NASA Provides Space Access for University Developed Experiments during March 27 Flight

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NASA will fly six university experiments developed by undergraduate students from its Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia between 6:45 and 10 a.m., Friday, March 27. The experiments will examine technology development, microgravity science and the search for life in the upper atmosphere and near space during the suborbital mission, which will reach an altitude of nearly 94 nautical miles.

The experiments, which will fly aboard a NASA Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket, were developed through the RockSat-X program, a collaboration with the Colorado Space Grant Consortium at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The back-up launch dates are March 28-30.

Participating universities in this flight are the University of Colorado, Boulder; Northwest Nazarene University, Nampa, Idaho; the University of Puerto Rico; the University of Nebraska, Lincoln; and Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg.

Phil Eberspeaker, chief of the Sounding Rocket Program Office at Wallops, said, We are pleased to continue our collaboration with the Colorado Space Grant Consortium in providing students from institutions across the United States the ability to fly their experiments in space.

This is the fourth flight of RockSat-X experiments. The quality of the experiments developed by the students shows they are prepared for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers, he said.

RockSat-X is the third tier in a multi-phase NASA program for providing flight experiences for community college and university students to improve their skills in developing experiments and payloads for spaceflight.

Tier One, called Rock-On, introduces students and instructors to payload development; Tier Two, RockSat-C, then allows them to build on this learning experience developing an experiment for flight.

Chris Koehler, director of the Colorado Space Grant Consortium, said, RockSat-X is a great way for college students to put their experiments into space, giving them an experience that will help them in their future STEM-related careers.

The University of Puerto Rico has participated in the three past RockSat-X launches, in addition to participating in the Rock-On and RockSat-C programs dating back to 2008.

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NASA Provides Space Access for University Developed Experiments during March 27 Flight

NASA ORION Program Manager to Visit Goddard

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OnDec. 5, 2014, NASA's Orion spacecraft, the vehicle that will send astronauts to deep space destinations, underwent a rigorous uncrewed flight test that was supported by various teams at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center inGreenbelt, Maryland.

OnTuesday, March 24, 2015, Orion Program ManagerMark Geyerof NASA's Johnson Space Center,Houston, will visit NASA Goddard to meet and thank the teams for their efforts. Geyer will also have an opportunity to see some of Goddard's other current programs such as the James Webb Space Telescope and the Satellite Servicing Robotics Laboratory.

As part of Geyer's visit to Goddard, a media opportunity for reporters to speak with him is planned for4:30 p.m. EDT.

Reporters who wish to participate in the Q&A opportunity need to make arrangements with Goddard's Office of Communications. Media representatives should contact Goddard's News ChiefEd Campionvia e-mail at:edward.s.campion@nasa.govor by phone at 301-286-0697 no later than 12 noon onTuesday, March 24to arrange accreditation and access to the center.

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NASA ORION Program Manager to Visit Goddard

NNI publishes workshop report assessing the status of EHS risk science

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Report examines progress 3 years after the release of the 2011 NNI EHS Research Strategy

The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) today published the report from the workshop, "Stakeholder Perspectives on Perception, Assessment, and Management of the Potential Risks of Nanotechnology" (R3 Workshop), which was held September 10-11, 2013, in Washington, D.C. The goal of the workshop was to assess the status of nanotechnology environmental, health, and safety (EHS) risk science three years after the development of the 2011 NNI EHS Research Strategy and to identify the tools and best practices used by risk assessors to address the implications of nanotechnology. A wide range of stakeholders including Federal and State regulators, small and large businesses, insurance companies, academic researchers, occupational safety specialists, and public and environmental advocacy groups shared their perspectives on the risk management process; discussed strategies and approaches for improving risk science methods; and examined ways that NNI agencies can assist stakeholders in the responsible development of nanotechnology.

Stakeholders participating in the workshop presented their perspectives and methods used to assess and manage the potential risks of nanotechnology. Research presented at the workshop shows that technical risk data alone will not enable decisions; risk evaluations by different stakeholders with varying biases, values, and stances can affect the perceptions and behaviors (e.g., investment or personal safety decisions) of consumers, regulators, developers, manufacturers, and insurers.

