1Department of Neurology, Xinhua Hospital affiliated to Shanghai JiaoTong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China; 2School of Pharmacy, Shanghai JiaoTong University, 3Key Laboratory for Thin Film and Microfabrication Technology, Ministry of Education, Research Institute of Micro/Nanometer Science and Technology, Shanghai JiaoTong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China; 4Department of Neurology, Jinshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
*These authors contributed equally to this work
Abstract: An increasing number of drugs are needing improved formulations to optimize patient compliance because of their short half-lives in blood. Sustained-release formulations of drugs are often required for long-term efficacy, and microspheres are among the most popular ones. When drugs are encapsulated into microsphere formulations, different methods of preparation need to be used according to specific clinical requirements and the differing physicochemical characteristics of individual drugs. In this work, we developed a novel method for sustained-release drug delivery using a water-in-oil-in-hydrophilic oil-in-water (w/o/oh/w) emulsion to encapsulate a drug into poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres. Different effects were achieved by varying the proportions and concentrations of hydrophilic oil and PLGA. Scanning electron and optical microscopic images showed the surfaces of the microspheres to be smooth and that their morphology was spherical. Microspheres prepared using the w/o/oh/w emulsion were able to load protein efficiently and had sustained-release properties. These results indicate that the above-mentioned method might be useful for developing sustained-release microsphere formulations in the future.
The people working on the Oculus Rift firmly believe that virtual reality and augmented reality will outshine Microsoft and Sony?s latest game consoles.
In an interview with trustedreviews, Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe states that he doesn?t think the PS4 or the Xbox One?s life cycles will be long enough to have sustainable interests from the gaming community seven to eight years from now. VR, on the other hand, Iribe says is the future and the technologies? life cycle will be ?insane? compared to game consoles.
As for the Oculus? compatibility with consoles, Iribe wanted to make sure that the headset can make an impact on the PC segment first.
?We?d like to see it (Oculus) eventually become compatible with consoles, but right now we?re mostly focused on the PC side?we?d love them to come up with something,? says Iribe.
Even modern consoles such as the PS4 and Xbox One have fixed hardware, which makes it difficult for other companies to develop add-ons without heavy support from the console makers. PCs, however, are much more flexible, allowing peripheral developers like Oculus to make add-ons without having to jump through too many hoops.
[unable to retrieve full-text content]I also work with clients experiencing relationship challenges as well as mental health concerns such as mood disorders, ADHD, and anxiety. I help individuals to recover from traumatic events in their lives and restore their self ...
Knee bracing can 'significantly' reduce pain of kneecap osteoarthritisPublic release date: 19-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Alison Barbuti alison.barbuti@manchester.ac.uk 44-016-127-58383 University of Manchester
Wearing a knee brace has been shown to 'significantly improve the pain and symptoms' of a type of osteoarthritis affecting the kneecap, according to a new study
Wearing a knee brace has been shown to "significantly improve the pain and symptoms" of a type of osteoarthritis affecting the kneecap, according to a new study.
Arthritis Research UK-funded researchers at The University of Manchester claim their findings, presented at the Osteoarthritis Research Society International meeting in Philadelphia tomorrow (Friday April 19) have enormous potential for treating this common joint condition effectively as well as providing a simple and cheap alternative to painkillers.
Osteoarthritis of the knee affects around six million people in the UK and is increasing as the population ages and becomes more obese. Current treatments are limited to pain relief and joint replacement.
Osteoarthritis of the knee affecting the kneecap (patellofemoral osteoarthritis) accounts for about 20% of patients with knee pain. They typically experience pain that is made worse by going up and down stairs, kneeling, squatting and prolonged sitting.
"There's a pressing need for non-surgical interventions for knee osteoarthritis, and little attention has been paid to treatments particularly aimed at the kneecap (the patellofemoral joint), a major source of knee pain," explained Dr Michael Callaghan, research associate in rehabilitation science at the University of Manchester.
"We've shown that something as simple as a lightweight knee brace can dramatically improve the symptoms and function for people with this particular type of knee osteoarthritis."
The research team conducted a randomised controlled trial of a lightweight lycra flexible knee brace fitted around the knee with a support strap for the kneecap. One hundred and 26 patients between the ages of 40 and 70 were treated over a 12-week period. All had suffered from arthritic knee pain for the previous three months.
They were randomly allocated to either immediate brace treatment or delayed treatment (i.e. after six weeks.) Both groups of patients eventually wore the brace for a period of 12 weeks and averaged roughly seven hours a day.
After six weeks of brace wearing there were significant improvements between the brace wearing group and the no treatment group in scores for pain, symptoms, knee stiffness, muscle strength and function. After 12 weeks there were significant improvements in these scores for all patients compared to when they started.
"Patients repeatedly told us that wearing the brace made their knee feel more secure, stable, and supported," Dr Callaghan added. "Our theory is that these sensations gave the patient confidence to move the knee more normally and this helped in improving muscle strength, knee function and symptoms."
Professor Alan Silman, medical director of Arthritis Research UK, which funded the trial, said: "Osteoarthritis of the knee is a painful disorder that affects millions of people in the UK, causing pain and reducing activities. We know that in patients with arthritis, the knee joint is frequently out of normal alignment, which might be an underlying cause of the problem, as well as making it worse.
"By using a simple brace, the researchers have been able not only to correct the alignment but achieve a very worthwhile benefit in terms of reducing pain and function. This approach is a real advance over relying on pain killers and has the potential to reduce the end for joint surgery and replacement, procedures often employed when the symptoms become uncontrollable."
###
The ROAM (Research into Osteoarthritis in Manchester) project has run three trials at The University of Manchester and the University of Salford. The project is led by internationally renowned Boston-based osteoarthritis expert Professor David Felson, with funding of 1.8m from Arthritis Research UK.
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Knee bracing can 'significantly' reduce pain of kneecap osteoarthritisPublic release date: 19-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Alison Barbuti alison.barbuti@manchester.ac.uk 44-016-127-58383 University of Manchester
Wearing a knee brace has been shown to 'significantly improve the pain and symptoms' of a type of osteoarthritis affecting the kneecap, according to a new study
Wearing a knee brace has been shown to "significantly improve the pain and symptoms" of a type of osteoarthritis affecting the kneecap, according to a new study.
