Green Blog: Court Faults E.P.A.'s Biofuels Mandate

A federal appeals court has thrown out part of the Environmental Protection Agency?s biofuels mandate, saying that it was based on a wishful assessment of how much cellulosic fuel could be produced.

So far, producers have had a hard time generating the volume that would be needed to meet the cellulosic fuel quota set for refiners, which is part of an effort by the Obama administration to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

Cellulosic fuel is generated from agricultural waste and even household garbage through a process using bacteria, catalysts and the digestive juices of microorganisms.

The text of the ruling is here.

Source: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/25/court-rejects-advanced-biofuels-mandate/?partner=rss&emc=rss

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Topless protesters take on elite Davos forum

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) ? Three women angry over sexism and male domination of the world economy ripped off their shirts and tried to force their way into a gathering of corporate elites in a Swiss resort.

Predictably, they failed. The ubiquitous and huge security force policing the World Economic Forum in Davos carried the women away, kicking and screaming.

The women, from Ukrainian feminist activist group Femen, scaled a fence and set off pink flares in the protest Saturday. Their chests were painted with "SOS Davos," as they sought to call attention to poverty of women around the world.

Critics of the Davos forum say the business and political leaders at the gathering spend too little time doing concrete things to solve the world's problems and help the needy.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/topless-protesters-elite-davos-forum-123803095--finance.html

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P53 mutation hinders cancer treatment response

Jan. 25, 2013 ? Scientists from the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) have discovered the workings of the gene that has been hindering treatment response in cancer patients. This discovery was made after 5 years of studying the mutant form of the p53 gene, the major tumor suppressor in humans, which is generally found mutated in over 50% of all type of human cancers.

The dominant-negative (DN) effect of the mutant p53 gene in cancers was found to affect the outcome of cancer treatment modalities. DN effect is a phenomenon whereby one copy of mutant p53 that exists in cancer cells inhibits the tumor suppressor activity of the other wild-type p53 copy when they co-exist. The result is that a patient may either have poor response or earlier relapse of tumours after their treatment.

The research findings is significant in that it offers hope to improve cancer treatment outcomes by selectively inhibiting mutant p53's DN effect through several methods by generating selective and specific inhibitory molecules specific for some of the common hot-spot p53 point mutations. There are currently no drugs or compounds that can alleviate DN effects of mutant p53.

In order to understand the specific roles of mutant p53 DN properties in regulating acute treatment response and long-term tumourgenesis, a team of five researchers led by NCCS Prof Kanaga Sabapathy, the Principal Investigator in the Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Head of the Division of Cellular & Molecular Research from NCCS, carried out experiments by generating genetically engineered knock-in mouse strains expressing varying levels of mutant p53. The results showed that DN effect is observed after acute p53 activation by a variety of chemotherapeutic drugs and irradiation, thereby affecting anti-cancer treatment. This breakthrough came after five years of intensive research.

It was found that mutant p53 have DN effects in a cell-type and dose-dependent manner, especially during acute p53 activation where p53 levels are elevated. Based on the above observations, efforts to generate specific inhibitors for the common hot spot p53 point mutations are underway. The inhibition of mutant p53 expression in cells carrying a wild-type and mutant p53 alleles can improve response to chemotherapeutic drugs.

In a further study, the researchers also questioned the possibility of the mutant p53 acquiring new functions (or Gain of Function) to drive carcinogenesis, transforming normal cells to cancerous cells. Their investigation comparing cells from genetically engineered mouse strains expressing 2 different types of p53 mutations: the R172H mutation versus the R246S mutation, which showed that Gain of Function (GOF) was found only in the former. This showed that GOF of mutated p53 is specifically dependent on mutation-type but not across all kinds of genetic mutations, highlighting diversity in properties of the different types of p53 mutations, thereby indicating that mutations found in human cancers can behave differently, and thus, need to be carefully assessed prior to treatment.

Thus, the existence of mutant p53 certainly has a negative impact on cancer treatment, whether it is through DN effect or GOF. Prof Sabapathy said that the team is now embarking on more research to determine the possibility of targeting mutant p53 without affecting wild-type p53 in human cells, paving way to clinical trials in the future to test the efficacy on cancer therapeutic response.

The research was supported by grants from the National Medical Research Council of Singapore and the Singapore Millennium Foundation to KS. The publication has been accepted and published by Cell Press, publisher of biomedical journals, in the journal Cancer Cell, on Dec. 10, 2012. Prof Sabapathy also teaches at the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by SingHealth, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Ming?Kei Lee, Wei?Wei Teoh, Beng?Hooi Phang, Wei?Min Tong, Zhao?Qi Wang, Kanaga Sabapathy. Cell-type, Dose, and Mutation-type Specificity Dictate Mutant p53 Functions In?Vivo. Cancer Cell, 2012; 22 (6): 751 DOI: 10.1016/j.ccr.2012.10.022

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/EAuE68IgufU/130125111331.htm

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High school senior comes out at awards ceremony (video) (Americablog)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/279132108?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Cold weather perfect for grape harvest

CLEVELAND - So, what were you doing during last night's deep freeze? Hopefully, keeping warm indoors.

