text:
By Kevin Davies
September 15, 2009 | There's a lot of interest in the cloud. In a sense, GenomeQuest has built the first commercial application-specific cloud for biocomputing." So said Ron Ranauro, GenomeQuest president and CEO, marking the July launch of GenomeQuest 6.0Beta, a sequence data management solution that provides a web-accessible, cloud computing environment for researchers to "align and mine" next-generation sequencing (NGS) data.
From the Internet, users can access the GenomeQuest cloud, namely "a 500-CPU compute farm for processing that's purpose-built for processing volumes of sequence data."
GenomeQuest is best known for mining sequence data for intellectual property. The strategy netted more than 100 customers, including most of the big pharmas, and several agricultural science customers. The strategy, Ranauro says, was always to create an enterprise sequence data management platform. But when would the market be ready? The arrival of the NGS era sparked what Ranauro calls the "catalytic event for causing the enterprise and academic markets to rethink the way they're managing sequence data."
Easy Button
GenomeQuest 6.0Beta addresses the needs of three key constituencies—the researcher, the bioinformatician, and the IT manager. "The early visionary market for next-gen sequencing wants to do everything, but the mainstream market wants 'the easy button,'" says Ranauro. "They also want some flexibility to tune parameters. They're not interested in managing data but want common workflows." GenomeQuest delivers production workflows for gene expression and variant (SNP) discovery. "Any researcher can self register and upload a file, or use the sample file and start getting results very quickly." (See, "You want results...").
Bioinformaticians, on the other hand, typically access data models and algorithms through an application programming interface (API). "We've put a tremendous investment in exposing the [API] at multiple levels. Since it's a web application, there's a URL API used to script and access any data or workflow or database in the system. There's a scripted command line API which most bioinformatics developers will prefer."
As for the IT manager, scalability is critical. "The volumes of these next-gen machines just continue to escalate," says Ranauro. "A system that won't scale is going to be a difficult investment to justify."
Ranauro half-jokingly says GenomeQuest is becoming a web company. "Researchers can come to the site, self register, use a sample data set or upload their own, run workflows and mine the results." The available sample data include metagenomic pathogen data (454), variant detection workflows, and gene expression data (Illumina, Life Technologies).
GenomeQuest 6.0 fits into the next-gen workflow from the generation of the raw data, picking up up the raw FASTA files, post image processing, and uploading that file. A multigigabyte file might take several hours. For bigger files, the sneakernet will suffice. (Ranauro says GenomeQuest is open to leveraging data-transfer services from companies such as Aspera.)
From a simple web application, the end user selects a reference genome and level of annotation. Are novel variants found in dbSNP? Are they found in coding regions? The result file is a sequence database of the assembly, which can be mined according to those properties. "Being able to mine and filter the results is the secret sauce of the scalable engine," says Ranauro. "Now the biologists can do this work without needing to be a programmer, through a very simple web application. That's the contribution we're making—allowing a broader, mainstream audience to participate fully in next-generation sequencing."
Biologists can select and create custom views of the appropriate reference sequence or subsets thereof. "It's providing data management, but data isn't really moving around or up and down from the server to the PC. All the manipulation is happening in the cloud but the user is able to manipulate [it]." The web architecture enables everything to be shared, including workflow, result databases, and selected views on results. "Those can be used as hypothesis drivers for the next set of experiments," he says.
Upside and RoadmapsWhile Ranauro has his sights set on mainstream users, he sees upside elsewhere. "In the fullness of time, a genome center is going to want to get onto the cloud, because they have to lower their costs, just the same as anybody else, to get to the $1000 genome. It might be that GenomeQuest's platform provides a smoother path onto the cloud than taking all the in-house infrastructure and trying to recreate it on Amazon… We see ourselves providing the on-ramp to the cloud."
Ranauro adds: "We're actively looking at scaling options that might include Amazon. Hosting this on Amazon is a very real possibility, but it's not currently on our roadmap."
De novo assembly functionality is on the roadmap, however, for the second half of 2009. "We'll provide the computational and alignment engine but we'll rely on the industry for the assembly. There are important assemblers, such as 454 Newbler, today. For short reads, later this year—there we'll rely probably on Velvet or Abyss."
Ranauro also sees a rich environment for next-gen software companies such as CLC bio and DNASTAR to add value. "Those tools have a very rich feature set. There's always going to be a researcher that can benefit."
Ranauro says his product is alone in that it can process the data and then mine it using an easy-to-use web-based platform. "There's a reason why the IT industry went from client-server to web-based. It provides centralized management, local control, more of a tractable knowledge engineering environment for an enterprise. We don't see our customers wanting to move data up and down between PCs and servers or across networks. They really want to have it stored centrally but be able to manipulate it easily. We're really the only company offering that."
You want results or not?!
After a stint with Eric Lander's group at the Whitehead Institute in the mid '90s, Richard Resnick tried his hand at industry, starting Mosaik (eventually acquired by NetGenics and LION), and a spell in the entertainment industry, before joining GenomeQuest.
"GenomeQuest has been an IP software company, but when I was consulting for the founder in '02-'03, they had something I'd have died to have used as a bioinformatics director in '96: this incredible powerful platform to do massive sequence data management and comparison."
NGS creates a huge data management and analysis problem, but GenomeQuest addresses the next step: how do I make my new transcriptome the reference sequence? Or take 100 Illumina runs and identify variation across them? "Nobody knows how to do that. It's such a nascent market."
While Resnick feels GenomeQuest could prove useful to the genome centers. "They're doing a lot of janitorial work they don't need to be doing," he says, "but they're not our immediate commercial customers." Instead, he is targeting—successfully—core labs with 3, 5, 10 machines running regularly, supporting university groups or medical schools.
Resnick sympathizes with the researchers presented with a stack of FAST-Q reads. Without a bioinformatics friend or group, they're lost. "The core lab managers are struck with this problem—managing the sequence data and how do I give these results to our users? They're not the Broad or Wash U—they don't have that level of resources—but that makes them really hot customers for us."
Resnick just signed the University of Florida, the first 454 customer, which he is installing as an "on the premises" platform behind their firewall. Another strong source of interest is agricultural biotech. Interest from pharma and biotech is picking up slowly, with Resnick highlighting areas such as toxicology, oncology, metagenomics, and infectious diseases.
GenomeQuest's four workflows cover variant detection, RNASeq, rapid mapping/annotation, and assembly. There is demand for ChipSEQ and microRNA characterization, which will likely be added. The reference databases are continually updated. "Having the reference databases available, easily minable, and filterable is sine qua non for having accurate results," Resnick insists.
He selects human chromosome 7, and within seconds, he is filtering the list of high quality SNPs found from a sequencing run that affect a protein translation and are totally novel. The answer is 19, and the list—and the filtering workflow—are saved for future use. Some clients still use sneakernets to upload their data. "Trucks and planes are sometimes faster than the Internet," says Resnick. "Our transport speeds are increasing to line speed, but we'll ship you a disk if you want one."
GenomeQuest supports all the major platforms, including Helicos. Interested users can create a basic account and do sequence comparisons "in a massive way… in perpetuity," says Resnick. "You can take anything you've uploaded, and compare it to any database you want." The only part for which GenomeQuest charges is the high-end NGS workflows. "It's less than the cost of the reagents," says Resnick. He asks rhetorically: "You've invested thousands of dollars in a run. Do you want to get the results or not?" K.D.
This article also appeared in the September-October 2009 issue of Bio-IT World Magazine.
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text:
Top Definition
I was pulling the joey and almost hit a seagull.
লিখেছেন- Sky sex 6 de জুলাই de 2013
Trending Now
Can you define these popular missing words?
Pulling ones ball skin up over the shaft the the penis and letting just the head of the penis hang out like a mother kangaroo carrying her young.
She loves it when i do the joey, it really gets her in the mood for some deep anal.
লিখেছেন- Kuma 13 7 de জুন de 2007

