Parrots given its latest drone Predator vision were just as terrified
Show More Unlike other sites, we thoroughly review everything we recommend, using industry standard tests to evaluate products. We’ll always tell you what we find. We may get a commission if you buy via our price links.Tell us what you think – email the Editor Sign up for the Mobile NewsletterSign Up Please keep me up to date with special offers and news from Goodtoknow and other brands operated by TI Media Limited via email. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Drone manufacturer Parrot has introduced a new version of its ANAFI portable drone, this time boasting Predator-style thermal vision from upon high.The ANAFI Thermal foldable drone includes an Flir Lepton infrared sensor, which is recognised as a leader for the construction industry, in search and rescue operations and in environmental preservation efforts. So, yeah. Not quite designed for the same purposes as The Predator.The thermal sensor provides a modest 160×120 resolution, but can measure heat between 14 and 752-degrees Fahrenheit, while there are granular controls sitting within the Parrot app. It’s also possible to blend the thermal imagery with full colour video, in order to add a little more detail, after the fact.The sensor has been added to the existing camera array, which includes the ability to shoot 17:9 video at 4K resolution, with HDR support and a 3x lossless zoom for video and 21-megapixel photos. It still offers the 180-degree tilting gimbal and 3-axis stabilisation. There’s a 78-minute flight time thanks to a trio of batteries that can be replenished via USB-C.Related: Best drones 2019The top speed is 55km/h, allowing vast areas to be covered, while it can also withstand winds of up to 50km/h, making it a useful tool in challenging weather conditions. At 315g, it’s slightly lighter than the original, thanks to slimmer folding arms, which also aids the battery life.However, that new sensor sure does bump the price up. The £620/$700 all-in-one drone now ranges up to £1,700/$1,900 for commercial purposes.In our review published last September, we awarded the original Parrot Anafi a solid 4/5 star rating.Our reviewer concluded: “While DJI’s Mavic Air still offers the best all-round affordable drone package, the slightly cheaper Anafi impresses on multiple fronts. Worthy of consideration for those who’s budget doesn’t quite stretch to the Mavic Air.”Are you a fan of Parrot’s European-made drones? Share your thoughts with us @TrustedReviews on Twitter. We’d also like to send you special offers and news just by email from other carefully selected companies we think you might like. Your personal details will not be shared with those companies – we send the emails and you can unsubscribe at any time. Please tick here if you are happy to receive these messages.By submitting your information, you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy & Cookies Policy.
Show More Unlike other sites, we thoroughly review everything we recommend, using industry standard tests to evaluate products. We’ll always tell you what we find. We may get a commission if you buy via our price links.Tell us what you think – email the Editor Sign up for the Mobile NewsletterSign Up Please keep me up to date with special offers and news from Goodtoknow and other brands operated by TI Media Limited via email. You can unsubscribe at any time. We’d also like to send you special offers and news just by email from other carefully selected companies we think you might like. Your personal details will not be shared with those companies – we send the emails and you can unsubscribe at any time. Please tick here if you are happy to receive these messages.By submitting your information, you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy & Cookies Policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. When it comes to Android updates, OnePlus is a firm that tends to live up to its promises, albeit not in the most timely fashion.In the same week the company began rolling out Android Pie for the OnePls 3 and 3T, the Chinese firm committed to bringing the next version of Android to the OnePlus 5 and 5T smartphones.Yes, the 2017 phones will get the 2019 operating system, but it probably won’t be until 2020, judging by the firm’s recent announcement pertaining to the 2016 phones. Does that make sense?In a post on the OnePlus Forums explaining changes to the Oxygen OS that’d bring OnePlus 7 features to the 5/5T/6/6T smartphones, the company assured that Android Q will be coming to the OnePlus 5 and 5T.The post reads: “We have already released Android Q Developer Preview on the forum for the OnePlus 7 Pro and OnePlus 6/6T, available. For those wondering, rest assured: Android Q will also make its way to the OnePlus 5 and 5T. Just remember, there are no ETAs.”The “no ETAs” portion of the quote tells owners of the 2017 phones not to hold their breath for a speedy roll out of Google’s as-yet-unnamed operating system. We’d suggest this time next year might be a good reference point.Related: Best Android phonesOther Oxygen OS features coming to the OnePlus 5/5T/6/6T include the Fanatic Mode, which boosts the CPU performance while multiplayer gaming, the new Zen Mode feature which offers 20 minutes free of distractions, and the screen recorder feature.“You can easily record that perfect game run and save your own record. Or rather use this feature to make a video tutorial and share your thoughts with others,” the company said. “Now, you can record with high quality, internal sound included, perfectly synchronized.”As well as all that, there’s a quick reply in landscape feature, which makes it easier to keep up with your correspondences which watching videos and playing games. There’s also a RAM boost feature according to your usage and a DC dimming feature, which adjusts screen brightness by changing the circuit power of the screen.
