Author Archives: ev1

Edward Dennis of La Jolla takes scholarly approach to his long career in science

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Edward A. Dennis is Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and of Pharmacology in the School of Medicine at UCSD. He received his BA from Yale University in 1963 and a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1967, a Doctorate in Medicine (honorary) from Goethe University in Frankfurt in 2008, and he served as a Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School 1967-69.

Edward Dennis

At UCSD, Dr. Dennis has served as Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Chair of the Faculty Academic Senate, and on the Board of Overseers. He has also been Visiting Professor at several universities and is an adjunct professor at The Scripps Research Institute. He has authored 350 research publications, patented 15 inventions, and edited 13 books. Dr. Dennis was named an inaugural Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 1984, and was the recipient of the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biologys Avanti Award in Lipid Enzymology in 2000, the European Federation for Lipid Science and Technologys European Lipid Science Award in 2007, and Yale Universitys Yale Medal in 2008.

What brought you to La Jolla? On Jan. 1, 1970 I started on a cross-country drive to a little village on the other ocean for my first job as an assistant professor in the formative days of UCSD. It was a great move and I never looked back.

What are your favorite places to go in La Jolla? I enjoy walking on the La Jolla Shores beach, the Coast Walk cliff and alongside La Jolla Cove.

If you could snap your fingers and have it done, what might you add to improve La Jolla? Rebalance the human and animal interests in the Cove.

Who or what inspires you? Im inspired by the creativity, curiosity, and inventiveness of the many outstanding educational/research institutions of La Jolla.

If you hosted a dinner party for eight, whom (living or deceased) would you invite? It would be a potluck six-course dinner, hosted by my wife and I with six memorable chefs, both past and present, each bringing their favorite dish. The list of chefs includes Julia Child, Pierre Troisgros, Tetsuya Wakuda, Alex Atala, Eric Pras and Thomas Keller.I

Tell us about what you are reading. The Entrepreneurial President, a recently published book about the leadership of Dick Atkinson, former Chancellor of UCSD and president of the University of California.

What would be your dream vacation? A flying tour of the greatest vineyards of the world starting in California and progressing south to Argentina and Chile, west to New Zealand, across Australia, on to South Africa, then to Germany, and finally, France.

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Edward Dennis of La Jolla takes scholarly approach to his long career in science

Anatomy of a Toy Slump

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By William Bias - August 7, 2012 | Tickers: HAS, MAT | 0 Comments

William is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network -- entries represent the personal opinions of our bloggers and are not formally edited.

In a previous article I discussed the Perils of Nostalgic Investing in which affinity for a product such as Hasbros (NASDAQ: HAS) Transformers or Mattels (NASDAQ: MAT) Matchbox cars can lead to faulty assumptions that the company that makes these products must be a good investment. I noted that it is important to do ones research before taking the plunge.

I also noted that there were some opportunities for Hasbro with the then up and coming Battleship movie based on the popular game Battleship and the future release of G.I. Joe: Retaliation, which is based on the G.I. Joe toy line. When researching for this story, I decided that Hasbro and Mattel are suffering a slump brought on basically by being in between popular movies and the stronger dollar.

The Inter-Movie Slump

The first movie opportunity, Battleship, was not a blockbuster hit compared to The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises. Hasbros consolidated net revenue declined 8% for the six months ending July 1, 2012. Hasbro did note an up-tick in the Battleship portion of its revenue during that time frame so the movie did some good in promoting sales of the game but probably not as well as anticipated.

The second opportunity I saw for Hasbro is the anticipated release of G.I. Joe: Retaliation. I thought this would generate interest in their G.I. Joe product line and thus boost consolidated revenues. However, at the last minute Paramount pictures decided to delay the release of the movie from June 2012 until March 2013 in order to convert the movie to 3D. This will extend a delay in the spike of interest in G.I. Joe products to well past the holiday season. The release of the latest Joe movie before the holidays would have created interest in the product in the summer season in addition to boosting the all important holiday sales.

Transformers sales have also declined as we move further away from Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) and wait for a new sequel to be made. Animated series such as Transformers Prime and Transformers: Animated do generate interim interest in the products, but dont do justice to going to a movie theater and seeing live action robots in 3D.

Mattel also saw a 1% decline in its consolidated revenue for the first half of 2012, mostly due to a decline in sales ofCars 2 revenue. As we move further from the Cars 2 release date the products associated with this movie are going to experience a natural decline. Mattel will need more movie licenses to boost its revenue.

The Other Products

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Anatomy of a Toy Slump

Nutrition Blogger Fights North Carolina Licensing Rebuke

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WASHINGTON Steve Cooksey eats what he calls a cave man diet lots of meat and greens, no bread or pasta. He says it has helped him conquer life-threatening diabetes.

