Monthly Archives: September 2012

Where's NASA Going Now?

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One asteroid down, one to go.

After spending a year gazing at Vesta, NASA's Dawn spacecraft was set to cruise toward the most massive space rock in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter -- a voyage that will take nearly three years.

Firing its ion propulsion thrusters, Dawn had been slowly spiraling away from Vesta for more than a month until it was to pop free from its gravitational grip. Since its antenna was pointed away from Earth during this last maneuver, engineers would not know until Wednesday how it went.

The departure was considered ho-hum compared with other recent missions -- think Curiosity's white-knuckle "seven minutes of terror" dive into Mars' atmosphere.

"It's not a sudden event. There's no whiplash-inducing maneuver. There's no tension, no anxiety," said chief engineer Marc Rayman of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which manages the $466 million mission. "It's all very gentle and very graceful."

Launched in 2007, the Dawn mission is on track to become the first spacecraft to rendezvous with two celestial bodies in a bid to learn about the solar system's evolution.

- Chief scientist Christopher Russell

Dawn slipped into orbit last year around Vesta -- about the size of Arizona -- and beamed back stunning close-ups of the lumpy surface. Its next destination is the Texas-size Ceres, also known as a dwarf planet.

Vesta and Ceres are the largest bodies in the asteroid belt littered with chunks of rocks that never quite bloomed into full-fledged planets. As cosmic time capsules, they're ideal for scientists trying to piece together how Earth and the other planets formed and evolved.

During its yearlong stay at Vesta, Dawn used its cameras, infrared spectrometer, and gamma ray and neutron detector to explore the asteroid from varying altitudes, getting as close as 130 miles above the surface.

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Where's NASA Going Now?

NASA’s Key to Efficient Mars Landings: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle | The Crux

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Amy Shira Teitel is a freelance space writer whose work appears regularly on Discovery News Space and Motherboard among many others. She blogs, mainly about the history of spaceflight, at Vintage Space, and tweets at @astVintageSpace.

Last week, NASA announced its next planetary mission. In 2016 the agency is going back to the surface of Mars with a spacecraft called InSight. The missions selection irked some who were hoping to see approval for one of the other, more ambitious missions up for funding:either a hopping probe sent to a comet or a sailing probe sent to the methane seas of Saturns moon Titan. Others were irked by NASAs ambiguity over the missions cost during the press announcement.

An artists rendition of InSight deploying its seismometer and heat-flow experiments on Mars.

InSight is part of NASAs Discovery program, a series of low-cost missions each designed to answer one specific question. For InSight, that question is why Mars evolved into such a different terrestrial planet than the Earth, a mystery it will investigate by probing a few meters into the Martian surface. The agency says InSights selection was based on its low costcurrently capped at $425 million excluding launch costsand relatively low risk. It has, in short, fewer known unknowns than the other proposals.

But while InSight costs less than half a billion itself, the total value of the mission by the time it launches will be closer to $2 billion. How can NASA get that much zoom for so few bucks? By harnessing technologies developed for and proven on previous missions. The research, development, and testing that has gone into every previous lander take a lot of guesswork out of this mission, helping it fly for (relatively) cheap.

Aside from the Moon, Mars is the only body in the solar system that NASA has landed on more than once. With every mission, the agency learns a little more, and by recycling the technology and methods that work, its able to limit expensive test programs. This has played no small part in NASAs success on the Red Planet thus far. When it comes to the vital task of getting landers safely to the surface, NASA has been reusing the same method for decades. It has its roots way back in the Apollo days.

Amosaic of Mars Chryse Planitia created from images taken by Viking 1.

NASA first demonstrated how to make effective Mars landings with the Viking missions, a pair of twin landers that reached the surface in 1976. Each was sent to Mars with an elaborate, three-stage system for slowing the craft down for a gentle landing. The first stage was an aeroshell, a case designed to create enough drag to slow the landers descent without building up too much heat from atmospheric friction that it melted the instruments inside. For the second braking mechanism, NASA took advantage of the fact that Mars, unlike the Moon, has an atmospherethey used a parachute. And the final descent was made with the help of retrorockets, which fire opposite a landers direction of travel. They slowed the landers to a gentle touchdown, at which point a sensor in the leg shut the rockets down.

