Monthly Archives: February 2014

Islands Trust applies as a commenter on pipeline expansion

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The Islands Trust is among one of the more than 2,000 applicants hoping have their opinions heard at a set of National Energy Board hearings into the expansion of Kinder Morgans Trans Mountain pipeline. The Trust had made a formal request to the NEB that they extend the deadline for application, but the request was denied.

I know we are not the only ones who have made such a request, says Sheila Malcolmson, Council Chair of the Islands Trust. We would have liked to have had more time to make the application so that we could have more public debate surrounding the issue prior to making our submission.

The NEBs deadline for submitting an application on this matter was February 12th. Malcolmson says the Islands Trust was not informed of this until January 14th, which left, as stated in the letter requesting an extension, an insufficient amount of notice for an elected body with accountability to taxpayers to make such a significant decision.

The Islands Trust requested that the deadline be extended until March 7th, so that the Council could discuss the issue at its meeting taking place between March 4th and 6th.

Malcolmson says that the request was denied promptly, and the Islands Trust did manage to get their application in prior to the deadline.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also requested a deadline extension (the risk of an oil spill caused by increased tanker traffic in along coastal waters is of significant concern to the state of Washington) and was also rejected. However, the EPA did not manage to get its submission in prior to the deadline.

In applying to participate in the hearings, the Islands Trust chose the role of a commenter on the Kinder Morgan project.

As an intervenor, we will have the opportunity to make a very thorough written submission outlining our concerns about marine safety and the increase in tanker traffic that the pipeline will bring to our waters, says Malcolmson. As our members are not situated along the actual route of the pipeline, and the hearings are actually focused on the pipeline itself and not tanker traffic, we decided to use this particular method for stating our case. We have a very limited budget and we want to use a variety of approaches to change policies on oil spills and tankers. We didnt want to put all our eggs in one basket, with these hearings alone.

The Islands Trust could have applied to be an intervenor, as the City of Vancouver has. Malcolmson says that at the NEB hearings for the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline, intervenors essentially got the chance to hold something comparable to the trial to state their case, hiring lawyers to cross-examine expert witnesses. All of this was open to public viewing.

But we have no idea what the process is going to look like this time around, says Malcolmson. The rules for these hearings changed as part of the 2012 federal budget, and we have no idea what the new process is going to look like. Thats another reason we wanted the extension.

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Islands Trust applies as a commenter on pipeline expansion

Coins Of The British Virgin Islands

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A new book narrating the story of the British Virgin Islands coins of the 1800s and 1900s has been published by Laurel Publication International in 2011. The well-documented, ground-breaking work has a foreword by Michael ONeal, PhD, Senior Research Fellow, Island Resources Foundation. Coins of the Virgin Islands is a significant contribution to the memory bank of Virgin Islands history, Dr. ONeal said. The Author of The Beautiful and Mysterious Coins of the British Virgin Islands is BVI Philatelic Society president Dr. Giorgio Migliavacca. The findings of years of research on archive sources and lesser known published works are presented by the Author who has achieved a good balance between the historical background, the slavery issue and the numismatic focus. Migliavaccas presentation of numismatic aspects is humanistic rather than strictly scientific and provides a much wider picture. In fact, the Author throws new light on the role of local coinage during the 1800s utilizing newly uncovered and significant archival material. Modern coins and Virgin Islands currencies from the 1800s to date are also examined. This book goes beyond the numismatic side of the story and explores the socio-economic facets revealing important aspects that have not emerged before in history books. Virgin Islands coinage dates back to the early 1800s. On 3 February 1801, an Act was passed by the local Legislature to stamp, or countermark, silver and copper coins in order to create an insular coinage, Migliavacca said. In the Virgin Islands, slaves hoarded the local coins to buy their freedom, and emancipated blacks used cut money to buy estates, big and small. Even before emancipation, slaves, free blacks and Liberated Africans used Virgin Islands coins every day of the week. The local coinage was not a simple witness, it became part of unprecedented and unsuspected changes: from the abolition of slavery, to emancipation, to apprenticeship, to the dark, long and hopeless days of economic stagnation. Cut money became the key that opened the gate of true freedom, resulting in a sense of self reliance, autonomy, and security that still typifies the Virgin Islands of the third millennium, said Dr. Migliavacca. Migliavaccas narrative style makes easy reading and will prove of great interest to both coin collectors and persons interested in Virgin Islands and Caribbean history. The 52-page book is generously illustrated with well-chosen color photographs. Dr. Migliavacca is a member of the British Virgin Islands Stamp Advisory Committee since 1987. He has written articles for the ancient coins magazine Celator, and has contributed entries to the International Dictionary of Numismatics. AVAILABLE atwww.virginstamps.com

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Coins Of The British Virgin Islands

Japan, FFA complete fisheries fund talks in Honiara

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Japan, FFA complete fisheries fund talks in Honiara

FFA HQ, Honiara, SOLOMON ISLANDS. -- Heads of fisheries from the Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga and Tuvalu met this week in Honiara with a high-level team from Japan to talk over development funding for regional fisheries. The talks fall under the Japan Promotion Fund (JPF) agreement with the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency, FFA.

