Fitzgibbons to lead state’s Federal Judicial Nominating Commission
Fitzgibbons to lead state’s Federal Judicial Nominating Commission Fitzgibbons to lead state’s Federal Judicial Nominating Commission April 15, 2009 Regular News
Tampa attorney John Fitzgibbons has been tapped to head the revamped Florida’s Federal Judicial Nominating Commission, which will pick finalists for presidential appointments for Florida federal judgeships as well as U.S. attorneys and U.S. marshals.Sen. Bill Nelson, D-FL, announced Fitzgibbons’ appointment as well as the membership for the federal JNC, noting the appointment rules were worked out in conjunction with Florida’s junior senator, Sen. Mel Martinez, R-FL.Nelson, in a press release, noted it is customary to revamp the membership of the JNC when a new presidential administration takes office.“We have tried to provide a process beyond the reach of partisan politics to help select the top candidates for jobs that involve upholding the public trust,” Nelson said.Fitzgibbons, a former assistant U.S. attorney in Tampa and formerly with the U.S. Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section, will oversee the 56-member JNC, which is divided into three panels, one for each federal court district in the state.Chair for the Northern District panel is Linda Shelley. Other members are Jim Appleman, John Aurell, Dubose Ausley, Martha Barnett, William “Bill” Harrison, Melanie Ann Hines, Don Hinkle, Doug Mannheimer, Jon Mills, Daryl Parks, Buzz Ritchie, Leander Shaw, Jim Smith, and Susan Shaw.Chair for the Middle District panel is Wayne Hogan. Other members are Steve Cheeseman, Tom Dukes, W.C. Gentry, Nat Glover, Saundra Grey, Michael Grindstaff, Ben Hill III, Trudie Kibbe-Reed, Mike Maher, Marcos Marchena, Bill McBride, Susan McCaskill, Hugh Normile, Steve Pajcic, Marsha Santana Rydberg, Bruce Smathers, Bruce Strayhorn, Brian T. Wilson, and William “Bill” Wilson.Chair for the Southern District panel is Kendall Coffey. Other members are Georgina Angones, Reginald Clyne, Gonzalo R. Dorta, Al Dotson, Philip Freidin, John Genovese, Evelyn Greer, Jillian Hasner, Manny Kadre, Chuck Lichtman, Richard Lydecker, Tom Panza, Luis Perez, Danny Ponce, David Prather, Dennis Richard, Justin Sayfie, Chris Searcy, and Steve Zack.The first task for the JNC will be to find a replacement for Southern District Judge Daniel T.K. Hurley, who recently took senior status. The panel may also be reviewing applicants for the state’s three U.S. attorneys, since new presidents generally replace those officials.The JNC released its procedural rules, a list of its members, and application forms for judges, U.S. attorneys, and federal marshals, which are posted on the Bar’s Web site.
