Monthly Archives: October 2012

NASA's Cassini Probe at Saturn Celebrates 15 Years in Space

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NASAs Cassini spacecraft marked 15 years in space Monday (Oct. 15), and the well-traveled probe wont stop studying Saturn and its many moons anytime soon.

Cassini has logged more than 3.8 billion miles (6.1 billion kilometers) since its launch on Oct. 15, 1997, researchers said. The spacecraft has made many contributions since arriving at Saturn in July 2004, including discovering water-ice geysers on the moon Encelaudus and snapping the first views of the hydrocarbon lakes on Saturns largest moon Titan.

During its time in space, the Cassini probe has sent home about 444 gigabytes of scientific data, including more than 300,000 images. Researchers have published more than 2,500 papers based on Cassini data so far, NASA officials said.

"As Cassini conducts the most in-depth survey of a giant planet to date, the spacecraft has been flying the most complex gravity-assisted trajectory ever attempted," Robert Mitchell, Cassini program manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., said in a statement. [Gallery: Latest Photos from Cassini]

"Each flyby of Titan, for example, is like threading the eye of the needle," Mitchell added. And we've done it 87 times so far, with accuracies generally within about one mile, and all controlled from Earth about one billion miles away."

Cassinis operators have sent it to visit more than a dozen of Saturns 60-plus moons in the last eight years, and they sometimes ask the probe to get shots of the planets poles (and the poles of some of its moons).

Planning out such an ambitious flight path is complicated, especially given the gravitational influences of Saturns moons and Cassinis limited fuel supply, mission managers said.

"I'm proud to say Cassini has accomplished all of this every year on-budget, with relatively few health issues," Mitchell said. "Cassini is entering middle age, with the associated signs of the passage of years, but it's doing remarkably well and doesn't require any major surgery."

Cassini wont take it easy as it enters its golden years. Spring has just come to the northern hemisphere of Saturn and its moons, and mission managers want the spacecraft to study the changes wrought by this seasonal shift.

And then Cassini will end its life with a bang.

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NASA's Cassini Probe at Saturn Celebrates 15 Years in Space

Alzheimer's tech spray being developed

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A nanotechnology nasal spray is being developed that could transform the early detection and treatment of Alzheimer's.

The device shoots tiny magnetic particles into the nose which enter the bloodstream and are carried to the brain.

Each particle is fused to an antibody that targets and binds to rogue molecules believed to play an early role in the disease.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can detect both the particles and the molecules.

To date scientists have only tested the technique in the laboratory on human brain tissue cultures.

But if it can be shown to work in human patients it could lead to a major leap forward in managing Alzheimer's.

Scientists believe the changes that lead to Alzheimer's begin decades before the first symptoms appear.

By the time a patient is diagnosed the disease is already far advanced, and experts suspect that is the main reason why a number of promising drugs have failed in patient trials. Identifying the disease much earlier could make it far easier to treat.

Details of the new research were presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in New Orleans, US.

Lead scientist William Klein, from Northwestern University, Chicago, said: "We have created a probe that targets a unique marker of Alzheimer's disease. This technology is a promising tool for early AD diagnosis and for evaluating the efficacy of investigational new drugs at early stages of the disease."

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Alzheimer's tech spray being developed

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

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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 ...

Nanotechnology – 'All about doing more with less'

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David Johnson, a chemistry professor and nanotechnology expert with the Center for Sustainable Materials Chemistry, displays a mobile communications device that has more information stored on it than some computers on college campuses in the 1980s. With Johnson is Andy Bedingfield, the centers director of outreach and education. BILL RAUTENSTRAUCH - The Observer

Professor visits region in effort to help Ore. companies create better products for digital marketplace

Struggling to explain the science of nanotechnology for a completely science-ignorant newspaper reporter last week, David Johnson held up a mobile communications device that fit neatly in the palm of his hand.

Theres more information stored on this than there was in the huge computers you found on college campuses in the 1980s, Johnson said. Nanotechnology is all about doing more with less.

Then he gave another example.

Think about what TVs were like 30 or 40 years ago. It used to take three people just to lift one, he said.

Johnson, a lead chemistry professor at the Corvallis-based Center for Sustainable Materials Chemistry, spent last week on the road, staging a series of Science Pubs in Eastern Oregon communities including La Grande.

He was spreading the word about the centers research and its efforts to help Oregon companies especially start-up companies make better products for todays digital marketplace.

Electronic circuits are built on a nano-scale, so those products are smaller and lighter than anything people might have imagined decades ago. Thats good for businesses, and good for consumers.

But according to Johnson, its only one part of nanotechnologys benefit.

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Nanotechnology - 'All about doing more with less'

Penn State receives $4.2 million for nanotechnology career development

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Public release date: 15-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Michael Bezilla mxb13@psu.edu 814-865-9481 Penn State

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State will receive $4.2 million over the next three years from the National Science Foundation to continue the work of the National Nanotechnology Applications and Career Knowledge Network (NACK Network), founded at the University with a four-year grant from the NSF in 2008.

The NACK Network provides national coordination of workforce development programs and activities on behalf of NSF in an effort to meet industry needs for skilled micro- and nanofabrication workers.

