Aerospace firm plans $2.5M expansion in Monroe

abell@charlotteobserver.com

A Monroe aerospace company plans to spend $2.5 million to expand its facility within the next year, a move that will add 10 jobs over several years, the city announced Wednesday.

Cyril Bath Co. had been considering expanding near Charleston to be closer to Boeing, a major customer, said Chris Plat, Monroes executive director of economic development and aviation.

Instead, the company decided to invest in new equipment and building improvements at its Monroe facility behind the Charlotte-Monroe Executive Airport.

Tuesday, the Monroe City Council approved a cash incentive grant of up to $52,000 for the company, spread out over a five-year period. No Union County or state incentives were part of the expansion plan, Plat said.

They are a very significant company for Monroe, Plat said. They provide direct product to the aerospace industry and are an engineering house.

Monroe has the highest geographic concentration of aerospace companies in North Carolina. Since 2002, the city has seen more than $500 million in investment from the aerospace sector.

Cyril Bath, which has a sister company in France, has 45 employees in Monroe and has been based in the city since 1979. It designs and manufactures machines used to form airplane skins, and also provides equipment for other industries.

Cyril Bath Company is excited about expanding its operations here in Monroe, company President Michael Zimmer said in a statement. This will solidify keeping the existing machines and work in Monroe.

The company said it expects to see significant growth from its work providing material for Boeings 787 planes.

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Aerospace firm plans $2.5M expansion in Monroe

Harvard Ophthalmologist Dr. Ula Jurkunas Introduces Stem Cell Transplant for Eyes

Grants Pass, OR (PRWEB) October 16, 2012

Harvard Ophthalmologist and Corneal Stem Cell Researcher Ula Jurkunas, MD, has announced an important new stem cell transplant procedure for the eyes.

Speaking on the Sharon Kleyne Hour Power of Water radio show, Dr. Jurkunas, predicted that the procedure will offer a significant benefit to patients with certain corneal diseases, and corneal injuries such as chemical and thermal burns (The cornea is the eyes clear portion).

Stem cell research has been in the news because the 2012 Nobel Prize for Medicine was awarded for stem cell research.

Dr. Jurkunas explained to host Sharon Kleyne that the human eye produces its own adult (non-embryonic) stem cells. These are found between the limbus (where the clear cornea meets the white of the eye) and the conjunctiva (the red meaty tissue in the eyes inner corner). Their function is to replenish corneal cells to keep the cornea clear and healthy.

Production of corneal stem cells, according to Dr. Jurkunas, can become impaired due to a disease entity such as an infection, severe allergy, severe dry eye, immunological disorder or chronic inflammation; or due to injury such as a chemical or thermal burn. These traumas can cause the cornea to become cloudy and ulcerated. Prior to the present corneal stem cell research, there had been no reliable, non-invasive treatment for these conditions.

Corneal stem cell transplantation, Dr. Jurkunas explains, has the advantage of utilizing the patients own tissue as donor cells. Stem cells may be taken either from healthy tissue elsewhere in the diseased eye, from the patients other eye, or from the patients inner cheek (which has many similarities to eye tissue and also produces adult stem cells). Donor stem cells are then isolated and grown in culture. The final step is to transfer them to the affected cornea using a stem cell bandage.

The procedure, says Dr. Jurkunas, has resulted in dramatic corneal clearing and sight restoration. Although research is ongoing and the procedure remains experimental, corneal stem cell therapy is available in clinical trials. Widespread applications of the procedure, including routine testing for corneal stem cell deficiency, are anticipated. Stem cell therapy, according to Dr. Jurkunas, could eventually be used for macular degeneration, glaucoma and other eye diseases.

Dr. Jurkunas stressed the importance of water and hydration in maintaining a healthy tear film and cornea. The tear film covering the cornea is 99% water and is essential to the light refraction that enables vision. Dry eye and related eye infections, according to Dr. Jurkunas, can damage both the cornea and adjacent stem cell producing tissues that enable the cornea to repair itself. Water in the tear film stimulates the healthy production of stem cells. Water is also critical to keeping stem cells viable during transplantation.

Mrs. Kleyne and Dr. Jurkunas agree that non-invasive therapies using the bodys own tissues, such as corneal stem cell transplantation, could eventually prove indispensable in combating the worldwide health effects of global drying and dehydration.

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Harvard Ophthalmologist Dr. Ula Jurkunas Introduces Stem Cell Transplant for Eyes

Husband testifies wife ‘was looking for a cure’ and found Bonita stem-cell doctor

The Grekos hearing is scheduled to resume today. The location is the Collier County Courthouse in room 4-D, according to a case filing Monday.

The hearing before J. Lawrence Johnson, an administrative law judge from Tallahassee, is scheduled to last four days. The Collier County Courthouse is located at 3315 U.S. 41 E.

