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NASA's Aqua Satellite sees Tropical Storm Parma lingering in the Luzon Strait

Two instruments on NASA's Aqua satellite captured views of Tropical Storm Parma early today, October 5, while it was almost stationary in the Luzon Strait and it appears that it will sit there for several days.

In the early morning hours (EDT) today, October 5, the Moderate Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite captured an image of Typhoon Parma in the Luzon Strait and heading into the South China Sea. Taiwan is located north of the Luzon Strait, and the Philippines are located to its south.

NASA satellite sees Olaf stretch out and fizzle over northwestern mainland Mexico

Tropical Storm Olaf wasn't given much of a chance when he was born, and he never did make it to hurricane strength before fizzling out late Saturday night. NASA's Aqua satellite captured infrared imagery that clearly showed Olaf's clouds stretched eastward out over mainland Mexico, away from its center of circulation near Baja California.

At 11 p.m. EDT on Saturday, October 3, the National Hurricane Center issued its last advisory on Olaf. By that time, he was just classified as a remnant low pressure area.

New aging studies improving vaccine efficacy for the elderly

Saranac Lake, NY – A new study from the Trudeau Institute in Saranac Lake, New York, demonstrates that immune system cells important for both pathogen resistance and vaccine efficacy live longer in older animals but because of this longevity acquire functional defects. The work may provide new targets for boosting immune system function in older individuals.

Multivisceral transplant survival rates improve with new treatment, says Pittsburgh study

PITTSBURGH, Oct. 5 – Data from the largest single-center experience of adult and pediatric intestinal and multivisceral transplantation show that survival rates have improved with the advent of innovative surgical techniques, novel immunosuppressive protocols and better post-operative management, said researchers at the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute in a study published in the October issue of Annals of Surgery.

Many patients with sleep apnea also suffer from GI tract conditions

San Diego, CA – Patients who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) also tend to have additional gastrointestinal (GI) tract conditions, such as gastric reflux and hiatal hernia, which form at the opening in your diaphragm where your food pipe (esophagus) joins your stomach.

Hoarseness predominates in vocal health issues for inner city children

San Diego, CA – Hoarseness, a common and widespread vocal health issue, is the chief complaint of patients in an inner city pediatric voice clinic.

In a paper presented at the 2009 American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO in San Diego, researchers evaluated a database of voice patients from August 2003 to June 2008 in a tertiary care children's hospital voice clinic. Data were reviewed for demographics, medical history, voice analysis, treatment, and prevalence of vocal pathologies.

Patients with chronic rhinosinusitis have increased incidence of other chronic illnesses

San Diego, CA – Patients who suffer from chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) also tend to suffer from other chronic illnesses, like asthma, hypertension, and arthritis.

Aspirin misuse may have made 1918 flu pandemic worse

The devastation of the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic is well known, but a new article suggests a surprising factor in the high death toll: the misuse of aspirin. Appearing in the November 1 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases and available online now, the article sounds a cautionary note as present day concerns about the novel H1N1 virus run high.

NASA's TRMM sees huge Typhoon Parma bringing more rain to the Philippines

Typhoon Parma is a huge storm and NASA's TRMM satellite sees it is already bringing more unwanted rains and gusty winds to the typhoon-weary and devastated Philippines. Parma, also called "Pepeng" in the Philippines, will bring heavy rains there today and tomorrow before moving back to sea.

Heart of a galaxy emits gamma rays

Quite a few distant galaxies turn out to be cosmic delivery rooms. Large numbers of massive stars are born in the hearts of these starburst galaxies, and later explode as supernovae. In the remnants they leave behind, particles are accelerated to very high energies. Astrophysicists have now used the H.E.S.S. telescopes to make detailed measurements of the gamma rays from the NGC 253 galaxy. As predicted, these high-energy rays originate from the region of maximum supernova activity close to the centre. (Science Express, September 2009)

Femtoseconds lasers help formation flying in space

The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) has helped to establish that femtosecond comb lasers can provide accurate measurement of absolute distance in formation flying space missions.

NPL, along with collaborators, produced technical reports for the European Space Agency. The conclusions demonstrated that the lasers were a suitable method for measurement in such missions.

Herschel views deep-space pearls on a cosmic string

Herschel has delivered spectacular vistas of cold gas clouds lying near the plane of the Milky Way, revealing intense, unexpected activity. The dark, cool region is dotted with stellar factories, like pearls on a cosmic string.

On 3 September, Herschel aimed its telescope at a reservoir of cold gas in the constellation of the Southern Cross near the Galactic Plane. As her telescope scanned the sky, the spacecraft's SPIRE and PACS instruments snapped the pictures. The region is located about 60° from the Galactic Centre, thousands of light-years from Earth.

Warnings up for Philippines as Parma powers up to a super typhoon

Warnings have been posted in the extreme northeastern Philippines as Parma has powered up into a Super Typhoon, and its new forecast track takes it over the northeastern tip of the Philippines, and three NASA satellites are keeping tabs on it.

NASA 3-D map shows flooding rains of Typhoon Ketsana in Philippines

The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission or TRMM satellite, orbits the Earth and measures the amount of rainfall created by a tropical cyclone. When Typhoon Ketsana (known in the Phillippines as "Ondoy") made landfall early this past weekend TRMM was monitoring its rainfall. That data was used to create a 3-D map of rainfall over the Philippines from September 21-28.

According to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), Ketsana dropped 17.9 inches (455 mm) of rain in Manila in just 24 hours on Saturday, September 26.

Teaming up in the new search for dark energy

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The most ambitious attempt yet to trace the history of the universe has seen "first light." The Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS), part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III (SDSS-III), took its first astronomical data on the night of Sept. 14-15 at the Sloan Foundation telescope in New Mexico.