Sonoco ThermoSafe Creates PharmaPortal Platform Using IBM Blockchain Technology to Help Deliver Improved Transparency and Traceability Across…

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Sonoco ThermoSafe, a unit of Sonoco, is building PharmaPortal, a vendor-neutral blockchain platform for use by pharmaceutical manufacturers and carriers. Built on IBM Blockchain Transparent Supply, PharmaPortal intends to address the industrys needs to trace assets across many different supply chain participants, record a single version of the truth on all events generated on a packages journey, integrate this data with that of other businesses across an industry-scale network and provide access controls to help ensure each data owner maintains control over who can access it on the network.

The openly governed blockchain network built on open source technology will initially focus on end-to-end traceability of temperature-controlled drugs, such as vaccines, and provide an audit trail of environmental condition monitoring to help protect the efficacy of these lifesaving, life-extending and life-enhancing medicines. To help drive its development, Sonoco will invite industry leaders to collaborate on the initiative to optimize the safety and efficiency of global temperature controlled pharmaceutical distribution.

Only through the collaborative efforts of all members of the temperature controlled pharmaceutical distribution process can we achieve the safety and efficiency that the world needs from us in this critical time, said Howard Coker, president and CEO of Sonoco. An effort of this magnitude requires a high level of industry engagement to make a meaningful difference in the lives of people around the world. IBM has had success working across a number of sectors where implementing blockchain networks transformed the efficiency and effectiveness of the supply chain, and we see the same opportunities in the pharmaceutical space.

IBM offers deep expertise in blockchain to the pharmaceutical industry to help establish this transformational network led by Sonoco ThermoSafe," said Raj Rao, general manager, Blockchain Platforms. With Blockchain's inherent ability to track drug provenance and create an immutable record of the lifecycle of a drug and how it was handled, this open industry initiative addresses the challenges the pharmaceutical industry faces, both in sourcing and distributing drugs.

This neutral ecosystem will be especially helpful in fostering trust in the pharmaceutical air cargo market by enabling all parties in the supply chain to give and get relevant data in a highly secured, permissioned way.

As the convener of the network, Sonoco ThermoSafe intends to create a permissioned platform for the industry that will ultimately create more visibility and transparency across the pharmaceutical supply chain. With network growth in the coming months, a PharmaPortal Advisory Council will be appointed and comprised of a range of pharmaceutical industry representatives willing to participate in its development and adoption and help openly govern the network so that the solution benefits all.

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Sonoco ThermoSafe Creates PharmaPortal Platform Using IBM Blockchain Technology to Help Deliver Improved Transparency and Traceability Across...

Blood on the Blockchain: Tokenizing Can Make Donations More Effective – Cointelegraph

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A system in which health officials would be able to track blood donations from vein-to-vein in real-time, given the complexities of the blood supply chain, may sound impossible. However, using blockchain technology to track and trace blood supply chains may turn this idea closer to reality.

The American Red Cross estimates that someone in the United States needs blood every two seconds. The organization further announced that its facing a severe shortage of blood, particularly that of convalescent plasma a type of blood donation that contains antibodies collected from individuals who have recently recovered from COVID-19. Its clear that the blood supply chain is of vital importance, yet there are a number of challenges hampering the effectiveness of these systems.

Warren Tomlin, the digital and innovation leader for Ernst & Young Canada, told Cointelegraph that the firm has been working with the nonprofit organization Canadian Blood Services on a proof-of-concept to address traceability challenges by putting blood records on a blockchain network:

We realized how incredibly complex the blood supply chain was when we started working with Canadian Blood Services. Most people think about getting blood from donors, but what they often dont consider is the data associated with each donation.

According to Tomlin, numerous amounts of data is generated when blood donations are taken from donor centers and sent out to hospitals for transfusions. For instance, data from the donor is collected, along with data on the lab worker taking the blood. Equipment data and temperature data are also taken once blood samples are transferred to hospitals. Additional information is generated when blood is split into subproducts for plasma or antibody purposes. All of this data has to be tracked accordingly to ensure that waste, shortages and other inefficiencies dont occur, said Tomlin.

Based on this, a supply chain management solution capable of transparently tracing blood across its entire journey could greatly benefit the million-dollar blood market. Blockchain technology may provide an ideal solution for capturing data at its source and recording it securely. Paul Brody, the global blockchain innovation leader at EY, told Cointelegraph that a challenge currently faced by many enterprises is keeping track of inputs and outputs as they move across organizational boundaries:

Blockchain is well suited for this, as it creates digital, standardized tokens that can be treated the same across different organizations. Most enterprise systems are not good at management of assets or products. Blockchain not only standardizes a way of keeping track of things across network boundaries, but it also applies discipline and trust within a decentralized system.

Brody noted that by leveraging the private Ethereum blockchain network supported by the EY OpsChain platform, EY has tracked donation data coming from CBS across seven key points, creating an improved audit trail for blood products. While this project is still in its very early stages, Rick Prinzen, the chief supply chain officer and vice president of donor relations of CBS, told Cointelegraph that this already represents an important advancement in healthcare:

Connecting donor center donations with in-hospital transfusions and enabling hospitals to have real-time access to the whole blood component product flow and product status represents a significant advancement in driving supply chain value and improved health outcomes.

Its also important to note that in order for blood to be recorded and tracked across a blockchain network, it must first be tokenized. In the case of EY Canada and CBS, Tomlin explained that each time someone gives blood, a barcode is placed on the unit containing the sample. This barcode is then scanned, and its data is recorded on the private Ethereum blockchain. The tokenized unit of blood can be tracked across each point in its journey.

Although tokenization may not yet be a familiar concept in the healthcare industry, Brody explained that tokenization simply means taking anything that exists, whether real or virtual, and representing that as a digital token. Once blood comes in from a known donor, that could be represented as a token of a single donation, he said.

Brody elaborated that tokenization is useful for blood donations because once blood samples get processed, they may be combined with other products to create things like plasma. The goal is to keep track of the tokens origin in a standard and repeatable fashion. If done correctly, tokenizing blood could have tremendous benefits, especially when blood donations are in demand.

Related: UNICEF Crypto Fund to Invest $100K in Humanitarian Blockchain Projects

According to Tomlin, one benefit that may come out of the proof-of-concept is ensuring that hospitals dont face blood shortages. For instance, tokenized blood recorded on the blockchain could help determine the inventory of blood donations in hospitals. Tomlin explained that EY Canada hopes to work with a major blood operator moving forward to apply artificial intelligence to the inventory of blood that has been processed through the blockchain: In many countries, blood ordering still happens by fax machines. We hope that by collecting the pedigree of blood through our blockchain, hospitals can automate ordering.

Tomlin also mentioned that the COVID-19 pandemic has created a great opportunity for this use case, as it would add another layer to the equation by ensuring that hospitals have enough blood with the antibodies required to combat the virus. This could be especially useful for tracking antibodies for COVID, he said.

United Kingdom-based company BloodChain aims to do something similar. Sebastian Zaremba, the project founder and leader of BloodChain, told Cointelegraph that the company is essentially an open social blood bank, meaning anyone is allowed to join the BloodChain network to donate blood.

According to Zaremba, BloodChain allows individuals to securely register their blood types into a distributed blood bank capable of meeting supply and demand in real-time. AI-based applications would then be leveraged on top of the data collected on the blockchain to determine the demand for blood from certain hospitals. In turn, blood would immediately be delivered to those hospitals.

In addition to combating blood shortages through automation, tokenization could provide an incentive mechanism for blood donors. For example, enterprise blockchain startup EOS Costa Rica has built an incentive-based healthcare solution on the EOS network. Known as Lifebank, the open-source protocol aims to help solve global blood shortages by increasing supply chain efficiency and automating rewards for donors. Edgar Fernandez, a co-founder of EOS Costa Rica, told Cointelegraph:

Donation centers that are experiencing blood shortages can use Lifebank to create incentives for blood donors. By connecting community members to local businesses, donors can sign up to give blood and then receive a token in exchange. These tokens are similar to coupons, as they can be redeemed at participating local organizations.

