Dual use research: H5N1 influenza virus and beyondPublic release date: 30-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Diana Friedman dfriedman@nyas.org 212-298-8645 New York Academy of Sciences
Experts to discuss controversial studies on avian flu virus at live event
WHAT: Dual Use Research: H5N1 Influenza Virus and Beyond
WHEN: Feb. 2, 6pm to 8pm
WHERE: The New York Academy of Sciences
REGISTER: www.nyas.org/H5N1
The US National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) recently recommended that journals Nature and Science remove certain methodological details from controversial studies on the avian influenza virus (H5N1) to minimize the risk of these findings being misused by would-be bioterrorists. On February 2 from 6pm to 8pm, the Emerging Infectious Diseases & Microbiology Discussion Group of the New York Academy of Sciences presents Dual Use Research: H5N1 Influenza Virus and Beyond, a discussion between scientists, publishers, and legal experts that will explore the myriad issues surrounding the impending publication of these two studies and measures that will need to be undertaken to ensure the security of future such research.
To weigh in on matters of censorship and public safety, W. Ian Lipkin, MD, Center for Infection & Immunity at Columbia University, will moderate a panel discussion with Arturo Casadevall, MD, PhD, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and member, NSABB; Laurie Garrett, PhD, Council on Foreign Relations; Barbara R. Jasny, PhD, Science; Veronique Kiermer, PhD, Nature Publishing Group; Michael T. Osterholm, PhD, MPH, Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, University of Minnesota, and member, NSABB; Peter Palese, PhD, Mount Sinai School of Medicine; Vincent Racaniello, PhD, Columbia University; and Alan S. Ruldolph, PhD, Defense Threat Reduction Agency.
###
Attendees must register at www.nyas.org/H5N1. Media must RSVP to Diana Friedman, dfriedman@nyas.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.
Dual use research: H5N1 influenza virus and beyondPublic release date: 30-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Diana Friedman dfriedman@nyas.org 212-298-8645 New York Academy of Sciences
Experts to discuss controversial studies on avian flu virus at live event
WHAT: Dual Use Research: H5N1 Influenza Virus and Beyond
WHEN: Feb. 2, 6pm to 8pm
WHERE: The New York Academy of Sciences
REGISTER: www.nyas.org/H5N1
The US National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) recently recommended that journals Nature and Science remove certain methodological details from controversial studies on the avian influenza virus (H5N1) to minimize the risk of these findings being misused by would-be bioterrorists. On February 2 from 6pm to 8pm, the Emerging Infectious Diseases & Microbiology Discussion Group of the New York Academy of Sciences presents Dual Use Research: H5N1 Influenza Virus and Beyond, a discussion between scientists, publishers, and legal experts that will explore the myriad issues surrounding the impending publication of these two studies and measures that will need to be undertaken to ensure the security of future such research.
To weigh in on matters of censorship and public safety, W. Ian Lipkin, MD, Center for Infection & Immunity at Columbia University, will moderate a panel discussion with Arturo Casadevall, MD, PhD, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and member, NSABB; Laurie Garrett, PhD, Council on Foreign Relations; Barbara R. Jasny, PhD, Science; Veronique Kiermer, PhD, Nature Publishing Group; Michael T. Osterholm, PhD, MPH, Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, University of Minnesota, and member, NSABB; Peter Palese, PhD, Mount Sinai School of Medicine; Vincent Racaniello, PhD, Columbia University; and Alan S. Ruldolph, PhD, Defense Threat Reduction Agency.
###
Attendees must register at www.nyas.org/H5N1. Media must RSVP to Diana Friedman, dfriedman@nyas.org.
[ | 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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Good ending? Any thing we need to work on for next time, and KKpigs, I know I need to work on my gramer.
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BRUSSELS (AP) ? German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other European leaders meeting for a summit will only have to look out of the window to see the biggest problem with their steady diet of austerity and belt-tightening to fix the financial crisis: disgruntled workers organizing a nationwide strike to protest the direction in which Europe is heading.
That is, if the 27 government leaders can even get to European Union headquarters in time for Monday's meeting.
Belgium's three main unions are joining hands as of late Sunday in a 24-hour strike to protest national budgetary measures that have in part been imposed on Belgium by the EU. If the country hadn't met cost-cutting targets, financial sanctions would have been imposed.
Instead of a beacon for a better future, many Europeans are starting to see the EU as a death knell, one that is suffocating them with austerity instead of supporting them with job-boosting measures.
"We fully understand the sentiments of all Europeans, especially here in Belgium, where we are so close, the frustrations and doubt and the worries," European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said.
The question is where to find money to boost growth when debt is preoccupying everyone. The austerity measures raise taxes and cut benefits for hundreds of thousands of workers in Belgium. And Monday's strike has been mirrored in many other member states.
Overall, 23 million people are jobless across the EU, 10 percent of the active population.