"The continuation of NSF support reflects the successes the NACK Network has achieved in working with industry and educational institutions in finding ways to meet the growing needs for highly trained personnel," said Stephen Fonash, NACK Network director and Kunkle Chair Professor of Engineering Sciences.

The market value of U.S. products incorporating nanotechnology will total $1 trillion by the year 2020, according to an NSF report, and nanotechnology's share of the gross domestic product (GDP) will be 5.0 percent. The nation in 2020 will require 2 million people in the primary workforce engaged in nanotechnology production.

"Jobs in nanotechnology demand advanced skills and critical thinking, and offer the opportunity for so many 'gee whiz' moments that can excite students, even in secondary schools," Fonash said. "To have faculty and teachers who understand nanotechnology's workforce impact and who can create these eye-opening moments, they must be trained and have educational materials and equipment resources in hand, including web-accessed and web-operated tools. NACK's objective is to create and sustain these resources and to develop pathways from high school to skilled manufacturing careers across the country."

The NACK Network is a working, productive nanotechnology workforce development partnership involving educational institutions across the U.S. The network's mission is to enable core-skills nanotechnology education at two-year community and technical colleges and four-year universities and colleges through partnerships with research universities. It emphasizes broad student preparation and fosters sharing of such resources as course lecture information and lab materials, workshops for curricular development and faculty preparation, and industry-developed workforce skill standards.

The NACK Network currently has hubs built on this concept of nanotechnology education partnerships between a research university and other post-secondary institutions in place in seven states and Puerto Rico. Its Pennsylvania hub, for example, involves more than 30 undergraduate institutions and Penn State. Educators from all 50 states have accessed and used NACK Network materials and services, which are available at http://www.nano4me.org. A report by the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology recently cited NACK's success in "bringing meaningful core-skills nanotechnology workforce education to technical and community colleges across the nation."

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Penn State receives $4.2 million for nanotechnology career development

Ivy Tech to offer intensive nanotechnology program

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SOUTH BEND, Ind. Ivy Tech Community College in South Bend next year will add an intensive, 18-credit summer nanotechnology study program that is expected to draw students from across Indiana and possibly from other states.

The new program will be funded with a $165,000 National Science Foundation grant awarded to the South Bend campus. The grant will allow the campus here to develop a Nanotechnology Application and Career Knowledge (NACK) Network teaching site hub here, one of just seven such hubs in the nation.

The teaching site here is being developed in partnership with Penn State University.

Nanotechnology involves research and technological development at a scale so tiny it's measured in nanometers -- billionths of a meter. It creates and uses structures that have novel properties because of their size, and it offers the ability to manipulate individual atoms and molecules.

Jobs prospects are expected to be good in the growing field of nanotechnology.

The initial 10-week summer program will have room for 20 students. The program will be intense: six courses, requiring class work eight hours a day, five days a week.

Ivy Tech in South Bend last year became the first -- and so far the only -- college in Indiana to offer an associate's degree program in nanotechnology.

Abdollah Aghdasi, chair of Ivy Tech's nanotechnology program, expects the summer program to draw students from Ivy Tech's other campuses around the state and also from some four-year colleges and universities.

"You don't need to be an Ivy Tech student. We can take students from Notre Dame, IUSB, Western Michigan University -- anyone who wants to come and get the exposure to nanotechnology," he told the South Bend Tribune (http://bit.ly/SVBSLT ).

Although the nanotechnology degree currently is offered only in South Bend, students at other Ivy Tech campuses could take their general education requirements at their home campus, attend the intensive summer of nanotechnology courses in South Bend, then arrange to complete requirements (including an internship) for the nanotechnology degree back at their home campus, Aghdasi said.

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Ivy Tech to offer intensive nanotechnology program

Special Program at SPE ANTEC® Mumbai Will Focus on Nano-Scale Carbonaceous Materials

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October 16, 2012 - Scheduled for December 6-7, 2012, SPE ANTEC Mumbai will include New Technology Forum focusing on nano-scale carbonaceous materials such as carbon nanotubes and graphenes. Some papers that will be presented include: Are Nano Composites a 21st Century Material?; Graphene-Based Composite Materials; Graphene-Based Soluble Nanocomposites; andSurface Modification Carbon Nanotubes and Nanographene Platelets for Improved Performance in Polymer Composites. Society Of Plastics Engineers 13 Church Hill Rd. Newtown, CT, 06470 USA Press release date: October 9, 2012

One Presenter Anticipates that Nanomaterials Will Have a Bigger Impact on Human Life in this Century than Polymers Did in the 1900s

NEWTOWN, CT, U.S.A.,- Nano-scale carbonaceous materials such as carbon nanotubes and graphenes will be the subject of a New Technology Forum planned for the first Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) ANTEC conference to be held in India, it was announced today by SPE.

ANTEC Mumbai will take place December 6-7, 2012 at the Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel and consist of more than 100 presentations, chiefly technical, in sessions devoted to six major topic areas. One of these sessions will be the New Technology Forum on carbonaceous nanomaterials.