“In other words, while the behavioral aspects of sleep inertia were well-described in the scientific literature, very little work had been done on the neurophysiological correlates of sleep inertia,” Vallat said.The researchers measured the cognitive functioning and brain activity of 34 participants before and after a 45-minute nap.They found that cognitive performance, as measured with a mental subtraction task, was reduced shortly after awakening from the nap. Participants who were in a deeper sleep before awakening tended to have even bigger drops in performance. But the negative effects dissipated about 25 minutes after awakening.This decrease in cognitive performance during sleep inertia was correlated with increased delta brainwave activity. In addition, Vallat and his colleagues found that the functional connectivity between brain networks was strongly disrupted shortly after awakening from the nap.“Awakening in deep sleep is associated with strong alterations in brain function and mental performances that last for at least 10 to 20 minutes,” Vallat told PsyPost. “Since we know that the average latency to reach deep sleep is about 25 to 30 minutes, a public health recommendation would be that people should either take short naps (less than 25 minutes) to avoid diving into deep sleep or full, 90-minute naps to do a full sleep cycle.”“I think that people should also be more informed about sleep inertia and try to be aware of its negative effect whenever they have to make important decisions or drive in the first minutes after awakening,” Vallat explained.But researchers still have much to learn about sleep inertia. Future research could address a number of unanswered questions. “The study of the neurophysiological aspects of sleep inertia is still at its infancy, and many questions remain unsolved. For instance, we only studied sleep inertia after awakening from N2 sleep and deep (N3) sleep in our study, and it would be interesting to see if our results replicate for REM sleep and N1 sleep,” Vallat said.“That said, we know from behavioral studies that sleep inertia is generally weaker after awakening from these two sleep stages, which are functionally closer to wakefulness.” “More research should be done to find ways to counteract the negative effect of sleep inertia. For instance, we know that the ingestion of caffeine before napping can limit the downside of sleep inertia but we do not really know what are the mechanisms for that,” Vallat added.The study, “Hard to wake up? The cerebral correlates of sleep inertia assessed using combined behavioral, EEG and fMRI measures“, Raphael Vallat, David Meunier, Alain, Nicolas, and Perrine Ruby. Share on Twitter Pinterest Share Email
LinkedIn Entering deep sleep and then waking up before completing the normal sleep cycle can result in a phenomenon known as sleep inertia. New brain scan research in NeuroImage helps explain why this phenomenon is associated with reduced cognitive performance.“My former PhD advisor (Dr. Perrine Ruby) and I were initially interested in sleep inertia — and what happens in the brain during this transient period — because we wanted to understand how this could relate to the recall or forgetting of dreams, which was at the time the main topic of my PhD,” said study author Raphael Vallat of the Center for Human Sleep Science at the University of California, Berkeley.“And, while we were planning the study, we realized that there was in fact no study that had previously looked at sleep inertia using a multi-modal approach (i.e. using both electrophysiological (EEG), behavioral and neuroimaging (fMRI) approaches).” Share on Facebook
A Spanish nurse who helped care for a sick priest who was brought back from West Africa has tested positive for Ebola, based on initial lab findings, which if confirmed would mark the first local transmission of the disease outside of West Africa.The impact of West Africa’s Ebola outbreak continued to reach across the globe to other locations, as Nebraska hospital officials announced that an American photojournalist sickened in Liberia has been airlifted to their facility, and Norway prepared to receive its first Ebola patient, a Norwegian woman who was infected with Ebola while working for Doctors without Borders (MSF) in Sierra Leone.Meanwhile, recent events surrounding the Ebola illness of a Liberian man in Dallas have fueled calls from the public and some politicians officials for the US government to do more to screen travelers arriving in the United States from the outbreak countries.Spain, MSF report infected health workersThe Spanish nurse helped care for a Spanish missionary who was flown to Madrid 2 weeks ago after he was sickened with Ebola while working in Sierra Leone, The Guardian, a newspaper based in London, reported today. The man died on Sep 25, 4 days after he arrived back in Spain. The nurse sought treatment at a hospital today, where initial tests were positive for Ebola, according to The Guardian. Spanish officials are waiting for the results of the second test to confirm the case.The woman works as a “sanitary technician” and entered the