Tickled Pink: Fresh, Young Ginger is a Sweet Break from Gnarled Roots

Fresh ginger is juicier, sweeter and pinker than the gnarled, older roots more commonly available.

Laura McCandlish for NPR

That pink pile of pickled ginger that comes with your sushi is probably from China or Japan. And unless the slices are beige, chances are this garnish, next to the green wasabi, contains food coloring. So it's refreshing when you first see that cream-colored fresh "baby" ginger is naturally, yet shockingly, pink at its tips from where green stems shoot forth. The nude pieces naturally blush a faint rose (a pink that can be further amped up with raw beet) when brined in rice vinegar, as the Japanese do with this tender young ginger to make their now-ubiquitous sushi condiment, gari.

What's less omnipresent is ginger that was actually grown in the U.S. That, however, is changing. Asian countries, such as India, China and Nepal, produce much of the world's ginger. Steamy Hawaii is the only American state with real commercial cultivation of this coveted culinary and medicinal crop, though a bacterial soil disease and extreme wet weather has caused a significant decline in the harvest there.

So small, mostly organic, farms around the country are stepping up to fill the void by offering this delicacy — the juicy, mild, swollen ginger instead of those old fibrous roots — that's early-harvested come fall, in temperate states, just before the real chill sets in. Still, the last place I expected to find this tropical rhizome was in Maine. Yet several intrepid farmers are tending this young ginger in heated greenhouses and plastic high tunnels, with pretty decent results.

Perhaps no New England farmer has more ginger cred than native Mainer Ted Sparrow, who is 81 but too active to retire. Sparrow first learned about ginger cultivation working as a sugarcane industry consultant in Hawaii more than 50 years ago. Last year, his Sparrow Farm in Pittston, Maine, started selling fresh ginger (and its more floral cousin, turmeric), a perfect complement for the fresh organic cranberries the farm is known for. His wife and business partner Karen plans to incorporate their ginger into the not-too-sweet jars of cranberry sauce she cans for market.

Continental U.S. farmers harvest young ginger from mid-September into early November, just as those cranberries come on. So act fast. Otherwise, try Asian markets (mostly in April and May) for these new hands of "spring ginger," actually a fall crop as it is here, just over-nighted from sub-equatorial regions. Still, you'll find much fresher, gossamer-skinned specimens at the farmers' market now. North Carolina-based East Branch Ginger distributes its organic ginger seed (pieces of the rhizome wintered over in a heated greenhouse until mature) to about 40 states and into Canada, scrambling to keep up with the demand.

Laura McCandlish is a Corvallis, Ore.-based radio producer and food writer. She reports for NPR member station KLCC in Eugene and hosts a monthly food show on Portland radio station KBOO. She contributes to Edible Portland and The Oregonian's FOODday section. She blogs at baltimoregon.com.

"Baby ginger can't be grown that far afield and shipped many miles without it damaging or growing mold," says East Branch's Susan Anderson, who first tested ginger for Johnny's Selected Seeds in Maine. "That's why you don't see baby ginger in the supermarket. It really has to be grown in a local radius to be marketed very soon after harvest."

This perishable ginger emerges about 6 months after planting, while grocery store ginger hardens in the ground for almost a year. Digging up a shock of rhizome growth branching off of an old "mother" root, Sparrow says growing ginger is similar to growing potatoes. They both grow from seed pieces of the mature crop, which

farmers pre-sprout before planting, then hill up with soil whenever fresh growth appears. Like new potatoes, young ginger has that almost translucent skin that rubs right off. It's less fiery and fibrous than gnarled roots—and easier to cook with—since no peeling is required. It's mild enough to even eat raw. The whole root freezes well, for grating into soups and stews throughout the winter.

The delicate flavor and texture is best for pickles, syrups (think cocktails) and quick stir-fries. Or preserved foods such as fermented gingered carrots and Korean kimchee. Gallit Sammon Cavendish, a Culinary Institute of America-trained chef who married an organic farmer in Maine, says she'd never seen young ginger before moving to the state, despite having cooked at the Waldorf Astoria and Café Daniel. She and her husband Chris just harvested their first ginger crop, which Gallit Cavendish is candying in a certified kitchen. Once the semi-perishable product passes inspection, the couple plans to sell their crystallized ginger at area markets.

Local, young ginger now graces Maine's finest restaurant menus and is even brewed into a line of kombucha. A mead — wine made with ginger's natural partner, honey — is in the works and will be released this winter by Maine Mead Works. The only barrier to culinary exploration is the $15 per pound cost of this labor-and-input-intensive, still rare but increasingly popular niche crop.