Following a robust dialogue among participants, including a variety of stakeholder perspectives, participants identified needs in four areas. (The following list is not prioritized):

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To view the full report, please visit http://www.nano.gov/R3report.

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.

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NNI publishes workshop report assessing the status of EHS risk science

Cavitation Technologies Receives Nano Reactor System Trial for Canada

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Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) March 20, 2015

Cavitation Technologies, Inc. (CTi) (OTCBB:CVAT); announced today that the Desmet Ballestra Group, CTi's strategic partner since 2010 and licensee of the company's vegetable oil refining technology, has entered into a new system trial agreement with a canola oil refinery in Canada. This oil refinery processes approximately 500MTPD of canola oil and Desmet anticipates system installation in the first quarter of CTis fiscal year 2016.

With system installations in soy refineries worldwide, this order marks CTis first system trial in canola oil and provides a new business opportunity for companys line of products in edible oil processing and refining.

Roman Gordon, companys CTO comments, We are very excited to have a system trial at canola processing refinery. Furthermore, this system trial comes from a repeat customer in North America. This customer had an opportunity to evaluate significant benefits that our technology brings in soy oil refining and chose to install our system at their canola refining plant. Our invaluable relationship with our licensee, the Desmet Ballestra Group, provides our company with very strong business partnership with global technology leader."

About CTI Founded in 2007, the company designs and manufactures state-of-the-art, flow-through, robust devices and systems and develops processing technologies for use in edible oil refining, renewable fuel production, expeditious petroleum upgrading, algal oil extraction, alcoholic beverage enhancement and water treatment. As an add-on to existing neutralization systems, the company's patented Nano-Reactor allows refiners to significantly reduce both processing costs and the environmental impact, by substantially reducing chemical consumption while also increasing the oil yield. More information is available at http://www.ctinanotech.com/.

About Desmet Ballestra Group The Desmet Ballestra Group is a world leader in the fields of engineering and supply of plants and equipment for the oils, fats, animal feed industries, detergents, surfactants and related chemical industries and the oleo-chemical and biodiesel industries. Desmet Ballestra possesses a great worldwide reputation, thanks to over 60 years of experience, a significant R&D capacity and the most extensive customer base in the industry. The company has sales and engineering offices in 15 countries. In May 2011, the Company signed licensing agreement with Desmet and since then Desmet has marketed and installed CTis Nano-Reactor systems in edible vegetable oil refineries around the world. In May of 2012, CTi signed a global R&D, Marketing and Technology License Agreement with Desmet, which gives CTi the flexibility to pursue new research and applications while Desmet, markets CTis technology to major clients around the world. More information is available at http://www.desmetballestra.com/ .

Forward Looking Statement The foregoing press release may contain forward-looking statements, including statements regarding, among other things, about the expectation of CTI's future business. These forward-looking statements are based largely on the Company's expectations and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the Company's control. Actual results could differ materially from these forward looking statements as a result of a variety of factors including, among others, the state of the economy, the competitive environment, and the Company's performance. In light of these risks and uncertainties there can be no assurances that the forward looking statements contained in this press release will in fact transpire or prove to be accurate.

Contact

Cavitation Technologies, Inc: Jessica Steidinger Jessica(at)ctinanotech(dot)com (818) 718-0905

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Cavitation Technologies Receives Nano Reactor System Trial for Canada

Tin Whiskers Brewing Company: Engineered to Perfection

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Short Circuit Stout, Wheatstone Bridge, and Ampere Amber are three of the craft beers on tap at a micro-brewery owned by threemaybe you guessed who already?--electrical engineers.

St. Paul, MNIt was during one of many Happy Hours involving beer that electrical engineers Jake Johnson, Jeff Moriarty, and George Kellerman decided to take the plunge and start their own open source craft brewery in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The electrical-engineering themed brewery's robot logo and wall mural (shown here) were created by artist Ben Courneya.

That was back in 2010, but their interest in craft beers had been brewing ever since earning BSEEs from the University of Minnesota in 2006. Moriarty and Johnson started home brewing the summer after graduation, using extract kits on the kitchen stove. I also took my first trip to England, Scotland, and Ireland at that time and was able to experience all their delicious beers, said Moriarty. I just really liked all the flavors of craft beer.

