Category Archives: Human Longevity

The only thing missing from the serenity is an OLED. (Photo credit: Image by Steve Adcock via Pixabay; used under free license for commercial or non-commercial purposes.)

OLED proponents have long struggled to make substantial inroads into the lighting market, but they continue to push, and to identify new segments where the technology could be just right. The latest example: OLEDWorks wants to outfit recreational vehicles yes, RVs with the technologys soft and sleek illumination.

Its a market that excites the Rochester, NY-based company with growth potential, because as director of user experience Kathleen Vaeth noted in a recent blog post, RV sales are on the rise as people rethink their vacations in the era of social distancing and international travel restrictions, and start heading to national parks and the like.

On top of that, thin and flexible OLEDs are simpatico with modern RV interior design which Vaeth notes, has come on in leaps and bounds.

First, our obligatory, quick refresher: OLEDs (organic light-emitting diodes) are different from LEDs in that OLEDs are a thin material that entirely lights up in response to an electric charge, whereas LEDs are single light points. Invented at Rochester-based Eastman Kodak in 1987 (OLEDWorks was founded 10 years ago by former Kodak scientists), OLEDs have long failed to live up to the expectation that they will revolutionize lighting by literally weaving into the fabric of everything from lamps and fixtures to ceilings, walls, furniture, fashion, building faades, you name it. One problem is that the design of LED fixtures continues to improve; and OLEDs have trailed LEDs in energy efficiency.

But OLEDs are declining in price, improving in efficiency and slowly creeping into general illumination.

They are also finding specialty, niche, and architectural design uses. OLEDWorks will be supplying tail lights to Audi, for example.

RVs could be next, if OLEDWorks has its way. The company certainly thinks theres a big need.

The interior design has progressed significantly in recent years, allowing travelers to bring the comforts of home along with them, waxes Vaeth. High-quality cabinets, quartz countertops and spacious kitchens, leather seating, flat-screen TVs, air conditioning, solar power, and Wi-Fi connectivity are common features in todays models. But what about comfortable lighting?

Of course, she has the answer: The artificial lighting in these units have not progressed as much by comparison. At OLEDWorks, we think that this is the next frontier for designers to address and continue the revolution of the indoor RV space.

Vaeth points out that OLEDs, with their slim profile, fit the tight spaces of an RV, and also reduce overall vehicle weight, which reduces fuel consumption.

OLED lighting panels, measuring 1.4 millimeters in thickness and weighing less than 40 grams, offer an ultracompact and lightweight form factor that opens up the possibility of easily integrating lighting on horizontal and vertical surfaces, or in compact locations such as under cabinets and in drawers, she notes.

The thinness provides an aesthetic complemented by a mirror finish in the off state that can be used to accent the space, or blend into the background, Vaeth adds. She also trots out an attribute that OLED supporters often ascribe to the technology: The light is soft, diffuse, and glare free. Likewise, she notes that OLEDWorks thin panels avoid the blue spectrum that can undermine sleep when used at night, and that it avoids ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths which can be damaging.

This makes OLEDs compatible with lighting trends emphasizing lighting design for sustainability and human health, she notes.

Vaeths blog noticeably does not identify any signed-up RV customers. As OLED vendors hit the RV highway in search of deals, they will undoubtedly run into LED competitors, who offer many similar benefits, with LEDs probably still maintaining an edge in efficiency and in longevity. OLEDs might just have the leg up in design advantages, especially considering the space restrictions of an RV.

Describing the state of RV lighting today with technologies including incandescent, compact fluorescent, and LEDs, Vaeth notes, Most fixtures are small and compact but tend to be integrated into ceilings as recessed lighting or circular flush-mounted fixtures with push button switches. Specialized fixtures integrated for closer, more flexible illumination in spaces such sleeping areas can often be overly bright, or too dim. This can make for an illumination experience, even in the most state-of-the-art models, that is uneven with sharp contrast and shadows, and high in glare, which can cause discomfort and eye strain.

To paraphrase Vaeth, theres nothing like an OLED to take care of those shortcomings.

