Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we?re using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment.
For those of you who think all we do in IRL is wax nostalgic about gadgets we?ve owned for years, you?d be? mostly right. Indeed, this week we?ve got Mr. Ben Drawbaugh talking up the HDTV he owns (as opposed to the one he wants), and James is here to break down the limitations of his discontinued Tonium Pacemaker. We?ve got one happy new gadget owner, though, and that would be Zach Honig, who recently traded his iPhone 4 for a Samsung Galaxy Note. So how?s that S-Pen working out for him? Head past the break to find out.
Continue reading IRL: Pioneer Kuro PDP-6010FD, Tonium Pacemaker and the Samsung Galaxy Note
IRL: Pioneer Kuro PDP-6010FD, Tonium Pacemaker and the Samsung Galaxy Note originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Dec 2011 14:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
BERKELEY, Calif. ? A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by two Jewish students who claimed the University of California, Berkeley, fostered an atmosphere of anti-Semitism by not doing enough to curb alleged harassment during pro-Palestinian protests that included mock checkpoints.
Plaintiff Jessica Felber claimed in the lawsuit that a leader of a campus pro-Palestinian group rammed her with a shopping cart as she staged a counter-protest to "Apartheid Week," an annual event that compares Israel's policies to the institutionalized racism of South Africa's former white government.
Felber, who graduated last year, and current undergraduate Brian Maissy sued in March to demand the university enact rules to curb what they called ongoing harassment that they said amounted to a violation of their First Amendment rights to freedom of religion and speech.
Much of the alleged harassment, even if true, constituted protected political speech, San Francisco U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg wrote in dismissing the case against the university Thursday.
Seeborg found that the university itself did not violate the plaintiffs' constitutional rights. Furthermore, he said UC Berkeley did not have a legal obligation to intervene in any dispute in which a private individual was allegedly interfering with those rights.
"The incident in which Felber was assaulted with a shopping cart, for example, did not occur in the context of her educational pursuits," Seeborg wrote.
"Rather, that event occurred when she, as one person attempting to exercise free speech rights in a public forum was allegedly attacked by another person who likewise was participating in a public protest in a public forum."
Joel Siegal, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, told the San Francisco Chronicle his clients were reviewing their options and that the suit had stimulated dialogue about acceptable conduct at the university.
In the Apartheid Week protests as described in the lawsuit, students dressed as soldiers carry fake assault weapons and demand to know whether passing students are Jewish. Felber said she required medical attention as a result of the shopping cart incident and obtained a permanent restraining order against the alleged assailant.
The plaintiffs cited what they said was a long history of harassment of Jewish students by Muslim and pro-Palestinian student groups on UC campuses.
Among those is a high-profile case in Orange County, where 10 Muslim students were convicted of misdemeanors for disrupting a speech given by an Israeli ambassador last year at UC Irvine. The students appealed, arguing that the law used to convict them was vague and unconstitutional.
In dismissing the UC Berkeley case, Seeborg observed that many of the incidents of alleged harassment occurred before the plaintiffs were enrolled or did not happen at UC Berkeley. He also said the incidents as described showed that campus police intervened to arrest disruptive protesters and that the university has worked to mediate conflicts between opposing student groups.
"The court has reaffirmed the fact that the university has been working hard to resolve conflicts between campus groups with opposing points of view," said Christopher Patti, chief campus counsel for UC Berkeley.
Tensions between Jewish and Muslim student groups have often run high on UC campuses over the issue of Israel's policies toward Palestinians.
In March, the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights notified UC Santa Cruz it was investigating a faculty member's complaint that a series of pro-Palestinian events had created a hostile environment for Jewish students.
Hebrew lecturer Tammi Rossman-Benjamin said administrators repeatedly failed to address her and students' concerns about film screenings and appearances by "viciously anti-Israel" speakers sponsored with campus funds. The university said Rossman-Benjamin's complaints were unfounded.
Seven towns in Germany have special post offices dedicated to answering children's Christmas letters, which letter writers see as a chance to undermine seasonal greed and instill joy and hope.
As Christmas approaches, children long for things: cars, laptops,?dolls, electric trains. The airwaves are bombarded with news of Christmas sales barometers. A stressed-out society rushes to consumption.
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But in Germany, children still write to the Christkind?("Christ Child"), or to Santa Claus, in the hundreds of thousands ? yearning not for only gifts, but for a bit of comfort and joy.?
Since the beginning of the Advent season in late November, close to?75,000 children have written to the "Christmas Post Office" of Himmelstadt?("Heaven's City"). The tiny Bavarian?village of 17,500 is one of seven towns with special post offices dedicated to?receiving and answering letters with children's Christmas wishes.?
"I write a letter. I sign it 'Your Christkind,' and I give the?children a piece of advice. I send them a little angel, a drawing, a?poem," says Rosemarie Schotte, who, for more than 20 years, has been in?charge of the Christmas post office in Himmelstadt, working with 30 village volunteers to?answer every?single letter.
"We want to bring back the spirit of Christmas, which is a?celebration of love, not necessarily big presents," says Schotte. "One has to?look within one self, to remember how good you have it in life, be?grateful to have a family."
The letter-writing tradition all started decades ago when a letter?addressed to the Christkind ended up in Himmselstadt.?Postal workers, not knowing what to do with it, just answered it. The?following year, a few more children wrote. Over the years, what had?been a few isolated letters turned into a flood.?
In 1965, Germany's first "Christmas post office" opened in Lower Saxony's?Himmelsth?r, or Heaven's Door. Six other post offices?in places with names associated with Christmas popped up, including Engelskirchen ("Angels' Church"), Himmelpfort ("Heaven's Gate") and Himmelpforten ("Heaven's Gates").
The letters addressed to Father Christmas, who is known in?Germany as Saint Nicholas, end up in one of two places: Nikolausdorf?("Nicholas village") in Lower Saxony or St. Nikolaus in Saarland.?
The tradition is an effort to counter the encroachment of?consumption on the spirit of Christmas. Schotte says part of the?idea is is to get families closer together, by encouraging parents to?write with their children.
So far, children from 70 countries have written to the Christkind in?Himmelsfarhrt. This year, for the first time, children from?Mongolia and Vietnam wrote.
Christmas' wishes come in all forms and colors.?Children don't just want?iPods and laptops. In their letters, they?share a bit of their lives, and of their yearnings to have it better.
"We get to read about just about everything," Schotte says. "The children pour their hearts out."?Mostly, they talk about things like their parents fighting, illnesses, and separations. "We try to comfort them, to make them trust life?again," she says.?
Schotte will answer each letter with a personal note, sometimes a poem or a drawing.?She tries to?transmit her own childhood traditions of candles, the advent?crown, eating a few Christmas cookies, the family getting closer to?each other.?She wants to bring togetherness back into the lives of the children's?families.
''When things aren't working in small circles, how can you?expect them to work out in bigger circles? In politics, in the wider?world?" she says.
There is always a reason to keep on writing. Schotte received a candy bar with one letter. "Dear Christ Child," the?child wrote, "I am sending you this so (you) can get energy back when?you give me my presents."
Three House Republican lawmakers are asking the IRS to explain how nonprofit seniors group AARP is able to shield hundreds of millions of dollars from tax levies even though, they say, the group is effectively in ?day-to-day control? of products offered by private firms with the AARP stamp of approval.
Rep. David Reichert, R-Wash., said companies that use AARP?s brand to sell everything from health insurance to hearing aids are helping the seniors? group make huge profits. All the while AARP?s profits gain tax-exempt status.
