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MIT Researchers 3D Print Precise Plasma Sensors for Satellites

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MIT Researchers 3D Print Precise Plasma Sensors for Satellites

MIT researchers have demonstrated a 3D-printed plasma sensor for orbiting spacecraft that works just as well as much more expensive, semiconductor sensors. These durable, precise sensors could be used effectively on inexpensive, lightweight satellites known as CubeSats, which are commonly utilized for environmental monitoring or weather prediction. Credit: Figure courtesy of the researchers and edited by MIT News

Cheap and quick to produce, these digitally manufactured plasma sensors could help scientists predict the weather or study climate change.

Scientists at MIT have created the first completely digitally manufactured plasma sensors for satellites. These plasma sensors, also known as retarding potential analyzers (RPAs), are used by orbiting spacecraft to determine the chemical composition and ion energy distribution of the atmosphere.

The 3D-printed and laser-cut hardware performed as well as state-of-the-art semiconductor plasma sensors. Due to the manufacturing process, which requires a cleanroom, semiconductor plasma sensors are expensive and require weeks of intricate fabrication. By contrast, these 3D-printed sensors can be produced for tens of dollars in a matter of days.

Due to their low cost and speedy production, the new sensors are ideal for CubeSats. These inexpensive, low-power, and lightweight satellites are often used for communication and environmental monitoring in Earth’s upper atmosphere.

The team of researchers developed RPAs using a glass-ceramic material that is more resilient than traditional sensor materials like silicon and thin-film coatings. By using the glass-ceramic in a fabrication process that was developed for 3D printing with plastics, they were able to construct sensors with complex shapes that can withstand the wide temperature swings a spacecraft would encounter in lower Earth orbit.

“Additive manufacturing can make a big difference in the future of space hardware. Some people think that when you 3D-print something, you have to concede less performance. But we’ve shown that is not always the case. Sometimes there is nothing to trade off,” says Luis Fernando Velásquez-García, a principal scientist in MIT’s Microsystems Technology Laboratories (MTL) and senior author of a paper presenting the plasma sensors.

Joining Velásquez-García on the paper are lead author and MTL postdoc Javier Izquierdo-Reyes; graduate student Zoey Bigelow; and postdoc Nicholas K. Lubinsky. The research is published in Additive Manufacturing.

Versatile sensors

An RPA was first used in a space mission all the way back in 1959. The sensors detect the energy in ions, or charged particles, that are floating in plasma, which is a superheated mix of molecules present in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. Aboard an orbiting spacecraft like a CubeSat, the versatile instruments measure energy and conduct chemical analyses that can help scientists predict the weather or monitor climate change.

The sensors contain a series of electrically charged meshes dotted with tiny holes. As plasma passes through the holes, electrons and other particles are stripped away until only ions remain. These ions create an electric current that the sensor measures and analyzes.

Key to the success of an RPA is the housing structure that aligns the meshes. It must be electrically insulating while also able to withstand sudden, drastic swings in temperature. The researchers used a printable, glass-ceramic material known as Vitrolite that exhibits these properties.

Pioneered in the early 20th century, Vitrolite was often used in colorful tiles that became a common sight in art deco buildings.

The durable material can also withstand temperatures as high as 800 degrees Celsius (1472 degrees Fahrenheit) without breaking down, whereas polymers used in semiconductor RPAs start to melt at 400 degrees Celsius (752 degrees Fahrenheit).

“When you make this sensor in the cleanroom, you don’t have the same degree of freedom to define materials and structures and how they interact together. What made this possible is the latest developments in additive manufacturing,” Velásquez-García says.

Rethinking fabrication

The 3D printing process for ceramics usually involves ceramic powder that is hit with a laser to fuse it into shapes. However, this process often leaves the material coarse and creates weak points due to the high heat from the lasers.

Instead, the MIT scientists used vat polymerization, a process introduced decades ago for additive manufacturing with polymers or resins. With vat polymerization, a 3D structure is built one layer at a time by submerging it repeatedly into a vat of liquid material, in this case, Vitrolite. Ultraviolet light is used to cure the material after each layer is added, and then the platform is submerged in the vat again. Each layer is only 100 microns thick (roughly the diameter of a human hair), enabling the creation of smooth, pore-free, complex ceramic shapes.

In digital manufacturing, objects described in a design file can be very intricate. This precision allowed the researchers to create laser-cut meshes with unique shapes so the holes lined up perfectly when they were set inside the RPA housing. This enables more ions to pass through, which leads to higher-resolution measurements.

Because the sensors were cheap to produce and could be fabricated so quickly, the team prototyped four unique designs.

