Skype hardly has a history of keeping its forthcoming features secret, but then again, surprises aren't all they're chalked up to be. This go 'round, an updated terms of service page has outed a heretofore unannounced update: Video Messaging. While it's not possible to indulge just yet, we're left to assume that an impending update will enable Skype Premium users (who pay $8.99 per month for certain privileges) to "send and receive an unlimited number of Video Messages." For those taking advantage of Skype's free offerings, you'll be able to send a "limited" amount, though you'll be able to receive an unlimited quantity of 'em. We're also told that non-premium members will see their video messages expire within 90 days -- unless it was sent by a premium member or you upgrade your account in time, of course -- but the TOS makes no mention of when any of this will find itself under public scrutiny. Hopefully it'll be before those year-end fireworks go up, you know?
Did the ending of 'Life of Pi' leave you more confused than satisfied? Here's what it all meant.
By Ben Kendrick,?Screen Rant / December 4, 2012
'Life of Pi' is directed by Ang Lee and stars Suraj Sharma (r.) as Pi.
20th Century Fox/AP
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Ang Lee?s Life of Pi is racking-up critical acclaim (read our review) and pre-award season buzz along with solid box office numbers. Though, for every mention of the film?s beautiful 3D or amazing CGI tiger, there?s a fuddled viewer confused by the movie?s controversial ending.
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Screen Rant had a humble start back in 2003 as a place to rant about some of the dumber stuff related to the movie industry. Since then, the site has grown to cover more and more TV and movie news (and not just the dumb stuff) along with sometimes controversial movie reviews. The goal at Screen Rant is to cover stories and review movies from a middle ground/average person perspective.
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Readers of Yann Martel?s original novel (the ones who made it to the end) have already faced the challenging last-minute question presented by the story?s narrator, but filmgoers expecting a fanciful adventure at sea have been understandably caught off-guard by the finale. No doubt, viewers will debate the ending with friends and family ? but to help steer discussion we?ve put together a brief analysis of the Life of Pi ending, explaining why the final question may not be as cut and dry as some moviegoers seem to think.
It goes without saying that the remainder of this article will contain MAJOR SPOILERS for Life of Pi - the movie and the book (especially the ending). If you do not want to be spoiled about either, turn away now.
For anyone who hasn?t seen (or read) Life of Pi?and isn?t concerned about having the ending spoiled, Pi?s adventure concludes in a Mexican hospital bed ? where he is interviewed by a pair of Japanese Ministry of Transport officials. The agents tell Pi that his story ? which includes multiple animal companions and a?carnivorous island ? is too unbelievable for them to report, so Pi tells them a different version of the story: one that paints a much darker and emotionally disturbing variation of events. After both stories have been shared, Pi leaves it up to the viewer (or reader) to decide which version they ?prefer.?
Personal ?preference? has larger thematic meaning, when viewed in the context of the overarching story; however, before we analyze the ending (via the question) in greater detail, we?re going to briefly lay out the two versions of Pi?s story.
In both accounts, Pi?s father contracts a Japanese ship to transport his family, along with a number of their zoo animals, from India to Canada in an effort to escape political upheaval in their native country.?The stories are identical up until Pi climbs aboard the lifeboat (following the sinking of the cargo ship) only re-converging when he is rescued on the Mexican shore. The 227 days that Pi spends lost at sea are up for debate.
Almost everyone who knows me knows I am obsessed with Wes Anderson's films. There's something captivating about his meticulous attention to the smallest details, from his set designs to his methodical cinematography. Everything in a Wes Anderson movie is carefully crafted with an artisan touch, which is refreshing in a world full of many sequels, prequels, and Saw movies; he is an auteur in the truest sense. Perhaps the most important aspect of Anderson's films are their ability to tell a story that is universally relatable; his films often focus on a broken or unorthodox family circle, unrequited love, or the search of a parental figure. Anderson's last film, Moonrise Kingdom, captured the innocence of first love so well that the feeling of nostalgia was overwhelming even after I left the theater. If you haven't seen his films, pick one up at our library on the 2nd floor right away (Rushmore or The Royal Tenenbaums is a good place to start).
With that said, here are six filmmaking tips from Anderson himself. If you scroll to the bottom, you will find more filmmaking tips from filmmaking greats like Scorcese, Kubrick, and more. Enjoy!