?They're really trying to manage these companies to increase their revenue," said Reichert, one of the House Ways and Means Committee GOP members to sign onto a letter sent to the IRS.
Republican critics note AARP's income from United HealthCare alone skyrocketed from 2007 to 2009, even as the recession was hitting, leaping from $284 million to $427 million during that time, a 50 percent jump. In 2010, those revenues soared even higher -- to $670 million.
?Those increases, I think, are dramatic," Reichert told Fox News.
A longtime Democratic tax lawyer says ?royalties,? or ?passive income? are a common tool for nonprofit groups to earn revenues, and pointed to the Sierra Club as another beneficiary of ?arms-length? arrangements.
"That is the classic royalty situation where the Sierra Club in effect simply makes its mailing lists available to other charities in return for royalty," said attorney Bill Josephson. "I don't have any problem with that, nor does anybody else."
But Republicans say AARP's deal with United HealthCare is different, and in the letter to the IRS, they point to what they say are several examples of AARP?s daily influence over the business, including its ?authority over United's ?operating plan?? and its ability to "approve, modify on a line-by-line basis, or provide specific direction to United."
Josephson said if that?s indeed the case, "the kinds of hands-on relationships (AARP) has with its supposedly arms-length insurance companies are hardly passive."
And if it?s not passive, lawmakers contend, the income is taxable.
AARP did not make anyone available for an interview, but did send a letter to Fox News from Kevin Donnellan, AARP executive vice president and chief communications officer, who wrote that AARP?s chief aim is upholding its standards, and its actions are a detailed commitment to quality control on products offered in its name.
"We have spent more than five decades proving our commitment to helping older Americans obtain quality, affordable health so, of course, we take seriously how others use our name," Donnellan wrote. ?We are disappointed that this work should be the subject of congressional criticism.?
AARP makes the majority of its revenues from United's supplemental insurance policies to seniors, including what is known as Medigap, which covers things for which Medicare does not pay. One of AARP's many ads tells seniors that the insurance can help them protect themselves ?from some of what Medicare doesn't pay.?
?Save up to thousands of dollars in potential out-of-pocket expenses with an AARP Medicare Supplement Insurance Plan," the ad says.
Donnellan wrote that the group?s supplemental plans "help many of the sickest and most disadvantaged seniors who would otherwise be denied insurance by accepting more than 99 percent of applicants, which is far higher than the market standard."
But AARP?s support for the Obama administration?s new health care law, which calls for $500 billion in cuts to Medicare, critics say, makes it all the more likely people would need supplemental insurance, something AARP stands ready to provide.
"That move alone, as seniors began to go to Medigap insurance, increases AARP's revenue over a 10-year period by $1 billion. And we think that's just a little bit suspicious," Reichert said.
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) ? An explosion ripped through a Catholic church during Christmas Mass near Nigeria's capital Sunday, killing at least 25 people, officials said. A radical Muslim sect waging an increasingly sophisticated sectarian fight claimed the attack and another bombing in the restive city of Jos, as explosions also struck the nation's northeast.
The Christmas Day attacks show the growing national ambition of the sect known as Boko Haram, which is responsible for at least 491 killings this year alone, according to an Associated Press count. The assaults come a year after a series of Christmas Eve bombings in Jos claimed by the militants left at least 32 dead and 74 wounded.
The first explosion on Sunday struck St. Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla, a town in Niger state close to the capital, Abuja, authorities said. Rescue workers recovered at least 25 bodies from the church and officials continued to tally those wounded in various hospitals, said Slaku Luguard, a coordinator with Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency.
His agency already has acknowledged it didn't have enough ambulances immediately on hand to help the wounded. Luguard also said an angry crowd that gathered at the blast site hampered rescue efforts as they refused to allow workers inside.
"We're trying to calm the situation," Luguard said. "There are some angry people around trying to cause problems."
In Jos, a second explosion struck near a Mountain of Fire and Miracles Church, government spokesman Pam Ayuba said. Ayuba said gunmen later opened fire on police guarding the area, killing one police officer. Two other locally made explosives were found in a nearby building and disarmed, he said.
"The military are here on ground and have taken control over the entire place," Ayuba said.
The city of Jos is located on the dividing line between Nigeria's predominantly Christian south and Muslim north. Thousands have died in communal clashes there over the last decade.
After the bombings, a Boko Haram spokesman using the nom de guerre Abul-Qaqa claimed responsibility for the attacks in an interview with The Daily Trust, the newspaper of record across Nigeria's Muslim north. The sect has used the newspaper in the past to communicate with public.
The U.S. Embassy in Nigeria's capital of Abuja had issued a warning Friday to citizens to be "particularly vigilant" around churches, large crowds and areas where foreigners congregate.
Several days of fighting in and around the northeastern city of Damaturu between the sect and security forces already had killed at least 61 people, authorities said. On Sunday, local police commissioner Tanko Lawan said two explosions struck Damaturu, including a blast near government offices. He declined to comment further, saying police had begun an operation to attack suspected Boko Haram sect members.
In the last year, Boko Haram has carried out increasingly bloody attacks in its campaign to implement strict Shariah law across Nigeria, a nation of more than 160 million people.
Boko Haram claimed responsibility for a Nov. 4 attack on Damaturu, Yobe state's capital, that killed more than 100 people. The group also claimed the Aug. 24 suicide car bombing of the U.N. headquarters in Nigeria's capital that killed 24 people and wounded 116 others.
The sect came to national prominence in 2009, when its members rioted and burned police stations near its base of Maiduguri, a dusty northeastern city on the cusp of the Sahara Desert. Nigeria's military violently put down the attack, crushing the sect's mosque into shards as its leader was arrested and died in police custody. About 700 people died during the violence.
While initially targeting enemies via hit-and-run assassinations from the back of motorbikes after the 2009 riot, violence by Boko Haram now has a new sophistication and apparent planning that includes high-profile attacks with greater casualties.
Boko Haram has splintered into three factions, with one wing increasingly willing to kill as it maintains contact with terror groups in North Africa and Somalia, diplomats and security sources say.
Sect members are scattered throughout northern Nigeria and nearby Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
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Associated Press writer Bashir Adigun in Abuja, Nigeria contributed to this report. Jon Gambrell reported from Lagos, Nigeria and can be reached at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.
FOUR CHINESE nationals who have been engaging in illegal gold mining activities, also known as galamsey, at Dikoto, a village near Wassa Akropong in the Western Region, have been arrested by a joint military-police team under the auspices of the National and Western Regional Security Councils.
The four, Xu Xio Guang, 26, Tang Jian Guo, 59, Tang Lin He, 37 and Yang Xian, 19, were arrested on December 21, 2001 during an operation mounted by the team in the area.
DCOP Moses Ransford Ninson, Western Regional Police Commander, who disclosed this to DAILY GUIDE, explained that the destructive activities of illegal miners on the water bodies, arable lands and forest reserves within the region necessitated the operation.
He indicated that the Chinese alleged that they were brought into the country by a Tarkwa-based Chinese called Dai Ming Shing.
According to the regional police commander, one of the suspects, Tang Neng Bring, 27, managed to escape arrest during the operation while another suspect, Tan Wei Min, was also in China. He noted that efforts were being made to have them apprehended.
Items retrieved from the four Chinese galamsey operators included five gold ingots, two pump action guns together with 19 live AAA cartridges, 179 live BBB cartridges, 169 empty cartridges, one chainsaw machine, one sledge hammer, three domestic and one industrial cylinder.
The rest are one military camouflage uniform, 11 mobile phones, three unserviceable walkie-talkies, one HP computer, notebook, one double cabin Toyota pick-up with registration number GN 1997 Z, one Konka television set, a cash sum of 2,020 Yuan and GH?50.00.
