Monday, April 6, 2015
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Instead of killing bacteria, DARPA seeks to understand biology of host tolerance
http://ift.tt/hZ0OVi
DARPA’s new Technologies for Host Resilience (THoR) program aims to tackle the rising prevalence of multi-drug-resistant pathogens, as well as emerging biological threats. Instead of focusing on how to kill specific pathogens, THoR seeks to catalyze the development of breakthrough interventions that would increase a patient’s ability to tolerate a broad range of pathogens. The program will explore the fundamental biology of host tolerance to infection with the goal of expanding treatment options for humans in the future.
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Reposted via Next Big Future
Conventional disease treatments such as antibiotics have almost exclusively sought to emulate natural resistance by keeping patients’ pathogen levels as low as possible. This approach has been incredibly successful but has an increasingly serious downside: Any pathogens that survive a particular treatment can defy it from then on, giving rise to new antibiotic-resistant strains. The rising prevalence of multi-drug-resistant pathogens, as well as emerging biological threats, makes developing new medical countermeasures a national security priority.
DARPA’s new Technologies for Host Resilience (THoR) program aims to tackle these issues from a completely different angle. Instead of focusing on how to kill specific pathogens, THoR seeks to catalyze the development of breakthrough interventions that would increase the ability of patients’ own bodies to tolerate a broad range of pathogens. The program will explore the fundamental biology of host tolerance in animal populations with the goal of expanding treatment options for humans in the future.
If THoR is successful, it could provide substantial benefits to warfighter health and military readiness. New treatments would help reduce reliance on antibiotics and complement ongoing efforts both to fight microbes themselves and slow the emergence of antibiotic resistance.
THoR could also help treat life-threatening infections and related illnesses, such as sepsis. A catastrophic overreaction by the immune system to large-scale infection, sepsis afflicts 18 million people a year worldwide and kills between 30 and 50 percent of them. Sepsis poses a significant threat to warfighters who suffer combat injuries that predispose them to infection.
DARPA’s new Technologies for Host Resilience (THoR) program aims to tackle the rising prevalence of multi-drug-resistant pathogens, as well as emerging biological threats. Instead of focusing on how to kill specific pathogens, THoR seeks to catalyze the development of breakthrough interventions that would increase a patient’s ability to tolerate a broad range of pathogens. The program will explore the fundamental biology of host tolerance to infection with the goal of expanding treatment options for humans in the future.
Read more »
Reposted via Next Big Future
warisstupid:F-35 Helmet by Lockheed Martin on Flickr.
Honister Pass, Lake District, UK by Reuben Wu on Flickr.
http://ift.tt/1iRSeAO
Reposted via F&O FABFORGOTTENNOBILITY
Honister Pass, Lake District, UK by Reuben Wu on Flickr.
Reposted via F&O FABFORGOTTENNOBILITY
An effort to make Continental Ave. Bridge a Dallas landmark — and kill the Trinity toll road?
http://ift.tt/1cwEqpJ
Where and how the Trinity River toll road would hit the Continental Avenue Bridge (NTTA) The just-posted agenda for Monday’s meeting of Dallas’ Landmark Commission ends with a single sentence already heard ’round Dallas City Hall: “A public hearing to … Continue reading →
Reposted via City Hall Blog
Where and how the Trinity River toll road would hit the Continental Avenue Bridge (NTTA) The just-posted agenda for Monday’s meeting of Dallas’ Landmark Commission ends with a single sentence already heard ’round Dallas City Hall: “A public hearing to … Continue reading →
Reposted via City Hall Blog
NASA Space habitat NextStep is to get to 60 days in Cislunar Space and then scale for manned Mars Missions
http://ift.tt/hZ0OVi
Seven NASA NextSTEP habitat projects will have initial performance periods of up to 12 months, at a value of $400,000 to $1 million for the study and development efforts, and the potential for follow-on phases to be defined during the initial phase.
Habitation systems selections will help define the architecture and subsystems of a modular habitation capability to enable extended missions in deep space. Orion is the first component of human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit and will be capable of sustaining a crew of four for 21 days in deep space and returning them safely to Earth.
These selections are intended to augment the Orion capsule with the development of capabilities to initially sustain a crew of four for up to 60 days in cis-lunar space with the ability to scale up to transit habitation capabilities for future Mars missions. The selected projects will address concepts and, in some cases, provide advancement in technologies related to habitation and operations, or environmental control and life support capabilities of a habitation system.
The selected companies are:
* Bigelow Aerospace LLC of North Las Vegas, Nevada
* The Boeing Company of Pasadena, Texas
* Dynetics Inc. of Huntsville, Alabama
* Hamilton Sundstrand Space Systems International of Windsor Locks, Connecticut
* Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company of Denver, Colorado
* Orbital ATK of Dulles, Virginia
* Orbital Technologies Corporation of Madison, Wisconsin
Read more »
Reposted via Next Big Future
Seven NASA NextSTEP habitat projects will have initial performance periods of up to 12 months, at a value of $400,000 to $1 million for the study and development efforts, and the potential for follow-on phases to be defined during the initial phase.
