IS TASMANIAN DEVIL HEADED FOR EXTINCTION?

Tasmanian Devil.  Credit:  Wikimedia Commons.

FROM:  NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 
Tasmanian devils: Will rare infectious cancer lead to their extinction?

Taz, was his name, the Tasmanian devil of Warner Bros. cartoon fame. A scrappy omnivore who ate anything and everything, he spun in a vortex and bit through everything in his path.

The devil was short-lived, however, making television appearances for a few years in the late 1950s and early 1960s before disappearing from view. In 1991, Taz got a reprieve: His own show, "Taz-Mania," which ran for three seasons. Then he was gone for good.

From the screen to the wild

Tasmanian devils in the wild are no less imperiled. Carnivorous marsupials, they're found only on the Australian island of Tasmania. With a stocky build, black fur, keen sense of smell and ferocity when feeding, "real-life" Tasmanian devils and their cartoon namesake have much in common.

The size of small dogs, Tasmanian devils became the largest carnivorous marsupials in the world following the 1936 extinction of thylacines (Thylacinus cynocephalus), known as Tasmanian tigers or Tasmanian wolves. Thylacines lived on continental Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea.

Will the fate of Sarcophilus harrisii, the scientific name for the Tasmanian devil, mimic that of the thylacine?

"If a way isn't found to stop devil facial tumor disease, or DFTD," says disease ecologist Andrew Storfer of Washington State University, "models predict that Tasmanian devils could be extinct in as few as10 years."

And vanishing with them, valuable clues to diseases in other species, including humans.

DFTD is an aggressive, non-viral, transmissible parasitic cancer that is 100 percent lethal, says Storfer. "In short," he says, "it's bad news."

Can we save the Tasmanian devil?

To study DFTD and find ways of understanding its emergence and spread, Storfer has received a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF)- National Institutes of Health (NIH) Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases (EEID) Program.

Collaborators include Paul Hohenlohe of the University of Idaho, Hamish McCallum of Griffith University, Menna Jones of the University of Tasmania and Elizabeth Murchison of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute.

The NSF-NIH EEID Program supports efforts to understand the ecological and biological mechanisms that link environmental changes and the emergence and transmission of infectious diseases.

Projects funded through the program allow scientists to study how large-scale environmental events--such as habitat destruction, invasions of nonnative species and pollution--alter the risks of emergence of viral, parasitic and bacterial diseases.

Storfer's research may lead to new insights about the spread of flu in humans. It also may help scientists understand other infectious diseases in animals such as bats, and how certain cancers progress.

"This study provides an excellent test-bed for understanding the spread of infectious diseases," says Sam Scheiner, EEID program director at NSF. "The results may help us control the spread of seasonal flu in people, West Nile virus in birds and white-nose syndrome in bats, among many other diseases."

Tasmanian devils: extinction on the horizon

The first official case of devil tumor facial disease was reported in 1996. Since then, Tasmania's devil population has declined by 70 percent. Findings reported in 2010 show that 80 percent of the remaining devils are affected.

"Tasmanian devils that live in high-density populations may suffer drastic reductions a few years after emergence of the disease," Storfer says.

DFTD has been slowly moving from east to west across Tasmania for the last 17 years; it's now approaching the west coast. "Soon there may be no known uninfected devils," says Storfer.

The disease is spread when Tasmanian devils bite each other's heads while fighting over food, during territorial interactions and when they spar during mating season.

Devils that contract the disease develop lesions around their mouths that become cancerous tumors. The tumors may spread from their faces to their entire bodies. Devils almost always die within six to nine months.

Devil facial tumor disease likely began in what are called Schwann cells. Schwann cells are found in the peripheral nervous system; they produce myelin and other proteins essential for the functions of nerve cells.

In response to DFTD, Tasmanian devils have changed their reproductive habits. Before the outbreak, females started breeding at two years old. Now they breed by the end of their first year--and often die of DFTD soon afterward.

There's a ray of light, however, in this dark day for devils. Some devils have been found with partial immunity to the disease. Breeding in captivity is underway to try to save the species.

"Emerging infectious diseases like DFTD are one of the great scientific challenges of the 21st century," says Storfer. "Infectious diseases are now the sixth leading cause of species extinctions."

Answers in Tasmanian devils' genomes?

Extensive research by Storfer and others, including thousands of samples taken before and after devil die-offs, has given scientists a rare opportunity to study the genomic interactions of an infectious disease and its host--the devils--across an entire species' range.

"The research will tell us about the genetic basis of Tasmanian devils' susceptibility to the tumors," says Storfer, "providing environmental managers with information about which particular devils would be best suited for captive breeding programs."

Knowledge of the rates and direction of past tumor spread will enable scientists to uncover the likely locations of future infections.

Although only a few infectious cancers have been documented, Storfer says, "this disease shares properties with human cancers.

"Our research, especially genetic studies, may reveal the underlying reasons why DTFD is so prevalent and can hold on for so long in a population, perhaps providing information on cancer recurrence in humans."

To test predictions of the course of the epidemic, he and colleagues plan to meld what they call "devil contact network modeling" with genomic studies of Tasmanian devil populations expected to become infected.

"The answers will help in developing responses to this and other disease outbreaks in Tasmanian devils--and potentially in people," says Storfer.

Taz may be gone, but, says Storfer, "Hopefully it's not too late for the real Tasmanian devil."

-- Cheryl Dybas, NSF

U.S. MILITARY CONTINUES PROVIDING RELIEF TO VICTIMS OF TYPHOON HAIYAN

Right:  A U.S. Navy MH-60S Seahawk helicopter, center, assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25 prepares to drop supplies over Tacloban Airfield in Tacloban, Leyte province, Philippines, Nov. 14, 2013, in support of Operation Damayan. U.S. military forces were deployed to the Philippines to support  humanitarian efforts in response to Typhoon Haiyan. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Ricardo R. Guzma.

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2013 – U.S. military assets have as of early today delivered approximately 655,000 pounds of relief supplies provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development since the start of Operation Damayan, the relief effort in support of the government of the Philippines in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda.

