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WHAT THE BEST WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM IS NOT.

The best weight loss program is probably NOT about diets, diet pills, fad diets, or even about dieting! While it involves physical activitywere all adults here, Ill use the word..exerciseit is NOT about pushing your physical limits, embarrassing yourself in front of the neighbors, joining an expensive gym, or hiring a personal trainer. It is NOT about joining a cult, avoiding friends, alienating your family, eating only unappealing and unappetizing foods or feeling guilty and depressed. Most of all, it should NEVER be about BEING ALONE in your struggle.

WHAT THE BEST WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM IS!

Most simply stated, the best weight loss program is the one you will stick with. Lets modify that a little and say that it is a healthy, doable, rational, flexible program you will stick withthat works!

THE BASIC FACTS ABOUT DIETING AND WEIGHT LOSS!

Diets dont work. Yep! It is that simple. Oh, if you want to drop 5 or 10 lbs to look good at your sisters wedding, a quick diet might be okay. But if you truly have a weight problem, as over 50% of Americans do, it is a lifelong condition and requires lifelong measures. However, dont consider yourself doomed to a life without pleasure or happiness, and dont give up. Go back and read the first paragraph, and realize that there are things that CAN be done, and YOU CAN DO THEM. In the meantime however, let me just cover a few facts. Quick and dirty. You can scan through them and just get the basics. This article is not going to be big enough, nor intimidating enough, to include everything.

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Quality of private contractor's health care focus of New York jail oversight hearing

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NEW YORK New York City lawmakers are taking a hard look at the quality of health care inmates receive at the Rikers Island jail complex and whether the city should renew a $126.6 million contract with a private health provider.

Tuesday's City Council oversight hearing follows a report by The Associated Press last year that raised serious questions about the medical care inmates received in at least 15 deaths. Those cases included inmates who were denied medication, improperly assessed or not treated in a timely manner.

Some lawmakers are questioning whether the Brentwood, Tennessee-based Corizon Health Inc., has performed well enough to have its three-year contract renewed when it expires Dec. 31.

"The most recent history surrounding Corizon in the past few years at Rikers is beyond troubling," said City Councilman Corey Johnson, chair of the council's health committee. "And if you look at Corizon's record around the country it raises more red flags."

Contract evaluations obtained by the AP show that officials downgraded Corizon's performance from "good" in 2012 to "fair" in 2013 citing inconsistent leadership in mental observation units. The downgrade followed the September 2013 death of Bradley Ballard, a mentally ill, diabetic inmate locked alone in his cell for six days without medication. A state oversight panel called his care "so incompetent and inadequate as to shock the conscience."

A spokesman for Corizon, the nation's largest private provider of correctional health care which is responsible for 345,000 inmates in 27 states, said providing quality health care to a difficult population was a company priority.

"As an organization committed to continuous improvement, we look forward to speaking to the New York City Council," said Andrew Moyer.

The treatment of inmates at Rikers has come under increased scrutiny in the past year since the AP first revealed the deaths of Ballard and Jerome Murdough, another mentally ill inmate who died after he was locked alone in a jail cell that sweltered to more than 100 degrees because of a malfunctioning heating system.

An October report by the AP, based on hundreds of investigative documents, found that treatment, or lack of it, was cited as a factor in at least 15 deaths filed away as "medical" since 2009, including that of a 32-year-old man who died of a bacterial infection in his stomach and intestines after days of bloody stools. He received treatment only after fellow inmates staged a protest.

Officials have said Mayor Bill de Blasio is conducting a comprehensive review of the Corizon contract but hasn't yet made a decision about its future.

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Genetic risk linked to clinical benefit of statin therapy

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Researchers find link between burden of genetic risk factors and reduction of cardiovascular death and heart attacks with statin therapy

Research has demonstrated that the risk for developing coronary heart disease depends on a host of risk factors that are related both to lifestyle and genetics. In a new study from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), researchers tested whether a composite of genetic variants could identify the risk of cardiovascular death and heart attacks as well as identify individuals who derived greater clinical benefit from statin therapy.

Researchers found that a genetic risk score identified individuals at increased risk for cardiovascular death or a heart attack, both in individuals with and without known coronary disease, with individuals in the highest genetic risk score group having more than a 70 percent increase in the risk of cardiovascular death or a heart attack compared to the lowest risk group. Moreover, the individuals with the highest burden of genetic risk had the largest benefit with statin therapy in terms of reducing the risk of cardiovascular death or heart attacks, with three times the absolute risk reduction seen in the low risk group. These findings are published in the March 3 issue of The Lancet.

"These findings could play an important role in helping physicians understand which patients will benefit the most from statin therapy," said Jessica L. Mega, MD, MPH, first author of the research paper and a cardiologist and Senior Investigator in the TIMI Study Group at BWH.

