CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) ? Two robotic NASA probes are due to arrive at the moon this weekend to resolve a long-standing mystery of what is inside Earth's natural satellite and how it got there.
The 667-pound (303-kg) craft of the U.S. space agency's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory, or GRAIL, mission have been flying to the moon since their joint launch in September.
GRAIL A is due to begin a 40-minute braking maneuver to put itself into orbit around the moon at 4:21 p.m. ET on Saturday, with GRAIL B following suit 25 hours later. Both are needed for the intricate gravity-mapping mission scheduled to begin in March.
"We won't be celebrating a lot until after we get GRAIL B into orbit late afternoon on New Year's Day," said project manager David Lehman with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
Once in position 34 miles above the moon's surface, the GRAIL probes will fly in a line, speeding up and slowing down in response to minute gravitational tugs.
By constantly measuring changes in the distance between the two craft, scientists can create a gravity map of the moon. The changes in speed will be as subtle as a fraction of a micron per second. A micron is about the width of a red blood cell.
The data will be used to model the moon's interior, a key piece of information still missing despite more than 100 previous missions to the moon.
Scientists believe the moon formed when an object about the size of Mars smashed into Earth shortly after the formation of the solar system about 4.5 billion years ago.
"We understand little really of how this formation happened and how it cooled off after the violent event," said GRAIL lead scientist Maria Zuber with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
One long-standing puzzle is why the far side of the moon is so different from the side that permanently faces Earth. The near side is filled with large, dark plains formed by ancient volcanic eruptions but the far side is virtually all highlands.
"It seems that the answer is not on the surface," Zuber said. "We think the answer is locked in the interior."
Zuber and the team have 82 days to make their measurements. If the solar-powered probes, built by Lockheed Martin Corp, survive beyond the next lunar eclipse in June, the $496 million mission could be extended for a detailed mapping survey from as close as 15.5 miles above the moon's surface.
SAN DIEGO ? U.S. troops are increasingly using an easy-to-get herbal mix called "Spice," which mimics a marijuana high and can bring on hallucinations that last for days.
The abuse of the drug has so alarmed military officials that they've launched an aggressive testing program that this year has led to the investigation of more than 1,100 suspected users, according to military figures.
So-called "synthetic" pot is readily available on the Internet and has become popular nationwide in recent years, but its use among troops and sailors has raised concerns among the Pentagon brass.
"You can just imagine the work that we do in a military environment," said Mark Ridley, deputy director of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, adding, "you need to be in your right mind when you do a job. That's why the Navy has always taken a zero tolerance policy toward drugs."
Two years ago, only 29 Marines and sailors were investigated for Spice. This year, the number topped 700, the investigative service said. Those found guilty of using Spice are kicked out, although the Navy does not track the overall number of dismissals.
The Air Force has punished 497 airmen so far this year, compared to last year's 380, according to figures provided by the Pentagon. The Army does not track Spice investigations but says it has medically treated 119 soldiers for the synthetic drug in total.
Military officials emphasize those caught represent a tiny fraction of all service members and note none was in a leadership position or believed high while on duty.
Spice is made up of exotic plants from Asia like Blue Lotus and Bay Bean. Their leaves are coated with chemicals that mimic the effects of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, but are five to 200 times more potent.
More than 40 states have banned some of its chemicals, prompting sellers to turn to the Internet, where it is marketed as incense or potpourri. In some states, Spice is sold at bars, smoke shops and convenience stores. The packets usually say the ingredients are not for human consumption but also tout them as "mood enhancing."
Service members preferred it because up until this year there was no way to detect it with urine tests. A test was developed after the Drug Enforcement Administration put a one-year emergency ban on five chemicals found in the drug.
Manufacturers are adapting to avoid detection, even on the new tests, and skirt new laws banning the main chemicals.
"It's a moving target," said Capt. J.A. "Cappy" Surette, spokesman for the Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery.
The military can calibrate its equipment to test for those five banned chemicals "but underground chemists can keep altering the properties and make up to more than 100 permutations," Surette said.
Complicating their efforts further, there are more than 200 other chemicals used in the drug. They remain legal and their effects on the mind and body remain largely unknown, Navy doctors say.
A Clemson University created many of the chemicals for research purposes in 1990s. They were never tested on humans.
Civilian deaths have been reported and emergency crews have responded to calls of "hyper-excited" people doing things like tearing off their clothes and running down the street naked.
Navy investigators compare the drug to angel dust because no two batches are the same. Some may just feel a euphoric buzz, but others have suffered delusions lasting up to a week.
While the problem has surfaced in all branches of the military, the Navy has been the most aggressive in drawing attention to the problem.
It produced a video based on cases to warn sailors of the drug's dangers and publicized busts of crew members on some of its most-storied ships, including the USS Carl Vinson, from which Osama bin Laden's was dropped into the sea.
Two of the largest busts this year involved sailors in the San Diego-based U.S. Third Fleet, which announced last month that it planned to dismiss 28 sailors assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.
A month earlier, 64 sailors, including 49 from the Vinson, were accused of being involved in a Spice ring.
Many of the cases were discovered after one person was caught with the drug, prompting broader investigations.
Lt. Commander Donald Hurst, a fourth-year psychiatry resident at San Diego's Naval Medical Center, said the hospital is believed to have seen more cases than any other health facility in the country.
Doctors saw users experiencing bad reactions once a month, but now see them weekly. Users suffer everything from vomiting, elevated blood pressure and seizures to extreme agitation, anxiety and delusions.
Hurst said the behavior in many cases he witnessed at first seemed akin to schizophrenia. Usually within minutes, however, the person became completely lucid. Sometimes, the person goes in and out of such episodes for days.
He recalled one especially bizarre case of a sailor who came in with his sobbing wife.
"He stood their holding a sandwich in front of him with no clue as to what to do," he said. "He opened it up, looked at it, touched it. I took it and folded it over and then he took a bite out it. But then we had to tell him, `you have to chew.'"
An hour later when Hurst went back to evaluate him, he was completely normal and worried about being in trouble.
"That's something you don't see with acute schizophrenic patients," he said. "Then we found out based on the numbers of people coming in like this, that OK there's a new drug out there."
