Mathematics and fine art: Digitizing paintings through image processing

[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 25-Sep-2012
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Contact: Karthika Muthukumaraswamy
karthika@siam.org
267-350-6383
Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics

Philadelphia September 25, 2012The current trend to digitize everything is not lost on fine art. Documenting, distributing, conserving, storing and restoring paintings require that digital copies be made. The Google Art Project, which brings art from galleries around the world to online audiences, was launched in early 2011 for precisely these reasons. Google's project has been a complex undertaking, however, carried out under carefully controlled settings using state-of-the-art equipment and requiring rigorous postproduction work.

In a paper published this month in the SIAM Journal on Imaging Sciences, authors Gloria Haro, Antoni Buades and Jean-Michel Morel propose a far simpler technique that can achieve reliable reproductions of paintings using fusion of photographs taken from different angles through statistical methods. The simple photographic procedure eliminates the need for sophisticated illumination and acquisition requirements. The postproduction process, while intensive, is fully automated.

The fusion of multiple images of a painting from well-chosen angles can eliminate glare, highlights and motion blur. Robust statistical methods reduce noise and compensate for optical distortion, thus addressing the problem of uncontrolled illumination and destructive reflection that tends to be seen in many digitized paintings.

One of the main advantages of the method described is that image fusion obviates the need for a high-performance camera. "This article demonstrates the possibility of acquiring a good quality image of a painting from amateur snapshots taken in bursts from different angles, in normal museum illumination," says senior author Jean-Michel Morel. "The photographing procedure is simple and can be done with a commercial hand-held camera by an amateur photographer." Thus, paintings can be digitized even under poor light conditions, and this includes museum pieces that may be protected by glass screens that reflect light from other objects in the room.

The only requirement is for the photographer to take as many shots from as many angles as possible, making sure that no particular detail is affected by glare in a majority of the photographs. "This acquisition is then followed by an intensive (but fully automatic) post-production chain, whose mathematical and algorithmic definition is precisely the object of the article," author Morel explains.

First, each series of images taken from the same position at the same instanttermed "bursts"is fused to get single views with little noise and motion blur. A weighted average is used to obtain the sharpest possible image. Fusion of multiple images taken from the same position allows removal of noise and compression artifacts, while permitting emphasis of details. This is called burst denoising.

Highlightsregions of an image where extreme brightness causes information to be lostcan also be removed using photographs taken from various viewpoints. Finally, Poisson editing, a technique which allows seamless blending of images, and robust gradient statistics are used to fuse all final views from each burst. This brings images taken from different angles containing many reflections, highlights and shadows, into one final frontal-view image.

Fusion of images also does away with the need for controlled illumination, which is absolutely necessary in the case of single photograph techniques as used in the Google Project. The authors point out that with a single photograph it is much harder to eliminate glare and reflectance noise, which they find evident in white saturated regions caused by reflections in some photographs in Google's database. The image processing chain described in this paper takes the best advantage of a group of photographs and can work with as few as three. "The image fusion algorithm described in the paper can be applied to a video of the painting as well, though it would be very slow. An extension of the technique to video therefore requires a technological effort," Morel explains.

Likening photography of a painting to viewing it at a museum (several walkarounds are needed to find an optimal viewing position), the authors assert that a quality image of a painting with a complete view cannot be obtained by a single photograph, or even multiple photographs taken from the same position, regardless of the capabilities of a camera.

Once an image clear of imperfections caused by setup and illumination is obtained, color mapping, contrast, and other subjective features are left to photographers and artists. As the authors explain, "There is no absolute definition of a "good" photograph of a painting. This is an artistic question that goes beyond the scope of image processing as a technique."

The methods described in the paper could potentially be used in image restoration. In addition, these methods can be applied to 3-D objects, though the process is slow and success cannot be guaranteed. Future research will be directed toward better digitization of three-dimensional art using these techniques. "The digital recreation of 3D pieces of art is the subject of very active research to resolve its obviously more complex issues," Morel says.

