Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Researchers  at Penn State University have designed plans for a new type of battery  that can provide up to 200 miles of charge in as little as 10 minutes

The  scientists say that the key to charging the lithium-ion electric car  batteries involves heating them up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit and cooling  them down within a matter of minutes. In most cases, this rapid heating  and cooling cycle could cause the batteries to short, but the team  believe they’ve found a way around that by limiting the amount of time  the batteries are exposed to the temperatures. This is all thanks to a  thin layer of nickel foil, which absorbs the excess heat and distributes  the charge evenly across the battery. This would alleviate a  significant challenge that electric vehicles face in the market. Often,  charging times are extremely slow, and the mileage per charge isn’t  always enough to make it from one charging station to the next on long  drives. We’re probably still a long way from super speedy charges, but  scientists and engineers around the world are working to increase  mileage and quicken charging times. (Popular Mechanics)

Maryland authorities said a bank teller went to the home of a man who made a large withdrawal earlier in the day to rob him

The  Harford County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 78-year-old man’s home  in Bel Air, Maryland. Deputies determined he was assaulted and robbed  by a 19-year-old male in a home invasion. The Sheriff has seen a variety  of criminal cases during his long law enforcement career, but these  circumstances were unusual for him, saying “In 34 years in law enforcement, I can’t think of another case where it’s almost like a reverse bank robbery”.  Investigators believe the intruder forced his way inside the victim’s  home, but another person inside was able to intervene during the home  invasion. The intruder would run away before deputies arrived, but he  was seen on a doorbell camera, and that helped detectives track him  down. He was arrested at the bank where he worked. The bank is  cooperating in the investigation. The two inside the home were treated  for injuries sustained during the altercation and have since been  released from the hospital. (WWJZ)

Wild Boars Snort $22K Worth of Cocaine Stashed in Forest

Drug  dealers in Italy are counting their losses after a pack of wild boars  helped themselves to their stash of cocaine. The hogs dug up and  destroyed $22,000 worth of the drug after finding it buried in a forest  in Tuscany. Police learned of the heist after tapping the phones of a  suspected criminal gang where they recorded the dealers complaining that  the coke had been “hogged”. Using their powerful tusks, the  animals had managed to bust through the waterproof packaging and scatter  the narcotic all over the forest floor. It is not known how much of the  drug the boars ingested, nor what effect it had on them. All four  alleged members of the gang were subsequently arrested on charges of  drug trafficking; investigators claim they were selling 2kg of cocaine  every month in the surrounding bars and nightclubs, at around $100 per  gram. Two of the men were jailed, while two were placed under house  arrest. (The Telegraph)

Seven workers fired after brawl at Milwaukee Popeyes caught on video

Multiple  employees at a Milwaukee Popeyes restaurant lost their jobs after a  wild brawl was caught on camera. Cellphone video from inside the fast  food eatery shows the fight break out while customers were still inside.  One witness said he could feel the tension mounting and grabbed his  cellphone to start recording. Calm quickly turned to chaos inside the  restaurant. Moments later, a violent fight broke out near him with  several employees throwing punches. Soon, the situation cooled off. When  police arrived on scene, they determined no weapons were involved — and  no arrests were made. It is unclear what sparked the altercation.  Statement from Popeye’s franchise owner:

“This  was an unfortunate, isolated incident which we take very seriously.   The dining room was closed immediately after the altercation at 9:30  p.m.  As a result of this, 7 employees were terminated from the company,  including the manager on duty”.
 

(WITI)

Astronauts experienced reverse blood flow and blood clots on the space station, study says

