AGAR: The awful responses to Rush Limbaugh and Jordan Peterson – Toronto Sun

Kick em when theyre down, is a nasty way to live and it says more about the one doing the kicking than the kicked.

Consider reaction to the travails of controversial figures Rush Limbaugh and Jordan Peterson.

American talk show host Rush Limbaugh has always been a lightning rod. Controversy is his game. Perhaps you are familiar with him and hate everything he stands for.

No doubt you can find many examples of when Rush went over the line. I can, and I am a fan. Go ahead and argue his positions and criticize his mistakes.

But immediately upon his announcement that he has advanced lung cancer, supposedly reasonable and caring people cheered the disease.

Emmy nominated writer Arash Amel tweeted, F Limbaugh. Hope he dies. Enough of this we go high s.

He is right; he didnt go high. Amel went as low as he thinks Rush is.

Justin Lecea, a candidate for the Democratic nomination to run for Congress wrote, I will hold a party to celebrate when Rush Limbaugh begins exploring the past tense. God speed to hell you hypocritical f.

It is absolutely fair to argue strenuously against anything any commentator says, even to hate their ideas. Wishing for cancer to win displays darkness in the soul, doesnt it?

Travis Sarandos, who teaches English at Milwaukee High School of the Arts, tweeted that he hopes Rush Limbaugh dies a painful death from cancer.

Meanwhile clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson author of the international bestseller 12 Rules For Life: An Antidote to Chaos announced dependence on an anti-anxiety drug he had been prescribed after his wifes cancer diagnosis.

While we increasingly worry about the prescribing of addicting drugs, that caring view was not one some felt for Peterson.

Professor of law and medicine at the University of Ottawa Amir Attaran tweeted, Jordan Peterson, oracle to gullible young men, preacher of macho toughness, and hectoring bully to snowflakes, is addicted to strong drugs and his brain is riddled with neurological damage. #KARMA.

See? Peterson deserved it. This from a man employed to teach.

Writing in Psychology Today, Dr. Johnathan N. Stea said, But irrespective of your views on Peterson, it is a gross disservice to everyone to perpetuate harmful myths about people who seek mental health and addiction-related treatment. The fact that the hostility directed towards Peterson has manifested as this type of stigma is a clear indictment against our cultural milieu.

Nora Loreto who describes herself as Canadas least obnoxious writer, wrote, I hope for years of hell in perpetua for Jordan Peterson.

(I am not sure perpetua is a word. Perpetua was an early Christian martyr.)

Dont get me wrong. A quick search on Google is likely to find examples of people on the right visiting the same sort of hatred on left-leaning figures when they were down. This isnt a one-sided argument; it is just the current one.

Twitter is a cesspool minute by minute, but when hatred toward a suffering person spews from educators, politicians and the media, we are in a bad place.

We only truly believe in free speech if we defend that of those with whom we most disagree.

We truly have compassion when we have sympathy for a fellow human beings suffering, even when that person is one whose views we find abhorrent.

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AGAR: The awful responses to Rush Limbaugh and Jordan Peterson - Toronto Sun

Barbara Kay: Jordan Peterson and the deadly overprescription of benzos – National Post

In a 2018 CBC interview, Wendy Mesley asked Jordan Peterson, then at the zenith of his celebrity, what he thought lay ahead for him. Peterson responded with his typical gloomy realism: I dont know whats next, really. The overwhelming likelihood, as far as Im concerned, and its been this way since September of 2016, is that this will go terribly wrong. Its too much, eh? Its been too much for a long time. Im surfing a hundred-foot wave and generally what happens if you do that is you drown.

Peterson surely meant the words metaphorically, suggesting that the publics interest in him would wane as rapidly as it had escalated. But in retrospect, the words too much and drown acquire an ominous prescience.

In a recent YouTube video, Petersons daughter, Mikhaila, summarized her familys past year of absolute hell. In dealing with anxiety, Jordan Peterson developed an addiction to a benzodiazepine (commonly known as benzos, this category of drugs includes Ativan, Serax, Klonopin, Xanax and Valium, amongst others), which led to numerous unbearable side effects, notably akathisia, an irresistible restlessness thats so maddening, it led to suicidal ideation.

It is unfortunate that it often takes the publicity surrounding a famous persons tragedy to jump-start a national discussion, but if ever there was a moment to shine a light on the scandal of decades of overprescription of benzos, this is it.

Janet Currie, a PhD candidate in the University of British Columbias School of Nursing, is a Canadian researcher and educator with long-time concerns over the safety and use of psychiatric drugs. She has no ties to any pharmaceutical companies, so her research is entirely independent. Before consulting her personally, I read Curries paper for the British Columbia Centre of Excellence for Womens Health, titled Manufacturing Addiction: The over-prescription of benzodiapezines and sleeping pills to women in Canada, which contains many sobering facts and statistics. Although published in 2003, Currie said the paper requires no material updates.

The first benzos were called tranquillizers and were marketed in the 1960s as a safe and effective alternative to barbiturates. But after only one year of availability, the first report in the medical literature describing their addictive nature was published, according to Curries report.

There is an elephant in the mental-health room that seems curiously invisible.

Currie notes that it is estimated that up to 15 per cent of adults may be using benzos; of them, up to 65 per cent are women. The majority of people who take these drugs at recommended dosages will become dependent on them, and of them, most will experience difficulties withdrawing from the drugs. Canadian and international studies indicate that 20 to 50 per cent of all women over 60 may be prescribed benzos or sleeping pills and that long-term use increases with age. A strong link has been established between falls in elderly women and drugs, of which 90 per cent are benzodiapezines, according to the report. In 2000, one in three status Aboriginal women over 40 in Western Canada were prescribed benzodiazepines.

I put a number of questions to Currie in an email exchange. Was Petersons story an outlier? Not really, she said, there are many stories like it. Most people do not know that benzos should be prescribed for a maximum of a few weeks. What Peterson experienced was a prescribing cascade, in which the withdrawal symptoms are not associated with the benzos, so more drugs are prescribed with even more deleterious effects.

Petersons desperation trip to Russia is understandable, Currie told me, because there is a serious lack of physicians (in Canada) who are willing to do tapers and no accessible community-based resources where people can get help. Tapering, the process of slowly weaning a person off a drug, can take months or years. By the way, Currie added, benzos are also sold on the street and widely used by heroin addicts and alcoholics.

Have there been lawsuits, I asked, and if so, what were the results? Currie responded that its difficult to go up against a big drug company, though some have tried. She cited the case of Joan Gadsby, a municipal official in B.C., who, following her young sons death from brain cancer, was prescribed benzos that led to addiction and multiple harrowing side effects. She sued her doctor, but lost the case and all her retirement savings. After interviewing thousands of stakeholders, however, Gadsby became an expert on the subject. Currie recommends her book, Addiction by Prescription.

The most significant attempt at legal redress was a years-long U.K. class-action lawsuit that was undertaken through Britains Legal Aid Funding Plan and involved 14,000 patients and 1,800 lawyers. It failed because legal aid couldnt handle the costs.

Canadians talk a lot about the need to address mental health issues openly and non-judgmentally. Thats good. But here is an elephant in the mental-health room that seems curiously invisible. Perhaps when Jordan Peterson is fully recovered and godspeed to him he will help to lead that discussion.

kaybarb@gmail.comTwitter.com/BarbaraRKay

More information on benzos and other psychiatric drugs can be found at psychmedaware.org.

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Barbara Kay: Jordan Peterson and the deadly overprescription of benzos - National Post

Lauralie Peterson wins third edition of ‘Faces of St. Martin’ – The Daily Herald

Winners of the Faces of St. Martin competition pose for a group photo with the elected officials. (Robert Luckock photo)

Portraits are seen on the former Omni Sports Hall building in Galisbay.

MARIGOT--Photographer Lauralie Peterson won the first prize at the inauguration of the third edition of the street art exhibition Faces of St. Martin organised by the Culture Department and held in the garden of Hotel de la Collectivit on Monday afternoon.

This years exhibition theme was dedicated to the elders. The population will already have noticed giant black and white photographs of seniors pasted onto buildings in all districts of the territory. Photographers aim to capture the nuances of their expressions, a smile, a thoughtful gaze, to reveal the true essence of the portrait.

The exhibition was introduced by Alex Richards while additional remarks were made by First Vice-President of the Collectivit Valrie Damaseau and Prfte Dlgue Sylvie Feucher. Also present were Secretary-General of the Prefecture Mikal Dore, and Direction des Affairs Culturelles (DAC) Guadeloupe Assistant Director Pierre Gil-Flory.

Winners were chosen by a selection committee composed of professionals, on the basis of the 15 photographs submitted by each photographer.The jury evaluated the staging, image quality, framing, visual strength, creativity and originality of the portrait.

