Bunny ears on an iPad: Amusing, but probably not the ideal way to watch broadcast TV on your tablet. But the startup Aereo just won a court battle that could help its model of mobile TV take over the country.
In a country where most people get their TV via cable or satellite, it can be easy to forget that the local networks still broadcast their signals the old-fashioned way, from towers that spread the signal around their viewing area, allowing anyone within reach to tap that signal with an antenna. Aereo simply set up a farm of antennas in Brooklyn and charges users a small fee, currently $8 per month, to operate one of those antennas and stream local TV channels from it over the Web. An Aereo user can watch the Oscars, the NFL, or anything else that airs on network TV live on their mobile devices. Users can also record to a DVR.
You might think networks would love this, as Aereo takes signal that's publicly available and uses it to put local channels in front of more eyeballs. But the networks, many of which are developing their own streaming services, aren't happy about somebody redistributing their signals without compensating them for it, the way a cable company must if it wants to include local TV channels in its package. The argument: One person collecting a signal broadcast over the airwaves through their own antenna is fine. A business collecting signals broadcast over the airwaves and reselling them over the Internet is not.
The big media companies are not bombarding Aereo with lawsuits, but the little guy is winning the early rounds in this fight. Yesterday, an appeals court in New York upheld a previous ruling that had gone Aereo's way and refused the media giants' request to shut it down; the New York Times says a trial could be up next. Bolstered by the early decisions, Aereo is moving forward with a plan to expand its service, which is currently available only in New York City, to 22 new markets around the country.
Could the courts curtail Aereo? The argument by ABC, NBCUniversal, and others is that Aereo violates their copyright. In one of the actions, they cite the "public performance" part of copyright law, which grants the owner exclusive right to publicly perform their works. The appeals court's decision wades into some murky legal questions about public versus private communications: Is Aereo's service a "public performance," as the courts have deemed cable TV to be? Or is it a private communication, like that between an old-fashioned rooftop antenna and your personal TV set?
"Unanticipated technological developments have created tension between Congress's view that retransmissions of network programs by cable television systems should be deemed public performances and its intent that some transmissions be classified as private," the appeals court writes. In other words: The Copyright Act of 1976 couldn't have foreseen a technology like Aereo's, but, given the way the law has been written and interpreted, the court refused to call Aereo transmissions "public performances" and therefore refused to rule against the startup in this copyright matter.
Still, this isn't over. One judge who dissented in the appeals court ruling called Aereo "a Rube Goldberg-like contrivance" designed to work around the spirit of the law, so the broadcast giants have plenty of points to argue in future cases.
Cisplatin-resistant cancer cells sensitive to experimental anticancer drugs, PARP inhibitorsPublic release date: 3-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jeremy Moore jeremy.moore@aacr.org 215-446-7109 American Association for Cancer Research
PHILADELPHIA Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors may be a novel treatment strategy for patients with cancer that has become resistant to the commonly used chemotherapy drug cisplatin, according to data from a preclinical study published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
"Cisplatin is one of the most widely used conventional, anticancer chemotherapy drugs," said Guido Kroemer, M.D., Ph.D., professor at University Paris Descartes in Paris, France. "Unfortunately, most patients respond only transiently to cisplatin therapy because their cancer cells develop ways to resist the effects of the drug."
Kroemer and colleagues set out to identify the biochemical changes that arise as cancer cells become resistant to cisplatin in the hope that the information could provide clues to potential new therapies. They focused their study on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells because NSCLC is the leading cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality worldwide and patients with NSCLC are frequently treated with cisplatin, according to Kroemer.
The researchers found that most NSCLC cell lines resistant to cisplatin had high levels of the protein poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) and elevated amounts of poly (ADP-ribosyl) (PAR). In addition, they found that the PARP1 was hyperactivated. They observed similar results for cisplatin-resistant mesothelioma, ovarian cancer and cervical cancer cell lines.
When cisplatin-resistant NSCLC cell lines with high levels of hyperactivated PARP1 and PAR were exposed to each of two distinct PARP inhibitors, the cell lines initiated a cellular process that resulted in their death. Levels of PAR were more predictive of response to PARP inhibitors than were levels of PARP1 itself, suggesting that PAR may be an effective biomarker of response to cisplatin, according to Kroemer.
He and his colleagues then examined whether treatment with a PARP inhibitor affected the growth of tumors in mice xenografted with human NSCLC cell lines. They found that treatment significantly slowed tumor growth.
