In a bid to blunt attacks by Democrats, Sen. Pat Toomey reprises his 2011 offer of a GOP tax hike. Republicans, he says, are not determined to protect the wealthy at all costs and tax hikes could be part of a deal.
By David Grant,?Staff writer / July 24, 2012
Sen. Pat Toomey (R) of Pennsylvania (r) participates in Sept 11 hearing of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (known as the "supercommittee"), co-chaired by Sen. Patty Murray (D) of Washington and Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R) of Texas (center)
J. Scott Applewhite/AP/File
Enlarge
Calling Democrats? willingness to allow the country to go over the year-end ?fiscal cliff? both ?stunning? and ?disturbing,? Sen. Pat Toomey (R) of Pennsylvania argued in a speech Tuesday at the Brookings Institution that Republicans had proven a willingness to include tax hikes to fix America?s fiscal trajectory, even in the face of their pledge to never raise taxes.
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Senator Toomey's speech comes shortly before Republicans and Democrats will tangle on competing tax proposals on the floor of the House and Senate later this week. Republicans are pushing for a full extension of the Bush tax cuts, saying anything less is a massive tax increase on small businesses. Democrats, on the other hand, say Republicans lack of willingness to pass their plan ? the extension of tax cuts for household income up to $250,000 ? right away shows the GOP is holding out higher taxes on 98 percent of Americans for tax cuts on the wealthiest 2 percent.?
Toomey's speech also came in response to remarks from Sen. Patty Murray (D) of Washington, the Senate?s fourth-ranking Democrat, in the same forum the week prior. In her July 16 speech, Senator Murray argued that unless Republicans agree to raise taxes on the rich, Democrats will not back a compromise measure to avoid $600 billion in automatic spending cuts and tax increases on Jan. 1.?
?If Republicans won?t work with us on a balanced approach, we are not going to get a deal,? said Senator Murray, ?chairman of the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, in her speech. ?[I]f we can?t get a good deal ? a balanced deal that calls on the wealthy to pay their fair share ? then I will absolutely continue this debate into 2013, rather than lock in a long-term deal this year that throws middle-class families under the bus.?
New taxes ? the ?balance? Democrats are seeking in addition to lower spending ? are, as Toomey put it, ?anathema? to Republicans.
But Toomey had, famously, offered Democrats higher tax revenue during 2011 negotiations aimed at heading off the budget-cutting sequester. They were rejected, Toomey said, because Democrats wanted more. By bringing forward that proposal again on Tuesday, Toomey attempted to short-circuit Democratic attacks that claim Republicans are both ideologically rigid in their approach to higher taxes and willing to make the middle class bear the brunt of any budgetary changes.
The sequester, or the automatic spending reductions mandated by the Budget Control Act, are the result of compromise legislation that ended last summer?s debt-ceiling fight. That legislation increased America?s loan limit in exchange for imposing spending caps on the next 10 years of federal budgets and creating the ?sequester? to slash government spending by a predetermined amount (about $1.2 trillion over the next decade) even further if Congress couldn?t agree to deeper cuts. Toomey was one of six Republicans assigned to the so-called ?supercommittee,? a bipartisan group of 12 lawmakers tasked with finding $1.5 trillion in debt reduction over the next decade.
The group couldn?t find a formula for offsetting those reductions, and so they?re slated to hit the economy as automatic spending cuts come Jan. 1. ? But before they announced failure, Toomey offered a plan to offset the $1.2 trillion including $250 billion in new tax revenues coupled with changes to individual tax reform that cut marginal tax rates by 20 percent for every tax bracket. That was alongside changes to Medicare creating higher tax receipts ($150 billion) and $100 billion in non-tax revenues like user fees and asset sales for a total of $500 billion in net deficit reduction.
Children of 'The Troubles' more prone to suicide Public release date: 25-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Claire O'Callaghan c.ocallaghan@qub.ac.uk 028-909-75391 Queen's University Belfast
People who grew up in the worst years of 'The Troubles ' are more prone to suicide in Northern Ireland, according to new research carried out at Queen's University Belfast.
The research, which examined death registration data over the last 40 years, found that the highest suicide rate is for men aged 35-44 (41 per 100,000 by 2010) followed closely by the 25-34 and 45-54 age groups. The findings showed that children who grew up in the worst years of violence between 1969 and 1977-78 are the cohort which now has the highest suicide rates and the most rapidly increasing rates of all age groups.