Members of the jury included photographers Laurent Bayly and Stphanie Deziles, Carol Tondu-Hnocq of Direction de LAction Culturelle, First Vice-President Valerie Damaseau, and Culture Commission President Yolande Sylvestre.

Peterson placed first, Christian Mansana second, Valerie Vincent third and Danitza Bosqui fourth.

My grandmother encouraged me to participate again and shes nearly 80, but has a lot of elderly friends over here so that made it easier, explained Peterson, who finished second last year. Still, it wasnt easy because older people dont really like to have their picture taken, so I had to do a lot of persuading before they felt comfortable. It took me two weeks to get the pictures I needed, and I was pleased with how they came out. Im very happy to have won.

Faces of St. Martin as a street art exhibition was directly inspired by the "Inside out" project by the French artist J.R. It offers everyone the opportunity to share their portrait, their story and to get a message across in the urban environment.

The portraitswill dissolve and disappear over time and with the impact of the weather. This is an integral part of the street art project.

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Lauralie Peterson wins third edition of 'Faces of St. Martin' - The Daily Herald

Oscar Peterson’s Africa Suite has never been performed in its entirety until now – CBC.ca

In 1983, Canadian jazz legend Oscar Peterson performed a piece of music calledPeacein Tokyo. The track was a part of hisAfrica Suite,completed in 1979.

In an earlier concert, Peterson performed a track calledNigerian Marketplace, which was also part of theAfrica Suite.

But Peterson never performed the suite its entirety during his lifetime. In fact, onlya small handful of songs from the suite were performed at all.

That will all change this week. On Wednesday, Feb. 12 12 years after Peterson's death hisAfrica Suitewill make its world premiere at Toronto's Koerner Hall.

The event, which is part of the largerOscar Peterson International Jazz Festival,is organised by the jazz artist's late wife, Kelly Peterson, and features hisprotege and collaborator, Benny Green, on piano.

Kelly Peterson and Green joinedqhost Tom Power to talk about the late Canadian jazz icon and why they're premiering theAfricaSuitenow.

Download our podcast or click the 'Listen' link near the top of this page to hear the full conversation.

Produced by Ben Edwards

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Oscar Peterson's Africa Suite has never been performed in its entirety until now - CBC.ca

Peterson wanting to put Alberta back in the PMO – EverythingGP

We need an Alberta voice in Ottawa. We need an Alberta voice that is bilingual, that speaks the language of business, and the economy, and of jobs, said Peterson. We learned in this last election that Canadians are asking us to do better. Be bolder. Be stronger and be more encompassing across the country.

He adds that having an increased voice for western Canada cant come at the expense of silencing the rest of Canada, but rather to unite the country for the common good.

I am the candidate that has the best chance of continuing getting our support in western Canada, getting support in Ontario and winning in Quebec, he claimed. At the end of the day, we want an Albertan in the PMO instead of somebody that doesnt understand our region as well.

This second run at the Tory leadership isnt one that he jumped at right away. He says if another Peace Country native would have put their name forward, he most likely would have stayed away.

(I) wouldnt be here today if Rona Ambrose wouldve run, said Peterson. Rona is a good, strong conservative, good Albertan, and if she wouldve announced, Id be right there knocking on doors for her.

Ambrose, who was born in Valleyview and served as the partys interim leader between Stephen Harpers exit in 2015 until Scheer took over in 2017, said in a statement last month that her advocacy for the energy sector and on sexual assault law training was her main focus now, rather than politics.

Peterson says the main platform in his bid surrounds around the elimination of corporate income taxes, slashing personal income taxes to a flat 15 per cent, as well as other policies to make Canada the boldest, best place to live in.

But, he adds the need to have a Western Canadian in the PMO is his biggest campaign driver.

We have to have a western Canadian voice in this leadership race, and thats the voice I am bringing on behalf of everybody in Grande Prairie and everybody in Alberta.

You can hear plenty more from EverythingGPs full interview with Peterson on his run at the Conservative leadership below:

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Peterson wanting to put Alberta back in the PMO - EverythingGP

New Method Helps Observe the Dynamic Motion of Atoms in 2D Materials – AZoNano

Written by AZoNanoFeb 12 2020

Materials science researchers from McCormick School of Engineering of Northwestern University have developed atechnique to observe the atoms dynamic movement in atomically thin two-dimensional (2D) materials.

The new imaging method, which demonstrates the fundamental cause responsible for the performance failure of an extensively-used 2D material, can help scientists to create more reliable and stable materials for upcoming flexible electronic devices and wearables.

These 2D materialsnamely borophene and grapheneare a group of single-layer, crystalline materials that have great potential as semiconductors in next-generation flexible and ultra-thin electronics.

However, the thin nature of these materials makes them extremely susceptible to external settings, and, as a result, they have struggled to show long-term reliability and stability when used in electronic devices.

Atomically thin 2D materials offer the potential to dramatically scale down electronic devices, making them an attractive option to power future wearable and flexible electronics,

Vinayak Dravid, Abraham Harris Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University

The study, titled Direct Visualization of Electric Field-induced Structural Dynamics in Monolayer Transition Metal Dichalcogenides, was published in the ACS Nano journalon February 11th, 2020.

The studys corresponding author is Vinayak Dravid.The research also involved Chris Wolverton, the Jerome B. Cohen Professor of Materials Science and Engineering,

Unfortunately, electronic devices now operate as a kind of black box. Although device metrics can be measured, the motion of single atoms within the materials responsible for these properties is unknown, which greatly limits efforts to improve performance, Dravid stated.

Dravid serves as a director of the Northwestern University Atomic and Nanoscale Characterization (NUANCE) Center. The study provides a means to move beyond that restriction, with a new insight into the structural dynamics involved in 2D materials receiving electrical current.

Based on an earlier study where the scientists utilized a nanoscale imaging method to visualize heat-induced failure in 2D materials, the team employed a high-resolution, atomic-scale imaging technique known as electron microscopy to view the motion of atoms in molybdenum disulfide (MoS2). MoS2 is an extensively researched material that was initially utilized as a dry lubricant in friction materials and greases; this dry lubricant was recently in the limelight for its optical and electronic properties.

Upon applying an electric current to the material, the scientists observed that the highly mobile sulfur atoms in this material always move to empty areas within the crystalline material, a phenomenon which the team called atomic dance.

That movement of the atomscaused the grain boundaries of MoS2 to separate and form narrow channels for the electrical current to pass through. Grain boundaries are natural defects produced in the space, where a pair of crystallites inside the material meet.

As these grain boundaries separate, you are left with only a couple of narrow channels, causing the density of the electrical current through these channels to increase. This leads to higher power densities and higher temperatures in those regions, which ultimately leads to failure in the material.

Akshay Murthy, Study Lead Author and PhD Student, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University

Murthy is part of Dravids team.

Its powerful to be able to see exactly whats happening on this scale, continued Murthy. Using traditional techniques, we could apply an electric field to a sample and see changes in the material, but we couldnt see what was causing those changes. If you dont know the cause, its difficult to eliminate failure mechanisms or prevent the behavior going forward.

With this latest method to analyze 2D materials at the atomic level, the researchers believe that investigators can apply this imaging technique to produce materials that are less likely to fail in electronic devices.

For instance, in memory devices, scientists can visualize how regions where data is stored, emerge upon applying an electric current and adapt how those kinds of materials are developed for more improved performance.

The method may even help to enhance a range of other technologies, such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in consumer electronics, transistors in bioelectronics, and photovoltaic cells integrated with solar panels.

We believe the methodology we have developed to monitor how 2D materials behave under these conditions will help researchers overcome ongoing challenges related to device stability. This advance brings us one step closer to moving these technologies from the lab to the marketplace.

Akshay Murthy, Study Lead Author and PhD Student, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University

Source: https://www.mccormick.northwestern.edu/

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New Method Helps Observe the Dynamic Motion of Atoms in 2D Materials - AZoNano

Surgical Instruments Tracking Systems Market Development and New Market Opportunities and Forecasts 2028 – Jewish Life News

Surgical Instruments Tracking Systems Market: Introduction

Surgical instruments tracking systems have been accessible for use in medical field for several years. Today, surgical instruments tracking systems have turned into a need. The previous four to five years have witnessed major changes in tracking systems. Rapid advances in instruments tracking systems technologies such as nano-engineering and opto-electrical engineering have created new avenues in recent years. Need for unobtrusive and automated tracking systems will keep demands lucrative in coming years.

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The report by TMR Research takes a closer look at recent trends impacting the revenue potential of various playersand offers insights into imminent investment pockets in key markets.

Surgical Instruments Tracking Systems Market: Key Development

Some of the most prominent competitors operating in the competitive landscape of global surgical instruments tracking systems market include

Most players are embracing a few organic and inorganic and natural systems, for example, new launches and product advancements, mergers and acquisitions, and collaborations alongside expansion on regional and global scale for serving the unmet needs of users.