"Current clinical guidelines base treatment indications, in part, on the estimated 10-year risk of having an event," added Nathan Stitziel, MD, PhD, co-first author of the report and a cardiologist at Washington University in St. Louis. "It is possible that a genetic score such as this one might help refine these risk estimates in the future."

Researchers examined data from 48,421 individuals who experienced 3,477 cardiac events during the study period, and evaluated the association of a genetic risk score, based on 27 known genetic variants, with a first time or repeat cardiac event. After grouping patients by genetic risk, researchers then evaluated the role of statin therapy in reducing the risk of a cardiac event in each group.

They report that those with the lowest genetic risk score had the lowest risk of a first-time or recurring cardiac event, such as heart attack or stroke. In terms of the benefit of statin therapy, researchers observed an increase in both absolute and relative risk reduction across the low, intermediate and high genetic risk categories.

"Over the last five years, we have identified more than two dozen genetic variants that increase risk for heart attack," said Sekar Kathiresan, MD, director of Preventive Cardiology at MGH and co-senior author of the paper. "We wondered if those at highest genetic risk would enjoy the greatest benefit from statin therapy with respect to preventing a first heart attack. This looks to be the case."

"This knowledge will allow us, as cardiologists, to provide more personalized treatment for our patients," said Marc S. Sabatine, MD, MPH, a cardiologist at BWH, chairman of the TIMI Study Group and co-senior author of the paper.

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Genetic discovery may help determine effectiveness of Huntington's disease treatments

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(Boston)--A new genetic discovery in the field of Huntington's disease (HD) could mean a more effective way in determining severity of this neurological disease when using specific treatments. This study may provide insight for treatments that would be effective in slowing down or postponing the death of neurons for people who carry the HD gene mutation, but who do not yet show symptoms of the disease.

The work was led by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and currently appears in BMC Medical Genomics.

HD is a fatal, inherited neurological disease that usually manifests between 30 and 50 years of age. The disease is caused by a genetic defect that is passed from parent to child in the huntingtin gene. Having too many repeated elements in the gene sequence causes the disease and an increasing number of repeats leads to earlier onset and increased severity of the disease.

The researchers studied the brains of people who died from HD and those who died of other, non-neurological diseases and identified a very specific genetic signal that strongly correlates disease severity and extent of neuronal, or brain cell death. The genetic signal, also called a microRNA, silences certain genes in the DNA. Genes that lead to the toxic effects of the huntingtin gene may be silenced by these microRNAs, in particular the miR-10b-5p microRNA.

"The findings that we found most interesting were the microRNAs that reflect the extent of the neuron death in the brain, since it is this process that causes the debilitating symptoms of the disease and eventually leads to the death of the individual," explained senior author Richard H. Myers, PhD, Director of the Genome Science Institute at BUSM.

According to the researchers these findings may represent a more effective way to tell whether or not HD treatments may be slowing down the pace of the death of brain cells. "If miR-10b-5p measurements can provide a faster and more effective way to determine whether or not a specific treatment is protecting brain neurons, it may be possible to study more potential treatments for HD more quickly. Equally importantly, it may become feasible to perform these trials in people who are HD gene carriers, but who do not yet show symptoms, by giving evidence for which trials may postpone onset and provide more healthy years of life," added Myers.

These findings also suggest that other microRNAs may also be important markers of severity for other neurological diseases such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. Further research is already being conducted in Parkinson's Disease by Myers and his colleagues.

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This research was supported by the Jerry McDonald Huntington Disease Research Fund, the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

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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Order matters: Sequence of genetic mutations determines how cancer behaves

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The order in which genetic mutations are acquired determines how an individual cancer behaves, according to research from the University of Cambridge, published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Most of the genetic mutations that cause cancer result from environmental 'damage' (for example, through smoking or as a result of over-exposure to sunlight) or from spontaneous errors as cells divide. In a study published today, researchers at the Department of Haematology, the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research and the Wellcome Trust/Medical Research Council Stem Cell Institute show for the first time that the order in which such mutations occur can have an impact on disease severity and response to therapy.

The researchers examined genetically distinct single stem cells taken from patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), a group of bone marrow disorders that are characterised by the over-production of mature blood cells together with an increased risk of both blood clots and leukaemia. These disorders are identified at a much earlier stage than most cancers because the increased number of blood cells is readily detectable in blood counts taken during routine clinical check-ups for completely different problems.

Approximately one in ten of MPN patients carry mutations in both the JAK2 gene and the TET2 gene. By studying these individuals, the research team was able to determine which mutation came first and to study the effect of mutation order on the behaviour of single blood stem cells.

Using samples collected primarily from patients attending Addenbrooke's Hospital, part of the Cambridge University Hospitals, researchers showed that patients who acquire mutations in JAK2 prior to those in TET2 display aberrant blood counts over a decade earlier, are more likely to develop a more severe red blood cell disease subtype, are more likely to suffer a blood clot, and their cells respond differently to drugs that inhibit JAK2.

