Embryology

Human genome editing with CRISPR-Cas9: South African legal perspective – Lexology (registration)

Background

CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing has been a topical subject since the Chinese research group led by Junjiu Huang at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou used this technology to eliminate the human -globulin (HBB) gene from the germline of a non-viable human embryo. Naturally occurring mutations in HBB cause the blood disorder -thalassaemia, which can be fatal. The group's research article was rejected by both Nature and Science on ethical grounds and was eventually published in the journal Protein and Cell. Subsequently, in a groundbreaking decision, regulatory approval for a research study using CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing in viable human embryo cells was provided in the United Kingdom by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority to Kathy Niakan's team at the Francis Crick Institute.

Despite the obvious potential benefits of this technology for the development of therapeutic treatment of otherwise incurable genetic and other diseases, ethical concerns over its therapeutic use are being debated around the globe. The biggest, but not the only, concerns over the use of this technology as a therapy are the possible off-target mutations that might arise during the use of the editing method, which would then be passed on to the patient's progeny.

In South Africa, gene editing techniques have and are being used in therapeutic research studies with adult human cells. However, the ethical concerns around somatic gene editing therapy are less controversial than with germline therapy. Any possible adverse effects in somatic cells would affect only the patient in question, and the treatment's risks can be assessed and weighed against the potential benefits. Conversely, germline mutations are transferred to all progeny cells and would be passed on to subsequent generations of children and form part of the human gene pool.

Patentability considerations

A number of patent applications relating to the use of CRISPR-Cas9 technology have been filed in South Africa by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Broad Institute and the President and Fellows of Harvard College, among others. None have yet proceeded to grant.

The Patents Act (57/1978) does not preclude patenting of germline editing technology for human gametes or the products of such methods. However, certain inventions of this type may fall within the provisions of the Patents Act relating to offensive or immoral behaviour and may therefore be considered to be unpatentable. Since there is no substantive examination of patent applications in South Africa at present, it is questionable whether the registrar will ever refuse an application on such a ground. Another possible course of action for a third party wanting to challenge such a patent would be for it to apply for revocation of the patent once granted. One of the Patent Act's grounds for revocation of a granted patent is that it should not have been granted as it pertains to unpatentable subject matter. These provisions all hinge on a question of morality and whether the invention would generally be considered immoral by either the registrar or the courts, and such a consideration has yet to be made.

Legislative considerations

Obtaining a granted patent is not a guarantee that the patented technology may be freely used. The National Health Act (61/2004) and its regulations in particular, the Regulations relating to Control of Use of Blood, Blood Products, Tissue and Gametes in Humans, which were promulgated in 2012 regulate the removal and use of tissue, blood, blood products and gametes from living persons. The use of such materials in techniques involving germline editing, although not specifically referenced, would also be regulated by the National Health Act.

At present, removal of any such materials, apart from gametes, requires written consent from the subject if he or she is over the age of 18 or from the subject's parent or guardian if he or she is under the age of 18. In the case of gametes, such material may be removed only if the subject is over the age of 18 or ministerial approval is obtained. Additionally, the National Health Act places restrictions on the reproductive cloning of human beings which would be part of the process where germline editing is used on a viable human embryo.

The National Health Act prohibits the manipulation of genetic material of human gametes, zygotes or embryos and activities such as nuclear transfer or embryo splitting for the purpose of the reproductive cloning of a human being. The minister of health may permit research on stem cells and zygotes which are younger than 14 days old, on a written application for research purposes, so long as the applicant undertakes to document the research and the donor's prior written consent is obtained.

Any person who fails to comply with the National Health Act regulations will be guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine, 10 years' imprisonment or both.

Comment

Members of the scientific community have argued for a moratorium to be called on human germline editing and the US National Institute of Health (NIH) has banned NIH-funded research into the genomic editing of human embryos. However, other members of the scientific community have argued that it is unethical to withhold technology that might be used to treat otherwise incurable diseases.

At present, the modification of a human embryo's germline for therapeutic purposes culminating in the reproduction of a human being is prohibited in South Africa. Germline editing for research purposes might be permitted, but would require conditional ministerial approval.

For further information on this topic please contact Joanne van Harmelen at ENSafrica by telephone (+27 21 410 2500) or email (jvanharmelen@ensafrica.com). The ENSafrica website can be accessed at http://www.ensafrica.com.

This article was first published by the International Law Office, a premium online legal update service for major companies and law firms worldwide.Register for a free subscription.

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Cell Biology

New role in cells suggested for ATP – Chemical & Engineering News

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) performs many jobs in a cell. It carries energy, serves as a signaling molecule, and is the source of adenosine in DNA and RNA.

