Watch out, acne. Doctors soon may have a new weapon against zits: a harmless virus living on our skin that naturally seeks out and kills the bacteria that cause pimples.
The Sept. 25 online edition of the American Society for Microbiology's mBiopublishes the findings by scientists at UCLA and the University of Pittsburgh.
"Acne affects millions of people, yet we have few treatments that are both safe and effective," said principal investigator Dr. Robert Modlin, chief of dermatology and professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "Harnessing a virus that naturally preys on the bacteria that causes pimples could offer a promising new tool against the physical and emotional scars of severe acne."
The scientists looked at two little microbes that share a big name: Propionibacterium acnes, a bacterium thriving in our pores that can trigger acne; and P. acnes phages, a family of viruses that live on human skin. The viruses are harmless to humans, but programmed to infect and kill the aforementioned P. acnes bacteria.
When P. acnes bacteria aggravate the immune system, it causes the swollen, red bumps associated with acne. Most effective treatments work by reducing the number of P. acnes bacteria on the skin.
"We know that sex hormones, facial oil and the immune system play a role in causing acne, however, a lot of research implicates P. acnes as an important trigger," explained first author Laura Marinelli, a UCLA postdoctoral researcher in Modlin's laboratory. "Sometimes they set off an inflammatory response that contributes to the development of acne."
Using over-the-counter pore cleansing strips from the drugstore, the researchers lifted acne bacteria and the P. acnes viruses from the noses of both pimply and clear-skinned volunteers.
When the team sequenced the bacteriophages' genomes, they discovered that the viruses possess multiple features ? such as small size, limited diversity and the broad ability to kill their hosts ? that make them ideal candidates for the development of a new anti-acne therapy.
"Our findings provide valuable insights into acne and the bacterium that causes it," observed corresponding author Graham Hatfull, Eberly Family Professor of Biotechnology, professor of biological sciences at the University of Pittsburgh and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute researcher. "The lack of genetic diversity among the phages that attack the acne bacterium implies that viral-based strategies may help control this distressing skin disorder."
"Phages are programmed to target and kill specific bacteria, so P. acnes phages will attack only P. acnes bacteria, but not others like E. coli," added Marinelli. "This trait suggests that they offer strong potential for targeted therapeutic use."
Acne affects nearly 90 percent of Americans at some point in their lives, yet scientists know little about what causes the disorder and have made narrow progress in developing new strategies for treating it. Dermatologists' arsenal of anti-acne tools -- benzoyl peroxide, antibiotics and Accutane ? hasn't expanded in decades.
"Antibiotics such as tetracycline are so widely used that many acne strains have developed resistance, and drugs like Accutane, while effective, can produce risky side effects, limiting their use," explained coauthor Dr. Jenny Kim, director of the UCLA Clinic for Acne, Rosacea and Aesthetics. "Acne can dramatically disfigure people and undermine their self-esteem, especially in teens. We can change patients' lives with treatment. It's time we identified a new way to safely treat the common disorder."
The research team plans to isolate the active protein from the P. acnes virus and test whether it is as effective as the whole virus in killing acne bacteria. If laboratory testing proves successful, the researchers will study the compound's safety and effectiveness in combating acne in people.
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University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences: http://www.uclahealth.org/
Thanks to University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences for this article.
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Google has made no move to provide Google Maps for the iPhone 5 after Apple?dropped the application in favor of a home-grown but controversial alternative, Google's Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt said.
Apple launched its own mapping service earlier this month when it began providing the highly anticipated update to its mobile software platform iOS 6 and started selling the iPhone 5.
But users have complained that Apple's new map service, based on Dutch navigation equipment and digital map maker TomTom's data, contains glaring geographical errors and lacks features that made Google Maps so popular.
"We think it would have been better if they had kept ours. But what do I know?" Schmidt told a small group of reporters in Tokyo. "What were we going to do, force them not to change their mind? It's their call."
Schmidt said Google and Apple were in constant communication "at all kinds of levels." But he said any decision on whether Google Maps would be accepted as an application in the Apple App Store would have to be made by Apple.
"We have not done anything yet," he said.
Google and Apple were close partners with the original iPhone in 2007 and its inclusion of YouTube and Google Maps. But the ties between the two have been strained by the rise of Google's Android mobile operating system, now the world's leading platform for smartphones.
Schmidt said he hoped Google would remain Apple's search partner on the iPhone but said that question was up to Apple.
"I'm not doing any predictions. We want them to be our partner. We welcome that. I'm not going to speculate at all what they're going to do. They can answer that question as they see fit," he said.
Google provides Android free of charge and allows developers to add applications on an open basis, betting that by cultivating a bigger pool of users ??now at over 500 million globally ??it can make more money by providing search functions and selling advertising.
"Apple is the exception, and the Android system is the common model, which is why our market share is so much higher," Schmidt said, adding that success was often ignored by the media, which he said was "obsessed with Apple's marketing events and Apple's branding."
"That's great for Apple but the numbers are on our side," he said.
At one point, Schmidt, who was in Japan to announce the launch of Google's Nexus tablet here, used the device to show off a new function of Google Maps.
The feature allows users to shift their view of an area by moving the device in the air without touching the screen, similar to the effect of looking around.
"Take that Apple," he said, adding quickly, "That was a joke by the way."
