Amid growing concerns over Sunita Williams' health, NASA recently clarified that all the astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) are in "good health".

The Delaware Department of Agriculture is issuing an alert regarding green iguanas that the public may have won as a prize at the Apple Scrapple Festival this year. Anyone who is not prepared to keep these reptiles, are asked to contact the Department so the iguanas can be placed in the care of one of the many reptile rescue and rehabilitation centers within the state.

La agencia también lanza una campaña de marketing para animar a las personas con discapacidades y a las personas mayores a vacunarse WILMINGTON (14 de Diciembre de 2021) – El Departamento de Salud y Servicios Sociales (DHSS) lanzó hoy un número gratuito para que los habitantes de Delaware soliciten vacunas de COVID-19 para personas mayores […]

NEW CASTLE (Septiembre 19, 2022) – Las oficinas de la División de Servicios de Manutención Infantil (DCSS por sus siglas en Ingles) estarán cerradas en los tres condados el Viernes, 23 de Septiembre, debido a una reunión de personal en servicio. Los clientes de manutención infantil que tienen asuntos para resolver en persona se les […]

DOVER, Del. (April 26, 2023) The Delaware Office of Highway Safety is teaming up with NASCAR Drivers Ross Chastain and Chad Chastain to encourage Delawareans to “Use Your Melon” and Drive Sober. On Friday, April 28th, OHS and Ross will be at the Buffalo Wild Wings in Dover 680 S Bay Rd, Dover, DE 19901 […]

Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha marked his 36th birthday in Varanasi.

Backed by Iran and hated by Israel, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah is Lebanon's most powerful man. He enjoys cult status among his Shiite supporters and holds sway over the country's institutions.

1. Nasa Alert: Massive 'God of Chaos' asteroid Apophis nears earth in closest pass yet  CNBCTV18
2. NASA alert! 'God of Chaos' asteroid approaching Earth on November 13 sparks worldwide concern  The Times of India
3. Giant Meteorite To Hit Earth On November 13? What We Know  News18
4. 'Astonishingly close': A colossal space rock could wreak havoc on Earth in 2029  Business Today
5. Giant 'God of Darkness' Asteroid May Not Escape Earth Unscathed  ScienceAlert

NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft detected an unexpected phenomenon in the environment around the planet Uranus in 1986. Years later, scientists found the cause.

La enseñanza bíblica en profundidad de John MacArthur lleva la verdad transformadora de la Palabra de Dios a millones de personas cada día.

La enseñanza bíblica en profundidad de John MacArthur lleva la verdad transformadora de la Palabra de Dios a millones de personas cada día.

La enseñanza bíblica en profundidad de John MacArthur lleva la verdad transformadora de la Palabra de Dios a millones de personas cada día.

La enseñanza bíblica en profundidad de John MacArthur lleva la verdad transformadora de la Palabra de Dios a millones de personas cada día.

La enseñanza bíblica en profundidad de John MacArthur lleva la verdad transformadora de la Palabra de Dios a millones de personas cada día.

La enseñanza bíblica en profundidad de John MacArthur lleva la verdad transformadora de la Palabra de Dios a millones de personas cada día.

According to reports, Amir Nasr-Azadani, a soccer player from Iran may face execution for participating in ongoing anti-government protests in the country.

The Jonas Brothers left Directioners in tears during their recent concert.During their Sunday night concert at Highland, California, the Jonas Brothers covered One Direction’s Night Changes in what appeared to be a tribute to the late Liam Payne. On November 11, Nick, Joe, and Kevin Jonas...

The Origins and Habitability Lab at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a testbed exploring how geological conditions could impact life in environments such as early Earth, Mars or the icy moons of Jupiter

The New Horizons mission to Pluto, now zooming out of the Kuiper belt, has made a discovery that could upend what we know about where the solar system ends

The International Space Station will burn up and splash down into the Pacific sometime around 2030. What could possibly go wrong? And will we ever see anything like the ISS again?

