Author Archives: ev1

Research sheds new light on kinky DNA

Posted on by

(Phys.org) -- A breakthrough in DNA research from the University of Reading could be used to devise new therapeutic treatments for cancer.

Professor Christine Cardin, from the Department of Chemistry, has seen for the first time how one group of metal-containing molecules interacts with DNA. The molecules create new steps in its structure that fluoresce or glow under the microscope. This sheds new light on how and why our DNA changes shape.

The double helix could be justifiably called a scientific icon. Graphics showing the intertwined strands are used to market everything from hair shampoo to high-tech medical equipment. Yet we know remarkably little about exactly how molecules which are known to bind to DNA change its structure.

This video is not supported by your browser at this time.

She said: "We now know that when molecules bind to DNA symmetrically within the minor groove they can't form other interactions, while those which go in at an angle can, linking to further segments of DNA and creating a kink. How molecules bind to DNA is important for designing probes for specific DNA sequences. Many genes are switched on and off when the right protein creates a kink in the DNA double helix, and a drug which could do this selectively could be a used to further medical research.

"This kinking behaviour probably occurs with other molecules, but this is the first time it has been directly visualized with a small molecule."

More information: The paper, Crystal structures of L-[Ru(phen)2dppz]2+ with oligonucleotides containing TA/TA and AT/AT steps show two intercalation modes', by Niyazi, H, et al., appears in Nature Chemistry, DOI: 10.1038/NCHEM.1397

Journal reference: Nature Chemistry

Provided by University of Reading

Read the original here:
Research sheds new light on kinky DNA

Posted in DNA

DNA match results in arrest

Posted on by

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla - A DNA match stemming from blood left on curtains three years ago during a home burglary helped police arrest a local man in connection with the case, according to a detective and records obtained Monday.

Ruben Toussaint, now 21, was arrested earlier this month on charges including burglary of an unoccupied dwelling and grand theft stemming from the June 2009 incidents, said Port St. Lucie police Detective Christopher Fulcher.

At the time, a woman living in a home in the 5800 block of Northwest Hann Drive told police she had returned from visiting her sister and noticed her residence had been burglarized, a report states.

A sliding door was shattered and some electronics were reported stolen. Police noticed what appeared to be blood on a curtain and took portions for DNA testing.

Fulcher said that in March 2011 Toussaint was arrested in Port St. Lucie in connection with battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting without violence. In November, Fulcher said, Toussaint was convicted of those charges.

"Once convicted, they took a DNA sample from him and placed it into this national database or databank," Fulcher said. "DNA from the curtain ... hit on that in the system."

Fulcher said Toussaint wasn't a suspect at the time of the 2009 burglary.

"We didn't even know who he was," Fulcher said.

Fulcher said Toussaint, who at the time lived near the burglarized home, denied being in the residence.

"DNA works," Fulcher said. "Where ever you step, where ever you go, there will be scientific evidence to find you later."

Read more from the original source:
DNA match results in arrest

Posted in DNA

DNA match leads Arkansas man to plead guilty to 1993 New Orleans rape

Posted on by

Faced with a DNA match, a 43-year-old man pleaded guilty Mondayin Orleans Parishto a rape he committed 18 years ago. Reginald Berry pleaded guilty to forcible rape and second-degree kidnapping, and Criminal District Judge Laurie White sentenced him to 22 years in prison under the deal.

Authorities pinned Berry to the crime through a federal DNA database. He had been living and working in Arkansas before his arrest on April 28, 2011, said his attorney, Aris Cox VI.

Authorities also had Berry pegged to another sexual assault, Cox said. A state grand jury indicted him in June, 2011.

"They had evidence. There was another allegation they were going to bring in should he have survived this trial," Cox said. "I'm sure they would have charged him with that."

Under the plea deal, that case goes away, Cox said.

According to Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro's office, the woman said Berry forced her into his residence in the 6700 block of Tara Lane in eastern New Orleans and raped her.

She called police and identified the perpetrator through a description of his apartment, but the investigation went nowhere, Cannizzaro's office said.

The woman submitted to a rape exam kit, and in 2007 a database hit identified Berry as a match. Again, the case lagged, Cannizzaro's office said, until New Orleans police laterstarted clearing up a backlog of unconfirmed DNA hits.

The victim was not eager to participate in a prosecution, according to a news release from Cannizzaro's office.

"It is always difficult to prosecute a case that is nearly two decades old and it is even harder when the victim feels as though she was not treated with respect during the initial rape investigation," Cannizzaro said in a news release.

Read the original here:
DNA match leads Arkansas man to plead guilty to 1993 New Orleans rape

Posted in DNA

Kevin Densmore Enhances DNA Seattle’s Strategic Media Capability as New Director of Media & Analytics

Posted on by

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

DNA Seattle, an independent full-service agency with expertise in brand strategy, advertising, digital strategy and media, announced today the hiring of Kevin Densmore as director of media & analytics.