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Surgical Instruments Tracking Systems Market Dynamics

Rising instances of surgical instruments left in the human body after medical procedures and instrument scattering are the main considerations driving the evolution of the surgical instruments tracking systems market. As indicated by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), the casualty rate of held surgical articles is around 2.0%. Along these lines, the requirement for cutting edge innovations, for example, 2D scanner tags and RFID to follow the held instruments while the patient is still in the task theater, is rising. This factor is anticipated to push the surgical instruments tracking systems market.

Rising popularity of instruments tracking devices by emergency clinics is another main consideration boosting the market development. Following healthcare gadgets and stock administration during work cycle including medical procedure, post-medical procedure, sanitization, and storage systems are a portion of the serious issues supervised by emergency clinics. Along these lines, they are embracing new technologies to follow these gadgets and systems, which thus is relied upon to stimulate the market.

A portion of the regular instruments that are accidently left in a patients body during medical procedure consists of sponges, blades, needles, electrosurgical adapters, clamps, scalpels, safety pins, scissors, and towels. Among these instruments, towels are probably the most common thing left behind by mistake. Surgical instruments left in patients bodies will in general cut veins and puncture blood vessels that might lead to internal bleeding, creating a pressing need for technologies to track these instruments.

Expanding requirement for stock administration and usage of Unique Device Identification (UDI) guidelines by the FDA are foreseen to drive the market. Innovative headways and initiatives by governments to adopt these gadgets is foreseen to additionally boost the market in the coming years.

Surgical Instruments Tracking Systems Market: Geographical Analysis

In 2018, North America contributed sizable revenue shares in the global surgical instruments tracking systems market. The launch of unique device identification (UDI) framework by the U.S. FDA for accurately identifying proof of medicinal gadgets through their distribution networks is one of the central points credited to this lead. Moreover, the presence of well-established healthcare infrastructure, fast adoption of cutting-edge products, and high per capita healthcare consumption in other developed regions, such as Europe, are foreseen to fuel the global surgical instruments tracking systems market.

About TMR Research:

TMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.

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Surgical Instruments Tracking Systems Market Development and New Market Opportunities and Forecasts 2028 - Jewish Life News

Kanazawa University Research: Combined Drug Treatment for Lung Cancer and Secondary Tumors – Yahoo Finance

KANAZAWA, Japan, Feb. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers at Kanazawa University report in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology a promising novel approach for a combined treatment of the most common type of lung cancer and associated secondary cancers in the central nervous system. The approach lies in combining two cancer drugs, with one compensating for a resistance side effect of the other.

In 20 40% of patients with cancer, metastasis (the development of secondary tumors) in the central nervous system (CNS) occurs. CNS metastatis impacts negatively on a patient's quality of life, and is associated with a poor health prognosis. In a form of cancer known as ALK-rearranged non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), CNS metastatis is known to persist when drugs targeting primary tumors are used.Now, Seiji Yano from Kanazawa University and colleagues have investigated the origins for the resistence to such drugs, and tested a new therapeutic strategy on a mouse model.

The researchers looked at the drug alectinib.Although used in standard treatments for advanced ALK-rearranged NSCLC, approximately 20 30% of patients treated with alectinib develop CNS metastatis, which is attributed to acquired resistance to the drug.

By treating mice first injected with tumor cells with alectinib daily for 16 weeks, the scientists obtained a mouse model displaying alectinib resistance.By biochemical analyses of the mouse brains, Yano and colleagues were able to link the resistance to the activation of a protein known as epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR).This activation is, in turn, a result of an increase in production of amphiregulin (AREG), a protein that binds to EGFR and in doing so 'activates' it.

Based on this insight, the researchers tested the effect of administering drugs used for inhibiting the action of EGFR in combination with alectinib treatment.The experiments showed that a combination treatment of alctinib with either erlotinib or osimertinib two existing EGFR-inibiting drugs prevented the progression of CNS metastasis, controlling the condition for over 30 days.

The scientists conclude that the combined use of alectinib and EGFR-inhibitors could overcome alectinib resistance in the mouse model of leptomeningeal carcinomatosis (LMC), a particular type of CNS metastasis.Quoting Yano and colleagues: "Our findings may provide rationale for clinical trials to investigate the effects of novel therapies dual-targeting ALK and EGFR in ALK-rearranged NSCLC with alectinib-resistant LMC."

Background

Non-small-cell lung cancer

Non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) and small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) are the two types of lung cancer. 85% of all lung cancers are of the NSCLC type. NSCLCs are less sensitive to chemotherapy than SCLCs, making drug treatment of the highest importance.

Alectinib is a drug used for treating NSCLC, with good efficiency. However, 20-30% of patients taking the drug develop secondary cancer in the central nervous system (CNS), which is associated with an acquired resistance to alectinib.Seiji Yano from Kanazawa University and colleagues have now made progress towards a novel therapy against this resistance: a combination of alectinib with other drugs.

Epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors

The drugs that Yano and colleagues tested in combination with alectinib on a mouse model were of a type known as epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors, including osimertinib and erlotinib. Both are being used as medication for treating NSCLC.The former was approved in 2017 as cancer treatment by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Commission.Yano and colleagues obtained results showing that EGFR inhibitors counteract resistance to alectinib and have therefore potential in novel therapies for NSCLC and secondary cancers in the CNS.

Reference

Sachiko Arai, Shinji Takeuchi, Koji Fukuda, Hirokazu Taniguchi, Akihiro Nishiyama, Azusa Tanimoto, Miyako Satouchi, Kaname Yamashita, Koshiro Ohtsubo, Shigeki Nanjo, Toru Kumagai, Ryohei Katayama, Makoto Nishio, Mei-mei Zheng, Yi-Long Wu, Hiroshi Nishihara, Takushi Yamamoto, Mitsutoshi Nakada, and Seiji Yano. Osimertinib overcomes alectinib resistance caused by amphiregulin in a leptomeningeal carcinomatosis model of ALK-rearranged lung cancer, Journal of Thoracic Oncology, published online on January 21, 2020.

Story continues

DOI: 10.1016/j.jtho.2020.01.001

URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1556086420300228

About Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI)

https://nanolsi.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/en/

Nano Life Science Institute (NanoLSI), Kanazawa University is a research center established in 2017 as part of the World Premier International Research Center Initiative of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The objective of this initiative is to form world-tier research centers. NanoLSI combines the foremost knowledge of bio-scanning probe microscopy to establish 'nano-endoscopic techniques' to directly image, analyze, and manipulate biomolecules for insights into mechanisms governing life phenomena such as diseases.

About Kanazawa University

http://www.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/e/

As the leading comprehensive university on the Sea of Japan coast, Kanazawa University has contributed greatly to higher education and academic research in Japan since it was founded in 1949. The University has three colleges and 17 schools offering courses in subjects that include medicine, computer engineering, and humanities.

The University is located on the coast of the Sea of Japan in Kanazawa a city rich in history and culture. The city of Kanazawa has a highly respected intellectual profile since the time of the fiefdom (1598-1867). Kanazawa University is divided into two main campuses: Kakuma and Takaramachi for its approximately 10,200 students including 600 from overseas.

Further information

Hiroe Yoneda Vice Director of Public Affairs WPI Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI) Kanazawa University Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan Email: nanolsi-office@adm.kanazawa-u.ac.jpTel: +81-(76)-234-4550

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kanazawa-university-research-combined-drug-treatment-for-lung-cancer-and-secondary-tumors-301001822.html

SOURCE Kanazawa University

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Kanazawa University Research: Combined Drug Treatment for Lung Cancer and Secondary Tumors - Yahoo Finance

Adoption Scenario of Protein Engineering Market to Remain Positive Through 2015 2021 – Lake Shore Gazette

Proteins are a large group of nitrogenous compounds with high molecular weight, which play an important role in the physiological process and are essential for living organisms. They are composed of one or more chains of amino acids linked by peptide bonds in a particular order to establish the base sequence of nucleotide in the DNA coding for the protein. Each protein has a precise function and is essential for the regulation, functioning, and structure of the bodys cell tissue and organ. Protein engineering is the process of developing valuable proteins or enzyme with a specific function. It is based on the use of the recombinant DNA technology for changing the amino acid sequence. It is used to produce enzyme in large quantities, for producing biological compounds, and to create a superior enzyme to catalyze the production of high value specific chemicals.

Currently, various protein engineering methods are owing to the rapid development in biological science. Some of the methods used for protein engineering are rational design, site directed mutagenesis, random mutagenesis, homology modeling, cell surface display technology, molecular dynamics, and DNA shuffling technology. Mutagenesis and selection are effectively utilized for improving a specific property of an enzyme.

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Meanwhile, the rational design approach is the most classical method in the protein engineering market. It involves site-directed mutagenesis of the protein and allows introduction of specific amino acid into a target gene. Protein engineering has a variety of applications ranging from biocatalysis in food application, to medical, nano-biotechnology, and environmental applications. It is used in the detergent industry, food industry, biopolymer production, applications involving redox proteins and enzymes, medical applications, environmental applications, and nano-biotechnology applications. In medical applications, protein engineering is used for cancer treatment studies.