But cells contain far more ATPas much as 5 mM in the cytoplasmthan these known uses seem to require. That might be because ATP also can solubilize proteins, suggests a new study (Science 2017, DOI: 10.1126/science.aaf6846).

ATP has the general characteristics of a hydrotrope, an amphiphilic molecule that has both a hydrophilic and a hydrophobic component but does not assemble into structures such as micelles. Hydrotropes are used industrially to solubilize hydrophobic species in aqueous solution. The hydrophobic portion of hydrotropessuch as ATPs adenosinelikely interacts with the hydrophobic species, while the hydrophilic partsuch as ATPs triphosphateallows the species to stay in solution.

In the new work, a team led by Yamuna Krishnan of the University of Chicago and Anthony A. Hyman of the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology & Genetics investigated the effects of ATP on the aggregation of several proteins. They found that ATP could prevent the aggregation of two proteins known to form amyloid clumps. For a third protein, ATP was further able to dissolve fibers of already aggregated protein. And ATP kept proteins in boiled egg white from aggregating.

Most healthy cell functions require that proteins remain soluble at enormous intracellular concentrations, without aggregating into pathogenic deposits, write Allyson M. Rice and Michael K. Rosen of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in a perspective accompanying the paper. The cell may exploit a natural hydrotrope to keep itself in a functioning, dynamic state.

ATP may have also played an important role in the origin and evolution of life, Krishnan, Hyman, and colleagues note in their paper. Aggregation would have been a problem even for early biological macromolecules. ATP may have been coopted early in evolution to prevent such aggregation, even before the molecule became an energy carrier, the researchers suggest.

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New role in cells suggested for ATP - Chemical & Engineering News

Cell Biology

Researchers probe a unique marine animal for insights into human vascular system – Phys.Org

May 18, 2017 by James Badham A light micrograph shows individuals of aBotryllus schlossericolony that have arranged themselves into a star-shaped structure called asystem. Credit:Delany Rodriguez

At first glance, Botryllus schlosseri is pretty nondescript.

The small, transparent marine organism, abundant along California's coast, spends its life colonizing submerged surfacesboats, docks and even other animals. But the star ascidian or golden star tunicate, as B. schlosseri is commonly known, is more than just a humble hanger-on.

As an invertebrate closely related to humans, it has characteristics that are about to make it the focus of a multicampus research project aimed at placing the University of California (UC) at the forefront of vascular mechanics andby extensioncardiovascular disease, which is responsible for one in four deaths in the state.

UC has awarded Megan Valentine, an associate professor in UCSB's Department of Mechanical Engineering, and partners at UCLA and UC Irvine with $300,000 for a pilot project that is part of the UC Multi-Campus Research Programs and Initiatives (MRPI). The awards provide two years of seed funding for collaborations that show promise in terms of launching pioneering cross-disciplinary research that strengthens UC's position as a leading public research university, supports innovative graduate student research, informs public policy and benefits California residents.

"This is a really strong area for UC and something we have a lot of pride of ownership in, but the campuses could be better linked," Valentine said. "These interdisciplinary initiatives from the UC Office of the President play an important role in cultivating relationships within and across campuses. We're very grateful for this opportunity to leverage system-wide resources and expertise."

Valentine, her key UCSB collaborator, Anthony De Tomaso, an associate professor in UCSB's Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, and colleagues at the two other UC campuses will focus their research on the star ascidia's vascular mechanics and mechanobiology. The latter is an emerging field of science focused on how physical forces and changes in the mechanical properties of cells and tissues contribute to development, cell differentiation, physiology and disease.

The project focuses specifically on vascular mechanics, whichdespite the invertebrate's close evolutionary relationship to humanshas not been studied previously in this context. "A lot of the discoveries we've made in terms of what proteins are important for vasculature in humans appear also to be relevant in this model," Valentine said. "It has completely untapped potential for discovery."

"The biology of Botryllus is fascinating and allows novel approaches in a number of fields, from immunology to stem cell biology and regeneration," said De Tomasco, whose lab has studied the animal for HOW LONG. "However, this new project on vascular biology is potentially groundbreaking, as it joins the unique anatomy and accessibility of the blood vessels to powerful visualization techniques. That allows us to directly manipulate and characterize global responses at a resolution not available in other model organisms."

The star ascidian has a simple but unique anatomy, with the vasculature located externally. When it is treated with a drug that disrupts collagen crosslinkinganother of its valuable characteristics is that it responds to drugs that humans also respond toit retracts the vascular structure in a process clearly visible through an optical microscope and even to the naked eye.

