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Evolution drives how fast plants could migrate with climate change
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July 28, 2016
University of British Columbia
New research suggests evolution is a driving mechanism behind plant migration, and that scientists may be underestimating how quickly species can move.
New research from the University of British Columbia suggests evolution is a driving mechanism behind plant migration, and that scientists may be underestimating how quickly species can move.
The study, published today in the journal Science, builds on previous research that has shown some plants and animals are moving farther north or to higher altitudes in an effort to escape rising global average temperatures due to climate change.
"We know from previous research that evolution might play a role in how fast a species can move across a region or continent," said Jennifer Williams, the study's lead author and an assistant professor in UBC's department of geography. "But what our study suggests is that evolution is not only a factor in movement, but that it can, in fact, accelerate the spread, and can do so predictably."
For the study, researchers used a small flowering plant (Arabidopsis thaliana), a common model organism in plant biology, to test the role of evolution in plant migration. Individual plants with different traits were cultivated together to create two sets of populations, one in which evolution was acting and another in which evolution was stopped.
They found that, after six generations, evolving plant populations dispersed seeds and migrated 11 per cent farther than non-evolving populations in landscapes with favourable conditions. Meanwhile, in landscapes where conditions were more challenging for the plants to disperse seeds, the evolving plant populations spread 200 per cent farther.
The findings suggest that evolution accelerates the speed of migration, said Williams.
However, more research is needed to determine why the researchers saw a larger effect of evolution under the more challenging conditions, which in this case increased the speed of movement.
"We know, for example, that there are some species of butterflies and plants that are expanding their ranges with climate change and moving north or up in elevation," she said. "What our results suggest is that, with evolution, the species can move faster and faster because the traits that make them better at moving are becoming more common at the front of the invasion. In the case of our plants, in the evolving populations, their seeds can disperse a bit further."
Williams said the findings underscore the importance for scientists to account for evolutionary change when predicting how quickly native species will be able to move as the Earth's climate continues to warm.
The study was co-authored by Bruce Kendall of the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Jonathan Levine of the ETH Zurich.
Story Source:
The above post is reprinted from materials provided by University of British Columbia. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
Journal Reference:
- J. L. Williams, B. E. Kendall, J. M. Levine. Rapid evolution accelerates plant population spread in fragmented experimental landscapes.Science, 2016; 353 (6298): 482 DOI: 10.1126/science.aaf6268
Source: University of British Columbia. "Evolution drives how fast plants could migrate with climate change." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 28 July 2016. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160728155005.htm>.
Relationship between decadal variations in temperatures in the Pacific and the tropopause identified
July 26, 2016
Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (GEOMAR)
In the late 20th century scientists observed a cooling at the transition between the troposphere and stratosphere at an altitude of about 15 kilometers. Climate scientists now show that the cooling could also be part of a natural decadal variation which is controlled by the water temperature of the Pacific.
Water plays a major role for our planet not only in its liquid form at the surface. In the atmosphere too, it considerably affects our lives as well as weather and climate. Clouds and rainfall are one example. Water vapor, the gaseous form of water, also plays a prominent role on Earth. It is the most important greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, without it the Earth would be a frozen planet. For climate variations, water vapor is particularly important in the stratosphere at altitudes between 15 and 50 kilometers. How much of the gas actually reaches the stratosphere mainly depends on the temperature at the transition between the lowest atmospheric layer, the troposphere, and the overlying stratosphere. This boundary layer is called the tropopause.
Now scientists of the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, together with a colleague from Bergen (Norway), were able to demonstrate for the first time that natural fluctuations in water temperatures of the Pacific — which occur on decadal timescales — are directly related to the temperature of the tropical tropopause. "It has long been thought that human influences already affected the tropopause. However, it seems that natural variability is still the dominating factor," says Dr. Wuke Wang from GEOMAR, lead author of the study just published in the international journal Scientific Reports.
For their study, the researchers used observations for the period 1979-2013 and also climate models. "We were thus able to extend the study period to nearly 150 years. The model allows us to easily look at both human and natural influences and to separate their impacts from each other," explains Prof. Dr. Katja Matthes, climate researcher at GEOMAR and co-author of the study.
A well-known climatic phenomenon is the so-called Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). "This natural variation with decadal timescale leads to anomalously high or low water temperatures of the Pacific," explained Dr. Wang. The PDO influences the climate and ecosystems in the Pacific region and also the global mean temperature of the Earth.
The model simulations show that the fluctuations in water temperatures also affect the wind systems over the tropical and subtropical Pacific. This in turn also alters the air transport between the lower and upper layers of the troposphere, ultimately regulating the temperatures at the boundary to the stratosphere. "We were now able to demonstrate these relationships for the first time," said Dr. Wang.
Thus, the current study contradicts earlier hypotheses about the temperature variability of the tropical tropopause. As early as in the late 20th century, scientists had seen a cooling trend there which began in the 1970s. They traced this observation back to anthropogenic causes, in particular the increase in greenhouse gases. "However, this assumption was based on a rather patchy data base and simplified climate models. Our study shows that the cooling of the tropical tropopause does not have to be a one-way street but could also be part of a natural fluctuation which extends over several decades," Professor Matthes emphasized.
This knowledge is also of paramount importance for the general climate research. The temperature of the tropopause decides on the input of water vapor into the stratosphere: The higher the water vapor content in the stratosphere, the higher the increase in surface temperatures. Anthropogenic climate change also has an effect on the temperature of the tropopause, and this effect could become more evident in the coming decades. "Only if we can clearly distinguish natural variability from anthropogenic influences, we can make reliable forecasts for the future development of our climate," Prof. Matthes summarizes.
Story Source:
The above post is reprinted from materials provided by Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (GEOMAR). Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
Journal Reference:
- Wuke Wang, Katja Matthes, Nour-Eddine Omrani, Mojib Latif. Decadal variability of tropical tropopause temperature and its relationship to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. Scientific Reports, 2016; 6: 29537 DOI:10.1038/srep29537
Source: Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (GEOMAR). "Decade-long cooling cycle: Middle atmosphere in sync with ocean: Relationship between decadal variations in temperatures in the Pacific and the tropopause identified." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 26 July 2016. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160726123630.htm>.
From vision to hand action: Neuroscientists decipher how our brain controls grasping movements
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July 26, 2016
German Primate Center
Our hands are highly developed grasping organs that are in continuous use. Long before we stir our first cup of coffee in the morning, our hands have executed a multitude of grasps. Directing a pen between our thumb and index finger over a piece of paper with absolute precision appears as easy as catching a ball or operating a doorknob. Now neuroscientists have studied how the brain controls the different grasping movements. In their research with rhesus macaques, it was found that the three brain areas that are responsible for planning and executing hand movements, perform different tasks within their neural network.
Our hands are highly developed grasping organs that are in continuous use. Long before we stir our first cup of coffee in the morning, our hands have executed a multitude of grasps. Directing a pen between our thumb and index finger over a piece of paper with absolute precision appears as easy as catching a ball or operating a doorknob. The neuroscientists Stefan Schaffelhofer and Hansjörg Scherberger of the German Primate Center (DPZ) have studied how the brain controls the different grasping movements.
In their research with rhesus macaques, it was found that the three brain areas AIP, F5 and M1 that are responsible for planning and executing hand movements, perform different tasks within their neural network. The AIP area is mainly responsible for processing visual features of objects, such as their size and shape. This optical information is translated into motor commands in the F5 area. The M1 area is ultimately responsible for turning this motor commands into actions. The results of the study contribute to the development of neuroprosthetics that should help paralyzed patients to regain their hand functions.
The three brain areas AIP, F5 and M1 lay in the cerebral cortex and form a neural network responsible for translating visual properties of an object into a corresponding hand movement. Until now, the details of how this "visuomotor transformation" are performed have been unclear. During the course of his PhD thesis at the German Primate Center, neuroscientist Stefan Schaffelhofer intensively studied the neural mechanisms that control grasping movements. "We wanted to find out how and where visual information about grasped objects, for example their shape or size, and motor characteristics of the hand, like the strength and type of a grip, are processed in the different grasp-related areas of the brain," says Schaffelhofer.
For this, two rhesus macaques were trained to repeatedly grasp 50 different objects. At the same time, the activity of hundreds of nerve cells was measured with so-called microelectrode arrays. In order to compare the applied grip types with the neural signals, the monkeys wore an electromagnetic data glove that recorded all the finger and hand movements. The experimental setup was designed to individually observe the phases of the visuomotor transformation in the brain, namely the processing of visual object properties, the motion planning and execution. For this, the scientists developed a delayed grasping task. In order for the monkey to see the object, it was briefly lit before the start of the grasping movement. The subsequent movement took place in the dark with a short delay. In this way, visual and motor signals of neurons could be examined separately.
