Author Archives: ev1

Minister Ambrose Visits Leading Edge Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory in Canada

Posted on by

WINNIPEG, MANITOBA--(Marketwired - Sep 17, 2013) - The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Health, and Member of Parliament Joyce Bateman, Winnipeg South Centre, today visited the Public Health Agency of Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) to meet with scientists and see first-hand the latest leading edge research and innovation contributing to protecting the health of Canadians.

"Our Government understands the importance of scientific research," said Minister Ambrose. "Scientific research and innovation will continue to be a priority because they make advances in healthcare possible and ultimately make our health system more efficient, more sustainable and more productive."

Highlights of the Minister's tour included:

The Public Health Agency of Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory is a Level 4 laboratory that is dedicated to the protection of Canadians and global public health. Through internationally recognized leadership, scientific excellence and public health innovation, the NML conducts research on established, emerging and rare pathogens. Its activities include disease surveillance; reference microbiology services; and emergency preparedness and response.

For well over a decade, the NML has played a leading role in Canada's response to several public health challenges both domestically and internationally, including the appearance of West Nile virus in 1999, SARS in 2003 and H1N1 in 2009.

The NML is internationally renowned among laboratories for safety and security systems. The lab continues to meet or exceed all national and international standards for biocontainment. It is also a world leader when it comes to strong connections with the community and the lab's Community Liaison Committee is a role model for other high containment laboratories.

"Our Government is pleased to support Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory," said Minister Ambrose. "We are a world leader in innovation and research and this leading edge laboratory demonstrates what we have to offer Canada and the world."

Minister Ambrose is also holding a roundtable meeting with health leaders to explore the role of technological innovation in improving the efficiency and productivity of the healthcare system. The Minister will be holding similar roundtable sessions in various locations across Canada. Each roundtable meeting will include researchers, healthcare practitioners, IT innovators, and system management experts.

galement offert en franais

Public Health Agency of Canada news releases are available on the Internet at: http://www.phac.gc.ca

Read the rest here:
Minister Ambrose Visits Leading Edge Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory in Canada

Viruses and algae in the Sea

Posted on by

16.09.2013 - (idw) Max-Planck-Institut fr marine Mikrobiologie

Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology and their colleagues from the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research uncover how viruses regulate carbon release from the alga Phaeocystis globosa. They published their discovery in the ISME Journal.

Phaeocystis globosa is an alga forming harmful blooms in the coastal waters of the North Sea. The decay of algal biomass at the end of the bloom leads to massive release of organic matter, which in turn stimulates the growth of a variety of heterotrophic gamma- and alpha-proteobacteria. An important source of mortality for these algae are lytic P. globosa viruses. We therefore investigated how algal viral infection and subsequent lysis affects the community structure of the associated bacteria, explains Dr. Abdul R. Sheik, the lead author of this study. In control experiments they showed that the bacterial composition of infected algal cultures differed from non-infected cultures after 5 hours. In order to understand the underlying mechanism Dr. Sheik and colleagues monitored the uptake of the released organic material by the bacterioplankton using isotopically-labeled algal biomass (with isotopes of nitrogen and carbon). Assimilation of the substrate was quantified in single bacterial cells using imaging secondary ion mass spectrometry (nanoSIMS) with a sub-micrometer spatial resolution. Surprisingly, we saw colonization of algal cells and uptake of labeled carbon and nitrogen by Alteromonas cells long before the algal cells lysed, explains Abdul Sheik. This suggests that infected but still intact algae can already shape the microbial community composition by excretion or leakage of organic matter.

These results reveal a new pathway in the transfer of algal biomass to the bacterioplankton and, in a larger picture, new mechanism of retaining carbon in the euphotic zone.