Photo by Allie Garza

Zannos Grekos

EAST NAPLES The patient was friends with the mother of Dr. Zannos Grekos, a Bonita Springs cardiologist who performed stem cell therapy on people with debilitating illnesses.

Chemotherapy for breast cancer several years earlier had left the 69-year-old patient, Domenica Fitzgerald, with numbness in her legs. She was unable to walk for more than 10 minutes. She hoped Grekos and his stem cell treatment could help.

"She was looking for a cure. She wanted to get well," her husband, John "Jack" Fitzgerald, testified Tuesday.

A four-day administrative hearing started Tuesday in a Collier County courtroom for a state Department of Health complaint against Grekos. The state says he committed medical malpractice and violated other standards of care when he performed a stem cell treatment on the patient on March 24, 2010. The patient suffered brain damage.

The state is only identifying the patient in its complaint by her initials, D.F. The Daily News learned of her identity by a public records request to the Collier County Medical Examiner's Office of all people who died on April 4, 2010, in the county. That was the day that Fitzgerald died after being taken off life support.

The state last year restricted Grekos' license after her death and ordered him not to do anything with stem cells with other patients. His license was fully suspended earlier this year when the state said he violated the order by treating another patient who also died.

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Husband testifies wife 'was looking for a cure' and found Bonita stem-cell doctor

Reaccreditation site visit set for S.C. State grad program

The Speech Pathology and Audiology Program in the Department of Health Sciences at South Carolina State University is scheduled to have a reaccreditation site visit Oct. 29-30.

The Speech-Language Pathology graduate program is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audio and Speech-Language Pathology of the American-Speech-Language-Hearing Association. CAA is a nationally recognized accrediting body which allows public input about the accreditation process and about the graduate education program.

The public meeting will be held at 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 29, in Belcher Hall, Room 237 on the S.C. State campus. Those wishing to comment should refer to a copy of the Standards for Accreditation and/or the CAAs Policy on Public Comment, which may be obtained by contacting the Accreditation Office at ASHA, 2200 Research Boulevard, Rockville, MD 20850; calling ASHAs Action Center at 1-800-498-2071; or accessing the documents on ASHAs website at http://www.asha.org/academic/accreditation/.

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Reaccreditation site visit set for S.C. State grad program

Star Nutrition's Incrediwear Line Now Features TEC-3 Arm and Calf Sleeves

CHICO, CA--(Marketwire - Oct 17, 2012) - Star Nutrition, Inc. ( PINKSHEETS : STAU ), a California-based diversified health and wellness industry firm, has announced the release of the latest addition to its popular Incrediwear line: The TEC-3 arm and calf sleeves. Engineered from an Italian 3-D weaving machine and utilizing Carbonized Charcoal Anion Technology, the 360-thread count TEC-3 is designed to increase circulation to the arms and calves, while decreasing fatigue, swelling and recovery time.

"The TEC-3 is already loved by many championship athletes around the world," said Star Nutrition CEO Jackson Corley. "They are using the sleeve because it helps them train harder and longer, as well as recover faster from their workouts. The TEC-3 is also our thinnest sleeve available so it allows for a premium release of negative ions and maximum benefit to the athlete. We're excited to bring this product to market to help all athletes unlock their true potential."

Among the athletes currently using the TEC-3 are Morrocan runner Aissa Dghougi, MMA professional trainer Kevin Kearns, championship snowboarder Terje Haakonsen, professional rock climber Ivan Greene, four-time Olympic Judo competitor and bronze medalist Mike Swain, 2012 U.S. Judo Olympic bronze medalist Marti Malloy and 8th-degree Karate black belt Pat Haley.

Benefits of the TEC-3 include:

About Star Nutrition, Inc. California-based Star Nutrition is a publicly traded company ( PINKSHEETS : STAU ) that prides itself on providing innovative, over-the-counter health care products. The company's products include Incredisocks, Rx Diabetic socks and Incredibraces. Its mission is to focus on producing products that will enhance the lives and wellness of its customers.

For more information visit http://www.StarNutrition.com or http://www.BuyIncrediwear.com.

Join the Incrediwear community at Facebook.com/Incrediwear and @Incrediwear.

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Star Nutrition's Incrediwear Line Now Features TEC-3 Arm and Calf Sleeves

Longevity Global Inc. Upgrades Its Inventory With A Completely New And Advanced Range Of Welding Machines

Longevity Global Inc., USA's leading cutting and welding equipment manufacturer and supplier has yet gain introduced some of the most advanced welding and cutting machines to the world. Their newly launched ForceCut series of PLASMA CUTTING MACHINE will now be available for sale on the e-commerce website of Longevity Global Inc. Along with the introduction of most powerful and efficient cutting tools, the welding market leading company has also extended its offered product range by staging some of its self manufactured futuristic models of STICK WELDING MACHINE.