The results show that the AIP area is primarily responsible for the processing of visual object features. "The neurons mainly respond to the three-dimensional shape of different objects," says Stefan Schaffelhofer. "Due to the different activity of the neurons, we could precisely distinguish as to whether the monkeys had seen a sphere, cube or cylinder. Even abstract object shapes could be differentiated based on the observed cell activity."
In contrast to AIP, area F5 and M1 did not represent object geometries, but the corresponding hand configurations used to grasp the objects. The information of F5 and M1 neurons indicated a strong resemblance to the hand movements recorded with the data glove. "In our study we were able to show where and how visual properties of objects are converted into corresponding movement commands," says Stefan Schaffelhofer. "In this process, the F5 area plays a central role in visuomotor transformation. Its neurons receive direct visual object information from AIP and can translate the signals into motor plans that are then executed in M1. Thus, area F5 has contact to both, the visual and motor part of the brain."
Knowledge of how to control grasp movements is essential for the development of neuronal hand prosthetics. "In paraplegic patients, the connection between the brain and limbs is no longer functional. Neural interfaces can replace this functionality," says Hansjörg Scherberger, head of the Neurobiology Laboratory at the DPZ. "They can read the motor signals in the brain and use them for prosthetic control. In order to program these interfaces properly, it is crucial to know how and where our brain controls the grasping movements." The findings of this study will facilitate to new neuroprosthetic applications that can selectively process the areas' individual information in order to improve their usability and accuracy.
Story Source:
The above post is reprinted from materials provided by German Primate Center. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
Journal Reference:
- Stefan Schaffelhofer, Hansjörg Scherberger. Object vision to hand action in macaque parietal, premotor, and motor cortices. eLife, 2016; 5 DOI: 10.7554/eLife.15278
Source: German Primate Center. "From vision to hand action: Neuroscientists decipher how our brain controls grasping movements." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 26 July 2016. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160726094220.htm>.
New index reveals likelihood of terrestrial or aquatic lifestyles of extinct mammals
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July 25, 2016
Nagoya University
Researchers have developed a new index based on rib and body weight measurements that predicts whether a mammal lived on land, in water, or both. When applied to extinct mammalian species, the index showed that some could not have supported their own weight while walking or crawling, and thus must have been restricted to an aquatic life. The index reveals the habitats of extinct species and enables reconstruction of their lifestyles and the anatomical changes that accompanied adoption of an exclusively aquatic lifestyle.
Despite the extensive fossil record of mammals, it is often difficult to use fossil data to reconstruct the lifestyles and habitats of extinct species. The fact that some species spent all or part of their time underwater, respectively similar to modern-day whales and seals, further complicates this.
Konami Ando and Shin-chi Fujiwara, researchers at Nagoya University, addressed this by developing a new index for predicting if a species lived its entire life in the water. The index is based on how the ribs must be relatively strong for an animal to walk or crawl over land, but not for it to swim. After establishing the index via measurements of living terrestrial, semiaquatic, and exclusively aquatic species, Ando and Fujiwara used it to predict that some extinct species could not have supported themselves on land.
Although mammals originally evolved as terrestrial organisms, cladistics shows that some returned to aquatic lives, and that this sometimes occurred independently. Examples include whales, dolphins, and manatees, which never leave the water, and seals and hippopotamuses, which split time between land and water. Studies of fossils of extinct species also suggest some species spent all or some of their time in the water. However, inability to use fossil records alone to determine a species' lifestyle has made this hard to confirm.
In their study, reported in the Journal of Anatomy, Ando and Fujiwara analyzed rib cages and their resistance to vertical compression in a range of mammalian species. This important factor represents an animal's ability to support its body weight against gravity while walking or crawling; a trait aquatic organisms do not need. The researchers investigated 26 modern-day terrestrial, semiaquatic, and exclusively aquatic species, including the killer whale, polar bear, dugong, giraffe, and hippopotamus. They used their data to establish an index for differentiating between groups with different habitats. They then applied the index to four extinct mammalian species, all of which had retained their four limbs but showed signs of having been partially or completely aquatic, to shed light on their potential lifestyles.
"We selected mammals with different habitats from a range of taxa and analyzed fossils for which the bones in the thoracic region were well-preserved," Fujiwara says. "We focused on the fracture loads of ribs. We found the sum of the fracture loads of all true ribs directly connected to the sternum divided by the body weight effectively separated the extant species groups by habitat. Exclusively aquatic species were clearly differentiated."
After establishing that the index could correctly classify living species with known habitats and lifestyles, the researchers applied it to extinct groups:Ambulocetus, an early ancestor of whales, and three desmostylian species, which are the keens of elephants and sea cows. This was to confirm or reject earlier hypotheses about these groups' lifestyles, which were based on other morphological findings.
"Our index lets us conclude that Ambulocetus and two desmostylians (Paleoparadoxia and Neoparadoxia) could not have supported themselves on land; they were exclusively aquatic," Ando says. "But the findings were inconclusive for the third desmostylian (Desmostylus). We may need to perform additional studies on the intermediate group of semiaquatic species, include a bone density variable in our model, or improve our data on the body mass of extinct species to refine the index."
The new index should help in both reconstructing the lifestyles and habitats of extinct mammals and clarifying anatomical changes associated with mammals shifting to a life partly or exclusively in the water.
Story Source:
The above post is reprinted from materials provided by Nagoya University.Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
Journal Reference:
- Konami Ando, Shin-ichi Fujiwara. Farewell to life on land – thoracic strength as a new indicator to determine paleoecology in secondary aquatic mammals. Journal of Anatomy, 2016; DOI:10.1111/joa.12518
Source: Nagoya University. "New index reveals likelihood of terrestrial or aquatic lifestyles of extinct mammals." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 25 July 2016. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160725105228.htm>.
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Linville Falls as Viewed at the Bottom of Linville Gorge – Great Place to Cool Off
Note from James Farley, colleague and photographer extraordinaire: Difficult day, as it was raining and there was thunder and lightning, while we hiked on the Plunge Basin Trail. Caught a brief moment, when the rain stopped, to get some stillness to the slower-moving water, and get a clear view through the water. Shot on my Canon 5D Mark III and 35mm f1.4 2nd Generation lens. 2 second exposure at f16 and ISO50. Lee Filters 0.6 ND Grad and Landscape Circular Polarizer used.
Linville Falls as Viewed at the Bottom of Linville Gorge ©JFarley Photography
Advice from the NIH: Summer is here and it's blazing hot! So Please Stay Cool
It is important to be aware of the health risks that higher temperatures can bring. Older adults and people with chronic medical conditions are particularly susceptible to hyperthermia and other heat-related illnesses. Knowing the signs and recognizing the dangers to avoid problems is essential. The National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health, offers advice to help combat the dangers of hot weather.
Heat fatigue, heat syncope (sudden dizziness after prolonged exposure to the heat), heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke are forms of hyperthermia, which is caused by a failure of the body's heat-regulating mechanisms to deal with a hot environment. The combination of individual lifestyle, general health, and high temperatures can increase older adults' risk for heat-related problems. Lifestyle factors can include not drinking enough fluids, living in housing without air conditioning, lack of mobility and access to transportation, overdressing, visiting overcrowded places and not understanding how to respond to hot weather conditions. On hot and humid days, older people, particularly those with chronic medical conditions like heart disease and diabetes, should stay indoors in cooler spaces, especially during an air pollution alert. People without air conditioners should go to places that do have air conditioning, such as senior centers, shopping malls, movie theaters and libraries. Cooling centers, which may be set up by local public health agencies, religious groups and social service organizations in many communities, are another option.
There are many things that can increase risk for hyperthermia, including:
Dehydration; Age-related changes to the skin such as poor blood circulation and inefficient sweat production; use of multiple medications; reduced sweating caused by medications such as diuretics, sedatives, tranquilizers and certain heart and blood pressure drugs; high blood pressure or other health conditions that require changes in diet; people on salt-restricted diets may be at increased risk, however, salt pills should not be used without first consulting a doctor; heart, lung and kidney diseases, as well as any illness that causes general weakness or fever; being substantially overweight or underweight; and alcohol use.
Heat stroke is a life-threatening form of hyperthermia. It occurs when the body is overwhelmed by heat and unable to control its temperature. Signs and symptoms of heat stroke include a significant increase in body temperature (generally above 104 degrees Fahrenheit), mental status changes (like confusion or combativeness), strong rapid pulse, dry flushed skin, lack of sweating, feeling faint, staggering or coma. It is critical to seek immediate emergency medical attention for a person with heat stroke symptoms, especially an older adult.
For more information about Target Health contact Warren Pearlson (212-681-2100 ext. 165). For additional information about software tools for paperless clinical trials, please also feel free to contact Dr. Jules T. Mitchel or Ms. Joyce Hays. The Target Health software tools are designed to partner with both CROs and Sponsors. Please visit the Target Health Website.
Joyce Hays, Founder and Editor in Chief of On Target
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Impressive Immune System Discoveries
Maps of the lymphatic system: old (left) and updated to reflect UVA's discovery.
Credit: University of Virginia Health System; ScienceDaily.com