DCOP Ninson said at about 300 metres from the Chinese suspects? site, a Ghanaian, Godwin Jones, 38, and a mechanical engineer were also arrested for engaging in illegal mining with two excavator machines and a washing plant.
The suspect claimed that he and his cousin, Kwabena Amoah, acquired the site from Nana Dikoto of Dikoto village and that they started the illegal mining activities about three weeks ago.
DCOP Ninson said all the suspects were put before court and were remanded into police custody to reappear on January 11, 2012.
The regional police commander appealed to all galamsey operators to make sure they acquired mining licences and permits from the Minerals Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency respectively before starting their operations.
For a while on Thursday, it wasn?t clear whether USC quarterback Matt Barkley was announcing his plans for playing football in 2012 or running for public office.
And then, at one point, Barkley?s micro-Favre ?will-he-or-won?t-he? routine seemed like a bad SNL skit, especially when he was abruptly interrupted while standing in front of a Christmas tree decorated with, among other things, full-size french horns by eleven piping pipers, twelve drumming drummers, and two of the nine ladies dancing.
Ultimately, Barkley made it clear that he?ll be staying at USC.? While he?s not the first player to pass up an opportunity to pass the football at the highest level, he?s the most recent ? and thus he?ll become the centerpiece of the debate regarding whether guys should leave early.
Most football players play college football because they hope to play pro football.? Statistically speaking, few ever do.? But when a college player is deemed ready to play at the next level, it?s akin to a Doogie Howser-style student, who has accelerated his studies and thus has become ready to graduate.? While that typically means departing before finishing the requirements of a degree, a degree can always be obtained later, after the pro playing career has ended.
The vague notion that the degree should be obtained before leaving for the NFL comes at least in part from the college coaches who want to see the kids continue to play for free preying on the fairly linear thinking in which parents and grandparents who didn?t go to college often engage.? For families who have yet to see a child march with cap and gown, getting the degree becomes almost as important as getting paid to play football.
In the end, getting paid to play football should be the primary concern.? At the college level, they aren?t.? (Presumably.)? Players like Barkley put themselves at risk on every snap.? A serious injury could permanently derail the dream to play in the NFL ? or, at a minimum, delay it significantly.
But at least the player will be able to earn dramatically less money in another industry, thanks to his degree.
The new rookie wage scale makes it even more important to strike while the iron is hot.? For starters, the financial difference that results from moving up only one pick in the top 10 has become dramatically smaller than it used to be, reducing the benefit of returning to school for a year and bumping up the draft stock by a few spots.? And with the truly big money now delayed until the player makes it to his second NFL contract, it?s more important than ever to start ticking off the years under that first NFL contract.
Some will now compare Matt Barkley to Matt Leinart, the last USC quarterback to decide to exhaust his eligibility.? Significant differences exist, however.? Leinart had accomplished everything that he could have accomplished at the college level, winning a Heisman and a national title ? along with earning that all-important degree.? When he decided to take ballroom dancing and a victory lap or two around sorority row, Leinart triggered real questions about whether he wants to be a football player, or whether he wants to be a celebrity.
For Barkley, NCAA sanctions have kept him from pursuing a BCS title or a Pac-Whatever championship.? It surely also kept him from being a serious candidate for a Heisman Trophy.? And so his college experience isn?t truly complete.
Regardless, any decision to stick around by a college athlete will conjure memories of what Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino supposedly tells his players who are deemed to be ready to make the jump to the NBA.
?You can go and help your family,? Pitino says.? ?Or you can stay and help mine.?
Indian companies venturing abroad is always regarded as a healthy trend, an indicator of India's new-found economic status. But little is known about how these companies are flexing their imperalistic muscles in poorer countries, grabbing the land and giving little in return. A report ?India?s Role in the New Global Farmland Grab? by researcher Rick Rowden brings forth these atrocities which are shockingly similar to what India used to blame rich western countires for.
Joiing the race with China, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, South Korea and the European Union, Indian and Indian-owned companies are acquiring land in Africa at throwaway prices, indulging in enviornmental damange and exporting the food while locals continue to starve. The origin of this unhealthy practice can be traced back to the food crisis of 2008 when rich countries were forced to confront the reality of how fragile the global food scenario can be, especially for those without sufficient cultivable land. To ensure more direct control over food, these countries started acquiring land in poorer African countries and shipping the produce back home. A recent World Bank report found that 45 million hectares of large scale farmland deals had been announced between 2008 and 2009.
The initial support to such forays was based on the belief that the world is facing scarce food supply because of long-term under-investment in the agricultural sectors of many developing countries. However, as stressed by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, "the diagnosis and remedy are incorrect?Hunger and malnutrition are not primarily the result of insufficient food production; they are the result of poverty and inequality, particularly in rural areas, where 75 per cent of the world?s poor still reside.?
Outsourcing farming, the Indian way
There are various factors driving the ?outsourcing? of domestic food production in India. Primary among these are stagnation or drop in crop yield due to "green revolution fatigue?, government?s concerns related to long term food security besides the allure of much cheaper land and more abundant water resources in African countries. The subsidies being offered by governments of African countries is another enticement. In many cases, the companies have been offered special incentives, including the offer to lease massive tracts of arable land at very generous terms with access to water and the ability to fully repatriate the profits generated.
According to figures provided by governments of various East African countries in 2010, more than 80 Indian companies have invested around $ 2.4 billion in buying or leasing huge plantations in Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Senegal and Mozambique to grow food grains and other cash crops for the Indian market. The high input cost of farming is also driving these companies to explore Africa. Talking to news agency IANS earlier this year, S.N. Pandey, an executive with Lucky Group, one of the companies which have invested in Africa, stressed on the price factor. ?The cost of agricultural production in Africa is almost half that in India. There is less need for fertiliser and pesticides, labour is cheap and overall output is higher,? he was quoted as saying.
Indian agriculture companies also complain that India?s small and fragmented land holdings are unsuitable for large-scale commercial farming, and there are too many bureaucratic hurdles to investment. Recent offers by African governments allow Indian farmers to acquire much larger tracts of contiguous land on lease for 50 years, and in some cases even up to 99 years at throwaway prices. According to a news report in the Indian Express, ?The land lease rate in Punjab?s Doaba region is a minimum of Rs 40,000 per acre. In contrast, in most African nations, the land lease rate in terms of Indian currency comes to Rs 700 per acre. This means that for every one acre in Punjab, Indian investors can own 60 acre in Africa. With a per capita land holding of 1.5 acre in Punjab, agriculture is ceasing to be a sustainable activity.?
A sample of Indian companies investing in agricultural land overseas
Nobody bothers about locals
In some countries such as Ethiopia, where there is a lack of effective governance and democracy, local populations have reportedly suffered evictions with no recourse. Of all the land-grabbing deals in recent years, perhaps none has received as much attention as that of Karuturi Global's massive land leases in Ethiopia?s Gambela region. While the East African country claims the entry of foreign investors would help develop the large tracts of wastelands, experts say there is no such thing as ?waste or idle land? in Ethiopia, or anywhere in Africa.
Several studies have shown that local competition for grazing land and access to water bodies are the two most important sources of inter-communal conflict in most parts of Ethiopia populated by pastoralists. Indeed, in almost every case of recent land leases involving foreign enterprises, locals have complained that they lost access to grazing land and water due to these projects. This has also been the case, for example, with foreign investments in both the Bako and Gambela regions of Ethiopia where many Indian firms operate. Proponents of the new land rush also often claim that the foreign investments in land will create jobs for locals, improve living conditions and increase national GDP. In Ethiopia, over 3 lakh families have been potentially displaced but only about 20,000 people are expected to get jobs on the new highly-mechanised farms.
