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Washington. The Global Aerospace Leader. – Video

Posted on June 20, 2012 by Danzig

18-06-2012 16:39 This video will be used during Governor Christine Gregoire's trade mission to Ireland and the United Kingdom and the Farnborough International Airshow (July 2012). It was produced by the Washington State Department of Commerce. Washington is home to more than 92000 aerospace workers, more than 700 aerospace companies and the final assembly of The Boeing Company's 787 Dreamliner, 777, 767, 747 and 737 families of commercial airplanes. For more information visit or http://www.choosewashington.com.

Washington. The Global Aerospace Leader. - Video

UK Aerospace Parts Supplier, J.J. Churchill Ltd., Signs Agreement for Services in Mexico with The Offshore Group

Posted on June 20, 2012 by Danzig

TUCSON, Ariz., June 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Tucson, Arizona-based Offshore Group recently announced that it has entered into a long term relationship for the provision of outsourced manufacturing support, or "shelter," services in Mexico with UK-based manufacturer, J.J. Churchill, Ltd. The British firm will install production capacity in 38,500 square feet of manufacturing space within the confines of The Offshore Group's Roca Fuerte Industrial Park in Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico. The term of the contract between the two parties is for ten years. J.J. Churchill Ltd. expects to employ a workforce of forty at the project's maturity.

According to Andrew Churchill, Managing Director of J.J. Churchill, "We embark on our new relationship in Mexico with The Offshore Group with a great sense of optimism. Our facility in Guaymas, Sonora will geographically position us to serve our North American customers, as well as the North American market as a whole, in both a time and cost-effective manner. The experience that The Offshore Group has with other aerospace manufacturers with profiles that are akin to ours only serves to fortify our expectations of similarly positive results."

J.J. Churchill was founded in 1937, and is based at Market Bosworth in the UK Midlands. The company has continued to develop expertise in four principal markets: Aerospace, Defense, Industrial and Powergen. As a first-tier precision, sub-contract machinist for 'blue-chip' OEMs, the company works together with its customers to develop, test and assemble as a preferred supplier on long-term projects.

The Offshore Group is the largest provider of outsourced business support, "shelter" services in Mexico. Currently 61 businesses operate at The Offshore Group's three Mexico manufacturing industrial parks in the State of Sonora, the city of Saltillo, Coahuila, and at the Group's Vangtel subsidiary in Hermosillo, Sonora. Vangtel offers Mexico shelter services to companies that occupy the call center, IT development and BPO markets, while the International Logistic Solutions Company (ILS) is a leading provider of supply chain services. The Offshore Group has recently initiated operations in Mexico's second largest city, Guadalajara. Sign up to receive Offshore Group RSS Feeds.

Website: http://www.offshoregroup.com

This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com.

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UK Aerospace Parts Supplier, J.J. Churchill Ltd., Signs Agreement for Services in Mexico with The Offshore Group

Metformin treatment caused cancer stem cell death in pancreatic cancer cell lines

Posted on June 20, 2012 by ev1

Public release date: 19-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jeremy Moore jeremy.moore@aacr.org 215-446-7109 American Association for Cancer Research

LAKE TAHOE, Nev. Results of some preclinical trials have shown that low doses of the antidiabetic drug metformin may effectively destroy cancer stem cells, a group of cells that are considered to be responsible for tumor initiation and, because they are resistant to standard chemotherapies, tumor relapse.

In addition, when metformin was combined with a standard chemotherapy used for pancreatic cancer, the combination treatment was able to efficiently eradicate both cancer stem cells and more differentiated cancer cells, which form the bulk of the tumor, according to data presented by Christopher Heeschen, M.D., Ph.D., at the American Association for Cancer Research's Pancreatic Cancer: Progress and Challenges conference, held in Lake Tahoe, Nev., from June 18-21, 2012. Heeschen is professor for experimental medicine at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre in Madrid, Spain.

Most clinical trials of pancreatic cancer conducted during the last 15 years have failed to show marked improvement in median survival, suggesting that the selected approaches were not sufficient for several reasons, according to Heeschen. In recent years, researchers have identified cancer stem cells which, as opposed to the cancer cells that make up the bulk of the tumor, are a small subset of cells that are resistant to conventional therapy.

"Therefore, efficiently targeting these cells will be crucial for achieving higher cure rates in patients with pancreatic cancer," he said. "Our newly emerging data now indicate that metformin, a widely used and well-tolerated drug for the treatment of diabetes, is capable of efficiently eliminating these cells."

Specifically, the researchers found that metformin-pretreated cancer stem cells were particularly sensitive to alterations to their metabolism through the activation of AMPK. In fact, metformin treatment resulted in the death of cancer stem cells. In contrast, treatment of more differentiated cancer cells with metformin only arrested the cells' growth.

"As the cancer stem cells represent the root of pancreatic cancer, their extinction by reprogramming their metabolism with metformin in combination with the stalling of the proliferation of more differentiated cells should result in tumor regression and long-term, progression-free survival," Heeschen said.

The researchers generated data to support this idea when they treated immunocompromised mice implanted with a diverse set of patient-derived tumors with a combination of metformin and gemcitabine, the standard chemotherapeutic treatment for pancreatic cancer. They found that the treatment resulted in reduced tumor burden and the prevention of relapse as compared with treatment with either drug alone.

