Monthly Archives: May 2013

Collecting DNA for human rights: How to help while safeguarding privacy

Posted: May 16, 2013 at 3:43 am

May 15, 2013 DNA databases might help identify victims of crime and human trafficking, but how do we safeguard the personal privacy of innocent victims and family members? A new report online May 15 in the Cell Press journal Trends in Genetics identifies a number of key challenges to consider as experts develop such programs.

Identifying victims of human trafficking remains a challenge around the world; between 12 million and 27 million individuals are currently enslaved. "If ever there is a justifiable use of DNA, it is the protection of victims of human rights violations and human trafficking," says coauthor Sara Katsanis, of Duke University. "DNA will not be useful for many types of human trafficking, but if it can be used to identify just a small percentage of victims, then we have made progress in the fight against modern slavery."

Katsanis and her coauthor Joyce Kim, also of Duke University, note that although DNA is a powerful forensic tool that has great potential to identify and protect victims of human trafficking and other human-rights violations, many people fear the use of DNA against them and worry that authorities could use victims' DNA to control private information concerning citizens.

Also, collecting DNA for human-trafficking purposes might be outside of the law-enforcement purview when it involves persons who are neither criminals nor deceased. Some governments already test DNA of immigrants, refugees, adoptive children, and their biological mothers, but the authors note that in some cases collecting DNA to identify the victims of human-rights violations might be better handled by nongovernmental authorities. On the other hand, DNA collected today could serve as court evidence in the future, so authorities must have proper legal control over the handling of samples.

"Combatting human trafficking is going to require creativity and collaboration amongst government authorities, law enforcement, social services, academics, and victim advocates," says Kim. "We envision multiple approaches and solutions and would like to see the perspectives of the participants and victims be considered as approaches develop," she adds.

Related Duke University initiatives include a series of workshops to bring together experts to discuss relevant scientific, policy, and human-rights issues pertaining to the collection of DNA to identify victims of human trafficking.

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Applied DNA Sciences and SmokeCloak, A/S Launch DNA Fog

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STONY BROOK, NY--(Marketwired - May 15, 2013) - Applied DNA Sciences, Inc. (OTCBB: APDN), (Twitter: @APDN), a provider of DNA-based anti-counterfeiting technology and product authentication solutions, announced today that it has entered into a 2-way exclusive agreement with SmokeCloak, A/S(MSS Professional, or "MSS") of Agerhatten 25, Odense, Denmark, to market a technology combining APDN's SigNature DNA in a rapid-deployment security smoke called DNA Fog.

The agreement calls for mutual exclusivity: MSS will buy DNA only from APDN, while APDN will supply DNA to no other fog manufacturer than SmokeCloak. As part of the relationship, MSS has extended their distribution network for use by APDN, accessing security sales throughout the world and enhancing APDN's internal sales force.

The SmokeCloak anti-intruder device deploys in a crime attempt, filling a room with a fog -- sometimes called a security smoke -- that virtually immobilizes criminals and now also will mark a criminal with APDN's SigNature DNA so it may be used to forensically link the criminal to the crime.The DNA Fog product will be used in the SmokeCloak VALI product range and can be combined with APDN's existing SmartDNA anti-intruder device, currently used in Sweden and the U.S. The combination of SmokeCloak's room-filling smoke generators together with APDN's anti-intruder device, which produces a targeted spray directed at the suspect, will give both companies a strong competitive edge in the crime deterrent market.

Kurt Jensen, CFO of APDN stated: "We are very excited about our collaboration with MSS. The new product can be incorporated into existing SmokeCloak VALI installations without any retrofitting. This greatly reduces time-to-market and gives APDN full access to the well established world-wide MMS distributor channel across 40 countries. This open access will greatly amplify our own sales efforts."

Tony Benson, APDN's European Director stated: "The paired product offering of APDN's Sentry spray and MSS's Fog unit, both empowered by our forensic DNA, makes for a potent crime deterrent."

