Cloud 101: Blurring the lines between Virtual, Physical, Cloud

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Nathan Day | June 29, 2012

By gaining a clear understanding of the capabilities and pricing structure of cloud providers, you should be able to achieve the full promise of the cloud.

There's lots of talk about the "cloud" today, especially in Singapore where industry organisations such as Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) and the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) are coming together to create a trusted cloud eco-system to accelerate Singapore's position as a global cloud hub.

According a study conducted by the IDA in 2012, Singapore is ranked third in the Asia-Pacific region for cloud adoption, after Australia and Japan[i]. In addition, the Singapore government has initiated its plan to establish the first private computing cloud infrastructure for all government bodies while IDA has initiatives to encourage businesses to adopt cloud computing[ii].

But what exactly is cloud? Some may argue that the cloud is just marketing hype - a buzzword for a broad range of solutions being billed as the latest, greatest trend that everyone is trying to exploit. Others - who oftentimes have a vested interest in a single product - may try to narrowly define the cloud as mandatory technical reference architecture comprised of a specific virtualisation software residing on a particular hardware platform.

But, in reality, the cloud is something in between those two extremes. It can be a combination of virtual, physical and hosted solutions that give users capacity on demand from a pool of computing resources. It should deliver scalability and flexibility, and offer self-provisioning and management. And you should only have to pay for what you use.

The Cloud, Defined

Today's cloud offerings got their start with the advent of virtualisation, in which a virtual hardware platform, operating system, storage device or network resource was used instead of an actual version of that product.

But virtualisation alone is not the cloud. In 2011, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) published an official definition (NIST Special Publication 800-145) of this relatively new business model in the computing world. NIST concluded that "cloud computing is a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction."

In essence, the cloud is an operational model that enables delivery of computing-as-a-service in a way that is flexible enough to meet your unique needs and use cases. Today, cloud providers have developed innovative hosted offerings that meet this definition, but, in the process, are blurring the lines between virtual, physical and cloud environments.

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Cloud 101: Blurring the lines between Virtual, Physical, Cloud

Eco-Showers – Fantastic Ways To Save Water

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According to the Bathroom Manufacturers’ Association, the average shower uses just over 60 litres of water. Compare this to the average bath using a minimum of 100 litres and it’s clear, that if going green is an objective, then showering is the way forward.(PRWEB UK) 29 June 2012 Whilst opting for a shower, rather than a bath, will certainly rack up ‘green points’, the type and technology of ...

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Cyborg makes art using seventh sense

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Liz Else, associate opinion editor

(Image: Dan Wilton/RedBulletin)

Neil Harbisson can only see shades of grey. So his prosthetic eyepiece, which he calls an eyeborg, interprets the colours for him and translates them into sound. Harbissons art sounds like a kind of inverse synaesthesia. But where synaesthetes experience numbers or letters as colours or even taste words, for example, Harbissons art is down to a precise transposition of colour into sound frequencies. As a result, he is able to create facial portraits purely out of sound, and he can tell you that the colour of Mozarts music is mostly yellow. Liz Else caught up with him at the TEDGlobal conference.

When did you realise you were colour blind? When I was a kid they noticed that I had a big problem with colour blindness. They thought it was the normal red-green type, but it wasn't. Eventually, when I was 11 years old, they diagnosed me with achromatopsia, which means I can only see shades of grey. About one in 33,000 people have this type of colour blindness.

What is the gadget you are wearing? It's a sensor that lets me see colours.

How does it work? Colour is basically hue, saturation, and light. Right now, I can see light in shades of grey, but I cant see its saturation or hue. This gadget detects the lights hue, and converts the light into a sound frequency that I can hear as a note [wavelength is inversely proportional to frequency so it can easily convert the wavelength of the light into a sound frequency]. It also translates the saturation of the colour into volume. So if its a vivid red I will hear it more loudly.

All the translation happens in a chip on the back of my neck - it's all held by pressure onto the bone. It stays there all the time when I go to bed. In September I'm having it osteointegrated - which means that part of the device will be put inside my bone in a hospital in Barcelona and then the sound will resonate much better then. It took a year to convince them that it was ethical and part of me.

How long did it take you to learn how to use it? About five weeks but it was five weeks of 24/7. After five weeks my headaches went away and it became automatic. That was in 2004. Now it feels normal.

What is it like? Your world must look very different. Its like an extra sense, a seventh sense. Its not synaesthesia. Synaesthetes see colour. I never do. I hear it through bone and see beyond the normal.

Can you go beyond the normal range of the 300 or so visible hues? I can do infrared spectrum - I see colour that is invisible, like some of the animals that see at night. And also ultraviolet. The thing about UV is that its good to detect it because it damages the skin and I can detect it. I can build a picture that no one else sees.

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DEP says Maine beaches cleanest in years

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12:56 PM

By Eric Russell erussell@pressherald.com Staff Writer

Public beaches along Maines coastline likely will be flooded with visitors this weekend as temperatures are expected to creep into the 90s.

click image to enlarge

More than two-thirds of the 61 beaches monitored by the DEP had no water quality issues in 2011, an improvement from 2010, when almost half of all beaches had at least one advisory.