While one design was especially effective at capturing and measuring a wide range of plasmas, like those a satellite would encounter in orbit, another was well-suited for sensing extremely dense and cold plasmas, which are typically only measurable using ultraprecise semiconductor devices.

This high precision could enable 3D-printed sensors for applications in fusion energy research or supersonic flight. The rapid prototyping process could even spur more innovation in satellite and spacecraft design, Velásquez-García adds.

“If you want to innovate, you need to be able to fail and afford the risk. Additive manufacturing is a very different way to make space hardware. I can make space hardware and if it fails, it doesn’t matter because I can make a new version very quickly and inexpensively, and really iterate on the design. It is an ideal sandbox for researchers,” he says.

While Velásquez-García is pleased with these sensors, he wants to enhance the fabrication process in the future. Reducing the thickness of layers or pixel size in glass-ceramic vat polymerization could create complex hardware that is even more precise. Furthermore, fully additively manufacturing the sensors would make them compatible with in-space manufacturing. He also wants to explore the use of artificial intelligence to optimize sensor design for specific use cases, such as greatly reducing their mass while ensuring they remain structurally sound.

Reference: “Compact Retarding Potential Analyzers Enabled by Glass-Ceramic Vat Polymerization for CubeSat and Laboratory Plasma Diagnostics” by Javier Izquierdo-Reyes, Zoey Bigelow, Nicholas K. Lubinsky and Luis Fernando Velásquez-García, 13 July 2022, Additive Manufacturing.
DOI: 10.1016/j.addma.2022.103034

This work was funded, in part, by MIT, the MIT-Tecnológico de Monterrey Nanotechnology Program, the MIT Portugal Program, and the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology.

Scientists Discover a 4-Billion-Year-Old Ancient Piece of Earth’s Crust Underneath Western Australia

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Scientists Discover a 4-Billion-Year-Old Ancient Piece of Earth’s Crust Underneath Western Australia

The earth is composed of three main layers: the crust, the mantle, and the core.

Lasers pave the path for finding ancient crust.

Curtin University researchers have discovered evidence of an approximately four billion-year-old piece of the Earth’s crust that exists beneath the South-West of Western Australia by using lasers smaller than a human hair to target microscopic grains of a mineral extracted from beach sand.

The Timescales of Mineral Systems Group at Curtin’s School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, led by Ph.D. student Maximilian Droellner, said the lasers were used to vaporize portions of individual grains of the mineral zircon and revealed where the grains were originally eroded from as well as the geological history of the region. This new discovery helps explains how the planet evolved from being uninhabitable to supporting life.


“There is evidence that an up to four billion-year-old piece of crust about the size of Ireland has been influencing the geological evolution of WA for the past few billions of years and is a key ingredient of rocks formed in WA across this time,” Mr. Droellner states.

“This piece of crust has survived multiple mountain-building events between Australia, India, and Antarctica and appears to still exist at tens of kilometers of depth under the South-West corner of WA. When comparing our findings to existing data, it appears many regions around the world experienced a similar timing of early crust formation and preservation. This suggests a significant change in the evolution of the Earth some four billion years ago, as meteorite bombardment waned, crust stabilized and life on Earth began to establish.”

Research supervisor Dr. Milo Barham, also from the Timescales of Mineral Systems Group within Curtin’s School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, said no large-scale study of this region had been done before and the results, when compared with existing data, had revealed exciting new insights.


“The edge of the ancient piece of crust appears to define an important crustal boundary controlling where economically important minerals are found,” Dr. Barham said.

“Recognising these ancient crustal remnants is important for the future of optimized sustainable resource exploration. Studying the early Earth is challenging given the enormity of time that has elapsed, but it has a profound importance for understanding life’s significance on Earth and our quest to find it on other planets.”

Reference: “A persistent Hadean–Eoarchean protocrust in the western Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia” by Maximilian Dröllner, Christopher L. Kirkland, Milo Barham, Noreen J. Evans and Bradley J. McDonald, 17 June 2022, Terra Nova.
DOI: 10.1111/ter.12610

Mr. Droellner, Dr. Barham, and research co-supervisor Professor Chris Kirkland are affiliated with The Institute for Geoscience Research (TIGeR). Curtin’s flagship Earth Sciences research institute and the research were funded by the Minerals Research Institute of Western Australia.

This Week @NASA: Artemis I Move to Launchpad, Cargo Dragon Departs, Moon Around Asteroid Polymele

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This Week @NASA: Artemis I Move to Launchpad, Cargo Dragon Departs, Moon Around Asteroid Polymele

NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher as it rolls out of the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B, Tuesday, August 16, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s Artemis I mission is the first integrated test of the agency’s deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, SLS rocket, and supporting ground systems. Launch of the uncrewed flight test is targeted for no earlier than August 29. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

The move to the launchpad ahead of our Artemis I flight test …

Discussing priorities for national space activities …

And cargo and science head home from the space station … a few of the stories to tell you about – This Week at NASA!