###

This paper describes just one of many uses for the highly versatile field of image processing. View a video overview of image processing from SIAM's Annual Meeting:

Math behind Visual Effects and Image Processing:
http://y2u.be/hie_52HxL68

About the authors:

Dr. Gloria Haro is a postdoctoral researcher at Dept. Tecnologies de la Informaci i les Comunicacions (DTIC) at Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain. Dr. Antoni Buades is a postdoctoral researcher at Department de Mathmatiques e Informatica, Universitat de les Illes Balears, in Balears, Spain and MAP5 (CNRS Universit Paris-Descartes). Dr. Jean-Michel Morel is a professor at the Centre de Mathmatiques et de Leurs Applications (CMLA) at Ecole Normale Suprieure de Cachan in Cachan, France.

Source article:

Photographing Paintings by Image Fusion
Gloria Haro, Antoni Buades and Jean-Michel Morel, SIAM Journal on Imaging Sciences, 5(3), 1055?. (Online publish date: September 13, 2012)

[Reporters are free to use this text as long as they acknowledge SIAM]

About SIAM

The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is an international society of over 14,000 individual members, including applied and computational mathematicians and computer scientists, as well as other scientists and engineers. Members from 85 countries are researchers, educators, students, and practitioners in industry, government, laboratories, and academia. The Society, which also includes nearly 500 academic and corporate institutional members, serves and advances the disciplines of applied mathematics and computational science by publishing a variety of books and prestigious peer-reviewed research journals, by conducting conferences, and by hosting activity groups in various areas of mathematics. SIAM provides many opportunities for students including regional sections and student chapters. Further information is available at www.siam.org.

[Reporters are free to use this text as long as they acknowledge SIAM]


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?


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[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 25-Sep-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Karthika Muthukumaraswamy
karthika@siam.org
267-350-6383
Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics

Philadelphia September 25, 2012The current trend to digitize everything is not lost on fine art. Documenting, distributing, conserving, storing and restoring paintings require that digital copies be made. The Google Art Project, which brings art from galleries around the world to online audiences, was launched in early 2011 for precisely these reasons. Google's project has been a complex undertaking, however, carried out under carefully controlled settings using state-of-the-art equipment and requiring rigorous postproduction work.

In a paper published this month in the SIAM Journal on Imaging Sciences, authors Gloria Haro, Antoni Buades and Jean-Michel Morel propose a far simpler technique that can achieve reliable reproductions of paintings using fusion of photographs taken from different angles through statistical methods. The simple photographic procedure eliminates the need for sophisticated illumination and acquisition requirements. The postproduction process, while intensive, is fully automated.

The fusion of multiple images of a painting from well-chosen angles can eliminate glare, highlights and motion blur. Robust statistical methods reduce noise and compensate for optical distortion, thus addressing the problem of uncontrolled illumination and destructive reflection that tends to be seen in many digitized paintings.

One of the main advantages of the method described is that image fusion obviates the need for a high-performance camera. "This article demonstrates the possibility of acquiring a good quality image of a painting from amateur snapshots taken in bursts from different angles, in normal museum illumination," says senior author Jean-Michel Morel. "The photographing procedure is simple and can be done with a commercial hand-held camera by an amateur photographer." Thus, paintings can be digitized even under poor light conditions, and this includes museum pieces that may be protected by glass screens that reflect light from other objects in the room.

The only requirement is for the photographer to take as many shots from as many angles as possible, making sure that no particular detail is affected by glare in a majority of the photographs. "This acquisition is then followed by an intensive (but fully automatic) post-production chain, whose mathematical and algorithmic definition is precisely the object of the article," author Morel explains.

First, each series of images taken from the same position at the same instanttermed "bursts"is fused to get single views with little noise and motion blur. A weighted average is used to obtain the sharpest possible image. Fusion of multiple images taken from the same position allows removal of noise and compression artifacts, while permitting emphasis of details. This is called burst denoising.

Highlightsregions of an image where extreme brightness causes information to be lostcan also be removed using photographs taken from various viewpoints. Finally, Poisson editing, a technique which allows seamless blending of images, and robust gradient statistics are used to fuse all final views from each burst. This brings images taken from different angles containing many reflections, highlights and shadows, into one final frontal-view image.

