Charlotte county beaches making waves on reality TV pilot

Posted on by

CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. - Charlotte County's beaches could soon make waves in a new reality TV show!

County officials approved using almost $80,000 of your money to pay a well known expert to sell what Charlotte has to offer.

"It's the kind of exposure that wouldn't be available if you wanted to buy it and if it was available, you couldnt afford it. So, to have something like this dropped in your lap is really great," said Jerry Jones.

Director of Film and Digital Media, Jerry Jones said production crews could be setting up shop on Charlotte County sand as early as October filming a pilot for a reality TV show featuring beautiful beaches. And who better to do that than Stephen Leatherman or 'Dr. Beach' himself?

Most known for his list of the nation's top ten beaches, Dr Beach visited this area a few years ago. Robin Madden with Islander Properties on Palm Knight Don Pedro Island invited him out here.

"After that he decided he fell in love with the island and Charlotte County and he decided he wanted to develop a series called 'Buying Beachfront' she said.

Making the island the setting for the pilot episode. With Tuesday's green light from the county, tourism leaders are funding the shoot, a $79,000 price tag. "When we have reality shows show up, the response is huge. Because it gives national exposure and these are programs that get shown not just once, but they get repeated," Jones added.

Dr Beach will also use some of that money to create a three-minute promotional video just about Charlotte County.

"It's going to put us on the map," Madden added.

Tourism leaders say Dr Beach will market the TV show to networks like the Weather Channel, Discovery America and HGTV.

Continued here:

Charlotte county beaches making waves on reality TV pilot

Canadian and U.S. Aerospace Industries to Benefit from Fast-growing Emerging Markets: BMO Economics

Posted on by

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS and TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Jun 25, 2013) - Fast-growing demand in emerging markets represents a key opportunity for aerospace producers in the U.S. and Canada, while demand growth is likely to remain moderate but relatively stable in North America, according to BMO Capital Markets.

"Aerospace exports to developing economies have grown significantly over the past two decades," said Aaron Goertzen, Economist, BMO Capital Markets. "U.S. producers have a slightly stronger foothold in developing markets than their Canadian counterparts, but Canadian firms are also benefitting from the export of U.S.-assembled aircraft containing Canadian-made components."

He noted that the United Arab Emirates - which has poured resources into establishing itself as a major player in air travel - and China, have become key export markets. "The U.S. and Canada are beginning to see more aggressive competition from emerging-market producers, who are becoming more effective at challenging advanced-economy producers on their home turf," said Mr. Goertzen.

However, even with the expansion of emerging-market players, producers in advanced economies still hold a commanding share of the global market, with the United States alone accounting for nearly half of global aerospace revenue. Canada, meanwhile, is ranked as the fifth-largest global aerospace producer. Overall, the North American industry accounts for $200 billion in annual revenue.

Air travel and freight volumes are expected to grow in 2013, which should support airline profitability and underpin further expansion in aerospace orders. The gradually improving global economic outlook together with ultra-low interest rates should continue to support industry activity in this year after contributing positively to aerospace demand in 2012.

In particular, private orders for corporate aircrafts in the U.S. are expected to be strong in the coming years. "Corporate aviation is highly cyclical, and we're starting to see some real momentum," said Joe DiLallo, Vice President & Director, Corporate Aircraft Finance, BMO Harris Bank. "Deliveries and orders of corporate jets have increased significantly this year, and we anticipate growth will be in the 5 per cent range for the industry through 2016. BMO Harris Bank has the customized financing and specialized expertise in this area that will serve our large corporate clients as they continue to expand."

Overall, BMO sees a number of factors that will have an impact on the industry in the near to mid-term future:

Opportunities

This solid recovery in private demand has created a record backlog of unfilled orders, which would support industry output even if the global recovery were to unfold at a slower-than-anticipated pace. Over the past five years the aerospace industry has kept two to three years' worth of unfilled orders on the books - well ahead of historical norms. As a result, the industry has started ramping up production and should continue to build momentum over the next few years.

