved in programmed cell death as prime mediators in cancer-specific killing by [pIC]PEI. Emdad and Fisher have found that, in vitro (in cell cultures), [pIC]PEI selectively induces cell death in pancreatic cancer cells, and that, in vivo (in animal models), [pIC]PEI also inhibited tumor growth via cell death.

"Since [pIC]PEI is extremely and selectively toxic to pancreatic cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo, the use of this compound, alone and in combination with other therapeutic agents, could potentially lead to a novel, safe and effective approach for treating pancreatic cancer by directly attacking the cancer cell chemotherapeutically and stimulating the immune system to confront the cancer, an immunochemotherapy approach," said Fisher, Thelma Newmeyer Corman Chair in Cancer Research and co-leader of the Cancer Molecular Genetics research program at VCU Massey, professor and chair of the VCU Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, and director of the VIMM . "The results are promising, and we look forward to conducting more extensive pre-clinical studies. Our ultimate hope is to bring this innovative scheme into the clinic to treat patients with pancreatic cancer."

As the need exists for newer and more effective strategies to treat pancreatic cancer, these findings are critical. And while the current focus of this research is on pancreatic cancer, this approach also has applications for melanoma, breast cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma. Several important questions related to [pIC]PEI will be explored in future research, including assessing its efficacy in additional and expanded in vitro and in vivo studies, and testing it in new combinations with conventional chemotherapies.

###

Continued here:

Innovative approach to treating pancreatic cancer combines chemo- and immuno-therapy

Single molecular switch may contribute to major aging-related diseases

Posted on by

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

12-Nov-2014

Contact: Sue McGreevey smcgreevey@partners.org 617-724-2764 Massachusetts General Hospital @MassGeneralNews

A study led by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators has identified what appears to be a molecular switch controlling inflammatory processes involved in conditions ranging from muscle atrophy to Alzheimer's disease. In their report published in Science Signaling, the research team found that the action of the signaling molecule nitric oxide on the regulatory protein SIRT1 is required for the induction of inflammation and cell death in cellular and animal models of several aging-related disorders.

"Since different pathological mechanisms have been identified for diseases like type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis and Parkinson's disease, it has been assumed that therapeutic strategies for those conditions should also differ," says Masao Kaneki, MD, PhD, MGH Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, senior author of the paper. "In contrast, our findings identified nitric oxide-mediated inactivation of SIRT1 - believed to be a longevity gene - as a hub of the inflammatory spiral common to many aging-related diseases, clarifying a new preventive molecular target."

Studies have implicated a role for nitric oxide in diabetes, neurodegeneration, atherosclerosis and other aging-related disorders known to involve chronic inflammation. But exactly how nitric oxide exerts those effects - including activation of the inflammatory factor NF-kappaB and the regulatory protein p53, which can induce the death of damaged cells - was not known. SIRT1 is known to suppress the activity of both NF-kappaB and p53, and since its dysregulation has been associated with models of several aging-related conditions, the research team focused on nitric oxide's suppression of SIRT1 through a process called S-nitrosylation.

Cellular experiments revealed that S-nitrosylation inactivates SIRT1 by interfering with the protein's ability to bind zinc, which in turn increases the activation of p53 and of a protein subunit of NF-kappaB. Experiments in mouse models of systemic inflammation, age-related muscle atrophy and Parkinson's disease found that blocking or knocking out NO synthase - the enzyme that induces nitric oxide generation - prevented the cellular and in the Parkinson's model behavioral effects of the diseases. Additional experiments pinpointed the S-nitrosylation of SIRT1 as a critical point in the chain of events leading from nitric oxide expression to cellular damage and death.

"Regardless of the original event that set off this process, once turned on by SIRT1 inactivation, the same cascade of enhanced inflammation and cell death leads to many different disorders," says Kaneki, an associate professor of Anaesthesia at Harvard Medical School. "While we need to confirm that what we found in rodent models operates in human diseases, I believe this process plays an important role in the pathogenesis of conditions including obesity-related diabetes, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease and the body's response to major trauma. We're now trying to identify small molecules that will specifically inhibit S-nitrosylation of SIRT1 and related proteins and suppress this proinflammatory switch."