"Europe has to offer jobs, social protection and perspective for the future. Otherwise it risks losing the support of its citizens," said the strike manifesto of the ACV union.
For Monday, Thalys and Eurostar bullet trains to Brussels have already been cut, one airport has been closed and Brussels international airport is expecting heavy disruption. Contingency plans have been made to get the 27 European leaders to the center of Brussels, but even then convoys could end up in choking traffic if workers block the capital's beltway during morning rush hour.
No major demonstrations are planned but the union leaders will head to the summit site to deliver a symbolic "eurobond" ? pressing for a joint pooling of debt in the eurozone, a measure that has been steadfastly opposed by Germany.
The noise of workers and lack of growth is having a profound impact on Monday's summit.
Even if the debt crisis in Greece will take center stage for part of the meeting, "at the same time, we need to take active measures to enhance growth and competitiveness and above all create jobs," EU president Herman van Rompuy said.
The leaders, though, will be happy to learn that Greece and investors who own its bonds have reached a tentative deal to significantly reduce the country's debt and pave the way for it to receive a much-needed euro130 billion bailout.
Negotiators for the investors announced the agreement Saturday and said it could become final within the next week. If the agreement works as planned, it will help Greece remain solvent and help Europe avoid a blow to its already weak financial system, even though banks and other bond investors will have to accept multibillion-dollar losses.
Still, it doesn't resolve the weakening economic conditions in Greece and other European nations as they rein in spending to get their debts under control.
Under the agreement, investors holding euro206 billion in Greek bonds would exchange them for new bonds worth 60 percent less.
Without an agreement, bankruptcy would loom large for Greece and raise a big question mark over the euro currency shared by 17 nations.
Another divisive issue is a German proposal that debt-ridden Greece temporarily cede sovereignty over tax and spending decisions to a powerful eurozone budget commissioner before it can secure further bailouts.
The idea was quickly rejected by Barroso's Commission and the government in Athens, both insisting the budget remain a national prerogative.
At the same time, the EU also has to deal with an increasingly tough labor market.
Spain's brutal unemployment rate has soared to nearly 23 percent and closed in on 50 percent for those under age 25, leaving more than 5 million people ? or almost one out of every four ? out of work as the country slides toward recession.
To help jump-start the EU toward more growth and employment, the EU Commission is proposing to the summit leaders to redirect euro82 billion in existing funds toward countries in dire need of help to fix their labor market.
AIKEN, S.C. (AP) ? A 26-year-old man was arrested Saturday after police say he killed his girlfriend in Georgia, and then fatally shot a South Carolina police officer responding to a report of suspicious activity, authorities said.
Police in South Carolina said Joshua Tremaine Jones faces charges of murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime in the death of Aiken police Master Cpl. Sandra Rogers.
The South Carolina law Enforcement Division said officers were responding Saturday morning to a report of suspicious activity involving two cars, and that Rogers was shot after stopping one of the vehicles.
Jones was arrested hours later at a residence in Batesburg.
Saturday evening, a visibly moved Aiken Public Safety director Charles Barranco told reporters that Rogers had died at an area hospital. The Aiken native had spent a nearly 28-year career with the department; she was 49.
In neighboring Georgia, The Augusta Chronicle reported that Jones also faces murder charges in the death of his girlfriend, 21-year-old Cayce Vice. Police found her body in her apartment Saturday morning after she didn't show up for work at a Five Guys restaurant and coworkers became concerned; she had been shot in the head.
Richmond County sheriff's Capt. Scott Peebles told the newspaper (http://bit.ly/yO5JS7 ) that the agency had obtained warrants for Jones for murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Peebles confirmed that Vice had sworn out a complaint against Jones for assault earlier this month.
A phone message left late Saturday for the Richmond County Sheriff's Office was not immediately returned.
James Jones, the suspect's father, told reporters that his son had past run-ins with the law and "was going through some mental problems." Jones said his son had run away from home and moved in with Vice. He said his son is from North Augusta and briefly lived in Atlanta.
Jones said that when he returned from work Friday, his son had taken his blue BMW without permission and left. Jones said he and his other son drove around searching but couldn't locate him.
Jones said his heart goes out to the victim' families, and that he's devastated as a father.
"I just went straight to God and said, 'I cannot believe this.' After all that I have taught him, I just never thought that my family would have to deal with something like this," Jones said.
The Aiken public safety department issued a statement Saturday evening praising Rogers as "an invaluable street cop who exemplified the model of a Public Safety Officer," according to WLTX-TV in Columbia, S.C.
"Master Corporal Rogers was a highly skilled investigator and senior patrol officer on her shift," the statement said. "Please keep the Rogers family and Aiken Public Safety in your prayers as once again we deal with this tragic loss."
