Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose (1) goes to the basket between Miami Heat's Chris Bosh (1) and Ray Allen (34) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Miami, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013. Rose missed the shot. The Heat won 107-95. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)
Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose (1) goes to the basket between Miami Heat's Chris Bosh (1) and Ray Allen (34) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Miami, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013. Rose missed the shot. The Heat won 107-95. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)
Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose (1) slides past Miami Heat's Chris Bosh (1) for two points during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Miami, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)
After blocking a shot by Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose (1), Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade (3) falls to the court during the second half of a NBA basketball game in Miami, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013. The Heat won 107-95. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)
Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade (3) blocks a shot by Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Miami, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013. The Heat won 107-95. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)
CHICAGO (AP) — Derrick Rose is in the starting lineup for the Chicago Bulls' home opener against the New York Knicks after missing Thursday's shootaround due to a sore neck.
Rose warmed up with black tape on either side of his neck, but opted not to talk to reporters. He was in his usual spot at point guard when the starting lineups were released.
It will be Rose's first meaningful home game since he injured his left knee in the 2012 playoffs.
Coach Tom Thibodeau said earlier that Rose has a sore neck and is a game-time decision. He also said the 2011 NBA MVP isn't sure how he got hurt.
In this 2012 image provided by the Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, a dog, bottom right, watches a video of the silhouette of another dog wagging its tail to its left. At top right is an inset image of the dog's heart rate while the dog was watching the video. A few years ago, researchers discovered a subtle difference in how dogs wag their tails. When a dog sees something positive, such as its owner, it tends to wags its tail more to its right. The wagging tends to go left when it sees something negative, like an unfamiliar dominant dog. In the Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013 issue of the journal Current Biology, the same Italian researchers report that other dogs pick up on that difference, and it’s reflected in their behavior and even their heart rates. (AP Photo/Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari)
In this 2012 image provided by the Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, a dog, bottom right, watches a video of the silhouette of another dog wagging its tail to its left. At top right is an inset image of the dog's heart rate while the dog was watching the video. A few years ago, researchers discovered a subtle difference in how dogs wag their tails. When a dog sees something positive, such as its owner, it tends to wags its tail more to its right. The wagging tends to go left when it sees something negative, like an unfamiliar dominant dog. In the Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013 issue of the journal Current Biology, the same Italian researchers report that other dogs pick up on that difference, and it’s reflected in their behavior and even their heart rates. (AP Photo/Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari)
NEW YORK (AP) — The way Fido wags his tail might reveal more about him than you know. Just ask another dog.
A few years ago, researchers discovered a subtle difference in how dogs wag their tails. When a dog sees something positive, such as its owner, it tends to wags its tail more to its right. The wagging tends to go left when it sees something negative, like an unfamiliar dominant dog.
Now, the same Italian researchers report that other dogs pick up on that difference, and it's reflected in their behavior and even their heart rates. Experts say the tail-wagging difference appears to be one way that dogs gauge how other dogs will respond to them.
"It's just fascinating that dogs pick up on it," said Evan MacLean, co-director of Duke University's Canine Cognition Center. For humans, he said, "it's a difficult thing to see."
MacLean was not involved with the study, reported Thursday in the journal Current Biology.
Giorgio Vallortigara of the University of Trento in Italy, an author of the study, said Fido is not deliberately sending a message. Instead, the tail-wagging behavior stems from how different emotional cues activate different parts of the brain, he said in an email.
For the experiment, Vallortigara and co-authors used videos of a dog or its silhouette, wagging its tail mostly to one side or the other, or not wagging at all. They showed the videos to 43 dogs, including such breeds as Rottweilers, beagles, boxers, border collies and German shepherds as well as mongrels.
When the dog in the video wagged mostly to its left, the sign of a negative response, observer dogs tended to have faster heartbeats than when it wagged the other way or not at all. Their behavior also indicated a higher degree of stress.
Alexandra Horowitz, who studies mental abilities of dogs at Barnard College in New York, said that the wagging difference is probably not a primary signal between Fido and Rover in daily life, but it may play a minor role.
___
Online:
Current Biology: http://www.cell.com/current-biology
___
Malcolm Ritter can be followed at http://www.twitter.com/malcolmritter
UTSA researchers develop prototype football kicking simulator
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
31-Oct-2013
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Contact: KC Gonzalez kc.gonzalez@utsa.edu 210-458-7555 University of Texas at San Antonio
National Science Foundation-funded project aids football kickers through virtual training system
In football, kicking is a fundamental and vital part of the game. The few points a kicker scores can make a critical difference in the outcome of a game. To help improve a football kicker's performance, University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) mechanical and bioengineering professor Yusheng Feng and seven students have developed the prototype components for a football kicking simulator designed to be a real-time training tool.
Sponsored by the UTSA Center for Simulation, Visualization and Real-Time Prediction (SiViRT) with funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Football Kicking Simulation & Human Performance Assessment is a virtual training system that uses real-time wireless feedback and computer sensing to measure football kicking mechanics data. It gives a kicker the ability to practice either on or off the field and receive the same kind of attention to detail he would experience at a training camp. Moreover, the quantitative data collected from the football dynamics and kicker's body motion can not only be used to predict the accuracy of a kick, but also give feedback to maximize the kicking power while mitigating the risk of injury.
In particular, the prototype provides quantifiable measures to improve a football kicker's consistency and reliability by:
Predicting the football's trajectory, incorporating real life factors such as drag, lift and wind factor
Sensing the pressure of the planted foot and angle of contact
Capturing the body motion of legs and joints through high speed cameras and video tracking
Displaying a realistic stadium environment by providing 3D visualization and surrounding sound
Providing dynamic and kinesiological analyses and simulations for coaches and players to design player-specific training programs
UTSA mechanical engineering undergraduate students Alyssa Schaefbauer, Cole Meyers, Jacob Kantor and Michael Lasch, kinesiology undergraduate student Ekow Acquaah, along with electrical and computer engineering graduate student Aaron Stout and computer science graduate student Ehren Biglari, have been developing and testing the virtual training system under the mentorship of Feng since February 2012.