This approach seemed sound, but it required a lot of real-world testing to make sure it would work. One particular challenge was that Mars thin atmosphere meant that the lander would still be falling faster than the speed of sound when the chute needs to deploy. To test parachutes in a hypersonic, low-atmosphere environment, engineers put plentiful Apollo-era funding to good use. They ran a series of tests that sent a payload into Earths thin upper atmosphere with a balloon, accelerated it past the speed of sound, then deployed the parachute. It was an expensive test NASA hasnt repeated since 1968, but it worked and did offer a good stand in for the Martian environment.

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NASA’s Key to Efficient Mars Landings: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle | The Crux

NASA Selects Science Teams for Astrobiology Institute

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NASA has awarded five-year grants totaling almost $40 million to five research teams to study the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe.

The newly selected teams are from the University of Washington; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; University of Wisconsin, Madison; University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; and University of Southern California. Average funding to the teams is almost $8 million each. The interdisciplinary teams will become members of the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI), headquartered at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif.

"These research teams join the NASA Astrobiology Institute at an exciting time for NASA's exploration programs," said John Grunsfeld, astronaut and associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. "With the Curiosity rover preparing to investigate the potential habitability of Mars and the Kepler mission discovering planets outside our solar system, these research teams will help provide the critical interdisciplinary expertise needed to interpret data from these missions and plan future astrobiology-focused missions."

The University of Washington's "Virtual Planetary Laboratory," led by Victoria Meadows, will integrate computer modeling with laboratory and field-work across a range of disciplines to extend knowledge of planetary habitability and astronomical biosignatures in support of NASA missions to study extrasolar planets.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology team, led by Roger Summons, will focus on how signs of life are preserved in ancient rocks on Earth, with a focus on the origin and evolution of complex life, and how this knowledge can be applied to studies of Mars using the Curiosity rover.

The University of Wisconsin team, led by Clark Johnson, will study how to detect life in modern and ancient environments on Earth and other planetary bodies.

The University of Illinois team, led by Nigel Goldenfeld, seeks to define a "universal biology," or fundamental principles underlying the origin and evolution of life anywhere, through an interdisciplinary study of how life began and evolved on Earth.

The University of Southern California team, led by Jan Amend, will study life in the subsurface, a potentially habitable environment on other worlds. They will use field, laboratory, and modeling approaches to detect and characterize Earth's subsurface microbial life.

"The intellectual scope of astrobiology is breathtaking, from understanding how our planet went from lifeless to living, to understanding how life has adapted to Earth's harshest environments, to exploring other worlds with the most advanced technologies to search for signs of life," NAI Director Carl Pilcher said. "The new teams cover that breadth of astrobiology, and by coming together in the NAI, they will make the connections between disciplines and organizations that stimulate fundamental scientific advances."

These five new teams join 10 other teams led by the University of Hawaii; Arizona State University, Tempe; The Carnegie Institution of Washington; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, N.Y.; Pennsylvania State University; Georgia Institute of Technology; and teams at Ames; NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.; and two teams at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

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Penn Medicine's Stanley Goldfarb, MD, Named President of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia

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PHILADELPHIA Stanley Goldfarb, MD, professor of Medicine and associate dean for Curriculum at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, has been named the 61st president of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia.

Founded in 1787, the College of Physicians of Philadelphia is the oldest private medical society in the United States. Throughout its 225 year history, the College has provided a place for both medical professionals and the general public to learn about medicine as both a science and as an art. During his two-year term as president, Dr. Goldfarb will serve as the volunteer Chairman of the Board of Trustees and oversee issues of governance for the society.

At the Perelman School of Medicine, he supervises all aspects of the medical student curriculum, chairs the curriculum committee, supervises the medical student scholarly pursuit program in clinical investigation, and serves on the Student Standards Committee and chairs the School of Medicine Teaching Awards Committee. As a professor of Medicine in the Renal-Electrolyte and Hypertension Division at Penn Medicine, his research has primarily focused on the management of fluid and electrolyte, metabolism and diabetic nephropathy.

Goldfarb has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Laureate Award from the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American College of Physicians and the Christian and Mary Lindback award for distinguished teaching from Penn. He is a graduate of Princeton University and the University of Rochester School of Medicine.

