Vision Technology & Sally Ride | SciByte 55

chris

10 years ago

We take a look at digital vision, allergy treatment, storms, braziers, fire extinguishers, alzheimer’s research, spacecraft updates, remember Sally Ride and as always take a peek back into history and up in the sky this week.

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Show Notes

Vision aids

_{YouTube channel : virtualpoint | Instant Eye : Kevin Hand}

The low down
Photoreceptors in a healthy retina convert light into a series of electrical signals which are transmitted to the brain via complex neural pathways
When the photoreceptors do not function, brain is unable to receive these signals from the eyes
Significance
Nano Retina is a tiny implant [0.11×0.16in and 0.04in thick / 3 x 4 mm and 1 mm thick] that is inserted into the eye and attached to the retina in a minimally invasive procedure
The device consists of photodetectors, microelectrodes and electronic circuitry that act together to replace the eye’s natural photoreceptors that have been damaged and feed visual information to the brain
Six hundred needle electrodes (wrapped in biocompatible silicon and sapphire to prevent the formation of scar tissue) penetrate the retina
Light incident on the implant is collected by an array of CMOS pixels are placed on an area of the retina responsible for high-resolution central vision
The first-generation bio-retina will use an array of 600 pixels, although the aim is to increase this to 5000 pixels in future generations
A proprietary algorithm discriminates 100 gray-scale levels and responds to varying light levels.
The goal is that every pixel will connect to a neuron, so that every pixel in the array would use a micro-electrode
Because the neurons must be stimulated electrically the bio-retina implant also requires a source of electrical power
So patients who undergo surgery to implant a bio-retina will need to wear a special set of glasses, with a built-in battery and an infrared diode laser.
The goal is for the imager and the electronics to consume no more than 1mW
The near-infrared laser beam, gentle enough to shine harmlessly through the eye onto the implant, providing up to three milliwatts of power to a photovoltaic cell on the eye implant
The anticipated recovery time is up to one week when patients hopefully be able to distinguish faces and to be able to look from side to side with their eyes rather than needing to turn their heads
Current users of the Argus II bionic eye say that they can see rough shapes and track the movement of objects; they can also slowly read large writing.
Of Note
Another company, Second Sight’s Argus II, has a retinal prosthesis already on the market in Europe
Bio-Retina from NanoRetina, which is to start clinical trials next year
The Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System includes an antenna, an electronics case, and electrode array designed to bypass damaged photoreceptors altogether with a video camera in the glasses captures a scene
The video is sent to a small patient-worn computer VPU where it is processed and transformed into instructions sent back to the glasses via a cable then transmitted wirelessly to the antenna in the implant
Multimedia
YouTube Nano Retina – Sight restoration, produced by Virtual Point | virtualpoint
Schematic of a procedure to implant the bionic retina in a patient’s eye Credit: Nano Retina
Further Reading / In the News
Nano-retina.info
Bionic retina runs on laser power | Optics.org
Bio-Retina Implant Could Give Laser-Powered Sight to the Blind | PopSci.com

— NEWS BYTE —

Possible Allergy Treatment

The low down
Exposure to increasing amounts of egg every day over two years can seemingly rid some children of an egg allergy
More than curing the allergy there is more interest in providing protection from an accidental reaction
Significance
Skin-prick tests, medical history and the presence of antibodies to egg protein showed 55 children ages 5 to 11 to have an egg allergy
All the children for unmarked power added daily to food, forty kids were randomly assigned to receive the egg treatment and 15 got cornstarch as a control
Treatment amounted to a few grains of powdered egg white on the first day and gradually grew to the equivalent of one-third of an egg over two years
After 22 months, 30 of the 40 children getting the treatment were able to consume 10 grams of powdered egg white without having a visible reaction
At that time all 15 children that had cornstarch and 5 had a allergic reaction at 22 months
Early in the study 5 children dropped out of the study due to allergic reactions
The gradual introduction of eggs into the diet appears to re-train the immune system
Many other children in the study developed an ability to cope with small amounts of egg without a serious reaction, but only while being treated
Four to six weeks after stopping treatment, the children who didn’t react to the egg test got tested again, with 10 grams of egg white powder plus a cooked egg
Eleven passed that test. A year later, 10 of them were eating eggs at will
Of Note
Blood tests of the kids whose treatment succeeded showed an accumulation of positive immune changes during treatment, whether those changes are permanent is unknown
The remaining challenges will be to identify beforehand which children are the most likely to benefit from the treatment
About 10 percent of children given this type of oral treatment for egg, peanut or milk allergies, have reactions early and drop out
Don’t try this at home. The Food and Drug Administration would need to approve an oral treatment for clinical use.
Further Reading / In the News
Egg in tiny doses curbs allergy | ScienceNews.org

— TWO-BYTE NEWS —

The smells of a storm

The low down
If you have ever thought that you have smelled an incoming storm, you might have been correct
Certain weather patterns produce distinctive odors that sensitive noses sniff out
Before the rain begins, one of the first odors you may notice is a sweet, pungent zing in your nostrils which is the fresh aroma of ozone
Petrichor occurs when airborne molecules from decomposing plant or animal matter become attached to mineral or clay surfaces
Geosmin occurs when falling water disturbs and displaces odoriferous molecules on surfaces, particularly on dry ones, and carry them into the atmosphere
If the storm happens to be near vegetation, these molecules may come from plants and trees
One microbiologist has proposed that geosmin fragrance may be a beacon, helping camels find their way to desert oases
Further Reading / In the News
Storm Scents: It’s True, You Can Smell Oncoming Summer Rain | Scientific Amercian