"Intriguingly, in all tumors treated with metformin to date, relapse of disease was efficiently prevented and there were no noticeable adverse effects," Heeschen said.

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Metformin treatment caused cancer stem cell death in pancreatic cancer cell lines

More twin births in the city

Posted on June 20, 2012 by ev1

Changing lifestyles and busier work schedules are inducing changes in the physiology leading to an increase in numbers of working professionals to opt for fertility treatments. These in turn lead to the numbers of multiple births at hospitals in the city. In effect, multiple births come with a higher risk of developing complications along with added expenses.

While the government hospitals stated that the numbers of twins being born in hospitals across the city have notably increased in the past year, prominent fertility clinics affirmed the same. According to the fertility clinics, the reason can be attributed to busier lifestyles of people, especially working full-time.

Doctors point out that due to hectic work schedules, factors such as irregular food habits leading to obesity, inverted sleep cycles may contribute to growing cases of infertility. More number of couples are thus opting for fertility treatments, relying on various fertility drugs to help them conceive. Moreover, age is another issue that needs to be factored into the matter. According to Dr. Sarat Battina, the infertility specialist at Apollo hospital, Upto 35 years of age, a woman is in the most fertile phase. Between 35 and 39, she enters into a plateau zone and finally 40 years onwards, her chances of conceiving begin to drop steadily.

According to a fertility specialist, normally for a single embryo, a woman goes upto nine months before her delivery. The gestation period is shorter for multiple births. Due to a reduced gestation period, the fetuses have lesser time to develop thus requiring the support of incubators after birth thereby increasing the chances of infant mortality. As a result of these factors, the mother goes into preterm labor which can have several complications risking the life of the unborn child along with the mother.

Shedding light on the likelihood of side effects of fertility drugs, a senior official of the Institute of Obstetrics & Gynecology (IOG) said, "Patients who use certain fertility drugs, need to be closely monitored as there can be possible side effects such as accumulation of fluid in the lungs and other body cavities."

Referring to the science of the issue, fertility treatment drugs, especially gonadotropin used to induce ovulation, causes generation of multiple ova increasing the likelihood of fertilisation of more than one ovum. Patients using fertility treatment therefore require close monitoring. We monitor them very closely. We ask them to come in every day or atleast every alternate day to the clinic for a checkup, said Dr. Battina.

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More twin births in the city

Elephant pregnancy is unique

Posted on June 20, 2012 by ev1

// ?> The family life of elephants has been eulogised since time immemorial. Now we've discovered their unique physiology during pregnancy; Earth Times

Inside your ovaries is a yellow body called the corpus luteum (Latin for yellow body.) it secretes the progesterone which maintains your baby during early pregnancy. Now the parasitic nature of mammalian babies, feeding from the mother's blood, is rarely recognised. It is unique in physiology but varies among the placental mammals in how the anatomy adapts.

In this case, the ovary has an average of 5.4 (multiple) yellow bodies in the elephant and a 12-16 week oestrous cycle, as compared with 4 weeks in humans, and a single yellow body for each child. Again, where humans start secreting progesterone from the placenta, to replace that from the yellow body, elephants don't!

Fifteen pregnant Asian and two pregnant African elephants were examined in zoos for this paper published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, today, using ultrasound scans. A mean length of pregnancy of 647 days (22 months) was observed. The researchers, primarily from the Leibniz Institute in Berlin, comprise of Imke Lueders, Cheryl Niemuller, Peter Rich, Charlie Gray, Robert Hermes, Frank Goeritz and Thomas B. Hildebrandt. These scans give some idea of how they observed the embryos developing with many yellow bodies (CL) in the ovaries:

Credit: Imke Lueders

Ultrasonographic images from the ovary

(a) Ovulatory ovary showing multiple corpora lutea (CLs), (i), ovulatory CL, (ii), acCLS, arrow heads, ovarian border (day 162);

(b) depicts minimal blood streams of two CL

What happened was that auxiliary yellow bodies (or CLs) formed in addition to the one CL per child we would have in women. With no hormone coming from the placenta later, these multiple CLs provide progesterone with which to maintain the uterus lining for all stages of the long pregnancy.

The only other known method of supplying the hormone is from the foetus' gonads. This surprising self-preservation method however may not actually be used by elephants. This anatomical variation in the ovary is the key to maintaining that long gestation. (The lengthy pregnancy is thought to slow ageing in order to push the average life-span to 65 years).

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Elephant pregnancy is unique

Do Testosterone And Growth Hormones Impact On Muscle Building? Study Says They Don’t

Posted on June 20, 2012 by ev1

Editor's Choice Main Category: Sports Medicine / Fitness Also Included In: Endocrinology Article Date: 19 Jun 2012 - 0:00 PDT

Current ratings for: 'Do Testosterone And Growth Hormones Impact On Muscle Building? Study Says They Don't'

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Daniel West, graduate student in the Department of Kinesiology at McMaster, and lead author in both studies, explained that many people, including experts, have been convinced for a long time that anabolic hormones are vital for muscle protein synthesis, a process that eventually leads to larger muscles.

West said:

Participants managed to make new muscle protein at the same rate, despite huge differences in testosterone levels

As muscle proteins eventually lead to muscle growth, their finding was an important one, the authors explained.

West said:

Muscle mass gains ranged from negligible to over 12 pounds (about 5 kilograms). However, the scientists found no relationship between muscle growth and their levels of testosterone and growth hormone after exercise. In other words, muscle growth or strength increase were not linked to growth hormone or testosterone levels.