John Patriquin / Staff Photographer

The ocean water at those 61 beaches, which collectively stretch more than 30 miles, will be the cleanest and safest it has been in four years, according to data released by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

The Maine Healthy Beaches program monitors recreational water quality as a way to protect public health. Its funded by the federal Environmental Protection Agency and receives staff support from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension/Sea Grant.

From Memorial Day through Labor Day, water samples are analyzed every week for the enterococcus bacteria, which indicates the presence of fecal contamination from humans and animals. If bacteria levels exceed limitations sets by the EPA, beach managers will post an advisory. If levels are extremely high, beaches have to be closed.

Last year, the program found that beach advisory days had declined by nearly 50 percent from the previous summer. More than two-thirds of the 61 beaches had no water quality issues in 2011, an improvement from 2010, when almost half of all beaches had at least one advisory.

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Guide to the best beaches in Maui

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Maui is called The Valley Island, but in most travelers minds, its beaches are synonymous with the Hawaiian island. In the annual Best Beach contest held since 1991, Maui has won four times five, if you stretch the definition of Maui. Maui County includes the islands of Molokai and Lanai, and a beach on Lanai won in 1997.

And Maui isnt done. A remote beach in an area once favored by Oprah Winfrey made this years Top 10 and is likely to win the top spot eventually.

Its not all good news for Maui. A U.S. Geological Survey report says Maui has the highest rate of beach erosion in the state. Data from 1899 to 2007 show Maui beaches averaged 6.7 inches of sand lost each year. The worst impact is on the north shore near Paia. Erosion rates are somewhat higher in the Kaanapali area than in Kihei or Wailea.

As to the rankings, Ive criticized the methodology of the contest put out each spring by Dr. Beach, Stephen Leatherman, a Florida oceanography professor. He has a big East Coast bias, but we cant argue with his favorites in Maui. Here are the big ones, along with the next champion in waiting. The year the beach won the contest is in parentheses.

D.T. Fleming Beach Park, Maui (2006): Ive taken my share of knocks at this great bodysurfing beach on the sometimes turbulent northwest shore of Maui. When youre feeling a bit winded from battling the waves, there are shade trees along parts of the mile-long strand. When you are ready to call it a day, head uphill to the bar at the Ritz-Carlton for some sundowner drinks and pupus.

Kaanapali, Maui (2003): The busiest beach on this list, its fronted by a string of hotels from the Sheraton on the north to the Hyatt on the south and the Whalers Village shopping mall in the middle. With all the fancy resort swimming pools, guests sometimes forget that a world-class beach is just on the other side of the walkway. Theres usually gentle surf and knockout views toward Lanai. My favorite spot is Black Rock at the north end of the beach, with its excellent snorkeling and the crazies jumping off the rock.

Wailea Beach, Maui (1999): Wider, hotter and less crowded than Kaanapali to the north, Wailea is also fronted by luxury hotels and rocks in portions, but wide sands in other areas. The drop-off is gradual here, making it good for kids if the waves arent up. The view here is also outstanding, with views toward the tiny Molokini crater dive spot and the island of Kahoolawe, once used for Navy target practice.

Kapalua Bay Beach, Maui (1991): The first best-beach on Leathermans list is still one of the islands prettiest, though in the intervening decades, development has taken over the slope just above the beach, replacing palm trees and greenery with hotel and condo units. Though it has lost some of its magic, the beach itself is still a beautiful crescent of blond-colored sand fronting clear aquamarine waters.

Hulopoe, Lanai (1997): Lanai is officially part of Maui County, governed from the Maui town of Wailuku. If you want to get political, it could be included in Mauis best-beach count. Theres actually a geological basis for inclusion with the other beaches. Lanai and Molokai were once part of Maui Nui, the massive, ancient volcanic island that collapsed into the sea millions of years ago. Hulopoe is the best beach in the Hawaiian islands that barely anyone gets to. Its next to the Four Seasons Manele Bay on the former pineapple plantation island. There are trees for shade and picnic tables for get-togethers, and a nice mix of tourists and locals.

Hamoa Beach (No. 5 in 2012): Travelers really, really have to want to visit this beach. Its just beyond the Travaasa Resort at the end of the twisting, 52-mile Hana Highway from Kahului. The beach is framed by coconut palm trees that give shade on hot days. The beach is actually the side of an old volcanic crater. The area has been a favored getaway for celebrities for nearly a century. Aviator Charles Lindbergh is buried in a churchyard nearby, writer Ernest Hemingway called it one of the most beautiful beaches hed seen, ex-Beatle George Harrison lived not far away, and TV host-magnate Oprah Winfrey owns property on this side of the island, although her main residence is now upcountry near Kula. If all goes according to the trend, Hamoa should reach the No. 1 designation later this decade.

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Cannonball star blasts away from the scene of the crime | Bad Astronomy

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When I picture an exploding star in my head which I do unsurprisingly often the imaginary mental detonation I picture is symmetric. That is, it expands like a sphere, getting bigger in all directions equally.

Supernovae are actually not like that though. Stars are messy affairs, and when massive ones explode they tend to have internal factors that distort that nice, smooth expansion. One big factor is that the actual point of explosion is off-center in the star, not at its exact heart. That can create a massively asymmetric explosion, blasting vast amounts of material and energy off to one side.