It is expected that nanomaterials and nanocomposites will have bigger impact on human life in the current century than has been the impact of polymers to date, said one of the Forum presenters, Dr. Satish Kumar, in a abstract of his paper.

The papers and their presenters in the New Technology Forum will include:

Are Nano Composites a 21st Century Material? Satish Kumar, School of Materials Science and Technology, Georgia Institute of Technology.

Graphene-Based Composite Materials. Nikhil Koratkar Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Graphene-Based Soluble NanocompositesA Viable Route to Solution Processable Device Fabrication. Arindarupa Chunder, IBM Almaden Research Center.

Surface Modification Carbon Nanotubes and Nanographene Platelets for Improved Performance in Polymer Composites. Srinagesh K. Potluri, Zyvex Technologies.

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Special Program at SPE ANTEC® Mumbai Will Focus on Nano-Scale Carbonaceous Materials

Call to assess safety of nano particles

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The Hindu R. Muralidharan (second right), Director, Solid State Physics Laboratory, and Pradeep Haldar, professor, College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, University At Albany, State University of New York, at a seminar on organised by the PSG Institute of Advanced Studies in Coimbatore on Monday. R.Rudramoorthy (second left), principal, PSG College of Technology and Magnus Bergkvist, Assistant Professor of Nano-bioscience, University at Albany, are in the picture. Photo: K. Ananthan

Although there is not enough evidence to state that nano particles are per se toxic, it is necessary for scientists to bring to the table all advantages and disadvantages so that it does not face the same debate that Genetically Modified crops and products are facing, R. Muralidharan, Director of Solid State Physics Laboratory, Defence Research and Development Organisation, said in Coimbatore on Monday.

Inaugurating a two-day seminar on Nanotechnology for Energy, Environment and Health, organised jointly by the PSG Institute of Advanced Studies and University at Albany State University of New York, the U.S., he said that if in the race to claim industrial funding and to reap commercial advantages, the flipside was swept under the carpet, society would view the scientists with suspicion.

Nano technology is being thought of as a messiah for challenges that humanity is facing. There are various debates and discussions on whether nano technology is a hype or hope. The best way to view it is as a technology platform that can be used to increase the efficiency of the present technology and not as an independent entity, Mr. Muralidharan said.

Assuming that nano technology would become a viable production level technology, it was essential to asses the challenges it brought with it. It was known that particles could penetrate the skin and cross the olfactory system to spread to the brain and also enter the bloodstream. Though this may not necessarily pose a health risk, it needed to be thoroughly investigated, he urged.

R. Rudramoorthy, principal of PSG College of Technology, spoke on the possible uses of nano technology in augmenting alternative sources of energy for electricity generation that could address power problems arising out of use of conventional sources.

The seminar would deliberate upon the latest advancements and challenges in the development of multifunctional nano-materials and their applications in areas such as energy, smart textiles, printed electronics, environment and health.

Professors Pradeep Halder, Makoto Hirayama and Magnus Bergkvist from the University at Albany, State University of New York, the U.S., delivered special lectures.

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Call to assess safety of nano particles

iFixit opens up the new iPod nano

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In recent weeks, iFixit has cracked open the iPhone 5 and the fifth-generation iPod touch. Next in line for their classic teardown analysis is the seventh-generation iPod nano. The first thing the group noticed about the new iPod nano is its long and thin profile, made possible by Apple's new Lightning connector and clever internal cable engineering. It's a significant difference from the sixth-generation nano which was short and squat because of its included clip.

Similar to the iPod touch, the nano is not easy to self-repair. Many internal parts, like the battery, Lightning connector, button cable and headphone jack are soldered onto to the logic board and several others use adhesive. On iFixit's scale of one to 10, the iPod nano seventh generation is given a repairability score of five.

As noted by iDownload blog, iFixit uncovered several Apple-branded chips that have unknown functions. You can read more about the iPod nano's innards in the full analysis at iFixit's website.

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iFixit opens up the new iPod nano

KYOCERA Introduces New Milling Cutters For CNC Machining Featuring Inserts with Proprietary MEGACOAT NANO Technology

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HENDERSONVILLE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Kyocera Industrial Ceramics Corporation, Cutting Tool Division recently introduced its new MEW M-Four and MFWN M-Six Milling Cutters, both featuring unique advantages and inserts with MEGACOAT NANO, Kyoceras new proprietary coating technology for stable cutting and extended tool life.

The M-Four Endmills feature negative inserts that utilize Kyoceras unique insert-forming technology which reduces cutting forces to levels equivalent to positive inserts. The double-sided, four-edge inserts offer low cutting forces for reduced chatter, improved surface finishes, and minimized vibration. The 90-degree cutting angle features an obtuse edge for increased cutting edge toughness. The M-Four lineup offers three newly developed chipbreakers to cover a wide range of applications.

The M-Six Shell Mill features a double-sided, six-edge, extra-thick insert with tough cutting edges and sharp cutting performance. The thick-edge design of the M-Six insert also produces reduced chattering and superior fracture resistance. The M-Six features neutral inserts applicable for shouldering, plunging, and facing, and four different chipbreakers to cover a variety of applications.