"So we get this immediate visual readout from a live organism," Valentine explained. "We can go in and manipulate the vessels: stretch them or apply forces with the goal of understanding what's happening mechanically. The drug does not affect the blood vessels directly; it affects the matrix in which they sit, softening it. And when the vasculature receives that softening signal, it retracts. We want to dig into the details of how organisms sense force and how they receive and process mechanical signals and turn that information into other cell functionsthat's not something that we understand. Then we need to connect that to the broader context of human vascular biology."

The long-term goal is to use the project to establish an infrastructure and then to secure longer-term funding and form a consortium of biologists and engineers to investigate how blood vessels know when to grow and shrink and how to control those decisions to fight human diseases such as cardiovascular disease, macular degeneration and cancer.

The project also seeks to understanding of the role of phagocytes, cells that protect an organism by ingesting harmful foreign entities, cells and tissues that are no longer needed. "In this case, as those vessels are retreating and you're losing all the blood vessel volume, those cells have to go somewhere, and phagocytes play a role in destroying them," Valentine explained. "There are a lot of open questions about exactly how that works. And because the vasculature is on the outside in this system, we have a lot of opportunities for imaging and for other analysis, so maybe we can get to the heart of that question."

Student training is another key component of the MRPI Awards, and UCSB undergraduate and graduate students who are trained in engineering will have the opportunity to work with colleagues at UCI and UCLA who have expertise in such areas as conventional animal model studies, as well as conducting human clinical trials.

Undergraduate students in a new class for summer 2017 will spend three weeks doing discovery-based research at UCSB and three weeks learning bioinformatics at UCLA. "The coolest thing about this system is that it is so accessible; you can touch the blood vessels with your fingers," De Tomaso said. "Because the retraction of the vasculature also occurs quicklytaking only 16 hoursstudents can rapidly learn many experimental processes. There is so much low-hanging fruit experimentally that they will actually be able to do brand-new science."

MRPI projects build connections among UC campuses while taking advantage of specific characteristics unique to each one. "In Santa Barbara, because of our location, we understand ocean resources and what we can learn from studying ocean organisms," Valentine said. "It will be powerful if we can share our ocean experience with the other campuses that don't have those resources. In a 10 campus system, you don't need every campus to have expertise in every area. We should be specialized, but then we should also recognize that as part of the UC system, we can leverage all of the other campuses in really unique ways."

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Researchers probe a unique marine animal for insights into human vascular system - Phys.Org

Biochemistry

Veterinary Biochemistry Analyzers Market Growth by Manufacturers, Regions, Type and Application, Analysis to 2022 – DailyNewsKs

Veterinary Biochemistry Analyzers Market is expected to witness growth of international market with respect to advancements and innovations including development history, competitive analysis and regional development forecast.

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Further in the report, Veterinary Biochemistry Analyzers Market is examined for price, cost and gross revenue. These three points are analysed for types, companies and regions. In prolongation with this data sale price for various types, applications and region is also included. The Veterinary Biochemistry Analyzers Industry consumption for major regions is given. Additionally, type wise and application wise consumption figures are also given.

Top key players of industry are covered in Veterinary Biochemistry Analyzers Market Report: BPC BioSed, DiaSys Diagnostic Systems, Diconex, Heska, Randox Laboratories, Idexx Laboratories, Scil Animal Care, Woodley Equipment And Many Others. Split by Product Type: Automatic, Semi-automatic Split by Application: Pet Hospital, Research Center, Inspection and Quarantine Departments, Other Split by Region: United States, China, Europe, Japan, Southeast Asia, India

With the help of supply and consumption data, gap between these two is also explained.

Get Sample PDF of report@ http://www.360marketupdates.com/enquiry/request-sample/10638581

This section of the market research report includes analysis of major raw materials suppliers, manufacturing equipment suppliers, major players of the Veterinary Biochemistry Analyzers industry, key consumers, and supply chain relationship. The contact information is also provided along with this analysis.

Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis: Manufacturing Cost Analysis-Raw Materials Analysis-Price Trend of Key Raw Materials-Key Suppliers of Raw Materials-Market Concentration Rate of Raw Materials-Labour Cost.

Along with this, analysis of depreciation cost, manufacturing cost structure, manufacturing process is also carried out. Price, cost, and gross analysis of the Veterinary Biochemistry Analyzers market is also included in this section.

Trade and Distribution Analysis: Marketing Channel-Direct Marketing-Indirect Marketing-Marketing Channel Development Trend-Market Positioning-Pricing Strategy-Brand Strategy-Distributors/Traders List.

This section of the Veterinary Biochemistry Analyzers market report consists of marketing channel status and end buyer price analysis. It also provides contact information of the traders and distributors.

Market Effect Factors Analysis: Technology Progress/Risk-Substitutes Threat-Technology Progress in Related Industry-Consumer Needs/Customer Preference Change-Economic/Political Environmental Change.