Past observations have indicated that the icy moon of Jupiter has a vast subsurface ocean. Launching in October, NASA’s Europa Clipper will go there in search of evidence that it could support life

An independent task force formed by NASA to look into unidentified anomalous phenomena found no evidence of alien craft, and suggests that if we want to find proof of visitors we need better data

In the foundations of a Maya temple, researchers found the charred bones of royal individuals – possibly evidence of a fiery ritual to mark the end of one dynasty and the beginning of another

Title: Nasal Spray May Ease Cluster Headaches
Category: Health News
Created: 8/29/2007 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 8/29/2007 12:00:00 AM

Title: Pious Parasites: Medieval Monks Battled Nasty Gut Germs
Category: Health News
Created: 8/19/2022 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 8/19/2022 12:00:00 AM

Extract

In cystic fibrosis (CF), Pseudomonas aeruginosa acquisition represents a turning point in disease progression. The presence of chronic P. aeruginosa infection is associated with worsening lung function and increased risk of earlier death, whereas treatment substantially improves lung function and survival [1, 2]. Efforts to diagnose and eradicate early P. aeruginosa provide lasting benefits for children with CF [3, 4]. However, the timing of infection varies considerably between individuals with CF, treatment centres [5, 6], and different birth cohorts of people with the disease [7, 8].

Background

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common pathogen that contributes to progressive lung disease in cystic fibrosis (CF). Genetic factors other than CF-causing CFTR (CF transmembrane conductance regulator) variations contribute ~85% of the variation in chronic P. aeruginosa infection age in CF according to twin studies, but the susceptibility loci remain unknown. Our objective is to advance understanding of the genetic basis of host susceptibility to P. aeruginosa infection.

Organic anion transporting polypeptides (OATP, gene symbol SLCO) are well-recognized key determinants for the absorption, distribution, and excretion of a wide spectrum of endogenous and exogenous compounds including many antineoplastic agents. It was therefore proposed as a potential drug target for cancer therapy. In our previous study, it was found that low-dose X-ray and carbon ion irradiation both upregulated the expression of OATP family member OATP1A2 and in turn, led to a more dramatic killing effect when cancer cells were cotreated with antitumor drugs such as methotrexate. In the present study, the underlying mechanism of the phenomenon was explored in breast cancer cell line MCF-7. It was found that the nonreceptor tyrosine kinase v-YES-1 Yamaguchi sarcoma viral oncogene homolog 1 (YES-1) was temporally coordinated with the change of OATP1A2 after irradiation. The overexpression of YES-1 significantly increased OATP1A2 both at the mRNA and protein level. The signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) pathway is likely the downstream target of YES-1 because phosphorylation and nuclear accumulation of STAT3 were both enhanced after overexpressing YES-1 in MCF-7 cells. Further investigation revealed that there are two possible binding sites of STAT3 localized at the upstream sequence of SLCO1A2, the encoding gene of OATP1A2. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis suggested that these two sites bound to STAT3 specifically and the overexpression of YES-1 significantly increased the association of the transcription factor with the putative binding sites. Finally, inhibition or knockdown of YES-1 attenuated the induction effect of radiation on the expression of OATP1A2.

The development of transforming growth factor βreceptor inhibitors (TGFβRi) as new medicines has been affected by cardiac valvulopathy and arteriopathy toxicity findings in nonclinical toxicology studies. PF-06952229 (MDV6058) selected using rational drug design is a potent and selective TGFβRI inhibitor with a relatively clean off-target selectivity profile and good pharmacokinetic properties across species. PF-06952229 inhibited clinically translatable phospho-SMAD2 biomarker (≥60%) in human and cynomolgus monkey peripheral blood mononuclear cells, as well as in mouse and rat splenocytes. Using an optimized, intermittent dosing schedule (7-day on/7-day off/cycle; 5 cycles), PF-06952229 demonstrated efficacy in a 63-day syngeneic MC38 colon carcinoma mouse model. In the pivotal repeat-dose toxicity studies (rat and cynomolgus monkey), PF-06952229 on an intermittent dosing schedule (5-day on/5-day off cycle; 5 cycles, 28 doses) showed no cardiac-related adverse findings. However, new toxicity findings related to PF-06952229 included reversible hepatocellular (hepatocyte necrosis with corresponding clinically monitorable transaminase increases) and lung (hemorrhage with mixed cell inflammation) findings at ≥ targeted projected clinical efficacious exposures. Furthermore, partially reversible cartilage hypertrophy (trachea and femur in rat; femur in monkey) and partially to fully reversible, clinically monitorable decreases in serum phosphorus and urinary phosphate at ≥ projected clinically efficacious exposures were observed. Given the integral role of TGFβ in endochondral bone formation, cartilage findings in toxicity studies have been observed with other TGFβRi classes of compounds. The favorable cumulative profile of PF-06952229 in biochemical, pharmacodynamic, pharmacokinetic, and nonclinical studies allowed for its evaluation in cancer patients using the intermittent dosing schedule (7-day on/7-day off) and careful protocol-defined monitoring.