The Fund, established by Overseas Fishery Cooperation Foundation of Japan (OFCF) for FFA member countries in 2008, generated project funding for FFA members of around USD $1 million annually. This supports fisheries projects for FFA member countries. The JPF Steering Committee, a representative group of senior officials from FFA member countries and OFCF agrees on which projects receive funding support in any given year. Current steering committee members include Mr. Sylvester Diake of the Solomon Islands Ministry of Fisheries & Marine Resources, Feleti Tulafono of the Department of Fisheries in Tokelau, Nunia Mone, Head of Fisheries in Tongas Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries & Food, and Kakee Kaitu, Permanent Secretary of Tuvalus Ministry of Natural Resources.

We are particularly honoured this year that the OFCF team is headed for the first time ever by its President, Mr Yoshio Ishizuka, which is a very strong signal of the importance that OFCF places on its fisheries relationship with FFA member countries and with the FFA, said FFA Director General, Mr James Movick. He says Mr Ishizuka is a highly respected fisheries executive in Japan whose extensive background in Tuna research formed the basis of a high-level career leading up to his appointment as President of the OFCF in April 2012.

Established in 1973, the OFCF works to build relations between Japan and other coastal countries, including support for the work of regional fisheries management organisations such as FFA. The Foundation is a cooperative arrangement between the Japanese Government and the Japanese fishing industry.

Mr. Movick noted that OFCF has on going and very important bilateral fishing development programs with Pacific Island states that have fishing agreements. The associated OFCF program of technical training, study tours and invitation for key personnel program as well as the provision of important small scale fisheries development projects has significantly contributed to capacity building in Pacific Islands fisheries administrations over the past 40 years, Director General Movick said.

The two-day meeting of the Joint Steering Committee (JC) began on Monday, February 24th at the FFA headquarters. It examined proposals for upcoming projects for funding after July 2014, and reviewed current projects. Membership of the FFA member delegation to the JC rotates each year and the recommendations of the JC go to the annual FFA governing council meeting in May.ENDS

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Japan, FFA complete fisheries fund talks in Honiara

Genetics May Explain Why Autism Is More Common in Boys

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When it comes to developmental disorders of the brain, men and women are not created equal.

Decades of research have shown that males are at far greater risk for neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) than females. Boys, on average, are five times more likely to have autismthan girls.What causes this disparity has largely remained unknown.

Now scientists haveuncovered compelling genetic evidence to explain why the biological scales arent balanced.

According to a team of geneticists in the U.S. and Switzerland,it all boils down to whats called the female protective model. This suggests that girls have a higher tolerance for harmful genetic mutations and therefore require a larger number ofthem than boys to reach the diagnostic threshold of a developmental disorder. With identical genetic mutations, then, a boy could show symptoms of ASD while a girl could show none.

But because the female mutation threshold is higher, when girls are diagnosed with ASD, they tend to fall on the more severe end of the spectrum.

Researchers believe the same dynamic could explain why more boys are diagnosed withADHD, intellectual disabilities and schizophrenia. The findings were published Thursday in the American Journal of Human Genetics.

Geneticists analyzed DNA samples from 16,000 boys and girls with neurodevelopmental disorders.They found that, on average, females diagnosed with ASD had 1.3 to 3 times more harmful genetic alterations than males diagnosed with the disorder.

The findings suggest that as the male brain develops, smaller and more subtle genetic changes can trigger autism spectrum disorders. Female brains require a greater number or severity of mutations before showing symptoms, so their symptoms tend to be worse.

Theres no application in terms of treatment, said study author Sbastien Jacquemont of University Hospital of Lausanne in Switzerland, but it does help understand the inheritance dynamics in families.

