Editor?s note:?Derek?Andersen?is the founder of?Startup Grind, a 40-city community bringing the global startup world together while educating, inspiring, and connecting entrepreneurs. I remember when the press first hit about Nest Labs, the guys behind the iPod/iPhone were taking on thermostats everywhere! A collective “huh?” went through the tech industry.?It felt like the tech version of the Avengers got together to build an office park, not save the world. After sitting down with Nest co-founder Matt Rogers at Google For Entrepreneurs‘ office a few weeks ago, I learned the backstory and vision of a company on a mission to build one of the world’s only great hardware/software companies in the world. There are hard workers, there are really hard workers, and then there are the Matt Rogers of the world. If you think you work hard, please read/watch our?entire interview?then?reevaluate.?He had a quick start with his first Mac product?interactions being at age three. As a child growing up in?Gainesville?Florida, when asked what he wanted to be someday, Matt would respond “I want to work at Apple.” At 16 he was building robots and entering them into competitions with his classmates.?As a sophomore at Carnegie Mellon, he agreed to basically do anything (anything?was help draw bones in CAD for a robotics hand project) to get a chance to work with with the robotics lab. His Junior year he applied via Monster.com, and pestered employees until he got accepted for an internship at Apple. That summer he took on the worst?grunt work?project imaginable (he rewrote all the software for manufacturing for iPod), and had three months for what he described as a “one year project.” ?7-days a week, 20-hour days, and “basically not sleeping.” How did it pay off? As an intern Apple awarded him a cash bonus, what VP of iPod at the time and eventual Nest co-founder Tony Fadell said was something, “He had never done before.” Apple After school he returned to Apple and spent the next few years working on the firmware for iPod nano and iPod classic. After his first weekend back at Apple, and spending Saturday and Sunday getting moved in and buying furniture, his manager approached him saying, “Where have you been?” Matt responded, “I went to buy furniture.” He replied, “You should have been here.” He responded, “Oh. I didn’t even know!” Matt said that this,?”Set the pace for how iPod would be for the
Chemistry breakthrough sheds new light on illness and healthPublic release date: 12-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jes Andersen jean@science.ku.dk 45-30-50-65-82 University of Copenhagen
From microscopes to MRI scanners, imaging technology is growing ever more vital in the world's hospitals, whether for the diagnosis of illness or for research into new cures. Imaging technology requires dyes or contrast agents of some sort. Current contrast agents and dyes are expensive, difficult to work with and far from ideal. Now, Danish chemists have discovered a new dye and proved its worth against any of the dyes currently available.
Thomas Just Srensen and Bo Wegge Laursen are chemists at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. In a series of publications in well-regarded scientific publications, they have shown that the aza-oxa-trangulenium dyes have the potential to outperform all fluorescent dyes currently used in imaging.
"Our dyes are ten times better, far cheaper and easier to use. The latter I believe, will lead to expanded opportunities and broadened use, by physicians and researchers in developing countries, for example." Says Thomas Just Srensen.
Visual noise blocks correct diagnosis
It might seem odd, but one of the central challenges when taking pictures of cells and organs, is to avoid noise. The agents that make it possible to see microscopic biological structures are luminescent, but then, so is tissue. Consequently, the contrast agent's light risks being overpowered by "light noise".
Just as the dial and hands of a watch might glow-in-the-dark, tissue becomes luminescent when exposed to light. Tissue and other organic structures luminesce, or lights up, for 10 nanoseconds after exposure to light. The light-life of an ordinary dye is the same 10 nanoseconds. But triangulenium dyes produce light for an entire 100 nanoseconds.
The long life of the triangulenium dyes means that an image can be produced without background noise. Furthermore, the extra 90 nanoseconds opens the possibility of filming living images of the processes occurring within cells, for example when a drug attacks an illness.