Dr David Kent, one of the study's lead authors, says: "This surprising finding could help us offer more accurate prognoses to MPN patients based on their mutation order and tailor potential therapies towards them. For example, our results predict that targeted JAK2 therapy would be more effective in patients with one mutation order but not the other."

Professor Tony Green, who led the study, adds: "This is the first time that mutation order has been shown to affect any cancer, and it is likely that this phenomenon occurs in many types of malignancy. These results show how study of the MPNs provides unparalleled access to the earliest stages of tumour development (inaccessible in other cancers, which usually cannot be detected until many mutations have accumulated). This should give us powerful insights into the origins of cancer."

Work in the Green Lab is supported in party by Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research and Cancer Research UK.

Dr Matt Kaiser, Head of Research at Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research, said: "We are becoming more and more aware that a cancer's genetic signature can vary from patient to patient, and we are becoming better at personalising treatment to match this. The discovery that the order in which genetic errors occur can have such a big impact on cancer progression adds an important extra layer of complexity that will help tailor treatment for patients with MPNs. The technology to do this sort of study has been available only recently and it shows once again how pioneering research into blood cancers can reveal fundamental insights into cancer in general."

Dr ine McCarthy, Science Information Officer at Cancer Research UK, says: "The methods used in this pioneering research could help improve our understanding of how cancer cells develop mutations and when they do so. This interesting study suggests that the order in which genetic faults appear can affect how patients respond to different drugs - this insight could help doctors personalise treatment to make it more effective for each patient."

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Regulating genome-edited crops that (according to current regulations) aren't GMOs

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IMAGE:This is a figure depicting four regulatory models for genome-edited crops. view more

Credit: Araki, M. and Ishii, T./Trends in Plant Science 2015

A survey of rice, wheat, barley, fruit, and vegetable crops found that most mutants created by advanced genetic engineering techniques may be out of the scope of current genetically modified organism (GMO) regulations. In a review of these findings, published in the February 25 issue of the Cell Press journal Trends in Plant Science, two bioethicists from Hokkaido University propose new regulatory models for genome-edited crops and declare a call to action for clarifying the social issues associated with such genetically engineered crops.

"Modern genome editing technology has allowed for far more efficient gene modification, potentially impacting future agriculture," says Tetsuya Ishii, PhD, of Hokkaido University's Office of Health and Safety. "However, genome editing raises a regulatory issue by creating indistinct boundaries in GMO regulations because the advanced genetic engineering can, without introducing new genetic material, make a gene modification which is similar to a naturally occurring mutation."

Under current regulations, a GMO is a living organism that has been altered by a novel combination of genetic material, including the introduction of a transgene. Advanced genetic engineering technologies, including ZFN, TALEN, and CRISPR/Cas9, raise regulatory issues because they don't require transgenes to make alterations to the genome. They can simply pluck out a short DNA sequence or add a mutation to an existing gene.

"Genome editing technology is advancing rapidly; therefore it is timely to review the regulatory system for plant breeding by genome editing," says Dr. Ishii. "Moreover, we need to clarify the differences between older genetic engineering techniques and modern genome editing, and shed light on various issues towards social acceptance of genome edited crops."

In their study, Dr. Ishii and a member of his research staff, Motoko Araki, present four regulatory models in order to resolve the indistinct regulatory boundaries that genome editing has created in GMO regulations. They propose that the most stringent regulation (in which most of the mutants are subject to the regulations, whereas only a portion of deletion and insertion mutants fall outside the regulations) should be initially adopted and gradually relaxed because the cultivation and food consumption of genome-edited crops is likely to increase in the near future.

While policy-level discussions about the regulations of genome-edited organisms are slowly taking place around the world, according to Dr. Ishii, his study will serve as a basis for the conversation with regulatory agencies in the world as well as the Japanese Ministry of the Environment.

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Trends in Plant Science, Araki, M. and Ishii, T.: "Towards social acceptance of plant breeding by genome-editing"

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New device enables 3-D tissue engineering with multicellular building blocks

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IMAGE:Tissue Engineering is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly online and in print in three parts: Part A, the flagship journal published 24 times per year; Part B: Reviews, published... view more

Credit: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers

New Rochelle, NY, February 17, 2015--In creating engineered tissues intended to repair or regenerate damaged or diseased human tissues, the goal is to build three-dimensional tissue constructs densely packed with living cells. The Bio-P3, an innovative instrument able to pick up, transport, and assemble multi-cellular microtissues to form larger tissue constructs is described in an article in Tissue Engineering, Part C: Methods, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Tissue Engineering website until March 20th, 2015.