Wi-Fi. Quartz countertops. Flat-screen TVs. OLEDs. Ah, the great outdoors.

MARK HALPERis a contributing editor for LEDs Magazine, and an energy, technology, and business journalist (markhalper@aol.com).

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Could the latest in OLED lighting be heading into an RV? - LEDs Magazine

The tragic death of George Floyd and the ensuing civil unrest in our country has once again placed the spotlight on police use of force and the policies and practices that govern it.

There has been a demand for reform and defunding the police to effect drastic change within law enforcement culture. I wish to share my perspective on this paradigm, as a career law enforcement officer who has served the citizens of Atlantic County in two separate agencies for over 25 years.

As a retired lieutenant from the Atlantic City Police Department and as the sheriff of Atlantic County, I firmly support our police and can tell you from experience that the outstanding police officers far outnumber those who are unfit to serve in our communities.

However, we cannot continue to allow events like these to occur without taking meaningful inventory of our policies, tactics and training to enhance our efficiency and effectiveness as guardians and safe keepers of our communities. As sheriff, I am constantly looking for ways to improve our delivery of services and keep our officers and communities safe. This is a complex and layered issue that requires funding and commitment from local and federal governments to facilitate and sustain meaningful and positive change. Additionally, there are human factors that need to be addressed that will result in better policing. Here are some fundamental components that, in my opinion, would support systemic change:

Mandatory pre-employment screening, mental health wellness and resilience training: Psychological fitness should begin at the hiring stage and continue throughout an officers career to include mental health checkups and resiliency training. Officers will be exposed to repetitive trauma throughout their careers. It is paramount they are given the skills to adapt and overcome these experiences for the sake of their own mental health, to be present for their families and to view and serve their communities through an empathetic lens.

Standardize physical fitness requirements: Officers should be physically prepared to respond to any situation they may encounter. Physical stress is a huge part of the job that takes its toll on an officers overall health. The frequency of fight or flight in the typical officers experience is significantly higher than the average civilian. That stress response causes massive dumps of cortisol for the officer, which ultimately leads to numerous serious health concerns. Physical fitness is a critical requirement for longevity and adaptation to stress from the job.

Weekly tactical training: Training is also a crucial part of the equation to be an effective officer. They are expected to perform under high-stress, rapidly unfolding circumstances much like professional athletes. However, in most cases, they do not receive the support or time to build their skill set individually or in terms of team tactics. Standardized tactical training should be mandatory every week. Consistent training will result in increased officer confidence under pressure and improvements in overall performance.

Age and education restrictions: The emotional intelligence, life experience and education of an officer can impact his or her ability to deal with certain types of critical incidents. Science suggests the human brain is not fully developed until 24 years of age, yet there are no uniform hiring requirements to reflect these findings. A hard look should be given at establishing requirements raising the minimum age for new hires, creating higher education standards and placing limits on the maximum age of an officer, especially as it relates to physical fitness capabilities.

Community engagement: Community engagement falls squarely on the shoulders of the agency and should become part of every police organization. In other words, it should be part of the daily routine of every officer from top to bottom. This will allow the community to become familiar with their local police officers and form mutual respect for one another.

Leadership and accountability: There are many great leaders in our local and state police departments, but enhanced training and experience should apply to them as well. Professional development should be consistent and on-going to truly produce visionary leaders. Leaders who develop self-awareness inevitably create self-management skills and see personal and organizational accountability as a high priority. By implementing standardized and consistent self-assessment, training, and community engagement, we will create a greater police professionalism and community relationships built on trust and transparency which, ironically, will result in more support for the police and a healthier and safer community for all.

ERIC SCHEFFLER

Atlantic CountySheriff

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County sheriff offers components for improved policing - Press of Atlantic City

Bats have been blamed as a possible source of the new coronavirus pandemic ravaging the globe. But they might also point to possible ways out of it.

Scientists say the winged mammals' immune systems may offer clues on how to fight the new coronavirus and other dangerous viruses in humans.

"Humans have two possible strategies if we want to prevent inflammation, live longer and avoid the deadly effects of diseases like Covid-19," explained study lead author Vera Gorbunova, a professor of biology at the University of Rochester in New York. "One would be to not be exposed to any viruses, but that's not practical. The second would be to regulate our immune system more like a bat."