Reddit More Facebook Canada Goose delays Beijing store opening at last minute as Huawei protest mounts Stock has slumped 20% since Meng Wanzhou’s arrest in Canada Canada Goose has been targeted for a boycott of its brand on media platforms since Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou’s arrest, given its prominence as a Canadian label.Christinne Muschi/Bloomberg December 14, 20189:02 AM EST Filed under News Retail & Marketing Bloomberg News Join the conversation → Comment
Share this storyCanada Goose delays Beijing store opening at last minute as Huawei protest mounts Tumblr Pinterest Google+ LinkedIn 0 Comments Bloomberg News Recommended For YouU.S. adviser Bolton travels to Japan, S.Korea amid trade disputeDavid Rosenberg: Deflation is still the No. 1 threat to global economic stability — and central banks know itTrans Mountain construction work can go ahead as National Energy Board re-validates permitsBank of Canada drops mortgage stress test rate for first time since 2016The storm is coming and investors need a financial ark to see them through Canada Goose Holdings Inc. is delaying the opening of its flagship store in Beijing, as escalating tensions between China and Canada triggered by the arrest of Huawei Technologies Co.’s finance chief threaten its ambitions in the world’s second largest economy.The Toronto-based maker of premium parkas said on its Weibo account late Friday that it was postponing the store’s debut, scheduled for Saturday in Beijing’s trendy Sanlitun district, “due to construction reasons.” The posting came after Weibo social media users threatened to protest the opening. The company has been targeted for a boycott of its brand on media platforms since Meng Wanzhou’s arrest, given its prominence as a Canadian label.The company didn’t give a date for when the store would open. Canada Goose representatives didn’t immediately respond to phone calls and emails seeking further comment.Our trade with China is bigger than you think — and exporters are getting worriedCanada Goose is getting hammered by China’s anger over the Huawei arrestCanada Goose pushes ahead with China expansion in a market overflowing with knockoff parkasThe timing could not be worse for the luxury jacket maker, which just last month launched a splashy entry into greater China with a store in Hong Kong and plans for the Beijing flagship, betting that the country’s growing middle class is ready to spend on its Arctic-ready, $1,000 plus parkas. The company has seen its shares slump 20 per cent since Meng’s arrest was made public last week.The detention of the Huawei executive has ignited an anti-Canadian backlash in China, although other Canadian brands like IMAX Corp. and Tim Hortons Inc. have not faced similar calls for a boycott. It may be that consumers are unaware that these brands are Canadian, whereas there’s no mistaking Canada Goose’s origins.China’s spy agency has also detained two Canadians in the past week, which some view as retaliation for Meng’s arrests, although China has deflected questions about any links.Bloomberg.com Email Twitter
Source: Electric Vehicle News Author Liberty Access TechnologiesPosted on November 22, 2018Categories Electric Vehicle News,The board of directors for Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. met today at the company’s global headquarters in Yokohama. At the beginning of the session, the board acknowledged the significance of the matter and confirmed that the long-standing Alliance partnership with Renault remains unchanged and that the mission is to minimize the potential impact and confusion on the day-to-day cooperation among the Alliance partners. After reviewing a detailed report of the internal investigation, the board voted unanimously:To discharge Carlos Ghosn as Chairman of the BoardTo discharge Carlos Ghosn as Representative DirectorTo discharge Greg Kelly as Representative DirectorTo study the creation of a special committee to appropriately take advice from an independent third party regarding the governance management system and better governance of director compensation. Further to the mandate, the three independent directors – Masakazu Toyoda, Keiko Ihara and Jean-Baptiste Duzan – will lead this matter.To approve establishment of an advisory committee chaired by Masakazu Toyoda and including Keiko Ihara and Jean-Baptiste Duzan. The committee will propose nominations from the board of directors for the position of Chairman of the Board. Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn Sides With Tesla CEO Elon Musk – Fuel Cell Vehicles Are a No Go Carlos Ghosn once united Renault and Nissan, but now he’s out.The board of directors for Nissan, as expected, decided to remove Carlos Ghosn and Greg Kelly from Representative Director positions (Ghosn was also Chairman of the Board).The decision was made after reviewing a detailed report of the internal investigation, which later prompted prosecutors to arrest Carlos Ghosn and Greg Kelly a few days ago.Nissan adds that “the long-standing Alliance partnership with Renault remains unchanged”.”Carlos Ghosn in the past Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn On Corporate Marriages And How To Avoid Divorce
Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn: Only Viable Solution Is Electrification .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }Source: Reuters If the allegations are confirmed, we should see similar decisions made by the other companies in the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance.Press release:Nissan Board of Directors announces decisionsThe board of directors for Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. met today at the company’s global headquarters in YokohamaThe board of directors for Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. met today at the company’s global headquarters in Yokohama. At the beginning of the session, the board acknowledged the significance of the matter and confirmed that the long-standing Alliance partnership with Renault remains unchanged and that the mission is to minimize the potential impact and confusion on the day-to-day cooperation among the Alliance partners. After reviewing a detailed report of the internal investigation, the board voted unanimously:To discharge Carlos Ghosn as Chairman of the BoardTo discharge Carlos Ghosn as Representative DirectorTo discharge Greg Kelly as Representative DirectorTo study the creation of a special committee to appropriately take advice from an independent third party regarding the governance management system and better governance of director compensation. Further to the mandate, the three independent directors – Masakazu Toyoda, Keiko Ihara and Jean-Baptiste Duzan – will lead this matter.To approve establishment of an advisory committee chaired by Masakazu Toyoda and including Keiko Ihara and Jean-Baptiste Duzan. The committee will propose nominations from the board of directors for the position of Chairman of the Board.
Source: Charge Forward Electrek Green Energy Brief: A daily technical, financial, and political review/analysis of important green energy news.Today in EGEB, Japan and China lead the way in floating photovoltaics. A look at the world’s largest concentrated solar farm in Morocco. Enphase writes to customers about the shortage of a key part. more…The post EGEB: Floating solar panels, Morocco’s huge solar farm, Enphase shortage appeared first on Electrek.
Source: Charge Forward A reeling Nissan is looking to expand its footprint in China’s electric vehicle market by investing in one of the country’s electric startups. more…Subscribe to Electrek on YouTube for exclusive videos and subscribe to the podcast.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqMH4mh99DcThe post ‘Rock bottom’ Nissan looking to invest in a Chinese electric car startup — but which one? appeared first on Electrek.
Volkswagen is moving away from one self-driving unit in Aurora, and the carmaker could soon be moving on to another in Ford’s Argo. more…Subscribe to Electrek on YouTube for exclusive videos and subscribe to the podcast.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1zk7Eb8r-s&list=PL_Qf0A10763mA7Byw9ncZqxjke6Gjz0MtThe post Self-driving swap? Volkswagen ends relationship with Aurora, signs still point to a deal with Argo appeared first on Electrek. Source: Charge Forward
Soccer Share on Messenger Share via Email Cunning Pharaohs too strong for Angola Mon 4 Feb 2008 22.58 EST Reuse this content Share on Facebook First published on Mon 4 Feb 2008 22.58 EST Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn Share on Facebook Angola are considered a rising force in African football. They took part in the last World Cup and receive huge investment from their oil-rich government. Toppling Egypt, five times continental champions and current African Cup of Nations holders, in yesterday’s quarter-final would have been a fine way to signal a shift in power but instead the Pharaohs produced a regal demonstration to send the upstarts packing. In doing so they secured a semi-final against the Ivory Coast, whom they beat on penalties in the 2006 final.Egypt were by far the more fluid unit, entrancing the Angolans with canny movement and slick one-touch passing with Al Ahly’s Mohamed Aboutrika, who is widely regarded as the best midfielder still plying his trade with an African club, the game’s outstanding performer.Excellent goalkeeping by Lama meant Egypt did not take the lead until the 23rd minute, Hosni Abd Rabou converting a penalty after Andre was punished for charging down a free-kick with his arms.Angola rallied, with the new Manchester United signing Manucho sparkling for the first time in the match. Twice in three minutes the 24-year-old striker latched on to long balls and threatened the Egypt defence. First he won a dangerous free-kick and on the second occasion he shrugged off two defenders and cracked a splendid shot into the top corner.Egypt did not take long to reassert their superiority, however. Ahmed Fathi swung in a cross from the right and Kali attempted an acrobatic clearance but instead fell embarrassingly on his behind. Amr Zaki compounded the defender’s embarrassment by turning the ball into the net.Though the Egyptian goalkeeper, Essam Al Hadari, nearly presented Angola with an equaliser at the start of the second half, Egypt continued to dominate. Not until the last five minutes did Angola really apply sustained pressure but the Egyptians conceded nothing more than a succession of corners.Cameroon completed the semi-final line-up last night, beating Tunisia 3-2 after extra-time to secure a tie against Ghana. Stéphane Mbia scored the winner in the 92nd minute, his second goal of the game. Newcastle United’s Geremi had put Cameroon 2-0 ahead in the 27th minute.Didier Drogba has said Freddie Kanouté was given the 2007 African Footballer of the Year award only because he did not go to last Friday’s ceremony. “I was told if I didn’t appear the rules would change and the prize would go to the runner-up,” Drogba said. He said he was unwilling to go two days before Ivory Coast’s quarter-final and had “pulled out of future elections”. @Paul_Doyle
Share on Pinterest Soccer Share via Email Egypt 2-1 Angola Abd Ramou 23pen, Zaki 38 | Manucho 27 Share on WhatsApp Shares00 African Nations Cup 2008 Paul Doyle at the Baba Yara Stadium Africa Cup of Nations Topics Share on Twitter
This approximate two hour engaging and visually stimulating video tutorial narrated by Professor Koehler contains a detailed overview of all 2016 corporate FCPA enforcement actions, notable enforcement statistics, and various practical and provocative issues to consider from recent FCPA enforcement activity. The video further highlights various compliance take-away points from recent FCPA enforcement actions and provides an overview of FCPA enforcement policy developments.A diverse group of professionals such as lawyers; finance, accounting and auditing professionals; business executives; and other compliance personnel seeking to elevate their FCPA knowledge and practical skills will find unique value in the video tutorial.