Once the idea of starting a brewery had moved past the dreaming-about-it-stage, Moriarty and Johnson scaled that home brew operation to a 1/2bbl (15.5 gallons or 1 keg) pilot nano brewery, complete with all the equipment of a larger, commercial brewery.

The micro brewery offers tours of the brew process (complete with all the technical details an engineer could ever want), along with beer tastings in its taproom.

The teams engineering skills proved instrumental in getting the business off the ground, with a minimum of burps in the process. "A significant aspect of engineering is learning how to think and analyze data, which was a huge help to us in launching the business, especially as brewing is very numbers-intensive, said Moriarty.

Engineering also teaches you how to accomplish tasks with a risk-based approach as well as completing tasks and trials in discrete, small iterations as well as using process control., he added. Both are vital when it comes to designing and consistently producing a beer.

The biggest challenge for the team was raising the necessary capital for their startup. Breweries are very capital-intensive businesses, and Moriarty said that being a young team meant it took a lot of time to convince people to invest money in the startup.

Describing the fund-raising as an unpleasant and difficult period, Moriarty said that he and is co-founders made wise use of the time refining their plans and working on the beers. When you are so passionate about something and know it can be a success, it becomes an emotional roller coaster trying to raise the money you need, he said.

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If this kind of performance is what you get after six months of dedicated planning, then less planning sounds good to …

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This was a salutary defeat. This, surely, is the end for psychobabble and over-professionalism, a full stop to mark the end of overcoaching and joylessly prescriptive planning. It is time for Englands cricketers to put bat to ball, to react to the situation and not genuflect to the tactics manual. It is time to play once again. If this is what you get after six months of dedicated planning, then less planning sounds good to me.

Here is one possible summary of this disastrous World Cup: They found ever more stones to upturn, each less relevant than thelast. Lauded for their professionalism, they snuffed out the last glimpses of play (from a game, lets remember) . . . The resulting atmosphere: anxious, dutiful, earnest, fearful and highly professional. Too little in evidence: fun, naturalness, mischief, adventure, lightness, wit and maverick independence.

Only it was written in prospect, not retrospect by me, in this very space, 13 months ago. Since then, the same script has played out in full. Now, please, for the change.

New errors have been added, it is true. When England sacked Alastair Cook as one-day captain at the eleventh hour, it was almost universally praised as the right decision. I disagreed. There is a time when youve thrown your lot in with someone, and for this World Cup England had done that with Cook.

In seeking to avoid one problem Cooks batting form they ended up creating twoproblems. The discarded Cook, back at home, is deeply hurt. Eoin Morgan, adrift in totally uncharted waters as captain, may end up feeling he has been used. The adjectives streetwise and positive were hopeful to the point of neglectful naivety. Ifopting for Morgan was a sop to media pressure, it was disgraceful.

Selection was a shambles. On the eve of the opening game, they abandoned one of the few things that was working the form of James Taylor at number three. Instead, Gary Ballance was plucked from the subs bench. He is now needlessly scarred by having played in an ill-fated World Cup for which he had little preparation.

It is impossible not to feel sorry for Morgan, especially as his native Ireland have played much better than England at the World Cup. Morgan, like Ed Joyce before him, pursued a career as an England player because Ireland are held back by a lack of fixtures and opportunities. Watching a revitalised Joyce now back in Irish green chalkup elegant runs for his home team, its obvious how deeply he cares about the cricketing culture that produced him. You now wonder how Morgan, who may be tempted by the life of a roving Twenty20 specialist, will react to this bruising World Cup experience.

Having invented T20, England have engineered a situation where they squandered the advantages of being the pioneer. The best T20 leagues are the Indian Premier League and Australias Big Bash League. It is simply impossible to produce cricket at that level in a league of 18 counties the talent is diluted too weakly. Everyone knows this is a fact. When we shared a dressing room at Middlesex in 2008, I saw Morgan shake his head in disbelief at the ECBs refusal to set a franchise-based T20 league. He was right.

