Can Physics Experiments Catch Up?

A collision in the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector

Courtesy of CMS Collaboration/Research.gov

After abandoning family plans to go into the heating business, Leonard Susskind went on to become a founder of string theory. He is the director of the Stanford Institute for Theoretical Physics in California. His latest book, with George Hrabovsky, is The Theoretical Minimum: What You Need To Know To Start Doing Physics. Now he is teaching physics to people in their 90s. He talks to Anil Ananthaswamy about the language of physics and why new thinking is pushing experiments into the impossible.

Anil Ananthaswamy: You teach physics at Stanford University's continuing studies program. Who are the people that attend your classes?
Leonard Susskind: They are in their 40s to 90s, and I mean that literally. There's a lady in a wheelchair who was close to 95, and she was following the technical lectures. They are people who had other careers and I think are a little sorry that they never became physicists.

AA: Are these the type of people you've written your new book for, which is not really popular science nor a physics textbook?
LS: Over the years, I began to understand that there were a lot of people out there reading physics in popular literature that they could not understand?not because it was too advanced, but because it wasn't advanced enough.

At the same time, they were not about to plough through a big fat textbook. I wanted to give them a book from which they could learn easily and efficiently. It's not for complete beginners; it represents the bare minimum you need to know to honestly and truly learn the subject and move on to the next step.

AA: Hence the title The Theoretical Minimum?
LS: Yes. The title goes back to Russian physicist Lev Landau, who did not suffer fools gladly. To him, the theoretical minimum was what a young physicist had to know to work with him, which was everything. That name stuck with me.

AA: You are now in your 70s yourself. How did you get into physics as a young man?
LS: I did not come from an academic background. My father was a smart man, but he had a fifth-grade education. He and all his friends were plumbers. They were all born around 1905 in great poverty in New York City and had to go to work when they were 12 or 13 years old. But sitting around the kitchen in our house, they had all sorts of interesting conversations. There was a funny intellectuality to them.

I went to college because my father thought that I should learn engineering, because he wanted to go into the heating business with me. There I realized I wanted to be a physicist. I had to tell him, which was a somewhat traumatic experience.

Physicist and author Leonard Susskind

Courtesy of Stanford University

AA: What happened when you told your father?
LS: For months I had been trying to figure out how to tell him. One day I drove over to his house. This is emblazoned in my memory: It was a terrible, terrible feeling.

He had a plumbing shop in the basement and was there cutting pipe for the next day's job. I went down and said, "I'm not going to be an engineer." He got upset. Though he almost never used bad language, he said, "What the fuck are you going to be? A ballet dancer?"

I said, "No, I want to be a physicist." He said, "No, you ain't gonna work in no drugstore." I said, "No, no, a physicist, not a pharmacist." And then I can't remember the exact conversation, but I do remember the magic word was Einstein. I said I wanted to do what Einstein did. That just shocked him.

Something snapped, and he decided right then and there that that is what I had to do. That was the end of it. From then on, my father tried very hard to learn a little about physics.

AA: Did the experience of watching your father learn physics lead you to teaching older people and to write The Theoretical Minimum?
LS: That's an interesting question. I have some sympathy for people like that. And there is some similarity between my father's friends who would sit around the kitchen table talking about everything and the people who come to my classes to learn physics. So, maybe an unconscious influence.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=4ee3ca2d772cbfb99e8462067257925d

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Curiosity rover to stay in 'safe mode' for days while NASA tackles glitches

NASA's Curiosity rover has mostly had smooth sailing since it touched down on Mars last year. Unfortunately, it's in a more precarious position as of this past Thursday. After noticing corrupted memory files on the robot's primary computer, overseers have kicked Curiosity into a "safe mode" with a backup computer while they determine what's wrong and deliver any viable fixes. Don't think of this like you would the Safe Mode on a Windows PC, though. While the backup can serve as a replacement for the main computer, project manager Richard Cook warns Space.com that it will likely take "several days" to supply enough information that the failsafe can take over. NASA will switch back to the main computer if and when it's ready; if it is, the agency hopes to harden the code against future flaws. Curiosity will effectively stay on ice in the meantime... and not the variety it might want to find.

Filed under: Robots, Science, Alt

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Source: Space.com

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/02/curiosity-rover-to-stay-in-safe-mode-for-days/

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DarkeJournal.com: Now for the West Central Wildlife Habitat ...

Workshop will focus on making wildlife habitat simple!

A habitat workshop series is being offered to landowners wishing to improve habitat for wildlife and other conservation goals. The workshop series is sponsored by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife, Pheasants Forever (PF), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), The Ohio State University Extension, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Ohio Soil and Water Conservation Districts.

The first workshop will take place on Thursday, March 14th at 6:00 ? 8:30 at the Newport Sportsman Club located at 5801 Rangeline Rd., Houston, OH 45333. This will be a free educational event with a meal to be served and reference materials to take home.

The purpose of the workshop series is to offer the landowner and wildlife enthusiast a well-rounded approach to managing their property to establish and maintain wildlife habitat. Each workshop will focus on a specific habitat type or wildlife species with topics ranging from grasslands and wetlands to woodlands. Participants will learn techniques for managing land to benefit both game species and wildlife in general as well as information on funding and technical assistance.