Last month, hundreds of people gathered to mourn another Aiken police officer killed in the line of duty. Officer Scotty Richardson, 33, died in the early hours of Dec. 21 after being shot in the head during a traffic stop at an apartment complex the night before. Aiken is a city of 30,000 that's located about 20 miles northwest of Augusta.
If a BlackBerry falls from the bush in the forest, but there are no bloggers to blog about it, does it make a sound? The Engadget Mobile Podcasters answer this question at length with the help of the one and only CrackBerry Kevin.
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>>>with new details on
demi moore
's health scare. her publicist is claiming she sought treatment for exhaustion. but this morning there are indications that may not be the whole story. nbc's
mike taibbi
is outside
sherman oaks hospital
in california with more. hey, mike, good morning.
>> reporter: good morning, ann. well it's certainly been a rough patch for the 49-year-old actress. and that number, her age, 49, appears to be a key element in this phase of her story. if she was celebrated by many for her marriage to
ashton kutcher
, an unlikely marriage, an actor 16 years her junior, this appears to be the
flip side
. what can happen when it all goes wrong. in october, after the break-up,
demi moore
looked beyond thin. emaciated, unhealthy, some friends said. of her hospitalization, her publicist said because of the stresses in her life right now, demi has chosen to seek professional assistance to treatment her exhaustion and improve her overall health. she looks forward to getting well. but "people" magazine is saying it's more than exhaustion.
>>there are reports that she had a seizure and she was shaking. one thing that is clear is that
prescription drugs
seem to have played a role in her being brought here.
>> reporter: moore
had sought treatment for
substance abuse
in the early '80s and in the '90s her career soared with starring roles in films like "ghost" and "a few good men." and her marriage to megastar,
bruce willis
and their eventual divorce provided fodder for the tabloids. on tuesday, their daughter,
rumor willis
, spent time at
sherman oaks hospital
where her mother was rushed for treatment. the ending of
moore
's marriage to kutcher, supposed by a breaking point.
>>her life seemed to be spiraling a bit and it wasn't something she could take control of herself.
>> reporter: and she couldn't control the march of time, either. the woman who relied on her physical talents to work a dancer's pole in "striptease" to outmacho the men in "
g.i. jane
" a and to not them dead in her mid 40s. recently told harper's "bazaar" i have a love-hate relationship with my body.
>>we've seen
ashton kutcher
at a concert. he's certainly not rushing back to be in
los angeles
.
>> reporter: not rushing back to a woman now struggling, a famous woman, soon to be 50, who said in that same recent interview, that what scares her is she might find out that i'm really not lovable. that i'm not worthy of being loved. that there's something fundamentally wrong with me.
moore
's publicist also says the actress is pulling out of a planned biopic of the porn star,
linda lovelace
, she was to have played the feminist, gloria steinham.
>>>alisha
quarrels, is the global editor for and the author of "weekends at bellevue." dr. holland, walk us through what exactly getting professional assistance to treat exhaustion and improve overall health would entail?
>>well the first thing is a
physical exam
, how much do you weigh, how much are you eating, what is your
blood sugar
, kidneys working, and just a
psychiatric examination
, to see if somebody is psychotic or depressed or suicidal. a global examination for starters.
>>how long would that take in the hospital?
>>i could do it in
15 minutes
. but -- it can take days.
>>so the tests, for the tests to come back, it could take hours, if not days.
>>would the patient necessarily stay in the hospital for days?
>>psychiatric, it's going to take days to figure out what's going on. bellevue, you have
72 hours
to make an assessment of what's going on.
>>alisha
, how defensible is the reporting that the problem here may also be
prescription drugs
?
>>you know, those are unsubstantiated reports and we're not inside of her life, we don't know that we've seen it happen with hollywood actresses time and time again. so when people hear exhaustion, the
red flags
go up. when you think about it, she's going through this very public divorce. they have three children, she's a director, actress. and can you imagine going through all that and being a famous actress, i'm exhausted.
>>so that's defensible, the idea of exhaustion.
>>but doctor, you're saying the idea that one out of every four women take some form of
prescription drugs
. when used correctly, that's probably not an issue. how can they be used incorrectly?
>>one of the problems is mixing medicines with alcohol. you know, certainly sedatives like
sleeping pills
or anti-anxiety medicines, if you're mixing them with alcohol, you're getting them in trouble. taking them not as prescribed, taking too much, mixing pills.
>>are they have these drugs in this category, drugs that can use to sort of limit your appetite, to cause you to -- or have the effect of causing you to lose a lot of weight?
>>on some of the antidepressants, wellbutrin can cause you to lose your appetite. and cocaine cuts your appetite. heroin doesn't cut your appetite, but it can make you not feel
hunger pains
.
>>is it abused in that way? do some women abuse his drugs for that purpose?
>>definitely, i think you can do stimulants that will also cut your appetite. women abuse pills to
lose weight
, no question.
