World's strangest islands

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Published December 10, 2014

When we think of taking an island vacation, many of us immediately think of clear blue waters, cloudless skies and warm, sandy beaches. However, not all island are created equal. In fact, some islands are just plain weird.

Check out our list of the strangest islands in the world. Many of them are open to the public, and have historical pasts that make them truly unique. If you're feeling adventurous, go check them out for yourself.

This island off the coast of Naples, which is actually made up of two minor islands linked by a bridge, is uninhabited, since many of its former owners were either met with extremely bad luck or untimely deaths. The island is surrounded by clear, blue water and beautiful skies, but believed to be extremely cursed. Watch this video to learn more about this cursed island.

Usaga Jima, or Rabbit Island is home to hundreds of friendly, feral rabbits. Between 1929 and 1945, when the island was a production site for Japans chemical weapons before and during WWII, a colony of rabbits was brought to the island to test poison gas. Some believe the current rabbit inhabitants are related to the original group, but others believe they are descendants of rabbits brought to the island by school children in the 1970s. The island is now a popular tourist resort with a small golf course, camping grounds and beaches.

Sable Island sits in the middle of The Graveyard of the Atlantic, and has been the site of roughly 475 shipwrecks, and is home to over 400 wild horses. These horses have managed to survive on the island with only sea grass and rainwater. While it has never been permanently settled, it has been occupied by shipwrecked sailors, transported convicts and pirates. It was declared Canadas 43rd National Park on June 20th, 2013.

Christmas Island is a protected Australian national park, and acts as the ideal ecosystem for the Christmas Island red crab. Throughout most of the year, the crabs live under the forest canopy, but during the rainy season nearly 120 million crabs make the five mile, month long journey to the ocean to spawn. Super-colonies of ants have been known to terrorize and blind the crabs throughout their migration.

La Isla de las Munecas, or Island of the Dolls, is located in the canals of Xochimico, near Mexico City. The island is said to be dedicated to the soul of a girl who mysteriously drowned on the island many years ago, and the hundreds of severed limbs and decapitated heads of dolls are possessed by her spirit.

Vulcan Island, or Vulcan Point, is considered the geographical equivalent to the 2012 film Inception. On the island of Luzon is Lake Taal, which has the Taal Volcano inside it. At the top of the volcano is a basin, or caldera, which is filled with water and creates a crater lake. At the center of the lake is Vulcan Point, which is one of the volcanos cones. In a nut shell: Vulcan Point is an island inside a lake inside an island inside a lake inside an island inside the Pacific Ocean.

It is estimated that anywhere between 2000 and 5000 snakes currently inhabit the 106 acre island, making it less than appealing and expressly forbidden by the Brazilian Navy for anyone to land on except scientists. The Golden Lancehead Viper, one of the most venomous snakes in the world, is the sole snake inhabitant.

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World's strangest islands

Thune: No Surprise Democrats Are Rethinking Their Support for ObamaCare – Video

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Thune: No Surprise Democrats Are Rethinking Their Support for ObamaCare
U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota), Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, discusses a prominent Democrat #39;s second thoughts on ObamaCare and highlights the damage the law is...

By: JohnThune

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Thune: No Surprise Democrats Are Rethinking Their Support for ObamaCare - Video

Health Department urges Health Care workers to get vaccinated against the Flu

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The Allegheny County Health Department is urging all health care workers in Allegheny County to get vaccinated against influenza. Vaccination against the flu will help to protect not only health care workers but also their patients. Health care workers include staff involved in patient care as well as other personnel who work in patient areas and can play a role in the transmission of flu.

Boosting vaccination rates among health care workers can help reduce the transmission of influenza, curb staff illness and absenteeism, and ultimately decrease influenza-related illness and death. Vaccination is especially important in reducing influenza among the elderly and the chronically ill who are at increased risk for severe complications from the flu, said Health Director Dr. Karen Hacker.

We strongly encourage health care workers who have been vaccinated against the flu to let their patients know, because it sets such a positive example for everyone else to follow, added Dr. Hacker.