There is a brain drain in English cricket. The better thinkers rarely return to the game, whether as coaches or as administrators. After the defeat, viewers watched Andrew Strauss, Mike Atherton and Nasser Hussain, three thoughtful former England captains, dissect the performance. Forgive my hypocrisy, but it seems a shame that the media are almost universally considered far more attractive than the coalface.

The pull of television is compounded by the push of the county grind. Top Australian ex-players such as Justin Langer, Stuart Law and Darren Lehmann have all recently coached at state level in Australia. It is much rarer for people of such distinction to enter coaching in county cricket. The prospect of a never-ending road trip around 18 counties works against recruiting top talent. When Peter Moores was reappointed as England coach a year ago, the striking feature was the unspectacular quality of the shortlist. Moores is a decent, hard-working enthusiast, probably the best of his type. It remains very unclear that his type is good enough.

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If this kind of performance is what you get after six months of dedicated planning, then less planning sounds good to ...

Access music stored on OneDrive using Xbox Music

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Microsoft now lets you store music in your OneDrive account for streaming on your Xbox. Here's what you need to know.

Xbox Music. Jason Cipriani/CNET

On Wednesday, Microsoft expanded the functionality of Xbox Music beyond that of strictly a paid streaming service. The added functionality allows you to upload music you already own to your OneDrive account and access it on your Xbox.

It's a welcome addition to the service, especially for those who'd rather not pay a monthly fee for access to Microsoft's music catalog. Which was, up until now, all Xbox Music was good for.

The service is similar to that of Apple's iTunes Match or Google's Play Music. The former is $25 a year, while both Google and Microsoft offer their services for free.

The process as outlined by Microsoft. Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET

The process for using Xbox Music to stream your own music is simple.

First, you need to decide if you want to install the OneDrive app on your computer or use the website to upload your music. A limitation to keep in mind as you decide: the website doesn't allow you to upload folders. Meaning, if you have 10,000 songs (the limit is 50,000) you can't simply drag-and-drop your Music folder onto the website and watch as it uploads your content.

The OneDrive app, however, does allow you to upload entire folders. I suggest going this route, especially if you have a large music catalog. Download OneDrive here.

Next, sign into OneDrive using the same Microsoft account you use on your Xbox. Once you're signed in, begin uploading your music to the Music folder in your OneDrive account. This is an important detail; if the music is stored anywhere else, Xbox Music won't see it.

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Access music stored on OneDrive using Xbox Music

The Upload: Your tech news briefing for Friday, March 20

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Some on FTC wanted antitrust suit against Google

Google came close to having to defend antitrust charges in the U.S.: Staff at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission who monitor competition pushed for an antitrust lawsuit against it in 2012, the Wall Street Journal reported. A staff report that has just come to light concluded that the search giant used anticompetitive tactics and abused its monopoly power in ways that harmed Internet users and competitors, the paper said. Another faction at the Commission, the economics bureau, issued a report advising against a lawsuit and no action was taken. Among the most damning findings: there was evidence that Google gamed its system to promote its own services and demote rivals, and scraped content from other sites.

Target data breach lawsuit will cost $10 million to settle

A class-action lawsuit brought against Target for harm caused by its massive 2013 data breach will cost the retailer $10 million if a proposed settlement is finalized by the court. Individual victims could receive up to $10,000. Target would also have to develop and test a security program for protecting consumer data and implement a process of monitoring and identifying security threats.

Teslas over-the-air upgrades will add autonomous driving features

Teslas Model S electric cars will receive over-the-air software upgrades, including some self-driving capabilities. Were now almost able to travel from San Francisco to Seattle with the driver barely touching the wheel at all, founder Elon Musk said during a conference call today. Other features that could be delivered over the air include an Auto Steering function that allows drivers to summon their cars while on private property, and a Valet feature, which is a smartphone app that can be used to call the car to the front door or instruct it to park. Those may face some regulatory hurdles as current rules only allow the testing of autonomous cars with a driver present in the vehicle.