>>we don't know what the situation is in this particular case. we do know that demi has now had to back out of a movie in which she was going to play gloria steinham. how much of an impact might this have on her career, given the circumstances?
>>i don't think it will have a major impact. i've been interviewing her for years, i was there in
2003
when she did the big comeback in haie's angels." she left hollywood to raise her children and was brought back after all of those years. i think people understand she was going through a
hard time
. a public break-up. she said in an interview she feels betrayed by her body. we're forgiving people, understanding people. everyone has been affected by divorce in one way or another. i think people wish her well.
>>i think a lot of women empathize with some of these issues. thank you so much,
alisha
and doctor, thank you so much.
There's something romantic about hacking the iPhone, especially when it means finding ways to personalize the massively popular handset. Apps like Instagram may help you realize artistic talent, but software just doesn't get those creative juices flowing like an old-fashioned piece of hardware can. Despite its taboo-sounding name, The Love Box isn't an adult toy in the traditional sense, instead serving as an analog video (and stills) mixer for your iPhone 4 or 4S. Consisting of a wooden box and an angled sliding mirror, the homegrown contraption lets you simultaneously capture the action in front of and behind you in a single image. It was originally designed in Barcelona to capture two people conversing for a documentary called "The Love Box Conversations," hence the name. The "lowest-tech accessory for the highest-tech phone" is available now as part of a very limited initial run of 100 units, and can be yours for €57.63 (about $77.50) if you hit up the source link below.
SEOUL (Reuters) ? Samsung Electronics Co, the world's top technology firm by revenue, will report record quarterly profit on Friday, powered by strong sales of its smartphones, but most interest will be in its 2012 spending plans and mobile sales numbers as it vies with Apple Inc for smartphone supremacy.
Samsung overtook Apple as the biggest smartphone maker in the third quarter, but is likely to have slipped back into second place in October-December as Apple sold a record 37.04 million iPhones. Samsung does not provide its own sales volume data and is likely only to give a growth rate from its third-quarter sales of 27.8 million smartphones. Analysts predict fourth-quarter shipments of 35-37 million.
The South Korean firm said earlier this month its October-December operating profit was likely to be a record 5.2 trillion won ($4.6 billion), up 73 percent from a year ago and up 22 percent from the previous quarter.
Investors will be looking for more detail on Samsung's investment plans for this year after parent Samsung Group announced a record $41.4 billion spending for 2012, with no detailed breakdown. Spending will be on everything from building factories to research and development activities to M&A and hiring.
Best known for making massive investments in new technologies ahead of rivals, Samsung is now banking on logic chips and OLED displays to repeat its roaring success in flash chips, computer memory chips and LCD flat-screens, even as a gloomy global economic and IT spending outlook forces peers to be conservative in spending.
"What's important is the 2012 capex budget, as the headline sales and operating profit ... were already announced," Macquarie analyst Daniel Kim said.
The brokerage estimates Samsung Electronics will announce record investment of 29 trillion won ($25.76 billion), up by almost a third 32 percent from 2011.
Investment in system chips such as mobile processors and sensors used in smartphones, tablets and cameras is likely to exceed spending on its bread-and-butter memory chips for the first time, reaching 7.5 trillion won, or some 1 trillion won more than investment in memory chips, according to analysts.
Samsung trails Nokia in mobile phones, competes with Sony Corp and LG Electronics Inc in televisions, Toshiba and Hynix in chips and LG Display in displays.
RIVALRY WITH APPLE
Samsung only entered the smartphone market in earnest in 2010, some three years after Apple first introduced the iPhone with the touchscreen template.
Samsung may not have come up with the concept, but it has adopted Apple's breakthrough idea perhaps better than any other handset maker - and now seeks to offer the Apple experience at a better price, with better functionality.
Apple is Samsung's biggest client, buying mainly chips and displays, and the two firms are locked in a bruising patent battle in some 10 countries from the United States to Europe, Japan and Australia as they jostle for top spot in the booming smartphone and tablet market.
Apple, though, is streets ahead in profitability. Apple, which generates half its revenue from the iPhone, boasts a 37.4 percent operating margin versus Samsung's 11 percent, and its $17.3 billion operating profit is almost four times what Samsung earned from selling phones, chips, flat screens, TVs and fridges combined.
Shares in Samsung, also the world's top maker of memory chips and TVs, have climbed 20 percent in the past three months - and hit a life high of 1,113,000 won this week - outperforming a 3 percent gain in the KOSPI over the same period. On Nasdaq, Apple shares have risen 23 percent in that time, hitting a life high of more than $454 on Wednesday.