This particular section of the Veterinary Biochemistry Analyzers market report includes analysis of gross margin, cost and price.

The Veterinary Biochemistry Analyzers industry research report is a valuable source of guidance and direction. It is helpful for established businesses, new entrants in the market as well as individuals interested in the market. The Veterinary Biochemistry Analyzers market report provides important statistics on the existing state of the said market.

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Veterinary Biochemistry Analyzers Market Growth by Manufacturers, Regions, Type and Application, Analysis to 2022 - DailyNewsKs

Biochemistry

Biochemist Peter Hinkle dies at 76 | Cornell Chronicle – Cornell Chronicle

Peter C. Hinkle, Cornell professor emeritus of biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, died May 12 in Ithaca of pancreatic cancer. He was 76.

Widely acknowledged as a brilliant biochemist, Hinkle was an early adopter of a groundbreaking new approach to understanding the energy metabolism in cells. Though originally trained in classical biochemistry, Hinkle chose to do postdoctoral work in England with Peter Mitchell, who had postulated a new approach to how cells acquire the carbon and energy they need to grow, the chemiosmotic theory, for which Mitchell received the Nobel Prize in 1978.

The chemiosmotic mechanism postulated by Mitchell was not easily understood by those trained in classical biochemistry, but Peter Hinkle did understand and brought those ideas to Cornell where they took root, said Joseph Calvo, professor emeritus of molecular biology and genetics.

Hinkle received a bachelor's degree in biochemistry from Harvard University in 1962 and a doctorate from New York University in 1967. His work with Mitchell at Glynn Research was supported by a National Institutes of Health fellowship. His scientific promise was also recognized early by a 1971 NIH Career Development Award.

After his work at Glynn, Hinkle came to Cornell as a postdoctoral fellow in 1969. He became an assistant professor in 1973, part of a cohort of new faculty hired to strengthen biology across the campus.

Peter was a valued member of our department for 44 years, said William Brown, professor and chair of the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics in the College of Arts and Sciences. He was at the forefront of elucidating how cells make ATP, the energy currency of life on this planet.

Hinkle and others, including Efraim Racker, Andre Jagendorf and Richard McCarty, provided convincing experimental evidence for the chemiosmotic theory.

Peter Hinkle made a number of very important contributions to the required paradigm shift, said Calvo. He was an exacting experimentalist who had a highly developed understanding of laboratory conditions that avoided artifacts. He was asked to review many research papers and invited to meetings throughout the developed world.

One of Hinkles most important contributions was to frame the chemiosmotic theory in a way that could be understood by the greater scientific community. He published, with McCarty, a seminal article in Scientific American that included state-of-the-art drawings of ATP synthesis in plant and animal cells, emphasizing the basic similarities in the two cases. Hinkles wife, Maija, played a major role in developing the drawings. Some version of those drawings is in every biochemistry text sold today, said Calvo.

Peter and his colleagues also made very important contributions toward the understanding of how molecules cross biological membranes, said McCarty, the W.D. Gill Professor Emeritus of Biology at John Hopkins University. His lab was the first to show that the membranes of animal cells contain an embedded protein that mediates the transport of glucose across the membranes.

Hinkle became a full professor at Cornell in 1983 and served as chair of what was then known as the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology from 1985 to 1988. He taught, said Brown, legions of students in his graduate courses in bioenergetics and undergraduate courses in biochemistry, as well as his course Ethical Issues and Professional Responsibilities. In 2003, he and senior lecturer Jim Blankenship received a Faculty Innovation in Teaching grant to add web-based activities that incorporated 3-D visualization of proteins as well as interactive animations to the auto-tutorial course, Biochemistry 330.

During 1988-89 Hinkle served as distinguished visiting scientist at the Roche Institute of Molecular Biology in New Jersey. He served on numerous editorial boards, most recently for the Journal of Bioenergetics and Biomembranes.

After his retirement in 2014, Hinkle pursued interests including electronic music; he incorporated bird songs into his compositions.

Hinkle is survived by his widow, three sons, four granddaughters and two brothers.

A celebration of Hinkles life will take place Saturday, May 20, at 11 a.m. in the Founders Room in Anabel Taylor Hall. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology or to the Norwood and Cornelia Scholarship Fund at The Putney School.

Linda B. Glaser is a staff writer for the College of Arts and Sciences.

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Biochemist Peter Hinkle dies at 76 | Cornell Chronicle - Cornell Chronicle

Anatomy

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Season 13 Finale Says Goodbye to Another Cast Member (SPOILERS) – Variety

SPOILER ALERT:Do notread ahead, if you have not watched the season finale of Greys Anatomy Season 13, which aired onThursday, May 18.

