Author Archives: ev1

DNA Dynamics' COO Dave Lovatt Featured On theStockRadio.com

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LEAMINGTON SPA, England, June 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- DNA Dynamics, Inc. (OTC Pink: DNAD), a global developer and publisher of mobile video games and applications, today announced that theStockRadio.com has posted an audio interview recently conducted withCOO David Lovatt at the Wall Street 1-2-1 Spring 2012 event, held in Orlando, Florida on May 8-11, 2012.

To access the interview, please go to http://thestockradio.com/david-lovatt-chief-operating-officer-of-dna-dynamics-otcdnad/1009.

theStockRadio.com is a small-cap research and investment commentary provider. theStockRadio.com strives to provide a balanced view of many promising small-cap companies that would otherwise fall under the radar of the typical Wall Street investor. Moreover, theStockRadio.com provides investors with an excellent first step in their research and due diligence by providing daily trading ideas, and consolidating the public information available on them. For more information on theStockRadio.com, please visit http://thestockradio.com.

theStockRadio.com DisclosuretheStockRadio.com is not a registered investment advisor and nothing contained in any materials should be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell any securities. theStockRadio.com is a Web site wholly owned by Allan James Group. Neither theStockRadio.com nor its affiliates have a beneficial interest in the mentioned company; nor have they received compensation of any kind for any of the companies listed in this communication. Please read our report and visit our Web site, theStockRadio.com, for complete risks and disclosures. To contact theStockRadio.com, please send an email to info@theStockRadio.com.

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

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Elite Financial Communications Group, LLC

Dodi Handy, President and CEO (Twitter:dodihandy)

For Media: Kathy Addison, COO (Twitter:kathyaddison)

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DNA Dynamics' COO Dave Lovatt Featured On theStockRadio.com

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Project to digitize ancient fossils could clarify influence of climate change

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(Phys.org) -- For hundreds of years, paleontologists have added fossils to museums around the world, amassing meticulous records of ancient biology, such as the invertebrate paleontology collection at the University of Kansas Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Institute.

There, thousands of drawers hold a record of ancient life that could be especially useful today in predicting how climate change could alter our planets biodiversity and distribution of species.

Alas, for years, such collections have come to be known as dark data information that can prove difficult for far-flung researchers and non-academics to access and use.

When I was in graduate school, if you wanted to track down material at an institution, well, maybe you got lucky and found it, said Bruce Lieberman, KU professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and senior curator with the division of invertebrate paleontology at the museum. But to get access to the data, youd have to contact the collections manager there, and if you wanted to gather data, it would require that a researcher there gather it for you or youd have to secure funds to travel yourself sometimes. So when data is hidden like that, its like theres no data at all.

Now, Lieberman is heading a $600,000 effort funded by the National Science Foundations Advancing Digitization of Biological Collections program to digitize thousands of fossils collected over hundreds of years and housed at the KU institute.

Soon, valuable information about fossils temporal and geographic distribution in deep time will be available to anyone on the Internet, accessible with a few keystrokes.

Lieberman said that partnerships with other institutions under the NSF grant would allow scientists to complete a fossil record that will more accurately show how climate change could impact species on Earth going forward.

We know there are certain issues facing the biosphere today and we can sort of measure in ecological time whats going to happen to the flora and fauna today, he said. But if we want a deeper time scale perspective, these fossil data will allow us to look at analogous time periods and analogous climate changes so that we can predict with more accuracy what may happen to life on the planet.

The digitization process, which will employ undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and a biodiversity informatics developer, will focus on three important time periods the Ordovician, Pennsylvanian and Neogene from three major paleobiogeographic regions: the Cincinnati region, American mid-continent and Gulf/Atlantic Coastal Plains.

Im focused on invertebrate fossils, Lieberman said. Those are species that dont have a backbone, like snails, clams and their relatives. We have very strong holdings in the Carboniferous period, the time about 290 million years ago. Much of the rock youd see around this part of Kansas comes from that period. Our deposits are centered on the entire American mid-continent. We have so much information about where those species were found and their distribution through time.

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American Society for Gravitational and Space Biology Changes Name to American Society for Gravitational and Space …

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Today, the American Society for Gravitational and Space Biology (ASGSB) announced a name change to the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research (ASGSR) to reflect a broadening of the societyis scope to include physical sciences. A general vote was taken by the membership and ninety percent of the votes were in favor of the name change and charter expansion. The predecessor society, ASGSB, was established in 1984, as a U.S. non-profit 501(C)(6) scientific society. The name change represents an expansion in the purpose of the society, which is to promote research, education, training, and development in the areas of gravitational space biological and physical processes and to apply the knowledge gained to a better understanding of gravity and other space environmental factors.