"Our data show that in most cases, cisplatin resistance is linked to stereotyped biochemical changes in cancer cells that render them vulnerable to PARP inhibitors," said Kroemer. "This has clear implications for new treatment regimens and for developing biomarkers of response to cisplatin. We are following up these exciting clinical possibilities in our laboratory."
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Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org
About the American Association for Cancer Research
Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world's first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR membership includes more than 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 17,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes eight peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the scientific partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of team science and individual grants in cancer research that have the potential for near-term patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer. For more information about the AACR, visit http://www.AACR.org.
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Cisplatin-resistant cancer cells sensitive to experimental anticancer drugs, PARP inhibitorsPublic release date: 3-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jeremy Moore jeremy.moore@aacr.org 215-446-7109 American Association for Cancer Research
PHILADELPHIA Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors may be a novel treatment strategy for patients with cancer that has become resistant to the commonly used chemotherapy drug cisplatin, according to data from a preclinical study published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
"Cisplatin is one of the most widely used conventional, anticancer chemotherapy drugs," said Guido Kroemer, M.D., Ph.D., professor at University Paris Descartes in Paris, France. "Unfortunately, most patients respond only transiently to cisplatin therapy because their cancer cells develop ways to resist the effects of the drug."
Kroemer and colleagues set out to identify the biochemical changes that arise as cancer cells become resistant to cisplatin in the hope that the information could provide clues to potential new therapies. They focused their study on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells because NSCLC is the leading cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality worldwide and patients with NSCLC are frequently treated with cisplatin, according to Kroemer.
The researchers found that most NSCLC cell lines resistant to cisplatin had high levels of the protein poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) and elevated amounts of poly (ADP-ribosyl) (PAR). In addition, they found that the PARP1 was hyperactivated. They observed similar results for cisplatin-resistant mesothelioma, ovarian cancer and cervical cancer cell lines.
When cisplatin-resistant NSCLC cell lines with high levels of hyperactivated PARP1 and PAR were exposed to each of two distinct PARP inhibitors, the cell lines initiated a cellular process that resulted in their death. Levels of PAR were more predictive of response to PARP inhibitors than were levels of PARP1 itself, suggesting that PAR may be an effective biomarker of response to cisplatin, according to Kroemer.
He and his colleagues then examined whether treatment with a PARP inhibitor affected the growth of tumors in mice xenografted with human NSCLC cell lines. They found that treatment significantly slowed tumor growth.
"Our data show that in most cases, cisplatin resistance is linked to stereotyped biochemical changes in cancer cells that render them vulnerable to PARP inhibitors," said Kroemer. "This has clear implications for new treatment regimens and for developing biomarkers of response to cisplatin. We are following up these exciting clinical possibilities in our laboratory."
###
Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org
About the American Association for Cancer Research
Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world's first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR membership includes more than 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 17,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes eight peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the scientific partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of team science and individual grants in cancer research that have the potential for near-term patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer. For more information about the AACR, visit http://www.AACR.org.
[ | 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.
Apr. 1, 2013 ? Chicken pox, the childhood affliction of earlier generations, has been largely neutralized by the varicella vaccine, according to a new study by the Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center, which appears in the current online issue of Pediatrics.
The 14-year study followed 7,585 children who were vaccinated in 1995, when they were 12 to 23 months old, to assess the long-term effectiveness of the vaccine and the impact on the epidemiology of varicella (chicken pox) and herpes zoster (shingles). Researchers also observed the impact of the second dose of varicella vaccine, introduced in 2006.
The varicella vaccine was licensed in the United States in 1995, and recommended soon after by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for routine administration to children. Prior to that, chicken pox was ubiquitous, with more than 90 percent of young people experiencing infection by the age of 20.
Over the entire follow-up period, the incidence rate of chicken pox in this cohort was 9 to 10 times lower than corresponding rates in unvaccinated children of the same age in the pre-vaccine era. This resulted in an overall vaccine effectiveness rate of approximately 90 percent.
"Clearly, the vaccine is a very effective tool in preventing or limiting the severity of chicken pox in young people," said Randy Bergen, MD, chief of outpatient pediatrics at Kaiser Permanente's Walnut Creek Medical Center and a pediatric infectious disease consultant. "As with any vaccine, though, the rate of vaccination has a huge impact on effectiveness. The more children vaccinated, the more effective the vaccine is for the entire community. At Kaiser Permanente, our use of a comprehensive electronic health record, Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect?, enables us to quickly identify children in the targeted age ranges who have not been vaccinated, and to reach out to their parents to ensure they get the shots. Keeping vaccination rates high confers benefit on the community as a whole because there are fewer children who can contract and spread the virus."
