Iran€™s 2nd Proposed Int€™l Standard on Nanotechnology Approved

Posted on by

technology Approved -->

TEHRAN (FNA)- 'Determination of muramic acid as a biomarker for silver nanoparticles activity' standard which was proposed three years ago by Standardization Committee of Iran Nanotechnology Initiative Council to the Nanotechnology International Standardization Committee (ISO/TC229) was approved in the final stage of voting (DTS stage) and will be published in the near future.

The compilation and development of the standard began three years ago by a university team with the support of Iran Nanotechnology Initiative Council by carrying out laboratorial research. During these years, various experts from different countries were introduced to supervise the compilation of the standard. The suggestions of the experts were evaluated and approved by the project supervisor of the proposed standard. A new method has been presented in the standard, which can quantitatively and precisely determine the activity of silver nanoparticles. The standard can be used for the determination of antibacterial properties of products based on silver nanoparticles. Only a number of countries, including the US, Britain, China, South Korea, Germany, France, Japan, and Iran, have so far succeeded in the compilation of a standard in Nanotechnology International Standardization Committee (ISO/TC229). Another standard entitled 'Definitions for the evaluation of science, technology, and innovation indices' is currently being compiled in ISO under the supervision of Iran.

See more here:

Iran€™s 2nd Proposed Int€™l Standard on Nanotechnology Approved

Tricorder-like Mobile Phones Enabled by Nanotechnology

Posted on by

Your typical mobile phone userwho may be cursing his or her smart phone because the battery runs out after just a few hours of normal usagemay not be thinking: What this phone really needs is a spectrometer built into it. But if they knew what spectrometers could do, they might change their minds.

How about a smart phone that you could wave over the fruit and vegetables at the grocery store in order to determine whether they are ripe? Thats the kind of Star Trek Tricorder, gee-whiz technology that gets people to buy a smart phone.

Researchers at the Technische Universitt Dresden and the Fraunhofer Institute for Electron Beam and Plasma Technology in Germany have developed a technology that could enable exactly that kind of capability. The German researchers have created a novel, miniature spectrometer, enabled by metallic nano-antennas, small enough to fit onto a mobile phone.

In addition to checking on the ripeness of produce, it could also serve in a more critical role as a tool for diabetes patients to monitor their blood-sugar levels. Of course, using nanotechnology to make your mobile phone into a portable medical monitor is not a new concept. But what distinguishes this latest research out of Germany is that the thin-film manufacturing technique employed makes the spectrometer sensor compatible with mass production.

Even if you could shrink a spectrometerwhich measures light over a specific portion of the electromagnetic spectrumto its smallest physical dimensions using conventional techniques and have it still work, it would not fit onto a mobile phone. The trick employed by the German researchers is the use of metallic nanowires that serve as nano-antennas to absorb, amplify and redirect the light onto the light detectora CCD/CMOS chip that houses the antenna array. This makes it possible to miniaturize the spectrometer to a scale never conceived of before. The only limit to the size of the spectrometer is how small you could make the CCD/CMOS chip.

The three-year-long research project, dubbed "nanoSPECS", began in August of this year. Naturally, it is still at a preliminary stage, but the researchers expect that by the end of the project, they will be able to manufacture the graded antenna-array to the 8-wafer size.

If the German researchers are successful, at that point you will have a smart phone that you can wave over a plum or canteloupe to pick the best, and you might even have a way to power the phone so that it would last as long as a Tricorder.

Image: Fraunhofer

IEEE Spectrums nanotechnology blog, featuring news and analysis about the development, applications, and future of science and technology at the nanoscale.

Advertisement

Read this article:

Tricorder-like Mobile Phones Enabled by Nanotechnology

João Goulão Receives the Norman E. Zinberg Award for Achievement in the Field of Medicine – Video

Posted on by


João Goulão Receives the Norman E. Zinberg Award for Achievement in the Field of Medicine
SICAD (the Service Intervention in Addictive Behaviors and Dependencies) and its general director Dr. João Castel-Branco Goulão are the recipients of the Nor...