Arthritis Research UK-funded researchers at The University of Manchester claim their findings, presented at the Osteoarthritis Research Society International meeting in Philadelphia tomorrow (Friday April 19) have enormous potential for treating this common joint condition effectively as well as providing a simple and cheap alternative to painkillers.
Osteoarthritis of the knee affects around six million people in the UK and is increasing as the population ages and becomes more obese. Current treatments are limited to pain relief and joint replacement.
Osteoarthritis of the knee affecting the kneecap (patellofemoral osteoarthritis) accounts for about 20% of patients with knee pain. They typically experience pain that is made worse by going up and down stairs, kneeling, squatting and prolonged sitting.
"There's a pressing need for non-surgical interventions for knee osteoarthritis, and little attention has been paid to treatments particularly aimed at the kneecap (the patellofemoral joint), a major source of knee pain," explained Dr Michael Callaghan, research associate in rehabilitation science at the University of Manchester.
"We've shown that something as simple as a lightweight knee brace can dramatically improve the symptoms and function for people with this particular type of knee osteoarthritis."
The research team conducted a randomised controlled trial of a lightweight lycra flexible knee brace fitted around the knee with a support strap for the kneecap. One hundred and 26 patients between the ages of 40 and 70 were treated over a 12-week period. All had suffered from arthritic knee pain for the previous three months.
They were randomly allocated to either immediate brace treatment or delayed treatment (i.e. after six weeks.) Both groups of patients eventually wore the brace for a period of 12 weeks and averaged roughly seven hours a day.
After six weeks of brace wearing there were significant improvements between the brace wearing group and the no treatment group in scores for pain, symptoms, knee stiffness, muscle strength and function. After 12 weeks there were significant improvements in these scores for all patients compared to when they started.
"Patients repeatedly told us that wearing the brace made their knee feel more secure, stable, and supported," Dr Callaghan added. "Our theory is that these sensations gave the patient confidence to move the knee more normally and this helped in improving muscle strength, knee function and symptoms."
Professor Alan Silman, medical director of Arthritis Research UK, which funded the trial, said: "Osteoarthritis of the knee is a painful disorder that affects millions of people in the UK, causing pain and reducing activities. We know that in patients with arthritis, the knee joint is frequently out of normal alignment, which might be an underlying cause of the problem, as well as making it worse.
"By using a simple brace, the researchers have been able not only to correct the alignment but achieve a very worthwhile benefit in terms of reducing pain and function. This approach is a real advance over relying on pain killers and has the potential to reduce the end for joint surgery and replacement, procedures often employed when the symptoms become uncontrollable."
###
The ROAM (Research into Osteoarthritis in Manchester) project has run three trials at The University of Manchester and the University of Salford. The project is led by internationally renowned Boston-based osteoarthritis expert Professor David Felson, with funding of 1.8m from Arthritis Research UK.
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?
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.
Source: www.ibtimes.com --- Saturday, April 06, 2013 Ford's much anticipated EcoSport SUV has got a soft launch in Kochi, Kerala as part of company's 12-city campaign road show. ...
Different drug combinations work best for prevention versus treatment of colorectal tumorsPublic release date: 7-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Diana Quattrone diana.quattrone@fccc.edu 215-728-7784 Fox Chase Cancer Center
Study evaluates the effectiveness of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug and the cholesterol-lowering medication Lipitor in animal models more relevant to humans
WASHINGTON, DC (April 7, 2013)Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Once colorectal cancer has spread to other parts of the body, only 11 percent of patients will survive five years from the date of their diagnosis. Most colorectal cancers are adenocarcinomascancers that begin in cells that make and release mucus and other fluids. Adenocarcinomas begin as benign tumors called adenomas, which become malignant over time. By treating adenomas before they become cancerous, it could be possible to prevent colorectal cancer.
Researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center have tested the effectiveness of two promising drugs in preventing and treating colorectal adenomas in mice. A team led by Wen-Chi Chang, PhD, assistant research professor at Fox Chase, found that the effect of these drugs, which have already been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of other conditions, depends on whether adenomas are present when drug treatment begins. Chang will present these findings at the AACR Annual Meeting 2013 on Sunday, April 7.
"We often get focused on either the preventive or therapeutic setting and don't think about how these drugs are maybe serving more than one purpose," says senior author on the study Margie L. Clapper, PhD, co-leader of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at Fox Chase. "The most exciting thing for us was to be able to track these tumors and for the first time distinguish between prevention and chemotherapy, and to show that one agent is maybe effective in both settings if used appropriately, or in this case, in combination with another agent."
Past studies in animals have shown that colorectal tumors can be suppressed by combined treatment with two drugs: a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory compound called sulindac and a cholesterol-lowering medication called atorvastatinwhose brand name is Lipitor. But in those studies, tumors were induced in an unnatural waythrough exposure to carcinogenic chemicalswhereas in humans, cancer often has genetic origins.
To evaluate the effectiveness of sulindac and atorvastatin in an animal model more relevant to humans, Chang, Clapper and their colleagues used a unique mouse that had genetic alterations that cause them to develop multiple colorectal adenomas, without exposure to carcinogens. "No one had previously tested the effectiveness of this drug combination against colorectal cancer originating from alterations in the genome," Clapper says. "In some ways, using this type of preclinical tumor model represents a new paradigm for doing prevention studies and therapeutic studies."
In the new study, the researchers treated the mice with either drug alone or in combination for 100 days and used colonoscopic examinations to evaluate the presence and size of tumors before and after treatment. In mice that had tumors prior to treatment, only combination therapy reduced the number of adenomas in the colon by the end of the treatment period.
The results were strikingly different in mice that were tumor-free when treatment began. In these mice, exposure to atorvastatin alone or in combination with sulindac resulted in about a three-fold increase in the percentage of mice that were tumor-free by the end of the treatment period. Among these mice, 44 percent of those treated with atorvastatin alone and 30 percent of those treated with both drugs did not develop tumors, compared with 13 percent of mice that received no treatment and nine percent that received sulindac alone. Moreover, atorvastatin treatment completely inhibited the formation of microscopic adenomas in these mice.