Amazon can test delivery drones outside now

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos captured the publics imagination when he floated the idea of delivery-by-drone in a television interview more than a year ago. Now, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is bringing what sounded like a wild scenario closer to reality, by approving the companys plan to test drones outside, re/code reports. Recently proposed rules still dont permit the kind of commercial use Amazon wants, but its obviously keeping its goal in mind.

ISPs gave their customers routers with security holes

ISPs have handed out at least 700,000 routers containing a security vulnerability to customers in several countries. The flaw could let an attacker change the DNS server a router users and then divert people to malicious websites, according to security researcher Kyle Lovett, who came across the flaw in his spare time. Most of the affected routers are in Asia and South America, with some in the U.S. and Italy.

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The Upload: Your tech news briefing for Friday, March 20

Lofty – Buy, Sell or Appraise Review Your Valuable Fine Art, Antiques, Jewelry and Collectibles with Authenticity …

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By Lofty | March 19, 2015

Welcome to the world largest online marketplace for valuable fine art, antiques and collectibles!You want to buy or sell an item? Let Lofty make your life easier and be the expert for you.Our carefully selected professionals will provide transparent evaluation of an items history, fair value, and the most important thing, your peace of mind.Lofty removes the guesswork that bewilders buyers and sellers of antiques, jewelry an fine art online - art daily.comHow selling works:- just make an account and upload photos and a description of your item;- after a free evaluation from Loftys experts, you can decide to sell in just one click.Lofty takes care of the rest: shipping, insurance and payment.How buying works:- a 100% money-back satisfaction guarantee ensuring that any item can be returned within seven days of delivery;- a 5 years Authenticity Guarantee certifying that the item is discovered to have been misrepresented.Have questions, problems or feedback? Reach out us at mobile@lofty.com

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Open Discussion March 20, 2015

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Nave Kent2 hours ago

(wouldve been Twilight only I didnt see it) (wouldve been Fifty Shades of Grey, only I didnt bother with it)

In the last 10 years my list would include (in no specific order):

Prometheus Guardians of the Galaxy (seriously its good and all but not great) The Insidious Trilogy Annabelle (shouldve seen how people gagged over its release in the Bangladesh theatres) Elysium TMNT The Bayformers Trilogy (2-4, I actually dug the first one) Alvin and the Chipmunks (er) Ted (I mean, whats up with that?) The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (wayy too much advertisement on Sonys end) Frank Millers The Spirit (sadly) oh oh! X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE and X3: THE LAST STAND Superman Returns (people bash MoS but this was the Superman movie that launched a thousand butts out of the the genre and actually made people LOSE hope in the genre).

Of course, the OPPOSITE, that being the best movie with the best hype which exceeded the hype still has to be THE DARK KNIGHT and its awesome, awesome viral campaign (Harvey friggin Dent making an international phone call for a call to arms ?? Fuggetaboutit!)

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Open Discussion March 20, 2015

How to make those last-gen Borderlands save files more Handsome for PS4 and Xbox One

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AsBorderlands: The Handsome Collections release draws closer, its time to dust off your old PlayStation 3, PS Vita, or Xbox 360 and salvage those save files fromBorderlands 2 andBorderlands: The Pre-Sequel.Gearbox has shared details on how to bring those saves along to the new consoles so you can pick up rightwhere you left off.

In order to migrate your saves, make sure youve downloaded the latest patches for the older games, which will be available prior toThe Handsome Collections release. After the game is up to date, there should be a new option in the main menu for Cross Save (PlayStation) or Cloud Save (Xbox), then Upload Save. Once the file has been copied, load upThe Handsome Collection, select Cloud/Cross Save and then simply download. Note that you need the games day one patch in order for the feature to work.

Save files can only be transferred within the Xbox or PlayStation ecosystems, not between. PlayStation 3/4 and Vita can all exchange files freely in a triangle (althoughThe Pre-Sequel is not on Vita). Similarly, saves can be transferred between Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

Related:The next Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel DLC invites you into the twisted mind of Claptrap

Transferred saves bring over all of your character and mission progress, inventory, weapon, cash and other currencies, skins, and items in the bank. Badass Points all transfer as well, but you have to re-spend them, which could be a great chance to re-spec your characters anyway.