Mind you, the core itself in such a star still collapses to become a super-dense neutron star (or a black hole), but the sideways nature of the explosion can give a kick to the leftover ball of neutrons. Quite a kick. In fact, the energies are so titanic that an off-center supernova explosion can blast the neutron star in the other direction, screaming away from the explosion site like a shell out of the muzzle of a battleship gun.

And now astronomers may have found the most extreme example of this: what looks to be just such a neutron star barreling away from a supernova at high speed:

[Click to Chandrasekharenate.]

This image is a combination of observations from the XMM-Newton and Chandra X-ray observatories, the Digitized Sky Survey, and the 2MASS infrared survey. It shows the supernova remnant SNR MSH 11-16A, located about 30,000 light years away. The purple glow is from X-rays emitted by the gas superheated to millions of degrees by the exposion.

But look off to the right. See that comet-looking thing? Ive put a close up of it here. You can see a dot at the head of the "comet": astronomers think that might be the runaway neutron star from the explosion that created SNR MSH 11-16A! Its hard to know for sure, but a lot of things add up to make me think theyre right.

The most obvious is that tail of gas pointing right back to the center of the supernova gas cloud. A hot, young neutron star blows out a high-energy wind of subatomic particles called a pulsar wind, and that pushes against gas floating out in space. As a runaway neutron star blasts through space, it would leave a glowing trail like that. The X-rays appear to be coming from a single, tiny point, just what youd expect for a neutron star, and observations using optical and infrared dont see it; again, just what youd expect since neutron stars are tiny and dont glow visibly. Theyre brightest in X-rays due to their phenomenally strong magnetic fields whipping particles around at high energies.

The fainter tail to the side is something of a mystery, though. Apparently things like this have been seen before, but its not clear whats causing it.

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Accelerated Radiation Treatment Effective for Noninvasive Breast Cancer

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Treatment time for this common cancer could be cut in half

Accelerated whole breast irradiation after lumpectomy is an effective treatment for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a very common early stage and noninvasive form of breast cancer, meaning many more breast cancer patients could see their treatment times reduced by half, according to a study in the June issue of the International Journal of Radiation OncologyBiologyPhysics, the official scientific journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

The widespread use of mammography beginning in the early 1980s has led to a dramatic increase in the number of DCIS instances detected, making this one of the most common forms of breast cancer. Multiple studies have proven that lumpectomy plus radiation significantly reduces the risk of recurrence in both noninvasive and invasive breast cancers and for DCIS, the current standard of treatment is lumpectomy followed by five to six weeks of whole breast radiation.

However, for invasive cancers, the use of an accelerated form of radiation that increases the strength of the dose per treatment and uses fewer treatment sessions overall has been well-established as effective, providing patients with a shorter treatment time with similar positive results. The effectiveness of an accelerated treatment time has not been established for DCIS.

Researchers in the study followed 145 DCIS patients who were treated with lumpectomy and accelerated whole breast irradiation or lumpectomy with accelerated whole breast irradiation plus an additional daily boost. At five years post-treatment, only 4.1 percent of patients experienced a recurrence, which is comparable to the five to 10 percent recurrence rate demonstrated in randomized trials for patients receiving standard radiation.

The results of our study suggest that DCIS patients can be safely treated with a shorter regimen of radiotherapy, Silvia Formenti, MD, senior author of the study and a radiation oncologist at New York University School of Medicine, said. This is good news for many breast cancer patients who would prefer to receive their treatments in a shorter period of time, but also want the peace of mind that they are receiving the most effective treatment available.

ASTRO is the largest radiation oncology society in the world, with more than 10,000 members who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. As the leading organization in radiation oncology, biology and physics, the Society is dedicated to improving patient care through education, clinical practice, advancement of science and advocacy. For more information on radiation therapy, visit http://www.rtanswers.org. To learn more about ASTRO, visit http://www.astro.org. ###

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American Physiological Society and The Physiological Society Collaborate to Publish New Open Access Journal

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Physiological Reports to provide peer reviewed research on basic, translational and clinical physiology; international call for Editor-in-Chief to be issued

Newswise BETHESDA, MD and LONDON, UK (June 29, 2012) The American Physiological Society (APS) and The Physiological Society announce their partnership to publish a new open-access peer-reviewed journal Physiological Reports. Nominations will be sought immediately from leading academics in the field for the position of Editor-in-Chief prior to the Journal launch in early 2013.

Physiological Reports will offer peer-reviewed research across all areas of basic, translational and clinical physiology and allied disciplines for physiologists, neuroscientists, biophysicists and clinicians. Papers will be accepted solely on the basis of scientific rigor, adherence to technical and ethical standards, and evidence that the data support the conclusions.

APS President, Susan M. Barman, said: The primary purpose of the journal is to give authors a quick decision about acceptance of their research and offer minimal delay for publication. For well over 100 years, the APS and The Physiological Society have published internationally-acclaimed journals. We are in a unique position to serve the international physiology community with a further outlet for research.

The Physiological Society President, Mike Spyer, said: This is the latest and most significant collaboration between the societies, combining our efforts to promote research in physiology and promoting conversations about new findings. Being jointly produced by APS and The Physiological Society puts this new journal in a really strong position from the first issue. In Europe, North America, and beyond, this will be a credible place to get research published and widely disseminated quickly.