Andrew Blakely, MD, Kali Manning, Anubhav Tripathi, PhD, and Jeffrey Morgan, PhD, Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University, Providence, RI, developed the manual Bio-P3 device, and in the article "Bio-Pick, Place, and Perfuse: A New Instrument for 3D Tissue Engineering," they explain how the device is able to grip, transport, and release multi-cellular microtissues grown in the laboratory, with minimal effects on the viability of the cells or the structure of the microtissue construct. The authors describe the design of the device's gripper and build heads and the peristaltic pump-driven fluid dynamics used to create and maintain contact between the device heads and the microtissues. They discuss applications of the device, the potential for automation, challenges, and future directions.

"This device can be the long-expected breakthrough in the field of regenerative medicine and hopefully allow the fabrication of large 3D organs and tissues," says John A. Jansen, DDS, PhD, Co-Editor-in-Chief Tissue Engineering, Part C: Methods and Professor and Head of Dentistry, Radboud University Medical Center, The Netherlands.

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About the Journal

Tissue Engineering is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly online and in print in three parts: Part A, the flagship journal published 24 times per year; Part B: Reviews, published bimonthly, and Part C: Methods, published 12 times per year. Led by Co-Editors-In-Chief Antonios Mikos, PhD, Louis Calder Professor at Rice University, Houston, TX, and Peter C. Johnson, MD, Vice President, Research and Development and Medical Affairs, Vancive Medical Technologies, an Avery Dennison business, and President and CEO, Scintellix, LLC, Raleigh, NC, the Journal brings together scientific and medical experts in the fields of biomedical engineering, material science, molecular and cellular biology, and genetic engineering. Tissue Engineering is the official journal of the Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS). Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed online at the Tissue Engineering website.

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Stem Cells and Development, Human Gene Therapy, and Advances in Wound Care. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 80 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.

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Controlling genes with light

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IMAGE:Light-activated genetic manipulation is demonstrated by shining light through a stencil to turn on fluorescent genes in cells. view more

Credit: Charles Gersbach, Duke University

DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke University researchers have devised a method to activate genes in any specific location or pattern in a lab dish with the flip of a light switch by crossing a bacterium's viral defense system with a flower's response to sunlight.

With the ability to use light to activate genes in specific locations, researchers can better study genes' functions, create complex systems for growing tissue, and perhaps eventually realize science-fiction-like healing technologies.

The study was led by Charles Gersbach, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Duke University, and published on February 9 in Nature Chemical Biology.

"This technology should allow a scientist to pick any gene on any chromosome and turn it on or off with light, which has the potential to transform what can be done with genetic engineering" said Lauren Polstein, a Duke PhD student and lead author on the work. "The advantage of doing this with light is we can quickly and easily control when the gene gets turned on or off and the level to which it is activated by varying the light's intensity. We can also target where the gene gets turned on by shining the light in specific patterns, for example by passing the light through a stencil."

The new technique targets specific genes using an emerging genetic engineering system called CRISPR/Cas9. Discovered as the system bacteria use to identify viral invaders and slice up their DNA, the system was co-opted by researchers to precisely target specific genetic sequences.

The Duke scientists then turned to another branch of the evolutionary tree to make the system light-activated.

In many plants, two proteins lock together in the presence of light, allowing plants to sense the length of day which determines biological functions like flowering. By attaching the CRISPR/Cas9 system to one of these proteins and gene-activating proteins to the other, the team was able to turn several different genes on or off just by shining blue light on the cells.

"The light-sensitive interacting proteins exist independently in plants," explained Gersbach. "What we've done is attached the CRISPR and the activator to each of them. This builds on similar systems developed by us and others, but because we're now using CRISPR to target particular genes, it's easier, faster and cheaper than other technologies."

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Why don't more women rise to leadership positions in academic medicine?

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IMAGE:Journal of Women's Health, published monthly, is a core multidisciplinary journal dedicated to the diseases and conditions that hold greater risk for, or are more prevalent among women,... view more

Credit: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers

New Rochelle, NY, February 23, 2015--Even as more women are pursuing careers in academic medicine, and now comprise 20% of full-time faculty in medical schools, they are not rising to senior leadership positions in similar numbers as men. The National Faculty Study evaluated the gender climate in academic medicine and identified several factors related to the current work environment that are contributing to this disparity, and these are described in an article in Journal of Women's Health, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Journal of Women's Health website until March 23, 2015.

Coauthors Phyllis Carr, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School (Boston, MA), Christine Gunn and Samantha Kaplan, MD, Boston University School of Medicine, Anita Raj, PhD, University of California, San Diego, and Karen Freund, MD, Tufts University School of Medicine (Boston, MA), found a lack of gender equality in the following areas: fewer women achieving leadership positions, disparities in salary, more women leaving academic medicine, and a disproportionate burden of family responsibilities and of balancing work and home life on women's career advancement. Better methods to track the careers of women and greater institutional oversight of the gender climate are needed, conclude the authors of the article "Inadequate Progress for Women in Academic Medicine: Findings from the National Faculty Study."

"Despite some progress in improving the climate for women in academic medicine, inequities persist that must be addressed," says Susan G. Kornstein, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Women's Health, Executive Director of the Virginia Commonwealth University Institute for Women's Health, Richmond, VA, and President of the Academy of Women's Health.