The findings demonstrate that the effectiveness of the two drugs at preventing and treating colorectal adenomas depends on whether tumors are present prior to the onset of treatment. "Based on this study, we're able to say that if you don't have a tumor to begin with, maybe Lipitor is best, but if you do have a tumor to begin with, you need the combination therapy," Chang says. "We can start to tailor clinical care based upon the disease state as well as the establishment of tumors."
Moving forward, the researchers plan to study the specific genetic alterations in this particular mouse model, with the goal of identifying molecular pathways that could be targeted with therapies.
###
Co-authors on the study include Christina M. Ferrara, Stacy L. Mosier, Harry S. Cooper, Karthik Devarajan, Harvey Hensley, and Tianyu Li of Fox Chase. This research was supported by NIH R21CA129467.
Fox Chase Cancer Center, part of Temple University Health System, is one of the leading cancer research and treatment centers in the United States. Founded in 1904 in Philadelphia as one of the nation's first cancer hospitals, Fox Chase also was among the first institutions to receive the National Cancer Institute's prestigious comprehensive cancer center designation in 1974. Fox Chase researchers have won the highest awards in their fields, including two Nobel Prizes. Fox Chase physicians are routinely recognized in national rankings, and the Center's nursing program has achieved Magnet status for excellence three consecutive times. Fox Chase conducts a broad array of nationally competitive basic, translational, and clinical research and oversees programs in cancer prevention, detection, survivorship, and community outreach. For more information, call 1-888-FOX-CHASE (1-888-369-2427) or visit http://www.foxchase.org.
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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.
Different drug combinations work best for prevention versus treatment of colorectal tumorsPublic release date: 7-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Diana Quattrone diana.quattrone@fccc.edu 215-728-7784 Fox Chase Cancer Center
Study evaluates the effectiveness of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug and the cholesterol-lowering medication Lipitor in animal models more relevant to humans
WASHINGTON, DC (April 7, 2013)Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Once colorectal cancer has spread to other parts of the body, only 11 percent of patients will survive five years from the date of their diagnosis. Most colorectal cancers are adenocarcinomascancers that begin in cells that make and release mucus and other fluids. Adenocarcinomas begin as benign tumors called adenomas, which become malignant over time. By treating adenomas before they become cancerous, it could be possible to prevent colorectal cancer.
Researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center have tested the effectiveness of two promising drugs in preventing and treating colorectal adenomas in mice. A team led by Wen-Chi Chang, PhD, assistant research professor at Fox Chase, found that the effect of these drugs, which have already been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of other conditions, depends on whether adenomas are present when drug treatment begins. Chang will present these findings at the AACR Annual Meeting 2013 on Sunday, April 7.
"We often get focused on either the preventive or therapeutic setting and don't think about how these drugs are maybe serving more than one purpose," says senior author on the study Margie L. Clapper, PhD, co-leader of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at Fox Chase. "The most exciting thing for us was to be able to track these tumors and for the first time distinguish between prevention and chemotherapy, and to show that one agent is maybe effective in both settings if used appropriately, or in this case, in combination with another agent."
Past studies in animals have shown that colorectal tumors can be suppressed by combined treatment with two drugs: a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory compound called sulindac and a cholesterol-lowering medication called atorvastatinwhose brand name is Lipitor. But in those studies, tumors were induced in an unnatural waythrough exposure to carcinogenic chemicalswhereas in humans, cancer often has genetic origins.
To evaluate the effectiveness of sulindac and atorvastatin in an animal model more relevant to humans, Chang, Clapper and their colleagues used a unique mouse that had genetic alterations that cause them to develop multiple colorectal adenomas, without exposure to carcinogens. "No one had previously tested the effectiveness of this drug combination against colorectal cancer originating from alterations in the genome," Clapper says. "In some ways, using this type of preclinical tumor model represents a new paradigm for doing prevention studies and therapeutic studies."
In the new study, the researchers treated the mice with either drug alone or in combination for 100 days and used colonoscopic examinations to evaluate the presence and size of tumors before and after treatment. In mice that had tumors prior to treatment, only combination therapy reduced the number of adenomas in the colon by the end of the treatment period.
The results were strikingly different in mice that were tumor-free when treatment began. In these mice, exposure to atorvastatin alone or in combination with sulindac resulted in about a three-fold increase in the percentage of mice that were tumor-free by the end of the treatment period. Among these mice, 44 percent of those treated with atorvastatin alone and 30 percent of those treated with both drugs did not develop tumors, compared with 13 percent of mice that received no treatment and nine percent that received sulindac alone. Moreover, atorvastatin treatment completely inhibited the formation of microscopic adenomas in these mice.
The findings demonstrate that the effectiveness of the two drugs at preventing and treating colorectal adenomas depends on whether tumors are present prior to the onset of treatment. "Based on this study, we're able to say that if you don't have a tumor to begin with, maybe Lipitor is best, but if you do have a tumor to begin with, you need the combination therapy," Chang says. "We can start to tailor clinical care based upon the disease state as well as the establishment of tumors."
Moving forward, the researchers plan to study the specific genetic alterations in this particular mouse model, with the goal of identifying molecular pathways that could be targeted with therapies.
###
Co-authors on the study include Christina M. Ferrara, Stacy L. Mosier, Harry S. Cooper, Karthik Devarajan, Harvey Hensley, and Tianyu Li of Fox Chase. This research was supported by NIH R21CA129467.
Fox Chase Cancer Center, part of Temple University Health System, is one of the leading cancer research and treatment centers in the United States. Founded in 1904 in Philadelphia as one of the nation's first cancer hospitals, Fox Chase also was among the first institutions to receive the National Cancer Institute's prestigious comprehensive cancer center designation in 1974. Fox Chase researchers have won the highest awards in their fields, including two Nobel Prizes. Fox Chase physicians are routinely recognized in national rankings, and the Center's nursing program has achieved Magnet status for excellence three consecutive times. Fox Chase conducts a broad array of nationally competitive basic, translational, and clinical research and oversees programs in cancer prevention, detection, survivorship, and community outreach. For more information, call 1-888-FOX-CHASE (1-888-369-2427) or visit http://www.foxchase.org.