Dating Braziers

The low down
The bra is commonly thought to be little more than 100 years old as corseted women abandoned rigid fashions and opted for the more natural look
Archeologists have now found four linen bras dating from the Middle Ages in an Austrian castle
They were unearthed in 2008, they did not make news until now, but were not announced until now as they waited for the carbon dating them to make sure they were genuine took some time
One of them were intricately decorated with lace and other ornamentation
Found intermixed with dirt, wood, straw and pieces of leather were more than 2,700 textile fragments were four bras
One specimen in particular "looks exactly like a (modern) brassiere
What researchers found as surprising was that the bra had commonly been thought to be only little more than 100 years old as women abandoned the tight corset.
Further Reading / In the News
600-year-old linen bras found in Austrian castle | Phys.org

Sound Based Fire Extinguisher

_{YouTube channel DARPAtv]}

The low down
The demonstration, at the proof-of-concept stage, shows two speakers blasting out sounds at a specific frequency
The disrupting the flame by spreading its heat over a larger area by creating an acoustic field that increases air velocity and fuel vaporization
It is unknown whether the system could be scaled up to work inside a military vehicle
Multimedia
YouTube DARPA Demos Acoustic Suppression of Flame | DARPAtv
Further Reading / In the News
DARPA puts out fires with sound and science | geek.com

— Updates —

Alzheimers

Last time on SciByte
Sub Glacial Lakes & Updates | SciByte 33 – Another exciting step against Alzheimer’s [February 14, 2012]
Habitable Planets & Chimps | SciByte 24 – Alzheimer’s Research [December 7, 2011]
Spinal Cord Injuries & Venus Transit | SciByte 49 – [June 5, 2012]
The low down
The pharmaceutical company Baxter International has reported a drug that, that if it works in larger clinical trials now under way, might actually stabilize patients and stop disease progression
Significance
Gammagard is a soup of antibodies extracted from blood donors and is already approved for some immune disorders, was given as intravenous immunoglobulin,
The drug has halted the decline in cognition and aided in the ability to perform everyday tasks for four patients who received the highest dose for three years
Although these results are very promising, continued trials will show whether these four were patients who just happened to have plateaued for a while during their inevitable decline
The results from a larger double-blind Phase 3 will show the benefit of intravenous immunoglobulins role in the treatment of AD is unproven
The study will also help to prove that the amyloid-beta peptide is a major cause of neurodegeneration
Of Note
Gammagard is already used to treat immune conditions, and current supplies count not keep up with treatments for Alzheimer’s
Any promising outcome for the drug trial may serve more as a proof of principle
Further Reading / In the News
Alzheimer’s: A Ray of Hope? Just Perhaps Maybe | Scientific American

In memory of Sally Ride

_{YouTube Channel : VideoFromSpace | CREDIT: collectSPACE.com/Ben Cooper}

First Women in space
Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova was actually the first woman in space in 1963, she was also the first civilian in space. She was honorary inducted into the Soviet Air Force as a condition on joining the Cosmonaut Corps. She piloted the Vostok 6 during its 3-day mission
Russian Cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya was the second female in space in 1982
At NASA
Joined NASA in 1978, and in 1983 she became the first american woman to fly in space
She is also the youngest American Astronaut to enter space at age 32 and 23 days
She saw an ad in the Stanford student newspaper saying that NASA was looking for astronauts saying they were looking for scientists and engineers
Of the 8,000 applicants 35 new astronauts, including six women, were chosen to join the astronaut corps
Astronaut group 8 was the first astronaut group after Apollo. Of that class a number of American spaceflight firsts were achieved, including the selection of six women
Shuttle Missions
The Challenger shuttle STS–7 in June of 1983
The Challenger shuttle STS 41-G in October of 1984
Post-NASA Career
Ride was the only person to serve on both of the panels investigating both the Challenger and Columbia shuttle accidents
She left NASA in August 1987 to join the faculty at the University of California, San Diego, as a professor of physics and director of the University of California’s California Space Institute
She founded Sally Ride Science in 2001
EarthKAM was initially called KidSat and was started by Dr. Sally Ride in 1995
MoonKAM
Books by Sally Ride
To Space and Back
Mission: Planet Earth: Our World and Its Climate–and How Humans Are Changing Them
The Mystery of Mars
Exploring Our Solar System
Voyager: An Adventure to the Edge of the Solar System
The Third Planet: Exploring the Earth from Space
Multimedia
YouTube Sally Ride Recalls ‘Spectacular View’ of Earth From Orbit | NASASolarSystem
YouTube Sally Ride: AMERICA’S FIRST WOMAN IN SPACE – JUNE 18, 1983 | shuttlemania
Photo Gallery: First American Woman in Space | NASA.gov
Social Media
Sally Ride Science @SallyRideSci
GRAIL MoonKAM @GRAIL_MoonKAM
EarthKAM @EarthKAM_Live
Further Reading / In the News
NASA Offers Condolences on the Passing of Pioneering Astronaut Sally Ride | NASA.gov
Statement by the President on the Passing of Sally Ride | WhiteHouse.gov
Jacket, In-Flight Suit, Sally Ride, STS–7 | Smithsonian National Air and Space Musuem
Women’s Place in History | National Air and Space Museum 2010
Amazon & Martian Weather | SciByte 39 – First MoonKAM Image comes in from the Lunar Orbiters Ebb & Flow [March 27, 2012]

– SPACECRAFT UPDATE –

Shuttle Enterprise open house