sick priest’s room twice: once to treat him and once after he died to retrieve his belongings, NBC News reported today. She started having symptoms on Sep 30 and sought care. She had also been part of the medical team that in early August treated another Spanish priest who was infected in West Africa and was brought back to Spain.The case is sure to raise questions across the globe about protecting healthcare workers, even those in developed nations, and the preparedness of hospitals outside the outbreak region to handle Ebola cases.In another development, MSF confirmed today that one of its staff members in Sierra Leone has been infected with Ebola. The worker from Norway was isolated yesterday after coming down with a fever, and tests confirmed Ebola infection. MSF said the patient will be evacuated to a treatment center in Europe and that an investigation is underway to determine how the contamination occurred. According to media reports, the worker is a woman and will be airlifted for treatment at an Oslo hospital.MSF is known to have strict infection control protocols, and the Norwegian is the second from MSF to be infected with Ebola. The first is a French woman who recovered from her infection and was recently discharged after being treated at a Paris hospital, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported on Oct 4, citing the French health ministry. She had received the experimental antiviral drug favipiravir (Avigan), developed by a subsidiary of Japan-based Fujifilm.Meanwhile, Nebraska Medical Center’s first Ebola patient, Rick Sacra, MD, is hospitalized with a respiratory infection at a Massachusetts hospital. Sacra recovered after contracting Ebola in Liberia and was discharged from the Omaha hospital on Sep 25.SIM USA, the missionary group Sacra serves with, announced yesterday that Sacra went to a Boston-area emergency room on Oct 4 because of a persistent cough and low-grade fever, with concerns that he might be getting pneumonia. He was transferred to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester for observation as a precaution according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, according to SIM.Sacra’s doctors from Nebraska Medical Center said in the SIM statement that his immune system is compromised because of his recent battle with Ebola and that his symptoms point to a respiratory illness and not Ebola. It added that three CDC-confirmed blood tests showed that Sacra was virus-free when he left Nebraska, and that while the likelihood of an Ebola relapse is low, the medical team orders diagnostic testing to be certain.UMass Memorial said in a statement late last night that the CDC confirmed that Sacra’s lab tests were negative for Ebola and that they were removing him from isolation. It added that physicians are continuing routine care for his upper respiratory tract infection.Sick journalist hospitalized in NebraskaIn related developments, Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha said today that it admitted a second patient infected with Ebola in West Africa, Ashoka Mukpo, a freelance photojournalist who got sick while working for an ABC News crew in Liberia.The hospital made the announcement in its Twitter feed during a live media briefing today. Mitchell Levy, MD, the patient’s father, said his son’s illness is still in the early stages, and that he has fever and nausea but no diarrhea. Hospital officials said Mukpo was alert and already on intravenous fluids as he was being admitted.Bradley Britigan, MD, dean of the College of Medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, said hydration, symptom control, and blood chemistry monitoring are the main components of Mukpo’s medical care and that the medical team is assessing all treatment options, including experimental ones.Mukpo’s mother, Diana Mukpo, and his father appeared at the press briefing today and said their son is in good spirits and that discussions about treatment are underway. His father said it’s not clear how his son was infected, but that he had apparently helped spray-wash a car that someone had died in.Texas contact tracing, patient developmentsIn media briefings over the weekend, Texas health officials and CDC Director Tom Frieden, MD, said so far no symptoms have been reported in 48 contacts of a man from Liberia who is hospitalized in critical condition with an Ebola infection at a Dallas hospital.David Lakey, MD, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS), said 10 of the people are considered close contacts, including 3 thought to have had direct contact with the man, along with 7 healthcare workers. An additional 38 are considered possible contacts, and will also undergo health monitoring for 21 days.Clay Jenkins, Dallas County judge, said four members of a family who had stayed in an apartment with the patient have been relocated to a private four-bedroom home made available by a member of the Dallas faith community. He said he personally drove the family to the location to ensure that it meets their needs and that they feel safe and comfortable.He also revealed that over the weekend health