Fusion of images also does away with the need for controlled illumination, which is absolutely necessary in the case of single photograph techniques as used in the Google Project. The authors point out that with a single photograph it is much harder to eliminate glare and reflectance noise, which they find evident in white saturated regions caused by reflections in some photographs in Google's database. The image processing chain described in this paper takes the best advantage of a group of photographs and can work with as few as three. "The image fusion algorithm described in the paper can be applied to a video of the painting as well, though it would be very slow. An extension of the technique to video therefore requires a technological effort," Morel explains.

Likening photography of a painting to viewing it at a museum (several walkarounds are needed to find an optimal viewing position), the authors assert that a quality image of a painting with a complete view cannot be obtained by a single photograph, or even multiple photographs taken from the same position, regardless of the capabilities of a camera.

Once an image clear of imperfections caused by setup and illumination is obtained, color mapping, contrast, and other subjective features are left to photographers and artists. As the authors explain, "There is no absolute definition of a "good" photograph of a painting. This is an artistic question that goes beyond the scope of image processing as a technique."

The methods described in the paper could potentially be used in image restoration. In addition, these methods can be applied to 3-D objects, though the process is slow and success cannot be guaranteed. Future research will be directed toward better digitization of three-dimensional art using these techniques. "The digital recreation of 3D pieces of art is the subject of very active research to resolve its obviously more complex issues," Morel says.

###

This paper describes just one of many uses for the highly versatile field of image processing. View a video overview of image processing from SIAM's Annual Meeting:

Math behind Visual Effects and Image Processing:
http://y2u.be/hie_52HxL68

About the authors:

Dr. Gloria Haro is a postdoctoral researcher at Dept. Tecnologies de la Informaci i les Comunicacions (DTIC) at Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain. Dr. Antoni Buades is a postdoctoral researcher at Department de Mathmatiques e Informatica, Universitat de les Illes Balears, in Balears, Spain and MAP5 (CNRS Universit Paris-Descartes). Dr. Jean-Michel Morel is a professor at the Centre de Mathmatiques et de Leurs Applications (CMLA) at Ecole Normale Suprieure de Cachan in Cachan, France.

Source article:

Photographing Paintings by Image Fusion
Gloria Haro, Antoni Buades and Jean-Michel Morel, SIAM Journal on Imaging Sciences, 5(3), 1055?. (Online publish date: September 13, 2012)

[Reporters are free to use this text as long as they acknowledge SIAM]

About SIAM

The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is an international society of over 14,000 individual members, including applied and computational mathematicians and computer scientists, as well as other scientists and engineers. Members from 85 countries are researchers, educators, students, and practitioners in industry, government, laboratories, and academia. The Society, which also includes nearly 500 academic and corporate institutional members, serves and advances the disciplines of applied mathematics and computational science by publishing a variety of books and prestigious peer-reviewed research journals, by conducting conferences, and by hosting activity groups in various areas of mathematics. SIAM provides many opportunities for students including regional sections and student chapters. Further information is available at www.siam.org.

[Reporters are free to use this text as long as they acknowledge SIAM]


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share 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.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-09/sfia-maf092512.php

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Chocolate milk for exercise recovery ? Renee J. Ross: Running ...

chocolate milk?I have to admit that following a long or hard run I don?t really have a routine. I generally am happy with an ice cold glass of water to quench my thirst. However, I am well aware that at the end of many races chocolate milk is available. It is such a bummer for me because I?ve always heard great things about chocolate milk and muscle recovery but because I am lactose intolerant I do not indulge in drinking anything that has milk, especially after a race because that is a recipe for disaster! But recently I found out that although I am unable to drink chocolate milk, I can drink chocolate soy milk and reap the same benefits as regular milk!?

After a recent 6 mile run I indulged in a treat of a tasty glass of chocolate milk. I used light Vanilla silk soy milk and added a tablespoon of light Hershey?s syrup. OMG! Can you say delicious? I?m just sorry it never occurred to me to try this before. I swear that milk was like manna from HEAVEN! I am pretty sure that I will bringing my own chocolate milk when I run the Marine Corps Marathon next month. I?ll have my mom or one of my friends waiting at the finish for me with a cooler and my chocolate milk on ice. It is sooooo refreshing! But not only that, it really is great for recovery !

It has a 3:1 carbohydrate to protein that helps replenish nutrients lost from moderate to vigorous activity.

