LUXEMBOURG (AP) ? A court says the European Union's ban on importing products from seal hunts can stand, despite a challenge by manufacturers and traders.
EU law authorizes the marketing of seal products resulting only from hunts traditionally conducted by Inuit communities for subsistence.
The General Court of the European Union ruled Thursday that, as different member countries were enacting their own regulations, EU-wide action was needed to preserve the single market.
Rebecca Aldworth, executive director of Humane Society International/Canada, said animal rights activists are "thrilled that the European General Court has rejected this shameful attempt by the commercial sealing industry to overturn the EU ban on seal product trade."
With wave of the hand, Carnegie Mellon researchers create touch-based interfacesPublic release date: 25-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Byron Spice bspice@cs.cmu.edu 412-268-9068 Carnegie Mellon University
Depth cameras and projectors combine to make smart environments
PITTSBURGHResearchers previously have shown that a depth camera system, such as Kinect, can be combined with a projector to turn almost any surface into a touchscreen. But now researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have demonstrated how these touch-based interfaces can be created almost at will, with the wave of a hand.
CMU's WorldKit system enables someone to rub the arm of a sofa to "paint" a remote control for her TV or swipe a hand across an office door to post his calendar from which subsequent users can "pull down" an extended version. These ad hoc interfaces can be moved, modified or deleted with similar gestures, making them highly personalized.
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon's Human-Computer Interaction Institute (HCII) used a ceiling-mounted camera and projector to record room geometries, sense hand gestures and project images on desired surfaces.
But Robert Xiao, an HCII doctoral student, said WorldKit does not require such an elaborate installation. "Depth sensors are getting better and projectors just keep getting smaller," he said. "We envision an interactive 'light bulb' a miniaturized device that could be screwed into an ordinary light fixture and pointed or moved to wherever an interface is needed."
The system does not require prior calibration, automatically adjusting its sensing and image projection to the orientation of the chosen surface. Users can summon switches, message boards, indicator lights and a variety of other interface designs from a menu. Ultimately, the WorldKit team anticipates that users will be able to custom design interfaces with gestures.
Xiao developed WorldKit with Scott Hudson, an HCII professor, and Chris Harrison, a Ph.D. student. They will present their findings April 30 at CHI 2013, the Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, in Paris.
"People have talked about creating smart environments, where sensors, displays and computers are interwoven," said Harrison, who will join the HCII faculty this summer. "But usually, that doesn't amount to much besides mounting a camera up on the ceiling. The room may be smart, but it has no outlet for that smartness. With WorldKit, we say forget touchscreens and go straight to projectors, which can make the room truly interactive."
Though WorldKit now focuses on interacting with surfaces, the researchers anticipate future work may enable users to interact with the system in free space. Likewise, higher resolution depth cameras may someday enable the system to sense detailed finger gestures. In addition to gestures, the system also could be designed to respond to voice commands.
"We're only just getting to the point where we're considering the larger questions," Harrison said, noting a multitude of applications in the home, office, hospitals, nursing homes and schools have yet to be explored.
###
This work was sponsored in part by a Qualcomm Innovation Fellowship, a Microsoft Ph.D. Fellowship and grants from the Heinz College Center for the Future of Work, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the National Science Foundation.
The HCII is part of Carnegie Mellon's School of Computer Science. Follow the school on Twitter @SCSatCMU.
About Carnegie Mellon University: Carnegie Mellon is a private, internationally ranked research university with programs in areas ranging from science, technology and business, to public policy, the humanities and the arts. More than 11,000 students in the university's seven schools and colleges benefit from a small student-to-faculty ratio and an education characterized by its focus on creating and implementing solutions for real problems, interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation. A global university, Carnegie Mellon's main campus in the United States is in Pittsburgh, Pa. It has campuses in California's Silicon Valley and Qatar, and programs in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and Mexico. The university is in the midst of "Inspire Innovation: The Campaign for Carnegie Mellon University," which aims to build its endowment, support faculty, students and innovative research, and enhance the physical campus with equipment and facility improvements.
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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.