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Tuesday statement from Emergency Management Coordinator
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(March 26, 2014) The following events and meetings have been delayed, postponed or canceled in advance of Tuesday and Wednesday's expected blizzard-like storm. The Inquirer and Mirror will update the list frequently. Please e-mail delays, cancellations and postponements here.
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Sutro Tunnel illustrates fate of local gun range | Firearms Lawyer
Adolph Sutro should remind some of us of the struggle it will take to build an indoor shooting range in Federal Way.
Sutro was born in Prussia and arrived in the United States in 1850. The Sutro Tunnel in Nevada was a bold feat of mine engineering for which he advocated and struggled for years.
By the time work began on the tunnel in 1869, Sutro had lobbied Congress, worked with unions, fought with mine owners and banks, and traveled to Europe many times seeking investors.
Fire and carbon monoxide were just two hazards of life underground. The air was hot and dirty. Operating expenses had multiplied. Despite the mine owners' initial enthusiasm for Sutro's proposals, mine operators began to oppose Sutro. Financial and political warfare ensued.
Sutro published a series of pamphlets and used satire, statistics and political activism to win the people over to his side. The mining interests and the Bank of California heaped abuse on Sutro. But his personality and stubborn persistence finally convinced Congress to support his idea. He talked so much about a tunnel that Sutro was known as the man who had "bats in his belfry."
In 1864, he petitioned the Nevada legislature for a franchise and received one. The Bank of California encouraged Sutro by giving him a letter to a bank in London. The Bank of California, however, began fighting the tunnel tooth and nail.
It turned out that Sutro's plans for reducing the ore at the mouth of the tunnel threatened the bank's interest in a firm that carried the ore to mills on the Carson River. The newspapers took up the fight against the tunnel and claimed that Virginia City's property values would fall if the tunnel was completed.
Sutro managed to get the representatives from Washington to visit the Comstock mines. Despite the Bank of California's stratagems, Sutro took the politicians down into the mines. The heat within the mines persuaded the lawmakers that the tunnel was needed to ventilate the deadly drifts — and get the silver ore to market safely and economically.
Sutro's bold strategy was to shine light on the conspiracy to destroy his project and show how it operated. He discussed the dangers of not having a tunnel in case of fire in the mines.
Sutro was an exciting orator who presented pictures at his public meetings. Sutro's audio-visuals displayed the Yellow Jacket fire, in which miners plunged down a burning mine shaft. The pictures focused on the miners' families. The miners' union provided $50,000 to start the work.
The labor unions and miners attended the ground breaking. The establishment held Sutro's tunnel in derision and the California bank's newspapers denounced it. The mainstream media, in the pockets of the banking elite, claimed the tunnel would depopulate Virginia City.
Sutro got the President and Congress to send a commission to Nevada. Sutro went to Europe next and raised nearly $1.5 million. Then, Sutro went to Washington, D.C., and claimed that the committee had been influenced by his enemies. A new 810-page report recommended a government loan of $2 million.
Just as when Adolph Sutro drove his tunnel through the mountain in the face of determined opposition, those that can benefit the most from building a gun range in Federal Way may complain that it is a crazy idea. Engineering and legal work needs to be done before the project is even close to being "shovel ready."
There are no proposals for obtaining public funding. Banks see nothing but liability when new gun ranges are proposed.
The benefits for the public from building a range, however, go beyond recreational opportunities. A gun is a piece of personal safety equipment, like a fire extinguisher, that creates a path to safety in the face of violence.
There are men and women in our community who will invest large amounts of money to make the range a reality. There are corporations that recognize the need for local law enforcement and armed citizens to practice on a local range.
The Armed Defense Training Association in Federal Way will eventually present audio-visuals, detailed plans and financial projections. Gun training is not quite like driving a tunnel through a mountain, but the forces opposing our proposals are organized and connected in ways that should be expected.
We can build a facility that is profitable today that will be used by future generations.
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text: I'm *thinking about* pursuing part-time or contract-based work, as things with my own (new) business are still pretty slow as I'm trying to grow the business, and I'm also worried things will slow down a little bit over the holidays and early part of next year. So on a side note, if you know of any nonprofits who need technical support, website hosting, or any sort of IT consulting, feel free to send them to http://developcents.com and pass me their name. =) But to get back on topic of my off-topic Chugalug post, if you or your company is looking to hire a part-time employee for systems administration, network administration or technical support positions, please have a look at my resume and give me a call. - David PS: This is partly on topic, because I'm writing this email on a Linux-based system, and I have quite a bit of Linux experience. Bonus: I'm great with DNS (and BIND) as well as Linux Web Hosting architectures (LAMP stacks, mostly). PPS: Develop CENTS is getting ready to issue a massive Press Release on December 2, and we're hopeful that we'll get some media attention out of it. Stay tuned - but I won't be spamming the list with that PR... so it'll be up to you to find it. :) -- David White Founder & CEO *Develop CENTS * Computing, Equipping, Networking, Training & Supporting Nonprofit Organizations Worldwide http://developcents.com 423-693-4234 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://chugalug.org/pipermail/chugalug/attachments/20131121/6812d8d0/attachment-0001.html> -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: David White Resume.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 52538 bytes Desc: not available URL: <http://chugalug.org/pipermail/chugalug/attachments/20131121/6812d8d0/attachment-0001.pdf>


text:
alone, cabin, dark, dark woods, dead, death, deep woods, evil, film, Film News, frightening, ghost, haunted, haunting, horror, horror film, horror movie, horror movie review, horror movies, horror review, movie, movie review, movie reviews, Movies, norway, norwegian horror, scary, spooky, vill mark, villmark
Although Norwegian horror movies are not at the forefront, VillMark is certainly a movie that can be categorized as one that can bring the genre very close to it. The film is about a TV producer, Gunnar, who takes four individuals into the deep forests of Norway so that they may bond and prove to be a coherent team. Of course, being isolated in the woods in a cabin is just asking for trouble and, needless to say, bad things start to happen.
The introduction of things to come is by way of an old tape recorder found in the cabin that belonged to Gunnar's family. The kids play with their new "toy" and upon playing the tape back hear a message that was recorded years ago when Gunnar, now a man perhaps in his late 40's, was a child. We can hear the boy crying and a warning from someone who may have been either his father or grandfather warning to him to stay away from the pond. It is at this moment where we know that something is amiss at the pond. So what does one do when they are warned NOT to do something? You do it anyway out of curiosity.
The two young men, Lasse and Per, make their way near the pond where they find an old, what looks to be abandoned, campsite. Littered around the campsite are canned goods as well as expired food. Inside the tent, the boys find some booze, cigarettes and some German paraphernalia. It is here where Gunnar, having joined them, and the young men discover the body of a woman buried under the pond. Gunnar thinks it best to withhold their newly discovered information from the girls and decides not to alert the authorities until their weekend of bonding is over. Hmmm, weird.
After their discovery, it becomes evident that they are not alone in the woods and the movie takes a turn that will have you scratching your head for a good portion of its remainder. Why? Gunnar, for one, begins to act a little strange and his attitude towards the crew gets a little hostile and withdrawn. There are hints sprinkled at the audience that Gunnar has ghosts from the past and that perhaps he is not all there mentally. Going forward, the film takes on a very long mysterious note where nothing as dramatic as a death plays out during the film's first 51 minutes given that this an 80 minute movie. DO NOT, however, let that detract you from seeing this movie as there are plenty of chills provided and a mystery that will keep you engaged and wondering what will happen next.
Lending to the mysterious feel of the movie is the fact that the movie was filmed in the Norwegian forests that have an almost fantasy-laden presence. Not when it's dark as it brings out the creepiness rather than a Middle Earth feel. Most of the lighting in the film mimicked that of actual "natural" lighting, ie. flashlights that added to some realism. It is because of this that the filmmakers were able to capture an eerie atmosphere that made for much creepiness in the movie.
One hour into the movie, and it is made clear that there is someone/thing in the dark woods as one the crew members has gone missing. At 63 minutes into the film, finally, the unraveling begins! Yes, I know, very late into the movie, but well worth it. Not once did I find myself bored. As I mentioned prior, I was actually intrigued as the filmmakers poked the audience a couple of times with a few mysterious antidotes that kept, at least me, intrigued and yearning for more which paid off in the unraveling. It certainly kept me on my toes!
The film is very ambiguous which, by the end, becomes very thought provoking. There was much restraint from revealing too much and by the film's conclusion when the credits were rolling you are still left with many questions to which there were no answers provided, hence, coming up with your answers/theories. Sometimes having loose ends make for great conversation and this is certainly a movie that will induce many. Is it scary? Maybe not so much for the horror aficionado, but for the common man (woman), yes, it is. It is not the type of horror movie where there are blood and guts galore but, rather, a psychological one which are my personal favorite in that you don't have to check your brain in at the door. The film engages you to think a little and sort of puts the puzzles together although not many pieces are given to you. It isn't until the end where some, not all, are given to you. The ending itself is up for debate but that's a conversation you can have with your friends or loved ones after watching. It was billed as a slasher film but don't go in expecting your typical slasher movie, ala, Friday the 13th.


text:
Top Definition
one who indulges in mass debating
Tony Blair is an expert mass debater
Beküldő: paul 2005. február 8.
Trending Now
Can you define these popular missing words?
A large amount of topics to engage in, by arguing and discussing opposing points.
Lea has to argue with everyone and disagrees with any point that they're trying to make. She is such a mass Debater!
Beküldő: Rut6124 2009. november 19.
a person who likes to massively debate.
Grace is a mass debater.
Beküldő: PhoForMe 2009. március 18.