Research shows that drinking low-fat?chocolate?milk?after a workout also supplies many of the key nutrients needed as a part of a balanced, active lifestyle, including

??????????Carbohydrates to help refuel muscles

??????????Protein to help rebuild and restore muscle protein

??????????Fluid and electrolytes to rehydrate and replenish what is lost in sweat

??????????Vitamins and minerals to help build and maintain strong bones

?

There are a number of different?chocolate?milk?recipes out there (and not all provide the same benefits or have just 150 calories).? As recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, it?s best to choose low-fat (1%) or fat-free varieties of?milk. Hershey?s recommends:

?

8 oz. low-fat (1%)?milk?+ 2 Tbsp. HERSHEY?S? Lite Syrup with 50% less sugar

(just 150 calories per serving)

I am sold! Although chocolate milk is not part of a Paleo lifestyle, I?ve frequently mentioned that I adhere to it strictly 80% of the time and give myself a break 20% of time. I?ve found that with my training this is necessary because my body really is craving carbs and eating (or drinking them) helps with my performance. Perhaps I?ll run even faster when I know I have this chilled goodness waiting for me when I finish!

Disclosure: I am a Hershey?s Good Life Guru and have a regular column on The Moderation Nation. I have been compensated for writing this post and all opinions are mine.

Source: http://www.reneejross.net/chocolate-milk-for-recovery/

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Viruses help scientists battle pathogenic bacteria and improve water supply

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Infectious bacteria received a taste of their own medicine from University of Missouri researchers who used viruses to infect and kill colonies of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, common disease-causing bacteria. The viruses, known as bacteriophages, could be used to efficiently sanitize water treatment facilities and may aid in the fight against deadly antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

"Our experiment was the first to use bacteriophages in conjunction with chlorine to destroy biofilms, which are layers of bacteria growing on a solid surface," said Zhiqiang Hu, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering in MU's College of Engineering. "The advantage to using viruses is that they can selectively kill harmful bacteria. Beneficial bacteria, such as those used to break down wastes in water treatment plants, are largely unaffected. Hence, viruses could be used to get rid of pathogenic bacteria in water filters that would otherwise have to be replaced. They could save taxpayers' money by reducing the cost of cleaning water."

Bacteria can be difficult to kill when they form a biofilm. The outer crust of bacteria in these biofilms can be killed by chlorine, but the inner bacteria are sheltered. Viruses solve this problem because they spread through an entire colony of bacteria. Hu noted that the bacteriophages are easier to create than the enzymes used to attack biofilms. The viruses also are better at targeting specific bacterial species.

Hu, along with MU's recent graduate, Yanyan Zhang, found the greatest success in killing biofilms by using a combination of bacteriophages and chlorine. An initial treatment with viruses followed by chlorine knocked out 97 percent of biofilms within five days of exposure. When used alone, viruses removed 89 percent of biofilms, while chlorine removed only 40 percent.

"The methods we used to kill Pseudomonas aeruginosa could be used against other dangerous bacteria, even those that have developed resistance to antibiotics," said Hu. "Our work opened the door to a new strategy for combating the dangers and costs of bacterial biofilms. The next step is to expand our experiment into a pilot study."

The study "Combined Treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms with Bacteriophages and Chlorine" has been published in the journal Biotechnology and Bioengineering.

###

University of Missouri-Columbia: http://www.missouri.edu

Thanks to University of Missouri-Columbia for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

This press release has been viewed 26 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/123808/Viruses_help_scientists_battle_pathogenic_bacteria_and_improve_water_supply

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Created Beings

The Pantheon

Gods rule the cosmos and all that is within. As one of these elite beings how will you run the world? What will you create?

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This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?The Pantheon?. Anything posted here will also show up there.

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--> Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.
This will be a list of all the creatures that the gods have created or changed. This goes for mortals and beasts alike.

1. Beasts
*Epic sized Animals

2. Mortals
*Intelligent creatures
*Werewolves (for lack of a better name)

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Venezuela's Capriles edges toward Chavez as vote nears: poll

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan opposition candidate Henrique Capriles edged closer to President Hugo Chavez in an opinion poll but remained 10 percentage points behind the socialist leader in the run-up to the October 7 election, according to two sources who have seen the poll.