For more information, please see the College of Physicians of Philadelphia web site.

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Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $4.3 billion enterprise.

The Perelman School of Medicine is currently ranked #2 in U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $479.3 million awarded in the 2011 fiscal year.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities include: The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania -- recognized as one of the nation's top "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report; Penn Presbyterian Medical Center; and Pennsylvania Hospital the nation's first hospital, founded in 1751. Penn Medicine also includes additional patient care facilities and services throughout the Philadelphia region.

Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2011, Penn Medicine provided $854 million to benefit our community.

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Penn Medicine's Stanley Goldfarb, MD, Named President of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia

New Egg Donation Program, "Ovatures," Launched By Reproductive Medicine Associates Of New Jersey

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BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Sept. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Reproductive Medicine Associates of New Jersey today announced the launch of its new egg donation program, Ovatures, to assist women who require donated oocytes (eggs) to become pregnant and have a family.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120402/NY80340LOGO)

"At RMANJ, we understand that for some women the path to pregnancy and a positive fertility experience sometimes requires a little help. For many, the option of egg donation can help make the dreams of family come true," said Thomas J. Kim, MD, FACOG, medical director of Ovatures. "With donor egg success rates well above the national average, RMANJ's Ovatures Egg Donation Program anonymously provides potential donors the opportunity to help another woman. We invite women who are considering becoming egg donors to learn more about the process, and to find out if giving this priceless gift is right for them."

Women ages 21 to 31 may qualify to become anonymous egg donors following a comprehensive health assessment. Donors are compensated for their time and effort to complete a full cycle. Application materials, plus additional background information, are available at http://www.ovatures-eggdonation.com.

"Ovatures is unique because it is built on RMANJ's track record of successful live births, clinical excellence and innovation in fertility medicine, such as our pioneering single-embryo transfer techniques that reduce financial and health risks of multiple births," said Shefali Shastri, MD, FACOG, RMANJ. "For many of our donors, the gift of egg donation aligns well with their support for organizations that focus on women's issues. New donors will find comfort in RMANJ's commitment to providing world-class, patient-centered care."

Live birth rates for egg donor cycles at RMANJ were 68.8 percent in 2010 (fresh all ages), compared to the national average of 55.6 percent, according to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology. Nationwide, there were more than 15,000 egg donor cycles in 2010.

M.S.'s StoryM.S. went to her regular annual gynecologist appointment, and her doctor just mentioned it that there are a lot of people in need, and that she was young and healthy. She said that RMANJ accepted egg donors, and that they had several locations. It seemed to M.S. that this was a valuable thing to do, a gift she could give someone.

So I looked them up, and saw that the staff was world-classand I wouldn't even have to take any bridges or tunnels to get there. I filled out a donor application, and spoke to them about it. There was absolutely never any pressure whatsoever, and their friendliness and expertise were outstanding. They answered every single question I had practically before I asked it, and their testing was very thorough, to make sure I was biologically and genetically suitable, checking my estrogen levels, everything. My whole actual donation time was two weeks. Most important to me, I was able to help a mom, well, get to be a mom! It is a simply amazing feeling."

- M.S., Donor

About Reproductive Medicine Associates of New JerseyReproductive Medicine Associates of New Jersey have pioneered and successfully implemented a cutting-edge technology, known as Comprehensive Chromosome Screening (CCS) to more accurately detect healthy embryos that will lead to successful pregnancies and ultimately healthy babies. Other centers have attempted similar testing methods, but RMANJ is the only fertility center in the world to have developed a system of unprecedented accuracy, fully validated through years of rigorous clinical research. RMANJ's Comprehensive Chromosome Screening offers advanced embryo selection with extreme accuracy by detecting and avoiding use of embryos with chromosomal abnormalities prior to transfer and pregnancy.

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New Egg Donation Program, "Ovatures," Launched By Reproductive Medicine Associates Of New Jersey

Department of Agriculture Assesses HMS Lab Protocols

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A facility responsible for the Harvard Medical Schools laboratory animals has been cited by the United States Department of Agriculture for failing to review exemptions that allowed it to house primates alone.