text:
From the Departments of Neurology (Drs Barbano, Herrmann, and Dworkin) and Anesthesiology (Drs Hart-Gouleau and Dworkin and Ms Pennella-Vaughan)University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, and Southern Drug Research, Birmingham, Ala (Dr Lodewick). Dr Barbano has received research grants or consulting fees from Allergan, AstraZeneca, and Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical; Dr Lodewick has received research grants or consulting fees from Endo Pharmaceuticals, Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, and Novo-Nordisk; and Dr Dworkin has received research support, consulting fees, or speakers' bureau honoraria in the past year from Abbott Laboratories, Allergan, AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers-Squibb, Elan Pharmaceuticals, Eli Lilly & Co, Endo Pharmaceuticals, EpiCept Corporation, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, NeurogesX, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Pfizer, Purdue Pharma, Reliant Pharmaceuticals, and UCB Pharma.
The treatment of painful diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN) is often inadequate and frequently limited by the systemic adverse effects of medications, necessitating the evaluation of novel treatments.
To evaluate the effectiveness, tolerability, and impact on quality of life of the 5% lidocaine patch in painful diabetic polyneuropathy.
Open-label, flexible-dosing, 3-week study with a 5-week extension.
Outpatient clinics and clinical research centers.
Volunteer sample of 56 patients with clinically defined painful diabetic polyneuropathy of longer than 3 months' duration.
The 5% lidocaine patch, with a maximum of 4 patches daily for 18 hours.
Main Outcome Measures
Change in mean daily pain diary ratings from baseline to week 3. Secondary end points included assessments of safety, tolerability, and quality of life.
Patients with painful diabetic polyneuropathy showed significant improvements in pain and quality-of-life outcome measures during a 3-week treatment period. These benefits were maintained in a subgroup of patients treated for an additional 5 weeks, during which taper of concomitant analgesic therapy was permitted. Adverse events were minimal, and systemic accumulation of lidocaine did not occur.
Up to four 5% lidocaine patches for up to 18 h/d are well tolerated in patients with painful diabetic polyneuropathy, significantly improve pain and quality-of-life ratings, and may allow tapering of concomitant analgesic therapy. Given the open-label design of this trial, a randomized controlled trial is necessary to confirm these results.
Neuropathic pain is a common, often disabling feature of diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN).1 The treatment of painful DPN is often inadequate and limited by the systemic adverse effects of currently available regimens. The 5% lidocaine patch has approval of the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia.2 Potential advantages of the 5% lidocaine patch in DPN are its lack of systemic adverse effects and minimal interaction with other medications. The approved dosing for postherpetic neuralgia of 3 patches for a maximum of 12 hours in a 24-hour period potentially limits its utility in DPN, for which there has been only a single case published of treatment with the 5% lidocaine patch.3 We herein report an open-label study of the 5% lidocaine patch in 56 patients with painful DPN and assess the safety and tolerability of a higher and more flexible dosing regimen.
The study protocol was approved by the institutional review boards of the 3 participating sites (Rochester, NY; Birmingham, Ala; and Jacksonville, Fla), and all patients provided informed consent. The inclusion criteria were presence of clinically defined painful DPN of at least 3 months' duration; an average daily pain diary rating for the baseline week of at least 4 on the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI)4 0- to 10-point rating scale of average pain; at least 1 hour of moderate or severe pain on a verbal pain rating scale daily in the preceding 3 months; a stable analgesic drug regimen and dosages for at least 1 week before the baseline visit (although not a specific criterion, subjects receiving a tricyclic antidepressant had received stable dosages for >30 days); and a hemoglobin A1c level of no greater than 0.13% of total hemoglobin. Exclusion criteria were any other pain more severe than the painful DPN; open skin lesions in the area where the patches were to be applied; previous treatment with topical lidocaine; known hypersensitivity to lidocaine or amide anesthetics; current treatment with class I antiarrhythmic agents; history of excessive alcohol use or illicit drug use; and history of a suicide attempt or a current suicide intent or plan. Enrolled patients underwent assessment at baseline as having painful DPN either with or without mechanical allodynia.
Treatment consisted of the immediate daily application to the area of maximal DPN pain of up to 4 lidocaine patches (18 hours on and 6 hours off per day) for 3 weeks. Patches could be cut, and the application manner was at the subject's discretion; an attempt was made at each dosing period to cover the entire painful region with lidocaine patches. An increase in prior stabilized analgesic therapy or the introduction of new analgesics was not allowed during the study period. As specified in the protocol, patients at 1 of the 3 study sites were treated for an additional 5 weeks, during which taper of concomitant analgesic therapy was permitted while maintaining adequate pain control.
Patients completed the BPI average pain rating in a daily diary. Assessments were also conducted of the short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ)5 sensory, affective, total, and visual analog pain scales, BPI pain relief, sleep quality, BPI interference of pain on daily activities, Beck Depression Inventory6 depression scores, and Profile of Mood States7 mood scores. Blood was drawn at the screening visit and at the end of treatment week 3 to assess hemoglobin A1c levels. Samples for measurement of plasma lidocaine levels were drawn approximately 10 to 12 hours after the last patch application at the end of treatment weeks 1 and 3.
The primary outcome variable was the change in mean daily pain diary ratings from baseline to week 3. Secondary outcome measures of change from baseline to week 3 and baseline to week 8 included the additional pain measures (SF-MPQ pain quality and intensity scales and BPI pain relief), the health-related quality-of-life (QOL) measures (sleep quality, pain interference, depression, and mood), and assessments of safety and tolerability.
We performed analyses on data from all patients for whom baseline and any postbaseline data were available. Final assessments were performed at the time of discontinuation for all patients who discontinued the study medication regimen prematurely for any reason. All patients were included in the safety analyses. Analyses were performed using SAS software, version 8.2 (SAS Institute, Cary, NC). We used a 2-way repeated-measures analysis of variance with terms for visit (baseline vs week 3 or week 8) and patient group (allodynia [DPNA] vs no allodynia [DPNNA]) to compare within- and between-group changes in outcome variables from baseline to week 3 in the total sample and from baseline to week 8 in the subgroup of patients allowed to taper concomitant analgesic therapy. The McNemar test was used for within-group comparisons of sleep quality. Analysis of adverse events was descriptive. Two-tailed P≤.05 was considered statistically significant.
We enrolled 56 patients with painful DPN; 19 patients were in the DPNA group and 37 were in the DPNNA group. Patients with DPNA and DPNNAdid not differ with respect to age, sex, ethnicity, or baseline pain intensity in the daily pain diary in independent-sample t tests.
Significant improvement was found in the primary end point of change in mean daily pain diary ratings from baseline week to week 3, SF-MPQ total, sensory, affective, and visual analog scores, and BPI pain relief scores in the total sample of patients (Table 1 and Figure 1). Overall, 37 (70%) of 53 patients with week 3 pain ratings demonstrated a reduction of at least 30% in weekly mean daily pain diary ratings from baseline to week 3, including 13 (68%) of 19 patients with DPNA and 24 (71%) of 34 patients with DPNNA. Furthermore, 6 patients with DPNA (32%) and 17 patients with DPNNA (50%) demonstrated a greater than 50% reduction in weekly mean daily pain diary ratings from baseline week to week 3.
Mean daily pain diary ratings for the baseline and 3 treatment weeks. BPI indicates Brief Pain Inventory; DPNA group, patients with diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN) with allodynia; and DPNNA group, patients with DPN without allodynia.
Treatment was also accompanied by significant improvements from baseline to week 3 in the total sample in sleep quality and all aspects of pain interference assessed by the BPI (Table 2). Significant improvement was also seen in Beck Depression Inventory depression scores and the Profile of Mood States tension-anxiety, depression-dejection, anger-hostility, fatigue-inertia, and total mood-disturbance scales in the total sample (Table 2). There were no significant interactions between visit and patient group in the repeated-measures analyses of variance, indicating that the patients in the DPNA and DPNNA groups did not differ in the extent to which they experienced improvement with treatment on any of the measures for which improvement was significant in the total sample of patients.
In the subgroup of patients who were treated for an additional 5 weeks, during which taper of concomitant analgesic therapy was permitted (n = 28), 7 patients underwent taper of gabapentin, amitriptyline hydrochloride, or tramadol hydrochloride therapy. Three patients had complete discontinuation of concomitant pain medication therapy (2 of gabapentin and 1 of amitriptyline), and 4 patients maintained a reduced dosage, including 2 receiving gabapentin (50% and 67% reductions), 1 receiving tramadol (50% reduction), and 1 receiving amitriptyline (25% reduction). No patients required increase in their concomitant pain medication dosages. In the entire subgroup, improvements in pain and QOL were maintained for all of the outcome measures at 8 weeks that had demonstrated significant benefits at 3 weeks in the complete sample except for SF-MPQ affective scores and sleep quality; in addition, vigor-activitywas significantly improved in the subgroup at 8 weeks. In the 7 patients who underwent taper of concomitant medication dosages in this subgroup, significant improvements on daily pain diary ratings, SF-MPQ sensory and total scores, BPI pain relief, and fatigue-inertia, but none of the other measures, were found at the end of this additional 5-week treatment period.
Of the 56 patients enrolled, 1 withdrew before dosing and 4 withdrew secondary to adverse events during the 3-week study period (7.3%). Of these adverse events, 2 were deemed related to the study drug and consisted of application-site pain or burning. There were no systemic adverse events reported, and no serious adverse events occurred during the trial. Five patients reported burning sensations at the application site, 2 had pain exacerbation, 1 had a papular rash, and 1 had a photosensitivity reaction. The mean ± SD plasma lidocaine levels for the cohort did not differ significantly between the end of treatment weeks 1 (24.1 ± 19.7 ng/mL) and 3 (28.2 ± 23.0 ng/mL); these levels are well below lidocaine serum levels associated with an antiarrhythmic effect (1.5 µg/mL [6.4 µmol/L]) or toxicity (5.0 µg/mL [21.4 µmol/L]).8
In this open-label trial, the 5% lidocaine patch significantly reduced pain and improved QOL in patients with painful DPN. Although regression to the mean and placebo effects cannot be ruled out, the beneficial response was consistent across all the measures, occurred in patients whether or not they had allodynia, and was maintained to 8 weeks of treatment. After 3 weeks of treatment, two thirds of patients demonstrated a reduction of at least 30% in the weekly mean daily pain diary ratings, a clinically important degree of pain relief.9
Few clinical trials of neuropathic pain have separated patients into those with and without allodynia. This distinction may not only be important in understanding the pathophysiology of neuropathic pain but also have ramifications for treatment.10 Nevertheless, there were no differences between the patients in the DPNA and DPNNA groups in the magnitude of their improvement in any of the pain and QOL outcome measures, suggesting that treatment with the 5% lidocaine patch may have comparable effectiveness in these 2 groups. It is important to emphasize, however, that allodynia can be caused by different pathophysiological mechanisms and that assessments of specific pain mechanisms may be associated with the treatment response.
A secondary objective of the study was to examine whether treatment with the 5% lidocaine patch reduced the negative impact of painful DPN on activities of daily living and psychological distress. We found significant improvements in all of the pain interference measures, 2 measures of depression, anger-hostility, fatigue-inertia, tension-anxiety, and total mood disturbance. A beneficial impact of treatment on QOL has not been uniformly demonstrated in analgesic clinical trials in patients with neuropathic pain. These results suggest that the generally excellent tolerability of the 5% lidocaine patch might translate to improvements in QOL that may be less likely to occur with more poorly tolerated treatments.
An additional objective was to determine the safety and tolerability in patients with DPN of 4 lidocaine patches with an application period of 18 hours on and 6 hours off. Data from a prior pharmacokinetic study in healthy patients demonstrated that application of 4 patches for 18 h/d yielded blood lidocaine levels that are safe, with an adverse event profile that was not appreciably different from that found when the dosage approved by the US Food and Drug Administration is used.11 The present regimen was selected because painful DPN manifests bilaterally in the lower extremities and is more severe at night. Application of 4 patches for 18 h/d makes it unnecessary for patients to cut patches to apply an equal number to both feet and allows patches to be applied for the entire night and most of the day. No significant adverse events were found in the present study with this regimen, and the results suggested that there is no systemic accumulation of lidocaine during a 3-week treatment period. The minimum drug concentrations in patients with DPN were similar to steady-state minimum drug concentrations previously reported in healthy volunteers who applied 4 patches for 18 h/d.
In conclusion, a more flexible dosing regimen of the 5% lidocaine patch was well tolerated, and the beneficial response suggests that it may be an effective treatment for the management of painful DPN. A double-blind, randomized, vehicle-controlled trial must be conducted to confirm our observations.
Corresponding author and reprints: Richard L. Barbano, MD, PhD, Department of Neurology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, 601 Elmwood Ave, Rochester, NY 14642 (email@example.com).
Accepted for publication May 28, 2003.
Author contributions: Study concept and design (Drs Barbano, Herrmann, and Dworkin); acquisition of data (Drs Barbano, Herrmann, Hart-Gouleau, Lodewick, and Dworkin and Ms Pennella-Vaughan); analysis and interpretation of data (Drs Barbano, Herrmann, and Dworkin); drafting of the manuscript (Drs Barbano, Hart-Gouleau, and Dworkin and Ms Pennella-Vaughan); critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content (Drs Barbano, Herrmann, Lodewick, and Dworkin); statistical expertise (Dr Dworkin); obtained funding (Drs Barbano and Dworkin); administrative, technical, and material support (Dr Hart-Gouleau); study supervision (Drs Barbano, Herrmann, Lodewick, and Dworkin and Ms Pennella-Vaughan).
This study was supported by research grants from Endo Pharmaceuticals, Chadds Ford, Pa, for conducting the study described in this article (Drs Lodewick and Dworkin).
Michael Roura, MD, was the principal investigator for the Northeast Florida Endocrine Diabetes Associates, Jacksonville, Fla, study site. We thank Arnold R. Gammaitoni, PharmD, Jim Copp, PhD, and Napoleon Oleka, PhD, of Endo Pharmaceuticals for their invaluable assistance.
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We love welcoming new brands to the figleaves.com family. New for SS/10 we're thrilled to announce the arrival of Monsoon's lingerie collection developed by the same group who have given us fellow figleaves favourite Ballet.
The first range from the high street store has just launched and we were lucky enough to be invited down to their press night to partake in some champers and cupcakes and sample the delicately designed bras, briefs, and nightwear for AW/09.
Caroline endulges in champagne. . . Meanwhile the cupcake stand beckons
While Monsoon won't arrive at figleaves.com until February, our sneak peek at the current line has left us giddy with anticipation for the fresh delights we can expect when the collection launches here. We couldn't help but give you a taste too.
Vintage inspired designs feature exquisite eyelash details, like the Jolie balconette bra that our Marketing Assistant Caroline bought. Floral and folksy prints, pastel colour palettes styled in satin, and ornate detailing make for a chic and glamorous collection that we know will be very at home at figleaves.com.
One of our favourites, the Odele balconette bra in powder blue, will be restyled in cream for SS/10. We think it will be perfect for wearing under the sorbet sweet lemon tones that have graced the catwalks in recent weeks.
Briefs and nightwear will be available in sizes S-XL. Bras will range from a 32-38 back and will be available in cup sizes B-E. Judging by what we've seen from Monsoon we can't wait for SS/10 and know you'll feel the same.