WASHINGTON (AP) – The White House says it wants Congress to come up with a plan to replace the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program the Trump administration is phasing out, which shields young immigrants from deportation. The administration is giving Congress six months to come up with a legislative fix before the government stops renewing permits for people covered by DACA.U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) released the following statement in response to the Administration’s announcement to wind down the program:“Today’s decision phasing out DACA creates more uncertainty for Dreamers,” said Rep. Newhouse. “The debate must now return to the people’s representatives in Congress. President Obama’s unilateral executive action was never the long-term answer, which is why Congress must now act to protect children brought here through no fault of their own. The individuals I have met with are outstanding young people who desire to improve our communities in Central Washington. I believe that our borders must be secured, and our laws must be upheld, but we must also understand that these young people grew up in America and know no other life. They need the stability of a permanent legislative solution provided by Congress. I am committed to working on behalf of Dreamers and urge my colleagues to work together to provide a legislative solution.”On Friday, Rep. Newhouse joined Rep. Martha McSally (R-AZ) and House colleagues in a letter urging Speaker of the House Paul Ryan for a legislative solution to give certainty to beneficiaries of the DACA program.Rep. Newhouse is a cosponsor of legislative protections for children brought here through no fault of their own, including H.R. 496, the Bar Removal of Individuals who Dream and Grow our Economy (BRIDGE) Act, and H.R.1468, the Recognizing America’s Children (RAC) Act. Rep. Newhouse is also a cosponsor of H.R.60, the Encourage New Legalized Immigrants to Start Training (ENLIST) Act.
Congressman Dave Reichert (R-WA) made the following statement regarding his support for protecting the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. This statement follows a letter he sent on Friday to Speaker Paul Ryan, urging the House take up legislation to address the future of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.“Children who were brought here by no fault of their own see America as their country and their home,” said Rep. Reichert. “They are our friends, neighbors, colleagues, spouses, and honored members of the military willing to sacrifice their life for our freedom. Punishing these individuals who have contributed so much to our communities and for a crime they did not commit is not in the American DNA. We are a caring, compassionate people and we in Congress must work toward a long-term immigration solution that is fair, respects the dignity of families, and allows all individuals to pursue the American dream.”Rep. Reichert has supported initiatives to protect the children who came to the United States by no fault of their own and know America as their home. Earlier this year, he cosponsored the Bar Removal of Individuals who Dream and Grow our Economy (BRIDGE) Act, a bipartisan bill which allows individuals who meet the standards of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to remain in the United States without fear of deportation for a period of three years while Congress works toward a more permanent solution. In March, Rep. Reichert cosponsored a bill to provide that solution for these individuals – the Recognizing America’s Children (RAC) Act, which gives DACA participants a chance to earn a legal status. Additionally, he cosponsored the Encourage New Legalized Immigrants to Start Training (ENLIST) Act, which allows undocumented immigrants who served in the Armed Forces to become lawful permanent residents and apply for citizenship.
Source:http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/pressrelease/turning_a_phage Jun 22 2018With microbial resistance to antibiotics growing into a major global health crisis, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, in collaboration with national research institutions and private industry, are leveraging hard-won expertise to exploit a natural viral enemy of pathogenic bacteria, creating North America’s first Center for Innovative Phage Applications and Therapeutics (IPATH).Bacteriophages, or phages, are viruses that specifically target and consume bacteria. They are ubiquitous, found wherever bacteria exist and were once considered a promising therapeutic tool. The advent of modern antibiotics in the 1930s redirected research interests, but with 10 million people estimated to die from “superbug” infections by 2050, they are getting a second look.In 2016, UC San Diego School of Medicine physicians and scientists conducted a dramatic, last-ditch effort to save the life of Tom Patterson, PhD, then a 69-year-old professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UC San Diego School of Medicine who had become systemically infected by a multidrug-resistant bacterium during a vacation in the Middle East.Comatose and dying, a team that included experts from UC San Diego, the U.S. Navy, Texas A&M University, San Diego State University and private industry developed experimental cocktails of bacteriophages to treat Patterson. The approach worked; Patterson awoke within days and fully recovered. He was the first U.S. patient with a systemic multidrug-resistant bacterial infection to be successfully treated intravenously with bacteriophages. In the two years since, physicians at UC San Diego Health have treated five other patients with phages for bacterial infections under emergency investigational new drug approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).”All of the patients tolerated phage therapy well without adverse effects,” said Saima Aslam, MD, associate professor of medicine and medical director of the solid organ transplant infectious diseases service at UC San Diego Health. “Phage combinations were given by direct instillation into the infected site, intravenously and/or by inhaled routes. This led to resolution of infection in three cases. In two others, it helped ameliorate the infection. In one case, treatment came too late in the course of infection and the patient was transitioned to hospice.”Encouraged by the broadly positive results observed in these first patients, UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep Khosla has announced a three-year, $1.2 million grant to help launch the center.”The story of how phages saved Tom’s life and have helped others, the tremendous depth of scientific knowledge and medical practice, combined with intuition, innovation and just sheer guts, is what UC San Diego is all about,” said Khosla. “IPATH captures many of our most cherished ambitions: a robust, interdisciplinary research that advances science, but also delivers tangible benefits to patients and society. Phage therapy has the potential to save millions of lives.”Steffanie Strathdee, PhD, associate dean of global health sciences and Harold Simon Professor in the Department of Medicine, and Robert Schooley, MD, professor of medicine and an infectious disease expert at UC San Diego School of Medicine, will be co-directors of IPATH. It was Strathdee, who is married to Patterson, who collaborated with Schooley and others to seek an emergency compassionate-use exemption to experimentally treat her husband with phages after all standard antibiotic treatments failed.”IPATH builds upon what we’ve learned and will apply rigorous principles that span from bench to bedside to better understand the potential role for phage therapeutics in the treatment of patients with infections that cannot successfully be treated with currently available antibiotics,” said Strathdee.”It taps into and enhances a wide range of existing clinical and translational research programs -; there are few places in the world with similar resources to treat multidrug-resistant bacterial infections -; and fosters emerging collaborations with the U.S. Navy Medical Research Center, industry partners and the strengths of the UC San Diego Health system.”Related