Monthly Archives: April 2013

Canada Works to Improve Nutrition in Developing Countries Through Innovative Partnerships With the Agriculture Sector

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WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Apr 19, 2013) - As part of Canada's commitment to achieve global food security and improved nutrition, the Honourable Julian Fantino, Minister of International Cooperation, helped bring together international leaders today to discuss how to reduce undernutrition in children while boosting the economic potential of developing nations. Minister Fantino co-hosted the "Investing in Agriculture for Nutrition" event, with Mr. Joe Costello, T.D., Ireland's Minister of State for Trade and Development, held today on the margins of the spring meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund in Washington, DC.

"Canada welcomed today's discussion on how we can better leverage agriculture sector investments to help achieve food security and improve nutrition around the world," said Minister Fantino. "Canada's investments in nutrition-either through direct nutrition interventions, such as vitamin supplements, or through indirect interventions, such as more nutritious crops or agricultural research-lead to healthier children and mothers, reduces poverty and improves economic growth in developing countries."

"Better-nourished populations are more productive: they innovate, they earn more and they invest more. They are the future producers and consumers," said Joe Costello, Ireland's Minister for Trade and Development.

Minister Costello shared the key messages from the Hunger-Nutrition-Climate Justice conference, which he co-hosted in Dublin earlier this week under Ireland's Presidency of the EU.

"Addressing the links between hunger, nutrition and climate justice has been a clear development priority for Ireland's EU Presidency. We learned some very important lessons during our international conference in Dublin. I am committed to bringing the voices of the smallholder farmers and community representatives, who shared their experiences of growing food in a world impacted by climate change, to international policy discussions," Minister Costello said.

The Government of Canada's focus on poverty alleviation was affirmed in the Economic Action Plan 2013 The creation of the new Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development will tackle poverty by supporting improved nutrition for those most in need around the world. The amalgamation will help the Government of Canada achieve greater efficiency and accountability for its international development assistance.

For more information on how Canada is increasing nutrition, saving lives and reducing poverty, please visit the Nutrition page.

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Canada Works to Improve Nutrition in Developing Countries Through Innovative Partnerships With the Agriculture Sector

Global Medical Nutrition Market 2012-2016

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NEW YORK, April 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

Global Medical Nutrition Market 2012-2016

http://www.reportlinker.com/p01162213/Global-Medical-Nutrition-Market-2012-2016.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Nutraceutical

Introduction to the Market

Medical or clinical nutrition is the nourishment or aliment given to people who are not able to obtain essential nutrients from ingested food or through body processes. Nutrition forms an important link between diet, health, and disease. The essential nutrients that a person should include in the diet are vitamins, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and minerals in the required quantities. Medical nutrition helps to treat and control several diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, GI diseases, cancer, and kidney diseases through the supply of essential nutrients for the optimal functioning of various organs of the body. Medical nutrition is available in the form of liquids, powders, tablets, injections, or foods such as yogurt and probiotics.

Market Overview

The Global Medical Nutrition market is expected to grow at a steady pace, clocking a CAGR of 6.7 percent during the period 2012-2016. The market was dominated by the Americas in 2012, followed by the EMEA region and the APAC region. One of the main drivers in this market is a marked increase in the incidence and prevalence of various diseases and illnesses globally. Further, the increasing aging population worldwide, which is in need of medical nutrition products to treat various diseases and conditions, is contributing to the growth of the market. However, one of the major challenges in this market is the unfavorable reimbursement regulations imposed by the government in various countries. The lack of standardization in reimbursement norms for medical nutrition products has rendered these products unaffordable to price-conscious consumers.

Regional Overview

The Global Medical Nutrition market was dominated by the Americas, followed by the EMEA region and the APAC region. The US represents the largest regional market for medical nutrition products in the Americas due to the increasing availability of innovative products and the growing aging population. In the EMEA region, Europe represents the largest market for medical nutrition products. Within Europe, Germany and the UK are expected to drive the growth of the market mainly because of the increasing aged population and the growing number of people suffering from health disorders. The high demand for medical nutrition products in Australia, China, and India are driving the growth of the market in the APAC region.

Product Segmentation Overview

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Global Medical Nutrition Market 2012-2016

Canada’s national lab to work on H7N9 flu virus; sample likely arrives next week

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TORONTO - If all goes according to plan, a vial containing the worrisome new H7N9 virus should arrive at Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, where scientists are eager to begin work on the new pathogen.