Hayward, CA (PRWEB) October 17, 2012

President Longevity Global Inc., Simon Katz talked about his company's product updates during a press conference. He said, Industrialists and professional welders often make mistakes while choosing a welding machine and very often get annoyed after using the manual and inefficient welding machines after some time. Since, there is very less margin for error while performing a welding job, welders should only rely on machines which can perform versatile operations and are embedded with mechanism control features. We at Longevity Global Inc. have used our modern engineering standards to manufacture some new and the most advanced models of Stick, MIG and Tig welding machine. And I can confidently claim that these new welding tools will outperform all the other similar devices which you have used so far.

Longevity Global Inc. has not abstained from giving discounts even on their newly launched series of Mig welding machine and other welding devices. Longevity Global Inc. offers a full line of welding equipment for both Do-It-Yourself (DIY) and professional welding purposes. All of these equipment comes with an unmatched warranty of 5-Years on both parts and labor. Through innovation, experience, and engineering, they provide customers with affordable and reliable welding machines in all ranges of production from the garage users, to pipe welders, and ship builders. The warranty they provide is tailored to the end users and their customer support is unmatched.

About The Company

Longevity Global Inc. is providing its dedicated services since 2001. It is growing at a phenomenal pace with high customer satisfaction, new and used welders, cutters and efficient industrial production for welding purposes. It works in different parts of world with distributors in Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, United Kingdom, and multiple other countries. Longevity Global Inc. serves globally with manufacturing facilities with its logistic companies to effectively distribute products in a punctual and effective manner.

To know more visit http://www.longevity-inc.com

Simon Katz Longevity, Inc. 1.877.566.4462 Email Information

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Longevity Global Inc. Upgrades Its Inventory With A Completely New And Advanced Range Of Welding Machines

Top Ten Companies in DNA Sequencing

NEW YORK, Oct. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

Top Ten Companies in DNA Sequencing

http://www.reportlinker.com/p01013573/Top-Ten-Companies-in-DNA-Sequencing.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Genomics

INTRODUCTION

The story of molecular biology is being both written and printed by sequencing toolsvarious chapters being currently authored by oncologists, ID experts, pathologists, and so forth. The narrative is understood by only those select few who have the cross discipline knowledge to comprehend what the sequencing tools output, and who also have the niche domain experience to act upon knowledge of that data. Recently, this story has begun to change as low cost next generation sequencing democratizes genome data, allowing a politics and commerce of inclusion, to enter the lab and now also the clinic.

Diagnostic manufacturers can now afford to develop sequencing tools as diagnostic shortcuts. The clinician does not need to understand the mathematical underpinnings of 16SrRNA coverage for phylogeny to run a rapid anthrax test.

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Top Ten Companies in DNA Sequencing

Posted in DNA

DNA evidence could free the innocent-if it were available

By: Jessica Zafra October 17, 2012 3:59 PM

InterAksyon.com The online news portal of TV5

After I saw "Give Up Tomorrow," the documentary on the apparently wrongful arrest, trial, and conviction of Paco Larraaga, I wondered how many innocent persons have been doomed to rot in our overcrowded jails. Thats how I heard about the Innocence Project Philippines, a network of law schools, non-governmental organizations and academic laboratories that seeks to make justice accessible for wrongfully convicted persons. Founded in 2012, the Innocence Project is presently headquartered at the DNA Analysis Laboratory at the University of the Philippines in Diliman.

Being a compulsive viewer of the Law and Order shows and forensic dramas on TV, I asked for an interview with the head of the UP DNA Analysis Laboratory, Dr. Maria Corazon de Ungria. Unfortunately she didnt have the time, but she did answer, via email, my very elementary questions about the initiative. An NAST Outstanding Young Scientist Awardee in 2003, De Ungria is also the director of the Program on Forensic and Ethnicity of the Philippine Genome Center. She gave technical assistance in the formulation of the Rules on DNA Evidence, and has been an expert witness in criminal cases.

Incidentally, in a newspaper article she published two weeks ago, De Ungria noted that Eyewitness testimony is recognized to be the leading cause of judicial errors in the US and elsewhere. After I wrote about the Larraaga case I heard from various people who saw the accused in Manila on the day he was supposed to be committing the crimes in Cebu. As the movie points out, the Larraaga case is notable for the number of eyewitnesses whose testimony was ignored.

Have you any idea as to the number of wrongful convictions in the Philippines?

I dont think there is an estimate of the overall number of wrongful convictions. In 2004, in the case People of the Philippines v Mateo, the Supreme Court reported about 71.8% of all death penalty cases that were reviewed resulted in a modification of the sentence, a remanding of the case back to the lower courts and in some, acquittal of the accused.

Statistics would disclose that within the eleven-year period since the re-imposition of the death penalty law in 1993 until June 2004, the cases where the judgment of death has either been modified or vacated consisted of an astounding 71.77 percent of the total of death penalty cases directly elevated before the Court on automatic review that translates to a total of 651 out of 907 appellants saved from lethal injection.

