Eclipse Viewing Tip: Make sure you have NASA approved solar eclipse glasses – ABC Action News

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TAMPA BAY, Fla. - As the excitement surrounding the upcoming solar eclipse continues to grow, the interest in finding the best and safest way to view the moment is all the talk.

On August 21, 2017, the moon will mask the sun for a rare total solar eclipse over North America. The moon will completely cover the sun and residents spanning from Salem, Oregon to Charleston, South Carolina will be able to see the sun's full corona. Other residents outside of this path will be able to see the partial solar eclipse as the moon covers part of the sun's disk. Learn more about the Eclipse here.

Solar Eclipse Headlines:

NASA wants to make sure you're wearing the right kind of eclipse glasses to watch the astronomical moment. Here are the guidelines for official eclipse viewing glasses:

NASA is warning there are unsafe solar glasses being distributed. Check this document to make sure you have NASA approved glasses.

The American Astronomical Society has verified the following five manufacturers that meet the ISO 12312-2 international standard for these products:

An alternative method for safe viewing of the partially eclipsed sun is pinhole projection. For example, cross the outstretched, slightly open fingers of one hand over the outstretched, slightly open fingers of the other. With your back to the sun, look at your hands shadow on the ground. The little spaces between your fingers will project a grid of small images on the ground, showing the sun as a crescent during the partial phases of the eclipse. (Source: Eclipse2017.nasa.gov/safety)

Moral of the story, check your eclipse glasses for these requirements and if you don't have one of the approved pair of eclipse glasses, do not look at the eclipse without protection, or you could damage your eyesight.

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Eclipse Viewing Tip: Make sure you have NASA approved solar eclipse glasses - ABC Action News

Comings and Goings in the NASA Family – Air & Space Magazine

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Laughing to keep from crying, Peggy Whitson says goodbye to crewmates Tomas Pesquet (back left) and Oleg Novitskiy (back right), with Jack 2Fish Fisher and Fyodor Yurchikhin by her side.

airspacemag.com August 1, 2017 3:00PM

Ive never liked it when people appropriate the term family to include everything from co-workers to customers. Ive got my own family, thanks, and filling my tank with gas doesnt quite warrant a welcome to the Exxon family.

Still, some jobs really do go beyond just being another place to work, and astronaut has to be one of them. Over the decades, human spaceflight has developed a distinct culture, with its own particular customs and rituals that make NASA more like a family than a typical government agency.

I was thinking about this recently, watching Peggy Whitsons change-of-command ceremony on the space station. In case you dont know her, Whitson is one of the most accomplished astronauts of all time. Shes spent more time in space than any other American. She was the first woman to head NASAs astronaut office, and this was her third time commanding the space station.

Whitson is known for her work ethic and her intelligence, and listening to her air-to-ground exchanges with Mission Control, shes usually pretty business-like. So I wasnt prepared for this very emotional send-off of her crewmates, Tomas Pesquet of France and Oleg Novitski, who were returning to Earth the next day on a Soyuz transport.

I like everything about this clip, including Whitsons muting her own mike when she starts to get choked up. A space station astronaut once told me that he found his emotions to be stronger in orbitthe highs were higher, and the lows were lower. Whether or not thats been true for Whitson, its clear that her bond with her fellow astronauts is very real.

Maybe its becauseas she points out to Fyodor Yurchikhin, the cosmonaut relieving her of commandsome of them have been working together for a long time. Many astronauts, even famous ones, spend just a short time in the spaceflight business. John Glenn, for example, was an astronaut for only five years, Sally Ride for just nine. Whitson has worked in and around NASA for more than 30 years, virtually her entire career, including serving, before she became an astronaut, as the project scientist for the shuttle-Mir program in the 1990s. Shes married to a NASA biomedical researcher. If anyones entitled to call it the NASA family, Whitson is.

Speaking of families, another time-honored Russian spaceflight tradition is the phone call to the ground after a Soyuz docks with the station, so the families and friends of the astronauts and cosmonauts can check in with their loved ones at the start of their long stay in orbit. Heres the scene from last Friday, right after Sergey Ryazanskiy, NASAs Randy Bresnik, and veteran Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli (at 60, the oldest station crew member yet) arrived on board:

We may not see many more of these family calls to Moscow, once ferry flights on U.S. commercial spaceships begin in the next year or two. Ill miss them.

At least well be watching the dockings in HD, though. Fridays docking to the station was captured with new, high-quality cameras on the station, and the detail, as you can see, is noticeably better than it used to be.

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Comings and Goings in the NASA Family - Air & Space Magazine

Campaign launched to restore NASA’s historic mission control room – CBS News

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On July 20, 1969, man was on the moon.

"The eagle has landed." "You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. We're breathing again. Thanks a lot." The world breathed a sigh of relief and celebrated maybe no group more so than the people inside the Apollo mission control room inside Building 30 of the Johnson Space Center, reports CBS News correspondent Mark Strassmann.

Johnson Space Center

The room is sacred to Gene Kranz, now 83, who was NASA's flight director during the Gemini and Apollo missions. "We won the battle for space in this room and we captured the high ground and we did not surrender it during our tour," Kranz said.

It was Kranz who was in charge when an explosion aboard Apollo 13 nearly cost the lives of its three astronauts. That high drama was featured in the movie "Apollo 13."

NASA used the mission control room with its monochrome computer monitors and rotary dial telephones starting in 1965. It went dark in 1992, well into the shuttle program.

CBS News

Since then, the room has been designated a national historic landmark, but you'd never know from the looks of it. Houston, we have a problem: decay from years of neglect and souvenir-seekers who walked off with pieces of space history.

When he sees the room, Kranz said he feels "a combination of frustration, anger, resentment."

CBS News

"This is not appropriate. This is where our generation made history. This is where Apollo fulfilled the challenge issued by President Kennedy," Kranz said.

It's an insult to everyone who worked in the room to make history, he said. With NASA's slashed budget, the agency's priority is the future of space travel, not preserving its past. Space Center Houston, the non-profit that runs the visitors center here, has launched a $5 million fundraising campaign to restore this room to its 1960s glory. Space Center Houston CEO William Harris detailed for us how this iconic part of NASA's past will have a brighter future. "All the consoles have to be removed, restored, buttons replaced The screens will need to be redone," Harris said. "All of this is really old. But our commitment is to restore it back to the way it was." Kranz wants to experience one more thrill in this room to see it restored and he's bringing his legendary can-do spirit to the project. "This is a room that will now represent the best American had to offer," Kranz said. "Failure is not an option."

It's not an option, and there is a deadline. Organizers have until late summer to raise the $5 million to get the restoration work done in time for the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing in 2019.

2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Nasa seeks to seal Kisii vote ahead of August 8 polls – Daily Nation

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Wednesday August 2 2017

Nasa flag-bearer Raila Odinga addresses a rally at Ogembo township in Bomachoge, Kisii County, on August 1, 2017. PHOTO | BENSON MOMANYI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

National Super Alliance leaders on Tuesday returned to Kisii County, seeking to neutralise President Uhuru Kenyattas Jubilee campaigns there on Monday.