Hurst decided to study 10 cases. Some also had smoked marijuana or drank alcohol, while others only smoked Spice.
Of the 10, nine had lost a sense of reality. Seven babbled incoherently. The symptoms for seven of them lasted four to eight days. Three are believed to now be schizophrenic. Hurst believed the drug may have triggered the symptoms in people with that genetic disposition. His findings were published in the American Journal of Psychiatry in October.
He said there are countless questions that still need answering, including the drug's effects on people with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or traumatic brain injuries.
What the research has confirmed, he said, is: "These are not drugs to mess with."
TUCSON, Ariz.?? Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, other survivors of the Tucson shooting rampage and countless others will come together in the close-knit southern Arizona city on Jan. 8 to commemorate the one-year mark of that tragic day and remember those who died.
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A number of events are planned that Sunday, although it remained unclear Thursday which Giffords will attend or whether she will make any public statements.
Other survivors of the shooting, including Giffords' staffers Ron Barber and Pam Simon, plan on going to every event that they can. Others, like 76-year-old survivor Mavy Stoddard ? whose husband died shielding her from bullets ? plan on staying home with loved ones who will help them get through the emotional day.
"The whole weekend of the anniversary, I think is going to be tough," Barber said recently during an interview in Giffords' Tucson office.
Barber was shot in the cheek and thigh during the shooting, which killed six and injured 13, including Giffords. The congresswoman survived a gunshot wound to the head and has been undergoing extensive physical and speech therapy in Houston for the past year.
Barber still walks with a cane, meets with a therapist and is working on a part-time basis because of fatigue.
Barber has been reliving the terrible moments of the shooting in nightmares and flashbacks as he helps plan events marking the day, which he envisions as a time of togetherness and healing for Tucson.
"This wasn't just an emotional wound for those of us who were there, but our entire community was shocked ? a lot of people still cry when they see me," Barber said. "We're bringing the community together in a way that they came together (after the shooting)."
In the weeks following the tragedy, Tucson residents turned out in droves to contribute to memorials at Giffords' office, the hospital where survivors were treated and in front of the grocery store where the shooting happened. All of the people wounded that day say that their neighbors brought them food that kept them fed for two months.
"This community really rallied around itself and us," Barber said. "And I know the congresswoman wants to be here to be a part of that."
Simon said she feels a responsibility to go to all the events planned Jan. 8, partially because her colleague and friend Gabe Zimmerman and others who were there for Giffords that day were killed.
"I've felt this way from moment one, since I was one of the staff members that could be there, although it's emotionally tough sometimes," she said. "But people got wounded when they came to see Gabby, and as one of her staff it's very, very important for me to be there for the community. It's a privilege and an honor."
The events planned include a community-wide ringing of bells at churches and by people throughout the city at 10:11 a.m., the exact time the shooting broke out, an interfaith service at St. Augustine Cathedral where people of all religions are invited to pray and reflect, and a series of talks reflecting the lives of Giffords and the six people killed in the shooting.
During the talks, being held on the University of Arizona campus, Colorado Sen. Mark Udall will speak about Giffords.
Other speakers include federal Judge Raner Collins speaking for shooting victim and fellow Judge John Roll, Barber speaking for Mavy Stoddard's husband Dory, and Serenity Hammerich, who will talk about her best friend and the youngest shooting victim, 9-year-old Christina-Taylor Green.
Capping off the events will be a candlelight vigil at the university.
Stoddard said that she won't be able to go to any of the events because they'll be too emotional.
Stoddard has had a particularly tough time coping with the loss of her husband and "soul mate" of 15 years during the holidays. The two were grade-school sweethearts who married when they were 60 years old after each of their spouses died; they spent the next 15 years traveling the world and building a home together in Tucson.
"I'm glad the town is turning out to remember but I'd rather just be with my family," she said. "I think that's what Dory would want, to have us all together and love one another."
___
To read more about the events commemorating Jan. 8, visit: http://www.rememberingjanuary8.org/
Follow Amanda Lee Myers on Twitter at http://twitter.com/?!/AmandaLeeAP
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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How to Turn Off 4G LTE Network Mode on the Galaxy Nexus and Save Battery - tinyurl.com/cf2rl83Il y a environ 4 heuresvia Android AuthorityRetweeted by 1 person
The group of iPhone hacker and developer iPhone Dev Team recently released a latest version of the Redsn0w 0.9.10b1, which allows iPhone 4 GSM, iPhone 4 CDMA and iPhone 3GS users to perform an untethered jailbreak.
Here are some of the reminders that you must remember before continuing in jailbreaking your handset:
This guide is for handsets iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS.
This guide is for GSM users.
Use this guide when you have not upgraded to iOS 5.0.1 yet.
Redsn0w 0.9.10b1 supports an untethered jailbreak.
Jailbreaking your phone will void the warranty of your handset. Thus, proceed at your own risk.
Backup your phone before doing the procedure to ensure that your files will not be lost.
Please ensure that you are running on the latest iTunes.
Here is the step-by-step procedure on how to untethered jailbreak your iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS running on iOS 5.0.1 mobile operating system without updating the baseband using Redsn0w.
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Step 1: Download Redsn0w 0.9.10b1 for Windows from this link and Redsn0w 0.9.10b1 for Mac from this link and save the application in a folder named "Redsn0w" on your desktop.
Step 2: You need to download the iOS 5.0.1 firmware file (use Firefox or Chrome to download the firmware file instead of using Internet Explorer or Safari):
Step 3: Double click the Redsn0w zip file and extract the application to the Redsn0w folder.
Step 4: Connect your iPhone to the computer, which should automatically launch iTunes.
Step 5: Navigate back to the Redsn0w folder and launch the Redsn0w application.
Step 6: Click on the "Extras" button.
Step 7: Here click on the "Custom IPSW" button from the options.
Step 8: Navigate to the Redsn0w folder on the desktop and select the downloaded iOS 5.0.1 firmware file (iPhone 4 users - please select iPhone3,1_5.0.1_9A405_Restore.ipsw and iPhone 3GS users - please select iPhone2,1_5.0.1_9A405_Restore.ipsw).