What is the process for getting a conviction reviewed with your help? How has the Innocent Project been received by the Philippine police and judiciary?

The project is just about to start. We are in the process of registering the group with the SEC and launching the project. The target date and sites for the launch is December 9, 2012 at the National Bilibid Prison in the morning and the Correctional Institute of Women in the afternoon. We are still processing the papers and request forms but we are hoping to make this happen soon. Since the project is really based on the passionate commitment of volunteers and students who want to make a difference, we are actually needing financial assistance for the launch. So best to check the Facebook account for further information.

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DNA evidence could free the innocent-if it were available

Posted in DNA

Marriage = Biology (Not Bigotry) – Video

15-10-2012 13:44 Some generous (and talented!) folks came together and offered this excellent video to us to distribute. Please help us share this far and wide particularly with your friends and family in the four states voting on marriage in November as one example of articulating the case against redefining marriage. Government promotes natural marriage for a reason, permits many other relationships (including gay relationships) while prohibiting very few relationships (like incest). Please support our efforts to protect marriage! Visit and

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Marriage = Biology (Not Bigotry) - Video

Flying ant day 'a summer myth'

17 October 2012 Last updated at 01:17 By Matt Bardo Reporter, BBC Nature

The notion of an annual flying ant day, when swarms of ants emerge and take to the air in mass mating flights, is a "myth", scientists say.

UK summer data gathered by the Society of Biology shows two peaks in flying ant appearances over one fortnight.

They mapped 6,000 flying ant sightings, made by members of the public this year, to learn about ant behaviour.

The team now hopes to repeat the study in future years so that the scientists can draw firmer conclusions.

The survey was organised by the Society of Biology with the results announced as part of Biology Week, which runs until Friday.

The main findings to be drawn from the study concern the black garden ant (Lasius niger), the most common ant species in the UK.

Some of the results have surprised the experts.

"Even over a small area emergences happened on different days, suggesting that local synchronisation is not as precise as is widely believed," said Professor Adam Hart, an ecologist at University of Gloucestershire, who presented the results of the survey at a Biology Week event.

"We found a relationship between flying ant swarms and weather conditions, which we expected, and geographical variation, which we didn't expect," he said.

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Flying ant day 'a summer myth'

National Brain Tumor Society Gathers Leaders at its 2012 Summit to Support Scientific Collaboration and Advance the …

Systems biology-based research vital to advancing the discovery and development of therapies.

Boston, MA (PRWEB) October 17, 2012

Key themes repeatedly heard and spoken among the attendees at the 2012 Summit were the importance of systems biology-based research and the value of collaboration. As the only brain tumor organization with both a Chief Scientific Officer and a Director of Public Policy, National Brain Tumor Society continues to partner with a wide array of organizations to gain a deeper understanding of the complexities of brain tumors, the barriers to research advancements, and the resources needed to support translational science for the development of durable therapies. Focused on creating change, National Brain Tumor Society has also used this knowledge to challenge its academic colleagues and grant recipients to approach their brain tumor research through systems biology, which provides a better understanding of genes and their mechanisms of action through an integrated view.

At the 2012 Summit, leading researchers and clinicians, as well as peers in nonprofit, government, and industry also concurred that systems biology is required to foster progress of therapeutic developments for brain tumors, as well as a better understanding of the behaviors of a wide array of other cancer genes. Knowing how they (genes) develop, interact, and change as part of a system, will enable a more predictive approach to therapy development, thus enhancing efficacy and overall success.

With a disease where over 120 different tumor types exist, and with only 4 FDA-approved treatments for adults in the last 20 years, the time is now. We can no longer try to understand brain tumors with a unilateral approach, said N. Paul TonThat, executive director of the National Brain Tumor Society. Brain tumors are deadly and there is no cure, so we have to foster collaboration and the scientific models that are poised to deliver new, durable treatments, sooner. Its our obligation to this community, and we wont rest until a cure is found, said TonThat.

Through the first phase of its Mary Catherine Calisto Systems Biology Initiative, a multiyear grant program, National Brain Tumor Society is currently supporting several multi-disciplinary research teams at leading institutions such as Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, University of California, Agios Pharmaceuticals, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, University of Alabama, University of Florida, and Brigham & Womens Hospital. Phase II will encourage an even greater team-science approach by allowing the Phase I recipients to collaborate together, and leverage their initial findings and achievements (presented at the 2012 Summit) to expedite the progress of Phase II research.

The 2012 Summit included an annual meeting, the first convening of state lead advocates, a research symposium, and the Boston Brain Tumor Walk which rallied 3,000 participants and raised over $500,000 to fund critical brain tumor research.

