Author Archives: ev1

Bond Labs Teams with Samantha Busch to Expand Social Media Presence

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OMAHA, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Bond Laboratories, Inc. (OTCQB:BNLB) is pleased to announce that its wholly owned operating division, NDS Nutrition Products (NDS) has entered into a promotional relationship with fashion, fitness and sports social media trendsetter, Samantha Busch. Samantha, one of the most recognizable personalities in NASCAR today, possesses a growing Twitter following (@Samantha Busch) in the widely-popular NASCAR world. Samantha is married to NASCAR driver, Kyle Busch. NDS is a national provider of innovative and proprietary nutritional supplements for health conscious consumers, whose weight loss, general health and sports nutrition supplements are sold exclusively through the GNC franchise system.

"This is another exciting step for NDS and we are thrilled to have Samantha as part of the team. With her unique personality and innovative style, she fits the NDS brand perfectly," said Bond Labs President and CEO, John S. Wilson. "Samantha's impact on social media in the fitness, sports and fashion world is enormous and I know that she can add a great amount of exposure to the NDS brand through her social media network as well.

"Social media allows us to stay close to our customers and Samantha gives us instant exposure to a massive audience. Im involved on a daily basis with our consumers on a retail level and through our web site, and we have seen the tremendous impact it can have for business growth, continued Mr. Wilson.

NDS will also work closely with John Paysor, Chief Operating Officer of KBM, and business manager for Samantha Busch and worldwide motorsport talent, NASCARs Kyle Busch. Mr. Paysor is widely considered one of the most profound sports & entertainment business managers, with an emphasis on leading retail strategy, licensing and sponsorship. "Im very excited to partner with NDS. We believe this relationship will greatly increase the reach of both brands and continue to fuel the growth of NDS in the marketplace," commented Mr. Paysor.

Keep an eye out for Samantha Busch and NDS in a city near you!

About Bond Labs

Bond Laboratories is a manufacturer of innovative nutritional supplements. The Company produces and markets products through its wholly owned operating division, NDS Nutrition. NDS produces over 50 products focused on weight loss, sports nutrition and general health. NDS products are sold directly through specialty health and nutrition retailers, including top-selling products at GNC franchises. Bond Labs is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. The Company's Common Stock currently trades under the symbol BNLB on the OTCQB market. For more information, please visit http://bond-labs.com. For more information on NDS Nutrition, please visit http://ndsnutrition.com. Follow us on Twitter: @NDSNutrition and on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/NDS-Nutrition/231245956899714.

About Samantha Busch

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle while living life on the road can be difficult, but with her experience in fitness, Samantha is dedicated to staying active and sharing her tips with the community. Her busy lifestyle and commitment to fitness earned Samantha the cover of Womens World magazine and a feature story. Keep up with Samantha on her website as well as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest for all her style, beauty, and fitness advice. Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MrsSamanthaBusch. Twitter: @SamanthaBusch. Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/samanthabusch/

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Bond Labs Teams with Samantha Busch to Expand Social Media Presence

Center for Productive Longevity Organizing Events to Stimulate Entrepreneurship Among Baby Boomers

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BOULDER, CO--(Marketwire -07/11/12)- The Center for Productive Longevity (CPL), which serves as the bridge between people 55 and older and opportunities that enable them to continue in productive activities, is organizing three more meetings this fall in the "Spotlight on Entrepreneurship Opportunities for Baby Boomers" series. The meetings are designed to contribute to a national momentum for new-business creation, which enables Baby Boomers to remain productively engaged and also facilitates national economic growth.

The events will be held for people 50 and older at Babson College in Wellesley, MA on September 14, Northwestern University/Kellogg School of Management in Chicago on October 11, and the University of Denver on November 15. To register and view preliminary agendas, visit http://www.ctrpl.org/entrepreneurship-meeting/overview. Sponsors of upcoming meetings include AARP, CPL, and a number of other organizations.

Each of the meetings will have presentations by three successful entrepreneurs. The meetings will also include two rounds of interactive breakout sessions on topics relating to new-business creation and how to become an entrepreneur, including: risks and rewards of being an entrepreneur, strategies for identifying and selecting potential business opportunities, developing a business plan or business concept statement, and exploring funding support.

The first meeting in the series was held March 27 in Kansas City, MO at the Kauffman Foundation, a focal point for entrepreneurship in America, and attracted 95 participants. The written evaluations indicated that the meeting was extremely successful: 87 percent of the participants reported that it increased their awareness and understanding of the benefits and opportunities provided by entrepreneurship, and 97 percent stated they were now more likely to create a new business.

This interest in entrepreneurship as a career after retirement is reflected in national research as well, with increasingly more people 55 and older creating their own businesses. In fact, according to Kauffman Foundation research, the relative percentage of entrepreneurs has increased by almost seven percent for people 55-64 from 1996-2011, the largest increase among all age groups; by contrast, the percentage dropped about five percent for people 20-44.