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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.
FILE - In this March 3, 2006 file photo, former president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Fay Kanin, poses for a photo during the foreign language film award reception at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in Beverly Hills, Calif. The Academy confirmed Kanin?s death Wednesday, March 27, 2013. She was 95. The Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated screenwriter served as president of the film academy from 1979 to 1983. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok, File)
FILE - In this March 3, 2006 file photo, former president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Fay Kanin, poses for a photo during the foreign language film award reception at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in Beverly Hills, Calif. The Academy confirmed Kanin?s death Wednesday, March 27, 2013. She was 95. The Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated screenwriter served as president of the film academy from 1979 to 1983. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok, File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated screenwriter Fay Kanin has died. She was 95.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences confirmed Kanin's death Wednesday. She served as president of the film academy from 1979 to 1983.
Kanin was nominated for an Academy Award for 1958's "Teacher's Pet" alongside her husband and writing partner, Michael Kanin. The film starred Clark Gable and Doris Day.
Fay Kanin was also recognized for her television contributions, winning two screenwriting Emmys in 1974 and another for producing the TV special "Friendly Fire" in 1979.
Details on Kanin's survivors and cause of death were not immediately available.
NEW YORK (AP) ? The New York Aquarium has cherished its big-city setting by the sea for half a century. But the ocean that is the aquarium's lifeblood dealt it a shattering blow last fall.
Superstorm Sandy's surge overran carefully calibrated tanks with oily, debris-filled water, knocked out even backup power to all the exhibits and made it impossible to check on some of them for days. Managers contemplated shipping animals away and wondered whether the institution itself could survive in its spot on Coney Island.
Five months later, more than 80 percent of the collection is intact, and visitors should be able to see walruses, angelfish, otters and others when about half the aquarium reopens late spring. A planned expansion remains on track, now coupled with rebuilding and floodproofing an institution that aims to be an object lesson in enduring on the shore.
"I don't think we could abandon this facility. Not that we didn't think about it ? we thought through everything," aquarium Director Jon Forrest Dohlin said this week as he stood amid pipes and cables in a now-empty jellyfish exhibit.
"We want to be here, and we also want to be able to talk to the community about what we did, how we handled this, and how the city of New York can start to look toward the future of living in this coastal environment."
As he walked through the 14-acre grounds, penguins watched like squat sentries from their outdoor habitat. Walruses snoozed as sea lions arced through the air on their trainers' cues, staying in practice for shows to resume in a few months. Angelfish and other tropical species shimmered around a coral reef and hefty pacu, a fruit-eating piranha relative, hovered in an Amazonian display in the one building where exhibit space wasn't flooded.
But the effects of the Oct. 29 storm were still starkly visible elsewhere.
The floor was torn out of a building that houses jellyfish, seahorses, lungfish and other unusual creatures. Many were still there but set to start moving next month to other aquariums while their facility is rebuilt. The open pool in front of it was drained dry; it housed hundreds of freshwater koi that died in the saltwater surge.
Sharks, sea turtles and rays circled serenely in a tank in the aquarium's veterinary hospital. They're healthy but were shuttled there after the storm put an exclamation point on plans to reinvent their exhibit. Nearby, the gutted cafeteria still has "Happy Halloween!" signs on its windows.
There's no firm date yet for this spring's partial reopening. The rest of the exhibits, including the new $120 million shark display, are to open in 2016.
Meanwhile, the Wildlife Conservation Society, which runs the aquarium, is determining how much insurance and government aid may pay toward fixing roughly $65 million in estimated damage.
The aquarium was founded in 1896 in lower Manhattan. It moved in 1957 to Coney Island, a faded seaside playground now striving for rebirth. Drawing more than 750,000 visitors a year, it's "the economic engine for Coney Island," says City Councilman Domenic Recchia Jr., who represents the area.
Aquariums are often built by the water and have proven vulnerable to hurricanes. New Orleans' Audubon Aquarium of the Americas lost thousands of fish when generators failed after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. It reopened about five months later.
In Galveston, Texas, Hurricane Ike's storm surge in 2008 killed about three-quarters of the fish in Moody Gardens' rainforest exhibit, General Manager Robert Callies said. The exhibit reopened in 2011 after bringing back hundreds of birds, reptiles and mammals sent to other zoos after the storm.
At the New York Aquarium, Sandy's surge coursed through air-intake vents in flood doors under the Coney Island boardwalk, punched through sand into the parking lot and rushed in from the parking lot after a creek overflowed blocks away.
As the water rose three feet high in Dohlin's ground-floor office, he watched it pour down a stairwell into a basement that housed exhibits and the equipment that keeps them alive.
"'We lost the aquarium,'" he thought.
Basements were under up to 15 feet of water. Generators were either damaged or useless because equipment needed to distribute their power was fried. The pump house that draws from the ocean to refresh the 1.5 million-gallon exhibits was out of commission, as were systems that treat the seawater, tailor it to different environments and maintain the oxygen levels, temperatures and water chemistry the aquarium's 12,000 animals need.
None had been evacuated. That would have been very difficult to arrange in the few days the aquarium had to prepare, Dohlin said.
Scrambling to save the collection, 18 staffers used hospital-style canisters to get crucial oxygen into the water, rebuilt filters and pumps on the fly and called in equipment from the Wildlife Conservation Society's four zoos. They mixed artificial seawater in garbage cans and warmed rooms with space heaters to keep water temperatures up, animal operations director David DeNardo said.
At the same time, managers weighed how much longer they had to get systems going before having to ship animals away, an unwelcome prospect for already stressed creatures. On Nov. 1, the wildlife society announced that a decision would probably have to be made in 24 hours. But key systems were at least partially running in all the exhibits two days later, and the animals stayed.
The koi and some other fish were dead. But many other fish and all the mammals were fine ? including Mitik, an orphaned walrus calf that arrived only weeks before. He seemed to enjoy splashing in a couple of feet of surge water, Dohlin said.