Resistance and longevity

Many deadly viruses that affect people are believed to have originated in bats, including rabies, Ebola and SARS-CoV-2, the strain that causes Covid-19. But bats have evolved a secret weapon: They're better able to tolerate viruses than humans and other mammals.

"We've been interested in longevity and disease resistance in bats for a while, but we didn't have the time to sit and think about it," Gorbunova said in a university news release.

"Being in quarantine gave us time to discuss this, and we realised there may be a very strong connection between bats' resistance to infectious diseases and their longevity. We also realised that bats can provide clues to human therapies used to fight diseases," she explained.

Typically, a species' lifespan is associated with its body size. The smaller a species, the shorter its lifespan. But many bat species have lifespans of 30 to 40 years, which is impressive for their size, the authors noted in a review article published recently in Cell Metabolism.

Bats' longevity and tolerance to viruses may be due to their ability to control inflammation, which is involved in both ageing and disease. Viruses, including Covid-19, can trigger inflammation.

Our bodies overreact

With Covid-19, this inflammatory response goes "haywire", Gorbunova said. In fact, in many cases it is the inflammatory response that kills the patient, more so than the virus itself.

"The human immune system works like that: Once we get infected, our body sounds an alarm and we develop a fever and inflammation. The goal is to kill the virus and fight infection, but it can also be a detrimental response as our bodies overreact to the threat," Gorbunova said.

In contrast, bats' immune systems control viruses without mounting a strong inflammatory response.

There are several possible reasons why bats evolved to fight viruses and live long lives. Flight may be one of them, the researchers noted.

Constant exposure to viruses

Bats are the only mammals that can fly, which required them to adapt to rapid increases in body temperature, sudden surges in metabolism and molecular damage. These adaptations may also assist in disease resistance, the study authors suggested.

Another factor is that many species of bats live in large, dense colonies, and hang close together on cave ceilings or in trees. Those conditions are ideal for transmitting viruses and other pathogens.

According to Andrei Seluanov, a biology professor at the University of Rochester, "Bats are constantly exposed to viruses. They are always flying out and bringing back something new to the cave or nest, and they transfer the virus because they live in such close proximity to each other."

This means that bats' immune systems are continuously adapting to deal with new viruses. Studying bats' immune systems could lead to new ways to fight aging and diseases in humans, the researchers said.

Image credit: Igam Ogam, Unsplash

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Coronavirus may have come from bats; could they also hold clues to treatments? - Health24

A global nightmare put an end toLe Rve, French for The Dream. But the aquatic revue at Wynn Las Vegas had a charmed life for most of its 15 years, provided you could keep up with that ever-shifting quality people associate with their own dreams.

Granted, you dont expect a lot of solid footing in a water show, where the audience surrounded the high-divers and the acrobatics staged in and above a pool. And only in Las Vegas would we already have one.

When it opened in 2005,Le Rvewas initially dismissed as a bungled knock-off of Cirque du SoleilsO. But on it ran, rarely sitting still as it worked to distance itself. The hotel was always announcing some new addition or revision, with a lot of chefs in the kitchen. And some of the most specific decisions, down to the music and costumes, were made by the chef who had a whole company to oversee: hotel namesake Steve Wynn.

August 14 brought the news thatLe Rvewould remain closed even after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, ending another old-Vegas anomaly: The show was 100 percent owned by Wynn Resorts, and its cast and crew were hotel employees. That didnt mean much to ticket-buyers, unless they stepped back to notice that nearly every other theater space in town was leased to independent producers who took on most of the risk. But its also a likely explanation for why the hotel chose not to wait out the pandemic.

Brian Burke was the shows artistic director for six years, and is now a producer on NBCsAmericas Got Talent. He says that compared to California, Nevada officials havent done a good job of coordinating a reopening plan with its entertainment industry. You cant buy a show ticket, but you can sit down in the restaurant next to theLe Rvetheater and have dinner, he notes. If a show isnt even allowed to test whether it could, say, run three times a day for a one-third capacity house, Nobody can sustain paying people for that long.