Scientific Director Dr. Frank Plummer said China readily agreed to share a sample with the Canadian lab after Winnipeg asked for live virus with which to work. In fact, the emailed request drew a positive reply in a matter of a couple of hours.

"I was extremely pleased when I saw the response from China. All they wanted was an official letter and they were getting ready to send it to us," Plummer said in an interview.

In contrast to its secretive behaviour during the 2003 SARS outbreak, China has been openly sharing information and virus samples since the start of the outbreak of the new H7N9 flu. As of Friday, China had reported 91 confirmed infections and 17 deaths from a virus first identified less than a month ago.

All of the World Health Organization's collaborating centres and essential regulatory laboratories for influenza have had copies of the virus for more than a week. And elsewhere, key influenza researchers are also getting samples of the virus to help in the international effort to decode the mysteries of this new flu strain.

Plummer said his lab's willingness to share the H1N1 virus with China in the early days of the 2009 pandemic probably contributed to China's prompt and favourable response to Canada's request.

The national lab director said the Winnipeg facility is also growing up a synthesized version of the virus, put together from genetic sequence data that China has shared through an international databank known as GISAID. While that's both great practice and a fallback in case the Chinese sample is delayed, Plummer said having the real thing is important.

"Genome sequence is great, it allows you to do certain things. But it only gets you so far. You need the whole virus," he said, adding Canada has also asked the U.S. Centers for Disease Control for a sample of H7N9.

Earlier this week a joint assessment issued by the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency decreed that the H7N9 virus should be worked on in laboratories with a Level 3-enhanced biosafety and biosecurity designation. But Plummer said NML scientists are probably going to work with it in a laboratory with an even higher designation in some cases.

Level 4 laboratories are equipped to the highest degree of biosafety and biosecurity; between Levels 4 and 3 is Level 3-enhanced, which is sometimes called Level 3 Ag (short for agriculture). Plummer said Level 3-enhanced is basically Level 4, without the spacesuit type gear worn in Level 4.

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Canada's national lab to work on H7N9 flu virus; sample likely arrives next week

Minor Skirmishes In The Great Debate Over Genetic Engineering In Agriculture

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April 18, 2013

Brett Smith for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

Officials and scientists across the United States are debating the role of genetic engineering in agriculture. While some see genetically modified foods as a sign of technological progress and a way to maximize profits, others see it as a potential hazard with unknown effects for the public health.

In Oregon, state legislators recently heard testimony on several bills that would affect genetic engineering in the agricultural industry. These bills would require labels on all agriculture GMOs, as well as ban the importation genetically altered fish.

We have a right to know whats in our food, Scott Bates, of the advocacy group GMO Free Oregon, told the states Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. He added the technology has not proven to be free of risk for consumers.

Currently, Oregon does not have state restrictions on growing GMOs, generally leaving the US Department of Agriculture in charge of deciding whether genetic engineering in an agricultural product is safe for the farmers field and the store shelf.

Other states are taking notice of the genetic engineering farms are now embracing as a new way to improve crop yields. In Hawaii, some lawmakers and scientists are at odds over how to proceed with respect to agricultural genetic engineering, with some scientists campaigning against the techniques.

I compare GMOs in a way to steroids because steroids are the easy way to go. It makes it easier for people in sports to enjoy but theres side effects, University of Hawaii agriculture professor Hector Valenzuela told local news station KHNL.

In pushing for mandatory labels for GMOs, Valenzuela cited potential secondary impacts, including the contamination of non-GMO farms with modified seeds and increased pesticide spraying that many GMOs require.

So in terms of what adverse effects, you have to ask questions also of the potential side effects of consuming all of those pesticides, Valenzuela said. For a major importer like Hawaii, the debate over genetic engineering in agriculture poses a unique conundrum, since the islands limited space places a premium on maximizing yield.

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Minor Skirmishes In The Great Debate Over Genetic Engineering In Agriculture

Gustin wins George R. Brown teaching award

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Rice University alumni from the past decade have selected professor of biochemistry and cell biology Michael Gustin as this years recipient of the George R. Brown Prize for Excellence in Teaching.

According to Dean of Undergraduates John Hutchinson, alumni who graduated two, four and five years ago vote to nominate their professors. The awards are then given to the 10 professors with the most votes, one of whom receives the award for excellence in teaching. The remaining nine professors receive awards for superior teaching.

Gustin, a professor at Rice since 1988, said he feels honored to receive his award.