The workshop is free but participants must pre-register with the Darke Soil &Water Conservation District at (937) 548-1715 ext. 3. The registration deadline for the first workshop is March 11th, 2013.

Source: http://www.darkejournal.com/2013/03/now-for-west-central-wildlife-habitat.html

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What to Expect When You're Sequestering: A Guide to the Next Steps (Atlantic Politics Channel)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/288443805?client_source=feed&format=rss

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PFT: Receiver Moss' plans remain mysterious

AP

Bills WR Stevie Johnson already is recruiting players like 49ers S Dashon Goldson.? (It?s not tampering unless the team puts the player up to it.)

The Jets have signed three players with Arena League experience.? (Hey, you never know where you?re going to find your next personal punt protector.)

To tag or not to tag, that is the question for the Patriots, as debated by Mike Reiss and Field Yates of ESPNBoston.com.

The Dolphins continue to conduct junior training camps at local elementary schools.? (Sometimes, the fruit just hangs too low.)

The Ravens have a tough decision to make with FB Vonta Leach, who participated in only 42 percent of the snaps in 2012.

Hawaii CB Mike Edwards, a Cleveland native, wants to play for the Browns.

Players who get tagged by the Bengals typically stay only one more year.

Former Steelers RB Carey Davis is pursuing an acting career.

Titans LB Will Witherspoon hopes to play four more years, even though he lost his starting job in 2012.

Colts owner Jim Irsay says that, if the Colts have earned the third pick or lower in 2012, they would have kept QB Peyton Manning.

Jaguars president Mark Lamping talks about the effort to build enhanced video boards at EverBank Field; ?If we don?t keep up, we?re falling behind. We can?t afford to do that in a market this size, because if we do, then we put the franchise at risk,? Lamping said.

Texans LB Brooks Reed could move from the outside to the inside in 2013.? (And it?s time for a question from Gronk:? ?Don?t they already play in a dome??)

Factoring in the trade for QB Alex Smith, the Chiefs will have $7.5 million in cap space, which means they?d have to create more of it to tag WR Dwayne Bowe.

Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio was scheduled to speak at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference.? (His comments may or may not have touched upon properly managing water bills.)

Here?s a look at the Chargers who could be cutting their pay in order to help the team clear cap space.

Raiders LS Jon Condo will receive the team?s 2012 Commitment to Excellence Award on March 9.? (The fruit still hangs too low.)

Cowboys CB Brandon Carr says he restructured his contract because he?s a ?team player.?

Giants coach Tom Coughlin reunited with players from his first head-coaching gig, at Rochester Institute of Technology, way back in 1970.

Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and his ex-wife are still making movies together.

Suing the league over cap space could mean that the Redskins would never host a Super Bowl.

DE Chris Canty will visit the Packers next week, his agent confirmed.

LB Nick Roach hopes to return to the Bears, at the right price.

LB Justin Durant hopes to return to the Lions, at the right price.

Vikings P Chris Kluwe explains that, when inappropriate questions are posed at the Scouting Combine, the prospective rookie can?t say ?go eff yourself.?

The bounty scandal emerged for the Saints one year ago today.

Former Falcons DE John Abraham still wants to see the team do well, even after it cut him.

Friday?s moves leave the Panthers $3.5 million over the cap, a problem that will be solved as soon as they cut CB Chris Gamble.

With their division rivals dumping a pass rusher, the Buccaneers have even greater incentive to keep DE Michael Bennett off the open market.

ESPN?s Trent Dilfer thinks 49ers (for now) QB Alex Smith will be in even better position in Chiefs coach Andy Reid?s offense.

It?s been 11 years since the Seahawks introduced the uniforms they abandoned a year ago.

Rams COO Kevin Demoff on analytics in football:? ?There is so much in play with respect to the team?s system . . . there is so much covariance in a football game because there are so many other factors.?

Hearing-impaired advocates have sued the Cardinals for failing to provide appropriate accommodations.? (Apparently, the Cardinals aren?t keen on putting ?the crowd is booing . . . again? on the video boards.)

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/02/moss-becomes-man-of-mystery-again/related/

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Video: Changing shape makes chemotherapy drugs better at targeting cancer cells

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Bioengineering researchers at University of California, Santa Barbara have found that changing the shape of chemotherapy drug nanoparticles from spherical to rod-shaped made them up to 10,000 times more effective at specifically targeting and delivering anti-cancer drugs to breast cancer cells.

Their findings could have a game-changing impact on the effectiveness of anti-cancer therapies and reducing the side effects of chemotherapy, according to the researchers. Results of their study were published recently in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"Conventional anti-cancer drugs accumulate in the liver, lungs and spleen instead of the cancer cell site due to inefficient interactions with the cancer cell membrane," explained Samir Mitragotri , professor of chemical engineering and Director of the Center for BioEngineering at UCSB. "We have found our strategy greatly enhances the specificity of anti-cancer drugs to cancer cells."

Changing Shape Makes Chemotherapy Drugs Better at Targeting Cancer Cells from UCSB Engineering on Vimeo.