text:
When Jacin Vera's desperation shot from just inside the halfcourt stripe clanged off the left side of the rim at the final buzzer, the realization of a dream for the Petrides Panthers had come to fruition.
They had beaten Curtis, for the first time in the program's history.
It wasn't pretty at times, but in a game of momentum swings, the host Panthers provided the last turn early in the fourth quarter then held on for a 55-53 PSAL decision Saturday in Sunnyside.
"This is what we've been waiting for," said senior point guard Sean Caputo, a varsity member since he was a freshman, who scored nine of his team-high 21 points in the fourth quarter. "This is why we've been coming into the gym every single day for. Everyone on this team worked hard, everyone contributed."
None more so than Caputo and three-year varsity starter Josh Bibbins, who was enough of a distraction defensively against Curtis center Halil Kanacevic (game-high 22) down the stretch to make a difference.
"We just stayed clam and kept our heads," Bibbins said. "Hopefully, we'll have more wins like this to come."
The Panthers (2-0 PSAL) were up 31-25 after a first half which saw five ties and seven lead changes. The margin grew to eight before a 10-0 Curtis run propelled the Warriors (0-1) to a 41-37 edge headed into the fourth.
The Curtis advantage went to six and was at 44-39 before Petrides went on an 11-0 spurt to recapture the lead 50-44 with 4:40 remaining. The Warriors knotted it again at 50-all on a Kanacevic put-back with 1:50 left.
Caputo sank two free throws to reclaim the lead for Petrides, which tacked on a Will Hunter foul shot with 1:03 to go after missed baskets by Curtis' James Timmins and Kanacevic sandwiched a Bibbins turnover. Kanacevic had two more shots go in-and-out and teammate Redon Qello missed underneath the hoop before Harrison Ross made one free throw to stretch the margin to 54-50.
But Vera hit a trey and Caputo only made 1 of 2 from the foul line to give the Warriors a chance with 10 seconds left. Curtis, however, had a hard time getting the ball up court and left Vera with only a desperation heave.
"Our offense is obviously struggling early in the season," said Curtis first-year coach Rich Buckheit, who was without starting forward Carl Allen (sprained ankle suffered in Wednesday's 51-36 opening loss to St. Peter's). "In the first half, we were trying to adjust to the different defenses Petrides was running. In the second half, we got the ball where and to who we wanted it to go, but we didn't convert. Against a good team, you have to make those shots."


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text:
|18 weeks (a few days shy actually)
How far along: 18 weeks
Total weight gain: 7ish pounds I think
Maternity clothes: I'm completely in to my maternity pants. Some of my longer regular tops still fit but fewer and fewer still work.
Stretch marks: Nope.
Sleep: As long as my joints aren't killing me when I get in bed I sleep pretty well.
Best moment of the week (or month since it's been that long): hearing baby's heartbeat at my last appointment and seeing it on the ultrasound. OH! And scheduling my big sonogram for later this month when we will find out the gender!
Miss anything: Not lately.
Movement: Maybe a little but I think I'm not still enough when awake to really notice it yet.
Food cravings: Salad (like a big one with awesome toppings), BBQ chips, bacon, soda (still...grr)
Anything making you queasy or sick: I'm still a little queasy early in the mornings and if my blood sugar gets too low I go down fast.
Have you started to show yet: Yes but most people still don't believe I'm a) pregnant and/or b) as far along as I am.
Gender: it's definitely a boy OR girl...don't know yet and it's KILLING ME
Labor signs: Nope.
Belly button– in or out: In.
Wedding rings– on or off: On.
Happy or moody most of the time: Happy most of the time I suppose but still moody.
Looking forward to: finding out boy/girl


text:
Help us demonstrate curling to Highmark employees downtown Tuesday Jan 7, 8:30A – 2P. This will be a lot of fun, demonstrating curling using wheelie rocks, explaining the sport and talking about our club and future plans.
If you're available to help – WE NEED YOU! Please contact Dan Bliss: email@example.com if you're interested.