Elevated fuel prices are increasing airline demand for more fuel-efficient aircraft. Although high fuel prices weigh on airline profitability, they also increase demand for newer, more fuel-efficient aircraft - a big positive for aerospace producers. Indeed, aerospace orders boomed as energy prices surged during the commodity run-up in 2007-08. Although a softer economy has kept demand subdued compared to its frenetic pre-recession pace, upward pressure on energy prices expected over the medium term bodes well for the aerospace industry. In particular, Bombardier's C-Series regional jet - whose maiden flight is slated for late June - incorporates advanced materials and modern engines in order to provide a noticeable improvement in fuel consumption.

The rest is here:

Canadian and U.S. Aerospace Industries to Benefit from Fast-growing Emerging Markets: BMO Economics

Aerospace Industry Leaders Discuss The Industry’s Future In Washington State

Posted on by

Tue, Jun 25, 2013

Innovate Washington and the newly formed Joint Center for Aerospace Technology Innovation (JCATI) brought together an elite-class of aerospace experts at their first annual future of aerospace symposium on the University of Washingtons Seattle campus held Monday. The symposium follows a recent proposal to the FAA to site an unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) research and testing facility in central Washington the development of which many cite as the future of the industry.

Washington has long been a leader in aerospace, and we are thrilled to be aggressively driving the conversation on what is next for the industry and in particular for Washington states role in the industry, said Bart Phillips, vice president of economic development at Innovate Washington. Expanding the states innovation into unmanned aircraft systems is an exciting opportunity to create new jobs." A recent study from the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) noted that this innovation has the potential to bring more than 10,000 jobs to the state.

The symposium featured industry thought leaders from Washington, NASAs Jet Propulsion Lab, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), among others, who will explore what they consider to be the future of aerospace through interactive and discussion based sessions ranging from biofuels and 787 production to space exploration and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Monday also marked the public launch of JCATI, a new organization founded around the principles of public-private collaboration and experiential learning. Established by the former Governor Christine Gregoires office and the Washington state legislature to support the aerospace industry, the centers main goal is to develop aerospace research collaborations among the states 4-year public universities with strong industry partnerships to benefit the states economy and provide research opportunities to students across the state. By providing practical experience, JCATI is able to both enhance the industry as a whole and continue to drive statewide expansion. Initial grants of more than $1.3 million have been provided to faculty throughout the state to further their research and encourage innovation in Washington. To celebrate the research produced from their efforts, the grant recipients will demonstrate and showcase their research findings during the symposium.

This symposium helps further our mission of pursuing joint industry-university partnerships in new technologies that are relevant to aerospace firms in Washington State, said Timothy Stevens, Chair of JCATI and President, Triumph Composite Systems. Through creative collaboration and highlighting our broad thought leadership capabilities, we hope to keep Washington as the leader in aerospace innovation in new and exciting sectors.

JCATI and Innovate Washington believe that while the state has long been center stage in American aerospace invention and innovation, a greater emphasis in the field at the university level in Washington is key to maintaining and enriching the regions presence in the field.

Continue reading here:

Aerospace Industry Leaders Discuss The Industry's Future In Washington State

2 congressmen who died after stem cell therapy named

Posted on by

MANILA - House Speaker Sonny Belmonte said 2 congressmen died after having stem cell therapy overseas.

These are congressmen Erico Aumentado and Pedro Romualdo.

Belmonte, however, clarified that it has not been established whether stem cell therapy was the cause of death.

Belmonte said that after having stem cell therapy, the 2 felt rejuvenated and may have exerted themselves during the last election campaign.

Belmonte said Aumentado even started walking around without a cane.

Aumentado' son Aristotle, a first-term congressman, was introduced by Belmonte to media during the sidelines of the executive course the lower House sponsored for neophytes.

Aristotle said his father died of pneumonia. He added there is also no proof that stem cell caused the death.

In fact, he said they were scheduled for another treatment after the elections had his father not died.