According to a news report on BBC online, ?there have allegedly been a number of arrests and killings of local people who oppose the recent land investments.? The indigenous Mazenger people of Gambela have been struggling to protect their ancient forest-covered lands along tributaries to the White Nile that have come into conflict with the lease given to the Indian company Verdanta Harvests Plc., which plans to clear their land and use it for a tea and spice plantation. According to the documents available with Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia (SMNE), the locals were made aware of the plan to lease out their ancient lands and ?secret forests? only in early 2010. They approached the Ethiopian President Girma Wolde-Giorgis, who mostly has representative powers, and won his support. The Environmental Protection Authority of Ethiopia (EPAE) also recommended that the lease project be stopped since the short-term benefits of leasing would not outweigh the long-term costs to the country. However, the local Governor announced that the 3,000 hectare of forests had already been leased out for 50 years. Despite another intervention by the President, the project is moving forward and the forests are being cleared.
?If what is going on in Gambela was happening in New Delhi, India, or in Oxford, England, Bismarck, North Dakota, or in Saskatoon, Canada, this would be unthinkable. If it is not allowed in these places, why is it justified in Ethiopia," asks Obang Metho of SMNE.
Environmental concerns and contracts
One of the most significant concerns about the trend of overseas investors relates to environmental impacts of establishing increasing numbers of large-scale, mechanised mono-cropping farms that are dependent on high levels of water usage besides heavy doses of pesticides and herbicides which impact both the soil and the underground water. ?The ecological sustainability of land and water resources is an important concern, especially considering the relatively short-term orientation of the foreign investors versus the long-term outlook needed in considering the environmental impacts of land uses,? says D Byerlee, who presented a paper on ?Drivers of Investment in Large-Scale Farming: Evidence and Implications,? at a World Bank conference in 2009.
Amid growing controversy around investments in Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development recently made public the 12 Land Rent Contractual Agreements for land leases including five contracts with Indian companies. All these contracts specified that the companies were to ensure that environmental impact assessments were undertaken and submitted to the authorities shortly after assuming operations and that the investors would otherwise abide by current Ethiopian conservation laws. They did not specify who exactly would undertake the environmental impact assessments, the quality and scope of such assessments and transparency of the process by which they are to be undertaken. Regarding water usage, each of the five contracts specified that the companies had the right to build dams, water boreholes and irrigation systems as they see fit. Only the smallest contract for Verdanta Harvests PLc.?s tea plantation did not mention water rights. Interestingly, only the biggest contract for Karuturi Agro Products Plc. included the additional clause that the company also had the right to ?use irrigation water from rivers or ground water.? However, there was no mention of payment for this water usage, the quantity of water to be used and over what period of time.
All five contracts stated that the Indian companies have the ?right?- not the obligation- to provide power, health clinics, schools, etc. It was not specified to whom these services might be provided ?the local population or just the company workers. Yet, the provision of such facilities had been a high-profile claim made earlier by the government as to why the investors should be allowed to undertake these projects. None of the five contracts of the Indian companies mentioned labour laws or specified any wages or working conditions for their local employees. Nor did the contracts seem to justify the claim made by the companies and government regarding the increase in agricultural productivity and transfer of such new technologies to local farmers. If the omission suggests that the Indian companies alone shall retain the higher value technology, it is unclear how this will help local farmers in Ethiopia in the future.
Indian government's role play
Following a 2009 visit by Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba, the then Minister for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor said: ?We are now in talks with Namibia after their President's visit, to use land for our purposes.?
At the sixth Agriwatch Global Pulses Summit in New Delhi in 2010, India's Food and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar asked the delegates to ponder over the ?viability of Indians leasing land abroad for growing pulses and exporting it back to India.?
Both these statements point towards India's objective to ensure food security by acquiring land in lesser developed countries. The Indian government acts as a facilitator to the whole process rather than the main player. It is supporting the conventional new greenfield foreign direct investments, merger and acquisition purchases of existing firms; public-private partnerships ; specific tariff reductions on agricultural goods imported to India through the negotiation of regional bilateral trade and investment treaties and double taxation (avoidance) agreements.
Another major way the Indian government has financially facilitated the process is by giving concessional lines of credit to various developing country governments, banks, and financial institutions, as well as to regional financial institutions, through the Indian Export- Import (Exim) Bank. Often such lines of credit are for the purpose of national development projects and where these projects involve agricultural development, Indian foreign investors stand ready to win concessions and contracts for agricultural development in the form of their foreign direct investment.
The largest single line of credit approved by the Exim Bank so far has gone to Ethiopia ($ 640 million) for its Tindaho Sugar Project and it is also widely expected to facilitate Indian investments. The soft loans, with an annual interest rate of 1.75 per cent, are to be repaid over 20 years.
In trade policy, a number of economic incentives such as duty-free tariff preference schemes have been put in place by the Indian government in order to encourage private companies to invest in land abroad. For example, Ethiopian farm produce entering Indian markets is now taxed less than produce from India, according to Anand Seth, the deputy director general of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations.
The defence put up by companies
Indian companies reject their characterisation as neo-colonials and insist they are just doing business. Many companies claim the land acquisitions are simply strategies for their expansion and vertical integration. Raju Poosapati, the vice president of India's Yes Bank, which advises Indian investors in Africa, said a government ban on non-Basmati rice exports had driven Indian companies to go abroad in order to be able to grow and sell it in global markets.
Karuturi Global Ltd. clarified that it pays its workers at least Ethiopia?s minimum wage of 8 birr, and abides by Ethiopia?s labour and environmental laws. Speaking to Bloomberg, Sai Ramakrishna Karuturi, founder and head of Karuturi Global Ltd., said, ?We have to be very, very cognisant of the fact that we are dealing with people who are easily exploitable,? adding that the company will create up to 20,000 jobs and has plans to build a hospital, a cinema, a school and a day-care center in the settlement. ?We?re going to have a very healthy township that we will build. We are creating jobs where there were none,? he said. However, Metho says so far there has been no sign or mention of any of this according to reports from the local people.
The situation seems quite similar to what foreign corporates are doing in tribal areas of Orissa and Chattisgarh in India. Metho believes a close coordination between Indian and African activists can help serve the cause of marginalised communities in both the worlds.
The research report ?India?s Role in the New Global Farmland Grab? can be accessed here
Screenshots of Mac OS X 10.7.3 developer builds have revealed what we already suspected: ultra-high definition Macs are coming. This Get Info window capture reveals a HIDPI (Hi-Dots-Per-Inch) mode checkbox that may come in the next update of Apple's desktop OS. More »
WASHINGTON (AP) ? The largest remaining source of uncontrolled toxic air pollution in the United States, the nation's coal- and oil-fired power plants, will be forced to reduce their emissions or shut down, under a federal regulation released Wednesday.
The long-overdue national standards for mercury and other toxic pollutants are the first to be applied to nation's oldest and dirtiest power plants.
About half of the 1,300 coal- and oil-fired units nationwide still lack modern pollution controls, despite the Environmental Protection Agency in 1990 getting the authority from Congress to control toxic air pollution from power plant smokestacks. A decade later, in 2000, the agency concluded it was necessary to clamp down on the emissions to protect public health.
Decades of litigation and changing political winds have allowed power plants to keep running without addressing their full environmental and public health costs.