($1 = 1125.9500 Korean won)
(Reporting by Miyoung Kim; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Ian Geoghegan)
Celebrity mom Kimora Lee Simmons and other experts discuss balancing motherhood and business. By Jocelyn Vena
Beyoncé and Jay-Z Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage
Now that Beyoncé has added a new job to her résumé — mom — there's a slew of potential new projects the pop-star mogul might add to her ever-growing empire. Gwen Stefani, Madonna and Victoria Beckham are just a sampling of pop stars who have managed to write a whole new chapter into their careers thanks to motherhood.
These celebs have expanded their personal brands to include children's clothing lines, books, songs and movies and have even revitalized themselves in their image as super-glam supermoms. As Beyoncé looks to the future and her role as Blue Ivy's mama, mommy mogul Kimora Lee Simmons and Christopher Gavigan, who works with Jessica Alba on her Honest brand, talked to MTV News about the balance between parenthood and the business world.
"I always tell people I'm not the glamorous Hollywood mom," said Simmons, who continues to expand her own fashion brand to include the Shinto Clinical skin-care line. "I'm not the kind of celebrity that lives in the spotlight. I'm famous from work that I do. I've always been in the business and raised my family in the business so it's like a second nature for me. I think that's the key is striking a balance. For me it's always about prioritizing."
What's Simmons' advice for new celeb moms looking to follow her lead? "I think it's about choosing what you want and going after that. Do the best you can, but you don't have to be Superwoman."
And Simmons isn't the only Hollywood A-lister trying to do it all. Alba launched Honest with Gavigan to give moms a place to find eco-friendly products for their babies. "Jessica is like every other mom. Every other mom is a major multi-tasker," Gavigan said of working with the star. "Jessica was very in line with everyone, the average mom and dad out there."
"Find what you're passionate about and go do that," he advised to any future mom moguls. "You articulate that in a brand or in a way you feel from a business perspective that you feel you get your focus articulated in some meaningful or special way. A lot of it is partnerships and leveraging the greatest assets of each other."
With all that advice in mind, some celebrity experts weighed in on what B just might do now that she is a mom. "I think it's going to come very naturally for Beyoncé to emerge as this celebrity mom, just given all the current existing brand extensions she has," said David Caplan, who has worked at Star and People magazines. "Having a child will give her legitimacy, obviously, to the moms, and clearly there's lots and lots of money to be had there. So, I think you will see her lend her hand in the baby arena, whether it's her brand extensions intentionally or just emerging as some sort of Hollywood celebrity mom icon, which happens sometimes with these celebrity mothers.
"Whether it's intentional or not, I think she's definitely going to emerge as a celebrity mother icon," he continued. "And I'm sure she'll take advantage of that and invest in her brand."
A suggestion from another expert fits right in line with the first move her hubby, Jay-Z, made when he dropped his track "Glory" just says after Blue's birth, which features his baby girl. "I think that this is a woman that has tried terribly hard to keep her private life private," HuffPost celebrity columnist Rob Shuter said. "I think it'll be the same with her baby. I can't imagine her doing a Bethenny Frankel move."
How do you think motherhood will affect Beyoncé's career? Share your thoughts below!
Autism Speaks' first Philip and Faith Geier Autism Environmental Sciences Research grant Public release date: 25-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jane E. Rubinstein jrubinstein@rubenstein.com 212-843-8287 Autism Speaks
Autism Speaks awards $450,000 to epidemiologist M. Daniele Fallin, Ph.D., of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health for 3-year on gene-environment interactions
NEW YORK, N.Y. Autism Speaks is pleased to announce its first Philip and Faith Geier Autism Research Grants in Environmental Sciences, named in honor of Phil Geier and his late wife, Faith in recognition of his service to Autism Speaks and to the many individuals and families affected by autism. Acknowledging Mr. Geier's longstanding interest in the field, this grant will be awarded annually to the outstanding researcher, among the many funded by Autism Speaks, seeking to uncover the environmental factors whose interactions with genetic factors might be a cause of autism. This inaugural Geier Grant is awarded to epidemiologist M. Daniele Fallin, Ph.D., of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, for her outstanding project on gene-environment interactions entitled "Genome-wide Examination of DNA Methylation in Autism." For this three-year project, Dr. Fallin will receive $449,998.
Fallin and her team will be studying gene-environment interactions across the entire genome of children affected by autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with a focus on environmental influences during pregnancy, birth and early childhood. At present autism cannot be reliably detected before one year of age. But research suggests that it arises from disordered development during early brain growth and involves both genetic and environmental influences.
"This annual grant represents just the beginning of our commitment to fully investigate the environmental impacts that affect autism risk," Geier commented. "In the years ahead, you will see us supporting much more research in this neglected area."
Fallin will be investigating epigenetic changes in the DNA of 300 children with ASD and comparing them to changes in 300 unaffected children. Epigenetics is a rapidly growing field of research examining the factors that influence gene expression. Research has shown, for example, that environmental influences such as infections, nutrition, toxins and hormones can essentially turn genes on or off. Some of these exposures can act much like a mutation to silence a gene or dampen its activity.