The study found that the overall rate of suicide for both men and women in Northern Ireland doubled in the decade following the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, rising from 8.6 per 100,000 of the population in 1998 to 16 per 100,000 by 2010. Suicide rates for men went from 13 per 100,000 of the population in 1997 to 24 per 100,000 by 2008; for women the increase was from a rate of 3.9 to 7.3 over the same period.
Speaking about his research, Professor Mike Tomlinson, from the School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work at Queen's, said: "The rise in suicide rates in the decade from 1998 to 2008 coincide with the move from conflict to peace in Northern Ireland. The increase in suicide rates can be attributed to a complex range of social and psychological factors. These include the growth in social isolation, poor mental health arising from the experience of conflict, and the greater political stability of the past decade. The transition to peace means that cultures of externalised aggression are no longer socially approved or politically acceptable. Violence and aggression have become more internalised instead. We seem to have adjusted to peace by means of mass medication with anti-depressants, alcohol and non-prescription drugs, the consumption of which has risen dramatically in the period of peace."
The research also compared hospital presentations resulting from self-harming in nine cities across Britain, Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. It found that Derry had the highest rate of such presentations, with 611 per 100,000 of the population in 2009, while Dublin, had a rate of 352 presentations in the same year. The self harm rate in Derry was higher than that of Manchester, Leeds, Oxford, Limerick, Cork, Galway and Waterford.
Professor Tomlinson said: "During the 1970s and 1980s, the suicide rate rose steadily up to a rate of 10 per 100,000, low by international standards. It then fell slightly over a ten year period. The puzzle is, why have we seen such a dramatic increase in the rate since 1998? What this research reveals for the first time is that the age groups with the highest suicide rates are the cohort who were children during the worst years of violence. Those born and growing up in the conflict experienced no other social context until the late 1990s. There are clear indications from the research that this cohort not only has the highest suicide rate but also the most rapidly increasing rate when compared with other age groups.
"Northern Ireland's suicide prevention strategy has so far made little impact on the upward trend. It may well be missing the target by over-emphasizing interventions with younger age groups and failing to focus on those who experienced the worst of the violence."
###
For media enquiries please contact Claire O'Callaghan on +44 (0) 289 097 5391 or at c.ocallaghan@qub.ac.uk
Notes to Editors:
1. Professor Mike Tomlinson is available for interview on Monday 23 July 2012 (am) and Tuesday 24 July 2012 (all day). Interview requests to Queen's Communications Office on +44 (0) 289 097 5391.
2. Full report available online at http://iss.sagepub.com/content/early/2012/05/14/0268580912443579.abstract
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Children of 'The Troubles' more prone to suicide Public release date: 25-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Claire O'Callaghan c.ocallaghan@qub.ac.uk 028-909-75391 Queen's University Belfast
People who grew up in the worst years of 'The Troubles ' are more prone to suicide in Northern Ireland, according to new research carried out at Queen's University Belfast.
The research, which examined death registration data over the last 40 years, found that the highest suicide rate is for men aged 35-44 (41 per 100,000 by 2010) followed closely by the 25-34 and 45-54 age groups. The findings showed that children who grew up in the worst years of violence between 1969 and 1977-78 are the cohort which now has the highest suicide rates and the most rapidly increasing rates of all age groups.
The study found that the overall rate of suicide for both men and women in Northern Ireland doubled in the decade following the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, rising from 8.6 per 100,000 of the population in 1998 to 16 per 100,000 by 2010. Suicide rates for men went from 13 per 100,000 of the population in 1997 to 24 per 100,000 by 2008; for women the increase was from a rate of 3.9 to 7.3 over the same period.
Speaking about his research, Professor Mike Tomlinson, from the School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work at Queen's, said: "The rise in suicide rates in the decade from 1998 to 2008 coincide with the move from conflict to peace in Northern Ireland. The increase in suicide rates can be attributed to a complex range of social and psychological factors. These include the growth in social isolation, poor mental health arising from the experience of conflict, and the greater political stability of the past decade. The transition to peace means that cultures of externalised aggression are no longer socially approved or politically acceptable. Violence and aggression have become more internalised instead. We seem to have adjusted to peace by means of mass medication with anti-depressants, alcohol and non-prescription drugs, the consumption of which has risen dramatically in the period of peace."