But when he wrote about his experiences and offered advice on his Web site, officials in North Carolina said he was breaking the law by providing nutrition care services without a license.

Charla M. Burill, the executive director of the North Carolina Board of Dietetics/Nutrition, called Mr. Cooksey in January to tell him so. The conversation was by all accounts civil, and Ms. Burill had a state law on her side.

About a week after they talked, Ms. Burill sent Mr. Cooksey pages from his site liberally annotated in red ink. She said that writing a blog on your beliefs was fine. But Mr. Cookseys Dear Abby-style advice column was unlawful. So was a paid life-coaching service.

You are no longer just providing information when you do this, she wrote of the column and the service. You are assessing and counseling, both of which require a license.

Indeed, a North Carolina law says that assessing the nutritional needs of individuals and groups without a license is a crime. Many other states license nutritionists and dietitians, but the North Carolina law seems to be among the stricter ones.

In her markup of Mr. Cookseys site, Ms. Burill underlined examples of unlawful advice, including this one: I do suggest that your friend eat as I do and exercise the best they can.

Mr. Cooksey reluctantly made the requested changes. Then he filed a lawsuit in Federal District Court in Charlotte, N.C., saying his First Amendment rights had been violated.

Cookseys advice, his lawyers wrote, ultimately amounts to recommendations about what to buy at the grocery store more steaks and avocados and less pasta, for example.

The First Amendment simply does not allow North Carolina to criminalize something as commonplace as advice about diet, they added.

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Nutrition Blogger Fights North Carolina Licensing Rebuke

Artist Encrypts Human Rights Charter Into An Apple's DNA

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Before Charlotte Jarvis applied for a license to do so, no one in the Netherlands had ever created an entirely synthetic DNA strand. The young British artist claimed that honor during a ten-month stint at the Netherlands Proteomics Centre, while developing an installation that has sparked debate among scientists about the goals of genetics and synthetic biology.

On August 4th, Jarvis unveiled Blighted by Kenning, the project she developed during an artist residency at the center. In an old dairy warehouse on the coast of Suffolk, she has installed a small apple orchard of thirteen trees. Each tree was grown in the Hague, the seat of the International Court of Justice. And hanging in the trees, one contaminated apple is encoded with a message: the Declaration of Human Rights, developed more than sixty years ago by the United Nations. During the opening on Saturday, Jarvis mingled with the audience as she ate the contaminated apple. Others like it had been sent to scientists to be decoded (and consumed)--the exhibition includes images of scientists (like the Dean of Science at Utrecht University) eating them.

The process for using the DNA sequence as a code to represent natural text is well established, explains Jarvis. When they decode the apples DNA, her collaborators will find the Declaration encrypted in three-letter codons, a tri-nucleotide unit consisting of a specific combination of Adenine (A), Thymine (T), Guanine (G) and Cytosine (C). Jarvis originally intended to infect the apples with actual bacteria made from the DNA, but as she recently explained to Dont Panic, its nearly impossible to legally exhibit a Genetically Modified Organism in a gallery, either in the U.K. or Holland, and asking people to eat the apples would have been out of the question. Instead, she extracted the naked DNA from the bacteria, and used spray-bottles to coat the apples. Since DNA alone is no more than the building blocks used to create proteins, there are fewer restrictions on its use.

DNA is an incredibly stable substance, so it will stay on the surface of the apple for many years, she writes. In the same way that in the right circumstances DNA evidence can be retrieved decades after a crime is committed. The idea, Jarvis explains, is to involve scientists in a show of support for research about genetics and structural biology, contrary to popular opinion that such research is dangerous to humanity--a forbidden fruit, if you will.

When Blighted by Kenning is complete, scientists all over the world will have reconstructed the DNA and returned samples of it to Jarvis. Speaking over email in the days before the opening, she says she plans to continue working within the field. Its while setting up for a show that I start to have new ideas, she says. I was discussing a new genetic art project with a curator just yesterday. The Suffolk exhibition is on view until August 26th, though hilariously, its possible that some unwitting Olympic tourist has already consumed a piece of the art: Jarvis tells Dont Panic that she accidentally left one of the apples on the London Tube.

[Full interview here; Images courtesy of the artist]

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Artist Encrypts Human Rights Charter Into An Apple's DNA

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$1M gift to endow UVa-Wise biology position

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$1M gift to endow UVa-Wise biology position Published August 7th, 2012 12:58 am

WISE -- The University of Virginia's College at Wise has received a $1 million gift from the estate of Carol Phipps Buchanan to create an endowed professorship in biology at the college.

The John C. Buchanan Professorship in Biology has been established in honor of her late husband, a former state senator and Southwest Virginia physician, the college announced Monday.