Aristotle said the Philippine Medical Association (PMA) has not approached them for the PMA's investigation into the deaths of 3 politicians who died after receiving stem cell therapy abroad.

Aristotle explained that his father had leg thrombosis for which he had to undergo bifemoral bypass and stem cell therapy .

Go here to see the original:
2 congressmen who died after stem cell therapy named

Was Stem Cell therapy behind death of 3 Solons?

Posted on by

Manila, Philippines --- Several congressmen have indeed undergone stem cell therapy in Germany and two of them died while serving the 15th Congress.

This was gathered from several sources as one outgoing congressman disclosed that a group of Mindanao mayors are set to depart for Europe to visit stem cell clinics in Germany.

''But virility and aesthetic enhancements are the reasons for the trip,'' said outgoing Agham Party-list Rep. Angelo Palmones in an interview yesterday.

Palmones admitted that one of the veteran solons who died during the 15th Congress was a stem cell therapy patient but whether or not the procedure contributed to his death remains unknown.

''He died of heart attack but the purpose of his stem cell treatment was to improve virility,'' said Palmones, outgoing vice chairman of the House Committee on Science and Technology.

Two others reportedly flew to Europe to seek treatment for cancer but both died.

A former broadcaster, Palmones authored House Resolution No. 1075 calling for a congressional investigation in aid of legislation on the operation of stem cell therapy clinics in malls in a bid to ensure the ''safety and security of patients.''

In a press statement the other day, the Philippine Medical Association (PMA) aired suspicions that ''three politicians'' from Mindanao may have died due to stem cell treatments from unauthorized practitioners.

More:
Was Stem Cell therapy behind death of 3 Solons?

The CHU de Quebec and COPAN Achieve Landmark First Installation in North America of Next Generation Full Laboratory …

Posted on by

MURRIETA, Calif. , June 24, 2013 /CNW/ - The CHU de Quebec , one of the most important healthcare institutions in the province of Quebec and one of the biggest in Canada , and COPAN Diagnostics, Inc., announced today the full installation of WASPLab, the latest generation of full laboratory automation and digital microbiology system in Hopital de l'Enfant-Jesus, one of the five hospitals forming the CHU de Quebec . This hospital and COPAN group worked closely and collaboratively to deliver North America's fastest seamless solution for full laboratory automation. This is a historic first installation of a full laboratory automation and digital bacteriology system operational in North America . The installation of WASPLab's hardware took place in an unprecedented time of less than a week. The speed of installation means that disruption to the routine laboratory operations is minimal and Go-Live time after install is dramatically shortened.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130624/LA37445)

"The Hopital de l'Enfant-Jesus is the first healthcare services provider to install and implement WASPLab in North America . This technology allows us to be more effective and efficient in our lab, which is very important from a budget point of view. It also allows us to face the shortage of qualified staff and appoint them to value-added tasks. Like most microbiology labs, we have a limited amount of space but with COPAN's WASPLab solution however, it allows us to bring in the latest technology for specimen processing, robotics, image analysis and digital reporting without having to tear down our lab," said Jean-Francois Gagnon , Microbiology Laboratory Manager at Hopital de l'Enfant-Jesus..

"COPAN values the close and collaborative relationships that enable us to innovate together by understanding our customers' needs and delivering solutions that achieve their highest goals for improving the ultimate quality of patient care," said Norman Sharples , CEO of COPAN Diagnostics, Inc. "WASPLab moves microbiology from what was essentially a batch process to an efficient and continuous automated flow from sample processing to incubation, reading, interpretation, work-up and reporting," added Sharples.

"WASPLab solution allows standardization of the planting and streaking and specimen processing, decreases risk of errors, and also lowers repetitive stress related to repeated movement for our staff" said Dr. Alain Paradis , Chief Microbiologist and Infectious Disease Specialist for Hopital de l'Enfant-Jesus, CHU de Quebec .