The duration and extent of U.S. military support will depend on the request from the government of the Philippines. American forces will be present as long as they are needed, but no longer than required.

In addition to the delivery of relief supplies, U.S. military aircraft have to date logged nearly 650 flight hours, moved nearly 1,200 relief workers into Tacloban and have airlifted nearly 4,900 survivors from typhoon-impacted areas.
Over the last 24 hours, more than 66,000 pounds of food, water and shelter items have been delivered to Tacloban, Borongan and Guiuan -- some of the hardest-hit regions.

At the request of the government of the Philippines, international military forces in the region are also ramping up their support. Australia, India, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan are currently providing aircraft and/or medical personnel to assist in the relief operations. Similar military support from Brunei, Great Britain, New Zealand and Thailand is also expected.
U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific is coordinating efforts by Marine forces in the U.S. Pacific Command area of responsibility and working with the Philippine government to rapidly deliver humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to the areas the Philippine government deems most in need. The U.S.-Philippines visiting forces agreement helped facilitate the speed of this response.

U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific’s ability to coordinate with all available Defense Department resources in Pacom’s area of responsibility to respond rapidly to the Philippine government’s request reaffirms the value of the close cooperation the two nations share.

The people of the Philippines are responding to the typhoon’s impact with characteristic resilience, aided by the effective measures their government took to help prepare them for the storm.

In the immediate aftermath of the typhoon, the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade deployed a humanitarian assistance survey team to conduct assessments of impacted areas.

USDA REMINDS FARMERS OF AFFECTS OF SEQUESTRATION ON FARM PROGRAMS

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
FSA Advises Producers to Anticipate Payment Reductions Due to Mandated Sequester 

WASHINGTON, Nov. 15, 2013 ---USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is reminding farmers and ranchers who participate in FSA programs to plan accordingly in FY2014 for automatic spending reductions known as sequestration. The Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA) mandates that federal agencies implement automatic, annual reductions to discretionary and mandatory spending limits. For mandatory programs, the sequestration rate for FY2014 is 7.2%. Accordingly, FSA is implementing sequestration for the following programs:

Dairy Indemnity Payment Program; Marketing Assistance Loans; Loan Deficiency Payments; Sugar Loans; Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program; Tobacco Transition Payment Program; 2013 Direct and Counter-Cyclical Payments; 2013 Average Crop Revenue Election Program; 2011 and 2012 Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program; Storage, handling; and Economic Adjustment Assistance for Upland Cotton.

Conservation Reserve Program payments are specifically exempt by statute from sequestration, thus these payments will not be reduced.

“These sequester percentages reflect current law estimates; however with the continuing budget uncertainty, Congress still may adjust the exact percentage reduction. Today’s announcement intends to help producers plan for the impact of sequestration cuts in FY2014,” said FSA Administrator Juan M. Garcia. “At this time, FSA is required to implement the sequester reductions. Due to the expiration of the Farm Bill on September 30, FSA does not have the flexibility to cover these payment reductions in the same manner as in FY13. FSA will provide notification as early as practicable on the specific payment reductions. ”

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS & WGBH BOSTON WILL PRESERVE COLLECTION OF PUBLIC RADIO AND TV CONTENT

FROM:  U.S. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

Corporation for Public Broadcasting Awards Library of Congress and WGBH with Stewardship of the American Archive of Public Broadcasting
An unprecedented and historic collection of American public radio and television content - dating back through the 1950s - will be permanently preserved and made available to the public through a collaboration between the Library of Congress and WGBH Boston as the American Archive of Public Broadcasting.

In 2007, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) initiated an inventory of public media content from contributing stations, resulting in 2.5 million records representing complete programs, raw footage, unedited interviews, recorded speeches, and live music sessions. Now, 40,000 hours of that content is being digitized and is slated for transfer and long-term preservation through a collaboration between the Library of Congress and WGBH, with funding support from CPB.

"The American Archive of Public Broadcasting is a national asset that will preserve thousands of hours of iconic, at-risk, local, and national content," said Pat Harrison, CPB president and CEO. "I want to congratulate and thank the public media stations, and the local communities they represent, who provided content for the Archive. For the past six years, CPB has created, defined and managed this initiative and we are very pleased to announce that it has finally found a permanent home with the Library of Congress and WGBH."

The American Archive of Public Broadcasting includes local, regional, and national history, news, public affairs, civic affairs, religion, education, environmental issues, music, art, literature, filmmaking, dance, and poetry from the mid-20th century through the first decade of the 21st century.

"The American people have made a huge investment in public radio and television over many decades," said James H. Billington, Librarian of Congress. "This collaboration will ensure that this rich and creative cultural history will be saved and made available to future generations."

"We are very excited and proud to become the home for the American Archive, and to be part of keeping history alive for audiences and for the public," said Jon Abbott, president and CEO of WGBH. "We couldn’t have a better partner than the Library of Congress in making these treasures available, and we’re grateful to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for their leadership and support of this effort."

The collection includes interviews and performances by local and national luminaries from a broad variety of professions and cultural genres. Just a few examples of the items in the collection include: Iowa Public Television’s interview with Olympic runner Jesse Owens, recorded in 1979, the last year of his life; KUSC’s (Los Angeles) broadcast of commentary by George Lucas on the original three Star Wars movies; Twin Cities Public Television’s recording of a 1960 interview with presidential candidates John F. Kennedy and Minnesota Senator Hubert Humphrey; and WGBH’s 1967 interviews with then-California Governor Ronald Reagan.

Regional coverage and programming abounds, such as an award-winning series of 48 programs on the history of Southwest Florida from WGCU in Fort Myers; WCTE’s (Tennessee) news magazine which highlights the Upper Cumberland, a region that most Americans have never seen; KUED’s (Salt Lake City) films from the 1950s of performances by the famed organist of the Mormon Tabernacle; a 1929 film reel of a hike on Mount Katahdin, Maine’s highest peak, discovered by Maine Public Broadcasting; and WEDU’s (Tampa) collection of several dozen Aeronautics & Space Report programs from NASA.