Although these tokens are not based on a donors data, they contain units of value that can be used by the donors. Weve been able to program these tokens in a way where donation centers can only mint one token for each donor, explained Fernandez.

Although applying blockchain could result in a more efficient and safer blood donation process, the healthcare industry may be hesitant to adopt this emerging technology. While its notable that the blockchain market in healthcare is expected to have reached $3.4 billion by 2025, one of the biggest challenges facing the industry is a lack of understanding of the technology.

Tomlin pointed out that education and sponsorship were the two main challenges initially facing CBS: The technology was so new that it was hard to find sponsorship. We ended up seeing sponsorship from the CEO who wanted to embrace blockchain. He added that the healthcare industry needs to realize the value of blockchain technology rather than focusing so much on how it works.

Brody explained that simplification and connecting that to value proposition is essential for the healthcare industry. He noted that while the era of private blockchains may have created a scenario where participants involved on a network might not have been comfortable with the amount of control from others, the barrier of entry has become much lower today:

We need to get people comfortable enough to participate on blockchain networks. Public blockchains are appealing because they are like the internet. The Ethereum network has over 50 million users because its simple and there are low barriers to entry. We need to keep making it easy and cost-effective for more people to get on board in order to drive mass adoption at a network level.

Brody further pointed out that although CBS is currently leveraging the private Ethereum network, the plan is to eventually move all its clients onto a public network: Until recently, all the tooling for full privacy on public networks didnt exist, which is why a lot of our implementations have been on OpsChain software running on private blockchains.

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Blood on the Blockchain: Tokenizing Can Make Donations More Effective - Cointelegraph

PGA Championship Odds, Picks & Promotions: Bet $25, Win $50 if Tiger Woods Breaks 80 in Any Round at Harding Park – The Action Network

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We have yet another big week in the golf world, with the PGA Championship being played at Harding Park.

Tiger (Woods, have you heard of him?) is playing, Justin Thomas is trying to win in back-to-back tournaments and sportsbooks all over the country arent hesitating to incentivize you to bet on the first major of 2020.

Fun fact: Tiger has never once played a tourney in which hes failed to break 80. So, barring a disaster, this looks like a pretty safe bet.

To take advantage of this offer:

If Tiger, perhaps the best golfer of all time, manages to break 80, youll be rewarded $50 in free bets, which only need to be rolled over 1x.

Technically, Tiger can shoot a first round 85, a second round 79, miss the cut, and youd still win.

Whether you love Tiger or hate him, you have to admit the odds of him doing this are remarkably high!

Bet $25, Win $50 if Tiger Breaks 80 in Any Round

Click here to see more PGA Championship offers

Lets be honest, folks. Tiger was a little rusty in his return at the Memorial a few weeks ago. He did make the cut, though, and its probably safe to say hell be a bit more motivated this week at the PGA Championship.

If you dont think he can win his 16th major, you probably have faith in him making the cut, right? Luckily, everyone at DraftKings new and existing users can bet up to $50 on him to make the cut at +100 odds.

Tigers normal -355 odds to make the cut equate to a 78% implied probability, but this promo makes it a 50/50 proposition, giving you nearly a 30% edge on the market.

Anyone who signs up to bet on this is eligible for DraftKings $1,000 sign-up bonus, too.

Whether youre new to DraftKings or have been betting there for a while, theres no reason not to bet on these boosted odds.

Bet $50 on Tiger to Make the Cut at +100 Odds (Boosted from -335)

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The age old adage less is more is not something that applies to betting. More is more, and this profit boost will allow you to win more money than you normally would when betting on the PGA Championship.

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There are a few routes bettors could go down when using this. Just be sure to remember the golden rule of boosts: the bigger the original payout, the more additional money youll win with the boost. Its science.

If you bet $50 on a -110 matchup bet and it wins, youd win $45.45 x 115% = $52.27, or an additional $6.83.

If you bet $50 on a +5000 outright winner, youd win $2,500 x 115% = $2,875, or an additional $375. The max winnings on this boost are $5,000.

Whether you want to earn an extra few bucks or few hundred bucks, the profit boost is the way to do it.

Get a 15% Profit Boost on the PGA Championship

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PGA Championship Odds, Picks & Promotions: Bet $25, Win $50 if Tiger Woods Breaks 80 in Any Round at Harding Park - The Action Network

Hezbollah’s Global Activities Revealed in New Interactive Map – Algemeiner

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A UNIFIL vehicle drives past a Hezbollah flag in the southern Lebanese village of Khiam, near the border with Israel, July 28, 2020. Photo: Reuters / Aziz Taher.

A prominent US think tank has published a new interactive map revealing the extent of the global activities of the Iran-backed, Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah.

The Lebanese Hezbollah Select Worldwide Activity Interactive Map created by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy under the supervision of senior fellow Matthew Levitt, who has written extensively about Hezbollah allows users to see the various locations where Hezbollah is operating and track the connections between them.

In addition, by clicking on specific locations, users can access lists of specific incidents, such as terror attacks and arrests, as well as details on each occurrence.

The map is based on publicly-available primary sources. Levitt stated that it took him years to accumulate this data.

The Golden Rule of Hezbollahs Islamic jihad organization, its terrorist wing, is the less you know, the better, Levitt said. Were going to try to poke a hole in that mantra, by trying to make public as much information as we can.

The map, he added, was for people trying to understand the terrorist, military, and criminal activities of Hezbollah, and exposed the global reach of Hezbollah, the way that it extends around the world.

The map shows that Hezbollah is not only present in the Middle East, but is also found in the Americas, in countries such as the United States, Mexico, Canada, Venezuela, Columbia, and Brazil; in African nations such as Senegal, Ivory Coast; in Europe, in places such as France, Germany, Austria, Ukraine and Lithuania; and even in the Far East, in locales such as Japan, Hong Kong and the Philippines.

Mitch Silber a former director of intelligence analysis at the New York City Police Department (NYPD) described the map the definitive research tool on Hezbollah and an invaluable tool.

Watch a video on the interactive map below:

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Hezbollah's Global Activities Revealed in New Interactive Map - Algemeiner

Points of Progress: Where women are seeing gains, globally – The Christian Science Monitor

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1. Canada

The U.S.-based National Womens Hockey League announced the opening of a franchise in Toronto, offering hope that womens sports will not be abandoned during the pandemic.In the middle of national shutdowns, the NWHL has established a new team named the Toronto Six, after the Canadian citys nickname. It is the first time the league, formed in 2015 and the first to pay women a salary for playing hockey, will have a presence beyond the U.S. The move is not without critics, but coming a year after the demise of the Canadian Womens Hockey League for lack of financing it will mark a major advance for women in sport when the season opens in late fall.