Neither expensive, nor difficult or technically demanding
Medical image analysis departments currently devote an incredible amount of time to staining samples, because all samples must be treated with two agents. The use of triangulenium dyes necessitates only one dye. And in contrast with typical dyes, no specialized equipment is needed to see the dyes in tissue samples. A lens from a pair of polarized sunglasses and an ordinary microscope are all that are required.
Open Source dye despite obvious competitiveness
When one compares the advantages of triangulenium dyes against the three million Danish kroner per gram price tag of traditional dyes,(500.000$US)(320.000) you would expect that the new dye would immediately out-compete its predecessors. However, up to now Srensen and Laursen have had to give their dye away. "I know that our dye is better, but biologists and physicians don't. Therefore, we are giving the dye away to anyone that wants to perform a comparison test. Someone who needs to assess the health of sick people wouldn't dare to rely on an untested substance. Only when several researchers have shown triangulenium dyes to perform just as effectively as its predecessors can we hope for our substance to become more widely adopted," concludes Thomas Just Srensen.
###
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Chemistry breakthrough sheds new light on illness and healthPublic release date: 12-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jes Andersen jean@science.ku.dk 45-30-50-65-82 University of Copenhagen
From microscopes to MRI scanners, imaging technology is growing ever more vital in the world's hospitals, whether for the diagnosis of illness or for research into new cures. Imaging technology requires dyes or contrast agents of some sort. Current contrast agents and dyes are expensive, difficult to work with and far from ideal. Now, Danish chemists have discovered a new dye and proved its worth against any of the dyes currently available.
Thomas Just Srensen and Bo Wegge Laursen are chemists at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. In a series of publications in well-regarded scientific publications, they have shown that the aza-oxa-trangulenium dyes have the potential to outperform all fluorescent dyes currently used in imaging.
"Our dyes are ten times better, far cheaper and easier to use. The latter I believe, will lead to expanded opportunities and broadened use, by physicians and researchers in developing countries, for example." Says Thomas Just Srensen.
Visual noise blocks correct diagnosis
It might seem odd, but one of the central challenges when taking pictures of cells and organs, is to avoid noise. The agents that make it possible to see microscopic biological structures are luminescent, but then, so is tissue. Consequently, the contrast agent's light risks being overpowered by "light noise".
Just as the dial and hands of a watch might glow-in-the-dark, tissue becomes luminescent when exposed to light. Tissue and other organic structures luminesce, or lights up, for 10 nanoseconds after exposure to light. The light-life of an ordinary dye is the same 10 nanoseconds. But triangulenium dyes produce light for an entire 100 nanoseconds.
The long life of the triangulenium dyes means that an image can be produced without background noise. Furthermore, the extra 90 nanoseconds opens the possibility of filming living images of the processes occurring within cells, for example when a drug attacks an illness.
Neither expensive, nor difficult or technically demanding
Medical image analysis departments currently devote an incredible amount of time to staining samples, because all samples must be treated with two agents. The use of triangulenium dyes necessitates only one dye. And in contrast with typical dyes, no specialized equipment is needed to see the dyes in tissue samples. A lens from a pair of polarized sunglasses and an ordinary microscope are all that are required.
Open Source dye despite obvious competitiveness
When one compares the advantages of triangulenium dyes against the three million Danish kroner per gram price tag of traditional dyes,(500.000$US)(320.000) you would expect that the new dye would immediately out-compete its predecessors. However, up to now Srensen and Laursen have had to give their dye away. "I know that our dye is better, but biologists and physicians don't. Therefore, we are giving the dye away to anyone that wants to perform a comparison test. Someone who needs to assess the health of sick people wouldn't dare to rely on an untested substance. Only when several researchers have shown triangulenium dyes to perform just as effectively as its predecessors can we hope for our substance to become more widely adopted," concludes Thomas Just Srensen.
###
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
We were unable to forward you to the advertisement you clicked on.
The likely cause for this is that your browser, feed reader, or email application is configured to not accept cookies, or your reader may launch an external browser to view links without sharing cookies.
If you're using Internet Explorer, make sure your privacy setting is at medium or below.