On a technical level, Fallin's team will be looking at changes in DNA methylation, an epigenetic process central to gene regulation. By relating this analysis to information on specific environmental conditions during gestation, birth and early childhood, the findings have the potential to identify avoidable risks and provide guidance for earlier diagnosis and improved treatments.
"The Geier Grant is phenomenal because it recognizes that we need to better understand how environmental influences can alter the biology of the brain and body in ways that affect autism risk," Fallin said. "Epigenetics may well be the mechanism by which this interaction occurs. It is also the area of research that brings together scientists who study autism's genetics with those who study environmental influences. It is so vitally important for autism science that we have these two groups working together."
"We share Phil and Dani's excitement about this highly innovative project," added Autism Speaks Chief Science Officer Geri Dawson, Ph.D. "It will explore in detail, for the first time, whether and how the environment may be influencing gene expression in autism. We hope that this will lead to insights into methods for reducing risk as well as new treatments to improve the lives of those who struggle with autism."
The Autism Speaks' Strategic Plan for Science sets environmental research as a priority, stating:
Prevention and treatment of autism through alteration of potential environmental factors is now considered a fundamental goal of research A wide range of environmental factors needs to be vigorously explored, including but not limited to exposure to toxins, vaccines, chemicals, and immune challenges.
Donations totaling over $640,000 have been received for the Geier fund. Individuals, organizations and corporations who would like to contribute to the Philip and Faith Geier Autism Research Grants in Environmental Sciences, and its focus on environmental research, may contact Richard Brown, Autism Speaks vice president of leadership giving, rbrown@autismspeaks.org
###
About Autism
Autism is a general term used to describe a group of complex developmental brain disorders autism spectrum disorders caused by a combination of genes and environmental influences. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by social and behavioral challenges, as well as repetitive behaviors. An estimated 1 in 110 children in the U.S. is on the autism spectrum a 600 percent increase in the past two decades that is only partly explained by improved diagnosis.
About Autism Speaks
Autism Speaks is the world's largest autism science and advocacy organization. Since its inception in 2005, Autism Speaks has made enormous strides, committing over $173 million to research and developing innovative resources for families. The organization is dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. In addition to funding research, Autism Speaks has created resources and programs including the Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network, Autism Speaks' Autism Genetic Resource Exchange and several other scientific and clinical programs. Notable awareness initiatives include the establishment of the annual United Nations-sanctioned World Autism Awareness Day on April 2, which Autism Speaks celebrates through its Light it Up Blue initiative. Also, Autism Speaks award-winning "Learn the Signs" campaign with the Ad Council has received over $300 million in donated media. Autism Speaks' family resources include the Autism Video Glossary, a 100 Day Kit for newly-diagnosed families, a School Community Tool Kit, a Grandparent's Guide to Autism, and a community grant program. Autism Speaks has played a critical role in securing federal legislation to advance the government's response to autism, and has successfully advocated for insurance reform to cover behavioral treatments in 29 states thus far, with bills pending in an additional 10 states. Each year Walk Now for Autism Speaks events are held in more than 80 cities across North America. To learn more about Autism Speaks, please visit http://www.autismspeaks.org.
About the Co-Founders
Autism Speaks was founded in February 2005 by Suzanne and Bob Wright, the grandparents of a child with autism. Bob Wright is Senior Advisor at Lee Equity Partners and Chairman and CEO of the Palm Beach Civic Association. He served as Vice Chairman of General Electric; and as the Chief Executive Officer of NBC and NBC Universal for more than twenty years. He also serves on the board of directors of the Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation, Mission Product, EMI Group Global Ltd., and AMC Networks Inc., and is a Trustee of the New York Presbyterian hospital. Suzanne Wright is a Trustee Emeritus of Sarah Lawrence College, her alma mater. Suzanne has received numerous awards, the Women of Distinction Award from Palm Beach Atlantic University, the CHILD Magazine Children's Champions Award, Luella Bennack Volunteer Award, Spirit of Achievement award by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine's National Women's Division and The Women of Vision Award from the Weizmann Institute of Science. In 2008, the Wrights were named to the Time 100 Heroes and Pioneers category, a list of the most influential people in the world, for their commitment to global autism advocacy. They have also received the first ever Double Helix Award for Corporate Leadership from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, the NYU Child Advocacy Award, the Castle Connolly National Health Leadership Award and the American Ireland Fund Humanitarian Award. In the past couple of years the Wrights have received honorary doctorate degrees from St. John's University, St. Joseph's University and UMass Medical School.
