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Thursday, April 11, 2019

In two studies presented on Monday at the annual meeting of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in Orlando, Florida in the United States, scientists have disclosed new steps toward using natural adhesives made by the dusky Arion slug (Arion subfuscus) in medical applications such as in closing skin wounds and reducing scarring.

When threatened, the dusky Arion slug secretes an unusual glue, making itself a difficult target for predators. This glue remains both sticky and flexible and works even when the surface the slug is on is wet. Previous studies have shown that, unlike many artificial adhesives, Arion slug glue is non-toxic to mammalian tissue.

Scientist Rebecca Falconer, an Ithaca College undergraduate who led one of the two studies, said “Typical sutures like staples and stitches often lead to scarring and create holes in the skin that could increase the chance of infection after surgery […] Understanding the roles of adhesive proteins in the slug glue would aid in the creation of a medical adhesive that can move and stretch yet still retain its strength and adhesiveness.”

In her set of experiments, Falconer observed eleven proteins found only in slug glue and used DNA recombination to produce usable amounts of each of these proteins. Specifically, she produced complementary DNA sequences (cDNA) for each protein, which are stretches of DNA with all the pieces not necessary for producing the protein removed. She then spliced these into circular DNA sequences called plasmids, which she inserted into bacteria, whose natural cellular machinery began to produce the proteins in quantity. She then analyzed the three-dimensional structures that the protein molecules form with each other and with other substances that make them work.

Christopher Gallego-Lazo, also an Ithaca undergrad, evaluated glue from the dusky Arion slug by focusing on the chemical bonds within the glue and the way they affect the glue’s deformability. Gallego-Lazo found that slight changes in these chemical bonds could alter the strength of the slug glue.

Gallego-Lazo said, “Few studies on biological adhesives have identified the exact nature of the bonds holding the glue together […] This knowledge can guide the development of an organic synthetic adhesive that would reduce the risk of infection and scarring compared to stitches and staples and could be applied rapidly and simply.”

Falconer and Gallego-Lazo both performed their research in the laboratory of Dr. Andrew Smith.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Yesterday, United States President Barack Obama signed into law a five-year benefit package to provide healthcare treatment for emergency workers including police, firefighters, and rescue workers affected by illness and respiratory problems contracted while working at the site of the World Trade Center attacks in New York City on September 11, 2001.

The bill—the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which is named after a police officer who died of a respiratory illness he got during a rescue operation at the World Trade Center — will provide $4.2 billion over the next five years. This money will be raised by increasing a levy on foreign companies that win procurement contracts from the United States government.

The new legislation also provides new funding for the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, a federal program for victims of the attacks.

President Obama signed the bill in Kailua, Hawaii, where he is staying on vacation. In a statement, Obama said: “We will never forget the selfless courage demonstrated by the firefighters, police officers and first responders who risked their lives to save others. I believe this is a critical step for those who continue to bear the physical scars of those attacks.”

The law was the only one that passed through Congress during the lame-duck session in December, with some Republican opposition. New York Senators and Congressmen have praised the passage of the measures.

“The heroes who rushed to Ground Zero in the hours and days after the attacks will not be forgotten. These first responders were like veterans, and this law keeps with a time-honored tradition of standing by our veterans when they get harmed answering the call.” said Charles Schumer, Democratic Senator from New York. He also vowed to “begin work immediately to make sure this law gets renewed for another five years”.

New York Republican congressman Peter T. King said that “Justice is finally being served”, and that the passing of the law marked “A great day for America.”

Democratic congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney said that “The Zadroga law will save lives and fulfills our moral obligation to care for those who rose to the defense of America in a time of war.”

Tuesday, April 4, 2006

Iran has successfully tested the Kowsar land-to-sea missile, and a “flying boat”, Iran state media report.

According to the country’s state television service, “A super-modern flying boat was successfully tested in the ‘Great Prophet’ war game in Persian Gulf waters. Because of its hull’s advanced design, no radar at sea or in the air can locate it. It can lift out of the water. It is wholly domestically built and can launch missiles with precise targeting while moving.”

Iran says that the Kowser missile can be used to sink enemy ships in the Gulf. Iran also announced that the missile’s onboard systems could not be scrambled by enemy action.

Brian Whitman, a spokesman for the Pentagon in the United States, said, “We know that the Iranians are always trying to improve their weapons system by both foreign and indigenous measures. It’s possible that they are increasing their capability and making strides in radar-absorbing materials and technology. [However] the Iranians have also been known to boast and exaggerate [in] their statements about greater technical and tactical capabilities.”