In a discovery that overturns decades of textbook teaching, researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have determined that the 1) ___ is directly connected to the immune system by vessels previously thought not to exist. That such vessels could have escaped detection when the lymphatic system has been so thoroughly mapped throughout the body is surprising on its own, but the true significance of the discovery lies in the effects it could have on the study and treatment of neurological diseases ranging from autism to Alzheimer's disease to multiple sclerosis. Instead of asking, 'How do we study the immune response of the brain?' And, 'Why do multiple sclerosis patients have the immune attacks?' now we can approach this mechanistically. Because the brain is like every other tissue connected to the peripheral 2) ___ through meningeal lymphatic vessels, said Jonathan Kipnis, PhD, professor in the UVA Department of Neuroscience and director of UVA's Center for Brain Immunology and Glia (BIG). It changes entirely the way we perceive the neuro-immune interaction. We always perceived it before as something esoteric that can't be studied. But now we can ask mechanistic questions. We believe that for every neurological disease that has an immune component to it, these vessels may play a major role, Kipnis said. Hard to imagine that these vessels would not be involved in a [neurological] disease with an immune component.
New Discovery in Human Body
Kevin Lee, PhD, chairman of the UVA Department of Neuroscience, described his reaction to the discovery by Kipnis' lab: The first time these guys showed me the basic result, I just said one sentence: ?They'll have to change the textbooks.' There has never been a lymphatic system for the central 3) ___ system, and it was very clear from that first singular observation — and they've done many studies since then to bolster the finding — that it will fundamentally change the way people look at the central nervous system's relationship with the immune system. Even Kipnis was skeptical initially. I really did not believe there are structures in the body that we are not aware of. I thought the body was mapped, he said. I thought that these discoveries ended somewhere around the middle of the last 4) ___. But apparently they have not. The discovery was made possible by the work of Antoine Louveau, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in Kipnis' lab. The vessels were detected after Louveau developed a method to mount a mouse's meninges — the membranes covering the brain — on a single slide so that they could be examined as a whole. It was fairly easy, actually, he said. There was one trick: We fixed the meninges within the skullcap, so that the tissue is secured in its physiological condition, and then we dissected it. If we had done it the other way around, it wouldn't have worked. After noticing vessel-like patterns in the distribution of immune 5) ___ on his slides, he tested for lymphatic vessels and there they were. The impossible existed. The soft-spoken Louveau recalled the moment: I called Jony [Kipnis] to the microscope and I said, ?I think we have something.'
As to how the brain's lymphatic vessels managed to escape notice all this time, Kipnis described them as very well hidden and noted that they follow a major 6) ___ vessel down into the sinuses, an area difficult to image. It's so close to the blood vessel, you just miss it, he said. If you don't know what you're after, you just miss it. Live imaging of these vessels was crucial to demonstrate their function, and it would not be possible without collaboration with Tajie Harris, Kipnis noted. Harris, a PhD, is an assistant professor of neuroscience and a member of the BIG center. Kipnis also saluted the phenomenal surgical skills of Igor Smirnov, a research associate in the Kipnis lab whose work was critical to the imaging success of the study. The unexpected presence of the lymphatic vessels raises a tremendous number of questions that now need answers, both about the workings of the brain and the diseases that plague it. For example, take Alzheimer's disease. In Alzheimer's, there are accumulations of big 7) ___ chunks in the brain, Kipnis said. We think they may be accumulating in the brain because they're not being efficiently removed by these vessels. He noted that the vessels look different with age, so the role they play in aging is another avenue to explore. And there's an enormous array of other neurological diseases, from autism to multiple sclerosis, that must be reconsidered in light of the presence of something science insisted did not exist.
Interesting Developments Based on the Initial Discovery
In a startling discovery (discussed above) that raises fundamental questions about human behavior, researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have determined, based on their research last year, that the immune system directly affects — and even controls — creatures' social behavior, such as their desire to interact with others. So could immune system problems contribute to an inability to have normal social interactions? The answer appears to be yes, and that finding could have great implications for neurological conditions such as autism-spectrum disorders and schizophrenia.
The brain and the adaptive immune system were thought to be isolated from each other, and any immune activity in the brain was perceived as sign of a pathology. And now, not only are we showing that they are closely interacting, but some of our behavior traits might have evolved because of our immune response to pathogens, explained Jonathan Kipnis, PhD, chairman of UVA's Department of Neuroscience. It's crazy, but maybe we are just multicellular battlefields for two ancient forces: pathogens and the immune system. Part of our personality may actually be dictated by the immune system.
Evolutionary Forces at Work
The follow-up finding is equally illuminating, shedding light on both the workings of the brain and on evolution itself. The relationship between people and pathogens, the researchers suggest, could have directly affected the development of our social behavior, allowing us to engage in the social interactions necessary for the survival of the species while developing ways for our immune systems to protect us from the diseases that accompany those interactions. Social behavior is, of course, in the interest of8) ___, as it allows them to spread. The UVA researchers have shown that a specific immune molecule, interferon gamma, seems to be critical for social behavior and that a variety of creatures, such as flies, zebrafish, mice and rats, activate interferon gamma responses when they are social. Normally, this molecule is produced by the immune system in response to bacteria, viruses or parasites. Blocking the molecule in mice using genetic modification made regions of the brain hyperactive, causing the mice to become less social. Restoring the molecule restored the brain connectivity and behavior to normal. In a paper outlining theirfindings, the researchers note the immune 9) ___ plays a profound role in maintaining proper social function.
It's extremely critical for an organism to be social for the survival of the species. It's important for foraging, sexual reproduction, gathering, hunting, said Anthony J. Filiano, PhD, Hartwell postdoctoral fellow in the Kipnis lab and lead author of the study. So the hypothesis is that when organisms come together, you have a higher propensity to spread infection. So you need to be social, but [in doing so] you have a higher chance of spreading pathogens. The idea is that interferon gamma, in evolution, has been used as a more efficient way to both boost social behavior while boosting an anti-pathogen response.
The researchers note that a malfunctioning immune system may be responsible for social deficits in numerous neurological and psychiatric disorders. But exactly what this might mean for autism and other specific conditions requires further investigation. It is unlikely that any one molecule will be responsible for disease or the key to a cure, the researchers believe; instead, the causes are likely to be much more complex. But the discovery that the immune system — and possibly germs, by extension — can control our interactions raises many exciting avenues for scientists to explore, both in terms of battling neurological disorders and understanding human 10) ___. Immune molecules are actually defining how the brain is functioning. So, what is the overall impact of the immune system on our brain development and function? Kipnis said. I think the philosophical aspects of this work are very interesting, but it also has potentially very important clinical implications. Kipnis and his team worked closely with UVA's Department of Pharmacology and the group of Vladimir Litvak, PhD, at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Litvak's team developed a computational approach to investigate the complex dialogue between immune signaling and brain function in health and disease. Using this approach we predicted a role for interferon gamma, an important cytokine secreted by T lymphocytes, in promoting social brain functions, Litvak said. Our findings contribute to a deeper understanding of social dysfunction in neurological disorders, such as autism and schizophrenia, and may open new avenues for therapeutic approaches.
Source: University of Virginia School of Medicine; University of Massachusetts Medical School; NIH.gov; ScienceDaily.com
Journal Reference:
- Antoine Louveau, Igor Smirnov, Timothy J. Keyes, Jacob D. Eccles, Sherin J. Rouhani, J. David Peske, Noel C. Derecki, David Castle, James W. Mandell, Kevin S. Lee, Tajie H. Harris, Jonathan Kipnis. Structural and functional features of central nervous system lymphatic vessels. Nature, 2015; DOI: 10.1038/nature14432
- The findings have been published online in the journal Nature. The article was written by Filiano, Yang Xu, Nicholas J. Tustison, Rachel L. Marsh, Wendy Baker, Igor Smirnov, Christopher C. Overall, Sachin P. Gadani, Stephen D. Turner, Zhiping Weng, Sayeda Najamussahar Peerzade, Hao Chen, Kevin S. Lee, Michael M. Scott, Mark P. Beenhakker, Litvak and Kipnis.
This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (grants No. AG034113, NS081026 and T32-AI007496) and the Hartwell Foundation.
ANSWERS: 1) brain; 2) system; 3) nervous; 4) century; 5) cells; 6) blood; 7) protein; 8) pathogens; 9) molecule; 10) behavior
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Emil Adolf von Behring MD: Antitoxins and Passive Serum Therapy
Emil Adolf von Behring MD (1854-1917)
Source: Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons.org
One of the most important pieces of evidence to support the earlier theory of antibodies came from Emil von Behring, who received the first-ever Nobel Prize in Medicine, in 1901. His Nobel Prize medal is now kept on display at the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum in Geneva.
Emil von Behring and his colleagues discovered in 1890 that animals, when injected with tiny, weakened doses of the bacteria that cause tetanus or diphtheria, produce chemicals in their blood that neutralize these microbes' disease-causing toxins. Not only that, but von Behring established that transferring blood containing these antitoxin chemicals to other animals granted them immunity from the same disease. As opposed to ?active' immunity, that is, the defense provided by a host's immune system, receiving these antitoxins from another animal was said to provide ?passive immunity'. Taking this a stage further, von Behring showed that children injected with antitoxin-containing serum were cured of their diphtheria symptoms, and did not die of the disease. This was a hugely important discovery: the vaccines created by Jenner and Pasteur prevented diseases, but von Behring's discoveries showed how a disease that had already taken hold could be cured. Von Behring was hailed as a savior of children and of soldiers, and the mass-produced form of his serum saved tens of thousands of lives every year in his native Germany alone. Unfortunately, this method of treatment – passive serum therapy – turned out to be useful for only a limited number of diseases. However, anyone who has ever received an anti-venom injection for snakebites has benefited directly from von Behring's discoveries.
The achievements of von Behring, and of Metchnikov and Ehrlich, helped to establish a brand-new field of science called immunology, one that sought to explore the mysterious workings of the body's inner defense mechanisms. And once anti-toxins had provided convincing experimental proof for Ehrlich's antibodies, scientists rushed to investigate these toxin-neutralizing molecules in greater detail. Many diseases are caused by microorganisms, but the body can use its immune system to defend itself against attacks and become immune to new attacks. As part of its defenses, the immune system forms antibodies that neutralize poisons, or toxins, that are formed by bacteria. Emil von Behring and other researchers showed that by means of blood plasma, or serum, antibodies could be transferred from one person or animal to another person, who also then became immune. In 1900 Emil von Behring introduced serum from immune horses as a method to cure and prevent diphtheria.