Sponsored by EMD Serono and The Colony Group, the event hosted distinguished speakers from the brain tumor community including Anna Barker, PhD (Transformative Healthcare Networks, Arizona State University), WK Al Yung, MD and Giulio Draetta, MD, PhD (MD Anderson Cancer Center), Dennis Berman, JD (Tocagen, Inc.), Robert Langer, Sc.D and Ernest Fraenkel, PhD (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Tyler Jacks, PhD (Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Wendy Selig, (Melanoma Research Institute), and Timothy Cloughsey, MD (University of California, Los Angeles).

National Brain Tumor Society also honored the following individuals and families for their steadfast commitment to the brain tumor community:

Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (h.c.), and chief executive officer of the American Association for Cancer Research was awarded the Founders Award in recognition of her tireless efforts and leadership to support the advancement of cancer research.

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National Brain Tumor Society Gathers Leaders at its 2012 Summit to Support Scientific Collaboration and Advance the ...

AP: Kansas officials, professor debate science standards

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Published 10/17/2012 in News

TOPEKA (AP) A veteran biology professor described public school science standards being drafted by Kansas and other states as weak, telling education officials Tuesday that they largely ignore important subjects such as zoology and human anatomy.

John Richard Schrock, a biology professor at Emporia State University, said the standards being drafted concentrate too much on ecology, evolution and molecular biology. He said adopting such guidelines in Kansas is likely to prevent students from learning enough about zoology, human anatomy, botany and microbiology.

Kansas and 25 other states are working with the National Research Council on common standards for possible adoption in their public schools, and Kansas officials involved in writing the guidelines contend the goal is to concentrate on core scientific concepts. Schrock aired his criticism during a public-comment session before the State Board of Education, and officials involved in writing the standards responded during a monthly update for the board on their work.

Past work on science standards in Kansas has been overshadowed by debates about how evolution should be taught. The state had five sets of standards in eight years starting in 1999, as evolution skeptics gained and lost state board majorities in elections. The current, evolution-friendly standards were adopted by the board in 2007, but state law requires them to be updated.

Schrock, who's taught biology at Emporia State since 1986 and is a former chairman of its biology department, favors evolution-friendly standards, but he's also long argued that the state and U.S. should require students to take more science courses and impose detailed standards.

"You can't solve a chess problem if you don't know how to play chess, and you can't repair a car if you don't know how a car works," he said during an interview. "This promotes science stupidity."

But Matt Krehbiel, the Kansas Department of Education official overseeing the state's work on the standards, said Schrock's criticism isn't justified. He said the standards won't preclude schools from teaching different scientific subjects but will promote a deeper understanding of core concepts.

A first draft of the proposed standards became public in May, and another draft is expected to be released in November. Officials expect the Kansas board to consider adopting them early next year.

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AP: Kansas officials, professor debate science standards

NHS doctor accused of being part of 15-strong British jihadi group in Syria

They had strayed in to the camp by accident after crossing the border from Turkey to cover the conflict.

The pair were kept handcuffed and blindfolded but were finally released with the help of the Free Libyan Army.

Piers Arnold, prosecuting, told Westminster Magisatrates Court: It was not occupied by the Free Syria Army but by a band of jihadist fighters, clearly religiously motivated, and it was equally clear they were unwelcome.

They were threatened at gunpoint, blind folded and restrained.

It is believed there were 40 people in the camp from a variety of ethnic backgrounds.

Chechnans and youngsters engaged in Jihad conflict for the first time.

A significant number of individuals appeared to be British, 15 British nationals were in the camp.

Islam appeared in court wearing a black jacket with a grey shirt and tie. He spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and address.

Mozammel Hossain, defending him, said: "This is a bright young man with a very promising future in this country as an NHS doctor.

"He has a first-class degree in biochemistry. He has qualified as a doctor and completed his training.

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NHS doctor accused of being part of 15-strong British jihadi group in Syria

Unorthodox OSU prof sings to class

CORVALLIS Its a Tuesday morning, and Kevin Ahern is entertaining a room full of college students in an introductory class to biochemistry and biophysics with a voice that carries and a lesson that is positively lyrical.

The class is full of young students, many of them in the second week of their first year of college. They have many reasons to be nervous; their course work is among the most difficult at the university. But Ahern, a senior instructor of biophysics and biochemistry at Oregon State University, has found a way to calm jitters.

Music.

After brief announcements and role call during which Ahern proves that he knows his class of about 50 students by name and face he projects song lyrics on an overhead screen that contain words like ribosome and DNA.

Then, without hesitation, he begins to sing the scientific lyrics to the melody of America, the Beautiful and the class follows his lead.

This is Metabolic Melodies, one of Aherns unconventional teaching methods to cut through the anxiety that new students often feel when first entering his class.

Ahern, who jokingly claims the title of frustrated musician, began writing the melodies in 1990.

I originally conceived of the melodies because biochemistry itself is a pretty scary subject for students, he said.