Muscle growth and strength increases were not associated with raised levels of testosterone or growth hormones after weight training

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Do Testosterone And Growth Hormones Impact On Muscle Building? Study Says They Don't

Prolias Technologies Acquires Commercial Stage microRNA Diagnostic Portfolio From Cornell University

Posted on June 20, 2012 by ev1

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Prolias Technologies, Inc., an emerging molecular diagnostics company focusing on predictive and prognostic genetic cytology and pathology, announced today that it has licensed from Cornell University a portfolio of intellectual property in the area of microRNA diagnostics developed at the Weill Cornell Medical College. The first series of intellectual property includes a panel that accurately differentiates malignant from benign indeterminate thyroid nodules. Prolias will commercially launch this microRNA panel, branded THYMIRA, in the coming months. In addition to the THYMIRA panel, Prolias Technologies has also licensed a sophisticated proprietary computational algorithm to interpret results with a high level of confidence.

Information from the THYMIRA panel will help physicians dramatically reduce unnecessary surgeries on indeterminate thyroid nodules, said Joe Hernandez, Executive Chairman of Prolias Technologies. The prospective data of this highly sensitive and specific test, which was published in Clinical Cancer Research, is very compelling and we look forward to making it available to clinicians and patients.

Thyroid nodules are common in adults. There are over 450,000 thyroid nodule biopsies performed per year in the US to determine whether these nodules are cancerous; however, 30% of nodules biopsied are classified as indeterminate requiring invasive surgery and broader pathology to complete a diagnosis. Unfortunately, for both patients and payors, 75% of these surgically affected nodules are ultimately classified as benign. THYMIRA helps resolve this important clinical question without surgery. This panel was developed by Drs. Thomas Fahey III, Xavier Keutgen and Rasa Zarnegar of Weill Cornells Department of Surgery and by Dr. Olivier Elemento from the Department of Physiology and Biophysics. Prolias Technologies has also licensed a microRNA technology called ARMIRA to non-invasively assess whether a transplanted kidney is being rejected. The ARMIRA technology was published in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences from the laboratory of Dr. Manikkam Suthanthiran, Chief of Nephrology & Hypertension at Weill Cornell. The ARMIRA technology offers an alternative to invasive and often late diagnosis of rejection via biopsies. It is estimated that there are 140,000 patients in the US with transplanted kidneys and over 17,000 new patients receiving kidney transplants per year. It is imperative that these patients get monitored with non-invasive tests that have greater lead times to adjust therapy and potentially save the transplanted organ.

We are very pleased that Prolias Technologies is going to make these important diagnostic tests available to patients, and we look forward to working with the company and its seasoned management team, stated Dr. Brian Kelly, Director of the New York City office of Cornells Center for Technology, Enterprise and Commercialization which manages technology developed at the Weill Cornell Medical College.

About Prolias Technologies, Inc. Prolias Technologies is an emerging molecular diagnostics company focusing on predictive and prognostic genetic cytology and pathology. Our novel molecular tests provide a definitive pathological diagnosis that allows more accurate utility of surgical procedures and treatment decisions. We are committed to revolutionizing patient care through continued discovery and commercialization of molecular tests across a range of disease states and medical specialties. We are working to minimize unnecessary healthcare expenditures and improve patients quality of life. http://www.proliastechnologies.com

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Prolias Technologies Acquires Commercial Stage microRNA Diagnostic Portfolio From Cornell University

Data Presented at the American Society for Microbiology General Meeting Demonstrates Specificity of Great Basin …

Posted on June 20, 2012 by ev1

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Great Basin Corporation, a privately-held molecular diagnostics company developing sample-to-result solutions, today presented initial data of its Candida assay during the Clinical MycologyDiagnosis, Treatment and Epidemiology (Division F) session at the American Society of Microbiology General Meeting in San Francisco. Currently under development, the assay can detect the most medically relevant Candida species within an hour from blood cultures taken from patients with fungal bloodstream infections (BSI), speeding diagnosis and appropriate treatment for better patient outcomes.

Candidemia constitutes the fourth leading cause of hospital acquired BSI in the United States. Immuno-compromised patients, including transplant, HIV-infected, and chemotherapy patients, are at particularly high risk of fungal infections.

We are very pleased about the growing body of data that demonstrates the efficacy of Great Basins technology, said Ryan Ashton, president and CEO, Great Basin Corporation. Great Basin is focused on developing cost-effective tests that markedly change the way clinicians diagnose the most virulent hospital acquired infections, such as Candida. We look forward to expanding our menu of available assays to support the continued adoption of our platform.

Three additional posters featuring Great Basins technology were presented today during the Detection of C. difficile (Division C) session, including:

In May, Great Basin received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its first molecular diagnostic test, which detects Clostridium difficile (C. diff), one of the most common and deadly hospital-acquired infections. The company also released this assay as a European CE-IVD product under the European Directive 98/79/EC on In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices. The test is being marketed in both the U.S. and the EU.

The companys easy-to-use integrated cartridge system allows for more accurate and information-rich detection of infectious diseases, allowing providers to diagnose and define a clear treatment path sooner for improved patient outcomes, shorter hospital stays and significant cost savings. The companys goal is to deliver assays that can be performed in a CLIA-rated waived or moderately complex laboratory at a lower cost than other molecular diagnostic solutions.