Emil Adolf von Behring (15 March 1854 – 31 March 1917) was a German physiologist, born in Hansdorf, now Lawice, IIawa County, Poland. Between 1874 and 1878, he studied medicine at the Akademie fur das militararztliche Bildungswesen, Berlin. He was mainly a military doctor and then became Professor of Hygienics within the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Marburg (against the initial strenuous opposition of the faculty council), a position he would hold for the rest of his life. He and the pharmacologist Hans Horst Meyer had their laboratories in the same building, and Behring stimulated Meyer's interest in the mode of action of tetanus toxin. Behring was the discoverer of diphtheria antitoxin in 1890 and attained a great reputation by that means and by his contributions to the study of immunity. He won the first Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1901 for the development of serum therapies against diphtheria (which Kitasato Shibasaburo and Emile Roux also contributed to) and tetanus. Diphtheria had been a scourge of the population, especially children, whereas tetanus was a leading cause of death in wars, killing the wounded. He was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1902. At the International Tuberculosis Congress in 1905 he announced that he had discovered a substance proceeding from the virus of tuberculosis. This substance, which he designated T C, plays the important part in the immunizing action of Professor Behring's bovivaccine, which prevents bovine tuberculosis. He tried unsuccessfully to obtain a protective and therapeutic agent for humans. His diphtheria serum was developed by repeatedly injecting the deadly toxin into a horse. The serum was used effectively during an epidemic in Germany. A chemical company preparing to undertake commercial production and marketing of the diphtheria serum offered him a contract.
In December 1896, Behring married the then eighteen-year-old Else Spinola, who was a daughter of Bernhard Spinola, the director of the Charite hospital in Berlin, and a Jewish-born mother who had converted to Christianity upon her marriage. They had six sons. They held their honeymoon at villa Behring on Capri 1897, where Behring owned a vacation home. In 1909-1911, the Russian writer Maxim Gorky lived at this villa. Behring died at Marburg, Hessen-Nassau, on 31 March 1917. His name survived with: the Dade Behring, organization, at the time, the world's largest company dedicated solely to clinical diagnostics, (now part of the Siemens Healthcare Division), in CSL Behring, a manufacturer of plasma-derived biotherapies, in Behringwerke AG in Marburg, in Novartis Behring and in the Emil von Behring Prize of the University of Marburg, the highest endowed medicine award in Germany.
Sources: Nobelprize.org; Wikipedia
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Advances in Possible Treatments for Gaucher and Parkinson's Diseases
Gaucher disease affects an estimated 1 in 50,000 to 1 in 100,000 people in the general population. People of Eastern and Central European (Ashkenazi) Jewish heritage are more likely to get Gaucher disease. Parkinson's disease affects 1.5-2% of people over age 60, and the incidence increases with age. In the United States, about 60,000 new cases are identified each year. Parkinson's disease affects more than 1 million people in North America and 7-10 million people worldwide.
Gaucher disease occurs when GBA1, the gene that codes for the protein glucocerebrosidase, is mutated. This protein normally helps cells dispose of certain fats (lipids), a type of waste produced by all cells. When a person inherits two mutated copies of GBA1, lipids accumulate and can cause symptoms such as enlargement of the spleen, frequent bleeding and bruising, weakened bones and, in the most severe cases, neurological disease. People with even one mutated copy of GBA1 are at higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease, a common disorder characterized by tremors, muscular rigidity and slowed movements.
According to an article published on line (12 June 2016) in the Journal of Neuroscience, with assistance from a high tech robot known at Tox21, National Institutes of Health researchers have identified and tested a molecule that shows promise as a possible treatment for Gaucher disease and Parkinson's disease.
To better understand the connection between Gaucher and Parkinson's diseases, the authors used a labor-intensive technology to develop pluripotent stem cells (unspecialized cells that can develop into various specialized body cells). The stem cells were created in the lab from the skin cells of Gaucher patients with and without Parkinson's disease. The stem cells were then converted into neurons that had features that were identical to those in people with Gaucher disease. Results showed that the neurons from Gaucher patients, who also had Parkinson's disease, had elevated levels of alpha-synuclein. This is the protein that accumulates in the brains of people with Parkinson's disease impacting neurons responsible for controlling movement.
The authors then looked for a molecule that would help patients with mutant GBA1 break down cellular waste. In a process known as high-throughput drug screening, the authors used the Tox21 robot to evaluate hundreds of thousands of different molecules. The authors identified a promising molecule, NCGC607which helps to chaperone the mutated protein so that it can still function. In the patients' stem cell-derived neurons, NCGC607 reversed the lipid accumulation and lowered the amount of alpha-synuclein, suggesting a possible treatment strategy for Parkinson's disease.
Daniel Kastner, M.D., Ph.D., NHGRI scientific director and director of the institute's Division of Intramural Research said that This research constitutes a major advance as it demonstrates how insights from a rare disorder such as Gaucher disease can have direct relevance to the treatment of common disorders like Parkinson's disease. the authors will next test the new molecule to see if it might be developed into an appropriate prototype drug for patients with Gaucher disease and Parkinson's disease.
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Brain Circuits that Help People Cope with Stress
People encounter stressful situations and stimuli everywhere, every day, and studies have shown that long-term stress can contribute to a broad array of health problems. However, some people cope with stress better than others, and scientists have long wondered why.
According to a study published online (19 July 2016) in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, brain patterns in humans have been identified that appear to underlie resilient coping. Resilient coping encompasses the healthy emotional and behavioral responses to stress that help some people handle stressful situations better than others.
In a study of human volunteers, the authors used a brain scanning technique called functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure localized changes in brain activation during stress. Study participants were given fMRI scans while exposed to highly threatening, violent and stressful images followed by neutral, non-stressful images for six minutes each. While conducting the scans, the authors also measured non-brain indicators of stress among study participants, such as heart rate, and levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, in blood.
The brain scans revealed a sequence of three distinct patterns of response to stress, compared to non-stress exposure. The first pattern was characterized by sustained activation of brain regions known to signal, monitor and process potential threats. The second response pattern involved increased activation, and then decreased activation, of a circuit connecting brain areas involved in stress reaction and adaptation, perhaps as a means of reducing the initial distress to a perceived threat. The third pattern helped predict those who would regain emotional and behavioral control to stress. This pattern involved what the authors described as neuroflexibility, in a circuit between the brain's medial prefrontal cortex and forebrain regions including the ventral striatum, extended amygdala, and hippocampus during sustained stress exposure. The authors explained that this neuroflexibility was characterized by initially decreased activation of this circuit in response to stress, followed by its increased activation with sustained stress exposure. The authors noted that previous research has consistently shown that repeated and chronic stress damages the structure, connections, and functions of the brain's prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex is the seat of higher order functions such as language, social behavior, mood, and attention, and which also helps regulate emotions, and more primitive areas of the brain.
In the current study, the authors reported that participants who did not show the neuroflexibility response in the prefrontal cortex during stress had higher levels of self-reported binge drinking, anger outbursts, and other maladaptive coping behaviors. They hypothesize that such individuals might be at increased risk for alcohol use disorder or emotional dysfunction problems, which are hallmarks of chronic exposure to high levels of stress.
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FDA Approves First Intraocular Lens with Extended Range of Vision for Cataract Patients
Cataracts are a common eye condition where the natural lens becomes clouded, impairing a patient's vision. According to the National Eye Institute, more than 20% of Americans will have cataracts by the age of 65, and the prevalence increases with age. In cataract surgery, the clouded natural lens is removed and replaced with an intraocular lens (IOL).
The FDA has approved the first IOL that provides cataract patients with an extended depth-of-focus, which helps improve their sharpness of vision (visual acuity) at near, intermediate and far distances. Traditional monofocal IOLs have been limited to improving distance vision. The Tecnis Symfony IOL improves visual acuity at close, intermediate and far ranges and, therefore, may reduce the need for patients to wear contact lenses or glasses after cataract surgery.
The approval is based on a review of results from a randomized clinical trial comparing 148 cataract patients implanted with the Tecnis Symfony IOL to 151 cataract patients implanted with a monofocal IOL. The study evaluated visual acuity at near, intermediate and far ranges; contrast sensitivity (the ability to distinguish small differences between light and dark); and adverse events for six months after implantation. Of the patients implanted with the Tecnis Symfony IOL, 77% had good vision (20/25), without glasses at intermediate distances, compared to 34% of those with the monofocal IOL. For near distances, patients with the Tecnis Symfony IOL were able to read two additional, progressively smaller lines on a standard eye chart than those with the monofocal IOL. Both sets of patients had comparable results for good distance vision.
Patients implanted with the Tecnis Symfony IOL may experience worsening of or blurred vision, bleeding or infection. The device may also cause reduced contrast sensitivity that becomes worse under poor visibility conditions such as dim light or fog. Some patients may experience visual halos, glare or starbursts. The device is not intended for use on patients who have had previous trauma to their eye.
The Tecnis Symfony Extended Range of Vision IOL, manufactured by Abbott Medical Optics, Inc. of Santa Ana, California, and is also available in four toric models, which are indicated for the reduction of residual refractive astigmatism or imperfections in the curvature of the eye.