Further Information Dr. Abdul R. Sheik, +352 46 66 44 5746, abdul.sheik@uni.lu Prof. Dr. Marcel Kuypers, +49 421 2028602, mkuypers@mpi-bremen.de

Press office Dr. Manfred Schloesser, +49 421 2028704, mschloes@mpi-bremen.de

Involved institutions Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystems Dynamics, Amsterdam

Original article Responses of the coastal bacterial community to viral infection of the algae Phaeocystis globosa Abdul R. Sheik, Corina P. D. Brussaard, Gaute Lavik, Phyllis Lam, Niculina Musat, Andreas Krupke, Sten Littmann, Marc Strous and Marcel M. M. Kuypers doi: 10.1038/ismej.2013.135 Weitere Informationen:http://www.mpi-bremen.de Webpage of the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology

Read more:
Viruses and algae in the Sea

Indian girl, 13, enrolls in microbiology master’s

Posted on by

Biswajeet Banerjee, The Associated Press Published Monday, September 16, 2013 8:23AM EDT

LUCKNOW, India -- In a country where many girls are still discouraged from going to school, Sushma Verma is having anything but a typical childhood.

The 13-year-old girl from a poor family in north India has enrolled in a master's degree in microbiology, after her father sold his land to pay for some of his daughter's tuition in the hope of catapulting her into India's growing middle class.

Verma finished high school at 7 and earned an undergraduate degree at age 13 -- milestones she said were possible only with the sacrifices and encouragement of her uneducated and impoverished parents.

"They allowed me to do what I wanted to do," Verma said in an interview Sunday, speaking her native language of Hindi. "I hope that other parents don't impose their choices on their children."

Sushma lives a very modest life with her three younger siblings and her parents -- eating, sleeping and studying alongside them in a cramped single-room apartment in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh state.

Their only income is her father's daily wage of up to 200 rupees (less than $3.50) for labouring on construction sites. Their most precious possessions include a study table and a second-hand computer.

It is not a great atmosphere for studying, she admitted. "There are a lot of dreams ... All of them cannot be fulfilled."

But having no television and little else at home has advantages, she said. "There is nothing to do but study."

Sushma begins her studies next week at Lucknow's B. R. Ambedkar Central University, though her father is already ferrying her to and from campus each day on his bicycle so she can meet with teachers before classes begin.

The rest is here:
Indian girl, 13, enrolls in microbiology master's

13-Year-Old Child Prodigy From India, Sushma Verma, Begins Her Pursuit For A Master’s In Microbiology

Posted on by

The Associated Press reports Verma will attend Lucknow's B. R. Ambedkar Central University and will get her masters degree in microbiology. The 13-year-old plans to work towards her doctorate but she will have to wait until she is 18 prior to enrolling into a medical school. Verma graduated high school at the age of seven, besting her older brother by two years. As noted by AP, Vermas brother graduated high school at the age of nine and went on to become a computer science graduate at the age of 14.

According to Verma, her success is due her family, saying to AP, They allowed me to do what I wanted to do. Education, at times, is not an option for many girls in India as families opt for marriage or push for a male siblings education. According to recent estimates, anywhere from 2.8 million to eight million children may not be enrolled in public school, reports the Guardian.

Even if a child is enrolled in public school, pupils have to face overcrowding and unsanitary conditions at understaffed schools. For girls, they face harassment and are too scared to report it, fearing they will be held responsible, notes the Guardian. Even though almost an equal amount of girls and boys attend primary school, girls are soon discouraged from continuing their education, opting to work, provide support for their family or get married.

Vermas father is the only source of income for the family, making less than $3.50 a day as a construction worker, reports AP. For her tuition, her father sold some land to help pay the bill while Sulabh International, a charity promoting social change and improving sanitary conditions in rural areas of India, gave the girl a check for 800,000 Rupees ($12,732) for her education. In addition to the tuition check, the charitys founder, Bindeshwar Pathak, also gave the girl an iPod, an iPhone, laptop, desktop computer and a LED TV and will give her 3,000 rupees (4,744.50), reports the Asian Age.

See the original post here:
13-Year-Old Child Prodigy From India, Sushma Verma, Begins Her Pursuit For A Master's In Microbiology

13-yr-old Indian girl begins microbiology master’s – NBC40.net

Posted on by

By BISWAJEET BANERJEE Associated Press

LUCKNOW, India (AP) - In a country where many girls are still discouraged from going to school, Sushma Verma is having anything but a typical childhood.

The 13-year-old girl from a poor family in north India has enrolled in a master's degree in microbiology, after her father sold his land to pay for some of his daughter's tuition in the hope of catapulting her into India's growing middle class.