A total of 1,505 breakthrough cases of chicken pox were reported within the study cohort of 7,585 children in the 14 years following varicella vaccination. "Breakthough cases" are so named because they occur despite the child having received the varicella vaccine; the virus "breaks through" the defenses afforded by the vaccine. Cases were classified as "mild" (less than 50 lesions), "moderate" (51 to 300 lesions) and "severe" (more than 300 lesions). Very few cases were severe (only 28 of 7,585 children over 14 years), whereas in the pre-vaccine era most children experienced severe symptoms. Prevention of moderate to severe disease was achieved with one dose of varicella vaccine; no cases were reported after the second dose.
The incidence rate of breakthrough varicella steadily decreased over time and no increase was observed during the 14 years of follow-up. The apparent increase in the vaccine's effectiveness over time, according to lead author Roger Baxter, MD, co-director of the Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center, "is likely the result of vaccine failure occurring early, while breakthroughs became rare due to high vaccine effectiveness both directly and through herd immunity."
The continuing decline in breakthrough rates observed in 2008 and 2009 may have been the result of the implementation of the second dose in 2006, researchers said. The second dose of varicella is typically given at ages 4 to 6 years. However, it could potentially be of more benefit if given early after the first dose -- if varicella is circulating -- by increasing protection for infants too young to receive the vaccine and immune-compromised children who cannot receive a live vaccine.
The risk of herpes zoster, commonly known as shingles, was not increased in vaccinated children, and appeared to be lower in vaccinated children than in the pre-vaccine era. There were 46 confirmed cases of shingles among the cohort, suggesting an approximately 40 percent decreased incidence of herpes zoster in vaccinated children.
Additional authors on the study include Paula Ray, MPH, Edwin Lewis, MPH, and Bruce Fireman, MA, with the Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center; Patricia Saddier, MD, PhD, and Trung N. Tran, MD, PhD, of the epidemiology department, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Corp., Whitehouse Station, N.J.; Steve Black, MD, of the Center for Global Health, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Cincinnati; Henry R. Shinefield, MD, of the University of California San Francisco Medical Center; and Paul M. Coplan, ScD, MBA, of Purdue Pharma, Stamford, Conn.
Trung Nam Tran, MD, and Paul Coplan were employees of Merck Sharp & Dohme, Corp. at the time of the study. Patricia Saddier, MD, is currently still an employee of Merck Sharp & Dohme, Corp. Roger Baxter, MD, has received research grants from Merck, Sanofi Pasteur, GSK and Novartis. Steve Black, MD, is a consultant for Novartis, and is on data safety monitoring boards for Novartis, GSK and the World Health Organization. All other authors report no conflicts of interest.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Kaiser Permanente.
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Journal Reference:
Roger Baxter, Paula Ray, Trung N. Tran, Steve Black, Henry R. Shinefield, Paul M. Coplan, Edwin Lewis, Bruce Fireman, and Patricia Saddier. Long-term Effectiveness of Varicella Vaccine: A 14-Year, Prospective Cohort Study. Pediatrics, 2013; DOI: 10.1542/peds.2012-3303
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Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
There are two kinds of computer owners: those that backup their data, and those who will backup after they lose something irreplaceable. It's that last group for whom World Backup Day exists, and the special occasion has returned for a third year to make sure we all wind up in that first, very responsible camp. Thankfully, it's easier than ever to have at least some kind of safety net. Along with ridiculously high-capacity external hard drives, both Mac and Windows users have simple built-insoftware to make backup a set-it-and-forget-it affair. No money or room for an extra drive on the desk? No problem: cloud storage is ubiquitous, and even includes unlimited options. Mobile users have it a little easier with a myriad of Apple, Google and Microsoft cloud services, although there's third-party options in that space, too. In short, you've got few excuses to skimp out when it comes to safeguards, and enough choices to seriously consider using two or more -- which might be wise in this dangerous era of meteorite showers and brick-tossing robots.