North America dominates the global market for protein engineering due to the rising prevalence of lifestyle associated diseases and increasing adoption of protein based drugs in the region. Asia Pacific is expected to exhibit high growth rates in the next five years in the global protein engineering market, with China and India being the fastest-growing markets in Asia Pacific. The key driving forces for the protein engineering market in developing countries are the large pool of patients, increasing health care awareness, increasing health care expenditure, rising government initiatives, and rising funding for drug discovery in the region.

Increasing prevalence of lifestyle associated diseases, growing adoption of protein based drugs over non protein based drugs, rising funding for protein engineering, reduction in overall timeline and cost for drug discovery, increase in health care expenditure, and growing health care awareness are some of the key factors that are driving the growth of the global protein engineering market. However, high maintenance, high cost of tools and instruments used in protein engineering, need for qualified researchers and essential training, which increases the cost of the process, and lack of skilled labor act as major restraints for the growth of the global protein engineering market.

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Top selling biologics drugs going off patent in the near future, and protein therapy acting as an alternative to gene therapy are the two major factors that are expected to create opportunities for the global protein engineering market.

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Adoption Scenario of Protein Engineering Market to Remain Positive Through 2015 2021 - Lake Shore Gazette

Budding engineers told to think innovatively – The Hindu

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University Registrar K. Raghu Babu has exhorted budding engineers to concentrate on research and innovative project designs to meet the needs of the generations to come.

Dr. Raghu Babu, who attended as the chief guest for the Inquest-2k20, a two-day technical festival and project expo at Avanthis St. Theresa Institute of Engineering and Technology, Garividi, on Monday, said there were ample opportunities for further research in nano technology, bio-technology and information technology.

Dr. Raghu Babu said the tech fests of this kind would make the youth think innovative and come with fresh ideas which would pave way for their bright future.

JNTU-Vizianagaram College principal G. Swami Naidu urged the students not to copy the ideas for projects as it would kill their talent.

Garividi Mandal Education Officer P. Rama Rao felt that planning, preparation and presentation were important for students pursuing engineering and polytechnic courses.

Avanti college principal M. Srinivasa Rao and vice-principal and director of the college A. Chandra Sekhara Rao expressed happiness over the exhibition of more than 60 projects of the college students and 90 stalls of the schoolchildren of surrounding areas of Garividi.

Solar power enabled cycle, remote controlled grass cutter, Wi-Fi facility for operation of agriculture motor pump sets, intelligent traffic management for emergency vehicles, including ambulances, spying spider robot, railway track damage detection mechanism and other projects were displayed at expo.

Vizianagaram Polytechnic College head of general section L.Vijaya Lakshmi lauded the new ideas of the students while saying that many of them were environment-friendly and would be useful for everyone.

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Budding engineers told to think innovatively - The Hindu

Consumer Demand for Eco-friendly Products Set to Boost the Prospects of the Digital Servo Press Market 2019 2027 – Redhill Local Councillors

The Digital Servo Press market research encompasses an exhaustive analysis of the market outlook, framework, and socio-economic impacts. The report covers the accurate investigation of the market size, share, product footprint, revenue, and progress rate. Driven by primary and secondary researches, the Digital Servo Press market study offers reliable and authentic projections regarding the technical jargon.

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Consumer Demand for Eco-friendly Products Set to Boost the Prospects of the Digital Servo Press Market 2019 2027 - Redhill Local Councillors

alwaysAI now open to meet growing demand from computer vision developers – PR Web

SOLANA BEACH, Calif. (PRWEB) February 12, 2020

alwaysAI, a software company dedicated to making computer vision (CV) accessible to all developers with its innovative and easy-to-use platform, announced today that its beta program is open for all software developers to quickly create and deploy CV applications on the edge.

The move builds on the momentum of its recent private beta program, which attracted more than 1,600 developers since it opened in October 2019.

We see enormous interest in computer vision and how it can drive new value for enterprise applications and developers it makes AI and IoT come alive in the real world, said Marty Beard, co-founder and CEO of alwaysAI. We love evangelizing the value of this exciting new technology, and I believe we are fundamentally changing the way developers create, prototype and deploy computer vision applications at the edge.

Developers, from beginners to experts alike, are encouraged to open their free account at http://www.alwaysai.co and start creating, prototyping and deploying CV apps on ARM-based devices including cameras, drones, wearables, industrial monitoring equipment and transportation units.

Making Development Easy

In the open beta, developers get immediate access to a growing, searchable catalog of pre-trained computer vision models, a full set of CV primitives including image classification, object detection, tracking, counting, face detection and now human pose estimation and semantic segmentation, as well as an expanding array of supported edge environments.

In addition, developers get an open channel of communication with alwaysAIs rapidly growing developer community and direct access to the engineering team.

alwaysAIs accessible and user-friendly platform enables developers to create and deploy computer vision applications in three simple steps:

And with alwaysAI, inferencing happens on the edge, so there is lower latency and no required cloud hosting or inference charges a significant cost and time savings.

Growing Demand from Developers

Co-founders Marty Beard and Steve Griset started alwaysAI with the intention to democratize computer vision and help all enterprise developers leverage CV in practical and affordable ways.

We have seen communications like messaging and speech get automated and proliferated across a wide variety of end-points. But vision arguably the most powerful human attribute has simply been too difficult for technologists to implement and deploy, Beard said. With the open beta program, we are broadening access and offering new features that make it even easier and more powerful for the everyday developer.

Developers from a wide variety of backgrounds and industries agree:

New Computer Vision Features

alwaysAIs computer vision software is now available on NVIDIAs Jetson systems. The combination of alwaysAI's software and NVIDIA's Jetson hardware will provide intelligent sight to devices that run autonomous machines, smart cities, retail services and other advanced computer vision applications.

NVIDIAs Jetson Nano is a small, powerful computer that lets a developer run multiple neural networks in parallel for applications like image classification, object detection, segmentation and speech processing. The Jetson Nano is the ideal platform for creating high-performance deep learning, computer vision projects at the edge.

The alwaysAI platform also makes it easy to build, test and deploy computer vision applications for autonomous driving applications, including a pedestrian and bicyclist detector equipped with semantic segmentation. Autonomous vehicles need to determine how far away pedestrians and bicyclists are, as well as their intentions.

With semantic segmentation, detections are done pixel-by-pixel, rather than with bounding boxes. In certain scenarios like foot and bicycle traffic in bustling urban areas the autonomous vehicle needs much more detailed information about the exact location of a pedestrian or a bicyclist. alwaysAI makes that fast and easy.

In opening up the beta, alwaysAI carefully listened to its growing developer base, offering more of the powerfully optimized tools they want. The alwaysAI platform recently released an easy-to-deploy image for both Raspberry Pi 3B+ and the Raspberry Pi 4. Enterprise software developers and hobbyists alike are tapping into the alwaysAI platform to get their edge computer vision projects up and running.

alwaysAI is an awesome product ... it makes computer vision development on the edge simple, said Tomas Migone, hardware hacker in residence at balena. The tools are easy to use, and the documentation is straightforward. Developing with alwaysAI is a great experience. I'm looking forward to continuing using it for computer vision projects.

For more information about alwaysAI, or to join the companys open beta program, visit http://www.alwaysai.co.

About alwaysAI:

alwaysAI (http://www.alwaysai.co) brings deep learning computer vision to embedded and IoT devices. By providing a professional catalog of pre-trained models, innovative set of computer vision APIs, and growing array of supported edge environments, alwaysAI accelerates the time it takes to get a computer vision app up and running. Based in San Diego, alwaysAI is led by a team of technology veterans who are passionate about democratizing access to computer vision. Co-founders Marty Beard and Steve Griset have more than 40 years of combined experience in enterprise software, mobility, cloud applications and cybersecurity.

Media ContactStephanie CasolaalwaysAI Marketing Manager stephanie.casola@alwaysai.co858-692-6075

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alwaysAI now open to meet growing demand from computer vision developers - PR Web

A Thermometer can be Stretched and Crumpled by Water – Printed Electronics World

Recent outbreaks of the novel coronavirus have emphasized the importance of quarantine and prevention more than ever. When monitoring changes in our body, body temperature is first measured. So, it is very significant to measure the temperature accurately and promptly. With this regard, a research team recently developed a stretchable and crumpling polymer ionic conductor to realize a thermal sensor that could measure body temperature by simple contacts such as wearing clothes or shaking hands and an actuator that could control movements of artificial muscle.

To solve these problems, the research team designed a P (SPMA-r-MMA) polymers with different ratios of ionic side chain and chemically linked ionic materials with polymer chains. When making an ionic conductor, it is critical to have a solution process at room temperature. So, the newly developed polymer ionic conductor was processed with water as a solvent and covered with thin film. The process was much simpler than the conventional ones and it did not use toxic solvent and could be mass-produced.