(Writing by James Topham; Editing by Ryan Woo)
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Click For Restrictions -?http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
Are aware that every consumer a free credit rating check every year is entitled? It is a fact, and you can sell easily claim ? here is how to do?
See credit law ? the fair and accurate credit transactions Act (FACT Act) have the right to request a copy of your credit file disclosure (your credit report) annually at no cost.
Your credit report contains information such as your personal information, your credit history, payment history, delinquent and overdue payments, creditors comments (outstanding payments have ?negative?).
Get your credit rating report gives you the opportunity to see and understand, your credit position that is valuable when a loan or credit application consider some description.
However, it can bring some information you unaware have been, on the surface or some info one immediate steps companies to your credit rating ? depending on how busy you with your payments in the past been to repair.
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Your credit score is three digits that predicts what type of risk, which will be probably in future, and your credit that range numbers based on your credit card, past and Gegenwart.Diese is generally of 300-900 points, and how an idea of what reasonable measuring instruments ? is the national U.S. average 677 points, but 720 points is really the threshold of easier credit terms.
So if you diligently timely with your payments in the past and were borrowing rates below 30% of the total available funds held, will then reflect your credit score sound show habits and you, as? probably in the 700 points plus area? that goes a long way towards a good credit risk open the doors of good credit conditions and low interest rates.
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Fueling the fleet, Navy looks to the seasPublic release date: 24-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Daniel Parry nrl1030@ccs.nrl.navy.mil 202-767-2541 Naval Research Laboratory
WASHINGTON--Refueling U.S. Navy vessels, at sea and underway, is a costly endeavor in terms of logistics, time, fiscal constraints and threats to national security and sailors at sea.
In Fiscal Year 2011, the U.S. Navy Military Sea Lift Command, the primary supplier of fuel and oil to the U.S. Navy fleet, delivered nearly 600 million gallons of fuel to Navy vessels underway, operating 15 fleet replenishment oilers around the globe.
From Seawater to CO2
Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory are developing a process to extract carbon dioxide (CO2) and produce hydrogen gas (H2) from seawater, subsequently catalytically converting the CO2 and H2 into jet fuel by a gas-to-liquids process.
"The potential payoff is the ability to produce JP-5 fuel stock at sea reducing the logistics tail on fuel delivery with no environmental burden and increasing the Navy's energy security and independence," says research chemist, Dr. Heather Willauer.
NRL has successfully developed and demonstrated technologies for the recovery of CO2 and the production of H2 from seawater using an electrochemical acidification cell, and the conversion of CO2 and H2 to hydrocarbons (organic compounds consisting of hydrogen and carbon) that can be used to produce jet fuel.
"The reduction and hydrogenation of CO2 to form hydrocarbons is accomplished using a catalyst that is similar to those used for Fischer-Tropsch reduction and hydrogenation of carbon monoxide," adds Willauer. "By modifying the surface composition of iron catalysts in fixed-bed reactors, NRL has successfully improved CO2 conversion efficiencies up to 60 percent."
A Renewable Resource
CO2 is an abundant carbon (C) resource in the air and in seawater, with the concentration in the ocean about 140 times greater than that in air. Two to three percent of the CO2 in seawater is dissolved CO2 gas in the form of carbonic acid, one percent is carbonate, and the remaining 96 to 97 percent is bound in bicarbonate. If processes are developed to take advantage of the higher weight per volume concentration of CO2 in seawater, coupled with more efficient catalysts for the heterogeneous catalysis of CO2 and H2, a viable sea-based synthetic fuel process can be envisioned. "With such a process, the Navy could avoid the uncertainties inherent in procuring fuel from foreign sources and/or maintaining long supply lines," Willauer said.
NRL has made significant advances developing carbon capture technologies in the laboratory. In the summer of 2009 a standard commercially available chlorine dioxide cell and an electro-deionization cell were modified to function as electrochemical acidification cells. Using the novel cells both dissolved and bound CO2 were recovered from seawater by re-equilibrating carbonate and bicarbonate to CO2 gas at a seawater pH below 6. In addition to CO2, the cells produced H2 at the cathode as a by-product.
These completed studies assessed the effects of the acidification cell configuration, seawater composition, flow rate, and current on seawater pH levels. The data were used to determine the feasibility of this approach for efficiently extracting large quantities of CO2 from seawater. From these feasibility studies NRL successfully scaled-up and integrated the carbon capture technology into an independent skid to process larger volumes of seawater and evaluate the overall system design and efficiencies.
The major component of the carbon capture skid is a three-chambered electrochemical acidification cell. This cell uses small quantities of electricity to exchange hydrogen ions produced at the anode with sodium ions in the seawater stream. As a result, the seawater is acidified. At the cathode, water is reduced to H2 gas and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is formed. This basic solution may be re-combined with the acidified seawater to return the seawater to its original pH with no additional chemicals. Current and continuing research using this carbon capture skid demonstrates the continuous efficient production of H2 and the recovery of up to 92 percent of CO2 from seawater.
Located at NRL's Center for Corrosion Science & Engineering facility, Key West, Fla., (NRLKW) the carbon capture skid has been tested using seawater from the Gulf of Mexico to simulate conditions that will be encountered in an actual open ocean process for capturing CO2 from seawater and producing H2 gas. Currently NRL is working on process optimization and scale-up. Once these are completed, initial studies predict that jet fuel from seawater would cost in the range of $3 to $6 per gallon to produce.