With wave of the hand, Carnegie Mellon researchers create touch-based interfacesPublic release date: 25-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Byron Spice bspice@cs.cmu.edu 412-268-9068 Carnegie Mellon University
Depth cameras and projectors combine to make smart environments
PITTSBURGHResearchers previously have shown that a depth camera system, such as Kinect, can be combined with a projector to turn almost any surface into a touchscreen. But now researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have demonstrated how these touch-based interfaces can be created almost at will, with the wave of a hand.
CMU's WorldKit system enables someone to rub the arm of a sofa to "paint" a remote control for her TV or swipe a hand across an office door to post his calendar from which subsequent users can "pull down" an extended version. These ad hoc interfaces can be moved, modified or deleted with similar gestures, making them highly personalized.
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon's Human-Computer Interaction Institute (HCII) used a ceiling-mounted camera and projector to record room geometries, sense hand gestures and project images on desired surfaces.
But Robert Xiao, an HCII doctoral student, said WorldKit does not require such an elaborate installation. "Depth sensors are getting better and projectors just keep getting smaller," he said. "We envision an interactive 'light bulb' a miniaturized device that could be screwed into an ordinary light fixture and pointed or moved to wherever an interface is needed."
The system does not require prior calibration, automatically adjusting its sensing and image projection to the orientation of the chosen surface. Users can summon switches, message boards, indicator lights and a variety of other interface designs from a menu. Ultimately, the WorldKit team anticipates that users will be able to custom design interfaces with gestures.
Xiao developed WorldKit with Scott Hudson, an HCII professor, and Chris Harrison, a Ph.D. student. They will present their findings April 30 at CHI 2013, the Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, in Paris.
"People have talked about creating smart environments, where sensors, displays and computers are interwoven," said Harrison, who will join the HCII faculty this summer. "But usually, that doesn't amount to much besides mounting a camera up on the ceiling. The room may be smart, but it has no outlet for that smartness. With WorldKit, we say forget touchscreens and go straight to projectors, which can make the room truly interactive."
Though WorldKit now focuses on interacting with surfaces, the researchers anticipate future work may enable users to interact with the system in free space. Likewise, higher resolution depth cameras may someday enable the system to sense detailed finger gestures. In addition to gestures, the system also could be designed to respond to voice commands.
"We're only just getting to the point where we're considering the larger questions," Harrison said, noting a multitude of applications in the home, office, hospitals, nursing homes and schools have yet to be explored.
###
This work was sponsored in part by a Qualcomm Innovation Fellowship, a Microsoft Ph.D. Fellowship and grants from the Heinz College Center for the Future of Work, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the National Science Foundation.
The HCII is part of Carnegie Mellon's School of Computer Science. Follow the school on Twitter @SCSatCMU.
About Carnegie Mellon University: Carnegie Mellon is a private, internationally ranked research university with programs in areas ranging from science, technology and business, to public policy, the humanities and the arts. More than 11,000 students in the university's seven schools and colleges benefit from a small student-to-faculty ratio and an education characterized by its focus on creating and implementing solutions for real problems, interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation. A global university, Carnegie Mellon's main campus in the United States is in Pittsburgh, Pa. It has campuses in California's Silicon Valley and Qatar, and programs in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and Mexico. The university is in the midst of "Inspire Innovation: The Campaign for Carnegie Mellon University," which aims to build its endowment, support faculty, students and innovative research, and enhance the physical campus with equipment and facility improvements.
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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.
Apr. 23, 2013 ? A new drug is offering dramatic cure rates for hepatitis C patients with two subtypes of the infection -- genotype 2 and 3, say a team of scientists led by Weill Cornell Medical College researchers. These two subtypes account for approximately 25 percent of hepatitis C infection in the United States.
The drug, called sofosbuvir, offers more effective treatment for most patients studied in a Phase 3 clinical trial who had no other treatment options, report researchers in The New England Journal of Medicine. After three months of combined therapy with sofosbuvir and the antiviral drug ribavirin, the patient response rate for those with genotype 2 was 93 percent, and 61 percent in patients with genotype 3.
This new study is one of several testing new hepatitis C drugs that were published April 23 in an online edition of NEJM. The journal publication coincides with the International Liver Congress 2013 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where the results also will be presented.
"The new sofosbuvir therapy offers a much-needed alternative to standard therapy with interferon, which can cause significant side effects for hepatitis C patients," says the study's lead investigator, Dr. Ira Jacobson, chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and Vincent Astor Distinguished Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College.