On Friday, Iran tested its Fajr-3 missile, which Iran says can evade radar and can carry many warheads. On Monday, Iran tested in the Straits of Hormuz a torpedo that the country claims can evade sonar.

It is estimated that at least 1500 ships and aircraft, and at least 17,000 Iranian Revolutionary Guard troops, are participating in a week-long war games exercise in the Gulf.

Saturday, June 4, 2016

On Thursday, FC Barcelona technical secretary Robert Fernández announced Brazillian football defender Dani Alves would leave the club this summer as a free agent.

Alves spent eight seasons with the Catalonians when the club signed him from Sevilla FC. Making his debut for Barça in 2008, Alves played 391 matches and he played the second most games of any foreign player in the Catalan jersey after Lionel Messi. In his last league appearance for Barça, he provided an assist to Luis Suárez which was Alves’s 100th assist in La Liga.

Alves won 23 trophies with Barclona — six La Liga, four Copa del Rey, four Supercopa de España, three UEFA Champions League, three UEFA Super Cups and three FIFA Club World Cups.

Last season Alves extended his contract, as FC Barcelona had a transfer ban imposed by FIFA. Robert Fernández said in the press conference that Aleix Vidal was signed with awareness of Alves’s possible departure. He also said, “This is personal decision that the club has to accept”.

Alves posted on Instagram saying, “I’m privileged, a hard-working and honourable footballer who’s been lucky enough to wear the shirt of the best club in the world in a wonderful decade for the club thanks to the quality of its players and coaches” ^{((es))Spanish language: ?Soy un privilegiado, un futbolista trabajador y honrado, a quién la vida le ha permitido vestir la camiseta del mejor club del mundo en una década prodigiosa por la calidad de sus jugadores y entrenadores}.

FC Barcelona has invited him to address club supporters at the 2016–17 season start in farewell.

Saturday, August 25, 2007

The leading supplier of school uniforms in the United Kingdom, Lancashire-based manufacturer Trutex, has announced it is “seriously considering” including GPS tracking devices in future ranges of its uniform products after conducting an online survey of both parents and children.

“As a direct result of the survey, we are now seriously considering incorporating a [tracking] device into future ranges” said Trutex marketing director Clare Rix.

The survey questioned 809 parents and 444 children aged nine to 16. It showed that 44% of parents were worried about the safety of pre-teen children, and 59% wanted tracking devices installed in school apparel. 39% of children aged nine to 12 were prepared to wear clothing with tracking devices in them, while teenagers were notably less enthusiastic and more wary of what Trutex has admitted they see as a “big brother” concept.

However, Trutex has claimed the tracking devices would bring about worthwhile benefits, including being a valuable resource for parents who wanted to keep a close eye on where their children were at all times.

“As well as being a safety net for parents, there could be real benefits for schools who could keep a closer track on the whereabouts of their pupils, potentially reducing truancy levels” says Rix.

Each year, Trutex supplies 1 million blouses, 1.1 million shirts, 250,000 pairs of trousers, 20,000 blazers, 60,000 skirts and 110,000 pieces of knitwear to the UK.

It is not the first company to manufacture school uniforms with a central focus on child safety; last week Essex firm BladeRunner revealed it was selling stab-proof school blazers to parents concerned about violence against their children. The blazers were outfitted with Kevlar, a synthetic fibre used in body armour. It has already received orders internationally, including Australia.

If the Trutex tracking devices go ahead, it is unclear where in the uniform they will be located.

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Zach Scruggs, a lawyer for United States Senator Trent Lott, says that State Farm Insurance Company is destroying records related to claims for damage from Hurricane Katrina.

The records allegedly contain information saying that State Farm fraudulently denied insurance claims made by its policy holders, including Lott, that had homes there were damaged or destroyed when Hurricane Katrina came ashore on the Gulf Coast.

Scruggs said that Lott has “good faith belief” that many employees of the insurance company in Biloxi, Mississippi are destroying engineer’s reports that were inconclusive as to whether or not water or wind was the main cause of damage to the buildings affected by the hurricane.

Lott is among thousands of home and/or business owners who had their property damaged or destroyed during the hurricane and had their claims denied because State Farm claimed that their policies don’t cover damage caused by floods or water that was driven by the wind.

State Farm has not issued a statement on the matter so far.

Thursday, May 31, 2007

In an unusual protest, British performance artist, Mark McGowan ate meatballs which were made from a Corgi, a breed of dog often kept by the Royal Family.