The minimum age level is 50, and qualified people can register now for one of the following meetings at http://www.ctrpl.org/entrepreneurship-meeting/overview:

The number of participants will be limited to 125 on a first-come basis. The cost of $35 per person covers inclusion of a spouse, if desired, and a post-meeting workshop on the "how-tos" of creating a new business. Payment to the Center for Productive Longevity must be received by the first of the month in which the meeting is held to confirm participation.

CPL has also initiated a national competition, the Later-Life Story Contest, for people 55 and older. The competition has two categories: Entrepreneur Success Stories and Inspirational Later-Life Stories. A panel of three independent judges will select one winner from each category who will receive $1,000 and a specially designed trophy. CPL will post the best stories on its website (ctrpl.org) under "Success Stories." The contest deadline is August 31, and winners will be announced on October 1, 2012.

To submit a story, visit http://www.ctrpl.org/laterlifestorycontest and complete a submission form. Entrants must be 55 and older, have a compelling story to share, and be willing to have it posted on the CPL website for viewing and for possible publication. Stories may also be sent to James Hooks at jhooks@ctrpl.org.

For more information on CPL, the meetings and how to submit entrepreneur success stories, visit http://www.ctrpl.org or Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/CTRPL.

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Center for Productive Longevity Organizing Events to Stimulate Entrepreneurship Among Baby Boomers

DNA Links Fox Murder, OWS Protest Scenes

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Officials have linked forensic evidence from the 2004 murder scene of a 21-year-old Juilliard student to the scene of a recent Occupy Wall Street subway protest, NBC 4 New York has learned.

DNA evidence from the scene of Sarah Fox's murder in Inwood Hill Park eight years ago has been connected to DNA from a chain left in a subway station by Occupy protesters in March, NBC 4 New York first reported Tuesday.

Fox was found nude and strangled in the park in May 2004, days after she disappeared during a daytime jog. Investigators recovered her pink CD player in the woods just yards from her body.

Sources said Tuesday the DNA found on the CD player matches DNA found on a chain left by Occupy Wall Street protesters at the Beverly Road subway station in East Flatbush on March 28, 2012.

"I hope the person or persons who killed this young woman are found and brought to justice," said BillDobbs, a spokesman for Occupy WallStreet. "We don't know anything about it... I hope no one jumps to any conclusions."

In March, protesters chained open emergency gates and taped up turnstiles in eight subway stations and posted fliers encouraging passengers to enter for free.

A "communique" posted online later that day by the "Rank and File Initiative" described the act as a protest against service cuts, fare hikes and transit employees' working conditions.

It was attributed to "teams of activists, many from Occupy Wall Street... with rank and file workers from the Transport Workers Union Local 100 and the Amalgamated Transit Union."

No one was arrested in the March subway protest incidents. Police are continuing to investigate, and are now working to try to identify the source of the DNA found in common with the chain and the CD player.

There's no immediate evidence that the DNA belongs to the protesters who chained open the gates.

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DNA Links Fox Murder, OWS Protest Scenes

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DNA Ties '04 NYC Death to 'Occupy'

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A DNA match has created a puzzling new turn in a prominent unsolved killing, linking crime-scene evidence from a drama student's 2004 death to a chain collected after a protest that claimed affiliation with Occupy Wall Street this spring, a law enforcement official said Tuesday.

A database of DNA samples recently matched DNA on the chain to material on a compact disc player found near Sarah Fox's body, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the official wasn't authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.

But the DNA hasn't been matched to any person, and it remains to be seen what authorities will be able to make of the unexpected find and what it might mean for a longtime suspect who has never been charged.

NBC 4 New York first reported the DNA match.

Fox, 21, was on a semester off from her studies at The Juilliard School when she vanished after setting out to go running in an upper Manhattan park on May 19, 2004. Her disappearance spurred a search that involved 260 police recruits, as well as volunteers, and thousands of dollars were offered as a reward for information.

Her body was found after six days in the park, with her clothing gone and her larynx fractured. Her CD player was about 100 feet away.

Police questioned a resident of the neighborhood near the park, Dimitry Sheinman, and he surprised them by saying he had "visions" about Fox that could help the investigation. Former Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau pronounced Sheinman the "No. 1 suspect," but Sheinman was never charged. He has denied any wrongdoing. No contact information for him could immediately be found.

The chain was used to hold open an emergency exit gate during a protest this March 28 at a Brooklyn subway station. Aiming to draw attention to transit issues by giving passengers free rides, the demonstrators opened exits at various subway stations. A statement described many of the participants as members of the Occupy Wall Street movement.

An Occupy representative didn't immediately respond to an email message late Tuesday.

It wasn't immediately clear who might have provided or touched the chain.