Recent Datanalisis' polls show support for Capriles, a 40-year-old state governor, growing in the waning days of the campaign as he continues campaigning across the country.

Capriles' has vowed to create a Brazilian-style "modern left" that balances free enterprise with social welfare programs. Investors expect him to end a five-year nationalization crusade and reduce state intervention in the economy.

Chavez, who has been in office for 14 years, says he will deepen his oil-financed socialism if he wins another six-year term. That would likely feature continued confrontation with the private sector and efforts to support leftist allies in the region.

Capriles on Monday led a massive caravan in the sweltering state of Vargas, alongside the Caribbean Sea, waving to supporters from atop a truck. He at times narrowly averted being dragged to the ground by female fans trying to hug him.

"Let me tell you, someone who hasn't done what they were supposed to do in 14 years is not going to do it in the next six years," Capriles told supporters, who sang and danced to salsa in the spirit of Venezuela's political rallies, which often look more like street parties.

A group of about 100 Chavez supporters waited at the end of the caravan carrying signs that said "Get out thief" and throwing water bottles at Capriles. The confrontation fizzled without incident, in contrast to recent skirmishes at rallies that have left several people wounded.

POLLS DIVERGE

The Datanalisis' survey showed Capriles with 37.2 percent of the vote compared with 47.3 percent for Chavez, closer than the 12.5 percentage point difference registered in the last Datanalisis survey.

The poll, which had a margin of error of 2.4 percent, was conducted between August 25 and September 5, the sources said. Datanalisis did not immediately respond to requests for confirmation of the details.

Chavez, 58, leads the majority of the country's best-known polls but they are notoriously controversial and divergent in Venezuela. Capriles' numbers have been creeping up and another well-known pollster, Consultores 21, has the candidates neck-and-neck.

A close result could spark protests and possibly accusations of fraud. Chavez has repeatedly said the opposition will refuse to accept the results should it lose while the opposition says Chavez will try to avoid handing over power.

Chavez on Monday led a massive rally in the plains state of Portuguesa, singing to the crowd, grilling campaign volunteers on their get-out-the-vote efforts and leading supporters in chanting "Chavez will win on October 7."

He has appealed to working-class Venezuelans by playing up his humble roots in a small village of Venezuela's central plains where he once sold papaya candies and played baseball in dusty fields.

The government recently announced a book of stories about Chavez's youth, compiled by two Cuban reporters who searched YouTube for stories that the garrulous socialist has told during close to 14 years of Sunday talk-shows.

He appears to have largely recovered from a cancer diagnosed last year that for weeks left him almost completely out of the public spotlight. Capriles has displayed an image of youthful energy by traversing the country and walking through villages and slums to win over wavering Chavez supporters.

(Additional reporting by Andrew Cawthorne; Editing by Enrique Andres Pretel and Bill Trott)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/venezuelas-capriles-edges-toward-chavez-vote-nears-sources-220354404.html

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Treating ovarian cancer: New pathways through genetics

[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 24-Sep-2012
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Contact: Julie Robert
julie.robert@muhc.mcgill.ca
514-934-1934 x71381
McGill University Health Centre

Montreal-based researchers discover genetics secrets of ovarian cancer tumors

This press release is available in French.

Montreal, September 24, 2012 A new discovery that sheds light on the genetic make up of ovarian cancer cells could explain why some women survive longer than others with this deadly disease. A multi-disciplinary team led by the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI MUHC), in collaboration with the Lady Davis Institute of the Jewish General Hospital and the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre, has identified genetic patterns in ovarian cancer tumours that help to differentiate patients based on the length of their survival after initial surgery. The study was published in the journal PLOS ONE.

"We discovered genetic differences in the tumours from ovarian cancer patients that relate to their short-term and overall response to standard treatment," explained Dr. Patricia Tonin, the study's lead author and a cancer researcher at the RI MUHC and Associate Professor of the Department of Medicine at McGill University. "Using these genetic 'tools' to examine the tumours removed in the initial surgery, we may be able to offer alternative therapeutic options to women to improve their outcome."

