Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology have patented a method for the development of nanoscale spherical capsules intended for drug delivery operations.

Team members created the spherical capsules as artificial versions of the outer coverings of cells with the use of fluids at the microscopic level, NIST said Thursday.

Michael Gaitan from the NIST’s Physical Measurement Laboratory and Laurie Locascio, director of NIST’s Material Measurement Laboratory, have developed the nanometer-scale capsules.

The inside of the capsules, known as liposomes, could contain drugs and the outside could hold receptor coatings that bind to cancer cells.

“We have precision control over making liposomes and changing their size by dialing in flow rates,” said Gaitan.

The General Services Administration has launched a new initiative to aid companies in their efforts to do business with the government.

GSA Administrator Denise Turner Roth wrote in a blog post published Wednesday that the new slate of government programs under the Making It Easier initiative are meant to provide tools to government suppliers.

The new initiative offers resources such as the IT Schedule 70 Plain Language Roadmap to provide a simplified explanation of the Schedule 70 process and a welcome package containing guidance documents, she wrote.

Turner Roth added that the FASt Lane program works to add new suppliers to Schedule 70 within 45 days while the IT Schedule 70 Startup Springboard seeks to help startup firms provide technologies through the vehicle.

MIE also aims to help businesses find contracting opportunities with the use of a forecast tool.

The U.S. Air Force will allocate at least $500 million for the construction of facilities at Eielson Air Force Base that will house the Lockheed Martin-built F-35 Lightning II fighter jets, Newsminer reported Wednesday.

Sam Friedman writes that work at the base would include 46 construction, remodeling or demolition projects until the arrival of the F-35s in 2020.

354th Fighter Wing Commander Col. Mike Winkler indicated that $37 million would be allotted for fiscal 2016, $296 million for the following year and a projected $200 million for 2018, the report said.

Friedman reports the planned projects include the construction of a six-bay flight simulator building that is scheduled to begin in September.

The decision to house F-35s at Eielson AFB would facilitate access to 65,000 square miles of available airspace to train Air Force pilots on the fifth-generation fighter jets.

The Defense Advanced Research Program Agency has demonstrated an optical sense-and-avoid system as part of an effort to allow manned and unmanned aircraft to avoid mid-air collisions with other aircraft.

DARPA said Tuesday an unmanned aircraft detected and tracked a Cessna 172G aircraft with the use of the technology during the demonstration for the Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System program.

The collision avoidance system features a single optical camera for imagery, passive ranging features to detect incoming aircraft and collision-avoidance systems.

“This successful flight test is a step toward adding external perception to ALIAS’ toolkit for advancing in-flight automation,” said Dan Patt, an agency program director.

DARPA’s goal for the follow-on research is to reduce the system size, test the ranging and collision-avoidance features and update calculations for optimal aircraft trajectories.

DARPA envisions the system as a line of defense for Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast transponders and ground-based radar systems.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN2ZiyVffPI

The U.S. Navy estimates the cost to construct three Zumwalt-class guided missile destroyers will increase by $450 million in fiscal year 2017, USNI News reported Wednesday.

Sam LaGrone writes the Navy has asked for the $450 million in additional funds to complete the Zumwalt, Michael Monsoor and Lyndon B. Johnson ships.

Funds would also cover research and development costs and efforts address a labor dispute with General Dynamics Bath Iron Works unions.

USNI News reports the cost increase is folded into the Navy’s new three-year projection of $22.5 billion for the Zumwalt class through fiscal 2017, according to the report.