A 3-foot-long American eel disappeared from its tank but turned up, unharmed, in a staff shower stall. Seahorses held on to life despite the cold, dirty surge water that flowed into their tropical tanks.
Now, plans call for raising the new shark building several feet higher to meet new flood-zone predictions, moving air intake vents from the flood doors to the roof, moving electrical panels out of basements and installing full-height storm doors on some glass doors that were only partly protected.
It's an unexpected chance, Dohlin says, to improve both the aquarium's exhibits and endurance at once.
"Not to let any crisis go to waste," he said. "That's the real opportunity here."
___
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Didn't get enough of the Dragon capsule launch this week? Good news, because after a day's delay due to (now remedied, according to NASA and SpaceX) faults with three clusters of its Draco thrusters, the capsule is set to be grappled by the International Space Station at 6:01AM ET on March 3rd (tomorrow morning). If you'll recall, the mission is mainly aimed at getting refreshed supplies and some experiments up to the space station. As an aside, NASA also notes that Dragon is still set to arrive back on earth for a splashdown on the 25th, as initially planned. If you're up for it, NASA TV coverage starts at 3AM the same day and the final berthing process (actually getting the capsule connected to the ISS) should happen at about 7:30AM -- all that said, initial "orbital manuevers" are set for 2AM, according to a tweet from Elon Musk. For more details on this stage of the mission, including those involved, blast over to the NASA source link below -- and make sure you've got enough coffee ready.
HTC has been pushing the new camera features included in Sense 5, and one of the most interesting ones (pardon the pun) is HTC Zoe. It's honestly not the easiest thing to explain, and is best seen in its full form, which HTC is helping out with by putting up its "HTC Zoe Share" site today for all to see. The basic idea is to take multiple pictures and video clips at the same time, and then let the software stitch them, add filters, transitions and music. The end result is likely to make a more enjoyable piece of footage than what you'd normally get out of a smart phone camera.
Head to the source link below to see one of the headline Zoes from the HTC One launch event, which shows off what this feature is capable of. The entire piece is just 30 seconds, but tells a bit of a story in just a short time. We can only imagine what some real artists will be able to do with this once it hits consumer's hands.
Stick with us after the break to see our hands-on with the HTC One as well, where Phil makes his best attempt at explaining how to use the new Zoe feature.
Personal Injury Lawyer Larry Disparti Says Google Nexus Tablet Matches His Law Firms Mission? (February 23, 2013)
Tampa, FL (PRWEB) February 23, 2013
Larry Disparti, a personal injury lawyer serving clients throughout Florida and Illinois, explained today why his firm has switched from providing clients with the Apple iPad to loaning to them Google Nexus tablets during the course of their case.
Disparti said his firm, The Disparti Law Group, P.A., is calling the program the Client Recovery Maximizer System?.
We found that the integration of Googles Nexus tablet with Google features like Gmail, Google docs and chat, as well as the Google calendaring feature, make the Nexus tablet more useful for our purposes, said Disparti, founder of the Disparti Law Group, P.A, which has offices in Chicago and the Tampa-St. Petersburg area of Florida.
Our firms mission is to help our clients to recover compensation for the injuries they have suffered, and we need for them to have the ability to readily contact and assist us as their attorneys, he added. The Google Nexus tablet fits our mission perfectly. While the iPad certainly has many great uses, we simply find that the tablet suits our firm better.
The Disparti Law Group recently began the program of loaning to each of the law firms clients a Google Nexus tablet. Disparti said the devices should enable clients to:
????Communicate with the firms attorneys through dedicated email accounts
????Take photos and record video of their injuries and recovery
????Keep up with doctors and lawyers appointments.
Much of the video content, including a diary of the clients recovery and interviews with family members, can be used to compile video demand packages and strengthen the clients position when negotiating for a settlement, Disparti said.
Disparti cited a Consumer Reports review that said the 16GB Nexus 10 equals the iPad in most areas of performance and has a slightly larger display.
A Los Angeles Times comparison of the Nexus 10, the iPad and Microsofts Surface said the Nexus 10 consistently loaded Web pages faster than its rivals and noted that it is lighter and thinner than the iPad. The Times rated the iPad higher for video and sound quality and said it has access to more games than the Nexus.
Disparti said his firm has found that the Nexus is a more cost-effective choice with a price point about $100 lower than the iPad and the Surface.
The attributes of the Nexus are what we hope prospective clients are looking for in a law firm, Disparti said. The Disparti Law Group is dedicated to its work and to delivering services to clients as efficiently as possible.
And, as our switch from the iPad to the Nexus tablet demonstrates, we examine the facts and go where the evidence leads. Were not afraid to reexamine the common wisdom or our previous conclusions.
About Disparti Law Group, P.A.
The personal injury and disability benefits lawyers of the Disparti Law Group, P.A., provide legal assistance in cases involving Social Security Disability (SSD), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), railroad disability (FELA and RRB claims) and veterans benefits (including TSGLI claims). Additionally, the firm represents clients in cases involving car accidents, slip-and-fall or premises liability, products liability, medical malpractice, wrongful death, nursing home neglect and inadequate security. The Disparti Law Group, P.A., features an Illinois office in Chicago (200 S. Wacker Dr., #3100, Chicago IL 60606; local phone 312-506-5511) and Florida offices in Tampa (2203 N. Lois #830, Tampa, FL 33607; local phone 813-932-2942) and Holiday (1041 U.S. 19, Holiday, FL 34691; local phone 727-934-7862). For more information, please use the firms online contact form.
Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/personal-injury-lawyer/google-nexus-tablets/prweb10461826.htm.
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While the jury's still out as to whether users will embrace the new convertible laptops that have launched with the debut of Windows 8, AMD is betting that its new Turbo Dock technology can help improve the computing experience whether you're using one in tablet mode or as a traditional notebook.
The chip company says its new feature, to be showcased in devices unveiled at next week's Mobile World Congress 2013, addresses the fact that the hybrid device performs similarly whether it's in laptop or tablet mode, even if you are doing wildly different tasks. To remedy this situation, Turbo Dock will speed up the accelerated processing unit (APU) of the unit when its docked in its keyboard, while drawing less power when it's being used as a tablet.
