Reviewed by James Ives, M.Psych. (Editor)Nov 27 2018A study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) – an institution supported by “la Caixa” Foundation- reveals a new mechanism by which the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum converts from its asexual to its sexual form, which can be transmitted to the mosquito. The results, published in Nature Microbiology, provide important information on the parasite’s lifecycle and will eventually contribute to design strategies aimed at stopping its transmission.Human to mosquito transmission of the malaria parasite requires that some parasites in the blood stop replicating asexually and convert into sexual forms called gametocytes. This sexual conversion represents therefore an ideal target for stopping parasite transmission. However, the molecular mechanisms by which this process occurs remain poorly characterized.Related StoriesMother calls for protein shake regulation after daughter diesMosquito surveillance in Madagascar reveals new insight into malaria transmissionNANOLIVE‘s novel CX-A defines a new standard for live cell imaging in 96 well plates for continuous organelle monitoring in cell populationsAlfred Cortés, ICREA researcher at ISGlobal, and his team used a protein that is expressed only when the cell “decides” to differentiate into a gametocyte (a moment when it is indistinguishable from the asexual phase). Using the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technique, they labeled such protein (called PfAP2-G) with a green fluorochrome, and re-examined the hypothesis that, between cell commitment and sexual conversion, the parasite needs to undergo a replication cycle.Using a culture system in the lab, the team found that some parasites directly convert into gametocytes, without an additional replication cycle. “The point at which the parasite decides to become a gametocyte turned out to be earlier than previously thought,” explains Cortés. “In fact, although its life cycle was described more than 100 years ago, it continues surprising us,” he adds.”Our results indicate that those parasites activating the expression of PfAP2-G early enough during the cycle can take the rapid route, whereas the others need to go through a replication cycle before converting into gametocytes,” explains first author Cristina Bancells. “This rapid route could favor the parasite’s survival and transmission in a ‘dangerous’ situation, for example in the case of drug treatment,” she adds. For the authors, these results provide an extended model for the early steps of sexual differentiation in P. falciparum. They also point to the need for further studies to establish how often parasites use one or the other sexual conversion pathway (classical versus “express”) in vivo.”Of note, gametocytes are a priority target for public health interventions aimed at reducing malaria transmission, and eventually eliminating it,” says Cortés. Source:https://www.isglobal.org/en read more

This article was reprinted from khn.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente. Reviewed by Alina Shrourou, B.Sc. (Editor)Mar 19 2019When Don Cue developed a bladder infection last fall, he called his longtime urologist’s office for a urine culture and antibiotics. It was a familiar routine for the two-time prostate cancer survivor; infections were not uncommon since he began using a catheter that connects to his bladder through an incision in his abdomen.When Cue called this time, a receptionist told him that his physician, Dr. Mark Kellerman, no longer worked at the Iowa Clinic in Des Moines, a large multi-specialty group. She refused to divulge where he’d gone.”As a patient, ‘scared’ is too strong a word, but my feeling is, ‘What do I do now?'” said Cue, 58.Flummoxed, he solved his immediate problem by taking leftover antibiotics he had in his medicine cabinet.It was only later that he learned his doctor had been fired by the Iowa Clinic and planned to start a urology practice with clinic colleagues. And, under the terms of their contract with their former employer, the doctors were banned for a year from practicing within 35 miles of the clinic and from recruiting former patients to follow them.Contracts with so-called restrictive covenants are now common in medicine, although some states limit their use. Noncompete clauses — common in many commercial sectors — aim to stop physicians or other health care professionals from taking patients with them if they move to a competing practice nearby or start their own. But what may be good for business is bad for patient care — and certainly disquieting for those whose doctors simply disappear.One survey of nearly 2,000 primary care physicians in five states found that roughly 45 percent were bound by such clauses.Continuity of care is important, doctors say, especially for patients with ongoing medical issues. Cutting off access to a doctor is different from disrupting someone’s relationship with a favorite hairstylist or money manager, they say.”When doctors want to move from one practice to another, if they’ve got good therapeutic relationships with their patients, you’d think that public policy would want them to continue to treat these patients that trust them,” said Judy Conti, government affairs director at the National Employment Law Project.Charlie Wittmack, a lawyer at Hartung Schroeder in Des Moines, is representing Kellerman and the two other urologists who were also fired in a lawsuit against the Iowa Clinic. The wrongful termination suit asks the court to declare the physicians’ restrictive covenant provisions unenforceable. Wittmack said the controversy there was “tragic” for patients. “These are people who have prostate cancer or are in extreme pain because of kidney stones or have blood in their urine.”Ed Brown, the clinic’s CEO, said the noncompete agreements are not just about business but also help ensure that the Iowa Clinic can provide reliable services.”Noncompetes are good for the patients because they help to provide stability within a practice and ensure continuity of care,” Brown said recently in an email. Further, he added, noncompetes protect physicians by ensuring that other physicians in the practice are committed to the same agreement and can’t abandon it without proper notice.The