"What sets our product apart from other kicking simulations is that we are using computer sensing and mathematical models to predict the football trajectory along with various training tools. It was designed specifically to be used for training rather than a form of entertainment, and it will be affordable," said Schaefbauer, the student team leader.
The group has been working with UTSA Football place-kicker Sean Ianno and assistant coach Perry Eliano to test the simulator and make necessary adjustments for ideal training. In order to consider the human factors in training and coaching, they are also incorporating feedback from faculty members in the UTSA Department of Health and Kinesiology.
"The simulator is an awesome idea. Although it is not a finished product yet, it has the potential to be on the cutting edge of technology and quite possibly could revolutionize how kickers train," said Ianno.
"The kicking simulator is an incredible project and something I believe can be very beneficial not only for our kickers, but for kickers across the country," stated Eliano. "I'm really humbled and thankful that the College of Engineering and their students who worked their tails off on this project chose us to be a part of it."
The research team has published two papers that were presented at the International Workshop on Computer Science in Sports and the Society for Modeling and Simulation International conference this summer.
"The football kicking simulator is a perfect example of how engineering and science can make improvements beyond the scientific arena, such as football, that are of interest to the greater community," said Feng. "It has been exciting to see these students develop into fine researchers who are determined to make a difference in society."
The research team has filed a patent application for the technology through the UTSA Office of Commercialization and Innovation and the team hopes to make the simulator commercially available for coaches and football teams to use as a training tool.
###
Established in August 2009 as a result of a $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the UTSA Center for Simulation, Visualization and Real-Time Prediction is a computation and visualization center that integrates high-performance computing into its activities which include imaging, visualization, modeling and simulation to help faculty and student researchers investigate structural reliability, particle flow, nanotechnology, biomechanics, computational neuroscience and cancer treatment simulation.
The SiViRT Center aims to shape UTSA's research environment by creating and supporting first-hand collaborative research and design experiences for both undergraduate and graduate students year-round. It is an interdisciplinary research center where students can apply their knowledge through teamwork. Learn more about the SiViRT Center at http://www.sivirt.utsa.edu.
For further information regarding the licensing of this or any UTSA technology, contact the UTSA Office of Commercialization and Innovation at oci@utsa.edu or call (210) 458-6963.
Connect online with UTSA at http://www.utsa.edu, http://www.facebook.com/utsa, http://www.twitter.com/utsa or http://www.youtube.com/utsa.
About UTSA
The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) is an emerging Tier One research institution specializing in health, energy, security, sustainability, and human and social development. With nearly 29,000 students, it is the largest university in the San Antonio metropolitan region. UTSA advances knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. The university embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property for Texas, the nation and the world.
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UTSA researchers develop prototype football kicking simulator
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
31-Oct-2013
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Contact: KC Gonzalez kc.gonzalez@utsa.edu 210-458-7555 University of Texas at San Antonio
National Science Foundation-funded project aids football kickers through virtual training system
In football, kicking is a fundamental and vital part of the game. The few points a kicker scores can make a critical difference in the outcome of a game. To help improve a football kicker's performance, University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) mechanical and bioengineering professor Yusheng Feng and seven students have developed the prototype components for a football kicking simulator designed to be a real-time training tool.
Sponsored by the UTSA Center for Simulation, Visualization and Real-Time Prediction (SiViRT) with funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Football Kicking Simulation & Human Performance Assessment is a virtual training system that uses real-time wireless feedback and computer sensing to measure football kicking mechanics data. It gives a kicker the ability to practice either on or off the field and receive the same kind of attention to detail he would experience at a training camp. Moreover, the quantitative data collected from the football dynamics and kicker's body motion can not only be used to predict the accuracy of a kick, but also give feedback to maximize the kicking power while mitigating the risk of injury.
In particular, the prototype provides quantifiable measures to improve a football kicker's consistency and reliability by:
Predicting the football's trajectory, incorporating real life factors such as drag, lift and wind factor
Sensing the pressure of the planted foot and angle of contact
Capturing the body motion of legs and joints through high speed cameras and video tracking
Displaying a realistic stadium environment by providing 3D visualization and surrounding sound
Providing dynamic and kinesiological analyses and simulations for coaches and players to design player-specific training programs
UTSA mechanical engineering undergraduate students Alyssa Schaefbauer, Cole Meyers, Jacob Kantor and Michael Lasch, kinesiology undergraduate student Ekow Acquaah, along with electrical and computer engineering graduate student Aaron Stout and computer science graduate student Ehren Biglari, have been developing and testing the virtual training system under the mentorship of Feng since February 2012.
"What sets our product apart from other kicking simulations is that we are using computer sensing and mathematical models to predict the football trajectory along with various training tools. It was designed specifically to be used for training rather than a form of entertainment, and it will be affordable," said Schaefbauer, the student team leader.
The group has been working with UTSA Football place-kicker Sean Ianno and assistant coach Perry Eliano to test the simulator and make necessary adjustments for ideal training. In order to consider the human factors in training and coaching, they are also incorporating feedback from faculty members in the UTSA Department of Health and Kinesiology.
"The simulator is an awesome idea. Although it is not a finished product yet, it has the potential to be on the cutting edge of technology and quite possibly could revolutionize how kickers train," said Ianno.
"The kicking simulator is an incredible project and something I believe can be very beneficial not only for our kickers, but for kickers across the country," stated Eliano. "I'm really humbled and thankful that the College of Engineering and their students who worked their tails off on this project chose us to be a part of it."
The research team has published two papers that were presented at the International Workshop on Computer Science in Sports and the Society for Modeling and Simulation International conference this summer.
"The football kicking simulator is a perfect example of how engineering and science can make improvements beyond the scientific arena, such as football, that are of interest to the greater community," said Feng. "It has been exciting to see these students develop into fine researchers who are determined to make a difference in society."
The research team has filed a patent application for the technology through the UTSA Office of Commercialization and Innovation and the team hopes to make the simulator commercially available for coaches and football teams to use as a training tool.