officials lost track of one of the low-risk contacts, a homeless man, and that law enforcement officials were trying to locate him. However, the authorities found him and he is now being monitored at Parkland Memorial Hospital, the Dallas Morning News reported today.The Liberian man’s condition has been downgraded to critical, and Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas said he is receiving the experimental antiviral drug brincidofovir, made by Chimerix Inc., a pharmaceutical company based in Durham, N.C.The company in a statement today confirmed that the drug had been provided for use in patients and that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved an emergency investigational new drug application for it. It said in vitro studies conducted by the CDC and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) suggest that the drug may offer a potential treatment for Ebola. Phase 3 studies of the drug as a treatment for cytomegalovirus and adenovirus infections have provided safety and dosing information that has allowed the drug to be considered as a possible treatment for Ebola, Chimerix said.In another development, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital’s parent company on Oct 3 retracted its key investigation finding regarding a communication breakdown during the Liberian patient’s first visit to the emergency department on Sep 25, his recent travel to Africa was overlooked. In an earlier statement the company said the travel history was taken and appeared in the nursing workflow portion of the electronic health record (EHR), but that it wasn’t visible in the physician workflow.However, the hospital said on Oct 3 that the patient’s travel history was documented and available to the full care team in the EHR. “There was no flaw in the EHR in the way the physician and nursing portions interacted related to this event,” according to the clarification from Texas Health Resources.Texas Gov Rick Perry today announced that the state has created a special task force to assist with the Ebola response and build the capacity to respond to similar threats in the future. Perry named Brett Giroir, MD, executive vice president and chief executive officer of the College of Medicine at Texas A&M Health Science Center, as director of the 16-member task force, which includes epidemiologists, public health experts, scientists, academics, and state government officials. Its first report is due Dec 1.”Over the past several days we have learned a lot about the unique challenges of situations like this, and it’s important that we continue to adapt our response to those realities,” Perry said in a statement, adding that the task force will develop a long-term plan to help the state handle future outbreaks, based on an existing plan.At a media briefing to announce the task force, aired by NBC News today, Perry urged the federal government to help Texas and other states by tightening screening procedures at entry points, such as obtaining extra information from passengers, taking their temperatures, and boosting staffing at quarantine stations.Federal officials consider added screening stepsPresident Barack Obama said his administration is working on additional steps for screening airline passengers to identify people with possible Ebola infections and to make sure medical teams know what to do when they flag a suspected illness, Reuters reported today. The President’s remarks came after a briefing today with CDC Director Tom Frieden, MD, MPH, and other government officials involved in the outbreak response.Obama said that for now the administration is not considering a travel ban from West Africa, but he said other measures could be considered to help keep infected travelers from entering the United States.At a media briefing over the weekend, Frieden said the CDC is open to suggestions on ways to step up screening, but he added that flight bans have been shown to impede the outbreak response in West Africa, and that stopping Ebola transmission in West Africa would be the best way to protect Americans.So far, outbound traveler screening in the outbreak countries has stopped 77 people from boarding flights, including 17 in September. Though he said the CDC doesn’t have follow-up information on all of the travelers, many had malaria, a common condition in the countries.While other steps could be discussed, he told reporters it would be a mistake to take any step that would make it harder to battle the virus in West Africa.”We’re looking at all possibilities. There have been suggestions from people in Congress, from the public, from the media—we’ll look at those and see what works to protect Americans and to make sure that whatever we do doesn’t unintentionally actually increase our risk,” Frieden said.He also noted that the nature of Ebola infection makes it difficult to flag infected travelers, because fever and other symptoms can begin as long as 21 days after exposure to the virus.See also:Oct 6 Guardian storyOct 6 Reuters story on Norwegian Ebola patientOct 6 MSF press releaseOct 4 AFP storyNebraska Medical Center Twitter feedOct 5 SIM press releaseOct 5 UMass Memorial statementOct 6 Dallas Morning News storyOct 6 Chimerix statementOct 3 Texas Health Resources press releaseOct 6 Texas Governor’s Office press releaseOct 6 Reuters story