ASGSR president, Dr. Howard G. Levine says "We are very pleased to announce the expansion of the American Society for Gravitational and Space Biology (ASGSB) to include our fellow researchers in the Physical Sciences. ASGSB will henceforth be the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research (ASGSR), and we fully expect that this expansion of our original charter will lead to many fruitful collaborations between these two closely associated groups." The society sees the future of space exploration changing, with access to space now becoming available from commercial companies, and increased emphasis on the translational value of space research with regard to terrestrial applications. The society believes it is essential that, as an integrated group, they can provide a forum for high quality exploration, enabling research, technology, scientific discovery and training of the next generation of scientists.

According to Dr. D. Marshall Porterfield, director of the NASA Life and Physical Sciences division, "the recent announcement of the expansion of the American Society for Gravitational and Space Biology charter, and name change to include affiliated fundamental sciences is most welcome from the perspective of the Life and Physical Sciences Division at NASA Headquarters. The resulting fusion of these broad but strongly interdisciplinary groups, life and physical sciences, is in direct alignment with recent reorganization of these research programs at NASA. The new American Society for Gravitational and Space Research will be better aligned to represent the stakeholders of the critical sciences needed by NASA to advance future human space exploration. We welcome future growth and advancement of the organization as it supports the Life and Physical Sciences Division in the Human Exploration Mission Directorate."

Over the next few months, the society will be implementing these changes. The first inaugural conference that includes the broadened society will be held November 28 n December 2, 2012 at the Westin Canal Place in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Dr. Porterfield adds "Laissez les bons temps rouler." Information on the society and upcoming meeting can be found at http://www.ASGSR.org.

Contact: Cynthia Martin-Brennan (703) 392-0272 Email: cmbrennan@comcast.net http://www.asgsr.org

Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook.

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American Society for Gravitational and Space Biology Changes Name to American Society for Gravitational and Space ...

Stover honored with MERIT award for folate research

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June 5, 2012

Stover honored with MERIT award for folate research

For his long-running research on the molecular genetics and biochemistry of the vitamins folate and vitamin B-12, and their link to colon cancer, cardiovascular disease and human birth defects, Patrick Stover, professor of nutritional biochemistry and director of Cornell's Division of Nutritional Sciences, has received a prestigious MERIT (Method to Extend Research in Time) award from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).

In the award letter from NIDDK, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Stover is cited for his "consistent and excellence contributions to scientific knowledge" on the subject. Among his breakthrough findings: the identification of a gene that increases the risk for colon cancer in laboratory mice when their diets lack folate; the genetic underpinnings of mitochondrial depletion syndrome in humans; and, in mice, the discovery of a gene that causes neural tube defects.

MERIT awards provide recipients with stable, long-term research funding, freeing them from the administrative burden of submitting their work for regular renewals and reviews. With the award, Stover will receive 10 years of uninterrupted support for his research on folate (vitamin B-9) and vitamin B-12.

"I am grateful to NIH-NIDDK for their continuous support of my research program since I arrived at Cornell as an assistant professor in 1994, and for giving me the security and opportunity to undertake high-risk/high-reward fundamental research through this MERIT award," Stover said. "I value my continuing relationship with this important NIH institute, which has played such a pivotal role in advancing our understanding of fundamental metabolism and nutrition and the molecular basis of human chronic disease."

Stover had previously received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers and the E.L.R. Stokstad Award in Nutritional Biochemistry from the American Society for Nutrition.

Ted Boscia is assistant director of communications for the College of Human Ecology.

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Stover honored with MERIT award for folate research

NOBEL PRIZE WINNER: This Is The Difference Between Thinking Fast And Slow

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Edward Maurer

His recent book,Thinking, Fast and Slow, was a 2011 bestseller. It summarizes his lifetime of work on how the mind works, covering many topics familiar to those who follow behavioral economics and finance: prospect theory, overconfidence, loss aversion, anchoring, separate mental accounting, the representativeness bias and the availability bias.

Kahneman, who, at 82, is still teaching at Princeton, recently discussed these and other discoveries at the 2012 CFA Institute Annual Conference, which took place in Chicago on May 6-9.

Ill look at how Kahnemans research can be applied in the context of investing, but first lets examine the central subject of his book: our two ways of thinking.

Think fast! Or think slowly?

Try this experiment: Just before making a left turn in a busy intersection, begin to multiply 17 by 24. Im kidding; please dont. Youll either quickly abandon the arithmetic problem or wreck your car. But Ill bet you can add two plus two while making a left turn without any problem whatsoever.

What is the difference between the two tasks?

Most people would say that one of the tasks is easy and the other is hard. But Kahneman, who won the 2002 Nobel Prize in economics for work relating economic decision-making to psychology, says that theres more to it a substantive difference, not merely one of degree.

Adding two and two is done using what Kahneman calls System 1 thinking, the kind of fast thinking that feels like it is done on autopilot. The product of 17 and 24 is arrived at using System 2 thinking slow, deliberate thinking that involves an entirely different physiological process, one that (for example) interferes with driving a car.