###
Established in August 2009 as a result of a $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the UTSA Center for Simulation, Visualization and Real-Time Prediction is a computation and visualization center that integrates high-performance computing into its activities which include imaging, visualization, modeling and simulation to help faculty and student researchers investigate structural reliability, particle flow, nanotechnology, biomechanics, computational neuroscience and cancer treatment simulation.
The SiViRT Center aims to shape UTSA's research environment by creating and supporting first-hand collaborative research and design experiences for both undergraduate and graduate students year-round. It is an interdisciplinary research center where students can apply their knowledge through teamwork. Learn more about the SiViRT Center at http://www.sivirt.utsa.edu.
For further information regarding the licensing of this or any UTSA technology, contact the UTSA Office of Commercialization and Innovation at oci@utsa.edu or call (210) 458-6963.
Connect online with UTSA at http://www.utsa.edu, http://www.facebook.com/utsa, http://www.twitter.com/utsa or http://www.youtube.com/utsa.
About UTSA
The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) is an emerging Tier One research institution specializing in health, energy, security, sustainability, and human and social development. With nearly 29,000 students, it is the largest university in the San Antonio metropolitan region. UTSA advances knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. The university embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property for Texas, the nation and the world.
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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.
Important breakthrough in identifying effect of epilepsy treatment
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
31-Oct-2013
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Contact: Tanya Gubbay tanya.gubbay@rhul.ac.uk Royal Holloway, University of London
50 years after valproate was first discovered, research published today in the journal Neurobiology of Disease, reports how the drug works to block seizure progression.
Valproate (variously labelled worldwide as Epilim, Depacon, Depakene, Depakote, Orlept, Episenta, Orfiril, and Convulex) is one of the world's most highly prescribed treatments for epilepsy. It was first discovered to be an effective treatment for epilepsy, by accident, in 1963 by a group of French scientists.
In thousands of subsequent experiments, animals have been used to investigate how valproate blocks seizures, without success. Scientists from Royal Holloway University and University College London have now identified how valproate blocks seizures in the brain, by using a simple amoeba.
"The discovery of how valproate blocks seizures, initially using the social amoeba Dictyostelium, and then replicated using accepted seizure models, highlights the successful use of non-animal testing in biomedical research," said Professor Robin Williams from the School of Biological Sciences at Royal Holloway.
"Sodium valproate is one of the most effective antiepileptic drugs in many people with epilepsy, but its use has been limited by side-effects, in particular its effect in pregnant women on the unborn child," said Professor Matthew Walker from the Institute of Neurology at University College London. "Understanding valproate's mechanism of action is a first step to developing even more effective drugs that lack many of valproate's side-effects."
"Our study also found that the decrease of a specific chemical in the brain at the start of the seizure causes even more seizure activity. This holds important implications for identifying underlying causes," added Professor Williams.
###
The research, funded by the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research, builds on work in which most of the animal use in epilepsy research has been replaced by a simple amoeba to initially screen and identify improved treatments.
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Important breakthrough in identifying effect of epilepsy treatment
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
31-Oct-2013
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Contact: Tanya Gubbay tanya.gubbay@rhul.ac.uk Royal Holloway, University of London
50 years after valproate was first discovered, research published today in the journal Neurobiology of Disease, reports how the drug works to block seizure progression.
Valproate (variously labelled worldwide as Epilim, Depacon, Depakene, Depakote, Orlept, Episenta, Orfiril, and Convulex) is one of the world's most highly prescribed treatments for epilepsy. It was first discovered to be an effective treatment for epilepsy, by accident, in 1963 by a group of French scientists.
In thousands of subsequent experiments, animals have been used to investigate how valproate blocks seizures, without success. Scientists from Royal Holloway University and University College London have now identified how valproate blocks seizures in the brain, by using a simple amoeba.
"The discovery of how valproate blocks seizures, initially using the social amoeba Dictyostelium, and then replicated using accepted seizure models, highlights the successful use of non-animal testing in biomedical research," said Professor Robin Williams from the School of Biological Sciences at Royal Holloway.
"Sodium valproate is one of the most effective antiepileptic drugs in many people with epilepsy, but its use has been limited by side-effects, in particular its effect in pregnant women on the unborn child," said Professor Matthew Walker from the Institute of Neurology at University College London. "Understanding valproate's mechanism of action is a first step to developing even more effective drugs that lack many of valproate's side-effects."
"Our study also found that the decrease of a specific chemical in the brain at the start of the seizure causes even more seizure activity. This holds important implications for identifying underlying causes," added Professor Williams.
###
The research, funded by the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research, builds on work in which most of the animal use in epilepsy research has been replaced by a simple amoeba to initially screen and identify improved treatments.
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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.
Research finds severe hot flashes reduced with quick neck injection
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
31-Oct-2013
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Contact: Kara Spak kspak@nmh.org 312-926-0755 Northwestern Memorial Hospital
A shot in the neck of local anesthesia may reduce hot flashes by as much as 50 percent for at least six months, a recent Northwestern Medicine study found.
"We think we are resetting the thermostat in women who are experiencing moderate to very severe hot flashes without using hormonal therapies," said David Walega, MD, chief of the Division of Pain Medicine at Northwestern Memorial Hospital andNorthwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Walega presented the results of the initial study at a recent American Society of Anesthesiologists annual meeting.
Forty women between 35 and 65 years old experiencing natural or induced menopause participated in the study. The women suffered debilitating hot flashes with more severe symptoms than the typical hot flash.
"Many of the women in our study experienced repeated drenching sweats that lessen the ability to go about a day-to-day routine, including interfering with their professional lives," said Walega. " We wanted to see if this injection could provide symptom relief without hormones, as hormone therapy has been associated with an increased risk of cancer, stroke and heart disease, and there are few other viable treatment options available right now."