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DNA Ties '04 NYC Death to 'Occupy'

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DNA links Occupy protest scene, killing

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Occupy Wall Street protesters hold up signs outside near the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street In New York City on April 23, 2012. UPI/John Angelillo

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NEW YORK, July 11 (UPI) -- DNA taken from the site of an Occupy Wall Street protest in New York has been matched to DNA linked to an unsolved killing of a student in 2004, officials said.

The DNA from the protest site was taken from a chain Occupy Wall Street protesters had used in March to keep open an emergency exit door at a subway station to allow passengers to ride free, The New York Times reported.

The Juilliard School student, 21-year-old Sarah Fox, had disappeared while on a jog in Inwood Park in upper Manhattan in May 2004 and her naked body was found in the park nearly a week later surrounded by yellow tulip petals.

The DNA on the chain, which MSNBC reported was found at a Brooklyn subway station, matched DNA found on Fox's portable CD player, which had been recovered from Inwood Park several days after the discovery of her body, law enforcement officials said.

A law enforcement official told the Times it remained unclear who might have touched both the CD player and the chain or why. The official said it was possible that person was not the killer.

"Whether it's a friend or the bad guy, we have to find out," the official said.

Police had released Occupy Wall Street protest surveillance video showing people in dark hoods wrapping a long silver chain around the emergency exit door at the subway station.

Officials hoping to determine who chained open the emergency exit entered DNA from the chain into a database.

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DNA links Occupy protest scene, killing

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DNA Links Student's Slaying to 'Occupy'

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DNA found on a chain used by Occupy Wall Street protesters might lead New York police to new clues in the unsolved 2004 slaying of Julliard student Sarah Fox.

DNA found on Fox's CD player has been linked to DNA found on a chain the protesters used during a subway protest in March, sources told ABC News and its New York station WABC.

Fox, 21, was a student in the drama department of the renowned Julliard School. She had taken a temporary leave from the school when she disappeared May 19, 2004, after going out for a run in New York's Inwood Hill Park.

Her body was found naked six days later, surrounded by tulip petals. She had been strangled. Fox's CD player was later found in the area during a search for evidence. No arrest was ever made.

Now, DNA from the CD player has apparently been linked to DNA from a chain used during Occupy Wall Street protests on March 28, 2012.

Protesters wearing masks, hoods and gloves chained open the emergency gates to at least three subway stations in Manhattan and Brooklyn, according to Crime Stoppers. The suspects posted signs that said, "Customers ride for free." They also taped over the metro-card readers so that they could not be used.

The DNA was found on the chain used at the Beverly Road subway station in East Flatbush.

Sources said the DNA has not been linked to a specific person, and might not even belong to the protestors who chained the gates open.

Nobody was arrested for the subway protests. The NYPD had released surveillance video of the suspects chaining the gates.

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DNA Links Student's Slaying to 'Occupy'

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True Blood: SLU Scientist Investigates Clotting Factors

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Newswise ST. LOUIS -- Alireza Ray Rezaie, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, has received a $1.52 million NIH grant to study how the key blood clotting inhibitor antithrombin might be exploited to prevent premature death from heart disease.

The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute awarded the four-year grant, which will allow Rezaie to continue studying how to maintain the delicate balance between the life-preserving and life-threatening activity of blood clotting.

Blood clotting factors must be turned on and off at exactly the right time so a person does not bleed to death or die of an episode such as a heart attack, which is triggered by a blood clot, said Rezaie, who has engineered molecules that impose equilibrium on the delicate system.

Rezaie recently discovered that antithrombin, which is a molecule produced by the liver that turns off several proteins in the coagulation system, can block inflammation in the blood vessel wall. This inflammation can lead to heart disease as well as a violent, life-threatening reaction to blood infections called acute sepsis.

Rezaie is working on harnessing the anti-inflammatory activity of antithrombin to reduce the incidence and severity of heart disease and to save the lives of those who suffer from acute sepsis. He has studied the control of blood clotting factors for 23 years.

Blood carries nutrients and oxygen to the bodys organs and tissues as well as the ordnance of immunityantibodies and white blood cellsthat defend organs and tissues from infection. Given these critical functions, it is essential that bodies preserve blood against loss from bleeding injuries.

Imbedded in blood is the chemistry to stop bleeding before too much blood is lost. Whenever small cuts or bruises occur, the blood at the site of injury rapidly mobilizes clotting factors that build a plug at the breech in the blood vessel to prevent blood loss.

However, the ability to make blood clot is also the cause of vascular disease and sudden death for some when it is not controlled properly.

Efficient blood clotting can be a double-edged sword when clots appear at the wrong places and times. Heart attack, stroke and pulmonary embolism are life-threatening conditions stemming from clots that block blood circulation to the heart, brain or lung.

Currently, a patient who suffers a heart attack, stroke or pulmonary embolism is treated with heparin, a medication that prevents the formation of additional life-threatening blood clots. At the same time, heparin treatment puts patients at risk of uncontrolled bleeding by inhibiting antithrombin, which upsets the bodys normal response to injury and infections.