How it Works: CO2 + H2 = Jet Fuel
NRL has developed a two-step process in the laboratory to convert the CO2 and H2 gathered from the seawater to liquid hydrocarbons. In the first step, an iron-based catalyst has been developed that can achieve CO2 conversion levels up to 60 percent and decrease unwanted methane production from 97 percent to 25 percent in favor of longer-chain unsaturated hydrocarbons (olefins).
In the second step these olefins can be oligomerized (a chemical process that converts monomers, molecules of low molecular weight, to a compound of higher molecular weight by a finite degree of polymerization) into a liquid containing hydrocarbon molecules in the carbon C9-C16 range, suitable for conversion to jet fuel by a nickel-supported catalyst reaction.
###
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?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Fueling the fleet, Navy looks to the seasPublic release date: 24-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Daniel Parry nrl1030@ccs.nrl.navy.mil 202-767-2541 Naval Research Laboratory
WASHINGTON--Refueling U.S. Navy vessels, at sea and underway, is a costly endeavor in terms of logistics, time, fiscal constraints and threats to national security and sailors at sea.
In Fiscal Year 2011, the U.S. Navy Military Sea Lift Command, the primary supplier of fuel and oil to the U.S. Navy fleet, delivered nearly 600 million gallons of fuel to Navy vessels underway, operating 15 fleet replenishment oilers around the globe.
From Seawater to CO2
Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory are developing a process to extract carbon dioxide (CO2) and produce hydrogen gas (H2) from seawater, subsequently catalytically converting the CO2 and H2 into jet fuel by a gas-to-liquids process.
"The potential payoff is the ability to produce JP-5 fuel stock at sea reducing the logistics tail on fuel delivery with no environmental burden and increasing the Navy's energy security and independence," says research chemist, Dr. Heather Willauer.
NRL has successfully developed and demonstrated technologies for the recovery of CO2 and the production of H2 from seawater using an electrochemical acidification cell, and the conversion of CO2 and H2 to hydrocarbons (organic compounds consisting of hydrogen and carbon) that can be used to produce jet fuel.
"The reduction and hydrogenation of CO2 to form hydrocarbons is accomplished using a catalyst that is similar to those used for Fischer-Tropsch reduction and hydrogenation of carbon monoxide," adds Willauer. "By modifying the surface composition of iron catalysts in fixed-bed reactors, NRL has successfully improved CO2 conversion efficiencies up to 60 percent."
A Renewable Resource
CO2 is an abundant carbon (C) resource in the air and in seawater, with the concentration in the ocean about 140 times greater than that in air. Two to three percent of the CO2 in seawater is dissolved CO2 gas in the form of carbonic acid, one percent is carbonate, and the remaining 96 to 97 percent is bound in bicarbonate. If processes are developed to take advantage of the higher weight per volume concentration of CO2 in seawater, coupled with more efficient catalysts for the heterogeneous catalysis of CO2 and H2, a viable sea-based synthetic fuel process can be envisioned. "With such a process, the Navy could avoid the uncertainties inherent in procuring fuel from foreign sources and/or maintaining long supply lines," Willauer said.
NRL has made significant advances developing carbon capture technologies in the laboratory. In the summer of 2009 a standard commercially available chlorine dioxide cell and an electro-deionization cell were modified to function as electrochemical acidification cells. Using the novel cells both dissolved and bound CO2 were recovered from seawater by re-equilibrating carbonate and bicarbonate to CO2 gas at a seawater pH below 6. In addition to CO2, the cells produced H2 at the cathode as a by-product.
These completed studies assessed the effects of the acidification cell configuration, seawater composition, flow rate, and current on seawater pH levels. The data were used to determine the feasibility of this approach for efficiently extracting large quantities of CO2 from seawater. From these feasibility studies NRL successfully scaled-up and integrated the carbon capture technology into an independent skid to process larger volumes of seawater and evaluate the overall system design and efficiencies.
The major component of the carbon capture skid is a three-chambered electrochemical acidification cell. This cell uses small quantities of electricity to exchange hydrogen ions produced at the anode with sodium ions in the seawater stream. As a result, the seawater is acidified. At the cathode, water is reduced to H2 gas and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is formed. This basic solution may be re-combined with the acidified seawater to return the seawater to its original pH with no additional chemicals. Current and continuing research using this carbon capture skid demonstrates the continuous efficient production of H2 and the recovery of up to 92 percent of CO2 from seawater.
Located at NRL's Center for Corrosion Science & Engineering facility, Key West, Fla., (NRLKW) the carbon capture skid has been tested using seawater from the Gulf of Mexico to simulate conditions that will be encountered in an actual open ocean process for capturing CO2 from seawater and producing H2 gas. Currently NRL is working on process optimization and scale-up. Once these are completed, initial studies predict that jet fuel from seawater would cost in the range of $3 to $6 per gallon to produce.
How it Works: CO2 + H2 = Jet Fuel
NRL has developed a two-step process in the laboratory to convert the CO2 and H2 gathered from the seawater to liquid hydrocarbons. In the first step, an iron-based catalyst has been developed that can achieve CO2 conversion levels up to 60 percent and decrease unwanted methane production from 97 percent to 25 percent in favor of longer-chain unsaturated hydrocarbons (olefins).
