Former WV Gov. Arch Moore dies at age 91

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West Virginia's longest-serving governor, Arch A. Moore Jr. died Jan. 7 in Charleston at age 91 just one day after his daughter, U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., was sworn into office.

The man with a reputation throughout the Mountain State for always recalling names, occupations and family details with incredible accuracy died after battling heart trouble and dementia.

Moore, a Marshall County native, launched his life in politics at age 28 by winning his uncle's former seat in the House of Delegates. He was married to the late Shelley Riley Moore for 65 years. She died in September 2014 at age 88. The Moores were parents toShelley Moore Capito, Lucy Moore Durbin and Arch III.Shelley Moore Capito's office issued a statement just before 8:30 p.m., saying all three children were "deeply saddened to share the news of their father's passing this evening in Charleston ... with his family by his side."

To call our father a source of inspiration would be an understatement. He was -- and will continue to be -- the force that drives us and our families each and every day. Dad loved the state of West Virginia as if it were a member of our family. Serving West Virginians was at the core of his very being and he cherished every moment of it. We will miss his warm embraces, beautiful smile, sky blue eyes and words of encouragement. We are deeply saddened to say goodbye to our loving father, but we take solace in the knowledge that he is at home with the Lord, and reunited with our beloved mother in Heaven.

Moore attended Lafayette College and West Virginia University, where he met his wife during a blind double date. Moore worked at his family's law firm in Moundsville and was an Army combat sergeant in WWII. He earned a bronze star and a Purple Heart.

He was defeated in 1954 when he ran for the U.S. House of Representatives, but was elected to Congress in 1956 and stayed there until he was sent to the governor's mansion. He was elected governor in 1968, 1972 and 1984.

Moore benefited from the 1968 Modern Budget Amendment, which gave him more budgetary powers than any previous governor. During his tenure, the Department of Highways was established and the modern interstate system was constructed. The Board of Regents also was created to manage state colleges and universities while Moore was Governor, and public kindergarten was developed. During Moore's first term, black lung was officially designated as a disease, and Moore became involved in labor disputes, firing road maintenance workers and transit workers who were on strike.He also helped negotiate an end to a national coal strike and a riot with hostages at the former West Virginia Penitentiary in Moundsville. Moore was governor in 1972 when the Buffalo Creek dam broke, killing 125 people and destroying the homes of 4,000 more. New state medical schools were established in Lewisburg and at Marshall University during his second term as governor, along with the Culture Center at the State Capitol Complex.

Moore and his campaign manager were indicted for extortion in 1975, making Moore the first seated governor to officially be charged with a crime. Both men were found not guilty. Moore left office and established private law practices in Charleston, Moundsville and Washington, D.C. He ran for U.S. Senate in 1978 and was defeated. He was defeated in his 1980 run for governor, but was successful in his 1984 run.

During his third term, Moore expanded corporate tax credits to attract business. He was defeated in 1988 by Democrat Gov. Gaston Caperton, and in 1990 Moore was convicted of mail fraud. He served two years in federal prison, paid a fine and his license to practice law was suspended, something he fought vehemently for several years to have reinstated.

According to Arch: The Life of Governor Arch A. Moore, Jr., the book by Brad Crouser, Moore never used a signature stamp or a machine throughout his entire career.

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Former WV Gov. Arch Moore dies at age 91

AMP releases 'A Molecular Diagnostic Perfect Storm' paper

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White paper examines the challenges to providing innovative care and emphasizes recommendations to mitigate potential harm to patients

The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP), the premier global, non-profit organization serving molecular testing professionals, announced the release of an important white paper addressing the consequences of regulatory and reimbursement forces directed against molecular diagnostic testing that threaten patient care. The paper, titled, A Molecular Diagnostic Perfect Storm: The Convergence of Regulatory & Reimbursement Forces that Threaten Patient Access to Innovations in Genomic Medicine is now available online at http://bit.ly/1yGlghJ.

"The breakthroughs made possible by mapping the human genome - a multi-billion dollar project that took more than a decade to complete - are being threatened by government regulations, which in turn are threatening patient access to truly revolutionary treatments," said Victoria M. Pratt, PhD, Indiana University School of Medicine, active AMP Member, and lead author of the paper. "We hope that this manuscript further enlightens regulatory and reimbursement stakeholders about the storm brewing in Washington that could dismantle the development and coverage of important molecular diagnostic tests."