The new report reveals the findings of a July 31 inspection, which cited the Harvard School for Comparative Medicine for housing the rhesus macaques alone. The Animal Welfare Act, overseen by the USDAs Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service states that primates, as social creatures, should not be housed alone in order to prevent potential harm that could result from the stress of living alone.

The Animal Welfare Act regulations state that dealers, exhibitors ,and research facilities using primates must develop an environment enhancement plan that addresses the social needs of nonhuman primates of species known to exist in social groups in nature.

David Sacks, a spokesperson for the USDA, said that the Harvard School for Comparative Medicine was granted exemptions allowing them to house the rhesus macaques alone.

Paula S. Gladue, a veterinary medical officer inspector, cited the center for failing to review these exemptions every 30 days.

The Harvard Medical School said in a prepared statement that the Center for Comparative Medicine has revised the system of documentation for social housing.

This citation follows a string of citations for facilities affiliated with the Harvard Medical School over the past two years. The New England Primate Research Center, in Southborough, Mass. has seen four primates deaths in less than two years.

Most recently, a cotton-top tamarin monkey died of thirst in February as a result of not having a water bottle in its cage. Other incidents at the NEPRC include a primate that died after being overdosed with anesthetics in July 2011. The animal could not be saved after it experienced kidney failure and was later euthanized. In Oct. 2011 a marmoset died after escaping from its cage, being caught, and undergoing an imaging procedure. In June 2010 a primate was found dead after allegedly going through a mechanical cage washer.

Staff writer Nathalie R. Miraval can be reached at nmiraval@college.harvard.edu.

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Department of Agriculture Assesses HMS Lab Protocols

UMASS Medical School faculty annotate human genome for ENCODE project

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Public release date: 5-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jim Fessenden james.fessenden@umassmed.edu 508-856-2000 University of Massachusetts Medical School

WORCESTER, MA The first comprehensive decoding and annotation of the human genome is being published today by the ENCyclopedia Of DNA Elements (ENCODE) project, an international consortium of scientists from 32 institutions, including the University of Massachusetts Medical School. The groundbreaking ENCODE discovery appears in a set of 30 papers in Nature, Genome Research and Genome Biology.

Using data generated from 1,649 experiments with prominent contributions from the labs of UMMS professors Job Dekker and Zhiping Weng the group has assigned biochemical functions for an astounding 80 percent of the human genome. These findings promise to fundamentally change our understanding of how the tens of thousands of genes and hundreds of thousands of gene regulatory elements, or switches, contained in the human genome, interact in an overlapping regulatory network to determine human biology and disease.

As little as a decade ago, the human genome was viewed by scientists as a collection of independent genes that contained the instructions for making the proteins that carried out the basic biological functions necessary for life. Driven by this premise, most researchers focused on understanding the relatively small portion of the genome that made up protein-coding genes while the non-coding portion of the genome often referred to as "junk DNA" received little attention. The sequencing of the human genome in 2003 and more recent efforts by the ENCODE consortium, which is funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and others over the last decade, has begun to fundamentally change researchers' views on the importance of the non-coding portion of the genome.

Scientists now know that the protein-coding portions of the genome make up only one part of our genetic picture. Of equal importance are those areas of the genome that regulate genes. These elements, such as regulatory DNA elements and non-coding RNA, control when a gene is turned on and off and can also amplify or curtail expression of a gene. Even a small change in when a gene is turned on can have a huge biological impact, or in specific circumstances, contribute to disease.

Taken together, genes and their regulatory elements create a vast network of overlapping systems that carry out the basic biological processes necessary for life, a system that scientists are only now beginning to understand. Using a wide variety of experimental and computational approaches, members of the ENCODE consortium have generated comprehensive information about the identities, locations and characteristics of human genes and regulatory switches throughout the genome. This data represents an expansive resource that biomedical researchers can use to begin unraveling how this system works and how it contributes to disease.

"This work provides a critical map of tens of thousands of genes and hundreds of thousands of regulatory switches that are scattered all over the 3 billion nucleotides of the genome," said Dr. Dekker, PhD, professor of biochemistry & molecular pharmacology and co-director of the Program in Systems Biology at UMMS. "As a group, we've identified more than 4 million sites that through binding specific proteins affect biological function."