Great Basins technology entails an integrated disposable cartridge containing all necessary reagents and an inexpensive bench-top analyzer that executes the assay, interprets the results and provides electronic output to the clinician. The platform has several key advantages over other molecular solutions:

About Great Basin Corporation

Great Basin Corporation is a privately-held molecular diagnostics company that commercializes breakthrough, chip-based technologies. The company is dedicated to the development of simple, yet powerful, sample-to-result technology and products that provide fast, multiple-pathogen diagnoses of infectious diseases. By providing more diagnostic data per sample, healthcare providers are able to treat patients with the right medication sooner, improving outcomes and reducing costs. The companys vision is to make molecular diagnostic testing so simple and cost-effective that every patient will be tested for every serious infection, reducing misdiagnoses and significantly limiting the spread of infectious disease. More information can be found on the companys website at http://www.gbscience.com.

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Data Presented at the American Society for Microbiology General Meeting Demonstrates Specificity of Great Basin ...

The longevity sweepstakes

Posted on June 20, 2012 by ev1

By Jennifer Abbasi, contributor

FORTUNE -- The key to living longer after retirement may simply be getting to retirement in the first place.

Our average age at death soars in the last third of life, and the longer you live, the longer you're likely to live. Why does the total number of years we're expected to live increase with age? Survival of the fittest. "As you work your way through the age range, you're essentially weeding out the frail from the population," explains Bob Anderson, chief of mortality statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "When you get to the older ages, you're left with the more robust in the population. And that continues as you move up the age range."

Death registration is mandatory in the U.S., and the CDC compiles demographic information from death certificate data filed by state vital records offices. That means we know the age of almost every person who dies in a given year -- minus a few people whose bodies are not found until later -- and why they died. Life expectancy is usually discussed as the number of years a hypothetical infant born in a certain year could be expected to live, and it's based on overall mortality statistics for that period. But the average age that, say, a 65-year-old alive in that year (2007 in our graph below) will reach will be better than that of anyone younger. That's because the older person has cleared more of life's deadly hurdles, Anderson says.

The first hump happens in the first year of life, when around 30,000 babies succumb to problems like congenital defects, prematurity and SIDS. "Once you get past that first year, then your probability of survival is quite a bit higher," Anderson says. Then come the teens and twenties, when accidents and violence peak. For men, especially, these are the risk-taking years, and ages 20-24 are known as the "accident hump." In 2007, more than 10,000 men in this age group were killed in an accident or assault. (Men's tendency to take risks is one explanation suggested for why women live longer. The protective effect of estrogen on a woman's heart is another. Estrogen declines after menopause, which may be one factor in why the life expectancy gap between the sexes narrows from five years at birth to a couple months at age 100.) Risk-aversion begins to kick in around 25, and natural causes start to rank. By 45, cancer and heart disease are the leading killers of men and women, not accidents. (Suicides, incidentally, are also most common among 45- to 49-year-olds.) Once the frail first year, the risk-taking young-adult years and the disease-prone middle age have passed, the average age a person will achieve rises dramatically. Whereas a baby girl in 2007 could be expected to reach 80, an 80-year-old woman's expected age of death was 89 that year.

Longevity in a large, aging population comes with a cost: proportionally more elderly people for every younger working person. "That means from a per capita standpoint, it's going be more expensive to maintain health care and social security," Anderson says. "Just from a demographic standpoint, it's clear to me that it makes things more expensive."

A shorter version of this story appeared in the July 12, 2012 issue of Fortune.

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The longevity sweepstakes

University of Utah chemists developing new way to identify DNA damage

Posted on June 20, 2012 by ev1

U. chemistry professors Cynthia Burrows and Henry White led research team that developed a new way to detect DNA damage by adapting so-called nanopore technology used to sequence DNA and decipher genetic blueprints. Photo Credit: Lee J. Siegel, University of Utah

Research Study uses a protein known as a nanopore to pinpoint missing pieces in genome.

University of Utah chemists are refining a method for combing a persons genome in search of DNA damage that leads to mutations and disease. Professors Henry White and Cythnia Burrows are building on the so-called nanopore technique of sequencing DNA in which strands of genetic material are passed through a molecule-sized path, a protein known as a "nanopore."

"My interest in not just sequencing the A, T, C and G [letters corresponding to the basic molecules of DNA] but changes that happen on those bases from mutations," said Burrows. "A certain amount is OK because it gets fixed. That damage is ultimately where disease is caused, especially age-related diseases like cancer."

White, who chairs the U. chemistry department, and Burrows describe their method in a string of recent studies, including one published this week in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Strands of DNA are made of "nucleotide bases," the building blocks of nucleic acids. Some stretches of DNA strands are genes, which serve as codes that are translated into proteins.

The new mutation-hunting method looks for places where a base is missing known as an "abasic site" one of the most frequent lesions in the 3 billion-letter human genome. Such DNA damage happens 18,000 times a day in a typical human cell from exposure to countless irritants, such as sunlight, car exhaust and fast food.

"Over the course of a lifetime not every piece of damage gets repaired. You accumulate those over a lifetime. At some point you have a higher likelihood of one of these disease-causing mutations cropping up," Burrows said. Besides various cancers, other diseases arising from DNA damage include Huntingtons and atherosclerosis.