"This is an important step in CPB’s commitment to preserve and make available to the American public the tremendous amount of high quality programming and content produced by public media television and radio stations over the past several decades and in the future," said Patty Cahill, Chairman of the CPB Board of Directors. "We are pleased that the Library of Congress and WGBH will continue this culturally and historically significant project on behalf of the public media system and the American people."

A national advisory panel, comprised of leaders from public media, the arts, academia, technology, and business recommended to the CPB Board of Directors the collaborative team of the Library of Congress and WGBH to lead this historic project. The panel was instrumental in guiding the selection process, providing questions, observations, and recommendations regarding core elements of the Archive’s future success.

American Archive National Advisory Panel members include: Bruce Ramer, partner at Gang, Tyre, Ramer & Brown, a Los Angeles entertainment and media law firm, and member of the CPB board of directors; Henry Becton, vice chair and former president of the board of trustees of the WGBH Educational Foundation; Ken Burns, award winning filmmaker; John W. Carlin, former Governor of Kansas and archivist of the United States, and currently visiting professor, executive-in-residence in the School of Leadership Studies at Kansas State University; Dr. Jeffrey Cole, founder and director of the Center for the Digital Future at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism; Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., professor, author, documentary filmmaker and director of the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research; Deanna Marcum, managing director at Ithaka S+R, a not-for-profit research and consulting organization, and former associate librarian of Congress; John Ptak, film producer and former talent agent at CAA, William Morris and ICM, and member of the National Film Preservation Board and the National Film Preservation Foundation; Cokie Roberts, commentator for ABC News and contributor to NPR’s Morning Edition; Dr. Stephen D. Smith, executive director of the University of Southern California Shoah Foundation – The Institute for Visual History and Education; Hon. Margaret Spellings, senior advisor to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, and former U.S. Secretary of Education from 2005 to 2009; Sir Howard Stringer, chairman of the board of directors, Sony Corporation; and Jesús Salvador Treviño, writer, director, and producer.

"The American Archive of Public Broadcasting continues to be a priority for CPB – to preserve decades of high quality local and national public media content," said Bruce Ramer, who, in addition to being a member of the American Archive National Advisory Panel, is also chairman of the USC Institute on Entertainment Law and Business. "I want to thank the panel for their leadership which helped to ensure the preservation and permanent availability of public broadcasting’s rich legacy."

Responsibilities for governance and long-term strategy development will be shared by the Library of Congress and WGBH, including expansion of the digital archive by acquiring additional content, and providing on-site access to the material at both WGBH in Boston and at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. They will work with AudioVisual Preservation Services to develop and manage the website/content management system for the digitization of the 40,000 hours of content, and with Crawford Media Services to do the digitization for the stations.

More information is available at the American Archive blog.

About The Library of Congress

The Library of Congress, the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution, is the world’s preeminent reservoir of knowledge, providing unparalleled collections and integrated resources to Congress and the American people. The Library holds the largest collection of audio visual recordings in the world and has been collecting and preserving historically, culturally and aesthetically significant recordings in all genres for nearly 120 years. Many of the Library’s rich resources and treasures may also be accessed through the Library’s website, www.loc.gov.

About WGBH

WGBH Boston is America’s preeminent public broadcaster and the largest producer of PBS content for TV and the Web, including Frontline, Nova, American Experience, Masterpiece, Antiques Roadshow, Arthur, Curious George and more than a dozen other award-winning prime-time, lifestyle, and children’s series, reaching nearly 75 million people each month. WGBH also is a major supplier of programming for public radio, and oversees Public Radio International (PRI). A leader in educational multimedia for the classroom, WGBH supplies content to PBS LearningMedia. WGBH also is a pioneer in technologies and services that make media accessible to those with hearing or visual impairments. Find more information at www.wgbh.org.
About CPB

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government's investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,400 locally-owned and -operated public television and radio stations nationwide, and is the largest single source of funding for research, technology, and program development for public radio, television and related online services. Visit us at www.cpb.org.

HUSBAND AND WIFE CONVICTED OF FILING LIENS AGAINST IRS COMMISSIONER AND FILING FALSE TAX REFUND CLAIMS

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 
Friday, November 15, 2013
Northern California Couple Indicted for Filing False Claims for Refunds and for Filing Liens Against the IRS Commissioner

Robert Eldon Robertson and his wife Esther Lynne Robertson of Manteca, Calif., were indicted on charges of filing two false claims for federal tax refunds, filing liens against the former Internal Revenue Service (IRS) commissioner and impeding the administration of federal tax laws, the Justice Department and IRS announced today.  The indictment was unsealed yesterday in the Eastern District of California.

According to the indictment, the Robertsons filed two false federal income tax returns claiming large refunds based on fictitious Form 1099-OID withholdings: one for tax year 2005 claiming a $90,538 refund and one for 2007 claiming a $313,248 refund.  The indictment also charges each of the Robertsons with filing a false lien against the property of the IRS commissioner for “a sum certain amount determined as triple the stated amount of any purported determination of tax liability.”  According to the indictment, the Robertsons also sent a bogus “international promissory note” with a request that the IRS apply the purported $800,000 face value of the note towards their outstanding tax liabilities.  The IRS also received a letter containing credit card bills belonging to the Robertsons asking the IRS to pay nearly $20,000 worth of their credit card debt.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.  If convicted, the Robertsons face a maximum of five years in prison for each false claim count, three years for the obstruction count and 10 years for the count of filing false liens.

The case was investigated by both IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.  It is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Ignacio Perez de la Cruz of the department’s Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Segal in the Eastern District of California.

RATTLESNAKE TRAFFICKERS CONVICTED FOR VIOLATION OF LACEY ACT

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 
Friday, November 15, 2013
Two Florida Men Convicted in Philadelphia of Conspiring and Trafficking in Protected Reptiles

A federal jury today found Robroy MacInnes, 54, of Inverness, Fla., and Robert Keszey, 47, of Bushnell, Fla., guilty of conspiracy to traffic in state and federally protected reptiles.  MacInnes also was convicted of trafficking in protected timber rattlesnakes in violation of the Lacey Act.