Metabolic Melodies have made a big enough impression on the student population that Ahern often has students enrolling in his courses because of the songs.

But while they are entertaining and make the professor less intimidating, the melodies, like his other unusual teaching methods, serve a practical purpose as well.

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Unorthodox OSU prof sings to class

McMaster biochemistry student making his mark as an MMA fighter

The biochemistry research that should earn him a PhD by next summer involves categorizing the structure of a nonpathogenic protein from an obscure bacteria that apparently exist at a near-atomic level.

I think thats what its about, anyway. Youd need a couple of masters degrees to do more than simply nod along politely as he talks about bioremediation and terraforming and something called Deinococcus Radiodurans that can apparently recover from extreme damage, which makes it a huge deal for doctors and even NASA, which has taken some into space for study. Or something like that.

Smart? Uh, yeah. Seiji Sugiman-Marangos is off the charts.

Which makes you wonder why a McMaster student with a brain like this will walk into a cage on Friday night and risk it by fighting another man in a mixed martial arts bout. After all, its kind of a given that being kicked and punched and elbowed and kneed in the head isnt ideal for brain cells.

For me, its just about competing, he says.

Make no mistake, the 27-year-old featherweight whose name is pronounced Say-jee Soogie-man Marangoes is acutely aware of the danger. He gets how valuable the cargo inside his skull is for his future. He understands the risks. But he also feels the lure of the game.

Growing up, he says he wasnt good at any sports. But as soon as he tried karate as a teenager, he found his sweet spot. He was good at it right away and loved it. That led to taekwondo and other martial arts before finding his way into a jiu-jitsu gym.

His laughs talking about his first time sparring when a teenage girl and then a very small boy manhandled him. But he worked at and soon became pretty proficient.

Watching a couple of professional fighters work out, he started thinking he should give the game a try for real. Mostly because he says it seemed like a waste of time to spend so much time training for nothing.

But the thought of taking blows to the head is never far away. He can take a punch. He has. Truth is, hes fearless and maybe too tough for his own good.

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McMaster biochemistry student making his mark as an MMA fighter

UC Merced Connect: Work links microbes to behavior

Professor Mnica Medina started out as the only marine biologist in a National Science Foundation workshop last year, but she ended up with a group of new partners and an opinion piece in the prestigious journal Science.

Through discussions with colleagues from many other disciplines, including behavioral biologists and ecologists, she and others realized they had found something new together.

"We had fun, and we realized there's an almost unexplored niche in science research -- the connection between microbes and behaviors," Medina said.

Along with the article's four other authors, she analyzed how much -- or little -- research has been done on the connection between the way animals behave and how the microbes that inhabit them affect such behaviors.

They were glad to find out that Science magazine was interested in the topic and agreed to publish it as a "Perspectives" piece.

"There are too few studies in this area," said Medina, who's with the School of Natural Sciences. "Microbiology and animal behavior research are two disciplines that have evolved separately. However, host-microbe interactions provide a new unexplored angle to look for ways to explain those behaviors."

"Given that microorganisms represent one of the most prevalent forms of life on this planet, this creative kind of thinking can dramatically change our understanding of the biological world," said UC Merced Vice Chancellor for Research Sam Traina.

Until fairly recently, people thought of microbes associated with animals almost exclusively as harmful and pathogenic to their hosts.

But all animals house microbes that are beneficial, such as the ones that live in intestines and help digest food. Some even seek them out, as humans do when we add supplements such as probiotics to our diets.

UC Merced's Vital and Alice Pellissier Distinguished Speaker Series presents Colgate University Professor Anthony F. Aveni on "The End of Time: The Maya Mystery of 2012."

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UC Merced Connect: Work links microbes to behavior

Anatomy of a Debate Fight: The Energy Question

There were a couple exciting moments in the presidential debate last night when President Obama and Mitt Romney revealed they do not like each other very much. One of those was on the not-typically-emotionally-charged issue of energy permits. Relive it in our GIF anatomy of the fight.

Setup:

Romney responds to a question about gas prices by saying that Obama hasn't pursued an energy policy that would drive prices down. Obama responds that he's encouraged growth in all energy sectors, both clean and dirty, and that that will create jobs. "That's the strategy you need, an all-of-the-above strategy, and that's what we're going to do in the next four years."

Step 1: The provocation.

Romney cuts in. "But that's not what you've done in the last four years. That's the problem.In the last four years, you've cut permits and licences on federal lands and federal waters in half."

"Not true Governor Romney."

Step 2: The personal space invasion.

The start walking and talking over each over.

Romney: "So how much did you cut licenses?"

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Anatomy of a Debate Fight: The Energy Question

UCSF anatomy center's high-tech upgrade

For the new Anatomy Learning Center at UCSF's Parnassus campus, school officials sought to integrate high-tech tools with the classic cadaveric dissection.