"We have dreamed for years of being able to eliminate interferon from our hepatitis C regimens and this study is one of several that are finally bringing us very close to realizing that goal," says Dr. Jacobson, who is also a gastroenterologist at the Center for Advanced Digestive Care at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center and medical director of the Center for the Study of Hepatitis C, a collaboration between Weill Cornell, NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell and The Rockefeller University.
The 207 patients enrolled in the clinical trial, known as POSITRON, either did not respond to interferon, could not tolerate it or were unwilling to use it, despite the fact that there were no other treatment options available to them.
"This new treatment represents a paradigm shift in the way that hepatitis C is going to be treated," says Dr. Jacobson. "We are achieving the same or higher cure rates in many patients with sofosbuvir, compared to interferon, and we are doing it in half the time with a drug that has a remarkable safety profile."
Dr. Jacobson estimates that up to half of patients with hepatitis C infection either can't use interferon or don't want to use it. "Sofosbuvir is an extremely promising treatment for this population. It is widely hoped that combinations of potent antiviral drugs will eventually replace the use of interferon, in general, for most hepatitis C patients."
The drug sofosbuvir works by interfering with the ability of the hepatitis C virus to replicate. The drug also confers a high barrier to developing the complication of drug resistance. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not yet approved sofosbuvir. However, results of the four clinical trials published in the NEJM were used to support the regulatory filing submitted to the FDA by the drug's developer, Gilead Sciences, Inc.
No Treatment Options for Many Patients
Approximately 170 million people are infected with hepatitis C worldwide and 350,000 people die each year from the disease. According to federal statistics, there are an estimated four million people in the U.S. infected with hepatitis C. As there are often no symptoms, most people with hepatitis C are unaware that they are infected.
When left untreated, hepatitis C virus can cause progressive liver disease such as cirrhosis, liver cancer and liver failure. The virus is spread by contact with infected blood, such as through blood transfusions, injection drug use or sexual contact.
There are seven major genotypes of hepatitis C, but most cases are 1, 2 or 3. Genotype 1 is the most common subtype in the U.S. Genotypes 2 and 3 are more common in Europe than in the U.S. and genotype 3 is very prevalent on the Indian subcontinent.
In the study, three-fourths of participants (207) were randomized to treatment with sofosbuvir and ribavirin while one-fourth (71) of participants were randomized to a placebo treatment. All of the patients either did not respond to interferon, or did not want to use it. "This mirrors what happens frequently in the clinic," says Dr. Jacobson. "Between 15 and 30 percent of patients with hepatitis C genotype 2 or 3 infections do not have a response to interferon therapy and do not have alternate treatment options."
Patients were enrolled internationally at 63 sites in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Study results show the response rate for all treated patients with sofosbuvir was 78 percent compared to 0 percent in participants treated with placebo agents. Patients with genotype 2 had a higher cure rate (93 percent) than those with genotype 3 (61 percent), and patients without cirrhosis had a higher response rate (81 percent) compared with participants diagnosed with cirrhosis (61 percent).
The results of another clinical trial, led by Dr. David R. Nelson of the University of Florida at Gainesville, were incorporated into this NEJM manuscript publication. This clinical trial study, called FUSION, was designed to test sofosbuvir and ribavirin in hepatitis C patients with genotype 2 or 3 who had failed interferon therapy.
In FUSION, the drug regimen was tested for both 12 and 16 weeks in patients with genotype 2 or 3. The findings showed that extended use of sofosbuvir resulted in a higher cure rate in both genotypes, but that the difference seen in genotype 3 was highly significant. For genotype 2, 12 versus 16 weeks of treatment resulted in response rates of 86 percent compared to 94 percent; and for genotype 3, the response rates were 30 percent versus 62 percent, respectively.
"Given the absence to date of alternative therapies for patients with genotype 2 or 3 who have failed interferon therapy or for whom it is not an option, treatment with the new sofosbuvir regimen offers a vast improvement," Dr. Jacobson says. "But the optimal duration of treatment for genotype 3 patients, in order to maximize their chance of cure, remains undefined. It could be longer than 16 weeks." Dr. Jacobson adds that future clinical studies will continue to define the optimal length of treatment duration for patients with genotype 3, and that other antiviral drugs in combination with sofosbuvir might shorten the duration of treatment needed to maximize the rates of response.