Three dimensional wiring of the genome

What this map doesn't tell scientists, though, is which switches or elements regulate which genes. That is where the work of Dekker, the lead author on one of the six ENCODE papers that appear in Nature, provides unique insights. Over the last decade, Dekker has pioneered the development of chromosome conformation capture technologies (3C) and combined it with next-generation sequencing technologies (5C) to create three-dimensional models of folded chromosomes. In turn, these models can be used to determine which parts of the genome, when folded, come in physical contact.

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UMASS Medical School faculty annotate human genome for ENCODE project

Liberty football notes: Sigmon update and more

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Some quick hitters from todays Liberty football press conference:

* As was noted Monday, Liberty coach Turner Gill is not with the team this week as he mourns the death of his mother with family in Texas. Gill will return to Lynchburg in time for Saturdays game against Norfolk State. Carl Torbush, Libertys assistant head coach, handled the Tuesday presser and will take care of any other media obligations this week.

Though Gill will be missed, his absence wont have a huge affect on the Flames game prep for the Spartans, Torbush said.

Itll go on business as usual when we get out on the field, Torbush said. Weve got a practice schedule. We know exactly where to be. During practice, its not that big a deal. I think its the camaraderie, the leadership that Turner brings dealing with the issues you deal with as a head football coach. But like I said, well be fine during practice.

* Liberty linebacker Nick Sigmon, who took a full-speed knee to the ear hole in the second quarter of Saturdays loss at Wake Forest, will be game-time decision for Saturdays game. Sigmon desperately wanted back into the game Saturday but the training staff said no. Concussion symptoms often arent immediately evident after taking a hit like that. Sometimes, its two or three days before the symptoms truly show. Im not saying thats the case with Sigmon; players have Monday off, so the coaches werent sure of his status as of noon Tuesday.

If Sigmon cant go, the Flames will go with a mix of Marques Jenkins and Scott Hyland at the Mike against Norfolk State. Jenkins came in and played extremely well in Sigmons place at Wake Forest, intercepting a pass and making three tackles. Hes preparing for Saturdays game as if hell be the starter. Even if he doesnt start, Jenkins will still get plenty of playing time as the Flames like to roll six linebackers in and out of the game.

If youre one or two in a two-deep, you have to prepare like that, Jenkins said. Its way better to be in there prepared in what youre doing, compared to thinking youre not going to play too much. Its just better to be prepared well for every situation.

Jenkins bounced around at various linebacker spots since transferring to Liberty after a year at Ole Miss, where he was a member of the scout team. Jenkins had 22 career tackles in three seasons coming into the season.

* Defensive tackle Francis Bah is also dinged, Torbush said, and defensive coordinator Robert Wimberly said Bah has a leg injury that will be worth watching as the week progresses. If I had to bet, Id say Bah plays. That injury will be more about Bahs pain tolerance than a head injury like Sigmons.

* Under the previous coaching staff, the Flames took Sunday off and began the week with a Monday evening practice. Under Gill, the Flames meet on Sunday to break down the film of the previous days game. Torbush said the goal is to kill the game, before taking a day off so the players are fresh and ready to go for the next weeks game prep on Tuesday.

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Liberty Twp. fire department advances three to lieutenant

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LIBERTY TWP.

Theres new leadership at the Liberty Twp. Fire Department after three firefighters moved up the ladder to become lieutenants.

Fire Chief Paul Stumpf, along with township trustees and families, pinned on new badges during a promotional ceremony Sept. 4 for firefighter/paramedics Chad Canupp, Cathleen Marksteiner and Matthew Owen, all of Liberty Twp.

Stumpf said there are about 98 members on the fire department roster, and the latest promotions bring the number of lieutenants to nine.

Well have one (lieutenant) on each shift at each station, Stumpf said, a long-time goal of the fire department. So theres no question of leadership. They are responsible for that unit and make sure reports are completed in a timely fashion.

Along with the extra duties, the three new fire lieutenants will receive a 7.5 percent increase to their hourly wage from $22.77 to $24.48 per hour, according to the township.

The promotional process includes a written test, an assessment center evaluation by regional chief officers and an oral interview by a local committee, according to Stumpf.