The research also compared hospital presentations resulting from self-harming in nine cities across Britain, Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. It found that Derry had the highest rate of such presentations, with 611 per 100,000 of the population in 2009, while Dublin, had a rate of 352 presentations in the same year. The self harm rate in Derry was higher than that of Manchester, Leeds, Oxford, Limerick, Cork, Galway and Waterford.
Professor Tomlinson said: "During the 1970s and 1980s, the suicide rate rose steadily up to a rate of 10 per 100,000, low by international standards. It then fell slightly over a ten year period. The puzzle is, why have we seen such a dramatic increase in the rate since 1998? What this research reveals for the first time is that the age groups with the highest suicide rates are the cohort who were children during the worst years of violence. Those born and growing up in the conflict experienced no other social context until the late 1990s. There are clear indications from the research that this cohort not only has the highest suicide rate but also the most rapidly increasing rate when compared with other age groups.
"Northern Ireland's suicide prevention strategy has so far made little impact on the upward trend. It may well be missing the target by over-emphasizing interventions with younger age groups and failing to focus on those who experienced the worst of the violence."
###
For media enquiries please contact Claire O'Callaghan on +44 (0) 289 097 5391 or at c.ocallaghan@qub.ac.uk
Notes to Editors:
1. Professor Mike Tomlinson is available for interview on Monday 23 July 2012 (am) and Tuesday 24 July 2012 (all day). Interview requests to Queen's Communications Office on +44 (0) 289 097 5391.
2. Full report available online at http://iss.sagepub.com/content/early/2012/05/14/0268580912443579.abstract
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Every savvy scrapbooker knows that her scrapbook pages are 1 part photo?s, 1 part layout and 1 part design/elements ? and all of it is creative! ?The more unique ways we can take our photo?s, ?layout or design to the next level our pages will be better for it and our friends, family or even customers will be that much more excited about what we can do for them.
That?s why I was very excited to learn about this new Hobby Site?Hobstr.
Hobstr is brand new ?- but they have two great project kits on the site already that appeal to the creative side of me that I simple cannot ignore. ?I had to share them.
First is their toy camera kit. ?To be specific its a?Holga 120N plastic toy camera kit with all the materials and instructions you need + a digital journal / online community to go with it.
It?s a very cool little kit to say the least.
It is also quite nostalgic. ?Makes me think of the pin hole camera I made in the first week of my high school Photography class.
This camera is very basic but vintage at the same time. It uses 35mm ?film (which is near to extinct in today?s highly digitized camera world) ? but because it?s?Lomography, toy camera photography, it makes its flaws a feature. ?For example these?cameras have unique and striking effects such as vignetting, blur, discoloration and lens flaring. ?These effects happen naturally and are out of your control ? but they are effects that you cannot create naturally with digital photography either. ?Only digital editing.
In fact, these exact effects were the inspiration?behind smartphone apps like Hipstamatic and Instagram ? ? which I use quite often on my own iPhone. I love them BOTH too! ?It?s just so fun to PLAY with photo?s and do something different with them that you wouldn?t otherwise get to do straight from the camera. There is just something about doing things the ?old school? ?way now that is very appealing.
There is also something to be said about the NATURAL effects that occur with camera?s like this one ?- as opposed to retouching or using apps to create those effects. ?Without advanced skills some of that retouching or app work can still look very ?fake?. ?But not this! ?It?s as natural as it gets.
Aside from this kit, they also have a really cool home screenprinting kit too. ?It?s a little costlier, but if you are an artsy type ? and you create your own digital graphics for your digital scrapbooks ? you might be inclined to put some of your best work on t-shirts or pillows too. And why not!? ?If you can frame your scrapbook layouts with the same images about the bed, couch or chair that shares the same image on an accent pillow ? your home decor takes on a WHOLE new meaning doesn?t it?
Why not expand your hobby?skills today with Hobstr?? ?You might just love what you find there.
The Senate is focusing on passage of a bill (S. 2237) that purports to help small businesses. It would give them a tax credit for expanding payroll and allow them to take 100 percent bonus depreciation for certain equipment purchases (rather than the 50 percent write-off that?s currently in effect for 2012). Would this be a good law?