The Nasa leaders, led by presidential candidate Raila Odinga, called for a huge turnout on election day on Tuesday, but urged vigilance on the vote count.

I ask you to keep an eye on the polling stations until votes are announced; this time we are not going to let any vote get lost, said Mr Odinga at a rally in Masimba, Nyaribari Masaba constituency.

Mr Odinga reiterated his controversial call for guarding votes, which the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has argued should be left to accredited party agents.

Addressing crowds in the wake of the killing of the polls agency ICT boss Chris Msando, the opposition leadersaccused the government of complicity in the murder.

Mr Odinga said Nasa will win even if all of us are assassinated.

We need investigations to be conducted quickly so that Kenyans can know the truth. We will win and do so with a landslide, said Mr Odinga.

Nasaco-principals Musalia Mudavadi and Kalonzo Musyoka said the killing of Mr Msando epitomised the ugly face of political assassinations.

We should not be talking about assassinations and extra-judicial killings in a democracy like Kenya, Mr Musyoka told a mammoth crowd at Gusii stadium.

Mr Mudavadi and Mr Moses Wetangula called for open and speedy investigationsinto the killing so that Kenyans can know the truth.

The function was attended by, among others, Kitutu South MP, also the Nasa chief campaigner in Kisii Richard Onyonka, Kisii Governor James Ongwae and his deputy Joash Maangi.

Others were senatorial and woman rep candidates Prof Sam Ongeri and Ms Janet Ongera, respectively.

Earlier, the leaders had divided themselves into two groups, one led by Mr Odinga and the other by Mr Mudavadi as they criss-crossed the county in their last pitch ahead of the elections five days away.

One team that was led by Mr Mudavadi toured Magenche, Etago and Suneka before converging with Mr Odingas team at Gusii stadium for the main rally.

At Masimba, where Mr Odinga started his campaign, the opposition leader said President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto had presided over the theft of more than Sh350 billion in the years they have been in power.

Mr Odinga said IDPs from other regions were paid as much as Sh400,000 and given land, while those from Kisii were given a paltry Sh50,000.

They are saying they have closed the IDPs file when many of them are still languishing in poverty, he said.

He flew by helicopter to various places where he criticised Jubilee for allegedly telling falsehoods about its development record.

Mr Odinga assured the electorate that Nasa will ensure all projects that stalled will be completed when it takes over power.

We managed to do most of the roads Jubilee is claiming to have done and we assure you we will complete them, he said.

Mr Odinga said the Nasa government will increase funding for counties from the current 15 per cent to 45 per cent to spur development in the grassroots.

President orders "speedy investigations" into the death of IEBC ICT manager and Carol Ngumbu.

The motorcyles you ride are Jubilee property, President Kenyatta tells provincial administrators.

They accuse management of the State corporation of failing to ink their CBA.

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Nasa seeks to seal Kisii vote ahead of August 8 polls - Daily Nation

Technique enables printable and rewritable color images – Phys.org – Phys.Org

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August 1, 2017 These structural colors were printed on the same sheet of paper coated with copolymers through the application of ammonium persulfate and ethanol. Hydrogen bromide was used to neutralize the solvents and create a blank paper on which to print again. Credit: Rice University

A chemical process that allows color images to be printed on specially coated paper and then erased so that different images can be printed on the same paper has been developed by researchers at Rice, Yonsei and Korea universities.

The researchers explain the technique in a paper that will be published in the Aug. 4 issue of the journal Advanced Materials, which will feature images printed with this process on the cover.

The technique makes use of structural colors, which have different properties than the ink dyes used for standard printing. The standard dyes absorb all the colors of the spectrum except for the color that is visible to the eye, such as red or blue, and the colors fade over time. Structural colors are determined by the selective reflections of certain colors at certain angles. They're made from one-dimensional stacks of layered polymers, called block copolymers.

"Copolymers are soft, stretchable and deformable," said Ned Thomas, Rice's Ernest Dell Butcher Professor of Engineering and professor of materials science and nanoengineering, of chemical and biomolecular engineering and of chemistry. "You can swell or shrink them and change their shape and dimensions, which will affect which color they reflect."

Thomas said one of his former Ph.D. students at MIT, Cheolmin Park, who is now a professor at Yonsei University, wanted to collaborate on developing printable and rewritable copolymer structural colors.

The researchers found that they could use a single, colorless, water-based ink based on ammonium persulfate (APS) to control how the copolymers cross-link in various locations, which impacts their subsequent thickness and hence the structural colors that are reflected. APS stops the swelling of the copolymers, and the thin layer reflects blue. Ethanol was used to thicken the copolymers, which reflected red. By applying varying amounts of ethanol and APS to paper that is coated with copolymers, the researchers were able to control the swelling and shrinking of the molecules and generate the colors and patterns needed to create a picture. Large amounts of APS stopped all swelling, which resulted in black images because there was no reflection.

The researchers also discovered that applying hydrogen bromide to the paper removed or erased the APS, so the reflections were neutralized, which "reset" the system so that the paper could be used again. They printed and erased images more than 50 times on the paper, with resolution similar to that of a commercial office inkjet printer.

Thomas said refinements will be needed before this technique is commercially viable. Because ethanol evaporates, the reflective patterns disappear, so the researchers are looking for a substance that is less volatile and will maintain the colors indefinitely. They also need to find an alternative to hydrogen bromide, which is toxic and not environmentally friendly.

Thomas thinks the technique has the potential to be cost-effective because it will require only one inkthe APSand a modified inkjet printer that uses paper coated with copolymers, which should cost "pennies per sheet," he said. "This could be really useful when you want to reconfigure, recolor and reshape messages on signs or clothing."

Explore further: Flexible and cost-effective fabrication of nature inspired structural colors

More information: Han Sol Kang et al, Printable and Rewritable Full Block Copolymer Structural Color, Advanced Materials (2017). DOI: 10.1002/adma.201700084

Journal reference: Advanced Materials

Provided by: Rice University

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Intel Corporation Avoids Giving Useful 10-Nano Yield Information – Madison.com

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It's no secret that microprocessor giant Intel's (NASDAQ: INTC) 10nm chip manufacturing technology is very late to the market. Intel had once aimed to bring products built using this technology to market in 2016, but it now says that the volume ramp-up of such products will happen in the first half of 2018.

It's very likely that the reason that Intel has yet to bring 10nm into volume production is that its technology development organization has yet to bring the technology yield rates to satisfactory levels.

The yield rate simply refers to the percentage of manufactured chips that are salable. If a company's yield rate on a manufacturing technology is too low, then the average cost per chip goes up (since wafer costs for a given technology/product tend to be relatively fixed) and a company may simply not be able to produce enough chips to meet demand.

Getting yield rates nice and high is critical to a product ramp-up.

Intel has been silent about the yield rates and progress that it is seeing with its 10nm technology. Of course, no one would expect the company to give detailed product yield rates or defect density numbers (the average number of defects for a given area on the silicon wafer).But Intel has historically provided charts that show the yield progress of a new manufacturing technology relative to older-generation technologies. The company, however, is refusing to do even that with respect to the 10nm technology.

Let's go over what Intel has said vis-a-vis 10nm yields, and why the company is probably keeping mum on the details.