Select 'Internet Options' from the 'Tools' menu in your browser window
Click the Privacy tab
Adjust your privacy setting if necessary ?
If you're using a reader that embeds Internet Explorer (examples: Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, Feed Demon), you'll also need to select Internet Explorer as your default web browser.
Open Internet Explorer
Select 'Internet Options' from the 'Tools' menu in your browser window
Click the 'Programs' tab and check the box for Internet Explorer to check if it is the default browser and save your change
Close your browser, re-open it, and when prompted, select Internet Explorer as your default
You can then click on an ad in your newsletter and visit the site you wish to view
There has been increased discussion on LGBT listserves recently about the dreadful murders of African-American trans women. Metro Weekly published a piece with input from the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) and the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC). What have traditionally been local tragedies are now beginning to get national exposure. Local bloggers are now getting picked up by those with greater reach, and these stories are no longer being lost in the cyberverse. Monica Roberts is doing a particularly good job on this issue, having persevered for many years to gain greater public exposure.
Over the past 13 years the trans community has come together on November each year to memorialize the trans persons -- generally women, and generally women of color -- on the Transgender Day of Remembrance. This is the only national day shared by all the various arms of the trans community, and until recently it was only focused on grief and anger. Over the past few years, however, various communities, including mine in D.C. and Maryland, have linked the memorials to days of education and advocacy, transforming the grief to work dedicated to preventing such tragedies. These efforts are helping the community get greater traction in the larger gay community, and beyond to the mainstream media, including The New York Times. As these stories about everyday life become more common and the trans community becomes humanized, the hope is that violence will be reduced.
The main issue here is assault and murder. Every other issue pales in comparison. We know, however, that violence does not occur in a vacuum. Murder is usually personal, and these murders of trans women are so horrific that they are clearly driven by intense personal animus. We can't begin to reduce the incidence of violence until we understand the underlying causes. We can't ignore the daily dehumanization some trans persons suffer and pretend, for instance, that simply focusing on male violence in the abstract will solve the problem.
The most recent killing was that of Cemia Dove Acoff, known as CeCe, in Cleveland last week. This story gained traction in the LGBT media because of the grossly negligent manner in which the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported it. The paper misgendered her, described her clothing in detail and referred to her as "it." The AP Stylebook has guidelines for referring to trans persons, but the reporters for the Plain Dealer clearly didn't bother to read it. Granted, reporters often take their basic info from police reports, which in many jurisdictions routinely misgender trans persons, but the AP Stylebook is the reference for journalists and lays out the rules quite clearly. There is no excuse.
Misgendering has implications beyond murder and is often used both by religious and feminist fundamentalists to dehumanize trans persons. It is the root of the "bathroom bill" meme, fostering fear about "men" in women's bathrooms. It is the root of the "gay panic" defense, the belief of men that when they discover that their female partner is a trans woman, they are instantaneously "gayed" as a result of contact with the woman. In some cultures the trans woman needn't be preoperative, with OEM genitalia, to induce the panic; a history of gender transition may be sufficient, and with some just talking to a trans woman is sufficient to transmit those poisonous gender cooties. It is this ignorance-driven fear that leads to the ghastly killings of people like CeCe Acoff.
Riki Wilchins, Executive Director of True Child, whose organization has done a lot of great work on our codes of masculinity and femininity, is conducting a project in D.C. in alliance with most of the local LGBT organizations and the D.C. government to get to the root of the gender-based violence in southeast D.C. She's run multiple focus groups and is currently working on training members of the community where the violence is most prevalent to serve as ambassadors to bridge the transgender and cisgender communities and help initiate dialogue between straight, cis men and straight trans women. One of the most telling discoveries from the project was, as described by one interviewee, the perception that "transgender is just a longer word for gay." For these young men there is often no difference between a cis gay man who is violating the codes of masculinity by behaving in a feminine manner (choosing a male partner is viewed by many as feminine behavior) and a straight trans woman who has completed surgical and hormonal treatment. They are both viewed as men who have failed to live up to code and betrayed the community of men and, as a result, are less than human.