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Little practical application exists for making change for a dollar using 50 coins. It is a fun math problem, though. Ask Dr. Math notes two possibilities -- one with 40 pennies and another with 45 pennies. The simplest approach is with 45 pennies.Continue Reading
Count out 45 pennies, and set those aside. This step leaves five coins for the remaining $0.55.
Add one quarter to the pennies to reach $0.70. A quarter is necessary because five dimes is only $0.50.
Dimes and nickels cover the remaining four coins for $0.30. Since three dimes is $0.30, only two dimes are possible. Thus, two dimes and two nickels complete the 50 coins for $1.

subset: commoncrawl


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Arnold Schwarzenegger Hopes to Save Marriage to Maria Shriver
"The Last Stand" star Arnold Schwarzenegger isn't giving up on his marriage to Maria Shriver. Although his wife of 25 years filed for divorce in 2011, he still hopes to save the relationship.
Earlier this month, Arnold revealed to "Extra's" Mario Lopez that Maria is "absolutely" still the love of his life and credited her for "keeping everything together."
In 2011, Schwarzenegger publicly admitted to fathering a child with the family's housekeeper while married to Maria.


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The Man Who Gave His Life To Bitcoin
Erik Vorhees is what you might call a true Bitcoin believer: he is almost entirely invested in the currency, works at a Bitcoin-related startup, and spends a great deal of time in the Bitcoin "community," as you might call it — he's one of the best-known contributors to the /r/bitcoin subreddit.
Bitcoin, for the uninitiated, is a digital currency hoping to establish itself as a decentralized, bank-free alternative to the usual dollars and cents.
Yesterday, just before the price of a Bitcoin shot past $200, Vorhees posted a short item on Reddit called "An insider's opinion on the crazy Bitcoin market," explaining in detail why the price of Bitcoin was skyrocketing. It read like a dispatch from a different financial universe; in many ways, that's exactly what it was. But the most interesting aspect of the post was how deeply involved it revealed Vorhees, a hardcore libertarian, to be: he is betting on Bitcoin in a way that few of the people trading it today can claim.
BuzzFeed spoke with Vorhees over Skype on Tuesday.
BuzzFeed: So, first: You're both a Bitcoin user *and* professionally involved with the currency, correct?
Correct. Discovered Bitcoin in May 2011. Went crazy for it. Went to the first conference in NYC in August 2011, and from there met people with whom I developed some projects and one thing led to another and I joined BitInstant (a payment processor for Bitcoin exchanges) a few months later.
What were you doing at the time?
I was just doing freelance marketing work. I had been in Dubai for two years doing marketing for real estate. Came back to the US, didn't know where I wanted to be or do really, so freelance was my interim work. After I found Bitcoin, I dropped everything. It would be impossible for me to work on something not Bitcoin related now.
Because of your interest/dedication? Or investment?
Because it's my passion. I simply couldn't be interested in anything else.
So, the Bitcoin community was quite different in the earlier days. Smaller, for one. How else has it changed over the last couple years?
It hasnt change that much, really. It is always a mix of people. When it "feels" like it changes is when the price trend changes. After the first bubble in summer of 2011, many got very nasty and negative. I know the same will happen when the next bubble pops. Such people do not fundamentally understand why Bitcoin is so important, and thus their temperment shifts with the price. They are fair-weather Bitcoiners.
Were the theorists (for lack of a better term) more influential earlier on?
I think they were more common early on. The whole thing was more philosophical.
"Could this work, and why" was the question du jour. Now that it's in the real world, it's not a theory.
Do you worry about how this current price trend will affect the currency?
Not at all. It is good for a number of reasons. It brings a swarm of new interest.
But a lot of that interest is of the get-rich-quick variety.
Let's say 10% of that interest is "legitimate" or not just driven by price interest.
That 10% sticks around after a crash?
Yep exactly. And they start building new infrastructure.
As in retail, etc?
Well, could be anything. That's the magic of entrepreneurialism. If we knew all the new things that would be useful, we could build them ourselves 🙂
Are there any systemic risks involved with this level of attention?
I assume the price WILL precipitously drop at some point. Maybe tomorrow, maybe in 6 months. [But] the biggest systematic risk is government. After the FinCEN ruling, that cleared up a lot of worry. [It's] highly unlikely the US gov will attack Bitcoin overtly over the next couple years now. So there will be a period of rapid growth and expansion.
So, much of the coverage of Bitcoin now focuses on the investment angle. When will people sell, and so on.
Yeah, understandably. It's not every day that an asset goes up 4x.
Are you playing that game at all? Or is it a diversion to you?
I play the market a little, but it's more for entertainment and a fun challenge.
It presents a problem for someone ideologically commited to the currency, no? A temptation to cash out?
Predicting price movements is very silly. "Cash out" is misused. Those of us who understand this most have "cashed out" of the US Dollar.
But unloading your wallet for USD after it increases in value 15x — it seems like that sort of prospect could shake a lot of people. Even believers.
Bitcoin is the asset we want to hold. We are not just holding it in order to "sell" later.
So there is no USD price you would trade at.
I trade often, just not for USD. I don't want it. Traditional currency is garbage :). Gold and silver are worthy currencies. Fiat is not.
You're more deeply commited to Bitcoin than many people who hold it. How does that work, practically? Are you paid in Bitcoin? How much of your regular spending is done in the Bitcoin economy?
I am paid in Bitcoin, yes. And yes I sell some for fiat to pay for food, rent, etc.
But there are some purchases — not just novelties, but things you might otherwise buy — that you purchase in Bitcoin?
We pay for all servers and hosting stuff in BTC. I pay contractors in BTC exclusively. I have a lawyer now whom I pay in BTC as well.
In a Reddit post, you offered explanations for Bitcoin's rapid rise in price. One of the most compelling reasons you offered for the rise is an influx of VC cash. Is this a suspicion, or do you have evidence? Or reason to believe other wealthy people are treating Bitcoin as a short-term investment?
Evidence. [But] more like long term investment — wealthy people who will buy a bunch and assume it'll either go to zero or become wildly expensive. They aren't investing with a six month time frame. More like 2-5 years.
Is this something you've heard about, or seen reflected in the exchanges somehow?
I know of people. But the VC thing is much less hidden. I know of three or four venture cap firms who are actively seeking BTC investments. The smart ones pick up a pile of coins while they're searching for the companies they like.
Exante's Malta-based fund is for investors who are buying a minimum of $100k worth. Tradehill's new platform is similar – only catering to "sophisticated investors" or people with liquid net worth over $1m.
Toward the end of your post, you seem at peace with a situation that, to someone who isn't familiar with Bitcoin, could sound scary. You write: "The price right now could be the highest Bitcoin will ever be from now on, or the lowest. Nobody knows!"
For people who would like to use Bitcoin as a currency, the prospect of severe changes in value might be a deterrent, and not just from an investment standpoint. Do you recommend, then, that people who might be ideologically interested in Bitcoin step back for a bit?
Well remember it's important to make a distinction between buying coins to speculate on price and building up infrastructure. Those who are into Bitcoin should do the latter, full time. The speculation is separate… it's for anyone who wants to take a gamble on the volatile market.
They should start companies, you mean?
Yeah. And basically, if you believe the Bitcoin narrative, that it will change the world, then buying them at anything below several thousand dollars is "worth it."
Companies designed for an eventual scenario that looks like what, exactly: a full(er) service Bitcoin economy?
When the internet got started in the early nineties, nobody knew how it would unfold really. Many people said it was just a fad. Kinda silly geek toy. Nobody envisioned Facebook and Twitter back then, or even something like Amazon. Much less the crazier uses for websites that have occured — the fact that we're talking on Skype right now… that is a result of the internet which was not foreseen in the early days.
Bitcoin will be same. It will take thousands of entrepreneurs trying thousands of things over the coming years. We will look back and see all these great Bitcoin-based systems and we'll think "well that was obvious."
You say in your post, "certainly, Bitcoin is the most important thing happening on the planet right now."
Is there a massive caveat there, though? That a/the government could interfere?
No that's not a caveat, that's the point! The fact that government might (likely will) interfere is the entire point. Bitcoin is important for one reason: because it separates money and state. That is why it is the most important project on the planet. Because money and state must be separated… doing so will rid the earth of a number of evils.
There is no other project that I'm aware of which has such potential to help so many human lives and improve the prospects for humanity, than Bitcoin.
But the two are currently powerfully connected. And there are very powerful — the most powerful — and very interested parties who wish to keep it that way. Do you believe Bitcoin is resilient enough, anonymous enough, protected enough, to withstand pushback?
That's the grand experiment ;). And that's why nobody knows what the price should be.
Can you tell us the scale of your investment in Bitcoin? If not, then how much (in relative terms) have you gained since you started?
That's private, sorry ;). We can say I've earned enough to invest in some bitcoin projects.
But the market has been kind, obviously.
This is one of the nice things about this ecosystem — the wealth gained (some of it) gets used to build further infrastructure, in a virtuous circle.
So you really are all in.
I'm not "all in" quite… I have some metals.
So "all out" might be a better term. Any final words for readers who might just be hearing about Bitcoin in the news?
The price is a fun distraction. The real story of Bitcoin is about the manner in which it is changing money around the world. If you understand that, then the price will make more sense. And also this: people should expect a number of bubbles to occur. There was a big on in 2011; perhaps we're in another now. And there will be more.
If this is a bubble, and it pops, what do you expect you'll be saying that day?
Well unfortunately it won't just be "a day" on which it happens. The last bubble "popped/deflated" over a period of about 6 months, and during that time, it goes up and down… nobody knowing if it's "at the bottom" or not. So really it's a long psychological game. And during this period, whether it's a week this time or a year or whatever, the press will be ruthless in tearing into Bitcoin
But it's fine. Those of us who are building this stuff (including all the new people who are being attracted over the past few months of frenzy) will hunker down and keep building. So what will I tell people? If you don't want your coins, sell them! That's the beauty of a free market, each person is in control for themselves. Nobody is forced to use, or to hold, Bitcoin.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
Read more: http://buzzfeed.com/jwherrman/the-man-who-gave-his-life-to-bitcoin


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A DuPage County jury began hearing testimony Thursday regarding the 1998 death of an African immigrant who was riding his bike on Roosevelt Road when he was struck and killed by a driver who was allegedly drunk.
Gayle Lejeune, 25, of Aurora is charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and causing great bodily harm.
According to the prosecution, she was returning home from a business meeting in Streamwood on May 5, 1998, when, around 10 p.m., the car she was driving struck and killed Hailaeb Asgedom, an immigrant from Eritrea. He had been a doctor in Eritrea, but he was working as a janitor at Wheaton College to support his family.