To administer the treatment, the doctor used low dose X-ray to guide an injection of bupivacaine hydrochloride, a commonly used local anesthetic, into a nerve bundle called the stellate ganglion, located in the neck near the "voice box." It's a 30 second procedure that must be done by a trained physician because the injection is close to important structures like the carotid artery, the vertebral artery and the spinal nerves. Injecting any of those areas could cause a seizure, loss of consciousness or other complications.
The idea came from a pain study published in 2007 in the medical journal "The Lancet," where stellate ganglion injections were performed to try to alleviate pain. In some cases, hot flashes dissipated after the injection, independent of pain relief, leading Walega's research team to wonder if this might be a safe, effective way of treating hot flashes from menopause.
Walega's patients tracked their hot flashes for two weeks before and six months after the injection. Half the group got the anesthetic; the other a placebo injection of saline, or salt-water. Those who received the anesthetic medication reported a reduction of hot flashes by a half. The benefits lasted at least six months.
Walega is now planning a larger study to further investigate the shot's effectiveness.
###
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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.
Research finds severe hot flashes reduced with quick neck injection
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
31-Oct-2013
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]
Share
Contact: Kara Spak kspak@nmh.org 312-926-0755 Northwestern Memorial Hospital
A shot in the neck of local anesthesia may reduce hot flashes by as much as 50 percent for at least six months, a recent Northwestern Medicine study found.
"We think we are resetting the thermostat in women who are experiencing moderate to very severe hot flashes without using hormonal therapies," said David Walega, MD, chief of the Division of Pain Medicine at Northwestern Memorial Hospital andNorthwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Walega presented the results of the initial study at a recent American Society of Anesthesiologists annual meeting.
Forty women between 35 and 65 years old experiencing natural or induced menopause participated in the study. The women suffered debilitating hot flashes with more severe symptoms than the typical hot flash.
"Many of the women in our study experienced repeated drenching sweats that lessen the ability to go about a day-to-day routine, including interfering with their professional lives," said Walega. " We wanted to see if this injection could provide symptom relief without hormones, as hormone therapy has been associated with an increased risk of cancer, stroke and heart disease, and there are few other viable treatment options available right now."
To administer the treatment, the doctor used low dose X-ray to guide an injection of bupivacaine hydrochloride, a commonly used local anesthetic, into a nerve bundle called the stellate ganglion, located in the neck near the "voice box." It's a 30 second procedure that must be done by a trained physician because the injection is close to important structures like the carotid artery, the vertebral artery and the spinal nerves. Injecting any of those areas could cause a seizure, loss of consciousness or other complications.
The idea came from a pain study published in 2007 in the medical journal "The Lancet," where stellate ganglion injections were performed to try to alleviate pain. In some cases, hot flashes dissipated after the injection, independent of pain relief, leading Walega's research team to wonder if this might be a safe, effective way of treating hot flashes from menopause.
Walega's patients tracked their hot flashes for two weeks before and six months after the injection. Half the group got the anesthetic; the other a placebo injection of saline, or salt-water. Those who received the anesthetic medication reported a reduction of hot flashes by a half. The benefits lasted at least six months.
Walega is now planning a larger study to further investigate the shot's effectiveness.
###
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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.
Results of the TRANSLATE-POPS trial presented at TCT 2013
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
31-Oct-2013
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Contact: Judy Romero jromero@crf.org Cardiovascular Research Foundation
New study evaluates outcomes of providing access to platelet function testing in a clinical setting
SAN FRANCISCO, CA October 31, 2013 According to a new study of heart attack patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), free access to platelet function testing had only a modest impact on anti-clotting drug selection and dosing. Findings of the TRANSLATE-POPS trial were presented today at the 25th annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium. Sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF), TCT is the world's premier educational meeting specializing in interventional cardiovascular medicine.
While previous trials have examined platelet function testing-guided antiplatelet treatment strategies among patients undergoing PCI, little is known regarding how this testing impacts real world practice. The TRANSLATE-POPS trial evaluated whether routine availability of platelet function testing alters clinician selection and dosing of anti-clotting therapy, as well as patient outcomes after acute myocardial infarction treated with PCI. The primary end point was the rate of in-hospital therapeutic adjustments to anti-clotting therapy.
The prospective, cluster randomized trial randomly assigned sites not already routinely testing platelet function (
A total of 2,013 patients at 50 sites were enrolled in the device arm and 1,853 patients at 50 sites were enrolled in the usual care arm. Platelet function testing was performed in 66 percent of patients in the device arm and 1.4 percent of patients in the usual care arm. Compared to the usual care arm, device arm patients were more likely to have an in-hospital therapeutic adjustment of their antiplatelet regimen (15.9 percent in the device arm vs. 11.6 percent in the usual care arm). The device arm had a higher rate of switching antiplatelet agents (14.5 percent vs. 10.6 percent). The odds ratio for therapeutic adjustment, accounting for clustering effect within a site, was 1.54 for device vs. usual care.
However, after 30 days, patients in the device arm experienced a similar percentage of major adverse cardiac events compared to the usual care arm (4.5 percent vs. 5.1 percent, respectively). Both groups reported a similar rate of bleeding events (4.2 percent in the device arm vs. 4.3 percent in the usual care arm).
"TRANSLATE-POPS demonstrated that accessibility to platelet function testing had only a modest impact on ADP receptor inhibitor selection and dosing," said lead investigator Tracy Wang MD, MHS, MS of the Duke Clinical Research Institute.
"However, access to testing had no observed impact on early bleeding complications or major adverse cardiac events. An investigation of long-term outcomes is ongoing."
###
The TRANSLATE-POPS trial is funded by Lilly and Daiichi Sankyo. Dr. Wang reported research grants to the Duke Clinical Research Institute from Daiichi Sankyo, Eli Lilly, Gilead Sciences, and GlaxoSmithKline; and honoraria from AstraZeneca and the American College of Cardiology Foundation.
About CRF and TCT
The Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) is an independent, academically focused nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the survival and quality of life for people with cardiovascular disease through research and education. Since its inception in 1991, CRF has played a major role in realizing dramatic improvements in the lives of countless numbers of patients by establishing the safe use of new technologies and therapies in interventional cardiovascular medicine. CRF is the sponsor of the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium. Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, TCT is the world's premier educational meeting specializing in interventional cardiovascular medicine. For more information, visit http://www.crf.org and http://www.tctconference.com.