Sen. Buchanan, an alumnus of the University of Virginia, operated a general medical practice in Wise from 1971 until his death on April 15, 1991.

Sen. Buchanan represented a large portion of the region in the Virginia General Assembly. During his service in the state Senate, Buchanan sponsored the first state statute to provide workers compensation for black lung disease acquired by coal miners.

Carol Phipps Buchanan was a trustee of the Columbus Phipps Foundation, which has supported UVa-Wise in the past. She was known for her strong dedication to education. A community minded yet private person, she wanted her estate used to promote education.

"We are deeply grateful to the estate of Carol Phipps Buchanan for the generous gift," said Tami Ely, vice chancellor for development and college relations. "Endowed professorships allow us to attract and retain excellent faculty at UVa-Wise, which enhances the educational experience for our students."

The only branch campus of the University of Virginia, UVa-Wise offers Virginia's only undergraduate degree in software engineering among 29 other degrees and professional programs in the liberal arts tradition of Thomas Jefferson.

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$1M gift to endow UVa-Wise biology position

Mindray Announces Second Quarter 2012 Financial Results

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SHENZHEN, China, Aug. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/-- Mindray Medical International Limited (MR), a leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of medical devices worldwide, announced today its selected unaudited financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2012.

Highlights for Second Quarter 2012

"Despite the challenging environments in various international regions, we have once again achieved very solid performance in sales, profits and cash generation," commented Xu Hang, Mindray's chairman and co-chief executive officer. "All major geographical areas have delivered strong growth for the quarter. We are particularly encouraged by our good performance in developed markets, considering the volatility of those regions over the past year. We have also improved our gross margin and the healthy cash conversion cycle reflected our efforts in improving operational efficiency. In addition, we have launched new products in our IVD line and closed the orthopedics acquisition recently. Our reagent sales are continuing to accelerate. All of these are in line with the company's strategy to capture opportunities in the fast-growing consumable products markets. Going forward, we intend to prudentlydeploy our strong cashposition and continue to look for attractive investment opportunities worldwide."

SUMMARY Second Quarter 2012

(in $ millions, except per-share data)

Three Months Ended

June 30

2012

2011

% chg

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Mindray Announces Second Quarter 2012 Financial Results

Food and Nutrition Guidelines for Healthy Children

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Ministry of Health Media Release August 6th, 2012

Food and Nutrition Guidelines for Healthy Children and Young People

The new Food and Nutrition Guidelines for Healthy Children and Young People (Aged 2-18 years) were released today by the Ministry of Health.

These guidelines are a handbook for health practitioners who work with and for children and young people.

They provide evidence-based recommendations about food, nutrition and physical activity for this age group.

Two nutrition resources for the public have also been updated to reflect these recommendations.

The Ministry of Health Chief Advisor on Child and Youth Health, Dr Pat Tuohy, said today A concerning finding from recent research was that many children are eating treat foods most days. These are empty calories which fill children up but dont nourish them.

The guidelines provide advice about how to improve childrens nutrition and keep them healthy which includes keeping high fat, sugar or salt food for occasional use only, Dr Tuohy said.

Children and young people (aged 2-18 years) represent a quarter of our total population thats just over a million people.

It is known that good nutrition and physical activity during childhood and adolescence are essential for normal growth and development and will contribute to good health and reduced levels of chronic disease and disability in adulthood.

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Food and Nutrition Guidelines for Healthy Children

Nutrition Council targets 'zero malnutrition' in Central Visayas

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By: Philippine News Agency August 6, 2012 9:51 AM

InterAksyon.com The online news portal of TV5

CEBU CITY - An official of the National Nutrition Council 7 said it has zero malnutrition goal in Central Visayas, composed of the provinces of Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor.

NNC 7 regional nutrition coordinator Dr. Parolita Mission urges all local government units (LGUs) to reduce the percentage of malnutrition in their localities.

There should be no increase in malnutrition incidents, Mission said.

She said NNC 7 is close to achieving its goal because of its increased efforts to implement the nutrition programs of LGUs in the region.

She hailed Talibon, Bohol for scoring 98 percent in the recent evaluation of the local level plan implementation of the Sustainable Programs for Progressive Municipality campaign.

This campaign provides Talibons 25 barangays with birthing clinics. It encourages gardening for food security and raises funds for the program.

Talibon won the Maintenance Award for exemplary performance for six consecutive years.

Outranking the other cities in the region, Toledo City was awarded this years Outstanding City in the Region with a score of 93 percent.