In the second step these olefins can be oligomerized (a chemical process that converts monomers, molecules of low molecular weight, to a compound of higher molecular weight by a finite degree of polymerization) into a liquid containing hydrocarbon molecules in the carbon C9-C16 range, suitable for conversion to jet fuel by a nickel-supported catalyst reaction.
###
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?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
JERUSALEM (AP) ? An Israeli court is expected to sentence former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in a high-profile case that could determine whether he will be able to return to politics.
Olmert was convicted in July of breach of trust for helping allocate government contracts to a friend's associates. At the time, he was acquitted of more serious corruption charges that had forced him to resign three years ago.
The ruling was seen as a victory for Olmert, and fueled speculation that he could reenter politics.
The sentence due Monday is not expected to send Olmert to prison. Court spokeswoman Shirli Koren says prosecutors requested Olmert perform six months of community service.
But if Olmert is found guilty of moral turpitude, it would bar him from reentering politics for seven years.
103 Marshall Dr, Warrendale, PA | Get?Directions?? FREE
North Pittsburgh Youth Hockey Association is proud to be a host site for IIHF's Girls Hockey Weekend!?
Girls' Hockey Weekend is October 13-14, 2012 and is intended to celebrate the love of the girls game, introduce new girls to hockey, and grow the sport.
Check out these events and stay tuned for more!
Girls Try Hockey for FREE
Have a girl who wants to try hockey? On Saturday, October 13, 2012 the North Pittsburgh Youth Hockey Association is hosting a Girls Try Hockey for Free Event!
The on-ice session will be from 11:30 am - 12:20 pm at the Bladerunners rink in Warrendale.? We will go over the fundamentals of skating, stickhandling, passing and shooting and will of course have a blast!
We have limited equipment available so please use any you have from siblings if you can!
Please fill out the form on our site and email Girls Hockey Coordinator Leigh Crawford at coachleigh@ymail.com to register!? We are capping enrollment at 25.
North Pittsburgh Girls Hockey Scrimmages
Come cheer on your local girls hockey teams!? In honor of Girls Hockey weekend we are hosting 3 scrimmages on October 13, 2012:
I?ve usually hard-boiled willned foods in their own can, things like milk and mushroom soup. I place the will while not gap within the steriliser, cowl it with water and let it cook for half-hour. The results square measure wonderful. Is it safe to try to to that? will metals leach into my food?
For starters, will manufacturers don?t suggest victimization their product for love or money however storing food sealed till it?s able to eat. ?Cans square measure reliable, recyclable, sturdy packages that keep beverages and foods contemporary and permit them to be transported safely for thousands of miles, even into remote regions?but they weren?t created to be used as change of state containers,? says Scott McCarty of Colorado-based Ball Corporation, a number one U.S. food and drink packaging maker.
Proponents of can-cooking cite the very fact that a lot of canned foods square measure already het up in their cans to kill microorganism throughout the canning method, thus what damage might to a small degree additional heating do? McCarty concedes that some cans square measure so heated throughout the packing method. ?But that may not all cans or all foods, ANd it?s a rigorously controlled and monitored method worn out an surroundings that?s created to try to to it.?
As for what metals could also be natural process into your canned goods, it depends. In the U.S., most food cans square measure fabricated from steel whereas drink cans square measure sometimes created out of atomic number 13. atomic number 24 and nickel will notice their reply of steel, however the amounts would be very small to naught. Slightly additional heavy is that the proven fact that aluminum?large amounts of that are coupled to system disorders and different health problems?could in theory leach out of cans into their food or drink contents.
In order to stop any such leaching?which is unhealthy for the food and eater however conjointly for the will (as it will cause corrosion)?the insides of most cans on grocery shelves nowadays square measure coated with food-grade epoxy. however these liners are shown to contain Bisphenol-A (BPA) and different probably harmful chemicals. BPA could be a artificial plastic hardener that has been coupled to human fruitful issues ANd an magnified risk of cancer and polygenic disorder. A 2009 analysis of common canned foods by the non-profit customers Union found measurable levels of BPA in a very big selection of things as well as some bearing a ?BPA Free? label.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is presently reviewing whether or not or to not enable BPA to return into contact with food things in any respect. within the in the meantime, some forward-thinking corporations aren?t waiting around for AN bureau ruling. Eden Foods, that prides itself on the quality of its product, worked with its packaging manufacturer, Ball Corporation, back in 1999 to modify out ancient epoxy-based liners with a baked-on, BPA-free enamel lining derived from plant oils and resins.
This technology is nothing new; really, Eden stumbled upon it by asking Ball what it used before epoxy liners became customary some 3 decades earlier. whereas the custom cans value fourteen % quite industry-standard cans would, Eden maintains it?s well worth the further expense (which amounts to some $300,000 further per year). ?It was the correct factor to try to to,? says archangel Potter, Eden?s president. ?I did not wish BPA in food i used to be serving to my children, my grandkids or my customers.?
Tags: atomic number 13, atomic number 24, Cooking Foods, measure
So many small business owners keep their eyes down, working in?their businesses rather than on?them (a la Michael Gerber, author of E Myth), much to their own detriment.