Well, Folks at Ferrante Winery , in Geneva, were out in the vineyards harvesting wine grapes.

Nick Ferrante has waited all winter for just this kind of weather. Every year, he sets aside several acres of Vidal wine grapes and leaves the clusters hanging on the vine. Once the temperatures drop into the teens, the grapes freeze. Once the grapes freeze, it's time to make one of Ohio's premier beverages: ice wine.

?Tonight?s the right night," said Nicholas Ferrante, winemaker at the Ashtabula County winery. ?I made the decision to allow the grapes to hang until colder temperatures created a solid freeze.?

To make the best ice wine, you've gotta have it cold. Temperatures in the middle and upper teens are best.

Most of the water left in each berry will freeze, but the sugars and other flavors will not. The winemakers rush to press the grapes while they are still frozen. This results in pure, undiluted flavors and high sugar content, with very little water in the mix. That's the perfect ingredients for ice wine.

But when to harvest is the question. Most Ohio wineries harvested their ice wine grapes back in December during the brief holiday cold spell.

"I didn't think it was quite cold enough back then," Ferrante said.

This decision to wait did not come without consequences. Each day on the vine cuts down on the yield. The grapes actually shrivel up like raisins as the they slowly dry out during the fall. Netting around the vines attempts to keep animals from enjoying the sweet fruit. But, deer and raccoons still manage to snack through the netting.

Despite the lower yield in fruit, allowing the grapes to hang on the vine even longer concentrates the flavors and increases the sugar content of each berry. The result is a sweet, incredibly delicious, dessert wine.

Last night, the harvesters battled wind chills below zero and heavy snow squalls. But, the efforts were worth it.

"Brix (percent of sugar in each grape) soared into the high 40s," said winery owner MaryJo Ferrante. "It was amazing to be with the winery guys and see firsthand how it's done. It gives me a renewed appreciation of the art of ice wine making."

Once the grapes were pressed, the resulting liquid was immediately poured into the fermenters. The shivering workers harvested between eight and 10 tons of grapes. Although, that may sound like a lot, its really not.

"That will only produce about 300 gallons of ice wine," Nick said.

The picked fruit averaged about 35 percent sugar overall. The resulting wine will be about 15 percent sugar after fermentation.?

"Vidal blanc ice wine is a much sought-after dessert wine," MaryJo said. "(It has) rich aromas of apricot and orange blossoms with flavors of honey and ripe melon."

The wine will be bottled in the spring. Several other northern Ohio wineries produce ice wine. The 10th Annual Grand River Valley Ice Wine Festival will be held during the weekends of March 2, 9 and 16 from noon to 5 p.m. at participating wineries in the Grand River Valley region.

Copyright 2013 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Source: http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/weather/weather_news/Bitter-cold-temperatures-perfect-for-harvesting-northern-Ohios-ice-wine-grapes

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School brings in high-powered assault weapons

One of the 14 Colt LE6940 semiautomatic rifles purchased by the Fontana Unified School District to help provide security for the school.

By Gillian Flaccus, The Associated Press

The semiautomatic rifles look like they belong in a war zone instead of a suburban public school, but officials in this Los Angeles-area city say the high-powered weapons now in the hands of school police could prevent a massacre.

Fontana Unified School District police purchased 14 of the Colt LE6940 rifles last fall, and they were delivered the first week of December ? a week before the Connecticut school shooting. Over the holiday break, the district's 14 school police officers received 40 hours of training on the rifles. Officers check them out for each shift from a fireproof safe in the police force's main office.

Fontana isn't the first district to try this. Other Southern California districts also have rifle programs ? some that have been in operation for several years. Fontana school police Chief Billy Green said he used money from fingerprinting fees to purchase the guns for $14,000 after identifying a "critical vulnerability" in his force's ability to protect students. The officers, who already wear sidearms, wouldn't be able to stop a shooter like the one in Connecticut, he said Wednesday.?

"They're not walking around telling kids, 'Hurry up and get to class' with a gun around their neck," the chief said. "Parents need to know that if there was a shooter on their child's campus that was equipped with body armor or a rifle, we would be limited in our ability to stop that threat to their children."?

Some parents and students, however, reacted with alarm to the news that school resource officers were being issued the rifles during their shifts. The officers split their time between 44 schools in the district and keep the rifles in a safe at their assigned school or secured in their patrol car each day before checking the weapon back in to the school police headquarters each night.?

Only sergeants trained for years to use the rifles are authorized to check out the rifles from the police armory, where they are kept.?

"If the wrong person gets ahold of the gun, then we have another shooter going around with a gun. What happens then?" said James Henriquez, a 16-year-old sophomore who just enrolled at Fontana High School this week after moving from Texas.?

Other students said they felt disillusioned that officials would spend money on semiautomatic rifles while the district eliminated its comprehensive guidance counseling program two years ago.?