Verma finished high school at 7 and earned an undergraduate degree at age 13 - milestones she said were possible only with the sacrifices and encouragement of her uneducated and impoverished parents.

"They allowed me to do what I wanted to do," Verma said in an interview Sunday, speaking her native language of Hindi. "I hope that other parents don't impose their choices on their children."

Sushma lives a very modest life with her three younger siblings and her parents - eating, sleeping and studying alongside them in a cramped single-room apartment in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh state.

Their only income is her father's daily wage of up to 200 rupees (less than $3.50) for laboring on construction sites. Their most precious possessions include a study table and a second-hand computer.

It is not a great atmosphere for studying, she admitted. "There are a lot of dreams ... All of them cannot be fulfilled."

But having no television and little else at home has advantages, she said. "There is nothing to do but study."

Sushma begins her studies next week at Lucknow's B. R. Ambedkar Central University, though her father is already ferrying her to and from campus each day on his bicycle so she can meet with teachers before classes begin.

Continue reading here:
13-yr-old Indian girl begins microbiology master's - NBC40.net

13-yr-old Indian girl begins microbiology master’s

Posted on by

Home Mail News Sports Finance Weather Games Groups Answers Flickr More omg! Shine Movies Music TV Health Shopping Travel Autos Homes Mobile Yahoo! News Search News Search Web Sign In Mail Help Account Info Help Suggestions Yahoo! Home Video Photos GMA Year in Review Odd Comics Travel Opinion Trending Now Who Knew? Weather The Upbeat U.S. U.S. Video GMA Education Religion Crimes and Trials Local Contributor Network Year In Review World World Video Middle East Europe Latin America Africa Asia Canada Australia/Antarctica Business Video Exclusives Today's Markets Stocks Personal Finance Marketplace Entertainment Video Clinton Concert Celebrity TV Movies Music Fashion Books Arts Theater Dear Abby Comics Odd News Sports Video NFL MLB NBA NCAAF NCAAB Soccer Cycling NHL Tennis Golf Boxing Motor Sports MMA Olympics Tech Gadgets Wireless Apple Social Media Security Open Source Gaming Apps This Could Be Big Upgrade Your Life Politics Remake America The Issues Women and Politics Press Releases Video Science Science Video Weather News Space / Astronomy Pets Dinosaurs / Fossils Biotech Energy Green Health Video Weight Loss Cancer Sexual Health Medications/Drugs Parenting/Kids Seniors/Aging Diseases/Conditions Blogs The Sideshow Katie's Take Power Players This Could Be Big Newsmakers Trending Now The Upbeat Who Knew? Nightline Fix Beyond the Headline Local Popular Search Keyword News Search

Original post:
13-yr-old Indian girl begins microbiology master's

Girl, 13, Begins Microbiology Master’s

Posted on by

In a country where many girls are still discouraged from going to school, Sushma Verma is having anything but a typical childhood.

The 13-year-old girl from a poor family in north India has enrolled in a master's degree in microbiology, after her father sold his land to pay for some of his daughter's tuition in the hope of catapulting her into India's growing middle class.

Verma finished high school at 7 and earned an undergraduate degree at age 13 milestones she said were possible only with the sacrifices and encouragement of her uneducated and impoverished parents.

"They allowed me to do what I wanted to do," Verma said in an interview Sunday, speaking her native language of Hindi. "I hope that other parents don't impose their choices on their children."

Sushma lives a very modest life with her three younger siblings and her parents eating, sleeping and studying alongside them in a cramped single-room apartment in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh state.

Their only income is her father's daily wage of up to 200 rupees (less than $3.50) for laboring on construction sites. Their most precious possessions include a study table and a second-hand computer.

It is not a great atmosphere for studying, she admitted. "There are a lot of dreams ... All of them cannot be fulfilled."

But having no television and little else at home has advantages, she said. "There is nothing to do but study."

Sushma begins her studies next week at Lucknow's B. R. Ambedkar Central University, though her father is already ferrying her to and from campus each day on his bicycle so she can meet with teachers before classes begin.

Her first choice was to become a doctor, but she cannot take the test to qualify for medical school until she is 18.

Follow this link:
Girl, 13, Begins Microbiology Master's