Jetwing Hotels feted at World Travel Awards

Posted on by

Jetwing Hotels bagged three awards at the World Travel Awards, 2014, which marks the seventhth consecutive year Jetwing has emerged victorious at the awards.

Established in 1993, World Travel Awards acknowledges and rewards excellence in all sectors of the tourism industry.

Each year WTA covers the globe with a series of regional gala ceremonies staged to recognise and celebrate individual and collective successes within each key geographical region.

This year, Jetwing Lagoon, Jetwing Vil Uyana, and Jetwing Blue stood dominant in their categories, winning the same awards as last year for (respectively) Sri Lankas leading spa resort, Sri Lankas leading boutique hotel, and Sri Lankas leading wedding venue. Members of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, Jetwing Lagoon and Jetwing Vil Uyana are both marvels of architecture and design with the former being one of Bawas finest creations, and Jetwing Vil Uyana an unparalleled combination of nature and luxury. Jetwing Blue and Jetwing Lagoon are situated in Negombo,the birthplace of the company.

See the original post here:

Jetwing Hotels feted at World Travel Awards

Celebrating Ada Lovelace Day

Posted on by

October 14 is Ada Lovelace Day (ALD), an annual global event that recognizes not only the 19th century mathematician and aristocratic super nerd who wrote the first computer program, but other women in our community, too. ALD founder Suw Charman-Andersons goal is to raise the profile of women in science, technology, engineering, and maths by encouraging people around the world to talk about the women whose work they admire.

Supporting diversity is important to us, so were participating in ALD this year. Weve compiled some stories of women in tech from OReilly staff and members of our extended family you can read about them below.

What women inspire you? Let us know in the comments below and/or add it to the list on Finding Ada. Also, stay tuned for news Thursday on a new OReilly campaign about making geek culture one that welcomes and supports everyone.

Sarah Allen

She was my boss for a while (engineering manager at Macromedia), and I have learned so much from her.

Shes also super awesome, teaching women in tech via the Ruby classes she set up all over the countrycheck out her about page for all the details. Peldi Guilizzoni

Mary Gardiner (left) and Valerie Aurora

Valerie Aurora and Mary Gardiner are Linux hackers who decided to do something about the lack of women in the open source community and founded the Ada Initiative, which supports women in open technology and culture through activities such as producing codes of conduct and anti-harassment policies, advocating for gender diversity, teaching ally skills, and hosting conferences for women in open tech/culture.

They have been extremely effective: hundreds of conferences have adopted codes of conduct, and they have widely presented their ally skills workshops and made the materials available online under a Creative Commons license.

Read more:

Celebrating Ada Lovelace Day

One MS patient's 'starting line' for stem cell therapy

Posted on by

By Richard M. Cohen

image courtesy Richard Cohen

I am one of twenty struggling every day with multiple sclerosis to be included in an innovative, phase one stem cell clinical trial at the Tisch MS Research Center of New York. Now theres a mouthful. Please let me explain. Many of us read tidbits about cell therapy and think it simply is space-age medicine that will be launched in the future.

In fact, we are at the starting line now, and the race has begun. A phase one trial tests safety. The group is small, and all are treated with the real thing. No placebos, sugar pills. The trial tests autologous cells, which mean our own. That eliminates rejection and alters risk. No new medical procedure comes risk-free, but the dangers are minimal. The stem cells are pulled from bone marrow harvested from our breast bones. Sounds hideous. It is not.

In this trial, the stem cells are infused directly into the spinal column. Nope. Not painful at all. Then we watch and wait. Results, if there are to be any, can take many months to show themselves. This particular procedure has never been used before. I was the first in the group to be treated, making me the first in the world to have this done. For more than forty years, I have lived with an illness that left no room for hope. Suddenly, that has changed, though change does not necessarily come easily.

The expectation game is dangerous. No one really knows what to expect from this experiment. My doctor makes that point over and over. Yet it is hard to control the fantasies that inevitably pop into my head. The possibility of restoring at least some vision when I have been legally blind for years is enticing, to say the least. I used to run and race or simply hike up country hills. Now I hobble on a cane. I am lucky if I can stay on my feet walking two city blocks. The possibility of restored mobility takes my breath away.