Physiological Reports will consider manuscripts as the result of direct submissions or as referrals from one of the APS or Physiological Society journals, with author approval.

Notes to Editor

1. The inaugural issue will be published in early 2013. The first 100 papers published in Physiological Reports will be published free of charge.

2. Physiology is the study of how molecules, cells, tissues and organs function to create health or disease. The American Physiological Society, with more than 11,000 members, has been an integral part of this discovery process since it was established in 1887. http://www.the-aps.org

3. The Physiological Society, founded in 1876, represents the largest body of physiologists in Europe, with over 3000 Members from over 60 countries. The Society engages in activities to support the advancement of physiological research, plays an important role in supporting the teaching of physiology at schools and universities, and works to raise the profile of physiology within government and amongst the general public. http://www.physoc.org

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On Nutrition: Learning moderation

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It was dinner time on the flight home from visiting family for two weeks. The stewardess offered the usual beverages ... juice, sodas, coffee.

Anything to eat? I inquired.

Chips ... M&Ms ... Chex Mix, she offered.

Note to self: Next time remember to bring nuts and dried fruit for in-flight hunger pangs.

So as we bounced over the Rocky Mountains toward home, I was reminded that changes in routine often require flexibility...especially with food. Maybe orange juice and Chex Mix isnt the best dinner Ive ever had. But in the wise words of sixteenth century bishop St. Francis de Sales: A habitual moderation in eating and drinking is much better than certain rigorous abstinences made from time to time.

Moderation in eating and drinking. What an interesting concept.

My mind went back to the previous weeks Doggie Dash. Its an annual event hosted by my daughters in-laws in their small midwestern town. Dogs of every size and breed walk with their owners through town while the local radio station plays songs like You aint nothin but a Hound Dog and How much is that Doggie in the Window? When they arrive at the sponsoring veterinary clinic, the dogs are greeted with bandanas and bowls of fresh water and the owners receive t-shirts and hot dogs.

Isnt this a conflict of interest for you? one of the veterinarians asked me as she eyed the lunch fare.

Not really. According to the position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the most important focus of a healthful eating style is our overall pattern of eating. All foods can fit within this pattern, says the Academy, if consumed in moderation with appropriate portion size and combined with regular physical activity.

In other words, eating a hot dog once a year at the Doggie Dash is a different overall pattern of eating than eating say, a package of hot dogs every week.

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On Nutrition: Learning moderation

DNA evidence links suspect to 1979 rapes

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CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 28 (UPI) -- Police in North Carolina say DNA evidence has led to the arrest of a 62-year-old man for rape cases dating back to 1979.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said Jerry Lee Brooks was arrested Tuesday in Surfside Beach, S.C., south of Myrtle Beach, The Charlotte Observer reported.

The department's Sexual Assault Cold Case Unit began in December investigating a series of rapes that happened in Charlotte in 1979, which investigators at the time called the "ski mask rapist cases."

Police found DNA evidence was available in several of the rape cases and analysis of the evidence showed they were linked. Police said a match from a DNA database led investigators to Brooks.

A Mecklenburg County grand jury indicated Brooks on three counts of rape, two counts of a crime against nature, two counts of breaking and entering, two counts of attempted armed robbery and a count each of burglary and armed robbery. He was being held in a jail in Horry County, S.C., awaiting extradition to Charlotte.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police spokesman Robert Fey said investigators will review rape cases from the late 1970s and early 1980s to determine whether Brooks could be held responsible in other sexual assaults.

Brooks had been convicted in the 1980s and 1990s on charges including breaking and entering, safe-cracking, common law robbery and embezzlement, North Carolina court records indicate.

He was released from federal custody in February 2005 after serving time for armed bank robbery, the Observer said.

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3-V Biosciences Appoints Douglas I. Buckley, PhD, as Vice President of Biology

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MENLO PARK, Calif., June 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --3-V Biosciences, Inc., announced today the appointment of Douglas Buckley, PhD, as Vice President of Biology. Dr. Buckley brings more than 25 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, and his discoveries and research leadership have resulted in several marketed products and many more in clinical development.

"With our lead antiviral program entering the clinic in the next year, we are committed to building a strong pipeline. Doug's extensive experience in target identification and prosecution and his track record of successful early-stage drug development will be instrumental to our continued growth," said George Kemble, PhD, 3-V's Chief Scientific Officer.

"I look forward to building upon the early successes of 3-V and developing the next generation of antiviral compounds with this team," said Dr. Buckley. "3-V has taken a novel approach to antiviral therapies that are less likely to allow viral resistance to develop. In addition, this approach opens up the possibility of developing high-value therapeutics in other therapeutic areas, making 3-V a compelling story."