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True Blood: SLU Scientist Investigates Clotting Factors

Practical Nutrition: Lycopene makes tomatoes a good pick

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By: MARY-JO SAWYER | SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT Published: July 11, 2012 Updated: July 11, 2012 - 12:00 AM

When I moved to Richmond in the early 1980s, I had never heard of a Hanover tomato. Certainly we ate tomatoes in southwestern Virginia, but I had never witnessed such a fascination with this beautiful red fruit.

Botanically a tomato is a fruit. But it's closer nutritionally to a vegetable and most of us prefer to use them as vegetables in savory dishes. Whatever you call tomatoes, enjoy them because of their nutrients.

Tomatoes are low in calories and a good source of vitamins A and C. One medium tomato has 25 calories, 1 gram protein, no fat, 5 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram fiber, 20 milligrams sodium and 20 milligrams calcium. They're also a good source of the antioxidant lycopene.

Lycopene helps protect our cells from damage that can possibly lead to premature aging, heart disease and cancer.

Some studies show that consuming diets high in lycopene, and fruits and vegetables, can help prevent prostate, lung, bladder, cervical, skin and stomach cancers. It also might reduce the risk for heart disease and macular degeneration.

Lycopene provides the reddish colors of some foods. Tomatoes, pink grapefruit, watermelon and guava are the best sources.

Tomatoes have the highest concentration of lycopene, but it is absorbed better from cooked tomatoes, as in tomato sauce, rather than raw ones. Lycopene is fat-soluble, so add a bit of oil to the recipe to increase absorption.

While we have to make do with greenhouse tomatoes in the winter, locally grown vine-ripened tomatoes taste the best.

When selecting tomatoes, look for those that are firm and shiny. Size and shape vary, but they should have smooth skins without any cracks, blemishes or bruises. Colors range from red or reddish-orange to yellow or pink. Smell the tomato at the stem. It's a good tomato if it has a garden-fresh aroma.

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Practical Nutrition: Lycopene makes tomatoes a good pick

Quality and Safety of Mead Johnson Products Affirmed by Chinese Authorities

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GLENVIEW, Ill. & GUANGZHOU, China--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Mead Johnson Nutrition (MJN) confirmed that the Hunan Provincial Credit Construction Promotion Council has issued an apology for erroneous reports based on invalid testing related to the presence of Vanillin in infant formula products. The quality and safety of Mead Johnsons products and the regulatory compliance of its infant formula manufacturing processes were separately confirmed by the local office of the China AQSIQ (General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine).

We have an unwavering commitment to the integrity of Mead Johnson products, and are pleased that their quality and safety have been confirmed by the Chinese authorities and that the erroneous reports have been refuted, stated Matthew Chapple, Senior Vice President and General Manager China. Not only do our products comply with all Chinese laws and regulations, but they also meet or exceed all international standards such as those defined by CODEX as well as our own rigorous global standards. Samples of all of our infant formula products undergo hundreds of safety checks and quality tests before we ship them to market.

It is important to emphasize that all Mead Johnson products continue to be safe and parents can use them with confidence, as they have for generations, added Mr. Chapple. We highly value the trust we have earned from parents and healthcare professionals around the world and remain dedicated to our mission to nourish the worlds children for the best start in life.

About Mead Johnson

Mead Johnson, a global leader in pediatric nutrition, develops, manufactures, markets and distributes more than 70 products in over 50 markets worldwide. The company's mission is to nourish the world's children for the best start in life. The Mead Johnson name has been associated with science-based pediatric nutrition products for over 100 years. The company's "Enfa" family of brands, including Enfamil (R) infant formula, is the world's leading brand franchise in pediatric nutrition.

For more information on the company, go to http://www.meadjohnson.com.

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Quality and Safety of Mead Johnson Products Affirmed by Chinese Authorities

DNA links 'Occupy' protest scene to 2004 murder- Arrest made in 1985 killing of elderly couple

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Investigators have connected DNA evidence from the 2004 murder of a 21-year-old Juilliard student to DNA from an act of vandalism at Occupy Wall Street, NBC 4 New York reported.

Sarah Fox was running in a Manhattan park eight years ago and later found nude and strangled with her CD player a short distance away. DNA found on the CD player is linked to DNA discovered on a chain left by Occupy Wall Street protestors at a March demonstration in a Brooklyn subway station, the channel reported.

At the event, protestors chained open emergency exits and taped up turnstiles in several subway stations, and encouraged riders to enter for free.

According to NBC 4, there is no immediate evidence that the DNA belongs to one of the OWS protestors who chained open the gates.

For years, Dimitry Sheiman was the prime suspect in the murder. In June, he claimed to be a clairvoyant who wanted to help cops catch the killer, MyFoxNY reported. He insisted they came from clairvoyant visions and that he still communicates with Sarah's spirit.