With a 24-year career in media planning and buying, Densmore brings Effie Award-winning experience for his work on AAA/Washington and DIRECTV to DNA Seattle.

Densmore will oversee media planning and buying for all DNA Seattle clients, with a focus on innovative thinking fueled by great strategy, solid research tools for planning and state-of-the-art platforms for executing. His media expertise ranges from traditional broadcast, print and outdoor media to non-traditional that includes viral, online, mobile, events and trade.

I was attracted to DNA because they have a great track record of producing differentiating creative that is informed by great strategy. My focus is making sure that media first remains a discipline of innovating and not merely optimizing. We can support DNAs great creative work by developing innovative media ideas that on their own can produce big changes for clients, said Densmore.

Kevin is smart, thoughtful and a natural leader who brings a significant strategic strength to DNA. His depth of experience in traditional media planning, along with his thought leadership in new media and analytics will keep our media capability ahead of the curve in the market, said Alan Brown, principal and managing director at DNA Seattle.

Previously, Densmore was VP/director of media and analytics at HL2, where he oversaw media planning/buying and analytics for all accounts, including Microsoft HealthVault, Microsoft Response Point, Bing, Windows Phone, HTC, Overlake Hospital, H&R Block, Pike Place Market, and Vail Resorts. He has also served in various media positions with Draftfcb, Foote Cone & Belding and Campbell-Ewald/Los Angeles.

Densmore has a bachelors degree in journalism from the University of Oregon and a love of golf and basketball, which has led him to attend the March Madness of the NCAA basketball tournament 23 years in a row.

About DNA Seattle

Founded in 1998, DNA is a full-service marketing communications agency based in Seattle, Washington. The agency provides services in brand strategy, advertising, interactive and design. As one of the fastest growing agencies on the West Coast, DNA has a talent and passion for transforming brandsand helping their client partners win unreasoning loyalty from their customers and prospects in the process. Some of DNAs clients include: Group Health Cooperative, PEMCO Insurance, BECU, The Avon Foundation, F5, Executive Travel Magazine, GlobalScholar and University of Washington. Visit DNA on the Web atwww.dnaseattle.com, on Twitter at @dnaseattle and on Facebook.

Read the original post:
Kevin Densmore Enhances DNA Seattle’s Strategic Media Capability as New Director of Media & Analytics

Posted in DNA

DNA and Ericsson boost customer experience in Finland

Posted on by

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN--(Marketwire -06/26/12)-

-- Greatly improved end-user experience

-- Single customer care tool presents a real-time overview of the customer

-- Reduced churn and opex

Finnish operator DNA has chosen Ericsson (ERIC) to provide a Customer Experience Management (CEM) solution based on User Data Consolidation (UDC) for real-time data consolidation and exposure. This solution will enable DNA to resolve customer-care issues in a faster and more efficient way than was previously possible. As a result, the end-user experience will be greatly improved.

The DNA Customer Care center serves more than 3 million users -- a high proportion of who are mobile broadband users who demand high standards of service quality and user experience. With the new solution, DNA benefits from reduced time per call and escalations to second-line support, which significantly enhances customer satisfaction and loyalty and reduces churn and opex.

"Delivering high-quality customer care is at the heart of our business," says Tommy Olenius, Vice President, Technology, DNA. "The implementation of this solution gives us the optimal tools to monitor the customer experience and to proactively make adjustments as issues arise."

To support DNA in coping with increased demand for high-quality services and user experience, Ericsson put together a team of technical experts whose main focus has been to capture the needs of the customer-care organization.

Magnus Furustam, Head or Product Area Core and IMS, Ericsson Business Unit Networks, says: "DNA's focus on end-user satisfaction and operational efficiency and Ericsson's expertise in optimizing service have combined in this project to support a new generation of mobile broadband users who constantly pose new challenges to the customer experience management area."

After this first phase, Ericsson aims to further explore the value that can be created from the user data assets that DNA has in different parts of its networks, where the User Profile Gateway (UPG) is a key element for aggregation and exposure of user and network data. This will provide DNA with advanced solutions for proactive customer care, automated root-cause analysis and benefits beyond the mobile broadband area.

Visit link:
DNA and Ericsson boost customer experience in Finland

Posted in DNA

LISD releases STAAR results

Posted on by

Posted: Tuesday, June 26, 2012 4:00 am | Updated: 7:20 am, Tue Jun 26, 2012.

The Longview Independent School District students fared better than students across the state in English, reading and writing and matched their peers on biology during their first venture with the newly-implemented State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness test.

Monday, the district released results from the test.