Nick Bigler, Managing Director of MSS added: "APDN has a global reputation for its forensic DNA, and it is accepted by those in law enforcement.We are gratified to add this strong competitive edge to our product offering."

About Applied DNA Sciences

APDN is a provider of botanical-DNA based security and authentication solutions that can help protect products, brands and intellectual property of companies, governments and consumers from theft, counterfeiting, fraud and diversion. SigNature DNA and smartDNA, our principal anti-counterfeiting and product authentication solutions that essentially cannot be copied, provide a forensic chain of evidence and can be used to prosecute perpetrators.

The statements made by APDN may be forward-looking in nature.Forward-looking statements describe APDN's future plans, projections, strategies and expectations, and are based on assumptions and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of APDN. Actual results could differ materially from those projected due to our short operating history, limited financial resources, limited market acceptance, market competition and various other factors detailed from time to time in APDN's SEC reports and filings, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed on December 20, 2012 and our subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.APDN undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date hereof to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

About SmokeCloak

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Applied DNA Sciences and SmokeCloak, A/S Launch DNA Fog

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About Us – Genome Compiler – Video

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About Us - Genome Compiler
Learn about who we are, what we do, and how to design life.

By: GenomeCompiler

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The DOE Joint Genome Institute expands capabilities via new partnerships

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Public release date: 15-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: David Gilbert degilbert@lbl.gov DOE/Joint Genome Institute

With the publication last year of its strategic plan, "Forging the Future A Ten-Year Strategic Vision" the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI) has positioned itself to provide the most current technology and expertise to their users so that they can address pressing energy and environmental scientific challenges.

An important early step in this process is the launch of the Emerging Technologies Opportunity Program (ETOP). The primary purpose of the ETOP is to develop and support selected new technologies that DOE JGI could establish to add value to the high throughput sequencing it currently carries out for its users. The program was one of several recommendations that emerged from the DOE JGI's strategic planning as well as a complementary process carried out by DOE's Office of Biological and Environmental Research. Now, a new set of partnerships is taking shape in response to the ETOP's first call for proposals. These span the development of new scalable DNA synthesis technologies to the latest approaches to high throughput sequencing and characterization of single microbial cells from complex environmental samples.

"A core philosophy of the DOE JGI is that our suite of technical and analytical capabilities needs to evolve continuously so that the scientific achievements of our users can be maximized," said Jim Bristow, who oversees the ETOP as DOE JGI's Deputy Director of Science Programs. "This occurs by building new scientific capabilities at the DOE JGI itself, and by enlisting partners, like the ones we've identified through this program, to develop and deploy highly-specialized technologies that complement activities at our Walnut Creek facility. While state-of-the art massive-scale sequencing remains a critical component of the DOE JGI, other large-scale capabilities particularly those that will help link sequence to function will be provided to JGI users in the future," Bristow said.

When the DOE JGI was founded back in 1997 to help accelerate the Human Genome Project (HGP) effort, the partnership consisted of DOE National Laboratory and university partners. After completing the DOE's commitment to the HGP in 2004, the DOE JGI opened its doors as a national user facility advancing the frontiers of genomics for energy and environmental applications. In 2012 alone, the Institute completed over 2,600 projects.

For the first cycle of the ETOP, the DOE JGI has selected these six new partnerships:

The DOE JGI expects to commit approximately $3.5 million over the next two years to the new ETOP initiatives.

"The DOE JGI strives to integrate these expanded activities in innovative and effective ways," said Bristow. "This is critical if the biological sciences are to realize the full benefits and promise of genome sequencing."

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Wet treatment can improve eczema in patients

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PORTLAND, Maine(NEWS CENTER) -- It's considered one of the most common skin conditions among children, affecting one in 1 in 10 youngsters. Eczema is not dangerous but causes red, swelling and itchy skin.

A Portland doctor who specializes in treating eczema is conducting a study in an effort to determine the most effective treatment for the condition.