Grey Sloan Memorial said goodbye to one of its own, after a fire rocked the hospital in the Season 13 finale of Greys Anatomy but despite some major foreshadowing, the goodbye was not due to death, unlike most Greys departures.

However, that doesnt mean the exit isnt permanent. The season finale revealed that Jerrika Hintons Dr. Stephanie Edwards is leaving her job and the medical profession entirely. The storyline comes as the actress is exiting the ABC series for a role in Alan Balls new HBO drama, asVariety previously reported.

In Thursday nights episode, after fighting off a rapist and dodging an explosion, Edwards spent the season-ender ignoring her own life-threatening burns to save a little girl which she did, by the way in the process, she realized what she wants out of life: to stop spending all her time in hospitals.

As for Hinton, the actress joined Greys Anatomy in 2012. She expanded her Shondaland relationship last season when she was cast as the lead in the companys comedy pilot Toast, which ultimately did not go to series.

Regarding Hintons exit, in a statement provided toVariety, series creator Shonda Rhimes said: Actors evolve differently and when an actor like Jerrika comes to me and says she wants to try something new creatively, I like to honor that.Jerrika has shared so much of herself with Stephanie and I am incredibly proud of the journey weve taken together. While Im sad to see Stephanie leave Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, I am excited to see whats next for Jerrika.

Here,Hinton fights back tears as she speaks to Variety about her decision to leave Greys Anatomy, her new HBO series, and why youshouldnt expect to see Edwards back in Seattle any time soon

When did you decide to leave the show?

Shonda and I met almost a year ago now, and we had a very lengthy and gratifying and really splendid conversation about work and creative process. She was immensely supportive of my wishes, and shes really lovely, Shonda. Every private conversation Ive had with her has left with me feeling just heard and seen and respected as a human being and as an artist, and I really appreciate that.

Have we seen the last of Edwards full time, or could we see her come backin a guest role?

I genuinely dont know the answer to that question. I will say, though, that because of the nature of her injuries and because of what she says she wants to experience in her next chapter of life, if we do see her come back through those doors, it will be a long time. I think that she needs to heal. She needs to heal in a variety of ways before that place becomes a viable option again.

Can you pinpoint a favorite moment you had withyour character over the years?

To be honest, that final scene with Jim Pickens [who plays Dr. Webber], that stands out in my memory. That was, for a scene thats so weighty, so heavy, tapping into it was a beautifully straightforward process. Jim is a fantastic scene partner. I always feel very safe with him. And Debbie [Allen, who directed the episode], the way that Debbie really just let us do what we needed to do allowed for all elements to really coalesce. And I havent seen it, [so] I hope that it comes across on screen. But on the day, shooting that was lovely.

Do you have a favorite memory from your time on the show?

I dont know if Im gonna have an opportunity to talk about what I will miss about Stephanie, is that okay? Im gonna miss wow, I didnt expect this. Im feeling emotional now. Need to go grab some Kleenex. I think Im just gonna miss her willingness to go the extra mile for what she believes in. I think its a quality that has been there from day one. I was thinking about this a few weeks ago, and something I remember from back in Season 9 is the way she really rallied Leah and Joe when Shane was going through a hard time. She told them not to give up and that we are all a part of this together. I think that she has such great fortitude and empathy and brilliance, and shes just, I think, for all of the folly of youth that she has, shes such a wonderful person. I was friends with her, and thats a great compliment because I choose friends carefully.

Can you tease anything about your HBO show?

I will say this: Five years of working in Shondaland makes me nervous about teasing things. I think I can, but all of my instincts in my body say, Keep your mouth shut, and Ive gotta work on letting go of that. But its a really wonderful new project. Its a new drama from Alan Ball, who is a phenomenal writer. And I will say that weve already started working on it, and its genuinely been a gratifying, collaborative, generous, and welcoming experience, and I feel so fortunate. I used to say, all the time, that being welcomed into Shondaland felt like winning the lottery, and I still feel that way. And now, moving from there to this, I dont even know whats beyond the lottery.

Even though youre leaving, do you have any intel on Greys Anatomy Season 14?

I literally have zero idea, and I have not asked because I dont work there anymore. When I worked there, I would ask all of those questions, and now that I dont, its a beautiful mystery.

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'Grey's Anatomy' Season 13 Finale Says Goodbye to Another Cast Member (SPOILERS) - Variety

Anatomy

Anatomy of a failed political hit job on AG Adam Laxalt – Las Vegas Review-Journal

If youre having trouble falling asleep, go listen to Wednesdays hearing on the secret recording made of Attorney General Adam Laxalt.