Our goal is community immunity and that includes not just the general public but health care workers too. When theyre vaccinated, it protects them, their families and the community they serve. Thats why we support the efforts of acute care facilities to increase vaccination rates among their health care workers, said Cindy Callaghan, Chairperson of the Allegheny County Immunization Coalition.

In a national survey, 75% of health care workers reported being vaccinated against influenza last season, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Reported coverage was higher among health care workers in hospitals (90%) than among workers in long-term care facilities (63%) and higher among physicians (92%) and nurses (91%) than among assistants/aides (58%) and nonclinical personnel (67%) who participated in the survey.

Flu vaccination rates were lower among employees in health care facilities in Allegheny County, with median coverage of 67% at hospitals (2012 data) and median coverage of 55% at long-term care facilities (2013 data). Of the 64 licensed long-term care facilities in Allegheny County, 26 had flu vaccination coverage of less than 50% among employees.

National surveys indicate that vaccination coverage in health care personnel is much higher if vaccination is mandatory or if vaccination is actively promoted and offered free on-site on multiple days.

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Health Department urges Health Care workers to get vaccinated against the Flu

Making OHIP billings public could alter Ontarios health-care landscape

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Making OHIP billings public would give the province a leg up during contract negotiations with doctors, says the former president of the Ontario Hospital Association.

The government always has one hand tied behind its back in those negotiations because the medical association advertises on behalf of doctors, suggesting they should be compensated well because they are performing an important task, Tom Closson said.

The Ontario Medical Association (OMA), which bargains on behalf of the provinces 28,600 physicians, has launched expensive advertising campaigns during past negotiations in an attempt to build public support.

If the public had more information on the way doctors are compensated, they might have a more balanced perspective in terms of giving their views to the government during negotiations, said Closson, who also previously served as president of the University Health Network and, prior to that, president of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.

The province is currently in contract negotiations with the OMA, and according to multiple sources the talks are limping along.

A conciliator was recently brought in after the two sides were unable to reach an agreement on their own or with a facilitators help.

What I can say is that we are pleased to have the Hon. Warren K. Winkler, former Chief Justice of Ontario, to serve as the conciliator, OMA president Dr. Ved Tandan said in an emailed statement. Justice Winkler is internationally recognized for his experience in mediation and dispute resolution, and we look forward to working with him during this phase.

Negotiations for a new Physician Services Agreement centre on establishing how much doctors should get paid for each consultation or procedure performed, a payment model known as fee-for-service.

Talks started early this year, prior to the March 31 expiration of the last agreement.

There is a media blackout on the negotiations, but sources say Dr. David Naylor, past president of the University of Toronto, was brought in as a facilitator last August. He issued confidential recommendations to each side, but was unable to bring the parties to an agreement, and they continue to dig in their heels.

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Making OHIP billings public could alter Ontarios health-care landscape

An Substitute Medication that is Acupressure – Genetics …

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A single of the well-known conventional Chinese medicines is acupressure. This historical Chinese method employs twelve meridians or energy factors in the human entire body to take care of it from discomfort. By implementing delicate but firm stress by way of the fingers it can achieve out to these meridians which are scattered all above the physique from the fingertips that are connected to the mind and the organs which are harmoniously related to a specific meridian.

While acupuncture makes use of slender needles to promote the twelve meridian factors, acupressure utilizes the palms to get to them out making use of stress. The two of these extensively approved Chinese medications use the exact same energy points or meridians. Lots of scientific info abounds that help the belief that acupuncture is genuinely efficient.

A lot of have verified that acupressure has been an successful method to take care of tension triggered health issues. With the use of the human hand, it has the electricity and sensitivity to link and promote the meridian details to experience a new vitality on the human entire body. It views the complete human man or woman as a total composed of a physique, mind, and spirit and with thoughts. This method allows it to loosen up the human body from muscular rigidity and ignites the balancing of the body to make it appreciate a overall health feeling.

Acupressure has been recognized to supply the client to be relieved of pressure and stress. It relaxes the human body and head soon after every session. It also raises blood circulation by aiding it is cleansing the physique of harmful toxins. It promotes fast healing from accidents by means of elevated power ranges right after stimulating the energy details. It is likewise a excellent help in decreasing pains during labor on ladies.