StoriesNew research could help design algae that produces fuels and cleanup chemicalsIT Faces the Digital Pathology Data TsunamiStructure of bacteria responsible for traveler’s diarrhea decipheredThe center will begin with multiple key personnel:StrathdeeSchooleyAslamDavey Smith, MD, chief, Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public HealthConstance Benson, MD, professor of medicineMichelle Ritter, MD, assistant professor of medicineRandy Taplitz, MD, professor of medicine and Clinical Director of the Division of Infectious DiseasesSharon Reed, MD, professor of pathology and medicineDavid Pride, MD, PhD, assistant professor of pathology and medicineDarcy Wooten, MD, assistant professor of medicineJenifer Dan, MD, PhD, senior fellow, division of infectious diseasesDoug Conrad, MD, professor of medicineRob Knight, PhD, director, Center for Microbiome Innovation; professor of pediatrics, computer science and engineeringBernd Schnabl, PhD, associate professor of gastroenterologyVictor Nizet, MD, professor, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Department of PediatricsPieter Dorrestein, PhD, professor, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and department of Pediatrics and PharmacologyStrathdee and Schooley said IPATH will use existing resources at UC San Diego Antiviral Research Center to build the infrastructure needed to validate phage therapy for treating multidrug-resistant bacterial infections in clinical settings.It will also partner with other like-minded institutions, including the Center for Phage Technology (CPT) at Texas A&M University, San Diego State University and two biotechnology companies specializing in the development of therapeutic bacteriophages: Ampliphi Biosciences, based in San Diego, and Adaptive Phage Therapeutics, Inc. or APT, based in Maryland.”The CPT has been developing phages as agents for combating bacterial infections in plants, animals and humans since 2010, and promoting best practices for the ethical and sustainable use of this technology,” said Ryland F. Young III, CPT director and Regents Professor at Texas A&M. “The CPT fully supports the establishment of IPATH at UC San Diego, and based on our past collaboration that resulted in successful application of phage therapeutics, we look forward to fruitful interactions in the future.”Schooley said a primary goal of IPATH is to conduct rigorous clinical trials of phage therapies, thus advancing their potential to practical application: “The clinical research will be integrated with leading-edge translational and basic research that will provide critical insights into the mechanisms by which phage selectively kill their bacterial targets, and that will accelerate the development of more advanced clinical research that we hope will lead the FDA to make phage therapeutics more widely available.”That requires a lot of things: clinical trial infrastructure and design expertise, microbiome expertise, a patient population needing novel interventions like phage therapy who wish to join us in this journey. Although all of these elements are here, we plan to work with a wide range of partners around the world to advance phage therapeutics from anecdote to a globally available tool to combat the rising tide of multidrug resistant infections.”Initial research will focus on patients with multidrug-resistant chronic infections associated with cystic fibrosis, organ transplantation and implantable hardware, such as pacemakers or joint replacements.”The launch of IPATH is a momentous and gratifying step,” said Hubert Mazure, the great-grandson of Félix d’Herelle, the French-Canadian microbiologist who discovered bacteriophages in 1917 at the Pasteur Institute and was the first to experiment with them in treating human diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria. “This is the kind of effort needed to truly and fully explore the healing potential of bacteriophages in the modern era.”
Source:https://www.pulmonx.com/ Jun 30 2018Pulmonx® Corp. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the Zephyr® Endobronchial Valve System for treating severe emphysema patients. The Zephyr Valve is the first minimally-invasive device approved in the United States for treating patients with severe emphysema, a progressive and life-threatening form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).The approval is based on positive clinical data from the pivotal LIBERATE Study and two other multicenter randomized control trials. In the LIBERATE study, patients treated with Zephyr Valves were able to breathe easier, be more active and energetic, be less short of breath, and enjoy a significantly improved quality of life compared to patients who received medical management alone.As stated in the Summary of Safety and Effectiveness Data, the FDA granted the Zephyr Valve an expedited review because it “represents a breakthrough technology as the device offers bronchoscopic lung volume reduction without surgery and its associated risks. This device offers significant clinically meaningful advantage over the current standard of care and, therefore, its availability is also in the best interest of patients.””Zephyr Valves are a major step forward in treating severe emphysema patients who consistently feel short of breath despite all the medications we can offer. I have seen Zephyr Valve-treated patients getting back to a more active life doing the things they enjoy. As a physician, it is very gratifying to have a new treatment that can restore a patient’s confidence and change their life for the long term,” said Gerard Criner, MD, FACP, FACCP, Chair and Professor of Thoracic Medicine and Surgery, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, and lead investigator for the LIBERATE Study.More than 15 million Americans suffer from COPD, and 3.5 million of those patients have emphysema. Despite using COPD medications, over one million emphysema patients continue to suffer symptoms of hyperinflation, in which air becomes trapped in the lungs and prevents new air from coming in, causing severe shortness of breath. The inability to get enough air often prevents these patients from doing simple daily activities, such as bathing, getting dressed, performing household chores and walking, without pausing to catch their breath. Until now, the only other options for these patients were highly invasive treatments such as lung volume reduction surgery or lung transplantation.Related StoriesIt is okay for women with lupus to get pregnant with proper care, says new studyPenis enlargement surgery ineffective and potentially dangerousTransobturator sling surgery shows promise for stress urinary incontinenceDuring a bronchoscopic procedure requiring no cutting or incisions, tiny Zephyr Valves are placed in the airways to occlude a diseased part of the lungs and reduce hyperinflation. This helps the healthier parts of the lungs to expand and lifts pressure off the diaphragm, thereby decreasing shortness of breath and making breathing easier.Patients most likely to benefit from Zephyr Valve treatment can be identified with assessment tools also offered by Pulmonx. Physicians use the Pulmonx Chartis® Pulmonary Assessment System and StratX® Lung Analysis Platform to help identify potential responders to Zephyr Valve treatment.”It is gratifying to be able to tell the many US patients who have contacted us that help is on the way. We thank FDA for its swift review of the Zephyr Valve. By combining the Zephyr Valves and our patient selection tools, we are bringing precision medicine to the treatment of severe emphysema,” said Pulmonx CEO Glen French.Since 2007, more than 14,000 patients have been treated with the Zephyr Valve worldwide. Zephyr Valve treatment is included in emphysema treatment guidance issued by leading health organizations worldwide, including the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) and the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).The Pulmonx Zephyr® Endobronchial Valves are implantable bronchial valves indicated for the bronchoscopic treatment of adult patients with hyperinflation associated with severe emphysema in regions of the lung that have little to no collateral ventilation.