Each year 2,000 new cases of ovarian cancer are reported in Canada, and in 75 per cent of these cases the women die less than five years after their diagnosis. This study focused on the genetic analysis of high grade serous ovarian carcinomas (HGSC) in women from Quebec the deadliest type of ovarian cancer which accounts for 90 per cent of deaths.

Almost all women with HGSC have mutations in the gene TP53, which is responsible for making the p53 protein. This gene is known as the "guardian of the genome" because of its role in regulating cell division and thus preventing cancer. Scientists already knew there were two different types of tumours, some with TP53 mutations that produce a mutant p53 protein and others without.

By uncovering the existence of genetic differences between the two types of HGSCs, the study reinforces the idea that there are biological differences in these cancers that can be related to the nature of the TP53 mutation and differences in genetic markers. The research team also confirmed that patient survival was longer in cases with the mutant p53 protein, compared to those that without the mutant protein.

"Biology is showing us which direction to take," enthused Dr. Tonin. "This unique finding paves the way for identifying the pathways involved in cancer progression, leading to the development of alternative therapies and therefore helping to reduce morbidity and mortality in women fighting the disease".

###

Click here to access the study online

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0045484

Funding

This work was funded by the Fonds de recherche du Qubec-Sant (FRQS), the Terry Fox Research Institute (TFRI), Weekend to End Women's Cancer through the Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research at the Jewish General Hospital and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

Research partners

The study "The Genomic Landscape of TP53 and p53 Annotated High Grade Ovarian Serous Carcinomas from a Defined Founder Population Associated with Patient Outcome" was co-authored by Paulina M Wojnarowicz, Karen Gambaro and Ashley H Birch of McGill University; Kathleen Klein Oros of the Lady Davis Institute, Jewish General Hospital; Michael CJ Quinn, Jason Madore and Manon de Ladurantaye of the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM), Institut du cancer de Montral; Suzanna L Arcand of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI MUHC); Kurosh Rahimi of the CHUM; Diane M Provencher of CRCHUM and Universit de Montral; Anne-Marie Mes-Masson of CRCHUM and Universit de Montral; Celia MT Greenwood of the Segal Cancer Centre, Lady Davis Institute, Jewish General Hospital, and McGill University and Patricia N Tonin of the RI MUHC and McGill University.

Useful links

  • Research Institute of the MUHC: muhc.ca/research
  • McGill University Health Centre (MUHC): muhc.ca
  • McGill University: mcgill.ca
  • PLOS ONE: plosone.org

Media

Julie Robert
Communications Research
Public Affairs & Strategic Planning
McGill University Health Centre
Phone: 514-934-1934 (ext. 71381)
julie.robert@muhc.mcgill.ca


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[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 24-Sep-2012
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Contact: Julie Robert
julie.robert@muhc.mcgill.ca
514-934-1934 x71381
McGill University Health Centre

Montreal-based researchers discover genetics secrets of ovarian cancer tumors

This press release is available in French.

Montreal, September 24, 2012 A new discovery that sheds light on the genetic make up of ovarian cancer cells could explain why some women survive longer than others with this deadly disease. A multi-disciplinary team led by the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI MUHC), in collaboration with the Lady Davis Institute of the Jewish General Hospital and the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre, has identified genetic patterns in ovarian cancer tumours that help to differentiate patients based on the length of their survival after initial surgery. The study was published in the journal PLOS ONE.

"We discovered genetic differences in the tumours from ovarian cancer patients that relate to their short-term and overall response to standard treatment," explained Dr. Patricia Tonin, the study's lead author and a cancer researcher at the RI MUHC and Associate Professor of the Department of Medicine at McGill University. "Using these genetic 'tools' to examine the tumours removed in the initial surgery, we may be able to offer alternative therapeutic options to women to improve their outcome."

Each year 2,000 new cases of ovarian cancer are reported in Canada, and in 75 per cent of these cases the women die less than five years after their diagnosis. This study focused on the genetic analysis of high grade serous ovarian carcinomas (HGSC) in women from Quebec the deadliest type of ovarian cancer which accounts for 90 per cent of deaths.

Almost all women with HGSC have mutations in the gene TP53, which is responsible for making the p53 protein. This gene is known as the "guardian of the genome" because of its role in regulating cell division and thus preventing cancer. Scientists already knew there were two different types of tumours, some with TP53 mutations that produce a mutant p53 protein and others without.