Step 9: Redsn0w should now creating the custom iOS 5 firmware file.
Step 10: Once the custom iOS 5 firmware file is successfully created, you will be notified with a dialogue box. Click on the Ok button to continue. You will notice that Redsn0w has created the custom iOS 5.0.1 firmware file with a prefix "NO_BB_". So custom iOS 5 firmware file for iPhone 4 will be NO_BB_iPhone3,1_5.0.1_9A405_Restore.ipsw and for iPhone 3GS it will be NO_BB_iPhone2,1_5.0.1_9A405_Restore.ipsw.
Step 11: You will now need to put your iPhone into the DFU mode. Redsn0w will take you through the necessary steps:
(a) Hold the Power button on iPhone down for 3 seconds:
(b) Now simultaneously hold the iPhone and keep the two buttons pressed for 10 seconds:
(c) Now release the Power button while keeping the Home button pressed until Redsn0w detects the device:
Step 12: Redsn0w will run the Limera1n exploit.
Step 13: You will be notified when your iPhone is in Pwned DFU mode. The Pwned DFU will allow you to restore your iPhone using the custom iOS 5 firmware file.
Step 14: Now launch iTunes.
Step 15: From the 'Devices' section on the left pane of iTunes, select your iPhone. Now, hold down the Option button (or Shift button for Windows) and click the 'Restore' button.
Important Note: It is very important that you hold down the Option button (or Shift button for Windows) else you will end up accidentally upgrading your iPhone to iOS 5, so please follow the instructions carefully.
Step 16: Navigate to the Redsn0w folder on the desktop and select the downloaded iOS 5 firmware file (iPhone 4 users - please select NO_BB_iPhone3,1_5.0.1_9A405_Restore.ipsw and iPhone 3GS users - please select NO_BB_iPhone2,1_5.0.1_9A405_Restore.ipsw). Click on the 'Choose' button to let iTunes update your iPhone with the jailbroken custom iOS 5 firmware. You will be asked to setup your iPhone either from a previous backup or setup as a new iPhone, select the backup you want for your device (ideally should be the most recent one). Wait for iTunes to finish.?
As one journalist put it, it said how much we all knew about North Korea that for the better part of Wednesday morning, most of the world remained in the dark about just when ? if at all? ? the state funeral for Kim Jong Il had begun.
Apple has incurred a 900,000 Euro ($1.2 million) fine from the Italian Antitrust Authority for allegedly misleading consumers when it comes to warranties, the BBC is reporting.
Italians officials said in a statement that Apple failed to adequately inform customers that they were legally guaranteed two years of tech support under EU regulations, instead pointing them to Apple's own one-year warranty. Officials alleged that this led many people to pay extra for the company's AppleCare support program.
Apple provided "unclear information on payments for additional assistance offered to consumers" and had not "fully implemented the two-year guarantee by the producer."
Outside the EU, Apple's standard warranty on products generally lasts one year. AppleCare extends this guarantee for a year or two, which means the coverage overlaps with the legal warranty.
The penalties break down to 400,000 Euros for neglecting to point out the length of the EU guarantee, in both Apple's online and brick-and-mortar stores, and 500,000 Euros because it continued to offer AppleCare on top of the legal warranty.
The Authority said it is penalizing Apple's three Italian divisions, which includes Apple Italia, Apple Sales International, and Apple Retail Italia. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In addition to the fine, the Authority said Apple must publish an excerpt of the ruling on its Web site to inform consumers. It is also required to amend AppleCare to indicate that customers are entitled to two years free support. Apple must act on these requirements within 90 days.
For more from the iPhone maker, check out PCMag's year-end review of Apple.
For more from Leslie, follow her on Twitter @LesHorn.
For the top stories in tech, follow us on Twitter at @PCMag.
There's no doubt that the digital magazine's road to success has been a bumpy one. The original -- and still the main -- idea was to push content creators and publishers forward in the paperless era, but there's been many doubters and fallen soldiers in the process. While Apple hasn't been the only outfit looking to bring the magazine to the small screen, the introduction of the Newsstand app in iOS 5 aimed to give digitized publications a place to shine on their own. According to AllThingsD, the shelf isn't just a real estate hog on your springboard, it's actually helping to boost sales; Popular Science alone has seen an uptick in subscriptions on the order of 11,000 since the app launched, and signs of slowdown are nowhere to be spotted. PopSci's results may not be found in every publishing house, but it's as solid a sign as any that the tactic may be working. Hit the source link for that whiz-bang chart action.
All Critics (44) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (41) | Rotten (3) | DVD (1)
It should appeal to dance mavens, and to folks who have no idea what a pas de deux is.
The power and intelligence of Bausch's approach, which at times seems more cerebral than sensual, is communicated.
An intimate and ravishingly filmed tribute to German dancer Pina Bausch.
We are among these dancers in their pain and joy and longing. We hear them breathe, feel the heat of their skin, smell their sweat, sense the pounding of their hearts, the ache in their thighs and feet.
A tribute to Pina Bausch, one of modern dance's most groundbreaking choreographers, pic lets the artist's work speak for itself via big, juicy slabs of performance.
Wim Wenders' stylish 3D mirrors the bizarrely captivating world of choreographer Pina Bausch.
Thanks to 3D technology it's dance film quite unlike any other, which was filmmaker Wim Wenders' intention, and it's a transporting experience for the uninitiated and the cognoscenti alike.
...filmmaking as glorious music.
An amazing and appealing 3D documentary by the inimitable Wim Wenders on the innovative dancer and choreographer Pina Bausch.
A movie that does more than demolish the invisible wall between film and dance; it breaks the barrier that intervenes, even at a live performance, between seat and stage.
Less a strict documentary than a heartfelt - and visually gorgeous - celebration of Bausch's work and her mode of working.
Pina belongs in the rare category of adventurous material matched with a thrillingly immersive form -- suck it, Avatar.
Beyond a nostalgic tribute for cognoscenti, this visually stunning film is a terrific introduction. It will be an essential resource and inspiration for future dance fans.
An interest in modern dance isn't necessary to enjoy the film.