"We are excited to partner with the CHU de Quebec to help them achieve their goals. WASPLab's modular design and small footprint allowed us to customize it to Hopital de l'Enfant-Jesus needs in terms of technology and laboratory space constraints. WASPLab's small, high efficiency footprint eliminates unnecessary track that increases speed of positive culture plate availability, saves costs, reduces maintenance and avoids the artificial barriers extensive track creates within the lab," concluded Sharples.

COPAN will showcase WASPLab during AACC Clinical Lab Expo in Houston , Texas in July 2013 .

About the CHU de Quebec Consist of the CHUL, L'Hotel-Dieu de Quebec and hospitals l'Enfant-Jesus, Saint-Francois d'Assise and du Saint-Sacrement, the CHU de Quebec is the most important health care institution in the province of Quebec and one of the biggest in Canada . The CHU de Quebec offers general and specialized care, but mostly ultra-specialized care throughout Eastern Quebec , which represents nearly two million persons. In partnership with Universite Laval and focused on the future, the CHU de Quebec also has core missions in teaching, in research in many fields of excellence, and in the evaluation of health technologies and professional practices.14,000 employees, 1,700 doctors, dentists and pharmacists, and also 500 researchers are needed to accomplish those missions.

About Copan Diagnostics, Inc. With a reputation for innovation, Copan is the leading manufacturer of collection and transport systems in the world. Copan's collaborative approach to preanalytics has resulted in Flocked Swabs, ESwab, Universal Transport Medium and modular laboratory automation, WASP and WASPLab. For more information about Copan Diagnostics, visit http://www.copanusa.com.

SOURCE: Copan Diagnostics, Inc.

Follow this link:
The CHU de Quebec and COPAN Achieve Landmark First Installation in North America of Next Generation Full Laboratory ...

New palm-sized microarray technique grows 1,200 individual cultures of microbes

Posted on by

Public release date: 25-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jim Sliwa jsliwa@asmusa.org 202-942-9297 American Society for Microbiology

A new palm-sized microarray that holds 1,200 individual cultures of fungi or bacteria could enable faster, more efficient drug discovery, according to a study published in mBio, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

Scientists at the University of Texas at San Antonio and the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research at Fort Sam Houston have developed a microarray platform for culturing fungal biofilms, and validated one potential application of the technology to identify new drugs effective against Candida albicans biofilms. The nano-scale platform technology could one day be used for rapid drug discovery for treatment of any number of fungal or bacterial infections, according to the authors, or even as a rapid clinical test to identify antibiotic drugs that will be effective against a particular infection.

"Even though we have used the antifungal concept for development, it is a universal tool," says co-author Jose Lopez-Ribot of the University of Texas at San Antonio. "It opens a lot of possibilities as a new platform for microbial culture. Any time you need large numbers of cultures, this has a big advantage over other methods."

"The possibility exists to use this same technology for pretty much any other organism," he says.

Microbiology and medicine have become increasingly reliant on micro- and nano-scale technologies because of the increased speed and efficiency they can offer, but until now the cultivation of microorganisms has mostly been conducted on larger scales, in flasks and in trays called micro-titer plates. The microarray technology enables the user to rapidly compare hundreds or thousands of individual cultures of bacteria or fungi, a big benefit in the search for new drugs to treat infections. And like many nano-scale techniques, the nano-culture approach described in the mBio study is also automated, a feature that saves time, improves reproducibility, and prevents some types of user error.

To test the technique, the authors embedded cells of the opportunistic pathogen C. albicans in each of the 1,200 tiny dots of alginate on the surface of the microarray. Under the microscope, these nano-biofilms of C. albicans, each of which was only 30 nanoliters, exhibited the same growth habits and other outward characteristics as conventional, macroscopic biofilms, and achieved maximum metabolic activity within 12 hours. The tiny cultures were then treated with a wide range of candidate drugs from the National Cancer Institute library, or with different FDA-approved, off-patent antifungal drugs in combination with FK506, an immunosuppressant, for identifying individual or synergistic combinations of compounds effective against biofilm infections. Co-author Anand Ramasubramanian of the University of Texas at San Antonio says that the tests prove the utility of the technology in screening combinations of drugs.