Both the M-Four and M-Six Milling Cutters feature MEGACOAT NANO, Kyoceras proprietary multi-layered coating technology that enables stable milling and extends tool life by reducing wear and fracture with its high hardness and superior oxidation resistance.

Kyoceras new M-Four and M-Six Milling Cutters are being introduced via kit-style promotions featuring a cutter and 10 MEGACOAT NANO inserts of the customers choice.

For additional information on these or other Kyocera Cutting Tool products, please contact:

website: kyocera.com/cuttingtools

About Kyocera

Kyocera Industrial Ceramics Corporation (http://www.kyocera.com/kicc), headquartered in Hendersonville, NC, specializes in applying advanced materials and components to solve the most demanding engineering challenges. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kyocera International, Inc. of San Diego, the North American holding company for Kyocera Corporation.

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KYOCERA Introduces New Milling Cutters For CNC Machining Featuring Inserts with Proprietary MEGACOAT NANO Technology

New hope for leukemia patients

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Kochi, Oct 15 (UNI)

Amrita Centre for Nanosciences and Molecular Medicine, part of the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre has claimed to have discovered a potential cure for drug resistant leukemia.

Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) responds well to a drug named 'Imatinib', however, when drug resistance sets in, which is in about 20-25 per cent of the cases, the patients has little chance of survival, a press release said here today.

Drug resistance was due to certain point mutations in the leukemia cells as a result of which the cells find an alternative pathway for survival, preventing the drug from killing the cancer cells, it said.

The Centre has developed a nanomedicine which had shown significant ability to kill the drug reststant cancer cells.

The nanomedicine was developed over the past three years and has shown success in in-vitro (or cell line based) studies, it added.

The Centre was now conducting animal trials or pre-clinical studies of the drug, it said, adding that it is expected that if pre-clinical trials are successful the new nano medicine can be submitted for clinical trial after approval from the government.

This was the first such discovery in the world of nanomedicine that effectively solves the problem of severe drug resistance in blood cancers.

The senior scientists involved in the research and development was Dr Manzoor Koyakutty, Professor and Dr Shantikumar Nair, Centre Director and Dean of Research.

Clinicians from the hospital who are involved in the research are Dr Pavithran, Dr Neeraj and Dr Prabhu. The PhD student who has worked on this as part of her PhD thesis is Archana Ratnakumari, it added.

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New hope for leukemia patients

Dr. Don Cleveland of Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research elected to Institute of Medicine

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Public release date: 15-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Rachel Steinhardt rsteinhardt@licr.org 646-371-7394 Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research

New York, NY, October 15, 2012Don W. Cleveland, PhD, Member of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and chair of the UC San Diego Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine has been elected to the Institute of Medicine (IOM). Election to the IOM is one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine.

Established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, the IOM serves as an advisory organization to Congress and policy makers on important health questions. During the past year projects included health IT and patient safety, treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, nutrition rating systems and graphics on food packaging, and studies of environmental factors in breast cancer.

Cleveland's pioneering discoveries of the mechanisms of chromosome movement and cell-cycle control during normal cellular division, as well as of the principles of neuronal cell development and their relationship to the defects that contribute to inherited neurodegenerative disease, led to his being named to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences in 2006.

Most recently, his research has achieved a significant breakthrough in treating Huntington's disease, an inherited and degenerative brain disorder for which there is no cure. A one-time injection of a new DNA-based drug treatment known as ASO (short for antisense oligonucleotide) blocked the activity of the gene whose mutation causes the disease. A single treatment silenced the mutated gene responsible for the disease, slowing and partially reversing progression of the fatal neurodegenerative disorder in animal models.

Cleveland received his Ph.D. in biochemistry from Princeton University. Following his post-doctoral work at UC San Francisco, he was a professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine until joining the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research at UC San Diego in 1995.

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About the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research

The Ludwig Institute is an international non-profit organization committed to improving the understanding and control of cancer through integrated laboratory and clinical discovery. Leveraging its worldwide network of investigators and the ability to sponsor and conduct its own clinical trials, the Institute is actively engaged in translating its discoveries into applications for patient benefit. Since its establishment in 1971, the Institute has expended more than $1.5 billion on cancer research. http://www.licr.org

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Dr. Don Cleveland of Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research elected to Institute of Medicine

Sofa Beds: Convenience Without Compromise

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LONDON, October 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Sofas beds are the most efficient way to maximise your living space while still having room for guests to sleep comfortably. There is no longer any need to compromise on style when selecting the convenience of a sofa bed. Modern ranges offer the design of a great sofa, and hide a bed mechanism inside until it's needed.

Winter is traditionally the time when guests need to stay over. Over-indulgence during the Christmas period, dangerous winter driving conditions and long, dark nights mean that travelling home can be treacherous. Choosing a comfortable sofa bed can make all the difference, especially if your living space is tight.

With a huge range of stylish, attractive sofa beds, CSL have the space solution for you. Whether you want a soft, easy-care fabric sofa bed, an eye-catching corner group with sleeping space, or a classic leather sofa, CSL will have something for you.