So once again we get back to the fact that discrimination against trans persons is sex discrimination, and we see that discrimination against gay persons is also sex discrimination. The common core is misogyny, which leads to both homophobia and transphobia, a misogyny that is also still too prevalent in the fundamentalist communities.
I have one last point. The murder of trans women, particularly African-American trans women, is terrible and needs to stop. Given the national homicide rate of 4.8 homicides per 100,000 persons, however, it is not statistically out of line. (There may, of course, be cases that are unreported, though it seems that we're getting better, both within our community and without, at recognizing and publicizing these murders.) When that rate is calculated for the black community and broken down by sex, it is still less common than we would expect (at a rate of 11.3 homicides per 100,000 black females between the ages of 20 and 29, we would expect 40 African-American trans women murdered each year, given that there are 350,000 adult trans women in the U.S.). We should not lose track of the fact that while the perpetrators of anti-trans violence are almost always men, the predominant victims of violence in America are young African-American men. We are a violent, sexist society, in spite of the fact that the homicide rate is at a four-decade low, and there is much work that needs to be done to reduce the violence. Being black and trans may compound the risk, but it is already shameful that our country throws up its hands to the violence endemic in our society.
Prince Harry's first day in the US included a visit with McCain to a charity supported by his late mother, Princess Diana, as well as events honoring military moms hosted by Michelle Obama.
By Henry C. Jackson,?Associated Press / May 10, 2013
Sen. John McCain greets Prince Harry as he arrives on Capitol Hill, Washington, Thursday, May 9, 2013, to view an exhibition on land mines staged by the HALO Trust.
Susan Walsh / AP
Enlarge
A buttoned-down Prince Harry joined Michelle Obama in honoring military families Thursday and toured an exhibition in Congress about land mines, opening a weeklong U.S. visit devoted to the wounded victims of war. Shrieking onlookers gave him the pop-star treatment, but he was all royal business.
Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly Digital Edition
The British soldier-prince had one of America's most storied wounded warriors, the wisecracking Sen. John McCain, at his side as he viewed a display of land mine photos, maps, and mine-detection equipment, staged by a charity held dear by his late mother, Princess Diana.
As the prince entered the rotunda of the Russell Senate Office Building near the Capitol, he was greeted by a roar and shouts of "Harry!" from a crowd of about 500 people, nearly all of them women. They crowded a roped-off hallway and stairway with a view of the exhibit, hoisting their cellphones and tablets to get a picture. Harry didn't visibly react except to give a polite wave.
Senator McCain (R) of Arizona laughed as he told Harry, "I've never seen, in all the years I've been here, such an unbalanced gender crowd."
From there it was on to the White House for a previously unannounced visit with the first lady, Vice President Joe Biden's wife, Jill, and military mothers and children at an afternoon tea. Harry joined with the children in helping the kids make Mother's Day gifts from tulip and rose bouquets, vegetable chips, and edible dough jewelry gathered in the State Dining Room.
For the prince, the Washington settings were a world away from the Afghanistan war zone where he recently served for 20 weeks as a co-pilot gunner in an Apache attack helicopter. It was just as far removed from his hijinks in a Las Vegas hotel room last summer, when fuzzy photos got out of a naked Harry playing strip billiards.
NPL to help bring innovative, new environmental technologies to market across EuropePublic release date: 10-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Joe Meaney joe@proofcommunication.com 084-568-01864 National Physical Laboratory
Centre for Carbon Measurement to independently verify energy technologies under new EU pilot program
The Centre for Carbon Measurement at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) has been unveiled as one of the first verification bodies of the EU Environmental Technology Verification Pilot Programme (ETV) with specific remit for the independent verification of Energy Technologies under the scheme.
ETV is a new voluntary scheme for companies developing and commercialising pioneering new environmental technologies. It is designed to help them prove the reliability of their claims, and provide confidence to technology purchasers or those investing in technologies, to identify the correct innovations that meet their need.
