Daily Archives: April 5, 2017

Giant Steps For Humankind

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic successfully used intense physical therapy and electrical stimulation on the spinal cord to help a patient stand, intentionally move his paralyzed legs, and make step-like motions. These were the first movementsthe patient had experienced in his legs in three years.

26-year-old Jered Chinnock injured his spinal cord at the sixth thoracic vertebrae three years ago. He could not move or feel anything lower than the middle of his back, and was diagnosed with a motor complete spinal cord injury.

At the outset of the study, Chinnock underwent 22 weeks of physical therapy with three training sessions per week. His training goal was to prepare his muscles so they would be strong enough to attempt the physical tasks while his spinal cord was being stimulated.

Next, the team implanted an electrode below the injured area in the epidural space, close to the spinal cord, and a computer-controlled device just under the patients abdominal skin.The FDA gave permission to the Mayo Clinic for this off-label use of the device, which controls thetransmission of an electrical current to the spinal cord, which in turnallowed the patient to create movement in his muscles.

After a recovery period, Chinnock resumed his physical therapy sessions with the stimulation settings for thedevice adjusted to enable his muscle movements. Within the first two weeks, he was able to intentionally move his legs and make step-like motions while lying supported, on his side. He was also able to stand independently using support bars. The intentional movement indicates that his brain is once again able to signal his spinal cord successfully.

Were really excited, because our results went beyond our expectations, says neurosurgeon Kendall Lee, the studys principal investigator. These are initial findings, but the patient is continuing to make progress.

For Jered Chinnock, the results are something to get used to. It definitely feels like science fiction, he said. The first day they turned it on, it was almost mind-blowing because it was, like, right away I was able to move my toes, and it was something I havent seen in a while, you know.

As amazing as the experiment is, itsstill early work. Although the data seems to indicate that epidural stimulation therapy may work for people with discomplete spinal cord injuries, current classification of such injuries is vague. It includes only general information about the status of the injury and omits characterizations of specific descending or ascending spinal pathways. This reflects the limitations on our current diagnostic approaches.

More research is needed to determine how researchers and physicians can identify which pathways are still transmitting residual descending and ascendingalbeit subfunctionalsignals in patients with these types of injuries. In addition, the extent to which neural substrates underlie the phenomenon of discomplete SCI and contribute to EES-enabled functional recovery has yet to bedetermined. However, these results have clarified those long-term research goals, and prove that this technique is very promising.

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New Spinal Cord Treatment Lets Paralyzed Man Stand for the First Time in Years - Futurism

In Brief New research from the University of Manchester developed a graphene-based sieve that can filter out salt from seawater. The graphene oxide membrane could be a cheaper and more efficient filter for desalination plants to use. Abundantly Scarce

The Earths surface is largely made up of water. The irony is, this highly abundant resource is also generally scarce, particularly in its potable form. While the Earths surface may be 71 percent water, 96.5 percent of this come from the planets oceans. Salt water, as everyone knows, isnt potable. The quest to find ways totap into this abundant source and turn it into drinkable water iswell underway, facilitated mainly bydesalination plants. But these plants are expensive to maintain and dont necessarily serve the populations that need them most.Click to View Full Infographic

The question, then, is how to make these plants cheaper and more efficient? Thats just what a study published in the journal Nature Nanotechnologyrecently explored. The research was conducted by a UK-based team led by Rahul Nair from the University of Manchester. Their solution to the worlds drinking problem? A graphene oxide sieve that can remove salt from seawater.

Since it was first discovered in 2004, graphene has become a wonder material capable of remarkable feats. Graphenesremarkable nature is at least in part thanks to its unique properties,such as electrical conductivity and tensile strength. Graphene oxide can be produced by simple oxidation in the lab, Nair told the BBC. As an ink or solution, we can compose it on a substrate or porous material. Then we can use it as a membrane. In terms of scalability and the cost of the material, graphene oxide has a potential advantage over single-layered graphene.

Graphene oxide has proven effective for sieving out nanoparticles, organic molecules, and large salts. To filter out common salt, Nair and his colleagues used walls made of epoxy resin on both sides of a graphene oxide membrane. This prevented the graphene oxide from expanding when immersed in water. It also gave the researcher the ability to control these pores.

When dissolved in water, common salts form a shell of water molecules around the molecules of salt. Tiny capillaries from the graphene oxide membranes can then block these salts from flowing through. This also allows the water molecules toflowthrough the membrane much faster. Water molecules can go through individually, but sodium chloride cannot. It always needs the help of the water molecules. The size of the shell of water around the salt is larger than the channel size, so it cannot go through, Nair explained.