Dihydropyrimidinase (DHP) deficiency is an autosomal recessive metabolic disorder caused by biallelic pathogenic variants of DPYS. Patients with DHP deficiency exhibit a broad spectrum of phenotypes, ranging from severe neurological and gastrointestinal involvement to cases with no apparent symptoms. The biochemical diagnosis of DHP deficiency is based on the detection of a significant amount of dihydropyrimidines in urine, plasma, and cerebrospinal fluid samples. Molecular genetic testing, specifically the identification of biallelic pathogenic variants in DPYS, has proven instrumental in confirming the diagnosis and facilitating family studies. This case study documents the diagnostic journey of an 18-yr-old patient with DHP deficiency, highlighting features at the severe end of the clinical spectrum. Notably, our patient exhibited previously unreported skeletal features that positively responded to bisphosphonate treatment, contributing valuable insights to the clinical characterization of DHP deficiency. Additionally, a novel DPYS variant was identified and confirmed pathogenicity through metabolic testing, further expanding the variant spectrum of the gene. Our case emphasizes the importance of a comprehensive diagnostic approach using genetic sequencing and metabolic testing for accurate diagnosis.

The two robots, working alone and far apart from one another, are struggling on their respective treks along the Red Planet's rough terrain.

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft had so many problems during its first crewed launch to the International Space Station that NASA officials aren’t sure whether it will be able to bring its crew back home as planned

The International Space Station will burn up and splash down into the Pacific sometime around 2030. What could possibly go wrong? And will we ever see anything like the ISS again?

Past observations have indicated that the icy moon of Jupiter has a vast subsurface ocean. Launching in October, NASA’s Europa Clipper will go there in search of evidence that it could support life

Space missions are extremely hard. Things going wrong should be expected, so having a sensible plan B is crucial

If you were standing on Mars as it was hit by charged particles from the sun, you might be able to see an aurora just like on Earth

The European Space Agency is sending a probe to get a closer look at the asteroid Dimorphos, which had its orbit altered by NASA’s DART mission in 2022

The European Space Agency's Hera spacecraft must be thoroughly tested before being sent to investigate the aftermath of the collision of NASA's DART probe with Dimorphos

A 6000-kilogram spacecraft will embark on a six-year journey to Jupiter to explore whether its icy moon Europa has the conditions to support life

Meet NASA’s NEO Surveyor, the space telescope identifying hazardous asteroids and comets within 48 million kilometres of Earth’s orbit

The largest and most ambitious Martian drone yet could carry kilograms of scientific equipment over great distances and set itself down on the Red Planet unassisted

Are humanoid robots the future of space exploration? New Scientist reporter James Woodford took NASA's Valkyrie for a spin to find out

NASA’s Valkyrie is undergoing tests to understand what it would take to get a humanoid robot onto offshore facilities or into space. New Scientist's James Woodford took the controls to see what it is capable of

In the 1960s and 1970s, NASA spent a lot of time thinking about whether toroidal (donut-shaped) fuel tanks were the way to go with its spacecraft. Toroidal tanks have a bunch of potential advantages over conventional spherical fuel tanks. For example, you can fit nearly 40% more volume within a toroidal tank than if you were using multiple spherical tanks within the same space. And perhaps most interestingly, you can shove stuff (like the back of an engine) through the middle of a toroidal tank, which could lead to some substantial efficiency gains if the tanks could also handle structural loads.

Because of their relatively complex shape, toroidal tanks are much more difficult to make than spherical tanks. Even though these tanks can perform better, NASA simply doesn’t have the expertise to manufacture them anymore, since each one has to be hand-built by highly skilled humans. But a company called Machina Labs thinks that they can do this with robots instead. And their vision is to completely change how we make things out of metal.

The fundamental problem that Machina Labs is trying to solve is that if you want to build parts out of metal efficiently at scale, it’s a slow process. Large metal parts need their own custom dies, which are very expensive one-offs that are about as inflexible as it’s possible to get, and then entire factories are built around these parts. It’s a huge investment, which means that it doesn’t matter if you find some new geometry or technique or material or market, because you have to justify that enormous up-front cost by making as much of the original thing as you possibly can, stifling the potential for rapid and flexible innovation.