While district eighth and ninth grade students did comparatively well in English and biology, LISD students lagged behind statewide passing rates for Algebra I and world geography.

All high school freshmen took the tests, as did eighth grade students who are taking ninth-grade level classes.

Rebecca Cooper, director of resources, planning and accountability for the district, said that the STAAR tests focus on fewer skills than the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills but expects students to have a more in-depth knowledge of the subject matter.

Texas is phasing out the TAKS and implementing STAAR.

The focus areas are clearer, fewer and deeper, Cooper said. These tests are more linked to college readiness than TAKS tests are.

For the five STAAR tests linked to typical freshman year classes, the overall passing percentages for Longview ISD were: English I reading, 72 percent; English I writing, 58 percent; Algebra I, 80 percent; biology, 87 percent; and world geography, 75 percent.

Statewide results showed ninth-grade passing rates ranged from 87 percent on the biology test to 55 percent on the English I writing test.

More here:
LISD releases STAAR results

NSU Resources Inc Appoints Chief Technology Officer

Posted on by

SAULT STE MARIE, Ontario, June 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- NSU Resources Inc (NOST) announced the full-time appointment of Dr. Robert Williams as Chief Technology Officer to oversee the commercial development and the commercial proving of the company's rare earth extraction process to target heavy rare earth elements, a group of rare earth elements for which cost-effective purification technologies are lacking.

Dr. Williams (49) is a chemist with a PhD in biochemistry with 22 years experience in the isolation of rare molecules in the industrial sector. He has authored and co-authored 1 patent and 10 papers. He has worked in various capacities in private and public companies, including Avance Pharma. Dr. Williams is a Nova Scotia native with substantive contacts in the mining and industrial sectors.

About NSU Resources Inc

NSU Resources, Inc. is a mineral exploration and carbon development company. Our mission is to become a vertically integrated provider of Rare Earth Elements. We are targeting growth from the acquisition of mineral and carbon rights worldwide.

Information: investors@nsuresources.com Phone 1-877-238-3173

Safe Harbour Statement

Sections of this press release contain forward-looking statements, which reflect management's best judgment based on factors currently known but involve significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including but not limited to risks more fully described in the "Risk factors" section of the Company's Annual Report and other risks. Forward-looking information provided pursuant to the safe harbour established by recent securities legislation should be evaluated in the context of these factors.

Follow this link:
NSU Resources Inc Appoints Chief Technology Officer

Loyalty cards may 'nudge' better eating

Posted on by

LONDON, June 25 (UPI) -- British government officials said they are considering a program of having supermarkets use customer loyalty card data to offer tailored advice on better diets.

David Halpern, the head of the Behavioral Insights Team, part of the prime minister's team known as the "nudge unit" -- which applies behavioral science insights to policy problems -- said supermarkets have more data than doctors have on their customers, and this information should be used for healthier eating, the Daily Telegraph reported.

The program involves shoppers who buy large amounts of snack food, alcohol or unhealthy products being identified and offered advice on healthier options or changes in their diet.

Richard Thaler, of Chicago, who is credited with developing the concept, met with David Cameron, prime minister, and other ministers this month, the Telegraph said.

Andrew Lansley, the health secretary, has said he would rule out government involvement in this type of program and other officials said they are wary of "big brother" accusations.

While it appeared to be understood that supermarkets would offer the "nudges," some in the retail trade said they feared customers might not appreciate the nudging, the Telegraph added.

Cameron had already advocated for homeowners and renters to compare their energy bills with those of their neighbors to evaluate whether they were using natural gas and electricity efficiently -- a program already implemented by some utilities in the United States.

Link:
Loyalty cards may 'nudge' better eating

Eating placenta, an age-old practice in China

Posted on by

06/27/2012

Shanghai After Wang Lan delivered, she brought home a baby girl and her placenta, which she plans to eat in a soup adopting an age-old practice in Chinese traditional medicine.

The health-giving qualities of placenta are currently creating a buzz in Western countries, where some believe it can help ward off postnatal depression, improve breast milk supply and boost energy levels.

But placentophagy the practice of eating ones placenta after birth is relatively common in China, where it is thought to have anti-aging properties, and dates back more than 2,000 years.

It is in the refrigerator now and I am waiting for my mother to come and cook it to eat. After cleaning, it can be stewed for soup, without that fishy smell, Wang said, adding she believed it would help her recover from delivery.

Qin Shihuang, the first emperor of a unified China, is said to have designated placenta as having health properties some 2,200 years ago, and during Chinas last dynasty, the dowager empress Cixi was said to have eaten it to stay young.

A classic medical text from the Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644) said placenta which lines the uterus and is key to the survival of the fetus was heavily nutritious and if taken for the longer term... longevity will be achieved.

Chinas state media says the practice of eating placenta has re-emerged over the past decade. One maternity hospital in the eastern city of Nanjing reported that about 10 percent of new parents took their placenta after childbirth.