Sara Miller Llana,Staff writer

The U.S. Army Special Forces has welcomed its first female Green Beret, a major milestone for one of the last all-male branches of the Army. Green Berets are considered experts in unconventional warfare and counterterrorism. Its against Army Special Operations Command policy to release the names of newly minted soldiers due to unique missions assigned upon graduation, but the female graduate of Special Forces training has captured media attention.A former military intelligence officer, Kathleen Wilder, completed the Armys Special Forces Qualification Course back in 1980, but was not allowed to graduate at the time. She filed a sex discrimination complaint and was later sent a graduation certificate. At the July 9 graduation ceremony, Lt. Gen. Fran Beaudette encouraged the new class of Green Beret men and women to smash through stereotypes, innovate, and achieve the impossible. (Army Times, CNN)

Lindsey McGinnis,Staff writer

Latin America is on pace to close its gender gap in 59 years, a huge jump from the 74 years expected in 2018. This puts the region just behind Western Europe, which is expected to close gender disparities in the workforce, education, access to health, and political empowerment in 54 years.The World Economic Forum, which issues the annual Global Gender Gap Index, says the sudden advance was due to regional improvements, particularly in political empowerment. Mexico, for example, leaped up the rankings this year after nearly tripling the number of women serving in ministerial positions (15.8% to 42.1%). With local and federal elections slated this year in nations from Chile to Brazil, the region could slash several more years off its journey toward gender equality. (World Economic Forum)

Whitney Eulich,Special correspondent

Arab women are serving as government ministers in record numbers.With women serving in nine of 33 ministerial posts, the United Arab Emirates has the highest ratio of female cabinet members in the Gulf. In December, Kuwait named a record three women as ministers. Saudi Arabia recently appointed women as deputy minister of labor and social development and deputy director-general for alimony affairs a first for each role. And 25% of Jordans latest cabinet are women.Arab women are not only being better represented in government, but are also rising to significant posts. In January, Lebanese politician Zeina Akar Adra became the Arab worlds first female defense minister and now helms the countrys national security efforts and armed forces.

Taylor Luck,Special correspondent

Nigerian leaders pledge a state of emergency over rape and gender-based violence. After Nigerian women took to the streets en masse in early June to protest a series of high-profile rapes and murders of young women, the countrys government did something surprising: It listened. In mid-June, Nigerias 36 state governors each promised to declare a state of emergency over violence against women, and pledged to start the countrys first sex offender registry.

People raise awareness about sexual violence in Abuja, Nigeria, June 5, 2020. Nigeria has vowed to create a sex offender registry.

While it remains to be seen if they will all come through, activists say they have never before seen this kind of momentum against gender-based violence. This is a generation that says enough is enough, Chioma Agwuegbo, one of the protests organizers, told Quartz Africa. (Quartz Africa)

Ryan Lenora Brown,Staff writer

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South Korean women are mobilizing around gender rights as never before, making significant gains. The latest advance came during April elections, when more women 57 were elected to parliament than at any time since the country democratized in 1987. The ruling Democratic Party enjoyed a landslide victory and now has 30 female legislators. The new Womens Party, the countrys first feminist party, won 200,000 votes but no seats.

Women cast their ballots for the parliamentary election in Seoul, South Korea, on April 10, 2020.

South Korea ranks 117th in the world for womens political representation. But the countrys momentum on gender issues is unmistakable, as womens gains in education raise pressure for greater equality in the workplace and at home, and younger women help energize a #MeToo movement. (Inter-Parliamentary Union)

Ann Scott Tyson,Staff writer

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Points of Progress: Where women are seeing gains, globally - The Christian Science Monitor

City of Sheboygan Making Progress Against Emerald Ash Borer – WHBL News

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by Kevin Zimmermann

SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) A tiny pest has made for big headaches for Tim Bull.Hes the forester for the City of Sheboygan and its his job to oversee the battle against the Emerald Ash Borer.The tiny invasive beetle kills ash trees in a few years, and their destruction can be seen in most of Wisconsin.4 years ago Sheboygan launched its efforts to manage the disease in the roughly 5,000 ash trees it hosts, and so far so good.

Bull says that insecticide treatments to around 24-hundred ash trees in city parks and parkways have been over 95% effective in keeping those trees alive.The trees not treated are being removed, and about 500 of those remain.

The next step is replacement and in October, 127 sizable trees will be planted in six city parks to replace the ones lost.Thats made possible by grants like the $5,000 corporate gift made by Alliant Energy in collaboration with several area Rotary organizations that kicked in another $15,000.The new trees wont be Ash, but the new ones wont be vulnerable to the Ash Borer, and will provide a colorful variety of foliage and flowers.

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City of Sheboygan Making Progress Against Emerald Ash Borer - WHBL News

Signs of progress on stimulus deal as GOP/Democrats head into another meeting – Seeking Alpha

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"I think there is a desire to get something done as soon as we can," says Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. That's boilerplate stuff, but the tone is 180 degrees different than last week, when White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows left a meeting and said we're "nowhere close to a deal."

Treasury Secretary Mnuchin yesterday: "We made a little bit of progress."

Progress out of the meeting was good enough that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has put on hold for now a plan to force votes on short-term extensions for unemployment insurance. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told her conference there's potential for a deal in coming days.

Meanwhile, the July jobs report comes on Friday, and a disappointing or even negative print is sure to add even more of an onus on lawmakers to be seen as doing something to help. As California goes, so goes the nation, and that state's economy has gone back into the tank thanks to another round of virus-related shutdowns.

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Signs of progress on stimulus deal as GOP/Democrats head into another meeting - Seeking Alpha

Bryant and Brown show progress in Wizards loss to Nets – Bullets Forever

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The competitive portion of the Wizards Bubble season is now complete. They lost by eight to the depleted Brooklyn Nets to fall seven games behind them. Theyll need to make up three games in the standings with six to play and their schedule consists of the Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, New Orleans Pelicans, Oklahoma City Thunder, Milwaukee Bucks, and Boston Celtics. All are probable losses for the Wizards.

In the loss to the Nets, the Wizards failed on defense primarily because of excessive fouling. Washington defenders were called for 31 fouls, which resulted in 37 Nets free throw attempts (they made 31). Brooklyn shot poorly as a team (.483 efg) but controlled turnovers and got high-efficiency trips to the free throw line.

Wizards perimeter defenders consistently failed to execute basic force rules they allowed penetration to the middle and let Nets players go to their strong hands whenever they wanted.

On offense, the Wizards were okay overall but continued to struggle with shooting (just 9-31 from three-point range) and an inability to execute a cohesive offensive strategy. They tried several times in the first half to post Rui Hachimura against smaller Nets defenders. The rookie struggled to establish position when Brooklyn got physical.

Several times, Thomas Bryant had the ball on the perimeter in position to work one of the handoff plays Wizards fans have seen a gazillion times with Bradley Beal. With Beal not in Orlando, Bryant was short on handoff partners and possessions foundered.

The team that shoots better from the floor wins about 78% of the time in the NBA. The Wizards outshot Brooklyn, but lost each of the other factors. Shooting is the most important factor, but its not everything.

While the loss is disappointing for those hoping the Wizards could somehow claw into the postseason, the team got a terrific performance from Thomas Bryant 30 points and 13 rebounds. Even better, Bryant showed solid defensive awareness, did a good job positioning on most defensive possessions and seemed more comfortable with the teams shift to drop coverage on pick and roll (theyve mostly had big men hedge during the 2019-20 season). On several plays, he kept ball handlers from getting a free run at the rim while also keeping contact with the roll man.

He still had some execution errors in the fourth quarter he made an excellent rotation on a Caris LeVert drive, forced LeVert into a difficult leaning jumper, and then screwed it up anyway by swatting for the ball instead of maintaining his verticality and trusting his positioning. He ended up sending LeVert to the free throw line.

Still, it was an excellent performance from Bryant, who made 7-12 from outside 12 feet, including 4-6 from three-point range. Hes developed into a legitimate stretch big, which should help teammates as opponents update their scouting reports.

Also encouraging for the Wizards was the all-court game of Troy Brown, Jr. 22 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists. Brown needs the ball in his hands to be at his best, and he got it against the Nets. He and Bryant showed some nice chemistry in pick and roll, though Browns inability to threaten the defense with his jumper provided less space for them operate.

Hachimuras game was disappointing. The Nets clearly targeted him with double teams but he was indecisive about how to attack or how to even find the open man. He struggled against Brooklyns physicality on post up attempts.