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Autism Speaks' first Philip and Faith Geier Autism Environmental Sciences Research grant Public release date: 25-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jane E. Rubinstein jrubinstein@rubenstein.com 212-843-8287 Autism Speaks
Autism Speaks awards $450,000 to epidemiologist M. Daniele Fallin, Ph.D., of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health for 3-year on gene-environment interactions
NEW YORK, N.Y. Autism Speaks is pleased to announce its first Philip and Faith Geier Autism Research Grants in Environmental Sciences, named in honor of Phil Geier and his late wife, Faith in recognition of his service to Autism Speaks and to the many individuals and families affected by autism. Acknowledging Mr. Geier's longstanding interest in the field, this grant will be awarded annually to the outstanding researcher, among the many funded by Autism Speaks, seeking to uncover the environmental factors whose interactions with genetic factors might be a cause of autism. This inaugural Geier Grant is awarded to epidemiologist M. Daniele Fallin, Ph.D., of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, for her outstanding project on gene-environment interactions entitled "Genome-wide Examination of DNA Methylation in Autism." For this three-year project, Dr. Fallin will receive $449,998.
Fallin and her team will be studying gene-environment interactions across the entire genome of children affected by autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with a focus on environmental influences during pregnancy, birth and early childhood. At present autism cannot be reliably detected before one year of age. But research suggests that it arises from disordered development during early brain growth and involves both genetic and environmental influences.
"This annual grant represents just the beginning of our commitment to fully investigate the environmental impacts that affect autism risk," Geier commented. "In the years ahead, you will see us supporting much more research in this neglected area."
Fallin will be investigating epigenetic changes in the DNA of 300 children with ASD and comparing them to changes in 300 unaffected children. Epigenetics is a rapidly growing field of research examining the factors that influence gene expression. Research has shown, for example, that environmental influences such as infections, nutrition, toxins and hormones can essentially turn genes on or off. Some of these exposures can act much like a mutation to silence a gene or dampen its activity.
On a technical level, Fallin's team will be looking at changes in DNA methylation, an epigenetic process central to gene regulation. By relating this analysis to information on specific environmental conditions during gestation, birth and early childhood, the findings have the potential to identify avoidable risks and provide guidance for earlier diagnosis and improved treatments.
"The Geier Grant is phenomenal because it recognizes that we need to better understand how environmental influences can alter the biology of the brain and body in ways that affect autism risk," Fallin said. "Epigenetics may well be the mechanism by which this interaction occurs. It is also the area of research that brings together scientists who study autism's genetics with those who study environmental influences. It is so vitally important for autism science that we have these two groups working together."
"We share Phil and Dani's excitement about this highly innovative project," added Autism Speaks Chief Science Officer Geri Dawson, Ph.D. "It will explore in detail, for the first time, whether and how the environment may be influencing gene expression in autism. We hope that this will lead to insights into methods for reducing risk as well as new treatments to improve the lives of those who struggle with autism."
The Autism Speaks' Strategic Plan for Science sets environmental research as a priority, stating:
Prevention and treatment of autism through alteration of potential environmental factors is now considered a fundamental goal of research A wide range of environmental factors needs to be vigorously explored, including but not limited to exposure to toxins, vaccines, chemicals, and immune challenges.
Donations totaling over $640,000 have been received for the Geier fund. Individuals, organizations and corporations who would like to contribute to the Philip and Faith Geier Autism Research Grants in Environmental Sciences, and its focus on environmental research, may contact Richard Brown, Autism Speaks vice president of leadership giving, rbrown@autismspeaks.org
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About Autism
Autism is a general term used to describe a group of complex developmental brain disorders autism spectrum disorders caused by a combination of genes and environmental influences. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by social and behavioral challenges, as well as repetitive behaviors. An estimated 1 in 110 children in the U.S. is on the autism spectrum a 600 percent increase in the past two decades that is only partly explained by improved diagnosis.
About Autism Speaks
Autism Speaks is the world's largest autism science and advocacy organization. Since its inception in 2005, Autism Speaks has made enormous strides, committing over $173 million to research and developing innovative resources for families. The organization is dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. In addition to funding research, Autism Speaks has created resources and programs including the Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network, Autism Speaks' Autism Genetic Resource Exchange and several other scientific and clinical programs. Notable awareness initiatives include the establishment of the annual United Nations-sanctioned World Autism Awareness Day on April 2, which Autism Speaks celebrates through its Light it Up Blue initiative. Also, Autism Speaks award-winning "Learn the Signs" campaign with the Ad Council has received over $300 million in donated media. Autism Speaks' family resources include the Autism Video Glossary, a 100 Day Kit for newly-diagnosed families, a School Community Tool Kit, a Grandparent's Guide to Autism, and a community grant program. Autism Speaks has played a critical role in securing federal legislation to advance the government's response to autism, and has successfully advocated for insurance reform to cover behavioral treatments in 29 states thus far, with bills pending in an additional 10 states. Each year Walk Now for Autism Speaks events are held in more than 80 cities across North America. To learn more about Autism Speaks, please visit http://www.autismspeaks.org.