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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.
Results of the TRANSLATE-POPS trial presented at TCT 2013
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
31-Oct-2013
[
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]
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Contact: Judy Romero jromero@crf.org Cardiovascular Research Foundation
New study evaluates outcomes of providing access to platelet function testing in a clinical setting
SAN FRANCISCO, CA October 31, 2013 According to a new study of heart attack patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), free access to platelet function testing had only a modest impact on anti-clotting drug selection and dosing. Findings of the TRANSLATE-POPS trial were presented today at the 25th annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium. Sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF), TCT is the world's premier educational meeting specializing in interventional cardiovascular medicine.
While previous trials have examined platelet function testing-guided antiplatelet treatment strategies among patients undergoing PCI, little is known regarding how this testing impacts real world practice. The TRANSLATE-POPS trial evaluated whether routine availability of platelet function testing alters clinician selection and dosing of anti-clotting therapy, as well as patient outcomes after acute myocardial infarction treated with PCI. The primary end point was the rate of in-hospital therapeutic adjustments to anti-clotting therapy.
The prospective, cluster randomized trial randomly assigned sites not already routinely testing platelet function (
A total of 2,013 patients at 50 sites were enrolled in the device arm and 1,853 patients at 50 sites were enrolled in the usual care arm. Platelet function testing was performed in 66 percent of patients in the device arm and 1.4 percent of patients in the usual care arm. Compared to the usual care arm, device arm patients were more likely to have an in-hospital therapeutic adjustment of their antiplatelet regimen (15.9 percent in the device arm vs. 11.6 percent in the usual care arm). The device arm had a higher rate of switching antiplatelet agents (14.5 percent vs. 10.6 percent). The odds ratio for therapeutic adjustment, accounting for clustering effect within a site, was 1.54 for device vs. usual care.
However, after 30 days, patients in the device arm experienced a similar percentage of major adverse cardiac events compared to the usual care arm (4.5 percent vs. 5.1 percent, respectively). Both groups reported a similar rate of bleeding events (4.2 percent in the device arm vs. 4.3 percent in the usual care arm).
"TRANSLATE-POPS demonstrated that accessibility to platelet function testing had only a modest impact on ADP receptor inhibitor selection and dosing," said lead investigator Tracy Wang MD, MHS, MS of the Duke Clinical Research Institute.
"However, access to testing had no observed impact on early bleeding complications or major adverse cardiac events. An investigation of long-term outcomes is ongoing."
###
The TRANSLATE-POPS trial is funded by Lilly and Daiichi Sankyo. Dr. Wang reported research grants to the Duke Clinical Research Institute from Daiichi Sankyo, Eli Lilly, Gilead Sciences, and GlaxoSmithKline; and honoraria from AstraZeneca and the American College of Cardiology Foundation.
About CRF and TCT
The Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) is an independent, academically focused nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the survival and quality of life for people with cardiovascular disease through research and education. Since its inception in 1991, CRF has played a major role in realizing dramatic improvements in the lives of countless numbers of patients by establishing the safe use of new technologies and therapies in interventional cardiovascular medicine. CRF is the sponsor of the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium. Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, TCT is the world's premier educational meeting specializing in interventional cardiovascular medicine. For more information, visit http://www.crf.org and http://www.tctconference.com.
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Terrorists "found a second chance" to thrive in Iraq, the nation's prime minister said Thursday in asking for new U.S. aid to beat back a bloody insurgency that has been fueled by the neighboring Syrian civil war and the departure of American troops from Iraq two years ago.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told a packed auditorium at the U.S. Institute of Peace that he needs additional weapons, help with intelligence and other assistance, and claimed the world has a responsibility to help because terrorism is an international concern.
"They carry their bad ideas everywhere," al-Maliki said of terrorists. "They carry bad ideas instead of flowers."
The new request comes nearly two years after al-Maliki's government refused to let U.S. forces remain in Iraq, after nearly nine years of war, with legal immunity that the Obama administration insisted was necessary to protect troops. The administration had campaigned on ending the war in Iraq and took the opportunity offered by the legal dispute to pull all troops out.
Al-Maliki will meet Friday with President Barack Obama in what Baghdad hopes will be a fresh start in a complicated relationship that has been marked both by victories and frustrations for each side.
Within months of the U.S. troops' departure, violence began creeping up in the capital and across the country as Sunni Muslim insurgents, angered by a widespread belief that Sunnis had been sidelined by the Shiite-led government, lashed out. The State Department says at least 6,000 Iraqis have been killed in attacks so far this year, and suicide bombers launched 38 strikes in the last month alone.
"So the terrorists found a second chance," al-Maliki said — a turnabout from an insurgency that was mostly silenced by the time the U.S. troops left.
Al-Maliki largely blamed the Syrian civil war for the rise in Iraq's violence. In Syria, rebels — including some linked to al-Qaida — are fighting to overthrow President Bashar Assad.
Al-Maliki said he will ask Obama for new assistance to bolster Iraq's military and fight al-Qaida. The Iraqi ambassador to the U.S. said that could include speeding up the delivery of U.S. aircraft, missiles, interceptors and other weapons, and improving national intelligence systems among other things.
Iraqi Ambassador Lukman Faily did not rule out the possibility of asking the U.S. to send military special forces or additional CIA advisers to Iraq to help train and assist counterterror troops, but noted that if the U.S. doesn't provide the help, Iraq will go where they can, including China or Russia, which would be more than happy to increase their influence in Baghdad at U.S. expense.
The two leaders also will discuss how Iraq can improve its fractious government, which so often is divided among sectarian or ethnic lines, to give it more confidence with a bitter and traumatized public.
The ambassador said no new security agreement would be needed to give immunity to additional U.S. advisers or trainers in Iraq. And he said Iraq would pay for the additional weapons or other assistance.