urologists “believe they can make more money elsewhere, and they don’t want to be held to any contractual responsibilities,” he said.Even when longtime patients go sleuthing to find their doctors’ new offices, they may not be accepted into those practices. Hospitals and clinics say they have little choice but to respect the terms of business agreements that others have negotiated.UW Health, the health care system for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, recently hired three primary care doctors who had worked across town, said Dr. Sandra Kamnetz, vice chairwoman of clinical care for the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Wisconsin’s School of Medicine and Public Health. They are taking great pains not to treat any of the new doctors’ former patients because the terms of the doctors’ contracts with their old employer prohibit them from taking care of former patients for two years.Staff at the UW clinics ask prospective patients if they’ve ever been seen by one of the doctors. They then check the patient’s electronic health record to confirm there are no messages, prescription refills or other recent contact with the new UW Health doctors and that patient at the previous job, said Kamnetz.Related StoriesComputers, games, crafting keep the aging brain sharpAre physical examinations by family doctors still needed?Many thyroid cancer patients have no choice about radioactive iodine, study reveals”Patients get frustrated, but what they may not understand is that this is a legal thing that we have to abide by,” she said.Whether noncompete clauses are binding in health care — especially when patient care is disrupted — is a point legal scholars debate. In general, to be enforceable, the agreements must be reasonable and narrowly drawn so that they protect an employer’s legitimate business interest but don’t unduly restrict a doctor’s ability to make a living.Courts may weigh whether enforcing a noncompete clause would create a physician shortage in a particular region or specialty. The guiding principle is patient choice, said David J. Clark, a partner in the New York office of the law firm Epstein Becker Green who has analyzed state noncompete statutes in health care.”No court is going to deny a patient who wants to go see a doctor of her choice,” Clark said.Most disputes are settled before they make it to court, however.A recent report by the Trump administration evaluating how to promote choice and competition in health care recommended that states examine noncompete agreements for their effect on patients’ access to care and the supply of providers.Several states, including Massachusetts and Colorado, that allow noncompete clauses in employment contracts generally won’t enforce them against doctors, according to Clark’s analysis.Other states, such as Texas and Tennessee, place limits on the agreements. In Texas, for example, a noncompete pact must allow doctors to have access to a list of their patients in the past year and access to their medical records, among other things, Clark found.Medical board rules take it a step further. “In Texas, when a physician leaves, the practice is required to cooperate with a physician who wants to put up a notice that says this is where that physician can now be contacted,” said Kathy Poppitt, a partner in the health care and government and internal investigations practices at the Austin, Texas, office of King & Spalding.The American Medical Association, which represents doctors, doesn’t oppose restrictive covenants outright, although its policy notes they can limit patients’ choices. “To the extent that these agreements disrupt continuity of care and disrupt patient choice, this is of great concern to the AMA,” said Dr. Patrice Harris, the organization’s president-elect.For patients in central Iowa, the departures of longtime urologists at the Iowa Clinic is dizzying. After Kellerman and his colleagues left, five of the clinic’s remaining seven urologists submitted their resignations. They are also subject to noncompete restrictions. They left the practice in mid-February.Brown, the clinic CEO, said the urology department has replaced four of the eight urologists and has nine nurse practitioners or physician assistants to treat patients. The clinic is continuing to recruit physicians and advanced practice providers like nurse practitioners.Susan Murphy, 72, has seen a number of doctors in the urology department. Dr. Richard Glowacki, one of the urologists who left with Kellerman, performed surgery to remove her kidney stones more than a decade ago. Another, Dr. Stephanie Pothoven, did surgery to repair her prolapsed uterus a few years ago.Murphy said she got a letter from Pothoven announcing her departure. It didn’t provide details about where she would be going.”I’ve got it etched in my brain to find out where they went,” she said. She has no plans to return to the Iowa Clinic. “Somehow they lost sight of patient care and were more concerned about the bottom line,” she said. read more

The recommendations also state that most health insurance plans cover the cost of vaccines. 12 through 15 months 4 through 6 years By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDApr 30 2019In the United States, the number of cases of vaccine-preventable viral disease measles is on a 25-year record high. According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the main reason behind this is inadequate vaccination of the general population. Spread of misinformation regarding vaccine safety is to be blamed for inadequate vaccination of the population says the agency. The report from the CDC says that most of the cases of measles encountered are among children who have not been vaccinated with the MMR vaccine (that covers against measles, mumps and rubella or German measles infection). According to US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar this rise in number of cases was “completely avoidable”. Parents refusing to vaccinate their children with the MMR vaccine are termed as the anti-vaxxers and have been linked to over 390 cases of measles since October last year say the officials.According to the latest report from the CDC, there have been 704 cases in the states since January this year (the number confirmed up until last Friday the 26th of April 2019). This makes 2019 the worst year for measles since 1994, they add. They speculate the numbers to be worse with eight more months to go this year. Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement, “The suffering we are seeing today is completely avoidable. We know vaccines are safe because they’re among some of the most studied medical products we have.”Dr Jonathan Fielding, former head of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health explained, “Many parents are afraid. If you want to believe your kid doesn’t need that many shots, there’s plenty of places to find people who agree with you.” He added, “It’s not so easy to discern what is real and what is not,” explaining the connections made on social media by antivaxxers between measles vaccine and autism.At present over 390 cases of measles have been seen in New York City since last October and this has been concentrated among children in Orthodox Jewish Communities in Brooklyn that refuse to vaccinate their children. New York City health commissioner Dr Oxiris Barbot in a statement said, “This outbreak is being fuelled by a small group of anti-vaxxers in these neighbourhoods.”Measles infection is also brought into the country by travellers say the officials. People with fever, runny noses, rash and cough travelling to the country bring in the infection that affects unvaccinated populations, they explain. In 2018 over 82 people brought in the measles infection while travelling from other countries. The number has crossed 40 this year in just 4 months, the CDC warns. Most common countries from where infections have reached the US include Ukraine, Israel and the Philippines.CDC Vaccine Director Dr. Nancy Messonnier in her statement said, “Measles is imported when an unvaccinated traveller visits a country where there is widespread measles transmission, gets infected with measles and returns to the United States.  That traveller then exposes people in their community who are not vaccinated.  44 cases so far this year were directly imported from other countries. Among the 44 internationally imported measles cases over 90% were in people who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status was unknown.” “The recent outbreak started through what we call importation,” she said.Related StoriesScripps CHAVD wins $129 million NIH grant to advance new HIV vaccine approachNew shingles vaccine reduces outbreaks of painful rash among stem cell transplant patientsRevolutionary gene replacement surgery restores vision in patients with retinal degenerationVery few individuals with measles tend to develop complications such as pneumonias and other life threatening complications that require hospitalization. In the recent outbreaks of measles, there have been no deaths reported yet. However 3 percent of those infected have been hospitalized with pneumonia and a further 9 percent had to be hospitalized for other complications from measles explained the CDC director Robert Redfield. The CDC adds that at present around 10 percent of the patients in the present outbreak are adults who had received one or two doses of the vaccine. They explain that some adults may require a new dose especially when travelling to regions where outbreaks are taking place.In a conversation Secretary Azar said, “Today’s the start of National Infant Immunization Week, an annual observance and opportunity for us to highlight the importance of protecting infants from vaccine-preventable diseases and to celebrate the achievements of immunization programs in promoting healthy communities throughout the United States.  This year, we’re celebrating 25 years of national infant immunization week.”CDC director Robert Redfield added, “There are no treatment and no cure for measles and no way to predict how bad a case of measles will be.  Some children may have very mild symptoms.  Others may face serious complications.” He explained, “The United States has high rates of vaccination coverage among kindergartners entering school in 2017 about 94% had the recommended two doses of measles, mumps and rubella or the MMR vaccine.  That means the majority of parents are making sure their children get vaccinated according to CDC’s recommended immunization schedule.  Two doses of MMR vaccine are about 97% effective at preventing measles.  One dose is about 93% effective.”On the issue of travel and importation of the infection Redfield said, “…normally we don’t recommend the measles vaccine to begin in infants until 12 months of age.  But because of the current situation globally, if infants were to travel, we recommend in their 6 months to 11 months before they would get their 12-month shot, we recommend those infants do get a dose of the MMR vaccine prior to travel.”US President Donald Trump, last week also urged Americans to get vaccinated to prevent the spread of measles. “The vaccinations are so important. This is really going around now,” Trump said last Friday.Measles in the newsIn the UK last year there were 966 confirmed cases of measles. This is a fourfold rise since 2017. The numbers are at an all time high since the 1990s say officials. UNICEF research released last week shows that 2,5 million children in the U.S. did not receive MMR vaccine between 2010 and 2017, followed by France and the United Kingdom, with over 600,000 and 500,000 unvaccinated infants, respectively, during the same period.. The recommended vaccine coverage in the community is over 95 percent. Currently the vaccine coverage under the age of five in England is 88.6 per cent in 2014-15 and 87.2 per cent in 2017-18.The CDC says that measles is a highly contagious disease. The recommendation is one dose at each of the following ages – The recommendation states that before international travel: Infants 6—11 months old need 1 dose of measles vaccine Children 12 months and older need 2 doses separated by at least 28 days Teenagers and adults who do not have evidence of immunity against measles should get 2 doses separated by at least 28 days 15 months, held by her mother, being administered her first dose of mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Image Credit: UNICEF/UN0201055/Krepkih read more