It takes a good memory now to recall times so good the Strip could havetwomultimillion-dollar aquatic shows, and the biggest challenge was trying to make them stand apart from one another.Le Rvewasnt supposed to be a direct competitor ofO. It evolved from plans for a short outdoor water show to be staged several times a day, and the original $12 million budget was a fraction of Cirques. But it evolved into more of what people expected it to be, a schizophrenic mix of what was then expected of Cirque-era Vegas, and the restless ambition of Steve Wynn and former Cirque director Franco Dragone.

People were dumping money down the street atKA(the Cirque show that cost at least $165 million), and Franco wanted to make a human-based show, Burke recalls. But Wynn pumped at least another $25 million more into makingLe Rvelighter and brighter. His obsession some would call it micromanaging with the aquacade hearkened back to an earlier, pre-corporate era of Las Vegas, when properties were defined by their entertainment and the colorful figures in charge of it.

Wynn and Dragone had already transformed the Strip with CirquesMystereandO, but their relationship was, well, complicated, and for a time Dragone was out of the picture altogether. I prefer Cezanne, and he loves Matisse, Dragone once explained.

Changes came early and often, starting with a quick and drastic overhaul in the week after Dragone shocked some patrons of a charity premiere by showing them pregnant women doing belly flops and fishing nets dredging up eerie reminders of another global catastrophe the previous years giant tsunami. (I am not the same man I was in 98, Dragone explained. I have seen 9/11. I have seen the Iraq war, Katrina. Yes,Le Rveis darker, but why not?). And it was still being tweaked by yet another creative hand, Broadway director Philip McKinley, almost up to the week in February 2018 when Wynn resigned as chairman of his company amid accusations of sexual misconduct.

The friction sort of became the gold in a way, Burke says now. Those guys are dreamers, theyre big thinkers, and I feel the influence of working with them.

Le Rvewas sure sexier than its Cirque counterpart, once it settled into a storyline focused on the erotic longings of a beautiful dreamer, as the old song goes. "It's very hard to take the Cirque references out," Wynn noted in late 2007, as he explored new corners of pop culture by recruiting Maksim Chmerkovskiy, ofDancing with the Stars, to add ballroom dancing to the aquatic mix.

Everyone was there as a collective, and even though it was run by a corporate entity, it was intimate, personal, hands-on, Burke says. It was a family environment, and everyone really believed in it. Everybody didnt become a number. And thats why people have such passion about the fact that it closed.

The price of longevity is becoming just another fixture on the Strips landscape, one that locals tend to forget until visitors came to town. But, unlike the faded showgirl opusJubilee, no one no one imaginedLe Rvewould close after only 15 years.Jubileewas another rare hotel-owned production, and its closing was said to owe less to the waning appeal of showgirls than the desire to get all those cast and crew members off the hotel payroll. It wouldnt be wild speculation to wonder if, once the pandemic is over, an outside producer maybe even one named Dragone would turn the spigots back on and stage a new show on the water.

My ultimate hope would be that the pandemic ends, and Franco and I would be the ones to get to do the newLe Rve, Burke says. We dont just want to go in like a vulture, but its like a piece of your soul and your heart is there.

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The Dream Is Over - KNPR

NEW YORK, Aug. 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Trellus Health, a resilience-driven digital health solution for chronic conditions, today announced that it has raised $5 million of seed funding to transform the way chronic conditions are treated, with an initial focus in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. The round was led by Mount Sinai Health System(MSHS) and EKF Diagnostics, a global medical manufacturer of point-of-care and central lab devices and tests. Trellus has also entered into an exclusive multi-year contract with MSHS to commercialize its patent pending GRITT-IBDTM resilience assessment and personalized treatment methodology.

Ninety-percent of the United States' $3.3 trillion annual health care expenditure is for chronic diseases, with patients suffering from both chronic medical and mental health conditions costing twice as much, according to the CDC. Despite these cost implications, traditional care models fail to address the emotional well-being of people with chronic conditions, and access to expert interdisciplinary care resources to deliver specialist-level care is highly limited.