But according to Deborah Shane, branding and media strategist, you need to keep your eye on the big picture. Her aim is to help small businesses put the pieces of the puzzle together and succeed. She offers some small business insights in this spotlight interview.
Shane says:
?Having a big picture in life and business is a blueprint, road map, and plan for how you are going to proceed and succeed. We all need more horsepower, a compass and a GPS today. Knowing why we do what we do, whom we do it for, and how we reach and market to them helps us stay on track and growing.?
Change is?a Good Thing
Shane lives by the mantra:
?There?s change in opportunity and opportunity in change.?
Her professional background is varied. Before becoming a small business expert, she was a professional singer/published songwriter, teacher and award-winning broadcast radio sales professional.
In 2006, she decided to pursue her passion and help people through?career transition, business development and professional advancement. Since then, she?s helped individuals move forward in their careers and their businesses, while focusing on branding and marketing strategy.
She?s also written a book:?Career Transition ? Make the Shift: Your Five Steps to Successful Career Reinvention. ?Additionally, Shane authors a blog on her website and contributes to several national blogs, including Small Business Trends (see her articles here).
Small Business Insight: Use Radio
In addition to running her own successful online radio show (which just hit 100,000 downloads), Shane helps small businesses set up their own radio shows and podcasts. She says that these tools play well with other media and marketing activities, and that they?re fantastic for branding:
?As a small business, having a radio show and featuring others can open doors for new connections, show your expertise and credibility and build your brand reach.?
Five Success Insights
Shane says when she started her consultancy and training company in 2007, her goal was to help people be armed to succeed in the 21st century. Being honored as a 2012 Small Business Influencer Champion, she says, tells her she?s on the right track:
?Through blogging, radio, training, speaking and my book, ?Career Transition-Make the Shift,? being honored as a SMBInfluencer Champion 2012 is the ultimate peer honor and recognition for doing what I love and do best!?
Shane has happened upon five ?success insights? as she has grown her business over the past five years:
Know yourself
Love what you do
Give people reasons
Always be relevant
Ooze confidence
This is one of a series of spotlight profiles of key players in the 2012 Small Business Influencer Awards.
Singer-songwriter Fiona Apple was arrested for possession of hashish at a checkpoint after drug-sniffing dogs detected marijuana in her tour bus.
Police found the four grams of marijuana and a plastic bag with about four grams of hashish in a backpack on the us.
The 'Criminal' singer was arrested after she admitted the drugs were hers and taken to Hudspeth County Jail -- where this mugshot was taken.
In the photo, the crooner has her eyes closed dressed in a black-and-white striped ensemble.
Apple "freely admitted that the controlled substances belonged to her and she was placed under arrest by U.S. Border Patrol agents and detained," according to a police release.
The arrest happened at West Texas Border Patrol, the same border checkpoint where Snoop Dogg, Willie Nelson, Paul Wall and Armie Hammer were also arrested.
She was released on a $10,000 bond. However, her Austin concert has been indefinitely postponed.
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President Obama claims to be a president "for everybody," but that may be argued by some in the middle class.
Appearing on the Late Show with David Letterman ? where he appears much more comfortable than when trying to form economic policy ? President Obama noted that "if you want to be president, you gotta work for everybody, not just for some." Obama referred, of course, to Mitt Romney?s comments about 47% of Americans not paying taxes. It truly begs the question, however ? if 47% don?t contribute financially to the good of the country, what interest do they have in how money is spent? Will their voting be skewed based on their utter lack of accountability?
Probably. And it?s why Obama has a built-in voter base among those not paying taxes and/or on the government dole for one reason or another. Perhaps it?s wrong to couch the topic in just that manner, but it?s a popular sentiment among many Americans, especially those in the middle class who still pay taxes but see others below them on the socio-economic scale pay nothing, while the wealthy pay vast sums in taxes each year but big corporations are often given huge tax breaks.
Still, Obama claims to be a president for all, noting, "But I can tell you this: When I won in 2008, 47 percent of the American people voted for John McCain. They didn't vote for me. And what I said on election night was: 'Even though you didn't vote for me, I hear your voices, and I'm going to work as hard as I can to be your president.'" Obama added, "And one of the things I've learned as president is you represent the entire country. And when I meet Republicans as I'm traveling around the country, they are hard-working family people who care deeply about this country. And my expectation is, is that if you want to be president, you gotta work for everybody, not just for some."
Nurse Loyola has published an article on pregnancy loss in the emergency departmentAmy Perrin-Ross, MSN, CNRN recently adopted international certification exams, multiple sclerosis with the highest score in the history of the event. Perrin-Ross worked at the Department of Neurology at Loyola University Health System.
Nurses in intensive care at Loyola University Health System has joined an elite group of nurses are certified in their area of ??clinical expertise. Nurse specialists Katie Beyer, RN, Sharon McHugh, RN, and Laura Pasternock, RN, have become a trauma. Becca Hahn, RN, earned her certified nurse critical care registered.
Bacidore Vicki, RN, MSN, ACNP-BC, CEN, has published an article entitled ?A collaborative framework for the management of pregnancy in the emergency room,? in Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Neonatal Nursing. Bacidore also gave a great presentation at an advanced clinical rounds Illinois Emergency Nurses Association Spring Symposium 36. Bacidore worked as a nurse in emergency LUH.