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Nutrition Council targets 'zero malnutrition' in Central Visayas

Luminex Corporation and University Hospital of Wales Collaborate During Olympic Games

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AUSTIN, Texas, and CARDIFF, Wales, Aug. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Luminex Corporation (LMNX) announced today that Public Health Wales is using Luminex's CE marked xTAG Gastrointestinal Pathogen Panel (GPP) for outbreak investigation activities during Olympic and Paralympic training and events taking place in Wales. Results of a substantial diagnostic validation of the GPP test conducted by The Public Health Wales Microbiology laboratory team at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, are anticipated to be published in a peer reviewed journal.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100104/LUMINEXLOGO)

Luminex's xTAG GPP received CE mark in 2011 and is the most comprehensive test available to diagnose gastrointestinal infections. xTAG GPP simultaneously detects fifteen of the most common disease-causing pathogens, including viral, bacterial and parasitic infections, such as norovirus, C. difficile, toxigenic strains of E. coli, Campylobacter, Cryptosporidium, and Salmonella, all within 5-6 hours. Innovations in diagnostic technology like xTAG GPP provide the potential for rapid identification of the cause of outbreaks of gastrointestinal infection and improved patient care.

"We are very pleased with the performance of the assay to date in our validations comparing it to our traditional methods," said Michael Perry, Clinical Scientist within the National Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, Public Health Wales. "The ability to generate answers during a single work shift for a majority of the pathogens involved in gastroenteritis, compared to traditional methods which would have taken 2 days in some cases and much more work to return the same amount of information, is a significant advance."

"Seeing the contribution of our technology innovations and ability to make a positive impact in public health makes us very proud," said Patrick J. Balthrop, president and CEO of Luminex. "We are pleased to work with thought leaders like the Molecular Laboratory team at Public Health Wales, Cardiff, who continue to advance healthcare and public safety."

About xTAG Gastrointestinal Pathogen Panel (GPP)

xTAG GPP is a qualitative molecular multiplex diarrhea test intended for the simultaneous detection and identification of multiple gastrointestinal pathogens including bacteria, viruses, and parasites. The assay uses the proprietary Luminex xTAG Technology and the xMAP Technology platform to detect multiple targets in a single sample. xTAG GPP can detect Hospital Acquired Infections (HAI) such as C. difficile or norovirus, foodborne illness agents like E. coli or Salmonella and common pediatric diarrhea causatives such as Rotavirus.

More information on Luminex and xTAG GPP can be found at http://www.luminexcorp.com/gpp, or Luminex's European office at, Krombraak 13-15, 4906 CR Oosterhout, The Netherlands, +31.16.240.8333.

About Public Health Wales, Microbiology, Cardiff

Public Health Wales provides expert public health resources as part of the NHS in Wales. Public Health Wales Microbiology, Cardiff, is a clinical diagnostic and public health laboratory serving hospital inpatients, GP surgeries and communicable disease professionals throughout Cardiff and Vale NHS trust and is based at the University Hospital of Wales Cardiff. The laboratory comprises large clinical bacteriology and virology sections and includes the National Molecular Diagnostic Unit for Wales which provides extensive molecular diagnostic services along with collaborations to further infectious disease diagnosis. The University Hospital of Wales, (UHW) opened in November 1971, is a major 1000-bed hospital situated in the inner city district of Heath in Cardiff, Wales. UHW is the third largest University Hospital in the UK and the largest hospital in Wales, providing 24-hour Accident & Emergency and various other specialist departments.

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Luminex Corporation and University Hospital of Wales Collaborate During Olympic Games

DNA Dynamics Announces New Head of Studio

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LEAMINGTON SPA, U.K., Aug. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- DNA Dynamics, Inc. (OTC Pink: DNAD), a global developer and publisher of mobile video games and applications, today announced that it has employed industry executive Kevin Corti as Head of DNA Studios to drive the Company's future game and technology strategy.

Since late 2010, DNA Dynamics has largely concentrated its business development efforts on developing and publishing a portfolio of proprietary and licensed mobile gaming titles for delivery on the iOS and Android gaming platforms. However, according to Ed Blincoe, DNA's Chairman, President and CEO, "Expanding the reach of our mobile games to new audiences via online social networking venues, such as Facebook, has been a key long term growth objective for DNA since day one. Aided by Kevin's capable direction, we will now be proactively defining the tactical steps and strategies necessary to accelerate DNA's entry into this exciting and high growth gaming arena."

With more than 15 years of experience in online interactive media with emphasis in the consumer entertainment, marketing and education sectors, Corti has demonstrated proven expertise in overseeing the creation of social gaming applications, having built studio capacity on three separate occasions and delivering over 100 projects. Until recently, Corti served as CEO and Development Director of SoshiGames, a UK-based social games developer and publisher focused on music-themed games on Facebook and which partnered with numerous well known music industry companies to drive user acquisition. Prior to this, Corti founded and was Head of Serious Games at PIXELearning, where he led the acquisition and delivery of bespoke 'serious games' (B2B gaming applications designed to meet predetermined training and marketing objectives) for a slate of blue chip international clientele, which included KPMG, HP, Comcast, Raytheon and Coca-Cola, among many others.