Police are continuing to investigate.

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DNA links 'Occupy' protest scene to 2004 murder- Arrest made in 1985 killing of elderly couple

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DNA Links Murder Scene, OWS Protest Scene

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Officials have linked forensic evidence from the 2004 murder scene of a 21-year-old Juilliard student to the scene of a recent Occupy Wall Street subway protest, NBC 4 New York has learned.

DNA evidence from the scene of Sarah Fox's murder in Inwood Hill Park eight years ago has been newly connected to DNA collected at the scene of an Occupy Wall Street subway station vandalism in March, NBC 4 New York first reported Tuesday.

Fox was found nude and strangled in the park in May 2004, days after she disappeared during a daytime jog. Investigators recovered her pink CD player in the woods just yards from her body.

Sources said Tuesday the DNA found on the CD player matches DNA found on a chain left by Occupy Wall Street protesters at the Beverly Road subway station in East Flatbush on March 28, 2012.

That Wednesday morning, protesters chained open emergency gates and taped up turnstiles in eight subway stations and posted fliers encouraging riders to enter for free.

A "communique" posted online later that day by the "Rank and File Initiative" described the act as a protest against service cuts, fare hikes and transit employees' working conditions.

It was attributed to "teams of activists, many from Occupy Wall Street... with rank and file workers from the Transport Workers Union Local 100 and the Amalgamated Transit Union."

Sources said they have not connected a person to the common DNA. There's no immediate evidence that the DNA belongs to the protesters who chained open the gates.

No one was arrested in the March incidents. Police are continuing to investigate, and are now working to try to identify the source of the DNA found in common with the chain and the CD player.

Dr. Lawrence Koblinsky, a forensics expert at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said the DNA link was a major clue in the investigation, one that could potentially break the case.

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DNA Links Murder Scene, OWS Protest Scene

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DNA ties protest site to killing 8 years ago

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NEW YORK DNA recovered from a chain at the site of an Occupy Wall Street protest in March has been matched with DNA linked to the unsolved killing of a Juilliard student in 2004, law-enforcement officials said Tuesday.

The student, Sarah Fox, 21, disappeared while on a jog in Inwood Hill Park in May 2004, and her naked body was found in the park almost a week later surrounded by yellow tulip petals. The DNA on the chain, the officials said, was matched with DNA found on her portable compact-disc player, which was found in the park several days after her body was discovered. Police said she was strangled.

Investigators were seeking to determine the significance of the DNA match. One law-enforcement official said it was unclear who might have touched both items and why, noting that it might not have been the killer.

"Whether it's a friend or the bad guy, we have to find out," the official said.

The chain was used in March to prop open an emergency-exit door at a subway station as part of an Occupy Wall Street action to allow passengers to ride free.

The police later released surveillance video of people in hoods and masks wrapping a long silver chain around the door.

The investigation of the killing had focused on an artist and construction worker. Seven months after her body was found, the district attorney at the time said he was the "No. 1 suspect," but that there was not enough evidence to charge him.

The new findings raise questions about whether they have focused on the wrong person. Through his lawyer, the artist has denied any role in the killing.

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DNA ties protest site to killing 8 years ago

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Official: DNA match links unsolved 2004 NYC murder to chain used in Occupy subway protest

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NEW YORK A DNA match has created a puzzling new turn in a prominent unsolved killing, linking crime-scene evidence from a drama student's 2004 death to a chain collected after a protest that claimed affiliation with Occupy Wall Street this spring, a law enforcement official said Tuesday.

A database of DNA samples recently matched DNA on the chain to material on a compact disc player found near Sarah Fox's body, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the official wasn't authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.

But the DNA hasn't been matched to any person, and it remains to be seen what authorities will be able to make of the unexpected find and what it might mean for a longtime suspect who has never been charged.

NBC 4 New York first reported the DNA match.

Fox, 21, was on a semester off from her studies at The Juilliard School when she vanished after setting out to go running in an upper Manhattan park on May 19, 2004. Her disappearance spurred a search that involved 260 police recruits, as well as volunteers, and thousands of dollars were offered as a reward for information.

Her body was found after six days in the park, with her clothing gone and her larynx fractured. Her CD player was about 100 feet away.

Police questioned a resident of the neighborhood near the park, Dimitry Sheinman, and he surprised them by saying he had "visions" about Fox that could help the investigation. Former Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau pronounced Sheinman the "No. 1 suspect," but Sheinman was never charged. He has denied any wrongdoing. No contact information for him could immediately be found.

The chain was used to hold open an emergency exit gate during a protest this March 28 at a Brooklyn subway station. Aiming to draw attention to transit issues by giving passengers free rides, the demonstrators opened exits at various subway stations. A statement described many of the participants as members of the Occupy Wall Street movement.

An Occupy representative didn't immediately respond to an email message late Tuesday.