In the second half, the Wizards tried getting him the ball on the perimeter. He still didnt attack, though generally just passing the ball back to the PG so the team could run a different action.

His lack of a three-point shot hurts him and the team. In the fourth quarter, he had an open look from long range when the Nets defender played under a Bryant screen. Hachimura drove laterally (not turning the corner decisively to get into the paint) and pulled up for an 18-footer. Except, because his defender could comfortably play under the screen, he was able to navigate player traffic and meet Hachimura in the middle and challenge the jumper. It missed.

Below are PPA scores for the Wizards and Nets. PPA is my per possession production metric. In PPA, 100 is average and higher is better.

Next for the Wizards is the second game of their lone back-to-back of The Bubble. Theyll take on the Indiana Pacers. Its a probable loss for Washington.

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Bryant and Brown show progress in Wizards loss to Nets - Bullets Forever

Pussycat and the Dirty Johnsons: Beast Album Review – Louder Than War

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Pussycat and the Dirty Johnsons

Beast (Hound Gawd! Records) LP/CD/DL

Released: August 28th, 2020

8/10

Trash punk assault on the senses to unleash the beast

The feline limbed but powerfully voiced Puss Johnson, backed by the quiff heavy guitarist Dirty Jake and the more hirsute drummer Filfy Antz, have been pounding audiences into submission across the nation with their own brand of trash punk rawk n roll since around 2002. When a bands live shows are so volatile and full of power, the recorded output can often be a let down, but the grooves on the bands first three albums have shown they are more than capable of reproducing that raw energy in the studio.

Beast, a twelve track journey through scuzzy blues riffs and garage punk delivers another high octane example of in yer face hard rockin punk blues. Opening track, Lying In My Bed, sets the tone with its deep down heavy blues riff and the battering beat of the drums making up for anything that a missing bass could offer. Theres a manic, paranoid tension to the song, and a Klaus Fluoride guitar like lick, whilst Puss Johnson intones the vocals like a deranged locked up inmate about to explode. Doin It is heavy duty blues with a fuck you Im gonna do it whatever you say punk attitude. Abuser is a song about an abusive ex and those friends who still dont get the #metoo generation, and a demand that abuse should not be diminished. Its got a great drum beat dragging back the rhythm behind the urgent guitar, creating an off-kilter sound with the vocals smoothly moving over the top.

Not Your Baby is driven by a cool driving blues beat with a chorus of screaming anger backed by a drum beat that sounds like a head pounding off the floor. Stale is a song about being stuck in a small town and how it can suck your soul into oblivion. It has a slower groove with a doom-laden feel of wandering through a stultified town, a place festering under grey skies. The guitar is like a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. Knee Jerk is an attack on keyboard reactionaries (Caps lock on Im feeling strong!) and starts like a Dr Feelgood song before morphing into The Cramps, and if that aint a great mix I dont know what is. Meat is restrained, holding back with an air of suspense, with a repetition of the descending guitar line, grinding away, with a roll of drums in the background. It sounds like early Banshees. Shes An Orgasm is the imperfect search for the perfect woman; at least the perfect woman that is shoved down our throats by the media. Shit is an all-out punk attack on phonies and fakes. Its a healthy dose of punk nihilism with clashing, fuzzed up guitars overlaying each other and spitting vocals and great beat and fills from the drums. Do Ya Feel Me? is sleazy Mississippi blues guitar, like a sultry bayou. It drips sweat, soaked with heavy blues and desire.

Beast Will Out is full of tension and paranoia, building up like a horror movie soundtrack, as the beast within fights to escape, a modern werewolf tale. The drums create the feeling of tension rising up. The middle section then slows down as the lycanthropic transformation of the beast gradually emerges and the music begins to pound, pound, before the explosion of excess. Album closer Hey Honey has a 50s rock sound, pop punk with a Transvision Vamp sound. Its a closing attack on those people who think they know whats best for you, when really they want to mould you into the person they want you to be.

Beast is an all out assault that shows that this band is still full of creativity and hunger, succeeding in transferring their incendiary live power to the grooves of records.

~

You can find Pussycat and the Dirty Johnsons online here, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and on Facebook.

All words by Mark Ray. More writing by Mark Ray can be found at his author archive. And he can be found on Twitter, Instagram and WordPress

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Pussycat and the Dirty Johnsons: Beast Album Review - Louder Than War

Why Netflixs The Rain Season 3 Should Be Your Next Dystopian Binge!!! – World Top Trend

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It is likely to be an odd suggestion to spend your treasured downtime throughout a world pandemic watching individuals take care of the fallout of a illness thats seemingly succeeding in wiping out most of humanity. However whereas there are actually components of The Rain that may hit a little bit near home right now, it sits simply far sufficient in the world of fantasy that its twists and turns present a pleasant distraction from the very actual risks outdoors of your personal door.

This isnt a tween model of The Walking Dead. In different phrases, it prioritises hope for a possible future over nihilism and the fear of everybody and every thing that isnt a part of your present group that so many of those narratives sink into. Usually the characters are literally too fast to belief others (apart from the token dissenting voice), leaving the viewers screaming at them to be extra suspicious, but it surely lends the series a human high quality lacking from plenty of equally dystopian fiction.

Followers of character-driven exhibits may also discover so much to love in The Rain, because the thriller of how the illness was unleashed and the customarily grim realities of surviving in a world that has given up on humanity most of the time take a again seat to the relationships between the characters. We start with Simone and Rasmus, who spend six years alone earlier than deciding to enterprise out, and its this sibling bond that drives the remainder of the series.

And, after all, there are many romances to go round too. A few of them you may see coming a mile away however others take some time to develop and are genuinely price rooting for. And refreshingly, friendships are given equal significance as {couples} and familial relationships, maintaining all of the characters emotionally related all through.

Characters are developed through Lost-style flashbacks, however these are more like distorted slideshows than narratives in and of themselves. Were provided only a glimpse of their lives earlier than, and the way they particularly acquired to the place the place we meet them.

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Why Netflixs The Rain Season 3 Should Be Your Next Dystopian Binge!!! - World Top Trend

We’re staring into the face of America’s worst political crisis since the civil war – NationofChange

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Trump Floats Delaying The Election. It Would Require A Change in Law

~NPR, Thursday, July 30, 2020

A sitting president floats delaying a fast-approachingelection which the polls indicate he will lose and lose decisively. It might not be safe to open the polls in the midst of a pandemic, dont you see? POTUS is only doing his job and protecting us is Job One. Of course, if you believe that youd have to believe that facts are not facts. That there are alternatives. Alternative facts.

What you see when you go to one of the official White House websites is the smiling face of Donald Trump. Its the photo of a congenial mana nice guyand, as such, it is a fake. A fable. A lie. A testament to the alternative reality this White House serves up on a daily basis.

A more realistic photo would be to feature the grimacing orange face of a reckless man intent upon engineering a political crisis. A president determined to win at all costs. To remain in office and do whatever it takes to guarantee that outcome.

The president who is suggesting it might be necessary to postpone the elections for reasons of public safety is the same president who did nothing when the pandemic hit and refused to set an example by social distancing and wearing a mask.

The same president who has demonstrated no inclination to deal with what is clearly the worst public-health crisis in a century.

The same one who has obstructed efforts by governors of blue states and mayors of blue cities to enforce rules and behaviors to flatten the curve.

Who has sought to discredit doctors he appointed and scientists working to find a cure.

Who has pushed to reopen public schools with little regard for local infection rates or adequate testing of teachers, staff, and students.

***************

We have entered into a new phase in the crisis that started with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March of this year. The public health crisis was and is real. Its not a conspiracy. Not alternative reality. It is real.