Artemis I Moon Rocket and Spacecraft Moved to the Launch Pad

On the night of August 16, teams at our Kennedy Space Center began the approximately 4-mile move of the Space Launch System or SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B, in preparation for the launch of our uncrewed Artemis I flight test. The rocket and spacecraft arrived at the pad the next morning. Artemis I is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to help us establish a long-term presence on the Moon. The mission also will serve as a stepping stone to sending astronauts to Mars. Artemis I is currently targeted for launch no earlier than August 29.

ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw== This Week @NASA: Artemis I Move to Launchpad, Cargo Dragon Departs, Moon Around Asteroid Polymele
Vice President Kamala Harris met with the National Space Council Friday, August 12, at the Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland, California, home to the official visitor center for NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley. Harris discussed upcoming priorities for national activities in space, including strengthening public-private partnerships and the benefits of space exploration for all. Credit: NASA / Dominic Hart

Vice President Meets with National Space Council in California

Vice President Kamala Harris recently met with the National Space Council at the Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland, California, the official visitor center for our Ames Research Center. Aerospace companies at the event had the opportunity to display and share their work with the vice president. The vice president – who serves as the chair of the National Space Council – also made a speech, in which she discussed upcoming priorities for national activities in space, including strengthening public-private partnerships and the benefits of space exploration for all.

ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw== This Week @NASA: Artemis I Move to Launchpad, Cargo Dragon Departs, Moon Around Asteroid Polymele
The SpaceX Dragon cargo craft backs away from the space station moments after undocking from the Harmony module’s forward port during an orbital sunrise. Credit: NASA TV

The SpaceX Dragon cargo craft backs away from the space station moments after undocking from the Harmony module’s forward port during an orbital sunrise. Credit: NASA TV

SpaceX Cargo Dragon Departs from Space Station

On August 19, a SpaceX Dragon cargo resupply spacecraft left the International Space Station and headed back to Earth with more than 4,000 pounds of supplies and scientific experiments for NASA and others. This was SpaceX’s 25th Commercial Resupply Services mission for NASA.

ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw== This Week @NASA: Artemis I Move to Launchpad, Cargo Dragon Departs, Moon Around Asteroid Polymele
A graphic showing the observed separation of asteroid Polymele from its discovered satellite. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

Lucy Team Discovers Moon Around Asteroid Polymele

Another asteroid has been added to the “to visit” list for NASA’s Lucy spacecraft. Lucy’s science team recently discovered that the smallest of the mission’s Trojan asteroid targets, Polymele, has a moon. With this discovery, Lucy is now on track to visit a total of nine asteroids — one main belt asteroid and eight so-called Trojan asteroids, a previously unexplored population of asteroids that lead and follow Jupiter in its orbit around the Sun.

ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw== This Week @NASA: Artemis I Move to Launchpad, Cargo Dragon Departs, Moon Around Asteroid Polymele
Students watch as their experiments launch aboard a sounding rocket for the RockSat-X program from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on August 11, 2022, at 6:09 p.m. EDT. The Terrier-Improved Malemute rocket carried the experiments to an altitude of 99 miles before descending via a parachute and landing in the Atlantic Ocean. Credit: NASA Wallops/Terry Zaperach

Students watch as their experiments launch aboard a sounding rocket for the RockSat-X program from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on August 11, 2022, at 6:09 p.m. EDT. The Terrier-Improved Malemute rocket carried the experiments to an altitude of 99 miles before descending via a parachute and landing in the Atlantic Ocean. Credit: NASA Wallops/Terry Zaperach

NASA Wallops Launches Student Technology Experiments

Our Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia recently helped teams of U.S. college students launch their technology experiments into space. The experiments were launched on a Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket to an altitude of about 99 miles before descending back to Earth by parachute. The investigations were flown through the RockSat-X program, which gives students the experience of building experiments for spaceflight.

ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw== This Week @NASA: Artemis I Move to Launchpad, Cargo Dragon Departs, Moon Around Asteroid Polymele
NASA Television programming on the Galaxy 13 domestic satellite is moving from transponder 11 to transponder 15 this month. The move is in line with the Federal Communications Commission’s initiative to free up C-band bandwidth on domestic satellites in support of future 5G terrestrial communications efforts. Currently, both transponders are active. Distribution of NASA TV programming on transponder 11 will end on Monday, August 29. As part of that transition, the modulation format will be changed from DVB-S/QPSK to DVB-S2/8PSK, which reduces the transponder’s required bandwidth.

