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Researchers have unveiled crucial insights into the factors that might influence Intervertebral Disk Degeneration (IDD). IDD is a predominant cause of lower back pain, impacting millions worldwide. The focus of this research revolved around nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs), pivotal in IDD, and how oxygen levels and the HIF1A gene could influence them. Employing advanced RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), the team meticulously captured a comprehensive transcriptome of NPCs exposed to different oxygen conditions and instances of HIF1A deletion. The study leveraged tissues sourced from patients who had given informed consent before undergoing surgery. The efficacy of HIF1A modifications was authenticated using q-PCR,...

All disk galaxies rotate once every billion years By Jake Parks  |  Published: Tuesday, March 13, 2018 Grand spiral galaxy (NGC 1232). FORS/8.2-meter VLT Antu/ESO In a study published March 9 in The Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, astronomers announced the discovery that all disk galaxies rotate about once every billion years, no matter their size or mass. “It’s not Swiss watch precision,” said Gerhardt Meurer, an astronomer from the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), in a press release. “But regardless of whether a galaxy is very big or very small, if you could sit on...

A prototype disk drive based on phase-change memory can outperform an off-the-shelf flash hard disk . A new type of data storage technology, called phase-change memory, has proven capable of writing some types of data faster than conventional flash based storage. The tests used a hard drive based on prototype phase-change memory chips. Disks based on solid-state, flash memory chips are increasingly used in computers and servers because they perform faster than conventional magnetic hard drives. The performance of the experimental phase-change disk drive, created by researchers at University of California San Diego, suggests that it won't be long before...

I have a DVD I need to salvage if possible. My kids have managed to scratch it (but it doesn't look horribly scratched, just superficial scuffs). I have heard there is programs that allow one to extract the infomation so I can record it (or just view it on my computer). I can watch about 2/3rds of the disk without problems then it starts lagging and eventually stops (and locks up). I have tried numerous players from my home tv dvd player to my two dvd players (one is a recorder) on my computer. All sources lock up about the...

Brain in a Dish Flies PlaneBy Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News Oct. 22, 2004 A University of Florida scientist has created a living "brain" of cultured rat cells that now controls an F-22 fighter jet flight simulator. Scientists say the research could lead to tiny, brain-controlled prosthetic devices and unmanned airplanes flown by living computers. And if scientists can decipher the ground rules of how such neural networks function, the research also may result in novel computing systems that could tackle dangerous search-and-rescue jobs and perform bomb damage assessment without endangering humans. Additionally, the interaction of the cells within the lab-assembled...

"An Iraqi man with suspected links to terrorism had a computer disk containing crisis planning information for San Diego and other school districts when he was arrested by U.S. authorities in Iraq, 10News reported. The man's intentions were not known, and there was no indication that schools in San Diego or any other district were targets for terrorism, according to San Diego law enforcement officials ... .............

Much discussed among computer circles is the so-called end of Moore's Law and its predictions of ever-smaller, faster circuits. Less known is a challenge facing the next generation of hard disk drives: lubricant coatings that can hold up to faster speeds and denser data. Perfluoropolyethers (PFPEs), the current industry standard, are running up against the polymer's limits in protecting hard drives against daily wear and tear. So University of Illinois PhD candidate Wei Xiao developed an entirely new lubricant, based on inexpensive and abundant polyester. She presented her work today for the first time at the 228th national meeting of...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2003 February 8 AB Aurigae: How To Make Planets Credit: C.A. Grady (NOAO, NASA/GSFC), et al., NASA Explanation: This enhanced Hubble Space Telescope image shows in remarkable detail the inner portion of the disk of dust and gas surrounding the star AB Aurigae. Knots of material, visible here for the first time, may well represent an early stage of a process which could result in the formation of...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2003 January 16 NGC 1700: Elliptical Galaxy and Rotating Disk Credit: Thomas S. Statler, Brian R. McNamara (Ohio Univ.), CXC, NASA Explanation: In spiral galaxies, majestic winding arms of young stars and interstellar gas and dust rotate in a disk around a bulging galactic nucleus. Elliptical galaxies seem to be simpler, randomly swarming with old stars and lacking gas and dust. So astronomers were excited to find that...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 October 11 Fomalhaut Dust Disk Indicates Planets Drawing Credit: David A. Hardy, ROE, ATC, NSF, NASA Explanation: One of the brightest stars on the sky likely has planets. Fomalhaut, actually the 17th brightest star in the night sky, is a mere 22 light-years away but only a fraction of the age of our Sun. Recent observations in far infrared light with a detector cooled to near zero...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 August 31 The Voyagers' Message in a BottleCredit: Voyager Project, JPL, NASA Explanation: Launched twenty-five years ago, NASA's Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft are now over 10 billion kilometers from the Sun. Still operational, the Voyagers are being tracked and commanded through the Deep Space Network. Having traveled beyond the outer planets, these remarkable spacecraft are only the third and fourth human built artifacts to escape our...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 June 7 Portrait of an Infant Solar System Credit: N. Grosso (MPE), et al., European Southern Observatory Explanation: This infant solar system was discovered posing along the lonely outskirts of the Rho Ophiuchi dark cloud, a star forming region 500 light-years from Earth. Enlarged in this infrared false-color portrait from the European Southern Observatory's Antu telescope, the dark dusty disk of planet-forming material lies edge-on, neatly dividing...