By uncovering the existence of genetic differences between the two types of HGSCs, the study reinforces the idea that there are biological differences in these cancers that can be related to the nature of the TP53 mutation and differences in genetic markers. The research team also confirmed that patient survival was longer in cases with the mutant p53 protein, compared to those that without the mutant protein.

"Biology is showing us which direction to take," enthused Dr. Tonin. "This unique finding paves the way for identifying the pathways involved in cancer progression, leading to the development of alternative therapies and therefore helping to reduce morbidity and mortality in women fighting the disease".

###

Click here to access the study online

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0045484

Funding

This work was funded by the Fonds de recherche du Qubec-Sant (FRQS), the Terry Fox Research Institute (TFRI), Weekend to End Women's Cancer through the Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research at the Jewish General Hospital and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

Research partners

The study "The Genomic Landscape of TP53 and p53 Annotated High Grade Ovarian Serous Carcinomas from a Defined Founder Population Associated with Patient Outcome" was co-authored by Paulina M Wojnarowicz, Karen Gambaro and Ashley H Birch of McGill University; Kathleen Klein Oros of the Lady Davis Institute, Jewish General Hospital; Michael CJ Quinn, Jason Madore and Manon de Ladurantaye of the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM), Institut du cancer de Montral; Suzanna L Arcand of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI MUHC); Kurosh Rahimi of the CHUM; Diane M Provencher of CRCHUM and Universit de Montral; Anne-Marie Mes-Masson of CRCHUM and Universit de Montral; Celia MT Greenwood of the Segal Cancer Centre, Lady Davis Institute, Jewish General Hospital, and McGill University and Patricia N Tonin of the RI MUHC and McGill University.

Useful links

  • Research Institute of the MUHC: muhc.ca/research
  • McGill University Health Centre (MUHC): muhc.ca
  • McGill University: mcgill.ca
  • PLOS ONE: plosone.org

Media

Julie Robert
Communications Research
Public Affairs & Strategic Planning
McGill University Health Centre
Phone: 514-934-1934 (ext. 71381)
julie.robert@muhc.mcgill.ca


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share 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.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-09/muhc-toc092412.php

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A fine place to stay in New York City | ArticleBro.com

A fine combination of the past and present, New York is a vacationer?s paradise. From the Empire State Building to the Times square and of course a mandatory Broadway show, New York presents more diversity than any other city of America. Yet it is very difficult to get the essence of the city of New York in one vacation. This has led to a flourishing market for New York Vacation Rentals. With various types of packages and discounts in place these rentals help you experience the magic of New York with the least amount of hassles with these New York Short Term Rentals

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One of the posh areas of New York, Manhattan boasts to be more than just a midtown. From the art galleries of Chelsea to authentic Chinese cuisine in Chinatown or your favorite author in west Village Manhattan caters to a lot of diversified tastes and cultures. With the convenience of Manhattan Vacation rentals it is possible to experience every bit of this place right from the comfort of your home away from home.

Over the years Manhaatan has proved itself to be very condusive to family vacations with the Central Park, Rockfeller Centre, the Museum of Natural History etc combining to make this vacation a fulfilled and learning experience for kids and parents alike. Theatres, museums, ballets, sports events, movies at IMAX?you name it, Manhattan has it making this an ideal place for a family vacation.

Far from the Maddening crowd

Of course the Big Apple is just not about a fast paced life. Quaint and charming New York City Vacation Rentals can also be found here. You have a choice of either living in the Queens vacation homes which cater to a wide range of pockets, Staten Island Rentals, Brooklyn rentals for home as well as the Bronx apartments.

In fact staying in one of the New York Short Term Rental vacation homes is an experience par excellence?one which has to be experienced to understand. With good quality service these rentals ensure that you have a hassle free stay whenever you come to the New York City

New-york-city-apartments. write up tells about the New york holiday apartments and New York Vacation Apartments Know more about this please visit www.new-york-city-apartments.net

Source: http://articlebro.com/2012/travel-leisure/a-fine-place-to-stay-in-new-york-city/

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Barely A Blog ? Who Will Be Our 'Massa'? The Mormon Or The ...