The lieutenants have a combined 36 years of service to Liberty Twp., and all have been serving in the full-time capacity of firefighter/paramedic since 2005.

Canupp has helped develop the departments SWAT Medic Program, which places tactically-trained medics on calls with the Butler County SWAT Team, according to Liberty Twp. officials.

Canupp is a member of the Butler County Technical Rescue Team, and also responds to large-scale national disasters as part of the Ohio Task Force One Urban Search and Rescue Team.

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Liberty Twp. fire department advances three to lieutenant

Boston-based Liberty Mutual ups charitable giving

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BOSTONInsurer Liberty Mutual Group Inc., already one of the largest supporters of nonprofits and community groups in the Boston area, has announced it will significantly increase its charitable giving in Massachusetts this year.

The only Fortune 100 company based in Boston says it will increase local donations by about 20 percent to $17 million from $14.2 million last year.

Several other companies with a large presence in Massachusetts, including Bank of America and John Hancock Financial Services, said they will keep local charitable giving at about the same levels as 2011.

Melissa MacDonnell, director of Liberty Mutual's philanthropy programs, tells The Boston Globe ( http://b.globe.com/R7q8GG) that the company "cares deeply" about the community.

Liberty Mutual just renewed its sponsorship of the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular with a three-year, $8 million deal.

Information from: The Boston Globe, http://www.boston.com/globe

Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Synopsys' Open-Source Liberty Format to Incorporate On-Chip Variation Extensions

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MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Sept. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Highlights:

Synopsys, Inc. (SNPS), a world leader in software and IP used in the design, verification and manufacture of electronic components and systems, today announced it intends to incorporate on-chip variation (OCV) extensions in its open-source Liberty library format, the de-facto modeling standard for integrated circuit (IC) implementation and signoff. The new extensions will help standardize usage of the popular stage-based Advanced OCV (AOCV) modeling approach for 40- and 28-nm processes nodes. The final format extensions and ratification as part of the Liberty standard will be completed with the guidance and assistance of the Liberty Technical Advisory Board.

The Liberty library format is the semiconductor industry's most widely adopted library standard used by virtually all EDA implementation, analysis and library characterization tools as the library model exchange for timing, noise, power and test behavior. In May 2006, an industry-wide Liberty Technical Advisory Board was formed to facilitate the evolution of the Liberty library modeling standard. The Liberty Technical Advisory Board functions under the auspices of the IEEE Industry Standards and Technology Organization (IEEE-ISTO). Its 14 member companies represent the broad semiconductor industry including the design community, EDA companies, silicon foundries, and semiconductor intellectual property (IP) companies. A complete list of members can be found at http://opensourceliberty.org/liberty_techadvisory.html. Liberty is available for download to the entire semiconductor design community under standard open-source terms. The latest Liberty syntax specifications and tools can be found at http://www.opensourceliberty.org.

"Standardizing the Liberty format extensions through the Liberty Technical Advisory Board allows the design community and EDA tool suppliers an opportunity to contribute and participate in the standardization process," said Rich Goldman, vice president of corporate marketing and strategic alliances, Synopsys. "In the past 2 years, the Liberty Technical Advisory Board has helped guide the ratification of over 10 new additions to Liberty to improve design for low-power flows."

The standardization of on-chip variation extensions via the Liberty Technical Advisory Board will benefit the semiconductor industry by:

AvailabilityThe Liberty Technical Advisory Board is expected to finalize and ratify the OCV extensions to Liberty in November 2012, making it available to open-source licensees shortly thereafter.

About SynopsysSynopsys, Inc. (SNPS) is a world leader in electronic design automation (EDA), supplying the global electronics market with the software, intellectual property (IP) and services used in semiconductor design, verification and manufacturing. Synopsys' comprehensive, integrated portfolio of implementation, verification, IP, manufacturing and field-programmable gate array (FPGA) solutions helps address the key challenges designers and manufacturers face today, such as power and yield management, system-to-silicon verification and time-to-results. These technology-leading solutions help give Synopsys customers a competitive edge in bringing the best products to market quickly while reducing costs and schedule risk. Synopsys is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and has approximately 70 offices located throughout North America, Europe, Japan, Asia and India. Visit Synopsys online at http://www.synopsys.com/.