Teaching is being challenged by new ideas about how to teach students, particularly in the sciences, Gustin said. An important part of teaching a course is to try to build a community. Its an opportunity to learn together. Every time I teach, Im always learning.

Gustin said the increasing number of online courses can sometimes lack this sense of community.

Gustin said he began to ask himself last year about the purpose of a university and came to the answer that, in university courses, teachers can pass their interest in the material on to their students more effectively.

Im a pretty enthusiastic guy, Gustin said. I like what Im working on, both in teaching and research. I think that enthusiasm is infectious for students.

Gustin said his experience as a Wiess College master has been pivotal in his effort to learn all of his students names in his introductory biology course this year.

Hutchinson said all 10 recipients of Brown teaching awards will be honored at 3 p.m. Monday, April 22 at a reception in Keck Hall Room 100. Last years winner, John and Ann Doerr Professor of Computational and Applied Mathematics Mark Embree, will give a lecture about his experiences teaching in the Department of Computational and Applied Mathematics. All Rice students are invited to attend, Hutchinson said.

Hutchinson said the Committee on Teaching, which chooses the recipients from those nominated by alumni, takes class size and subject into consideration.

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Gustin wins George R. Brown teaching award

Skin Tone – The Anti-Aging Market Focuses on Brighter Skin as the Epitome of Youth

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A recently published Marie Claire magazine article highlights various foreign cosmetic markets and their approach to providing clear, even skin tone. Dr. Simon Ourian of Epione Beverly Hills says that the epitome of beauty is always changing and aesthetic practitioners must evolve to meet this challenge.

Los Angeles, California (PRWEB) April 19, 2013

According to the article, smooth skin with no wrinkles or crow's feet is always highly valued, but skin without blemishes and that absorbs light may be even more highly regarded. When one is young and skin is at its pinnacle of health, melanocyte cells within the outer dermis supply pigment to the skins surface providing an even tone. With aging this production decreases, so that the remaining pigment clusters up instead of spreading smoothly. The global beauty industry is banking on reversing this trend.

In our medical practice at Epione, Id say that the focus is on wrinkle correction and skin tightening though we also use laser treatments to address skin tone issues, says Dr. Simon Ourian, Medical Director of Epione Beverly Hills. My over-the-counter Signature Series Restoration Firm & Lift Crme was specifically created to address skin tone and clarity.

The Marie Claire goes on to describe efforts around the world to meet the demand for flawless, bright skin:

In China, the trend is to use holistic medicine. A white rose known as rosa roxburhii grows in the Chinese mountains and is packed full of the anti-oxidants that reportedly combat skin aging by attacking blotchy complexions and evening coloration. The French are using sugar structures to boost the strength of skin cells that produce spots when they receive too much melanin. Vitamin C derivatives are said to help the skin reflect more light and appear to be glowing.

Israeli dermatologists have used a compound rich in melanozyme, an enzyme developed from tree fungal growths that keep facial skin from developing the dark spots that lead to discontinuity in tone. In Japan whitening cultures are used to actively keep dark spots from producing. Kojic acid, for example, eliminates free radicals that lead to melanin production.

The ideal of beauty is ever changing and may be different from place to place and country to country, concludes Dr. Ourian. Its my job as a cosmetic practitioner to meet the aesthetic goals of my patients.

Dr. Ourian has been a pioneer in laser technology and non-invasive aesthetic procedures including Restylane, Juvderm, Radiesse and Sculptra. These treatments are used for the correction or reversal of a variety of conditions such as acne, acne scars, skin discoloration, wrinkles, stretch marks, varicose veins, cellulite, and others. More information about the rising concern over skin tone can be found on Epiones website.

Grace Russell Epione Medical Corporation (888) 951-3377 Email Information

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Skin Tone – The Anti-Aging Market Focuses on Brighter Skin as the Epitome of Youth

Fox Renews Glee for TWO More Seasons!

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Great news today for those who didn't stop believing in Glee: Fox has renewed the musical comedy for Season 5... and 6!

The unexpected news come after a season in which ratings have slipped, although buzz surrounding the series remains strong. It aired its 500th performance last month.

Cheering for Jake

Said Kevin Reilly, Chairman of Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company, upon making the announcement:

“Glee debuted as the first and only successful musical comedy series on television, and more than four years later, it continues to defy genres, break new ground and have a significant impact on popular culture. Week in and week out, Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Ian Brennan, Dante DiLoreto and the entire Glee team deliver a series that not only delights and surprises fans, but also inspires them to talk about, share, debate and engage with the show – and I’m absolutely thrilled to have them on board for another two seasons.”