The innovation will be baked into AMD's new "Temash" chip for tablets and hybrid devices, which will also be on display at MWC 2013. It will counter Intel's current Ivy Bridge processors being used in Windows 8 mobile PCs, as well as the forthcoming Haswell chips. Like Intel, AMD is playing catch-up in the tablet processor space, but hopes its long-time association with traditional Windows desktops and laptops will help it break into the market via the new form factors based around Windows 8.
The Turbo Dock feature is a nice selling point -- especially if it works well in real-world testing -- that marries internal performance to external usage, but will anyone be buying? That's not a question unique to AMD and its new Temash platform. To spur the adoption of touchscreen Windows 8 systems, including the convertible laptops Turbo Dock is designed to work with, Microsoft and Best Buy are planning a $100 discount program starting this Sunday.?
We'll see what types of devices Turbo Dock will launch with as MWC 2013 kicks into gear next week, so stay tuned.
Data paper describes Antarctic biodiversity data gathered by 90 expeditions since 1956Public release date: 19-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Julian Gutt julian.gutt@awi.de Pensoft Publishers
Huge data encompassed into a unique georeferenced macrobenthic assemblages database
A new peer-reviewed data paper offers a comprehensive, open-access collection of georeferenced biological information about the Antarctic macrobenthic communities. The term macrobenthic refers to the visible-for-the-eye organisms that live near or on the sea bottom such as echinoderms, sponges, ascidians, crustaceans. The paper will help in coordinating biodiversity research and conservation activities on species living near the ocean bottom of the Antarctic.
The data paper "Antarctic macrobenthic communities: A compilation of circumpolar information", published in the open access journal Nature Conservation, describes data from approximately 90 different expeditions in the region since 1956 that have now been made openly available under a CC-By license. The paper provides unique georeferenced biological basic information for the planning of future coordinated research activities, for example those under the umbrella of the biology program Antarctic Thresholds Ecosystem Resilience and Adaptation (AnT-ERA) of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR). The information collected could be also beneficial for current conservation priorities such as the planning of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).
The expeditions were organised by several famous explorers of the Antarctic. The area covered by the paper consists of almost the entire Southern Ocean, including sites covered by a single ice-shelf. The vast majority of information is from shelf areas around the continent at water depth shallower than 800m. The information from the different sources is then attributed to the classified macrobenthic assemblages. The results are made publicly available via the "Antarctic Biodiversity Facility" (data.biodiversity.aq).
A specific feature of this paper is that the manuscript was automatically generated from the Integrated Publishing Toolkit of the Antarctic Node of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (AntaBIF IPT) and then submitted to the journal Nature Conservation through a novel workflow developed by GBIF and Pensoft Publishers. (see previous press release). Data are made freely available through the AntaBIF IPT, and sea-bed images of 214 localities through the data repository for geoscience and environmental data, PANGAEA- Data Publisher for Earth and Environmental Science (sample: http://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.198682).
Speaking from on board the research vessel 'Polarstern', the paper's lead author Prof. Julian Gutt of the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Germany commented:
"The most important achievement of this paper is that data collected over many years and by various institutions are now not only freely available for anyone to download and use, but also properly described to facilitate future work in re-using the data. The Data Paper concept is certainly a great approach that multiplies the effect of funds and efforts spent by generations of scientists."
The data will also be used for a comprehensive Biogeography Atlas of the Southern Ocean project to be released during the XI SCAR Biology Symposium in Barcelona July 2013.
###
Published by Pensoft Publishers.
ORIGINAL SOURCE:
Gutt J, David B, Lockhart SJ, van de Putte A (2013) Antarctic macrobenthic communities: A compilation of circumpolar information. Nature Conservation 4: 112. doi: 10.3897/natureconservation.4.4499
Further contacts:
Dr Vishwas Chavan
Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
Copenhagen, DENMARK
Tel. 45-35-32-14-75, Fax. 45-35-32-14-80
Email: vchavan@gbif.org
Additional Information:
What is a Data Paper?
A Data Paper is a scholarly journal publication whose primary purpose is to describe a dataset or a group of datasets, rather than to report a research investigation. As such, it contains facts about data, not hypotheses and arguments in support of those hypotheses based upon data, as found in a conventional research article. Its purposes are three-fold:
to provide a citable journal publication that brings scholarly credit to data publishers;
to describe the data in a structured human-readable form;
to bring the existence of the data to the attention of the scholarly community.
Sources:
Chavan V, Penev L (2011) The data paper: a mechanism to incentivize data publishing in biodiversity science. BMC Bioinformatics, 12 (Suppl 15): S2. doi: 10.1186/1471-2105-12-S15-S2
Penev L, Mietchen D, Chavan V, Hagedorn G, Remsen D, Smith V, Shotton D (2011). Pensoft Data Publishing Policies and Guidelines for Biodiversity Data. http://www.pensoft.net/J_FILES/Pensoft_Data_Publishing_Policies_and_Guidelines.pdf
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
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.
Data paper describes Antarctic biodiversity data gathered by 90 expeditions since 1956Public release date: 19-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Julian Gutt julian.gutt@awi.de Pensoft Publishers
Huge data encompassed into a unique georeferenced macrobenthic assemblages database
A new peer-reviewed data paper offers a comprehensive, open-access collection of georeferenced biological information about the Antarctic macrobenthic communities. The term macrobenthic refers to the visible-for-the-eye organisms that live near or on the sea bottom such as echinoderms, sponges, ascidians, crustaceans. The paper will help in coordinating biodiversity research and conservation activities on species living near the ocean bottom of the Antarctic.
The data paper "Antarctic macrobenthic communities: A compilation of circumpolar information", published in the open access journal Nature Conservation, describes data from approximately 90 different expeditions in the region since 1956 that have now been made openly available under a CC-By license. The paper provides unique georeferenced biological basic information for the planning of future coordinated research activities, for example those under the umbrella of the biology program Antarctic Thresholds Ecosystem Resilience and Adaptation (AnT-ERA) of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR). The information collected could be also beneficial for current conservation priorities such as the planning of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).