Liberals built it up to be the event that would end Laxalts all-but-announced campaign for governor. Instead, it was hard to stay awake as lawyers discussed legal strategies and non-lawyers struggled to understand legal procedures.

The only substantive takeaway was learning why lawyers get paid so much. Theyre the only ones crazy enough to want to work daily with such boring stuff.

So how did liberals get it so wrong? Lets look at the anatomy of a failed political hit job.

Start with motive. Liberals are on a mission to destroy Laxalt for being both a successful conservative elected official and Republicans likely 2018 gubernatorial nominee.

Next came opportunity. The news that Gaming Control Board Chairman A.G. Burnett had surreptitiously recorded a conversation with Laxalt discussing a case involving Las Vegas Sands Corp. and its CEO, Laxalt donor Sheldon Adelson, would have been enticing enough. Finding out that Burnett sent the tape to the FBI, even though the FBI said no crime had been committed, had liberals writing Laxalts political obituary before even hearing the tape.

They couldnt pass up this chance. Blinded by their biases, they pushed the idea that Laxalt had done something wrong under pressure from a large donor. To build the narrative, they gleefully doled out incomplete information.

This was the execution of the hit. Via subpoena, Assembly Ways and Means Chairwoman Maggie Carlton, D-Las Vegas, received the recording, along with Burnetts affidavit, two Fridays ago. Instead of immediately releasing the recording, Carlton leaked everything but the recording to create anticipation for the hearing and false impressions. She didnt release the transcript of the recording until the day before the hearing, and the audio came out the morning of the hearing. Carltons sloppiness was highlighted when the recording revealed that Laxalt said Philosophically in a part where the transcript read, Dont go soft on me Liberals had latched onto that phrase as Laxalt pressuring Burnett.

This was just one of many instances when new information undermined liberals previous claims of wrongdoing. As I detailed on Wednesday, trying to follow their shifting narrative was enough to give you whiplash.

For liberals, the biggest political mistake of all looks like the decision by Carlton to have the hearing. Attorney-client privilege had prevented Laxalt for sharing pertinent details that Burnett had failed to mention. Calling Laxalt to testify was the political equivalent of throwing Brer Rabbit into the briar patch.

Laxalt finally was able to put the truth out and the truth was boring. A lawyer talked with his client about legal minutia in a conversation you couldnt pay most people to listen to.

For a political hit, benign is the height of failure.

The Review-Journal is owned by the family of Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson.

Victor Joecks column appears in the Nevada section each Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Contact him at vjoecks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4698. Follow @victorjoecks on Twitter.

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Anatomy of a failed political hit job on AG Adam Laxalt - Las Vegas Review-Journal

Anatomy

The anatomy of a typical Piston first quarter – PistonPowered

Mar 22, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Reggie Jackson (1) reacts during the second half against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Marcus Morris season in review and grade by Duncan Smith

Mr. Big Shot could be headed to the Atlanta Hawks by Luke Wolthuis

The Detroit Pistons had a pattern for most of the season. They would start slow, take poor shots, be a step slow defensively, be down 6-10 points halfway through the first quarter. Sometimes the bench would rally and the Pistons would win, sometimes they trailed by too much or the bench never got it together. Either way, the starters almost never got off to a good start, and the first quarter was usually when they were at their worst.

There were platitudes about energy, getting off to better starts. Expressions that certain players had to bring it, play harder with more consistency. But what if there was another way to describe the Pistons starts? A way to quantify what they were doing and why it was so consistently unsuccessful, and a way forward to avoid falling into the same pitfalls going into next season can only be of help.

The Pistons were 21st in first quarter offensive rating, scoring just 102.7 points per 100 possessions in opening stanzas. They also had the second-worst true shooting rate in the NBA in first quarters with a woeful 51.3 clip.

In this piece were going to look at a typical Detroit Pistons first quarter from this past season. Were going to look at the kind of shots and locations the Pistons took, and were going to look at the expected value (or EV) of each shot they took in this specific first quarter. This EV will be based on a simple calculation of (FG% * 2) for two-pointers and (FG% * 3) for three-pointers. Well use NBA.coms shooting by range stat page to determine the varying field goal percentages by range.

The quarter that were going to examine is the first quarter of a game between the Pistons and the Indiana Pacers at the Palace of Auburn Hills on December 17th. The Pistons lost this game 105-90 and were outscored 27-26 in the first quarter. This is an entirely reasonable first quarter output, and this loss was due more to a 15-point second quarter than any specific failure in the first quarter.

Lets dive in.

The first shot of the game is taken by Tobias Harris. Its a 19-foot jump shot late in the shot clock. Remember, this is the first possession of the game, and it results in a late clock long two. This might be the most Piston way to start a game all season.