We all live on the ?plantation?; we are all ?moocher-hiddeen,? says Barely A Blog contributor, Myron Pauli.

Who Will Be Our ?Massa?? The Mormon Or The Mulatto?
By Myron Pauli

Unless you are hiding in the Unabomber?s Montana shack and consuming rabbits and berries, we all give to and take from the government. However, some give more than they take and some take more than they give.

Just how large is the sector that depends upon government?

Children and the elderly have become virtual wards of the state ? so that 50% already falls into the ?moocher-hiddeen? (to use an Islamic term!). That leaves the ?working age population? of roughly 25 to 65 supporting the rest. Of course, if ?Joe the Plumber? has kids or elderly parents, then the government acts as a conduit from him to his extended family. Even addressing just those working age people with neither children nor parents ? are they the ones who pay more than they receive? Maybe.

Remove government employees and the government contractors from that. Then you have the governmental corporations such as Fannie Mae and academia who are funded via government largesse. And what to make of GM, Chrysler, the bailed-out-financial sector, etc., kept afloat by government? Public utilities are governmentally regulated monopolies. Automobile Dealers function only thanks to governmentally legislated monopoly. Pharmaceutical firms, publishers, and the entertainment industry function on patents and copyright for their financial status. Sectors in agribusiness, health care, insurance, energy, and transportation (Amtrak!) are so heavily regulated that those employees are de-facto governmental workers even if there is a semblance of profit. The less said about lawyers and lobbyists, the better!

Truly private workers such as waiters, plumbers, and preachers are quite independent of government; but in locations like metropolitan Washington DC, nearly all their customers come out of the ?oink sectors.? Even worse is that when Americans invest their money, the Roth?s, IRA?s, 401k?s, 529?s, HSA?s, ?cafeteria plans? are so controlled by governmental rules that one wonders who owns the money ? you or the government ? or is that even a distinction?

The sad and pathetic truth is that we are all living on a large plantation with a quadrennial democratically elected ?Massa? and a bureaucracy of overseers. It is to the credit of racial and religious tolerance that we can have a Mormon vs. mulatto fighting for the job of ?Massa?.

The fact is that government has entangled itself from cradle to grave like a metastasizing cancer. Rhetorical flourishes aside, the only government programs downsized in the last 40 years was transportation deregulation under Carter and welfare reform under Clinton (nothing eliminated under Republican presidents), and the budget was in near-balance (ignoring raids on the ?Social Security Trust Fund!?) by Clinton. I mean, this not as an endorsement of the unabashed big government Obama but merely to point out that the odds of Romney downsizing the Federal Government is smaller than the odds that the Chinese politburo will make Yom Kippur a Chinese holiday!

So when ?Tea Party Conservatives? start bitching about Obama endangering their Medicare, it is because the addiction to government is nearly universal. Some of us on the plantation may be more productive than others, but we all live under the rules and, regrettably, most inhabitants (or inmates) generally support the system.

A few libertarian ?nutcases? like Paul or Johnson may point the other way, but even most billionaires are as happy to have the Warfare-Welfare state as the poor. Who do you think pays for the TV commercials and the spin doctors and the political ?think tanks? ? Christian coalminers and Hispanic gardeners, or guys named Koch, Adelson, Soros, and Spielberg?

Nothing short of a major non-violent libertarian revolution? (Constitutional restoration) is needed ? but until then, we can all stick our hand out for our share of the public gruel.

******
Barely a Blog (BAB) contributor Myron Pauli grew up in Sunnyside Queens, went off to college in Cleveland and then spent time in a mental institution in Cambridge MA (MIT) with Benjamin Netanyahu (did not know him), and others until he was released with the ?hostages? and Jimmy Carter on January 20, 1981, having defended his dissertation in nuclear physics. Most of the time since, he has worked on infrared sensors, mainly at Naval Research Laboratory in Washington DC. He was NOT named after Ron Paul but is distantly related to physicist Wolftgang Pauli; unfortunately, only the ?good looks? were handed down and not the brains. He writes assorted song lyrics and essays reflecting his cynicism and classical liberalism. Click on the ?BAB?s A List? category to access the Pauli archive.


Source: http://barelyablog.com/who-will-be-our-massa-the-mormon-or-the-mulatto/

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