"They should get guns, but not as many and not spend so much money on them," said student Elizabeth Tovar. "They should use the money to get back our counselors because a lot of us really need them."?

The district saved millions by restructuring guidance services, said Superintendent Cali Olsen-Binks.?

The 40,000-student district came up with the school rifle program after consulting with top school safety experts and looking at what other large districts had done, said Olsen-Binks.?

Santa Ana Unified School District, in nearby Orange County, has had a rifle program for about two years that operates similarly to the one Fontana has started, said police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna.?

The Los Angeles School Police Department also deploys rifles to its officers as needed, the department said in a statement. It would not say how many rifles district police have but said the weapons are kept in the department's armory and are handed out and returned daily.?

"I came from a teaching background, and it's appalling to think that we'd have to have security officers ? let alone armed police officers ? on our campuses," Olsen-Binks said. "But the bottom line is ... everybody has anxiety over school safety right now."?

? 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/24/16677346-school-brings-in-high-powered-assault-weapons?lite

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The Prevention of Hypertension | SpaceCoast Living Magazine

Dr. Gobivenkata Balaji and registered nurse Denise Clark of VNA of the Space Coast offer insight on the importance of blood-pressure readings

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One of the worst aspects of hypertension is that it presents no obvious symptoms. You could have it right now and not even know it. That is, obviously, not a good thing. There are a number of ways to help prevent the onset of the disease, however. Let?s start with the obvious.

?The most important thing is to understand is that hypertension is important,? says Gobivenkata Balaji, M.D., an internist of the Brevard Health Center in Melbourne. ?(It?s important to) look for it, and if you find it, tell your physician. Most of the time, we have a problem because we don?t think we have to look for it. You have to look for it.?

The next time you?re in the drug store, sit down for a few minutes at the blood-pressure machine. Don?t forget to mark down your readings. If you can afford a blood-pressure cuff, that?s even better. Just be sure to bring it by your doctor?s office so that it can be checked to make sure it is working properly.

?The prevention of hypertension, and the treatment of hypertension, really involves you and your physician talking ? making sure you?re on the right diet, and that you?re getting the right amount of exercise,? says Denise Clark, RN, BSN, who is a VNA of the Space Coast cardiac disease and telehealth coordinator.

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HYPERTENSION RISK FACTORS

While there are some factors you simply can?t manage, like your age (typically, people 55 or over are at higher risk), your race (it?s more prevalent in non-white males) or a family history of high blood pressure, there are a number of things that are in your hands.

Clark works closely with Dr. Balaji?s patients, and the two agree on several basic things that patients can do to help prevent hypertension. (Readings above 140 over 90 would qualify patients as having the disease.)

There is proper diet, of course. Dr. Balaji and Clark say it?s best to not eat a lot of foods that are high in fat or salt (including salt substitutes). Exercise is also key. While some jobs are predisposed to being constantly active during a work day, it?s the people who spend most of their day at their desk who need to put an emphasis on working out.

Those who are overweight not only run the risk of hypertension, but diabetes and high cholesterol, as well. The more in shape you are, the healthier your heart likely is, too.

Smoking, naturally, is another big no-no. ?When you smoke, you inhale toxins that damage not only your lungs, but the linings in your blood vessels,? says Clark. ?It makes it harder for your heart to pump, and it damages the walls of your blood vessels. It makes them stiffer and causes your blood pressure to go up.?

THE SERIOUSNESS OF LETTING BLOOD PRESSURE GO UNCHECKED
Letting high blood pressure go unchecked can lead to major complications on many fronts. The problem is, though, a common headache or shortness of breath may not be seen as a sign of a much bigger problem.

?There are very few signs which you may or may not notice if your blood pressure is really high,? says Clark. ?That?s the problem. It can be so high, you can have a stroke. That?s what happens to people who have high blood pressure for a long time and they don?t know it, or they don?t follow up with their physician.?

Hypertension can be managed, says Dr. Balaji, provided the patient is put on the right medicine. The patient has to take that medicine as prescribed while also managing blood pressure, which is where Clark and the other nurses at VNA can help.

Whether under a doctor?s care for other health conditions or not, Dr. Balaji suggests that all patients, particularly men, have a routine exam at least once a year to check for high blood pressure, among other things. Doing so more frequently, though, is a big plus.

?Physicians make their decisions based upon data. If we have more data, the decisions will be better, more validated, than basing it on one blood-pressure reading in the office,? says Dr. Balaji.

The life you lead now can have a tremendous influence on the quality of life you may have down the road. In order to truly prevent diseases like hypertension, it?s vital to be vigilant about its prevention.

?What people don?t realize is the preventative efforts they take now will help them so much in the future,? says Clark. ?What diet and exercise will do now will keep you years off of being on medication.?

For more information on VNA of the Space Coast, call (321) 752-7550 or visit www.VNAA.org.

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Source: http://spacecoastliving.com/the-prevention-of-hypertension/

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