Open access initiative reveals drug hits for deadly neglected tropical diseasesPublic release date: 13-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Oliver Yun oyun@dndi.org 646-266-5216 Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative
DNDi screens MMV's open access Malaria Box, leading to three potential drug classes to treat sleeping sickness and leishmaniasis, which threaten the lives of millions throughout sub-Saharan Africa and pockets around the world
[Geneva, Switzerland 13 November 2012] - The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) and Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) announce today the identification of three chemical series targeting the treatment of deadly neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), through DNDi's screening of MMV's open access Malaria Box. The resulting DNDi screening data are among the first data generated on the Malaria Box to be released into the public domain, exemplifying the potential of openly sharing drug development data for neglected patients.
The open access Malaria Box is an MMV initiative launched in December 2011 to catalyse drug discovery for malaria and neglected diseases. It contains 400 molecules, selected by experienced medicinal chemists to offer the broadest chemical diversity possible and is available free of charge. In return, MMV requests that any data gleaned from research on the Malaria Box are shared in the public domain within two years. To date, more than 100 Malaria Boxes have been delivered to over 20 countries for research on diseases including malaria, neglected diseases, HIV and cancer.
DNDi, in partnership with the Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, screened all the compounds in the Malaria Box against the parasites responsible for the three NTDs on which DNDi mainly focuses: sleeping sickness (human African trypanosomiasis), leishmaniasis (including visceral leishmaniasis, or kala azar, also known as black fever), and Chagas disease. This initial screen identified two potential drug series for the treatment of sleeping sickness and one for leishmaniasis. The DNDi screens have yielded valuable information that will strengthen DNDi's research pipeline. All the biological data from DNDi's screen, together with the existing preliminary data from MMV, are now publicly available on the open-source ChEMBL database.
"This is a really great example of partnership in action," said Dr David Reddy, MMV's CEO. "MMV and DNDi already work synergistically to tackle tropical diseases. Now, through the Malaria Box we can freely explore molecules that could potentially work against several debilitating tropical diseases, for the benefit of vulnerable populations the world over. It's hugely gratifying to see the idea of the Malaria Box starting to pay off."
Today, DNDi and MMV also announce an agreement to collaborate on drug discovery research by sharing compounds from their respective preclinical pipelines. Compounds provided by DNDi will be screened by MMV for antimalarial activity, and early stage compounds provided by MMV will be assessed by DNDi for their activity against the parasites causing sleeping sickness, leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, and filarial parasitic-worm diseases. This agreement highlights the potential for increased collaboration among Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) like MMV and DNDi to accelerate the development of treatments for some of the world's most neglected diseases and patients.
"Open access initiatives, such as the Malaria Box, are part of an encouraging new paradigm," says Dr Bernard Pcoul, Executive Director of DNDi. "We have to maintain a sharp focus on neglected patient needs and increase our efforts to open up research knowledge, reduce duplication in research efforts, and work together to fill the R&D gaps for diseases that afflict the poorest populations of the world."
###
About DNDi
The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) is a not-for-profit research and development organization working to deliver new treatments for neglected diseases, in particular sleeping sickness (human African trypanosomiasis), Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, filarial parasitic-worm infections, malaria, and paediatric HIV. DNDi was established in 2003 by Mdecins Sans Frontires/Doctors Without Borders (MSF), the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ) of Brazil, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), the Ministry of Health of Malaysia, and the Institut Pasteur of France. The Special Programme for Tropical Disease Research (WHO/TDR) serves as permanent observer.
Since its inception in 2003, DNDi has delivered six new treatments for neglected patients: two fixed-dose antimalarials (ASAQ and ASMQ), nifurtimox-eflornithine combination therapy (NECT) for late-stage sleeping sickness, sodium stibogluconate and paromomycin (SSG&PM) combination therapy for visceral leishmaniasis in Africa, a set of combination therapies for visceral leishmaniasis in Asia, and a paediatric dosage form of benznidazole for Chagas disease.