When you engage in intense System 2 thinking, Kahneman says, something happens to your body. Your pupils dilate. Your heart rate increases. Your blood glucose level drops. You become irritable if someone or something interrupts your focus. You become partially deaf and partially blind to stimuli that ordinarily command your attention. Kahneman writes that intense focusing on a task can make people effectively blind.

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NOBEL PRIZE WINNER: This Is The Difference Between Thinking Fast And Slow

Age Defy Dermatology And Wellness Now Offers Pelleve Wrinkle Reduction Treatment

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CAMPBELL, Calif., JUNE 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Rick Noodleman, M.D., announces that Age Defy Dermatology and Wellness, Inc. in Campbell, California, now has the Pelleve Wrinkle Reduction System, a revolutionary skin-tightening system for non-ablative facial rejuvenation.

Dr. Noodleman uses Pellevean advanced radiofrequency technologybecause the treatment delivers long-term skin benefits for his patients, producing noticeable results. "Pelleve is an effective anti-aging treatment that we are excited to offer our patients. It is virtually painless with no downtime, and it offers a high degree of noticeable results at an affordable price," says Dr. Noodleman.

Pelleve works by delivering heat into the deep layers of skin, facilitating the growth of new collagen and tightening skin. Patients report that the treatment is warm, relaxing and without any associated pain. "While we cannot reverse the aging process, we can do everything possible to minimize its effects and Pelleve is one treatment which helps my patient's age gracefully and gradually," adds Dr. Noodleman.

Pelleve is FDA-approved to treat mild to moderate facial wrinkles. Treatments are performed in Dr. Noodleman's office and take 30 60 minutes, depending on areas treated; minimal patient preparation is required prior to having a Pelleve treatment.

About F. Richard Noodleman, MD:

Dr. Rick Noodleman is the Medical Director of Cosmetic Dermatology and Surgery at Age Defy Dermatology and Wellness, Inc. He graduated from Harvard University and the University of Minnesota School of Medicine. He completed his residency in dermatology at Stanford University School of Medicine. Subsequently, he served a fellowship in dermatologic (Mohs) surgery at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. Dr. Noodleman is a board-certified dermatologist and has been in private practice since l986. He is a nationally-recognized expert in minimally invasive, low-downtime procedures performed using local anesthesia.

Pelleve is now offered at Age Defy, located at 3803 South Bascom Ave., Suite 200, Campbell, CA 95008. For more information, visit http://www.agedefy.com.

About The Pelleve Treatment:

Available only through physicians, including dermatologists and plastic surgeons, the Pelleve Wrinkle Reduction System is a proven, effective, safe and virtually painless cosmetic treatment that reduces wrinkles on the face using advanced radiofrequency technology. To view a video of how Pelleve works, please visit: http://www.pelleve.com.

For Press Inquiries regarding Age Defy Dermatology and Wellness - contact Joy Norman joy@agedefy.com, 877-AGE-DEFY.

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Mead Johnson Nutrition Company (MJN): Zacks Rank Buy

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Estimates have been rising for Mead Johnson Nutrition Company (MJN) after the company delivered its 6th consecutive positive earnings surprise. It is a Zacks #2 Rank (Buy) stock.

Based on consensus estimates, analysts project strong double-digit earnings growth over the next couple years as the company continues to grow in the emerging markets.

On top of this growth, it pays a dividend that yields a solid 1.5%.

Company Description

Mead Johnson manufactures and distributes pediatric nutrition products primarily under its 'Enfa' family of brands. The Enfa brand, including Enfamil infant formula, is a global brand franchise in pediatric nutrition.

The company was founded in 1905 and is headquartered in Glenview, Illinois. It was spun-off from Bristol-Meyers Squibb (BMY) in 2009.

First Quarter Results

Mead Johnson Nutrition delivered strong first quarter results on April 26. Adjusted earnings per share came in at 82 cents, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 78 cents. It was an 8% increase over the same quarter last year.

Net sales rose 9% to $986.6 million, ahead of the consensus of $980.0 million. This was driven by a 5% increase in volume and a 4% increase in prices. Growth was particularly strong in the Asia/Latin America segment, which offset weakness in the North America/Europe segment.

The gross margin did decline 230 basis points year-over-year. But operating income was up 12% over the same period to $222.6 million.

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Mead Johnson Nutrition Company (MJN): Zacks Rank Buy

DNA of thousands of innocent people still being collected by police

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Our research suggests that the overwhelming majority of police forces are unable to separate the records of people never charged from those found guilty in court."

Since 2004, police forces have been allowed to take the DNA or fingerprints of anyone aged over 10 who was arrested for a recordable offence, which means most crimes.

The national DNA database grew to include details of several million people over the next few years, and was credited with leading to convictions as samples taken from crime scenes were linked to people arrested for unrelated offences.

In 2008 the European Court of Human Rights ruled that keeping the records indefinitely was unlawful, prompting the Labour government to review the policy.