Once these graphene oxide membranes can be industrially (and cheaply) produced, they can become a more efficient option than the polymer-based membranes currently used in desalination plants. The selective separation of water molecules from ions by physical restriction of interlayer spacing opens the door to the synthesis of inexpensive membranes for desalination, Ram Devanathan, from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory wrote as a review to Nairs research. The ultimate goal is to create a filtration device that will produce potable water from seawater or wastewater with minimal energy input.

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Scientists Just Figured Out How to Use Graphene to Make Seawater Drinkable - Futurism

In BriefNASA is currently preparing a probe that will travel furtherinto the center of our solar system than ever before. The probewill travel at speeds of 200 km/sec (124.27 mi/s) and deal withscorching temperatures in excess of 1371 C (2500 F).

Coronal Mass Ejections (aka. solar flares) are a seriously hazardous thing. Whenever the Sun emits a burst of these charged particles, it can play havoc with electrical systems, aircraft and satellites here on Earth. Worse yet is the harm it can inflict on astronauts stationed aboard the ISS, who do not have the protection of Earths atmosphere. As such, it is obvious why scientists want to be able to predict these events better.

For this reason, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based non-profit engineering organization are working to develop specialized sensors for NASAs proposed solar spacecraft. Launching in 2018, this spacecraft will fly into the Sun atmosphere and touch the face of the Sun to learn more about its behavior.

This spacecraft known as the Solar Probe Plus (SPP) is currently being designed and built by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Once it is launched, the SPP will use seven Venus flybys over nearly seven years to gradually shrink its orbit around the Sun. During this time, it will conduct 24 flybys of the Sun and pass into the Suns upper atmosphere (corona), passing within 6.4 million km (4 million mi) of its surface.

At this distance, it will have traveled 37.6 million km (23.36 million mi) closer to the Sun than any spacecraft in history. At the same time, it will set a new record for the fastest moving object ever built by human beings traveling at speeds of up to 200 km/sec (124.27 mi/s). And last but not least, it will be exposed to heat and radiation that no spacecraft has ever faced, which will include temperatures in excess of 1371 C (2500 F).

As Seamus Tuohy, the Director of the Space Systems Program Office at Draper, said in a CfA press release:

Such a mission would require a spacecraft and instrumentation capable of withstanding extremes of radiation, high velocity travel and the harsh solar conditionand that is the kind of program deeply familiar to Draper and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.

In addition to being an historic first, this probe will provide new data on solar activity and help scientists develop ways of forecasting major space-weather events which impact life on Earth. This is especially important in an age when people are increasingly reliant on technology that can be negatively impacted by solar flares ranging from aircraft and satellites to appliances and electrical devices.

According to a recent study by the National Academy of Sciences, it is estimated that a huge solar event today could cause two trillion dollars in damage in the US alone and places like the eastern seaboard would be without power for up to a year. Without electricity to provide heating, utilities, light, and air-conditioning, the death toll from such an event would be significant.

As such, developing advanced warning systems that could reliably predict when a coronal mass ejection is coming is not just a matter of preventing damage, but saving lives. As Justin C. Kasper, the principal investigator at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and a professor in space science at the University of Michigan, said:

[I]n addition to answering fundamental science questions, the intent is to better understand the risks space weather poses to the modern communication, aviation and energy systems we all rely on. Many of the systems we in the modern world rely onour telecommunications, GPS, satellites and power gridscould be disrupted for an extended period of time if a large solar storm were to happen today. Solar Probe Plus will help us predict and manage the impact of space weather on society.

To this end, the SPP has three major scientific objectives. First, it will seek to trace the flow of energy that heats and accelerates the solar corona and solar wind. Second, its investigators will attempt to determine the structure and dynamics of plasma and magnetic fields as the source of solar wind. And last, it will explore the mechanisms that accelerate and transport energetic particles specifically electrons, protons, and helium ions.

To do this, the SPP will be equipped with an advanced suite of instruments. One of the most important of these is the one built by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory with technical support from Draper. Known as the Faraday Cup and named after famous electromagnetic scientists Michael Faraday this device will be operated by SAO and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Designed to withstand interference from electromagnetic radiation, the Farady Cup will measure the velocity and direction of the Suns charged particles, and will be only two positioned outside of the SPPs protective sun shield another crucial component. Measuring 11.43 cm (4.5 inches) thick, this carbon composition shield will ensure that the probe can withstand the extreme conditions as it conducts its many flybys through the Suns corona.

Naturally, the mission presents several challenges, not the least of which will be capturing data while operating within an extreme environment, and while traveling at extreme speeds. But the payoff is sure to be worth it. For years, astronomers have studied the Sun, but never from inside the Suns atmosphere.

By flying through the birthplace of the highest-energy solar particles, the SPP is set to advance our understanding of the Sun and the origin and evolution of the solar wind. This knowledge could not only help us avoid a natural catastrophe here on Earth, but help advance our long-term goal of exploring (and even colonizing) the Solar System.

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NASA Is Sending a Spacecraft To Touch the Sun - Futurism