No es una pel?cula sobre Pina Bausch sino para Pina Bausch, una suerte de hermoso tributo o regalo que le hacen (y que nos hacen) sus bailarines de la mano de un director que filma como los dioses.
Richly cinematic, using the camera to direct our attention, change our perspective, and significantly alter our sense of the space and the shape of the dancer's bodies.
Unlike so many 3D films, Pina is a prime example of how big a difference the process can make to the film-going experience.
By virtue of its subject alone, enthusiasts of modern dance will devour Pina. If it was in a bottle, they'd drink every drop; if it was in a squeeze-tube, they would rub it on their skin.
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Anyone watching tonight's season finale of The X-Factor might have caught this new Google ad featuring a few old friends who recently made their big-screen comeback:
Yep, it's these guys.
It might not quite scale the heights of their Bohemian Rhapsody video (since this was, you know, a commerical, and I think this actually uses some of the same footage), but watching Beaker channel his inner David Bowie is definitely worth viewing anyway.?
People who kill themselves have more of a type of neuron important for social emotions
By Charles Q. Choi
?|
December 21, 2011
The long cell in the middle is a characteristic von Economo neuron.*Image: Courtesy of Elisabeth Petrasch-Parwez Ruhr University Bochum
A certain type of brain cell may be linked with suicide, according to a recent investigation. People who take their own lives have more densely packed von Economo neurons, large spindle-shaped cells that have dramatically increased in density over the course of human evolution.
Researchers in Germany analyzed the roots of suicide in the brain by focusing on a neural network linked with psychological pain, which includes regions such as the anterior cingulate cortex and the anterior insula, where von Economo neurons are concentrated. These cells bear receptors for neuro?transmitters that help to regulate emotion, such as dopamine, serotonin and vasopressin. Because they are found in highly gregarious animals such as whales, elephants and apes?with humans possessing the highest densities?scientists believe they might specifically deal with complex social emotions such as shame.
The team compared the density of von Economo neurons in nine patients who died from suicide and 30 who died of natural causes, such as heart failure. All subjects had been diagnosed clinically with either schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. The researchers found the density of these neurons was significantly greater in those who died of suicide than in those who had not, regardless of what disorder they had. Evolutionary psychiatrist and neuroscientist Martin Br?ne of University Hospital Bochum and his colleagues detailed these findings online June 22 in PLoS ONE.
If von Economo neurons do play a role in processing complex emotions such as empathy, guilt and shame, an overabundance may in some cases trigger emotional disturbances, potentially explaining the link seen with suicidal behavior, Br?ne says. He adds that high densities of von Economo neurons do not necessarily cause suicide: ?Having good empathetic abilities is certainly something that is advantageous in most situations but perhaps can have deleterious effects under very specific circumstances.? Future insights into the role of these cells in emotion and cognition might lead to ways of addressing suicidal tendencies, he says.
*Correction (11/1/11): The image in this story was changed after posting because the original did not display von Economo neurons.
Republican presidential candidate former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, with his wife Callista, talk to a supporter at a Hy-Vee store in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Republican presidential candidate former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, with his wife Callista, talk to a supporter at a Hy-Vee store in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Republican presidential candidate former House Speaker Newt Gingrich listens to a question during a campaign stop at Al-Jon manufacturing in Ottumwa, Iowa, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Republican presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, right, shakes hands with Helen Taylor, of Durham, N.H., while campaigning at a hair salon in Exeter, N.H., Tuesday Dec. 20, 2011. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Republican presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, signs an autograph on a baseball while campaigning in Exeter, N.H., Tuesday Dec. 20, 2011. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Republican presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, laughs as he sits down with Elizabeth Rose Chamberlain, 3, of Epping, N.H., while campaigning at the Early Bird Cafe in Plaistow, N.H., Tuesday Dec. 20, 2011. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) ? Iowa residents flipping their TV channels this season aren't finding a whole lot of Christmas cheer. A barrage of negative campaign ads is flooding the airwaves, with ghoulish images of Newt Gingrich and Nancy Pelosi crowding Santa and doomsday music drowning out holiday song.
Mitt Romney is likened to "big-government liberals." Gingrich is castigated for his "baggage." The still-volatile Republican presidential field means Iowans have two more weeks of this before the leadoff caucuses Jan. 3.
The onslaught of scalding ads and messages landing in voters' mailboxes, prompted in part by a Supreme Court decision last year that helped open the floodgates, has made the race for the 2012 GOP nomination among the most negative the state has ever seen. The campaign air war, slow to start at first, has intensified as the caucuses loom closer ? leaving observers to puzzle over its recent dark turn.
"The ads are more negative than they were in 2007," said Dianne Bystrom, a political communications professor at Iowa State University.
"In part it's the mood of the country, which has certainly darkened in the last 4 years," Bystrom said. "Some of the Republicans haven't spent a lot of time in the state, so they're communicating on television. And there's lots of third party ads this time that have really changed the dynamic."
That means Texas Gov. Rick Perry is slamming Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, for supporting an individual health care mandate that formed the basis of President Barack Obama's health care law. Ron Paul is complaining about "smooth-talking politicians" over video images of Gingrich, Romney and Obama. And a pro-Romney independent group, Restore Our Future, has unleashed a multimillion-dollar assault on Gingrich, effectively doing the former Massachusetts governor's dirty work while letting him float safely above the fray.
"Newt Gingrich has more baggage than the airlines," the group's new ad says, showing Gingrich pairing with Pelosi, the House Democratic leader, to fight climate change.
While attack ads are often effective, they can muddy the instigator as much as they wound the target. That's particularly true in a multicandidate field, where an attack on one candidate from another can actually benefit a third.
Such was the case in 2004, when Democrats Howard Dean and Dick Gephardt battled each other hard in Iowa. Another rival, John Kerry, took advantage of the fray and went on to win the caucuses that year.
As an officially independent group, Restore Our Future bears no mention of Romney's name ? protecting him to some degree from blowback. It is made up of former Romney advisers.
Gingrich, for his part, isn't ready to give Romney a pass. He addressed the risk to Romney at a campaign events in Iowa this week when asked about the impact of the group's ads.