"The powerful effect of innate bias has been documented. Its effect in the academic medicine sphere needs to be considered," says Rita R. Colwell, PhD, President of the Rosalind Franklin Society and Distinguished University Professor, University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.

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About the Journal

Journal of Women's Health, published monthly, is a core multidisciplinary journal dedicated to the diseases and conditions that hold greater risk for, or are more prevalent among women, as well as diseases that present differently in women. The Journal covers the latest advances and clinical applications of new diagnostic procedures and therapeutic protocols for the prevention and management of women's healthcare issues. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Journal of Women's Health website. Journal of Women's Health is the official journal of the Academy of Women's Health and the Society for Women's Health Research.

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What factors motivate people to text while driving?

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Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly online with Open Access options and in print that explores the psychological and social issues surrounding... view more

Credit: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers

New Rochelle, NY, February 23, 2015--Nearly a third of adult drivers text while driving, despite the increased risk of accidents, stricter laws against it, and many awareness-raising efforts. What motivates this behavior and why it is so difficult to discourage is explored in the timely article "Hand on the Wheel, Mind on the Mobile: An Analysis of Social Factors Contributing to Texting while Driving," published in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking website until March March 23, 2015.

Steven Seiler, Tennessee Tech University (Cookeville) examines the social factors that lead people to text while driving. He suggests that people tend to engage in "mobile multiplexing"--texting, talking, and using the Internet--while driving, which presents a variety of distractions. Texting while driving is a learned behavior, reinforced by seeing others do it, and although laws prohibit it and it impairs driver safety, "texting while driving has become a cultural artifact in the U.S." People who disregard cultural norms in general are more likely to text while driving.

"Leading the industry in 2000, Verizon Wireless was the first wireless carrier to support state legislation that prohibited mobile phone use while driving" says Editor-in-Chief Brenda K. Wiederhold, PhD, MBA, BCB, BCN, Interactive Media Institute, San Diego, California and Virtual Reality Medical Institute, Brussels, Belgium. "Other carriers have now followed suit, hoping their public awareness campaigns will help promote positive behavioral change."

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About the Journal

Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly online with Open Access options and in print that explores the psychological and social issues surrounding the Internet and interactive technologies, plus cybertherapy and rehabilitation. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking website.

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What factors motivate people to text while driving?

Potential toxicity of cellulose nanocrystals examined in Industrial Biotechnology journal

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IMAGE:Industrial Biotechnology, led by Co-Editors-in-Chief Larry Walker, PhD, Biological and Environmental Engineering Department, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, and Glenn Nedwin, PhD, MoT, CEO and President, Taxon Biosciences, Tiburon, CA, is... view more

Credit: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers

New Rochelle, NY, February 19, 2015--Novel nanomaterials derived from cellulose have many promising industrial applications, are biobased and biodegradable, and can be produced at relatively low cost. Their potential toxicity--whether ingested, inhaled, on contact with the skin, or on exposure to cells within the body--is a topic of intense discussion, and the latest evidence and insights on cellulose nanocrystal toxicity are presented in a Review article in Industrial Biotechnology, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available on the Industrial Biotechnology website.

Maren Roman, PhD, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, describes the preparation of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and highlights the key factors that are an essential part of studies to assess the potential adverse health effects of CNCs by various types of exposure. In the article "Toxicity of Cellulose Nanocrystals: A Review" , Dr. Roman discusses the current literature on the pulmonary, oral, dermal, and cytotoxicity of CNCs, provides an in-depth view on their effects on human health, and suggests areas for future research.

The article is part of an IB IN DEPTH special research section entitled "Cellulose Nanotechnology: Fundamentals and Applications," led by Guest Editors Jose Moran-Mirabal, PhD and Emily Cranston, PhD, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada. In addition to the Review article by Dr. Roman, the issue includes Reviews by M. Rose, M. Babi, and J. Moran-Mirabal ("The Study of Cellulose Structure and Depolymerization Through Single-Molecule Methods") and by X.F. Zhao and W.T. Winter ("Cellulose/cellulose-based nanospheres: Perspectives and prospective"); Original Research articles by A. Rivkin, T. Abitbol, Y. Nevo, et al. ("Bionanocomposite films from resilin-CBD bound to cellulose nanocrystals), and P. Criado, C. Fraschini, S. Salmieri, et al. ("Evaluation of antioxidant cellulose nanocrystals and applications in gellan gum films"); and the Overview article "Cellulose Nanotechnology on the Rise," by Drs. Moran-Mirabal and Cranston.

"A comprehensive and objective assessment of the environmental toxicity of cellulose nanocrystals is important for deployment of these crystals for a number of exciting industrial biotechnology applications," says Co-Editor-in-Chief Larry Walker, PhD, Biological and Environmental Engineering Department, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.