Dylan Wike has suffered from Eczema since he was a young child, it showed up in patches of red and irritated skins behind his knees, arms and wrists. But then early last fall it spread to his face.

"I had stuff all over my face so and they were saying it was herpes and stuff. Yeah a lot of people were making fun of me," said Wike.

The flare up was the last straw on a long and difficult journey to properly treat the skin condition. Dylan's mom decided to takehim to Dr. Ivan Cardona, an allergist and immunologist.

According to Dr. Cardona one in every 10 kids develops eczema. the symptoms include itchy, dry red skin with small bumps. that usually turns up on the hands, neck, face and legs, but it can occur anywhere on the body and can get worse if scratched.

'It's just plain uncomfortable to the point where it's painful and they get open sore and that can get infected and they are scratching until it's bleeding,' said Dr. Cardona..

He says allergies and environmental factors can trigger eczema. Dylan ended up being allergic to dust mites and pet dander. Dylan's Mom cleaned the house, furniture and moved the family dog to another area of the house. Dr. Cardona also recommended that Dylan take long bath several times a day then applying a moisturizer and wrapping his body in gauze and wet clothes. He has used this treatment with dozens of other patients including these children.

The wet treatment has brought incredible results. Does frequent bathing improve eczema in children? Some doctors advise patients to stay away from water altogether. Dr. Cardona along with another resident from Maine Medical Center have launched a study to give parents a clear answer what is best for their child when it comes to bathing.

They are currently looking for patients from six months to 11 years olds to participate in the study. So far some of the results have been positive. Both physicians hope to publish their finding in the in the next year and half.

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More severe psoriasis explains the higher costs of care for men

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Public release date: 15-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Marcus Schmitt Egenolf marcus.schmitt-egenolf@umu.se 46-090-785-2875 Umea University

Men often suffer from more severe cases of psoriasis than women, which may explain why the cost of care for men is higher. This is the conclusion of researchers at Sweden's Ume University in a new study.

It is known that psoriasis affects about as many women as men. However, it has been shown, both in Sweden and internationally, that men receive more frequent and more expensive care for their disease, compared to women.

"We find these differences unsettling, which is why we performed this study," says the senior author of the study, Marcus Schmitt-Egenolf, chief physician at the Dermatology & STI clinic of Norrland's University Hospital and associate professor at Ume University. "While the study cannot rule out that women receiving psoriasis care are discriminated against, it does indicate that gender variations in care consumption are mainly caused by a greater severity of illness in men. It is important to incorporate the issue of the differences in the degree of severity into the debate about gender inequality in medical care."

In the study, which has been published in the open access journal PLOS One, data from 2,294 Swedish patients with moderate to severe psoriasis was analysed. The study focused on the degree of severity of the illness in women and men, and at what stage of the symptoms biologics were administered. Biologics are a relatively new treatment and, being more costly than traditional treatment methods, are therefore often used when other treatments prove ineffective.

Data on patients' disease were obtained from the National Psoriasis registry PsoReg, which include, among other things, records of treatment with biologics.

The study shows that men had more severe symptoms than women, according to the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index, PASI, which is an established tool to evaluate the treatment effect on the skin.

The men had a significantly higher PASI score at the first contact with a dermatologist. When treatment with biologics was initiated, the average PASI score was 12.3 in men compared with 9.8 in women. Age, disease severity and joint involvement were factors that played a significant role in the decision to use biologics, while sex itself did not appear to have any significance.

"According to the results of the study", says Marcus Schmitt-Egenolf, "men with psoriasis have more severe symptoms than women, which in turn could explain why they receive more rigorous treatment at an earlier stage of the disease."

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Censorship documentary – Video

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Censorship documentary

By: valerie rojas

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Latest World News Just My Opinion_ Prostitute mentality of Hollywood censorship – Video

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Latest World News Just My Opinion_ Prostitute mentality of Hollywood censorship

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Bumbling ASIC heralds new internet censorship era

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ASIC has been revealed as the agency behind the blocking of a Melbourne education website, using a hitherto-unused internet censorship power.