Dr. Buckley joins 3-V from Exelixis, Inc., where he served most recently as Vice President of Biochemistry. In that role, he led research and discovery teams responsible for delivering over thirty IND-ready compounds to Exelixis' internal pipeline and to external partnerships. Also during his tenure at Exelixis, Dr. Buckley contributed to the New Drug Application filing for cabozantinib (XL 184). Prior to Exelixis, Dr. Buckley was the Department Head of Protein Chemistry and Process Development at Scios, Inc., where he was responsible for process and assay development for two marketed biotherapeutic products (Fiblast (trafermin) and NATRECOR (nesiritide)). Doug received his AB in Chemistry and Economics from Bowdoin College, his PhD in Endocrinology from the Hormone Research Laboratory at the University of California, San Francisco, and his post-doctoral training in the Molecular Biology Department at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School. Doug serves on the Astia Life Sciences Board as an advisor to women entrepreneurs starting life sciences companies and as a scientific advisor to Woodside Capital Partners.

About 3-V Biosciences

3-V Biosciences, Inc. is a privately held biopharmaceutical company that discovers and develops antiviral therapeutics designed to have broad-spectrum activity, a high barrier to resistance and efficacy against emergent viral strains. The 3-V team applies an integrated approach with internal expertise in virology, biology, drug discovery and development to drive programs forward. The company is located in Menlo Park, California.

For additional information on 3-V Biosciences, please visit http://www.3vbio.com.

Contact information

Stephen R. Brady Chief Business Officer 650-561-8600

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3-V Biosciences Appoints Douglas I. Buckley, PhD, as Vice President of Biology

Research and Markets: Muscle. Fundamental Biology and Mechanisms of Disease

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DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/68w4bw/muscle_fundamenta) has announced the addition of Elsevier Science and Technology's new report "Muscle. Fundamental Biology and Mechanisms of Disease" to their offering.

Muscle: Fundamental Biology and Mechanisms of Disease will be the first reference covering cardiac, skeletal, and smooth muscle in fundamental, basic science, translational biology, disease mechanism, and therapeutics. Currently there are no publications covering the science behind the medicine, as the majority of books are 90% clinical and 10% science. Muscle: Fundamental Biology and Mechanisms of Disease will discuss myocyte biology, also known as muscle cell biology, providing information about the science behind clinical work and therapeutics with a 90% science and 10% clinical focus. A needed resource for researchers, clinical professionals, postdocs, and graduate students, this publication will further discuss basic biology development and physiology, how processes go awry in disease states, and how the defective pathways are targeted for therapy.

As stated by a reviewer of the proposal, "An integration of topics ranging from basic physiology to newly discovered molecular mechanisms of muscle diseases is highly desirable. I am not aware of a comprehensive book that covers and integrates these topics."- Maik Huttemann, Wayne State University, MI.

Per the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Disease, an institute at the National Institutes of Health, "clinical investigators are sorely needed to translate an ever increasing number of basic research findings into medical applications". This book will assist both the new and experienced clinician's and researcher's need for science translation of background research into clinical applications, bridging the gap between research and clinical knowledge.

Key Topics Covered:

Opening: . including information regarding atherosclerosis/angiogenesis/hypertension as important topics, but not covered in this resource with suggested references for study

Foreword

1. Introduction

2. Cardiac Muscle

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Research and Markets: Muscle. Fundamental Biology and Mechanisms of Disease

Biology's Master Programmers

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Photographs by Mark Ostow

George Church is an imposing figureover six feet tall, with a large, rectangular face bordered by a brown and silver nest of beard and topped by a thick mop of hair. Since the mid-1980s Church has played a pioneering role in the development of DNA sequencing, helpingamong his other achievementsto organize the Human Genome Project. To reach his office at Harvard Medical School, one enters a laboratory humming with many of the more than 50 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows over whom Church rules as director of the school's Center for Computational Genetics. Passing through an anteroom of assistants, I find Church at his desk, his back to me, hunched over a notebook computer that makes him look even larger than he is.

Church looms especially large these days because of his role as one of the most influential figures in synthetic biology, an ambitious and radical approach to genetic engineering that attempts to create novel biological entitieseverything from enzymes to cells and microbesby combining the expertise of biology and engineering. He and his lab are credited with many of the advances in harnessing and synthesizing DNA that now help other researchers modify microrganisms to create new fuels and medical treatments. When I ask Church to describe what tangible impact synthetic biology will have on everyday life, he leans back in his chair, clasps his hands behind his head, and says, "It will change everything. People are going to live healthier a lot longer because of synthetic biology. You can count on it."

Such grandiosity is not uncommon among the practitioners of synthetic biology. Ever since Church and a few other researchers began to combine biology and engineering a dozen years ago, they have promised it would "change everything." And no wonder. The very idea of synthetic biology is to purposefully engineer the DNA of living things so that they can accomplish tasks they don't carry out in nature. Although genetic engineering has been going on since the 1970s, a rapid drop in the cost of decoding and synthesizing DNA, combined with a vast increase in computer power and an influx into biology labs of engineers and computer scientists, has led to a fundamental change in how thoroughly and swiftly an organism's genetics can be modified. Church says the technology will eventually lead to all manner of breakthroughs: we will be able to replace diseased tissues and organs by reprogramming cells to make new ones, create novel microbes that efficiently secrete fuels and other chemicals, and fashion DNA switches that turn on the right genes inside a patient's cells to prevent arteries from getting clogged.