Canny shoppers looking for the best deals will discover incredible discounts on their sofa beds at CSL and easy payment options to make coming to a decision easier. With a lifetime guarantee across the range and the option to return your sofa if you aren't completely happy - options that aren't offered by many other retailers.

If you're starting to think about how to accommodate guests in winter, you can see how your chosen sofa bed will look in your room by using CSL's In My Room iPhone app. Simply take a quick snap of your room, upload it to the app and place the sofa in the image. If it looks right, the sofa could be with you within 72 hours.

A good sofa bed is a great investment and guarantees happy guests who can get a good night's sleep with minimum inconvenience all-round. With CSL's stylish range you can find a sofa bed to enhance your living space, impress visitors and still offer convenient functionality for overnight stays. All this comes with the peace of mind offered by a lifetime guarantee and simple finance arrangements so you can relax in real style and comfort knowing that you made the right choice.

For more information on the full range of sofas on offer please visit http://www.csl-sofas.co.uk/ or walk into one of our sofa stores:

Blackpool Sofa Centre Oxford Square Blackpool Lancashire FY4 4DP Sophie Spencer Sophie.Spencer@csl-furniture.co.uk +44(0)1942-296472

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Sofa Beds: Convenience Without Compromise

Mind Movies Releases an Enhanced Version of Its Popular Law of Attraction Video Vision Board Creation Tool Endorsed by …

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Mind Movies, the San Diego-Based Personal Development Company, Announced This Week the Release of a Faster, More Robust Version of Its Highly Popular Law of Attraction Video Vision Board Creation Tool, Mind Movies. Over 1 Million People Worldwide Have Received Access to Mind Movies, With Thousands More Coming On Each Week.

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) October 16, 2012

This faster, more feature-rich version is the third version of the companys popular Mind Movies video vision board creation tool, first released in 2010.

Mind Movies 3.0 is an easy drag-and-drop video vision board creation tool that anyone can use to create their own dynamic, moving video vision board in as little as 10 minutes.

Customers can easily upload their own inspiring images, uplifting music and positive present-tense affirmations or choose the ones in the tools built-in library. Customers can then watch their completed Mind Movie on their computer or laptop, or download it to their iPhone or mobile device to take it with them wherever they go and watch it whenever they like.

Mind Movies 3.0 was developed to support customers in realizing their dreams based on the principles of the Law of Attraction, a Universal law made popular by the best-selling book and hit film, The Secret, which states that like energy attracts like energy.

After they create their own personalized Mind Movie, we recommend that our customers watch their video vision board for three minutes every morning and three minutes every evening, said Ledwell. This helps them to visualize their goals on a regular basis and to attract to them the people, resources and opportunities they need to achieve their goals.

The Mind Movies video vision board creation tool has been endorsed by many of the stars of the film The Secret, including Bob Proctor, Bob Doyle and Joe Vitale.

Most of us live a reactionary life where we are bombarded by the negative images from mainstream media news. This product allows you to choose what you want to absorb and to reprogram your mind in a positive way," said Vitale. When you combine music, imagery and affirmations that you choose, the result is incredible.

Over 1 million people worldwide have already received Ledwells free pre-made Mind Movies in the areas of health, relationships, money and friends and family.

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Mind Movies Releases an Enhanced Version of Its Popular Law of Attraction Video Vision Board Creation Tool Endorsed by ...

Institute of Medicine Elects Lynda Chin to Membership

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Select honor recognizes leaders in fields of medicine and health for professional achievements and commitment to service

Newswise HOUSTON - Lynda Chin, M.D., professor and chair of Genomic Medicine and scientific director of the Institute for Applied Cancer Science at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, has been elected to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies.

Membership recognizes physicians and scientists who have made major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care and public health. Fewer than 70 new members and 10 foreign associates are elected each year.

"I'm honored to be selected as an IOM member by such a prestigious scientific group of colleagues." Chin said. "I'm fortunate to be part of the genomic revolution that contributes to making personalized medicine a reality. I thank the talented trainees and researchers in my lab, and my many collaborators, for their creative thinking, persistence and hard work."

Current IOM members elect new members annually from candidates nominated for their professional achievements, expertise to contribute to IOM research and commitment to service. Election is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of medicine and health. Currently there are approximately 1,700 IOM members representing the health care professions, as well as the natural, social and behavioral sciences.

Chin is a leader in translational genomic medicine, serving on multiple high-profile scientific committees and often publishing her work in top-tier journals. Chin employs an integrated genomic, genetic and biological program framework to identify novel cancer genes and translate these discoveries into productive drug discovery efforts. Her research focuses on the genesis, progression and maintenance of cancer, specifically glioblastoma and melanoma. She has made high-impact scientific discoveries in multiple fields that span transcription, telomere biology, mouse models of human cancer, oncogenomics and personalized cancer medicine.

The goal of Dr. Chin's research program is to translate basic science discoveries into validated therapeutic targets and biomarkers as well as innovative combination strategies. Chin also serves in a leadership role for The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the International Cancer Genome Consortium. For the TCGA, she is both the principal investigator of a Genome Data Analysis Center working to develop novel tools to manage, integrate and process the wealth of the data that TCGA generates, as well as the co-PI of a Genome Characterization Center. She also leads both the GBM and melanoma analysis working groups in TCGA.