Jul 5 2018The patent has been registered from the University of Seville and licensed by the British company Evgen Pharma, which is currently developing programs aimed at breast cancer, subarachnoid hemorrhage and multiple sclerosis, among othersThe Stereochemistry and Asymmetric Synthesis Group at the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Seville, in collaboration with the Asymmetric Synthesis and Functional Nanosystems Group at the Chemical Research Institute of cicCartuja, have managed to synthesize active, stable derivatives with high bioavailability of a compound with anticarcinogenic properties, also used in the treatment of other diseases.This compound is an analogue of sulforaphane (SFN), a compound which was isolated for the first time in 1992 from broccoli extracts and which is considered by the National Cancer Institute in the United States as one of the forty most promising anti-cancer agents. SFN is currently the best naturally-occurring phase II detoxification enzyme inductor, inhibits phase I metabolism, and, also, is capable of regulating gene expression via epigenetics using multiple mechanisms. All this makes it one of the epigenetic agents that offers the greatest protection in the treatment of many diseases.So far, there have been no adverse effects detected after its application in the studies that have been carried out, which means that SFN and its analogues could be used in the prevention and treatment of countless diseases, as well as different types of cancer. This is a list which includes cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, skin aging, COPD, bacterial infections, atopic diseases, etc. It has been demonstrated that sulforaphane is capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier and exercising its protective effect on the central nervous system, which has seen the beginning of its use in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s. In addition, SFN has recently shown great promise as a future treatment of autism and Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome.Despite the great potential of SFN for preventative or curative therapy for many diseases, for the moment, there is no medicine on the market that features it as an active ingredient. Currently, the entire market connected to SFN is related to broccoli extracts, anti-aging creams, food supplements, and other products sold by herbalists. However, all these supplements contain an inactive precursor of SFN, which puts into question their ability to add SFN to the diet.Related StoriesTrends in colonoscopy rates not aligned with increase in early onset colorectal cancerBacteria in the birth canal linked to lower risk of ovarian cancerSugary drinks linked to cancer finds studyThe main reason that no medicine used for any specific disease is available on the market today is the instability of the SFN molecule, as this isothiocyanate is susceptible to being degraded by the action of oxygen, heat and alkaline conditions.Therefore, today we can only enjoy the benefits of the properties of SFN via continued and abundant consumption of vegetables that are rich in this phytochemical, although during the normal cooking methods for broccoli and crucifers, the bioavailability of SFN is reduced considerably. Heating to 90°C for only 20 minutes sees the degradation of more than 90% of the SFN content. In addition, these vegetable need to be stored in specific conditions to maintain their chemopreventive properties.The patentThe patent “Compounds derived from sulforaphane, extraction method and its medical, dietary and cosmetic uses” was presented in March 2012 by the University of Seville teachers, Inmaculada Fernández and Rocío Recio and the researcher Noureddine Khiar, of the Higher Council of Scientific Research (CSIC). It has been licensed by the British company Evgen Pharma (http://evgen.com/technology/), which is currently directing programs aimed at breast cancer (phase II studies), subarachnoid hemorrhage (phase II studies) and Multiple Sclerosis (pre-clinical studies), among others.Thanks to the financing of this pharmaceutical company, it has been possible to extend the patent via the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) and start to acquire international patent protection. Already approved in Australia, and recently in the United States and Europe, decisions are now awaited from the health authorities in China and Japan.In this patent, the three researchers have developed new stable analogues of sulforaphane, with the aim of improving its biological activity and its bioavailability and, by means of a contract with Evgen Pharma, the last year as seen a medicinal chemical program aimed at finding the best analogue. Source:http://www.us.es/eng
Source:https://www.cedars-sinai.org Jul 12 2018Nearly four million women give birth in the U.S. each year, and it is the number one reason for all hospital admissions. But hospital satisfaction surveys generally don’t include specific questions about women’s experiences with their care in labor and delivery, according to researchers at Cedars-Sinai.Until now.”No one was asking pregnant women what was important to them when they came to the hospital to have their babies, or if they even received the care they needed or expected,” said Kimberly D. Gregory, MD, MPH, vice chair of Women’s Healthcare Quality and Performance Improvement in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.The project began two years ago when 2,700 pregnant women who -; before giving birth -; were asked about their values and preferences for their childbirth experience.Next, Gregory and her team followed up with 800 of those women to see if their expectations and healthcare needs were met.”We asked them two questions: Did you get what you wanted? And how important was it to you that you got it?” said Gregory, director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Cedars-Sinai.Now, those findings are being tried at Cedars-Sinai and eight other California hospitals. Hospitals participating in the study run the gamut of diverse patient populations in the nation’s most populous state, and include hospitals in urban and rural areas-;as well as large academic medical centers and smaller community hospitals.”If hospitals and healthcare providers hear from women about what could improve their childbirth experience, then they are likely to provide better care tailored to their needs while still providing appropriate medical care during labor and delivery,” said Sarah J. Kilpatrick, MD, PhD, chair of Cedars-Sinai’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.Related StoriesIs it a feminist right to want more sex? One company thinks a pill is the answerPregnant women with migraine more often have complications during pregnancy and childbirth’Dual burden’ of prematurity and serious maternal complications occurs in one of 270 birthsOne area where changes are being investigated include pain management. The survey results suggested that asking a discharged mother if her pain was well-managed may not be the right question.”There is always going to be some level of discomfort during childbirth,” said Gregory. “Our surveys suggest we should be asking women if they felt they got good help in coping with their pain, rather than if their pain was eliminated during their hospital stay.”Breastfeeding is another topic important to women who leave the hospital with a newborn. While healthcare providers are enthusiastic about the established benefits of breastfeeding, Gregory says the surveys suggest a one-size-fits-all approach may leave some new mothers dissatisfied.”We found there is a core group of well-informed women who have all the facts and already made a decision not to breastfeed. Some of them feel their choice is not always honored or that they are being harassed or judged by well-intentioned lactation experts,” said Gregory.The Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) provided $1.13 million in support for the childbirth experience surveys and new pilot project in the hospitals.Lisa Korst, MD, PhD, and Moshe Fridman, PhD, of Maternal Metrics are research collaborators with Gregory on the study design, implementation and data analysis. The questionnaire was administered by Nielsen, the prominent marketing research firm.In approximately 18 months, investigators will look into whether any changes that were implemented increased patient satisfaction among new mothers.”Helping patients have a happy, healthy experience at the hospital is tremendously rewarding work,” said Gregory.