The cost of sequencing a persons genome will soon drop to less than $1,000 and become commonplace, allowing patients greater access to their genetic predisposition to disease and responsiveness to particular treatments. It currently costs about $10,000 and takes at least a week.

Burrow and Whites team adapted the nanopore sequencing technique so that it locates damage with the help of electrically charged saline-like liquids. Their method measures changes in the electrical signal as the DNA passes through the nanopore, like thread passing through the eye of a needle.

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University of Utah chemists developing new way to identify DNA damage

DNA Brands Signs Multi-State Distribution Agreement with the Original Fast Food Company

Posted on June 20, 2012 by ev1

BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

DNA Brands, Inc. (DNAX), makers of the great tasting DNA Energy Drink and DNA Meat Snacks, each a favorite of the action sports community and its enthusiastic followers, announced today that The Original Fast Food Company began distribution of DNAs Energy Drink product on June 12, 2012, beginning in Tallahassee, Florida, to be then followed by Pensacola, Florida. This will complete the Companys product distribution coverage of the Florida Panhandle and set the stage for its next phase of expansion covered by Original including the Gulf Coast regions of Mississippi and Alabama, as well as Southern Tennessee.

Robert Soler, General Manager of Grass Roots Beverage Company, a DNA subsidiary said, "In addition to bringing our energy drink to a larger audience, this partnership with The Original Fast Food Company in Pensacola and Tallahassee now gives us full coverage of the state of Florida, This expansion also makes us one of the few distribution options for other manufactures and brands seeking full statewide distribution through a single entity.

Jess McEntire, President/CEO of The Original Fast Food Company said, We chose to distribute DNA because it is undoubtedly the best tasting product of its class in the market. We are extremely excited to be part of this growing brand that is produced here in the state of Florida, and to be at the forefront of the brands increasing popularity. I'm confident that DNA Energy will be an important part of our portfolio of lines."

About The Original Fast Food Company

The Original Fast Food Company is a Direct Store Distributor of fresh fruit and sundries to the gas/convenience retail market, ranging from independent single and multi-store operations to regional and national chains. Areas of coverage include the Florida Panhandle, the Gulf Coast regions of Mississippi and Alabama, as well as Southern Tennessee.

About DNA Brands, Inc.

DNA BRANDS make DNA Energy Drink, the award-winning, best-tasting energy drink at the 2010 World Beverage Competition, and DNA Shred Stix. DNA Energy Drink is a proprietary blend of quality ingredients in four flavors Citrus, Lemon Lime, Sugar Free Citrus and CRANRAZBERRY. DNA is a proud sponsor of many action sport teams consisting of top athletes from Motocross, Surf, Wakeboard and Skateboard. Independent retailers throughout the state sell the DNA Brand products as well as national retailers including Walgreens, Race Trac and Circle K. Distribution is primarily through Grass Roots Beverage, the Companys wholly owned subsidiary and various Miller and Anheuser-Busch distributors in select markets.

True to its actions sports roots, DNA BRANDS, INC., has earned national recognition through its sponsorship of the DNA Energy Drink/Jeff Ward Racing team where it competes on a world-class level in Supercross and Motocross, reaching millions of fans. DNA Energy Drink(R) can also be found in other action sports such as Surfing, BMX, Wakeboarding and Skateboarding and its athletes are recognized stars in their own right.

For more information about DNA Energy Drink, its athletes and sponsorships, please visit http://www.dnabrandsusa.com or contact:

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DNA Brands Signs Multi-State Distribution Agreement with the Original Fast Food Company

DNA could free 38 sex assault, murder convicts

Posted on June 20, 2012 by ev1

RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) -

DNA evidence could exonerate 38 people convicted of sexual assault and homicide in Virginia decades ago.

The findings of Virginia's post-conviction DNA project were released Monday by the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C.

In 2005, Virginia launched a huge undertaking for forensic labs to DNA test old swabs and threads of evidence that scientists filed away in the 1970s and 1980s. The Virginia Department of Forensic Science took on the tedious task of sifting through filed-away evidence for nearly 800 rape and homicide cases. Deputy Director Gail Jaspen says in 78 of those conviction cases from 1973 to 1988, the criminal's DNA wasn't discovered in the recently analyzed evidence.

"It is an indication when you make that finding, that further investigation is probably warranted and indeed, that's what has occurred in many cases," said Jaspen.

Five convicts have already been exonerated through the effort. Now, the Urban Institute says there could be many more.

"As much as one in six convicted offenders in Virginia in the '70s and 80s for sexual assault probably wasn't the right person," said John Roman, whois leading the study on the new data.

The Urban Institute's study concludes that for 38 of the criminals (33 sexual assault cases, five homicide cases) whose DNA wasn't found, there is a strong chance that the wrong person was put behind bars. However, Roman points out that only cases in which evidence still existed were examined, and that many other cases lacking evidence will never be rehashed.

"In most cases, evidence wasn't retained, which means that there's lots of other people in Virginia at that time who were wrongfully convicted," concluded Roman.

However, the process has only now begun for offenders who have found new hope with the recent DNA testing. The lab reports must be sent to the investigators and prosecutors who originally dealt with the case. The legal process for exoneration must then be taken on.

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DNA could free 38 sex assault, murder convicts

New gravitational biology lab allows for testing in artificial gravity

Posted on June 20, 2012 by ev1

ScienceDaily (June 19, 2012) NASA is expanding its existing capabilities for doing plant and animal tissue investigations on the International Space Station with the delivery of a new centrifuge scheduled for this summer. The centrifuge is a NASA and commercial industry collaboration, and will be housed in the NanoRacks facility.