?
It?s time that we analyzed whether tax incentives really induce the intended action. The problem is that there are existing counterweights already in the tax law to the proposed incentives. Let?s take a look at the first proposal, a tax credit for expanding payroll by taking on new workers or raising pay for existing workers.
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Payroll credit
Qualifying for this tax credit will cut or eliminate eligibility to claim the small employer health tax credit. This other credit, which is up to 35 percent of health insurance premiums paid by small businesses for their staff, is determined with reference both to:
The number of workers (although the credit has a complex formula based on so-called full-time equivalent employees); and
The average payroll
?
The higher both of these factors go, the lower the small employer health insurance credit. The credit, which is part of the now-constitutional Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), was supposed to help four million small businesses, but fewer than 400,000 actually claimed the credit, and of these, fewer than 40,000 qualified for the full 35 percent credit.?
?
Bottom line: Enactment of a jobs credit would merely exchange one tax credit for the other in some small businesses.
?
?iStockphoto.com/picha
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Even worse, expanding payroll to 50 employees or more will trigger a business mandate under Obamacare to provide essential health coverage to workers starting in 2014. What this will cost is unknown at this time, but what is certain is that many companies that already have 45 or so employees are not growing their payrolls at this time. And, in fact, companies already over the tipping point may cut their payroll to have fewer than 50 employees.
?
Bonus depreciation
The other provision?to encourage investments in capital equipment by allowing a full write-off using bonus depreciation?is another provision that may help large companies but won?t be significant for small businesses. Any business, regardless of the number of employees, the amount of revenue, or profitability, can claim bonus depreciation; it?s not exclusively a small business tax break.
On the other hand, the Section 179 deduction (up to $139,000 in 2012) is meant specifically for small businesses because the dollar limit phases out for purchases over another limit ($560,000 in 2012); large companies spending more than $560,000 in equipment purchases lose some or all of the deduction.
?
Bottom line: Very few small businesses invest annually more than $139,000 in machinery and equipment (including computers, smartphones, and off-the-shelf software), so again there is no need to raise the cap on bonus depreciation. Don?t get me wrong; 100 percent bonus depreciation would be a nice break, but it is not essential for small companies at this time.
?
FYI: NFIB?s small business optimism survey for June shows that only about half of small companies expect to make capital expenditures in the next six months and, of those that do, about 20 percent represents vehicle purchases (which have their own tax rule limitations). Conclusion
Good policy or bad distraction? This tax bill, labeled as being for small businesses, belies the fact that it really won?t matter much for its intended target: small businesses. In my opinion, it won?t incentivize action. What?s really needed to help small businesses is tax certainty (not rules that expire year after year) and continuation of the current tax rates.
ABC News' Jonathan Karl, Michael Falcone, Gregory Simmons and Arlette Saenz report:
Mitt Romney and his team in Boston aren't the only ones feverishly vetting potential running mates.
In a non-descript Washington, DC office building within sight of the United States Capitol, a team of more than a dozen Democratic researchers have spent the last few months examining every nook and cranny of the records of several GOP vice presidential contenders.
The researchers work for the super PAC, American Bridge 21st Century, which is unveiling a new website on Friday called VeepMistakes.com. The site features more than 1,300 pages of opposition research and scores of video clips.
Political prognosticators can only speculate who is on Romney's short-list, but now we know who the Democrats are preparing to target. The super PAC is shining their spotlight on three of the mostly likely contenders: former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Ohio Sen. Rob Portman and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. Their research files, which the group is making public for the first time, also offers a sneak peek at the attacks the Democrats are poised to use against whichever potential V.P. ultimately gets the nod from Romney.
The American Bridge file on Portman, who has been the subject of more speculation than just about anyone else, runs nearly 350 pages. It includes sections on the Ohio senator's legal career, his stints in prior presidential administrations and a rundown of his public statements on a raft of issues - from education to gun control to gay and lesbian rights.
The image of Portman that emerges from the briefing book, which the super PAC, has posted online in full is of a Bush-loving, deficit-increasing, subsidy-hating lobbyist.
One section of the thick file focuses on Portman's work at the firm of Patton Boggs in the 1980s when Portman was a registered lobbyist. The law firm represented Haiti and "according to Portman's registration statement as a foreign agent filed with the Department of Justice, his clients included the Republic of Haiti," the research book notes.