Source:https://www.fau.edu/newsdesk/articles/teen-psychology-study.php Aug 20 2018A new study on adolescent friendships offers support for the belief that misery really does love company. Researchers from Florida Atlantic University and collaborators examined the degree to which internalizing symptoms – anxiety, depression, social withdrawal, and submissiveness – predicted the dissolution of teen friendships. Do friendships end because of one child’s mental health problems or do they end because of differences between friends on the degree to which each friend suffers from these problems?The study, published in the Journal of Research on Adolescence, was co-authored by Brett Laursen, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Psychology in FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Amy C. Hartl, who received her Ph.D. at FAU, and Antonius H. N. Cillessen, Ph.D., a professor of psychology in the Behavioural Science Institute at Radboud University. Lead author of the study was Fanny-Alexandra Guimond, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Ottawa.The study sample included 397 adolescents (194 boys, 203 girls) in 499 same-sex friendships, who were followed from grade seven (median age 13), through to the end of high school in grade 12. The students were living in Connecticut at the time of the study. Discrete-time survival analyses were conducted with grade seven peer, teacher, and self-reports of internalizing symptoms as predictors of the timing of friendship dissolution.Results found no evidence that individual internalizing symptoms predicted friendship dissolution, even at extreme or clinical levels.”An important takeaway from our study is that children’s personal struggles need not adversely impact their social relationships,” said Laursen. “Mental health issues do not necessarily ruin chances of making and maintaining worthwhile friendships.”Related StoriesResearchers identify gene mutations linked to leukemia in children with Down’s syndromeWhy Mattresses Could be a Health Threat to Sleeping ChildrenRevolutionary gene replacement surgery restores vision in patients with retinal degenerationInstead, the results indicated that the more friends differed on anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms, the greater the incidence of friendship instability. Therefore, youth who resembled one another were more likely to remain friends from one year to the next.”Behavioral similarity is tremendously important to a friendship,” said Laursen. “Shared feelings and shared experiences are the glue that holds a friendship together.”In most respects, boys and girls did not differ in the factors that predicted friendship instability. There was one notable exception: differences on submissiveness increased friendship instability for boys, but decreased friendship instability for girls.”Compared with girls, boys are more competitive and confrontational in interactions with friends, suggesting that dissimilarity on submissiveness may be a liability when it comes to the activities that many boys prefer such as sports and games,” said Laursen. “Compared to boys, girls tend to favor extended dyadic exchanges, and so they may respond to submissive behavior with support and empathy, which may strengthen friendship ties.”The authors conclude that individual levels of internalizing difficulties are not irrelevant to a friendship, but that there may be need to reconsider friendship dissolution models from a relationship perspective, shifting the emphasis away from characteristics that make individuals less desirable partners toward characteristics that make partners dissimilar, and therefore less compatible.”When children are having difficulties making and keeping friends, it may be important to remind them about the importance of being similar,” said Laursen. “Too often, dissimilar friends become former friends.”
Rachel Bluth: rbluth@kff.org, @RachelHBluth Treatment for an emergency by a doctor who is not part of the patient’s insurance network at a hospital that is also outside that network. The patients would be required to pay out-of-pocket the amount required by their insurance plan. The hospital or doctor could not bill the patient for the remainder of the bill, a practice known as “balance billing.” The hospital and doctor could seek additional payments from the patient’s insurer under state regulations or through a formula established in the legislation. Treatment by an out-of-network doctor or other provider at a hospital that is in the patient’s insurance network. Patients would pay only what is required by their plans. Again, the doctors could seek more payments from the plans based on formulas set up by state rules or through the federal formula. Mandated notification to emergency patients, once they are stabilized, that they could run up excess charges if they are in an out-of-network hospital. The patients would be required to sign a statement acknowledging that they had been told their insurance might not cover their expenses, and they could seek treatment elsewhere. “Our proposal protects patients in those emergency situations where current law does not, so that they don’t receive a surprise bill that is basically uncapped by anything but a sense of shame,” Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) said in his announcement about the legislation.Kevin Lucia, a senior research professor at Georgetown University’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms who had not yet read the draft legislation, said the measure was aimed at a big problem.”Balance billing is ripe for a federal solution,” he said. States regulate only some health plans and that “leaves open a vast number of people that aren’t covered by those laws.”Federal law regulates health plans offered by many larger companies and unions that are “self-funded.” Sixty-one percent of privately insured employees get their insurance this way. Those plans pay claims out of their own funds, rather than buying an insurance policy. Federal law does not prohibit balance billing in these plans.Related StoriesResearch sheds light on sun-induced DNA damage and repairDanbury Hospital launches ‘Healing Hugs’ for its most vulnerable patientsHome-based support network helps stroke patients adjust after hospital dischargeCassidy’s office said, however, that this legislation would plug that gap.In addition to Cassidy, the legislation is being offered by Sens. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.).Cassidy’s announcement cited two recent articles from Kaiser Health News and NPR’s “Bill of the Month” series, including a $17,850 urine test and a $109,000 bill after a heart attack.In a statement to Kaiser Health News, Bennet said, “In Colorado, we hear from patients facing unexpected bills with astronomical costs even when they’ve received a service from an in-network provider. That’s why Senator Cassidy and I are leading a bipartisan group of senators to address this all-too-common byproduct of limited price transparency.”Emergency rooms and out-of-network hospitals aren’t the only sources of balance bills, Lucia said. He mentioned that both ground and air ambulances can leave patients responsible for surprisingly high costs as well.Lucia said he was encouraged that both Democrats and Republicans signed on to the draft legislation.”Any effort at the federal level is encouraging because this has been a challenging issue at the state level to make progress on,” Lucia said.KHN reporter Carmen Heredia Rodriguez contributed to this article. This article was reprinted from khn.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente. Reviewed by James Ives, M.Psych. (Editor)Sep 19 2018With frustration growing among Americans who are being charged exorbitant prices for medical treatment, a bipartisan group of senators Tuesday unveiled a plan to protect patients from surprise bills and high charges from hospitals or doctors who are not in their insurance networks.The draft legislation, which sponsors said is designed to prevent medical bankruptcies, targets three key consumer concerns:
Email University of Southern Mississippi/Van Arnold Shortly after the article appeared in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in April, a members-only session held on the last morning of the academy’s annual meeting generated a “very heated” discussion, Varmus said. A follow-up meeting of community leaders sponsored by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute convinced the authors that they were far from achieving the consensus they wanted before holding a national gathering to come up with a list of solutions.“So we’ve decided to take more time,” Varmus explained. He and others said the next step would be to assemble a larger and more representative group—in particular with early-career scientists—to continue discussing the issues, which cover everything from graduate training and university oversight of research to federal grants management and partnerships with industry.The system has worked well for a long time, Tilghman explained, and nobody wants to do something that might have unintended negative consequences. “We are very sensitive to the principle of ‘First, do no harm.’ ”Put succinctly, Tilghman described the problem as “too many people chasing too little money.” And after the trio presented their views on what factors are putting stress on the system and what might be done to alleviate it, Lander, a biologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, got to the heart of the matter.“You’ve suggested a lot of reasons for the current situation,” he said. But in the absence of hard evidence to back up their assertions, he noted, it’s very difficult to know which remedies might solve the problem and which might make it worse.“That’s exactly the question that I would have asked us,” Tilghman confessed. “There’s a consensus that the current system is at risk for not producing the best science. But there’s little consensus on what to do to make it better.”One reason, Lander hinted, may be the large number of unproven—and possibly untestable—hypotheses about the crisis that have become accepted wisdom. The article asserted, for example, that the current “hypercompetitive system” is driving away the best students and “making it difficult for seasoned investigators to produce their best work.” The article also stated that low success rates have spawned “conservative, short-term thinking” throughout the community, a problem compounded, the authors say, by the fact that “time for reflection is a disappearing luxury.”Another hugely controversial issue is whether some type of “birth control” is needed to ease the intense competition for research funding and academic positions. The phrase usually applies to limiting the number of graduate students. But biologist Jo Handelsman, associate director for science at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and a participant at the Hughes meeting, said that emphasis may be inappropriate.“I think that graduate education is the pinnacle of what we do in education in the United States,” said Handelsman, on leave from Yale University. “And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with unleashing a large group of trained Ph.D.s. The question is what they do after graduation.”Her suggestion: Make sure that universities “train students just as rigorously” for careers outside academia as is now done to prepare them for academic careers. “The answer is not limiting the number of graduate students, but perhaps limiting the number of PIs,” Handelsman remarked after the meeting.Although nothing was resolved during the 75-minute discussion, one of Tilghman’s comments midway through it captured the tenor. “We don’t know what to do, and we’re open to your suggestions,” she said. “But I do know one thing: If we go home and do nothing, the problem will just get worse.” Sign up for our daily newsletter Get more great content like this delivered right to you! Country Graduate training is seen as a crown jewel of U.S. higher education.