Forward Looking StatementsThis press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including statements regarding the expected incorporation of the OCV extensions into the Liberty library format and the expected finalization and ratification of the OCV extensions by the Liberty Technical Advisory Board. These statements are based on current expectations and beliefs. Actual results could differ materially from those described by these statements due to risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, unforeseen production delays, failure to perform as expected, errors or defects and other risks detailed in Synopsys' filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including those described in the "Risk Factors" section of Synopsys' Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended July 31, 2012.

Editorial Contacts:Sheryl Gulizia Synopsys, Inc. 650-584-8635 sgulizia@synopsys.com

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Synopsys' Open-Source Liberty Format to Incorporate On-Chip Variation Extensions

Libertarian ballot fight may span 2 Pa. cities

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HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A state judge overseeing a Republican-backed challenge to Libertarian Party candidates on Pennsylvania's ballot is making contingency plans to spread out the work among judges in two cities.

Commonwealth Court Senior Judge James Gardner Colins issued an order Wednesday assigning responsibility for a time-consuming, line-by-line review of about 13,000 contested petition signatures gathered from voters in Philadelphia.

Colins ordered that two Commonwealth Court judges in Philadelphia begin the review on Sept. 17. If more time is needed, he ordered that a third judge in Harrisburg be added starting Sept. 25.

Lawyers for both sides agree the Libertarians have accrued about 15,500 valid signatures of the 20,601 they need to keep their presidential nominee, former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, and other statewide candidates on the ballot.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Libertarian ballot fight may span 2 Pa. cities

Libertarians' ballot fight moves to Pa. capital

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HARRISBURG, Pa. - The fight over whether the Libertarian Party's presidential ticket remains on the state ballot will move to the capital Wednesday for a final round of signature reviews that will set the stage for a hearing before a Commonwealth Court panel.

Representatives of the Libertarian Party and three Republican Party-backed voters who challenged the petition spent the last two weeks in Philadelphia, reviewing the signatures of about 38,000 city voters that were challenged.

The two sides are to reconvene at the Pennsylvania Judicial Center in Harrisburg to begin reviewing the more than 2,000 signatures from voters who live in other counties.

As of Tuesday, the Libertarian Party had accrued about 15,500 valid signatures of the 20,601 it needs to keep its presidential nominee, former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, and other statewide candidates on the ballot, according to lawyers for both sides.

The challengers have succeeded in striking about 17,000 signatures. About 13,000 signatures remain contested.

"It's an arduous and tedious process," Larry Otter, a veteran election lawyer and member of the legal team representing the challengers, said when asked about the time-consuming review.

A three-judge Commonwealth Court panel will hear legal arguments in the case Sept. 12 in Harrisburg and could rule for one side or the other.

Marakay Rogers, a member of the Libertarian legal team and the party's nominee for state attorney general, said she is "cautiously" optimistic that the party will prevail on enough of the contested signatures to overcome the challenge.

Rogers, a York County lawyer, was the party's nominee for governor in 2010 but joined Libertarian candidates for lieutenant governor and U.S. Senate in withdrawing their candidacies amid a petition challenge filed by a group of Republican voters.

The 20,601 signatures that third-party candidates need to qualify for this year's statewide ballot represent 2 percent of the total ballots cast for the highest vote-getter in last year's statewide elections.

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Libertarians' ballot fight moves to Pa. capital

Japan to buy disputed East China Sea islands: media

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TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan has agreed to buy disputed East China Sea islets, claimed by both Tokyo and Beijing, from their private Japanese owners, Japanese media said on Wednesday, a move likely to fuel tensions between Asia's two largest economies. The uninhabited islands, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, have long been a source of friction. Japan and China have competing ...

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Japan to buy disputed East China Sea islands: media

New York’s Thousand Islands Region’s Best 5 Summer Hiking Spots

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New York's Thousand Islands Region is home to amazing scenery and an abundance of summer hiking trails. If you are planning a vacation there this year, you may want to consider visiting a few of my favorite hiking spots. Here's a quick look at five of them:

Southwick Beach State Park

Southwick Beach State Park is located in Jefferson County. It features slightly over 2 miles of summer hiking trails. In my opinion, the 1.2 mile long Big Oak Trail and the 0.6 mile long Big Dead Maple Trail are ideal for the casual hiker. Trail highlights include a boardwalk that provides excellent views of the dunes, Lakeview Pond and Lakeview Marsh. I should also mention that the dunes are often full of poison ivy. Therefore, I would suggest that hikers remain on the designated trails.