Internet postings swap recipes on how to prepare placenta. One popular health Web site suggests soup, dumplings, meat balls or mixing it with other kinds of traditional Chinese medicine.

While trade in the organs has been banned since 2005, pills containing placentas ground into powder are legally available in Chinese pharmacies indicating unwanted placenta is somehow making its way to drug companies.

Read more from the original source:
Eating placenta, an age-old practice in China

Bioheart’s Chief Science Officer Kristin Comella Presents at 10th Annual Meeting of International Society for Stem …

Posted on by

SUNRISE, Fla., June 25, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bioheart, Inc. (BHRT.OB) announced today that Kristin Comella, the company's Chief Science Officer presented at the 10th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) in Yokohama, Japan June 13 - 16, 2012. One of the world's premier stem cell research events, the ISSCR format includes international research and poster presentations from invited speakers, exceptional peer-to-peer learning and unparalleled networking opportunities.

Comella presented a poster on clinical applications of adipose or fat derived stem cells (ADSCs).

The ISSCR annual meeting serves as the largest forum for stem cell and regenerative medicine professionals from around the world. Through lectures, symposia, workshops, and events attendees experience innovative stem cell and regenerative medicine research, advances and what's on the horizon. The meeting features more than 1,000 abstracts, nearly 150 speakers and provides numerous networking and professional development opportunities and social events. For additional information, visit http://www.isscr.org.

Kristin Comella has over 14 years experience in corporate entities with expertise in regenerative medicine, training and education, research, product development and senior management including more than 10 years of cell culturing experience. She has made a significant contribution to Bioheart's product development, manufacturing and quality systems since she joined the company in September 2004.

About Bioheart, Inc.

Bioheart is committed to maintaining its leading position within the cardiovascular sector of the cell technology industry delivering cell therapies and biologics that help address congestive heart failure, lower limb ischemia, chronic heart ischemia, acute myocardial infarctions and other issues. Bioheart's goals are to cause damaged tissue to be regenerated, when possible, and to improve a patient's quality of life and reduce health care costs and hospitalizations.

Specific to biotechnology, Bioheart is focused on the discovery, development and, subject to regulatory approval, commercialization of autologous cell therapies for the treatment of chronic and acute heart damage and peripheral vascular disease. Its leading product, MyoCell, is a clinical muscle-derived cell therapy designed to populate regions of scar tissue within a patient's heart with new living cells for the purpose of improving cardiac function in chronic heart failure patients. For more information on Bioheart, visit http://www.bioheartinc.com, or visit us on Facebook: Bioheart and Twitter @BioheartInc.

Forward-Looking Statements: Except for historical matters contained herein, statements made in this press release are forward-looking statements. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, words such as "may," "will," "to," "plan," "expect," "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "could," "would," "estimate," or "continue" or the negative other variations thereof or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Also, forward-looking statements represent our management's beliefs and assumptions only as of the date hereof. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.

The Company is subject to the risks and uncertainties described in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the section entitled "Risk Factors" in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 30, 2012.

Here is the original post:
Bioheart's Chief Science Officer Kristin Comella Presents at 10th Annual Meeting of International Society for Stem ...

Popeye’s right: spinach makes you stronger

Posted on by

CARTOON character Popeye is right to down a can of spinach when he wants his biceps to bulge, according to a Swedish study showing why the leafy vegetable makes us stronger.

Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm said they had conducted a study showing how nitrate, found naturally in spinach and several other vegetables, tones up muscles.

For the study, to be published in the Journal of Physiology, the research team placed nitrate directly in the drinking water of a group of mice for one week and then dissected them and compared their muscle functions to that of a control group.

"The mice that had been on consistent nitrate had much stronger muscles," they said.

The nitrate used "was equivalent to a human's consumption of about 200 to 250 grams of spinach a day, so it's a very easily obtained amount", one of the researchers at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Andres Hernandez, said.

While no effect could be seen in the so-called slow-twitch muscles used for moderate exercise and endurance, the scientists saw a clear change in the fast-twitch muscles used for strength and more high-intensity exercises, Mr Hernandez said.

The tricky question was determining why this happened.

The researchers discovered that the nitrates had prompted an increase in two proteins, found naturally in the muscles, that are used for storing and releasing calcium, which is vital to making muscles contract.

The protein increase in turn led to higher quantities of calcium released in the muscles, Mr Hernandez said, noting: "If you have more calcium released, you have a stronger contraction."

In human terms, consuming nitrates from, for instance, spinach increases the muscle strength available for things like lifting weights or sprinting up a steep hill.