An inept regulator exercising a hitherto-unused internet censorship power has been revealed as the source of the accidental blocking of a Melbourne education website.

IT industry news site Delimiter has revealed that Australian Securities and Investments Commissionwas behind the blocking of the Melbourne Free University website and more than 1000 other sites in early April when it sought to block a website suspected of engaging in fraud, using a power under s.313 of the Telecommunications Act.

The reason for the blocking of the site in April has remained a mystery, but Delimiters Renai LeMay pursued the issue and eventually unearthed from Broadband Minister Stephen Conroys office the fact that a broad power under the Telecommunications Act had been used.

Under s.313, a carrier or carriage service provider must:

give officers and authorities of the Commonwealth and of the States and Territories such help as is reasonably necessary for the following purposes: enforcing the criminal law and laws imposing pecuniary penalties; assisting the enforcement of the criminal laws in force in a foreign country; protecting the public revenue; safeguarding national security.

ASIC in effect used this power to censor the internet, in the course of which over 1000 sites unconnected to the target site were blocked, including Melbourne Free University, which was told nothing by authorities or its ISP about why.

ASIC is one of Australias most inept regulators, with a string of courtroom defeats marking its efforts to enforce corporate law. Despite its record of bumbling, last year ASIC used the Joint Committee on Intelligence and Securitys inquiry into data retention to demand an expansion of its power to intercept internet and phone communications.

ASICs use of the s.313 power opens the possibility of a de facto internet filter scheme with less oversight than the filter originally proposed by Stephen Conroy in the governments first term. As LeMay correctly notes, a filter comprised of individual requests from a variety of regulators asserting they are enforcing criminal laws or safeguarding national security is harder to monitor or hold to account. As Melbourne Free University discovered, it is also very difficult for businesses and organisations accidentally blocked to discover who has blocked them or why.

In Tuesdays budget, the government announced its abandonment of the internet filter scheme would enable a saving of several million dollars. It has been replaced with a voluntary filter scheme limited to sites identified by Interpol. That filter is a minimal one compared with both to the original Conroy proposal, which would have targeted a broader range of allegedly illegal content under Australian laws, and the one available via s.313, which is driven purely by the internal interpretations by regulators of what is enforcing criminal law or safeguarding national security.

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As China's social media takes off, Beijing's censorship campaign heats up

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Chinese government censors are silencing influential opponents by shutting down their social media accounts on the pretext of a campaign against online rumors, victims of the practice say.

The authorities believe that liberal ideology will undermine their rule, says Murong Xuecun, a famous author and outspoken critic of censorship whose accounts on four Twitter-like platforms disappeared suddenly last Sunday evening. The space on Chinas Internet for public opinion is being narrowed.

Social media sites such as Sina Weibo, which has 300 million users, have become forums for unprecedented freewheeling discussion and news-sharing. Despite being subject to careful censorship, they have expanded the range for self-expression beyond recognition throughout the past five years.

RECOMMENDED: How much do you know about China? Take our quiz.

Particularly striking has been the role of a few well-regarded intellectuals who have drawn millions of followers with often-barbed comments on current affairs that are seldom sympathetic to the Communist Party or the government.

They appear to be among the first to be affected by a campaign by the State Internet Information Office, launched two weeks ago, targeting those who create and spread rumors online, said the state-run news agency Xinhua.

SHADOWY PURPOSE

Though Xinhua made reference to bloggers spreading rumors about bird flu, other observers see a darker purpose behind the campaign.

The government fears that more and more opinion leaders are gaining recognition by ordinary people and they represent an alternative authority to the government, argues Zhang Xuezhong, a lawyer whose own Sina Weibo account was mysteriously closed on Monday.

Such opinion leaders are a focus of the official crackdown on rumors.

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