Robert G. Wehle State Park

Robert G. Wehle State Park is located in Jefferson County. It features over 12 miles of hiking trails. I would suggest that summer hikers consider exploring either the 4.90 mile long Snakefoot Trail or the 1.87 mile long Dancing Gypsy Trail. Trail highlights include remnants of WWII military action, multiple picnic locations and incredible views of Lake Ontario.

Wellesley Island State Park

Wellesley Island State Park is located in Jefferson County. It features over 8 miles of summer hiking trails. I'd suggest that hikers consider taking the 1.1 mile long Eel Bay Trail to the Narrows Trail. It connects to several other trails that may be used to make a loop back to the Eel Bay Trailhead. Trail highlights include a butterfly house, berry bushes and great views of the water.

Point Au Roche State Park

Point Au Roche State Park is located in Clinton County. It features over 10 miles of hiking trails. I would suggest that summer hikers consider taking the 2.3 mile long Treadwell Bay Trail or the 4.1 mile long Long Point Trail. The Treadwell Bay Trail has a comfort station. Trail highlights include sweeping views of Lake Champlain, bird watching opportunities, ample shady spots and sandy beaches. Birds to look for include owls and osprey.

Higley Flow State Park

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New York’s Thousand Islands Region’s Best 5 Summer Hiking Spots

Tensions simmering between U.S., China over uninhabited islands’ ownership

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Japans move to buy several nearby uninhabited islands Wednesday was intended to maintain relative peace with China, which also claims ownership of the islands.

But the decision is likely to inflame China-Japan relations further, as disputes between the two countries over the territories have escalated in recent months.

Timeline: Disputes in the South China Sea

Now, the United States has been drawn into the debate, as Chinese Premier Wen Jiabaowarned Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton Wednesday that, the United States should respect Chinas sovereignty and territorial integrity.

By sovereignty, Wen was referring to territorial disputesthat have become major flash points between China and its neighbors. The United States has been increasingly vocal in supporting a less belligerent, collaborative negotiation process, the Washington Posts William Wan reported.

The U.S. has so far avoided taking an official stance on the islands ownership, although diplomats have been asked to take sides. A Chinese reporter gained fame on Chinese social networks last week after pressing U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland on whether the U.S. considers the islands to be Chinese or Japanese.

Reporter Ran Wei from Chinas state Xinhua News Agency began by asking Nuland for the official U.S. name for the uninhabited islands, which are known as the Senkaku islands in Japan and the Diaoyu islands in China:

RW: What is the official name for the Senkaku Islands for the United States? Is it the Diaoyu Islands or the Senkaku Islands? Or both are okay?

VN: Im going to my special little rocks cheat sheet here because, this is getting quite complicated with different things here.

RW: Yes, do you have one?

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Tensions simmering between U.S., China over uninhabited islands’ ownership

Voices of ENCODE [Video]

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ENCODE's lead coordinator, Ewan Birney, and Nature editor Magdalena Skipper talk about the challenges of managing a colossal genetics project and what we've learnt about the human genome.

By Nature magazine

Ewan Birney, ENCODE lead coordinator Image: Nature

Showcasing more than fifty of the most provocative, original, and significant online essays from 2011, The Best Science Writing Online 2012 will change the way...

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ENCODE, the Encyclopaedia of DNA Elements, is the most ambitious human genetics project to date. It takes the 3 billion letters described by the Human Genome Project in 2000, and tries to explain them. Remarkably, ENCODE scientists have managed to assign a biochemical function to 80% of the genome, including the genes and the parts of the genome that tell those genes what to do. This information is helping us understand how genomes are interpreted to make different types of cells and different people - and crucially, how mistakes can lead to disease. In this video, ENCODE's lead coordinator, Ewan Birney, and Nature editor Magdalena Skipper talk about the challenges of managing this colossal project and what we've learnt about our genomes.

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Voices of ENCODE [Video]