NASA Television Transponder Change Effective Monday, August 29

A quick note about an upcoming change for NASA Television. NASA TV programming on the Galaxy 13 domestic satellite is moving from transponder 11 to transponder 15. Currently, both transponders are active, but distribution of NASA TV programming on transponder 11 will end on Monday, August 29. For complete details, please visit go.nasa.gov/transponder.

That’s what’s up this week @NASA

Scientists Discover That Irregular Production of Brain Cells Could Cause Autism

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Scientists Discover That Irregular Production of Brain Cells Could Cause Autism

Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disability that impacts how people interact with others.

Autistic individuals’ stem cells either create too many or too few brain cells.

Researchers from Rutgers University have discovered evidence of anomalies in very early brain development that may contribute to the neuropsychiatric condition by studying the brain stem cells of people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

The results confirm a theory that has long been held by scientists: ASD develops early in fetal development, at a time when brain stem cells are dividing to create the critical elements of a functional brain.


Researchers from Rutgers University studied the brain stem cells, also referred to as neural precursor cells (NPCs) of ASD patients, and published their findings in the journal Stem Cell Reports. They discovered the number of permanent brain cells was either over- or underproduced by the NPCs, which are in charge of making the three major types of brain cells: neurons, oligodendrocytes, and astrocytes.

“The NPCs we studied from all samples showed abnormal proliferation, either ‘too little’ or ‘too much,’ which suggests that poor control of proliferation of brain cells is an important basis for ASD causation,” said Emanuel DiCicco-Bloom, a professor of neuroscience and cell biology, and pediatrics at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and author of the paper. “This study demonstrates at the cellular level that altered proliferation is indeed one likely mechanism of the disorder, supporting implications obtained from previous research.”

The study focused on the stem cell activity of five individuals with ASD, including those with idiopathic autism where there is no known genetic cause, and others with genetically defined 16p11.2 deletion. Those with macrocephaly, a medical term for an abnormally large head, had NPCs that produced too many brain cells. The remaining two patients, who did not have macrocephaly, had NPCs that produced too few brain cells.


ASD is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by difficulties with social interactions and communication and the presence of repetitive and restricted behaviors. Most ASD cases are idiopathic. About 15 percent to 20 percent of ASD cases are caused by specific genetic mutations.

NPCs are formed prenatally during a period that stretches from the end of the first trimester through the second, about weeks eight to 24 of the 40-week gestation period of a human fetus.

“We’ve actually measured proliferation of human neural precursors and greatly advanced our understanding,” DiCicco-Bloom said. “In the future, once we have reproduced these studies and extended them, we also may be able to use this knowledge as a biomarker, which could signal when to introduce therapy, or to identify signaling pathways to target with drugs.”

Reference: “Autism NPCs from both idiopathic and CNV 16p11.2 deletion patients exhibit dysregulation of proliferation and mitogenic responses” by Robert Connacher, Madeline Williams, Smrithi Prem, Percy L. Yeung, Paul Matteson, Monal Mehta, Anna Markov, Cynthia Peng, Xiaofeng Zhou, Courtney R. McDermott, Zhiping P. Pang, Judy Flax, Linda Brzustowicz, Che-Wei Lu, James H. Millonig and Emanuel DiCicco-Bloom, 26 May 2022, Stem Cell Reports.
DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2022.04.019


The study was funded by the New Jersey Governor’s Council for Medical Research and Treatment of Autism, the Nancy Lurie Marks Family Foundation for E.D.-B. and J.H.M., the NJ Health Foundation, the Mindworks Charitable Lead Trust and Jewish Community Foundation of Greater MetroWest, the New Jersey Governor’s Council for Medical Research and Treatment of Autism and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

 

A Global Tsunami: How Did the Tonga Tsunami Jump From Ocean to Ocean?

A Global Tsunami: How Did the Tonga Tsunami Jump From Ocean to Ocean?

A tsunami is a series of waves created by the displacement of a significant volume of water in a body of water, often an ocean or a big lake. The photo above is an artist’s concept of a megatsunami.

Scientists explain an unusual tsunami.

A new study published in the journal Nature describes the process that produced and propagated an unusual tsunami following the catastrophic explosion of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai in Tonga in early 2022.

The tsunami that followed the massive eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano on January 15, 2022, is thought by scientists to have been exceptional since it had a worldwide reach, a faster propagation rate, unexpectedly high wave heights, and an unheard-of duration.