It also details how the national deficit increased while Portman was director of the Office of Management and Budget under President George W. Bush and how the country's trade deficit with China spiked under his watch as Bush's trade czar.
The Portman file, like the 492-page document for Pawlenty and the 555-page one for Rubio, includes an executive summary of "Top Hits" - the information that American Bridge considers most troublesome for each of the potential running mates. Among Portman's "Top Hits," the group details where the Ohio senator "diverges with Romney on key budget and tax issues."
American Bridge decided to release the information before Romney picks his running mate in order to give fellow Democrats, as well as the press, a head-start on examining the major vulnerabilities of each of the contenders.
"In 2008 nobody was prepared for the disaster that was vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. And while even Mitt Romney couldn't top that pick, the front runners he's considering are all deeply flawed in their own right," said Rodell Mollineau, president of American Bridge. "This year we are going to make sure that the public has as much information as possible, as early as possible, on the extreme and out of touch positions of the candidates Mitt Romney would put a heartbeat away from the presidency."
In addition to the written material, the super PAC, which was formed primarily as a tracking and research organization, is making public large amounts of video footage of the three vice presidential hopefuls. American Bridge trackers have been following Pawlenty since May 2011, Rubio since this February and Portman since May.
Much of the video is raw and uncut. The Pawlenty collection is particularly vast since it includes clips of the former Minnesota governor campaigning against Romney throughout the primary season.
It features moments like a media availability in Greenfield, N.H. on June 12, 2011 when Pawlenty dubbed the health care plan Romney supported as governor of Massachusetts and the one President Obama pushed, "Obamneycare"
The file also delves into Pawlenty's years as governor of Minnesota, noting that he left the state with a $6.2 billion deficit and that he hired lobbyists to top jobs in his administration.
When it comes to Rubio, who is favored by many conservatives to be Romney's running mate, American Bridge will attempt to characterize the Florida senator as a politician who not only uses his political office for personal gain, but also one who skirts the line of unethical practices.
American Bridge highlights reports that Rubio obtained no-bid employment contracts for himself at two state agencies - Florida International University and Jackson Memorial Hospital - when they faced budget cutbacks. Rubio was hired to teach political science classes and conduct research part time for $69,000 a year at Florida International University despite the school never posting the job publicly and cutting 200 other jobs that year.
Rubio also secured an $8,000 per month consulting contract at Jackson Memorial Hospital, just months after he helped steer $20 million towards the hospital through the state budget allocation, according to the super PAC's research file.
The document also runs through Rubio's failure to disclose a $135,000 home equity loan from the bank of one of his supporters and the specifics of Rubio's state party credit card scandal. When he served as speaker of the House in Florida, Rubio was accused of charging personal expenses - ranging from purchases at the Apple Store to personal home remodeling to car repair on his family's van damaged at a political event - on the state party's credit card.
As recently as May, Rubio admitted he made a "mistake" in the use of the Republican Party of Florida's credit card but said he personally paid any discrepancies found on his statements.
American Bridge officials emphasized that it may be impossible to know now which nuggets of their research will come back to haunt one of the potential veeps down the road.
"Research is innocuous until it's not," Mollineau told ABC News. "A vote taken several years ago, a speech given to a special interest group, a law signed or vetoed can be harmless until put in the context of a present day campaign."
If you've been waiting for the garnet red Samsung Galaxy S III on AT&T, you'll be able to preorder it starting July 15. It'll be in stores starting July 29.
It'll still run you $199 on contract, just like the white and blue versions. And it's still only rocking 16GB on on-board storage, but don't forget it'll take up to a 64-gigabyte micro SD card, so there's that.
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By using a bunch of box fans and a tub filled with fire, this video demonstrates how you can easily create a beautiful and deadly-looking whirlpool of fire in your own backyard.
Every year I ask some of the attendees of the ScienceOnline conferences to tell me (and my readers) more about themselves, their careers, current projects and their views on the use of the Web in science, science education or science communication. So now we continue with the participants of ScienceOnline2012. See all the interviews in this series here.
Today my guest is Kaitlin Vandemark (blog, Twitter)
Welcome to A Blog Around The Clock. Would you, please, tell my readers a little bit more about yourself? Where are you coming from (both geographically and philosophically)? What is your background? Any scientific education?