I know better than to go too far down these roads in my mind, but that visual journey is unavoidable. Maybe that is okay. Hope is a funny thing. We need something to hope for. Any doctor will tell you attitude is an important factor in fighting a disease. I have learned the power of remaining positive. We need fuel to keep the engine running. Those flights of fancy, imagining we can be better than we are, to some extent can become self-fulfilling prophecies.

This is an exciting period in the history of medicine. That probably has been said throughout the ages. Science does not stand still. No one can see around the bend. That may be what makes hope possible, the idea that there is something just out of sight that is revolutionary and good, just waiting for us to get there.

Richard M. Cohen writes Journey Man, an independent blog, also carried by The Huffington Post. Cohen is the author of Blindsided, published in 2004, which chronicled his battles with multiple sclerosis and cancer, and Strong at the Broken Places in 2008, both New York Times Best Sellers. Cohens latest book, I Want to Kill the Dog, was published in 2012. Cohen is married to journalist, Meredith Vieira, with whom he has three grown children.

Original post:

One MS patient's 'starting line' for stem cell therapy

Stem cells improve vision enough for horse riding

Posted on by

Seeing is definitely believing when it comes to stem cell therapy. A blind man has recovered enough sight to ride his horse. A woman who could see no letters at all on a standard eye test chart can now read the letters on the top four lines. Others have recovered the ability to see colour. All have had injections of specialised retinal cells in their eyes to replace ones lost through age or disease.

A trial in 18 people with degenerative eye conditions is being hailed as the most promising yet for a treatment based on human embryonic stem cells.

"We've been hearing about their potential for more than a decade, but the results have always been in mice and rats, and no one has shown they're safe or effective in humans long term," says Robert Lanza of Advanced Cell Technology in Marlborough, Massachusetts, the company that carried out the stem cell intervention. "Now, we've shown both that they're safe and that there's a real chance these cells can help people."

Ten years ago, the team at Advanced Cell Technology announced that it had successfully converted human embryonic stem cells into retinal pigment epithelial cells. These cells help keep the eyes' light-detecting rods and cones healthy. But when retinal pigment epithelial cells deteriorate, blindness can occur. This happens in age-related macular degeneration and Stargardt's macular dystrophy.

In a bid to reverse this, Lanza's team injected retinal cells into one of each of the 18participants' eyes, half of whom had age-related macular degeneration and half had Stargardt's. A year later, 10people's eyes had improved, and the eyes of the others had stabilised. Untreated eyes had continued to deteriorate.

"On average, we're seeing three lines [on an eye test chart] of visual improvement in our patients," says Lanza.

There were no serious side effects and no sign of tumours, which can be a potential risk in stem cell therapies.

Lanza says the aim of the study was to halt further deterioration, so the improvements in sight were an unexpected bonus. He speculates that the improvements might be the result of rods and cones that had become dormant when the native retinal pigment epithelial cells died, resuming their function when the fresh cells were added.

"The results are highly encouraging," says Pete Coffey of University College London, who heads a project to treat people with age-related macular degeneration using tiny patches of retinal pigment epithelial cells made from human embryonic stem cells.

Advanced Cell Technology is now planning a larger trial, first in 100 people with Stargardt's, then in people with macular degeneration.

Originally posted here:

Stem cells improve vision enough for horse riding

Stem Cell Therapy For ALS Gets FDA's Fast Track Designation

Posted on by

By C. Rajan, contributing writer

The U.S. FDA has just granted BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics novel stem cell therapy, NurOwn, Fast Track status for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the company announced via press release.

"We are pleased that the FDA has granted Fast Track status for NurOwn as this will allow us greater and more frequent dialogue with the Agency as we continue the development of this ground-breaking cell therapy for the treatment of ALS," said Tony Fiorino, MD, PhD, CEO of BrainStorm. "We expect Fast Track designation, which recognizes the potential of NurOwn as to address an unmet medical need in ALS, to help speed and improve our development program."

Israeli biotech company BrainStorm is developing novel adult stem cell technologies for neurodegenerative diseases, such as ALS. The company licensed the exclusive rights to the NurOwn technology from Ramot, the technology transfer company of Tel Aviv University.

NurOwn is a personalized stem cell product made from autologous mesenchymal stem cells. These adult stem cells are obtained from the patients bone marrow and are induced to secrete neurotrophic factors, which are growth factors that can stimulate the survival and maintenance of neurons that degenerate in neurologic disorders.