###

The co-lead authors of the Science Signaling paper are Shohei Shinozaki, PhD, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, and Kyungho Chang, MD, PhD, University of Tokyo School of Medicine, both of whom previously were research fellows at MGH. Additional co-authors include Michihiro Sakai, Nobuyuki Shimizu, Marina Yamada, Tomokazu Tanaka, MD, PhD, Harumasa Nakazawa, MD and Fumito Ichinose, MD, PhD, all of the MGH Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine; and Jonathan S. Stamler, MD, Case Western Reserve University and University Hospital, Cleveland.

Read the original post:

Single molecular switch may contribute to major aging-related diseases

Australian Signals Directorate unveils re-developed OnSecure website

Posted on by

The Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) has rolled out a re-developed version of its OnSecure website for state, territory and federal government IT professionals.

The website was first launched in 2004 as a community where government ICT professionals can discuss cyber security in secure forums.

A Department of Defence spokesperson said the site was re-developed to introduce additional features including increased website security and a secure malware upload tool. Registered users can use this tool to upload malware samples for analysis by other members.

Users also get access to forums, information security news, activities/training, ASD tools, Cyber Security Operations Centre (CSOC) and CERT Australia incident alerts.

According to the spokesperson, there are currently 2,000 active users from state and federal government agencies on the site.

OnSecure is an example of the commitment to ASDs information security mission by providing advice and assistance to Australian government agencies, the spokesperson added.

A cyber security audit of seven Australian federal government agencies in June 2014 by the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) found that none of them had achieved full compliance with the top four mitigation strategies mandated by the Department of Defence in 2013.

These strategies are: application whitelisting, patching systems, restricting administrative privileges and creating a defence-in-depth system.

According to the ANAO report, there were more than 1,790 cyber security incidents against Australian government agencies during 2012.

Read more Lockheed Martin to open $8m Melbourne ICT engineering centre

View original post here:

Australian Signals Directorate unveils re-developed OnSecure website

GoPix is a clever, but limited slide movie maker for Instagram

Posted on by

GoPix ($1.99) is a just-released iOS slide show app for users on Instagram. It's a good illustration of the trade-offs between making something easy to use or having more creative control.

GoPix is very, very easy to use. You begin by selecting up to nine photos. The app crops them for Instagram size requirements. Pick a mood pre-set, and the app chooses the music, renders your animated transitions, and you are done. You get a 15-second movie ready to upload to Instagram, or share via other social media or email.

For someone who wants to trade control for ease, this is a perfect app, and there are a lot of people who will find this clever app appealing. To my mind, it should have gone further. There is no ability to add text, and while there are a lot of music and a few theme choices (Cheerful, Energetic, Scrapbook, Heartstrings, Cutesy and Upbeat), you can't use your own music. The app also uses filters on your photos, turning some to mono, others to a kind of parched effect. It seems like those choices should be made by the users, not the app creators. You can re-order the photos before you render the animation, but you can't re-edit after it is done. Again, that choice saves some work on the part of the user, but there is a creative price to pay.

The transition effects are very sophisticated and tasteful, but you just lose an awful lot of control. That's going to be positive for those who don't want to get into the weeds of creating a great slideshow, but it will definitely frustrate more seasoned photographers who want to express themselves more fully.

I'd like to see this developer create a version of the app that ditches the Instagram restrictions, and gives users more creative options. Or perhaps give us a single app that does both -- then we'd have the best of both worlds.

If you want to stay with Instagram-compatible apps, then have a look at Fliptastic Pro ($0.99) which I reviewed last year and really liked. It has a lot more canned choices, yet lets you use your own music if you want, and it's also possible to add captions. If you don't want to use it for Instagram, you don't have to, but pushing the "Instagram' button formats everything for that service.

GoPix requires iOS 6 or greater, it's optimized for the iPhone 5, but not yet for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.

Excerpt from:

GoPix is a clever, but limited slide movie maker for Instagram

Family Medicine Director Alan Douglass, MD | Middlesex Hospital – Video

Posted on by


Family Medicine Director Alan Douglass, MD | Middlesex Hospital
Dr Alan Douglass feels that one of the wonderful things about being a family doctor is the opportunity he has to build long-term relationships with his patients. Dr Douglass leads the Middlesex...

By: Middlesex Hospital

Read the original:

Family Medicine Director Alan Douglass, MD | Middlesex Hospital - Video