text:
It's almost weekend, Hobokenites. Here's where you can go to celebrate that and grab a (fairly) cheap drink in one of Hoboken's many bars.
- It's Thirsty Thursday at the Brass Rail, which means that starting at 7 p.m., the bar is offering $5 Infused Vodka, Tequila, or Champagne Drinks.- O'Donoghues is offering $1 Yuenglings and $1 Coors Lite until 10 p.m..
- $2 off Sam Adams and Sam Summer at Liberty Bar & Grill.
- It's Happy Hour from 4 to 8 p.m. at Oddfellows Rest, but Martinis are half priced all night long.
- Hoboken Idol Live, at Whiskey Bar tonight. All night long, you can get: $2 Cans, $2 Domestic, $3 Import pints or, if you're in the mood for packaged deal: a $5 Beer and shot.


text:
Bentley, a physician who worked at Children's during his residency, told a standing-room-only crowd at the hospital's dedication that unless a constitutional amendment passes in a Sept. 18 vote, the consequences could be severe.
Medicaid, which provides health care for about 900,000 lower-income and disabled Alabamians, would be hard-pressed to meet its needs, Bentley said.
"I need your help on Sept. 18," he said.
On that date Alabama voters will decide whether to approve an amendment that would transfer $145.8 million from the state's oil and gas trust fund to its General Fund, and to transfer similar amounts in 2013 and 2014.
State officials have said that state agencies will lose 10 percent of their revenue should the amendment fail. State Health Officer Dr. Donald Williams last month said the loss of funds could prove catastrophic for Medicaid.
Children's CEO Mike Warren echoed the governor.
"The governor is absolutely right," Warren said. "Remember Sept. 18. Vote for that constitutional amendment."
Bentley, Warren, Birmingham Mayor William Bell and a host of dignitaries gathered in the lobby of the new hospital for the dedication, at which a group of children who had been patients at the old hospital presented them with ceremonial keys.
Also present was Ben Russell of Alexander City, who with his wife Luanne donated $25 million toward the construction of the building that is named after his grandfather, Russell Corp. founder Benjamin Russell.
It's his family's association with the hospital, rather than its place in Alabama industry and business, that often comes up in conversation when he meets people for the first time, Russell said.
"It's simply the greatest organization I've ever been associated with," he said.
The hospital is expected to begin moving in patients the first week of August, after about two months of meeting regulatory and licensing requirements," Warren said.
"Things are on schedule," he said.


text:
European Leagues
KHL Game Day: 11-16-15Submitted by pete on November 16, 2015 - 19:21
Khanty-Mansiysk 2 vs. Jokerit 4
Saku Salminen, Jokerit, DNP
Season totals: 9 GP, 0-1-1, +1, 0 PIM
Ex-Panthers pick Topi Jaakola and ex-Stars pick Philip Larsen each had 1 goal and 1 assist from the blueline in Jokerit's 4-2 win over Khanty-Mansisysk.
Novgorod 2 vs. Dynamo Moscow 3 (SO)
Carter Ashton, Novgorod, 0-1-1, -1, 0 PIM, 0 SOG
Season totals:
Carter Ashton had a helper in 16:28 of ice time in Novgorod's 3-2 shootout loss to Dynamo Moscow. Dynamo got a goal from ex-Lightning forward Martins Karsums.
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- 390 reads
KHL Game Day: 11-15-15Submitted by pete on November 15, 2015 - 19:46
Magnitogorsk 4 vs. Yaroslavl 1
Vasily Koshechkin, Magnitogorsk, Win, 29/30, 1.01 GAA, .967 sv%
Season totals: 26 GP, 11-9-5, 0 SO, 2.31 GAA, .916 sv%
Ex-NHLer Wojtek Wolski had 1 goal and 1 assist in Magnitogorsk's 4-1 win over Yaroslavl. Ex-Capitals pick Oskar Osala also chipped in a goal in the win.
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- 406 reads
AHL Game Night: 11-14-15 Comets at CrunchSubmitted by pete on November 14, 2015 - 22:14
Gudlevskis stands on his head.
Kristers Gudlevskis allowed just 1 goal on 48 shots for the victory. That's darned near shades of the Lightning's affiliation with Springfield territory, when guys like Boutin were having to fend off 50-some shots a game. He gets back on track and one ups Wilcox who has had a couple of good starts in a row and now we have two goaltenders cooking in the AHL in a way that the Lightning haven't seen since the heady days of Tokarski and Janus. This is good.
First Period
Second Period
SYR Vermin, (3) (Nesterov, Mormina), 10:45
UTI Zalewski, (3) (Pedan, Fedun), 12:23
Third Period
SYR Peca, (4) (Vermin, DeAngelo), 1:01 (PP)
Gudlevskis, Joel Vermin and Matthew Peca were the game's three stars.
Syracuse punctuated their victory tonight with a feverish 5-on-3 PK toward the end of the Third Period to seal the win.
Box score from TheAHL.com.
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Liiga Game Day: 11-14-15Submitted by pete on November 14, 2015 - 19:16
Blues 3 vs. KalPa 1
Jonne Tammela, KalPa, 0-0-0, -1, 0 PIM, 1 SOG
Season totals: 10 GP, 2-0-2, E, 6 PIM
Jonne Tammela was scoreless in 13:14 in KalPa's 3-1 loss to Blues. Blues got a goal from ex-Lightning pick Eero Somervuori in the win.
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- 366 reads
KHL Game Day: 11-14-15Submitted by pete on November 14, 2015 - 19:10
Ekaterinburg 3 vs. Jokerit 4 (SO)
Saku Salminen, Jokerit, DNP
Season totals: 9 GP, 0-1-1, +1, 0 PIM
Ex-Ottawa Senator Peter Regin had 1 goal and 1 assist and had the Shootout winner for Jokerit in their 4-3 victory over Ekaterinurg. Ex-Lightning first rounder Riku Helenius made 14 saves in regulation and OT and stopped 2 of 2 in the penalty shot session for the SO win.
Novgorod 3 vs. Podolsk 1
Carter Ashton, Novgorod, 0-0-0, +1, 0 PIM, 1 SOG
Season totals: 21 GP, 6-4-10, +6, 14 PIM
Carter Ashton was scoreless in 17:34 in Novgorod's 3-1 win over Podolsk. Novgorod got a goal from ex-Avs pick Linus Videll in the victory.
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- 308 reads
Liiga Game Day: 11-13-15Submitted by pete on November 13, 2015 - 19:58
Pelicans 1 vs. KalPa 3
Jonne Tammela, KalPa, 0-0-0, E, 0 PIM, 1 SOG
Season totals: 9 GP, 2-0-2, +1, 6 PIM
Jonne Tammela was scoreless in 12:05 of ice time in KalPa's 3-1 win over Pelicans Lahti. Ex-Devils pick Patrick Davis had 2 goals to pace KalPa. After spending much of the first month or two of the season in the Liiga's bottom 5 spots, KalPa has risen to 6th on the table, which is the final spot that would grab a first round playoff bye.
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NHL Game Night: 11-12-15 Flames at LightningSubmitted by pete on November 13, 2015 - 00:31
Lightning stop the bleeding for one night.
Ben Bishop allowed 1 goal on 31 shots for the victory. With the fragile state the team is in, he simply couldn't allow them to fall behind in this game, and he didn't. He kept everything square until the breakthrough until the Third Period.
First Period
Second Period
1:59 TB Boyle (3), (Coburn)
6:45 CGY Bennett (4), (Backlund, Wideman)(PP)
Third Period
12:51 TB Stamkos (9), (Killorn, Johnson)(PP)
18:27 TB Johnson (3), (Kucherov)
Bishop and Ryan Callahan were the game's first and second stars.
Three goals by the Lightning off of broken plays. I'll take it. On the NBCSN broadcast, Brian Engblom floated the idea the Lightning have hit a physical and emotional wall because of the amount of hockey they played last season on their deep Stanley Cup Final run by citing the experience of the Pittsburgh Penguins after deep runs under Dan Bylsma. That's plausible given the minimal roster turnover and the lack of energy and fight the team has shown at times. Eventually they'll work through that wall, but in the mean time they'll have to hope they can continue to manufacture wins like they did tonight. Again, at this point the question isn't if they'll be in a hole. The question is whether it will be a pot hole or a sink hole.
Box score and extended statistics from NHL.com.
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KHL Game Day: 11-12-15Submitted by pete on November 12, 2015 - 17:03
Astana 2 vs. Jokerit 0
Saku Salminen, Jokerit, DNP
Season totals: 9 GP, 0-1-1, +1, 0 PIM
Slovakian netminder Jan Laco turned aside all 33 shots he faced to stake Astana to a 2-0 victory over Jokerit. Ex-Calgary Flame Dustin Boyd had a goal in the win.
Kazan 2 vs. Magnitogorsk 3 (SO)
Vasily Koshechkin, Magnitogorsk, SO Win, 36/38, 1.85 GAA, .947 sv%
Season totals: 25 GP, 10-9-6, 0 SO, 2.35 GAA, .916 sv%
Vasily Koshechkin blanked both shooters he faced in the penalty shot session as Magnitogorsk toppled Kazan 3-2 in the Shootout. Magnitogorsk got a goal from ex-Blue Jackets pick Sergei Mozyakin in the win.
St. Petersburg 5 vs. Podolsk 3
Nikita Gusev, St. Peterburg, 2-1-3, +2, 0 PIM, 6 SOG
Season totals (St. Petersburg): 4 GP, 3-4-7, +5, 0 PIM
Season totals (Khanty-Mansiysk): 23 GP, 7-7-14, +6, 4 PIM
Season totals: 27 GP, 10-11-21, +11, 4 PIM
Nikita Gusev had a power play goal and an even strength goal and helper in SKA's 5-3 win over Podolsk. The forward played 19:20 in the match. Ex-Panthers forward Evgeny Dadonov chipped in 1 goal and 1 assist in the win.
Novgorod 5 vs. Zagbreb 2
Carter Ashton, Novgorod, 0-3-3, +3, 2 PIM, 2 SOG
Season totals: 20 GP, 6-4-10, +5, 14 PIM
Carter Ashton had a trio of primary assists in 17:11 of ice time as Novgorod thumped Zagreb 5-2. Ex-Avs pick Linus Videll had 1 goal and 1 assist for Novgorod in the win.
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Liiga Game Day: 11-11-15Submitted by pete on November 11, 2015 - 19:32
Tappara 1 vs. KalPa 2
Jonne Tammela, KalPa, 0-0-0, -1, 0 PIM, 1 SOG
Season totals: 8 GP, 2-0-2, +1, 6 PIM
Jonne Tammela was scoreless in 12:54 of ice time in KalPa's 2-1 win over Tappara. Ex-Devils pick Patrick Davis had a goal in the match for KalPa.
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- 386 reads
KHL Game Day: 11-10-15Submitted by pete on November 10, 2015 - 19:46
Omsk 0 vs. Jokerit 1
Saku Salminen, Jokerit, DNP
Season totals: 9 GP, 0-1-1, +1, 0 PIM
Ex-Flames netminder Henrik Karlsson turned aside all 31 shots he faced in Jokerit's 1-0 win over Omsk.
Togliatti 1 vs. Magnitogorsk 7
Vasily Koshechkin, Magnitogorsk, Win, 13/14, 1.00 GAA, .929 sv%
Season totals: 24 GP, 10-9-4, 0 SO, 2.39 GAA, .912 sv%
The Karjala break seems to have done Magnitka well, as they allowed just 14 shots on goal in a 7-1 thumping of Lada Togliatti. Ex-NHLer Wojtek Wolski led the way with 2 goals and 3 points in the victory.
St. Petersburg 3 vs. Dynamo Moscow 2
Nikita Gusev, St. Petersburg, 1-1-2, +3, 0 PIM, 3 SOG
Season totals (St. Petersburg): 3 GP, 1-3-4, +3, 0 PIM
Season totals (Khanty-Mansiysk): 23 GP, 7-7-14, +6, 4 PIM
Season totals: 26 GP, 8-10-18, +9, 4 PIM
Nikita Gusev had 1 goal and 1 assist in just 11:56 of ice time in SKA St. Petersburg's 3-2 win over Dynamo Moscow. Dynamo got a goal from ex-Lightning forward Martins Karsums in defeat. According to the KHL website, Gusev's contract expires on 4/30/16, after which the Lightning will be free to attempt to sign him if he does not sign an extension beforehand. In recent interviews, Gusev cited his openness to coming to North America to join his friend and former CSKA Jr. teammate Nikita Kucherov. However, big market SKA St. Petersburg will have the resources to put together a compelling financial package for Gusev to stay put if they want to retain him, so stay tuned.
Novgorod 5 vs. Bratislava 3
Carter Ashton, Novgorod, 1-1-2, +1, 0 PIM, 3 SOG
Season totals: 19 GP, 6-1-7, +2, 12 PIM
Carter Ashton had 1 goal and 1 assist in 17:05 of ice time as Novgorod beat Bratislava 5-3. Bratislava got 1 goal and 1 assist from ex-NHLer Cam Barker in defeat.
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In-person voting offered for Virginia absentee voters
Virginia residents who plan to vote by absentee ballot have a couple opportunities to do so in person.
Those eligible to vote absentee can cast ballots in person the next two Saturdays.
The Virginia State Board of Elections says offices of the General Registrars will be open for eight hours those two days, from nine in the morning to five o'clock in the afternoon.
Voters must meet one of the numerous eligibility requirements to vote absentee, and acceptable identification will be required for those voting in person. A list of acceptable forms of ID is available at http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/VotinginPerson.html .
The election is November fifth.