It wasn't immediately clear who might have provided or touched the chain.

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Official: DNA match links unsolved 2004 NYC murder to chain used in Occupy subway protest

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The Urban Scientist presents Dispatches from Tanzania #DispatchesDNLee

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Field Biology may be one the most romanticized career tracks of the sciences. Images of exotic wild places, muddy boots, trekking through forests or mountains or grasslands, enduring the elements, swatting mosquitoes and other pesky insects a scientist on an exhilarating journey exploring nature. Field work can be simultaneously amazing and exhausting, filled with lots of time waiting and negotiating, dealing with international bureaucrat systems, avoiding miscommunications, and at times dangerous. But isnt that what makes an adventure? I certainly think so.

Three days from now Ill be embarking on what is sure to be the most exciting adventure of my life: Field research in Tanzania, Africa! And yes, Ill share the whole experience with you! Demystifying science. Its what I do.

Dispatches from Tanzania (art work by @Lalsox)

This summer, July 2012, I am going to Tanzania, Africa to begin my field research studying African Giant Pouched Rats, Cricetomys gambianus one of the largest rodent species in Africa. Also called Gambian rat, it is most popular for its humanitarian work detecting landmines and tuberculosis. However, much less has been recorded about the natural behavior and biology of this animal. Ill be leading a field expedition to assess the natural history and basic behavioral biology of the African giant pouched rat. I will spend two and a half months in Tanzania, near the city of Morogoro, trapping, marking, releasing, and following these animals in the wild. I will collect information such as the number of males and females I catch, their reproductive condition, and the GPS coordinates of where I find them. I can then use this information to assess the mating system, dispersal patterns, and population structure of this interesting species.

African Giant Pouched Rat

In addition to the exciting research, I am also looking forward to visiting Africa. It is a beautiful and culturally rich land. Scientists have visited this beautiful continent for decades, sharing stories of discovery and wonder. However, rarely have these scientific explorers been women or persons of color. I want to share my experiences, as researcher, as an African-American, and as a woman, and offer an alternative image and narrative of a foreign explorer in Africa. Visiting Africa for the first time is as much a personal journey as it is professional endeavor to me. I want to share my personal accounts such as learning the culture and language, getting to know people, experiencing the food and sights, as well as behind the scenes of field research. Ill be living and researching in Tanzania for nearly three months.

Dispatches Sharing the experience, engaging the public Dispatches will be my electronic field notebook. I will share what I am doing on location. I will demystify the outdoor research experience and give readers a first look at the wildlife and ecosystems I encounter. With each expedition, the online audience will accompany me to exciting locations all over the world, visiting new ecosystems and learning about local wildlife and local cultures.

Essentially, Dispatches is a three-part science outreach platform to connect people directly to science, discovery and nature. As I travel to new places and participate in various research projects, audience will be right there participating in the discovery and exploration. The three-part platform includes:

I will make regular updates to my blog, tagging those posts as #DispatchesDNLee, so that you can follow the hashtag and keep up with everything. Post will include narratives of my experiences and photographs plus videos. For the videos Im partnering with the Summer Field Work Project coordinated by Carin Bondar of PsiVid. I will moderate my comments and answer readers questions, as time allows.

Something that I have always done whenever I travel around the world is send post cards back home to keep family and friends abreast of my safety and my adventures. I will send postcards with hand written updates from me while in Tanzania to people in the United States or anywhere in the world interested in knowing more about field biology, Gambian rats, Tanzania, as well as lovers of nature and world cultures.

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The Urban Scientist presents Dispatches from Tanzania #DispatchesDNLee

A deeper look into the pathogen responsible for crown gall disease in plants

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Public release date: 11-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Angela Hopp ahopp@asbmb.org 240-283-6614 American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Next week's Journal of Biological Chemistry "Paper of the Week" by Wai Mun Huang and colleagues at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center and the University of Minnesota reveals new insights into the molecular properties of the rod-shaped soil bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens, the pathogen responsible for crown gall disease, a tumor-forming infection in plants, such as tomatoes, walnuts, grapes and beets.

The bacterium is parasitic: It infects its plant host by entering through an open wound, inserts a small segment of its genetic code into the plant's genome, devours energy made by the plant, and forms knobby brown lesions on the plant stem.

Huang's group focused on the pathogen's genetic material. Most bacteria have circular chromosomes. But A. tumefaciens C58, the strain studied by Huang's group, contains one circular chromosome and one linear chromosome (along with two circular plasmids). Huang's research illuminates how this bacterium maintains its linear chromosome.

Huang's team ascertained the DNA sequence for the telomeres, or the protective end caps, of the linear chromosome in A. tumefaciens C58 and confirmed that an enzyme, TelA, actually forms them by making hairpin loops. These end caps are important for maintaining the stability of linear chromosomes. Interestingly, TelA also binds the telomeres. This activity is unique among bacterial enzymes of this kind and may protect the telomeres (which degrade over time and thus lose their ability to preserve DNA), as telomere binding proteins do in eukaryotes.