Medical professionals in universities, cancer centers, clinical laboratories, and pharmaceutical/manufacturing companies across the country have honored the public trust in the Human Genome Project by developing hundreds of innovative diagnostic tests and therapies that are advancing modern medicine in ways that would have been impossible without this breakthrough. By eliminating the barriers outlined in "The Perfect Storm" paper, genome-based research will continue to play a critical role in the development of more powerful tools to treat complex diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

Threats stemming from efforts by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the two federal agencies that oversee molecular diagnostic testing, are the cause of this "Perfect Storm."

The FDA's new policies will effectively reformulate existing medical device regulations and consider medical professionals as manufacturers which will impose substantially new and duplicative requirements on clinical laboratories and hospitals. Meanwhile, CMS, who runs Medicare, the nation's largest insurer and whose actions are frequently mimicked in the private sector, has taken a heavy handed approach in denying coverage or reducing payment for several medically necessary molecular pathology tests. Unfortunately, health care providers - those developing and delivering innovative diagnostic tests -along with patients, who are the ultimate intended beneficiaries, are caught in the middle.

"AMP is addressing the consequences of this gathering perfect storm of regulatory and reimbursement challenges directed against molecular diagnostic testing with recommendations designed to preserve patient access to these essential medical services" said AMP President, Janina Longtine, MD. "We are greatly concerned that these forces are coalescing to bring about consolidation of laboratory testing, to the detriment of local testing. This would have far-reaching negative effects on the healthcare system. As such, AMP is committed to working with the regulatory and reimbursement bodies to find a resolution that optimizes patient safety and offers access to important medical tests."

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About the Association for Molecular Pathology

The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) was founded in 1995 to provide structure and leadership to what was, at the time, the newly?emerging field of molecular diagnostics. Through the efforts of its Board of Directors, Committees, Working Groups, and members, AMP has established itself as the primary resource for expertise, education, and collaboration on what is now one of the fastest growing fields in healthcare. AMP members influence policy and regulation on the national and international levels, ultimately serving to advance innovation in the field and protect patient access to high quality, appropriate testing.

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AMP releases 'A Molecular Diagnostic Perfect Storm' paper

Using Twitter in your job search

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Segun Akiode

To a social media rookie, Twitter is a hard nut to crack. They just dont get it. In simple terms, Twitter forces you to learn how to communicate and share insightful ideas in tweets, which are no more than 140 characters.

Actually, Twitter is the simplest of the social networks. The simplicity of Twitter makes it possible for real social communication/networking with exchange of or Direct Messages (DMs) just like exchange of SMS. Can you relate with that?

Twitter isnt the first social network someone typically thinks about when applying for a job. Platforms such as LinkedIn come first to mind; but it does have some unique advantages over other social platforms. Twitter is a great platform for sharing resources and information. Job- related information is not left out as well.

Jobvite, a social recruiting intelligence and technology firm, in 2014 conducted a study of how job seekers use social networking sites in their job search and they came up with a 2014 Jobvite Job Seeker Nation Study. The study showed that there is a growth in the use of Twitter by applicants in their job search. In 2013, 34 per cent of job seekers said they were using Twitter to find a job; and in 2014, the number jumped to 40 per cent. This indicated that job seekers are beginning to adopt the use of Twitter in their job search with a high tendency that the 2015 figures would be higher.

So, how useful can Twitter be to your job search? Explained below are some useful tips on how job seekers can use twitter as a job searching tool

Create a Twitter account with well-crafted bio

It is usually advisable, from recruiting stand point, that when a job seeker creates a Twitter account, it should be one that showcases professional outlook. Many social media addicts would disagree with me on this, as they believe social media is their fun-time or hang-out spot, so why be professional about it? Take your Twitter account/handle as an extension of your online personal brand, and be serious about it. Be professional in your choice of Twitter handle. A Twitter bio is the section provided on your account for you to write about yourself in 160 characters or less. Make your bio concise and meaningful.