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"The singularity of Telebossa's music is the result of a stunning interplay between musical cultures and the incessant exploration of Samba, Jazz and Chamber Music. In this music, Bossa can seem at times very distant while the Donaueschinger Musiktage (where compositions by Chico Mello have been performed) and Kapital Band 1 (Nicholas Bussmann's most recent band project on the Mosz label) can be very close. Both Bussmann and Mello are at home in South America and Europe in equal measures. They combine Brazilian heritage such as Noel Rosa's "Seculo do Progresso" seamlessly with Minimal Music, Improv and Electronica. On their debut album, they have achieved the difficult feat of transporting the spirit and the soul of their live performances into a studio and capture it in a fantastically produced recording. It's comprised of seven moving songs, which tell stories about love and sorrow, about homesickness and wanderlust, about the Kotti (the Kottbusser Tor in Berlin) and the Copacabana." (label info)
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Bill Blass
womenswear designer
Evgenia Gvozdetsky (Ev) of Ev & El, womenswear designer
Nick Graham of Joe Boxer, men's and women's sportswear designer
Dana Buchman
womenswear designer
John Scher
mens-and womenswear designer
Vivian Wu
Our awestruck judges practically curtsied to this regal long-sleeved gown of Italian satin by L.A, designer Shing-shing Chang. "Chic, expensive, upper-class, couture-looking," raves Ev. Adds Blass: "The hat shows great style—it's very amusing." And, says an impressed Scher, "the large diamond necklace doesn't hurt either."
Eva Herzigova
"Va-va-va-voom!" says Graham about this bias-cut, antique-lace John Galliano, which shows off the Wonder-bra model's curves. "It's the mermaid look." Scher sees "a fluid, '30s-style effect," while Blass says, "It's provocative without being vulgar."?
Carolyn Bessette
Jackie Onassis surely must have smiled down as the bride made her grand entrance into the Kennedy clan with a sleek gown by Narciso Rodriguez that has already launched countless imitations. "She represents a simple, classical American style," says Ev. "I love the minimal chic of it," Blass agrees. Adds Buchman: "You see a lot of her beautiful skin, and that becomes part of the design."
Liz Keifer
The judges praise the casual elegance of the soap star's above-the-knee dress and coat ensemble by Isaac Mizrahi. "It's that 'I'm-going-to-go-home-for-lunch-and-get-married-and-come-back-to-the-office-with-another-last-name' look," says Graham. "Her outfit looks terrific for a daytime wedding," says Scher, who adds: "She Could even wear this afterward."
Jill Waggoner
"Really feminine and charming, like a princess" is how Ev describes this elaborate Pino Lancetti gown (incorporating a silk shell covered by a lace dress with 67 buttons, plus a detachable overskirt). "She's got a graceful figure, so she can pull off the long slim skirt," says Scher. "And the collar band beautifully accentuates her long neck."
Cynthia Rowley
Designer, suit thyself is the lesson provided by this simple satin sheath that the fashion maven whipped up in a burst of inspiration. Says Ev: "The style fits her well. Slim looks good on her." An admiring Buchman notes, "The dress is sensuous, while the veil makes everything look festive and special."
Yvette Freeman
The full-figured ER star came up with her own design—and the operation was a complete success. "She has done a very, very good job," says Scher. "The shape of the dress is great for her, and the sweetheart neckline nicely frames her face." Adds Ev: "The veil on her shoulders and sides creates a flattering line."
Christie Brinkley
The Uptown Girl became the perfect sophisticated lady in this Armani suit. "She looks special but also modern," says Buchman, who adds that the "draping of the skirt contrasts nicely with the tailored jacket." Observes Blass: "She's certainly a woman sure of her taste."
Candace Cameron
The Full House actress had the salon where she bought her St. Pucci dress sew on additional beadwork and trim. "She wanted something dramatic, and she chose an outfit that fit the fantasy," says Scher. "Very pretty," praises Graham. Adds Buchman: "A lot of young women want a dress like this."
Mary Higgins Clark
"This is a mystery writer who chose a romance story," says Blass of the custom-made Joanna Mastroianni gown with hand-beaded bodice and a full skirt woven with gold thread. The gold and green colors wowed the judges. "The fabric is rich and zippy," says Buchman. And, notes Ev, "it goes with her carpet."
Top 10 Wedding Dresses
updated 02/10/1997 AT 01:00 AM EST
•originally published 02/10/1997 AT 01:00 AM EST