In response to a question from an analyst, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich said that the company is now providing engineering samples of its first 10nm product, code named Cannon Lake, to customers.

The executive then went on to say that the yield rates "are continuing to improve pretty much right in line with the forecasted ramp rates."

Seemingly in defense of the company's rate of progress, Krzanich then said, "It's a new technology, so you always have some problems to get solved, but we're pretty comfortable with where we're at right now."

The problem with this "information" is that the investment public doesn't really have a frame of reference to put Krzanich's claims into context.

What are Intel's "forecasted ramp rates"? Krzanich said that the company is "set to qualify the first production products right toward the end of the year" and that those products will "start to ship in the first half of next year."

We have no information on what portion of Intel's product mix is expected to transition to the 10nm technology in the first half of 2018, let alone for the entirety of 2018. The company also seems to be hinting that it could bring out its second-generation 10nm architecture, code named Ice Lake, in the second half of 2018, but that's far from confirmed.

Moreover, even if Intel plans to transition a significant amount of its product mix over to 10nm by the second half of 2018, it has yet to provide gross margin guidance for 2018 beyond a range within the "top half of [Intel's] historical range" of 55% to 65%.

Intel's yield-learning progress could be the critical factor in determining whether its gross profit margin percentage in 2018 and 2019 is closer to 65% or closer to 60%.

I suspect that Intel is unlikely to open up much more about its progress on its 10nm technology until it formally announces the products, possibly in January of 2018. Though, to be quite blunt, I think that discussion won't happen in earnest until the company's next investor meeting, which is likely to take place in February or March of 2018.

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The Decline of the Laundromat and the Future of Higher Education – Inside Higher Ed (blog)

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The Decline of the Laundromat and the Future of Higher Education
Inside Higher Ed (blog)
Who amongst us has wondered if the future of online education and physical classrooms will one-day mimic that of online shopping and bricks-and-mortar retail? What about Moore's Law? (Or whatever the equivalent law that exists for durable appliances).

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Foundation Medicine Announces 2017 Second Quarter Results and Recent Highlights – Business Wire (press release)

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CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Foundation Medicine, Inc. (NASDAQ:FMI) today reported financial and operating results for its second quarter ended June 30, 2017. Results and business highlights for the quarter included:

Foundation Medicine delivered a strong second quarter, highlighted by record clinical volume and total revenue, increased adoption of our molecular information solutions by both clinicians and biopharma partners, and importantly, improved cancer care for the patients we serve, said Troy Cox, chief executive officer of Foundation Medicine. In addition, we advanced the parallel review with FDA and CMS for FoundationOne CDx with the submission of our final module to the FDA in June, a significant milestone in the process. If approved, FoundationOne CDx would become the first pan-cancer universal companion diagnostic, a highly differentiated and valuable solution for patients, oncologists and biopharma partners.

Foundation Medicine reported total revenue of $35.0 million in the second quarter of 2017, compared to $28.2 million in the second quarter of 2016. Revenue from biopharmaceutical customers was $22.1 million in the second quarter of 2017, compared to $18.9 million in the second quarter of 2016. The results of 4,762 tests were reported to biopharmaceutical customers in this years second quarter.

Revenue from clinical testing in the second quarter of 2017 was $12.9 million, compared to $9.4 million in the second quarter of 2016. The company reported 15,924 tests to clinicians in the second quarter of 2017, a 55% increase from the same quarter last year. This number includes 12,442 FoundationOne tests, 1,608 FoundationOne Heme tests, 1,594 FoundationACT tests, and 280 FoundationFocus CDxBRCA tests.

Total operating expenses for the second quarter of 2017 were approximately $57.7 million, compared with $45.5 million for the second quarter of 2016. The increase in operating expenses was partially driven by investments in the companys universal companion diagnostic assay, certain non-recurring cash and non-cash expenses, and investments in the companys technology infrastructure. Net loss was approximately $44.3 million in the second quarter of 2017, or a $1.24 loss per share. At June 30, 2017, the company held approximately $71.5 million in cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities.

The company will now be reporting revenue in two components: Molecular Information Services and Pharma Research and Development Services. Molecular Information Services is revenue derived from commercially available platforms and services such as sample profiling, data access and SmartTrials, and includes revenue from both clinical and biopharma customers. Pharma Research and Development Services is revenue derived from work funded primarily by biopharma partners to develop new assays and other services. This new disclosure is intended to provide additional information related to the revenue and cost of revenue specifically related to the companys commercially available platforms and services. During the second quarter, Molecular Information Services revenue was $30.3 million, including $12.9 million in revenue generated from our clinical customers, and $17.4 million in revenue generated from our biopharma customers. Pharma Research and Development Services revenue was $4.7 million.

On July 31st, Foundation Medicine entered into an agreement to expand its credit facility with Roche Finance from $100 million to $200 million. Any outstanding balance of the credit facility will convert to a term loan payable over a five-year period beginning on February 2, 2021. No funds were drawn under the credit facility at the time of the expansion. The company intends to use the proceeds to further fund product development, commercialization, corporate development initiatives and working capital.

2017 Outlook

Foundation Medicines business and financial outlook for 2017 is the following:

Conference Call and Webcast Details

The company will conduct a conference call today, Tuesday, August 1st at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time to discuss its financial performance for the 2017 second quarter and other business activities, including matters related to future performance. To access the conference call via phone, dial 1-877-270-2148 from the United States or dial 1-412-902-6510 internationally. Dial in approximately ten minutes prior to the start of the call. The live, listen-only webcast of the conference call may be accessed by visiting the investors section of the companys website at investors.foundationmedicine.com. A replay of the webcast will be available shortly after the conclusion of the call and will be archived on the company's website for two weeks following the call.

About Foundation Medicine Foundation Medicine (NASDAQ:FMI) is a molecular information company dedicated to a transformation in cancer care in which treatment is informed by a deep understanding of the genomic changes that contribute to each patients unique cancer. The company offers a full suite of comprehensive genomic profiling assays to identify the molecular alterations in a patients cancer and match them with relevant targeted therapies, immunotherapies and clinical trials. Foundation Medicines molecular information platform aims to improve day-to-day care for patients by serving the needs of clinicians, academic researchers and drug developers to help advance the science of molecular medicine in cancer. For more information, please visit http://www.FoundationMedicine.com or follow Foundation Medicine on Twitter (@FoundationATCG).

