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Erectile dysfunction or "ED" is defined as the inability to obtain or maintain an erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual activity. It is the most widely studied disorder of male sexual function. Other less publicized disorders include: disorders of sexual desire, ejaculatory and orgasm disturbances, as well as disorders involving penile pain or curvature. ED is highly prevalent in the adult male population, and may effect as many as 50% of men between the ages of 40-70 years old.
In order to develop an erection, blood must be able to rapidly enter the male penis through two small arteries that course through the lower pelvis, just under the scrotum. The trigger for this blood flow event lies within the muscles that line the inside of the penis which relax involuntarily when there is sexual stimulation. Over the last 15 years a large amount of research has gone into defining the physiology of male erections. What has become clear is that for a man to develop a satisfactory erection there must be adequate blood flow, a well functioning nervous system, and a reasonable level of circulating male hormones such as testosterone. Diseases that affect any of these body systems can cause ED. In fact, population studies have confirmed that age, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, cigarette smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and low male hormone levels are significant risk factors for the development of ED. In addition, there are a large number of medications that are used to treat these disorders which may also cause ED.
Prior to the late 1990s, the only treatment available to men with ED were medications that could be injected directly into the penis, a vacuum canister that was applied to the outside of the penis and created an erection through suction, and surgical placement of a prosthetic device into the penis and scrotum. While these treatment options are still available, and provide very satisfactory results in many men with ED, they are not the first choice for the majority of men with ED. What was clearly needed was a pill that could be taken to improve erections.
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NASA announces revolutionary space exploration studies
16th June 2005 06:03 AM
NASA: NASA’s Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) has selected the proposals comprising phase 1 of its revolutionary space exploration concepts. Included in the awards, granted to people and organizations outside of the space agency, are technologies to extract antimatter from planetary magnetic fields, kilometer diameter space telescopes built from superconducting cables, and positron powered and propelled spacecraft.
The 2005 Phase 1 awards consist of 12 six-month study proposals chosen from 158 submitted, beginning in September. Proposals selected for the awards typically receive up to $75,000 for the study period, in order to conduct research into the viability of the revolutionary concepts and identify what kind of challenges must be overcome so that the proposals can be realized.
"These new Phase I awards have the potential for enabling future missions that are not thought to be possible with current systems. As a result of the process of exploring advanced concepts, new enabling technologies may be identified that could impact near-term plans and missions," said Dr. Robert Cassanova of the Universities Space Research Association (USRA). Cassanova is the NIAC director. The USRA runs NIAC for NASA.
The full list of proposals selected for the 2005 Phase 1 awards follows:
- A Contamination-Free Ultrahigh-Precision Formation Flight Method Based on Intracavity Photon Thrusters and Tethers (Principle Investigator (PI): Dr. Young K. Bae, Bae Institute, Tustin, Calif.)
- Extraction of Antiparticles Concentrated in Planetary Magnetic Fields (PI: Mr. James Bickford, Draper Laboratory, Cambridge, Mass.)
- Customizable, Reprogrammable, Food Preparation, Production and Invention System (PI: Dr. Eric Bonabeau, Icosystem Corporation, Cambridge, Mass.)
- Scalable Flat-Panel Nano-Particle MEMS/NEMS Propulsion Technology for Space Exploration in the 21st Century (PI: Dr. Brian Gilchrist, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.)
- Antimatter Harvesting in Space (PI: Dr. Gerald P. Jackson, Hbar Technologies, LLC, Chicago)
- Multi-MICE: A Network of Interactive Nuclear Cryoprobes to Explore Ice Sheets on Mars and Europa (PI: Dr. George Maise, Plus Ultra Technologies, Inc., Stony Brook, N.Y.)
- Artificial Neural Membrane Flapping Wing (PI: Dr. Pamela A. Menges, Aerospace Research Systems, Inc., Cincinnati)
- Lorentz-Actuated Orbits: Electrodynamic Propulsion without a Tether (PI: Dr. Mason Peck, Cornell University College of Engineering, Ithaca, N.Y.)
- Magnetically Inflated Cable System for Space Applications (PI: Dr. James Powell, Plus Ultra Technologies, Stony Brook, N.Y.)
- Ultra-High Resolution Fourier Transform X-ray Interferometer (PI: Dr. Herbert Schnopper, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, Mass.)
- Positron-Propelled and Powered Space Transport Vehicle for Planetary Missions (PI: Dr. Gerald A. Smith, Positronics Research LLC, Santa Fe, N.M.)
- Modular Spacecraft with Integrated Structural Electrodynamic Propulsion (PI: Mr. Nestor Voronka, Tethers Unlimited, Bothell, Wash.)
Visit the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts Funded Studies page for more information on the proposals.
NASA Press Release on NIAC Awards
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