Three more episodes remain in Glee Season 4, with spoilers revealing that Blaine will propose to Kurt on the finale.

Are you excited for TWO more seasons of Glee?

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http://www.tvfanatic.com/2013/04/fox-renews-glee-for-two-more-seasons/

The Vampire Diaries Round Table: "Pictures of You"

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The Vampire Diaries invited viewers to the senior prom last night.

Was it a smashing success? Or as much of a letdown as your actual experience at this event?

In this edition of the TV Fanatic Round Table, staff members Matt Richenthal, Steve Marsi, Miranda Wicker, Leigh Raines and Dan Forcella break down "Pictures of You," from the dresses to the Vampire Diaries music to the king, queen and more!

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What was your favorite scene of quote from the episode?

Matt: Gotta be Elena referring to Bonnie as a "brain washed crazy person." Come on. We were all thinking it, weren't we?

Miranda: Honorable mention answer: Caroline's "emergency." Silas is on the loose, capable of being absolutely anyone, and in less mature Caroline fashion, her worry is her prom dress. I thought it was a fun moment. Real answer: Silas finally has the cure. Finally. Can we please stop this cure nonsense now? You know, since the season is almost over?

Dan: Stefan and Elena dancing at prom. First, because Stef was doing such a bang up job at working her heart. The gentle touches, the reminders of what she used to have, it all had my heart racing... and I never was never even in love with Stefan Salvatore. But then ultimately it was my favorite moment because emotionless Elena shot the whole thing down with two simple words... "what heart?" She. Is. Fantastic.

Steve: Silas repeated impersonations of people, in particular Jeremy. Fun to watch the actors try to act like themselves, only possessed, and not surprisingly, Steven R. McQueen was the least believable. J/K Jer. What was also great was the tease of him showing his real face at the end. Made his previous illusions feel like less of a plot device.

Leigh: When Rebekah jokingly asked Matt for a busboy position at The Grill. JK but it was definitely a Rebekah moment: that whole sequence of her and Klaus fighting and Elijah giving "Rebekah" the cure only to realize it was Silas. Honorable mention: seeing Jeremy Gilbert again...in a tux was fine but shirtless would've been better.

TVD RT NEW

Who looked the best in his/her prom outfit?

Matt: Rebekah. I don't recall what she was wearing. But the answer is Rebekah.

Miranda: Any occasion that gets the Salvatore brothers in a tux is alright by me. Those two know how to rock the formal wear.

Dan: Rebekah is an absolute smoke show. Like most colors, yellow worked for Claire Holt here.

Steve: Ian Somerhalder. I don't remember a thing about what he was wearing but someone on this Round Table panel has to speak for 93 percent of TV Fanatic readers.

Leigh: Caroline for the win. That dress was old Hollywood glamour to the max. Perfection.

Matt and Bonnie and Prom King and Queen: the right call?

Matt: Matt was the obvious choice. Hello... varsity jacket?!? Find me another student with more spirit. Bonnie, conversely, has not smiled in a calendar year and has spent more time on the local college campus these days than in her own high school. Epic fail here, voters. Why not throw a bone April's way? Her frickin dad just died!

Miranda: I'd say weird call. How did Matt have time to get himself on the ballot with all the double shifts at The Grill? (Apparently he really IS manager at The Grill if he has the power to offer Rebecca a job! That explains why we haven't seen him in weeks.) Bonnie as Prom Queen had the potential to be very Carrie. Props to April for not cowering to Elena's threats, though, even if she did almost die.

Dan: Absolutely not. Was it vote for the lamest people at school? Is that how prom king and queen works?

Steve: Agree with Matt on Matt. Guy has been through a lot and still rocks that varsity jacket like a BOSS. Plus, he theoretically still goes to the school, unlike anyone else, Bon-Bon included.

Leigh: Umm... Bonnie is never even at school. Totally implausible. I think Matt is a viable candidate but I really saw Caroline as prom queen.

Would you want Caroline to plan your wedding?

Matt: Wait... can I be marrying the wedding planner? If so, yes.

Miranda: Absolutely. The girl knows how to throw a kick ass event. And on short notice, too!

Dan: No. Even Caroline didn't enjoy herself at the event. The prom looked nice on the surface, but didn't anyone really have a good time? I'm getting Jennifer Lopez to plan my wedding.