DNDi has helped establish three clinical research platforms: Leishmaniasis East Africa Platform (LEAP) in Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Uganda; the HAT Platform based in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for sleeping sickness; and the Chagas Clinical Research Platform in Latin America. Strong regional networks such as these help strengthen research and treatment-implementation capacity in neglected disease-endemic countries.
www.dndi.org
About MMV
MMV is recognized as the leading product development partnership (PDP) in the field of antimalarial drug research and development. It was established as a foundation in 1999, and registered in Switzerland. MMV's mission is to reduce the burden of malaria in disease-endemic countries by discovering, developing and facilitating delivery of new, effective and affordable antimalarial drugs.
MMV's vision is a world in which these innovative medicines will cure and protect the vulnerable and under-served populations at risk of malaria, and help to ultimately eradicate this terrible disease.
MMV's strength comes from its product development partnership (PDP) model reflected in its current network of more than 170 pharmaceutical, academic and endemic-country partners in over 40 countries. With more than 65 promising projects, MMV is currently managing the largest portfolio of antimalarial R&D projects ever assembled.
In February 2012, one MMV-supported artemisinin combination therapy (ACT), Pyramax, (pyronaridine-artesunate) co-developed with Shin Poong, received a positive scientific opinion under Article 58 from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for the treatment of P. falciparum and P. vivax in areas of low transmission with evidence of artemisinin resistance. In October 2011, Eurartesim (dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine), an ACT developed in partnership with Sigma Tau, was granted regulatory approval by the EMA and in November 2010, Guilin's artesunate injection for the treatment of severe malaria, Artesun, was approved by the WHO's Prequalification programme with assistance from MMV. In addition, Coartem Dispersible (artemether-lumefantrine), a child-friendly version of the ACT Coartem, was developed by Novartis in partnership with MMV and launched in 2009. Since June 2012, 137 million courses of Coartem Dispersible treatment have been supplied to 35 malaria-endemic countries.
www.mmv.org
Media contacts:
Oliver Yun
Communications Manager, DNDi North America
Mobile: +1-646-266-5216
email: oyun@dndi.org
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.
Open access initiative reveals drug hits for deadly neglected tropical diseasesPublic release date: 13-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Oliver Yun oyun@dndi.org 646-266-5216 Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative
DNDi screens MMV's open access Malaria Box, leading to three potential drug classes to treat sleeping sickness and leishmaniasis, which threaten the lives of millions throughout sub-Saharan Africa and pockets around the world
[Geneva, Switzerland 13 November 2012] - The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) and Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) announce today the identification of three chemical series targeting the treatment of deadly neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), through DNDi's screening of MMV's open access Malaria Box. The resulting DNDi screening data are among the first data generated on the Malaria Box to be released into the public domain, exemplifying the potential of openly sharing drug development data for neglected patients.
The open access Malaria Box is an MMV initiative launched in December 2011 to catalyse drug discovery for malaria and neglected diseases. It contains 400 molecules, selected by experienced medicinal chemists to offer the broadest chemical diversity possible and is available free of charge. In return, MMV requests that any data gleaned from research on the Malaria Box are shared in the public domain within two years. To date, more than 100 Malaria Boxes have been delivered to over 20 countries for research on diseases including malaria, neglected diseases, HIV and cancer.
DNDi, in partnership with the Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, screened all the compounds in the Malaria Box against the parasites responsible for the three NTDs on which DNDi mainly focuses: sleeping sickness (human African trypanosomiasis), leishmaniasis (including visceral leishmaniasis, or kala azar, also known as black fever), and Chagas disease. This initial screen identified two potential drug series for the treatment of sleeping sickness and one for leishmaniasis. The DNDi screens have yielded valuable information that will strengthen DNDi's research pipeline. All the biological data from DNDi's screen, together with the existing preliminary data from MMV, are now publicly available on the open-source ChEMBL database.
"This is a really great example of partnership in action," said Dr David Reddy, MMV's CEO. "MMV and DNDi already work synergistically to tackle tropical diseases. Now, through the Malaria Box we can freely explore molecules that could potentially work against several debilitating tropical diseases, for the benefit of vulnerable populations the world over. It's hugely gratifying to see the idea of the Malaria Box starting to pay off."
Today, DNDi and MMV also announce an agreement to collaborate on drug discovery research by sharing compounds from their respective preclinical pipelines. Compounds provided by DNDi will be screened by MMV for antimalarial activity, and early stage compounds provided by MMV will be assessed by DNDi for their activity against the parasites causing sleeping sickness, leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, and filarial parasitic-worm diseases. This agreement highlights the potential for increased collaboration among Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) like MMV and DNDi to accelerate the development of treatments for some of the world's most neglected diseases and patients.