The chemically linked ionic conductor was thermally stable and stretchable. Also, it was self-healable that could recover its structures when it was ripped or broken. The research team used this ionic conductor to realize an actuator thermally stable up to 100C and a flexible thermal sensor applicable to a body for the first time.

Junwoo Lee who performed the research said, "This is the first example of developing a polymer ionic conductor, which is used in a next-generation stretchable device, by facilitating a water solvent instead of a toxic chemical solvent. The polymer ionic conductor that we developed this time is stretchable, self-healable and thermally stable. For this reason, we anticipate that our research will impact greatly on the stretchable wearable electronic device industry."

Top image: Pixabay

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A Thermometer can be Stretched and Crumpled by Water - Printed Electronics World

International Day of Women and Girls in Science celebrated – The News International

International Day of Women and Girls in Science celebrated

Rawalpindi : Fatima Jinnah Women University (FJWU) organised different activities to mark the International Day of Women and Girls in Science here on Tuesday in the University's premises.

In order to achieve full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls, and further achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/70/212 declaring 11 February as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

The Susan B. Anthony Reading Room (SBARR), FJWU organised a video conferencing session with Afghanistan (Lincoln Learning Corner, Sharana) on topic of Challenges faced by Women and Girls in the Field of Science in the context of Pakistan & Afghanistan. It was an open session in which students and faculty members from both sides shared their opinions about the challenges faced by women scientists. Further to this, the faculty and students from the Department of Environmental Sciences gave brief presentation about their Laboratories, ongoing projects and lab facilities.

The Department has multiple functioning highly sophisticated labs including microbiology and biotechnology lab, nano technology lab, material and environmental chemistry labs, waste management and plant conservation lab. Different students are working on their PhD projects in these labs under the supervision of very competent female Pakistani women scientists.

Vice Chancellor Dr. Saima Hamid said that University is working towards Women Empowerment by providing world class technical facilities to local female scientists. The students from the Department of Physics also demonstrated their project Physics lab on wheels on the occasion. This project Physics Lab on Wheel is a brainchild of worthy Vice Chancellor Dr. Saima Hamid for the promotion of STEM (Science, Technology, and Engineering Mathematics) among the students of Government Schools from grade 1 to 8. This project leader is Dr. Waqar Mahmood (Head Department of Physic). He is working in coordination with his faculty and students on this project. Objective of this project is to provide students with facilities to perform and understand basic concept of Physics.

Another major goal for this project is to enhance the interest of government school students in science subjects. Almost all basic physics experiment can be performed with the help of apparatus available in this mobile physics lab. This special lab can move to distant areas to train government teachers and students who dont have the facility to practice science experiments.

Continued here:

International Day of Women and Girls in Science celebrated - The News International

Education secretary Gavin Williamson says universities must do more to protect free speech or the government will – PinkNews

Gavin Williamson arrives at 10 Downing Street on December 17, 2019 in London, England. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)

The Conservative education secretary Gavin Williamson has said that universities should be doing much more to protect free speech and the government will step in if they dont.

In an article for The Times, Williamson said: The University of Oxford has adopted strong codes of conduct that champion academic freedom and free speech, explicitly recognising that this may sometimes cause offence.

Every university should promote such unambiguous guidance. If universities dont take action, the government will.

If necessary, Ill look at changing the underpinning legal framework, perhaps to clarify the duties of students unions or strengthen free speech rights.

His comments come in the wake of student protests against anti-trans speakers that have led to several talks by gender-critical academics being postponed.

Gender-critical academics, who deny their views are transphobic but insist that trans women are men, have accused universities of no-platforming them and said they face a hostile environment.

In one case, the hostile environment amounted to a philosophy professor claiming that she was being personally victimised by transgender pride flags that were put up at her university to protest Donald Trump.

Gavin Williamson made clear in his speech that the right to protest is sacrosanct and added that intimidation, violence or threats of violence are crimes.

He said that despite new free-speech guidance for universities being published a year ago, this hasnt yet put a stop to concerns. The Conservative manifesto committed to strengthen academic freedom and free speech', he said.

Writing for PinkNews in January 2020, professor and head of the department of sociology at the University of York, Paul Johnson, explained why freedom of speech doesnt mean anti-trans academics are free to spout views on gender ideology.

There is public discussion at the moment about freedom of speech in UK universities. Some people claim that freedom of speech is under attack and, in some cases, that they are being silenced, Johnson said.

When it comes to the issue of anti-trans speech in universities, Johnson said that if a speaker is promoting or justifying hatred of trans people by insulting or ridiculing them as a group then this could necessitate a restriction on free speech.

Johnson added: It could also be argued, for example, that the talk might encourage a lack of respect for the human dignity of trans people that would strike at, and potentially diminish, their human rights and freedoms.

If we accept either or both of these examples, then we could say that a restriction on speech is necessary in a democratic society to prevent crime and/or protect the rights of others.

But what restriction should be applied? A university could, for example, decide that a trigger warning is necessary when advertising the event. It could decide that the visiting speaker can only give their talk if another speaker offers a counter view or is given a right to reply.

It could issue the visiting speaker with instructions on how to engage in respectful debate. The Equality and Human Rights Commission has outlined other examples of reasonable restrictions. A university would only say that a talk couldnt go ahead if there were no other reasonable options available to address its concerns.

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Education secretary Gavin Williamson says universities must do more to protect free speech or the government will - PinkNews

Calls for freedom of speech on rise in China as coronavirus death toll soars to over 1,100 – Outlook India

By K J M Varma(Eds: Updating with fresh inputs )

Beijing/Wuhan, Feb 12 (PTI) The coronavirus outbreak in China has led to rare open calls for freedom of speech in the Communist nation amid growing public discontent over the handling of the epidemic, as the death toll continued to climb which prompted the government on Wednesday to announce fresh restrictions in top cities.

So far, the virus outbreak has claimed 1,115 lives with 97 new fatalities reported mostly in the worst-affected Hubei province on Tuesday while the confirmed cases of infection jumped to 44,763, the state-run CGTN TV reported.

The number of confirmed cases abroad rose to 440 with one death so far in the Philippines. Japan reported the highest number of 203 cases with a majority of them from a cruise ship.

Two Indian crew on board the cruise ship off the Japanese coast have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the Indian Embassy in Japan said on Wednesday.

The virus, now named COVID-19, has spread to over 20 countries, including India.

The outbreak which led to the lockdown of nearly 20 cities in China with over 50 million people in Hubei province has led to increasing calls for freedom of speech, especially after the death of 34-year-old doctor, Li Wenliang, who faced a stern warning from police when he along with eight others tried to inform authorities about the virus epidemic in December.

Tragically, Li, an ophthalmologist died of the coronavirus on February 6, sparking a nation-wide outpouring rarely seen in China in recent years.

Following his death, hundreds of Chinese, led by academics have signed an online petition calling on the national legislature to protect citizens right to freedom of speech, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.

The petition is addressed to the National Peoples Congress (NPC) often termed as the rubber-stamp parliament for its routine approval of the proposals of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC). The NPC is scheduled to meet early next month but the spread of the virulent virus cast doubts about the meeting as the government discouraged large gatherings.

The petition lists five demands to protect the peoples right to freedom of expression, discussion on this issue at the NPC, make February 6, the day of Dr Lis death as a national day for free speech.

The petition also demands the government to ensure no one is punished, threatened, interrogated, censored or locked up for their speech, civil assembly, letters or communication and to give equitable treatment, such as medical care, to people from Wuhan and Hubei province, the Post reported.

The petition is gaining momentum online, but some of the signatories have already come under pressure, the report said.

Those signed the petition included Tsinghua University sociologist Guo Yuhua and her colleague, law professor Xu Zhangrun, whose accounts on social media network WeChat have been blocked.

Xu wrote a critical letter last week blaming that the crackdown on civil society and freedom of expression is making it impossible to raise the alarm about coronavirus outbreak, the report said.

Another report said that a prominent blogger went missing from Wuhan after writing critical posts about the handling of the virus outbreak.

Meanwhile, the authorities in Beijing and Shanghai, Chinas two biggest cities, have announced fresh restrictions on residential communities to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus, joining dozens of mainland cities that have gone into partial lockdown since the epidemic began last month.

Measures unveiled by the authorities on Monday include stricter controls on the movement of residents and vehicles, compulsory mask-wearing and shutting down leisure and other non-essential community services, the Post report said.

The lockdown-style measures appear to be aimed at controlling possible community transmission of the virus as the country returns to work at the end of an extended Lunar New Year holiday.

Millions of Chinese returned to the cities after the extended New Year Holiday on Monday. The government is encouraging people to work from home.