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About the Journal

Industrial Biotechnology , led by Co-Editors-in-Chief Larry Walker, PhD, Biological and Environmental Engineering Department, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, and Glenn Nedwin, PhD, MoT, CEO and President, Taxon Biosciences, Tiburon, CA, is an authoritative journal focused on biobased industrial and environmental products and processes, published bimonthly in print and online. The Journal reports on the science, technology, business, and policy developments of the emerging global bioeconomy, including biobased production of energy and fuels, chemicals, materials, and consumer goods. The articles published include critically reviewed original research in all related sciences (biology, biochemistry, chemical and process engineering, agriculture), in addition to expert commentary on current policy, funding, markets, business, legal issues, and science trends. Industrial Biotechnology offers the premier forum bridging basic research and R&D with later-stage commercialization for sustainable biobased industrial and environmental applications.

About the Publisher

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With genetic engineering, scientists use decoy molecule to trick HIV

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An effective vaccine for HIV has eluded researchers for several decades, due to the pathogen's infamous shape-shifting abilities.

Even though researchers have identified certain broadly neutralizing antibodies that can conquer multiple strains of the human immunodeficiency virus, many strains of rapidly mutating HIV remain resistant to the these super antibodies.

In recent years however,researches have proposed a new method of battling the virus that involves gene therapy.

Instead of using a vaccine to stimulate the body's own immune system, so that it produces HIV antibodies, scientists are bypassing the immune system entirely.

In experiments involving rats and monkeys, the researchers have used non-life-threatening viruses to alter the animals' genome so that its cells produce designer molecules capable of neutralizing HIV.

In a paper published Wednesday in the journal Nature, a team of researchers said they had used the technique to protect rhesus macaques from repeated intravenous injections of a SHIV, a combination of simian immunodeficiency virus and humanimmunodeficiency virus.

The technique, researchers said, "can function like an effective HIV-1 vaccine." (HIV-1 is the main family of the virus, and accounts for most infections worldwide.)

When HIV enters the body, it attacks specific immune cells. As the virus copies itself over and over, and kills more and more host cells, the immune system grows progressively weaker. If left untreated, this progressive weakening will give rise to AIDS.

In most cases, the HIV virus begins its attack by latching onto two separate protein structures on the surface of its target white blood cells. One of these structures is called CD4, and the other is called CCR5.

In the Nature study, researchers set out to engineer an antibody-like molecule that would mimic both of these proteins, so that it would act as decoy of sorts for the virus. Instead of latching onto a host cell, HIV would latch onto a specially enhanced protein molecule, or eCD4-Ig, that was released by the cell.

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Save the Futurist campaigners say there is commercial interest in "stunning" Liverpool Lime Street site

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Campaigners hoping to save the Futurist Cinema on Liverpools Lime Street say they are aware of commercial interest in the building - depending on its condition.

And today campaigners called on Liverpool council to allow them to enter the building with a surveyor to see for themselves the state of the old cinema premises.

Those fighting for the building to be brought back into use want to see if any internal damage is repairable.

The authority maintains the site, which is at the heart of expected regeneration plans, is too damaged to be completely saved but have said they will share structural information with campaigners.

The future of the cinema and its much-loved facade is in doubt as the site lies on part of Lime Street that is expected to undergo significant regeneration in the coming years.

Pictures on the website of developers Neptune, said to be merely illustrative rather than actual proposals, suggest the two pubs at either end of the development - The Crown and The Vines - will remain, but show a dramatic change in between, with student homes, shops and a hotel among possible new structures.

The council has confirmed it is looking to integrate a section of the existing Futurist Cinema facade into the design of any future development and has had positive discussions with the Save the Futurist campaign group.

But, with plans for the Lime Street regeneration expected to be submitted to planning chiefs soon, campaigners are hoping to go further and save the building, preferably bringing it back into commercial use.

Among their wishes is to be able to send representatives inside the site to see how bad its condition is.

Recently a huge banner calling for the building to be saved from demolition was placed on the building while more than 2,700 people have signed a petition backing the campaign.

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Save the Futurist campaigners say there is commercial interest in "stunning" Liverpool Lime Street site

Futurist Gives Heads Up on Captive InsuranceTechnological Trends

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Minneapolis, MN (PRWEB) March 09, 2015

Not long ago as global futurist Jack Uldrich addressed the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter Society (CPCU) on the future of the insurance industry he said, Given the advances in data analytics, the 'Internet of Things,' robotics and collaborative consumption, we can expect big changes in the industry, including the possibility of new competitors.

Today when Uldrich addresses the International Conference of Captive Insurance in Orlando, Florida he will deliver his keynote, Foresight 2020: Ten Trends Transforming Tomorrow. His message, in addition to the top trends affecting captive insurance, will include thought provoking queries based on his writings such as, Will Google Insure the Future?