That it happened when it did is not the fault of Donald Trump or, heaven forbid, Dr. Anthony Fauci. Nor is it Chinas fault. The contention that a mad scientist or evil empire has deliberately let a killer pathogen loose in the world is daft and devoid of any factual basis.

One of my favorite writers on the contemporary scene is Masha Gessen, a brilliant observer of life in Russia and America.* The one-line teaser for her latest column in The New Yorker, Why America Feels Like a Post-Soviet State, asserts: The callous nihilism of Russian society is everywhere in the Trump Administrations response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Gessen holds both Russian and American citizenship. No journalist on either side of the Atlanta is better qualified to make this harsh judgment.

***************

Trump doesnt give a damn about COVID-19. Or about the death rate. Or the millions of people who have lost their jobs or homes or health insurance.

He only cares about the election. About his money. His power. About staying in the Oval Office. And out of court. Trumps face is baggy and orange. He just needs a matching jumpsuit. Then and only then can we begin the arduous task of making American great again.

*Masha Gessen was born in Russia in 1967 and first came to the U.S. with her parents under the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program in 1981. The family moved back to Moscow in 1991 but she eventually returned to the U.S. in 2013 when the Putin government considered taking children away from gay parents.

FALL FUNDRAISER

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We're staring into the face of America's worst political crisis since the civil war - NationofChange

The First Reaction To Marilyn Manson’s New Single, We Are Chaos – Kerrang!

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Marilyn Manson has often talked of his love for The Beatles. Hes covered The Fab Fours Helter Skelter, talked about the importance of their game-changing White Album, referenced their song Revolution on Disposable Teens, and even wished band members happy birthday by doing a snippet ofBirthday.

Here, we find The God Of Fuck firing the starting pistol on his 11th album We Are Chaos by seemingly doing his own version of Across The Universe, from 1970s Let It Be. After the full-frontal thrust of 2017s Heaven Upside Down, where the naked threat of songs like We Know Where You Fucking Live provided a ballsy energy, its a change of pace. And one Manson does verywell.

Read this: 6 things we want from the new Marilyn Mansonalbum

In the end we all end up in a garbage dump but Ill still be here holding your hand, he croons, before intoning, We are chaos, we cant becured.

But its that anthemic, celebratory, New Years Eve feeling, dancing at the end of the world, that provides the energy on We Are Chaos. The nihilism is pared back in favour of something more romantic? Its sort of like the end of Fight Club with eyeliner and bulging leathertrousers.

As a signpost for the new album, its hard to get a total grip on. Heaven Upside Down was so striking, so definite, that divining Mazzas next move was always going to be to presume a lot about him. And thats always been a foolserrand.

For now, its enough of a clue to know that what Marilyn Manson has in store is going to be something on a grand scale, and with a sense of class only he canunlock.

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The First Reaction To Marilyn Manson's New Single, We Are Chaos - Kerrang!

‘Hyper urban’ coyote genomes are growing apart their from city and rural cousins – Massive Science

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Imagine a coyote, rangy and resilient. Is she ambling through a canyon dotted with sagebrush or loping in an urban alley lined with dumpsters? In recent decades, the latter has become a more common sight. As cities expand, coyotes move right in. Rather than shrinking from the big-city lights, they rummage for opportunities.

But even as individual coyotes thrive, cities' built features are shaping their genomesacross generations, according to a recent study in the Journal of Urban Ecology. A widening genetic gulf separates city coyotes and their country cousins. And as urban space sprawls, coyotes genetic diversity declines. This finding suggests that humans built environment has consequences even for creatures that seem to thrive in our midst.

Scientists already know city coyotes tend to differ from their country counterpartsin behavior: theyre bolder and more exploratory, more likely to eat human-sourced foods and occupy a smaller territory. But the picture of what genetic differences if any might exist between coyotes has been more murky.

About 30 years ago, fewgeneticdifferences existed between coyotes across North America suggesting coyotes moved freely, and so did their genes. Historically, coyotes ranged only across the arid West and Great Plains. Since 1900, they have beenpushing out of their home turf, and today they prowl the continent from coast to coast. Scientists assumed that mobile, adaptable coyotes weren't impeded much by urban sprawl. More recent studies have found coyotes clustering genetically by range or region, but few have honed in on specific urban areas.

Urban coyote

National Park Service

By narrowing their focus to the greater Los Angeles area, scientists from Pepperdine University uncovered a more complex picture lurking in urban coyotes genes. Pulling DNA from 125 samples of muscle, liver, and skin, they examined coyotes living in mountains, farmland, suburbs, and the city. The team mapped coyotes genetic structure alongside the surrounding landscape, accounting for key urban features like freeways and road density.

A clear split between urban and rural coyotes emerged. Rural coyotes living among mountains and natural vegetation formed the largest, most genetically diverse group. Urban coyotes, on the other hand, made up three distinct clusters each with decreased genetic diversity. Researchers could deduce which coyotes roam wide-open spaces and which dodge city traffic.

Rural coyotes shared a similar genetic profile even across long distances, suggesting natural barriers didnt impede their movement or gene flow. Even in coyotes separated by 160 miles, rural coyotes clustered with each other instead of their urban counterparts nearby. The surrounding environment mattered more than the geographic distance.

Why this genetic split between city and country coyotes? It could stem in part from natal-biased habitat dispersal, the researchers suggest. Animals tend to prefer habitats similar to where they grew up. When an urban coyote knows how to avoid the citys hazards and harvest its resources, she is more likely to raise babies with those skills. And when generations of street-smart coyotes stick around the same spot, the genetic gap between them and their country cousins widens.

But this isnt the whole story, the researchers argue. City coyotes werent just genetically distinct from their rural relatives; their DNA also differed from that of other city coyotes. Rather than forming one large group as the rural coyotes did, urban coyotes split into three genetically distinct populations.

The cities built features help explain why. One distinct cluster of city coyotes prowled through downtown Los Angeles, lurked by the Hollywood sign, and roamed near the Long Beach Airport. The coyotes in this clusterhad both DNA and habitat in common hyper-urban areas with high road density.

Scientists found a similar pattern in Orange County. Where major highways and commercial districts sliced through the land, so did a boundary between two distinct coyote populations. Despite roaming a similar urban environment, coyotes on one side of the highway were genetically distinct from their relatives on the other side. Coyotes' genetic structure mirrored the urban terrain.

Coyote

Peter Eades / USFWS

These findings suggest humans built environment shapes coyotes movement, the researchers argue. Major freeways, dense roads, and human development prevent urban coyotes from crossing into other areas. These built barriers keep old residents in, and new migrants out and thus leave a stamp on coyotes DNA across generations.

This is important because when a population becomes isolated, their genetic diversity tends to dwindle. Genetic diversity reflects a populations overall health, as well as an ability to adapt to future changes in the environment. Think of it like a box of tools passed down for a vast, unpredictable, multi-generational home restoration project. If the roof collapses or the plumbing busts, youre going to need more than just a hammer. The more options you have, the better whether theyre hand tools orgenes. Each genetic characteristic represents another option, in a toolbox of past solutions and potential answers.

Even as individual urban coyotes thrive, their collective genetic toolbox shrinks. The citys built features restrict urban coyotes travels more than previously thought, with significant effects on their population genetics. These findings suggest that urbanization even takes a toll on creatures that seem to flourish in human environments.

This result also points to the importance of preserving natural corridors in cities not just for coyotes, but for other urban wildlife, too. Safe passageways allow diverse species to cross between habitats, enabling both physical movement and gene flow. Los Angeles County has made natural corridors a priority by identifying Significant Ecological Areas (SEAs) and planning links between them. In fact, in 2023, Los Angeles is slated to become home to the largest wildlife corridor in the world a highway overpass in the works since 2019.