Other intensive care nurses have encouraged their professional knowledge and graduate students earning degrees. Meghann McCain, RN, MSN, received her Master of Science in Nursing from Loyola University in Chicago.
All nurses working in intensive care unit at Loyola University Hospital .
This entry was posted on Saturday, September 22nd, 2012 at 10:42 am and is filed under doctors. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
In the weeks since the San Antonio Police Department introduced a Twitter handle and a revamped Facebook page the response from both the public and media has been overwhelmingly positive, officials said.
?(The site) is geared more towards maintaining the good relationship with the public and letting them know what we are doing,? said Officer Matt Porter, a spokesman for the department. ?It's also for seeing some of the behind the scenes things we do.?
The department's Twitter handle is @SATXPolice. Its Facebook page, www.facebook.com/SanAntonioPD, has been featured on various local morning shows and as the public becomes more aware the site's fan base has grown.
Much of the content provides information on breaking news or incidents that may not be of interest to the media but piques the curiosity of residents.
?We get a lot of calls from people that say, ?Hey I saw the police helicopter, is everything OK?'? Salazar said. ?If we're able to broadcast something, like that there was a foot pursuit and Eagle may have come out but we made an apprehension, it gives people peace of mind.?
Both Salazar and Porter said the hope is for the site to show the public what the officers do on a daily basis and give the public a better understanding of the job.
They do have filters in place, however, and derogatory comments will be removed.
Recent posts both to Twitter and Facebook also include mentions of traffic backups or accidents that may cause commuter headaches.
Between the two social media sites the department has also been promoting careers with SAPD.
Friday afternoon, the agency posted information on career day, scheduled for Oct. 6 at the University of Texas at San Antonio Downtown campus.
For more information on the career day, call the university at 210-458-2910. mmondo@express-news.net
Tech policy expert Susan Crawford joined the non-profit think tank Four Freedoms Center of the Roosevelt Institute today and called for the expansion of fiber networks in America. For her, looming monopolies are a threat to Internet equality and the expansion of faster Internet connections, specifically fiber, which she called "the global standard," is the future.
The fight against the digital divide is the "21st century version of electrification," Crawford wrote on her first post for the Next New Deal, the blog of the Roosevelt Institute. "Expanding high-speeding Internet access to all Americans is as essential now as the Rural Electrification Act was in the 1930s."
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At the beginning of the 19th century, rural America didn't have access to electricity, just like rural America now has no access to high-speed Internet, Crawford argues. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt regulated the market and provided federal loans to expand the electrical network to reach far-out areas of the country, making electricity a utility everybody takes for granted.
Today, according to Crawford, the utility everybody should expect to have is high-speed Internet, something we all increasingly need everyday. "You can't apply for a job without high-speed Internet connection," she said, responding to a question from the audience at the announcement today in New York. "Some states are even requiring you to apply for unemployment benefits using an online connection." Thus the need to give everybody equal access to fiber.
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Her mission as a fellow at the Four Freedoms Center will be to educate the public and make citizens understand the importance of these issues. "I wanna make sure that we continue to see the Internet as a basic input," she said. "A neutral basic, electricity-like foundation for life that actually disappears into the background," something that makes possible not only entertainment but important activities like telemedicine and remote education.
Changing the tide is not going to be easy though. Telecom companies pour millions of dollars in lobbying against regulation, and many politicians don't pay attention to these issues. "We have a titanic battle ahead of ourselves to reverse this set of events," says Crawford. "It will take asking questions about high-speed Internet capacity at every single debate making sure that every candidate for office cares about this and understands how important it is. It will take getting the national media aware that this is a central issue just like electricity was back in the 1920s."
Of 314 million people Americans, 100 million lack high-speed Internet access. Compare that to South Korea, where 95% of citizens have access to fiber broadband, a network that was subsidized by the government. Crawford believes that highlighting countries where the situation is better can potentially make people aware, but local examples will have a more powerful effect. That's why she praised Google Fiber, an initiative that's going to bring affordable 1GBits connections to Kansas City. Once the search giant will install the super-fast network, "jealousy" will kick in and people across the country will demand the same service.
Why is she doing this? Because "The advent of the Internet was the most exciting thing to happen in my adult life," she said before telling the story of her first time online, when she visited her first website and clicked on her first link. That's when she "felt as if the back of the computer had fallen away."
If you have even one nerdy bone in your body, you're probably familiar with Chris Hardwick. The founder of Nerdist Industries has contributed a lot to nerd culture, including his popular podcast called -- yep -- the Nerdist Podcast. (Canadian nerds will be happy to hear he'll be broadcasting live from the JFL42 festival in Toronto later this month.)
These days, the former MTV personality is probably best-known for hosting one of the best after-shows around, "Talking Dead," which analyzes cult favorite "The Walking Dead" in nerdishly minute detail.
Ahead of his nerdy Toronto adventures, we caught up with Hardwick to chat about everything from his most prized "Walking Dead" memento (hint: it's gross!) to his encounters with jackasses -- both online and off.
You have a lot of nerd cred on your resume to date. Are there any nerdy gigs that you still covet? I'd love to do a show at JPL [The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory] because I find that I tend to do better when there are more engineers and scientist types. Oh, I'd love to go to CERN [the European Organization for Nuclear Research] in Switzerland! I've been to Fermilab here in the States where we had our particle accelerator, which they essentially retired when CERN took over.