Foundation Medicine, FoundationOneand FoundationACTare registered trademarks, and FoundationOne CDxand FoundationFocusare trademarks, of Foundation Medicine, Inc.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, statements regarding the value of the companys business; the benefits of our products to physicians, biopharmaceutical companies, payers and patients in the treatment of cancer and personalized cancer care; the companys financial and operational forecasts, including projections regarding the generation of revenue, the number of tests to be conducted, the incurrence of operating expenses, the timing of product development, and the expansion of reimbursement progress, including any changes to any earlier guidance; the benefits provided by aFDA-approved and CMS-covered FoundationOne CDx and progress with the Parallel Review process withFDAand CMS; the scope and timing of any approval of our universal companion diagnostic assay as a medical device by theFDAand any coverage decision by CMS; strategies for achievingMedicarecoverage decisions at the local or national level and new and expanded coverage from third-party payers; and use of any funds from its credit facility.All such forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations of future events and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those set forth in or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include the risks thattheFDA does not approve our universal companion diagnostic assay as a medical device or that CMS does not decide to offer our universal companion diagnostic assay as a covered benefit underMedicare; theFDAor CMS is delayed in the completion of the Parallel Review process; the company's new facilities inNorth CarolinaandGermanydo not facilitate the company's ability to achieve it business objectives; the company's distribution partner outsidethe United Statesis not able to achieve market penetration in new and existing markets as quickly or as extensively as projected;Foundation Medicine'srelationships withthird-party or government payers do not increase or expand;Foundation Medicineis unable to sustain or grow relationships with biopharmaceutical partners; the company's revenue, test or operating expense projections may turn out to be inaccurate because of the preliminary nature of the forecasts; the company's expectations and beliefs regarding the future conduct and growth of the company's business are inaccurate; Foundation Medicineis unable to achieve profitability, to compete successfully, to manage its growth, or to develop its molecular information platform;and the risks described under the caption Risk Factors in Foundation Medicines Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, which is on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as other risks detailed in Foundation Medicines subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All information in this press release is as of the date of the release, and Foundation Medicine undertakes no duty to update this information unless required by law.

- Financial Tables to Follow -

FOUNDATION MEDICINE, INC.

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

(In thousands)

(unaudited)

FOUNDATION MEDICINE, INC.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations

(In thousands, except share and per share data)

(unaudited)

(44,258)

(28,994)

(46,301)

(1.24)

(0.84)

(2.55)

(1.34)

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Foundation Medicine Announces 2017 Second Quarter Results and Recent Highlights - Business Wire (press release)

Researchers develop a new test to assist GP antibiotic prescribing – Medical Xpress

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August 1, 2017

A research team at the University of Bristol has won a prestigious international award for a technology that could help in the fight against antibiotic resistance.

One of the main driving forces behind the evolution of antibiotic resistance in bacteria is the inappropriate use of antibiotics. Providing doctors with rapid diagnostics to indicate which antibiotic to prescribe for a particular infection would reduce inappropriate antibiotic use and protect this valuable resource for the future. These rapid "antibiotic susceptibility tests" would also ensure that a patient receives a working antibiotic first time around, reducing the length and severity of their infection, and potentially saving their life.

A collaborative team from the University of Bristol has received a grant from the Longitude Prize Discovery Awards, which will enable them to further develop a portable device for rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing. The team is working on a test that uses a unique system to monitor the responses of individual infection-causing bacteria to antibiotics. They have demonstrated the test's ability to determine, within 20 minutes, the effectiveness of a collection of antibiotics to kill infection-causing bacteria. Using this Discovery Award, the team will now work on a prototype machine to assist GPs when prescribing antibiotics in their practices.

The interdisciplinary team comprises academics and researchers from the School of Physics (Drs Massimo Antognozzi and Charlotte Bermingham); School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine (Dr Matthew Avison); Merchant Venturers School of Engineering (Drs Ruth Oulton and Krishna Coimbatore Balram); Bristol Medical School (Dr Helen Baxter) and NIHR CLAHRC West (Dr Niamh Redmond). The Avoidable Hospital Admissions Health Integration Team (ITHAcA HIT) is part of the wider collaboration supporting this work.

Dr Antognozzi, Senior Lecturer from the School of Physics and lead academic, said: "The team is excited to receive this award, which confirms the originality of our approach and gives us crucial support at this development stage."

Dr Avison, Reader in Molecular Bacteriology and impact lead for the EPSRC-funded BristolBridge AMR research consortium, which provided the initial seed-funding for this project, added: "The continuing development of this potentially transformative diagnostic device, and its receipt of this highly competitive international award, is testament to the interdisciplinary excellence of Bristol's antibiotic resistance research. We all look forward to seeing this project develop further."

Explore further: Fast break for antibiotic resistance testing

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Researchers develop a new test to assist GP antibiotic prescribing - Medical Xpress

Harford County government receives national awards – Baltimore Sun

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The National Association of Counties has recognized Harford County with three NACo Achievement Awards for 2017, County Executive Barry Glassman's administration announced Tuesday.

Harford was recognized for its Harford Streams Summer Adventure, Decisions That Determine Your Destiny, and the County Executives Virtual Town Hall Budget Meeting.

This is the second consecutive year that Glassman's adminstration has earned achievement awards from NACo. Last years awards were for the planning and zoning activity tracker Track-it and the countys multi-faceted approach to the national heroin crisis.

According to the annoucement, NACo is a nonprofit organization comprised of over 3,000 U.S. counties dedicated to healthy, vibrant and safe communities. The annual awards recognize innovative county government programs that produce measurable results.

Staff report

This summer, explore the natural beauty of Harford County streams, snap selfies at your favorite locations and win prizes in Harford Streams Summer Adventure, a new program developed by the Harford County Department of Public Works' Office of Watershed Protection and Restoration. Harford Streams...

This summer, explore the natural beauty of Harford County streams, snap selfies at your favorite locations and win prizes in Harford Streams Summer Adventure, a new program developed by the Harford County Department of Public Works' Office of Watershed Protection and Restoration. Harford Streams... (Staff report)

Harford Streams Summer Adventure was developed by the county Department of Public Works Watershed Protection and Restoration Office to raise public awareness and support for healthy waterways.

Citizens in the program visit a variety of local streams, take a selfie photo at each location and upload their photos to the county website to earn a free T-shirt and enter to win other prizes. A dedicated Facebook page and hashtag further promote the program goals on social media.

Last year, nearly 1,200 selfies were submitted picturing citizens from newborns to 80 years old (and several happy dogs), a county press release notes. "Feedback from citizens was overwhelmingly positive, including from lifelong residents who were delighted to discover the beautiful waterways in their own backyard," the release adds.

Decisions That Determine Your Destiny helps senior citizens and their families prepare important legal documents that guide decision-making in case of critical illness or injury.

Developed by the countys Office on Aging under the Department of Community Services, the program offers free legal assistance drafting documents such as a financial power of attorney, advance medical directive and living will, in partnership with the Harford Bar Foundation.

The program offers peace of mind by helping families to avoid disputes and ensure that the wishes of their loved ones are carried out. To date, nearly 700 citizens have participated in the program, with much of the growth in popularity due to word of mouth, the news release states.

The County Executives Virtual Town Hall Budget Meeting increases opportunities for informed citizen engagement in developing the countys annual budget.

Conceived by Glassman and developed by the countys offices of Governmental & Community Relations and Information & Communication Technology, the town hall is a combined virtual and live event for citizens to learn about the county budget process and share budget priorities in a public forum without necessarily being physically present. The virtual town hall began in 2015 and has been held annually since.

In partnership with Harford Cable Network and Harford Community College, the town hall meeting is held on the college campus where attendees can testify in the traditional sense, while others provide real-time input via social media, email and a dedicated phone line, which is then read aloud by a moderator.