View post:
Popeye's right: spinach makes you stronger

iWorx Introduces a High Performance, Single Channel Data Acquisition System with Analytical Software for Embedded OEM …

Posted on by

DOVER, N.H.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

iWorx, a developer of advanced physiology research tools, has introduced the IX-100BE Data Acquisition System with LabScribe2 Software that provides high resolution/low noise recording of biopotential signals for OEM applications. With one isolated input channel and a low voltage stimulator, the system is ideal for embedded biomedical and life science applications where only one biopotential recording channel is required.

The iWorx IX-100BE uses a 16-bit A/D converter to sample data over its full input range of 1V at speeds up to 200 kHz. The recorder also offers a wide selection of low pass and high pass filters and gains and is safe for human connection. The recorder incorporates a software programmable 16 bit, 5V stimulator (DAC). Parameters for the stimulator, such as pulse width, frequency and amplitude, may be changed on-the-fly. Standard protocols include Pulse, Train, and Step; protocols can be customized as well.

The iWorx IX-100BE recorder is controlled by LabScribe2 software, a powerful recording and analysis software package. LabScribe2 has an intuitive, user-friendly interface for setting up acquisition screens, calibrating signals and analyzing data. Up to 128 channels of data can be displayed simultaneously at sampling rates as high as 200,000 samples/second. A comprehensive set of analytical routines have been pre-configured making data analysis and interpretation quick and easy.

More information on iWorx IX-100BE Data Acquisition System can be found at http://www.iworx.com. Contact iWorx Systems, Inc., 62 Littleworth Road, Dover, NH 03820 (T) (800) 234-1757, (F) (603) 742-2455, billm@iworx.com.

Download a high resolution image for print here.

About iWorx iWorx advanced research solutions include high performance recording hardware, software, and components that accelerate metabolic, cardiovascular, neuromuscular and respiratory physiology research. In addition to data acquisition systems, iWorx offers a full selection of signal conditioners, stimulators, transducers, electrodes, cables, and general-purpose laboratory equipment and accessories.

The rest is here:
iWorx Introduces a High Performance, Single Channel Data Acquisition System with Analytical Software for Embedded OEM ...

Barilla Center For Food And Nutrition Announces Appointment Of New Advisory Board Member

Posted on by

BANNOCKBURN, Ill., June 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --The Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition (BCFN) is pleased to announce the appointment of Ellen Gustafson to its external Global Advisory Board. As a pioneer in social entrepreneurship and sustainable food systems, Gustafson is the Founder and Executive Director of the 30 Project, an organization connecting global hunger and obesity and crowd-sourcing long-term food system change.

(Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120625/NY29289-a)

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120625/NY29289LOGO-b)

Gustafson is also the Co-Founder and a Board member of FEED Projects and the FEED Foundation, a company and non-profit that creates products that have helped provide more than 65 million school meals to children globally. Previously, Gustafson was a U.S. Spokesperson for the U.N. World Food Program.

"We are honored to welcome such an inspiring and accomplished individual to our Global Advisory Board" said Guido Barilla, President of the BCFN and Chairman of the Barilla Group. "Ellen's significant commitment to addressing global hunger and obesity will allow her to contribute an invaluable perspective as we continue to advance our goals at the BCFN."

Established in 2009, the BCFN is a think tank dedicated to exploring global issues related to food and nutrition from a multi-disciplinary perspective. In its first three years, the BCFN has investigated a broad range of topics through published articles, indices and white papers, educational webinars, and public forums, including its annual International Forum of Food and Nutrition that will be held on November 28-29, 2012 in Milan, Italy. Most recently, the Center published a new book with the Worldwatch Institute called Eating Planet 2012, to which Gustafson contributed a written interview about improving access to nutritious foods around the world.

The activities of the BCFN are guided by an Advisory Board composed of experts from diverse but complementary sectors from climate change to economics. The BCFN Advisory Board proposes the issues and contributes to the analyses under investigation by the Center. Gustafson joins the ranks of seven other distinguished Board Members who bring unique perspectives to the Center.

"I am thrilled to be working with the Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition on our joint objective of improving the nutrition of the world," said Gustafson, the newly appointed BCFN advisor. "BCFN's multi-disciplinary approach and commitment to real, open and honest dialogue about the pressing global food issues we face will help put forth strong science and smart recommendations for improving the world's food systems."

For more information about the BCFN, the Advisory Board or Eating Planet, visit: http://www.barillacfn.com

About the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition: Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition (BCFN) is a think tank founded in 2009 with the goal of analyzing major global issues connected with food and nutrition. For more information, visit: http://www.barillacfn.com/en

Read the original post:
Barilla Center For Food And Nutrition Announces Appointment Of New Advisory Board Member

COPAN Partners with INPECO to Offer Track System for Continuous Feeding of Specimens into …

Posted on by

MURRIETA, Calif. - While attending the 112th American Society for Microbiology General Meeting, COPAN is announcing strategic partnership with INPECO for the connection of its track system FlexLab 3.6 for continuous feeding of standardized tube specimens to COPAN's WASP: Walk-Away Specimen Processor.