Even though some of these applications are years from reality, Church has a way of tossing off such predictions matter-of-factly. And it's easy to see why he's optimistic. The cost of both decoding DNA and synthesizing new DNA strands, he has calculated, is falling about five times as fast as computing power is increasing under Moore's Law, which has accurately predicted that chip performance will double roughly every two years. Those involved in synthetic biology, who often favor computer analogies, might say it's becoming exponentially easier to read from, and write into, the source code of life. These underlying technology trends, says Church, are leading to an explosion in experimentation of a sort that would have been inconceivable only a few years ago.

Up to now, it's proved stubbornly difficult to turn synthetic biology into a practical technology that can create products like cheap biofuels. Scientists have found that the "code of life" is far more complex and difficult to crack than anyone might have imagined a decade ago. What's more, while rewriting the code is easier than ever, getting it right isn't. Researchers and entrepreneurs have found ways to coax bacteria or yeast to make many useful compounds, but it has been difficult to optimize such processes so that the microbes produce significant quantities efficiently enough to compete with existing commercial products.

Church is characteristically undeterred. At 57, he has survived cancer and a heart attack, and he suffers from both dyslexia and narcolepsy; before I visited him, one of his colleagues warned that I shouldn't be surprised if he fell asleep on me. But he has founded or taken an advisory role in more than 50 startup companiesand he stayed awake throughout our time together, apparently excited to describe how his lab has found ways to take advantage of ultrafast sequencing and other tools to greatly speed up synthetic biology. Among its many projects, Church's lab has invented a technique for rapidly synthesizing multiple novel strings of DNA and introducing them simultaneously into a bacterial genome. In one experiment, researchers created four billion variants of E. coli in a single day. After three days, they found variants of the bacteria in which production of a desired chemical was increased fivefold.

The idea, Church explains, is to sort through the variations to find "an occasional hopeful monster, just as evolution has done for millions of years." By mimicking in lab experiments what takes eons in nature, he says, he is radically improving the odds of finding ways to make microbes not just do new things but do them efficiently.

A DNA Turn-On

In some ways, the difficulties researchers have faced making new, more useful life forms shouldn't come as a surprise. Indeed, a lesson of genome research over the last few decades is that no matter how elegantly compact the DNA code is, the biology it gives rise to is consistently more complex than anyone anticipated. When I began reporting the early days of gene discovery 30 years ago, biologists, as they often do, thought reductively. When they found a gene involved in disease, the discovery made headlines. Scientists said they believed that potent new medicines could soon deactivate malfunctioning versions of genes, or that gene therapy could be used to replace them with healthy versions in the body.

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Foreign Policy: EuroFail

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Enlarge Georges Gobet/AFP/Getty Images

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso delivers a press conference after a second day of the European Union leaders summit in Brussels on June 29. Leaders from the 17 countries sharing the euro sealed a dramatic deal Friday to direct emergency measures at crisis-hit Italy and Spain and boost the embattled economy, sending markets sharply upwards.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso delivers a press conference after a second day of the European Union leaders summit in Brussels on June 29. Leaders from the 17 countries sharing the euro sealed a dramatic deal Friday to direct emergency measures at crisis-hit Italy and Spain and boost the embattled economy, sending markets sharply upwards.

Uri Friedman is an associate editor and Hillary Hurd is an editorial researcher at Foreign Policy.

"As a general rule, meetings make individuals perform below their capacity and skill levels," Reid Hastie, a professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business, once wrote. "[P]lease, don't just call a meeting and hope the magic happens. Take charge and take personal responsibility for meeting its objectives, whatever they are."

It's advice that European Union leaders would have done well to consider as they kicked off a closely watched two-day summit in Brussels on Thursday, while Italy and Spain watch their cost of borrowing soar. With France and Germany at odds about whether to address the European debt crisis by pooling eurozone debt or better integrating the region financially and politically, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has already tried to tamp down expectations for this week's summit, which is expected to produce a stimulus package and plans for a banking union.

"There is no quick solution and no simple solution," she warned in Berlin on Wednesday. "There is no one magic formula... with which the government debt crisis can be overcome in one go."

The thing is, when it comes to major EU summits in Brussels, the region's heads of state haven't had one go they've had roughly 20 since 2010 (albeit with a changing cast of characters, as 14 of the 27 EU countries have switched leaders since the debt crisis began). And if the previous crisis-management meetings are any guide, we should expect this week's summit to be long on talk of turning points and short on game-changing results. Here's a look at what European leaders have accomplished in their previous gatherings and how they've chosen to frame those achievements.

Action: European leaders discuss troubling developments in Greece, which recently announced that its debt had reached the highest level in the country's modern history and unveiled austerity measures to slash the soaring budget deficit.

Assurances: In a joint statement, the assembled heads of state pledge to "take determined and coordinated action, if needed, to safeguard financial stability in the euro area as a whole." They call on Greece to cut spending and add that "the Greek government has not requested any financial support."

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freedom soars Regional events

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Its the most advanced flying machine in the air. It sometimes makes its pilots dizzy. Sen. John McCain hates it.

On July 4, the F-22 Raptor will fly along the Ruston Way waterfront as part of Tacoma Freedom Fairs air show. The planes appearance is a rare event, said Doug Miller, president of the Tacoma Events Commission, which puts on the fair.

Its a real feather in our cap, Miller said.