EPA administrator Lisa Jackson said in a statement that the standards "will protect millions of families and children from harmful and costly air pollution and provide the American people with health benefits that far outweigh the costs."
The rule ranks as one of the most expensive in the EPA's history, with an estimated $9.6 billion price tag.
Its release comes after intense lobbying from power producers and criticism from Republicans, who said the rule would threaten jobs and electric reliability and raise electricity prices.
To ease those concerns, the administration will encourage states to make "broadly available" an additional fourth year to comply with the rule, as allowed by the law. Case-by-case extensions could also be granted to address local reliability issues, according to a presidential memorandum to Jackson.
In the memorandum, President Barack Obama said the new standards "will promote the transition to a cleaner and more efficient U.S. electric power system." He directed the EPA to ensure that implementation of the rule "proceed in a cost-effective manner that ensures electric reliability."
Some in the industry wanted an automatic and longer delay, to ensure that the combination of power plants retiring and those shutting down temporarily to install pollution control equipment would not affect reliability. But even the chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the independent body that ensures electric reliability, did not see evidence for a blanket extension.
An AP survey of 55 power plants producers found that more than 32 mostly coal-fired power plants in a dozen states would retire because of the regulation issued Wednesday, and another rule aimed at reducing pollution downwind from power plants. The survey found, however, that the power plant retirements alone would not cause homes to go dark. Another 36 power plants may have to shut down because it would be cheaper than complying with the rule. The estimated age of the units retiring or at risk was 51 years.
For coal, which was already struggling because of low natural gas prices and lackluster demand for electricity, the environmental regulations may well be the final blow.
Two other federal environmental regulations in the works to address cooling water intakes and coal ash disposal could lead to more power plant retirements, according to experts.
Autism Speaks awards 47 new research grants fundingPublic release date: 21-Dec-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Adam Pockriss apockriss@rubenstein.com 212-843-8286 Autism Speaks
Global autism science and advocacy organization advances research in epigenetic and gene-environment influences, neurobiology, and studies concerning adolescents and adults with autism
New York, N.Y. (December 21, 2011) Autism Speaks, the world's largest autism science and advocacy organization, today announced the awarding of 47 new research grants totaling $13,242,279 in funding over the next three years. Grants awarded this year not only respond to Autism Speaks funding priorities, but collectively move autism research forward toward improving diagnosis and treatment and quality of life for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). New this year is the Autism Speaks Translational Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, which encourages new investigators to enter into the field of ASD translational research translating laboratory findings to clinical practice. These fellowships are critical in developing their careers so that their work can make a lasting impact on the field of autism research.
"Suzanne and I are extraordinarily proud that this is the largest set of grant awards in Autism Speaks history," said Autism Speaks Co-founder Bob Wright. "These novel research projects have tremendous potential to open new avenues to understanding autism."
"The Autism Speaks research portfolio is the core of our support for individuals impacted with ASD and their families," added Autism Speaks President Mark Roithmayr. "We know that as families seek the best possible diagnosis, treatments and therapies for their loved ones, validated research is critical in giving families confidence and hope for improving the lives of individuals with ASD," he continued. "Without the incredible generosity of our community and corporate partners, and the funds raised at hundreds of Walk Now for Autism Speaks events throughout the year, this research and this level of funding would not be possible."
Studies will be funded to increase our understanding of environmental influences that may increase the risk of ASD among those who are genetically predisposed to the disorder; on biomarkers that may be useful for identifying infants at risk for developing ASD; and to improve early diagnosis in ways that can lead to earlier intervention and improved outcomes. The first U.S. autism prevalence study using total population sampling methods will be conducted, as current prevalence rates are based on reviews of records and may miss undiagnosed children and adults in the community. Funding this year will help create of the world's largest whole-genome library of individuals with autismthrough a historic collaboration with the Beijing Genome Institute. Animal models designed to identify brain pathways involved in autism will be used to test five compounds that may help restore healthier functioning to these brain pathways. Autism Speaks is funding studies on adult development, including research into sleep disorders, quality of life assessments and predictors of positive long-term outcomes in adults with ASD, and will update the economic cost of autism, including assessment of how particular services and supports may reduce lifetime costs. New methods will be developed to increase access to diagnosis and early intervention services in underserved, low resource communities in North America and around the world.
"These projects will make a real impact on the lives of people with autism and their families," states Autism Speaks Chief Science Officer Geraldine Dawson, Ph.D. "The wide range of outstanding projects we are funding will provide new and more accurate estimates of the prevalence and costs of autism, test new medicines that have the potential for alleviating core symptoms of autism, and innovative strategies for lowering the age of early detection and improving access to treatments in underserved communities."
Basic & Clinical Grants
Cell-based models have increasingly become centerpieces in translational research aimed at understanding basic mechanisms impacted by the growing number of autism risk genes. An innovative project featuring a stem cell model of 15q duplication syndrome from Eric Levine, Ph.D., from the University of Connecticut will receive a two-year pilot grant to study the functional and structural properties of synapses in patient-derived neurons. Cortical interneurons derived from genetically modified animals will feature in another two-year pilot grant awarded to John Rubenstein, M.D., Ph.D., from the University of California San Francisco studying the impact of transplanting these cells on a variety of behavioral endpoints. Klaus Hahn, Ph.D., from the University of North Carolina will utilize a mouse model of Angeleman syndrome to study the involvement of signaling pathways in specific molecular, cellular, and circuit deficits that may lie at the heart of ASD pathogenesis in another two-year pilot grant.
The importance of animal models as platforms for evaluating the therapeutic potential of experimental drug candidates will be studied in several three-year "full" grants. Two examples of projects focused on mutant mouse models of Rett syndrome include David Katz, Ph.D., from Case Western Reserve, who will investigate the effects of a novel small molecule TrkB agonist (LM22A-4) on sensorimotor gating and behavioral endpoints. Mustafa Sahin, M.D., Ph.D., at Children's Hospital Boston will use a different mouse model of Rett syndrome to examine neuronal connectivity in an effort to nail down the critical period for emergence of ASD-like phenotypes and sensitivity to treatment with rapamycin in a three-year grant. In an innovative project utilizing voles, Larry Young, Ph.D., of Emory University will study the mechanisms of action for oxytocin in social behaviors and seek to validate MC4R as a new drug target for social deficits in autism. Two-year pilot funding has been granted to Craig Powell, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Texas Southwestern to collect preliminary data to establish the feasibility of reversing Shank3 mutant mice back to normal Shank3 after brain development is complete and identify which synaptic function differences and which behavioral differences are rescued.
Two projects will focus on epigenetic modification of gene function. The potential of epigenetics as a mechanism to explain gene and environment interactions in ASD will be addressed by Dani Fallin, Ph.D., of Johns Hopkins University, who received a full grant for three years to measure genome-wide DNA methylation in 600 individuals from the Study to Explore Early Development. The genome-wide distribution of a newly described type of epigenetic modification to DNA will be profiled in ASD in a project by Xuekun Li, Ph.D., from Emory University, in a two-year Pilot grant. Dr. Li has developed an innovative method for studying this potentially important form of epigenetic regulation.