With these several wellness positive aspects derived from acupressure, it is worthwhile to be aware that fingers are the only medium employed. Nevertheless, only trained and expert therapist is experienced to give the greatest results. It is a ability possessed only by certified therapist to pinpoint the spot to be pressed on the surface of the physique. Failure to recognize the specific details would end result to non stimulation of the normal self therapeutic attributes of the entire body. It would be fruitless that soon after each session absolutely nothing helpful is seasoned by the affected person if completed by unqualified therapist in acupressure.

Particularly, acupressure has been a excellent reduction for neck pain, complications, eyestrain, sinus problems, muscles and backaches, arthritis and a very good rigidity buster. It helps the body to regain more robust resistance towards sickness therefore promoting the standard wellness of the individual that avails it.

Going more than the info about Chinese medicines, it is pointed out that there are far more than 8 hundred crucial energy points alongside the primary twelve meridians in the human body. These are connected that are scattered from the heels up to the head with concentrations on each sides of the spinal column. Each vitality position has its own therapeutic stimulation to the linked organ. In making use of acupressure, therapeutic treatment method is relayed on the specific organ influenced by stimulating that important stage together the meridians.

However, there are critical guides in choosing acupressure therapeutic massage. A single is to consult your medical professional if you have health issues prior to undergoing this therapeutic massage. Second, if you have certified to get this massage, be sure to consume tons of warm water after the session to facilitate the excretion of harmful toxins from your human body.

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An Substitute Medication that is Acupressure - Genetics ...

Brain inflammation a hallmark of autism, large-scale analysis shows

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

10-Dec-2014

Contact: Shawna Williams shawna@jhmi.edu 410-955-8236 Johns Hopkins Medicine @HopkinsMedicine

While many different combinations of genetic traits can cause autism, brains affected by autism share a pattern of ramped-up immune responses, an analysis of data from autopsied human brains reveals. The study, a collaborative effort between Johns Hopkins and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, included data from 72 autism and control brains. It will be published online Dec. 10 in the journal Nature Communications.

"There are many different ways of getting autism, but we found that they all have the same downstream effect," says Dan Arking, Ph.D. , an associate professor in the McKusick-Nathans Institute for Genetic Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "What we don't know is whether this immune response is making things better in the short term and worse in the long term."

The causes of autism, also known as autistic spectrum disorder, remain largely unknown and are a frequent research topic for geneticists and neuroscientists. But Arking had noticed that for autism, studies of whether and how much genes were being used -- known as gene expression -- had thus far involved too little data to draw many useful conclusions. That's because unlike a genetic test, which can be done using nearly any cells in the body, gene expression testing has to be performed on the specific tissue of interest -- in this case, brains that could only be obtained through autopsies.

To combat this problem, Arking and his colleagues analyzed gene expression in samples from two different tissue banks, comparing gene expression in people with autism to that in controls without the condition. All told, they analyzed data from 104 brain samples from 72 individuals -- the largest data set so far for a study of gene expression in autism.

Previous studies had identified autism-associated abnormalities in cells that support neurons in the brain and spinal cord. In this study, Arking says, the research team was able to narrow in on a specific type of support cell known as a microglial cell, which polices the brain for pathogens and other threats. In the autism brains, the microglia appeared to be perpetually activated, with their genes for inflammation responses turned on. "This type of inflammation is not well understood, but it highlights the lack of current understanding about how innate immunity controls neural circuits," says Andrew West, Ph.D., an associate professor of neurology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham who was involved in the study.

Arking notes that, given the known genetic contributors to autism, inflammation is unlikely to be its root cause. Rather, he says, "This is a downstream consequence of upstream gene mutation." The next step, he says, would be to find out whether treating the inflammation could ameliorate symptoms of autism.

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Brain inflammation a hallmark of autism, large-scale analysis shows

Debate: Should We Genetically Modify Food?

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Genomics researcher Alison Van Eenennaam, with Monsanto's Robert Fraley, argues that genetically modified foods have increased farmers' yields and profits around the world. Samuel LaHoz/Intelligence Squared U.S. hide caption

Genomics researcher Alison Van Eenennaam, with Monsanto's Robert Fraley, argues that genetically modified foods have increased farmers' yields and profits around the world.