A  study of 11 healthy astronauts onboard the International Space Station  for six-month missions has revealed a new risk of long-term spaceflight.  Six of the astronauts experienced stagnant or reverse blood flow, one  had a blood clot and another was found to have a potential partial blood  clot. The study, which involved nine men and two women with an average  age of 46. This is the first time researchers have observed these  conditions in astronauts and the implications of their discovery could  impact future long-term spaceflight, such as a mission to Mars. After  more than 50 years of human spaceflight, researchers know some of the  risks posed to the human body by being in zero gravity. Space motion  sickness happens in the first 48 hours, creating a loss of appetite,  dizziness and vomiting. Over time, astronauts staying for six months on  the station can experience the weakening and loss of bone and atrophying  muscles. Astronauts also experience blood volume loss, weakened immune  systems and cardiovascular deconditioning, since floating takes little  effort and the heart doesn’t have to work as hard to pump blood. The  weightless environment of zero gravity causes a fluid shift in the body  toward the head, the opposite of what we experience standing on Earth.  On Earth, humans spend about two-thirds of the day in an upright  position and about a third laying down at night. This causes a daily  fluid shift that varies based on our position. But for astronauts, the  fluid shift is sustained for long periods of time. It causes puffiness  in the face, “bird leg” syndrome where the legs lose volume,  and decreases plasma volume while increasing stroke volume — the volume  of blood pumped per beat. The researchers wanted to assess how this  fluid shift affected the left jugular vein. This vein carries  deoxygenated blood from the head and neck to the vena cava, the largest  vein in the upper body. The researchers disclosed that one limitation of  the study is that they did not image the right jugular vein, but it has  been analyzed in previous spaceflight studies and there was no sign of  stagnation or clotting. The astronauts provided blood flow measurements  before and after spaceflight while seated, laying down and angled at a  15-degree downward head-tilt. Measurements during the flight were taken  on days 50 and 150 of the mission. The astronaut who developed a blood  clot was treated with anticoagulants for the rest of the spaceflight and  did not participate in the study past day 50. The observation that  blood was clotting in otherwise healthy astronauts, both male and  female, due to weightlessness was a surprise to researchers, who are  concerned due to the other issues blood clots can cause. The idea of  reverse blood flow requires more scrutiny. Reverse flow in the jugular  vein could be completely harmless as the blood is simply leaving the  head via one of the other venous pathways. However, reverse flow implies  altered venous pressure dynamics, which could impact the ability of the  brain to drain cerebral spinal fluid and possibly increase pressure in  the brain. This is something we’re continuing to investigate. A possible  way to reverse the head-ward fluid shift is to apply lower body  negative pressure. Other possible ways to shift fluid from the upper  body could include thigh cuffs, resistance breathing devices and  acceleration via cetrifugation.  (JAMA Network)

Louisiana man pretended to be ‘handicapped’ teen to trick health care worker into changing diaper

A Louisiana man was arrested this week after police say he posed as a “mentally and physically handicapped”  18-year-old to trick a health care worker into changing his adult  diaper while he became sexually aroused. The 29-year-old man was booked  into the New Orleans Parish Jail on 10 counts each of sexual battery and  human trafficking after authorities say he posted fake ads online to  lure in unsuspecting health care workers, Louisiana State Police said in  a news release. Investigators found that he used social media  advertisements to falsely claim that he was seeking home health care for  his 18-year-old brother, whom he described as “mentally and physically handicapped.” Police said that as soon as he made an arrangement with a health care worker, he would then pose as his brother while “allowing  the care provider to change his adult diaper and obtain sexual arousal  under the false pretenses of being handicapped.” After 10 separate  incidents involving the same unidentified health care worker, officials  said the victim became suspicious and soon discovered that he had made  up his brother. That’s when he was arrested. In addition to the sexual  battery and human trafficking charges, he is also facing one count of  possession of a scheduled II controlled dangerous substance. (Fox News)

A  former employee of a dispensary claims he was fired for refusing to  sign a policy that prohibits employees from bringing meat to work

He  said he was fired after he stood up for a coworker who was sent home  because of a sandwich with lunch meat that was discovered in the fridge.  “He was belittling her on. ‘I can’t believe you brought in dead animal flesh into the store,’”  he said, talking about his former boss, the owner of Friendly Market, a  dispensary with a policy that no meat is allowed in the store at both  the Norman and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma locations. He said that last  week, one of his coworkers broke that policy when she brought lunch meat  into the store. When management discovered it inside the fridge, the  co-worker was sent home for two days. “She was literally balling her eyes out on her way out the door,”  he added. So he decided to stand up for his coworker and confronted the  owner. During a meeting about the issue, he was fired because he  refused to adhere to the ‘no meat’ policy. The owner of the business is a  vegan and said the policy is in place because of a personal conviction.  “The death and dismemberment that is associated with the getting  meat on your plate, I’m just saying, I’d like there to be a higher  vibration at Friendly. We’re really trying to raise vibrations,”  the owner said. Oklahoma is an employment-at-will state, so the policy  and the reason the co-workers was let go is legal. The owner said “I just ask them one thing and one thing only, don’t bring meat into the store.” He  also added that he offered the fired employeed severance and but he  declined it. The former employee said that’s because he feels if he  accepted it, what he is standing up for would be “for nothing.” The  owner also said he doesn’t like the word fired, and feels the former  employee chose to abandon the job when he wouldn’t adhere to the policy.  (KFOR)

Wednesday Takes Advantage Of The Situation With:

• African Industrialization Day
• Globally Organized Hug A Runner Day aka G.O.H.A.R.D.
• Name Your PC Day
• National Educational Support Professionals Day (Wednesday of American Education Week)  
• National Peanut Butter Fudge Day
• Transgender Day of Remembrance
• Universal Children’s Day