Uldrich contends, The latest trends, such as global high-speed Internet access, 'smart home' technology, satellites and drones will allow users of those technologies to harness the massive amount of data on people and objects around the globe. Then, by using its sophisticated algorithms and powerful supercomputers and/or quantum computers, users can crunch that data to come to a much clearer understanding of riskwhich is the basis of all insurance.

A well-versed speaker in insurance trends, Uldrich was also the closing keynote speaker for this year's Professional Insurance Marketing Association (PIMA) Conference. With PIMA, Uldrich strived to help their members understand how technological trends, business forces and social media are merging to create fresh and innovative opportunities in the affinity market. Among his many other insurance based clients are: Fireman's Fund Insurance, The CAS (Actuarial Society), and Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter Society (CPCU.)

Uldrich welcomes the opportunity to usher organizations and associations like CICA into the 21st century by helping them become aware of and then navigate the coming technological changes that for some might feel like a tidal wave. His knowledge, foresight and practical insight helps his audiences learn to swim amidst the sea of change.

Parties interested in learning more about Jack Uldrich, his books, his daily blog or his speaking availability are encouraged to visit his website. Media wishing to know more about this event or those interested in scheduling an interview with Jack can contact Amy Tomczyk at (651) 343.0660.

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Futurist Gives Heads Up on Captive InsuranceTechnological Trends

Inside Liverpool Lime Street's Futurist cinema: Why developers say it cannot be saved

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The historic Futurist cinema in Liverpool's Lime Street cannot be saved according to officials behind a huge regeneration project for Lime Street.

These pictures reveal the extent of the damage to the building - which campaigners are fighting to retain.

Concerns are so high over the state of the site that even the facade is considered beyond repair - though a section is set to be incorporated into the new look Lime Street.

The images, released by developers Neptune, show holes in the roof allowing daylight to shine into the auditorium, while trees can be seen breaking through the structure, which has deteriorated over several decades.

The dereliction is so severe that a specialist team of structural engineers asked to investigate the building last month considered parts of it unsafe for even them to enter.

An independent report compiled on the state of the building, seen by the ECHO, paints a damning portrait of its condition.

The Futurist cinema on Lime street today

It concludes: Our internal inspection of the building confirmed the findings of previous reports that it was in advanced state of decay and largely unsafe to access. It became apparent that the main cause of this deterioration is water ingress from the roof which is tracking through the building. This has caused widespread corrosion and rot of the structural fabric.

In particular, the access stair to the front of the building, the first floor room over the main entrance, the main auditorium and the roof are all in advanced state of deterioration and should be considered unsafe. Access to the rear of the building was not possible.

Engineers said the facade of the Futurist, built in 1912, was in reasonable condition but was leaning and that roots were forcing stones to come loose.

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Inside Liverpool Lime Street's Futurist cinema: Why developers say it cannot be saved

SpaceX Successfully Launched Two Satellites

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A SpaceX Falcon 9 launching from Florida on March 1. (Credit: SpaceX)

At 10:50pm on Sunday, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida. On board were satellites for two different customers, Eutelsat and Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS).

The two companies jointly financed both the satellite construction and launch. The satellites themselves were made by Boeing. Theyre unique in that rather than conventional rocket thrusters, theyre powered by electric propulsion. That reduced the weight of the satellites to the point where both could be launched at once. The downside, though, is that it will take the satellites months to reach geostationary orbit.

Eutelsats satellite will join its network of broadcast satellite, providing the company coverage to its customers from Alaska and Canada to South America. ABSs satellite will be used to provide customers on several continents with TV signals, internet backhaul, and cellular service.

SpaceX has been experimenting with making the first stage of its rockets reusable, which the company has said could save millions in launch costs. To that end, its been attempting to land the first stage of its rockets after takeoff. No landing attempt was made today, however.

Next landing attempt will be 3rd launch from now, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted. Tonights flight and following one will not have enough propellant.

Musk indicated in a separate tweet, however, that changes will be made to the next generation of Falcon 9 rockets to improve the prospects of reusability.

SpaceXs next launch is scheduled for March 21, when a Falcon 9 will deliver a communications satellite into orbit for Thales Alenia Space and the government of Turkmenistan.

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SpaceX Successfully Launched Two Satellites

Actor Leonard Nimoy Passes Away At Age 83

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Leonard Nimoy at the Star Trek: Into Darkness premiere (Credit: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)

Leonard Nimoy, best known for playing Spock on the television show Star Trek and its movies, passed away in his home on Friday. He was 83.

The cause of his death was end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which the actor confirmed he had last year.

Nimoy was born in 1931 in Boston. His parents were Jewish immigrants from the Soviet Union in an area that is now part of Ukraine. He acted in several amateur productions as a child and then began his movie and TV acting career in 1951.

In 1952, he played the title role in the boxing movie Kid Monk Baroni. Although his acting was praised, the movie was a flop, and Nimoy spent over a decade playing largely bit parts in both TV and movies, including roles in Dragnet, Perry Mason and The Twilight Zone.