According to the county administration, the event also streams live on the County website and to 70,000 cable channel subscribers, "dramatically expanding opportunities beyond those citizens who can attend a public meeting. This in turn provides valuable input for decision-makers."

I would like to thank all of the county employees who thought outside the box and made these programs possible, Glassman said in a statement. I am also proud that my administration has once again been recognized by NACo for developing innovative programs that improve the lives of Harford County citizens.

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Harford County government receives national awards - Baltimore Sun

Why Have Accounts in Multiple Photography Communities? – Fstoppers

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Why Have Accounts in Multiple Photography Communities?
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When you first create an account, you are allowed to upload 10 images to your portfolio. The only way to expand your portfolio beyond 10 is hinged on if your images are rated highly by other users, or not. Every time a photo in your portfolio is rated ...

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Why Have Accounts in Multiple Photography Communities? - Fstoppers

Mantis PSVR Headphones Review: An Essential Accessory – UploadVR

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Ive said it several times: Sonys PlayStation VR (PSVR) is my absolutely favorite VR headset on the market right now from a comfort perspective. Clearly, this was designed as a consumer product end-to-end and I love wearing it. However, it has a lot of problems. The screen door effect is noticeably worse than on the Vive or Rift, there is no true 360 or roomscale tracking, and the motion controllers (PS Move) are a poor substitute for Oculus Touch and the Vive wands.

However, there is another issue thats bothered me ever since the PSVR launched that often goes overlooked and its the lack of a built-in audio solution. The Rift launched with excellent headphones that you can easily flip up or down and the Vive recently got a brand new headstrap that enables that same functionality. Now, the PSVR has its own approximation with the third-party PSVR Mantis heaphones by Bionik.

Bionik is a company thats a made name for itself as of late by creating and selling hardware accessories like charging docks and controller mods for Xbox One, Switch, PS4, and even Samsung Gear VR. Now theyre realizing perhaps their best and most-desired product yet with the detachable Mantis PSVR headphones.

Before the Mantis I was using a white HyperX Cloud headset that goes fully over my entire ear. Theyre extremely comfortable and I also use them for my tablet, Switch, Vive, PC, and pretty much everything else. However, its a hassle to constantly get up and go get them every time I need a headset. Since the PSVR has a built-in microphone and is always on its stand next to the couch when not in use, an elegant audio solution makes a lot more sense than lugging around a headset between every room in my house.

Luckily, installation is dead simple. All you do is clip the headphones onto each side of the headset by expanding the opening until its snug. I wiggled them a bit to make sure they were in the best spot then plugged them into the breakout box just like I would any other pair of headphones. After putting on the headset I just click each side down so it hangs in front of my ear, resting lightly just like the Rift headphones.

The material is different than that of the Rift, though. It doesnt have a mesh-like texture and feels more like some type of plastic or leather exterior. The result is that they still feel extremely comfortable, but dont press against my ear as much. The audio leak is a bit more noticeable as well for people sitting around the wearer, but that shouldnt be an issue. Since the TV already replicates the PSVRs audio no one should notice.

Now the main thing to be aware of is that, depending on what you want your headphones to accomplish, the Mantis may not be for you. If youre looking for something that can block out all outside sound and fully encapsulate you in the illusion of VR, then this isnt for you. The simple fact is that an on-ear hovering headphone is never going to be able to block out exterior sound like an over-ear sound cancelling headset can. Thats just not how sound works.

That being said, if you dont mind a bit of outside sound, or if you actuallywant to be able to quickly lift an earpiece to hear what someone is saying, then these are excellent. As someone that demos VR a lot for friends and family being able to easily lift an earpiece and say something is a godsend.

The cable isnt very long, basically just long enough to reach the audio port with a little bit of slack. If you dont mind the extra hassle, finding some way to attach it to the cord already hanging down from the headset would be a good idea since there is really no reason to ever remove the Mantis from your PSVR once its setup. The clip-on design means you wont find yourself ever using them for anything else.

Other than the necessary PS Camera, the PS Move controllers (required for some games,) and the PS Aim controller (used in some games,) wed contend that the Mantis PSVR headphones may very well be the next best accessory for Sonys VR headset. They clip-on easily, blend in perfectly, and solve an issue thats been frustrating PSVR owners ever since the headset launched. Now lets hope someone figures out a way to improve tracking or give the PS Move controllers analog sticks.

The Mantis is available starting today for $49.99. Visit the official website for more details.

Tagged with: bionik, mantis

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Monkey King Review: Digital Domain’s VR Debut Stumbles – UploadVR

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The tale of the Monkey King in the Journey to the West, a classic 16th century Chinese novel, is something youre probably familiar with in some capacity without even knowing it. Some works are simply known as Journey to the West as a direct homage, or the Chinese Odyssey but even not so obvious stories take inspiration from the tale as well, such as the enormously popular Dragon Ball Z manga and anime series. The core of the tale centers onSun Wukong as he completes a journey of self-discovery and mastery of the martial arts.

There is even a video game called Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, which was developed by DEXED creators Ninja Theory. This latest iteration of the tale, simply known as Monkey King, is an original animated VR series by Digital Domain, a company thats made its name from impressive visual effects for Hollywood films and commercials. Monkey King is their episodic VR debut.

To be clear, this is not a game in any way. There is a MonkeyKing VR game available on Steam right now from Gene Games Technology, but it has no connection to the Monkey King series from Digital Domain. For all intents and purposes this entry is purely passive and asks you to simply sit, watch, and look around while everything plays out before you.

Weve seen a lot of really impressive and moving pieces in VR that require zero interaction from the viewer. The likes of Dear Angelica and Henry from Oculus Story Studio as well as Allumette and Rose from Penrose Studio all come to mind.

Unfortunately, Monkey King shares very little with those other works. What makes VR such a powerful medium for storytelling is its ability to immerse the viewer in the world like never before and direct attention in clever, subtle ways that arent possible with traditionally flat 2D displays. When a VR experience is at its best its entirely impossible to capture it outside of VR in the same way. Many of these methods are commonly referred to as going beyond the frame of a traditional screen.

In this adaptation of the Monkey King you watch the story unfold before you as a floating observer in the sky. Much of it takes place while your point of view is stationary off to the side, in a tree, or somewhere slightly removed from the scene itself. While this is common for animated shorts in VR, I never really felt part of the story in this case.

Narration is good and does a great job of setting up each scene, but visually I found myself severely underwhelmed. Textures appeared to be flat and lifeless, especially when inspected up close. A bit more detail was afforded to objects around the core of the scene, but if you looked around too much youd start to find the inadequacies.

For a medium like VR, where the user should be encouraged to look around and explore, this seemed like a big missed opportunity. Funneling the viewer to a single point of view at all times made it feel like itd have been just as effective, if not more so, outside of VR completely.

The story itself is told well enough with interesting characters (even if I found myself really disliking the main protagonist) and there is a satisfying arc across the three included episodes. The story is incomplete right now though, which is unfortunate.

Monkey King isnt a bad VR animation, but its just not that great either. The three episodes dovetail together nicely, but it never feels like it really takes advantage of VR as a medium. Visually it felt underwhelming and left a lot to be desired.