Steve: No chance. Because knowing her track record, people will die. DIE.

Leigh: Haha! She's like a blonde Monica Geller on vampire steroids. She'd plan a really pretty wedding but would give me a heart attack in the process. I'll pass

How should Damon and Stefan scare the humanity back into Elena?

Matt: Four words: Honey. Boo. Boo. Child.

Miranda: Clowns?? Spiders?? An eternity of listening to polka music? Can't they just let the vervain leave her system and then just have Klaus or Rebekah compel her to turn her humanity back on?? I guess that just doesn't make for good television because it's using common sense. They've got her locked up and should probably let Bonnie take it from here. Scary Bonnie has some scary skills.

Dan: It might not be working at the moment, but I'm having too much fun watching the two bros attempt to get her emotions going by working her heart like a speed bag. Would working fear into the equation be as interesting to watch? I don't think so.

Steve: Force her to watch Kim Kardashian and her family's reality shows on endless loop. Realizing that this kind of thing passes for TV nowadays will make her nauseous, jaded and disheartened.

Leigh: They both love her too much and she knows it. It would probably only scare her if they left her. Otherwise they should leave the fear stuff to Bonnie. That was intense.

Scariest part of the episode: Silas' face, April nearly dying or the prom song selection?

Matt: The prom song selection. Could Mystic Fall not afford Pauly D as DJ?!?

Miranda: Hitchcock once said "There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it." I think that may be true here, but since we only saw a sliver of Silas' face, I can't be sure. Since he's been so many other faces lately, I'm not sure what I anticipated him to look like. I'm still going with Silas' face, though.

Dan: The scariest part of the episode was imagining Silas bringing back all the dead supernaturals and realizing I might have to sit through more Jeremy Gilbert.  That's frightening.

Steve: Silas' face. April nearly dies all the time and the new Rihanna song is actually pretty good. Maybe not your standard prom material ... but it did set a chilling tone, no?

Leigh: That prom song selection was miserable. Could care less about Silas. As far as April I'd say her outfit was scarier than anything else involving her.

Source:
http://www.tvfanatic.com/2013/04/the-vampire-diaries-round-table-pictures-of-you/

Jim’s Notebook: Arrow, NCIS, Scandal and More!

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Too many of our favorite shows remain in reruns... but next week we’ve got new episodes of Arrow, NCIS and Scandal - and I have some scoop for TV Fanatic about each of these hit programs.

Before they air, though, take some time this weekend to watch the phenomenal Call Me Crazy on Lifetime, executive produced by Jennifer Aniston. Alright? Now let’s empty out the Notebook…

Jim's Notebook

ARROW Felicity is about to leave her desk and hit the streets. Make sure to watch in “The Undertaking” (airing 5/1), where the quick-witted Miss Smoak actually gets to go out in the field. And while we normally see her with Ollie and Diggle, with whom would Emily Bett Rickards like to share more scenes?

“I haven’t had any scenes with Susanna [Thompson] and she’s a phenomenal actor,” she told me of the actress that plays Ollie’s mother, Moira. “Even at the table reads – I feel like such a dork but she knows I love her - I look up to her a lot and I would just love to have some really meaty scenes with her.”

And while Rickards is admittedly “green to the industry,” she’s quickly gotten into social media. “Oh, I like Twitter,” she said with a huge grin. (Make sure to follow her @EmilyBett.)

NCIS Ready for Ziva and Tony to finally take that next step in their relationship? I talked to Executive Producer Gary Glasberg about it and he told me that more is coming with Tuesday’s “Berlin."

“We went into season 10 with the idea that we would certainly move their relationship forward, and I think we will have, certainly by the end of the finale, succeeded in doing that," he said.

Is Felicity a Target?Past Huck

And while Glasberg and the writers have carefully drawn it out over the years, the creator teased that “Ziva fans will not only be satisfied with a lot of what they get, but there are also things that they’ll have to wait on as well, so…I think about Moonlighting, and I think about Northern Exposure, and I think about other shows that had relationships built into the structure of the storytelling that they did, and it was very smart, even back then, of giving it to people in little bits and pieces.”

SCANDAL One of my favorite things about my job is talking to people on TV who are TV fans themselves. For example, Scandal is back next Thursday and I spoke to Guillermo Diaz about his great scenes with Katie Lowes (as Quinn) and whether he thinks the characters would ever go horizontal in the sack.