"It reflects badly on other Republicans that they haven't got anything positive to say for themselves and they have to rely on their consultants trying to tear down a fellow Republican and they are in effect doing Barack Obama's work," Gingrich said Monday. "I think the average Republican's going to be very unhappy with Republicans whose entire campaign is negative."
He turned up the heat Tuesday.
"Understand, these are his people running his ads, doing his dirty work while he pretends to be above it," Gingrich said in Ottumwa, Iowa. "I don't object to being outspent. I object to lies. I object to negative smear campaigns."
Earlier Tuesday, Romney said in an appearance on MSNBC that super PACs have been "a disaster." But he refused to urge the group Restore Our Future to halt the attacks on Gingrich, saying that the law prohibits his campaign and such groups to coordinate.
"I'm not allowed to communicate with a super PAC in any way, shape or form," Romney said. "If we coordinate in any way whatsoever, we go to the big house."
A fired-up Gingrich, who has seen his candidacy slide amid a barrage of attack ads, read Romney's remarks to reporters and then promptly labeled them "baloney." He again urged Romney to demand that the negative spots be taken down.
"I think these guys hire consultants who get drunk, sit around and write stupid ads," Gingrich said. "Every one of these candidates should take responsibility for the lies they are putting up".
To be sure, not every candidate is blistering the airwaves.
Gingrich, for his part, is trying to make good on a campaign promise to stay positive in ads even though he's swiped indirectly at Romney. The former House speaker and his wife, Callista, are expected to appear in a campaign Christmas commercial in Iowa later this week.
Cash-strapped hopefuls Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum are focusing their limited resources on retail campaigning. Jon Huntsman has avoided Iowa in order to go all out n New Hampshire, which hosts the nation's first primary Jan. 10. Our Destiny, a super PAC supporting the former Utah governor, has run positive ads there for him.
By far the biggest jolt to the advertising landscape this time is the emergence of super PACs ? independent groups that can raise and spend unlimited money to support or attack a candidate.
Last year's landmark Supreme Court ruling easing campaign spending restrictions on corporations has brought forth a proliferation of such groups in Iowa. Restore Our Future, a super PAC, has been by far the most prolific, devoting its resources to painting Gingrich as a greedy, unethical hypocrite.
Make Us Great Again, a super PAC backing Perry, has also spent heavily on ads. Groups supporting Gingrich and Santorum have just started to go on the air.
Marty Kaplan, a political communications expert at the University of Southern California, said the negative attacks from both candidates and outside groups would all but certainly continue past Iowa.
"Negative ads work," Kaplan said. "They are compelling narratives with villains and twists that evoke emotion, and they do everything that Hollywood wants to happen to an audience."
___
Associated Press writers Tom Beaumont and Shannon McCaffrey in Iowa and Jack Gillum in Washington contributed to this report.
Follow Beth Fouhy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bfouhy
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Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) is hit by Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Adrian Clayborn (94) as he throws an 8-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Miles Austin during the first half of an NFL football game Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011, in Tampa, Fla. Defending for the Cowboys are offensive tackle Doug Free (68) and guard Montrae Holland (64). (AP Photo/Brian Blanco)
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) is hit by Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Adrian Clayborn (94) as he throws an 8-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Miles Austin during the first half of an NFL football game Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011, in Tampa, Fla. Defending for the Cowboys are offensive tackle Doug Free (68) and guard Montrae Holland (64). (AP Photo/Brian Blanco)
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) throws a pass over Tampa Bay Buccaneers middle linebacker Mason Foster (59) during the second quarter of an NFL football game on Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Brian Blanco)
Dallas Cowboys tight end Martellus Bennett (80) and wide receiver Laurent Robinson (81) celebrate a 9-yard touchdown reception by Robinson during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Margaret Bowles)
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Laurent Robinson (81) celebrates a touchdown reception as Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive back Elbert Mack (33) walks off the field during the first half of an NFL football game on Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Margaret Bowles)
Dallas Cowboys running back Felix Jones (28) dives over teammate center Phil Costa (67) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers outside linebacker Geno Hayes (54) on a run during the first quarter of an NFL football game on Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Margaret Bowles)
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) ? Tony Romo was nearly flawless in getting the Dallas Cowboys back on track in the NFC East.
Romo threw for three touchdowns and ran for a fourth score Saturday night, helping the first-place Cowboys beat the struggling Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-15.
Dallas stopped a two-game losing streak in which it blew fourth-quarter leads to allow a seemingly solid grip on the division lead slip away.
The victory gave the Cowboys (8-6) a half-game lead over New York. Although the Giants hold a tiebreaker advantage after beating Dallas 37-34 last week, the Cowboys can claim the division title and host a playoff game by finishing with wins the next two weeks over Philadelphia at home and the Giants on the road.
The Bucs (4-10) lost for the eighth straight time and played a miserable first half that certainly didn't do anything to help coach Raheem Morris make a case for keeping his job.
Romo threw a pair of 8-yard TD passes to Miles Austin and Dez Bryant in the first quarter, then finished a seven-play, 89-yard drive with a 9-yarder to Laurent Robinson to make it 21-0 with just under 5 minutes remaining in the second quarter. Romo made it 28-0 on a quarterback sneak in the closing seconds of the opening half.
Tampa Bay managed just one first down and was outgained 279 yards to 55 in the first two quarters, but found a way to make it interesting in the second half.
The Bucs, who had had yielded 69 consecutive points dating to the second quarter of the previous week's 41-14 loss to Jacksonville, finally got on the scoreboard in the third quarter when rookie Adrian Clayborn sacked Romo from behind, forcing a fumble that linebacker Dekoda Watson returned 4 yards for a TD for a much-needed spark.
Josh Freeman's 13-yard TD pass to Dezmon Briscoe and a two-point conversion throw to Kellen Winslow trimmed the Dallas lead to 31-15 heading into the final quarter.
The Cowboys have led in the fourth quarter in five of their six losses, however there wouldn't be a late collapse this time. Tampa Bay turned the ball over on downs twice in the last six minutes, and Sammy Morris picked up a first down inside the Bucs 10 to give the Cowboys an opportunity to run out the clock.
Austin's TD midway through the first quarter was set up by Tampa Bay's NFL-leading 32nd turnover, a fumble by Freeman on the fifth play of the game.