Monkey King is available now for PlayStation VR (PSVR) and includes the first three episodes for $9.99. Eventually, its expected to also release for Vive, Rift, Gear VR, Daydream, and Cardboard devices.Read ourContent Review Guidelinesfor more information on how we arrived at this score.

Tagged with: digital domain, monkey king

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Officials break ground on sports medicine facility in Ringgold, Ga. – Chattanooga Times Free Press

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Gallery: Ground broken on Ringgold sports medicine facility

North Georgia politicians hope the opening of a new medical practice will spur more development in the Ringgold area.

City councilmen and Catoosa County commissioners broke ground Tuesday with doctors and other representatives of the Center for Sports Medicine and Orthopaedics. Located on the 4700 block of Battlefield Parkway, the center is across the street from Battlefield Imaging, where Hutcheson Medical Center's former ambulatory surgical center once stood.

The center specializes in surgeries, non-invasive work and rehab for bones and muscles. With six locations already in Tennessee dating back to 1979, this will be the first center in Georgia. CEO Becky Farmer said the center hopes to open the 17,000-square-foot facility by early next year.

"The residents of North Georgia have come to us for a long time," she said Monday. "This was a no-brainer."

Randall Peters, chairman of the Catoosa County Economic Development Authority, said this was one of the smoothest projects to land. Developer Larry Armour approached the EDA about bringing the center to Battlefield Parkway less than a year ago. Both sides completed the necessary paperwork for the facility a couple of months ago.

The property is part of Project Jump, a partnership between the local governments and Armour. Using a no- interest loan from the developer, the Authority bought about 20 acres in November and December of last year. The local government entity bought half the land from the Ringgold Church of Christ in November for $850,000 and the other half from Brice Holland in December for $1.7 million.

The authority, the city of Ringgold and Catoosa County are splitting the cost of site development, which includes road and intersection improvements, land grading and installing utilities and a storm water system. The total cost of the work is about $1.9 million, said Authority Spokeswoman Katie Sponberger.

Armour has provided a financial guarantee that sales and property taxes from new businesses here will cover the site development cost within seven years. Armour is helping the authority recruit companies.

"We feel like this is kind of the start," Peters said Tuesday morning.

The facility will have four healthcare providers on site, as well as about five physical therapists. Dr. Bradford Mitchell, a non-operative orthopedist, said the center will be a great spot to heal sprains, strains, broken bones, concussions, joint pain and muscle aches.

Compared to surrounding municipalities, Catoosa County has a slightly wealthier population. The median household income sits at $51,000 about in line with the state average. According to Census data, that figure is about 15 percent higher than Walker and Whitfield counties, as well as about 6 percent higher than Hamilton County.

Contact Staff Writer Tyler Jett at 423-757-6476 or tjett@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @LetsJett.

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Officials break ground on sports medicine facility in Ringgold, Ga. - Chattanooga Times Free Press

MU School of Medicine partners with Indian company to study holistic medical treatments – Lakenewsonline.com

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Traditional medicine, such as Ayurveda is used by 6580 percent of the worlds population as their primary form of health care, the World Health Organization estimates.

Ayurvedic medicine (also called Ayurveda) is one of the worlds oldest medical systems. Originating in India more than 5,000 years ago, this holistic medicine system uses herbal compounds, special diets and other health care practices to augment conventional preventative and disease treatments. Now,Kattesh Katti, a researcher at theUniversity of Missouri, has developed a non-toxic delivery method using gold nanoparticles that may revolutionize Ayurveda. His technique for producing the nanoparticles recently was licensed by Dhanvantari Nano Ayushadi (DNA), a company base in Tamil Nadu, India.

Ayurveda uses combinations of chemicals derived from natural herbs, spices, fruits and vegetables in combination with various metals including gold, silver and copper. Together, the chemicals and metals are aimed at treating various disorders. Traditional medicine, such as Ayurveda is used by 6580 percent of the worlds population as their primary form of health care, the World Health Organization estimates.

In the past, metals predominantly used in holistic medicine have been crushed and burned; caregivers grind the ash with herbs to produce an ingestible treatment, said Katti, Curators Distinguished Professor of Radiology and Physics in theMU School of Medicineand theCollege of Arts and Scienceand senior research scientist at theUniversity of Missouri Research Reactor(MURR). However, the ways in which those metals are procured often involve mercury; other toxic means to extract the gold or other alloys can be deadly if ingested in the wrong amounts. The gold nanoparticle production methods use a green technology that effectively eliminates the toxicity associated with these treatments.

Katti and his team helped develop green nanotechnologies to produce phytonano medicines, which are compounds that form the basis for Indias Ayurvedic medicine. Scientists mix gold salts with cinnamon and stir the mixture with water to synthesize gold nanoparticles. These green therapies are less toxic to the body and could provide alternatives to current treatments for diseases including cancer, arthritis and diabetes among others.

The technology is patent pending and Kavita Katti, a senior research scientist at MU Radiology, recently demonstrated the production methods in the DNA labs in India, which has licensed the technology from Katti and the University of Missouri.

These successful production runs within the DNA premises and the efficient training of our personnel fully fulfill the requirements signed in our contract, said Abhaya Kumar Jain, CEO and president of DNA. We look forward to a long-term working and collaborative relationship with Dr. Katti and his team as we collectively advance the field of nano-Ayurvedic medicine to develop the next generation of health care products for the care and treatment of patients across the world.

We are therefore, excited to be the first company in the world to apply principles of green nanotechnology to validate Ayurvedic principles and bring nano-Ayurvedic products to market for the care and savings of human lives suffering from cancer and various diseases/disorders in the world, Jain said.

Research and product development using the green nanotechnology techniques developed in Kattis lab will continue at the facility in India. Using Indian Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH) guidelines, DNA will continue to test formulations that could provide complementary therapies to chemotherapy, radiation and other traditional treatments, Katti said.

We are excited that two great minds, Mr. Abhaya Kumar Jain, a pioneer in the Indian pharmaceutical industry, and Professor Kattesh V Katti, globally recognized as the Father of green nanotechnology, have come together to bring nano-Ayurvedic Medicine technology to India, said Anantkumar Hegde, who is an elected member of the Indian Parliament. This is a marriage made in heaven because India and the world needed the intervention of green nanotechnology for the development of Ayurvedic products through scientifically rigorous methodologies.

The nano-Ayurvedic medicine approaches are built on rigorous scientifically validated methods, Katti said. I am excited to be a part of this important journey using nano-Ayurvedic medicine approaches for treating, healing and curing various diseases. I have always dreamed of helping humanity through my science, I can now see that I am able to use my interdisciplinary green nanotechnology approaches for the development of Ayurvedic products.

During the past five years, companies commercializing MU technologies have secured hundreds of millions of dollars in investments and grants to advance their commercialization efforts. In 2016, the Office of Technology Management and Industry Relations reported that Mizzou received $14.9 million in revenue from more than 40 technology licenses.

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Mainstream medicine is partly to blame for the ridiculous ‘treatments’ Goop promotes – STAT

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I

t is easy to mock the ridiculous and potentially harmful health advice and product lines promoted by Gwyneth Paltrow and her team at Goop. Sleeping near healing crystals, lugging around jade eggs in the vagina, swilling moon juice, undergoing raw goat milk cleanses, dabbing on sex dust, and snapping photos of your aura are just some of the ridiculous treatments and remedies offered at high prices to those looking for health ideas from a movie star.