Many plants we eat today are a result of genetic modifications that would never occur in nature. Scientists have long been altering the genes of food crops, to boost food production and to make crops more pest-, drought- and cold-resistant.

Proponents of genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, say that farmers who grow these crops are able to use fewer environmentally damaging pesticides. The increased yields of GMO crops, they also argue, are essential to feeding the world's growing population. And proponents say that numerous studies have shown that genetically modified foods are safe to eat.

Critics, however, say the claims of those benefits are overblown. They say farmers growing GMO crops have actually increased their use of herbicides. And widespread use of the crops, they say, have also led to an increase in herbicide- and pesticide-resistant weeds and insects. And, they argue, there is still no scientific consensus on the long-term safety of these foods.

Four scientists recently took on those questions in an Intelligence Squared U.S. debate, facing off two against two on the motion, "Genetically Modify Food." In these Oxford-style debates, the team that sways the most people to its side by the end is the winner.

Before the debate, the audience at the Kaufman Music Center in New York voted 32 percent in favor of the motion, with 30 percent against and 38 percent undecided. Afterward, 60 percent agreed with the motion, and 31 percent disagreed making the side arguing in favor of the motion the winners of this debate.

Those debating:

FOR THE MOTION

Robert Fraley is executive vice president and chief technology officer at Monsanto, where he has worked for more than 30 years. He currently oversees the company's global technology division which includes plant breeding, biotechnology and crop protection research facilities in dozens of countries. Fraley has authored more than 100 publications and patent applications. In 2013, he was honored as a World Food Prize Laureate and is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2008 National Academy of Sciences Award for the Industrial Application of Science for his work on crop improvement and the National Medal of Technology from President Clinton in 1999.

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Debate: Should We Genetically Modify Food?

NYIT Expert Predicts Growth in Demand for 3D Kidneys, Livers and Hearts

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Michael Hadjiargyrou, Ph.D., of New York Institute of Technologys College of Arts and Sciences, an expert in engineering new musculoskeletal tissue, is available to discuss advanced bio-science predictions for 2015.

Undoubtedly, next year we will continue to see research advances in the realm of Tissue Engineering/Regenerative Medicine (TERM), says Hadjiargyrou, who specializes in molecular and cell biology, genetic engineering, biomaterials and stem cell research. Specifically, we will witness the formation of more tissues and possibly even organs fabricated in the laboratory with the use of 3D printers (Bioprinters).

Hadjiargyrou specifically identifies the heart valve, blood vessel, trachea, kidney, and liver, as the tissue or organs that will be printed with the use of 3D printers; kidneys, livers and hearts are most in demand.

Additionally, the successful transplantation of some of these laboratory tissues and organs will be achieved, particularly in Europe, as they have been more active in transplantation of biomaterials. With the emergence of such breakthroughs, we will begin to see more and more clinical and even cosmetic applications of TERM.

Hadjiargyrou focuses on studying the molecular mechanisms involved in bone regeneration as a way to better understand the healing of fractures. Hadjiargyrou teaches general biology, genetic engineering, contemporary biotechnology and biomedical research in Old Westbury, NY.

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NYIT Expert Predicts Growth in Demand for 3D Kidneys, Livers and Hearts

Gene therapy makes a slow comeback

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Ethical questions are crucial, but they shouldnt stall the progress of this promising branch of medicine

In late November, Reuters reported a milestone in medical history: a gene therapy drug could go on sale in Germany next year, after winning the approval of European regulators two years ago. The drug, Glybera, by a Dutch firm called UniQure currently being scrutinised by Germanys federal joint committee would be the first commercial use of gene therapy in the Western world (China has had a gene therapy drug for a specific form of cancer in the market since 2004). This marks a potential turning point in an area of medicine that has been the subject of highs and lows over more than two decades of clinical trials.

Gene therapy which can involve a number of things, including replacing a malfunctioning gene or introducing a new gene with the ability to fight a disease has been in conceptual development for far longer. Its origins could be said to go back as early as the 1920s, well before the discovery of the structure of DNA, when a British scientist, Frederick Griffith, put forward what he described as the transforming principle; he successfully converted a non-virulent strain of bacteria into a virulent one, after injecting mice with both.