After the election, the Coalition promised to improve the system by making it more like that of Scotland, where only the DNA of those convicted of serious offences, such as violence or sex crimes, is held and for a maximum of five years.

But it then emerged that ministers only planned to anonymise the records rather than deleting them completely, and did not introduce a safeguard that would mean a judges approval was needed to keep the files.

The Protection of Freedoms Act passed last month also allows biometric material from innocent people to be kept for up if it is deemed to be in the interests of national security.

Big Brother Watch claims it is not clear how citizens can have their profiles removed from the database, and that in the absence of detailed plans or a timetable from the Home Office, police forces are continuing to add to it.

Figures show there are now some 6.4m profiles on the database.

Records obtained through Freedom of Information requests by Big Brother Watch suggest that 986,767 samples of DNA were gathered between January 2009 and December 2011.

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DNA of thousands of innocent people still being collected by police

Posted in DNA

Scientists create artificial DNA molecule

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Scientists havesuccessfullycreated a pair of DNA nucleobases, which, likeadenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine in natural DNA, can copy themselves nearly as well as the real thing.

The language of life is about to expand its vocabulary. An international team of researchers discovered that the body's copying machine for DNA works in the same way for manmade, artificial building blocks of DNA as it does for the natural kind.

If scientists find artificial DNA building blocks work well and are safe to use, the extra building materials could create DNA that codes for new molecules that the body can't make now. The artificial DNA could also form the basis of a partlysynthetic organism.

The DNA code in living things is made of four different molecules, called bases, that are nicknamed A, T, C and G. In a double row of DNA, the bases always link up to each other in a specific way, with A's matching with T's and C's matching with G's. In 2008, a team of researchers created a third, artificial pair of DNA molecules made to match with each other, named NaM and 5SICS. In this new study, some of the same researchers used a technique calledX-ray crystallographyto take pictures of A, T, C, G, NaM and 5SICS while they were getting copied in a test tube.

DNA is an important bodily process that happens often, so that cells can pass their genetic information on to new cells that are created all the time, such as skin or blood cells that develop to replace old, worn-out cells.

After NaM and 5SICS were made, several other groups of researchers found that a natural strand of DNA with NaM and 5SICS added to it will still copy itself nearly as well as all-natural DNA. Scientists didn't know why it worked so well. They worried they had somehow "tricked" the body's DNA copying machine, called DNA polymerase, said Floyd Romesberg, a chemist at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif. Romesberg was one of the principal inventors of NaM and 5SICS and was involved inthis new study, published online yesterday (June 3) in the journal Nature Chemical Biology.

The natural base pairs A, C, G and T have specific shapes and line up neatly with each other along their edges when they're inside a DNA helix. Scientists believe their shape and neat fit are important for DNA polymerase to work properly. On the other hand, NaM and 5SICS aren't shaped anything like the natural bases. They don't use the same chemical bonds as natural bases do and they don't line up edge-to-edge. [Move Over, DNA, and Meet the More Durable XNA]

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Scientists create artificial DNA molecule

Posted in DNA

First genome-wide assessment of secretion in human cells

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(Phys.org) -- An international collaboration between scientists in University College Dublin and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) has revealed for the first time that 15% of the proteins encoded by the human genome contribute to the process of secretion in cells. This finding has been made possible through the assessment of more than 8 million individual cells.

This study is the first genome-wide assessment of the secretory process in a human cell system, explains Professor Jeremy Simpson, UCD School of Biology & Environmental Science and UCD Conway Institute, co-author of the research paper published online today in Nature Cell Biology.

Science has long recognised that secretion is a fundamental process, essential to almost all cell types in the body. The process is used to deliver hormones into the blood stream, digestive enzymes into the gut, and signalling molecules between cells.

However, until now, technology did not permit scientists to catalogue the complex pathway that a protein or lipid takes from manufacture to packaging and transporting through the cell to being secreted from the cell.

Previous studies on the secretory process have either been carried out with a more narrow focus on specific subsets of genes or in more simplistic organisms such as the fruit fly (Drosophila) where many of the proteins identified have no human equivalent. Now, using high content screening, we have been able to systematically target each of the 22,000 human genes and track the journey of a specific, fluorescently-tagged protein as it travels through, and out of, over 8 million individual cells.

In order for us to understand the impact on the body when this fundamental process of secretion is disrupted, we must first decipher the functional network of membrane trafficking pathways within the cell.

The researchers analysed more than 700,000 microscopy images and found 554 proteins that influence secretion, with 143 of these either influencing the early stage of the secretory pathway or morphology of the Golgi, a cellular structure responsible for packaging and labelling proteins.

Membrane traffic pathways connect membrane bound organelles in a carefully ordered sequence that ensures the correct complement of proteins and lipids within the cell exist in order to maintain cellular balance or homeostasis.

Image caption: In cells where different genes are silenced (middle, bottom), the site where the secretory processes begins (green) changes compared to normal cells (top). Courtesy of Jeremy Simpson, UCD

Newly synthesized proteins and lipids in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) are modified as they pass along the secretory pathway through the Golgi apparatus to the cell surface.