While the government highlighted that the cases of the virus have started showing a declining trend, analysts however cautioned that the people should not be too optimistic as the turning point has not emerged yet, state-run Global Times reported.

And the most challenging battleground is still in Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, it said.

Zhong Nanshan, China''s top epidemiologist, told the newspaper that the inflection point of the outbreak cannot be predicted now.

"It may peak in mid or late-February," he said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday that the epidemic situation has shown positive changes due to concerted hard work and that the prevention and control work has achieved notable outcomes.

"The results are hard-won progress made by all sides," Xi told a high-powered meeting of the CPC.

Noting that epidemic prevention and control have entered a critical stage that requires stringent efforts, Xi stressed focusing on priorities without any let-up and strengthening prevention and control in areas where the epidemic situation is particularly serious or at greater risk, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. PTI KJV NSA AKJ NSA

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Calls for freedom of speech on rise in China as coronavirus death toll soars to over 1,100 - Outlook India

Morocco: Crackdown against activists for criticizing the King, public institutions and officials – Amnesty International

The Moroccan authorities are intensifying their crackdown on peaceful voices with a new wave of arbitrary arrests and prosecutions of individuals, including a journalist, rappers and Youtubers, many of whom have been targeted simply for criticizing the King or other officials, said Amnesty International today.

The Moroccan authorities concept of a red line is essentially a ban on criticising the monarchy or state institutions, which is being used with renewed enthusiasm to target peaceful activists and artists. Youtubers, rappers and journalists now face harsh prison sentences after being targeted with repressive laws

The organisation has documented the cases of at least ten activists who have been unlawfully subjected to arrests, interrogation and harsh sentences since November. Four have been accused of "offending" or "insulting" the King or the Monarchy known to be one of the three red lines for freedom of expression in Morocco. All ten individuals have been accused of "offending" public officials or institutions, all crimes under Moroccos Penal Code.

"The Moroccan authorities concept of a red line is essentially a ban on criticising the monarchy or state institutions, which is being used with renewed enthusiasm to target peaceful activists and artists. Youtubers, rappers and journalists now face harsh prison sentences after being targeted with repressive laws, said Heba Morayef, MENA regional director at Amnesty International.

It is urgent that the authorities amend Moroccos Penal Code which retains an arsenal of provisions that criminalize freedom of expression and have been unlawfully used to supress dissent in the country.

Between November 2019 and January 2020, nine out of the 10 individuals and activists-were handed cruel prison sentences ranging between 6 months and four years.

On 1 December, Settat police arrested blogger Mohamed Sekkaki, known as Moul El Kaskita, a few days after he published a video on YouTube criticizing the King and a new tax on YouTube users. The Settat court sentenced him to four years in prison and a fine of 40 000 dirhams (around $4000) based only on penal code provisions related to "insulting the King" and "offending" public officials. His appeal trial is scheduled for 11 February.

On 5 December, police in Rabat arrested a YouTube influencer, Omar Ben Boudouh, also known as Moul El Hanout for offending "public officials" and "institutions" and "incitement to hatred". Amnesty International has reviewed Boudouhs interrogation report which largely shows he was arrested on bogus charges for expressing his views. On 7 January, he was sentenced to three years in prison, subsequently he began a hunger strike to date in Tifelt prison where he is held.

The Moroccan authorities must urgently reform the Penal Code to decriminalize articles that have been used to repress freedom of speech

Another influencer and Youtuber, Youssef Moujahid, was arrested on 18 December and accused of "offending" public officials and institutions and "incitement to hatred". Moujahid's legal case was added to that of Boudouh because he was publishing on his page "Nhabek ya Maghribe" videos commenting on Boudouh's statements. Their appeal is scheduled on 12 February.

On 17 December, the Meknes First Instance Tribunal sentenced high school student Ayoub Mahfoud, 18, to three years imprisonment and 5000 dirhams fine (around $500) for a social media post. He was accused of "offending" public officials and institutions. He was provisionally released on 16 January, pending his appeal session, which is set to take place on 30 March.

A journalist, Omar Radi, was also arrested on 26 December for a tweet he posted criticizing the judicial system for upholding the verdict against Hirak el Rif protesters. A few days after his arrest, he was provisionally released, pending his next trial on 5 March this year.

Omar Radi told Amnesty International that his interview with the Algerian media "Radio M", where he criticized Moroccan authorities for what he called the expropriation of tribal lands by the State, was the reason for his arrest upon his return from Algeria.

On 29 December, rapper Hamza Sabaar, known as STALiN, was arrested in Laayoune and convicted a few days later to three years in prison for a rap song he published on Youtube. In the song, he criticized the deteriorated socio-economic situation in the country. On 16 January, a court reduced his sentence to eight-months imprisonment.

Authorities should drop the charges and free all individuals prosecuted and convicted for simply exercising their right to freedom of expression; and stop using archaic Penal Code provisions to criminalize free speech

On 24 December, the authorities in the city of Tata arrested activist Rachid Sidi Baba and the judge later convicted him to six months prison and a fine of 5000 dirhams (around $500) for publishing one YouTube video where he expresses his frustration about land exploiting by foreign investors without significant involvement of return benefits to local communities. The verdict in his case is scheduled on 13 February.

On 9 January, a Court in Khenifra convicted Abdelali Bahmad, alias Ghassan Bouda to two years imprisonment and a fine of 10 000 dirhams (around $1000) for "insulting" the Monarchy and its symbols. Prosecutors used four online posts that Bouda published on Facebook as evidence. According to his lawyer, in one of the posts, Bouda expressed his support to Hirak El-Rif protests.

Authorities should drop the charges and free all individuals prosecuted and convicted for simply exercising their right to freedom of expression; and stop using archaic Penal Code provisions to criminalize free speech," said Heba Morayef

"The Moroccan authorities must urgently reform the Penal Code to decriminalize articles that have been used to repress freedom of speech".

Background

In its May 2017 submission to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), Amnesty International called on the Moroccan authorities to repeal those provisions, especially after the country passed a Press Code that decriminalized speech offenses in 2016. At the same time however, new provisions criminalizing "insult" to Islam and the territorial integrity were reintroduced in the Penal Code.

In October 2019, the National Committee for Human Rights (CNDH) submitted tothe parliament a memorandum aimed at amending the Moroccan Penal Code to ensure that it complies with the principles of legitimacy, necessity and proportionality.

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Morocco: Crackdown against activists for criticizing the King, public institutions and officials - Amnesty International

Key findings about Americans’ confidence in science and their views on scientists’ role in society – Pew Research Center

(KTSDESIGN/Science Photo Library)

Science issues whether connected with climate, childhood vaccines or new techniques in biotechnology are part of the fabric of civic life, raising a range of social, ethical and policy issues for the citizenry. As members of the scientific community gather at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) this week, here is a roundup of key takeaways from our studies of U.S. public opinion about science issues and their effect on society.

The data for this post was drawn from multiple different surveys. The most recent was a survey of 3,627 U.S. adults conducted Oct. 1 to Oct. 13, 2019. This post also draws on data from surveys conducted in January 2019, December 2018, April-May 2018 and March 2016. All surveys were conducted using the American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. This way nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of being selected. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, education and other categories. Read more about the ATPs methodology.

Following are the questions and responses for surveys used in this post, as well as each surveys methodology:

1Some public divides over science issues are aligned with partisanship, while many others are not. Science issues can be a key battleground for facts and information in society. Climate science has been part of an ongoing discourse around scientific evidence, how to attribute average temperature increases in the Earths climate system, and the kinds of policy actions needed. While public divides over climate and energy issues are often aligned with political party affiliation, public attitudes on other science-related issues are not.

For example, there are differences in public beliefs around the risks and benefits of childhood vaccines. Such differences arise amid civic debates about the spread of false information about vaccines. While such beliefs have important implications for public health, they are not particularly political in nature.

In fact, Republicans and independents who lean to the GOP are just as likely as Democrats and independents who lean to the Democratic Party to say that, overall, the benefits of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine outweigh the risks (89% and 88% respectively).

2Americans have differing views about some emerging scientific and technological developments. Scientific and technological developments are a key source of innovation and, therefore, change in society. Pew Research Center studies have explored public reactions to emergent developments from genetic engineering techniques, automation and more. One field at the forefront of public reaction is the use of gene editing of babies or genetic engineering of animals. Americans have mixed views over whether the use of gene editing to reduce a babys risk of serious disease that could occur over their lifetime is appropriate (60%) or is taking medical technology too far (38%), according to a 2018 survey. Similarly, about six-in-ten Americans (57%) said that genetic engineering of animals to grow organs or tissues for humans needing a transplant would be appropriate, while four-in-ten (41%) said it would be taking technology too far.

When we asked Americans about a future where a brain chip implant would give otherwise healthy individuals much improved cognitive abilities, a 69% majority said they were very or somewhat worried about the possibility. By contrast, about half as many (34%) were enthusiastic. Further, as people think about the effects of automation technologies in the workplace, more say automation has brought more harm than help to American workers.