By: Drugreporter HCLU

See more here:

João Goulão Receives the Norman E. Zinberg Award for Achievement in the Field of Medicine - Video

Booklet on strategy of traditional, complementary medicine launched

Posted on by

Posted on November 12, 2013, Tuesday

KUALA LUMPUR: A booklet aimed at strengthening the national policy on traditional and complementary medicine to integrate it in primary health care was launched by the Health Mministry yesterday.

Titled, Strategy of Traditional and Complementary Medicine in Primary Health Care, it was launched by minister, Datuk Seri Dr S Subramaniam who hoped it would guide the relevant stakeholders to further develop traditional and complementary medicine in the country.

The strategy focuses on several areas which include integrating traditional and complementary practices in disease prevention and lifestyle modification; recognises the role of governance as the gatekeeper of traditional and complementary medicine; and, develops human capital to ensure competent healthcare practitioners.

The booklet was launched during the opening ceremony of the two-day International Conference on Siddha Medicine hosted by the ministry, beginning today.

At a news conference after the launch, Dr Subramaniam said since the inception of the traditional and complementary medicine division in 2004, a total of 11 public hospitals in the country were currently providing traditional and complementary medicine to the public.

Among treatment offered at the 11 hospitals are traditional Malay massage, Malay post-natal massage and acupuncture, he said, adding that the Traditional and Complementary Medicine Act was gazetted into law in February this year.

Upon enforcement, the legislation would provide a solid foundation for the regulation of the practice of traditional and complementary medicine, especially regarding the registration of practitioners, accreditation of qualification, development of research and quality control, said the minister. Bernama

<< Previous Entry - Next Entry >>

To enable your comment to be published, please refrain from vulgar language, insidious, seditious or slanderous remarks. This includes vulgar user names.

Follow this link:

Booklet on strategy of traditional, complementary medicine launched

Penn Medicine Receives 2014 Military Friendly Employer Recognition

Posted on by

PHILADELPHIA This Veterans Day, Penn Medicine was named a 2014 Military Friendly Employer by Victory Media, publisher of G.I. Jobs and Military Spouse magazines.Companies competed for the elite Military Friendly Employer title via a data-driven survey of over 5,000 companies with resulting survey data independently tested by Ernst & Young LLP. Criteria for the survey included a benchmark score across key programs and policies such as the strength of company military recruiting efforts, the percentage of new hires with prior military service, retention programs, and company policies on National Guard and Reserve service.

Penn Medicine aggressively seeks to hire military talent and has found that hiring from the military community is a strategic competitive advantage. We highly value the contributions of employees with military experience, said Judy L. Schueler, vice president, Organizational Development and chief Human Resources Officer of the University of Pennsylvania Health System. Veterans have demonstrated their alacrity to learn new skills and to exercise leadership in the most challenging situations traits that are highly valued at Penn Medicine.

Currently, veterans are employed in clinical and non-clinical departments throughout Penn Medicine including Surgery/operation rooms, real estate and construction, Engineering management, Trauma, Billing and Compliance, Administration and Human Resources.

Now in its 11th year, Military Friendly Employers media is the premier resource for transitioning service members and spouses seeking civilian employment. Each year companies taking the survey are held to a higher standard than the previous year via improved methodology, criteria and weightings developed with the assistance of an Advisory Board consisting of leaders in the military recruitment community.

Penn Medicine will be showcased, along with other 2014 Military Friendly Employers in the December edition of G.I. Jobs magazine and online at MilitaryFriendly.com.

Using the priority data engine on MilitaryFriendly.com, job seekers are able to view prospective employer profiles, as well as design their own custom lists according to their preferences. Custom, user-directed lists can then be saved and shared socially, allowing job seekers to find the Military Friendly Employer most suitable to their needs.