Harris has an expected value of 0.96 points per attempt from 15-19 feet.

He also takes the next shot, a spot up miss from 26 feet out on a drive and kick from Reggie Jackson. His expectation from there is slightly higher at 1.014 points per attempt.

Jackson scores the first points of the game for the Pistons on a spot up three, assisted by Tobias Harris. Remember, Jackson was among the best three-point shooters on the team, and he has an outstanding expectation from the corner, hitting 43.8 percent of those shots. His expectation on that success rate is 1.314 points per shot.

Andre Drummond takes and makes the next two shots, a seven-foot hook shot and a nine-foot hook. Its been well-documented on this site and elsewhere how poor his hook shot is and how mediocre his offense is when he gets outside five feet. Both shots go, but his expectation on both shots is a mere 0.81 points per attempt.

Tobias Harris takes the next two shots, splitting them. He misses the first, a 12-footer with an expectation of .898 points per attempt, but he hits the second, a 26-foot three-pointer with an EV of 1.014 points per attempt.

At this point, the Pistons have a 10-7 lead and theyre 4-of-7 from the floor. The shots theyve taken have a combined EV of 6.82, meaning their average expectation per field goal attempt is 0.974 points.

The Pistons score their next points on a transition three from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Jackson spots him across the arc and finds him for a wide open triple. Thanks to a late-season swoon, this shot has an EV of just .954 points per attempt, but at the time it was closer to 1.2 points per attempt.

KCP makes the next shot, also a three, and then misses a third three. Again, the EV for each shot is .954 points per attempt.

Tobias Harris follows that up with a missed three, with an expectation of 1.095 points.

Following that comes perhaps the wildest layup youll ever see from Reggie Jackson. While were going to assign this attempt a value of .968 (which itself is a dreadful rate at the rim), we can be honest and say this was basically a zero-chance attempt.

Drummond collects the rebound, misses a put back which has a 1.248 points per attempt EV, and a jump ball ensues which leads to a layup from Tobias Harris. That layup has a value of 1.308, significantly better than both Jackson and Drummonds rate at the rim.

The next attempts come from the free throw line via Reggie Jackson. He has a free throw percentage of 86.8 percent, thus eachattempt has a value of .868.

Andre Drummond takes the next three shots. He misses a six-foot hook worth .81 points, then Jackson hits him in transition for a layup at the basket, valued at 1.248. The third shot is a 20-foot jumper as the shot clock expires. Considering he hasnt hit such a shot, this attempt is assigned theentirely reasonable value of 0.

Reggie Jackson takes the next two shots, making a layup valued at .968 and missing a 16-foot jumps hot, valued at .81 points per attempt. Caldwell-Pope then misses a 27-foot jumper, valued at .954, and Ish Smith has checked in and misses a 26-foot three. Given his dreadful three-point shooting numbers from beyond 24 feet, his expected value here is .609 points per attempt.

KCP misses a layup valued at 1.074 points per attempt, Tobias Harris makes two free throws with a success rate of .841 (again, each free throw has this value), and Ish Smith misses a 12-foot shot with a value of 1.014 points per attempt.

In the end, the shots taken by the Detroit Pistons had an expected value of 25.206 points, and they scored this on 9-of-23 shooting. They were buoyed by better-than-average three-point shooting, hitting 4-of-9, and they were aided by four free throws, all of which they made.

Based on the pace of the first quarter (they played about 24 possessions, on pace for 95 in the game), their EV provides an expected offensive rating of 105.2. This rate would have tied them with the New York Knicks for 15th in the NBA in first quarter offensive rating, and it took them above-average three-point and free throw shooting to get there.

In summary, the Pistons had a positive-variance shooting stretch (or good luck, you could call it) in order to bring them to the middle of the league in first quarter scoring efficiency. Drummond also took three post shots (which is three too many) and made two, but he has among the leagues worst efficiency from the post.

The rest is here:
The anatomy of a typical Piston first quarter - PistonPowered

Anatomy

Grey’s Anatomy actress: playing a lesbian has changed my life – PinkNews

Greys Anatomy actress Jessica Capshaw, who is Arizona on the show, has opened up about how playing a lesbian has changed her life.

Capshaw, who first appeared as a guest star in the shows fifth season in 2009, has been through the wringer as Arizona.

Her character has married kick-ass orthopaedic surgeon Callie Torres, been divorced, lost her leg, and is now starting a relationship with Eliza Minnick, cast as this seasons antagonist.

She said that acting as a lesbian in the enormously popular show for so long had been a huge positive in her life.

I never would have imagined that I would be able to play a character that would feel like it does so much good, she told Yahoo Style.