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Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcom-mittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education — which is responsible for funding most federal cancer research — has scheduled a hearing to highlight the OVAC agenda on the morning of June 4. The hearing is expected to focus attention on funding of orphan cancers, especially multiple myeloma and pancreatic cancer, and determining methods of accelerating research that will benefit today's cancer patients.
OVAC is a coalition of the spectrum of cancer advocacy organizations which is dedicated to increasing funding for diversified research and prevention programs at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and cancer programs at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). OVAC has been credited with maintaining recent funding increases for federal cancer research funding.
The New Paradigm
Why support the OVAC agenda and not just myeloma research? The funding figures and the state of the science help explain.
This year the NCI will spend almost $4.2 billion on cancer research. To compare, the American Cancer Society, the largest cancer research funding organization in the world, will invest more than $100 million over the same period. And one of the most visible advocacy organizations, the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer research, has raised more than $240 million since its inception in 1982.
These numbers demonstrate why political advocacy is as important a task for members of the myeloma community as other fundraising activities. While many organizations, including the IMF, annually raise cumulative millions for research, our federal government appropriates annual billions for cancer research agencies and institutes. But as we engage in community fundraisers for research, let us also commit at least as much time and effort to educate our members of Congress about the value of allocating our fair share of tax dollars to cancer research.
The IMF also believes that the OVAC agenda is the best mechanism to support newly appointed NCI Director Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach's emphasis on the New Paradigm of cancer research. This New Paradigm places less emphasis on research by body part or tumor type. This new approach will put more emphasis on the most promising, state-of-the-art research of genomics, drugs that treat cancer at the molecular level.
The traditional way of thinking about cancer treatment has been "search and destroy," which is best exemplified by chemo-therapy. In plain English, these therapies try to kill cancers with toxic drugs with the hope that enough healthy cells survive the process to maintain the continued health of the patient. As too many of us know, some of these treatments are as bad or worse than the disease they are trying to eliminate.
The New Paradigm, which replaces the "search and destroy" mindset with "command and control," demonstrated with drugs like Gleevec® for chronic myelogenous leukemia, Iressa® for lung cancer, or Herceptin® for breast cancer, targets the molecular mechanisms that trigger growth of cancers without debilitating or destroying healthy cells, organs, or systems.
When we look at cancer at the molecular level, targets will not be conveniently categorized through body parts or tumor types. The key is to identify, through research, the targets that trigger the malignant growth of cancer cells. In the case of myeloma, there may be dozens, if not hundreds, of targets that must be identified. And some of the targets in myeloma, at the molecular level, may look more like other traditional cancer types — lung, colon, kidney, or pancreatic — than other hematological cancers.
Congress recognized this opportunity in last year's appropriations bill when it declared "that NIH should distribute funding on the basis of scientific opportunity" and "urged [NIH] and the Administration to continue to resist pressures to earmark, set-aside and otherwise politicize" funding for medical research programs (House Report 107-229).
In other words, the appropriators, those who control the purse strings of the NIH and NCI, specifically granted the directors of the institutes the authority to ignore congressional attempts by other committees to authorize specific body part or tumor type programs in favor of "scientific opportunity." More precisely, they gave credence to NCI Director von Eschenbach's vision of the New Paradigm in cancer research. Director von Eschenbach underscored this view in a March 15, 2002 letter to the IMF stating, &Your view that promoting full funding for the NCI Director's Bypass Budget request will best serve your constituents is an enlightened one. A rising tide does indeed raise all ships."
The OVAC agenda — which maintains support for the 5-year funding doubling pledge for NIH, fulfillment of the NCI Director's annual Bypass Budget proposal, and the applied research programs at CDC — is the most logical and constructive plan to achieve those goals in the foreseeable future.
The Bigger Picture
Indirectly, fulfillment of the OVAC agenda would also support the goals of the IMF's other primary legislative priority — enactment of the Access to Cancer Therapies Act (H.R. 1624 and S. 913). This legislation would provide Medicare coverage for all oral cancer drugs. In addition to the drugs mentioned above, this bill would include coverage for Thalidomid® and all the future genomics-based drugs that will target tumor growth at the molecular level.
Currently, it is estimated that 5-10% of all cancer drugs are taken orally. In the coming decade, that figure is expected to rise to at least 25%. The logical outcome of the New Paradigm will be a dramatic acceleration in the discovery and approval of genomic drugs that may push those percentages even higher, and limit – and hopefully eliminate – the need for "search and destroy" chemotherapies.
Although this legislation is not a part of the OVAC agenda, which is appropriations-based, it completes the vision of the New Paradigm. The IMF recognizes that support of a comprehensive, OVAC-based funding mechanism will provide the comprehensive framework that links federal activity to the translational research needed to produce the drugs and therapies needed by all cancer patients.
And the future of the IMF advocacy agenda will not be dictated by trying to carve out turf for myeloma research. It will, instead, ensure that myeloma is represented in the new research. This search for new therapeutic targets will create a logical, visible path from incurable condition to chronic, manageable disease to, ultimately, a cure for myeloma.


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Impossible is Nothing?
Li Ning Just Did It.
The past Olympic gold medalist and founder of a large sporting goods company bearing his name did something last night at the Games' Opening Ceremony that neither adidas nor Nike founder Phil Knight can top.
Hoisted 75 feet in the air by cables, Li Ning ran around the inside perimeter of the "Bird's Nest" stadium before lighting the Olympic cauldron.
The biggest ambush marketing coup in Olympics history? One China-based sports marketing expert says no. But it came before the Games largest audience ever -- an estimated 4 billion viewers.
Those priceless Olympic moments that Nike and Adidas shell out millions in endorsement deals, shoes and apparel for? Li Ning just got the first one of the games, and it'll be played on TV and online as much as any other highlight from these Games.
And you thought last night's Nike ad was pretty good.
Wrote Lynn Zinser on The New York Times Rings blog: "It was arguably the most spectacular way to light a cauldron - ranking near the archer that lit the flame in Barcelona in '92 - and held the crowd in thrall."
As China media site Danwei wrote: "Chinese retailer Li Ning (李宁) is the biggest winner of the 2008 Beijing Olympics so far..."
Recall, adidas paid tens of millions to be an official sponsor of the Games. Li Ning did not. And as 08:08:08 blog points out, China vowed that it would not allow non-sponsors to hitch their ads onto the Games.
UPDATE: Still, Terry Rhoads, managing director of Zou Marketing in Shanghai and a former Nike sports marketing director in China, says Nike's ambush efforts in the 1984 and 1996 Olympics still reign supreme because it lifted the brand's . He also said that Nike is "sitting pretty on each and every Olympic gold medal" -- an image of the Greek Goddess Nike decorates each one.
"Remember that China's army of youth set the tone for the country's blazing hot sportswear sector and I doubt they are inspired enough
by Li Ning's torch run to think any differently about Nike or Adidas," he said.
Danwei continued:
Li Ning is also peculiarly Chinese in another way: Its logo is a V-like stroke, suspiciously similar to Nike's "Swoosh", and is accompanied by the slogan "Anything is possible", a clumsy play on Adidas's "Impossible is nothing".
You might remember that Li Ning Co. opened an office in Portland late last year.
The Wall Street Journal's China Journal blog tells how Li Ning came to be picked for the stunt.


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"The illusive Ill Blu were one of the more promising acts to emerge from the funky explosion of 2008-9, and continue their rich if sporadic vein of form with a release on Hyperdub. Clapper will ensure their production tag will echo around clubs for months to come, as it contains two of the more infectious floor-fillers to emerge in 2012 thus far. Clapper's pitched up, siren-like licks anticipate and dominate the stuttering percussion, and feels as high octane as anything Ill Blu have produced. It's relentless and pulsating, deceivingly weighty, and immediately justifies the illusiveness of the composers. Ill Blu's midas touch looks set to continue. Equally successful is the shrewd choice of remix artist. Traxman is currently the flavour of the month, basking in the appreciation of critics and fans alike due to his wonderful debut album on Planet Mu. Splicing the raw energy of footwork with a soulful, funk-tinged edge, he follows this up with a fantastic effort, capitalising on the potential of the original." (label info)
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Mexico City: Tens Of Thousands March Against Proposal To Legalize Gay Marriage
20 Percent Of LGBT Voters Support Donald Trump
NOM Protest Against Mexican Proposal To Legalize Gay Marriage Draws Tiny Crowd
Debra Messing To Present Tituss Burgess With NewFest Voice & Visibility Award
Rhode Island Catholic Church Fires Gay Music Director
Virginia Launches LGBT Tourism Campaign
In accepting an award from the Gay &
Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), singer Ricky Martin
thanked his boyfriend.
held its first of three shows in New York on Saturday. Martin
was honored with the group's Vito Russo Award for his courageous
coming out last year on the Oprah Winfrey Show.
In accepting his award, Martin thanked
his family and boyfriend for their support.
"I just want to be free. I can say
today I'm free. And for that I definitely need to thank my parents
for being so supportive, my mother and my dad for their unconditional
love, and my friends, my family, my fans. And my partner in crime
and my boyfriend Carlos."
Martin added that he wanted to
represent the group in Latin America.
"And GLAAD let's go to Latin America,
let's share the love! Let's go to Mexico! Let's go to Columbia!
Let's go to Argentina! Let's go to Chile! Let's go to Brazil! We
need you GLAAD -- we need you down there, we need to spread the love
in Latin America. Let's do it in Spanish. I can help, I can do it!
I'll be part of it. I want to be part of it."
On Top Magazine


text:
Office of Technology Transfer
Procedures and Policies
Generally speaking, materials produced or discoveries founded within the duties of an employee of the University will be deemed a work for hire product to which the University retains certain rights. SIU School of Medicine currently supports a 50/50 split on profit sharing for intellectual property related revenue after the University is reimbursed for its costs in obtaining protection and any other relevant costs. Please see the SIU School of Medicine Patents and Copyrights Policy for a more thorough description of the University's position on these matters.
The process of gaining intellectual property protection begins with an idea. Once an inventor believes that he or she has a useful idea, he/she is then encouraged submit an Evaluation Request Form to the Office of Technology Transfer to initiate a brief review of the technology.
If the idea or invention has economic or public interest merit and satisfies the novelty and non-obviousness requirements of patent law, the inventor will then be asked to fill out an Invention Disclosure Form. The inventor will then be asked to present the idea and reasons for seeking protection to the Patent and Copyright Committee. A recommendation will then be made to the Dean of the School of Medicine who will approve or deny University sponsorship of patent prosecution and marketing activities. In the event that the University does not approve sponsorship, or if 6 months has elapsed from the inventor's first disclosure, then the University may release ownership rights to the inventor should he or she wish to seek individual intellectual property protection for the proposed idea.
If a staff or faculty member wishes to author or co-author a textbook or other profitable copyrightable work that would be produced as part of employment with the University, he or she should disclose such a work to the Office of Technology Transfer for review. The author will then be asked to present the proposal to the Patent and Copyright Committee for review and recommendation.