Consider aerodynamics. Without the need for an engine, theoretically you could do away with the bonnet and the “nose” of the car – think the classic electric milk floats that dutifully graced housing estates between the 1960s and the 1990s, when home milk deliveries fell out of fashion.Cars built along these lines would certainly stand out. But these milk floats were renowned for their lack of speed, designed instead to suit the constant stop/start nature of their role and the relatively short distances of their “milk-rounds”. They were well suited to this purpose – the quite hum of their electric motors ensured that they could be driven almost silently through housing estates when most of the residents were still asleep – but operating at low speeds meant that there was no need to consider aerodynamics to improve their efficiency.But aerodynamics and efficiency matter when designing a car. A great deal of investment is spent modelling the aerodynamics of a car through computer aided design software and scale clay models in a wind tunnel. The main idea is to reduce the air resistance of the vehicle when travelling at higher speeds, lowering its “drag coeeficient” and increasing its fuel efficiency. Thanks to years of extensive research, most hatchbacks and saloon cars for sale today have a very low drag coefficient – typically 0.23 to 0.36, although this figure is higher for SUVs and 4x4s. Electric cars – the Tesla model 3 at 0.23 and Tesla model X/S and Toyota Prius at 0.24 – currently have the lowest drag coefficients, but they still look like traditional cars rather than anything radically futuristic. To go completely back to the drawing board potentially would mean throwing away decades of advances. Norway seeks ‘Tesla tax’ on electric cars But there are also technical reasons for the lack of divergence between petrol and electric vehicles. Automotive companies have spent decades perfecting the existing form of the car, so that models are optimally aerodynamic, ergonomic and safe. To depart too radically from tried and tested designs would be a major commitment with expensive consequences in some or all of these areas. Beautiful. But is it revolutionary? Credit: Shutterstock Citation: Why don’t electric cars look like the future? (2018, January 9) retrieved 18 July 2019 from https://phys.org/news/2018-01-dont-electric-cars-future.html Electric, yes. Aerodynamic, no. Credit: Tagishsimon, CC BY-SA Before they hit the market and became relatively mainstream, many imagined (or at least, hoped) that electric cars would resemble the Light Runner from Tron: Legacy. After all, without the need for an internal combustion engine, an exhaust system and a fuel tank, electric car designers should have the creative freedom to rip up the rule book and create some truly eye-catching vehicles. But this hasn’t really happened. Park a Renault Zoe next to a Renault Clio, for example, and compare the two. While there are subtle differences and styling cues that suggest the Zoe is electric and the Clio isn’t, the overall body form is strikingly similar. In fact, the Zoe is assembled on the same production line as the Clio and Nissan Micra. So what’s going on?One explanation could be economic; the initial cost outlay of using the Clio’s existing platform for the Zoe is far lower than developing a completely new design.But this absence of a radical departure in the design and styling of electric cars could also be market led, responding to customer expectations and perceptions. A new car is a significant investment and so consumers are typically conservative when choosing one. Manufacturers typically invest billions of pounds developing new models and they want to be sure that they will sell. Explore further Electric cars were supposed to be the future – or at least look like it. So now they’re here, why do they still look like ordinary petrol and diesel cars and not dazzling props from a science fiction film. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Fit for purpose?And then there’s ergonomics. This essentially is to do with how easy the car is to use: how easy it is to get in and out of, and whether the controls, the various knobs, dials, pedals and levers, are within reach and have a clear purpose. This effects the dimensions of any car. To accommodate an ageing population, manufacturers are now designing cars that are ever easier to access – which typically has increased their average height. It may be tempting to design a car that looks like nothing else before it, but you’re not going to sell many if drivers can’t get in without bumping their heads or struggle to reach the brake pedal.Ubiquitous Euro NCAP safety testing has also been instrumental in subtly changing the shape, form and size of cars developed over the past two decades. An increased focus on stronger structures and safety features (for both occupants and pedestrians) has typically made cars larger and heavier, but it has also shaped car design. To depart from this with radically different forms, would not only be an expensive development, but could be regressive to occupant and pedestrian safety.But other future technologies could change all this. Autonomous, self-driving cars could alter the focus on safety (perhaps the number of accidents will be vastly reduced, an outcome that insurers are already recognising and ergonomics (if the car’s driving itself, why sit in the driving seat?), allowing designers to play around with design in exciting new ways. And if that happens, perhaps cars will begin to look like the future after all. Provided by The Conversation This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only. read more