“The violent explosion of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano in the South Pacific was a source of both noticeable atmospheric waves and an exceptionally fast-traveling global tsunami with minimal dissipation in the far-field. This was the first time that a volcano-triggered tsunami was globally recorded by modern, worldwide dense instrumentation, thus providing a unique opportunity to investigate the role of air-water coupling processes in tsunami generation and propagation” explains Rachid Omira, first author, a researcher at Instituto Dom Luiz, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon (Portugal).

In this study, the research team looked at satellite, sea-level, and atmospheric data from all over the world and used numerical and analytical models to show that the tsunami was caused by an acoustic-gravity wave that was generated by the volcano explosion and that it traveled several times across the globe. In their conclusions, the scientists provide an exact explanation for the tsunami that was witnessed around the world and make hazard-related recommendations.

“The challenging part of studying the Tonga tsunami was to quantitatively explain all the observed tsunami features that were completely different from those of common tsunamis”, adds Rachid Omira, stating: “A fast-moving atmospheric wave able to excite the ocean surface and pump energy into it was our explanation for this tsunami that “jumped” from an ocean to another and reached the coast of Portugal 10 hours earlier than expected”.

Reference: “Global Tonga tsunami explained by a fast-moving atmospheric source” by R. Omira, R. S. Ramalho, J. Kim, P. J. González, U. Kadri, J. M. Miranda, F. Carrilho, and M. A. Baptista, 13 June 2022, Nature.
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04926-4

Names of God

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In the course of the ages, God has revealed to the people under various names.

• In the first chapter of the Bible, the cross itself has God, which is written in the Hebrew text as Elohim or Elohim (plural from El, ‘strength’). Through the name of the Holy Scripture, showing God that the Creator and Omnipotent is omnipotent. The plural form on Eloah and Elohim (plural) depicts the greatness and superiority of the essence of God; signifying the worship of God in heaven and earth, in everything, visible and invisible. In the Greek Bible, Elohim is Theos, and in the Church Slavonic translation, God.

• The Lord – Yahweh (Yahwe, Jahveh/Jahvah) or mistakenly conceive of Jehovah in the Middle Ages, written from the tetragrammaton YHWH (iod, heh, vav, heh) – is used for the right of the comrade is newly named, and the commodity is so, for the sake of the person who has been created, for ex. follow the places: “… and who (when Noah was in the ark), males and females from all kinds of plaits, as God [Elohim] commanded him. And the Lord (God) [Jehovah] shut up the trace of him (ark)” (Gen. 7:16); or “… now you have betrayed the Lord [Jehovah] … and the earth has come to know what God [Elohim] is to Israel” (1King. 17:46); or “Josaphat is out, and the Lord [Jehovah] helped him, and God [Elohim] turned away from him” (2 Chronicles 18:31) On the other hand, God the Lord for His election, and for the twigs left the very Almighty God.

• With name Adonai (Lord – from the Hebrew word “adon” – lord, written from another tetragram: aleph, dalet, nun, yod) in III century. the Jews conceived and called Yahweh while even on the textual enlightenment. That became a trace in time for the priest Simon the Righteous was entered taken away for pronouncing on YHWH in worship. For the difference from the royal title adoni (lord, lord), Adonai (my Lord) is self-identified as God. In many places, the Comrade has a cross-section of such a reference even in the ancient texts (Gen.15:2,8; Ex.4:10,13; Deut.9:26; Joshua 7:7, etc.). In the temple of the Lord, Adonai was pronounced, the 72nd translators into the Septuagint was laid down on the site of the tetragrammaton Kyrios (Lord), a trace of some of h. apostles, and even we to this day, YHWH Lord.

Apart of these names in the Hebrew text on the Holy Scriptures are crossed by other names for God:

• Elion (meaning Vsevyshen, for example, follow the thought: “… Abram spoke to the king of Sodom: rise my hand to the Lord God All-Migthy [Elion], the Possessor of heaven and earth …”, Gen. 14:22);

• Shadai (meaning the Almighty, for example: “… Behold, I came to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob with the name “God Almighty” [Shadai]; and with the name Xi” Lord” [Jehovah] did not reveal it to them”, Ex 6 :3). Psalm 90:1-2 is read in the original as follows: “Someone is more alive under the protection of the Almighty [Elyon], that dwelling under the syankat on the Almighty [Shadai], and the tells to the Lord [Jehovah]: This is my refuge, my protection, God [Elohim ] my, Whom I hope for!” El-Shadai is translated into the Greek Bible from Pantokrator, and into the Central Slavonic translation from the All-Migthy.