Country * Afghanistan Aland Islands Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Cook Islands Costa Rica Cote d’Ivoire Croatia Cuba Curaçao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lao People’s Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macao Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Moldova, Republic of Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Norway Oman Pakistan Palestine Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Qatar Reunion Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Saint Barthélemy Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin (French part) Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Sint Maarten (Dutch part) Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Vietnam Virgin Islands, British Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Click to view the privacy policy. Required fields are indicated by an asterisk (*) They probably should have known better, admits Harold Varmus, one of the authors of a controversial proposal this spring to correct the “systemic flaws” affecting U.S. biomedical research. But he and two of the other co-authors acknowledged Friday that one aspect of their call to arms was flawed, namely, that the community was close to agreeing on how to deal with the complex problems that affect training and funding. “We were naive,” said Varmus, director of the National Cancer Institute, after a presentation to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). “We were hoping to pick off some low-hanging fruit.”But that fruit isn’t ripe yet, he and Princeton University’s President Emerita Shirley Tilghman and Harvard Medical School’s Marc Kirschner told PCAST. The council had invited the four authors (Bruce Alberts, the former editor of Science, was unable to attend) because of the furor their article had raised within the biomedical community, explained PCAST Co-Chair Eric Lander.
Email “All of these people were in the know,” says former APA President Gerald Koocher, a psychologist at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois, and the editor of the journal Ethics & Behavior. Koocher himself is under fire, as two of APA’s staunchest critics have called for the body to censure him as well, after receiving a confidential briefing on the Hoffman report earlier this summer.APA had commissioned the report last year after the publication of Pay Any Price: Greed, Power and Endless War, a book by New York Times reporter James Risen that accused the organization of providing cover for torture. The report’s most damning findings concern a 2005 APA committee called the Task Force on Psychological Ethics and National Security (PENS). The task force was created in the midst of revelations that detainees were subjected to “enhanced interrogation” at U.S. government facilities in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and that psychologists were intimately involved in both the design and practice of these efforts.As Hoffman discovered through interviews, medics within the intelligence community were “not on board” with such interrogations. To quell this internal resistance, the government hoped to enlist support from APA, psychology’s largest professional organization. And the PENS task force provided it, concluding in a 2005 statement that it was ethical for psychologists to take part in the interrogation program.The PENS decision sparked protests by many APA members, some of whom called for withholding dues, but Hoffman found that they were ignored. “Being involved in the intentional harming of detainees … could do lasting damage to the integrity and reputation of psychology, a profession that purports to ‘do no harm,’” he writes, but “these countervailing concerns were simply not considered or were highly subordinated to APA’s strategic goals.” According to Hoffman, APA sought to maintain its privileged relationship with the Pentagon, a massive employer of psychologists.Hoffman’s analysis of internal APA emails found that the members of the PENS task force were carefully chosen in a collaboration between officials at APA, the Pentagon, and the Central Intelligence Agency, and its conclusions were vetted in advance by insiders at both agencies. The goal of PENS, Hoffman offers, was not to examine the ethics of torture but to “curry favor” with the U.S. Defense Department.Hoffman’s characterization of PENS is unfair, according to Koocher, who was one of the architects of the task force. (Koocher and another former APA President Ronald Levant have written a detailed critique of the Hoffman report.) “We solicited widely and openly for membership,” Koocher says. The fact that so many task force members came from the military is not evidence of collusion but good judgment. “If you’re focusing on interrogation in a military context then those are the people with the relevant expertise.” As for the allegation of currying favor with the Pentagon, Koocher is adamant that it was not his goal. “No way were we covering up for [Vice President] Cheney or [Defense Secretary] Rumsfeld, both of whom I cannot stand.”Koocher says that he was unaware that the torture was ongoing. He points out that he, along with other representatives of U.S. medical associations, visited the detention center at Guantanamo in 2006. “I asked hard questions,” he says. When it was later revealed that torture continued at the facility, “I was extremely upset.” But by then, he says, “I was no longer an APA official. What was I supposed to do?”That sentiment may not save Koocher from sanctions. He is on a list of APA members to be banned from APA governance “effective immediately”—just one of several recommendations from Steven Reisner of New York University and Stephen Soldz of the Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis, who also urged that APA’s top executive, legal, and public relations staff be fired. Reisner and Soldz, persistent critics of APA’s role in the interrogation program, were invited by APA to review the Hoffman report in advance and give the society their feedback. APA wouldn’t comment specifically on the pair’s recommendations; several people on their “staff “to be fired” list remain with APA, including APA’s General Counsel Nathalie Gilfoyle, APA’s senior policy advisor Ellen Garrison, senior legislative and federal affairs officer Heather Kelly, and science policy director Geoff Mumford. “A lot of change can happen, but it will take a lot of time to implement it,” Kaslow says.APA’s 180° turn is only a start, Soldz says. “The APA and the entire psychology profession needs to grapple with the enormous scandal enveloping psychological ethics.” Country * Afghanistan Aland Islands Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Cook Islands Costa Rica Cote d’Ivoire Croatia Cuba Curaçao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lao People’s Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macao Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Moldova, Republic of Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Norway Oman Pakistan Palestine Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Qatar Reunion Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Saint Barthélemy Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin (French part) Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Sint Maarten (Dutch part) Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Vietnam Virgin Islands, British Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe After years of denying that it had given scientific and ethical legitimacy to torture by the U.S. government, the American Psychological Association (APA) last week accepted the finding of an external investigation that concluded it had done just that. Now, with a public apology and sudden wave of high-level resignations or retirements, APA is struggling to craft an institutional response that will satisfy its members and long-time detractors, even as some of those pilloried in the probe defend themselves and their colleagues.“This is a crisis,” says Nadine Kaslow, a psychologist at Emory University in Atlanta and a former APA president, who helped launch the investigation. “I regret that the organization didn’t listen to the critics earlier.”The 542-page report from a former Chicago inspector general, David Hoffman, pulls no punches, concluding that APA officials colluded with the U.S. government to enable the torture of detainees. APA’s Board of Directors quickly released a response, promising among other things to recommend a new policy prohibiting psychologists from participating in interrogation of persons held in custody by military and intelligence authorities. APA then announced the departure of most of its staff leadership: CEO Norman Anderson, Deputy CEO Michael Honaker, public relations director Rhea Farberman, and ethics director Stephen Behnke.