You've gotten to meet a lot of prominent nerds and nerd icons over the years. Do you have any favorites? LeVar Burton was great. So was Patrick Stewart. Everyone from "Star Trek: The Next Generation" that I've met has been amazing.
Do you ever lose your cool at all? Well, borderline. I have enough experience that I've gotten really good at keeping it down. I lost it a bit with Ian McKellen. It's not really that funny of a story, I just tripped over my own tongue.
Is there anyone out there you're still dying to meet? Bill Murray.
How would you prepare for that? That's the thing with Bill. You can't prepare for him! You just have to go with whatever happens.
What were some of your favorite moments from the last season of "The Talking Dead"? Getting made up like a zombie. [Executive producer] Greg Nicotero gave me an ear necklace that Daryl used in the show. Getting to be pals with the cast, they're really super cool. It's a dream job.
Where's the ear necklace now? It's in my nightstand. I keep it close to my bed, because then I know it'll be safe.
Wouldn't want anybody to steal that baby! If they went into a drawer and found that necklace, hopefully they would leave the house, thinking I was a serial killer.
Does it freak you out when Andrew Lincoln speaks in his British accent? The first time I wasn't prepared for it. I think I did know that he was British, but I see him so much with the southern drawl and then you hear this very educated British accent. It kind of throws you off a little bit. He's so great on the show. I think it's the mark of a really good actor when you go, wait, he's from somewhere else? What?!
Have you ever had a weird or surreal encounter with a fan? No. The nerd crowd is pretty cool. They're non-confrontational. The only time I've ever had weird stuff with people is when someone comes up to you at a bar and they just want to be a dickhead. But I wouldn't say they're really fans of anything I do. They're just like, hey, the last thing you worked on was dumb, and you're like, thanks for coming all the way over here to say that!
How do you usually react? Earlier this year, a guy came up to me and he was like, hey, I read your book. It wasn't that great but I'm sure you know that, or something like that. I was like why would you come over and say that to me?
At least he read your book, though! Hopefully he bought it. He did, he did. But no one asked him, he decided to come over and just say that shitty thing. He was drunk.
Speaking of jerks, I love how you give a shout-out to internet commenters in your promo for the Nerdist channel. Do you have any favorite nasty comments from over the years? Anything that stands out in your memory? Omigod. [Laughs] Even after all these years of being online, they still bum me out. I'm like, why would you say that to another human being!? I just get bummed for humanity. Not even about what specifically they're saying. Just what is going on in your life that you think it's OK to be that horrible to another person. The other thing that pisses me off about it is they're f--king cowards, y'know? You're saying shitty things behind a veil of secrecy and anonymity. Where's the bold move in that?
Do you have any strategies for dealing with the particularly nasty lurkers? I end up hitting them back with either honesty or niceness. Like, hey, that's a shitty thing you said. I hope your life gets better! But really the best policy is to not respond at all. You shouldn't feed the trolls.
What can we expect from the JFL42 podcasts? Will you have any guests? It's always impossible for us to plan that far out because it always just depends on availability. We probably won't know who the guests will be until a couple of days before. But in a way we don't want people to go to the show or not go to the show based on who the guest is just in case that person drops out. It shouldn't be guest-dependent.
Will you be doing anything a little bit different out here? No. We'll be doing the exact same thing we always do. We'll all do standup then we'll have our guests on, then we'll take questions from the audience, and then we'll go out and meet people afterwards. It's kind of a variety show.
You can catch The Nerdist Podcast September 27 & 28 during JFL42 in Toronto.
The Walking Dead Season 3 Cast
(L-R) Lori Grimes (Sarah Wayne Callies); Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs); Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus); Carol (Melissa Suzanne McBride); T-Dog (Robert 'IronE' Singleton); Beth Greene (Emily Kinney); Hershel Greene (Scott Wilson); Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln); Maggie Greene (Lauren Cohan); Glenn (Steven Yeun); The Governor (David Morrissey); Michonne (Danai Gurira) and Andrea (Laurie Holden) - Photo Credit: Frank Ockenfels/AMC
On Tuesday, October 2nd at 12pm and 6pm, Burton Jay Computer Consulting, a Northern Westchester technology firm specializing in ?Making Technology Easy?, celebrates the grand opening of their Bedford Hills office with ?Putting Out Technology and Social Media Fires? event in honor of Fire Prevention Week, benefiting the Bedford Hills Volunteer Fire Department.
According to a new study, each hour of lost time costs a small business owner $500. It?s time to Stop, Drop and Roll. Whether you have a Mac or PC, a one-person office or a complex data system, are a social media virgin or an eloquent Tweeter and Pinner, Burton Jay Computer Consulting and Nancy A. Shenker of theONswitch will take you through some free and practical ways to save time and money in your day?and ensure that your fourth quarter business is on fire.
Plus, for every attendee who signs-up for Burton Jay services that week, a donation will be made to the Bedford Hills Fire Department for fire prevention programs and in-school education.
Putting Out Technology and Social Media Fires is free to the general public with registration limited and required. For more information or to register, please call 914-747-5354 or visit http://www.bjcc.com.