The small Gravitational Biology Lab will allow biological experimentation in artificial gravity -- from zero gravity to twice Earth's normal gravity -- for prolonged periods of time. The new facility will provide environmental control, lighting, data transfer, commanding, and observation of experiments in Mars and moon gravity conditions, as well as mimicking Earth's gravity. This is useful for biological research, and could lead to advances in medications and vaccines, agricultural controls, and discoveries in genetics -- all beneficial to those of us on Earth.

NanoRacks hardware is available for many different investigation scenarios, including mini-aquariums, seed germination boxes, plant growth chambers, mammal and plant cell culture units, along with multi-generation chambers for fruit flies. There have been several multi-generational investigations involving drosophila -- a type of fruit fly. Drosophila has a similar genetic makeup to humans, and can serve as a genetic model for several human disease studies.

There are already two NanoRacks research platforms in use on the space station, including two microscopes. More than 35 investigations have already used the NanoRacks facilities, which operate under a Space Act Agreement with NASA and the U.S. National Lab. In 2005, Congress designated the space station a national laboratory in an effort to include other government organizations, schools and universities and private companies in the use of the orbiting lab facility, increasing the amount of research being done in microgravity.

The centrifuge is a joint venture between Astrium Space Transportation and NanoRacks LLC, with more joint projects planned. Additional facilities also are planned, with a Plate Reader scheduled for delivery this year to allow on-site microbiological analysis, expanding life science and biological research.

"This is an important step in the expansion of National Lab facilities aboard the space station," said Marybeth Edeen, former U.S. National Lab manager at NASA's Johnson Space Center. "Having companies develop research and facilities for the National Lab with their own funding demonstrates the beginnings of the commercial space marketplace that the National Lab was created to serve."

Centrifuges have been used in space since 1985 to conduct more than 130 experiments on 25 shuttle missions, resulting in the publication of more than 300 scientific papers. This heritage provides a large variety of flight-proven experiment designs now available for use by researchers for all types of molecular and cellular investigations on animal and plant tissues. The new NanoRacks facility design will provide fully automated culturing of cells and tissue, including "plug-and-play" payloads that require only a standard computer USB connection to access needed power and environmental controls.

Station crew members and researchers are looking forward to the addition of this new centrifuge. What they will learn from the research in the new facility can be used to better life on Earth, as well as provide knowledge to help advance future long-duration human spaceflight missions.

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UAH is nation's most 'crime-rattled' college, according to website

Posted on June 20, 2012 by ev1

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- The 2010 biology department shootings helped put the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) on top of a national website's ranking of "America's 25 Most Crime-Rattled Colleges." The unofficial ranking, based on an analysis of crime reports, was released today by the website "The Daily Beast."

UAH spokesman Ray Garner called the ranking skewed. "It is no secret that we had a tragic shooting incident on our campus in 2010, and that event heavily skewed this ranking," Garner said in a statement today. "If you look at our overall crime statistics, you will find outside that isolated event that our university offers a safe environment for the thousands of students, faculty and staff that travel around our campus."

The website said it based its rankings on a system it designed to compare and rank per-capita crime in certain categories as reported by colleges to the U.S. Department of Education. The reporting period was 2008-2010, which included the period of a triple homicide committed during a biology faculty meeting on the UAH campus. A former assistant biology professor, Dr. Amy Bishop, faces trial this fall on those charges.

"The crimes we considered were: murder, negligent murder, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, car theft, and arson," the website explained. "Because not all crimes are the same, we devised a subjective weighting system based on crime severity. Burglary established our low-end baseline for weighting; car theft was weighted twice as much as burglary; assault and robbery, six times as much as burglary; arson and negligent manslaughter, 10 times as much as burglary; and murder, 20 times as much as burglary." Each campus was also compared based on enrollment.

According to the website, UAH had the following numbers of crimes during the 2008-2010 period surveyed: 3 homicides, 4 robberies, 10 aggravated assaults, 80 burglaries and 8 car thefts.

Follow me on Twitter @leeroop and email me at lee.roop@htimes.com

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UAH is nation's most 'crime-rattled' college, according to website

Set science free from publishers’ paywalls

Posted on June 20, 2012 by ev1

Continue reading page |1 |2

IF YOU would like to read the latest research from my lab, be my guest. Our report on a protein from a mouse version of the winter vomiting virus has just been published in the journal PLoS One and is available online for free to anyone (vol 7, p e38723).

Contrast that with my first paper, published in 1990, which you could only have read if you had access to a university library with an expensive subscription to the journal Biochemistry.

Back in 1990 before the world wide web that was how scientific publishing was done. Today it is being transformed by open access publishers like the Public Library of Science. Rather than being funded by journal subscriptions, these publishers charge authors or their institutions the cost of publication and make their papers available for free online.

Many scientists are passionate supporters of open access and want to see the old model swept away. They have launched a protest movement dubbed the Academic Spring and organised a high-profile boycott of journals published by Elsevier. And the tide appears to be turning in their favour. This week the Finch Report, commissioned by the UK government, recommended that research papers especially those funded by the taxpayer should be made freely available to anyone who wants to read them.