Between 2007 and 2008, the defendants, who own the reptile wholesaler Glades Herp Farm Inc., collected protected snakes from the wild in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, purchased protected eastern timber rattlesnakes that had been illegally collected from the wild in violation of New York law, and transported federally threatened eastern indigo snakes from Florida to Pennsylvania.  MacInnes also violated the Lacey Act by purchasing illegal eastern timber rattlesnakes and having the snakes transported from Pennsylvania to Florida.  The evidence at trial showed that the protected species were destined for sale at reptile shows in Europe, where a single timber rattlesnake can sell for up to $800.  Snakes that were not sold in Europe were sold through the defendants’ business in the United States.

“These defendants broke numerous wildlife laws seeking to profit from an illegal trade in threatened species,” said Robert G. Dreher, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division.  “The Justice Department is committed to enforcing wildlife laws like the Endangered Species Act and the Lacey Act that protect our environment and these threatened species from a destructive and dangerous black market trade.”

The eastern timber rattlesnake is a species of venomous pit viper native to the eastern United States, and is listed as threatened in New York.  It is also illegal to possess an eastern timber rattlesnake without a permit in Pennsylvania.  The eastern indigo snake, the longest native North American snake species, is listed as threatened by both Florida and federal law.

The Lacey Act, one of the oldest statutes in the United States, prohibits interstate trafficking in wildlife known to be illegally obtained.  The maximum penalty for conspiring to commit offenses and for violations of the Lacey Act is up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each violation.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement, with assistance from the New York Department of Environmental Conservation.  The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Patrick M. Duggan and paralegal Ashleigh Nye of the Environmental Crimes Section of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Kay Costello of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

GSA LOOKING FOR SITES FOR NEW FBI HEADQUARTERS

FROM:  GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION 
GSA Seeks Sites for FBI Headquarters
November 15, 2013

WASHINGTON -- Today, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced that it is taking the next step in the process of finding a new headquarters for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. GSA seeks to identify sites that would be acceptable to include in a future competitive procurement that will provide the best deal for taxpayers. GSA has issued an advertisement for Expressions of Interest to landowners requesting that they offer a parcel of land to accommodate the next FBI headquarters in the District of Columbia or the surrounding counties in Maryland and Virginia.  GSA will accept site proposals beginning now through December 17, 2013.

Today’s advertisement is the next phase in an overall procurement strategy that is expected to conclude sometime in 2015.  GSA will include one or more of the sites in a future procurement that would allow GSA to exchange the existing J. Edgar Hoover Building on Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington, D.C. for a new facility that can accommodate the FBI’s headquarters operations and allow it to consolidate into one location.

The advertisement asks interested parties to provide information on sites that they would donate to the government or sites that they would sell to the government.  Additionally, GSA will consider sites currently in the government inventory. After GSA receives responses, it will begin evaluating the submitted sites, along with those in the federal inventory, to identify sites that meet or exceed GSA’s and FBI’s requirements. GSA anticipates that selected sites will be specified in a future request for development proposals for a new FBI Headquarters.

There is significant interest from the private sector and local governments in developing a new FBI headquarters facility in the National Capital Region. Last March, GSA received 38 responses from the development community about exchanging the FBI’s current headquarters in the J. Edgar Hoover building, which no longer meets the FBI needs for a new, consolidated headquarters. GSA is using the input it is receiving to outline its future procurement.

NSF AND THE SUN'S MYSTERIOUS CORONA

Right:  Image Credit: NASA/Solar Dynamics Observatory

FROM:  NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
It's hot...super hot
Finding answers around the sun

November 12, 2013

Astronomers have collectively puzzled over two working theories for a conundrum involving the sun that have been discussed in Astronomy 101 classes for decades: Why is the sun's corona (the atmosphere beyond the sun) so hot? The sun's core is a searing 15 million Kelvins, but by the time that heat reaches the sun's surface, it cools off to a mere 6,000 degrees, only to again heat up to more than a million degrees in the corona.

Two National Science Foundation- (NSF) funded researchers at Columbia University recently published what they believe is the solution, and it has to do with magnetic waves known as Alfven waves. The researchers present their findings today at the Hinode 7 Science Meeting in Japan.

Michael Hahn and Daniel Wolf Savin analyzed data from the Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer on the Japanese satellite Hinode over a polar coronal hole and found that, much like the vibrations of a plucked guitar string, the solar magnetic field lines also pulsate, and in doing so transfer energy from below the sun's surface into the corona. Hinode's spectrometer captured the waves penetrating the upper solar atmosphere.

"This is a fundamentally important finding," said Ilia Roussev, NSF program director for solar terrestrial research. "This issue is the holy grail of solar physics. If this allows us to better understand the mechanics, then it has tremendous consequences."

The coronal heating problem has been debated for 70 years with researchers essentially falling into two camps: one involving the Alfven waves and the other attributing the heating "problem" to magnetic field loops that stretch across the solar surface with the potential to "snap" and release energy. The important key to Hahn and Savin's findings comes with Hinode satellite observations. The team has been studying Hinode data since 2009 with funding since 2011 from the NSF Solar, Heliospheric and INterplanetary Environment (SHINE) Program.

"This is the big, unanswered question in solar physics, and nearly everyone in the field is somehow working on trying to solve it," Savin said. "We really had no idea where the research would lead us, but we were hoping to at least be able to add another piece to the puzzle. We did not expect it to be such a big piece."

In fact, technology had to catch up to theory to make this happen. The Hinode satellite, a Japanese mission with the Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer developed as collaboration between Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, offered unique, previously unattainable observations.

"Until that time, we could only see the sun in white light; we didn't have UV observations. But, now we do," Roussev noted. With the UV capability, researchers can glean information on chemical makeup and physical conditions near the sun's surface that until the mid-1990s could not be observed. Hinode has been studying the sun since 2006.

"Some in the community have responded enthusiastically to our findings; others more cautiously, but that is to be expected," Savin said. "Others, including us, have pointed out that there may not be just one solution to the problem as there are different structures on the Sun. Our work is relevant for coronal holes, which are the source of the fast solar wind. A different mechanism or mechanisms may be operating in the quiet sun."