Dawnay Day Sirius and Dawnay Day Carpathian, the Aim-listed property funds, said they would change their names; Carpathian has severed its contract with Dawnay Day to manage the former’s assets.In a weekend in which Dawnay Day, owned and controlled by Guy Naggar and Peter Klimt, appointed Ernst & Young partner Alan Bloom to conduct a strategic review of its businesses – which range from hotels, including London’s Wolseley, to retailers such as Austin Reed.Losses on Dawnay Day’s portfolios have forced the group to sell two of its investments and put a third up for sale. Talk is mounting that other parts of the business are for sale or heading towards administration.A third property fund, Dawnay Day Treveria, is also reviewing its relationship with the group.Shares in all three funds dropped yesterday as it became clear that directors of Dawnay Day had been selling their investments in Treveria and Sirius. Financial Times, Daily Telelgraph, The Independent
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PwC UK has expanded the reach of its legal services by announcing a tie-up with US firm Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen and Loewy to offer services for globalised businesses struggling with tougher immigration rules. According to an announcement the agreement will give the firms the ability to come together to provide integrated services to clients ’to bring a more connected service in the global mobility ecosystem’. Both firms will maintain their own global immigration practices. Noting that ’the geopolitical landscape makes immigration increasingly challenging’, the announcment says organisations face new compliance challenges as governments begin to track tax and immigration requirements on a more integrated basis.PwC partner Julia Onslow-Cole said: ’We are proud of our global immigration practice, which covers more than 170 countries. Making our respective immigration teams available to clients, particularly in the US, will provide an even deeper level of local insight. The PwC and Fragomen alliance will also facilitate more strategic, global insights on the impact of Government policies on both corporate immigration and mobility.’New York based immigration specialist Fragomen has more than 50 offices in 25 countries. Austin T. Fragomen, chairman, said: ’Immigration strategy and compliance has never been more important in the mobility environment. Our immigration legal expertise, coupled with PwC’s professional services offerings, will give clients an unparalleled opportunity to benefit from a unique collaboration that will help them better manage mobility and mitigate risk in a fast-changing compliance environment.’
UK: High Speed 2 project promoter HS2 Ltd has signed what it terms a ‘ground-breaking agreement’ with the UK Rail Research & Innovation Network of universities and research institutions.The agreement with UKRRIN Ltd which was announced on August 14 is intended to enable HS2 Ltd to ‘accelerate new technologies and products from research into market applications globally’.The University of Birmingham will coordinate UKRRIN’s activities in support of HS2 Ltd. The agreement will see research undertaken at three core academic centres of excellence, with each one leading a specific discipline:digital systems (led by the University of Birmingham);infrastructure (University of Southampton);rolling stock (University of Huddersfield).The first work package covered by the agreement will be led by the University of Birmingham’s Centre for Railway Research & Education, and will focus on use of simulation models to improve understanding of the performance of expansion joints used in high speed track.‘HS2 is a major opportunity for British academia and UK plc to come together and meet the challenge of delivering what is a huge investment in the country’s future’, said HS2 Ltd Head of Innovation Howard Mitchell. ‘The programme’s scale and longevity creates the right conditions to develop solutions for High Speed 2 and also the wider rail industry — both of which are crucial in helping Britain to decarbonise.’‘BCRRE works very closely with our industry partners to develop and deploy world-leading technologies onto the railway’, added Professor Clive Roberts, Director of the Birmingham Centre for Railway Research & Education.‘High speed rail is a vital part of the future of rail innovation in the UK and we’re delighted to be joining forces with HS2 to play our part in that future.’
Sharing is caring! 2645 Views one comment LocalNews Fatal collision at Coulibistrie by: – August 18, 2018 Share Share