The 2014 Military Friendly Employers represent the preeminent tier of companies with strong military recruitment programs and meaningful job opportunities for transitioning service members and spouses seeking civilian employment, said Sean Collins, vice president for Victory Media and a nine-year Navy veteran. Our Military Friendly Employers constitute the group of companies actually moving the needle and hiring from the military community. The 2014 Military Friendly Employers reported hiring over 117,000 service members and spouses over the last 12 months, representing an average of 14 percent of total new hires.

One year ago on Veterans Day 2012, Penn Medicine announced its sponsorship of Joining Forces a national initiative to heighten awareness about the health needs of our nations veterans, service members and families, and elevate the role that medical schools, nursing schools and teaching hospitals play in serving their community.

Joining Forces was established by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden to bring Americans together to recognize, honor and take action to support veterans and military families during their service to our country and throughout their lives. Combat to Care, an extension of the national Joining Forces effort, is Penn Medicines campaign to: celebrate the service of our veteran faculty and staff; train our clinicians in the unique clinical challenges of caring for military service members, veterans, and their families; and recruit veterans who have demonstrated inspiring dedication, loyalty, and strength in the service of our nation to join Penn Medicine. Combat to Care acknowledges Penn Medicines commitment to both hiring and retaining veterans, as well as recognizing the over 160 Health System and Perelman School of Medicine employees who have served, or are currently serving, in the Armed Forces in an active duty or reserve capacity.

Original post:

Penn Medicine Receives 2014 Military Friendly Employer Recognition

MarkWest Energy Partners To Start Open Season For Previously Announced Liberty Ethane Pipeline

Posted on by

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

MarkWest Energy Partners, L.P. (NYSE: MWE) and MarkWest Liberty Ethane Pipeline, L.L.C. (MarkWest Liberty), collectively MarkWest, will hold a binding open season for the previously announced Liberty Ethane Pipeline. The open season will commence at 8:00 a.m. Mountain Time on November 8, 2013 and will end at 5:00 p.m. Mountain Time on December 9, 2013. This pipeline is part of MarkWests comprehensive ethane solution in the Northeast, which will include purity ethane transportation infrastructure and de-ethanization facilities located in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio.

Subject to the outcome of the binding open season and all of the necessary regulatory authorizations, the Liberty Ethane Pipeline will transport purity ethane from Majorsville, Pennsylvania, to Houston, Pennsylvania. From there, shippers will have direct access to multiple, major ethane takeaway projects including Mariner West, Mariner East, and ATEX. The Liberty Ethane Pipeline is expected to become operational in the fourth quarter of 2013.

The binding open season will allow interested parties to make volume commitments and execute long-term transportation contracts with MarkWest Liberty for transportation on the Liberty Ethane Pipeline. Shippers electing to make long-term volume commitments to MarkWest Liberty will be eligible to receive priority transportation service at a premium transportation rate for their committed volumes.

The Liberty Ethane Pipeline will provide transportation of purity ethane to ethane markets in North America and internationally. MarkWest is the first midstream operator in the Northeast to offer its producer customers the ability to recover and produce purity ethane and provide access to all announced large-scale ethane pipeline projects. Ethane produced in the Northeast has the potential to become a key driver for the future expansion of the global petrochemical industry.

Parties interested in participating in the open season and shipping on the Liberty Ethane Pipeline should contact Joshua Hallenbeck, VP of Finance and Treasurer at (866) 858-0482 or investorrelations@markwest.com. Information on the Liberty Ethane Pipeline and the binding open season can also be found on MarkWests website at: http://www.markwest.com/operations/ferc-pipelines/liberty-ethane-pipeline.

MarkWest Energy Partners, L.P. is a master limited partnership engaged in the gathering, processing and transportation of natural gas; the gathering, transportation, fractionation, storage and marketing of natural gas liquids; and the gathering and transportation of crude oil. MarkWest has a leading presence in many unconventional gas plays including the Marcellus Shale, Utica Shale, Huron/Berea Shale, Haynesville Shale, Woodford Shale and Granite Wash formation.