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This section contains 546 words
(approx. 2 pages at 400 words per page)
Chapter 15-16 Summary
Peter Thorpe has departed the Lombardy and arrives at the University Club, where he chats with his favorite bartender. The bartender reveals that Carbury is indeed staying at the Club under an assumed name. Thorpe speaks mysteriously of an impending crisis, and then departs for the armory, where his adopted father James Allerton will be honored for his years of service.
The President will be speaking on behalf of his close advisor Allerton. Thorpe immediately runs into Nicholas West, a former professor who is in charge of documenting and compiling the activities of the CIA. West knows that his extensive knowledge makes him a prime interrogation target, and Thorpe manipulates his anxiety by suggesting that the CIA would rather kill him than retire him.
West and Thorpe go to the main dining room, where they sit at the same table with...
(read more from the Chapter 15-16 Summary)
This section contains 546 words
(approx. 2 pages at 400 words per page)


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Reuters Staff
1 Min Read
Aug 29 (Reuters) - Guangzhou Amsky Technology Co Ltd :
* Says it adopted new accounting policy regarding subsidy, effective since June 12
Source text in Chinese: goo.gl/gtHDZf
Further company coverage: (Beijing Headline News)
All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays.
© 2018 Reuters. All Rights Reserved.


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Widespread occurrence of neonicotinoid insecticides in streams in a high corn and soybean producing region, USA
Environmental Pollution
- By:
- Michelle Hladik, Dana W. Kolpin, and Kathryn Kuivila
- More information: Publisher Index Page (via DOI)
- Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core
AbstractNeonicotinoid insecticides are of environmental concern, but little is known about their occurrence in surface water. An area of intense corn and soybean production in the Midwestern United States was chosen to study this issue because of the high agricultural use of neonicotinoids via both seed treatments and other forms of application. Water samples were collected from nine stream sites during the 2013 growing season. The results for the 79 water samples documented similar patterns among sites for both frequency of detection and concentration (maximum:median) with clothianidin (75%, 257 ng/L:8.2 ng/L) > thiamethoxam (47%, 185 ng/L:<2 ng/L) > imidacloprid (23%, 42.7 ng/L: <2 ng/L). Neonicotinoids were detected at all nine sites sampled even though the basin areas spanned four orders of magnitude. Temporal patterns in concentrations reveal pulses of neonicotinoids associated with rainfall events during crop planting, suggesting seed treatments as their likely source.
Study Area
Additional publication details
- Publication type:
- Article
- Publication Subtype:
- Journal Article
- Title:
- Widespread occurrence of neonicotinoid insecticides in streams in a high corn and soybean producing region, USA
- Series title:
- Environmental Pollution
- 10.1016/j.envpol.2014.06.033
- Volume:
- 193
- Year Published:
- 2014
- Language:
- English
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
- Contributing office(s):
- California Water Science Center
- Description:
- 8 p.
- Larger Work Type:
- Article
- Larger Work Subtype:
- Journal Article
- Larger Work Title:
- Environmental Pollution
- First page:
- 189
- Last page:
- 196
- Country:
- United States


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A robot that mimics the way salamanders walk and swim could become a useful tool in developing neuroprosthetic devices for paraplegic patients and amputees.
The robot - dubbed 'Pleurobot' - is based on X-ray videos of salamanders in motion and was developed by a team at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland.
The robot features 3D-printed bones, motorized joints and electronic circuitry as its 'nervous system'.
Inspired by the salamander species Pleurodeles waltl, 'Pleurobot' can walk, crawl, and even swim underwater.
Although the team has built salamander robots before, this is the first time they have built a robot that is accurately based on the 3D motion of the animal's skeleton.
X-ray videos of a salamander from the top and the side were used, tracking up to 64 points along its skeleton while it performed different types of motion in water and on the ground.
"What is new is really our approach to building Pleurobot," said Auke Ijspeert who led the team. "It involves striking a balance between designing a simplified bone structure and replicating the salamander's gait in three dimensions."
Pleurobot was designed with fewer bones and joints than the real-life creature and features only 27 motors and 11 segments along its spine in contrast to the amphibian's 40 vertebrae and multiple joints, some of which can even rotate freely and move side-to-side or up and down.
In the design process, the researchers identified the minimum number of motorized segments required, as well as the optimal placement along the robot's body. As a result, it could replicate many of the salamander's types of movement.
"Animal locomotion is an inherently complex process," said Kostas Karakasilliotis who designed the first versions of the Pleurobot. "Modern tools like cineradiography, 3D printing and fast computing help us draw closer and closer to understanding and replicating it."
Vertebrate locomotion is a sophisticated interplay between the spinal cord, the body and the environment. It is the spinal cord that controls motion, not the brain, so mimicking the salamander's movement gives insight into how the spinal cord works and how it interacts with the body.
A robot that so closely mimics the biomechanical properties of the body can become a useful scientific tool to investigate these interactions.
Neurobiologists have shown that electrical stimulation of the spinal cord is what determines whether the salamander walks, crawls or swims.
At the lowest level of stimulation, the salamander walks; with higher stimulation, its pace increases, and beyond some threshold the salamander begins to swim. Pleurobot is programmed to accurately mimic all of these functions.
Ijspeert believes that understanding the fundamentals of this interplay between the spinal cord and the body's locomotion will help with the development of future therapies and neuroprosthetic devices for paraplegic patients and amputees. He also thinks that the design methodology used for the Pleurobot can help develop other types of "biorobots", which will become important tools in neuroscience and biomechanics.
Meanwhile a small, squishy vehicle that is equipped with soft wheels in order to allow it to roll easily over rough terrain and run underwater has been demonstrated by its creators at Rutgers University
Future versions of the vehicle are being cited as suitable for search and rescue missions after disasters, as well as deep space and planet exploration, and manipulating objects during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
It features a soft motor that provides torque without bending or extending its housing.
"The introduction of a wheel and axle assembly in soft robotics should enable vast improvement in the manipulation and mobility of devices," said Aaron Mazzeo who worked on the project. "We would very much like to continue developing soft motors for future applications and develop the science to understand the requirements that improve their performance."
The soft, metal-free motors are touted as being suitable for harsh environments with electromagnetic fields, while being able to withstand strong impacts – it survived a fall eight times its height.
It is also capable of braking the motor and holding it in a fixed position without the need for extra power.
To create the vehicle, the Rutgers engineers used silicone rubber that is nearly one million times softer than aluminium.
"If you build a robot or vehicle with hard components, you have to have many sophisticated joints so the whole body can handle complex or rocky terrain," said Xiangyu Gong who also worked on the project. "For us, the whole design is very simple, but it works very well because the whole body is soft and can negotiate complex terrain."
The team predicts that future uses for the technology include amphibious vehicles that could traverse rugged lakebeds; search and rescue missions in extreme environments and varied terrains, such as irregular tunnels; shock-absorbing vehicles that could be used as landers equipped with parachutes; and elbow-like systems with limbs on either side.
"We think these robots also would be useful for working around children or animals and you could envision them being helpful in hospitals," Mazzeo said. "There are opportunities also for toys and for creating educational science or engineering kits."