Upload a professional profile photo

A Twitter avatar or profile photo is the photograph that represents your identity on Twitter and appears with your tweets. For the purpose of maintaining a professional outlook on the social network, upload a professional photo/avatar for this purpose. Remember, the essence is to make a good impression on a potential employer. So, upload your profile photo wisely.

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Using Twitter in your job search

6 smartphone photo apps to try

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By Lindsey Roberts January 8 at 2:01 PM

Jenna Walker, a professional photographer in Denver, shoots through the lens of her smartphone more than her DSLR these days. I find myself taking more and more images on my phone because its the camera I have with me, she says.

Her reality is now everyonesmoms and dads especially. I personally havent used my point and shoot in who knows how long because its too bulky to carry around in a purse already full of snacks, sippy cups and pacifiers. More notably, Smithsonian Magazine opened up its annual photo contest to smartphone photos just this year, acknowledging that the quality of iPhoneography is on the uptick.

To help us all take better photos and edit them right on our phone, we asked Walker and her pro photog crew of husband Matt Walker and sister Katie Thurmesall co-founders of photo-product business Artifact Uprisingto add to our list of the best apps for great smartphone photos.

1. Dont miss the shot: Fast Camera ($4.99) Toddlers moving too fast around the house? Kids flying around at a sporting event? Instead of waiting for a still-enough perfect photo (not going to happen), try taking up to 1,500 pictures a minute with this app and then review and select only the good images. I get great photos of my son at play this way.

2. Take easier selfies: CamMe (Free) Instead of holding a camera out only as far as your arm to take a selfie, hold it away as far as you like. Then, raise your other hand and close it into a fist. CamMe uses gesture control to help you take better cheesy photos of you and your childeven in photobooth form, with three successive pictures, if you like.

3. Prepare photos for Instagram: Squaready (Free) Walkers husband, Matt, uses his Instagram feed as a journal, and so he leans heavily on Squaready, which allows you to add white space on the top and bottom of a picture, giving you more control over how an image will appear in Instagram. A lot of people are using their Instagram feeds to tell the story of their life, Walker says.

4. Easy editing: Afterlight ($0.99) Afterlight features 59 fun photo filters, 66 natural textures, and 128 frames. But the best part is just how intuitive it is to edit the quality of a photo, making it ready to quickly upload and order prints or books from your phone. This app is a favorite of photographer Jen Altman, author of Photographing Your Children: A Handbook of Style and Instruction (2013).

5. Pro editing: VSCO (Free) Our entire team of photographers are huge fans of Visual Supply Co. [the makers of VSCO], Walker says. They dont overdo it. You have controls in the filters, but the filters are set out to mimic the intricacies of film. Advanced camera controls and sleek professional-grade tools and presets are the bread and butter here, though the ability to follow other photographers work is instructive and inspiring.

6. Automatically back up photos: Carousel (Free) Carousel is a godsend for parents who take hundreds of thousands of pictures of priceless moments because it backs up, dates, and organizes all of photos and videos to Dropbox. Automatically. Without taking up any room on your smartphone. Dropbox is sufficient in space for me, Walker says. Im no longer keeping multiple hard drives. Best of all, she adds, It [Carousel] gives me peace of mind when my kids steal my phone.

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6 smartphone photo apps to try

Cleverly Redesigned Progress Bars Make Slow Downloads Suck Less

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Watching a progress bar fill up slowly while waiting for stuff to download or upload is the Internet equivalent of being put on hold. It's always tempting to hit "cancel" instead of "OK." What if a clever design could make this daily drag suck less?

To that end, Swedish graphic designer Viktor Hertz created "Works in Progress Bars." On his website, he calls it "A quick and silly little side-project," but if actually implemented, it could make digital drudgery slightly more fun. Hertz redesigned the progress bar in a series of imaginative graphics, with the OK/Cancel buttons rephrased as existential questions.

Inspiration struck during an idle moment staring at a screen: "I was waiting for Illustrator to save a document, and the idea just popped up. I try to look at things with an open mind and find ways to use shapes and objects in a completely new way," Hertz tells Co.Design.

One is a "Quick Personality Test," which asks whether the progress bar is half empty or half full. Another, called "Becoming a Jedi," resembles a Star Wars lightsaber slowly filling up with a green glow (trusting the force requires patience). Yet another references "Should I Stay or Should I Go," The Clash's 1982 hit, with "Stay" and "Go" replacing the boring "OK" and "Cancel" buttons.