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Raiders’ professor of defense

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It's a good thing that Jason Tarver mastered (as in degree) biochemistry and molecular biology. Because he is taking on much uglier, more complicated material now.

How are the Raiders going to stop the run?

And when he's done with that decade-old problem, Oakland's bright-eyed new defensive coordinator can tackle this brainteaser:

How are the Raiders going to stop the pass?

Oakland, which won eight games last season on the strength of its offense, became one of four teams to allow at least 30 TD passes and 5.0 yards per carry in a season. (Not to mention the entire squad's NFL-record 163 penalties for 1,358 yards.) The Raiders had a lot of high-priced players, but few, if any, playmakers on defense.

And then, in the offseason, Oakland cut leading pass-rusher Kamerion Wimbley for salary-cap reasons and also let go of its two starting cornerbacks, Stanford Routt and Chris Johnson.

The Raiders replaced them with several veterans signed to one-year contracts and rookies drafted after the second round, as they didn't have any early picks.

All of which explains why Tarver can't go into a lot of detail when asked what the Raiders' defense is going to look like. He doesn't know yet.

The team was back on the field for organized workouts Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and Tarver and new head coach Dennis Allen are still in discovery mode.

"Put all these guys out here and see who can play and who can learn and who can communicate and who can fit with your group," Tarver said.

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PTSD psychotherapy is enhanced with D-cycloserine

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Public release date: 4-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Rhiannon Bugno Biol.Psych@utsouthwestern.edu 214-648-0880 Elsevier

Philadelphia, PA, June 4, 2012 Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is among the most common, distressing, and disabling medical consequences of combat or other extremely stressful life events. The first-line treatment for PTSD is exposure therapy, a type of behavioral therapy where patients confront their fears in a safe environment. Although it is an effective treatment, many patients still experience symptoms after treatment and there is a relatively high drop-out rate.

In an effort to improve existing treatments, a new study appearing in Biological Psychiatry this week has tested a novel hypothesis about the treatment of PTSD derived from prior work in animal models and other anxiety disorders. They examined whether the impact of psychotherapy could be enhanced by administering D-cycloserine (DCS), a drug that does not directly treat the symptoms of PTSD, but rather promotes neuroplasticity, i.e., makes brain circuits better able to remodel themselves in the context of experience.

To test this, researchers recruited individuals with PTSD, all of whom received up to 10 weekly sessions of exposure therapy. They were randomized to receive doses of either DCS or placebo before each session, but did not know which they were receiving. The severity of their symptoms was assessed before and after treatment.

All patients experienced a reduction in symptoms due to the exposure therapy, regardless of whether they had received DCS augmentation or placebo. However, DCS did enhance the effects of exposure therapy in a specific subgroup of patients. Those who had more severe PTSD prior to treatment and needed longer treatment had a greater reduction in symptoms when they received DCS, compared to those who received placebo.

"Our study showed that some PTSD patients respond well and fast to exposure and for them, there seems no need to augment the therapy. In contrast, those patients with severe PTSD symptoms and who fail to respond to exposure sessions may benefit from augmentation with DCS," explained first author Dr. Rianne de Kleine. "It seems that DCS is beneficial for exactly those patients we aimed for: the more severe patients who do not respond to first-line treatment."

"This approach may have important implications for the treatment of PTSD. Two decades of brain research suggests that severe psychological stress causes atrophy of some of the fine connections in the brain and reductions in the volume of brain regions involved in emotion and memory. Thus, individuals with PTSD may have deficits in neuroplasticity that get in the way of effective treatment," commented Dr. John Krystal, Editor of Biological Psychiatry. "D-cycloserine may reduce this deficit in neuroplasticity and increase the response to psychotherapy, in this case a psychotherapy approach that involves exposing people to reminders and memories of the trauma."

The authors conclude that additional work is warranted to explore whether this combination can become an effective intervention to treat the symptoms of PTSD.

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Second opinion avoids unneeded major surgery

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Ginny Hillis says when mixedup pathology reports indicated breast cancer, she avoided unnecessary surgery by Dr. Barbara Heartwell by fighting for a second opinion.

"You have to be your own advocate, you can't be passive when you get a catastrophic diagnosis," the 66-year-old retired lawyer stressed as she recounted her experience in 1995, years before the high-profile cases in which Heartwell performed surgery on local women - two breast removals and a lumpectomy - for breast cancer they didn't have.

Hillis said the most recent case that came to light last month, of a woman receiving an unnecessary lumpectomy because of a mistake by a pathologist at Windsor Regional Hospital, reconfirms her belief: "I know it isn't easy but get a second opinion."

Hillis said that in her case there were two pathology reports, a preliminary study of the tissue sample taken from her breast that indicated cancer and a more detailed report that said she was cancer-free.