• God’s name Savaot (Heb. Tsevaot, from the noun Tsava – troops, army, wars) is used in the original text in this meaning in Ex. 6:26; Numbers 31:53, etc., but in the meaning of “heavens of war” (and planets, and Angels) – in Deut. 4:19; 17:3; 3Ts 22:19; Isaiah 24:21; Dan. 8:10. But in the Scriptures, Savaot, having used nay-veche with the thought “The Lord is at war”, exalted God’s dominion over all forces in heaven and the earth. Which are the only names from God, then depicting the boundless greatness of God, There is no dominion over everything created, There is no omnipotence and No glory. The same God is on the war, the Lord is on the strength. He is a Master of everything, omnipotent and omnipotent. Surrounded Him with the Angels and all the heavens of war. On Him, this is conquering and glorifying Him, nature tsyalat; all the creatures are unfailingly witnesses to Negative strength and might, to Negative greatness and glory (2Ts 5:10; Is 6:3; Hos 12:5; Zech 1:3). In the New Testament, Sav(b)aot has crossed itself into the collective epistle Jas 5:4 and into the epistle Rom. 9:29.

• God’s name Choel (Redeemer) is now meeting in “Youself is our Father; for Abraham did not know, neither did Israel recognize for his own; You, Lord, this is our Father, answer Your name is: “Our Redeemer” (Is. 63:16) and elsewhere in Holy Scripture.

Apart of the cited God’s names in the Bible, there are the definitions or characteristics of God (something they understand they call names):

• spirit (John 4:24),

• avenger (Nahum 1:2),

• fire spreading (Deut. 4:24; Isaiah 33:14; Heb. 12:29),

• Zealot (Ex 34:14; De 6:15; Nahum 1:2),

• light (1 John 1:5),

• fear of Isaac (Bit 31:42,53),

• Sediah (Job 23:7),

• Creator (Job 4:17; Ps. 94:6; Rom. 1:25),

• Comforter (Isaiah 51:12).

In the New Testament, God revealed himself in His Son Jesus Christ (Jn 1:18).

Photo by Luis Quintero:

A New Crocodile Hypothesis Could Help People With Hearing Loss

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A New Crocodile Hypothesis Could Help People With Hearing Loss

Hearing loss can reduce your opportunities, cause social withdrawal, and result in emotional problems.

A new hypothesis about crocodile ears.

Over 1.2 billion individuals worldwide have hearing loss. Crocodiles, on the other hand, have excellent hearing for their whole lives and can live up to 70 years. One reason is that crocodiles can create new hair cells, and an Uppsala University research team is currently investigating why. Hopefully, understanding crocodile biology can benefit those who have hearing loss.

“We can see that new hair cells seem to be formed from the activation of so-called support cells, which is connected to crocodiles having certain cell structures that humans appear to lack. Our hypothesis is that nerves that carry impulses from the brain, so-called efferent nerves, trigger that regrowth,” says Helge Rask-Andersen, professor of experimental otology at Uppsala University and one of the researchers behind the study, which was recently published in the journal Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology.

More than a billion people worldwide have hearing loss, which causes significant difficulties for individuals and often lowers the perceived quality of life. The most common cause of hearing loss is the failure of receptors in the ears, and these receptors cannot be regenerated in humans. They may, however, be in non-mammal creatures such as crocodiles, which maintain strong hearing throughout their lives despite living up to 70 years.

It is known that animals can quickly regenerate the hair cells in their ears if they are damaged. But it is not really known how. Crocodiles have excellent hearing that is adapted for being on land and underwater. One distinctive characteristic is that the receptors’ sensitivity to different pitches is affected by external temperature, making it perfect for different kinds of dangers in different environments during evolution.

The crocodile ear has been examined in a new study by ear researchers at Uppsala University Hospital together with researchers at Uppsala University. Few research groups in the world have studied the inner ear of the crocodile, and the researchers in this study have used electron microscopy and molecular technologies.

One interesting discovery was that small cell particles are secreted in the crocodile’s ear. The particles resemble exosomes and can secrete enzymes that break down or form the membrane against which the cilia in the ear rub as sound comes in. The exosomes form small alveoli, cavities, that make it easier for the cilia to bend when sound vibrations reach the ear.

“One hypothesis is that this increases sensitivity to sound and hearing improves. Our hope is to learn how crocodiles regenerate their hair cells and to eventually be able to use that on people in the future,” says Helge Rask-Andersen.