NurOwn is currently being studied in randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2 clinical trials in ALS patients in both Israel and the U.S. Reuters reports that the last patient visit has been completed in the phase 2a clinical trial in Jerusalem. The company expects to release final results of the study by the end of this year. The U.S. arm of the Phase 2 study is being conducted at three sites in the U.S., and is expected to be wrapped up in early 2015.

The FDA's Fast Track program aims to speed up the development of new drugs and biologics in order to get them to patients suffering from serious, unmet medical needs. The Fast Track designation will allow BrainStorm Cell to submit an NDA on a rolling basis and will grant the company more communication and support from FDA during the development process.

ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a rapidly progressive neurological disease that results in death within 2 to 5 years of diagnosis in most cases, and less than 20 percent of patients live more than 5 years after onset of symptoms. The relatively rare condition affects about 2 persons in every 100,000, with approximately 5,600 new cases diagnosed every year in the U.S, according to the ALS Association.

There is no cure for the disease to date, although the only approved ALS drug, Riluzole, has demonstrated its ability to extend survival by at least a few months.

Go here to see the original:

Stem Cell Therapy For ALS Gets FDA's Fast Track Designation

Marius Wernig receives New York Stem Cell Foundation's Robertson Stem Cell Prize

Posted on by

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

14-Oct-2014

Contact: David McKeon DMcKeon@nyscf.org 212-365-7440 New York Stem Cell Foundation @nyscf

NEW YORK, NY (October 14, 2014) The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) announced today that Marius Wernig, PhD, Associate Professor in the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine and the Department of Pathology at Stanford University School of Medicine, is the 2014 recipient of the NYSCF Robertson Stem Cell Prize, which has been awarded since 2011 for extraordinary achievements in translational stem cell research by a young scientist.

Dr. Wernig and his team discovered that human skin cells can be converted directly into functional neurons, termed induced neuronal (iN) cells, in a period of four to five weeks with the addition of just four proteins.

"Dr. Wernig's groundbreaking research has the potential to accelerate all research on devastating neurodegenerative diseases," said Susan L. Solomon, CEO and Co-founder of NYSCF. "His work can impact and accelerate research on multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, and autism among many other conditions."

At Stanford, Dr. Wernig focuses on using induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells and iN cells for disease modeling and as potential cellular therapy. This new technique transformed the field of cellular reprogramming by eliminating the need to first create iPS cells, making it easier to generate patient or disease-specific neurons. These cell types hold tremendous therapeutic and translational relevance for patients around the world. Potential applications range from replacing damaged brain tissue to repairing the myelinating nerves lost in multiple sclerosis to identifying novel drugs and treatments for a range of neurological diseases.

In addition to his recent scientific achievements, Dr. Wernig was part of the inaugural class of NYSCF Robertson Stem Cell Investigators in 2010, and is the first NYSCF Robertson Investigator to receive the NYSCF Robertson Stem Cell Prize.

"I am delighted that Dr. Wernig is being recognized with this year's NYSCF Robertson Prize for his important research that has opened entirely new avenues for studying brain diseases. The NYSCF Robertson Prize was created to acknowledge the most important work being down by young stem cell scientists and I am thrilled to see a NYSCF Robertson Investigator go on to receive NYSCF Robertson Prize," said Julian Robertson, whose foundation underwrites the $200,000 prize. The terms of the prize require that the $200,000 stipend be used, at the recipients' discretion, to further support their research.

The NYSCF Robertson Stem Cell Prize will be presented to Dr. Wernig at a ceremony in New York City by Susan L. Solomon on October 14th.

View original post here:

Marius Wernig receives New York Stem Cell Foundation's Robertson Stem Cell Prize

THE DESTITUTE: A DISCUSSION ON THE SPIRITUALITY OF POVERTY | Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad – Video

Posted on by


THE DESTITUTE: A DISCUSSION ON THE SPIRITUALITY OF POVERTY | Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad
Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad delivers his lecture at the Turath Destitute Book Launch held at SOAS University, Russell Square. - - Web | http://www.alwaqiah.co.uk Phone | 0770 - 770 - 8283 E-Mail ...