The Tampa Bay quarterback scrambled 25 yards on third-and-5 to march the Bucs near midfield, but the opening possession of the night came to an abrupt halt on the next play when Freeman took off again for a 7-yard gain and was stripped of the ball at the Cowboys 44.
Linebacker Bradie James recovered and it took Romo seven plays to get Dallas in the end zone for the first time. The Cowboys marched 69 yards in 10 plays on their next possession, with Romo finishing the drive by finding a wide-open Bryant in the back of the end zone to make it 14-0.
In three career games against Tampa Bay ? all lopsided victories ? Romo has thrown for 908 yards, 11 touchdowns and no interceptions. He was 23 of 30 for 249 yards and was sacked twice Saturday night.
Felix Jones, back in the starting lineup after DeMarco Murray broke his right ankle last week in a 37-34 loss to the Giants, broke a 38-yard run on the drive leading to Robinson's TD and finished with 108 yards on 22 carries ? his second straight 100-yard performance had 67 yards rushing on 12 carries at halftime.
Freeman, making his second start since missing a game because of an injured throwing shoulder, was 17 of 27 for 148 yards and no interceptions. He led the Bucs in rushing with 37 yards on four attempts and was sacked three times, once by DeMarcus Ware, who notched his 16th of the season.
Thanks to a large contingent of Cowboys fans, the Bucs played before a sellout crowd at home for just the second time in two seasons. Judging by all the blue and white jerseys scattered throughout the 65,000-seat stadium, at least half the house appeared to be rooting for Dallas.
The Bucs have lost eight straight following a 4-2 start that included wins over NFC South rivals New Orleans and Atlanta. The skid has coach Raheem Morris on the hot seat just a year after the NFL's youngest head coach led his team to a surprising 10-6 finish that heightened expectations coming into this season.
Tampa Bay played Saturday night without starting receiver Arrelious Benn, who suffered a concussion during last week's loss at Jacksonville. He was replaced by Briscoe, who began the night with just 23 receptions yet shared the team lead in touchdown catches with three.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor says he?ll push for broad action early next year to crack down on alleged congressional corruption and make sure lawmakers don?t profit from inside information.
In an interview excerpt released Friday, Cantor says the measure will expand on the STOCK Act ? legislation explicitly banning congressional insider trading that?s rapidly gained traction on both sides of Capitol Hill since a ?60 Minutes? report in November highlighted the practice.
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?We want to make sure the public understands we abhor that kind of conduct,? Cantor said in the interview, also on ?60 Minutes,? which will air Sunday.
Last week, Cantor pressured House Financial Services Committee Chairman Spencer Bachus to abruptly cancel a committee markup on the STOCK Act. Cantor, the House?s No. 2 Republican, privately told Bachus ? who had been a major target of the ?60 Minutes? probe ? that he should not have moved forward on the bill without clearing it with GOP leaders in the lower chamber.
House Democratic backers of the STOCK Act ? who were thrilled to see committee action on the legislation, Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) in particular ? were left peeved by Cantor?s behind-the-scenes moves to halt the bill from moving forward, and wrote a letter to Cantor asking him to reconsider.
In the ?60 Minutes? interview, Cantor gave some hints as to how the broader package would build on the STOCK Act, which focuses on stock trades. For example, Cantor said government officials with access to inside information could unfairly profit from land sales.
?It is to expand the notion that somehow it?s only stock purchases and trading that is somehow the only thing that could potentially go wrong,? he said.
The measure could come as early as the first couple of months of 2012, Cantor indicated.
Little known before the news investigation, the STOCK Act ? short for ?Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act? ? has now grown to 237 co-sponsors in the House. In the upper chamber, its companion legislation cleared a Senate panel earlier this week.
Louisiana's state health department has issued a warning about the dangers of improperly using nasal-irrigation devices called neti pots, responding to two recent deaths in the state that are thought to have resulted from "brain-eating amoebas" entering people's brains through their sinuses while they were using the devices.
Both victims are believed to have filled their neti pots with tap water instead of manufacturer-recommended distilled or sterilized water. When they used these pots to force the water up their noses and flush out their sinus cavities ? a treatment for colds and hay fever ? a deadly amoeba living in the tap water, called Naegleria fowleri, worked its way from their sinuses into their brains. The parasitic organism infected the victims' brains with a neurological disease called primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAME), which rapidly destroys neural tissue and typically kills sufferers in a matter of days.
Jonathan Yoder, an epidemiologist with the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said the Louisiana cases are still being investigated to ascertain that the deaths did indeed result from exposure to treated tap water in neti pots, rather than exposure to untreated water in a pond or lake. If so, they are the first known incidences of the disease in the U.S. resulting from N. fowleri organisms surviving the water treatment process.
"Nearly all the cases have resulted from exposure to warm recreational water, such as ponds, rivers and lakes, and the kind of exposure where the water would be forced up the nose ? for example, diving and water sports," Yoder told Life's Little Mysteries, a sister site to LiveScience. The amoeba thrives in natural waterholes, especially those in the South, and several Americans die every year from swimming in these waterholes, or using untreated water from them. However, "in the last 15 years, I'm not aware of other cases [in the U.S.] associated with treated drinking water," he said.
Municipal water undergoes a rigorous purification process to make it potable, including being treated with chlorine to kill microorganisms, he explained. "We consider chlorination to be effective in killing [N. fowleri]. I can't comment on any water system in Louisiana, but in general ? you may start out with 1 million amoebas and your goal is to reduce it with chlorine, and you might get 99.9 percent out. But you're probably never going to eliminate 100 percent. That goes for amoebas, parasites, bacteria, viruses. So while we say our drinking water is safe, it's not sterile." [Can Your Tap Water Kill You?]
N. fowleri only seems capable of reaching the brain if it's given a big boost by being squirted deep into a person's nasal passages. That's why water that is considered safe to drink or bathe in isn't necessarily safe to use in a neti pot, Yoder said.
But if you only use distilled or previously boiled water in your neti pot, and you avoid snorting water when diving into waterholes, can you be sure you won't get PAME simply by splashing your face with the water out of your faucet ? especially if you live in Louisiana?