But the sequence of those reports was switched, so it appeared the more detailed report concluded she had breast cancer, she said. Heartwell was recommending an axillary lymph node dissection to find out if the cancer had spread beyond the breast, Hillis said.

She claims that Heartwell discouraged a second opinion.

Hillis said Heartwell is "a very talented surgeon.

"It was a pathology error. But my problem with (Heartwell) was the outright flat denial that I needed a second opinion."

Through Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital spokesman Steve Erwin, Heartwell's lawyer Andrea Plumb stated that Heartwell denies blocking Hillis's access to a second opinion.

Plumb said Heartwell advised Hillis to contact the hospital's pathology department directly with her request and that the department stood by its results.

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Vegetarian diet provides good nutrition, health benefits, study finds

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A vegetarian diet provides adequate nutrition to adults and children and can also reduce health problems, an Australian study has found.

The scientific research review, "Is a vegetarian diet adequate?" published in the Medical Journal of Australia on Monday, puts to rest the long-held belief a vegetarian diet lacks sufficient protein and iron, The Advertiser reported.

The study found those who adopted a vegetarian diet are receiving adequate levels of protein, iron and zinc, and are less likely to suffer from heart disease, colorectal cancer, type 2 diabetes and obesity.

Nutritionist Rosemary Stanton said there were no significant health differences in babies born to vegetarian mothers and no noticeable differences in the growth of vegetarian children compared to children who consumed meat as part of their diet.

Although vegetarians who do not eat fish may be receiving less Omega 3 fatty acids than considered desirable, vegetarians do not exhibit signs of clinical deficiency.

Deficiencies in vitamin B12 were noted in vegans -- vegetarians who shun any animal based product including milk and eggs -- and as B12 is required to help make red blood cells and to keep nerves functioning, the study recommends they either take a daily supplement or eat more B12-fortified foods.

Stanton said the average meat-eating Australian consumes significantly more protein than required, and the study almost certainly proves it is not necessary to eat meat daily.

"Not everyone needs or wants to become vegetarian, but eating more plant-based meals is a good recipe for our own health and that of the planet," Stanton said.

Click for more from Adelaide Now.

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Sandwich schools celebrate longevity

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SANDWICH On May 24, the Sandwich Board of Education honored faculty and staff members throughout the district who have served the students, parents and community of Sandwich for at least 10 years.

The SHS student council was instrumental in the planning and set-up of the program and the SHS jazz band provided entertainment.

Superintendent Rick Schmitt welcomed those in attendance and said, This is a perfect time to recognize and show appreciation for the many years of dedicated service the staff has provided to the Sandwich learning community as tonight, we are honoring 41 members of our professional team who collectively have accumulated over 600 years of service toward teaching and learning.

Retention of great employees is beautiful to any organization, and it is important that we recognize and celebrate longevity, Schmitt said.

During the program, the following staff members were presented service awards:

10 years Amy Barone, SHS English; Amy Blocker, WWW library; Rebecca Bonneau, SMS special needs; Linda Bright, HED fifth grade; Jeri Crawley, SMS life skills; Jamie Duvick, SMS language arts; Janet Hansen, bilingual TA; Marie Jewell, transportation aide; Bobbie Johnson, district sub caller; Stacy Johnson, elementary music; Marisa Kafka, SHS health; Connie Kaufmann, district nurse; William Kolb, LGH custodian; Tina Lavery, SHS special needs; George McCuistion, SHS industrial arts; Barb McGregory, HED art; April Nelle, SMS special needs; Lynn Schaaf, HED fifth grade; Sheri Schroeder, WWW head secretary; Shane Smart, HED fifth grade; David Steimel, PV third grade; and Mark Werthmann, SMS special needs.

15 years Terri Clemmons, HED gifted education; Ronnie Crane, PV reading; Kathy Greif, SHS TA; Deb Heilemeier, SHS English; Lana Kurtz, WWW second grade; and Marcia Mall, SHS TA.

20 years Sandi Curtin, elementary PE aide; Dennis McAnally, SHS science; and Rick Schmitt, superintendent of schools.

25 years JoAnn Beckwell, SMS art and Cindy Fraser, LGH special needs.

30 years Lon Gerrish, SHS dean of students.

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DNA testing for knife that killed Naperville teacher

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Article posted: 6/4/2012 12:27 PM

Daniel J. Olaska

Shaun Wild

Willie Hayes

The knife that prosecutors say killed schoolteacher Shaun Wild and injured two other men inside a Naperville nightclub can be tested for DNA, a judge ruled Monday.

DuPage County prosecutors said two bloodstains were found on the 5-inch blade seized by police after the Feb. 4 stabbings at Frankies Blue Room. DNA testing likely will destroy the stains and prevent further analysis, they said.

Defense attorney Brian Telander, who represents murder suspect Daniel Olaska of Naperville, did not object to the request, saying it isnt relevant to the issues in the case.

This isnt a whodunit, Telander said. Its a whydunit.