Reference: “Regeneration in the Auditory Organ in Cuban and African Dwarf Crocodiles (Crocodylus rhombifer and Osteolaemus tetraspis) Can We Learn From the Crocodile How to Restore Our Hearing?” by Hao Li, Karin Staxäng, Monika Hodik, Karl-Gunnar Melkersson, Mathias Rask-Andersen and Helge Rask-Andersen, 4 July 2022, Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology.
DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.934571

A Promising New Drug Combo Could Improve Spinal Muscular Atrophy Treatment

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A Promising New Drug Combo Could Improve Spinal Muscular Atrophy Treatment

The study found that pairing Spinraza® with valproic acid could boost its effects.

A New Drug Duo

Spinraza® changed the game for people with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in 2016. It was the first medication for the neurodegenerative condition that is the leading genetic cause of infant mortality to get FDA approval. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Professor Adrian Krainer and colleagues conceptualized and developed the medication.

Krainer didn’t stop there, however. Together with Alberto Kornblihtt at the Universidad de Buenos Aires, his lab has been looking into whether Spinraza® could be enhanced. They identified a novel strategy to enhance the therapeutic benefits of Spinraza® by combining it with valproic acid (VPA), a separate FDA-approved drug.


Increasing a drug’s dose is one method for increasing its impact. But like with any drug, using more Spinraza® puts you at risk for negative side effects. Krainer and his associates used a different strategy. They found that combining Spinraza® with VPA could be an alternative method for increasing its clinical effect without using more of the drug. Krainer explains:

“Sometimes you don’t want to use a ton of a drug. If you have a condition that allows you to use less of the drug, then you may have fewer toxicities. So the idea is to combine these two drugs to get maximal effects.”

People with SMA don’t have enough of a protein called SMN. Spinraza® is a type of molecule called an antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) that helps cells make more SMN protein from a gene called SMN2. The team discovered that there were roadblocks on the SMN2 gene when using Spinraza®. This slowed down the cellular machine producing SMN protein. The drug VPA helps remove the roadblocks, allowing Spinraza® to further increase the SMN protein output. When mice with SMA were treated with both VPA and a Spinraza®-like ASO used for research, the mice survived longer and had improved muscle function.


Over 11,000 SMA patients have been treated with Spinraza® in more than 50 countries. Krainer’s latest research shows that there’s always room for improvement. He hopes the team’s findings will help optimize the efficacy of Spinraza® treatments. He also hopes their work will help researchers who are trying to develop therapies for other neurodegenerative diseases.

Reference: “Counteracting chromatin effects of a splicing-correcting antisense oligonucleotide improves its therapeutic efficacy in spinal muscular atrophy” by Luciano E. Marasco, Gwendal Dujardin, Rui Sousa-Luís, Ying Hsiu Liu, Jose N. Stigliano, Tomoki Nomakuchi, Nick J. Proudfoot, Adrian R. Krainer and Alberto R. Kornblihtt, 9 June 2022, Cell.
DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.04.031

The study was funded by Familias Atrofia Muscular Espinal, CureSMA, Richard Lounsbery Foundation, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica of Argentina, NIH/National Institutes of Health, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, St. Giles Foundation, Fundação para Ciência e a Tecnologia.

Saudi Arabia: UN calls for release of woman sentenced to 34 years in prison for tweeting

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Saudi Arabia: UN calls for release of woman sentenced to 34 years in prison for tweeting
The UN human rights office, OHCHR, expressed outrage on Friday over a 34 years in prison sentence handed down to a Saudi woman charged with following and retweeting so-called dissidents and activists.

Doctoral student Salma Al-Shehab was sentenced to 34 years in prison, followed by a 34-year travel ban in connection with a series of tweets and retweets on political and human rights issues in Saudi Arabia, OHCHR spokesperson Liz Throssell said in a statement.

“We urge the Saudi authorities to quash her conviction and release her immediately and unconditionally,” she said.

“She should never have been arrested and charged in the first place for such conduct”.

‘Chilling’ repercussions

The extraordinarily lengthy sentence adds to “the chilling effect” among Government critics and civil society at large, the statement continued, describing it as “yet another example of Saudi authorities weaponizing the country’s counter-terrorism and anti-cybercrime laws to target, intimidate and retaliate against human rights defenders and those who voice dissent”.

The mother of two young children, Ms Al-Shehab, 34, was arrested in Saudi Arabia in 2021 while on holiday from her studies at Leeds University in the United Kingdom.

She was accused of spreading false information and aiding dissidents seeking to disrupt public order with her tweets, retweets and follows on Twitter.

News reports have pointed out that the case marks the latest example of how the country has targeted Twitter users in a campaign of repression, while simultaneously controlling a major indirect stake in the United States social media company.

Journalists have also observed that the sentencing by Saudi’s special terrorist court was handed down weeks after US President Joe Biden visited Saudi Arabia, which human rights activists had warned could embolden the kingdom to escalate its crackdown on dissidents and other pro-democracy activists.