The highly maneuverable Air Force stealth fighter has its fans and detractors. It was called the most expensive, corroding hangar queen ever by McCain. Sticker price: $150 million.

The main entertainment stage is the America Be Strong stage at Camp Patriot, the farthest west location of the Freedom Fair on Ruston Way, right next to the Lobster Shop. The headlining show starts at 3:30 p.m. with Chuck Stevens (Beach Boys, Monkees, Eddie Money) and Tony La Stella & the Goombas.

Though Miller, his staff and volunteers are dedicated to putting on an entertaining event, money is forefront on his mind. Public Independence Day events have been canceled all over the country in recent years (most recently in Orting) and Freedom Fair is feeling the pressure, Miller said. Besides buying tickets to associated events like tonights Rainiers game and Sundays car and airplane show, the best way to support Freedom Fair is to make a donation, Miller said.

Its whats going to make or break the event, frankly, he said. Volunteers will be manning donation stations at the three entrances and Miller said they are hoping for $5 a head.

We could be delivered a knockout punch if the public doesnt vote with their dollars. The show must go on.

Heres a rundown of Independence Day events, which kick off today:

TODAY

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freedom soars Regional events

U.S. Aerospace & Defense Execs Expect Significant M&A, Industry Consolidation Amid Sequestration Budget Cuts: KPMG …

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NEW YORK, June 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Armed with significant cash on their balance sheets, and faced with hundreds of billions of dollars in federal defense budgets, U.S. aerospace and defense (A&D) executives cite strategic acquisitions as the highest-priority investment area to spur company growth, according to a recent survey by KPMG LLP, the audit, tax, and advisory firm.

In the 2012 KPMG A&D Industry Outlook survey, nearly three-quarters (71 percent) of A&D executives say their companies will be involved in a merger or acquisition in the next two years. In addition, 64 percent of A&D executives indicate that their companies have significant cash on their balance sheets, and more than half (53 percent) say they will increase capital spending this year.

Many executives say the highest-priority use for that capital will be strategic acquisitions for their companies (49 percent) up significantly from 41 percent in KPMG's 2011 survey. Forty-two percent say they will also aggressively invest in new products and services.

"The way we see it, there's a day of reckoning coming, and many A&D executives are telling us that this may spur an industry response similar to what drove major industry consolidation in the 1980s and 1990s, or perhaps an even more dramatic response," said Martin Phillips, U.S. and global leader of KPMG's aerospace and defense practice. "They are rethinking their strategies and becoming much more aggressive to drive growth and compete."

Phillips adds that U.S. government contracts are dwindling, companies are becoming more global, and foreign investors are looking to move into the "non-government" A&D sector as well. "All of these factors set the stage for much more aggressive M&A, product strategies and international growth initiatives."

In fact, when asked about the biggest drivers of revenue growth over the next three years, A&D executives most frequently cited acquisitions and joint ventures (50 percent) and new product development (50 percent). In addition to continued focus on cost reduction and operational improvement, executives say that the top management initiative for their companies in terms of energy, time and resources will be investigating opportunities for mergers and acquisitions.

"Companies must find a way to break through to new customers and markets, which in many cases will only be possible through partnerships, joint ventures or pure acquisitions," said Doug Gates, partner in KPMG's aerospace and defense practice. "In this era of continued belt tightening, we also must not ignore just how attractive some of our domestic assets look to foreign investors, especially as A&D companies look to divest from underperforming assets."

International Expansion Remains a FocusWith a continually challenged domestic defense sector, A&D executives remain focused on international growth. In fact, the four main strategies to fuel that growth are partnerships/joint ventures (41 percent), foreign military sales (38 percent), international expansion (36 percent) and acquisitions (24 percent). According to the A&D executives surveyed by KPMG, the highest priority foreign markets are Asia (other than China), Europe and the Middle East.

Phillips notes "last year 54 percent of executives identified foreign military sales as the key strategy, but the drop in the results this year appears to indicate a realization that the foreign opportunities these companies are pursuing take several years to materialize. We continue hear about India and Brazil, but look at it realistically and you see that foreign military orders have been minimal to date."

Despite foreign sales challenges, looking ahead three years, nearly half (43 percent) of executives surveyed by KPMG say that non-U.S. operations or customers will account for more than a quarter of their companies' revenues, compared with just 35 percent who currently derive more than a quarter of their revenue from foreign operations.

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U.S. Aerospace & Defense Execs Expect Significant M&A, Industry Consolidation Amid Sequestration Budget Cuts: KPMG ...

European aerospace firm expands in Quebec to build jet fuselage for Bombardier

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By Ross Marowits, The Canadian Press

MONTREAL - A unit of the European aerospace giant that owns Airbus plans to create more than 150 jobs in Quebec in a project that will see it build the centre fuselage for new business jets being made by Bombardier Inc. (TSX:BBD-B.TO - News).

Aerolia, a subsidiary of EADS, says the jobs will be created at two sites as it supplies a key component of the Bombardier Global 7000 and 8000 jets.

The provincial government is providing $15 million, including a $5-million grant, towards the $82.4-million project in the Montreal area.

Aerolia will begin its development efforts by mid-2013. Production of the first sub-assemblies will take place in Aerolia's sites in France and Tunisia.