CEO Ed Blincoe also stated that the Company "...has now begun a period of concerted effort to update its shareholders and the wider market with its plans and believes that shareholders will see great value in the announcement of new management team members, new game titles and new initiatives that the company is now engaged with..."

Blincoe also confirmed that a Operational Update will be released later this week.

About DNA Dynamics, Inc.Headquartered in Leamington Spa in the United Kingdom, DNA Dynamics is a worldwide developer and publisher of graphically rich, interactive entertainment currently delivered on iOS, Android, Apple Mac and PC. Through its operating subsidiaries, the Company has created, acquired or licensed a portfolio of highly recognizable or emerging brands that broadly appeal to its consumer demographics, ranging from children to adults and casual gamers to serious enthusiasts. For more information, please go to http://www.dnadynamics.net.You can also follow the Company on Facebook and Twitter.

For more information please email info@dnadynamics.net.

Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release may contain forward-looking statements, including information about management's view of DNA Dynamics, Inc.'s future expectations, plans and prospects. In particular, when used in the preceding discussion, the words "believes," "expects," "intends," "plans," "anticipates," or "may," and similar conditional expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Any statements made in this news release other than those of historical fact, about an action, event or development, are forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the results of DNA Dynamics, its subsidiaries and concepts to be materially different than those expressed or implied in such statements. Unknown or unpredictable factors also could have material adverse effects on DNA Dynamics' future results. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date hereof. DNA Dynamics cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Finally, DNA Dynamics undertakes no obligation to update these statements after the date of this release, except as required by law, and also takes no obligation to update or correct information prepared by third parties that are not paid for by DNA Dynamics.

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DNA Dynamics Announces New Head of Studio

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Fortune passes passion for biology on to her students

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Flora Fortune, a biology teacher at Columbus High School, poses on the first day of class today with the living ecosystem she keeps on display in a classroom sink. Fortune has taught biology for 19 years. Photo by: Carmen K. Sisson/Dispatch Staff

There's always something happening below the surface in Flora Fortune's Columbus High School biology class.

After 19 years in education, a teacher develops her own style, plying facts and fun in equal measure. It's a challenge, especially in state-tested subjects like biology, because pressure to cram massive quantities of information into the school day can amp the intensity and quell the enthusiasm.

But Fortune has loved science since she was knee-high to a tadpole, growing up in Lowndes County and absorbing her father's passion for the outdoor world. By the fifth grade, she knew she wanted to be a teacher, and by the time she graduated from Motley High School in 1979, she was certain she would pursue either education or nursing as a career path.

Instead, she joined the United States Army, where she spent nearly five years and became airborne-qualified, making her possibly one of only a handful of biology teachers in the nation who can dissect a frog or parachute from a plane with equal aplomb.

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Glencoe Software and 'The Journal of Cell Biology' Pioneer Publishing of Massive, Ultra-Resolution Images

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SEATTLE, Aug. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --The Journal of Cell Biology (JCB), The Rockefeller University Press and Glencoe Software are pleased to announce their next enhancements to the JCB DataViewer, the world's first system for presentation, sharing and archiving published scientific image data. Starting today, the JCB DataViewer can accept and publish very large images, made up of many individual tiles, and make them viewable online. The first example of this type of image is like none other -- an image of a whole fish embryo, made up of more than 26,000 tiled images recorded on an electron microscope. The tiles have been stitched together with newly developed software that allows thousands of tiles to be aligned rapidly and accurately. The image comprises 281 Giga pixels; displaying it in a web browser allows scientists the unprecedented opportunity to view the constituents of an organism at very high resolution. To our knowledge, this is the first time such a comprehensive, high-resolution view of an organism has been published on-line, for anyone to view and examine. Tiled images are common in many different imaging applications, including light microscopy and digital pathology, so the new JCB DataViewer technology opens the doors to these new types of data as well.

First released in December 2008, the JCB DataViewer (http://jcb-dataviewer.rupress.org) has been under continuous development to support new data types and to provide new functionality for its users. This new version of the JCB DataViewer allows authors to archive and share large tiled images and allows the scientific community to interactively browse the original data. Public availability of these datasets creates opportunities for further discovery by scientists beyond those that performed the original experiments.

The JCB DataViewer currently contains original image data associated with 261 manuscripts published in JCB, and the image data submission rate by authors is steadily increasing. Publication of tiled data will substantially increase the size of datasets hosted within the JCB DataViewer, but Glencoe Software, Inc., and JCB welcome and are prepared for the growth of this resource. Liz Williams, Executive Editor of JCB, said, "With the publication of very large tiled image arrays, JCB is very excited to be taking this next step in the development of new publishing tools to promote data sharing and discovery in the field of cell biology." Mike Rossner, Director of The Rockefeller University Press, added, "This update to the JCB DataViewer is part of our ongoing expansion of the image data formats that can be presented and shared by JCB authors."