Goodies stored in Claptraps Secret Stash inBorderlands 2, however, donot go along for the ride, so be sure to move anything you need to your personal inventory or the bank. Golden Keys also donttransfer, but players can snag 75 new keys along with a healthy chunk of Badass Rank and some new weapons or customizations for signing in to 2Ks SHiFT service for the first time with bothBorderlands 2andThe Pre-Sequel inThe Handsome Collection.

Borderlands: The HandsomeCollectioncombinesBorderlands 2 andBorderlands: The Pre-Sequel with all of their respective DLC into a single, HD collection for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It arrives for all platforms on March 24.

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Penn Medicine: Potential new drug target may protect against certain neurodegenerative diseases

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Findings could pave way for precision medicine approach to treatment of neurological diseases

PHILADELPHIA- Penn Medicine researchers have discovered that hypermethylation - the epigenetic ability to turn down or turn off a bad gene implicated in 10 to 30 percent of patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Frontotemporal Degeneration (FTD) - serves as a protective barrier inhibiting the development of these diseases. Their work, published this month in Neurology, may suggest a neuroprotective target for drug discovery efforts.

"This is the first epigenetic modification of a gene that seems to be protective against neuronal disease," says lead author Corey McMillan, PhD, research assistant professor of Neurology in the Frontotemporal Degeneration Center in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Expansions in the offending gene, C9orf72, have been linked with TAR DNA binding protein (TDP-43) which is the pathological source that causes ALS and FTD. "Understanding the role of C9orf72 has the possibility to be truly translational and improve the lives of patients suffering from these devastating diseases," says senior author, Edward Lee, MD, PhD, assistant professor of Neuropathology in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Penn.

McMillan and team evaluated 20 patients recruited from both the FTD Center and the ALS Center at the University of Pennsylvania who screened positive for a mutation in the C9orf72 gene and were clinically diagnosed with FTD or ALS. All patients completed a neuroimaging study, a blood test to evaluate C9orf72 methylation levels, and a brief neuropsychological screening assessment. The study also included 25 heathy controls with no history of neurological or psychiatric disease.

MRI revealed reduced grey matter in several regions that were affected in patients compared to controls. Grey matter is needed for the proper function of the brain in regions involved with muscle control, memory, emotions, speech and decision-making. Critically, patients with hypermethylation of C9orf72 showed more dense grey matter in the hippocampus, frontal cortex, and thalamus, regions of the brain important for the above described tasks and affected in ALS and FTD, suggesting that hypermethylation is neuroprotective in these regions.

To validate these findings, the Penn team also looked at autopsies of 35 patients with C9orf72 expansions and found that their pathology also suggested that increased methylation was associated with reduced neuronal loss in both the frontal cortex and hippocampus.

Longitudinal analysis was performed in 11 of the study patients to evaluate the neuroprotective effects of hypermethylation in individuals over their disease course. This showed reduced changes in grey matter of the hippocampus, thalamus, and frontal cortex, associated with hypermethlation suggesting that disease progresses more slowly over time in individuals with C9orf72 hypermethylation. Longitudinal neuropsychological assessments also showed a correlation between protected memory decline and hypermethylation.

These findings are consistent with a growing number of studies which have suggested the neuroprotective effects of the hypermethylation of C9orf72. "We believe that this work provides additional data supporting the notion that C9orf72 methylation is neuroprotective and therefore opens up the exciting possibility of a new avenue for precision medicine treatments and targets for drug development in neurodegenerative disease," says McMillan.

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AAFP Celebrates New Recruits to Family Medicine, Acknowledges Work Ahead

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It's a family affair for Brian Blank at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he celebrates with his wife, Laura, and daughter Lillian after learning that he's going to his number one pick, Duke Family Medicine Residency in Durham, N.C.

Pause for just a moment to cheer this fact: Today, 3,060 graduating medical students choose a career in family medicine.

That's the news just released by the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) for this annual celebratory event commonly referred to as the Match.

And with that announcement comes the realization that for the sixth straight year, the family medicine match rate ticked upward. Furthermore, 3,216 family medicine residency positions were offered in 2015, an increase of 84 positions compared to 2014.