About the Co-Founders
Autism Speaks was founded in February 2005 by Suzanne and Bob Wright, the grandparents of a child with autism. Bob Wright is Senior Advisor at Lee Equity Partners and Chairman and CEO of the Palm Beach Civic Association. He served as Vice Chairman of General Electric; and as the Chief Executive Officer of NBC and NBC Universal for more than twenty years. He also serves on the board of directors of the Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation, Mission Product, EMI Group Global Ltd., and AMC Networks Inc., and is a Trustee of the New York Presbyterian hospital. Suzanne Wright is a Trustee Emeritus of Sarah Lawrence College, her alma mater. Suzanne has received numerous awards, the Women of Distinction Award from Palm Beach Atlantic University, the CHILD Magazine Children's Champions Award, Luella Bennack Volunteer Award, Spirit of Achievement award by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine's National Women's Division and The Women of Vision Award from the Weizmann Institute of Science. In 2008, the Wrights were named to the Time 100 Heroes and Pioneers category, a list of the most influential people in the world, for their commitment to global autism advocacy. They have also received the first ever Double Helix Award for Corporate Leadership from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, the NYU Child Advocacy Award, the Castle Connolly National Health Leadership Award and the American Ireland Fund Humanitarian Award. In the past couple of years the Wrights have received honorary doctorate degrees from St. John's University, St. Joseph's University and UMass Medical School.
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This past October, "Real Steel" proved that if you're going to make a movie about robots fighting each other, you have to care about the robots. More importantly, you have to care about the young boy and the washed-up boxer behind the robot. This exclusive deleted scene from the upcoming Blu-ray release of "Real Steel" shows [...]
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? The U.S. Marine sergeant accused of leading a massacre of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha pleaded guilty on Monday to dereliction of duty, ending the final prosecution stemming from a 2005 incident that brought international condemnation of U.S. troops.
Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich, 31, entered his plea at Camp Pendleton Marine Corps base north of San Diego as part of a deal with military prosecutors in which more serious charges of involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault were dismissed.
As part of his guilty plea, Wuterich accepted responsibility for providing negligent verbal instructions to the Marines under his command when he told them to "shoot first and ask questions later," resulting in the death of innocent civilians.
He faces a maximum sentence of three months of confinement, forfeiture of two-thirds of his pay for three months and a reduction in rank when he is sentenced on Tuesday, a Camp Pendleton spokesman said.
"By pleading guilty to this charge, Staff Sergeant Wuterich has accepted responsibility for his actions," base spokesman Lieutentant Colonel Joseph Kloppel said.
Any discharge process Wuterich may face will be separate from the plea and sentencing, Kloppel added.
Wuterich, 31, was accused of being the ringleader in a series of November 19, 2005, shooting and grenade attacks that left two dozen civilians dead in Haditha, a city west of Baghdad that was a hotbed of insurgent activity.
The killings were portrayed by Iraqi witnesses as a massacre of unarmed civilians.
Local witnesses said angry Marines had killed unarmed men, women and children after a popular comrade, Lance Corporal Miguel "TJ" Terrazas, was killed by a roadside bomb.
'CAULDRON OF WAR'
Lawyers for the troops involved argued the deaths resulted from a fast-moving situation in which the Marines believed they were under enemy fire.
Six of the eight Marines originally accused in the case had their charges dismissed by military judges, and a seventh was cleared of criminal wrongdoing.
Wuterich was originally charged with murder in the case.
"No one denies that the consequences of November 19, 2005 were tragic, least of all Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich," his civilian defense attorney, Neal Puckett, said in a statement released shortly after the plea hearing.
"But the fact of the matter is that he has now been totally exonerated of the homicide charges brought against him by the government and the media. For six years he has had his name dragged through the mud. Today, we hope, is the beginning of his redemption," the statement said.
Wuterich pleaded not guilty when the court-martial began in early January.
The proceedings were suspended last Wednesday by the military judge in the case, who ordered prosecutors and defense lawyers to seek a negotiated plea deal.
The trial resumed on Friday for one day, and the plea agreement was announced on Monday morning.
"Many pundits from all walks of life will comment on Wuterich's purported guilt and most of these are people who have never been remotely associated with the challenges of combat action," Colonel Willard Buhl, a U.S. Marine Corps military fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, told Reuters.
"Marines know that they are the best trained and led military men and women in the world," Buhl said. "But the cauldron of war is the most intense thing humans can experience and this case falls on the extreme end of that spectrum."
Buhl served in the same battalion and regiment as Wuterich, but never met him and was deployed in that unit before the events at Haditha that are at the center of the case.
Wuterich enlisted in the Marines after his 1998 high school graduation. He was serving his second tour of duty in Iraq when the Haditha incident occurred.
(Editing by Dan Whitcomb, Steve Gorman, Paul Thomasch and Peter Cooney)
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Public release date: 30-Jan-2012
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