The JCB DataViewer is based on open source software built by the Open Microscopy Environment (OME; http://openmicroscopy.org). Founded in 2000, OME builds and releases specifications and software tools for scientific image data, and its tools are used throughout the academic and commercial communities. Glencoe Software, Inc., has used OME's resources to build the JCB DataViewer and is a proud member of the OME Consortium.

Jason Swedlow, President of Glencoe Software, Inc. and co-founder of OME, said "OME and Glencoe Software are excited to be a part of this important development and milestone in scientific publishing. OME's infrastructure has many possible applications, and the whole OME team is proud of the work enabling access and sharing of very large tiled images in science."

Glencoe Software, Inc. is a member of the OME Consortium and provides commercial access to and customization of OME resources. With increasing proliferation and complexity of research image datasets and the need for secure sharing, analysis, and visualization, Glencoe Software is well placed to deliver secure, scalable solutions based on an open-source, community-driven foundation.

http://www.glencoesoftware.com

The JCB DataViewer hosts image data associated with articles published in The Journal of Cell Biology. JCB is published by The Rockefeller University Press, which also publishes The Journal of Experimental Medicine and The Journal of General Physiology. All editorial decisions on manuscripts submitted to the Press journals are made by active scientists in conjunction with in-house scientific editors. All published content is available for free six months after publication. Authors retain copyright to their publications, and third parties may reuse the content under a Creative Commons license.

http://www.rupress.org

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Glencoe Software and 'The Journal of Cell Biology' Pioneer Publishing of Massive, Ultra-Resolution Images

Lunch & Learn session Wednesday

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VAIL Vail Vitality Center's popular Lunch & Learn series continues Wednesday with a lecture from Dr. Heidi Archer on The Importance of the Thyroid Gland.

The thyroid gland is a two-inch long gland in the neck that has an important job: producing the thyroid hormones that regulate the body's metabolic function (the body's use of energy).

All of the hormones in your body work together, so levels of one hormone affect all of your other hormones, including thyroid hormone levels, Archer said. At Vail Vitality Center we can test your current hormone levels for any imbalances and help you bring your hormones back into harmony.

A sluggish thyroid, or hypothyroidism, is the most common type of thyroid imbalance. It occurs when the thyroid gland is under-active and may cause symptoms including:

General fatigue waking up exhausted no matter how much sleep you get.

Hair loss.

Weight gain (both fluid and fat) despite working out more and eating less.

Puffiness in the face and/or swelling of the ankles.

Low body temperature ice cold hands or feet.

Digestive problems (constipation, irritable bowel).

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Lunch & Learn session Wednesday

Buncombe Commissioners preview: Economic incentives, property reappraisal, longevity pay and more

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By Jake Frankel on 08/04/2012 06:59 AM

After taking July off, commissioners will hold a public hearing Aug. 7 on the $8.4 million in grants Buncombe County has promised to New Belgium Brewing Co.

In exchange, the Fort Collins-based brewery has agreed to invest $175 million in a new production facility on Craven Street at the edge of the River Arts District, eventually hiring 154 workers.

The county grants are in addition to the $3.5 million in incentives and infrastructure improvements being offered by the city of Asheville and a $1 million grant from the state One North Carolina Fund. All in all, the brewer has been offered roughly $13 million in incentives from city, county and state governments.

The hearing will give the public a formal opportunity to weigh in on the plans.

In other business, the board will consider setting the date for county property reappraisal to Jan. 1, 2013. The goal of the reappraisal process is to determine the fair market value of property for taxation purposes.

The meeting agenda also includes consideration of a rezoning request to allow more development on a 0.3 acre plot at 15 Tupper Road in Black Mountain. The Buncombe County Planning Board recommends approving the request but staff recommends denying it.

In addition, the board will consider several changes to county personnel policies, including longevity pay.

Commissioners also will consider dedicating the newly renovated Health and Human Service building at 40 Coxe Ave. in honor of Margaret Hall Coman, who retired as the director of the county's Department of Public Welfare in 1983 after 43 years of public service.

The board will meet at 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 7, in the commissioners chambers, located at 30 Valley St. A short pre-meeting review of the agenda will begin at 4:15 p.m.

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Buncombe Commissioners preview: Economic incentives, property reappraisal, longevity pay and more

DNA helps close old murder case in Fla Panhandle

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NICEVILLE, Fla. (AP) - Authorities say DNA evidence has helped close a 37-year-old murder case in the Florida Panhandle.