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2018 Ontario Open Age Group Synchronized Swimming Championships
Competition Date:
Registration Deadline:
May 22-27, 2018
March 26, 2018
Toronto Synchro
Meet Manager
Kathryn Allen
Synchro Ontario
Etobicoke Olympium
9-10 Provincial
L2T Land Routine
16-20 Provincial
Solo: Free *& Tech
Duet: Free *& Tech
Team: Free *& Tech
11-12 Provincial
L2T Land Routine
Cognitive & Physical
13-15 Provincial
Qualifying Entries
All Ontrario Provincial Stream routines competing at Ontario Open Age Group Championships must have
competed in and qualified through their respective Regional Championships.
Out of Province clubs may enter Team Solo and Duet and Combo events as per SSO Rule book, with a maximum of (2) two Solos and (2) two Duets in each age category.
The competition will be held in accordance with Synchro Swim Ontario Rules http://synchroontario.com/member-resources/provincial-rulebook/
Byes will only be granted to individual swimmers on medical or compassionate basis.
Byes request form must be sent to [email protected]
Pool Information
Etobicoke Olympium
590 Rathburn Rd,
Toronto, ON
Etobicoke Olympium
Building Hours for access
6:00am – 10:00 pm
Pool Specs
|Warm up Pool Length
Competition Pool Length:
|25 meter x 8 lanes
25 meter x 8 lanes
Single bulkhead
Only Coaches and Athletes registered for the Event will be allowed in change rooms and on deck. All Coaches must have proper accreditation on them at all times. Coach Certification and Accreditation is done in September
Security &
Health Services
Trained Lifeguards will be on deck at all times during the competition.
Gelling Rules
Gelling room set up on Main floor meeting room
No gelling in change rooms or other areas of the building
Host club will be monitoring
Warm up area
Upstairs gym only
No stretching in halls or other areas of the building
Host club will be monitoring
Banquet Hall
Wednesday May 23, 2018
Red Rose Convention Centre
additional Information
Special Dietary allergies request form will be posted
Ticket Price
Cost of the diner is $40.00/person. Payment is made to Toronto Synchro – details on order form
Ticket order form: https://synchroswimontario.formstack.com/forms/age_group_banquet_tickets
Cutoff Date
April 25, 2018
File Format
Please note that digital music will be used at this competition. There must be one digital file for each registered routine in an mp3 format, with a minimum required resolution of 192kbps.
Coaches should review each digital file for quality, timing and completeness. (Please ensure that volume is consistent throughout all cuts of music)
Labeling Convention
In order to correctly identify each swimmer's music, please name the file using the specific naming format as indicated below.
IMPORTANT: Please make sure not to have any special characters (accents/punctuation marks, #, $, & etc.) in your file name – your song file may not download correctly and will be missing from the competition folder. Note that underscores are acceptable and can be used to separate words.
For Solo = Category_ClubCallLetters_Coaches Initals_Swimer last name
For Duet = Category_Club call Letters_Coaches Initals_Swimers Initals
For Team = Category_ClubCallLetters_Coach Initals_TeamName.format
Labeling Convention
16-20 / Jr Tech /Free
Sr. Tech /Free
|Nov = Novice stream
Pov = Provincial stream
Fin = Fina / National stream
Club Call Letters
Markham Synchro = MKSC
Mississauga Synchro = MSSA
Nepean Synchro = NPNS
Olympium Synchro = OSSC
Sudbury Synchro = SBSC
Sault "Y" Synchro = SUYS
Toronto Synchro = TSSC
Variety Village Synchro = VVSC
Waterloo Regional Synchro = WRSC
Tsunamis Master = TTMS
York Synchro = York
Burlington- Olympium Synchro = BOSS
Brant Synchro = Bran
Burlington Synchro = BSSC
Chaco Synchro = CHCO
Durham Synchro = DHSC
Go Capital Synchro =GCSC
Granite Synchro = GRTE
Guelph Synchro = GSSC
Halton Hills Synchro = HHSC
Kwartha Trent Synchro = KTSC
K-W Synchro = KWSC
London Synchro = LDSC
Metadata/ ID3Tags
Metadata (also known as ID3 tags for MP3 files) is information (such as title, artist, album, genre etc.) that is stored inside the song file
–This is often different from the name of the file itself. In order to avoid confusion at the competition music table, we ask coaches to ensure that the title of the song file, and the ID3 tag title of the song file are the same
To do this on Windows PC:
Right click on the song file > Select 'Properties' > Select the 'Details' tab Under the segment called 'Description,' change the value of 'Title' to match the file name (as per the naming convention outlined above)
To do this in iTunes:
Right click on the song file > Select 'Get Info' > Under the 'Details' tab, change the value of 'Song name' to match the file name (as per the naming convention outlined above) > Click OK
Submission Deadline
The deadline to send and confirm all routine music files is May 7, 2018
Dropbox access
Access to each clubs dropbox file is sent the Clubs head coaches in late fall. Head Coaches may then add other coaches to the shared club folder (anyone added tothe folder can upload files.
SSO will not add other coaches to the club files
Registration Deadline
March 26, 2018 @ 4:00pm
Entry Fees
Figures ……………..….… $29.00/athlete
Tech Team ………………. $29.00/athlete
Tech Solo ……….……..… $43.00/routine
Tech Duet ……………….. $43.00/routine
Free Solo ………………………. $43.00/routine
Free Duet ……………….……… $43.00/routine
Free Team ……………..………. $86.00/routine
Combo ………………………….. $86.00/routine
L2T Land Routine ……………… $31.00/routine
Tech Team: Athletes are to be entered under figures online in Meet reg and the roster list will be asked for on the Event Registration and payment Form
Tech Solo/Duet : Routines are entered online in Meet reg as tech routines
Out of province Entries
Athlete Surcharge: ………………………………………………………………………$10 per athlete
Each club may enter Team Solo and Duet and Combo events as per SSO Rule book, with a maximum of (2) two Solos and (2) two Duets in each age category.
All athletes must fill out the Athlete Waivers and Medical Release forms which must be handed in at the registration table before the beginning of the competition. The Form is available online at http://synchroontario.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/out-of-province-waiver.docx
Canadian Entry Submission
All registration and entries must be sent using Synchro Canada's E-Sport Event Registration program online (meet reg).
Changes to entries can be made on the E-Sport registration site until the deadline.
Information recorded on E-Sport will be automatically downloaded into the scoring program.
Please ensure that the submitted information is accurate
International Entries
Team rosters are to be entered on the Event Registration and Payment form.
Event Registration & payment form
All clubs must fill out an online Event Registration Form which will be used to provide all the pertinent information to the Organizing Committee and to calculate total cost.
Payment options
Payment must be received to Synchro Swim Ontario by April 2, 2018
Authorized Club Credit Card
Personal Credit Card – entered on Event Registration form or called in 416-679-9522
Cheque – Mailed to 12-89 Galaxy Blvd
Etobicoke Ontario
Late Entry Fees
5.1.3 (pg. 18 SSO Rulebook)
Entry forms including payment not submitted by the stated competition entry deadline will be assessed a financial penalty of $250.00 will be invoiced by Synchro Swim Ontario the day following the entry deadline. Failure to pay the fine by the first event of the competition shall result in disqualification. Fines are non-refundable.
Email policy
All correspondence as required will be by email, using the Registrars contact email.
Results will be emailed out during the Competition to the Head Coaches
All Meet information and communications will be available on the website www.synchroontairo.com
Throughout the meet we'll be announcing the names of your club, your coaches and your swimmers. Help our announcers get the correct pronunciation the first time, every time, so we won't feel awkward, and you won't feel annoyed. Please help by submitting hint for difficult names to the meet manager
Figure draws will be done by Synchro Canada in accordance to SSO Rulebook 4.73
Figure Groups can be found in the SSO Rulebook Appendix A
Order of Swim
In an effort to provide added security and privacy for our Athletes and Coaches in advance of each competition the Order Of Swim is now password protected
Head Coaches will be provided with the password
Will be posted on the website http://synchroontario.com/competitive/results/ and emailed to participating Club Head Coaches.
Figures $6.00/ Adult
Routine $10.00/ Adult
Children under 10 free
All athletes can be photographed and videotaped during the event.
SSO approved photographer may be on deck during all or a portion of the event
No flash Photograph


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Featured News - Current News - Archived News - News Categories
The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends sun safety as a healthy New Year's resolution
The beginning of a new year means starting fresh - particularly when it comes to health habits. In 2016, The Skin Cancer Foundation urges everyone to make skin health a top priority.
Here are four healthy skin guidelines to follow in the new year:
1. Don't Skimp on Sun Protection: Proper sun protection is essential year-round, since the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays are present every day. Skin cancer is mainly a behavioral disease and it is strongly linked to sun exposure - about 90 percent of nonmelanoma skin cancers and 86 percent of melanomas are caused by the sun's UV rays. For that reason, it's critical to follow a complete sun protection regimen to help prevent skin cancer.
The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends incorporating the following sun protection tips into your daily routine:
2. Visit the Dermatologist Annually for a Professional Skin Exam: While skin cancer is the most common cancer in the world, it's also one of the most treatable cancers when detected early. A yearly full-body skin exam performed by a dermatologist is critical, and can be lifesaving. In fact, the five-year survival rate for patients whose melanomas are detected early is 98 percent, and this survival rate falls to 16 percent once the disease spreads to distant organs.
3. Perform Routine Self-Exams: In addition to having a professional skin check annually, it's important to examine your skin on a monthly basis to monitor for any new, changing or suspicious lesions. If you notice something new or changing, see a physician immediately. Performed regularly, self-exams should take no more than 10 to 15 minutes. Afraid you'll forget? Make self-exams a habit by scheduling a recurring reminder in your cell phone.
4. Ditch Tanning: There is no such thing as a safe or healthy tan. Whether obtained on the beach, in a tanning bed, or through incidental sun exposure, a tan represents skin damage. Tans are the skin's attempt to repair itself from UV damage from the sun or tanning lamps. If you have a tan, you have sustained skin cell damage. These imperfect repairs cause gene defects that can lead to skin cancer as well as skin aging, including wrinkles, leathery skin and age spots.
Those tempted to use a tanning bed this winter should think twice. People who first use a tanning bed before age 35 increase their risk for melanoma by an alarming 75 percent. Just one visit is all it takes to increase your skin cancer risk - a single session increases the risk for the two most common forms of skin cancer (basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma) by 29 percent and 67 percent, respectively.
For more information, visit the Skin Cancer Foundation's website, SkinCancer.org, which features more than 600 pages of medically reviewed content on skin cancer prevention, early detection and treatment.
About the Skin Cancer Foundation
The Skin Cancer Foundation is the only global organization solely devoted to the prevention, early detection and treatment of skin cancer. The mission of the foundation is to decrease the incidence of skin cancer through public and professional education and research. Since its inception in 1979, the foundation has recommended following a complete sun protection regimen that includes seeking shade and covering up with clothing, including a wide-brimmed hat and UV-blocking sunglasses, in addition to daily sunscreen use.
For more information, visit SkinCancer.org.