McGowan is protesting alleged cruelty exhibited by Prince Philip. The husband of Queen Elizabeth II is reported to have beaten to death a fox, during a fox hunt.

The event was broadcast live on a radio program hosted by Bob and Roberta Smith. Yoko Ono, widow of John Lennon, was also there and tasted some of the Corgi meatballs.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) seemed to approve of the protest: “The idea of eating a corgi will make many people lose their lunch,” said Poorva Joshipura, European director. “But foxes, who are hunted for so-called entertainment, are no less capable of feeling fear and pain.” McGowan said the corgi he consumed had died recently at a breeding farm and had not been killed for the purposes of the protest. It was minced with apple, onion and seasoning, turned into meatballs and served with salad, but McGowan said: “It’s disgusting. It’s really, really, really disgusting.”

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) claimed however that there was no evidence that Prince Philip had mistreated the fox or that it had suffered.

Friday, December 30, 2005

The Australian Centre for Languages, a company which has a multi-million dollar contract with the Australian government to provide refugee services, has been accused of breaching its duty of care following the death of a chronically ill child and allegations of failing to provide three women in their care with food.

Saturday, May 14, 2005

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina —This weekend is the kick-off for two motorcycle rallies held annually in the U.S. eastern seacoast town of Myrtle Beach. Enthusiasts this year are expected to meet or exceed the 170,000 bikers that arrived last year in droves to the small resort town of 23,000. Festivities span two weeks, and extend again this year into the Memorial Day.

Leading off is the week-long Harley rally, followed by the next week’s BikeFest. In and around town, both day and night are punctured by the sounds of bike engines gunned and revved at stop lights and in parking lots. Groups of cycle riders dominate the streets.

“By Friday night, the front parking lot will be a full line of motorcycles to the corner.” said motel owner Ranjan Patel. The Super 8 motel takes up half a block at its location in the heart of the downtown motel strip. “Both sides [of Ocean Blvd] are nothing but bikes.” Both she and her co-owner husband agree, the influx of bikers dwarf in size the numbers of tourists who visit during regular summer months for ocean-side and family amusement park attractions.

The highly accesorised bikes, decked with chrome and polished to show it, flashed the townscape. Choppers made a showing, but road hogs dominated the ridership, often going twosome. Many rally goers arrived on the scene with SUV’s or big pickup trucks towing cargo trailers loaded with cycles.

Growth in the sheer size of the two rallies led police to make changes in the handling of traffic flow. During BikeFest last year, the mostly black crowd that came in on the heels of the largely white Harley rally the week earlier, were faced with confusion when the two-lane Ocean Blvd was made one-way.

A branch of the NAACP in Conway, the next town over from Myrtle Beach, alleged discrimination by Horry County and Myrtle Beach Police. They claimed authorities and police used an overwhelming and aggressive police presence, combined with a restrictive one-way traffic pattern, to intimidate and discourage the participants in the rally.

An injunction was issued earlier this week by U.S. District Judge Terry Wooten, who ruled that bikers at both rallies be treated the same. Myrtle Beach city lawyers immediately filed an appeal to the ruling at the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, saying “the trial court erroneously determined that the plaintiffs would likely succeed on the merits; that is, that the city of Myrtle Beach intentionally treats Memorial Day weekend tourists differently from others similarly situated because of their race.”

A plan to submit an opposition to the notice has already been announced by Michael Navarre, an attorney for Steptoe & Johnson, who represents the NAACP civil rights group. “We certainly don’t think the judge has ruled erroneously,” Navarre said, according to The Sun News.

Traffic control and safety measures were in full swing Friday morning on US-17. Both directions of the 4-lane divided highway south of Myrtle Beach had traffic cones and parking barriers set up to control traffic. Large flashing road signs on each side of the highway warned cars to use the passing lane. The warning sign flashed a message that the right lane was for motorcycle use only. Police monitored the pull-offs near a Harley dealer’s lot where popular attractions were set-up in the immediate vicinity.

Tuesday, May 3, 2005

Mosaic Fashions, a UK clothing firm, is set to make history as it becomes the first foreign company to list on the Iceland Stock Exchange (ISE).

Mosaic, which owns the clothing brands Oasis, Karen Millen, Coast and Whistles, operates 600 stores and is majority owned by retail investment group Baugur. Mosaic employs approximately 5,400 staff throughout the UK and Ireland.

The exchange was founded in 1985 and has since grown to encompass 34 firms with a combined value of over US$21bn (€16.3bn; GBP11.1bn).