The expeditions were organised by several famous explorers of the Antarctic. The area covered by the paper consists of almost the entire Southern Ocean, including sites covered by a single ice-shelf. The vast majority of information is from shelf areas around the continent at water depth shallower than 800m. The information from the different sources is then attributed to the classified macrobenthic assemblages. The results are made publicly available via the "Antarctic Biodiversity Facility" (data.biodiversity.aq).
A specific feature of this paper is that the manuscript was automatically generated from the Integrated Publishing Toolkit of the Antarctic Node of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (AntaBIF IPT) and then submitted to the journal Nature Conservation through a novel workflow developed by GBIF and Pensoft Publishers. (see previous press release). Data are made freely available through the AntaBIF IPT, and sea-bed images of 214 localities through the data repository for geoscience and environmental data, PANGAEA- Data Publisher for Earth and Environmental Science (sample: http://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.198682).
Speaking from on board the research vessel 'Polarstern', the paper's lead author Prof. Julian Gutt of the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Germany commented:
"The most important achievement of this paper is that data collected over many years and by various institutions are now not only freely available for anyone to download and use, but also properly described to facilitate future work in re-using the data. The Data Paper concept is certainly a great approach that multiplies the effect of funds and efforts spent by generations of scientists."
The data will also be used for a comprehensive Biogeography Atlas of the Southern Ocean project to be released during the XI SCAR Biology Symposium in Barcelona July 2013.
###
Published by Pensoft Publishers.
ORIGINAL SOURCE:
Gutt J, David B, Lockhart SJ, van de Putte A (2013) Antarctic macrobenthic communities: A compilation of circumpolar information. Nature Conservation 4: 112. doi: 10.3897/natureconservation.4.4499
Further contacts:
Dr Vishwas Chavan
Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
Copenhagen, DENMARK
Tel. 45-35-32-14-75, Fax. 45-35-32-14-80
Email: vchavan@gbif.org
Additional Information:
What is a Data Paper?
A Data Paper is a scholarly journal publication whose primary purpose is to describe a dataset or a group of datasets, rather than to report a research investigation. As such, it contains facts about data, not hypotheses and arguments in support of those hypotheses based upon data, as found in a conventional research article. Its purposes are three-fold:
to provide a citable journal publication that brings scholarly credit to data publishers;
to describe the data in a structured human-readable form;
to bring the existence of the data to the attention of the scholarly community.
Sources:
Chavan V, Penev L (2011) The data paper: a mechanism to incentivize data publishing in biodiversity science. BMC Bioinformatics, 12 (Suppl 15): S2. doi: 10.1186/1471-2105-12-S15-S2
Penev L, Mietchen D, Chavan V, Hagedorn G, Remsen D, Smith V, Shotton D (2011). Pensoft Data Publishing Policies and Guidelines for Biodiversity Data. http://www.pensoft.net/J_FILES/Pensoft_Data_Publishing_Policies_and_Guidelines.pdf
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
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.
When your country gets wealthier, you spend more of your money on things that aren't food.
So it's not surprising that Chinese urban consumers now spend 14 percentage points less of their budget on food today than they did in 1995, US Funds' Frank Holmes.
Holmes writes:?
Within the country, more and more residents are relocating to the cities to get higher paid jobs and acquire discretionary income. In addition, government economic, social, rural and welfare policies are influencing the cost of goods.
As a result, they're now spending much more on clothes and medicine:
Holmes concludes that this is great news for Chinese stocks:
...reforming the hukou (urban residency) registration system will likely have a tremendous influence on China?s economy, and this is especially true in the consumer space. For the?China Region Fund, we believe stocks in the consumer discretionary sector will profit from the increasing renminbi in residents? pockets.
How many devices, toys and gadgets do you own that use AA or AAA batteries? Do you feed these devices standard alkaline batteries, or do you use rechargeables? I personally prefer to go the rechargeable route mainly because it’s easier and less expensive for me to pop a set of drained batteries into a charger [...]
The thing about virtual reality is that it's kind of been around a bit too long. Remember when second life was so darn hot? Well, that was a long time ago.
So, when I was invited to explore the Stanford Human/Virtual Reality Lab, I have to say I was ready to be underwhelmed. The lab is the work of professor Jeremy Bailenson -- and one thing is clear right away, he's spent a ton of Stanford's money on the lab. The Lab's mission is "...to understand the dynamics and implications of interactions among people in immersive virtual reality simulations and other forms of human digital representations in media, communication systems, and games." Which is fancy talk for a simple goal, to explore just where VR might actually make a real difference in our world.
Entering the lab, the first thing you think is, "so, this is it?" There's not much to see except a worn-looking blue-gray carpet, a stack of computer equipment and a weird looking helmet attached to a fat electronic umbilical cord. Moments later, I'm wearing the helmet, a $45,000 helmet I'm told, and from inside, I'm seeing the same bland boring room. Only, it's the computer's digital construction of the room. There's the click of a switch -- and I'm standing on an empty street in a virtual city, with tall buildings around me. I point my arms toward the air and "Woosh..." I'm flying. Dang. I'm flying in the air! The room has speakers all around, so I can hear the air rushing by. The floor has haptic sensors that shudder with a thud when I land.
In the course of a half hour, the folks I'm with are flying, swimming in a virtual ocean, and walking across a virtual pit. Exhilarating, terrifying, awe-inspiring. Extraordinary experiences - and each of them in their own way very much real. But the truth is, this is the tip of the iceberg. Games and VR are things you can experience with what is now commercial VR games and platforms. Maybe not at this level, but VR is out in the mainstream. Bailenson's goal is to explore the social, and interpersonal impact of VR - and in that, he's breaking some very new ground. Bailenson's lab studies the social mechanics of virtual existence. In it, identity is endlessly morphing - and the nature of interaction is up for grabs.
Says Bailenson "In the past, VR [virtual reality] has always been this amazing toy that someone has in their garage, and in the last five years what we started to see is that this stuff is no longer science fiction.How is this changing who we are as humans? How is that affecting the human identity?"
He tests how we interact with non-human avatars, finding how powerful, and creepy, eye contact can be.