The result: Instead of paper manuals, each lab table has an iPad uploaded with the manual, interactive graphics and quizzes. Faculty use mobile cameras to beam images of a cadaver wirelessly to TV screens and the iPads throughout the room. And students can watch surgeries taking place somewhere else on campus.

"It's about making the lab extend beyond the walls," said Chandler Mayfield, director of technology-enhanced learning in the university's School of Medicine.

The university and designers consulted with students and faculty for months to find out what they wanted to see in the $7.5 million learning center, which opened in August and was paid for with public and private funding. In addition to the lab, it includes offices, a classroom with wireless video capabilities, and a memorial wall where students can commemorate those who donated their bodies for their education.

The university shut down the old anatomy lab in September 2010 because its ventilation system was so outdated that chemical levels got too high. For the past two years, while the new center was being designed and built, students and faculty had to make do sharing the School of Dentistry's lab.

The old lab was a relic of the 1950s. The tables were made mostly of wood and were too tall for many students. The lights provided uneven lighting for students dissecting cadavers. And the circulation problems left the smelly embalming chemicals hanging in the air.

"Your hair would reek, your clothes would reek," said anatomy Professor Kimberly Topp. "You would get into the elevator, and everyone knew where you had been."

The new 3,500-square-foot lab is in the same place as the old lab on the medical school's 13th floor. Wall-to-wall windows look out onto Golden Gate Park and into Marin. It feels light and spacious, despite the 30 exam tables with four students buzzing around each.

Six 72-inch TV screens line the wall opposite the windows, and whiteboards with handwritten lists of muscles, bones and ligaments cover much of the remaining wall space. The ceiling is dotted with wireless routers, retractable extension cords and surgical lights that students can maneuver over their cadavers.

Architect Malvin Whang of the firm Harley Ellis Devereaux said he tried to create a warm and inviting space where students would want to study and that also met the functional needs of an anatomy lab.

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UCSF anatomy center's high-tech upgrade

M+W Group Announced as Associate Member for Facilities and Infrastructure of Global 450 Consortium Headquartered at …

ALBANY, NY and STUTTGART, GERMANY--(Marketwire - Oct 16, 2012) - As further demonstration of Governor Andrew Cuomo's nanotechnology-driven innovation economy and its success at attracting global corporations, M+W Group (M+W) announced today that it has been selected by the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) of the University at Albany, United States, associate member for facilities and infrastructure for the Global 450mm Consortium (G450C), where M+W will spearhead development of new facility and infrastructure technologies and manage building and facility suppliers selected to participate in the G450C program.

"A safe and sustainable environmental footprint is a key focus area for our facility program.The eco-friendly mandate calls for solutions that reduce energy and water consumption, and minimize generation of waste throughout the facility life cycle.Our G450C partnership allows us to align on facility standards with other industry forums and drive operational cost and duration improvements that provide a competitive advantage to the consortia members," said Rick Whitney, CEO M+W US.

"Through the vision and leadership of Governor Andrew Cuomo, as embodied by the establishment of the Global 450 Consortium at the UAlbany NanoCollege, New York is recognized globally as the leading location for nanotechnology research, development and commercialization," said CNSE Senior Vice President and CEO Alain Kaloyeros. "This effort will be further enhanced by the addition of M+W Group as an associate member of G450C for emerging building, facilities, and infrastructure technologies, bringing world-class expertise and a proven track record that will accelerate this critical technology transition to support the needs of our industrial partners."

Announced by Governor Cuomo in September 2011, the G450C's main objective is to enable the transition from existing 300mm wafer size production to the new 450mm technology.Managed by New York State through CNSE, the founding members of G450C are Intel, IBM, GLOBALFOUNDRIES, TSMC and Samsung.

M+W Group and the G450C will work with facility suppliers selected from among the top-tier providers of critical semiconductor facility components, systems, and services.These suppliers will be designated as "G450C Affiliate Participants," providing a unique opportunity to leverage the strengths of the broader membership in order to provide facility solutions that are essential to industry growth and the 450mm transformation, and lead to tens of millions in additional private investments in G450C and New York State.

The G450C headquarters and core operations are located at CNSE's Albany NanoTech Complex, within the new NanoFab Xtension (NFX) building which is currently being constructed by M+W. NFX will provide 60,000 square feet of state-of-the-art contiguous cleanroom space, with completion scheduled for the end of 2012.

About M+W Group (www.mwgroup.net): M+W Group is the leading global engineering, construction and project management company in the fields of Advanced Technology Facilities, Life Science & Chemicals, Energy & Environment Technologies and High-Tech Infrastructure. From concept development to turnkey services the company manages projects of all sizes ensuring rapid realization, high quality standards and cost-effective completion. With its competence to link process and automation technologies and complex facilities to integrated solutions M+W Group primarily focuses on leading companies in the fields of electronics, photovoltaics, life science, chemicals, energy, automotive, security and communication, as well as research institutes and universities. M+W Group is the holding company with headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. In 2011 the company generated an order intake of $3.6 billion and revenues of $3.5 billion with more than 7,000 employees. In 2012 M+W Group celebrates its 100th anniversary.