Hello, my name is Kaitlin Vandemark. I am currently a student at Cleveland State University studying physics and communications. I was originally studying to get a bachelor?s degree in physics, until I started to become more interested in communications and finding a way of expressing my love of science to others. I will graduate in December of 2013 with my bachelors in both Physics and Communications. I am hoping then to find a career that allows me to pursue my passion in both science and communication.
Tell us a little more about your career trajectory so far: interesting projects past and present?
I am still a bit new to the field of online communications. Like anyone from my generation, I have a Facebook and Twitter, but only recently have I started to expand on my online science communication. For the past 2 and ? years I have been doing optics research at my university. This research has allowed me to attend many conferences, where I can present my research and passion for science to others.
After attending Science Online 2012, I have started a website with AmoebaMike. The site is called the Sardonic Scientist, and its main focus is to parody science news. We have been trying to jumpstart the website with new articles, and I am very excited to see the website grow.
What is taking up the most of your time and passion these days? What are your goals?
School takes up most of my time these days. Between classes, clubs, student government, and research; I am kept pretty busy. I write articles for the website whenever I have free time. As I near graduation my next goals consist of finding a career path. I have been researching companies and graduate schools to decide my next steps. I am currently torn between entering industry after my bachelors or continuing my education with graduate school in physics or communications.
What aspect of science communication and/or particular use of the Web in science interests you the most?
I think Science Communication (especially through the web) is important because of the misuse of science today. Many people rely on the internet to get information, and form ideas about issues that face society today. Unfortunately, many people use science as a tool to gain support for their ideas; whether or not the science they claim is true. I can?t tell you how many times I have heard someone quote a scientific study of some sort to prove a point that doesn?t even relate to the original studie?s goal. This misuse of science motivates me to communicate science to the world. I do this in the hopes that they will do their research before believing in false claims.
How does (if it does) blogging figure in your work? How about social networks, e.g., Twitter, Google Plus and Facebook? Do you find all this online activity to be a net positive (or even a necessity) in what you do?
Currently I do not blog much but social networks have a huge effect on my activities. I use Twitter and Facebook to not only connect with people, but to promote my activities. I am currently involved in the Society of Physics Students at my University as well as Student Government. I use Twitter and Facebook to promote events to students. I also use Twitter and Facebook to promote the Sardonic Scientist, by posting new articles on each site.
What was the best aspect of ScienceOnline2012 for you? Any suggestions for next year? Is there anything that happened at this Conference ? a session, something someone said or did or wrote ? that will change the way you think about science communication, or something that you will take with you to your job, blog-reading and blog-writing?
This is a very difficult question for me. ScienceOnline2012 was such a great experience that it was hard to pick one aspect. This was the first conference I have been to of this nature. I have been to dozens of scientific conferences, but they seem to be filled with nothing but talks and seminars. This was the first conference to encourage the attendants to speak to each other and share ideas openly in forum. I would say my favorite aspect of the conference was the fact it was an ?unconference?, this opened up my eyes to a new way of communicating in science.
Another great aspect was meeting new and wonderful people. Without this conference I would not have meet AmoebaMike and started our website.
Every session I went to offered new ideas and helpful hints for succeeding in science communication. My two favorite sessions were the ?2 Minute Elevator Pitch Session? and ?Science Communication the Mel Brooks Way?. Each of these sessions provided me with a different tool to succeed at my career. The Elevator pitch session helped me to prepare for my career, whether it is in the university setting or industry. The Mel Brooks session confirmed my love of humor to spread knowledge. I have always firmly believed that humor is a useful tool to teach, but it was amazing to see so many people in one room who believed the same.
For this upcoming ScienceOnline I would definitely stick with the ?unconference? idea. I would be interested in a session for new bloggers who are interested on tips to get started.
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World's fastest camera, created by UCLA engineers, used to detect rogue cancer cellsPublic release date: 5-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Wileen Wong Kromhout wwkromhout@support.ucla.edu 310-206-0540 University of California - Los Angeles
The ability to distinguish and isolate rare cells from among a large population of assorted cells has become increasingly important for the early detection of disease and for monitoring disease treatments.