Advocates of open access claim it has major advantages over the subscription model that has been around since academic journals were invented in the 17th century. They argue that science operates more effectively when findings can be accessed freely and immediately by scientists around the world. Better yet, it allows new results to be data-mined using powerful web-crawling technology that might spot connections between data insights that no individual would be likely to make.

But if open access is so clearly superior, why has it not swept all before it? The model has been around for a decade but about nine-tenths of the approximately 2 million research papers that appear every year are still published behind a paywall.

Part of the reason is scientists' reluctance to abandon traditional journals and the established ranking among them. Not all journals are equal they are graded by impact factor, which reflects the average number of times that the papers they publish are cited by others. Nature's impact factor is 36, one of the highest going, whereas Biochemistry's is around 3.2. Biochemistry is well regarded many journals have lower factors but a paper in Nature is still a much greater prize.

Unfortunately, it is prized for the wrong reasons. Impact factors apply to journals as a whole, not individual papers or their authors.

Despite this, scientists are still judged on publications in high-impact journals; funding and promotion often depend on it. Consequently few are willing to risk bucking the trend. This has allowed several publishers to resist calls to abandon the subscription model.

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Set science free from publishers' paywalls

Link between vitamin C and twin seedlings can increase seed production in crops

Posted on June 20, 2012 by ev1

ScienceDaily (June 18, 2012) Biochemists at the University of California, Riverside report a new role for vitamin C in plants: promoting the production of twins and even triplets in plant seeds.

Daniel R. Gallie, a professor of biochemistry, and Zhong Chen, an associate research biochemist in the Department of Biochemistry, found that increasing the level of dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR), a naturally occurring enzyme that recycles vitamin C in plants and animals, increases the level of the vitamin and results in the production of twin and triplet seedlings in a single seed.

The value of the discovery lies in the potential to produce genetically identical seedlings and increase production of high-value crops.

"The ability to increase fertility can be extremely useful when the inherent rate of fertility is low or the value of the crop is great, such as corn in which the production of multiple embryos would significantly boost its protein content," Gallie said. "The extra seedlings per seed may also enhance per-seed survival chances for some species."

Study results appear in the online journal PLoS ONE.

Just as in humans, twins in plants can be either genetically identical or fraternal. Gallie and Chen discovered that the twins and triplets produced in tobacco plants when vitamin C was increased were true twins or triplets as they were genetically identical.

In the lab, the researchers went on to show that injecting plant ovaries with vitamin C was sufficient to produce twins or triplets and that the vitamin causes the zygote, the fertilized egg, to divide into two or even three fertilized egg cells before these cells proceed through subsequent stages of development to produce twins or triplets.

Although they used tobacco in their research, Gallie predicts vitamin C could generate twins and triplets in other plants as well.

"Because the early stages of embryo development are so conserved among plant species, we expect that vitamin C will have a similar effect in almost any plant," he said.

A question raised by the study is whether vitamin C might have a similar effect in humans. In contrast to most animals, humans cannot make vitamin C and it must, therefore, be obtained regularly from dietary sources.

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Link between vitamin C and twin seedlings can increase seed production in crops

Get the Most From Your Skin Care Products

Posted on June 20, 2012 by ev1

Consumers often spend hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars a year on skin care products in an effort to improve the look of their skin. From anti-aging serums to acne medications, many adults and teens regularly apply medications or treatments to their skin. But does the sequence in which skin care products are applied influence how well the products work? Dermatologists say yes.

"Medications or treatments should be applied directly after washing your face," said board-certified dermatologist Susan C. Taylor, MD, FAAD. "This ensures that the medications or treatments are properly absorbed by the skin. Otherwise, people may think a product isn't working because it's applied in the wrong order."

To maximize the effectiveness of skin care products, Dr. Taylor recommended people take the following steps when caring for their skin:

Wash your face. Use a gentle cleanser and gently pat dry.

Apply medication or treatment. If you are using a medicine or other treatment on your skin, you should apply this right after cleansing unless otherwise recommended by your dermatologist. When applying any cream around your eyes, use your ring finger, as it is the weakest finger and will not pull too hard on this delicate skin.

Apply moisturizer and/or sunscreen. Apply makeup, if desired. "It's important for people to know that using several products at the same time may not only negate the benefits of each product but also irritate the skin," said Dr. Taylor. "Using too many products may cause redness, stinging and dryness of the skin, especially if an anti-aging product is included. The signs of aging may then be more noticeable. A dermatologist can address any questions or concerns that you have about caring for your skin." These steps are demonstrated in "Get the Most from Your Skin Care Products," a video posted to the Academy website and the Academy's YouTube channel. This video is part of the Dermatology A to Z: Video Series, which offers relatable videos that demonstrate tips people can use to properly care for their skin, hair and nails. A new video in the series will be posted to the Academy website and the YouTube channel each month. Headquartered in Schaumburg, Ill., the American Academy of Dermatology (Academy), founded in 1938, is the largest, most influential, and most representative of all dermatologic associations. With a membership of more than 17,000 physicians worldwide, the Academy is committed to: advancing the diagnosis and medical, surgical and cosmetic treatment of the skin, hair and nails; advocating high standards in clinical practice, education, and research in dermatology; and supporting and enhancing patient care for a lifetime of healthier skin, hair and nails. For more information, contact the Academy at 1-888-462-DERM (3376) or http://www.aad.org. Follow the Academy on Facebook (American Academy of Dermatology) or Twitter (@AADskin).