Established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, the IOM is recognized as a national resource for independent, scientifically informed analysis and recommendations on health and health care. IOM members volunteer their time to serve as experts on rigorous research studies to answer questions of national importance posed by political decision makers, such as Congress, as well as the public.

Chin joins a select group of colleagues at MD Anderson who are also IOM members: Ellen Gritz, Ph.D., chair of Behavioral Science (2007), Ronald DePinho, M.D., president (2004) and John Mendelsohn, M.D. professor in the Department of Experimental Therapeutics and co-director of MD Anderson's Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Institute for Personalized Cancer Therapy (1997).

About MD Anderson The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston ranks as one of the world's most respected centers focused on cancer patient care, research, education and prevention. MD Anderson is one of only 41 comprehensive cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Institute. For eight of the past 10 years, including 2011, MD Anderson has ranked No. 1 in cancer care in "America's Best Hospitals," a survey published annually in U.S. News & World Report.

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Institute of Medicine Elects Lynda Chin to Membership

Institute of Medicine Elects Four New Members from Penn Medicine

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PHILADELPHIA Four professors from the Perelman School of Medicine have been elected members of the Institute of Medicine (IOM), one of the nation's highest honors in biomedicine, with a total of six representing four schools at the University of Pennsylvania.

The new members bring Penn Medicines total to 61. The newly elected members raise IOM's total active membership to 1,732 and the number of foreign associates to 112. With an additional 84 members holding emeritus status, IOM's total membership is 1,928.

Established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, IOM has become recognized as a national resource for independent, scientifically informed analysis and recommendations on health issues. With their election, members make a commitment to volunteer their service on IOM committees, boards, and other activities.

The new Penn IOM members:

Gustavo D. Aguirre, V.M.D., Ph.D., is a professor of Medical Genetics and Ophthalmology, School of Veterinary Medicine. He has led efforts to develop gene therapy to treat various forms of blindness. Modeling the visual disorders in dogs, he and colleagues have cured retinal degeneration in the animalsbreakthroughs that have laid the groundwork for human clinical trials. Aguirre earned his undergraduate, veterinary and doctoral degrees from Penn. He is the recipient of numerous honors and awards for his work, including an honorary Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Gteborg, Sweden; the WSAVA/Waltham International Award for Scientific Achievement; the Foundation Fighting Blindness Trustee Award and Scientist of the Year Award; the O.N.C.E. International Prize for R&D in Biomedicine and New Technologies for the Blind; and the Paul Kayser International Award in Retina Research. He was recently elected a Fellow of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.

Shelley L. Berger, Ph.D., is a Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor and Daniel S. Och University Professor, in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology and Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, and in the Department of Biology, School of Arts and Sciences. She also serves as Director of the Epigenetics Program at the Perelman School. Berger earned her B.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Michigan; was a post-doctoral fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and was previously Hilary Koprowski Endowed Professor at Wistar Institute. Her work advanced understanding of eukaryotic gene regulation by helping to unify the fields of transcription and chromatin regulation. The major focus of her research is to define the mechanisms by which epigenetic modifications affect chromatin structure (the combination of DNA and proteins found in chromosomes) and gene expression in normal and diseased states, in particular, during chromatin remodeling in spermatogenesis, senescence and aging, and underlying organismal-level behavior. Her work has also elucidated modifications of the tumor suppressor p53 and whether its alterations are central to oncogenesis. Berger has organized numerous international meetings on chromatin; has served as Senior Editor of the journal Molecular and Cellular Biology; and participates on advisory committees for several research institutions and chromatin-focused pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. She has served on international committees to establish nomenclature for histone-modifying enzymes, and to create the NIH-sponsored Human Epigenome Project. She is also lead investigator on an NIH research award on Epigenetics and Aging and a recipient of the Ellison Foundation Senior Scholar Award in Aging.

Nancy M. Bonini, Ph.D., is the Florence R.C. Murray Professor of Biology in the Department of Biology, School of Arts and Sciences, and is an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Her research uses the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster to gain insight into neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimers, Parkinsons, Huntingtons, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. By recreating features of these diseases in flies, her team has helped identify disease mechanisms and potential targets for ameliorating some of the damage they cause. Bonini received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has earned multiple awards from the Huntingtons Disease Society of America and the Hereditary Disease Foundation, and in 2009 received an NIH EUREKA award for highly innovative research. Bonini is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and was recently elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Carl H. June, M.D., is the Richard W. Vague Professor in Immunotherapy, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, and the Program Director of Translational Research, Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute. His laboratory studies various mechanisms of lymphocyte activation relating to immune tolerance and adoptive immunotherapy. In 2011, his research team published findings detailing a new therapy in which patients with refractory and relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia were treated with genetically engineered versions of their own T cells. The treatment has now also been used with promising results to treat children with refractory acute leukemia. June is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and Baylor College of Medicine. He had graduate training in immunology and malaria at the World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, and post-doctoral training in transplantation biology at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. June has received numerous awards and grants for his innovative work, including a Bristol-Myers Squibb Company Freedom to Discover Research Grant; the William B. Coley Award from the Cancer Research Institute; the Ernest Beutler Prize from the American Society of Hematology; and The Joan Miller and Linda Bernstein Gene Therapy Ovarian Cancer Award from the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy.