With over 500 systems placed worldwide, INPECO's track has been successfully implemented in the main specialties of the clinical laboratory everywhere. INPECO's vision of total lab automation fits perfectly with COPAN's vision for WASPLab, and with this partnership INPECO is looking forward to expanding its track system to the Microbiology lab to achieve full lab automation. Lab automation reduces human manipulation wherever possible to manage workload, avoid safety issues, as well as the risk of mistakes, assuring a full traceability of the biological sample. With this in mind, the ideal solution for the laboratory is to load all the tube specimens in specimen reception or accessioning area, and then use the specimen's barcode to determine which instrument the tubes are carried. In the case of WASP, the INPECO track will automatically manage tube specimens, from loading to storing and disposing. Specimens can be loaded onto the track system in two ways: specimens loaded in a hopper and automatically placed into buckets or specimens manually placed into the bucket holders prior to sending them to WASP.

"Standardization of microbiology specimens to tubes and automatic loading of such tube specimens via a conveyor track system sent from the point of reception limits the number of visits to the WASP to just loading and unloading plates. When used with WASPLab, the only visit to the WASP is to load fresh culture plates," says Norman Sharples, COPAN Diagnostics' Executive VP. "The addition of a track is particularly appealing to large laboratories, as it allows them to greatly improve efficiencies by streamlining specimen handling with less human manipulations and interventions," says Sharples. "The unique open platform of WASP allows this type of modularity, highlighting again that WASP is forward compatible and can converge with other technologies easily," concludes Sharples.

About COPAN Group

With a reputation for innovation in preanalytics, COPAN is the leading manufacturer of collection and transport systems in the world. COPAN offers a complete line of automation and a range of microbial sampling products used for traditional culture analysis and molecular diagnostic assays. For more information, visit http://www.copanusa.com

SOURCE COPAN Group

CONTACT: Gabriela Powers, Global Marketing Manager, 1-800-216-4016, Gabriela.powers@copanusa.net

Web Site: http://www.copanusa.com

Alloys used where metal must form hermetic seal with glass or ceramic (vacuum/power tubes, lamps); or where specific expansion must be met over a certain temperature range (hermetic sealing, optoelectronics, optical/laser benches, composite tooling).

Visit Ed Fagan Inc.

Go here to see the original:
COPAN Partners with INPECO to Offer Track System for Continuous Feeding of Specimens into ...

Sleep And Longevity: 5 Ways Sleep Keeps You Young

Posted on by

By Shelby Freedman Harris, Psy.D. for YouBeauty.com

We know about the benefits of a good nights sleep -- better memory, attention, concentration and a reduced risk of heart attack and stroke. Sleep improves our mood; it makes us feel like we can do more in the day and gives us a better outlook on life. But in addition to helping us live productive lives, sleep is key to feeling and looking youthful. Here are five surefire ways.

1. You Look More Attractive To Others In a 2010 study published in the British Medical Journal, a group of Swedish investigators looked at whether sleep-deprived people were perceived as less healthy, less attractive and more tired than after a normal nights sleep. Twenty-three healthy adults were photographed after a normal nights sleep (about eight hours) and again after a night of sleep deprivation (31 hours of wakefulness!). The photos were presented to 65 untrained observers who rated them. Results indicated that sleep-deprived people appear less healthy, less attractive and more tired when compared to photographs taken after a full night's sleep.

More from YouBeauty.com: Sleep And Your Skin Tricks to Get a Good Night's Sleep QUIZ: Are You Getting Beauty Sleep?

The authors proposed that humans may be sensitive to sleep-related facial cues, and that these cues may affect your social life in big ways. For example, if someone is well-qualified for a job but hadnt slept well for a few nights, employers might perceive the candidate as being less healthy and more tired -- putting the candidate at risk of not getting hired.

What exactly is going on during those precious sleep-filled hours at night thats keeping us looking and feeling young? A lot.

2. You Stay Fitter As we wrote in Sleep More and Fit Into Your Skinny Jeans, sleep helps you manage your weight. Consistently getting less sleep than you actually need per night leads to slow and steady weight gain. This weight gain can impact how others view you (unhealthy, tired) and how you may view yourself (tired, unmotivated). If you sleep more, youll find it easier to lose weight and will even have more energy to exercise. It is also commonly accepted now that exercise helps us feel younger both physically and mentally.

3. Your Skin Glows Skin grows a lot in our sleep. We develop nearly 30 times more skin while asleep than when awake. Notice those dark circles and bags under your eyes after a poor nights sleep? The skin of a healthy sleeper is more elastic, supple and taut. The more you get a full nights sleep, the more youll have that youthful glow.