"Hairpin-ended linear chromosomes and plasmids are found in a number of branches of bacteria and viruses," Huang says. "They are simple and elegant to form and to maintain." But what remains to be understood is why this linear configuration is not more common or even the preferred configuration for bacteria, Huang emphasizes.

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From the article: "Linear chromosome generating system of Agrobacterium tumefaciens C58: Protelomerase generates and protects hairpin ends" by Wai Mun Huang, Jeanne DaGloria, Heather Fox, Qiurong Ruan, John Tillou, Ke Shi, Hideki Aihara, John Aron, and Sherwood Casjens

Link to Paper in Press version of article: http://bit.ly/MfBz8C

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A deeper look into the pathogen responsible for crown gall disease in plants

Dominican University professor explores links to breast cancer

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Dominican University of California associate professor Dr. Maggie Louie.

There will be no summer vacation for Dr. Maggie Louie, an associate professor of biochemistry at Dominican University in San Rafael.

Louie and her two student assistants are working through the summer, continuing their research into the role that the heavy metal cadmium plays in the incidence of breast cancer. She and her team have received more than $450,000 in grants from the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health to fund their work.

In April, Louie released research results that show cancer cells become increasingly aggressive the longer they are exposed to small concentrations of cadmium, commonly found in cosmetics, food, water and air particles. While other studies had previously shown links between acute cadmium exposure and breast cancer, Louie's study is one of only a few to link chronic cadmium exposure to the disease.

Now, Louie says she is investigating further to understand the biochemical process involved, and she believes she has found a protein that plays a key role.

"We've identified a potential player, which is stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1)," Louie said, "and we're trying to figure out how this small protein is being regulated by cadmium and what its role is in terms of increasing the cancer's ability to metastasize."

Louie said, "Unfortunately, cadmium is all around us. Cadmium is in our food, our water, our makeup, and our air."

Cadmium is produced mainly as a byproduct

Louie said many people believe there is nothing to worry about because the levels of exposure are so low. She, however, has her doubts.

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Dominican University professor explores links to breast cancer

Spaceflight may extend the lifespan of microscopic worm

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The effect of spaceflight on a microscopic worm - Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) - could help it to live longer. The discovery was made by an international group of scientists studying the loss of bone and muscle mass experienced by astronauts after extended flights in space. The results of this research have been published, July 5 2012, in the online journal Scientific Reports.

Dr Nathaniel Szewczyk, from The University of Nottingham, was part of the ICE-FIRST project which involved scientists from Japan, France, the US, and Canada. They discovered that spaceflight suppressed accumulation of toxic proteins that normally accumulate within aging muscle. They also discovered a group of genes that are expressed at lower levels during spaceflight. When the expression of these same genes were lowered in worms back on Earth the worms lived longer.

Dr Szewczyk, an expert in muscle metabolism, said: "We identified seven genes, which were down-regulated in space and whose inactivation extended lifespan under laboratory conditions."

How do these genes play a role in longevity control? "We are not entirely certain, but it would appear that these genes are involved in how the worm senses the environment and signals changes in metabolism in order to adapt to the environment.

"For example, one of the genes we have identified encodes insulin which, because of diabetes, is well known to be associated with metabolic control. In worms, flies, and mice insulin is also associated with modulation of lifespan."

What could this mean for space travellers? "Well, most of us know that muscle tends to shrink in space. These latest results suggest that this is almost certainly an adaptive response rather than a pathological one. Counter-intuitively, muscle in space may age better than on Earth. It may also be that spaceflight slows the process of aging."

Dr Szewczyk's role was to provide expertise in the culturing of worms in CeMM - a special liquid food for worms. Dr Szewczyk transported the samples to and from the Russian launch site and ran a series of 'health' checks to ensure that the tiny astronauts were fit for flying. On their return he helped with the analysis of the data.

Nottingham's space biology lab Dr Szewczyk studies the signals that control muscle protein degradation in the human body. C. elegans is the perfect substitute for studying long-term changes in human physiology because they suffer from muscle atrophy - muscle loss - under many of the same conditions that people do.

C. elegans was the first multi-cellular organism to have its genetic structure completely mapped and many of its 20,000 genes perform the same functions as those in humans. Two thousand of these genes have a role in promoting muscle function and 50 to 60 per cent of these have very obvious human counterparts.

When the research began Dr Szewczyk was working at NASA. He is now based at The University of Nottingham's MRC and Arthritis Research UK Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research. He is one of the leading scientists studying 'worms in space' and his lab is currently the most productive 'space biology' lab in the UK.

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Spaceflight may extend the lifespan of microscopic worm

Do people want to know if they are at risk for Alzheimer’s disease?