Catherine Ainsworth's body was found in her Niceville apartment on Aug. 30, 1975. She had been strangled and sexually assaulted.

Authorities say they've linked the crime scene to William P. Rouse, a New York man who had been based at Eglin Air Force Base at the time.

Rouse died in 2006. Authorities tell the Northwest Florida Daily News (http://bit.ly/N9gUoN ) that Rouse's relatives provided two hats he frequently wore for DNA testing.

Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office Investigator Travis Robinson says DNA from the hats matched DNA evidence found on a rug under Ainsworth's body.

Rouse had been Ainsworth's neighbor. Robinson said Rouse had given conflicting stories to the case's original investigators.

Information from: Northwest Florida Daily News, http://www.nwfdailynews.com

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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DNA helps close old murder case in Fla Panhandle

Posted in DNA

DNA clue to bone setter mystery

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5 August 2012 Last updated at 08:28 ET By Neil Prior BBC News

DNA mapping has shed light on a 260-year-old mystery of the origins of a child shipwrecked on Anglesey, who helped shape medical history.

The boy of seven or eight, who could not speak English or Welsh, washed up on the north Wales coast with his brother between 1743 and 1745.

Named Evan Thomas, he was adopted by a doctor and went on to show bone setting skills never seen before in the UK.

Now a DNA study has revealed he came from the Caucasus Mountains.

The boys' dark skin and foreign language led people to believe they were Spanish - a myth which went on for hundreds of years.

Evan's brother survived only a few days, but he went on to demonstrate he already possessed bone setting skills, including the first recorded use in Britain of traction and splints to pull apart the over-lapping edges of breaks and immobilise limbs while healing took place.

It's not yet a perfect match, but you can definitely say that their background was heavily influenced by this region.

Analysis of DNA from the 13th generation of Evan's descendants is now indicating that the brothers came from an area of the Caucasus Mountains, including Georgia, Ossetia and Southern Russia.

Anglesey bone setter DNA project director John Rowlands said: "When we embarked on the project, all the historical evidence seemed to point to Spain as being the most likely origins of Evan Thomas.

Read more:
DNA clue to bone setter mystery

Posted in DNA

Heart Patients Benefit From At-Home Care, Study Finds

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(HealthDay News) -- Patients with worsening chronic heart failure may find "hospital-at-home" care is a good alternative to treatment in a traditional hospital, Italian researchers report.

An estimated 5 million North Americans suffer from chronic heart failure, a condition in which the heart struggles to pump blood to the body. In the United States, worsening chronic heart failure is the cause of more than 1 million hospital admissions a year, and patients have a 50 percent risk of readmission within six months of discharge, according to the authors of a study published in the Sept. 28 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

But the hospital is often dangerous in itself, the study authors noted.

In the study, Dr. Vittoria Tibaldi and colleagues at the University of Torino, San Giovanni Battista Hospital in Torino, Italy, enrolled patients aged 75 years or older with worsening chronic heart failure. Some were treated at a general medical ward, while others received hospital-at-home care supervised by a doctor. Read more…

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Virtual IHC Services from Cleveland Clinic Labs

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Came across this as a CAP Today commercial message from Cleveland Clinic entitled "Diagnose Patients Faster with Cleveland Clinic Labs"

eIHC solutions similar to Clarient it appears with Ventana images and Aperio scanning platform 


Leveraging Digital Image Technology for Rapid Interpretation of Immunohistochemical (IHC) Stained Slides

Incorporating technological advances in digital imaging (eSlides) enhances research, education, and patient care across the street and around the world. Cleveland Clinic Laboratories now offers web-based eSlides of IHC-stained slides to help optimize clinical workflow for IHC.

In collaboration with Aperio, a provider and global leader of ePathology Solutions, a secure internet site provides access for clients to read immunohistochemically stained eSlides on a computer monitor anytime, anywhere. When a case is opened, all case, specimen and slide information, as well as controls are conveniently at your fingertips.

The service provides access to eSlide conferencing and secure messaging allowing the pathology community to engage in dialog and exchange information.

The opportunity to view stained eSlides within 24 hours after the blocks arrive at Cleveland Clinic may help clients follow a staining algorithm rather than requesting batches of stains, some of which may ultimately be unnecessary.