By: Al Waqi #39;ah

Continued here:

THE DESTITUTE: A DISCUSSION ON THE SPIRITUALITY OF POVERTY | Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad - Video

Super Typhoon Vongfong From International Space Station | 19 () – Video

Posted on by


Super Typhoon Vongfong From International Space Station | 19 ()
Please also subscribe to my backup channel: https://www.youtube.com/earthsky102 Super Typhoon Vongfong Seen From ISS. NASA video: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piq0_1cPE1o] The ...

By: earthspace101

See the original post here:

Super Typhoon Vongfong From International Space Station | 19 () - Video

Astronaut speaks to Pilton school live from International Space Station

Posted on by

Comments(0)

A BARNSTAPLE junior school spoke to an astronaut live from the International Space Station last week.

Pupils at Pilton Bluecoat Junior School were given the chance to put questions to astronaut Reid Wiseman via a live link up to the space station on Wednesday.

John Hick, science co-ordinator at Pilton Bluecoat, introduced the school to the moderator who was organising the link up, which also involved pupils from Winter Garden school in Canvey Island, Essex.

The pupils were told that the space station was travelling over the Pacific towards the western coast of America at the time of the call.

James Norris was the first pupil from Pilton to speak, asking what inspired Mr Wiseman to become an astronaut.

He said: I grew up in Maryland in the US and we used to watch shuttle launches. I got to meet an astronaut and learn about what they did, so that was my inspiration.

Olivia Evetts asked what an astronauts daily routine was like.

Mr Wiseman said: My routine is a lot like yours. I wake up and take a shower, although we only have a wet flannel to wash with, then I go to the bathroom and then have breakfast.

I work for 10 hours and then in the evening we have dinner and go to bed.

Go here to read the rest:

Astronaut speaks to Pilton school live from International Space Station

X-37B space plane scheduled to return to Earth soon

Posted on by

A robotic U.S. Air Force space plane is set to land in California as soon as this week after a secretive 22-month flight hundreds of miles above Earth.

Artist's concept of an X-37B spacecraft in orbit. Credit: Boeing Built by Boeing Co., the X-37B space plane will touch down on a runway at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., the Air Force said Friday, but officials did not say when the spacecraft was scheduled to land.

The return will end the mysterious X-37B space plane program's third mission, which passed 671 days in orbit Monday. Its activities in space have been kept secret by the Air Force, but some analysts speculate the winged spaceship could test next-generation surveillance, communications and intelligence-gathering instruments, deploy small satellites, or demonstrate new materials for use in future military programs.

The program's cost is also kept under wraps by the Pentagon.

Resembling a miniature space shuttle, the 29-foot-long X-37B space plane takes off on top of a conventional launch vehicle, deploys solar panels to generate electricity in orbit, then returns to Earth like a glider for an automated landing on a runway.

"Preparations for the third landing of the X-37B, the Air Force's unmanned, reusable space plane, are underway at Vandenberg Air Force Base," the Air Force said Friday in a press release. "The exact landing date and time will depend on technical and weather considerations."

The spaceship's return was expected to come as soon as Tuesday.

The Air Force had warned pilots to stay away from Vandenberg's three-mile-long runway from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time (1500-0000 GMT; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. EDT) Tuesday. But the airspace closure was rescheduled for the same time Thursday during a follow-up notice to pilots.

"Team Vandenberg stands ready to implement safe landing operations for the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, the third time for this unique mission," said Col. Keith Balts, commander of the Air Force's 30th Space Wing.

The X-37B space plane launched on the Orbital Test Vehicle 3, or OTV 3, mission from Cape Canaveral on Dec. 11, 2012, aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket.

Read this article:

X-37B space plane scheduled to return to Earth soon

Enviroment Watch: World 3D Global warming experimental model from 1880 to 2014 using data from NASA. – Video

Posted on by


Enviroment Watch: World 3D Global warming experimental model from 1880 to 2014 using data from NASA.
Nicolas BelmonteTechnical Lead for Data Visualization at Twitterhas created an impressive interactive 3D visualization of the world #39;s temperature anomalies since 1800 using data from...

By: Deep13th Nuclear Waste Info

Read more:

Enviroment Watch: World 3D Global warming experimental model from 1880 to 2014 using data from NASA. - Video