4. You're Quicker To Move, And Learn Our mind and bodies learn new things while we sleep. Studying the night before a big test and then getting a full nights sleep can solidify the material in your brain. Pulling an all-nighter without sleep can actually make it more difficult to learn new material. But more than just brain cells learn and grow throughout the night! Our muscles, ligaments and tissues all learn new routines to help us physically maneuver throughout the world --whether it is to help with balance, new dance moves or picking up a new sport.

5. You Boost Your "Youth" Hormones Finally, human growth hormone (HGH) has its highest production during slow-wave sleep. HGH is a key player in keeping us looking young even after weve finished growing. HGH is produced by the pituitary gland and is in high levels during childhood and adolescence. After weve grown, HGH levels drop off and stay at low, steady levels during adulthood. Deficiencies in HGH can lead to reduced muscle mass, slower metabolism, more belly fat and sagging skin. Sleep more, and youll likely increase your HGH levels.

Visit link:
Sleep And Longevity: 5 Ways Sleep Keeps You Young

DNA given after rugby rape claim

Posted on by

Steve Tew

South African police are waiting for the results of forensic tests before deciding whether to press rape charges against one player in the New Zealand Under 20 rugby team.

South African media initially reported four members of the team were accused of raping a 22-year-old woman in a room at the Southern Sun Hotel Newlands in Cape Town after the final on Friday evening (SA time).

Earlier in the evening, the team had lost 22-16 to South Africa in the Junior Rugby World Championship final.

"An allegation of rape is as serious as it comes", NZ Rugby Union chief executive Steve Tew told Radio New Zealand today.

The team and management did not leave South Africa until they got permission from authorities and would continue to co-operate fully, he said.

He confirmed at least one player provided DNA samples for the investigation.

There were protocols for teams when they were on trips away, but breaches sometimes occurred, he said.

"But unfortunately, when you have that many young men away on tour some things happen that you'd prefer not to and now we're dealing with the consequences."

South African police officer Colonel Vish Naido told Radio New Zealand the woman told police she had been drinking and had little memory of what happened.

The rest is here:
DNA given after rugby rape claim

Posted in DNA

DNA match results in arrest of Port St. Lucie man

Posted on by

PORT ST. LUCIE

A DNA match stemming from blood left on curtains three years ago during a home burglary helped police arrest a local man in connection with the case, according to a detective and records obtained Monday.

Ruben Toussaint, now 21, was arrested earlier this month on charges including burglary of an unoccupied dwelling and grand theft stemming from the June 2009 incidents, saidPort St. Lucie policeDetective Christopher Fulcher.

At the time, a woman living in a home in the 5800 block of Northwest Hann Drive told police she had returned from visiting her sister and noticed her residence had been burglarized, a report states.

A sliding door was shattered and some electronics were reported stolen. Police noticed what appeared to be blood on a curtain and took portions for DNA testing.

Fulcher said that in March 2011 Toussaint was arrested in Port St. Lucie in connection with battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting without violence. In November, Fulcher said, Toussaint was convicted of those charges.

"Once convicted, they took a DNA sample from him and placed it into this national database or databank," Fulcher said. "DNA from the curtain ... hit on that in the system."

Fulcher said Toussaint wasn't a suspect at the time of the 2009 burglary.

"We didn't even know who he was," Fulcher said.

Fulcher said Toussaint, who at the time lived near the burglarized home, denied being in the residence.

See the article here:
DNA match results in arrest of Port St. Lucie man

Posted in DNA

Too Much Math Turns Biologists Off, Study Finds

Posted on by

Don't be fooled by their PhDs -- biologists struggle with math too.

But University of Bristol researchers were surprised to find just how strong that aversion to equations is. In a study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, they found that lots of math expressions in the main body of a research paper meant it was cited less by other scientists.

In fact, for each additional equation in a given paper, the number of times it was cited in other papers went down by 28 percent.

"The biologists I know don't like maths, but I only expected an effect of maybe five percent," co-author Andrew Higginson said in a telephone interview.

To gauge the dampening effect of math on biology papers, Higginson and his colleague Tim Fawcett measured equation density by counting the number of mathematical expressions in a research paper and dividing by the number of pages. They then looked at the number of times the paper was cited.

Follow us

Higginson says that in the U.K., the required math for undergraduate biology students will generally focus on statistics.

But "theoretical models aren't statistical, they're like calculus. And it's possible to to get a PhD without doing calculus," Higginson says.

While most biology research is empirical - relying on observation and experimentation - theoretical models, such as an equation modeling population changes in foxes and rabbits as the former preys on the latter, allow researchers to better interpret their observations and to test predictions.

To bridge the divide, Higginson and Fawcett think it's primarily important for biologists doing theoretical work to explain their models in a way that's easily understood by a wider audience.