A senior Obama administration official said Wednesday that U.S. officials were not planning to send U.S. trainers to Iraq and that Baghdad had not asked for them. The administration official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief reporters by name.
U.S. officials were prepared to help Iraq with an approach that did not focus just on military or security gaps, the administration official said. The aid under consideration might include more weapons for Iraqi troops who do not have necessary equipment to battle al-Qaida insurgents, he said.
Administration officials consider the insurgency, which has rebranded itself as the Islamic State of Iraq in the Levant, a major and increasing threat both to Iraq and the U.S., the official said.
U.S. and Iraqi officials see a possible solution in trying to persuade insurgents to join forces with Iraqi troops and move away from al-Qaida, following a pattern set by so-called Awakening Councils in western Iraq that marked a turning point in the war. Faily said much of the additional aid — including weapons and training — would go toward this effort.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who opposed the U.S. troop withdrawal in 2011, said Iraq likely would not get the aid until al-Maliki, a Shiite, makes strides in making the government more inclusive to Sunnis. "The situation is deteriorating and it's unraveling, and he's got to turn it around," McCain said Wednesday after a tense meeting on Capitol Hill with al-Maliki.
Al-Maliki's plea for aid is somewhat ironic, given that he refused to budge in 2011 on letting U.S. troops stay in Iraq with legal immunity Washington said they must have to defend themselves in the volatile country. But it was a fiercely unpopular political position in Iraq, which was unable to prosecute Blackwater Worldwide security contractors who opened fire in a Baghdad square in 2007, killing at least 13 passersby.
James F. Jeffrey, who was the U.S. ambassador in Baghdad when the U.S. troops left, called it a "turnabout" by al-Maliki. He said Iraq desperately needs teams of U.S. advisers, trainers, intelligence and counterterror experts to beat back al-Qaida.
"They could mean all the difference between losing an Iraq that 4,500 Americans gave their lives for," said Jeffrey, who retired from the State Department after leaving Baghdad last year.
Nearly 4,500 U.S. troops were killed in Iraq between the 2003 invasion and the 2011 withdrawal. More than 100,000 Iraqi were killed in that time.
___
Follow Lara Jakes on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/larajakesAP
FILE - In a Thursday, Oct. 24, 2013 file photo, Lady Gaga arrives for a presentation of her upcoming new album "Artpop" at a fan event at the Berghain club in Berlin. Dick Clark productions announced Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013 that Lady Gaga, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Kendrick Lamar and Luke Bryan will perform at the American Music Awards on Nov. 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)
FILE - In a Thursday, Oct. 24, 2013 file photo, Lady Gaga arrives for a presentation of her upcoming new album "Artpop" at a fan event at the Berghain club in Berlin. Dick Clark productions announced Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013 that Lady Gaga, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Kendrick Lamar and Luke Bryan will perform at the American Music Awards on Nov. 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — Hold your applause: Lady Gaga will perform at the American Music Awards next month.
Dick clark productions announced Thursday that Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Kendrick Lamar and Luke Bryan will also hit the stage for the Nov. 24 awards show in Los Angeles.
Previously announced performers include Miley Cyrus, One Direction, Imagine Dragons and Florida Georgia Line.
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis lead with six nominations, including artist, new artist and single of the year for "Thrift Shop." Taylor Swift and Justin Timberlake have five nominations each, while Robin Thicke, Rihanna and Florida Georgia Line have four each. Bruno Mars and Imagine Dragons are both up for three awards.
The AMAs will air on ABC from the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live.
DAVIE, Fla. (AP) — Miami Dolphins tackle Jonathan Martin left the team this week to receive professional assistance for emotional issues, a person familiar with the situation said, and was ruled out of Thursday night's game against Cincinnati.
Martin was with relatives, and his issues didn't involve any problems with the coaching staff, the person said. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Dolphins have said not released any details of the illness.
Martin, 24, played in Sunday's loss at New England, then missed practice this week. He was replaced by Tyson Clabo, who started Miami's first six games before being benched.
A second-round draft pick from Stanford, Martin started every game at right tackle as a rookie last year. He switched to left tackle this season, then moved back to the right side last week in a reshuffling of the Dolphins' struggling offensive line.
"You can approach this two different ways," Martin said last week regarding his latest position switch. "You can go in the tank and be one of those guys that moans and is a cancer in the locker room, or you can be a professional and play as hard as you can. My mindset is I'm going to go out there and do whatever I can to help the team win."
Pass protection has been a problem for Miami all season. Ryan Tannehill went into the Bengals game with an NFL-high 32 sacks, and the Dolphins (3-4) were saddled with a four-game losing streak.
Martin's agent didn't respond to requests for comment.
In an unrelated move, the Dolphins promoted receiver Ryan Spadola from the practice squad to the active roster.
___
AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL
___
Follow Steven Wine on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Steve_Wine
TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2010, AT 6:19 PM Tornado Kills at Least Five in Oklahoma
FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2011, AT 3:07 PM Obama Gets Firsthand Look at a Tornado Damage
TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2010, AT 6:19 PM Tornado Kills at Least Five in Oklahoma. Very long title. Long long long. Tornado Kills at Least Five in Oklahoma. Very long title. Long long long.
TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2010, AT 6:19 PM Tornado Kills at Least Five in Oklahoma. Very long title. Long long long. Tornado Kills at Least Five in Oklahoma. Very long title. Long long long.
The company bills itself as “the first offline dating site” because of its emphasis on real-world activities. Beyond the obvious dating site features (browsing profiles, sending messages to set up dates), HowAboutWe offers the ability to post local date ideas, to browse ideas from others, and to see who’s online nearby.
Head of PR Jade Clark told me via email that the HowAboutWe already has international users, but the app was only available in English, limiting its growth outside the United States. Now it’s available in 15 new languages covering more than 30 countries, including Japan, France, and Russia.
The company says it’s also making all features in the app available for free to international users, in contrast to the US, where premium features like unlimited membership can cost between $8 and $35 per month. Asked why HowAboutWe is taking this approach, Clark said the first step is “to extend our reach as a brand and to hit critical mass in one of these new markets,” and then to look at monetization options.