One theme running through our findings on emerging science and technology is that public hesitancy often is tied to concern about the loss of human control, especially if such developments would be at odds with personal, religious and ethical values. In looking across seven developments related to automation and the potential use of biomedical interventions to enhance human abilities, Center studies found that proposals that would increase peoples control over these technologies were met with greater acceptance.

3Most in the U.S. see net benefits from science for society, and they expect more ahead. About three-quarters of Americans (73%) say science has, on balance, had a mostly positive effect on society. And 82% expect future scientific developments to yield benefits for society in years to come.

The overall portrait is one of strong public support for the benefits of science to society, though the degree to which Americans embrace this idea differs sizably by race and ethnicity as well as by levels of science knowledge.

Such findings are in line with those of the General Social Survey on the effects of scientific research. In 2018, about three-quarters of Americans (74%) said the benefits of scientific research outweigh any harmful results. Support for scientific research by this measure has been roughly stable since the 1980s.

4The share of Americans with confidence in scientists to act in the public interest has increased since 2016.

Public confidence in scientists to act in the public interest tilts positive and has increased over the past few years. As of 2019, 35% of Americans report a great deal of confidence in scientists to act in the public interest, up from 21% in 2016.

About half of the public (51%) reports a fair amount of confidence in scientists, and just 13% have not too much or no confidence in this group to act in the public interest.

Public trust in scientists by this measure stands in contrast to that for other groups and institutions. One of the hallmarks of the current times has been low trust in government and other institutions. One-in-ten or fewer say they have a great deal of confidence in elected officials (4%) or the news media (9%) to act in the public interest.

5Americans differ over the role and value of scientific experts in policy matters. While confidence in scientists overall tilts positive, peoples perspectives about the role and value of scientific experts on policy issues tends to vary. Six-in-ten U.S. adults believe that scientists should take an active role in policy debates about scientific issues, while about four-in-ten (39%) say, instead, that scientists should focus on establishing sound scientific facts and stay out of such debates.

Democrats are more inclined than Republicans to think scientists should have an active role in science policy matters. Indeed, most Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents (73%) hold this position, compared with 43% of Republicans and GOP leaners.

More than four-in-ten U.S. adults (45%) say that scientific experts usually make better policy decisions than other people, while a similar share (48%) says such decisions are neither better nor worse than other peoples and 7% say scientific experts decisions are usually worse than other peoples.

Here, too, Democrats tend to hold scientific experts in higher esteem than do Republicans: 54% of Democrats say scientists policy decisions are usually better than those of other people, while two-thirds of Republicans (66%) say that scientists decisions are either no different from or worse than other peoples.

6Factual knowledge alone does not explain public confidence in the scientific method to produce sound conclusions. Overall, a 63% majority of Americans say the scientific method generally produces sound conclusions, while 35% think it can be used to produce any result a researcher wants. Peoples level of knowledge can influence beliefs about these matters, but it does so through the lens of partisanship, a tendency known as motivated reasoning.

Beliefs about this matter illustrate that science knowledge levels sometimes correlate with public attitudes. But partisanship has a stronger role.

Democrats are more likely to express confidence in the scientific method to produce accurate conclusions than do Republicans, on average. Most Democrats with high levels of science knowledge (86%, based on an 11-item index of factual knowledge questions) say the scientific method generally produces accurate conclusions. By comparison, 52% of Democrats with low science knowledge say this. But science knowledge has little bearing on Republicans beliefs about the scientific method.

7Trust in practitioners like medical doctors and dietitians is stronger than that for researchers in these fields, but skepticism about scientific integrity is widespread. Scientists work in a wide array of fields and specialties. A 2019 Pew Research Center survey found public trust in medical doctors and dietitians to be higher than that for researchers working in these areas. For example, 48% of U.S. adults say that medical doctors give fair and accurate information all or most of the time. By comparison, 32% of U.S. adults say the same about medical research scientists. And six-in-ten Americans say dietitians care about their patients best interests all or most of the time, while about half as many (29%) say this about nutrition research scientists with the same frequency.

One factor in public trust of scientists is familiarity with their work. For example, people who were more familiar with what medical science researchers do were more trusting of these researchers to express care or concern for the public interest, to do their job with competence and to provide fair and accurate information. Familiarity with the work of scientists was related to trust for all six specialties we studied.

But when it comes to questions of scientists transparency and accountability, most Americans are skeptical. About two-in-ten or fewer U.S. adults say that scientists are transparent about potential conflicts of interest with industry groups all or most of the time. Similar shares (roughly between one-in-ten and two-in-ten) say that scientists admit their mistakes and take responsibility for them all or most of the time.

This data shows clearly that when it comes to questions of transparency and accountability, most in the general public are attuned to the potential for self-serving interests to skew science findings and recommendations. These findings echo calls for increased transparency and accountability across many sectors and industries today.

8What boosts public trust in scientific research findings? Most say its making data openly available. A 57% majority of Americans say they trust scientific research findings more when the data is openly available to the public. And about half of the U.S. public (52%) say they are more likely to trust research that has been independently reviewed.

The question of who funds the research is also consequential for how people think about scientific research. A 58% majority say they have lower trust when research is funded by an industry group. By comparison, about half of Americans (48%) say government funding for research has no particular effect on how much they trust the findings; 28% say this decreases their trust and 23% say it increases their trust.

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Key findings about Americans' confidence in science and their views on scientists' role in society - Pew Research Center

Fighting malnutrition: Golden Rice and the EU’s GMO conundrum – EURACTIV

This rice could save a million kids a year, read the July 2000 cover of Time Magazine, referring to a genetically modified rice, Golden Rice, that had been biofortified with life-saving nutrition. But in the nearly two decades that have passed since then, the cultivation of genetically biofortified crops, such as Golden Rice, to help solve the global humanitarian crisis of malnutrition remains elusive.

One major reason for the delay has been the systematic opposition to all forms of GMOs and genetic engineering by radical interest groups including Greenpeace and many Green party politicians, particularly in Europe. On December 18th, 2019, the Philippines joined a growing list of countries granting a permit for Golden Rice as food and feed, and for processing a major milestone in making it available to the people who need it most.

So, lets consider the facts.

Over two billion people worldwide continue to suffer from hidden hunger, or the lack of essential micronutrients, which impairs the physical and cognitive development of children, productivity in adults, and quality of life for all. There is a case to be made here for agricultural biotechnology, specifically in the context of biofortification to improve the nutritional value of staple crops through various means, including transgenic biofortification and genome editing. Biofortification allows for the delivery of additional life-improving and life-saving nutrients without the need to change dietary choices or preferences, and at relatively low cost. The potential benefits are especially pronounced in developing countries like the Philippines and Bangladesh, which suffer from high rates of malnutrition[1].

The cost of malnutrition in all its forms is unacceptably high, at 3.5 trillion USD per year worldwide. In the Philippines, the projected annual national economic burden of malnutrition is more than 4.65 billion USD per year, of which 33 million USD is attributable to Vitamin A deficiency. The relative affordability of biofortified crops like Golden Rice may make a world of difference to households who are most in need and yet least able to afford nutritious food. In Bangladesh, which has an average daily per capita rice consumption of 367g, ultra-poor households spend three-quarters of their income, or 75 out of 100 taka, on rice. Oftentimes, fruits, vegetables, eggs are not only unaffordable but also unavailable on a regular basis in marginalized and hard-to-reach communities. When rice is all that a nutrition-deficient household can afford, it is unconscionable to push for the adoption of a nutritional intervention that will financially burden its target communities. Coupled with a relatively longer shelf life, Golden Rice is therefore an affordable complement to a diet when access to other vitamin A-rich foods is difficult or lacking.

Global public goods like Golden Rice are developed with a clear humanitarian purpose and in partnership with national research organizations in the countries where they are intended for adoption[2]. The nomer of Golden Rice does not refer to a single line or variety. Rather, it is the result of technology that has been extensively researched and introduced into local varieties that are most consumed by the communities that need it most in their respective countries. This ensures that the developed product meets the needs and preferences of its target communities, and that appropriate deployment mechanisms are established to sustain adoption. In the case of Golden Rice, consumer benefit is established: its beta-carotene content can provide up to 50% of the estimated average requirement for Vitamin A. Initial estimates are even higher, with beta-carotene content ranging from 357-561 g/day for every 100 g of raw Golden Rice But whether it is adopted or not depends entirely on farmer and consumer preference.