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Genetics May Explain Why Autism Is More Common in Boys

Why men are more likely to have autism: Their brains are more prone to genetic flaws, study finds

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Girls require more extreme genetic mutations to develop the condition So, it is less likely they will be pushed over the diagnostic threshold About 1.8% of boys have autism compared to 0.2% of girls

By Emma Innes

PUBLISHED: 06:23 EST, 28 February 2014 | UPDATED: 09:24 EST, 28 February 2014

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Boys are more likely to have autism that girls are because they have 'less robust brains', research suggests

Researchers claim to have discovered why autism is more common in boys than girls.

A study, published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, suggests girls require more extreme genetic mutations than boys to develop the condition.

As a result, it is less likely that they will be pushed over the diagnostic threshold for autism.

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Why men are more likely to have autism: Their brains are more prone to genetic flaws, study finds

Study uncovers why autism is more common in males

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

27-Feb-2014

Contact: Mary Beth O'Leary moleary@cell.com 617-397-2802 Cell Press

Males are at greater risk for neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), than females, but the underlying reasons have been unclear. A large cohort study published by Cell Press on February 27th in the American Journal of Human Genetics provides compelling evidence in support of the "female protective model," which proposes that females require more extreme genetic mutations than do males to push them over the diagnostic threshold for neurodevelopmental disorders.

"This is the first study that convincingly demonstrates a difference at the molecular level between boys and girls referred to the clinic for a developmental disability," says study author Sbastien Jacquemont of the University Hospital of Lausanne. "The study suggests that there is a different level of robustness in brain development, and females seem to have a clear advantage."

A gender bias in the prevalence of neurodevelopmental disorders has been reported for ASD, intellectual disability, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Some researchers have suggested that there is a social bias that increases the likelihood of diagnosis in males, whereas others have proposed that there are sex-based differences in genetic susceptibility. However, past studies investigating biological explanations for the gender bias have produced inconclusive results.

To examine this question, Jacquemont teamed up with Evan Eichler of the University of Washington School of Medicine to analyze DNA samples and sequencing data sets of one cohort consisting of nearly 16,000 individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders and another cohort consisting of about 800 families affected by ASD. The researchers analyzed both copy-number variants (CNVs)individual variations in the number of copies of a particular geneand single-nucleotide variants (SNVs)DNA sequence variations affecting a single nucleotide.

They found that females diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disorder or ASD had a greater number of harmful CNVs than did males diagnosed with the same disorder. Moreover, females diagnosed with ASD had a greater number of harmful SNVs than did males with ASD. These findings suggest that the female brain requires more extreme genetic alterations than does the male brain to produce symptoms of ASD or neurodevelopmental disorders. The results also take the focus off the X chromosome for the genetic basis of the gender bias, suggesting that the burden difference is genome wide.

"Overall, females function a lot better than males with a similar mutation affecting brain development," Jacquemont says. "Our findings may lead to the development of more sensitive, gender-specific approaches for the diagnostic screening of neurodevelopmental disorders."

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Study uncovers why autism is more common in males

Study reveals why autism is more common in males

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It has long been known that men have a greater risk for developing autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders, compared to women. While boys have a one in 52 chance of developing autism spectrum disorders (ASD), the risk is only one in 252 for girls, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Now, a new study published by the American Journal of Human Genetics reveals why so many more men are affected by these diseases.

Previously, researchers had speculated that mutations on the X chromosome may be to blame for the prevalence of ASD among men. However, study author Evan Eichler, a professor of genome sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine, said that doesn't seem to be the case.

"Five percent of genes responsible for brain development map to the X chromosome," Eichler told FoxNews.com. "There are not enough brain development genes on the X chromosome to account for that big of a difference in terms of gender bias."

In an effort to puzzle out the gender disparity seen in autism and other disorders, Eichler and his colleague Sbastien Jacquemont, of the University Hospital of Lausanne in Switzerland, paired up to analyze DNA samples from nearly 16,000 people with neurodevelopmental disorders. They also analyzed additional samples from a separate cohort of 800 families affected by ASD.

Through their analyses, the researchers began to notice that despite the fact that more boys are affected by ASD, the serious genetic mutations responsible for these diseases were more likely to be passed to children through their mother's DNA, as opposed to from their father.

"We started to see this bias coming from mothers, who were supposed to be unaffected, that they were more likely to be transmitting mutations we thought were deleterious," Eichler said.

After analyzing the cohort of 16,000 individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders, Eichler and his colleagues also discovered that female children seemed to have a larger number of genetic mutations associated with neurodevelopmental disorders, compared to male children.