This press release includes forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts included or incorporated herein may constitute forward-looking statements. Actual results could vary significantly from those expressed or implied in such statements and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Although MarkWest believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, MarkWest can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. The forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that affect operations, financial performance, and other factors as discussed in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Among the factors that could cause results to differ materially are those risks discussed in the periodic reports filed with the SEC, including MarkWests Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2013. You are urged to carefully review and consider the cautionary statements and other disclosures made in those filings, specifically those under the heading Risk Factors. MarkWest does not undertake any duty to update any forward-looking statement except as required by law.

Copyright Business Wire 2013

Original post:

MarkWest Energy Partners To Start Open Season For Previously Announced Liberty Ethane Pipeline

Islands to consider a future in farming

Posted on by

Nov. 11, 2013, 1 p.m.

Farming was once a successful industry on the Southern Moreton Bay Islands, but the practice gave way to land devlopment from the 1960s. A community discussion on Macleay Island on Saturday, November 23 will discuss the economic viability of returning some farming to the islands. Photo courtesy of SMBI Museum on Russell Island

Farming was once a successful industry on the Southern Moreton Bay Islands, but the practice gave way to land devlopment from the 1960s. A community discussion, with guest speakers, will be held on Macleay Island on Saturday, November 23 to discuss the economic viability of returning some farming to the islands. Photo courtesy of SMBI Museum on Russell Island

A COMMUNITY discussion about returning farming to the Southern Moreton Bay Islands (SMBI) will be held on Macleay Island next weekend ( November 23)

The event is part of a study by several residents into returning some farming to the islands.

Study spokesman and SMBI Forum member Dave Tardent, of Karragarra Island, said the concept would be put before the next SMBI Forum meeting for approval and auspice under that body.

Guest speakers at the event will include: Frank Pearce from Redland City Council, who will talk about economic development on the islands; Dave, who will explain the concept and speak about how farming would fit into the SMBI economy; north coast market gardener Alexina Johnson; and others.

The event will start at 11am at the lemon farm in Lonciera Street, Macleay Island. All interested people from the islands and mainland are invited to attend.

To get to Macleay Island from the mainland, catch a Bay Island Transit Systems water bus from Weinam Creek Marina, Banana Street, Redland Bay. http://www.translink.com.au

Transport will be available on Macleay Island to meet the 10.10am water bus from the mainland and the 11.03am water bus from the islands.

See the rest here:

Islands to consider a future in farming

Goat Islands debate premature – Douglas

Posted on by

Jermaine Francis, Gleaner Writer

The debate over whether or not the Goat Islands, located in the Portland Bight Protected Area, could be used as a trans-shipment hub has been deemed premature by the man who was commissioned to head an environmental management scoping study on the area.

Dr Conrad Douglas, whose team conducted the Port Authority of Jamaica-commissioned Environ-mental Management Scoping of the Portland Bight, said there was not enough evidence available at this time for a fair debate to ensue over any environmental impact a hub may have on the Goat Islands.

Douglas made the remarks at the 'Logistics Hub: The Economy vs The Environment' symposium put on by the University of the West Indies and the Caribbean Maritime Institute, last Saturday.

He said the design and the intended plan for the islands have not yet been presented and, as such, assessments about the environmental impact were useless at this time.

"Because you don't know the horizontal and vertical profile of the project; because you don't know what the project entails and where it will be, you cannot proceed to make statements about the environmental impact," Douglas said.

Determining suitability

Douglas noted that a comprehensive environmental impact assessment must be done on the Goat Islands to determine its suitability.

"An environmental impact assessment attempts to predict the sort of impacts that could take place in a given area, having identified and critically assessed the design and impacts of the project. None of this is in the public domain at this time. We don't know the engineering designs and so on," Douglas added.