Hertz printed his Works in Progress Bars on t-shirts, tote bags, and iPhone cases, which he sells on his website.

[via Studio360]

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Pioneer of occupational medicine promoted work for the disabled

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WILLIAM COOPER

Occupational health consultant

11-11-1916 10-11-2014

William Francis Cooper was born 10 months before his father, Lieutenant William Stanley Cooper, 107th Howitzer Battery, 7th Australian Field Artillery Brigade, died of multiple wounds at the 2nd Canadian Casualty Clearing Station, Belgium. Bill felt that loss all his life.

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Always interested in new knowledge, Bill was the first of many Cooper generations to go to university. He enrolled in science in 1936 then transferred to medicine in 1937.

He was an honours student of Professor of Physiology "Pansy" Wright and graduated from the University of Melbourne with the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery. He did the six-year degree in five years as well as winning a university middleweight boxing title in 1941.

Bill served his residency years at the Royal Melbourne and Prince Henry's Hospital. Later he talked about the hopeless patients with infections resistant to sulfa drugs, the early antibiotics, who died in "septic" wards.

Bill was in a hurry. In 1942 he began working with general practitioner Dr O'Grady in St Kilda, graduated MB BS, and married Peggy Maxted.

He developed more skills working with the famed psychiatrist Dr Henry Maudsley and surgeon Mr Ted Prendergast, and bought into Dr O'Grady's practice.

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Pioneer of occupational medicine promoted work for the disabled

AmScope 40X-2500X LED Lab Binocular Compound Microscope with Double Layer Mechanical St Quick Review – Video

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AmScope 40X-2500X LED Lab Binocular Compound Microscope with Double Layer Mechanical St Quick Review
Visit http://tinyurl.com/kyy4lrs Our new binocular compound microscope is designed for teaching demonstrations, clinical examinations and laboratory applications. It is a perfect microscope...

By: Maynard Schuma

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AmScope 40X-2500X LED Lab Binocular Compound Microscope with Double Layer Mechanical St Quick Review - Video

NTU medical school kicks off move to new state-of-the-art premises

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SINGAPORE: State-of-the-art classrooms and research centres are some of the facilities that can be found at two new buildings forming the dual campus of the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine at Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

On Thursday (Jan 8), the school unveiled blueprints of the future facilities at a foundation stone laying ceremony that was attended by President Tony Tan Keng Yam, who is also the university's Chancellor.

Of the two buildings, the seven-storey Experimental Medicine Building, located next to the School of Biological Sciences on the NTU campus, will be the first to be completed by July this year in time to welcome students for the upcoming academic year.

Facilities at the Experimental Medicine Building will feature an expanded learning studio that is four times bigger than the existing facility, and can accommodate up to 200 students at one sitting.

Currently, students are using a similar but smaller learning studio located at the Research Techno Plaza within the NTU campus which can house around 50 students at one time. Lecturers can also teach from the centre rather than at the front of the classroom.

The aim is to encourage a more group-based and interactive learning environment, between students and faculty. The school said such a learning environment will also equip them with effective communication skills.

Said Professor James Best, Dean of the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine: "Our medical education takes into account the way modern medicine is practised. Doctors work more and more in teams, learning (not only) with other doctors but also other health professionals. And so, communication is one of the most important aspects of medical training."

He added: "Medicine is also about addressing problems and problem solving, not just regurgitating facts. So, while all of our students need a good, basic knowledge of the principles of medicine, they also need to know how to apply that knowledge, how to work in teams and how to solve problems. And that's all part of our new pedagogy."

The 20-storey Clinical Sciences Building, which will be located at the university's Novena campus, will open its doors next year. It will have simulation wards as well as a laboratory where students can perform tasks such as stitching of prosthetic wounds on "patients".The Novena campus will house recreational and student facilities, such as a roof-top medical library.

Said NTU President Bertil Andersson at Thursday's ceremony: "Coupled with our strong links with Imperial College London, we are creating a multidisciplinary hotbed for innovative new ideas and approaches to solve tomorrow's healthcare issues.

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NTU medical school kicks off move to new state-of-the-art premises