Circulating cancer tumor cells are a perfect example. Typically, there are only a handful of them among a billion healthy cells, yet they are precursors to metastasis, the spread of cancer that causes about 90 percent of cancer mortalities. Such "rogue" cells are not limited to cancer they also include stem cells used for regenerative medicine and other cell types.
Unfortunately, detecting such cells is difficult. Achieving good statistical accuracy requires an automated, high-throughput instrument that can examine millions of cells in a reasonably short time. Microscopes equipped with digital cameras are currently the gold standard for analyzing cells, but they are too slow to be useful for this application.
Now, a new optical microscope developed by UCLA engineers could make the tough task a whole lot easier.
"To catch these elusive cells, the camera must be able to capture and digitally process millions of images continuously at a very high frame rate," said Bahram Jalali, who holds the Northrop Grumman Endowed Opto-Electronic Chair in Electrical Engineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science. "Conventional CCD and CMOS cameras are not fast and sensitive enough. It takes time to read the data from the array of pixels, and they become less sensitive to light at high speed."
The current flow-cytometry method has high throughput, but since it relies on single-point light scattering, as opposed to taking a picture, it is not sensitive enough to detect very rare cell types, such as those present in early-stage or pre-metastasis cancer patients.
To overcome these limitations, an interdisciplinary team of researchers led by Jalali and Dino Di Carlo, a UCLA associate professor of bioengineering, with expertise in optics and high-speed electronics, microfluidics, and biotechnology, has developed a high-throughput flow-through optical microscope with the ability to detect rare cells with sensitivity of one part per million in real time.
This technology builds on the photonic time-stretch camera technology created by Jalali's team in 2009 to produce the world's fastest continuous-running camera.
In the latest issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Jalali, Di Carlo and their colleagues describe how they integrated this camera with advanced microfluidics and real-time image processing in order to classify cells in blood samples. The new blood-screening technology boasts a throughput of 100,000 cells per second, approximately 100 times higher than conventional imaging-based blood analyzers.
"This achievement required the integration of several cutting-edge technologies through collaborations between the departments of bioengineering and electrical engineering and the California NanoSystems Institute and adds to the significant technology infrastructure being developed at UCLA for cell-based diagnostics," Di Carlo said.
Both Jalali and Di Carlo are members of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA.
Their research demonstrates real-time identification of rare breast cancer cells in blood with a record low false-positive rate of one cell in a million. Preliminary results indicate that this new technology has the potential to quickly enable the detection of rare circulating tumor cells from a large volume of blood, opening the way for statistically accurate early detection of cancer and for monitoring the efficiency of drug and radiation therapy.
"This technology can significantly reduce errors and costs in medical diagnosis," said lead author Keisuke Goda, a UCLA program manager in electrical engineering and bioengineering.
The results were obtained by mixing cancer cells grown in a laboratory with blood in various proportions to emulate real-life patient blood.
"To further validate the clinical utility of the technology, we are currently performing clinical tests in collaboration with clinicians," said Goda, also a member of the California NanoSystems Institute. "The technology is also potentially useful for urine analysis, water quality monitoring and related applications."
###
The study was funded by the U.S. Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) and by NantWorks LLC and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.
The UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, established in 1945, offers 28 academic and professional degree programs and has an enrollment of more than 5,000 students. The school's distinguished faculty are leading research to address many of the critical challenges of the 21st century, including renewable energy, clean water, health care, wireless sensing and networking, and cybersecurity. Ranked among the top 10 engineering schools at public universities nationwide, the school is home to nine multimillion-dollar interdisciplinary research centers in wireless sensor systems, wireless health, nanoelectronics, nanomedicine, renewable energy, customized computing, the smart grid, and the Internet, all funded by federal and private agencies and individual donors.
(www.engineer.ucla.edu | www.twitter.com/uclaengineering)
For more UCLA news, visit the UCLA Newsroom and follow us on Twitter.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
World's fastest camera, created by UCLA engineers, used to detect rogue cancer cellsPublic release date: 5-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Wileen Wong Kromhout wwkromhout@support.ucla.edu 310-206-0540 University of California - Los Angeles
The ability to distinguish and isolate rare cells from among a large population of assorted cells has become increasingly important for the early detection of disease and for monitoring disease treatments.