Prosecutors say security footage from several angles showed Olaska, 28, fatally stab Wild, 24, during a confrontation that allegedly began when another man, North Central College student and football player Willie Hayes, teased Olaska about drinking beer from a wineglass.

Prosecutors said Olaska stabbed Hayes in the chest, then stabbed Wild in the heart as the teacher tried to intervene. Olaska also is accused of stabbing bouncer Rafael Castaneda, who was injured holding the suspect until police arrived.

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DNA testing for knife that killed Naperville teacher

Posted in DNA

Binghamton University S3IP Center and Applied DNA Sciences Partner on DNA Authenticity Technologies for Microelectronics

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BINGHAMTON, NY and STONY BROOK, NY--(Marketwire -06/04/12)- The New York State Center of Excellence in Small Scale Systems Integration and Packaging at Binghamton University (S3IP), New York, and Applied DNA Sciences, Inc. (APDN) today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding calling for collaboration on microelectronics research and commercialization, and other projects. The two organizations aim to embark on various projects, including further advancements in Applied DNA Sciences' forensic authentication and security technologies.

The partnership capitalizes on the skilled staff and advanced facilities at S3IP, combined with the technology, business experience and product lines of APDN. It comes at a time when the defense industry is searching for new ways to battle the increasing number of counterfeit electronics that have flooded both consumer and the military markets. The partners will aim to commercialize the resulting applications, with the potential to impact the estimated $3.1 billion annual flow of semiconductors to the U.S. military(1) and a global commercial market in semiconductors valued well in excess of $300 billion.

The new partnership was welcomed by United States Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) who said, "New York is poised to lead in the high-tech economy of the future. When we partner our world class universities and research laboratories with cutting-edge businesses like S3IP in Binghamton and Applied DNA Sciences on Long Island, we can spark new innovation with the power to protect our defense technology, keep our country safe, and attract new businesses and new jobs to help grow our economy."

APDN, a leading security and authentication firm based in Long island, NY, and S3IP, which focuses on research and development in small scale systems, envisage accelerating APDN's commercial applications, filing new grant proposals, and advancing new research. The partners will develop a joint research program to develop new and ways to embed and authenticate DNA on various substrates. The advances are aimed at extending the company's botanically derived DNA technology to new verticals and to future needs. According to the Memorandum of Understanding signed by The Research Foundation for the State University of New York, whose office is located at Binghamton University Office of Sponsored Programs, and by APDN, the partners will aim to scale up new methods for SigNature DNA incorporation into and onto a variety of materials.

The program may also involve testing of marked packaging of microchips in coordination with APDN partners, and explore advances in rapid reading solutions for screening chips in varying scenarios.

"S3IP works in partnership with government, academia and industry to enable new electronics applications for energy, healthcare, telecommunications and consumer applications, and defense industries," said Bahgat Sammakia, interim vice president for research, and director of S3IP at Binghamton University. "We are excited about this partnership with Applied DNA Sciences, which will enable new research opportunities for our faculty, staff and students. This program is just one example of the benefits of working in collaboration with industry, the results of which will bridge our expertise in biotechnology and information technology to enable new opportunities for ensuring the security of our nation's electronic systems."

Said Dr. James A. Hayward, President and CEO of Applied DNA Sciences, "Our collaboration with Binghamton University extends our commitments to collaborative research with NYS universities, including our current work with Stony Brook University, and the College of Nanotechnology Science and Engineering at the University of Albany. Combined with Long Island's heritage in DNA science and in the defense industry, we could not be in a better strategic location to extend our biotechnologies for microelectronics."

About The New York State Center of Excellence in Small Scale Systems Integration and Packaging at Binghamton University (S3IP)

The Small Scale Systems Integration and Packaging (S3IP) Center is an academic research organization that enables new electronic applications and devices to improve the way people live and interact with their environment. The Integrated Electronics Engineering Center (IEEC), which a component of S3IP, is a New York State Center for Advanced Technology and is focused on electronic packaging.

Located at Binghamton University, these centers bring together partners from government, industry and academia to provide opportunities for collaborations that will advance microelectronics research and development. S3IP was designated as a New York State Center of Excellence in 2006.

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Binghamton University S3IP Center and Applied DNA Sciences Partner on DNA Authenticity Technologies for Microelectronics

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A Startup Uses the Cloud to Unravel DNA

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DNA analyst: Andreas Sundquist cofounded DNAnexus, a company that uses cloud computing to analyze sequenced DNA. Technology Review

DNAnexus thinks cloud computing can help analyze sequenced DNA and push personalized medicine forward.

Since the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003, a string of technological advances have made it faster and cheaper to sequence a human genome. But there's still a big problem: what do you do with all that data once you've unraveled it?

For Andreas Sundquist, the answer is to send it to the cloud. Sundquist is the CEO and cofounder of DNAnexus, a software startup that positions itself between DNA sequencing facilities and those who need to manage, and glean information from, sequenced genomesincluding academic researchers, doctors, and biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.