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only. Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg faces tough questions later Tuesday at the European Parliament over the fallout from the Cambridge Analytica data breach scandal. Citation: Facebook boss faces European Parliament over data scandal (2018, May 22) retrieved 18 July 2019 from https://phys.org/news/2018-05-facebook-boss-european-parliament-scandal.html The social network boss’s appearance will be livestreamed to the public after angry EU lawmakers objected to initial plans to host the hearing in Brussels behind closed doors.His grilling by the heads of the parliament’s political groups at around 1630 GMT comes three days before the EU introduces sweeping new personal data protection rules, which the Facebook chief has now welcomed.”Great news for EU citizens,” European Parliament President Antonio Tajani tweeted on Monday about the decision to stream the hearing after days of bitter wrangling.MEPs had demanded that Zuckerberg show the transparency the scandal calls for.Facebook admitted that up to 87 million users may have had their data hijacked by British consultancy Cambridge Analytica, which worked for US President Donald Trump during his 2016 campaign.The Silicon Valley social network has told the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, that the personal data of up to 2.7 million Europeans may have been sent inappropriately to Cambridge Analytica, which has since filed for bankruptcy in the US.Tajani, who first invited the young American billionaire to testify before parliament back in March, will meet him around 1600 GMT, followed by parliamentary leaders.The Italian politician has warned Zuckerberg it would be a “big mistake” for him not to answer questions from an elected body that regulates a market of 500 million people, many of them Facebook users.Tajani said MEPs want to know if “people used data for changing the position of the citizens,” including during the shock 2016 referendum for Britain to leave the EU.In April, Tajani rejected Zuckerberg’s initial offer to send a more junior executive in his place. Explore further “I will attend the hearing with Mr Zuckerberg as webstreaming makes it now transparent and public,” Verhofstadt tweeted on Monday.”EU citizens have been most affected by the recent scandal and deserve to hear the truth,” the former Belgian premier said, inviting Europeans to send him questions for Zuckerberg.Udo Bullmann, of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, said it would have been a “farce” not to have a public event.The Greens party said “pressure worked” on Zuckerberg.EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova paid Zuckerberg a backhanded compliment in recent weeks for having admitted that the Facebook scandal showed the need for strict new rules despite the reluctance of the US internet giants.The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which comes into effect on Friday, aims to give users more control over how their personal information is stored and used online, with big fines for firms that break the rules.The laws will cover large tech companies like Facebook, Google, and Twitter that use personal data as an advertising goldmine, as well as firms like banks and also public bodies.Zuckerberg, who has repeatedly apologised for the massive data breach, told the US Congress in April that the more stringent EU rules could serve as a model globally. Zuckerberg’s appearance will be livestreamed to the public after angry EU lawmakers objected to initial plans to host the hearing behind closed doors Objecting to the latest plans for a closed-door hearing, MEPs insisted Zuckerberg face a grilling similar to his 10-hour interrogation in US Congress last month.’Hear the truth’Guy Vehofstadt, leader of the ALDE liberals group in parliament, had vowed to boycott the interrogation if it were not public. Facebook’s Zuckerberg agrees to live-stream EU parliament hearing The EU laws will cover large tech companies like Facebook, Google, and Twitter that use personal data © 2018 AFP read more

This Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018, photo shows Rivian R1T at Rivian headquarters in Plymouth, Mich. The company, which plans to start selling vehicles in two years, is another in a growing line of startups and established automakers looking to break into the fully electric vehicle market and take sales from Tesla Inc., the current leader. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) In this Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018, photo R.J. Scaringe, Chief Executive Officer of Rivian poses for a photo in Plymouth, Mich. The company, which plans to start selling vehicles in two years, is another in a growing line of startups and established automakers looking to break into the fully electric vehicle market and take sales from Tesla Inc., the current leader. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) All of them work for Rivian, which on Monday will unveil the two vehicles ahead of the Los Angeles Auto Show. It is among a growing line of startups and established automakers looking to enter the fully electric vehicle market.The influx of vehicles that run solely on batteries almost certainly will pull buyers from the current leader, Tesla, which likely will deliver over 300,000 vehicles worldwide this year.Established automakers such as Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, Jaguar-Land Rover, Volkswagen, Hyundai, General Motors, Ford and even vacuum cleaner maker Dyson have promised to roll out new electrics in the next few years. The luxury automakers compete directly with Tesla’s higher-margin vehicles, the Models X and S.There also are electric car brands in China. The two biggest brands by sales—BYD Auto, a unit of BYD Corp. in Shenzhen, near Hong Kong, and state-owned BAIC Group in Beijing—are making inroads into foreign markets.BYD sells battery-powered buses in the U.S., Japan and Europe. BAIC announced plans in April to manufacture electrics in South Africa. Its EC series, starting at 150,000 yuan ($22,000), is China’s top-selling electric car. The small startup still has a long way to go to sell vehicles, even though it says it has $500 million in funding. It has to develop a sales and service network, announce a battery cell supplier and start producing vehicles in a former Mitsubishi Motors plant it owns in Normal, Illinois.IHS analyst Stephanie Brinley says Tesla may lose sales for a time as competitors bite into a slow-growing market. But eventually she thinks electric vehicle sales will take off and Tesla sales will rise.At least publicly, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said many times the competition is good, fostering the company’s goal of sustainable transportation.”It is impossible for Tesla to build electric cars fast enough to address the carbon crisis,” Musk wrote in a 2014 blog. “Our true competition is not the small trickle of non-Tesla electric cars being produced, but rather the enormous flood of gasoline cars pouring out of the world’s factories every day.” This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only. This Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018, photo shows Rivian R1T at Rivian headquarters in Plymouth, Mich. The company, which plans to start selling vehicles in two years, is another in a growing line of startups and established automakers looking to break into the fully electric vehicle market and take sales from Tesla Inc., the current leader. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) For instance, Rivian is promising that the top version of its R1T pickup will have more than 400 miles (644 kilometers) of battery range per charge when it goes on sale in late 2020. The five-seat pickup is aimed at a market Tesla is not yet in, an off-road capable truck with outdoorsy features.Rivian, headquartered in Plymouth Township, Michigan, says the R1T can go fast on pavement, with one electric motor per wheel taking it from zero-to-60 mph (97 kilometers per hour) in three seconds. It also has a retractable bed cover, and storage space running across the width of the truck behind the rear seats that can carry surfboards, snowboards or skis. It has a unique white horizontal light bar across the front with oval headlamps.CEO R.J. Scaringe, 35, who has a Ph.D in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said exact pricing will be announced later, but a basic truck with smaller 230-mile (370 kilometers) battery pack will start under $70,000. A truck with the longer-range battery will be around $90,000, he said. In this Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018, photo R.J. Scaringe, Chief Executive Officer of Rivian poses for a photo in Plymouth, Mich. The company, which plans to start selling vehicles in two years, is another in a growing line of startups and established automakers looking to break into the fully electric vehicle market and take sales from Tesla Inc., the current leader. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) In this Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018, photo R.J. Scaringe, Chief Executive Officer of Rivian poses for a photo in Plymouth, Mich. The company, which plans to start selling vehicles in two years, is another in a growing line of startups and established automakers looking to break into the fully electric vehicle market and take sales from Tesla Inc., the current leader. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) Explore further In a renovated old cash register factory in suburban Detroit, 300 engineers are toiling away on an all-electric pickup truck and an SUV that they hope can take on Tesla. This Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018, photo shows Rivian R1T at Rivian headquarters in Plymouth, Mich. The company, which plans to start selling vehicles in two years, is another in a growing line of startups and established automakers looking to break into the fully electric vehicle market and take sales from Tesla Inc., the current leader. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) This Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018, photo shows Rivian R1T at Rivian headquarters in Plymouth, Mich. The company, which plans to start selling vehicles in two years, is another in a growing line of startups and established automakers looking to break into the fully electric vehicle market and take sales from Tesla Inc., the current leader. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) As competition ramps up, prices are gradually coming down, edging closer to cars with internal combustion engines. At the same time, electric range is on the rise. VW wants to storm car market with cheaper electric model Citation: Startups, old-line automakers aim to take bite out of Tesla (2018, November 26) retrieved 17 July 2019 from https://phys.org/news/2018-11-startups-old-line-automakers-aim-tesla.html © 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Sweden’s Volvo Cars, owned by China’s Geely Holding, says it plans to make an electric vehicle in China starting next year for sale worldwide.Michael Ramsey, senior analyst for Gartner, says Tesla “will unquestionably lose market share as more competitors come in.”What is unknown, though, is whether the demand for electric vehicles will rise enough so that there’s room for everybody. Currently the market is tiny. In the U.S., electric vehicles only amounted to 0.8 percent of new vehicle registrations through August this year, according to data from IHS Markit. But that’s substantially more than the 0.5 percent at the same time in 2017. Automakers in the U.S. sold just over 155,000 fully electric vehicles through October, about 1 percent of total sales, Edmunds.com says.Yet globally, Navigant Research predicts huge growth in the next seven years, from just over 1 million sales this year to 6.5 million by 2025. In this Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018, photo R.J. Scaringe, Chief Executive Officer of Rivian poses for a photo in Plymouth, Mich. The company, which plans to start selling vehicles in two years, is another in a growing line of startups and established automakers looking to break into the fully electric vehicle market and take sales from Tesla Inc., the current leader. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) read more

© 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2018, file photo shows the Tesla emblem on the back end of a Model S in the Tesla showroom in Santa Monica, Calif. The California Highway Patrol says it may have used the Autopilot system of a Tesla Model S to stop the car after its driver fell asleep early Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, in the San Francisco suburb of Redwood City. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File) The CHP says officers attempted to stop the Tesla Model S, which was doing about 70 mph (113 kph) on a highway early Friday in the San Francisco suburb of Redwood City. After the driver didn’t respond to lights or sirens, the officers say they pulled alongside and realized he was asleep.They pulled in front and began slowing to a stop, hoping the Tesla’s driver-assist program was on and would do the same. Authorities say the tactic worked.Alexander Samek of Los Altos was awakened and arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. It’s unclear whether he has a lawyer.Tesla hasn’t confirmed whether the car was using Autopilot. Explore further Citation: CHP may have used Tesla Autopilot to stop speeding car (2018, December 4) retrieved 17 July 2019 from https://phys.org/news/2018-12-chp-tesla-autopilot-car.html The California Highway Patrol says it may have used the Autopilot system of a Tesla to stop the car after its driver fell asleep. Tesla’s autopilot is better than you, statistically This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only. read more