The "in's and out's" of Earth's atmosphere

While the sun is almost 93 million miles from earth, the electrons and protons from the sun move toward Earth via a wind of particles. This solar wind has impacts on the Earth's atmosphere in locations where satellites provide important imagery of our planet and allow technology like GPS and cell phones to operate.

"Ultimately, this kind of research does provide new perspective on space weather, which is known to affect the Earth" said Hahn, who was awarded a 2012 Blavatnik Award for Young Scientists by the New York Academy of Sciences for his work on the coronal heating problem. "Understanding these fundamental processes improves our understanding, of not just the solar corona, but also of space weather."

Specifically, the high temperature of the sun's corona causes it to emit X-rays that can affect the conditions of Earth's atmosphere where satellites roam. "The sun is the biggest X-ray machine in the solar system," Roussev explained. "The upper layers of earth's atmosphere absorb those X-rays, but what they do is heat that upper atmosphere. It expands almost like the Earth breathing in and out. This has a direct impact on the lifetime of satellites. The more the atmosphere expands, the slower the satellites move. That shortens their lifetime as they slow to a point where they re-enter the atmosphere."

Puzzle solved. Now what?

The interesting thing about potentially solving a puzzle like this one is that the solution raises more questions.

"What causes Alfven waves to be damped at such surprisingly low heights in the corona?" Savin asked, who is now proposing a series of experiments in plasma physics to simulate conditions in a coronal hole and explore possible mechanisms that would cause the waves to lose their energy. "We are also analyzing Hinode observations of other solar structures in the corona to see what role waves play in heating those structures."

Other researchers will likely explore replication, especially involving observations elsewhere in the corona, rather than just polar coronal holes.

"People have been claiming to solve the coronal heating problem for decades," Hahn said. "We are reasonably confident in our results and wait now for others to reproduce our findings."

-- Ivy F. Kupec
Investigators
Michael Hahn
Daniel Wolf Savin
Related Institutions/Organizations
Columbia University
Locations
Columbia University , New York

NSF SAYS MECHANICAL ENGINEERING TEAM DESIGNING CAR WITH INDEPENDENT MOTOR FOR EACH WHEEL

FROM:  NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION  
An unconventional car: no engine, no transmission, no differential

This car has no engine, no transmission and no differential. It weighs half as much as a conventional car. Each of its four wheels has its own built-in electric battery-powered motor, meaning the car has the ability to make sharp turns and change direction very quickly.

Without an exceptional traction and motion control system, however, this car would be quite difficult to drive, providing a driving experience vastly different from anything else on the road, and almost certainly more dangerous.

This is where Junmin Wang's expertise comes in.

Wang, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Ohio State University, and his team are designing algorithms for the vehicle's onboard computer that will calculate and ensure motion control to keep the car stable and operating smoothly. The system, which receives and analyzes input data 100 times per second from the steering wheel, the gas pedal and brake, works out how each wheel should respond.

"Without it, the car is quite difficult to drive because the wheels are not coordinated," says the National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded researcher, who also directs the university's vehicle systems and control laboratory. "You feel like you are driving something uncontrollable. You could flip over, or travel along an undesired path, or cause a crash. But when the 'controller' is active, based on feedback loops, the vehicle motion can be controlled, just as the driver expects."

With a safe and reliable control system, this new electric vehicle ultimately should make the perfect in-city car. It's efficient and maneuverable--and has no emissions. Because it is all electric, "you can use wind power or solar power, and contribute toward reducing our dependency on fossil oils," Wang says.

The computer calculates exactly how much torque the car needs for each of its four wheels. Moreover, because each wheel is independent, "one wheel can be doing the braking, while another is doing the driving," Wang says. "The computer gets signals from the driver from the steering wheel and pedal positions, then calculates the desired speed, or vehicle motion, based on a mathematical model."

Wang's work on the car began in 2009 with a grant from the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Program. In February 2012 he received an NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award, which supports junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education, and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organization. He is receiving $400,000 over five years.

As part of the grant's educational component, Wang's lab hosted a summer program for high school students where, among other things, the teenagers disassembled and reassembled radio-controlled toy electric cars to increase their understanding of their mechanics.

Additionally, students from the Columbus Metro School, a public STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) high school open to students from around the state, participated in research internships on the experimental car in Wang's lab.

Wang's research also receives funding from the Honda-Ohio State University Partnership Program and the Ohio State University Transportation Research Endowment Program.

The experimental car weighs only about 800 kg., or a little more than 1,750 pounds, which makes it energy efficient. The researchers retrofitted a commercially available utility terrain vehicle chassis and removed the engine, transmission and differential, then added a 7.5 kW electric motor to each wheel and a 15 kW lithium-ion battery pack. A single electrical cable connects the motors to a central computer. This type of car design, where each wheel has its own individual motor, is known as "four wheel independently actuated."

The researchers tested the car and its controller on normal road conditions at the Transportation Research Center in East Liberty, Ohio, an independent automotive site for vehicle crash, emissions and durability testing. On roads with good conditions, the car followed a driver's "desired" path within four inches.

To see how it performs on slippery roads, they brought the car to an empty west campus parking lot on a snowy day. The car maneuvered with an accuracy of up to eight inches, and the vehicle traction and motion control system prevented "fishtailing" through independent control of the left and right sides of the car.

The researchers, including doctoral student Rongrong Wang, described the car's ability to follow a specific trajectory in a paper published in January 2013 in the journal Control Engineering Practice.

Wang can't yet estimate the mileage for a single charge, since the car only has been driven during experimental testing. But he says the car provides "about 8 to 10 hours of driving on a single charge, although not continuously."

Wang thinks it will take another five- to- 10 years before the car is ready for commercial use. The researchers still must fine-tune the computer algorithms and add more safety features. Wang says it is difficult to compare their test results to a conventional car, since the latter's maneuverability is limited by the transmission and differential systems that link the wheels together mechanically.