Both the POSITRON and FUSION studies were funded by Gilead Sciences. Another paper in the same edition of the NEJM reports two additional studies of sofosbuvir-containing therapy, one evaluating a 12 week regimen of peginterferon, ribavirin and sofosbuvir in patients with genotypes 1, 4, 5 and 6 who have never been treated before; the other reporting results of a trial comparing 24 weeks of peginterferon and ribavin with 12 weeks of sofosbuvir and ribavirin in treatment na?ve patients with genotypes 2 and 3.
Dr. Jacobson is a consultant, lecturer and a funded research investigator for Gilead Sciences.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Weill Cornell Medical College.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
Ira M. Jacobson, Stuart C. Gordon, Kris V. Kowdley, Eric M. Yoshida, Maribel Rodriguez-Torres, Mark S. Sulkowski, Mitchell L. Shiffman, Eric Lawitz, Gregory Everson, Michael Bennett, Eugene Schiff, M. Tarek Al-Assi, G. Mani Subramanian, Di An, Ming Lin, John McNally, Diana Brainard, William T. Symonds, John G. McHutchison, Keyur Patel, Jordan Feld, Stephen Pianko, David R. Nelson. Sofosbuvir for Hepatitis C Genotype 2 or 3 in Patients without Treatment Options. New England Journal of Medicine, 2013; : 130423030016000 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1214854
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Sprint's Q1 2013 financial results came out this morning, and the news wasn't great overall. Losses continue to accumulate, and total smartphone sales aren't faring very well, either, with just 5 million units sold in total. The iPhone, after achieving a record high of 2.2 million handsets sold on Sprint's network last quarter, dropped back down to 1.5 million, the same number Sprint saw in the three quarters preceding Q4 2012.
Earlier this month I was invited up to Austin for a tour of Treehouse, a home improvement store dedicated to sustainable living. I drooled over their website and immediately made plans to go.
I've never heard about a home improvement store dedicated to sustainability, and was excited to meet with local bloggers to learn more.
I have a big heart for green living (although I'm far from perfect at it), and to find a store that not only seeks to provide products that are good for you and your home, but that also holds itself accountable was like heaven on Earth to me.?
At first glance, Treehouse may look like any other home improvement store--but there's no second-guessing once you take a closer look (inside or out--they have giant rain barrels and solar panels out front). I was pleasantly surprised to hear that they're housed in a former Borders bookstore (bittersweet memories). I love?when companies repurpose old buildings.?
After an amazing story about his passion for healthy homes, cofounder Jason Ballard led us on a tour around the store showcasing the high quality products handpicked by the Treehouse team. Each item goes through the Treehouse product filter and must meet health, performance, sustainability, and corporate responsibility requirements to earn their place in the store.?
I must have thrown a couple dozen questions at Jason throughout the tour and he didn't bat an eye. He had straight answers for every question and was friendly in sharing his wealth of information--this guy knew his stuff.?
One of the most shocking things I learned? Our homes are the number-one offender to the health of our world--there's no escaping the toxins we escape to each day--unless we make our homes smarter. Treehouse's mission is to help us do just that.?
Some of Treehouse's top products include rain barrels (they actually sold the last ones that night--definitely high demand in South Texas), VOC-free paints (including milk paint--I also loved their clay plaster), and LED lightbulbs. In fact, Treehouse is the very first home store to sell the brand new omnidirectional LED lightbulb by Switch, how awesome is that?
And what home improvement store do you know that hunts down salvaged items to share with its customers? I didn't think so.?
Treehouse also goes beyond your typical home improvement items, with awesome sustainable gift ideas for kids as well as home goods like locally sourced beeswax candles and eco-friendly cleaning supplies. I could have wondered the aisles for hours (and brought home one of everything).?
They even have a garden section with native plants only, and homestead products like chicken feed and homebrewing kits! If I could marry a store, this would be the one.
I'm totally pining over it even thinking about it--I feel like prank calling just to hear Treehouse's voice--I'm that obsessed with this store. Now when are they moving to San Antonio? This is my new secret mission. I'll be there at the ribbon-cutting!?
But seriously. I'm in love with this store because it's doing something that no other home improvement store has yet done. People come first, and the products on their shelves are their to make every life better. They have a dream and a vision, and it is good. 'Nough said. Forget Ikea*, who wants to take a trip to Treehouse with me??