File- This Jan. 31, 2013 file photo shows David Byrnes, Sheriff of Kaufman County, right, bowing his head as Mike McLelland, District Attorney of Kaufman County answers questions at a news conference at the Kaufman Law Enforcement Center in Kaufman, Texas. McLelland and his wife where found dead in their home Saturday March 30, 2013. Authorities are investigating. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, David Woo, File )
File- This Jan. 31, 2013 file photo shows David Byrnes, Sheriff of Kaufman County, right, bowing his head as Mike McLelland, District Attorney of Kaufman County answers questions at a news conference at the Kaufman Law Enforcement Center in Kaufman, Texas. McLelland and his wife where found dead in their home Saturday March 30, 2013. Authorities are investigating. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, David Woo, File )
In this Saturday, March 30, 2013 photo, authorities work in the middle of Blarney Stone Way where Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and wife Cynthia McLelland were found dead in their home in Forney, Texas. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, Ian C. Bates) MANDATORY CREDIT; MAGS OUT; TV OUT; INTERNET OUT; AP MEMBERS ONLY
This undated photo taken from the Kaufman County, Texas, website shows Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland. McLelland and his wife were found killed in their house, Saturday, March 30, 2013, two months after one of his assistants was gunned down near their office, authorities said. (AP Photo/Kaufman County)
In this Saturday, March 30, 2013 photo, caution tape surrounds the home of Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and wife Cynthia McLelland who were found dead in their home near Forney, Texas. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, Ian C. Bates) MANDATORY CREDIT; MAGS OUT; TV OUT; INTERNET OUT; AP MEMBERS ONLY
In this Saturday, March 30, 2013 photo, police block off Blarney Stone Road in Forney, Texas, where Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and wife Cynthia McLelland were found dead in their home near Forney, Texas. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, Ian C. Bates) MANDATORY CREDIT; MAGS OUT; TV OUT; INTERNET OUT; AP MEMBERS ONLY
KAUFMAN, Texas (AP) ? Two months after an assistant prosecutor was gunned down, the bodies of a north Texas prosecutor and his wife were found in their home, authorities said.
Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife, Cynthia, were found killed in their home on Saturday, Kaufman County sheriff's Lt. Justin Lewis said.
"Everybody's a little on edge and a little shocked," Forney Mayor Darren Rovell told The Associated Press on Sunday. "It appears this was not a random act."
Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse was shot to death in a parking lot a block from his office on Jan. 31. No arrests have been made in his death.
Lewis declined to say how the couple died or whether authorities believe their deaths are linked to Hasse's. Police, FBI agents, Texas Rangers and deputies were all part of the investigation.
Rovell said what's so shocking is that the attack occurred at the district attorney's home, an unincorporated area just outside Forney, which has 15,000 residents within the city limits and about 40,000 in the area. Kaufman County is 33 miles southeast of Dallas.
Kaufman Police Chief Chris Aulbaugh told The Dallas Morning News that the McLellands had been shot in their home, and although investigators didn't know if their deaths were related to Hasse's killing, they couldn't discount it.
"It was a shock with Mark Hasse, and now you can just imagine the double shock and until we know what happened, I really can't confirm that it's related but you always have to assume until it's proven otherwise," Aulbaugh told the newspaper.
Sam Rosander, who lives in the same unincorporated area of Kaufman County as the McLellands, told the AP on Saturday that sheriff's deputies were parked in the district attorney's driveway for about a month after Hasse was killed.
Aulbaugh said recently that the FBI was checking to see if Hasse's killing could be related to the March 19 killing of Colorado Department of Corrections head Tom Clements, who was gunned down after answering the doorbell at his home.
Evan Spencer Ebel, a former Colorado inmate and white supremacist who authorities believe killed Clements and a pizza deliveryman two days earlier, was killed in a March 21 shootout with Texas deputies about 100 miles from Kaufman.
Hasse was chief of the organized crime unit when he was an assistant prosecutor in Dallas County in the 1980s, and he handled similar cases in Kaufman County.
"Anything anybody can think of, we're looking through," McLelland said after Hasse's death.
McLelland graduated from the University of Texas before a 23-year career in the Army, according to the website for the district attorney's office. He later earned his law degree from the Texas Wesleyan School of Law.
He and his wife have two daughters and three sons. One son is a police officer in Dallas.
McLelland and his wife had moved into the home within the past few years ago, Rozell said.
"Real friendly, became part of our community quickly," Rozell said. "They were a really pleasant happy couple."
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Associated Press writer Michael Graczyk in Houston contributed to this report.
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Public release date: 3-Apr-2013
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