View original post here:
Too Much Math Turns Biologists Off, Study Finds

GW announces creation of Computational Biology Institute to conduct integrated research

Posted on by

Public release date: 25-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Latarsha Gatlin lgatlin@gwu.edu 202-994-5631 George Washington University

Keith Crandall, a renowned biologist and population geneticist, has been named founding director of the George Washington University Computational Biology Institute. This newly created position will further strengthen GW's role as a leader in science and research in the region and nationally.

As director, Dr. Crandall will define the scientific vision of the Computational Biology Institute and direct the development and implementation of research plans and organizational structures, with the goal of hiring new faculty as well as integrating existing faculty and resources across the university. He will also serve as professor of biology.

"This is the beginning of a true interdisciplinary initiative at George Washington that I expect will positively impact virtually all colleges and schools," said Leo Chalupa, vice president of research at GW. "I believe that Dr. Crandall's recruitment as the founding director of the Computational Biology Institute will be the driving force towards more cross-campus research in many fields including computer science, evolutionary biology and personalized medicine." Personalized medicine is a medical model in healthcare that allows practitioners to tailor medical decisions to the individual patient using genetic or other information.

The George Washington University is one of the first universities to establish an institute dedicated to computational biology. The institute will focus on large-scale integrative bioinformatics and genomics. Informatics are used to answer important biological questions using massive amounts of data, including genetic and molecular data. Many disciplines are becoming more data-intensive, creating a need for the development of new computational tools and approaches that aid in the integration, interpretation and understanding of complex datasets.

To meet this challenge, the institute will foster creation of new positions in computational biology research, enhancing and synergizing disciplines at George Washington such as the biological, biophysical and biomedical sciences as well as computation disciplines such as computer science, math and statistics. The institute will also build upon existing partnerships with regional research centers of excellence, including Children's National Medical Center, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Janelia Farm, INOVA hospital system, Naval Research Laboratory, Virginia Tech-Arlington and the National Institutes Health intramural research program.

"I feel it a great honor to join the George Washington University faculty and direct the new Computational Biology Institute," said Dr. Crandall. "We have an amazing opportunity in this new genomics era to be world leaders in developing and implementing computational approaches to broad questions from biodiversity crisis issues to translational medicine. With the exceptional faculty and outstanding leadership at GW, the institute is sure to be a huge success."

Dr. Crandall comes to George Washington from Brigham Young University where he has served as a faculty member since 1996 and chair of the biology department since 2007. He is a recipient of the Alfred P. Sloan Young Investigator Award, the National Science Foundation Career Award, the National Institutes of Health James A. Shannon Director's Award and a Fulbright Scholar Award to Oxford University. He is past president of the Society of Systematic Biologists.

A recipient of more than $18 million in grant funds, Dr. Crandall brings to George Washington two grant awards. He is the lead investigator and one of 11 researchers from 10 institutions across the country working on a component of the ground-breaking "Open Tree of Life" project funded by the National Science Foundation. Dr. Crandall also is serving as part of a team of researchers studying the affects of the BP oil spill on coastal ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico.

More:
GW announces creation of Computational Biology Institute to conduct integrated research

MARC travel award announced for the 2012 GSA Yeast Genetics and Molecular Biology Meeting

Posted on by

Public release date: 25-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Fran Yates fyates@faseb.org 301-634-7109 Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology

Bethesda, MD FASEB MARC (Maximizing Access to Research Careers) Program has announced the travel award recipient for the 2012 Genetics Society of America (GSA) Yeast Genetics and Molecular Biology Meeting in Princeton, NJ from July 31 August 5, 2012. These awards are meant to promote the entry of underrepresented minority students, postdoctorates and scientists into the mainstream of the basic science community and to encourage the participation of young scientists at the 2012 GSA Yeast Genetics and Molecular Biology Meeting.

Awards are given to poster/platform presenters and faculty mentors paired with the students/trainees they mentor. This year MARC conferred 1 award totaling $1,850.

The FASEB MARC Program is funded by a grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institutes of Health. A primary goal of the MARC Program is to increase the number and competitiveness of underrepresented minorities engaged in biomedical and behavioral research.

The following has been selected to receive a FASEB MARC Travel Award for her poster/platform presentation:

Dr. Jennifer Gallagher, Stanford University

###

FASEB is composed of 26 societies with more than 100,000 members, making it the largest coalition of biomedical research associations in the United States. Celebrating 100 Years of Advancing the Life Sciences in 2012, FASEB is rededicating its efforts to advance health and well-being by promoting progress and education in biological and biomedical sciences through service to our member societies and collaborative advocacy.

Go here to read the rest:
MARC travel award announced for the 2012 GSA Yeast Genetics and Molecular Biology Meeting