Several studies focus on aspects of early behavioral risk for ASD. Judith Gardner, Ph.D., at the New York State Institute for Basic Research will receive a full grant with three years' funding to prospectively follow high-medical-risk NICU infants from birth to two years to characterize early neurobehavioral markers as risk factors for ASD. Also focusing on high risk infants, Martha Kaiser, Ph.D., at the Yale Child Study Center will receive a full three-year grant to examine very early development of the social brain utilizing functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in a prospective, longitudinal study of infants at high risk for developing autism. Patrick Bolton, Ph.D., of Kings College London will be funded for three years with a full grant in which he aims to better describe a genetic disorder (tuberous sclerosis) and determine whether those affected also have an ASD, either in terms of the broader autism phenotype or significant autistic traits. In conjunction with the Baby Siblings Research Consortium and the Autism Genetic Resource Exchange, Lonnie Zwaigenbaum, Ph.D. from the University of Alberta will take a genetic approach to assess the relationship between ASD-related gene copy number variation and symptom trajectories of at-risk infants between ages 6 and 36 months in a full grant funded for three years. Finally, a treatment study by Rebecca Landa, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, from the Kennedy Krieger Institute will be funded by a three-year full grant to examine the efficacy of a social enhancement intervention on social processing in toddlers with ASD.
To identify risk factors on a population basis, Brian Lee, Ph.D., at Drexel University will study a large, well characterized birth cohort in Sweden to examine whether early immune abnormalities may be associated with risk of ASD through a full, three-year grant. Paul Patterson, Ph.D., from California Institute of Technology will also receive a full, three-year grant to examine putative immune system involvement during fetal development in risk of developing autism by expanding his pioneering work in mouse models of maternal viral infection. A potential role for genetic defects in carnitine biosynthesis in risk for autism will be further explored in a two-year Pilot project awarded to Arthur Beaudet, M.D., at Baylor College of Medicine.
Four studies focus on the underserved population of adolescents and adults with ASD. Suzanne Goldman, Ph.D., FNP, BC, of Vanderbilt University is awarded a full three-year grant to investigate sleep behaviors in adolescents and young adults with autism and determine how sleep affects daytime behavior. Emily Simonoff, M.D., FRCPsych, of the Institute of Psychiatry, UK, and Marsha Seltzer, Ph.D., of the Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin, both receive full three-year grants to improve our understanding of the quality of life and outcomes for individuals of adults with ASD by tracking and characterizing different cohorts of adults who had previously been diagnosed during adolescence. A two-year pilot project is funded for J. Paul Leigh, Ph.D., CHPR, at the University of California Davis to focus on the economic burden created by ASD in current and future adult populations.
Basic & Clinical grants include both full grants which support researcher projects over three years based on the specific project scope and budget, and pilot grants which fund researchers for two years at a set funding rate of $60,000 per year. Grants were selected which focused on innovation, research strategy, and relevance of the topic to Autism Speaks research priority areas.
Postdoctoral Fellowships in Translational Autism Research
2011 is the inaugural year of the Autism Speaks Translational Postdoctoral Fellowship Program funding a total of $1,266,289 over two-years. The Translational Postdoctoral Fellowship seeks encourage new investigators to enter into the field of ASD translational research by providing funding for multidisciplinary training with at least two mentors. The fellows receive a stipend that varies according the years of experience of experience after their doctoral degree (based on the NIH scale) and a modest research expense allowance.
This first class of Translational Postdoctoral fellows will investigate a variety of innovative human neuroimaging approaches. Nicolaas Puts, Ph.D., at Johns Hopkins will focus on adapting magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to non-invasively characterize changes in brain neurochemistry associated with autism in pediatric populations. Isabelle Buard, Ph.D., from the University of Colorado Denver will also utilize MRS, but in combination with magnetoencephalography to define motor-specific features that are impaired in autism. In another integrative approach, Adam Naples, Ph.D., from Yale will concurrently measure eye movement and electrical brain activity (EEG) to study responses during simulated reciprocal social interactions. Using Diffusion Tensor Imaging, Rebecca Jones, M.Phil., from Weill Cornell Medical College seeks to examine behavioral and neural underpinnings of learning as predictors of response to intervention in young children. Daniel Campbell, Ph.D., from Yale addresses the critical need for solid statistical methods to ensure the success of imaging approaches. His project expands the development of novel techniques for predicting diagnostic outcome from a variety of different imaging and clinical data sources.
Translation works in both directions from the proverbial bench to beside and back to the laboratories. Additional grants fund the work of Post Doctoral Translational Fellows who will focus on characterizing animal models that were informed by human genetic risk factors identified for autism. Olga Penagarikano, Ph.D., from the University of California Los Angeles will expand the characterization of the CNTNAP2 knock-out mice, including evaluation of novel drug candidates. A novel electophysiological approach will be employed by Dr. Joao Peca from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to study the neural circuitry underlying ASD phenotypes in the Shank3 mouse, a model of Phelan McDermid Syndrome. Portia McCoy, Ph.D., of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill will examine the effects of a novel drug candidate, UNCilencer1, in reversing synaptic plasticity deficits in the UB3EA mouse model of Angelman syndrome. These projects have the potential to interpret the biological underpinnings of autism, which can be translated back to the bedside.
A variety of other fellowship projects were recommended for consideration. These include a project from Allison Knoll, Ph.D., of the University of Southern California, who has proposed studies in both mice and humans aimed at understanding the role oxytocin, vasopressin, and mu opioids in shaping early social learning and brain development. Haim Belinson, Ph.D., at University of California San Francisco will work to expand work identifying genomic factors that participate in the putative cortical abnormalities ("patches") recently reported by Eric Courchesne's lab. Melis Inan, Ph.D., at Weill Cornell Medical College will look at the role of candidate autism related genes on mitochondrial dynamics and functioning of PV+ cortical interneurons. Brandon Keehn, Ph.D., at Children's Hospital Boston will be studying how measures of novelty processing, arousal, and joint attention correlate with the development of disengagement abilities to determine the impact of early attentional function on the development these processes.
###
About Autism
Autism is a general term used to describe a group of complex developmental brain disorders autism spectrum disorders caused by a combination of genes and environmental influences. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by social and behavioral challenges, as well as repetitive behaviors. An estimated 1 in 110 children in the U.S. is on the autism spectrum a 600 percent increase in the past two decades that is only partly explained by improved diagnosis.
About Autism Speaks
Autism Speaks is the world's largest autism science and advocacy organization. Since its inception in 2005, Autism Speaks has made enormous strides, committing over $160 million to research and developing innovative resources for families. The organization is dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. In addition to funding research, Autism Speaks has created resources and programs including the Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network, Autism Speaks' Autism Genetic Resource Exchange and several other scientific and clinical programs. Notable awareness initiatives include the establishment of the annual United Nations-sanctioned World Autism Awareness Day on April 2, which Autism Speaks celebrates through its Light it Up Blue initiative. Also, Autism Speaks award-winning "Learn the Signs" campaign with the Ad Council has received over $300 million in donated media. Autism Speaks' family resources include the Autism Video Glossary, a 100 Day Kit for newly-diagnosed families, a School Community Tool Kit, a Grandparent's Guide to Autism, and a community grant program. Autism Speaks has played a critical role in securing federal legislation to advance the government's response to autism, and has successfully advocated for insurance reform to cover behavioral treatments in 29 states thus far, with bills pending in an additional 10 states. Each year Walk Now for Autism Speaks events are held in more than 80 cities across North America. To learn more about Autism Speaks, please visit www.autismspeaks.org.