Want to help Treehouse make it big and (hopefully) one day open a store near you? Go stalk?like them on Facebook or Twitter. And make a few prank calls to their store. Okay, not that last one. But really, let's help them make it to the big time--it's about time for a store like Treehouse!
*Austin has the closest Ikea store for we San Antonians, but Treehouse is even closer!
This is not a sponsored post--I'm writing about Treehouse because I'm in love.?
A couple of weeks ago, the 27-year-old son of Pastor Rick Warren and his wife Kay committed suicide. It was especially sad to learn that Matthew Warren had suffered for so long with mental illness. I commended the Warrens for taking him to professionals ? something that may have helped prolong his life for an additional ten years.
Matthew Warren
One of the problems in the Christian church is that mental illness is often seen as a sign of weakness, an indication that Satan has latched onto you. Prayer is the cure and professionals are not.
To their credit, the Warrens didn?t take that approach. And they?re not backing away, either.
They currently have a petition up on their church?s website for a noble cause:
Join Kay and I, and the Saddleback Family, in our effort to urge educators, lawmakers, healthcare professionals, and church congregations to raise the awareness and lower the stigma of mental illness? and support the families that deal with mental illness on a daily basis.
They?ve also set up ?The Matthew Warren Fund for mental health,? though there?s no indication as to where the donations will go.
I wouldn?t make a donation just yet (call me cynical?) but I signed the petition. This is one instance in which other churches would do well to follow the Warrens? lead.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel is greeted by Saudi Arabia's Deputy Minister of Defense Prince Fahd bin Abdullah, left, upon his arrival at King Khaled International Airport in Riyadh, on April 23, 2013. (AP Photo/Jim Watson, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel is greeted by Saudi Arabia's Deputy Minister of Defense Prince Fahd bin Abdullah, left, upon his arrival at King Khaled International Airport in Riyadh, on April 23, 2013. (AP Photo/Jim Watson, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, left, is welcomed by Saudi Crown Prince, Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense Salman bin Abdulaziz , center, during a meeting at his residence in Riyadh, on Tuesday, April 23, 2013. (AP Photo/Jim Watson, Pool)
CAIRO (AP) ? By including Cairo on his first Mideast tour as defense secretary, Chuck Hagel is highlighting the Obama administration's hope of preserving influence with the Egyptian military as the country struggles with its transition to democracy.
After stops in Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, Hagel flew to the Egyptian capital for his first face-to-face meetings with Egypt's top leaders. In their talks Wednesday, he planned to stress the value of close military ties with a country that is deeply divided in the wake of the 2011 revolution that ousted longtime President Hosni Mubarak.
Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel. The U.S. is deeply concerned, however, that continued instability in Egypt will have broader consequences in a region already rocked by unrest, including in the increasingly lawless Sinai Peninsula.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry visited Egypt in March and rewarded it for President Mohammed Morsi's pledges of political and economic reform by releasing $250 million in American aid.
Morsi came to power in June 2012 as Egypt's first freely elected president.
Hagel was scheduled to meet with Morsi as well as Defense Minister Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.
On Tuesday the legal adviser to Morsi resigned, alleging that the Muslim Brotherhood has monopolized decision-making and encroached on the governing of the country.
The resignation letter by Mohammed Fouad Gadallah brought the harshest criticism yet from inside the presidency. Opponents of Morsi long have accused the Brotherhood of being the real power behind the president and say the group's attempts to dominate power have fueled the country's turmoil.
Morsi, who hails from the Brotherhood, denied in a TV interview earlier this week that the group intervenes in decision-making.
Hagel flew to Cairo from Riyadh, where he met Tuesday evening with top officials, including Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, who serves as the kingdom's defense minister as well. Hagel also held talks Tuesday in Jordan and Israel.
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Public release date: 25-Apr-2013
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Sprint's Q1 2013 financial results came out this morning, and the news wasn't great overall. Losses continue to accumulate, and total smartphone sales aren't faring very well, either, with just 5 million units sold in total. The iPhone, after achieving a record high of 2.2 million handsets sold on Sprint's network last quarter, dropped back down to 1.5 million, the same number Sprint saw in the three quarters preceding Q4 2012.