Yoder said the CDC maintains that the risk of getting PAME from normal exposure to tap water is very low, but they are helping Louisiana's health department investigate the water treatment process in the state. "In general, what we're committed to is even though there are very few cases, CDC is very committed to learning more about the organism so we can prevent further infection by developing science-based prevention methods. But it is a very tragic infection and we're very sad for the families."
Grand Challenges Canada and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation invest almost $32 million in the discovery and development of new and improved diagnostics at point-of-care
Grand Challenges Canada and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have teamed up on an unprecedented global effort to discover and develop affordable, easy-to-use tools to help developing country health workers rapidly diagnose diseases in rural communities. The expected result: more timely and appropriate treatment of illnesses in poor countries, potentially saving countless lives.
"Imagine a hand-held, battery-powered device that can take a drop of blood and, within minutes, tell a healthcare worker in a remote village whether a feverish child has malaria, dengue or a bacterial infection," says Peter A. Singer, MD, Chief Executive Officer of Grand Challenges Canada. "More rapid diagnosis of malaria alone could prevent 100,000 deaths a year. We believe this and other life-saving opportunities are within our reach."
The five research areas of this Grand Challenge break the diagnostic problem down into its component parts: Draw blood (or other biological sample) and prep it for analysis, analyze the sample to identify disease, develop the technologies to obtain and transmit data and receive back results, and ensure the device will work in the field where there is often no electricity or refrigeration.
"The project is analogous to software developers creating new apps for smart phones and tablet computers," says Rebecca Lackman, PhD, Grand Challenges Canada Program Officer for Diagnostics. "Researchers have accepted the challenge to create novel sampling and testing systems that can be plugged into a standardized analyzer that can test for malaria, tuberculosis, HIV and a variety of tropical diseases. The 'Integrated Innovation' approach means they will also investigate the social and business innovations needed for successful product delivery and use."
"This initiative is unique in many respects: it will allow health workers to identify multiple diseases and pathogens from one patient specimen; plug-and-play platforms will allow best-in-class components to be developed and integrated in a diagnostic device; and we are creating a common application platform; thereby, reducing both commercialization costs and regulatory issues, making it more attractive for industry to invest in diagnostics for global health."
A presentation by Dr. Singer explaining how the envisioned point-of-care diagnostic tests could plug into a common device for analysis, similar to the way a USB stick plugs into a computer, is online at www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzZBMJu61mw (starts at 6:10).
One grantee, Bigtec Labs in Bangalore, India, has already developed a handheld analyser called a mini-PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) machine capable of identifying malaria from its DNA fingerprint.
"A colleague here one day was ill with what he thought was food poisoning," said
B. Chandrasekhar Nair, Director of Bigtec Labs. "We ran a blood sample through our mini-PCR and it turned out to be malaria." Immediately treated, the colleague returned to health within a week.
With its CAD $1.3 million grant, Bigtec will use nano-materials to develop a sophisticated filter to concentrate pathogen DNA from samples of blood, sputum, urine, or nasal and throat swabs. Once concentrated, the DNA can be processed and illnesses identified in the mini-PCR.
Other innovative point-of-care diagnostic tools such as a piece of woven fabric which can test blood or urine for disease and a simple, easy to use test for diagnosing diarrheal disease -- the biggest killer of developing world children under the age of 5 -- are also among the projects receiving funding.
"Safe, effective methods of diagnosing illness at the point-of-care are vital to improving health in developing countries," said Chris Wilson, Director of Global Health Discovery at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "We hope these innovative ideas lead to technologies that allow patients to get the right treatment quicklyspeeding recovery, limiting the spread of disease and helping them to lead healthy, productive lives."
The innovative projects receiving funding include:
Dr. Dhananjaya Dendukuri from Achira Labs in Bangalore India, and Dr. Nandini Dendukuri from McGill University in Montreal are developing a piece of silk that can be used as a cost-effective and simple diagnostic for blood and urine samples. Called Fabchips (Fabric Chips) the woven diagnostic has the added benefit of providing jobs to local artisans and being environmentally friendly.
Dr. David Goldfarb, a Canadian working in Botswana, is testing a simple, rapid, easy-to-use cotton swab for the detection of diarrheal disease in the developing world.
Dr. Wendy Stevens from the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa is testing new point-of-care technologies for the integrated management of HIV and TB treatment to encourage equity, affordability and accessibility to treatment.
Dr. Patricia Garcia at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia in Peru will look at ways to overcome social and commercial barriers to delivering point-of-care diagnostic tests aimed at improving maternal and child health two of the UN's Millennium Development goals for 2015.
Grand Challenges Canada:
10 grantees, CDN $10.8 million over three years
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation:
12 grantees, $21.1 million US over three years
###
For more information, visit grandchallenges.ca.
About Grand Challenges Canada
Grand Challenges Canada is a unique independent not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the health and well being of people in developing countries by integrating scientific, technological, business and social innovation. Grand Challenges Canada works with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR )and other global health foundations and organizations to find sustainable long-term solutions to the most pressing health challenges. Grand Challenges Canada is hosted at the McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health.
www.grandchallenges.ca
About Canada's International Development Research Centre
The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) supports research in developing countries to promote growth and development. IDRC also encourages sharing this knowledge with policymakers, other researchers and communities around the world. The result is innovative, lasting local solutions that aim to bring choice and change to those who need it most.
As the Government of Canada's lead on the Development Innovation Fund, IDRC draws on decades of experience managing publicly funded research projects to administer the Development Innovation Fund. IDRC also ensures that developing country researchers and concerns are front and centre in this exciting new initiative.
www.idrc.ca
About Canadian Institutes of Health Research
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the Government of Canada's health research investment agency. CIHR's mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to enable its translation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened Canadian health care system. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership and support to more than 14,100 health researchers and trainees across Canada.
CIHR will be responsible for the administration of international peer review, according to international standards of excellence. The results of CIHR-led peer reviews will guide the awarding of grants by Grand Challenges Canada from the Development Innovation Fund.
www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca
About McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health
The McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health is based at University Health Network and
University of Toronto. We develop innovative global health solutions and help bring them to scale
where they are most urgently needed. The McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health hosts Grand Challenges Canada.
www.mrcglobal.org
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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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.