Coyotes have a reputation as survivors, adaptable and enduring. But urbanization is also here to stay, and scientists are still learning about its genetic implications for our wildlife neighbors. This study highlights the value of better understanding these effects on all creatures in the urban landscape even the most versatile and wily of them all.

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'Hyper urban' coyote genomes are growing apart their from city and rural cousins - Massive Science

Triplet Therapeutics To Present at Upcoming Events – Business Wire

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CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Triplet Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company leveraging insights from the human genetics of repeat expansion disorders (REDs), announced today that co-founder, president, and CEO Nessan Bermingham, Ph.D., will speak at three upcoming virtual events:

Dr. Bermingham will discuss Triplets recent activities, including the companys selection of its first clinical candidate from its proprietary thRED Engine, TTX-3360, an antisense oligonucleotide with the potential to modify the course of REDs by targeting the DNA Damage Response (DDR) pathway, and its initiation of an international natural history study of Huntingtons disease, SHIELD HD.

About TTX-3360

TTX-3360, an antisense oligonucleotide, is the first clinical candidate developed from Triplets proprietary thRED Engine and the first clinical candidate with the potential to modify the course of repeat expansion disorders (REDs) by targeting the DNA Damage Response (DDR) pathway. A significant body of evidence supports the role of the DDR pathway as the primary driver of repeat expansion and subsequent disease onset and progression in many REDs, including Huntingtons disease (HD), myotonic dystrophy (DM1) and fragile X syndrome. Triplet is initially focusing development of TTX-3360 in HD and may also evaluate it in other central nervous system indications such as spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs), fragile X syndrome, and familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

About Triplet Therapeutics

Triplet Therapeutics is a biotechnology company developing transformational treatments for patients with repeat expansion disorders (REDs) a group of more than 50 known genetic diseases including myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), Huntingtons disease (HD), spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs), Fragile X syndrome, and familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) leveraging insights from patient genetics. Triplet designs and develops potential therapeutics for REDs using its proprietary thRED Engine, which enables the Company to develop a single oligonucleotide targeting the DNA Damage Response (DDR) pathway to potentially treat multiple REDs.

Triplet is backed by investments from Atlas Venture, MPM Capital and Pfizer Ventures, along with Invus, Partners Innovation Fund and Alexandria Venture Investments. Triplet is headquartered in Cambridge, Mass. For more information, please visit http://www.triplettx.com.

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Triplet Therapeutics To Present at Upcoming Events - Business Wire

Baylor genomics teams partner to provide COVID-19 testing for Houston area – Baylor College of Medicine News

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Baylor College of Medicines Human Genome Sequencing Center is a leader in large scale DNA sequencing research, and the Alkek Center for Metagenomics and Microbiome Research is leading research related to how bacteria and viruses impact human health. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers at both centers have come together to serve the need for COVID-19 testing in the Houston area by combining the expertise of each groups laboratories. Now, Baylor is partnering with local public health departments to provide polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing for tens of thousands of COVID-19 samples.

We are pleased to work with the outstanding local government groups in this critical public health effort, said Dr. Richard Gibbs, director of the Human Genome Sequencing Center and Wofford Cain Chair and Professor of molecular and human genetics at Baylor. We are proud of the tireless determination and expertise of our centers and college staff that enabled the rapid development of this robust testing capacity to serve the greater Houston community.

Baylor is one of the testing providers for Harris County Public Health. Anyone who wants to be tested can complete a pre-screening questionnaire, either online or by phone. If the person qualifies for testing, they will be given a personalized code and directed to one of the mobile testing sites. Harris County Public Health also provides testing services to individuals living in traditionally high-risk congregate settings such as nursing homes.

We are fortunate to have Baylor College of Medicine as a close partner during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Dr. Umair Shah, executive director of Harris County Public Health. This is a challenging time for our community and as the need for increased testing capacity and getting results to residents faster has grown, Baylor has risen to the occasion. There are countless unsung heroes across Harris County who have stepped up to the plate during this pandemic and Baylor College of Medicine is one of them.

Samples collected at testing sites are sent to the Alkek Center for Metagenomics and Microbiome Research to be prepared for testing. After arriving at the lab, each sample is decontaminated and put in a liquid solution that helps isolate the virus. Technicians then extract the genomic material of the virus (RNA) from the sample. That RNA is then sent to the Human Genome Sequencing Center to undergo quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) testing. This process works by looking for specific sequences that are unique to the viruss genome. If the samples RNA sequence matches that of the virus, the sample is positive. Each sample must test positive three times to be considered a positive case of COVID-19. A trained interpreter will also provide a final review, confirming a positive or negative case. Each report is signed by respiratory virus expert and Medical Director of the Alkek Center for Metagenomics and Microbiome Research lab, Dr. Pedro Piedra.

On average, results are returned to the tested person within 48 hours. Each test kit is equipped with a bar code that allows the test to be tracked digitally, speeding up the process of informing the tested person and county health officials. If a person tests positive, the Harris County Public Health team will follow up with them for contact tracing.

Widespread testing capacity is a critical component for this pandemic response. Whether we are identifying new cases or are performing surveillance, the only way to effectively allocate resources is with a response that includes testing, said Dr. Joseph Petrosino, chair of the department of molecular virology and microbiology and director of the Alkek Center for Metagenomics and Microbiome Research at Baylor.

Since beginning the partnership with the County in May, the group has tested more than 30,000 samples. The lab also provides COVID-19 testing for other groups in the area.

"We knew we had all the pieces to stand up a testing center fast large scale clinical sequencing, experts in virology and molecular biology, and a secure way to return results to patients, said Ginger Metcalf, Human Genome Sequencing Center Director of Project Development. "We are also fortunate to have such great partners at Harris County Public Health, who have done an amazing job of gathering, tracking and delivering samples, especially for the most at-risk members of our community."

The Baylor testing lab currently has a capacity of more than 1,000 samples a day. Leaders hope to hire more staff soon to increase testing capacity.

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Baylor genomics teams partner to provide COVID-19 testing for Houston area - Baylor College of Medicine News

Gaucher Disease Treatment Market (Impact of COVID-19) Top Growing Companies: Acetelion Pharmaceutical (J&J Ltd.), Erad Therapeutic Inc., JCR…

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Gaucher Disease Treatment Market 2020

The Gaucher Disease Treatment survey report contains valuable insights into the industry. The Gaucher Disease Treatment report begins with an understanding of the current market scenario, and goes on to describe the products available in the market, along with their different applications. The report also discusses the manufacturing technology used for production processes and how the availability of the same can affect the market. Our Gaucher Disease Treatment survey report details the scope of growth of the industry and also looks into the different emerging trends in the market. Our report covers the forecast period 2020-2026. Our Gaucher Disease Treatment survey also provides a predicted market valuation for the forecast period, as well as a projected valuation by the end of the forecast period.

The report provides and in-depth analysis of the industrys tools, mechanisms, and sales and distribution methods, which significantly influence the scope for growth. With this information, the segmentation of the market is understood in a much clearer way. The global Gaucher Disease Treatment is influenced by a number of factors such as environmental fluctuations, socio-economic changes, new policies and regulations introduced by the government, and much more. The report also seeks to provide the reader with information regarding the key players in the Gaucher Disease Treatment, and how they have maintained their market shares.

The global Gaucher Disease Treatment survey report includes a section that details the segmentation of the industry and the different elements that influence growth. We provide a regional analysis to determine the key players based on geographical area. The report also includes important industry updates and news that can help the reader gather a more relevant understanding of the market, as well as its growth prospects.

The study encompasses profiles of major companies operating in the Capital Lease Market. Key players profiled in the report includes: Acetelion Pharmaceutical (J&J Ltd.), Erad Therapeutic Inc., JCR Pharmaceuticals Co Ltd., Shire Human Genetics Therapies, Inc., Sonafi (Genzyme Corporation), and Pfizer Inc.