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Public release date: 10-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 x2156 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

New Rochelle, NY, July 9, 2012Genetic tests exist to identify risk for the rare inherited form of early-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD) and to predict susceptibility to the more common, late-onset form of AD, but do people want to know, and how do they react? The answers can be found in the article published in Genetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. The article is available free on the Genetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers website.

"This article addresses a major disease of tremendous impact on increasing numbers of people and documents the large psychological component that physicians and genetic counselors must be ready to address." says Kenneth I. Berns, MD, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Genetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers, and Director of the University of Florida's Genetics Institute, College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL.

In the article "To Know or Not to Know: An Update of the Literature on the Psychological and Behavioral Impact of Genetic Testing for Alzheimer Disease Risk," B. Rahman and a team of researchers from Australia review the latest studies on whether people at risk for early-onset familial AD want to know their genetic profile and actually undertake testing, and how they tend to respond to the results. They also evaluate the attitudes of the general population and people with a family history of late-onset AD toward testing for disease risk factors and what motivates them to undergo genetic testing.

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About the Journal

Genetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published 10 times per year in print and online that reports on all aspects of genetic testing, including molecular and biochemical based tests and varied clinical situations; ethical, legal, social, and economic aspects of genetic testing; and issues concerning effective genetic counseling. Tables of contents and a free sample issue may be viewed on the Genetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers website.

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Human Gene Therapy and OMICS. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 70 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available at Mary Ann Liebert, Inc..

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Do people want to know if they are at risk for Alzheimer's disease?

New CDC study on racial disparities in infant mortality published in Journal of Women’s Health

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Public release date: 10-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

New Rochelle, NY, July 10, 2012Improving access to health care for minority women of childbearing age could improve pregnancy outcomes and reduce racial differences in infant mortality, according to an article in Journal of Women's Health, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Journal of Women's Health website at http://www.liebertpub.com/jwh.

Infant mortality rates for non-Hispanic blacks and other minorities are much higher than for non-Hispanic whites. Better preconception heath care for women is a promising strategy for reducing racial disparities in reproductive health outcomes. This may include reducing behavioral risk factors such as smoking, obesity, and excessive drinking. It could also involve greater access to preventive care and preconception and reproductive counseling.

The article "Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Preconception Risk Factors and Preconception Care" by Clark Denny, PhD and colleagues, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Atlanta, GA), estimated the prevalence of five risk factors for negative pregnancy outcomes in more than 54,600 women ages 18-44 years. They found that more than half of the women had at least one risk factor and nearly 20% of women had two or more risk factors.

An accompanying Editorial, "Forthcoming Changes in Healthcare Financing and Delivery Offer Opportunities for Reducing Racial Disparities in Risks to Reproductive Health" by Anne Dunlop, MD, MPH and Darcie Everett, MD, MPH, Emory University School of Medicine (Atlanta, GA), highlights changes in health care policy, financing, and delivery that will expand coverage, emphasize prevention, and improve access to preconception and reproductive health care for lower-income Americans.

"Clearly, there is a need for better preconception health care, particularly among high-risk groups, in order to improve pregnancy outcomes and reduce racial disparities," says Editor-In-Chief Susan G. Kornstein, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Women's Health, Executive Director of the Virginia Commonwealth University Institute for Women's Health, Richmond, VA, and President of the Academy of Women's Health.

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About the Journal

Journal of Women's Health, published monthly, is a core multidisciplinary journal dedicated to the diseases and conditions that hold greater risk for or are more prevalent among women, as well as diseases that present differently in women. The Journal covers the latest advances and clinical applications of new diagnostic procedures and therapeutic protocols for the prevention and management of women's healthcare issues. Tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Journal of Women's Health website at http://www.liebertpub.com/jwh. Journal of Women's Health is the Official Journal of the Academy of Women's Health.

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New CDC study on racial disparities in infant mortality published in Journal of Women's Health

DNA linked to two Santa Fe murders

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SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) - Police say they have a DNA hit that links two murders just a few blocks apart.

Police have always suspected two Santa Fe killings were connected because one victim was a homeowner who walked in on burglars in his house.

Santa Fe police believe David Martinez ran with a group of burglars while he was alive. He or someone in that group killed a man who walked in on them as they were stealing from him.

That was in February when Ethaan Boyer, 34, who was a community volunteer and owned a graphic design company, was killed inside his Santa Fe home after coming home from work.

Police have not made an arrest in that murder.

A couple of weeks later David Martinez was shot and killed just a few blocks away, the body was dumped in a neighboring park..

His brother, Felix Martinez, admitted to shooting him at their home with the help of a man police considers another serial burglar, Sam Leyba.

They have been in jail since the shooting.

Santa Fe police have been trying to link the two murders since March to solve Boyer's case.

Detectives sifted through garbage at the Martinez home and the landfill looking for evidence.

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DNA linked to two Santa Fe murders

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