HowAboutWe Dating (that’s the singles product) has 1.7 million users in the US, while there are half a million HowAboutWe for Couples users in four markets, the company says. When asked about mobile and international plans for the couples product, Clark said, “Yes, we’re working to expand our mobile offerings and have some big announcements tied to this planned for Q1 .”
Co-founder and co-CEO Aaron Schildkrout has also to put together a blog post with his team about “10 Things You Need to Know Before Internationalizing Your App.” Many of those items are pretty technical (“All of your translatable copy should be stored in strings”) but some are more general — for example, he talks about the challenge of languages that require “grammatical differences for men and women”.
His final point: “It will always take 3x longer than you think!”
Improving earthquake early warning systems for California and Taiwan
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
30-Oct-2013
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Contact: Nan Broadbent press@seismosoc.org 408-431-9885 Seismological Society of America
Case studies for Calif. and Taiwan focus on EEWS
SAN FRANCISCO, October 30, 2013 -- Earthquake early warning systems may provide the public with crucial seconds to prepare for severe shaking. For California, a new study suggests upgrading current technology and relocating some seismic stations would improve the warning time, particularly in areas poorly served by the existing network south of San Francisco Bay Area to north Los Angeles and north of the San Francisco Bay Area.
A separate case study focuses on the utility of low cost sensors to create a high-density, effective network that can be used for issuing early warnings in Taiwan. Both studies appear in the November issue of the journal Seismological Research Letters (SRL).
"We know where most active faults are in California, and we can smartly place seismic stations to optimize the network," said Serdar Kuyuk, assistant professor of civil engineering at Sakarya University in Turkey, who conducted the California study while he was a post-doctoral fellow at University of California (UC), Berkeley. Richard Allen, director of the Seismological Laboratory at UC Berkeley, is the co-author of this study.
Japan started to build its EEW system after the 1995 Kobe earthquake and performed well during the 2011 magnitude 9 Tohoku-Oki earthquake. While the U.S. Geological Survey(USGS)/Caltech Southern California Seismic and TriNet Network in Southern California was upgraded in response to the 1994 Northridge quake, the U.S is lagging behind Japan and other countries in developing a fully functional warning system.
"We should not wait until another major quake before improving the early warning system," said Kuyuk.
Noting California's recent law that calls for the creation of a statewide earthquake early warning (EEW) system, Kuyuk says "the study is timely and highlights for policymakers where to deploy stations for optimal coverage." The approach maximizes the warning time and reduces the size of "blind zones" where no warning is possible, while also taking into account budgetary constraints.
Earthquake early warning systems detect the initiation of an earthquake and issue warning alerts of possible forthcoming ground shaking. Seismic stations detect the energy from the compressional P-wave first, followed by the shear and surface waves, which cause the intense shaking and most damage.
The warning time that any system generates depends on many factors, with the most important being the proximity of seismic stations to the earthquake epicenter. Once an alert is sent, the amount of warning time is a function of distance from the epicenter, where more distant locations receive more time.
Areas in "blind zones" do not receive any warning prior to arrival of the more damaging S-wave. The goal, writes Kuyuk and Allen, is to minimize the number of people and key infrastructure within the blind zone. For the more remote earthquakes, such as earthquakes offshore or in unpopulated regions, larger blind zones can be tolerated.
"There are large blind zones between the Bay Area and Los Angeles where there are active faults," said Kuyuk. "Why? There are only 10 stations along the 150-mile section of the San Andreas Fault. Adding more stations would improve warning for people in these areas, as well as people in LA and the Bay Area should an earthquake start somewhere in between," said Kuyuk.
Adding stations may not be so simple, according to Allen. "While there is increasing enthusiasm from state and federal legislators to build the earthquake early warning system that the public wants," said Allen, "the reality of the USGS budget for the earthquake program means that it is becoming impossible to maintain the functionality of the existing network operated by the USGS and the universities.
"The USGS was recently forced to downgrade the telemetry of 58 of the stations in the San Francisco Bay Area in order to reduce costs," said Allen. "While our SRL paper talks about where additional stations are needed in California to build a warning system, we are unfortunately losing stations."
In California, the California Integrated Seismic Network (CISN) consists of multiple networks, with 2900 seismic stations at varying distances from each other, ranging from 2 to 100 km. Of the some 2900 stations, 377 are equipped to contribute to an EEW system.
Kuyuk and Allen estimate 10 km is the ideal distance between seismic stations in areas along major faults or near major cities. For other areas, an interstation distance of 20 km would provide sufficient warning. The authors suggest greater density of stations and coverage could be achieved by upgrading technology used by the existing stations, integrating Nevada stations into the current network, relocating some existing stations and adding new ones to the network.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation funded this study.
A Low-Cost Solution in Taiwan
In a separate study, Yih-Min Wu of National Taiwan University reports on the successful experiment to use low cost MEMS sensors to build a high-density seismic network to support an early warning system for Taiwan.
MEMS accelerometers are tiny sensors used in common devices, such as smart phones and laptops. These sensors are relatively cheap and have proven to be sensitive detectors of ground motion, particularly from large earthquakes.
The current EEW system in Taiwan consists of 109 seismic stations that can provide alerts within 20 seconds following the initial detection of an earthquake. Wu sought to reduce the time between earthquake and initial alert, thereby increasing the potential warning time.
The EEW research group at National Taiwan University developed a P-wave alert device named "Palert" that uses MEMS accelerometers for onsite earthquake early warning, at one-tenth the cost of traditional strong motion instruments.
From June 2012 to May 2013 Wu and his colleagues tested a network of 400 Palert devices deployed throughout Taiwan, primarily at elementary schools to take advantage of existing power and Internet connections and where they can be used to educate students about earthquake hazard mitigation.
During the testing period, the Palert system functioned similarly to the existing EEW system, which consists of the conventional strong motion instruments. With four times as many stations, the Palert network can provide a detailed shaking map for damage assessments, which it did for the March 2013 magnitude 6.1 Nantou quake.