"If we divide the cohort into females and males, and look at really big mutations, do we see a difference between boys and girls in terms of frequency?" Eichler said. "The answer was, unequivocally, yes. Girls tend to have more of these than boys. Boys have fewer than females."

In analyzing the cohort of 800 families affected by ASD, the researchers also saw that girls had more major genetic deletions - and more small mutations - compared to boys.

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Study reveals why autism is more common in males

Questions for Anne Alexander at Saturday U in Gillette- Affordable Care Act – Video

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Questions for Anne Alexander at Saturday U in Gillette- Affordable Care Act
Questions for Anne Alexander at Saturday U in Gillette- Affordable Care Act ( 00:01 - 2:30 ) Introduction by Shannon Smith, Wyoming Humanities Council direct...

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Questions for Anne Alexander at Saturday U in Gillette- Affordable Care Act - Video

IRS Warns: Obtain "Qualifying" Health Insurance Or Pay Obamacare Tax – Our Masters? -Stuart Varney – Video

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IRS Warns: Obtain "Qualifying" Health Insurance Or Pay Obamacare Tax - Our Masters? -Stuart Varney
IRS Releases Series Of Obamacare "Health Care Tax Tips" - Stuart Varney IRS Warns: Obtain "Qualifying" Health Insurance Or Pay Obamacare Tax - Our Masters? -...

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Assemblymember Ting Backs Bill to Make Sure Health Care Doesn’t Get Lost in Translation – Video

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Assemblymember Ting Backs Bill to Make Sure Health Care Doesn #39;t Get Lost in Translation
(San Francisco) -- Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) joined Assembly Speaker John A. Prez (D-Los Angeles) and San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee for a news...

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In Santa Cruz, affordable health care elusive for some: High premiums, aided by high subsidies

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SANTA CRUZ -- The price of health care under the Affordable Care Act varies widely depending on where you live, and in Santa Cruz County that means some of the highest premiums in the country.

According to a 50-state analysis by the Sentinel and other newspapers, the Central Coast pays a high price health coverage compared to other regions in California and across the country.

One silver lining is that the costs can be heavily offset by tax subsidies for many middle- and lower-income families. But families that don't qualify for a tax break will see health care affordability promised under the new law fall off a cliff.

"The ones on the edges, it's really a dangerous spot to sit on. Subsidy versus no subsidy is so dramatic, and it's a worry," said Sharon Martin, a Santa Cruz-based broker at Dettle Insurance Agency. "You make a few dollars more and it makes a huge difference."

The Sentinel analyzed premium and subsidy data for the federal health care exchange and each of the 16 states operating their own exchanges, including Covered California. Within each state, rates are further broken down into rating areas, with 501 in total across the nation.

It makes a difference where you live. Santa Cruz and the Central Coast have among the highest premiums in the country, ranking 26th out of 501, and fourth-highest in California.

San Mateo County leads the state in premium costs, and, for a 50-year-old nonsmoker shopping for a so-called "silver" plan, costs nearly $200 a month more than if the same person lived in the eastern part of the Los Angeles basin.

Experts say the different prices are due to the availability of doctor, hospital and clinic networks, whether health care giant Kaiser-Permanente is a local operator and if there is robust regional competition, with sparsely served rural areas often facing higher rates.

"Some of those same characteristics are true (on the Central Coast)," said Marian Mulkey, director of health reform and public programs at the California HealthCare Foundation. "There are only a couple of hospitals, and there are some providers with some pretty significant negotiating clout."

Another factor is whether there are large numbers of uninsured who suddenly became buyers under the law. While the number of people with insurance on the Central Coast has been relatively high, competition for buyers appears to be pushing down prices in some areas.

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In Santa Cruz, affordable health care elusive for some: High premiums, aided by high subsidies

Samaritan COO outlines health care changes, opportunities

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Although health care reform is confusing, it is also an exciting time in our history to improve the health of individuals in our communities, Kim Whitley told members of the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce Wednesday during that groups monthly lunch forum.

Whitley is the chief operating officer for Samaritan Health Plan Operations, which serves nearly 62,000 members. She has degrees in biology and psychology from Gonzaga University and a masters degree in public administration with an emphasis in health care from the University of Idaho.

Whitley used a YouTube video to summarize the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (often referred to as Obamacare).

It noted that companies with more than 50 employees will be required to provide health care insurance or pay a penalty. Companies with fewer employees will be given tax incentives to help offset premium costs for their employees.

The act will not create much change for older Americans on Medicare, but Medicaid will expand considerably, offering coverage to millions of low-income people who are currently not covered.