Mitchell D. Schnall, M.D., Ph.D., is the Eugene P. Pendergrass Professor of Radiology, and the Chair of the Radiology Department, Perelman School of Medicine. He received his undergraduate degree, medical degree, and Ph.D. from Penn. Schnall is an international leader in translational biomedical imaging research. His work has led to fundamental changes in the imaging approaches to breast and prostate cancer. In addition, he has had a significant influence on emerging technologies, such as optical imaging.Schnall has played a critical role in efforts to organize cancer clinical and translational imaging research in the U.S. and has been the principal investigator of numerous team-science initiatives.He served as Deputy Chair of the American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN) from 1999-2007, and in 2008 became ACRIN Chair.Under his leadership, ACRIN completed the landmark National Lung Cancer Screening trial that demonstrated the ability of low-dose CT lung cancer screening to reduce lung cancer mortality by 20% in high risk patients.Schnall was one of the architects of the merger of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) and ACRIN to form the new ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group, which he now co-chairs. He is also a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians.

Kevin G.M. Volpp, M.D., Ph.D., is the founding Director of the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics at the Leonard Davis Institute; Co-Director of the Penn Medicine Center for Innovation, and a Professor of Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine and Health Care Management at the Wharton School. He is also the Director of the NIH-funded Penn CMU Roybal P30 Center in Behavioral Economics and Health, one of two such NIH- funded centers in the U.S. Volpps research on the impact of financial and organizational incentives on health behavior and health outcomes has been recognized by numerous awards including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers; the Alice S. Hersh New Investigator Award from AcademyHealth; Time Magazines 2009 A-Z Advances in Health list for work on Incentives letter I; the British Medical Journal Group Award for translating Research into Practice, and the outstanding paper of the year from the Society of General Internal Medicine. He is a member of the editorial board of the Annals of Internal Medicine. He did his medical training at Penn and Brigham and Womens hospital, has a Ph.D. in Applied Economics and Managerial Science from the Wharton School, and is a staff physician at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

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Institute of Medicine Elects Four New Members from Penn Medicine

Personalized genomic medicine: How much can it really empower patients?

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ScienceDaily (Oct. 15, 2012) Personalized genomic medicine is hailed as a revolution that will empower patients to take control of their own health care, but it could end up taking control away from patients and limiting their treatment choices, concludes an article in the Hastings Center Report. A commentary responding to the article, by the editorial director of Health and Family at Consumer Reports, also appears in the journal.

Genomic science provides two categories of data, the authors write: pharmacogenomic information and genomic susceptibility information. Pharmacogenomic information forecasts how an individual might respond to a particular therapy. Genomic susceptibility testing predicts a patient's chances of warding off or succumbing to an environmental threat or disease.

Genomic medicine's stakeholders -- including direct-to-consumer genetic testing companies, private research centers, and the National Institutes of Health -- are deeply invested in promoting how this information will benefit patients. The authors call this "empowerment rhetoric." And yet the added knowledge that comes from both pharmacogenomic information and genomic susceptibility information could have a negative impact on how much power a patient really has.

The results gleaned from pharmacogenomic information could pressure patients to comply with physicians' recommendations, the authors suggest, because molecular profiling would allow doctors to give orders with more authority. "In fact, because genomic medicine generates more risk information and makes that information the key lens for approaching health and disease, patients may actually find that they have less ability to influence health care decisions and treatments," the authors state.

The virtues of genomic susceptibility information could also go awry. First, because disease prevention relies heavily on lifestyle changes, responsibility is shifted from doctor to patient. Patients who don't make the "right" choices could be deemed irresponsible, the article says. Second, genomic information can for the time being only reveal the health risks of groups of people. Rather than provide individualized assessments, it classifies people into "genetic superfamilies." The authors argue that "population classification schemes based on racial and ethnic categories can be actively disempowering for individuals, by encouraging potentially prejudicial associations between their group affiliations and health care risks."

Patient empowerment is marketed as a paradigm shift because it puts medical data in the hands of the consumer, not just the doctor. But the authors conclude that the focus on empowerment could clash with the reality of what patients are willing or able to do with the information they receive. "The idea of patient empowerment may run up against not only the limits of patients' control over their health, but also the limits of patient control over health care systems," the article says.

The authors are Eric T. Juengst, director of the Center for Bioethics and professor in the Departments of Social Medicine and Genetics at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Michael A. Flatt, a doctoral candidate in sociology at Case Western Reserve University; and Richard A. Settersten, Jr., professor of social and behavioral health sciences and endowed director of the Hallie E. Ford Center for Healthy Children and Families in the College of Public Health and Human Sciences at Oregon State University.