Wu suggests the relatively low cost Palert device may have commercial potential and can be readily integrated into existing seismic networks to increase coverage density of EEW systems. In addition to China, Indonesia and Mexico, plans call for the Palert devices to be installed near New Delhi, India to test the feasibility of an EEW system there.
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Improving earthquake early warning systems for California and Taiwan
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
30-Oct-2013
[
| E-mail
]
Share
Contact: Nan Broadbent press@seismosoc.org 408-431-9885 Seismological Society of America
Case studies for Calif. and Taiwan focus on EEWS
SAN FRANCISCO, October 30, 2013 -- Earthquake early warning systems may provide the public with crucial seconds to prepare for severe shaking. For California, a new study suggests upgrading current technology and relocating some seismic stations would improve the warning time, particularly in areas poorly served by the existing network south of San Francisco Bay Area to north Los Angeles and north of the San Francisco Bay Area.
A separate case study focuses on the utility of low cost sensors to create a high-density, effective network that can be used for issuing early warnings in Taiwan. Both studies appear in the November issue of the journal Seismological Research Letters (SRL).
"We know where most active faults are in California, and we can smartly place seismic stations to optimize the network," said Serdar Kuyuk, assistant professor of civil engineering at Sakarya University in Turkey, who conducted the California study while he was a post-doctoral fellow at University of California (UC), Berkeley. Richard Allen, director of the Seismological Laboratory at UC Berkeley, is the co-author of this study.
Japan started to build its EEW system after the 1995 Kobe earthquake and performed well during the 2011 magnitude 9 Tohoku-Oki earthquake. While the U.S. Geological Survey(USGS)/Caltech Southern California Seismic and TriNet Network in Southern California was upgraded in response to the 1994 Northridge quake, the U.S is lagging behind Japan and other countries in developing a fully functional warning system.
"We should not wait until another major quake before improving the early warning system," said Kuyuk.
Noting California's recent law that calls for the creation of a statewide earthquake early warning (EEW) system, Kuyuk says "the study is timely and highlights for policymakers where to deploy stations for optimal coverage." The approach maximizes the warning time and reduces the size of "blind zones" where no warning is possible, while also taking into account budgetary constraints.
Earthquake early warning systems detect the initiation of an earthquake and issue warning alerts of possible forthcoming ground shaking. Seismic stations detect the energy from the compressional P-wave first, followed by the shear and surface waves, which cause the intense shaking and most damage.
The warning time that any system generates depends on many factors, with the most important being the proximity of seismic stations to the earthquake epicenter. Once an alert is sent, the amount of warning time is a function of distance from the epicenter, where more distant locations receive more time.
Areas in "blind zones" do not receive any warning prior to arrival of the more damaging S-wave. The goal, writes Kuyuk and Allen, is to minimize the number of people and key infrastructure within the blind zone. For the more remote earthquakes, such as earthquakes offshore or in unpopulated regions, larger blind zones can be tolerated.
"There are large blind zones between the Bay Area and Los Angeles where there are active faults," said Kuyuk. "Why? There are only 10 stations along the 150-mile section of the San Andreas Fault. Adding more stations would improve warning for people in these areas, as well as people in LA and the Bay Area should an earthquake start somewhere in between," said Kuyuk.
Adding stations may not be so simple, according to Allen. "While there is increasing enthusiasm from state and federal legislators to build the earthquake early warning system that the public wants," said Allen, "the reality of the USGS budget for the earthquake program means that it is becoming impossible to maintain the functionality of the existing network operated by the USGS and the universities.
"The USGS was recently forced to downgrade the telemetry of 58 of the stations in the San Francisco Bay Area in order to reduce costs," said Allen. "While our SRL paper talks about where additional stations are needed in California to build a warning system, we are unfortunately losing stations."
In California, the California Integrated Seismic Network (CISN) consists of multiple networks, with 2900 seismic stations at varying distances from each other, ranging from 2 to 100 km. Of the some 2900 stations, 377 are equipped to contribute to an EEW system.
Kuyuk and Allen estimate 10 km is the ideal distance between seismic stations in areas along major faults or near major cities. For other areas, an interstation distance of 20 km would provide sufficient warning. The authors suggest greater density of stations and coverage could be achieved by upgrading technology used by the existing stations, integrating Nevada stations into the current network, relocating some existing stations and adding new ones to the network.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation funded this study.
A Low-Cost Solution in Taiwan
In a separate study, Yih-Min Wu of National Taiwan University reports on the successful experiment to use low cost MEMS sensors to build a high-density seismic network to support an early warning system for Taiwan.
MEMS accelerometers are tiny sensors used in common devices, such as smart phones and laptops. These sensors are relatively cheap and have proven to be sensitive detectors of ground motion, particularly from large earthquakes.
The current EEW system in Taiwan consists of 109 seismic stations that can provide alerts within 20 seconds following the initial detection of an earthquake. Wu sought to reduce the time between earthquake and initial alert, thereby increasing the potential warning time.
The EEW research group at National Taiwan University developed a P-wave alert device named "Palert" that uses MEMS accelerometers for onsite earthquake early warning, at one-tenth the cost of traditional strong motion instruments.
From June 2012 to May 2013 Wu and his colleagues tested a network of 400 Palert devices deployed throughout Taiwan, primarily at elementary schools to take advantage of existing power and Internet connections and where they can be used to educate students about earthquake hazard mitigation.
During the testing period, the Palert system functioned similarly to the existing EEW system, which consists of the conventional strong motion instruments. With four times as many stations, the Palert network can provide a detailed shaking map for damage assessments, which it did for the March 2013 magnitude 6.1 Nantou quake.
Wu suggests the relatively low cost Palert device may have commercial potential and can be readily integrated into existing seismic networks to increase coverage density of EEW systems. In addition to China, Indonesia and Mexico, plans call for the Palert devices to be installed near New Delhi, India to test the feasibility of an EEW system there.
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