Each individual state has the option of opting in or out of the Medicaid program expansion.

The act creates a health insurance marketplace, which was compared to an insurance megamall.

Individuals will be able to pick the amount and type of coverage they want or need, and in turn, balance their premiums.

There will be tax credits for low-income people, but the goal is to cover all Americans in some fashion either through their employer, the government or individual payments.

To support the changes financially, there will be new taxes, especially by wealthier individuals.

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Samaritan COO outlines health care changes, opportunities

Health district gears up for road ahead

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The Mark Twain Health Care District Board took the path most traveled this week by joining a lengthy group of supporters for a trail route through San Andreas.

We have a lot of wonderful segments, but theyre like isolated islands, said Jim Kavanagh, San Andreas Recreation and Park District board director. We hope to create pedestrian and bicycle opportunities to unify these elements.

The result is the Walk & Bike San Andreas Project. The proposed early phases would start at Calaveras High School, continue through Nielson Park and include San Andreas Elemen-tary School on to Turner Park. Later phases would connect Treat Avenue with the services and centers along Mountain Ranch Road, including the Alex Quinones Community Park.

We want to create feeder routes to the major trails, Kavanagh said, referencing the mile-long loop now being cleared at the ballpark. With two hospitals, the senior center, the government center, the library, the park how many people are in these facilities every day?

Kavanagh said of the large number of people who work in San Andreas, he estimates 80 percent commute and 20 percent live in town.

(San Andreas is) hands-down the largest employer, he said. Could we change that dynamic to make this a more attractive place to live? It is our goal and hope to create a network of trails, paths, walkways, contiguous sidewalks and crosswalks that can help make walking and bicycling in our community much more inviting.

Kavanagh said the recreation district is also working with Caltrans for more crosswalks across Highway 49. He said the plan also includes crosswalks along Mountain Ranch Road, which, along with the highway, are formidable barriers for bicyclists and pedestrians of any age, he said.

Encouraging activity meets the mission of both the project along with the health care district, Kavanagh said.

The key component of this is to have a healthier community, so we can just use our feet and legs to get us where we want to go, he said. Im a resident here and I love it, but you just about have to get in your car to go anywhere.

Health care district board President Lin Reed said this project has been a long time coming.

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Health district gears up for road ahead

Cushing's syndrome: Genetic basis for cortisol excess

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An international team of researchers led by an endocrinologist at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich has identified genetic mutations that result in uncontrolled synthesis and secretion of the stress hormone cortisol.

Cortisol is a hormone that is produced by the adrenal gland in response to stressful events, and modulates a whole spectrum of physiological processes. An international research collaboration has now identified genetic mutations that lead to the production and secretion of cortisol in the absence of an underlying stressor.

The discovery emerged from the genetic characterization of benign tumors of the adrenal gland which produce cortisol in excess amounts. Patients who develop such tumors suffer from weight gain, muscle wasting, osteoporosis, diabetes and hypertension. This condition, known as Cushing's syndrome, can be successfully treated by surgical removal of the affected adrenal gland.

Overproduction of cortisol

The team, which included researchers from Germany, France and the US and was led by Professors Felix Beuschlein and Martin Fassnacht of the LMU Medical Center, were able to show that in one-third of a patient population with such adrenal tumors, a mutation in the gene for the enzyme phosphokinase A was specifically associated with the continuous production of cortisol. This mutation had occurred in the adrenal gland and is therefore restricted to the tumor cells. The results have just appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine.

"The gene for phosphokinase

A plays a key role in the regulation of adrenal gland function, and the newly identified mutation causes it to become irreversibly activated, which results in the unrestrained production of cortisol," says Felix Beuschlein. In collaboration with a group at the US National Institutes of Health, the team was also able to identify patients who carry similar genetic alterations in their germline DNA. In these families, Cushing's syndrome occurs as a heritable genetic disease.

The elucidation of the genetic mechanism responsible for a significant fraction of cases of Cushing's syndrome provides a new diagnostic tool, and may also lead to new approaches to treatment. To enable further investigations towards this end, the German Cushing Register, which is maintained by Professor Martin Reincke at the LMU Medical Center, has received a grant of 400,000 euros from the Else Krner-Fresenius Foundation. A recently initiated European research consortium devoted to the study of Cushing's syndrome, of which Professors Beuschlein and Fassnacht are members is supported by a grant of 700,000 euros from the ERA-NET program administered by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research.

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The above story is based on materials provided by Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet Muenchen (LMU). Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Cushing's syndrome: Genetic basis for cortisol excess