For more information, please contact:

Cleveland Clinic Laboratories Client Services
216.444.5755 or 800.628.6816 (toll-free)
ClientServices@ccf.org

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TO: All University Departments, Colleges and Student Affairs Organizations

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TO: All University Departments, Colleges and Student Affairs Organizations FROM: New Student Services DATE: August 2, 2012 RE: UA Clicks: Mandatory New Student Event As we all prepare to welcome our newest Wildcats to campus New Student Services would like to take a few minutes to outline the details to our newest event for the incoming class of 2016- UA Clicks. On Friday, August 17th all freshman Wildcats are required to attend UA Clicks. The program provides a mandatory introduction to classroom technologies, academic expectations and information from the Dean of Students Office. A faculty member and current student will facilitate each session. Each student will attend a UA Clicks session based on his or her college. The chart below lists the check-in times and locations. Sessions will run for an hour and fifteen minutes. Attendance will be taken at each event. Students who fail to attend the event will be notified via their UA email account about a make up session that will be taking place on August 25th. College of Letters, Arts and Sciences – No Major Selected, General Studies and Global Studies Check in time at Centennial Hall:7:30 – 8:15am Eller College of Management Check in time at Centennial Hall:9:30 – 10:15am College of Science Check in time at Centennial Hall:11:30am – 12:15pm Colleges of Architecture, Humanities, Education, Fine Arts & Social and Behavioral Sciences Check in time at Centennial Hall:1:30 – 2:15pm Colleges of Nursing, Public Health and Pharmacy (pre-pharmacy) Check in time at Social Sciences 100: 8:00 – 8:45am College of Engineering Check in time at Social Sciences 100: 10:00 – 10:45am Department of Physiology (College of Medicine) Check in time at Social Sciences 100: 12:00 – 12:45pm College of Agriculture and Life Science Check in time at Social Sciences 100: 2:00 – 2:45pm Please encourage all students to attend this event. If you have any questions concerning the event please let us know. Wildcat Welcome: Web: welcome.arizona.edu Stefanie Basij Senior Coordinator, Orientation and Welcome University of Arizona Office - 520.621.1270 sbasij@email.arizona.edu

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What Would Happen Without PSA Testing?

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A new analysis has found that doing away with PSA (prostate specific antigen) testing for prostate cancer would likely cause three times as many men to develop advanced disease that has spread to other parts of the body before being diagnosed. Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study suggests that PSAtesting and early detection may prevent approximately 17,000 men each year from having such advanced prostate cancer at diagnosis.

PSA testing has come under fire recently as a potentially ineffective screen for prostate cancer. Last year a government panel reviewed the available evidence and concluded that PSAtesting has little or no benefit and that doctors are finding and treating non-aggressive cancers that are not likely to cause symptoms or be lethal. Therefore, many men may be experiencing serious treatment side effects such as incontinence and erectile dysfunction for no reason.

To see what might happen if PSA testing were abandoned, Edward Messing, MD, of the University of Rochester Medical Center, and his team looked at information from the years immediately before routine PSA testing was done (1983-1985) and compared it to the current era of widespread PSA testing (2006 to 2008). The information for the analysis came from the nation’s largest cancer registry, the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. The researchers were particularly interested in the records of patients who had advanced prostate cancer that had already spread to other parts of the body at the time of diagnosis. These cases are generally incurable and always cause significant symptoms very quickly if left untreated.

The investigators found that approximately 8,000 cases of prostate cancer had already spread to distant sites (i.e. – metastases) at the time of diagnosis in the United States in 2008 (the most recent SEER year). Next, they designed a mathematical model that used pre-PSA incidence rates of metastatic disease from the mid-1980s to estimate the number of such advanced cases that would be expected to occur in 2008 if PSA screening had not been done. They predicted the number would be approximately 25,000, which is about three times greater than the number actually observed.

“Our findings are very important in light of the recent controversy over PSA testing,” said Dr. Messing. “Although there are trade-offs associated with the PSA test and many factors influence the disease outcome, our data clearly indicate that not doing the PSA test will result in many more men presenting with far advanced prostate cancer. Almost all men with clinically apparent metastases at initial diagnosis will die from prostate cancer,” he added.

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the male population. In 2012 an estimated 241,740 new cases will be diagnosed and 28,000 deaths will occur. Prognosis depends on whether the cancer has spread, and the degree to which the cancer cells are abnormal.

Article: “Prostate-specific antigen screening for prostate cancer and the risk of overt metastatic disease at presentation: analysis of trends over time.” Emil Scosyrev, Guan Wu, Supriya Mohile, and Edward Messing. CANCER; Published Online: July 30, 2012 (DOI: 10.1002/cncr.27503).

Author Contact: Leslie Orr of the University of Rochester Medical Center’s public relations office at Leslie_Orr@urmc.rochester.edu or +1 (585) 275-5774.

CANCER is a peer-reviewed publication of the American Cancer Society integrating scientific information from worldwide sources for all oncologic specialties. The objective of CANCER is to provide an interdisciplinary forum for the exchange of information among oncologic disciplines concerned with the etiology and course of human cancer. CANCER is published by Wiley and can be accessed online at http://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/cancer.

 

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