The mocking may be a bit understated. How does this company and other equally daffy outfits pull off these highly lucrative health scams?

Mainstream medicine is partly to blame.

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Some of the most prestigious hospitals and clinics in North America offer many of the same kinds of treatments that Goop promotes. And some of the practitioners who advise the company, those Goop calls the best doctors and experts in the field for advice and solutions, work at these same institutions.

Why is this? And isnt it time for all of mainstream health care to condemn rather than tolerate doctors who are advising the Goop-like companies of the world that are growing rich by peddling a potent mix of glamor, hipness, and mumbo jumbo?

Several thousand years ago, whether you were an Egyptian pharaoh with migraines or a feverish Spartan soldier, chances are your doctor would try to cure you by bloodletting. He would open a vein with an unsterilized knife or sharpened piece of wood, causing blood to flow into a handy bowl. If you had a high-tech doctor, he might have used leeches instead of a knife.

Despite the fact that bleeding did not work and probably killed a fair number of those who got it, this treatment was a mainstay of medicine for thousands of years. It wasnt until late in the 20th century that doctors began to argue that tradition, custom, and patients willing to pay were a lousy foundation upon which to base medical care. Evidence, in the form of objective clinical trials, needed to be the basis upon which doctors treated their patients.

Still, the twisted logic that ancient therapy means effective therapy can be found on both Goop.com to justify cupping, essential oils, and jade vagina eggs and, incredibly, on many academic and university websites pushing alternative practices.

Today, all medical education from medical school through continuing professional education preaches the value of evidence-based medicine, with one exception. Up in medicines attic, the crazy uncle of medical practice, alternative and complementary medicine, is allowed to offer aromatherapy, crystals, herbal remedies, homeopathy, reiki, detoxification, and other nostrums and elixirs at many of the finest hospitals and clinics in North America. Neither evidence nor scientific plausibility are required. Custom, cultural beliefs, and fairy dust are deemed sufficient to entice patients willing to pay for the equivalent of bleeding.

Think we are kidding? In fact, many universities and academic health centers throughout North America have provided either explicit or implicit support for everything from spoon bending to homeopathy to reiki.

Worse, some of these institutions also endorse the supernatural underpinnings of these therapies. The Cleveland Clinic, to cite just one example, suggests that energy therapies like reiki work by promoting balance and flow in the bodys electromagnetic and subtle energies. Ridiculous? Yes. But not very different from the much-mocked language that Goop and Gwyneth use to market wearable stickers that target our bodies energy imbalances, because, as the Goop website explains, human bodies operate at an ideal energetic frequency.

Little wonder that Goop and its ilk are flourishing. Medicine is sitting inside a glass pyramid from which it is tough to throw stones at alternative and complementary medicine.

A team of researchers recently published a wonderful study outlining how primary school children in Uganda could be taught critical thinking skills in the context of health claims. Teaching a few basic concepts that testimonials are not evidence and that ancient and/or popular does not mean a therapy is effective had a significant impact on how the children assessed claims about health remedies. Perhaps Gwyneth and a few of the leaders of our best academic health institutions should take the same course.

Arthur L. Caplan heads the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU School of Medicine. Timothy Caulfield is the Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy at the University of Alberta and author of Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong about Everything?

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Mainstream medicine is partly to blame for the ridiculous 'treatments' Goop promotes - STAT

Hong Kong public hospitals need additional 100 internal medicine doctors, college says – South China Morning Post

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The citys public hospitals are facing a shortage of at least 100 doctors specialising in internal medicine amid growing demand arising from the peak flu season and the ageing population, according to the Hong Kong College of Physicians.

College president Professor Philip Li Kam-tao, who revealed the statistics on Tuesday, called on the government to hire more public doctors as the existing number had failed to catch up with the growth in patient numbers over the past few years.

How worried should you be about Hong Kongs unusual flu outbreak?

Doctors working in internal medicine are said to be significantly overloaded at a time when the city is being hit with the summer flu peak. A total of 427 patients have either died or been admitted to intensive care units because of severe flu.

Li said currently each doctor had to take care of up to 25 patients in a medical ward, while an ideal ratio should be 12 to 15 patients.

Official statistics show that a total of 1,081 people were admitted to public medical wards through emergency units on Monday, more than the average 850 patients received during non-peak periods. The overall bed occupancy rate stood at 112 per cent.

In some hospitals, the number of extra beds added to medical wards could fill up an additional three to four wards, Li said, adding that each ward accommodated around 40 beds.

While the number of patients treated at internal medicine specialist clinics had increased by 20 per cent, from close to 600,000 in 2011 to more than 720,000 last year, the number of doctors in that speciality had only increased by 15 per cent, Li said.

Carrie Lam issues action call in Hong Kong hospitals flu crisis

There has also been a 23 per cent increase in the number of occupied bed days for inpatients in medical wards, from 2.48 million to 3.06 million days.

The Hospital Authority has hired only 72 doctors for internal medicine so far this year compared with 91 last year and 93 in 2015.

If the working environment or workload in the medical wards is not improving but continues to worsen, we are worried that green doctors will consider [joining other specialities], Li said.

While the consultation time with patients has been reduced, Li said it was also getting more difficult for doctors to take leave for speciality examinations.

An authority spokeswoman said the authority expected the manpower problem to ease when an additional 420 medical graduates complete their internship training in 2019.

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Hong Kong public hospitals need additional 100 internal medicine doctors, college says - South China Morning Post

We need to implement better policies on pain science and integrative medicine – The Hill (blog)

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Pain is a universal human experience and one of the most common reasons people see a doctor. It has repeatedly been in the news due to the current opioid epidemic that is taking the lives of more than90 people a dayin the United States.

On May 31stthe head of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Francis S. Collins, and the head of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Dr. Nora Volkow, published an article intheNew England Journal of Medicine titled,The Role of Science in Addressing the Opioid Crisis. Sadly, the only science addressed concerned pharmaceutical drugs.

For example, the American College of Physicians, which represents internal medicine doctors, publishedpractice guidelinesfor low-back pain in February 2017 stating:

For patients with chronic low-back pain, clinicians and patients should initially select non-pharmacologic treatment with exercise, multidisciplinary rehabilitation, acupuncture, mindfulness-based stress reduction (moderate-quality evidence), tai chi, yoga, motor control exercise, progressive relaxation, electromyography biofeedback, low-level laser therapy, operant therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, or spinal manipulation (low-quality evidence).

It is, therefore, extremely disconcerting to read the complete omission of non-pharmacologic treatment by the leadership of NIH and NIDA, who have enormous influence on what is researched and therefore on what is brought into policy and practice.

Cannabis and deep brain stimulation are mentioned in the article;however, cannabis has legal challenges at the federal level as well as in multiple states, and deep brain stimulation is highly invasive. The most cost-effective and least invasive practices, which need and deserve further research, are completely ignored.