On the other end of the spectrum you have the also very slow and expensive process of making metal parts one at a time by hand. A few hundred years ago, this was the only way of making metal parts: skilled metalworkers using hand tools for months to make things like armor and weapons. The nice thing about an expert metalworker is that they can use their skills and experience to make anything at all, which is where Machina Labs’ vision comes from, explains CEO Edward Mehr who co-founded Machina Labs after spending time at SpaceX followed by leading the 3D printing team at Relativity Space.

“Craftsmen can pick up different tools and apply them creatively to metal to do all kinds of different things. One day they can pick up a hammer and form a shield out of a sheet of metal,” says Mehr. “Next, they pick up the same hammer, and create a sword out of a metal rod. They’re very flexible.”

The technique that a human metalworker uses to shape metal is called forging, which preserves the grain flow of the metal as it’s worked. Casting, stamping, or milling metal (which are all ways of automating metal part production) are simply not as strong or as durable as parts that are forged, which can be an important differentiator for (say) things that have to go into space. But more on that in a bit.

The problem with human metalworkers is that the throughput is bad—humans are slow, and highly skilled humans in particular don’t scale well. For Mehr and Machina Labs, this is where the robots come in.

“We want to automate and scale using a platform called the ‘robotic craftsman.’ Our core enablers are robots that give us the kinematics of a human craftsman, and artificial intelligence that gives us control over the process,” Mehr says. “The concept is that we can do any process that a human craftsman can do, and actually some that humans can’t do because we can apply more force with better accuracy.”

This flexibility that robot metalworkers offer also enables the crafting of bespoke parts that would be impractical to make in any other way. These include toroidal (donut-shaped) fuel tanks that NASA has had its eye on for the last half century or so.

Machina Labs’ CEO Edward Mehr (on right) stands behind a 15 foot toroidal fuel tank.Machina Labs

“The main challenge of these tanks is that the geometry is complex,” Mehr says. “Sixty years ago, NASA was bump-forming them with very skilled craftspeople, but a lot of them aren’t around anymore.” Mehr explains that the only other way to get that geometry is with dies, but for NASA, getting a die made for a fuel tank that’s necessarily been customized for one single spacecraft would be pretty much impossible to justify. “So one of the main reasons we’re not using toroidal tanks is because it’s just hard to make them.”

Machina Labs is now making toroidal tanks for NASA. For the moment, the robots are just doing the shaping, which is the tough part. Humans then weld the pieces together. But there’s no reason why the robots couldn’t do the entire process end-to-end and even more efficiently. Currently, they’re doing it the “human” way based on existing plans from NASA. “In the future,” Mehr tells us, “we can actually form these tanks in one or two pieces. That’s the next area that we’re exploring with NASA—how can we do things differently now that we don’t need to design around human ergonomics?”

Machina Labs’ ‘robotic craftsmen’ work in pairs to shape sheet metal, with one robot on each side of the sheet. The robots align their tools slightly offset from each other with the metal between them such that as the robots move across the sheet, it bends between the tools. Machina Labs

The video above shows Machina’s robots working on a tank that’s 4.572 m (15 feet) in diameter, likely destined for the Moon. “The main application is for lunar landers,” says Mehr. “The toroidal tanks bring the center of gravity of the vehicle lower than what you would have with spherical or pill-shaped tanks.”

Training these robots to work metal like this is done primarily through physics-based simulations that Machina developed in house (existing software being too slow), followed by human-guided iterations based on the resulting real-world data. The way that metal moves under pressure can be simulated pretty well, and although there’s certainly still a sim-to-real gap (simulating how the robot’s tool adheres to the surface of the material is particularly tricky), the robots are collecting so much empirical data that Machina is making substantial progress towards full autonomy, and even finding ways to improve the process.

An example of the kind of complex metal parts that Machina’s robots are able to make.Machina Labs

Ultimately, Machina wants to use robots to produce all kinds of metal parts. On the commercial side, they’re exploring things like car body panels, offering the option to change how your car looks in geometry rather than just color. The requirement for a couple of beefy robots to make this work means that roboforming is unlikely to become as pervasive as 3D printing, but the broader concept is the same: making physical objects a software problem rather than a hardware problem to enable customization at scale.

NASA said Thursday that the study of UFOs will require new scientific techniques, including advanced satellites as well as a shift in how unexplained sightings are perceived.

Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson discusses how Axiom Space and luxury designer Prada are collaborating on NASA's Artemis III spacesuit design.