Nevertheless, he predicts that, ultimately, the research will produce an electric car that will be clean, fuel-efficient and "handle better than typical conventional cars," he says.

-- Marlene Cimons, National Science Foundation

U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCES SWITZERLAND HOSTED INITIAL PLANNING MEETING FOR THE GLOBAL FUND

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 
Initial Planning Meeting for the Global Fund for Community Engagement and Resilience
Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
November 15, 2013

The Government of Switzerland hosted the initial planning meeting to develop the Global Fund for Community Engagement and Resilience, November 14–15. The Fund will mobilize public and private sector resources to support local, community-based efforts to counter violent extremism.

This two-day event, held in Lucerne, was facilitated by Carol Bellamy, the former Executive Director of UNICEF and former Chair of the Global Partnership for Education. Some 40 officials and experts from around the world met to begin discussions on the mandate, organizational architecture, and legal foundation of the Fund. Discussions are expected to continue over the coming months with a view to having the Fund become operational by mid-2014.

The Fund was announced by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu at a Global Counterterrorism Forum Ministerial meeting in New York on September 27. Once established, the Fund is expected to provide and monitor the implementation of grants to local, grass-roots organizations for community-based projects on education, vocational training, civic engagement, media, and women’s advocacy that target those individuals or groups most vulnerable to radicalization or recruitment by violent extremists.

PHILLY DEMOLITION CONTRACTOR CITED FOR VIOLATIONS RELATED TO BUILDING COLLAPSE AND FATALITIES

FROM:  U.S. LABOR DEPARTMENT 
Philadelphia demolition contractors cited by US Labor Department's OSHA 
for willful and serious safety violations following fatal June building collapse
Contractors removed support for wall that collapsed onto the Salvation Army store

PHILADELPHIA — The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration today cited Griffin Campbell, doing business as Campbell Construction, and Sean Benschop, doing business as S&R Contracting, for safety violations, including three willful per-instance violations, following the June 5, 2013, building collapse that killed six people and injured 14. Campbell Construction was demolishing the four-story building known as the "Hoagie City" building adjacent to the Salvation Army Thrift Store, located at the 2100 block of Market Street in Philadelphia. S&R Contracting was operating the building's interior walls and floors.

"Campbell Construction and S&R Contracting sacrificed worker and public safety through the deliberate neglect of demolition safety fundamentals," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels. "This tragic incident could and should have been prevented."

OSHA found several violations of OSHA's demolition construction standards. On the three days leading up to the collapse, Campbell Construction removed critical, structural supports for the wall that collapsed. The OSHA demolition standards prohibit the removal of lateral support walls more than one story high, leaving the wall unsupported. Campbell Construction also removed parts of the lower floors prior to the removal of the upper floors, again, contrary to the OSHA standards. Campbell Construction also failed to provide an engineering survey as promised. As a result, Campbell Construction has been cited for three willful, egregious violations for each day that it left the wall without sufficient lateral support, and two willful violations alleging the failures to demolish the building from the top down and to have an engineering survey by a competent person on the possibility of collapse prior to starting the demolition. S&R Contracting has been cited for one willful violation. A willful violation is one committed with intentional, knowing or voluntary disregard for the law's requirements, or with plain indifference to worker safety and health.

Additionally, Campbell Construction was cited for serious violations for the company's failures to provide: employees with hard hats when there was a possible risk of head injury; fall protection for employees working on surfaces at least six feet high; training on fall hazards; and adequate personal fall arrest systems. Campbell Construction also failed to inspect all stairs periodically and to maintain them in a clean, safe condition. S&R Contracting was cited for two serious violations for failing to protect employees from falling through holes and to provide fall hazard training. A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known if an accident were to occur.

OSHA proposed penalties of $313,000 for Campbell Construction and $84,000 for S&R Contracting. Both companies have 15 business days from receipt of the citations to comply, request an informal conference with the OSHA area director in Philadelphia, or contest the citations and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
To ask questions; obtain compliance assistance; file a complaint; or report workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA's toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency's Philadelphia Area Office at 215-597-4955.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

SBA SIGNS ALLIANCE WITH NONPROFIT SOCIAL INVESTMENT BANK

FROM:  U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION 
SBA Signs Strategic Alliance with Operation HOPE to Foster Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment
      

WASHINGTON ─ The U.S. Small Business Administration and Operation HOPE, Inc., signed a Strategic Alliance Memorandum (SAM) to encourage entrepreneurship and economic empowerment through increased collaboration on entrepreneurial and financial education for small business owners.


The alliance signing took place at Operation HOPE’s HOPE Global Financial Dignity Summit November 13, 2013, in Atlanta, Ga. with John Hope Bryant, Operation HOPE’s founder and CEO, Tameka Montgomery, SBA Associate Administrator for Entrepreneurial Development, and SBA Region Four Administrator Cassius Butts.


“The SBA is pleased to work with Operation HOPE, Inc. to drive economic development through business ownership,” said SBA Associate Administrator Montgomery.  “We believe our efforts will help foster entrepreneurial empowerment to communities across the nation.  The benefit for Americans is clear—by encouraging entrepreneurism, we’ll be helping people through their hard work and ideas gain a firm economic footing and achieve the American Dream.”



The SAM is designed to spur economic development through small business growth, and to improve entrepreneurial education that advances greater access to capital, expanded technical assistance and access to procurement programs.



Operation HOPE, Inc. is America’s first nonprofit social investment bank and a national provider of financial literacy and economic empowerment programs. Through ongoing collaborations and long-term partnerships with leading government, private sector, and community interests, Operation HOPE works to bring self-sufficiency and a sustained spirit of revitalization to America’s inner-city communities.



At the core of Operation HOPE’s mission is to empower communities through financial capability and dignity for all through its movement of “Silver Rights” or the right to financial literacy, making free enterprise work for everyone.


SBA, its resource partners and Operation Hope will collaborate to provide small business counseling and training, and work together to make resources available to benefit entrepreneurs across the country.