text:
Call the Midwife, Part 6
Saturday, February 8 at 8:00 p.m.
Chummy's new beau gets a motherly inspection.
As the first season concludes, Sister Monica Joan (Judy Parfitt) is found wandering near the docks and returned to Nonnatus House by the police, only to find herself in trouble with the law when she is accused of theft.
As Sister Monica Joan's case progresses to trial, the Nonnatus House community fears that the elderly nun could go to jail. Chummy (Miranda Hart) is worried when her mother decides to make a trip to "inspect" her new beau, Constable Peter Noakes (Ben Caplan).
Season two of "Call the Midwife" continues next Saturday at 8:00 p.m. on WGTE TV.


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[Previous] | [Session 14] | [Next]
M. Granvik, J. Virtanen, K. Muinonen (Univ. Helsinki), L. Allen (Univ. British Columbia), V. Meadows, B. Bhattacharya (Spitzer Science Center, Caltech), M. Delbo, A. Cellino (Univ. Torino), E. Tedesco (Space Science Center, Univ. New Hampshire), D. Davis (Planetary Science Institute), J. D. Giorgini (Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
Observations with the ESO Very Large Telescope and the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope were obtained in January 2004, to provide ground-based follow-up for the Spitzer First Look Survey Ecliptic Plane Component (Meadows et al., 2004, AJSS 154). The goal is to estimate the albedo and size distributions of main-belt asteroids (MBAs) having sizes well below the current completeness limit, by obtaining nearly-simultaneous optical and infrared observations. Due to a substantial parallax effect which is a consequence of the comparatively large distance between the Spitzer telescope (on an Earth-like heliocentric orbit) and the ground-based observatories, the nearly-simultaneous apparent coordinates of the same objects detected from space and from ground are different. Moreover, since the number of observations per object per night is extremely limited (2--4 per telescope), linking separate detections is a nontrivial task. For this purpose, we use a new method (Granvik and Muinonen, 2005, Icarus, in press) specifically suited to this problem. To be able to compute the size and albedo of an observed MBA using the radiometric technique, we need to know the Sun-asteroid and telescope-asteroid distances at the observation dates. As most of the detected asteroids have never been observed before, the distances and their uncertainty estimates can only be based on the limited amount of data obtained within this project. A rigorous distance analysis of the found linkages by means of statistical ranging (Virtanen et al., 2001, Icarus 154) is the final step of the orbit computation part of the project. We present here the preliminary results of our analysis, including the statistics and accuracy of the resulting orbital elements.
[Previous] | [Session 14] | [Next]
Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 37 #3
© 2004. The American Astronomical Soceity.


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Strassel: Big Business Sells Out Small Business
CEOs say yes to higher individual taxes in return for Obama's promise of corporate tax reform.
Were the Hollywood academy to hand out Oscars for roles in this fiscal cliff drama, the winner of the Best Charlatan award would not be in much doubt. Corporate America, take your bow.
Say this for the Republicans and Democrats: Both sides are fighting over principles. Nothing so generous can be said for the bulk of America's corporate chieftains, whose agenda lately has been to stick it to everyone else.
As the negotiations have rolled on, a growing collection of CEOs and big-business lobbies have fallen in line with President Obama's cry to raise income taxes on those making more than $250,000. To listen to these CEOs, this is the ultimate self-sacrifice. "I would pay more in taxes" in a budget deal, explained the noble Honeywell CEO Dave Cote, but it would be worth it to "put the economy on a sounder footing."
We'll see how much more Mr. Cote's personal accountants ultimately allow him to pay. Meanwhile, the virtuous poses appear to be cover for a bigger game.
The Business Roundtable let the cat out of the bag on Dec. 11 when it circulated a letter signed by 150 of its corporate titans sanctioning year-end income-tax hikes. The letter happened to appear a few hours after the White House leaked its offer to include corporate tax reform as part of any cliff deal. The reform, in theory, would lower corporate tax rates.
Put another way, the Roundtable saw an opportunity to make the one million small American business owners who pay individual income taxes shoulder a big rate hike (up to 39.6%, from 35%) while radically lightening the tax load for the Roundtable's own corporate behemoths (to 28% from 35%). Any corporate tax reform hinges on closing "loopholes" to pay for a lower corporate rate. Small business owners would lose tax perks along with everyone else—meaning they would pay even more—but they would not benefit from lower corporate rates.
"Everybody's got to feel a little bit like they're getting nailed," Jim McNerney, the chairman of both Boeing BA 0.82 % and the Roundtable, said of the lobby's cliff-deal position. He neglected to note that those getting "nailed" most emphatically would be Mom & Pop America.
The Roundtable is getting cover from the RATE Coalition—a group of companies including AT&T, T 0.53 % Ford, Lockheed Martin LMT -1.32 % and Home Depot HD 0.59 % —that is committed to obtaining a "lower corporate tax rate." The coalition sent its own letter on Dec. 6 begging the White House and Congress to "set the framework for comprehensive reform in 2013."
RATE's co-chair, Elaine Kamarck, who once led the Clinton administration's "reinventing government" effort, suggested it would be best to separate any corporate tax reform from individual tax reform, since the latter was complicated and might mess up the former. So not only would small businesses provide the down payment for a Fortune 500 tax cut, they would also get booted from any broader tax-reform ambitions. (Ms. Kamarck later backpedaled.)
Some CEOs have taken to spinning bizarre economic logic on behalf of their position. Witness FedEx CEO Fred Smith, who recently explained that it is "mythology" that raising taxes on small business kills jobs. But it was true, he said, that lowering corporate rates for big business will help create jobs. Track that logic.
The White House is lapping all this up, using the corporate sellout to its political advantage. President Obama has appeared mainly with the big CEOs who agree with him, the better to present them as representative of all business, and the better to highlight their back-stabbing of Republican budget negotiators. By contrast, the National Federation of Independent Business—which remains opposed to individual rate hikes on its many small business members—has been treated like a pariah. That's the thanks that they, along with the Chamber of Commerce, get for holding true to the principle of tax reform and lower taxes for all businesses.
The White House played a similar game with Big Business leaders during the health-care debate. Back then, the president promised that in return for their support of ObamaCare he'd give them corporate tax reform. Fool me twice . . .
Corporate tax reform, for the record, is extremely important. America's corporate rate is the highest in the world, which makes competition in global markets difficult. The high rate also retards growth.
But corporate tax reform counts for less when it causes influential business leaders to abandon long-held principles about the importance of overall tax rates. Reform means even less when it comes at the expense of small businesses, which create three out of every four new jobs. It means still less when it allows the White House to exploit the divisions in the business community for the purpose of increasing spending and piling up more debt.
Corporate America resents that this president and the public often unfairly cast it as self-interested, unprincipled and cynical. Fair enough, though it might try not playing to type.
Write to email@example.com


text: Happy new year from Dezeen Add to Flipboard Magazine. 1 January 2014 | 2 comments Happy new year from the Dezeen team and best wishes for 2014! DRAW Happy New year! The Worldwider Happy New Year! Thanks for keeping up the amazing news throughout the year :) I look forward to more in 2014. Sign up for a daily roundupof all our stories Join « Newer story Older story »


text:
• Phenytoin, administered by suspension into a feeding tube through which continuous enteral feedings are being given, is very poorly absorbed. There appears to be very little information regarding this potentially serious problem in the general medical literature. Commonly used doses of phenytoin (300 to 500 mg/d) may result in almost undetectable serum levels. Therapeutic phenytoin levels may be obtained if a very large dose of the drug is given. Our patient required 1800 mg daily In two divided doses to get a serum phenytoin level of 9 μg/mL. Commonly used enteral feedings were being delivered by way of a continuous infusion pump. We found one enteral feeding product that did not severely impair the absorption of phenytoin. The mechanism by which enteral feedings Impair phenytoin absorption is unknown.
(Arch Intern Med 1987;147:1821)
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