Ranny Joseph, 57, of Coulibistrie is dead as a result of a road traffic collision.That fatal collision occurred about 1PM on Saturday 18 August 2018 at Plasawill, Coulibistrie, police public relations officer, Simon Edwards has confirmed.Edwards’ report indicates that Joseph succumbed as a result of his injuries when a Yamaha motorcylce riden by Renos Blanc, of Coulibistrie “came into contact with him”.He further reported that Joseph sustained “a massive puncture wound to the right side of his face”. He was pronounced dead at the scene by a medical practitioner and was transported to the Gentle Rest Funeral Home at St. Joseph.According to Edwards, Renos Blanc, who sustained “injuries to his chest and head”, is being treated at the Princess Margaret Hospital. Tweet Share
By ESTEVAN MEDRANOPort Isabel-South Padre Presspress@portisabelsouthpadre.comJanuary 1, 2015Saturday morning the Queen Isabella Causeway belongs to the runners. Last year over 4,800 participants travelled on foot over the iconic bridge for the 30 year anniversary of the Longest Causeway Run & Fitness Walk, sponsored by the Port Isabel Chamber of Commerce, and this year hundreds more are expected to be a part of it. Participants will make their way through an anticipated chilly morning, possibly accompanied with light showers. The USA Track and Field certified 10K Run ignites at 10:00 a.m. at the Port Isabel Community Center and concludes at the Louie’s Backyard statue on South Padre Island with prizes of $500, $300, and $200 being awarded to first, second and third place male and female winners respectively. The Fitness Walk will end at the Padre Balli statue. Shuttle service will be available to Louie’s Backyard restaurant, which will host both the awards ceremony and an after party to celebrate another year of runners accomplishing the traditional trek. There’s still time to register by visiting portisabel.org or contacting (956) 943-2262.Want the whole story? Pick up a copy of the Port Isabel-South Padre Press, or subscribe to our E-Edition by clicking here. Share RelatedCauseway Run, Fitness Walk on tapBy CRAIG ALANIZ South Padre Parade press@portisabelsouthpadre.com The 29th Annual Longest Causeway Run and Fitness Walk is set for Saturday, January 12, and beginning at 10 a.m. at the Port Isabel Community Center on Yturria St. Over 3,000 participants have already registered with an expected 2,000 more to be added…January 10, 2013In “News”35th Annual Causeway Run set for SaturdayBy DINA ARÉVALO Port Isabel-South Padre Press editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com The 35th Annual Longest Causeway Run and Fitness Walk is set for this Saturday, Jan. 12. The popular winter event is expected to draw hundreds of participants to the combined 10K run and 5K fitness walk over the scenic 2.37-mile long Queen Isabella…January 11, 2019In “News”The Long Run: Over 2,000 partake in 35th Causeway RunBy PAMELA CODY Special to the PRESS Thousands of walkers and runners of all ages converged at the Port Isabel Community Center last Saturday morning to participate in the 35th Annual Longest Causeway Run and Fitness Walk. Chairman of the board for the Port Isabel Chamber of Commerce, Steve Bearden,…January 18, 2019In “News”
Related(UPDATED) BREAKING: Woman arrested in connection with hit-and-runBy DINA ARÉVALO Port Isabel-South Padre Press editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com Update, 5 p.m.: The City of South Padre Island has just released a statement saying two women are now in custody in connection with the hit-and-run accident which injured five people early this morning. Acting on a tip from a member of the…March 17, 2017In “News”Child struck by vehicle on beachBy DINA ARÉVALO Port Isabel-South Padre Press editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com A 3-year-old child was struck by a motorist on the beach Sunday, reports the Cameron County Park Rangers. The accident occurred at approximately 4:30 p.m. Saturday about a mile north of County Beach Access No. 5, said Horacio Zamora, chief of police for…March 31, 2017In “News”UPDATE: Huerta arrested in connection with death of former PRESS reporterBy DINA ARÉVALO Port Isabel-South Padre Press editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com Port Isabel police today arrested a man in connection with the death of former Port Isabel – South Padre Press journalist Elizabeth “Liz” Sweeten. Ronnie Huerta, 33, was arrested at his home in Mercedes Monday by members of Port Isabel police. Huerta was…October 29, 2018In “News” Share By DINA ARÉVALOPort Isabel-South Padre Presseditor@portisabelsouthpadre.comCall volume was up over the extended holiday weekend, and an accident involving a golf cart and a vehicle led to serious injuries for one young child, authorities said.“A vehicle turned in front of a golf cart,” South Padre Island Chief of Police Randy Smith said in a phone interview Wednesday. “It flipped on its side and caused about four injuries,” with patients needing transport to area hospitals.One of the victims was a 7-year-old child who sustained a visible fracture to one leg, SPI Fire Chief Doug Fowler said. “There was an open fracture,” he said of the child’s injuries. The child was transported to a nearby hospital but was ultimately transferred to another facility with a pediatric trauma center, he said.Want the whole story? Pick up a copy of the Port Isabel-South Padre Press, or subscribe to our E-Edition by clicking here.