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The shots sent waves of energy into the crust, and the seismometers picked up reflections. Based on the expected travel times of the energy waves—they travel more slowly through magma chambers than through dense rock—the researchers could piece together a tomographic image of the crust between depths of 5 and 40 kilometers. To map the upper 5 kilometers of crust, they placed 920 seismometers near the volcano summit and monitored them not only for reflections from the explosions, but also the small earthquakes that occur frequently near Mount St. Helens and even the high-frequency noise produced constantly by Earth itself. Finally, they placed a set of 75 long-lasting seismometers around the volcano, where they will remain until 2016 to listen for earthquakes that rumble all the way through the Earth—so-called “teleseismic earthquakes”—that can help produce images down to 80 kilometers.The images they are building from that data show that Mount St. Helens might not be the only volcano nourished by the deep chamber, which lies just to the east of the shallow chamber. The deep chamber sits between Mount St. Helens, the Mount Adams volcano, and a set of dormant volcanoes called the Indian Heaven volcanic field—suggesting that the deep chamber might be supplying magma to all of them. Adapted from Eric Kiser and Alan Levander Click to view the privacy policy. Required fields are indicated by an asterisk (*) Country * Afghanistan Aland Islands Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Cook Islands Costa Rica Cote d’Ivoire Croatia Cuba Curaçao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lao People’s Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macao Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Moldova, Republic of Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Norway Oman Pakistan Palestine Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Qatar Reunion Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Saint Barthélemy Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin (French part) Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Sint Maarten (Dutch part) Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Vietnam Virgin Islands, British Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Sign up for our daily newsletter Get more great content like this delivered right to you! Country
Matching the new magma reservoirs with earthquake data also may explain how the massive 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens occurred. In the months before the eruption, a series of small earthquakes was detected along a peculiar path. At the time, their location could not be explained. But according to the new picture, those tremors may have marked the pumping of magma from the lower to the upper chamber, which soon pressurized to the point of eruption. “We can only now understand that those earthquakes are connecting those magma reservoirs,” says Eric Kiser, a seismologist at Rice University. In the future, he says, volcanologists should sound the alarm if they hear earthquakes along that particular path. “They could be an indication that you have migration of fluid between the two bodies.”The new report is just one of the campaign’s initial results. But even seeing the outlines of the two chambers will reassure geochemists, who have long favored a step-wise model for eruptions at volcanoes like Mount St. Helens. In a lower chamber, magma can slowly cool, allowing dense crystals to settle out to the bottom. That leaves behind a lighter magma that can then rise farther into an upper chamber, ultimately driving an eruption. A similar two-chamber system was imaged this year underneath the supervolcano at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.Several mysteries remain at Mount St. Helens. In 2009, researchers using a smaller array of seismometers claimed to have found a shallow magma chamber at 2 kilometers’ depth. Levander says he sees no sign of this shallow chamber, although his active shot array, spaced farther away from the summit, would not be expected to be sensitive to it. Brandon Schmandt, a geophysicist at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, who is leading the dense 920-seismometer part of iMUSH that is sensitive to such shallow depths, says he, too, does not see signs of the chamber. “If it exists, it is a minor part of the system,” he says.Another question is how extensive the deepest magma chamber is. Since the 1980s, geoscientists have studied a more electrically conductive layer of rock called the Southern Washington Cascades Conductor (SWCC) that runs north-south in the deep crust and extends for about 100 kilometers from Mount St. Helens up to Mount Rainier. The SWCC could arise from highly conductive deep ocean sediments that have since turned to rock. But a controversial 2009 study suggested a magma body could also be responsible for the signal. Yet another part of the iMUSH campaign is an effort to stick electrodes and magnetometers in more than 100 locations to better understand the SWCC.Kate Miller, a geophysicist at Texas A&M University in College Station who is not affiliated with iMUSH, says the results at Mount St. Helens will be a boon to volcanologists who want to model the movements of magma through Earth’s crust. “You’re actually seeing it in action,” she says. “Now, you can go in and model the plumbing system.” She is also intrigued by the apparent connection between the two magma chambers along a narrow channel. “The idea that [magma] is coming up along an interface is interesting.”*Correction, 5 November, 11:30 a.m.: This article has been corrected to clarify that the Indian Heaven volcanic field is a set of dormant—not extinct—volcanoes. Email Geoscientists have for the first time revealed the magma plumbing beneath Mount St. Helens, the most active volcano in the Pacific Northwest. The emerging picture includes a giant magma chamber, between 5 and 12 kilometers below the surface, and a second, even larger one, between 12 and 40 kilometers below the surface. The two chambers appear to be connected in a way that could help explain the sequence of events in the 1980 eruption that blew the lid off Mount St. Helens.So far the researchers only have a two-dimensional picture of the deep chamber. But if they find it extends to the north or south, that would imply that the regional volcanic hazard is more distributed rather than discrete, says Alan Levander, a geophysicist at Rice University in Houston, Texas, and a leader of the experiment that is doing the subterranean imaging. “It isn’t a stretch to say that there’s something down there feeding everything,” he adds.Levander unveiled the results on 3 November at a meeting of the Geological Society of America in Baltimore, Maryland—the first detailed images from the largest-ever campaign to understand the guts of a volcano with geophysical methods. The campaign, “imaging magma under St. Helens” (iMUSH), started in 2014 when researchers stuck 2500 seismometers in the ground on trails and logging roads around the volcano. They then detonated 23 explosive shots, each with the force of a small earthquake. “You’d feel this enormous roll in the ground, and everyone would go, ‘Oh wow’,” Levander says.