Circulating cancer tumor cells are a perfect example. Typically, there are only a handful of them among a billion healthy cells, yet they are precursors to metastasis, the spread of cancer that causes about 90 percent of cancer mortalities. Such "rogue" cells are not limited to cancer they also include stem cells used for regenerative medicine and other cell types.
Unfortunately, detecting such cells is difficult. Achieving good statistical accuracy requires an automated, high-throughput instrument that can examine millions of cells in a reasonably short time. Microscopes equipped with digital cameras are currently the gold standard for analyzing cells, but they are too slow to be useful for this application.
Now, a new optical microscope developed by UCLA engineers could make the tough task a whole lot easier.
"To catch these elusive cells, the camera must be able to capture and digitally process millions of images continuously at a very high frame rate," said Bahram Jalali, who holds the Northrop Grumman Endowed Opto-Electronic Chair in Electrical Engineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science. "Conventional CCD and CMOS cameras are not fast and sensitive enough. It takes time to read the data from the array of pixels, and they become less sensitive to light at high speed."
The current flow-cytometry method has high throughput, but since it relies on single-point light scattering, as opposed to taking a picture, it is not sensitive enough to detect very rare cell types, such as those present in early-stage or pre-metastasis cancer patients.
To overcome these limitations, an interdisciplinary team of researchers led by Jalali and Dino Di Carlo, a UCLA associate professor of bioengineering, with expertise in optics and high-speed electronics, microfluidics, and biotechnology, has developed a high-throughput flow-through optical microscope with the ability to detect rare cells with sensitivity of one part per million in real time.
This technology builds on the photonic time-stretch camera technology created by Jalali's team in 2009 to produce the world's fastest continuous-running camera.
In the latest issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Jalali, Di Carlo and their colleagues describe how they integrated this camera with advanced microfluidics and real-time image processing in order to classify cells in blood samples. The new blood-screening technology boasts a throughput of 100,000 cells per second, approximately 100 times higher than conventional imaging-based blood analyzers.
"This achievement required the integration of several cutting-edge technologies through collaborations between the departments of bioengineering and electrical engineering and the California NanoSystems Institute and adds to the significant technology infrastructure being developed at UCLA for cell-based diagnostics," Di Carlo said.
Both Jalali and Di Carlo are members of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA.
Their research demonstrates real-time identification of rare breast cancer cells in blood with a record low false-positive rate of one cell in a million. Preliminary results indicate that this new technology has the potential to quickly enable the detection of rare circulating tumor cells from a large volume of blood, opening the way for statistically accurate early detection of cancer and for monitoring the efficiency of drug and radiation therapy.
"This technology can significantly reduce errors and costs in medical diagnosis," said lead author Keisuke Goda, a UCLA program manager in electrical engineering and bioengineering.
The results were obtained by mixing cancer cells grown in a laboratory with blood in various proportions to emulate real-life patient blood.
"To further validate the clinical utility of the technology, we are currently performing clinical tests in collaboration with clinicians," said Goda, also a member of the California NanoSystems Institute. "The technology is also potentially useful for urine analysis, water quality monitoring and related applications."
###
The study was funded by the U.S. Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) and by NantWorks LLC and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.
The UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, established in 1945, offers 28 academic and professional degree programs and has an enrollment of more than 5,000 students. The school's distinguished faculty are leading research to address many of the critical challenges of the 21st century, including renewable energy, clean water, health care, wireless sensing and networking, and cybersecurity. Ranked among the top 10 engineering schools at public universities nationwide, the school is home to nine multimillion-dollar interdisciplinary research centers in wireless sensor systems, wireless health, nanoelectronics, nanomedicine, renewable energy, customized computing, the smart grid, and the Internet, all funded by federal and private agencies and individual donors.
(www.engineer.ucla.edu | www.twitter.com/uclaengineering)
For more UCLA news, visit the UCLA Newsroom and follow us on Twitter.
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Public release date: 25-Jul-2012
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Hello, my name is Kaitlin Vandemark. I am currently a student at Cleveland State University studying physics and communications. I was originally studying to get a bachelor?s degree in physics, until I started to become more interested in communications and finding a way of expressing my love of science to others. I will graduate in December of 2013 with my bachelors in both Physics and Communications. I am hoping then to find a career that allows me to pursue my passion in both science and communication.