"The antifungal screening results were similar to results in larger macroscale techniques. That gives us confidence that it could be used as a tool to replace existing techniques," says Ramasubramanian.

Going forward, Ramasubramanian says he and his colleagues are testing the microarrays with polymicrobial cultures - mixtures of fungi and bacteria - to see whether the technology can be used to explore treatments for mixed infections. They are also exploring clinical applications for the technique, testing patient samples against an array of drugs or combinations of drugs to develop tailored therapies.

Here is the original post:
New palm-sized microarray technique grows 1,200 individual cultures of microbes

Princeton officials hail new contract that cuts police longevity pay

Posted on by

PRINCETON A new agreement with the towns Police Benevolent Association that eliminates longevity pay and doubles the time it takes for a newly-hired police officer to reach the maximum pay grade was discussed by the town council tonight.

The contract also includes a pay raise for officers each year. Officers would receive a 1.75 percent raise each year for the first two years of the contract, and a 1.9 percent in the contracts final year, 2015.

Under the new contract, an officer in 2013 would make $61,543 during his or her first year. The maximum pay after 12 years of service would be $105,700. The new scales are not retroactive and would not affect current members of the police force.

Town officials hailed the agreement thats been long in the works as a success, but decided to save a vote for the next council meeting.

Mayor Liz Lempert said the agreement adds several more steps for new hires and keeps the town below the state-mandated 2 percent cap.

This agreement puts the municipality in a very good position moving forward, she said.

Detective Ben Gering, the departments union head, could not be reached for comment by press time.

Town administrator Bob Bruschi said he felt talks between the two parties were amicable and resulted in a solid contract for the next three years.

(This is) a great step in saving us more money down the line, Bruschi said.

The elimination of longevity pay will be a huge benefit for the town, he said. Longevity pay is an addition to the yearly salary based on an officers length of service.

The rest is here:
Princeton officials hail new contract that cuts police longevity pay

The Compiler/Longevity Guys in the Pro Football Hall of Fame? It Includes Several Fan Favorites

Posted on by

Here is a fun one just for discussion sake. Who are the biggest longevity vs. peak guys in the Pro Football Hall of Fame? Football likes to say that they dont value stats like baseball and there are not as many compilers, but while we dont have the depth of statistics for positions like offensive guard or defensive back like baseball players, some players have been enshrined in Canton because they were good players for a long time, not because they were the best players during a given stretch.

I was reminded of this today by Mike Florios Floriolic take that Charlie Joiner should be ahead of LaDainian Tomlinson in Chargers lore. Its hard to justify Joiner over Tomlinson based on peak or virtually any other measure. Joiner was a really good player for a long time, but was rarely the clear center piece of the Air Coryell offense that threw the ball a lot. Tomlinson was the best running back in the league for a large chunk of the last decade.

[RELATED: Torrey Smith is Not a Fan of the New England Patriots Fanbase]

So to measure the compiler/longevity scale, I looked at a couple of things. One was career approximate value (AV) divided by years to get an average. I then also cross-referenced it with individual awards. Awards are part of the AV formula, but I didnt want a player like Dermontti Dawson, who happened to not play for explosive offenses but was seen as the best at his position, showing up on the scale.

A look at the other end of the results shows some of the best players of all-time: Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, and Lawrence Taylor are the top three, and many of the other guys considered the best at their positions rank near the top.

[RELATED: Tom Brady and Historic Receiving Turnover in 2013: If Aaron Hernandez is Out, Top Five Receivers From Last Year Could Miss Opener]

Here are the starting eleven compilers/longevity guys in the Hall of Fame, in looking at average AV combined with award percentage:

Its notable that with the exceptions of Stallworth and the three Redskins players, these players are not noted for winning RINGSSSSSSS! So they were not getting a bump for championship performances by their teams. None of them were selected as a first team all pro by the Associated Press more than once in their careers, but they were above average performers at their position for a long time. Seven of these guys show up playing offensive skill positions where there are more counting numbers, so if football people want to claim counting stats dont matter, baseball folks may have a slight retort. One of those that wasnt an offensive skill player just recently got in with a counting stats argument. Even though he really got in for a combination of things like being a long-time assistant, LeBeau was officially selected as a player, with things like his placement on the career interceptions list being noted.