"We are transforming the way chronic conditions are treated by developing a resilience-driven connected care platform that integrates precision medicine with psychosocial care," said Monique Fayad, CEO of Trellus Health. "The traditional journey of medical care for people living with chronic conditions typically results in repeated costly, unplanned emergency room visits and hospitalizations, high rates of work absenteeism and lost productivity, as well as chronic disability and behavioral health issues. We're working to change this by focusing on building patients' resilience while integrating all partners in care, including employers, insurance plans, health systems, Trellus-certified GI providers, nurses, psychologists, and dieticians who can utilize Trellus Health's proprietary platform to effectively monitor and communicate with patients and their caregivers in real time."

The first chronic condition that Trellus Health will address is IBD, one of the costliest chronic conditions with a high mental health burden, affecting 3 million patients in the U.S.(7 million globally) and costing the U.S. healthcare system over $30 billion a year, according to the Cost of Inflammatory Bowel Disease: An Initiative From the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation 2019.Since 2016, the company's co-founders, Marla Dubinsky, MD, and Laurie Keefer, PhD, who together bring close to 50 years of experience managing IBD and serve as co-directors of the Mount Sinai IBD Medical Home, have integrated resilience-driven multi-disciplinary care into the management of IBD patients.

"Our research on over 200 IBD patients indicates that more than 70% believe their condition would be better managed if they had support for anxiety or depression," said Dubinsky, who along with being a co-founder and board member, is also a Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine, Chief of Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and co-director of Susan and Leonard Feinstein IBD Clinical Center at Mount Sinai. "By personalizing care to address the psychosocial needs of all IBD patients and applying the latest evidence-based clinical approaches, we can help patients achieve disease control and enjoy a significantly improved quality of life."

Resilience-driven care incorporates positive psychology principles into all aspects of chronic disease management, with a focus on building acceptance, optimism, self-regulation, self-efficacy, and social support. Proven health benefits of resilience include increased longevity, cardiovascular, immune, and cognitive function, as well as physical well-being and reduced risk for depression and anxiety.

"Crohn's disease was discovered at Mount Sinai by Dr. Burrill Crohn nearly 100 years ago, and the System has made great strides in enhancing the the standard of care and outcomes for our patients," said Erik Lium, President, Mount Sinai Innovation Partners and Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Innovation Officer at Mount Sinai. "We're pleased to partner with Trellus Health to advance commercial development of a resilience-driven approach and connected care model for treating IBD and other complex chronic conditions, making Mount Sinai's technology available to more patients."

"Dr. Keefer's important research utilizing the GRITTTM Method at the Mount Sinai IBD Center shows first-hand how resilience-driven multidisciplinary care significantly reduces unplanned care," said Julian Baines, CEO of EKF Diagnostics. "We are excited to support Trellus in helping millions of people reduce their disease burden and improve their overall well being."

About Trellus HealthTrellus Health is a leading pioneer in resilience-driven care for people with complex chronic conditions. Through its multidisciplinary connected care platform, Trellus coordinates expert whole-person care, including both clinical and behavioral health, to improve outcomes and to reduce healthcare costs for patients, employers, and the healthcare system. The Company leverages its patent-pending GRITT-IBDTM resilience assessment and personalized treatment methodology, developed at the Mount Sinai Health System, to support patient resilience and wellness for better outcomes. For more information on Trellus Health, visit http://www.trellushealth.com.

The resilience-driven connected care solution described is based on technology developed by Mount Sinai faculty and licensed to Trellus Health. Mount Sinai and Mount Sinai faculty members Marla Dubinsky, MD, and Laurie Keefer, PhD,have a financial interest in Trellus Health.