In a commentary on the article, Ronni Sandroff, editorial director of Health and Family at Consumer Reports, acknowledges that pharmacogenomics could take control away from a patient if a health insurance company opted not to cover a medicine that was shown to work infrequently in people with a particular genetic makeup. But even an increase in patient empowerment can have downsides if it shifts the responsibility for health care to patients and stigmatizes people who do not, or cannot, make the "right" health choices. Sandroff notes that the greatest challenge in preventive medicine is getting people to eat less, exercise more, and reduce stress. Whether or not genetic susceptibility information will actually empower patients by propelling them toward healthier lifestyles is unknown. "This is a question that needs more serious study," she writes.

Still, Sandroff says that consumer participation in genetic health research -- "a new and growing factor" -- could help advance scientific knowledge. "That makes it something that professionals should be wondering how to enhance and encourage, rather than fear," she writes.

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Personalized genomic medicine: How much can it really empower patients?

RMANJ To Present 24 Abstracts At The American Society for Reproductive Medicine Annual Meeting

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BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Oct. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reproductive Medicine Associates of New Jersey (http://www.rmanj.com) will be presenting 24 abstracts at the upcoming American Society for Reproductive Medicine Annual Meeting to be held October 20-24, 2012, in San Diego, California.

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

"We are very proud of the outstanding research conducted by the team at RMANJ. This year, our research covers important topics in reproductive medicine ranging from the continued validation of genetic screening to the reality of single embryo transfer in IVF," said Richard T. Scott, Jr., M.D., F.A.C.O.G., H.C.L.D., founding partner of RMANJ. "We are particularly excited to present the findings from our BEST Trial, the first well-controlled clinical trial comparing IVF pregnancy rates in a group of women receiving a single embryo transfer with comprehensive chromosome screening compared to a group receiving traditional morphology-based double embryo transfer. These findings are poised to fundamentally change the way IVF is practiced."

2012 ASRM ABSTRACT LIST

Monday, October 22, 2012

Morphology plus ploidy: a prospective study comparing traditional morphology-based selection for single embryo transfer (SET) with comprehensive chromosome screening (CCS) results (O-57)Eric FormanOral Monday 5:15-5:30 p.m. Outcome Predictors-Lab: ART

Comparison of clinical outcomes between genetically similar groups of in vitro fertilization patients (O-83)Shefali ShastriOral Monday 5:45-6:00 p.m. Reproductive Endocrinology: Research

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Blastocyst euploid selective transfer (BEST): an RCT of comprehensive chromosome screening-single embryo transfer (CCS-SET) vs. double embryo transfer (DET) equivalent pregnancy rates, eliminates twins (O-161)Eric FormanOral Tuesday 4:15-4:30 p.m. Outcome Predictors-Clinical: ART

Trophectoderm is predictive of the inner cell mass and newborn mitochondrial DNA mutation load (O-194)Nathan TreffOral Tuesday 4:30-4:45 p.m. Reproductive Biology: Human Studies

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RMANJ To Present 24 Abstracts At The American Society for Reproductive Medicine Annual Meeting

Infor Healthcare Applications to Unify Financials at the Institute for Transfusion Medicine

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NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - Oct 16, 2012) - Infor, a leading provider of business application software serving more than 70,000 customers, today announced the Institute for Transfusion Medicine (ITxM), one of the nation's foremost providers of transfusion medicine and related services, has upgraded to the latest version of Infor Healthcare Revenue Management to integrate its outpatient records and core receivalbes systems into a single, unified solution.With the functionality to manage both client and patient billing, the application will help reduce manual entry requirements and automate billing to help the company completefinancial processes more efficiently.In addition, the upgrade will allow ITxM to benefit from the latest platform enhancements and facilitate enriched system support.

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ITxM Quote "Prior to our Infor upgrade it was difficult to track and process payments because users had to access separate systems to obtain the necessary data," said Keir Josephson, director, IT Strategy & Delivery, ITxM. "Now our entire outpatient records system is integrated with our core receivable system, enabling us to manage our billing processes, whether patient or client, within a single, unified solution."

Infor Quote "Whether it be a multi-site hospital, reference laboratory or healthcare specialty provider, managing billing and revenue cycles is essential to financial performance," said Kevin Curry, senior vice president and general manager for Healthcare, Infor. "Infor Healthcare solutions have the flexibility to handle transactions from a variety of business models with the functionality to support all processes within one solution, helping healthcare organizations to proactively manage the revenue cycle for maximum efficiency and profitability."

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About ITxM The Institute for Transfusion Medicine(SM) (ITxM(SM)) is one of the nation's foremost organizations specializing in transfusion medicine and related services. Headquartered in Pittsburgh with offices in Chicagoland, ITxM provides patients and medical facilities with comprehensive transfusion support, including medical staff consultation and treatment plans, along with testing and delivery of blood products. ITxM business units work together to develop, deliver and influence the highest quality patient care in transfusion medicine and related services. For more information, visit http://www.itxm.org.

About Infor Infor is the world's third-largest supplier of enterprise applications and services, helping more than 70,000 large and mid-size companies improve operations and drive growth across numerous industry sectors.To learn more about Infor, please visit http://www.infor.com.

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Infor Healthcare Applications to Unify Financials at the Institute for Transfusion Medicine