BENGALURU (Reuters) – The European Central Bank will cut its deposit rate in September after signalling a bias to do so this month, according to economists in a Reuters poll who do not expect a turnaround in the euro zone’s economic fortunes any time soon. FILE PHOTO: The logo of the European Central Bank (ECB) is pictured outside its headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, December 8, 2016. REUTERS/Ralph OrlowskiMajor central banks on both sides of the Atlantic are under pressure to ease monetary policy to keep inflation expectations from collapsing amid slowing global growth, increased trade protectionism and weak economic data. When asked what the ECB was likely to do at its July meeting, two-thirds of economists said the central bank would change its forward guidance towards easing. (GRAPHIC – Reuters Poll: What will the ECB do on July 25? – tmsnrt.rs/32vgqWu) With inflation well below the central bank’s target and not predicted to pick up soon, the ECB is expected to cut its deposit rate by 10 basis points to an all-time low of -0.50% in September. “We don’t think it will be enough to get inflation back on track towards target. Clearly a 10-basis point move in interest rates doesn’t move the dial really,” said Andrew Kenningham, chief Europe economist at Capital Economics. “But the Governing Council will want to signal that they can do more. This … may have some marginal impact on monetary conditions. But no, I don’t think it will be enough.” Indeed, the July 4-17 Reuters poll of over 100 economists showed the outlook for euro zone growth and inflation — and for most major economies in the region — was at best left unchanged or downgraded compared to previous surveys. At 1.3%, euro zone inflation is lower than where it stood when the central bank stopped its 2.6 trillion euro (£2.3 trillion) asset purchase programme in December. While a majority of economists do not expect the ECB to relaunch asset purchases — known as quantitative easing, or QE — this year, nearly 40% of the respondents expected it to do so, up from about 15% last month. “A rate cut won’t do. While we do think that the ECB will cut rates, we mostly see this as a policy move that will precede the restart of QE,” said Daniele Antonucci, chief euro-area economist at Morgan Stanley. TIME TO PUSH AHEAD The European Commission cut its euro zone growth and inflation outlook last week, citing uncertainty over U.S. trade policy. Quarterly economic growth is set to have slowed to 0.2% last quarter and the consensus points to only a 0.3-0.4% rate of expansion in each quarter through to the end of next year. Inflation, which the ECB targets at just below 2%, is forecast to average 1.3% this year and is not expected to hit the target at any time in the forecast horizon which runs through to 2021. That is likely to give the ECB reason to push ahead with stimulus as hinted at in President Mario Draghi’s speeches over the past month. ECB board member Benoit Coeure said as much in a speech on Wednesday. “Looking ahead, the Governing Council is determined to act in case of adverse contingencies and also stands ready to adjust all of its instruments, as appropriate, to ensure that inflation continues to move towards the Governing Council’s inflation aim in a sustained manner,” Coeure said. The backdrop for the ECB, as for many other global central banks easing policy or considering it, is the U.S.-China trade war and the ructions it has caused. The euro zone is particularly exposed as its economy relies heavily on exports. “I would say the dominant story remains one of trade uncertainty and that will likely dampen the prospects of recovery over the coming six months or so,” said Bert Colijn, a senior economist at ING. All but four of 63 economists who answered a separate question said International Monetary Fund Chief Christine Lagarde, who is due to replace Draghi after he leaves in October, would continue with the current policy stance. “I think she’s not uncomfortable being in this position … because she has been a clear supporter of unconventional policy,” said Frederik Ducrozet, strategist at Pictet Wealth Management. Analysis and polling by Tushar Goenka and Manjul Paul; Editing by Ross Finley and Catherine EvansOur Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. read more

A History of Destruction: 8 Great Hurricanes Hurricane Barry is barreling northwest toward Louisiana, packing maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 km/h), with heavy rain, storm surges and dangerous winds expected along the northwest Gulf Coast. As of 11 a.m. ET, Barry was moving northwest in the Gulf of Mexico at 6 mph (9 km/h), and its eye was about 40 miles (65 kilometers) south of Lafayette, Louisiana, and about 50 miles (80 km) west of Morgan City, Louisiana. Hurricane forecasters expect the hurricane to lose strength over the next few hours, getting downgraded back to a tropical storm. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued a hurricane warning from Louisiana’s Intracoastal City to Grand Isle, meaning hurricane conditions are expected somewhere in that area over the next 36 hours or so.These Sharks Were Too Busy to Notice a Bigger Predator Watching ThemThe unexpected twist at the end of this feeding frenzy delighted scientists.Credit: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Windows to the Deep 2019Your Recommended PlaylistVolume 0%Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcutsKeyboard Shortcutsplay/pauseincrease volumedecrease volumeseek forwardsseek backwardstoggle captionstoggle fullscreenmute/unmuteseek to %SPACE↑↓→←cfm0-9接下来播放Headbutting Tiny Worms Are Really, Really Loud00:35关闭选项Automated Captions – en-US facebook twitter 发邮件 reddit 链接https://www.livescience.com/65932-hurricane-barry-barrels-toward-louisiana.html?jwsource=cl已复制直播00:0002:2802:28  Barry is expected to turn toward the north-northwest tonight, followed by a turn toward the north on Sunday (July 14), NOAA said. The center of the storm is forecast to move through southern Louisiana today and central Louisiana tonight. Then on Sunday, it should be churning through northern Louisiana, NOAA forecasts. “A lot of rainfall still yet to come out in the Gulf of Mexico,” NOAA National Hurricane Center director Ken Graham said during a Facebook Live at 11 a.m. ET. The rainfall will then start to impact portions of Louisiana, including New Orleans, he said. Because of the high winds, there’s a chance of tornadoes spinning off Barry. “A few tornadoes are possible through tonight across the southeast Louisiana, southern Mississippi and southern Alabama,” according to NOAA’s forecast. Originally published on Live Science. 5 Things Hurricane Sandy Changed for Good Hurricane Katrina History and Numbers (Infographic) read more

7 Side Effects of Cancer Treatment, and How to Cope with Them A simple cold virus could wipe out tumors in a form of bladder cancer, a small new study suggests. Though the idea of using viruses to fight cancer isn’t new, this is the first time a cold virus effectively treated an early-stage form of bladder cancer. In one patient, it eliminated a cancerous tumor, the group reported July 4 in the journal Clinical Cancer Research. A group of researchers conducted an early-stage clinical trial in which they infected 15 bladder cancer patients with coxsackievirus A21, which is one of the viruses that cause the common cold. Coxsackievirus is not a genetically modified virus; it’s “something that occurs in nature,” said senior author Hardev Pandha, a professor of medical oncology at the University of Surrey in England. [Exercise May Reduce the Risk of These 13 Cancers]Headbutting Tiny Worms Are Really, Really LoudThis rapid strike produces a loud ‘pop’ comparable to those made by snapping shrimps, one of the most intense biological sounds measured at sea.Your Recommended PlaylistVolume 0%Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcutsKeyboard Shortcutsplay/pauseincrease volumedecrease volumeseek forwardsseek backwardstoggle captionstoggle fullscreenmute/unmuteseek to %SPACE↑↓→←cfm0-9接下来播放Why Is It ‘Snowing’ Salt in the Dead Sea?01:53 facebook twitter 发邮件 reddit 链接https://www.livescience.com/65908-cold-virus-might-treat-bladder-cancer.html?jwsource=cl已复制直播00:0000:3500:35  The researchers gave the patients the virus through catheters that the patients already had inserted for other treatments. They left the virus-filled catheter in for an hour to pump the fluids into the bladder and repeated this treatment. Then, the patients underwent surgery to remove what was left of their bladder tumors. In one patient, the virus completely destroyed the tumor. In all of the other patients, the researchers found evidence that the virus had damaged the tumors and had spurred the immune system to send an army of immune cells to the tumors. None of the patients had any significant side effects, Pandha said. Researchers thought this method would work because the outer membranes of cancerous bladder cells contain a gateway for the coxsackievirus: a molecule called ICAM-1. Because healthy cells don’t carry this molecule, the coxsackievirus doesn’t attack them. Once the virus gets into the cell, it hijacks the cell’s machinery and ends up killing it. Even more cancer cells die when the immune cells are recruited. ICAM-1 is also expressed by other cancer cells, and coxsackievirus has, in fact been previously shown to be effective in treating very advanced bladder cancer and other cancers, such as melanoma, Pandha said. Even so, this is still an early-stage trial, and there’s still a long way to go before the method can be used in treatment, Pandha said. “This would be the foundation for much larger studies where we’d build on this,” he said. Newer studies will try to make the treatment more effective and stop the cancer from coming back, he added. Unfortunately, just getting a common cold won’t treat the cancer on its own. Pandha’s team gave a much higher dose of the virus than you would get if someone coughed on you and you got sick, for example. Interestingly, the patients who were given the virus through the catheter did not get cold symptoms. “I agree that [such viruses are] good therapeutic target[s]” for certain types of cancers, like bladder cancer, said Grant McFadden, director of the Biodesign Center for Immunotherapy, Vaccines and Virotherapy at Arizona State University, who was not a part of the study. But he noted that many studies have looked at whether viruses can target cancer cells. In fact, a host of viruses have been studied for attacking bladder cancer, specifically. It’s likely that many viruses will work well to treat bladder cancer and at least some tumor-destroying viruses “will get approved for use in humans,” McFadden told Live Science. “But this paper isn’t really new or innovative.” In fact, the idea of using viruses to treat cancer goes back nearly 100 years, Pandha said, but only in the past decade or so has it gained momentum. Editor’s note: This article was updated. Only a couple of the authors (not Pandha) are employed by Viralytics, a Merck-owned biotech company that is developing viral-based cancer treatments. Colorful But Deadly: Images of Brain Cancer 7 Odd Things That Raise Your Risk of Cancer (and 1 That Doesn’t) Originally published on Live Science.by Taboolaby TaboolaSponsored LinksSponsored LinksPromoted LinksPromoted LinksYou May LikeTruthFinder People Search SubscriptionOne Thing All Liars Have in Common, Brace YourselfTruthFinder People Search SubscriptionUndoVikings: Free Online GamePlay this for 1 minute and see why everyone is addictedVikings: Free Online GameUndoGundry MD Total Restore SupplementU.S. Cardiologist: It’s Like a Pressure Wash for Your InsidesGundry MD Total Restore SupplementUndoHealthCentral.com7 Sneaky Signs of Lung CancerHealthCentral.comUndoYahoo SearchYou’ve Never Seen Luxury Like This On A Cruise Ship. 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