To engineer these high-specificity drugs, they formed rod-shaped nanoparticles from a chemotherapeutic drug, camptothecin, and coated them with an antibody called trastuzumab that is selective for certain types of cancer cells, including breast cancer. The antibody-coated camptothecin nanorods were 10,000-fold more effective than tratsuzumab alone and 10-fold more effective than camptothecin alone at inhibiting breast cancer cell growth.

"This unique approach of engineering shapes of anti-cancer drugs and combining them with antibodies represents new direction in chemotherapy," Mitragotri added.

Mitragotri and collaborators at UCSB, including post-doctoral researchers Sutapa Barua and Jin-Wook Yoo, and former graduate student Poornima Kolhar, looked to human breast cancer cells to examine how shape works in synergy with molecular recognition to perform complex tasks within the human body.

"We were inspired to look at the shape as a key parameter by natural objects. In nature, all key particles such as viruses, bacteria, red blood cells, platelets are non-spherical," said Mitragotri. "Their shape plays a key role in their function."

Their research was performed in collaboration with Yatin Gokarn and Aditya Wakankar of Genentech, a member of the Roche group. "The work of Professor Mitragotri and his collaborators exemplifies the groundbreaking contributions bioengineers at UC Santa Barbara are making in medical research, and of how our model of industry partnership delivers results," said Rod Alferness, Dean of the College of Engineering.

###

University of California - Santa Barbara: http://www.ucsb.edu

Thanks to University of California - Santa Barbara for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127056/Video__Changing_shape_makes_chemotherapy_drugs_better_at_targeting_cancer_cells

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Minn. man charged with murdering missing wife

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) ? A missing Minnesota woman's husband was charged Thursday with murder, after investigators found blood on the floor, furniture, walls and stairs of the couple's home as well as evidence of an extensive effort to cover it up.

Authorities said they have not found 30-year-old Kira Trevino's body, but they believe she's dead because of the amount of blood found in her car and in the couple's St. Paul home, and because it wasn't like her to disappear without telling anyone.

Jeffery Dale Trevino, 39, made an initial court appearance Thursday on two counts of second-degree murder in his wife's death, which investigators believe happened last Thursday or Friday. Bail was set at $1 million.

Trevino's attorney, John Conard, said he believes his client is innocent and that Trevino has no idea where his wife is.

According to police, Trevino called Sunday to report that he hadn't heard from his wife since Friday morning, when he said she went to run errands. He told officers she was going through a "mid-life crisis" and had been leaving for up to three days at a time and lying about where she was staying.

Kira Trevino didn't stop in at her job at the Mall of America on Friday or work her scheduled Saturday shift. Her car was found in the back corner of a parking lot at the mall.

According to the criminal complaint, investigators searched the couple's home and found "copious" amounts of blood evidence and signs of an extensive effort to clean it up. A carpet cleaner had what appeared to be blood and human tissue on it, and investigators also found bleach and bleach-stained towels in the kitchen, and a mop and bucket in the hall.

In the bedroom, forensic examiners found blood on the floor and wall, box spring, bed frame, closet, and book shelf, the complaint said. There was also blood evidence in the living room, kitchen, hallway, basement, and in the laundry area ? where authorities found freshly washed towels.

Investigators found a blood stain shaped like a human head and torso under the bedroom carpet. They said the amount of blood spatter is consistent with "more than one forceful blow."

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said he is confident prosecutors can prove Kira Trevino was killed, even without a body.

"All the schemes and his efforts to cover up his crime have been foiled by a lot of hard work by the investigators involved in this case," Choi said.

Police in Bloomington recovered video from the Mall of America showing Kira Trevino's car entering the parking lot Friday morning. The video isn't clear enough to show who was in the car, but someone can be seen throwing what appears to be a trunk liner away from the car.

The person then got into a cab, which had a GPS tracker, and was dropped off near Trevino's home, the complaint said.

After her car was found in the mall parking lot, St. Paul police ordered it towed, and the tow truck operator saw what looked like blood around the trunk. Police also found a trunk liner near the car, which tested positive for blood, the complaint said.

Family members and friends told police that Kira Trevino had been unhappy and had talked about moving out over the past few months.

Kira Trevino's family members were in court Thursday, and her sister clapped as the bail was set. They left without passing by reporters. Her mother, Marcie Steger, told The Star Tribune that Jeffery Trevino's alleged role in the case was hard to understand.

"The fact that we trusted him to take care of (Kira), to be there for her. It's anger. It's shock. You just don't even want to go there," Steger said.

Jeffery Trevino's family members, many of whom traveled from Arkansas for the hearing, sobbed during the court appearance and had no comment as they left.

"They are grieving. His wife was like a daughter to them. ... They love her," Conard said. "They are hoping and praying that she will be found and found alive, and that if not, they hope the police go and find whoever did this."

Conard said Jeffery Trevino has no criminal record and he has served in the Army, where he was stationed in Germany.

___

Follow Amy Forliti at http://www.twitter.com/amyforliti

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/minn-man-charged-murdering-missing-wife-203500425.html

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