In 1965, Nimoy passed on a role in Peyton Place to take a part in Gene Roddenberrys TV show Star Trek and the rest was history. Unique among most TV shows, Star Trek actually had two pilots. NBC liked aspects of the first pilot, The Cage but had some issues and asked Roddenberry to shoot a second pilot. Mr. Nimoys Spock, half-human, half-Vulcan, was the only character to appear in both pilots. (Something that became a plot point for the two-parter The Menagerie which followed up on the original pilot.)

Nimoys Spock became a cultural phenomenon. Characterized by an emotionless devotion to the Vulcan ethos of logic, Spock was an inspiration to a generation of fans and became well known to the public at large. Nimoy had a large part in shaping the character into someone who was non-violent (Nimoy developed the Vulcan nerve pinch as an alternative to punching), ethical, intellectual, and compassionate.

Nimoy and the character came back in the Star Trek animated series, six Star Trek movies, the spinoff Star Trek: The Next Generation, and the two rebooted Star Trek movies directed by J.J. Abrams.

Nimoy continued acting after Star Trek with a starring role in Mission: Impossible and a number of smaller parts (including one of the best murderers on Peter Falks Columbo series). He also directed several movies, including two Star Trek films and Three Men And A Baby. He was also a prolific writer of poetry and a photographer, and published several works of each.

Mr. Nimoy is survived by his wife, Susan Bay Nimoy; his children, Adam and Julie Nimoy; his grandchildren; and legions of fans.

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Actor Leonard Nimoy Passes Away At Age 83

SpaceX Launch Of DSCOVR Spacecraft Postponed To Wednesday

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A SpaceX Falcon 9 is ready to launch NOAAs Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) spacecraft on at 6:03 pm ET today. The launch, previously postponed from Sunday night, was postponed again Tuesday evening due to high upper-atmospheric winds. However, all conditions look green as of this writing.

You can watch the launch for yourself below:

The DSCOVR spacecraft will be traveling to the Sun-Earth L1 Lagrangian point, which is about 930,000 miles away from Earth. From that vantage point, the spacecraft will be transmitting imagery from both the Sun and the Earth. It will also monitor solar weather to provide advance notice of any dangerous radiation coming from the Sun that could impact communications or power systems on Earth.

The first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket was originally set to undergo a test whereby it would have landed on a robotic barge in the Atlantic Ocean. This test is part of SpaceXs bid to make the first stage of its rocket reusable, which if successful could shave tens of millions of dollars in cost from a typical SpaceX launch. Unfortunately, SpaceX stated today that the seas are too stormy for the barge.Instead, the company will attempt to make a soft landing of the first stage into the ocean. It does not expect to be able to recover the rocket.

This launch also comes in the middle of a pretty busy week for SpaceX. Yesterday, the companys Dragon capsule departed the International Space Station, loaded with cargo to return to Earth. The capsule splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean yesterday at 7:44 p.m.

The Dragon capsule departing from the International Space Station. (Credit: NASA)

Additionally, the Air Force announced yesterday that SpaceX has signed a deal to lease a landing pad at Cape Canaveral in anticipation that its Falcon 9 first stages will be able to land there. Last month, the company also signed a deal with the Air Force to build a landing pad at Vandenberg Air Force base.

This post was originally published on Tuesday, February 10 and updated with more information today, February 11.

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SpaceX Launch Of DSCOVR Spacecraft Postponed To Wednesday

SpaceX DSCOVR Launch Postponed To Tuesday

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SpaceX Falcon 9 ready for launch. (Credit: SpaceX)

SpaceXs Falcon 9 launch scheduled for this evening has been postponed. The reason stated for halting the launch is due to loss of the Air Forces Eastern Range radar, which is required for launch, said a company spokesperson.

The Falcon 9 was set to deliver NOAAs Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite. When launched, this spacecraft will stay between the Earth and the Sun and its mission is to provide early warning of potential dangerous solar winds, which can affect infrastructure like communications systems. It will also be used for scientific investigations of the Sun.

After the launch of the mission, SpaceX will once again attempt to successfully land the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. In the companys first attempt in January, the rocket made it back to the drone barge but then suffered what CEO Elon Musk jokingly referred to as a rapid unscheduled disassembly.

This second attempt, however, poses some more difficulties.

Rocket reentry will be much tougher this time around due to deep space mission, Musk tweeted today. Almost 2X force and 4X heat. Plenty of hydraulic fluid tho.

The next opportunity for the SpaceX launch is Monday, February 9 at 6:07pm ET.

Update (2/9/2015): Weather conditions arent favorable for a Monday launch and so NASA, NOAA, the U.S. Air Force and SpaceX have made the decision to postpone the launch until Tuesday, February 10 at 6:05pm ET with a backup date of Wednesday, February 11.

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SpaceX DSCOVR Launch Postponed To Tuesday