While he sees #HuckleberryQuinn as more brother/sister, he did say “a lot of people keep asking if we’re going to get together and hook up romantically and I honestly have no idea. I would rather just see them as friends, but who knows what could happen in the future. I mean, you know, remember when Chandler and Monica got together on Friends? I never expected that to happen either, but it happened and they ended up getting married. You never know what could go on in eight seasons, you know?” 

And guess who Diaz is traveling with during his hiatus? None other than Lowes! They are heading to Israel with America's Voices and the actor said he’s beyond excited since it’s his first trip there. We’ll keep an eye on your Twitter account for pics, Guillermo!

CALL ME CRAZY Earlier this week I had the pleasure of attending the Los Angeles premiere of the new Lifetime movie, Call Me Crazy, which depicts women dealing with mental illness and airs tomorrow (April 20) on Lifetime. 

Starring Jennifer Hudson, Brittany Snow, Parenthood’s Jason Ritter, Modern Family’s Sarah Hyland, Octavia Spencer and Melissa Leo, the five short films were directed by Laura Dern, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sharon Maguire, Lea Thompson and Bonnie Hunt. While the subject matter is heavy, the writing, acting and directing are top notch, giving you a unique window into mental illness, both in those who are afflicted with it or those who are close to someone who is.

The anthology, part of the Five Film franchise on the network (last year’s film dealt with breast cancer), also had help from Marta Kaufman (co-creator, Friends) and Jennifer Aniston, who were among the executive producers on the project.

That’s a wrap for this week! Anything else you’re dying to know about your favorite show? Leave a comment here or you email me directly at jim@jimhalterman.com. And remember: follow @TVFanatic for all your TV scoop!

Source:
http://www.tvfanatic.com/2013/04/jims-notebook-arrow-ncis-scandal-and-more/

International Space Station to get 787-style batteries

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NASA is pressing ahead with a plan to install lithium-ion batteries on the International Space Station (ISS), New Scientist has learned. The batteries are similar to those used on Boeing's 787 Dreamliner aircraft, all 50 of which have been taken out of commercial service worldwide since January following battery fires on two planes. NASA says that lithium-ion cells offer compelling benefits, and it is confident that any safety issues can be overcome.

The agency intends to use batteries sourced from GS Yuasa, based in Kyoto, Japan, which also makes lithium batteries for Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes. Boeing has modified the aircraft batteries following the fires, but the new design has yet to gain safety certification from the US Federal Aviation Administration.

NASA is going ahead because, it says, "proper design" of the battery packs will let it take advantage of the lightness and extra power delivered by lithium-ion technology which is easily better than the current nickel metal-hydride batteries used on the ISS.

"The benefits of [lithium's] higher power density are too compelling to ignore," says NASA spokesman Josh Byerly at the Johnson Spaceflight Center in Houston, Texas. He says the technology would allow launch payloads to be halved. "With space launch costs being extremely high, one can see the benefit in this approach."

The Boeing 787 battery packs contained eight lithium-ion cells made by GS Yuasa and assembled by aerospace contractor Thales, a multinational headquartered in France. Boeing says overheating in one cell vented heat to neighbouring cells and caused them to overheat also, an effect known as thermal runaway. One battery caught fire in a jet on the ground at Boston Logan airport in the US while another melted down in flight, causing an emergency landing and evacuation in Japan.

Boeing has redesigned the battery pack to improve issues such as the physical and thermal isolation of the cells and test-flew it earlier this month. But since what exactly started the fire in the lithium cells has not been precisely identified, the FAA and US National Transportation Safety Board are still deliberating over a solution.

Boeing is also the lead contractor on the ISS. NASA says it is working with it, and with its battery-assembling subcontractor Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, to do "everything possible to assure that a hazard is mitigated to the maximum possible extent in this case, that conditions that could cause a cell runaway are designed out of the system and that safety controls are available to maintain the cells within allowable limits," says Byerly.

The design and testing will also ensure, he says, that if a hazardous event does occur, "it is contained and does not propagate into an uncontrolled event".

NASA says the situation on the ISS is very different to an aircraft because the batteries are installed outside the pressurised crew modules on a structural joist called a truss.

"In the near-vacuum of low-Earth orbit, while a cell failure resulting in a runaway thermal event would provide its own fuel and oxidiser, with proper design there is nothing available to propagate such an event beyond a single cell, let alone beyond a battery assembly," Byerly says.

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International Space Station to get 787-style batteries