M+W Group is owned by the Austrian Stumpf Group that is globally successful in the areas of High-Tech Engineering, Smart & Renewable Energy, Real Estate and Technology Investments.

About CNSE. The UAlbany CNSE is the first college in the world dedicated to education, research, development and deployment in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience, nanoengineering, nanobioscience and nanoeconomics. With more than $14 billion in high-tech investments, CNSE represents the world's most advanced university-driven research enterprise, offering students a one-of-a-kind academic experience and providing over 300 corporate partners with access to an unmatched ecosystem for leading-edge R&D and commercialization of nanoelectronics and nanotechnology innovations. CNSE's footprint spans upstate New York, including its Albany NanoTech Complex, an 800,000-square-foot megaplex with the only fully-integrated, 300mm wafer, computer chip pilot prototyping and demonstration line within 85,000 square feet of Class 1 capable cleanrooms. More than 2,700 scientists, researchers, engineers, students and faculty work here, from companies including IBM, Intel, GlobalFoundries, SEMATECH, Samsung, TSMC, Toshiba, Applied Materials, Tokyo Electron, ASML and Novellus Systems. An expansion now underway, part of which will house the world's first Global 450mm Consortium, will add nearly 500,000 square feet of next-generation infrastructure, an additional 50,000 square feet of Class 1 capable cleanrooms, and more than 1,000 scientists, researchers and engineers from CNSE and global corporations. In addition, CNSE's Solar Energy Development Center in Halfmoon provides a prototyping and demonstration line for next-generation CIGS thin-film solar cells, supporting its leadership of the U.S. Photovoltaic Manufacturing Consortium (PVMC).CNSE's Smart Systems Technology and Commercialization Center of Excellence (STC) in Rochester offers state-of-the-art capabilities for MEMS fabrication and packaging. CNSE also co-founded and manages operations at the Computer Chip Commercialization Center at SUNYIT in Utica and is a co-founder of the Nanotechnology Innovation and Commercialization Excelerator in Syracuse. For information, visit http://www.cnse.albany.edu.

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M+W Group Announced as Associate Member for Facilities and Infrastructure of Global 450 Consortium Headquartered at ...

NASA must reinvest in nanotechnology research, according to new paper

The United States may lose its leadership role in space to other countries unless it makes research and development funding and processesespecially in nanotechnologya renewed and urgent priority, according to a new paper from Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy.

The paper, "NASA's Relationship with Nanotechnology: Past, Present and Future Challenges," investigates how NASA has both guided and defunded cutting-edge nanotechnology development since 1996 at its own research facilities and in its collaborations with university scientists and laboratories. The research was conducted by a team at Rice that included Baker Institute science and technology policy fellow Kirstin Matthews, current Rice graduate student Kenneth Evans and former graduate students Padraig Moloney and Brent Carey. The paper sheds light on a broad field that holds tremendous potential for improving space flight by reducing the weight of spacecraft and developing smaller and more accurate sensors.

This area of research, however, saw a dramatic cutback from 2004 to 2007, when NASA reduced annual nanotechnology R&D expenditures from $47 million to $20 million. NASA is the only U.S. federal agency to scale back investment in this area, the authors found, and it's part of an overall funding trend at NASA. From 2003 to 2010, while the total federal science research budget remained steady between $60 billion and $65 billion (in constant 2012 dollars), NASA's research appropriations decreased more than 75 percent, from $6.62 billion to $1.55 billion.

The authors argue that the agency should restructure, refocus and strengthen its R&D programs.

"The United States currently lacks a national space policy that ensures the continuity of research and programs that build on existing capabilities to explore space, and that has defined steps for human and robotic exploration of low-Earth orbit, the moon and Mars," Matthews said. "With Congress and the president wrestling over the budget each year, it is vital that NASA present a clear plan for science and technology R&D that is linked to all aspects of the agency. This includes connecting R&D, with nanotechnology as a lead area, to applications related to the agency's missions."

The authors said that to effectively engage in new technology R&D, NASA should strengthen its research capacity and expertise by encouraging high-risk, high-reward projects to help support and shape the future of U.S. space exploration

"Failure to make these changes, especially in a political climate of flat or reduced funding, poses substantial risk that the United States will lose its leadership role in space to othercountriesmost notably China, Germany, France, Japan and Israelthat make more effective use of their R&D investments," Matthews said.

More information: "NASA's Relationship with Nanotechnology: Past, Present and Future Challenges" paper: http://www.bakerinstitute.org/policyreport54

Provided by Rice University

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NASA must reinvest in nanotechnology research, according to new paper