Habitation systems selections will help define the architecture and subsystems of a modular habitation capability to enable extended missions in deep space. Orion is the first component of human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit and will be capable of sustaining a crew of four for 21 days in deep space and returning them safely to Earth.
These selections are intended to augment the Orion capsule with the development of capabilities to initially sustain a crew of four for up to 60 days in cis-lunar space with the ability to scale up to transit habitation capabilities for future Mars missions. The selected projects will address concepts and, in some cases, provide advancement in technologies related to habitation and operations, or environmental control and life support capabilities of a habitation system.
The selected companies are:
* Bigelow Aerospace LLC of North Las Vegas, Nevada
* The Boeing Company of Pasadena, Texas
* Dynetics Inc. of Huntsville, Alabama
* Hamilton Sundstrand Space Systems International of Windsor Locks, Connecticut
* Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company of Denver, Colorado
* Orbital ATK of Dulles, Virginia
* Orbital Technologies Corporation of Madison, Wisconsin
Read more »
Reposted via Next Big Future
Parameters of the nuclear framework deal with Iran are trying to get breakout time from 2-3 months to over 12 months
http://ift.tt/hZ0OVi
The Whitehouse has issued a press release with details of the parameters of the nuclear framework deal.
The US is trying to go for 12+ month to nuclear breakout instead of 2-3 months. Breakout meaning how long to get the first bomb from the point of following the agreement and when they stopped following and go for the bomb.
Once breakout occurs then it is about 25 bombs per year based on modified calculations from Robert Zubrin.
Zubrin had calculated the enrichment based on 6500 centrifuges. The deal is for 5,060.
There may also needs to be slight modification for 3.67 enriched starting point instead 4%. This could drop it to about 20 bombs per year.
Enrichment
* Iran has agreed to reduce by approximately two-thirds its installed centrifuges. Iran will go from having about 19,000 installed today to 6,104 installed under the deal, with only 5,060 of these enriching uranium for 10 years. All 6,104 centrifuges will be IR-1s, Iran’s first-generation centrifuge.
* Iran has agreed to not enrich uranium over 3.67 percent for at least 15 years.
* Iran has agreed to reduce its current stockpile of about 10,000 kg of low-enriched uranium (LEU) to 300 kg of 3.67 percent LEU for 15 years.
* All excess centrifuges and enrichment infrastructure will be placed in IAEA monitored storage and will be used only as replacements for operating centrifuges and equipment.
* Iran has agreed to not build any new facilities for the purpose of enriching uranium for 15 years.
* Iran’s breakout timeline – the time that it would take for Iran to acquire enough fissile material for one weapon – is currently assessed to be 2 to 3 months. That timeline will be extended to at least one year, for a duration of at least ten years, under this framework.
Read more »
Reposted via Next Big Future
The Whitehouse has issued a press release with details of the parameters of the nuclear framework deal.
The US is trying to go for 12+ month to nuclear breakout instead of 2-3 months. Breakout meaning how long to get the first bomb from the point of following the agreement and when they stopped following and go for the bomb.
Once breakout occurs then it is about 25 bombs per year based on modified calculations from Robert Zubrin.
Zubrin had calculated the enrichment based on 6500 centrifuges. The deal is for 5,060.
There may also needs to be slight modification for 3.67 enriched starting point instead 4%. This could drop it to about 20 bombs per year.
Enrichment
* Iran has agreed to reduce by approximately two-thirds its installed centrifuges. Iran will go from having about 19,000 installed today to 6,104 installed under the deal, with only 5,060 of these enriching uranium for 10 years. All 6,104 centrifuges will be IR-1s, Iran’s first-generation centrifuge.
* Iran has agreed to not enrich uranium over 3.67 percent for at least 15 years.
* Iran has agreed to reduce its current stockpile of about 10,000 kg of low-enriched uranium (LEU) to 300 kg of 3.67 percent LEU for 15 years.
* All excess centrifuges and enrichment infrastructure will be placed in IAEA monitored storage and will be used only as replacements for operating centrifuges and equipment.
* Iran has agreed to not build any new facilities for the purpose of enriching uranium for 15 years.
* Iran’s breakout timeline – the time that it would take for Iran to acquire enough fissile material for one weapon – is currently assessed to be 2 to 3 months. That timeline will be extended to at least one year, for a duration of at least ten years, under this framework.
Read more »
Reposted via Next Big Future
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Socks by Sock Dreams
http://ift.tt/1DKa0OE
Reposted via Sara Raines
Socks by Sock Dreams » Socks Special Collections » Plus Sized » Tentacled Extraordinary OTKs
Reposted via Sara Raines
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