About the Co-Founders
Autism Speaks was founded in February 2005 by Suzanne and Bob Wright, the grandparents of a child with autism. Bob Wright is Senior Advisor at Lee Equity Partners and Chairman and CEO of the Palm Beach Civic Association. He served as Vice Chairman of General Electric; and as the Chief Executive Officer of NBC and NBC Universal for more than twenty years. He also serves on the board of directors of the Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation, Mission Product, EMI Group Global Ltd., and AMC Networks Inc., and is a Trustee of the New York Presbyterian hospital. Suzanne Wright is a Trustee Emeritus of Sarah Lawrence College, her alma mater. Suzanne has received numerous awards, the Women of Distinction Award from Palm Beach Atlantic University, the CHILD Magazine Children's Champions Award, Luella Bennack Volunteer Award, Spirit of Achievement award by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine's National Women's Division and The Women of Vision Award from the Weizmann Institute of Science. In 2008, the Wrights were named to the Time 100 Heroes and Pioneers category, a list of the most influential people in the world, for their commitment to global autism advocacy. They have also received the first ever Double Helix Award for Corporate Leadership from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, the NYU Child Advocacy Award, the Castle Connolly National Health Leadership Award and the American Ireland Fund Humanitarian Award. In the past couple of years the Wrights have received honorary doctorate degrees from St. John's University, St. Joseph's University and UMass Medical School.
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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.
Autism Speaks awards 47 new research grants fundingPublic release date: 21-Dec-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Adam Pockriss apockriss@rubenstein.com 212-843-8286 Autism Speaks
Global autism science and advocacy organization advances research in epigenetic and gene-environment influences, neurobiology, and studies concerning adolescents and adults with autism
New York, N.Y. (December 21, 2011) Autism Speaks, the world's largest autism science and advocacy organization, today announced the awarding of 47 new research grants totaling $13,242,279 in funding over the next three years. Grants awarded this year not only respond to Autism Speaks funding priorities, but collectively move autism research forward toward improving diagnosis and treatment and quality of life for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). New this year is the Autism Speaks Translational Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, which encourages new investigators to enter into the field of ASD translational research translating laboratory findings to clinical practice. These fellowships are critical in developing their careers so that their work can make a lasting impact on the field of autism research.
"Suzanne and I are extraordinarily proud that this is the largest set of grant awards in Autism Speaks history," said Autism Speaks Co-founder Bob Wright. "These novel research projects have tremendous potential to open new avenues to understanding autism."
"The Autism Speaks research portfolio is the core of our support for individuals impacted with ASD and their families," added Autism Speaks President Mark Roithmayr. "We know that as families seek the best possible diagnosis, treatments and therapies for their loved ones, validated research is critical in giving families confidence and hope for improving the lives of individuals with ASD," he continued. "Without the incredible generosity of our community and corporate partners, and the funds raised at hundreds of Walk Now for Autism Speaks events throughout the year, this research and this level of funding would not be possible."
Studies will be funded to increase our understanding of environmental influences that may increase the risk of ASD among those who are genetically predisposed to the disorder; on biomarkers that may be useful for identifying infants at risk for developing ASD; and to improve early diagnosis in ways that can lead to earlier intervention and improved outcomes. The first U.S. autism prevalence study using total population sampling methods will be conducted, as current prevalence rates are based on reviews of records and may miss undiagnosed children and adults in the community. Funding this year will help create of the world's largest whole-genome library of individuals with autismthrough a historic collaboration with the Beijing Genome Institute. Animal models designed to identify brain pathways involved in autism will be used to test five compounds that may help restore healthier functioning to these brain pathways. Autism Speaks is funding studies on adult development, including research into sleep disorders, quality of life assessments and predictors of positive long-term outcomes in adults with ASD, and will update the economic cost of autism, including assessment of how particular services and supports may reduce lifetime costs. New methods will be developed to increase access to diagnosis and early intervention services in underserved, low resource communities in North America and around the world.
"These projects will make a real impact on the lives of people with autism and their families," states Autism Speaks Chief Science Officer Geraldine Dawson, Ph.D. "The wide range of outstanding projects we are funding will provide new and more accurate estimates of the prevalence and costs of autism, test new medicines that have the potential for alleviating core symptoms of autism, and innovative strategies for lowering the age of early detection and improving access to treatments in underserved communities."
Basic & Clinical Grants
Cell-based models have increasingly become centerpieces in translational research aimed at understanding basic mechanisms impacted by the growing number of autism risk genes. An innovative project featuring a stem cell model of 15q duplication syndrome from Eric Levine, Ph.D., from the University of Connecticut will receive a two-year pilot grant to study the functional and structural properties of synapses in patient-derived neurons. Cortical interneurons derived from genetically modified animals will feature in another two-year pilot grant awarded to John Rubenstein, M.D., Ph.D., from the University of California San Francisco studying the impact of transplanting these cells on a variety of behavioral endpoints. Klaus Hahn, Ph.D., from the University of North Carolina will utilize a mouse model of Angeleman syndrome to study the involvement of signaling pathways in specific molecular, cellular, and circuit deficits that may lie at the heart of ASD pathogenesis in another two-year pilot grant.
The importance of animal models as platforms for evaluating the therapeutic potential of experimental drug candidates will be studied in several three-year "full" grants. Two examples of projects focused on mutant mouse models of Rett syndrome include David Katz, Ph.D., from Case Western Reserve, who will investigate the effects of a novel small molecule TrkB agonist (LM22A-4) on sensorimotor gating and behavioral endpoints. Mustafa Sahin, M.D., Ph.D., at Children's Hospital Boston will use a different mouse model of Rett syndrome to examine neuronal connectivity in an effort to nail down the critical period for emergence of ASD-like phenotypes and sensitivity to treatment with rapamycin in a three-year grant. In an innovative project utilizing voles, Larry Young, Ph.D., of Emory University will study the mechanisms of action for oxytocin in social behaviors and seek to validate MC4R as a new drug target for social deficits in autism. Two-year pilot funding has been granted to Craig Powell, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Texas Southwestern to collect preliminary data to establish the feasibility of reversing Shank3 mutant mice back to normal Shank3 after brain development is complete and identify which synaptic function differences and which behavioral differences are rescued.
Two projects will focus on epigenetic modification of gene function. The potential of epigenetics as a mechanism to explain gene and environment interactions in ASD will be addressed by Dani Fallin, Ph.D., of Johns Hopkins University, who received a full grant for three years to measure genome-wide DNA methylation in 600 individuals from the Study to Explore Early Development. The genome-wide distribution of a newly described type of epigenetic modification to DNA will be profiled in ASD in a project by Xuekun Li, Ph.D., from Emory University, in a two-year Pilot grant. Dr. Li has developed an innovative method for studying this potentially important form of epigenetic regulation.
Several studies focus on aspects of early behavioral risk for ASD. Judith Gardner, Ph.D., at the New York State Institute for Basic Research will receive a full grant with three years' funding to prospectively follow high-medical-risk NICU infants from birth to two years to characterize early neurobehavioral markers as risk factors for ASD. Also focusing on high risk infants, Martha Kaiser, Ph.D., at the Yale Child Study Center will receive a full three-year grant to examine very early development of the social brain utilizing functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in a prospective, longitudinal study of infants at high risk for developing autism. Patrick Bolton, Ph.D., of Kings College London will be funded for three years with a full grant in which he aims to better describe a genetic disorder (tuberous sclerosis) and determine whether those affected also have an ASD, either in terms of the broader autism phenotype or significant autistic traits. In conjunction with the Baby Siblings Research Consortium and the Autism Genetic Resource Exchange, Lonnie Zwaigenbaum, Ph.D. from the University of Alberta will take a genetic approach to assess the relationship between ASD-related gene copy number variation and symptom trajectories of at-risk infants between ages 6 and 36 months in a full grant funded for three years. Finally, a treatment study by Rebecca Landa, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, from the Kennedy Krieger Institute will be funded by a three-year full grant to examine the efficacy of a social enhancement intervention on social processing in toddlers with ASD.