"Open access initiatives, such as the Malaria Box, are part of an encouraging new paradigm," says Dr Bernard Pcoul, Executive Director of DNDi. "We have to maintain a sharp focus on neglected patient needs and increase our efforts to open up research knowledge, reduce duplication in research efforts, and work together to fill the R&D gaps for diseases that afflict the poorest populations of the world."
###
About DNDi
The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) is a not-for-profit research and development organization working to deliver new treatments for neglected diseases, in particular sleeping sickness (human African trypanosomiasis), Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, filarial parasitic-worm infections, malaria, and paediatric HIV. DNDi was established in 2003 by Mdecins Sans Frontires/Doctors Without Borders (MSF), the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ) of Brazil, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), the Ministry of Health of Malaysia, and the Institut Pasteur of France. The Special Programme for Tropical Disease Research (WHO/TDR) serves as permanent observer.
Since its inception in 2003, DNDi has delivered six new treatments for neglected patients: two fixed-dose antimalarials (ASAQ and ASMQ), nifurtimox-eflornithine combination therapy (NECT) for late-stage sleeping sickness, sodium stibogluconate and paromomycin (SSG&PM) combination therapy for visceral leishmaniasis in Africa, a set of combination therapies for visceral leishmaniasis in Asia, and a paediatric dosage form of benznidazole for Chagas disease.
DNDi has helped establish three clinical research platforms: Leishmaniasis East Africa Platform (LEAP) in Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Uganda; the HAT Platform based in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for sleeping sickness; and the Chagas Clinical Research Platform in Latin America. Strong regional networks such as these help strengthen research and treatment-implementation capacity in neglected disease-endemic countries.
www.dndi.org
About MMV
MMV is recognized as the leading product development partnership (PDP) in the field of antimalarial drug research and development. It was established as a foundation in 1999, and registered in Switzerland. MMV's mission is to reduce the burden of malaria in disease-endemic countries by discovering, developing and facilitating delivery of new, effective and affordable antimalarial drugs.
MMV's vision is a world in which these innovative medicines will cure and protect the vulnerable and under-served populations at risk of malaria, and help to ultimately eradicate this terrible disease.
MMV's strength comes from its product development partnership (PDP) model reflected in its current network of more than 170 pharmaceutical, academic and endemic-country partners in over 40 countries. With more than 65 promising projects, MMV is currently managing the largest portfolio of antimalarial R&D projects ever assembled.
In February 2012, one MMV-supported artemisinin combination therapy (ACT), Pyramax, (pyronaridine-artesunate) co-developed with Shin Poong, received a positive scientific opinion under Article 58 from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for the treatment of P. falciparum and P. vivax in areas of low transmission with evidence of artemisinin resistance. In October 2011, Eurartesim (dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine), an ACT developed in partnership with Sigma Tau, was granted regulatory approval by the EMA and in November 2010, Guilin's artesunate injection for the treatment of severe malaria, Artesun, was approved by the WHO's Prequalification programme with assistance from MMV. In addition, Coartem Dispersible (artemether-lumefantrine), a child-friendly version of the ACT Coartem, was developed by Novartis in partnership with MMV and launched in 2009. Since June 2012, 137 million courses of Coartem Dispersible treatment have been supplied to 35 malaria-endemic countries.
www.mmv.org
Media contacts:
Oliver Yun
Communications Manager, DNDi North America
Mobile: +1-646-266-5216
email: oyun@dndi.org
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.
Among patients with the most common form of kidney cancer, whites consistently have a survival advantage over blacks, regardless of patient and tumor characteristics or surgical treatment. That is the conclusion of a new study published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The study's results suggest that additional efforts are needed to prolong the survival of all patients with kidney cancer.
Since the mid-1990s, black Americans have had a higher incidence of renal cell carcinoma, the most common form of kidney cancer, than white Americans. Research also suggests that there are racial disparities in the survival of patients with renal cell carcinoma, with black patients dying earlier than whites.