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Get the Most From Your Skin Care Products

Get the Most From Your Skin Care Products: Dermatologists Say the Sequence in Which You Apply Skin Care Products …

Posted on June 20, 2012 by ev1

Newswise SCHAUMBURG, Ill. (June 19, 2012) Consumers often spend hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars a year on skin care products in an effort to improve the look of their skin. From anti-aging serums to acne medications, many adults and teens regularly apply medications or treatments to their skin. But does the sequence in which skin care products are applied influence how well the products work? Dermatologists say yes.

Medications or treatments should be applied directly after washing your face, said board-certified dermatologist Susan C. Taylor, MD, FAAD. This ensures that the medications or treatments are properly absorbed by the skin. Otherwise, people may think a product isnt working because its applied in the wrong order.

To maximize the effectiveness of skin care products, Dr. Taylor recommended people take the following steps when caring for their skin:

1. Wash your face. Use a gentle cleanser and gently pat dry. 2. Apply medication or treatment. If you are using a medicine or other treatment on your skin, you should apply this right after cleansing unless otherwise recommended by your dermatologist. When applying any cream around your eyes, use your ring finger, as it is the weakest finger and will not pull too hard on this delicate skin. 3. Apply moisturizer and/or sunscreen. 4. Apply makeup, if desired.

Its important for people to know that using several products at the same time may not only negate the benefits of each product but also irritate the skin, said Dr. Taylor. Using too many products may cause redness, stinging and dryness of the skin, especially if an anti-aging product is included. The signs of aging may then be more noticeable. A dermatologist can address any questions or concerns that you have about caring for your skin.

These steps are demonstrated in Get the Most from Your Skin Care Products, a video posted to the Academy website and the Academys YouTube channel at http://youtu.be/Q8OdZQU7u-I. This video is part of the Dermatology A to Z: Video Series, which offers relatable videos that demonstrate tips people can use to properly care for their skin, hair and nails. A new video in the series will be posted to the Academy website and the YouTube channel each month.

# # #

Headquartered in Schaumburg, Ill., the American Academy of Dermatology (Academy), founded in 1938, is the largest, most influential, and most representative of all dermatologic associations. With a membership of more than 17,000 physicians worldwide, the Academy is committed to: advancing the diagnosis and medical, surgical and cosmetic treatment of the skin, hair and nails; advocating high standards in clinical practice, education, and research in dermatology; and supporting and enhancing patient care for a lifetime of healthier skin, hair and nails. For more information, contact the Academy at 1-888-462-DERM (3376) or http://www.aad.org. Follow the Academy on Facebook (American Academy of Dermatology) or Twitter (@AADskin).

Original post:
Get the Most From Your Skin Care Products: Dermatologists Say the Sequence in Which You Apply Skin Care Products ...

Get the most from your skin care products: Sequence in which you apply skin care products influences their effectiveness

Posted on June 20, 2012 by ev1

ScienceDaily (June 19, 2012) Consumers often spend hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars a year on skin care products in an effort to improve the look of their skin. From anti-aging serums to acne medications, many adults and teens regularly apply medications or treatments to their skin. But does the sequence in which skin care products are applied influence how well the products work? Dermatologists say yes.

To maximize the effectiveness of skin care products, Dr. Taylor recommended people take the following steps when caring for their skin:

1. Wash your face. Use a gentle cleanser and gently pat dry.

2. Apply medication or treatment. If you are using a medicine or other treatment on your skin, you should apply this right after cleansing unless otherwise recommended by your dermatologist. When applying any cream around your eyes, use your ring finger, as it is the weakest finger and will not pull too hard on this delicate skin.

3. Apply moisturizer and/or sunscreen.

4. Apply makeup, if desired.

"It's important for people to know that using several products at the same time may not only negate the benefits of each product but also irritate the skin," said Dr. Taylor. "Using too many products may cause redness, stinging and dryness of the skin, especially if an anti-aging product is included. The signs of aging may then be more noticeable. A dermatologist can address any questions or concerns that you have about caring for your skin."

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Anatomy of attack ads that work – or flop

Posted on June 20, 2012 by Danzig

(CBS News) NEW YORK -- This year's presidential race is expected to be the most expensive ever.

The campaigns and their supporters will spend billions of dollars on television ads before it's all over.

Longtime Republican strategist Frank Luntz, a pollster and communications specialist, has studied hundreds of political TV spots.

He says most don't work.

"You get about 20 percent that actually help the candidate that they're designed to support," Luntz observed on "CBS This Morning." "Twenty percent turn people off -- and that's what's amazing about this -- because they don't understand the ad, it's too complicated, it's too gimmicky. And so, the person watching it actually ends up supporting the other candidate."

To determine whether an ad will hit the spot, media companies bring people into rooms and measure their response.

"We use something called 'instant response,' Luntz explains."And (people sitting in a room) react on a second-by-second basis. The dial is about the size of a remote control. They turn it up to every word, every phrase, every visual. And so, we can figure out, second-by-second, the exact moment when something either works, impacts them, or turns them off."

Full coverage: Election 2012

Luntz showed examples of ads taking on both President Obama and his presumptive GOP rival, Mitt Romney. Both, he said, have their intended impact.

Both used their own word against them, showing actual statements they made that their foes would feel came back to haunt them.

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Anatomy of attack ads that work - or flop

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