When I decided to run my first half-marathon, I was determined to be as prepared as possible. I bought new gear, ate the right food at the right times, and stretched and foam rolled like a pro. But the first week into training I started suffering from blisters, specifically around my arches, and tried everything from new shoes to powders, gels, and duct tape (yes, weird, and no, it did not work) to fix my ailment. And apparently I wasn?t alone. Blisters can pack a pretty mean punch when it comes to running and other athletic activities ? but there is hope[]. Read on for your guide to treating and preventing blisters, and how to help keep those footsies pounding the pavement pain-free.
Photo by Colin Gould
Un-Happy Feet ? The Need-to-Know
What?s the deal with blisters in the first place? These obnoxious little bumps or bubbles result from friction against the foot, causing the outer layers of skin to rub together, separate, and fill with fluid (gross). The culprit can be anything from new or poorly fitting running shoes to wet feet caused by non-absorbent socks. Log enough miles, and they?re bound to pop up.
But blisters shouldn?t be ignored, covered with a band-aid, and forgotten for another day. And that?s not just mom talking: Blisters can get infected and cause a whole new world of trouble. Aside from causing localized pain and burning sensations, when blisters are infected they fill with pus (yep, still gross). Even worse: If the blister ruptures, there runs a risk for secondary impetigo (a contagious bacterial infection) or cellulitis (an even more serious skin infection). Continuing to let infected blisters go untreated could also result in Sepsis, a potentially life-threatening bacterial infection in the bloodstream or body tissue. One more word of caution: Individuals with diabetes are more susceptible to foot blisters (as a result of diabetic neuropathy) and should handle treatment with caution to prevent infection[]. The best bet: Prevent blisters before they start. Here?s how.
Banish Blisters ? Your Action Plan
Luckily, there?s more than one way to stop blisters before they ruin a run. From moleskin and Vaseline to better-for-you socks and shoes, we?ve compiled a list of some key ways to spare your feet and keep you on the treadmill for the long haul (that?s right, you?re not getting off that treadmill that easy!).
Socks: The right socks are super important when it comes to blister prevention. Socks provide extra support for our feet, keep moisture away, and can minimize the friction that leads to those nasty blisters. Steer clear of cotton socks, though, which soak up sweat and moisture and, as a result, are most likely to cause blisters. Try nylon socks instead, which allow for more breathability and less moisture buildup on the foot. Others swear by wicking socks, a wool blend sock that pulls moisture away from your feet.
Tapes and Bandages: For spots on the feet that are notorious for blisters, try adhering moleskin or other soft but secure bandages to problem areas before throwing on socks. One study showed that Blist-O-Ban bandages not only stayed on sweaty feet but also prevented the formation of blisters when the instructions were followed closely[].
Powders and Creams: Got a well-stocked pharmacy close by? Try a special foot powder like2Toms Blistershield(simplypour into socks to create a frictionless surface on the foot). Other options for preventative care: Dr. Scholl?s Blister Defense Stick, FOOTGLIDE, or good ol? Vaseline to keep friction to a minimum.
Well-fitted shoes: The least we can do for ourselves is make sure we?re wearing the right training shoes ? right? Before hitting the road, visit a specialty running store to make sure you?re wearing the best fit. A running specialist can also perform a gait analysis if blisters persist despite bandages, creams, or other means of prevention.
How to Pop that Bad Boy (or Girl)
Before taking action, always check for potential signs of infection with the blister (call up your doc when in doubt). If everything looks otherwise a-OK, those with small blisters have two options: Either leave the blister alone and let the fluid reabsorb in the body (blisters are pretty good at healing themselves when left alone), or? pop that sucker! (See steps below.) For bigger blisters that show no signs of infection, popping is also the preferred RX, always with disinfectant and a sterile needle or pin, of course. Here are the steps to pop them safely on your own:
Thoroughly wash the hands with warm water and soap.
Swab the trouble area with rubbing alcohol (or iodine if you?ve got it handy).
Sterilize a needle (a small sharp needle or a pin ? nothing fancy) with the rubbing alcohol you have.
Try not to freak out about poking yourself with a needle.
Puncture the side of the blister in several spots close to the blister?s edge. Soak up the draining fluid with a clean piece of cotton, gauze, or tissue.
Apply antibiotic ointment and place gauze and/or a bandage over the area (think of it as a construction site ? you want that whole section quarantined).
Wait 2-3 days then cut away and remove the dead skin (with sterilized scissors or tweezers and rubbing alcohol to keep the area clean).
Apply more antibiotic ointment and bandage again until healed.
While there may be more than one way to get a blister, there are at least as many ways to prevent and treat them. Don?t get discouraged if one pops up early on in your running ? just assess the issue (STAT!), find a solution that works for you, and get back on the roads when the skin is healed and free from pain.
This article has been read and approved by Greatist Experts Andrew Kalley and Kelvin Gary.
Have something to say? Tell us in the comments below, or tweet the author at @katiekoerner.?
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Public release date: 24-Sep-2012
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So many small business owners keep their eyes down, working in?their businesses rather than on?them (a la Michael Gerber, author of E Myth), much to their own detriment.
Singer-songwriter Fiona Apple was arrested for possession of hashish at a checkpoint after drug-sniffing dogs detected marijuana in her tour bus.