FDA TELLS PEOPLE TO CUT DOWN ON ACRYLAMIDE', OFFERS WAYS TO CUT BACK ON CONSUMPTION

FROM:  U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION 
You Can Help Cut Acrylamide in Your Diet

If you're trying to lose weight, you may already be telling your waiter to hold the fries. Now there's another health benefit you can reap: Cutting down on certain fried foods can also help you cut down on the amount of acrylamide you eat. That's a good thing because high levels of acrylamide have been found to cause cancer in animals, and on that basis scientists believe it is likely to cause cancer in humans as well.

FDA chemist Lauren Robin explains that acrylamide is a chemical that can form in some foods—mainly plant-based foods—during high-temperature cooking processes like frying and baking. These include potatoes, cereals, coffee, crackers or breads, dried fruits and many other foods. According to the Grocery Manufacturers Association, acrylamide is found in 40 percent of the calories consumed in the average American diet.

While acrylamide has probably been around as long as people have been baking, roasting, toasting or frying foods, it was only in 2002 that scientists first discovered the chemical in food. Since then, the FDA has been actively investigating the effects of acrylamide as well as potential measures to reduce it. Today, the FDA posts a draft document with practical strategies to help growers, manufacturers and food service operators lower the amount of acrylamide in foods associated with higher levels of the chemical.

In addition, there are a number of steps you and your family can take to cut down on the amount of acrylamide in the foods you eat.

Acrylamide forms from sugars and an amino acid that are naturally present in food. It does not form, or forms at lower levels, in dairy, meat and fish products. The formation occurs when foods are cooked at home and in restaurants as well as when they are made commercially.

"Generally speaking, acrylamide is more likely to accumulate when cooking is done for longer periods or at higher temperatures," Robin says. Boiling and steaming foods do not typically form acrylamide.
Tips for Cutting Down on Acrylamide
Given the widespread presence of acrylamide in foods, it isn't feasible to completely eliminate acrylamide from one's diet, Robin says. Nor is it necessary. Removing any one or two foods from your diet would not have a significant effect on overall exposure to acrylamide.

However, here are some steps you can take to help decrease the amount of acrylamide that you and your family consume:

Frying causes acrylamide formation. If frying frozen fries, follow manufacturers' recommendations on time and temperature and avoid overcooking, heavy crisping or burning.
Toast bread to a light brown color rather than a dark brown color. Avoid very brown areas.
Cook cut potato products such as frozen french fries to a golden yellow color rather than a brown color. Brown areas tend to contain more acrylamide.
Do not store potatoes in the refrigerator, which can increase acrylamide during cooking. Keep potatoes outside the refrigerator in a dark, cool place, such as a closet or a pantry.
FDA also recommends that you adopt a healthy eating plan, consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, including:

Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk products.
Include lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs and nuts.
Choose foods low in saturated fats, trans fat (which both raises your bad LDL cholesterol and lowers your good HDL cholesterol and is linked to heart attacks), cholesterol, salt and added sugars.
This article appears on FDA's Consumer Updates page, which features the latest on all FDA-regulated products.

November 14, 2013

NASA VIEW OF RIO TINTO BORAX MINE

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=82365&src=eoa-iotd

USS GEORGE WASHINGTON PROVIDES RELIEF TO TYPHOON VICTIMS IN THE PHILIPPINES

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
A C-2A Greyhound carrying relief supplies for Operation Damayan prepares to make an arrested landing on the flight deck of the USS George Washington, in the Leyte Gulf, Philippines, Nov. 15, 2013. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Paolo Bayas.

Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington move a palate of drinking water across the flight deck in support of Operation Damayan, in the Leyte Gulf, Philippines, Nov. 15, 2013. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Paolo Baya.

President Obama Speaks on Manufacturing and the Economy

SECRETARY OF STATE KERRY EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER RECENT CLASHES AND DEATHS IN TRIPOLI, LIBYA

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Violence in Tripoli, Libya
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
November 16, 2013

We are deeply concerned by the death and injury of many Libyans in recent clashes in Tripoli. We condemn the use of violence in all its forms and urge all sides to exercise restraint and restore calm.

Libyans did not risk their lives in their 2011 revolution for this violence to continue. Libyans fought their revolution to establish a democratic system in which the voices of the Libyan people could be heard through peaceful means, which all Libyan people have a right to do.

If a free people are going to succeed in forging a peaceful, secure, and prosperous country with a government based on the rule of law and respect for human rights, then there can be no place for this kind of violence in the new Libya.

We encourage all Libyans to break the cycle of violence through respectful dialogue and reconciliation.

The United States will continue to work with the Libyan authorities to build its capacity to deliver security and good governance to its people.

We recognize that the Libyan authorities and Libyan people are facing significant challenges in their democratic transition, but too much blood has been spilled and too many lives sacrificed to go backwards. The United States will continue to support the Libyan people in this difficult time.

PRESIDENT OBAMA'S WEEKLY ADDRESS FOR NOVEMBER 16, 2013

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE

Weekly Address: Taking Control of America’s Energy Future

WASHINGTON, DC—In his weekly address, President Obama discussed progress in American energy and highlighted that we are now producing more oil at home than we buy from other countries for the first time in nearly two decades.  We reached this milestone in part not only because we’re producing more energy, but because we’re wasting less energy, and as a result, we are also reducing our carbon emissions while growing the economy.

The audio of the address and video of the address will be available online at www.whitehouse.gov at 6:00 a.m. ET, November 16, 2013.

Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
The White House
November 16, 2013

Hi, everybody.  On Thursday, I visited a steel plant in Cleveland, Ohio to talk about what we’re doing to rebuild our economy on a new foundation for stronger, more durable economic growth. 

One area where we’ve made great progress is American energy.  After years of talk about reducing our dependence on foreign oil, we are actually poised to control our own energy future. 

Shortly after I took office, we invested in new American technologies to reverse our dependence on foreign oil and double our wind and solar power.  And today, we generate more renewable energy than ever – with tens of thousands of good, American jobs to show for it.  We produce more natural gas than anyone – and nearly everyone’s energy bill is lower because of it.  And just this week, we learned that for the first time in nearly two decades, the United States of America now produces more of our own oil here at home than we buy from other countries. 