For example, in the real world, making eye contact makes you more convincing, but you can only look one person in the eye at a time. In his VR lab, a cyber-you can connect with direct eye contact to multiple other people. The result is a more convincing conversation. And these revelations go further, copying another person's head movements after a four-second delay makes them much more likely to agree with you, the lab discovered.
They're testing how all kinds of ways we interact, and who we interact with impacts the way we behave. From talking with a older version of ourselves, to having advertisements that are automatically populated with characters that mimic some of our physical characteristics to sell us soda or clothes.
In one of the demonstrations that is the most remarkable, and shocking, Bailenson shows how he can take a picture of a person, and render a 3D lifelike avatar in just a few minutes. The idea that someone can have a virtual me out in the world quickly, and without my permission, keeps me up nights thinking about a whole new kind of identity theft.
The powerful realization you find yourself facing after an hour in Bailenson's VR lab is that the digital self can have "superpowers" the real you does not. And the behaviors that trigger us to feel fear, or trust, or empathy can now be constructed in virtual worlds. And it's clear they will be.
Bailenson isn't your conventional computer nerd. His background is in cognitive psychology at the University of Michigan and Northwestern University. And he says his work is inspired by novelists like William Gibson and Neal Stephenson, whose cyberpunk fantasies he read while an undergrad.
And watching the experiments taking place in the lab, you can see the coming together of science fiction and technology. There's one project, where your face is actually placed inside an ad that is trying to sell you something, or even more strangely, your facial characteristics are partially morphed on the face of the virtual pitchman (or woman). How will you react when someone who looks and sounds a lot like you is trying to sell you something? If this sounds familiar, it should -- it's right out of the piece of fiction written by Philip K. Dick that was turned into the movie Minority Report.
The VR Lab at Stanford is doing far more than building neat helmets or VR worlds. As they explain it they are "using empirical, behavioral science methodologies to explore people as they interact in these digital worlds."
And one thing is absolutely clear, Virtual Reality at this level isn't going to stay in the labs much longer.
Currently the Lab's $45k headset is the best in the world, but a commercial product called the Oculus Rift has already raised 2.5 million dollars after seeking just $250,000, clearly paving the way for a low cost, high quality VR headset that will bring virtual worlds to the average computer user in the near future.
(photo credit Rick Smolan)
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Follow Steve Rosenbaum on Twitter: www.twitter.com/magnify
Contact: Chelsey B. Coombs diya@illinois.edu 217-333-5802 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. It has been almost 20 years since the first genetically modified foods showed up in produce aisles throughout the United States and the rest of the world, but controversy continues to surround the products and their regulation.
Bruce Chassy, a professor emeritus of food science and human nutrition at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, believes that after thousands of research studies and worldwide planting, "genetically modified foods pose no special risks to consumers or the environment" and are overregulated.
Chassy will elaborate on this conclusion at the 2013 meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston on Feb. 17. During his talk, "Regulating the Safety of Foods and Feeds Derived From Genetically Modified Crops," Chassy will share his view that the overregulation of GM crops actually hurts the environment, reduces global health and burdens the consumer.
Farmers have witnessed the advantages of GM crops firsthand through increases in their yields and profit, and decreases in their labor, energy consumption, pesticide use and greenhouse gas emissions, Chassy said.
Despite these benefits, various regulatory agencies require newly developed GM crops to be put to the test with rigorous safety evaluations that include molecular characterization, toxicological evaluation, allergenicity assessments, compositional analysis and feeding studies. This extensive testing takes five to 10 years and costs tens of millions of dollars, and Chassy argues that this process "wastes resources and diverts attention from real food safety issues."
"With more than half of the world's population now living in countries that have adopted GM crops, it might be appropriate to reduce the regulatory scrutiny of GM crops to a level that is commensurate with science-based risk assessment," Chassy said.
During his talk, Chassy will chronicle the scientific tests used in pre-market safety assessments of GM foods and elaborate on the evidence from thousands of research studies and expansive GM plantings that he says show these crops do not present risks to consumers or the environment. The overregulation of GM foods is a response not to scientific evidence, Chassy said, but to a global campaign that disseminates misinformation and fear about these food sources.
###
Chassy's presentation is to begin at 1:30 p.m. in Room 201 of the Hynes Convention Center.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
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.
Contact: Chelsey B. Coombs diya@illinois.edu 217-333-5802 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. It has been almost 20 years since the first genetically modified foods showed up in produce aisles throughout the United States and the rest of the world, but controversy continues to surround the products and their regulation.
Bruce Chassy, a professor emeritus of food science and human nutrition at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, believes that after thousands of research studies and worldwide planting, "genetically modified foods pose no special risks to consumers or the environment" and are overregulated.
Chassy will elaborate on this conclusion at the 2013 meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston on Feb. 17. During his talk, "Regulating the Safety of Foods and Feeds Derived From Genetically Modified Crops," Chassy will share his view that the overregulation of GM crops actually hurts the environment, reduces global health and burdens the consumer.
Farmers have witnessed the advantages of GM crops firsthand through increases in their yields and profit, and decreases in their labor, energy consumption, pesticide use and greenhouse gas emissions, Chassy said.
Despite these benefits, various regulatory agencies require newly developed GM crops to be put to the test with rigorous safety evaluations that include molecular characterization, toxicological evaluation, allergenicity assessments, compositional analysis and feeding studies. This extensive testing takes five to 10 years and costs tens of millions of dollars, and Chassy argues that this process "wastes resources and diverts attention from real food safety issues."
"With more than half of the world's population now living in countries that have adopted GM crops, it might be appropriate to reduce the regulatory scrutiny of GM crops to a level that is commensurate with science-based risk assessment," Chassy said.
During his talk, Chassy will chronicle the scientific tests used in pre-market safety assessments of GM foods and elaborate on the evidence from thousands of research studies and expansive GM plantings that he says show these crops do not present risks to consumers or the environment. The overregulation of GM foods is a response not to scientific evidence, Chassy said, but to a global campaign that disseminates misinformation and fear about these food sources.
###
Chassy's presentation is to begin at 1:30 p.m. in Room 201 of the Hynes Convention Center.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
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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Public release date: 19-Apr-2013
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