Under ETV, claims about the performance of new environmental technologies can be independently verified by qualified third parties called 'Verification Bodies' such as the Centre for Carbon Measurement at NPL.
As a verification body, NPL has the responsibility to provide a 'Statement of Verification' at the end of the ETV process. This is the independent evidence that states whether the manufacturer's claims about the innovation are credible and scientifically sound. It aims to deliver assured proof of performance that will speed new technologies to market and increase consumer confidence.
Jane Burston, Head of the Centre for Carbon Measurement, said:
"Standards and regulations can take a long time to catch up to cutting edge technology. Innovators with a new idea that is not covered by current standards cannot prove to investors or customers that the performance claims of their products are correct. That is what the ETV 'Statement of Verification' can provide - a sound reassurance that reflects the actual performance of the specific technology."
There is no set rulebook on what data has to be collected so the Centre for Carbon Measurement at NPL will work with manufacturers to make sure the test methodology and data are tailored to their technology to provide the right assurance.
NPL operates a Technology Innovation Fund to help individuals and SMEs with the cost of accessing ETV. The amount of funding available is dependent on certain criteria such as the technology being tested. However, the scheme is designed to ensure that smaller companies do not see cost of verification as a barrier to market and have the potential to offer reductions in NPL's consultancy fees under ETV by up to 50%.
ETV activities will specifically focus on:
Energy Efficient Lighting
Photovoltaics
Smart Infrastructure, e.g. Smart Meters
Wind and Marine Technologies
Fuel Cell Technologies
###
Notes to editors
NPL was awarded ISO17020 accreditation to operate as a Verification Body for Energy Technologies under the European Commission's Environmental Technologies Verification scheme, supporting companies in the commercialisation of innovative, environmental technologies.
The ETV General Verification Protocol and the guidance of ETV technical groups ensure that ETV procedures are the same for all Verification Bodies and that ETV Statements of Verification have the same value throughout Europe.
An International Working Group on ETV is preparing the ground for the mutual recognition of ETV programmes. This will enable new innovative technologies to be recognised internationally with the ETV statement of verification.
Seven Member States participated in the design of the pilot programme and steer its implementation: Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Poland and the United Kingdom.
Participants from other countries are also welcome. Contacts in Member States and in Verification Bodies are available on the EU ETV webpage.
ETV programmes are also implemented in the United States, Japan, Korea, Canada and the Philippines. Links to their websites are provided on the EU ETV webpage.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
NPL to help bring innovative, new environmental technologies to market across EuropePublic release date: 10-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Joe Meaney joe@proofcommunication.com 084-568-01864 National Physical Laboratory
Centre for Carbon Measurement to independently verify energy technologies under new EU pilot program
The Centre for Carbon Measurement at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) has been unveiled as one of the first verification bodies of the EU Environmental Technology Verification Pilot Programme (ETV) with specific remit for the independent verification of Energy Technologies under the scheme.
ETV is a new voluntary scheme for companies developing and commercialising pioneering new environmental technologies. It is designed to help them prove the reliability of their claims, and provide confidence to technology purchasers or those investing in technologies, to identify the correct innovations that meet their need.
Under ETV, claims about the performance of new environmental technologies can be independently verified by qualified third parties called 'Verification Bodies' such as the Centre for Carbon Measurement at NPL.
As a verification body, NPL has the responsibility to provide a 'Statement of Verification' at the end of the ETV process. This is the independent evidence that states whether the manufacturer's claims about the innovation are credible and scientifically sound. It aims to deliver assured proof of performance that will speed new technologies to market and increase consumer confidence.
Jane Burston, Head of the Centre for Carbon Measurement, said:
"Standards and regulations can take a long time to catch up to cutting edge technology. Innovators with a new idea that is not covered by current standards cannot prove to investors or customers that the performance claims of their products are correct. That is what the ETV 'Statement of Verification' can provide - a sound reassurance that reflects the actual performance of the specific technology."