"The more and more data you produce faster and cheaper, the more the bottleneckwhich used to be the DNA sequencing itselfis actually now the data management," he says.

Sundquist sees his company as an instant online genomics center, offering clients immediate access to vast stores of DNA data and to analysis tools so they can make sense of it alland potentially come up with better treatments for cancer and genetic diseases, as well as identify genetic links to diseases like autism and alcoholism.

Here's how it works: Your lab's data is uploaded to DNAnexus through a Web browser or sent via a DNA-sequencing machine connected to the Internet. It then sits in your cloud-based account (the company uses Amazon's and Google's cloud services). You log in to the account on your computer to see the data and use DNAnexus's tools to analyze it.

Eventually, Sundquist hopes DNAnexus will bring together lots of different genetic databases (which for now tend to exist on their own, without being linked to others), aiding research efforts, drug discoveries, and the creation of drug-targeting diagnostic tests.

And Sundquist expects the market for Mountain View, California-based DNAnexus's services will grow dramatically. He estimates that about 20,000 full genomes have already been sequenced worldwide, and predicts this will rise to a million in several years as the price and time required continue to fall (right now, he estimates the process takes about a day and costs roughly $4,000). All that data will amount to more than an exabyte of dataone billion gigabytesand hundreds of thousands of central processing units will be needed to analyze it all, he estimates.

DNAnexus isn't the only company betting on this growth. David Dooling, assistant director of the Genome Institute at Washington University in St. Louis, points out that several other companies are offering cloud-based DNA analysis services, too, including Illumina.

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A Startup Uses the Cloud to Unravel DNA

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DNA tests ordered on knife in stabbing death of Naperville teacher

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BY DAN ROZEK Staff Reporter drozek@suntimes.com June 4, 2012 11:46AM

Daniel Olaska

storyidforme: 31566953 tmspicid: 9212450 fileheaderid: 4208563

DNA testing can be done on two blood stains found on the knife authorities allege Daniel Olaska used to kill Naperville school teacher Shaun Wild, a DuPage County judge ruled Monday.

Prosecutors sought the genetic testing on the 5-inch-long folding knife to confirm it was the weapon used to kill Wild and wound two other men during a deadly Feb. 4 clash in a Naperville nightclub.

Judge Kathryn Creswell agreed to allow the testing after Olaska didnt object to testing the weapon, which was found by police in Frankies Blue Room after the late-night stabbings.

The DNA testing isnt crucial because security cameras captured the stabbings, which also were witnessed by other nightclub patrons, defense attorney Brian Telander said.

I dont think the results will be relevant. Its not a who-dunit, said Telander, who has hinted he will argue the stabbings occurred in self-defense during an altercation.

Olaska, 27, is charged with fatally stabbing the 24-year-old Wild, as well as wounding Wilds friend, 22-year-old William Hayes, and bar bouncer Rafael Castenada.

Olaska was arrested as he tried to leave the bar with other clubgoers after the 12:45 a.m. stabbings.

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DNA tests ordered on knife in stabbing death of Naperville teacher

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Shape-shifting shell: Structure of a retrovirus at a potentially vulnerable stage

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As a retrovirus matures, the two parts of its shell protein (red and blue or yellow and blue) dramatically rearrange themselves, twisting and moving away from each other. Credit: EMBL/T.Bharat

Scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, have for the first time uncovered the detailed structure of the shell that surrounds the genetic material of retroviruses, such as HIV, at a crucial and potentially vulnerable stage in their life cycle: when they are still being formed. The study, published online today in Nature, provides information on a part of the virus that may be a potential future drug target.

Retroviruses essentially consist of genetic material encased in a protein shell, which is in turn surrounded by a membrane. After entering a target cell in the case of HIV, one of the cells in our immune system the virus replicates, producing more copies of itself, each of which has to be assembled from a medley of viral and cellular components into an immature virus. "All the necessary components are brought together within the host cell to form the immature virus, which then has to mature into a particle that's able to infect other cells" says John Briggs, who led the research at EMBL. "We found that when it does, the changes to the virus' shell are more dramatic than expected."

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The role and shape of the protein shell (blue/orange) changes from the immature (top) to the mature form of the virus (bottom). Credit: EMBL/T.Bharat

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As a retrovirus matures, the two parts of its shell protein (red and blue or yellow and blue) dramatically rearrange themselves, twisting and moving away from each other. Credit: EMBL/T.Bharat

Although the virus shells imaged in this study were derived from the Mason-Pfizer monkey virus and made artificially in the laboratory, they closely resemble those of both this virus and HIV which are very similar in their natural forms.

"We still need a lot more detailed information before drug design can really be contemplated," Briggs concludes, "but finally being able to compare mature and immature structures is a step forwards."

Journal reference: Nature

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Shape-shifting shell: Structure of a retrovirus at a potentially vulnerable stage