Grand Challenges Canada and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation invest almost $32 million in the discovery and development of new and improved diagnostics at point-of-care
Grand Challenges Canada and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have teamed up on an unprecedented global effort to discover and develop affordable, easy-to-use tools to help developing country health workers rapidly diagnose diseases in rural communities. The expected result: more timely and appropriate treatment of illnesses in poor countries, potentially saving countless lives.
"Imagine a hand-held, battery-powered device that can take a drop of blood and, within minutes, tell a healthcare worker in a remote village whether a feverish child has malaria, dengue or a bacterial infection," says Peter A. Singer, MD, Chief Executive Officer of Grand Challenges Canada. "More rapid diagnosis of malaria alone could prevent 100,000 deaths a year. We believe this and other life-saving opportunities are within our reach."
The five research areas of this Grand Challenge break the diagnostic problem down into its component parts: Draw blood (or other biological sample) and prep it for analysis, analyze the sample to identify disease, develop the technologies to obtain and transmit data and receive back results, and ensure the device will work in the field where there is often no electricity or refrigeration.
"The project is analogous to software developers creating new apps for smart phones and tablet computers," says Rebecca Lackman, PhD, Grand Challenges Canada Program Officer for Diagnostics. "Researchers have accepted the challenge to create novel sampling and testing systems that can be plugged into a standardized analyzer that can test for malaria, tuberculosis, HIV and a variety of tropical diseases. The 'Integrated Innovation' approach means they will also investigate the social and business innovations needed for successful product delivery and use."
"This initiative is unique in many respects: it will allow health workers to identify multiple diseases and pathogens from one patient specimen; plug-and-play platforms will allow best-in-class components to be developed and integrated in a diagnostic device; and we are creating a common application platform; thereby, reducing both commercialization costs and regulatory issues, making it more attractive for industry to invest in diagnostics for global health."
A presentation by Dr. Singer explaining how the envisioned point-of-care diagnostic tests could plug into a common device for analysis, similar to the way a USB stick plugs into a computer, is online at www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzZBMJu61mw (starts at 6:10).
One grantee, Bigtec Labs in Bangalore, India, has already developed a handheld analyser called a mini-PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) machine capable of identifying malaria from its DNA fingerprint.
"A colleague here one day was ill with what he thought was food poisoning," said
B. Chandrasekhar Nair, Director of Bigtec Labs. "We ran a blood sample through our mini-PCR and it turned out to be malaria." Immediately treated, the colleague returned to health within a week.
With its CAD $1.3 million grant, Bigtec will use nano-materials to develop a sophisticated filter to concentrate pathogen DNA from samples of blood, sputum, urine, or nasal and throat swabs. Once concentrated, the DNA can be processed and illnesses identified in the mini-PCR.
Other innovative point-of-care diagnostic tools such as a piece of woven fabric which can test blood or urine for disease and a simple, easy to use test for diagnosing diarrheal disease -- the biggest killer of developing world children under the age of 5 -- are also among the projects receiving funding.
"Safe, effective methods of diagnosing illness at the point-of-care are vital to improving health in developing countries," said Chris Wilson, Director of Global Health Discovery at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "We hope these innovative ideas lead to technologies that allow patients to get the right treatment quicklyspeeding recovery, limiting the spread of disease and helping them to lead healthy, productive lives."
The innovative projects receiving funding include:
Dr. Dhananjaya Dendukuri from Achira Labs in Bangalore India, and Dr. Nandini Dendukuri from McGill University in Montreal are developing a piece of silk that can be used as a cost-effective and simple diagnostic for blood and urine samples. Called Fabchips (Fabric Chips) the woven diagnostic has the added benefit of providing jobs to local artisans and being environmentally friendly.
Dr. David Goldfarb, a Canadian working in Botswana, is testing a simple, rapid, easy-to-use cotton swab for the detection of diarrheal disease in the developing world.
Dr. Wendy Stevens from the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa is testing new point-of-care technologies for the integrated management of HIV and TB treatment to encourage equity, affordability and accessibility to treatment.
Dr. Patricia Garcia at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia in Peru will look at ways to overcome social and commercial barriers to delivering point-of-care diagnostic tests aimed at improving maternal and child health two of the UN's Millennium Development goals for 2015.
Grand Challenges Canada:
10 grantees, CDN $10.8 million over three years
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation:
12 grantees, $21.1 million US over three years
###
For more information, visit grandchallenges.ca.
About Grand Challenges Canada
Grand Challenges Canada is a unique independent not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the health and well being of people in developing countries by integrating scientific, technological, business and social innovation. Grand Challenges Canada works with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR )and other global health foundations and organizations to find sustainable long-term solutions to the most pressing health challenges. Grand Challenges Canada is hosted at the McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health.
www.grandchallenges.ca
About Canada's International Development Research Centre
The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) supports research in developing countries to promote growth and development. IDRC also encourages sharing this knowledge with policymakers, other researchers and communities around the world. The result is innovative, lasting local solutions that aim to bring choice and change to those who need it most.
As the Government of Canada's lead on the Development Innovation Fund, IDRC draws on decades of experience managing publicly funded research projects to administer the Development Innovation Fund. IDRC also ensures that developing country researchers and concerns are front and centre in this exciting new initiative.
www.idrc.ca
About Canadian Institutes of Health Research
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the Government of Canada's health research investment agency. CIHR's mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to enable its translation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened Canadian health care system. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership and support to more than 14,100 health researchers and trainees across Canada.
CIHR will be responsible for the administration of international peer review, according to international standards of excellence. The results of CIHR-led peer reviews will guide the awarding of grants by Grand Challenges Canada from the Development Innovation Fund.
www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca
About McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health
The McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health is based at University Health Network and
University of Toronto. We develop innovative global health solutions and help bring them to scale
where they are most urgently needed. The McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health hosts Grand Challenges Canada.
www.mrcglobal.org
[ | 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.
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Public release date: 16-Dec-2011
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