Capshaw said that she hoped her on-screen presence helped people who feel like the character resonates with them and it makes their day a little easier to see themselves represented.

Or, she added, it could also provide a crucial tool in teaching family members or friends about homosexuality.

If its someone watching it who has someone in their life who is gay, and they might have not understood it before all of a sudden they have another person or another thing to point to and say: Oh, thats a different context.

Being able to play a lesbian as a series regular on television has been enormously rewarding.

Capshaw, who has also appeared on The L Word and Bones, proudly recalled an example of how representation can help how people see the LGBT community.

My daughter goes to preschool, and the preschool has all kinds of families, she said.

And I guess one of the kids said: You have to have a mom and a dad to have a baby. And my daughter said: No. No, you dont.

And this was all overheard and told to me later. She said, in a very kind and patient way to that child: There can be a mom and a mom and a dad and a mom and there can be a dad and a dad.

Capshaw said she was so grateful that she will never know any different, and it will only be if she is in the presence of people who are on the wrong side of history or small-minded that she will hear anything other than that.

Arizonas burgeoning relationship with Dr Minnick was a whole new experience, she said, since the two were already familiar with each other.

Ive known her for quite a while and shes a good friend of mine and married to Scott Foley, who is also a friend of mine.

Its a very interesting negotiation, but we had fun. We laughed a lot.

It was definitely one of those moments when you were like: Im going to kiss my friend. Thats going to happen, she added, laughing.

Capshaws positive take on playing a lesbian follows Pretty Little Liars Shay Mitchell saying that the fact that her character Emily Fields is queer was the best part of being on the show.

Go here to see the original:
Grey's Anatomy actress: playing a lesbian has changed my life - PinkNews

Neuroscience

Neuroscience Isn’t Just for Scientists: It Solves Real-World Problems … – Big Think

David Eagleman, neuroscientist and host of 'The Brain' on PBS,will speak at the Los Angeles Hope Festival on Sunday, May 21. The event is free but seats are limited. RSVP here.

David Eagleman isn't your garden-variety neuroscientistif there is such a thing. His former neuro lab at Baylor College of Medicine built the technology to help deaf people hear through their skin:

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"One of the things my lab is doing is building a vibratory vest so that we can feed in sensory information through the skin of your torso rather than through more typical sensory channels. So, for example, were doing this for people who are deaf who want to be able to hear. We set up a microphone on the vest and then the auditory stream is turned into this matrix of vibrations on your skin, and what that does is it feeds in electrical signals into the brain that represent the auditory information.

"And if it sounds crazy that you would ever be able to understand all these signals through your skin, remember that all the auditory system is doing is taking signals and turning them into electrical signals in your brain," he says.

That vest was recently put to a very scholarly use:

Eagleman is best known for his work on sensory substitution, time perception, brain plasticity, synesthesia, and neurolaw, and leverages that research to solve problems in the real worldwhether that's by restoring lost senses, breaking up fights between atheists and believers, or equipping people with tools to have more informed discussions about mass shootings in America. Eagleman points out that in the aftermath of every massacre, people toss around labels like: psycho, sociopath, ADHD, Asperger's.

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"Theres no such thing as a psycho. Thats a meaningless term. What the commentator presumably means is either this person has a psychosis, something like schizophrenia where they have a disorder of cognition, or they mean this person is a psychopath which is not a disorder of cognition. Instead psychopathy is about having no empathy towards other people, not caring at all about other people, seeing other people as objects to get around. Theyre also known as sociopaths. So somebody can have a psychosis or somebody can have a psychopathy or sociopathy, and these are completely different things.

"An understanding of these things in the public dialogue I think would be very important; every time theres a mass shooting there are all sorts of commentators that come out and say things like, 'Well, I heard he had Aspergers' or 'I heard he had ADHD,' or, 'I heard that he wrote dark poetry,' which is, of course, true of most young teenagers. So a better understanding of the vocabulary and what are the issues that come along with these different things is something that I try to disseminate through my work in neuroscience and law."

david-eagleman-can-a-computer-simulate-consciousness

For his talk at theLos Angeles Hope Festival, Eagleman will present ideas from his new neuro lab atStanford University School of Medicine, presenting aframework of the brain as a team of rivals, with different networks driving different behaviors.He'll discuss how a major job of intelligent brains is simulation of the future, and he'll leverage lessons from neuroscience about how we can best steer ourselves into the futurekeeping our behavior consistent with a long-term notion of the self. Tickets are free but seats are limited, so RSVP here.

Below is the full schedule for the Los Angeles Hope Festival.

Excerpt from:
Neuroscience Isn't Just for Scientists: It Solves Real-World Problems ... - Big Think