When Wong-Ho Chow, PhD, currently of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and her colleagues at the National Cancer Institute analyzed national data of nearly 40,000 renal cell carcinoma patients, they confirmed the poorer survival rates for black patients compared with whites. Specifically, 72.6 percent of white patients survived for at least five years, compared with 68.0 percent of black patients. The survival advantage of white patients over black patients was consistently seen in all subgroups of patients, regardless of gender, age, tumor stage or size, tumor subtype, or type of surgical treatment.
Surprisingly, a higher percentage of black patients than white patients were diagnosed at the localized stage, with smaller tumors, or with a less aggressive subtype of cancer. These factors should indicate a better prognosis. Also, compared with white patients, a slightly higher percentage of black patients received no surgical treatment, which is associated with a substantially poorer prognosis.
Additional studies are needed to determine why these disparities exist. "We cannot rule out the possibility that other factors not measured in our studysuch as obesity, high blood pressure, access to care, and genetic susceptibilitymay be contributing to the persistent disparities," said Dr. Chow.
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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.
Black patients with kidney cancer have poorer survival than whitesPublic release date: 12-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Among patients with the most common form of kidney cancer, whites consistently have a survival advantage over blacks, regardless of patient and tumor characteristics or surgical treatment. That is the conclusion of a new study published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The study's results suggest that additional efforts are needed to prolong the survival of all patients with kidney cancer.
Since the mid-1990s, black Americans have had a higher incidence of renal cell carcinoma, the most common form of kidney cancer, than white Americans. Research also suggests that there are racial disparities in the survival of patients with renal cell carcinoma, with black patients dying earlier than whites.
When Wong-Ho Chow, PhD, currently of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and her colleagues at the National Cancer Institute analyzed national data of nearly 40,000 renal cell carcinoma patients, they confirmed the poorer survival rates for black patients compared with whites. Specifically, 72.6 percent of white patients survived for at least five years, compared with 68.0 percent of black patients. The survival advantage of white patients over black patients was consistently seen in all subgroups of patients, regardless of gender, age, tumor stage or size, tumor subtype, or type of surgical treatment.
Surprisingly, a higher percentage of black patients than white patients were diagnosed at the localized stage, with smaller tumors, or with a less aggressive subtype of cancer. These factors should indicate a better prognosis. Also, compared with white patients, a slightly higher percentage of black patients received no surgical treatment, which is associated with a substantially poorer prognosis.
Additional studies are needed to determine why these disparities exist. "We cannot rule out the possibility that other factors not measured in our studysuch as obesity, high blood pressure, access to care, and genetic susceptibilitymay be contributing to the persistent disparities," said Dr. Chow.
###
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
There is little doubt that it can be a lot of fun to play pool, and this is a game that requires a fair bit of skill to win. Unless you happen to be playing against a lot of very unskilled players, you will find that long hours of practice are necessary if you want to get good at this game. Of course, there is no better way to get better at pool than to have your own table at home where you can feel free to spend as much time as you want making shots at the pockets.
Finding a good pool table available for sale is something that you should do if you feel that having a pool table at home would increase your skills. It sould not be too difficult for you to find a high quality pool table out there and there are actually many companies that design and manufacture pool tables for both residential homes, bars, and other locations. If you spend a bit of time searching online it will not be long before you find a good pool table that you will want to buy for yourself.
One thing you should remember before you buy any pool table in particular is that they can cost quite a bit of money, so unless you are prepared to spend a lot of it then you should have a look around and see if you can find any exceptional deals. A good pool table is not one that should be found cheaply though, so if you insist on paying the lowest amount possible for your pool table then you shouldn't be surprised when you end up with something that looks cheap or is made with weaker materials. On the other hand, you do not have to go out of your way to spend thousands of dollars on a pool table unless it is really important to you to have the most stylish and luxurious pool table available.
A good thing to keep in mind when looking for a pool table is to try to find one being sold in the mid price range. This will help to ensure that you get a high quality pool table but also do not end up spending too much of your hard earned cash on it. Since most people will be on a tight budget when it comes to daily expenses, this information could prove to be quite helpful.
Once you have that nice pool table set up in your home you can be sure that your skills at this game will start to improve dramatically. This is, of course, if you continue to play pool and don't just leave the pool table lying in the corner collecting dust. Pool is a fun game and it is very easy to play with people. If you take the time to buy a pool table and install it in your home, you could be setting up a great venue for home parties as well, and everyone loves a home party.
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Public release date: 13-Nov-2012
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