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As every guitarist knows, tapping was done to death in the 80s and early 90s and for the rest of the decade and into the early 2000s became a downright cringeworthy, no-go area except if you were doing something musically interesting with it a la Steve Vai, or you had the kind of tapping licks that never go out of fashion a la Eddie Van Halen. Over the last few years it has made something of a comeback with guitarists using it to complement their lead playing in a musical way, rather than some, 'uh-oh here comes the big tapping lick', spinal tap type moment.
I don't know if Eddie Van Halen invented tapping but he certainly popularized it, though what most guitarists seem to miss is the fact that Eddie used it to create pieces of music, most of which could be considered standalone pieces in their own right. The technique was then abused to death by 90% of the guitarists that followed in his wake, which led to it becoming tasteless and, mentioning no names, borderline ridiculous.
Tapping Tips
Tapping itself is probably one of the easiest 'advanced' techniques to master on guitar, so I won't go into it here; if you're just starting out then you might want to put a hair-tie, or a sock if you don't have long hair, over the nut or the first fret to dampen any unwanted string noise. Turn the distortion down at first too as you don't want to rely too heavily on it to create the sound. Most guitarists tap with either the first or second finger of their picking hand, but experiment to see which is more comfortable for you. You don't have to push the string down when you tap it either, you can also pull it up and the effect will be the same. You should be able to master the basic technique in a day or so, or even a few hours, it's what you do with it next that counts.
Tapping Benefits
If you've always wanted to play fast but can't seem to get any speed going, or just blindly run up and down scales then tapping is a great antidote for your frustration. Tapping, by nature, makes anything sound cool, even a scale; as you can see below.
What you're really doing here is playing the good old A minor pentatonic scale 3 notes per string but instead of stretching, you tap the third note on every string. It sounds cool even though you're running up a scale; EVH does something similar in the intro to 'Hot for Teacher' but coming down the scale.
Breaking it down
We can break it down a little as shown in the diagram below which is a simple tapped A minor arpeggio. Okay… this one sounds a little cheesy but the point here is to get a taste for playing fast and know what you're doing. Simply place your the first finger of your fretting hand on the 5, your third finger on the 8, and tap the 12 (+).
If you know that this is an A minor arpeggio then you can use it in your own music as oppose to learning a fast lick from say, a John Petrucci solo, but having no idea how it's constructed, what it's doing there or how to incorporate it into your own stuff; without this knowledge it's merely a party piece, and of relatively little use.
If you move the whole thing to the B string then you have an E minor arpeggio, and going back and forth between the two sounds cool, although borderline cheesy. If you move it to the G string you have a C minor arpeggio and so on; as you've probably worked out, the root of this minor arpeggio pattern is dictated by the first finger of your fretting hand.
If you want an A major arpeggio instead of an A minor arpeggio simply make the C on the eighth fret into a C# on the ninth fret—you'll probably need to change to your pinky to make the stretch. You can also move this pattern about accordingly.
What's the Point?
As I mentioned above, the point here is to get a taste for playing fast and knowing what you're doing. A lot of players make the mistake of building up technique and end up playing faster than they can think, which leads to mindlessly running up and down scales, and running out of ideas fast. You may have noticed the added confidence you felt while you were tapping and knowing exactly what you were playing. This is the feeling or state you want to achieve with your regular fast playing, which unlike tapping, comes from playing slow first, or rather not playing faster than you can think…
Check out the Scale Trainer to see this method in action for learning scales. It'll take a while to build up speed but the results are worth it. Or if you've already mastered tapping and want to take your skills to the next level, check out Jean Marc Belkadi's Progressive Tapping Licks.
Looking for something more specific? Search the entire site below.
©2014-2018 Unlock The Guitar. All Rights Reserved.
©2014-2018 Unlock The Guitar. All Rights Reserved.


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In this short video, Florida Georgia Line explains that their all-time favorite country album is Garth Brooks' "Double Live."
Brian Kelly confesses that he received the album when he was younger as a Christmas present, and plays the tracks over and over again when Florida Georgia Line goes on tour!
Watch and Brian kelly and Tyler Hubbard get real about Garth Brooks in this Rhapsody interview.
Interested in becoming a partner?
Contact us for more info.


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We offer high quality machine cast custom button sets in several colours. These are an excellent replacement for your original Gameboy Pocket's plastic buttons.
Here's what you get:
- 1x MGB D-Pad
- 1x CGB A button
- 1x CGB B button
- 1x CGB Power Switch
Keep in mind these are third party alternative, not official Nintendo parts. Color may slightly vary from what you see on your display.


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|The Scold's Bridle
Some of these masks of infamy weren't quite so pleasant though, and had spikes and barbs and spears and all other manner of pain inflicting devices for the wearer to endure for their sins. The wearer would also often be chained to a post so if the mask wasn't hurting you enough, the village mob would probably help out. Not so nice, who'd look good in one of them? Maybe Dubya 'n Blair? They could have little twin ones, how cute!
|Dubya and Blair in twin masks of infamy! Arthur or Martha?
|Russian Mask of Infamy
|Head Crusher
Next time I'll do a more pleasant post. Promise!


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Exclusive: United Sent This #Ebola Memo To Staff After Patient Flew UA951
< Gotnews.com has exclusively obtained a message from United Airlines to its staff regarding dealing with Ebola. Gotnews.com had previously reported on how Thomas Eric Duncan, the Texas Ebola patient, flew on United Airlines flight UA951. Here is info we were given at the airline regarding Ebola: Ebola Guidance for Airlines Interim Guidance about Ebola […]Read Story


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"The patient experience is very important to me. Coupling that with excellence in the technical performance of surgery has allowed me to achieve very satisfying patient outcomes."
Dr. Onopchenko obtained his doctorate in medicine from the Medical College of Pennsylvania (now Drexel) in 1984 with honors. He completed a residency in general surgery at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) in 1989 and has been a practicing general surgeon in Atlantic County since July 1989. Dr. Onopchenko is board certified in general surgery and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He is also an active member of the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and was founding president of the state chapter, presenting at both state and national meetings. Dr. Onopchenko is a member of the Society of Abdominal and Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) and the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons. He has served in various leadership roles during his career at AtlantiCare, including staff president, and is currently the director of the Division of General Surgery. Since 1990, Dr. Onopchenko's special interest has been in minimally invasive surgery. He was one of the first surgeons to perform a laparoscopic cholecystectomy in Atlantic County, as well as other advanced minimally invasive laparoscopic procedures. These include appendectomy; inguinal, abdominal and paraesophageal hernia repairs; anti-reflux gastric surgery; gastric and colon surgery; and adrenal surgeries. In March 2002, Dr. Onopchenko founded the Center for Surgical Weight Loss & Wellness at AtlantiCare, where he utilizes his extensive experience in performing laparoscopic bariatric surgery of every kind, including sleeve gastrectomy, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, duodenal switch, and revisional and robotic-assisted bariatric surgery. Dr. Onopchenko is also a member of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians and is board certified in bariatric medicine by the American Board of Bariatric Medicine, the only surgeon in southeastern New Jersey to achieve this distinction.
Procedures performed by Dr. Onopchenko:
AtlantiCare's surgeons perform all bariatric surgeries using a minimally invasive laparoscopic approach.
APG Specialty Center
2500 English Creek Avenue
Building 800
Egg Harbor Township, NJ 08234
106 South Dennis Road
Suite 200, 2nd Floor
Cape May Court House, NJ 08210
2110 New Road
Linwood, NJ 08221


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At Sano Physiotherapy we understand that achieving success in the commercial marketplace is highly dependent on maintaining a healthy and fit workforce. The 'HSE Research Report 493' in 2006 clearly outlines that both early intervention and treatment of musculoskeletal injuries will result in a faster resolution of the underlying problem and, more importantly, a decrease in the chance of reoccurrence and ultimately a reduction in sickness absence.
All employers have a duty of care to protect the health and safety of their employees, however lack of expertise in injury management and in individual workstation design can allow costly mistakes to be made resulting in increased sickness absence and decreased productivity.
With repetitive strain injuries costing employers £300 million per annum in lost working time, sick pay and administration (ACPOHE) and the cost of sickness absence in local authorities alone coming in at 3 times that at £900 million each year (The Ministerial Taskforce for Health, Safety and Productivity/The Cabinet Office) it makes good sense that you put the health and well-being of your workforce in experienced and competent medical hands.
From experience, we know that companies have individual requirements from any occupational health service, therefore we offer a therapy service that is flexible and can provide the appropriate solution in each individual case.
Our 5 core beliefs, underpinning treatment solutions are:
We can arrange site visits in order to implement the last 2 core beliefs effectively, which will help us determine the stresses that the individual's working environment will place on any occupational injury. This can also allow us to liaise with the relevant Human Resources managers and/or line managers who we will deal with and communicate with throughout the smooth, flawless rehabilitation process.
We can also either treat your employees at your venue or at one of our well-equipped and conveniently located clinics in your area. We also offer postural education seminars for up to 20 employees at a time as well as back and neck education classes to prevent work-related spinal problems from occurring in the first place.
Our flexible pay structure is based on location and the requirements of the particular company and the number of injury referrals. We are registered physiotherapists for the majority of private medical insurance companies including AXA PPP, HSA Simply Health, Remedi, Cigna etc.
For a comprehensive quote, please contact us


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Despite it being Christmas Eve, UFC officials were busy as Santa Claus late Tuesday night, confirming three fights for 2014.
At UFC Fight Night 35, Jason High will face Beneil Dariush instead of Adlan Amagov, and Alptekin Ozkilic faces Louis Smolka.
Also, Ultimate Fighter 17 alums Clint Hester and Andy Enz will square off at UFC 169 in February from New Jersey.
UFC Fight 35 features a main event between Luke Rockhold and Costa Philippou on January 15 from Georgia. High (18-4) has won his last two fights and is 9-1 in his last 10.
Dariush (6-0) had his first professional fight in 2009, but fought just once a year until this past year when he scored two finishes.
Ozkilic (9-1) won his Octagon debut via split decision over Darren Uyenoyama and has only lost to veteran Chico Camus in his career. Smolka (6-0) will be making his debut with the promotion and has finished all six of his opponents.
Hester (9-3) is unbeaten in his last five fights, while Enz (7-0) earned three first round submission victories this year after appearing on TUF.
More nuggets from our North Pole matchmakers: @BeneilDariush_ steps in for Amagov to face Jason @KCBanditMMA High at #UFCFightNight in ATL
— UFC News (@UFCNews) December 25, 2013
Shelby Claus just dropped by to say @AlpOzkilicMMA faces new flyweight Louis @LastSamuraiMMA Smolka Jan 15th at UFC on @FOXSports1 in ATL
— UFC News (@UFCNews) December 25, 2013
And! Headbussa vs. Tank Mode: middleweight @AndyEnz debuts at #UFC169 in NJ vs. fellow TUF 17er @ClintHester
— UFC News (@UFCNews) December 25, 2013