That overall family medicine fill rate of 95.1 percent -- down slightly from 95.8 percent in 2014 -- represents 60 more positions accepted by graduates compared to last year.

The AAFP Medical Education Division's count of students matching to family medicine includes students who matched into traditional family medicine residency programs as well as into programs that combine family medicine education with other focused training. Those additional programs are

"The Academy congratulates and welcomes these new family medicine recruits," said AAFP President Robert Wergin, M.D., of Milford, Neb., in an interview with AAFP News. "When these residents complete their training programs, there will be plenty of patients across the country eager to welcome new family physicians to their communities."

All the well-wishing must be tempered by this sobering reality: The number of U.S. seniors choosing family medicine slowed at an unexpected rate in 2015, to 1,422 -- with just six more U.S. seniors lining up for the specialty than last year.

Although the Academy will work in coming weeks and months to determine specific factors for that slowing, Wergin pointed to a health care environment in which policymakers and payers have caused instability by shifting positions, reversing decisions and changing the rules -- sometimes simultaneously.

"This uneven environment likely is taking its toll on medical students who are anxious to finish their clinical training and move on with their careers," said Wergin.

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AAFP Celebrates New Recruits to Family Medicine, Acknowledges Work Ahead

Penn Medicine study finds being near greened vacant lots lowers heart rates

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PHILADELPHIA - Greening vacant lots may be associated with biologic reductions in stress, according to a new study from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Residents who walked near newly greened vacant lots had significantly lower heart rates compared to walking near a blighted, or neglected, vacant lot.

"Our goal was to scientifically explore the connection between city environments and stress," said the study's lead author, Eugenia C. South, MD, MHSP, a physician in the department of Emergency Medicine at Penn. "We used heart rate as a physiologic marker of acute stress, and the reduction we found suggests a biological link between urban blight reduction strategies like vacant lot greening and reductions in stress." The study, published online by the American Journal of Public Health, is the first known neighborhood walking trial in which a physiological marker was measured in real-time for residents in their own communities.

The researchers used a heart rate monitor with GPS to measure the stress response in study participants in two randomly selected Philadelphia neighborhoods as they went on a prescribed walk around their neighborhood. Vacant lots in one neighborhood randomly received a greening treatment, while the other neighborhood served as a control and received no treatment. Participants walked past vacant lots before, and then three months after, the greening treatment of randomly selected lots. The greening treatment, performed by the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society, is a low-cost environmental improvement that includes cleaning and removing debris, planting grass and trees, and installing a low wooden post-and-rail fence.

The average heart rate reduction attributable to being in view of the greened lots was over 5 beats per minute (bpm) lower than when near non-greened lots. In contrast, at the control site, there was minimal change in heart rate from the pre- to post-time period when walking past control lots versus non-study vacant lots. In a second analysis, the total net reduction of heart rate when near and in view of greened vacant lots was over 15 bpm. Walks ranged from about 1,500 to 2,000 feet in length.

These data support the conclusion that proximity to greened lots versus trash-strewn lots results in lower heart rates. In response to an acute stressor, the body activates the sympathetic nervous system, resulting in the release of epinephrine, which in turn increases heart rate. Thus, higher heart rates at unexpected moments and because of urban blight, which can be ubiquitous in some city neighborhoods, can be inferred to be evidence of stress. Heart rate change has been used in a few previous studies to evaluate acute stress response, although primarily in indoor laboratory settings.

The current research builds on previously published findings by South and her colleagues, which found that residents living near greened vacant lots feel safer than those near non-greened sites. "Our hypothesis in the earlier published work was that transforming vacant lots from being overrun with weeds and filled with trash to a clean and green space may make it difficult for people to hide weapons and conduct illegal activities such as drug use in or near the space. Thus the lower heart rate response we found in the newly published study may be tied to residents feeling safer and experiencing less stress from their environment."

The study's senior author, Charles C. Branas, PhD, professor of Epidemiology and director of the Urban Health Lab at Penn, observes, "This research on greening urban lots provides an important scientific impetus for urban planners and city officials to take relatively low-cost steps toward improving health for their residents. Future trials that dynamically measure additional biological information, such as cortisol levels (another marker of stress) and blood pressure, are now warranted to further advance our understanding of the relationship between stress and blighted urban environments."