The work will later be transferred to Quebec.

Bombardier is the world's largest manufacturer of business jets and the third-largest maker of passenger gets overall, after Airbus and Boeing.

The EADS Group, which includes Aerolia and Airbus and numerous other companies in the defence and aerospace industry, employs 133,000 people worldwide. Aerolia has 2,900 employees around the world and $1.18 billion of sales.

Aerolia Canada was established a year ago and its design office in Montreal employs 100 engineers to design the centre fuselage.

"The announcement of the construction of an assembly plant in Quebec formalizes a major, ambitious and exciting step forward, thereby giving concrete form to the industrial chapter of our contract with Bombardier," stated Christian Cornille, CEO of Aerolia.

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European aerospace firm expands in Quebec to build jet fuselage for Bombardier

Financial Planners Offer Buffer Against Stress-Related Health Issues, First Command Reports

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FORT WORTH, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Working with a financial planner offers a meaningful buffer against many health issues linked to financial stress, according to a recent survey of military professionals and their families.

The First Command Financial Behaviors Index reveals that the majority of middle-class military families (senior NCOs and commissioned officers in pay grades E-6 and above with household incomes of at least $50,000) say that someone in their household has experienced a mental or physical health problem during the continuing economic turmoil of the past year. But those who work with a financial planner are less likely to report experiencing a variety of these physical and psychological challenges. Noteworthy differences between those with and without a planner are found for such stress-related health issues as:

Furthermore, working with a financial planner seems to circumvent feelings of financial vulnerability when stress-related health issues are present. Among military families experiencing health issues, survey respondents who use a financial planner feel more comfortable about their finances than those without a planner. They are more likely to feel extremely or very:

Economic uncertainty remains a critical issue for many servicemembers and their families, said Scott Spiker, CEO of First Command Financial Services, Inc. While everyone is impacted differently by financial concerns, we know that money worries can have a negative effect on our physical well-being. These findings reveal that working with a financial planner can help to lessen some of the health issues commonly associated with financial stress. Servicemembers who put their trust in a financial coach feel the benefits in both their physical and fiscal health.

About the First Command Financial Behaviors Index

Compiled by Sentient Decision Science, Inc., the First Command Financial Behaviors Index assesses trends among the American publics financial behaviors, attitudes and intentions through a monthly survey of approximately 530 U.S. consumers aged 25 to 70 with annual household incomes of at least $50,000. Results are reported quarterly. The margin of error is +/- 4.3 percent with a 95 percent level of confidence. http://www.firstcommand.com/research

About Sentient Decision Science, Inc.

Sentient Decision Science was commissioned by First Command to compile the Financial Behaviors Index. SDS is a behavioral science and consumer psychology consulting firm with special vertical expertise within the financial services industry. SDS specializes in advanced research methods and statistical analysis of behavioral and attitudinal data.

About First Command

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Financial Planners Offer Buffer Against Stress-Related Health Issues, First Command Reports

Behavioral science students gain association scholarships in Morris County

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Kelly McGee, a student at West Morris Central High School, and Samantha Service, a student at West Morris Mendham High School, have won scholarships from the Morris County Psychological Association.

The annual scholarships are open to all high school students in Morris County who are taking classes related to the behavioral sciences. Classes include psychology, human and/or animal behavior, child development, and sociology. The purpose of the scholarship is to stimulate and encourage the study of the behavioral sciences among high school students, said a statement.

Students submitted papers previously written as part of their regular course work.

A total of 33 students from 10 Morris County schools submitted entries, which were then judged by 23 psychologists.

The winners, including McGee and Service, who won the top awards, were honored at a reception on June 6 at the Hamilton Park Conference Center in Florham Park. Each winner received a $150 award.

McGees teacher was Erin Feltmann and her entry was To what extent may Freuds theories on the origins of homosexuality be considered valid when analyzed through biological and developmental prisms?

Services teacher was Jennifer Brown and her entry was An experiment to investigate the effect of word superiority on the correct identification of letters within the word.

The honorable mentions were: Trevor Brown, Halina Malinowski and Jillian Fahy from West Morris Central High School, Erin Feltmann, teacher; Emma Pallarino from Morristown High School, Erin Colfax, teacher; Caroline Duvall and Caroline Hall from West Morris Mendham High School, Jennifer Brown and Kristina Piirimae, teachers; Harim Jung from Madison High School, Paul Mueller, teacher; and Natasha Kazkevich from Morris Knolls High School, John Hrynyk, teacher.

Judges were Rhonda Allen, Lauren Becker, Randy Bressler, Richard Dauber, Mark Gironda, Hayley Hirschmann, Tommy Kot, Jack Lagos, Geraldine Lucignano, Brendan McLoughlin, Morgan Murray, Nicole Rafanello, Debi Roelke, Francine Rosenberg, Nancy Sidhu, Jeffrey Singer, Beverly Tignor, Aaron Welt, Miriam Wolosh, Paul Yampolsky, Joshua Zavin, Michael Zito, and Jeannine Zoppi. The scholarship program was chaired by Susan Neigher.

For additional information, visit http://www.mcpanj,com.

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Behavioral science students gain association scholarships in Morris County