The final report will add the analysis of the Impact of Covid-19 in this report Gaucher Disease Treatment industry.

Get a Sample Copy Of Gaucher Disease Treatment Market @ https://www.reportsandmarkets.com/sample-request/global-gaucher-disease-treatment-market-report-2020-by-key-players-types-applications-countries-market-size-forecast-to-2026-based-on-2020-covid-19-worldwide-spread?utm_source=marketresearchposts&utm_medium=36

Latest industry news

The global Gaucher Disease Treatment report survey includes the latest updates and news from the industry. The information provided will include the latest trends in the market, the release of new and innovative technology, arrival of new products, impact of governmental regulations on sales, and much more. The section will also include details of partnerships, acquisitions, mergers, and takeovers amongst the key players in the industry, and how this can alter the growth prospects.

Gaucher Disease Treatment Market continues to evolve and expand in terms of the number of companies, products, and applications that illustrates the growth perspectives. The report also covers the list of Product range and Applications with SWOT analysis, CAGR value, further adding the essential business analytics. Gaucher Disease Treatment Market research analysis identifies the latest trends and primary factors responsible for market growth enabling the Organizations to flourish with much exposure to the markets.

Market Segment by Regions, regional analysis covers

North America (United States, Canada and Mexico)

Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)

Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)

South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia etc.)

Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)

Research objectives:

To study and analyze the global Gaucher Disease Treatment market size by key regions/countries, product type and application, history data from 2013 to 2017, and forecast to 2026.

To understand the structure of Gaucher Disease Treatment market by identifying its various sub segments.

Focuses on the key global Gaucher Disease Treatment players, to define, describe and analyze the value, market share, market competition landscape, SWOT analysis and development plans in next few years.

To analyze the Gaucher Disease Treatment with respect to individual growth trends, future prospects, and their contribution to the total market.

To share detailed information about the key factors influencing the growth of the market (growth potential, opportunities, drivers, industry-specific challenges and risks).

To project the size of Gaucher Disease Treatment submarkets, with respect to key regions (along with their respective key countries).

To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches and acquisitions in the market.

To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies.

The Gaucher Disease Treatment Market research report completely covers the vital statistics of the capacity, production, value, cost/profit, supply/demand import/export, further divided by company and country, and by application/type for best possible updated data representation in the figures, tables, pie chart, and graphs. These data representations provide predictive data regarding the future estimations for convincing market growth. The detailed and comprehensive knowledge about our publishers makes us out of the box in case of market analysis.

Key questions answered in this report

What will the market size be in 2026 and what will the growth rate be?

What are the key market trends?

What is driving this market?

What are the challenges to market growth?

Who are the key vendors in this market space?

What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors?

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?

Table of Contents: Gaucher Disease Treatment Market

Chapter 1: Overview of Gaucher Disease Treatment Market

Chapter 2: Global Market Status and Forecast by Regions

Chapter 3: Global Market Status and Forecast by Types

Chapter 4: Global Market Status and Forecast by Downstream Industry

Chapter 5: Market Driving Factor Analysis

Chapter 6: Market Competition Status by Major Manufacturers

Chapter 7: Major Manufacturers Introduction and Market Data

Chapter 8: Upstream and Downstream Market Analysis

Chapter 9: Cost and Gross Margin Analysis

Chapter 10: Marketing Status Analysis

Chapter 11: Market Report Conclusion

Chapter 12: Research Methodology and Reference

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Gaucher Disease Treatment Market (Impact of COVID-19) Top Growing Companies: Acetelion Pharmaceutical (J&J Ltd.), Erad Therapeutic Inc., JCR...

High-fat Diet and Genetics Lead to Anxiety and Depression in Rats – Newswise

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Newswise Rockville, Md. (August 4, 2020)New research in a genetically diverse rat strain finds high-fat diet and genetics together increase anxiety and depression-like behavior in addition to negatively affecting metabolic health. The study is published ahead of print in Physiological Genomics.

Approximately 40% of adults in the U.S. are overweight or obese, making obesity a public health issue. Previous studies have shown strong links between obesity, diet and anxiety or depression, but the underlying reasons for these co-occurring conditions are unclear. Shared genetics may be one factor at play: Some of the chromosomal locations identified in the human genome associated with depression overlap with those associated with obesity and body mass index. Finding an animal model with genetic variability similar to that found in people is ideal to learn more about how these features intersect and influence one another.

Researchers measured the effects of high-fat diet on the metabolic health and emotional behavior in a type of rodent called the heterogenous stock rat. Because this animal strain is not inbred, it has a wide genetic diversity that more closely mimics the range of traits and characteristics found in humans relative to inbred models. One group of rats was fed a high-fat diet, while a control group consumed a low-fat diet. The research team measured the animals body weight, fat accumulation around the body (fat pad) and blood sugar levels. After 11 weeks, the researchers assessed coping response to stress or despair-like behavior using a swim test where immobility is typically associated with despair-like behavior.

The research team conducted a second study, with a separate group of high-fatfed rats and low-fat controls, to look at additional behavioral tests. The tests were used to determine factors causing the increased immobility. An increase in fat pad size may cause physical limitations resulting in immobility, but the chronic high-fat diet could also contribute to despair-like behavior. In this study, both groups participated in weekly tests starting at week eighta maze and an open field test used to measure anxiety, a test that prompts grooming habits and the previously described swim test used to measure despair-like behavior.

Unsurprisingly the high-fatfed rats had more weight gain and fat accumulation, higher blood sugar levels and reduced glucose tolerance than the low-fat groups. Compared with the controls, the high-fat diet groups showed longer duration of immobility in the swim test, increased anxiety in the maze test and anxious hyperactivity in the open field test. These results suggest that diet, as well as increased fat pad size, plays a role in these emotional behaviors. Contrary to hypothesis, the high-fatfed group did not show disinterest in grooming. In fact, they spent more time grooming than the low-fatfed group. Whether this behavior was anxiety-induced is unclear.

These results lay the groundwork for future investigation to identify genes and variants that predispose individuals to increased [obesity] and worsened metabolic and behavioral health specifically under high-fat diet conditions, the research team wrote. Given the high levels of obesity, the preponderance of high-fat diets worldwide and the complex interplay between obesity and behavioral health, having a model to study the underlying genetics of these traits is of extreme importance.

Read the full article, High fat diet negatively impacts both metabolic and behavioral health in an outbred rat model, published ahead of print in Physiological Genomics.

NOTE TO JOURNALISTS:To schedule an interview with a member of the research team, please contact theAPS Communications Officeor call 301.634.7314. Find more research highlights in our News Room.

Physiology is a broad area of scientific inquiry that focuses on how molecules, cells, tissues and organs function in health and disease. The American Physiological Society connects a global, multidisciplinary community of more than 10,000 biomedical scientists and educators as part of its mission to advance scientific discovery, understand life and improve health. The Society drives collaboration and spotlights scientific discoveries through its 16 scholarly journals and programming that support researchers and educators in their work.

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High-fat Diet and Genetics Lead to Anxiety and Depression in Rats - Newswise

Brave New World Revisited | Francis X. Maier – First Things

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H. G. Wells was a tiresome socialist, but an interesting futurist. One of the best books I read in my teen years was his novel The Time Machine. The storyline is simple. A man in Victorian London invents a vehicle that carries him into the distant future. He finds a beautiful world filled with beautiful young people, the Eloi, whose main tasks seem to be eating, playing, and having lots of carefree sex. Alas, paradise has a cost. At night, the Morlocks, the formerly human monsters who run the machines that run the paradise, emerge from their tunnels underground. As the time traveler discovers, the Morlocks raise and tend the infantilized Eloi as cattle. The Morlocks love the Eloifor dinner.