There is no set rulebook on what data has to be collected so the Centre for Carbon Measurement at NPL will work with manufacturers to make sure the test methodology and data are tailored to their technology to provide the right assurance.
NPL operates a Technology Innovation Fund to help individuals and SMEs with the cost of accessing ETV. The amount of funding available is dependent on certain criteria such as the technology being tested. However, the scheme is designed to ensure that smaller companies do not see cost of verification as a barrier to market and have the potential to offer reductions in NPL's consultancy fees under ETV by up to 50%.
ETV activities will specifically focus on:
Energy Efficient Lighting
Photovoltaics
Smart Infrastructure, e.g. Smart Meters
Wind and Marine Technologies
Fuel Cell Technologies
###
Notes to editors
NPL was awarded ISO17020 accreditation to operate as a Verification Body for Energy Technologies under the European Commission's Environmental Technologies Verification scheme, supporting companies in the commercialisation of innovative, environmental technologies.
The ETV General Verification Protocol and the guidance of ETV technical groups ensure that ETV procedures are the same for all Verification Bodies and that ETV Statements of Verification have the same value throughout Europe.
An International Working Group on ETV is preparing the ground for the mutual recognition of ETV programmes. This will enable new innovative technologies to be recognised internationally with the ETV statement of verification.
Seven Member States participated in the design of the pilot programme and steer its implementation: Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Poland and the United Kingdom.
Participants from other countries are also welcome. Contacts in Member States and in Verification Bodies are available on the EU ETV webpage.
ETV programmes are also implemented in the United States, Japan, Korea, Canada and the Philippines. Links to their websites are provided on the EU ETV webpage.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Editor?s note:?Derek?Andersen?is the founder of?Startup Grind, a 40-city community bringing the global startup world together while educating, inspiring, and connecting entrepreneurs. I remember when the press first hit about Nest Labs, the guys behind the iPod/iPhone were taking on thermostats everywhere! A collective “huh?” went through the tech industry.?It felt like the tech version of the Avengers got together to build an office park, not save the world. After sitting down with Nest co-founder Matt Rogers at Google For Entrepreneurs‘ office a few weeks ago, I learned the backstory and vision of a company on a mission to build one of the world’s only great hardware/software companies in the world. There are hard workers, there are really hard workers, and then there are the Matt Rogers of the world. If you think you work hard, please read/watch our?entire interview?then?reevaluate.?He had a quick start with his first Mac product?interactions being at age three. As a child growing up in?Gainesville?Florida, when asked what he wanted to be someday, Matt would respond “I want to work at Apple.” At 16 he was building robots and entering them into competitions with his classmates.?As a sophomore at Carnegie Mellon, he agreed to basically do anything (anything?was help draw bones in CAD for a robotics hand project) to get a chance to work with with the robotics lab. His Junior year he applied via Monster.com, and pestered employees until he got accepted for an internship at Apple. That summer he took on the worst?grunt work?project imaginable (he rewrote all the software for manufacturing for iPod), and had three months for what he described as a “one year project.” ?7-days a week, 20-hour days, and “basically not sleeping.” How did it pay off? As an intern Apple awarded him a cash bonus, what VP of iPod at the time and eventual Nest co-founder Tony Fadell said was something, “He had never done before.” Apple After school he returned to Apple and spent the next few years working on the firmware for iPod nano and iPod classic. After his first weekend back at Apple, and spending Saturday and Sunday getting moved in and buying furniture, his manager approached him saying, “Where have you been?” Matt responded, “I went to buy furniture.” He replied, “You should have been here.” He responded, “Oh. I didn’t even know!” Matt said that this,?”Set the pace for how iPod would be for the
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uy7sNS6MnFgwUpX-V4x4nqGQn7rFrflBlmpdbClsOBAgFUeaZLo_bO9-upN_Ah5aJ3UKlcgE23Ulj2-a8GLc_clAIU8okuU7WUlbcRck8=s0-d){kind=small}
Public release date: 12-May-2013
Share ] 