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Other Penn co-authors are Michelle C. Kondo, PhD, and Rose A. Cheney, PhD.

This work was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (R01AA020331 and R01AA016187), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U49CE001093), and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health and Society Education Fund, with additional funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service.

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Penn Medicine study finds being near greened vacant lots lowers heart rates

Modernizing Medicine gets investment from IBM

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IBM has invested in Modernizing Medicine of Boca Raton, capping a $20 million financing round for the electronic medical records and data company begun by entrepreneur Daniel Cane.

The amount from IBM was not disclosed.

Modernizing Medicine has raised $49 million since its founding in 2010.

The company has been working with IBM Watson for more than a year. The new investment will help Modernizing Medicine expand its market from dermatology to eight medical specialties. It also will further develop schEMA, a mobile app that leverages the cognitive computer power of Watson to give physicians clinical information at the point of patient care, the company said.

The app is designed to analyze massive amounts of published, peer-reviewed medical data and health-care research to help physicians in their practice.

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Modernizing Medicine gets investment from IBM

Penn Medicine Researchers Pinpoint Potential New Drug Target for Protection against Certain Neurodegenerative Diseases

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Newswise PHILADELPHIA- Penn Medicine researchers have discovered that hypermethylation - the epigenetic ability to turn down or turn off a bad gene implicated in 10 to 30 percent of patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Frontotemporal Degeneration (FTD) - serves as a protective barrier inhibiting the development of these diseases. Their work, published this month in Neurology, may suggest a neuroprotective target for drug discovery efforts.

This is the first epigenetic modification of a gene that seems to be protective against neuronal disease, says lead author Corey McMillan, PhD, research assistant professor of Neurology in the Frontotemporal Degeneration Center in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Expansions in the offending gene, C9orf72, have been linked with TAR DNA binding protein (TDP-43) which is the pathological source that causes ALS and FTD.

Understanding the role of C9orf72 has the possibility to be truly translational and improve the lives of patients suffering from these devastating diseases, says senior author, Edward Lee, MD, PhD, assistant professor of Neuropathology in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Penn.

McMillan and team evaluated 20 patients recruited from both the FTD Center and the ALS Center at the University of Pennsylvania who screened positive for a mutation in the C9orf72 gene and were clinically diagnosed with FTD or ALS. All patients completed a neuroimaging study, a blood test to evaluate C9orf72 methylation levels, and a brief neuropsychological screening assessment. The study also included 25 heathy controls with no history of neurological or psychiatric disease.

MRI revealed reduced grey matter in several regions that were affected in patients compared to controls. Grey matter is needed for the proper function of the brain in regions involved with muscle control, memory, emotions, speech and decision-making. Critically, patients with hypermethylation of C9orf72 showed more dense grey matter in the hippocampus, frontal cortex, and thalamus, regions of the brain important for the above described tasks and affected in ALS and FTD, suggesting that hypermethylation is neuroprotective in these regions.

To validate these findings, the Penn team also looked at autopsies of 35 patients with C9orf72 expansions and found that their pathology also suggested that increased methylation was associated with reduced neuronal loss in both the frontal cortex and hippocampus.

Longitudinal analysis was performed in 11 of the study patients to evaluate the neuroprotective effects of hypermethylation in individuals over their disease course. This showed reduced changes in grey matter of the hippocampus, thalamus, and frontal cortex, associated with hypermethlation suggesting that disease progresses more slowly over time in individuals with C9orf72 hypermethylation. Longitudinal neuropsychological assessments also showed a correlation between protected memory decline and hypermethylation.

These findings are consistent with a growing number of studies which have suggested the neuroprotective effects of the hypermethylation of C9orf72. "We believe that this work provides additional data supporting the notion that C9orf72 methylation is neuroprotective and therefore opens up the exciting possibility of a new avenue for precision medicine treatments and targets for drug development in neurodegenerative disease, says McMillan.

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Penn Medicine Researchers Pinpoint Potential New Drug Target for Protection against Certain Neurodegenerative Diseases