I thought of the Eloi recently as I watched Brave New World, the latest effort to bring the 1932 Aldous Huxley novel to television. Brave New World lends itself poorly to the screen. Its appeal is mainly cerebral: the despair of a human being who suddenly finds himself in a society of immense comfort but without sin, freedom, real danger, poetry, love, or God. Previous TV productions, in 1980 and 1998, have been laughably bad. The good news is that the latest attempt, by NBCUniversals new Peacock channel, has a vastly better production quality. It also has a fine cast: Harry Lloyd (as Bernard Marx), Jessica Brown Findlay (Lenina Crowne), Demi Moore (Linda), and Nina Sosanya (a female version of the novels Mustapha Mond).

The bad news is the plot. John the Savage, played by Alden Ehrenreich, is a nave but compelling character in the Huxley novel. He has some of its most powerful lines. But in the Peacock version, the role is weak and confused. And the story goes off the rails in the first episodes. A very un-Huxleyan feminist-led revolt in the primitive Savage Lands is cheesy and implausible. Or rather, impossible. Huxley envisioned a World State made permanent by compulsory happiness. Instability is unthinkable. Resentments and discomfort are abolished through genetic manipulation, social conditioning, drugs, free sex, erasure of the past, and an ecstasy of consumer appetites teased and fulfilled. In effect, the people of Huxleys World State are Eloi. Theyre managed by shrewd and vigilant therapists, not Morlocks. But as Mustapha Mond, one of the states World Controllers, says in the novel, theyre nonetheless nice, tame, animals.

Luckily for the series writers, just enough explicit sex weaves throughout the storyline to keep viewers from thinking too deeply about anything. Butsomething I never could have imagined at seventeeneven a 4K screenful of amorous naked bodies in their prime can become fatiguing. In the end, Peacock offers a mildly absorbing science fiction tale with lots of glistening flesh and technology. As an adaptation of Huxleys sobering message, though, the Peacock drama fails.

This is bad, especially now, because Huxleys ideas are obviously relevant today. For decades I believed that George Orwell was the better writer, but Huxley the better prophet. Orwells futurist novel 1984, with its Thought Police and shabby, dystopian brutality, seems dated. The technopoly that now envelops us seems much closer to Huxleys sunny, pastel brand of coercion. Thats what Huxley himself believed. He argued in a foreword to his novels 1946 edition that as political and economic freedom diminishes, sexual freedom tends compensatingly to increase. In a welfare-tyranny of Utopia, Huxley said, distractions and sexual license help to reconcile subjects to the servitude which is their fate. Later, in a 1949 letter to Orwell, whom he had taught at Eton, Huxley added that the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging and kicking them into obedience.

Maybe so. Huxley sounds quite sensible. But Im no longer convinced by his reasoning; its too reasonable. If todays street violence and political extremism serve any good purpose, its this: They remind us that humans have a chronic appetite for destruction. Hate, revenge, the desire to vindicate ourselves by humiliating, or simply annihilating, others: These are poisonous feelings. But theyre also delicious ones, and we each have a dark, inner laboratory where we perfect the flavor of our grievances.

Huxley might argue that his World Controllers would have the power to banish all grievances and shape future generations in peace and plenty. But that assumes his Controllers would be genuinely benign and selfless, and always remain so. Nothing in human experience supports that view. The arc of absolute power bends toward pain, not paradise. Orwell may be wrong on the details. But in the long run, Orwell, not Huxley, reads the human heart more deeply.

OBrien, the Inner Party official so brilliantly played by Richard Burton in the film version of Orwells 1984, captures the real nature of power: Power is not a means, it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship. The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. (Anyone who thinks that such things cant happen here needs to read and share Rod Drehers bracing new book Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidentsa chronicle of how good people sleepwalk into catastrophe, and the means to survive it.)

Twice in Aldous Huxleys novel, John the Savage quotes from Shakespeares The Tempest: O brave new world that has such people in it. He speaks those words first in dazzled enthusiasm for the utopia that awaits him, and later in ironic disgust for the comfortable, subhuman life he finds. Here and now we have two paths before us. One leads to being Eloi on the menu. The other, much harder one, leads to inner freedom, God-rooted citizenship, and the repudiation of fear. As Huxley wrote in his 1946 foreword, you pays your money, and you takes your choice.

Francis X. Maier is a senior fellow in Catholic studies at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, and senior research associate in Constitutional studies at the University of Notre Dame.

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DARPA Deploys Tiny Satellite That Could Take Best Pictures of Space Ever – Futurism

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Enhance!

A tiny military satellite may be able to take the sharpest picturesyet of extremely distant and difficult to spot objects out in space.

DARPA, the Pentagons research division, recently deployedwhat they call the Deformable Mirror (DeMi) CubeSat from the International Space Station, according to a press release. Over the next year, the toaster-sized satellite will use its camera to focus on the dim, distant objects in space that usually get washed out by nearby stars or other larger objects.

DeMi is drastically smaller than famous space cameras like the Hubble Space Telescope, but DARPA is counting on its ability to focus on overlooked celestial bodies to vastly improve the images scientists can capture.

Space telescopes currently in orbit are limited in ability to detect and distinguish small, dim objects next to large, bright objects for example, dim exoplanets next to bright stars, DeMI project manager Stacie Williams said in the press release. Our goal is to demonstrate the benefits of a [microelectromechanical systems] deformable mirror to actively correct the images of distant objects in space.

The CubeSat camera will also be treated as a test to see how the extreme temperatures, radiation, and other harsh conditions of space impact the camera, which relies on several small moving parts.

For instance, the mirror uses over 140 different actuators to adjust its shape and line up a shot so DARPA will be tracking how well it can adjust as pieces warp or fall out of alignment.

READ MORE: Miniature telescope demonstration focuses on sharpening view of distant objects in space [DARPA]

More on space cameras: NASA Says Hubble Observed a Flapping Shadow in Distant Space

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DARPA Deploys Tiny Satellite That Could Take Best Pictures of Space Ever - Futurism

These Scientists Are Testing an Experimental COVID Vaccine on Themselves – Futurism

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An impressive scoop by the MIT Technology Review: Using simple lab tools, a ragtag group of scientists cobbled together their own grey-market COVID-19 vaccine and instead of jumping through the usual hoops for a clinical trial, theyre testing it on themselves.

The group calls itself the Rapid Deployment Vaccine Collaborative (Radvac.) Led by celebrity Harvard geneticist George Church, the team set out to find a simple formula that you could make with readily available materials, as Preston Estep, Churchs former graduate student at Harvard and leader of the project, told MIT Tech.

The group came up with a vaccine, which consists of bits of protein that match the coronavirus, but arent able to cause disease. They even posted a white paper detailing how to cook it up yourself. Similar approaches have been used to make other vaccines, as MIT Tech points out, including for hepatitis B and HPV.

The group quickly found several volunteers who were willing to squirt the makeshift vaccine up their noses using a pump, which they believe could create a local immunity in the tissues of the airway.

Despite not making any claims about the effectiveness of their vaccine, Radvac has now given materials to dozens of friends and colleagues. In fact, Estep told MIT Tech that hes lost track of how many people have taken it so far.

In sum, its an extremely deviant approach compared to the staid world of conventional pharmaceutical research. Unsurprisingly, thats alramed some skeptics.

Its not the best idea especially in this case, you could make things worse, George Siber, the former head of vaccines at Wyeth, a Pennsylvania-based pharmaceutical company, told MIT Tech. You really need to know what you are doing here.

The project could run into trouble with the Food and Drug Administration, according to MIT Tech. Money may not be changing hands and each user has to sign extensive disclaimers, but regulators could still crack down on the group.

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These Scientists Are Testing an Experimental COVID Vaccine on Themselves - Futurism