Call for release

“Saudi Arabia must not only release Al-Shehab so that she can re-join her family, but also review all convictions stemming from free expression against human rights defenders, including women who were jailed after they legitimately demanded reforms of discriminatory policies, as well as religious leaders and journalists,” said Ms Throssell.

OHCHR also urged the Saudi Government to establish “a robust legislative framework in line with international human rights law” to uphold the rights to freedom of expression and association, and the right of peaceful assembly for all.

Early Blood Tests for Traumatic Brain Injury Can Accurately Predict Which Patients Are Likely To Die

Early Blood Tests for Traumatic Brain Injury Can Accurately Predict Which Patients Are Likely To Die
TBI Blood Tests

A graphic of traumatic brain injury with blood test vials. Credit: Justine Ross, Michigan Medicine


In the study, the method predicted poor outcomes six months after injury with high accuracy.

A study finds that blood tests taken the day of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) can accurately predict which patients are likely to die or survive with severe disability. This could allow clinicians to make decisions earlier on possible treatment of TBI. 


Researchers analyzed day-of-injury blood tests of nearly 1,700 patients with TBI. Results reveal that higher values of two protein biomarkers, GFAP and UCH-L1, are associated with death and severe injury. The study, from Michigan Medicine, the University of California San Francisco, and the University of Pennsylvania, was published in The Lancet Neurology.

According to first author Frederick Korley, M.D., Ph.D., this is the first study to examine the association between biomarker levels of these two proteins and all-cause mortality following TBI. Korley is an associate professor of emergency medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School.

“Early and accurate prediction of TBI outcomes will help clinicians gauge how severe a brain injury is and inform how best to counsel family members about care for their loved ones with brain injury and what to expect with regards to their recovery,” Korley said. “It will also help researchers more precisely target promising TBI therapeutics to the right TBI patients.”


The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared the use of GFAP and UCH-L1 in 2018 to help clinicians decide whether to order CT scans for mild traumatic brain injury.

Scientists measured the proteins using two devices from Abbott Laboratories, the i-STAT Alinity, and the ARCHITECT. Results were compared to evaluations made six months after injury using the Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended, a system that grades the functional status of TBI patients.

Investigators found that compared to those with GFAP values in the bottom 20th percentile, those with GFAP values in the top 20th percentile had a 23 times higher risk of death during the subsequent six months. Similarly, compared to those with UCH-L1 values in the bottom 20th percentile, those with UCH-L1 values in the top 20th percentile had a 63 times higher risk of death during the subsequent 6 months.

“Modern trauma care can result in good outcomes in what we had once believed were non-survivable injuries,” said co-senior author Geoffrey Manley, M.D., Ph.D., professor and vice chair of neurosurgery at UCSF. “These blood tests are both diagnostic and prognostic, as well as easy to administer, safe and inexpensive.”


While the method is promising for determining poor outcomes in moderate and severe TBI, researchers say more must be done to examine its role in mild cases.

“As a next step, the TRACK-TBI team is planning a clinical trial that will examine the efficacy of promising therapeutic agents that may help traumatic brain injury patients recover quickly,” Korley said. “As part of this clinical trial, these biomarkers will be used as an objective method for selecting the right patients to enroll in this trial. We will also use these biomarkers to monitor individual patient response to these promising therapeutics.”

Reference: “Prognostic value of day-of-injury plasma GFAP and UCH-L1 concentrations for predicting functional recovery after traumatic brain injury in patients from the US TRACK-TBI cohort: an observational cohort study” by Frederick K Korley, MD PhD; Prof Sonia Jain, PhD; Xiaoying Sun, MS; Ava M Puccio, PhD; John K Yue, MD; Raquel C Gardner, MD; Prof Kevin K W Wang, PhD; Prof David O Okonkwo, MD PhD; Prof Esther L Yuh, MD PhD; Prof Pratik Mukherjee, MD; Lindsay D Nelson, PhD ABPP-CN; Sabrina R Taylor, PhD; Amy J Markowitz, JD; Prof Ramon Diaz-Arrastia, MD PhD; Prof Geoffrey T Manley, MD PhD and the TRACK-TBI Study Investigators, 1 September 2022, The Lancet Neurolog.
DOI: 10.1016/S1474-4422(22)00256-3

Korley previously consulted for Abbott Laboratories. Korley and Robertson have received research funding from Abbott Laboratories. Manley received research funding from a collaboration between Abbott Laboratories and the U.S. Department of Defense. Diaz-Arrastia consulted for MesoScale Discoveries, BrainBox Solutions, and NovaSignal. All other authors and collaborators declare no competing interests.