Opioids are the best medications we have for moderate-to-severe acute pain; used appropriately, they are effective and relatively safe. As stand-alone treatment for chronic pain, however, they neither safe nor effective.With more and more patients seeking relief from chronic pain syndrome, doctors have come to understand that it is fundamentally different from acute pain.

As pain becomes chronic, brain areas that perceive it begin to change physically and communicate with nearby areas that normally have nothing to do with pain. Involvement of these other regions appears to be related to difficult symptoms that often accompany chronic pain, such as fatigue, disturbed sleep, depression, anxiety, and cognitive impairment. These co-morbidities greatly complicate the management of chronic pain. In many settings, unfortunately, patients with chronic pain syndrome are still treated as if they had acute pain.

The newer, integrative approach stresses individualized treatment, using many different modalities coordinated by a team of healthcare professionals.Analgesic medication is a component of this approach but never the sole component or even the most important one.

An example is theOregon Pain Management Commissions integrativeinitiative. Based on the costs and poor outcomes of a medication-focused approach, the state passed an initiative in 2016 to provide integrative therapies for chronic pain syndrome in addition to conventional care, including acupuncture, massage, manipulation, yoga, and supervised exercise and physical therapy. It left out mind/body therapies, such as hypnosis, biofeedback, and mindfulness-based stress reduction, which can be both cost- and time-effective.

TheVeterans Administration (VA)has also backed away from reliance on opioids to manage chronic pain syndrome and is now actively promoting comprehensive care that includes acupuncture, yoga, mindfulness meditation, and physical therapy. Other states should follow the lead of Oregon and the VA, mandating policies that address the new science of chronic pain with integrative approaches rather than punishing users or prescribers of analgesic medication.

Additional policy changes would support funding not only for pharmaceutical-government partnerships as promoted by NIH leaders, but also for cost and clinical effectiveness outcomes research that could be carried out in partnership between innovators and insurers.

In addition, funding is needed to assess the impact of new educational programs on integrative pain management. These would evaluate changes in prescribing behavior of providers and the use of opioids as well as satisfaction with care amongst the patients they serve.

Broadening our perspective so as to address prevention, training, and best medical practices is critically important for the institutions that determine research priorities and drug policy.

Andrew Weil, MD, is director of the University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine and author ofMind Over Meds: Protect Yourself from Overmedication by Knowing When Drugs Are Necessary, When Alternatives Are Better, and When to Let Your Body Heal on Its Own. Victoria Maizes, MD, is the executive director of the University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine and a professor of medicine and public health.

The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the views of The Hill.

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We need to implement better policies on pain science and integrative medicine - The Hill (blog)

Southampton Hospital Officially Merges With Stony Brook Medicine – Patch.com

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Southampton Hospital Officially Merges With Stony Brook Medicine
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Stony Brook University welcomed Southampton Hospital, which will now be known as Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, as a member of the Stony Brook Medicine health system, Samuel L. Stanley Jr., MD, president, and Ken Kaushansky, MD, senior vice ...
Southampton Hospital Merger With Stony Brook Medicine Is Made Official On Tuesday27east.com
Southampton Hospital officially joins Stony Brook MedicineNewsday

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Avoid practising defensive medicine, docs told – The Straits Times

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Doctors were urged yesterday not to overreact to a recent case in which a paediatrician was suspended for failing to diagnose that a child had the rare Kawasaki disease.

Senior Minister of State for Health Lam Pin Min reminded them that it is part of their work to exercise "good clinical judgment" when treating their patients.

They should avoid practising defensive medicine, which would raise healthcare costs unnecessarily, he added.

Dr Lam was replying in Parliament to Dr Lim Wee Kiak (Sembawang GRC), who had asked if there were guidelines for doctors to "send all cases for detailed diagnostic tests to avoid misdiagnosing rare medical conditions".

Dr Lim cited the case of the paediatrician, whose suspension led more than 1,000 doctors to sign a petition to the Health Ministry and the Singapore Medical Council (SMC), saying that the punishment was too severe for misdiagnosing a rare disease.

Dr Chia Foong Lin, who is in private practice, had appealed against the disciplinary tribunal's judgment, but the Supreme Court upheld it.

Feb 25, 2013

A one-year-old child suffering from red eyes and high fever for three days is hospitalised at Gleneagles Hospital.

Dr Chia Foong Lin diagnoses him as having a viral infection.

Feb 27

The child is fretful, his lips turn bright red and he develops a rash.

Dr Chia considers Kawasaki disease, but does not do any supportive tests for this (there is no specific diagnostic test for Kawasaki disease), nor does she tell his parents.

Feb 28

The boy's fever spikes in the morning and his lips are red and cracked.

March 1

His fever appears to have settled and Dr Chia discharges him. His red eyes have improved and he has no rashes, but his lips are still red and cracked.

March 3

He is reviewed by Dr Chia as an outpatient at her clinic. His parents say the child's fever has continued in the past two days.

March 4

The boy's parents seek a second opinion from Dr Lee Bee Wah, another paediatrician in private practice.

Dr Lee notes that the boy is irritable, has a rash on his upper body, redness on his palms and soles, prominent lymph nodes on the right side of the neck, and a heart murmur.

She orders blood tests and an echocardiogram, which shows that the blood vessels of the heart are already affected.

She treats the boy for Kawasaki disease and he responds well.

Salma Khalik

Dr Lim asked whether the ministry would issue guidelines, if none exists, for diagnosing potentially rare illnesses.

Dr Lam said internationally accepted guidelines for Kawasaki disease have been in existence since 2004. They state that a prolonged fever, with two other symptoms, warrants checking for the disease.

The one-year-old boy Dr Chia was treating had fever and three other symptoms: red eyes, a rash, and lips that were red and cracked.

The tribunal found that "Dr Chia fell short of the reasonable standard expected of a senior paediatrician by not ordering tests to support the diagnosis or discussing with the parents this possible diagnosis which she had considered", said Dr Lam.

It judged her actions as "serious negligence", he added.

Kawasaki disease, if untreated, results in 15 per cent to 20 per cent of children - usually under five years old - developing serious medical problems including heart disease, or dying.

Between them, National University Hospital and KK Women's and Children's Hospital see 160 to 190 cases of Kawasaki disease a year.

Ms Tin Pei Ling (MacPherson) had asked about the basis for Dr Chia's suspension.

Dr Lam said that in deciding on the three-month suspension, the tribunal took into account her 23 years of experience as a paediatrician, and her unblemished record.

It also looked at eight precedents of doctors missing or giving a wrong diagnosis. Six of them were suspended.

Ms Tin also asked whether studies had been done on defensive medicine and potential implications if it was practised here.

Dr Lam said that there is no such local study, but when a doctor deviates from sound medical practice for fear of a malpractice suit, it adds unnecessarily to healthcare costs, he added.

"As part of their work, doctors are expected to exercise good clinical judgment to manage patients appropriately," he said.

Dr Lam added that doctors need to keep abreast of medical knowledge and international guidelines. That is why the SMC requires all doctors to have mandatory continuing medical education.

He said he was aware the case has caused concern among many doctors. He urged them "to stay calm and not overreact", and to read the tribunal's rationale for the penalty.

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Avoid practising defensive medicine, docs told - The Straits Times