That’s a big deal.  That’s a tremendous step towards American energy independence. 

But this is important, too: we reached this milestone in part not only because we’re producing more energy, but because we’re wasting less energy.  We set new fuel standards for our cars and trucks so that they’ll go twice as far on a gallon of gas by the middle of the next decade.  That’s going to save an average driver more than $8,000 at the pump over the life of a new car.  We also launched initiatives to put people to work upgrading our homes, businesses, and factories so that they waste less energy.  That’s going to save our businesses money on their energy bills – that's money they can use to hire more workers.

Here’s another thing.  Between more clean energy, and less wasted energy, our emissions of dangerous carbon pollution are actually falling.  That’s good news for anyone who cares about the world we leave to our kids. 

And while our carbon emissions have been dropping, our economy has been growing.  Our businesses have created 7.8 million new jobs in the past 44 months.  It proves that the old argument that we can’t strengthen the economy and be good stewards of our planet at the same time is a false choice.  We can do both.  And we have to do both.

More good jobs.  Cheaper and cleaner sources of energy.  A secure energy future.  Thanks to the grit and resilience of American businesses and the American people, that’s where we’re heading.  And as long as I’m President, that’s where we’re going to keep heading – to leave our children a stronger economy, and a safer planet. 

Thanks, and have a great weekend.

FDA APPROVES DRUG TO TREAT AGGRESSIVE TYPE OF BLOOD CANCER

FROM:  U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION 
FDA approves Imbruvica for rare blood cancer
Second drug with breakthrough therapy designation to receive FDA approval

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Imbruvica (ibrutinib) to treat patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), a rare and aggressive type of blood cancer.

MCL is a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and represents about 6 percent of all non-Hodgkin lymphoma cases in the United States. By the time MCL is diagnosed, it usually has already spread to the lymph nodes, bone marrow and other organs.

Imbruvica is intended for patients with MCL who have received at least one prior therapy. It works by inhibiting the enzyme needed by the cancer to multiply and spread. Imbruvica is the third drug approved to treat MCL. Velcade (2006) and Revlimid (2013) are also approved to treat the disease.

“Imbruvica’s approval demonstrates the FDA’s commitment to making treatments available to patients with rare diseases,” said Richard Pazdur, M.D., director of the Office of Hematology and Oncology Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “The agency worked cooperatively with the companies to expedite the drug’s development, review and approval, reflecting the promise of the Breakthrough Therapy Designation program.”

Imbruvica is the second drug with breakthrough therapy designation to receive FDA approval. The Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act, passed in July 2012, gave the FDA the ability to designate a drug a breakthrough therapy at the request of the sponsor if preliminary clinical evidence indicates the drug may offer a substantial improvement over available therapies for patients with serious or life-threatening diseases.

The FDA is approving Imbruvica under the agency's accelerated approval program, which allows the FDA to approve a drug to treat a serious disease based on clinical data showing that the drug has an effect on a surrogate endpoint that is reasonably likely to predict a clinical benefit to patients. This program provides earlier patient access to promising new drugs while the company conducts confirmatory clinical trials. The FDA also granted Imbruvica priority review and orphan-product designation because the drug demonstrated the potential to be a significant improvement in safety or effectiveness in the treatment of a serious condition and is intended to treat a rare disease, respectively.

Imbruvica’s accelerated approval for MCL is based on a study where 111 participants were given Imbruvica daily until their disease progressed or side effects became intolerable. Results showed nearly 66 percent of participants had their cancer shrink or disappear after treatment (overall response rate). An improvement in survival or disease-related symptoms has not been established.

The most common side effects reported in participants receiving Imbruvica are low levels of platelets in the blood (thrombocytopenia), diarrhea, a decrease in infection-fighting white blood cells (neutropenia), anemia, fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, swelling (edema), upper respiratory infection, nausea, bruising, shortness of breath (dyspnea), constipation, rash, abdominal pain, vomiting, and decreased appetite. Other clinically significant side effects include bleeding, infections, kidney problems and the development of other types of cancers.

Imbruvica is co-marketed by Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Pharmacyclics and Raritan, N.J.-based Janssen Biotech, Inc. Velcade (bortezomib) is marketed by Millennium Pharmaceuticals, based in Cambridge, Mass. Revlimid (lenalidomide) is marketed by Summit, N.J.-based Celgene.

CDC SAYS E-CIGARETTES, HOOKAHS GAINING POPULARITY WITH STUDENTS

FROM:  CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION
Press Release Emerging tobacco products gaining popularity among youth
Increases in e-cigarette and hookah use show need for increased monitoring and prevention

Emerging tobacco products such as e-cigarettes and hookahs are quickly gaining popularity among middle- and high-school students, according to a report in this week’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

While use of these newer products increased, there was no significant decline in students’ cigarette smoking or overall tobacco use. Data from the 2012 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) show that recent electronic cigarette use rose among middle school students from 0.6 percent in 2011 to 1.1 percent in 2012 and among high school students from 1.5 percent to 2.8 percent. Hookah use among high school students rose from 4.1 percent to 5.4 percent from 2011 to 2012.

The report notes that the increase in the use of electronic cigarettes and hookahs could be due to an increase in marketing, availability, and visibility of these tobacco products and the perception that they may be safer alternatives to cigarettes. Electronic cigarettes, hookahs, cigars and certain other new types of tobacco products are not currently subject to FDA regulation. FDA has stated it intends to issue a proposed rule that would deem products meeting the statutory definition of a "tobacco product" to be subject to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

Another area of concern in the report is the increase in cigar use among certain groups of middle and high school students. During 2011-2012, cigar use increased dramatically among non-Hispanic black high school students from 11.7 percent to 16.7 percent, and has more than doubled since 2009. Further, cigar use among high school males in 2012 was 16.7 percent, similar to cigarette use among high school males (16.3 percent).

“This report raises a red flag about newer tobacco products,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. “Cigars and hookah tobacco are smoked tobacco – addictive and deadly. We need effective action to protect our kids from addiction to nicotine.”