To identify risk factors on a population basis, Brian Lee, Ph.D., at Drexel University will study a large, well characterized birth cohort in Sweden to examine whether early immune abnormalities may be associated with risk of ASD through a full, three-year grant. Paul Patterson, Ph.D., from California Institute of Technology will also receive a full, three-year grant to examine putative immune system involvement during fetal development in risk of developing autism by expanding his pioneering work in mouse models of maternal viral infection. A potential role for genetic defects in carnitine biosynthesis in risk for autism will be further explored in a two-year Pilot project awarded to Arthur Beaudet, M.D., at Baylor College of Medicine.
Four studies focus on the underserved population of adolescents and adults with ASD. Suzanne Goldman, Ph.D., FNP, BC, of Vanderbilt University is awarded a full three-year grant to investigate sleep behaviors in adolescents and young adults with autism and determine how sleep affects daytime behavior. Emily Simonoff, M.D., FRCPsych, of the Institute of Psychiatry, UK, and Marsha Seltzer, Ph.D., of the Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin, both receive full three-year grants to improve our understanding of the quality of life and outcomes for individuals of adults with ASD by tracking and characterizing different cohorts of adults who had previously been diagnosed during adolescence. A two-year pilot project is funded for J. Paul Leigh, Ph.D., CHPR, at the University of California Davis to focus on the economic burden created by ASD in current and future adult populations.
Basic & Clinical grants include both full grants which support researcher projects over three years based on the specific project scope and budget, and pilot grants which fund researchers for two years at a set funding rate of $60,000 per year. Grants were selected which focused on innovation, research strategy, and relevance of the topic to Autism Speaks research priority areas.
Postdoctoral Fellowships in Translational Autism Research
2011 is the inaugural year of the Autism Speaks Translational Postdoctoral Fellowship Program funding a total of $1,266,289 over two-years. The Translational Postdoctoral Fellowship seeks encourage new investigators to enter into the field of ASD translational research by providing funding for multidisciplinary training with at least two mentors. The fellows receive a stipend that varies according the years of experience of experience after their doctoral degree (based on the NIH scale) and a modest research expense allowance.
This first class of Translational Postdoctoral fellows will investigate a variety of innovative human neuroimaging approaches. Nicolaas Puts, Ph.D., at Johns Hopkins will focus on adapting magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to non-invasively characterize changes in brain neurochemistry associated with autism in pediatric populations. Isabelle Buard, Ph.D., from the University of Colorado Denver will also utilize MRS, but in combination with magnetoencephalography to define motor-specific features that are impaired in autism. In another integrative approach, Adam Naples, Ph.D., from Yale will concurrently measure eye movement and electrical brain activity (EEG) to study responses during simulated reciprocal social interactions. Using Diffusion Tensor Imaging, Rebecca Jones, M.Phil., from Weill Cornell Medical College seeks to examine behavioral and neural underpinnings of learning as predictors of response to intervention in young children. Daniel Campbell, Ph.D., from Yale addresses the critical need for solid statistical methods to ensure the success of imaging approaches. His project expands the development of novel techniques for predicting diagnostic outcome from a variety of different imaging and clinical data sources.
Translation works in both directions from the proverbial bench to beside and back to the laboratories. Additional grants fund the work of Post Doctoral Translational Fellows who will focus on characterizing animal models that were informed by human genetic risk factors identified for autism. Olga Penagarikano, Ph.D., from the University of California Los Angeles will expand the characterization of the CNTNAP2 knock-out mice, including evaluation of novel drug candidates. A novel electophysiological approach will be employed by Dr. Joao Peca from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to study the neural circuitry underlying ASD phenotypes in the Shank3 mouse, a model of Phelan McDermid Syndrome. Portia McCoy, Ph.D., of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill will examine the effects of a novel drug candidate, UNCilencer1, in reversing synaptic plasticity deficits in the UB3EA mouse model of Angelman syndrome. These projects have the potential to interpret the biological underpinnings of autism, which can be translated back to the bedside.
A variety of other fellowship projects were recommended for consideration. These include a project from Allison Knoll, Ph.D., of the University of Southern California, who has proposed studies in both mice and humans aimed at understanding the role oxytocin, vasopressin, and mu opioids in shaping early social learning and brain development. Haim Belinson, Ph.D., at University of California San Francisco will work to expand work identifying genomic factors that participate in the putative cortical abnormalities ("patches") recently reported by Eric Courchesne's lab. Melis Inan, Ph.D., at Weill Cornell Medical College will look at the role of candidate autism related genes on mitochondrial dynamics and functioning of PV+ cortical interneurons. Brandon Keehn, Ph.D., at Children's Hospital Boston will be studying how measures of novelty processing, arousal, and joint attention correlate with the development of disengagement abilities to determine the impact of early attentional function on the development these processes.
###
About Autism
Autism is a general term used to describe a group of complex developmental brain disorders autism spectrum disorders caused by a combination of genes and environmental influences. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by social and behavioral challenges, as well as repetitive behaviors. An estimated 1 in 110 children in the U.S. is on the autism spectrum a 600 percent increase in the past two decades that is only partly explained by improved diagnosis.
About Autism Speaks
Autism Speaks is the world's largest autism science and advocacy organization. Since its inception in 2005, Autism Speaks has made enormous strides, committing over $160 million to research and developing innovative resources for families. The organization is dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. In addition to funding research, Autism Speaks has created resources and programs including the Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network, Autism Speaks' Autism Genetic Resource Exchange and several other scientific and clinical programs. Notable awareness initiatives include the establishment of the annual United Nations-sanctioned World Autism Awareness Day on April 2, which Autism Speaks celebrates through its Light it Up Blue initiative. Also, Autism Speaks award-winning "Learn the Signs" campaign with the Ad Council has received over $300 million in donated media. Autism Speaks' family resources include the Autism Video Glossary, a 100 Day Kit for newly-diagnosed families, a School Community Tool Kit, a Grandparent's Guide to Autism, and a community grant program. Autism Speaks has played a critical role in securing federal legislation to advance the government's response to autism, and has successfully advocated for insurance reform to cover behavioral treatments in 29 states thus far, with bills pending in an additional 10 states. Each year Walk Now for Autism Speaks events are held in more than 80 cities across North America. To learn more about Autism Speaks, please visit www.autismspeaks.org.
About the Co-Founders
Autism Speaks was founded in February 2005 by Suzanne and Bob Wright, the grandparents of a child with autism. Bob Wright is Senior Advisor at Lee Equity Partners and Chairman and CEO of the Palm Beach Civic Association. He served as Vice Chairman of General Electric; and as the Chief Executive Officer of NBC and NBC Universal for more than twenty years. He also serves on the board of directors of the Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation, Mission Product, EMI Group Global Ltd., and AMC Networks Inc., and is a Trustee of the New York Presbyterian hospital. Suzanne Wright is a Trustee Emeritus of Sarah Lawrence College, her alma mater. Suzanne has received numerous awards, the Women of Distinction Award from Palm Beach Atlantic University, the CHILD Magazine Children's Champions Award, Luella Bennack Volunteer Award, Spirit of Achievement award by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine's National Women's Division and The Women of Vision Award from the Weizmann Institute of Science. In 2008, the Wrights were named to the Time 100 Heroes and Pioneers category, a list of the most influential people in the world, for their commitment to global autism advocacy. They have also received the first ever Double Helix Award for Corporate Leadership from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, the NYU Child Advocacy Award, the Castle Connolly National Health Leadership Award and the American Ireland Fund Humanitarian Award. In the past couple of years the Wrights have received honorary doctorate degrees from St. John's University, St. Joseph's University and UMass Medical School.
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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.
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