From the late 1960s, when the concept of gene therapy began to involve, it took several decades for the first clinical trial to take place in 1990. A young girl in the US with a genetic defect that had left her with a severely weakened immune system was successfully injected with her own white blood cells containing a corrected form of the malfunctioning gene.

However, the boost gene therapy got following that first successful trial was soon tarnished, in the view of the public, by a tragedy in 1999; an 18-year-old American boy, who had a mild version of a liver condition, which meant his body couldnt process ammonia, died during a gene therapy treatment. This was after a massive response by his immune system to the vector or carrier used to introduce the corrected gene.

The episode raised a number of issues including that of informed consent of those participating in clinical trials as well as the fact that identifying and correcting a defective gene was far from the only challenge facing gene therapy. Selecting the appropriate vector was also vital and not without risks.

Despite predictions that gene therapy would be lastingly damaged by the tragedy, research and trials continued with many promising results for a range of conditions ranging from immune system conditions to cancer, cystic fibrosis, Parkinsons disease and hemophilia.

The renewed confidence in gene therapy is highlighted by the fact that the worlds largest pharmaceutical companies have also entered the market (earlier this week, Pfizer announced collaboration with Spark Therapeutics, a Philadelphia based company on the development of a hemophilia B treatment).

Over 1,700 approved gene therapy trials have taken place in the past two decades, estimated an article on the history of gene therapy in Gene magazine last year with many successes and a few hits. Among the latter were trials conducted in France in 2001 on Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, a condition where the immune system is so crippled that in one case it required a boy to live in a germ-free bubble. Several infants involved in the trial subsequently developed leukemia, though other clinical trials for gene therapy since have been successful.

There have been some understandable public concerns about gene therapy and its impact on the one hand it offers that tantalising potential of curing some of the most lethal conditions while on the other, tampering with genetic makeup is something that has long conjured up fears in the public imagination of genetic engineering and exacerbating discrimination against those with disabilities and disease.

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Gene therapy makes a slow comeback

Visit A European Business School. Before A European Business School Visits You

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The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. But what do the words of the writer and futurist Alvin Toffler mean for todays business students? Quite simply, those that are not flexible will be left behind.

Todays business students are expected to adopt and master the trends that saturate the professional world. Take technology, and the well-documented rise of big data, students that can master this key skill will have a considerable head start. But there are 65 million people in India alone with at least 5 years of computer-related university education, so business schools in the West have to foster creative thinking to ensure their students stand out in the hypercompetitive global job market.

Though the likes of Wharton, Tuck and Harvard have shaped business education to become one of the truly global products of the 20th century, when it comes to rapid growth in the number of students in the classroom, youd be hard pressed to beat India and China where new MBA and otherbusiness-oriented programs seem to appear almost every week. But when it comes down to innovative and globally minded work in the arena, the players to watch may be not be in the US or Asia, but instead among the players of Western Europe.

We share therefore we are. EMLYON Business School will soon be sharing knowledge and expertise in North Africa under the guidance of the new dean, Bernard Belletante (image Laurent Cerino)

Bernard Belletante, dean of one of the regions leading business schools, EMLYON Business School, says that flexibility is one of the first things their students are taught. The ability to question and act, he says, is a must in business today. With this in mind, I sat down with Bernard to ask him about his partin Europes international business education offensive.

Bernard, EMLYON is already a top ranked school yet youve been quoted as saying that clinging todays rankings is like clinging to a tombstone if you dont have a sustainable business model for the future. What do you think that model should be?

Given the complexity of the modern business environment, shifting economic power and the increasing porousness of international borders, business schools need to constantly innovate to remain relevant. We need to move away from the traditional ways of doing things, to unlock our invaluable stores of knowledge and expertise and find new ways of collaborating and sharing. The idea of I think therefore I am is being replaced by We share therefore we are.

At EMLYON, for example, we believe that one of the key aspects of this sharing and collaborating should be a commitment to training, not just internationally but also locally. Consequently we have announced plans to set up a brand new campus in Casablanca in North Africa, while expanding our existing Shanghai campus. Another major project will focus on management training in India and the Middle East.

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Visit A European Business School. Before A European Business School Visits You