In addition to helping solve immense public health issues through biofortification, agricultural biotechnology also holds enormous potential to contribute more substantially to other Sustainable Development Goals. Already today, more than 14 million farmers grow GM cotton on smallholder farms in Asia (comprising the vast majority of farmers who have adopted GM crops globally) in order to increase yields and improve farm safety and sustainability by lowering the cost of and need for inputs. Many other GM crops have also been developed around the world by public research institutions (see map here). Examples of biotech crops which have made it to market include virus resistant papaya (in Hawaii)[3] and insect resistant aubergines (in Bangladesh), which help to reduce the need for chemical control. A number of GM crops with health benefits also exist, such as soybeans to produce healthier oils, low acrylamide potatoes, and insect resistant maize, which significantly reduces naturally occurring mycotoxins that cause problems also in European maize harvests.

However, the majority of ag biotech innovations have unfortunately not had the immense financial resources needed to get safe GM crops through the regulatory process. In the EU, GM import approvals typically take six years and cost 11 to 16.7 million Euros. The costs and waiting times associated with such approvals are preventing public institutions from investing in ag biotech solutions to solve global challenges. The same EU predicament now also applies to genome edited crops, even if they do not have any added genes[4]. With the EUs stringent stance towards GMOs based largely on anti-corporate sentiment campaigns, and the false impression that GMOs are strictly the territory of profit-driven innovation, we tend to forget that these same technologies are also developing parts of the solution to help the poorest of the poor attain decent lives and livelihoods. Also, the majority of ag biotech solutions listed above are of course not available to European farmers, with the exception of one single type of insect resistant maize, which is available to Spanish and Portuguese farmers.

Those of us working and advocating for Golden Rice look forward to the day that regulatory approvals will allow us to respond to societal challenges. While the evaluation process has taken much longer than intended, this underscores the presence of regulatory protocol to independently assess the Golden Rice biosafety dossier which has already received food safety approvals in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

It is unfortunate then that regulatory delays in some parts of the world are held by critics, especially in Europe, as proof that the product is ineffective and unsafe. Yet any action taken to provide and assess the data needed to demonstrate its safety and benefits is viewed as an attempt to force feed Golden Rice to communities who need it the most. We sincerely hope that European decision makers will have the courage to listen to the science, given also that Europeans today are much less concerned with GMOs than they were a decade ago. After 25 years of millions of farmers growing GM crops, now on about 12% of the worlds fields, it would only be reasonable for Europe to look at the evidence surrounding the proven safety of GM crops, instead of demonising a technology which can and does provide multiple benefits.

About the authors

As the head of the Strategic Innovation Platform, Ajay Kohli leads a team primarily in the application of fundamental sciences such as genomics, genetics, and informatics instruments. His platform identifies genes and provides genetic materials and associated information that enables the institutes rice breeders and physiologists to harness upstream research into translational research, through a highly interdisciplinary approach. Ajay also leads IRRIs Plant Molecular Biology Group for the past 10 years. During this time, the group has gained recognition in gene discovery and characterization in environmental stress tolerance of rice, particularly in improving yield under drought condition. Ajay brings 27 years of experience in upstream research, innovation, and leadership in the agricultural sector.

Joanna Dupont-Inglis is the Secretary General of EuropaBio, where she has worked since 2009 in a variety of leadership positions. Prior to EuropaBio she worked for two leading Brussels-based consultancies on agriculture, healthcare, environment and energy policy together with a broad range of industries, international organisations, NGOs and with the EU Institutions. She has an academic background in environmental science and European studies and is a French-speaking UK/Irish national.

[1] See table 6 of Swamy et al (2019) for potential benefit of GR2E in the Philippines and Bangladesh. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6646955/

[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6646955/

[3] GM papaya practically saved Hawaiis fifth largest crop from decimation (http://www.vib.be/en/about-vib/Documents/Virus%20resistant%20papaya%20in%20Hawaii.pdf) and results of the genome sequence of the GM papaya were reported as a measure of transparency (Kohli and Christou, 2008, Stable transgenes bear fruit. Nature Biotechnology 26(6):653-4

DOI: 10.1038/nbt0608-653

[4] https://www.theparliamentmagazine.eu/articles/partner_article/eu-legislation-must-safeguard-precision-plant-breeding-technologies

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Fighting malnutrition: Golden Rice and the EU's GMO conundrum - EURACTIV

CRISPR: Coroner tackles the ethics of gene editing – CBC.ca

It may sound like something from a fiction movie, and just over a decade ago it probably was, but in that time, scientists have discovered a ground-breaking genetic engineering tool called CRISPR-Cas9 (often referred to as only CRISPR).

It has the potential to revolutionize the future of human experience from creating drought resistant crops, augmenting mosquitoes to eliminating the transmission of malaria to, most importantly, eradicating specific genetic diseases like cancer by manipulating the blueprint of life. But could it have contradictory effects?

Coroner explores this topic in season two episode three, entitled 'CRISPR SISTR', where Dr. Jenny Cooper and Det. Donovan McAvoy investigate the death of a lab assistant who was helping in the CRISPR research that was to eradicate Lewy body dementia. Or so the scientists involved in the research implied during interrogation.

What really happened is a bit different and we'll get to it, but let's try to answer some complicated questions first.

You know how you can edit anything that needs a bit of fixing, such as a video an episode of Coroner for example or an Instagram picture by using various apps or tools? CRISPR-Cas9 issimilar, but a molecular tool, which is much more complex.

We can only scratch the surface, but to put it in simple terms: CRISPR-Cas9 is a gene editing tool that can be used to more precisely edit targeted bits of DNA in order to modify (strengthen, weaken, switch on and off) or eliminate specific genes in organisms like bacteria, animals, plants and even human cells. Imagine being able to prevent cancer by editing out the culprit?! Life changing!

"Think of it like editing text," says Dr. Janet Rossant, a researcher who uses CRISPR in her lab at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children.

"You can cursor in and you delete a few words, paste in a little sentence. And that is what people can now do in the genome."

Breaking it up, CRISPR (short for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) is a cluster of DNA sequences found within the genomes of specific microorganisms such as bacteria. And Cas9 (CRISPR associated protein 9) is an enzyme from bacterial antiviral systems that uses those sequences as a guide to recognize, interrogate and cleave foreign DNA by unwinding it and checking for complementary sites. And then snip snip.

In his interview with The Nature of Things, Dr. Eric Olson, a Molecular Biologist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, explains it in everyday terms.

Metaphorically speaking, he says that we can think of CRISPR as a spell checker for DNA with a two component system. One component is the molecular scissors that can cut DNA and the other a GPS device for DNA which you can program to guide and deliver the scissors anywhere in the 6 billion letters of the DNA, and cut it in two.

There are many gene editing techniques which have been around for a while but CRISPR-Cas9 is revolutionary in its precision, timeliness and cost. Researchers are working tirelessly to add more to the CRISPR toolkit, but for now Cas9 is still the most popular.

"All methods are very efficient at making site-specific mutations, but CRISPR takes the least time and has the lowest costs," said Caixia Gao, a plant biologist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, to sciencemag.org.

If you need more detailed explanations on CRISPR and how it works, this is where we defer to the experts and we go back to Coroner.

Jenny's CRISPR case gets personal because of its ability to possibly heal her father who has the previously mentioned Lewy body dementia. Her hopes are up and after a conversation with her father, he is interested in being a part of the human trials.

Unfortunately, the scientists in the series end up on the unethical side. They've lied about experimenting with Lewy body dementia but instead were selfishly trying to cure themselves of Huntington's disease.

To make things worse, the methods which they applied turned deadly for the assistant who initially saw them as miracle workers while they used him as a guinea pig for their personal gain and research.

As the case closes, so does the CRISPR research along with Jenny's hopes for her father's recovery. The disappointment in this episode makes for a great story... but is reality any different?

While CRISPR has the potential to save many lives, there are still many safety wrinkles that need to be ironed out before we start to see it applied in Canadian labs. As Coroner points out, CRISPR-Cas9 could unleash consequences we can't predict which could be dire.

The method relies on Cas9 to be precise but sometimes it does veer off, makingoff-target cuts which is where the challenges begin. It also relies on the body's natural repair system to heal the snipped area that could cause DNA mutations and other diseases.

One of the biggest controversies of CRISPR is the possibility of making permanent gene alterations which could be passed down to future generations. Creating designer babies by altering their genes to create faster and more powerful athletes or changing their hair or eye colour may sound like a no big deal to some but along with many cons, it takes away one's choice to choose their life path.

In Canada, under theAssisted Human Reproduction Act of 2004, editing the human genome is prohibited and punishable by up to ten years in prison which is why in Coroner's episode three of season two, the CRISPR lab is shut down and the scientists arrested.

As we are propelled into the future with new bio technologies like CRISPR-Cas9, which are getting easier, cheaper and more widely accessible, the possibilities are endless and the responsibilities higher. There are many questions that still need to be answered around CRISPR like: what are the best ways of using these technologies responsibly and how can research be contained in order to avoid unethical applications?

While the scientists and the law ponder those questions, you can watch 'CRISPR SISTR' and past Coroner episodes on CBC Gem!

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CRISPR: Coroner tackles the ethics of gene editing - CBC.ca