Also, by the measure used here, Curtis Martin, who many decried as a compiler, checks in exactly middle of the pack for Hall of Famers. Reasons? He was considered among the best of his position a decent amount of times (5 pro bowls in 11 years) and averaged over 11 AV per year, and was often one of, if not the best player, on most of the offenses in which he played.

See original here:
The Compiler/Longevity Guys in the Pro Football Hall of Fame? It Includes Several Fan Favorites

Dr. Joe McCord, LifeVantage Corporation's First Chief Science Officer, Retires From Company

Posted on by

SALT LAKE CITY, June 25, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LifeVantage Corporation (LFVN), a company dedicated to helping people achieve healthy living through a combination of a compelling business opportunity and scientifically validated products, announced today that Dr. Joe McCord, LifeVantage's first Chief Science Officer, a member of the initial management team, past board member, LifeVantage Scientific Advisory Board member and pioneering researcher in anti-aging science has retired from the Company.

"Dr. McCord's co-discovery in 1969 of superoxide dismutase (SOD), an enzyme that eliminates free radicals, laid the foundation for a critical area of anti-aging research and provided the scientific foundation for LifeVantage's cornerstone products, Protandim(R), the Nrf2 Synergizer(R) patented dietary supplement, TrueScience(R) Anti-Aging Cream and LifeVantage(R) Canine Health," said LifeVantage President and Chief Executive Officer Douglas C. Robinson.

"Since then," Robinson noted, "Dr. McCord has been named lead or co-author on a remarkable body of work, encompassing 212 published scientific articles on related matters, including the roles of SOD and/or Nrf2 in oxidative stress; heart, liver, lung, brain, muscle and other organ health; the mechanism and effects of Protandim; implications for cancer treatment, and more.

"In view of his long association with LifeVantage, dating from 2004, and his groundbreaking and continuing scientific exploration of oxidative stress, Nrf2 and Protandim, I know I am joined by the entire LifeVantage family, including more than 60,000 independent distributors worldwide and over 140,000 other customers, in celebrating Dr. McCord's service and wishing him the very best in the future," Robinson said.

Early LifeVantage investor and past board member H. Leigh Severance said of Dr. McCord, "Joe is one of those rare geniuses who not only discovers new scientific facts, but who encourages others to build on their groundbreaking research, expanding the breadth of knowledge and applications. Even more, Joe has the skills to help those of us in the financial community understand the value of his work, and to attract talented business executives capable of transforming science into extraordinarily successful commercial products. We are truly indebted to Joe for his great accomplishments."

During his career, Dr. McCord was a Professor of Medicine, Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Molecular Genetics, and Microbiology/Immunology at the University of Colorado at Denver. Dr. McCord also served as the head of the Division of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Webb-Waring Institute, as a faculty member at Duke University's Department of Medicine and as a Professor and Chairman of the Department of Biochemistry at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine. Early in his career, Dr. McCord's doctoral dissertation described the discovery of SOD, a discovery that earned him the Elliott Cresson Medal, the highest award given by The Franklin Institute.

Dr. McCord will continue providing limited consulting services to the Company over the next nine months to promote further research on Protandim.

About LifeVantage Corporation

LifeVantage Corporation (LFVN), a leader in Nrf2 science and the maker of Protandim(R), the Nrf2 Synergizer(R) patented dietary supplement, TrueScience(R) Anti-Aging Cream and LifeVantage(R) Canine Health, is a science based nutraceutical company. LifeVantage is dedicated to visionary science that looks to transform wellness and anti-aging internally and externally with products that dramatically reduce oxidative stress at the cellular level. The Company was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Salt Lake City, UT.

Read the original:
Dr. Joe McCord, LifeVantage Corporation's First Chief Science Officer, Retires From Company