He said they were just at the stage where they were looking at what had been the area's historical use, what was its legal status, and what could be done in general on the Goat Islands.

Continued here:

Goat Islands debate premature - Douglas

A Comparative History of Health Care Problems and Solutions in the United States and France – Video

Posted on by


A Comparative History of Health Care Problems and Solutions in the United States and France
On Thursday, October 18th, the West European Studies Program along with the Global Health Initiative hosted a book discussion with Paul V. Dutton, Assistant ...

By: WoodrowWilsonCenter

Go here to see the original:

A Comparative History of Health Care Problems and Solutions in the United States and France - Video

Gore Vidal: State of the United States – Crime, Health Care, and Government Intrusion (1994) – Video

Posted on by


Gore Vidal: State of the United States - Crime, Health Care, and Government Intrusion (1994)
Crime in the United States is described by annual Uniform Crime Reports by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and by annual National Crime Victimizati...

By: The Film Archive

See the original post:

Gore Vidal: State of the United States - Crime, Health Care, and Government Intrusion (1994) - Video

Health Care Conference 2013: Naomi Fuchs, Santa Rosa Community Health Centers

Posted on by

Naomi Fuchs is chief executive officer of Santa Rosa Community Health Centers, the largest federally qualified health center in the North Bay and the second largest provider of primary care in Sonoma County. She will be a panelist at the North Bay Business Journals upcoming Health Care Conference, which will feature a panel of providers and health insurance brokers detailing both the challenges and opportunities under the Affordable Care Act.

Q: The North Bay now has two Accountable Care Organizations, Meritage Medical Network and Redwood Community Care Organization. How does this impact the delivery of care, and can we expect more movement in this direction as providers plot health care reform strategies?

Naomi Fuchs

Ms. Fuchs: All health care providers are motivated to achieve the Triple Aim of improving the experience of care, improving the quality of care, and reducing the cost of care. One of the fundamental strategies for meeting this goal is strengthening the coordination of care across the continuum of services. The Accountable Care Organization (ACO) model creates the infrastructure and systems among health care partners to provide real-time clinical support to patients in a team-based model of care.

Q: What can the North Bay and the health care sector in general expect in terms of increased consolidation; and how might this affect the physician landscape in the future, as health systems and hospitals seek to add providers to their networks?

Ms. Fuchs: Private practice providers will likely want to affiliate with a larger health network in order to be part of community-wide systems of care. This will improve coordination, provide resources for care management, and ensure access to care for patients in ways that might not be possible as a small or solo provider.

Q: In order to provide more coordinated care across the North Bay landscape, every provider has mentioned the importance of patient data, whether a health plan, hospital, or health center. What are the challenges behind this, and how will this transform care? What efforts are you undertaking to address this?

Ms. Fuchs: The challenge is that everyone is on separate systems, and there is no unified language for exchanging information. Health care has barely evolved from a cottage industry with respect to information exchange. Accurate, up-to-date information is essential for care management and cost reduction. The person in the ER needs to know what medications a patient is taking, the specialists needs to know what tests have already been done and what the results are, the primary care provider needs to follow up in a timely way post-hospital discharge with accurate information about the care provided in the hospital.

Right now, this is being done through faxes and phone calls, weeks after the care has been provided or is self-reported by the patient. Currently, ERs and hospitals can look up information when granted appropriate security access, and hospitals are faxing admissions and discharge summaries.

We are about to launch a secure patient health card that a patient can present to an ER or inpatient admissions that has a secure chip (like your credit card) with their basic health record encoded on it; the hospital then has a card reader to access the information. With Redwood Community Health Coalition, community health centers are working on a community-wide project to share information across hospitals and specialists. We hope to complete this project in 2014.

See the rest here:

Health Care Conference 2013: Naomi Fuchs, Santa Rosa Community Health Centers