About the Mount Sinai Health SystemThe Mount Sinai Health System is New York City's largest academic medical system, encompassing eight hospitals, a leading medical school, and a vast network of ambulatory practices throughout the greater New York region. Mount Sinai is a national and international source of unrivaled education, translational research and discovery, and collaborative clinical leadership ensuring that we deliver the highest quality carefrom prevention to treatment of the most serious and complex human diseases. The Health System includes more than 7,200 physicians and features a robust and continually expanding network of multispecialty services, including more than 400 ambulatory practice locations throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, and Long Island. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked No. 14 onU.S. News & World Report's"Honor Roll" of the Top 20 Best Hospitals in the country and the Icahn School of Medicine as one of the Top 20 Best Medical Schools in country. Mount Sinai Health System hospitals are consistently ranked regionally by specialty and our physicians in the top 1% of all physicians nationally byU.S. News & World Report.

For more information, visithttps://www.mountsinai.orgor find Mount Sinai onFacebook,TwitterandYouTube.

About Mount Sinai Innovation Partners (MSIP)MSIP is responsible for driving the real-world application and commercialization of Mount Sinai discoveries and inventions, and the development of research partnerships with industry. Our aim is to translate discoveries and inventions into health care products and services that benefit patients and society. MSIP is accountable for the full spectrum of commercialization activities required to bring Mount Sinai inventions to life. These activities include evaluating, patenting, marketing and licensing new technologies building research, collaborations and partnerships with commercial and nonprofit entities, material transfer and confidentiality, coaching innovators to advance commercially relevant translational discoveries, and actively fostering an ecosystem of entrepreneurship within the Mount Sinai research and health system communities. For more information, visitwww.ip.mountsinai.org.

About EKF DiagnosticsEKF Diagnostics is a global medical manufacturer of point-of-care (POCT) devices and tests for hemoglobin, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), glucose and lactate. EKF has offices in the UK, Germany, USA, Russia and China and a network of more than 200 distributors covering every country.

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Trellus Health Secures $5M Seed Funding to Transform Care for Chronic Conditions - BioSpace

The Edogawa NICHE Prize for the year 2020 has been awarded to Dr. John Craig Venter for his contribution to research and development pertaining to the Human genome. This honor reflects Dr. Venters lifetime accomplishments in the power of the genomics and specifically in the identification of the human genome which has radically transformed healthcare according to Prof. Gary Levy, chair, Edogawa NICHE awards committee (www.edogawanicheprize.org).

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Dr. John Craig Venter, recipient of the 2020 Edogawa NICHE Prize, for his contribution to research and development pertaining to the Human genome. (Photo: Business Wire)

Edogawa NICHE Prize was Instituted in 2018, by the Jinseisha trust, and the Nichi-In Centre for Regenerative Medicine (NCRM), which honours scientists or clinicians whose contributions lead to the development of prevention, diagnosis or treatment of any disease, through an inter-disciplinary approach. Alumni of the Fujio Cup Quiz, a part of NCRM NICHE, (www.ncrmniche.org), have priority for nomination, a unique feature of this prize. Previous awardees include Prof James Till, University of Toronto, Canada for discovery of stem cells (2018) and Dr. Steven Rosenberg, National Institutes of Health, USA for his groundbreaking work on T-lymphocyte immunotherapy (2019).

Dr. Venter was born in Salt Lake City Utah on October 14, 1946. He started his college education at the College of San Mateo, CA and later studied Biochemistry in University of California, San Diego under biochemist Nathan O. Kaplan. After obtaining a PhD in Physiology and Pharmacology from UCSD, he became a Professor at the State University of New York and joined the National Institute of Health in 1984. He has founded Celera Genomics, The Institute of Genomic Research (TIGR), J.Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) and co-founded Human Longevity Inc and Synthetic Genomics.

His path breaking sequencing of the first human genome with the Human Genome Project further progressed to transfecting a cell with a synthetic chromosome, a feat that has opened up opportunities to develop novel solutions not only in healthcare, but also in environmental issues and energy domain.

The awarding of the Edogawa NICHE prize to Dr Venter is the most recent in a string of honors including United States Medal of Science (2008), Gardner Foundation International Award (2002), Paul Erlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize (2001) and the King Faisal International Award of Science (2001). He was listed on Time Magazines list of the most influential people in the world.

The award ceremony date will be announced later.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200814005092/en/

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Researcher John Craig Venter Is Awarded the 2020 Edogawa-NICHE Prize for His Accomplishment in Human Genome Research - Financialbuzz.com