Japanese Pickled Ginger (gari)

The jar of organic, natural-colored ginger I bought is too cloying, tastes overcooked and is a product of China "where ginger began," the label says. It's more satisfying—and easy—to make your own. This recipe is adapted from pickled ginger recipes Linda Ziedrich developed for both her comprehensive The Joy of Pickling (Harvard Common Press, 2009) and a Fine Cooking article. Chris Churilla, an Oregon bartender, goes light on the salt when he pickles fresh ginger with apple cider vinegar and sugar. Jennifer Burns Levin, who blogs at Culinaria Eugenius, recommends adding a slice of raw beet to the brine to naturally color your pickles bright pink. My dad recently pan-seared some Maine-caught, sushi-grade yellowtail tuna steaks, the perfect vehicle for this ginger.

Japanese Pickled Giner (gari)

Laura McCandlish for NPR

Japanese Pickled Giner (gari)

Laura McCandlish for NPR

Makes about 1 cup

4 ounces fresh ginger (washed thoroughly but no need to peel if young and thin-skinned), sliced paper-thin with a mandoline or vegetable peeler

2 cups water

Several thin slices of raw beet (optional)

3/4 teaspoon salt, plus an extra sprinkle

1/2 cup rice vinegar (cider, white wine vinegar may be used)

2 tablespoons sugar (or more to taste)

Put the ginger slices into a bowl, barely cover them with cold water and let stand 30 minutes.

In a saucepan, bring the 2 cups water to a boil while you drain the ginger. Add the ginger and cook, stirring to soften, about 30 seconds. Drain the slices in a colander, tossing to make sure they don't retain water. (This blanching step can be skipped if young ginger is especially fresh and not fibrous).

Sprinkle the ginger (and the raw beet slices, if using) lightly with salt and put in a lidded jar, preferably first sterilized with boiling water. Add the vinegar to a non-reactive saucepan, and bring it to a boil, stirring in the sugar and salt until dissolved. Use a funnel to pour the hot liquid over the ginger, mixing well (it should completely cover the slices).

Tightly cover the jar, allow it to cool to room temperature and refrigerate. The pickled ginger, which is ready to eat after several hours, keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

Fresh-Cut Corn with Young Ginger and Plums

Chef Aaron Park of Henry and Marty restaurant in Brunswick, Maine, created this appetizer (or side dish) out of early fall produce he spotted at the nearby Bath Farmers' Market. He grabbed sweet organic corn, young ginger and "red hot" plums. He created an end-of-season succotash with Asian flavors. The fish sauce and ume plum vinegar were my additions, but I think Park, whose food often reflects his Korean-American heritage, would approve. Red bell pepper or fresh tomato could be substituted for the fresh plums.

Laura McCandlish for NPR

Laura McCandlish for NPR

Serves 2 as an appetizer or side dish

3 tablespoons unsalted butter (Park used melted clarified butter)

2 tablespoons young baby ginger (washed well but no need to peel), minced

2 ears fresh corn, shucked and cut off cob (almost 2 cups raw kernels, can use frozen)

¾ cup fresh red plums, diced

1 tablespoon sake or Chinese Shaoxing rice wine

Asian fish sauce, to taste

Ume plum vinegar, to taste

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

2 to 3 cups baby kale or arugula (for garnish, optional)

Melt the butter in a sauté pan, cast iron skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the minced ginger and stir-fry 30 seconds. Add the corn and plums (if using bell pepper add before the corn) and stir-fry another minute. Deglaze the pan with sake and stir in a couple dashes of fish sauce and/or ume plum vinegar, to increase the dish's umami factor. Add salt (if needed) and freshly ground pepper to taste. Plate on a bed of baby kale before serving.

Crystallized Ginger (and Ginger Syrup)

I made jewel-like candied cranberries last year but had never attempted crystallized ginger. It's an easy treat that will wow guests and yield the added gift of ginger syrup for homemade soda and adult cocktails. At Ted Sparrow's Maine farm in October, ginger is dug up from humid greenhouses just as the cranberries are first being raked. That's how I decided to candy these two together. It gave the resulting syrup a nice blush, too. I gave some to a pregnant friend suffering from morning sickness, and have just been nibbling on them for dessert or as an afternoon pick-me-up. There's hardly a baked good that doesn't benefit from the addition of crystallized ginger. Candied Ginger-Cardamom Bars are a well-received favorite.

Laura McCandlish for NPR

Laura McCandlish for NPR

Makes about 1 pint, plus 1 cup reserved ginger syrup

1 pound young ginger (I subbed in almost 2 cups fresh cranberries and 1 knob fresh turmeric for some of the ginger)

Water

1 cup sugar, plus extra sugar for coating

1 cup honey (or just use 2 cups sugar total, but I wanted honey-ginger syrup)

Salt, a pinch

6 pods green cardamom (also in ginger family), optional

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar (optional; only add if you want to preserve the ginger in syrup and keep it from crystallizing)

Scrub any dirt off the young ginger. Using a mandoline, vegetable peeler or very sharp knife, cut the ginger into 1/8-inch coins. Put the ginger in saucepan, cover with the water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer at least 15 minutes, until tender. Remove the ginger with a mesh strainer or slotted spoon, reserving the water.

Add the sugar, honey and cream of tartar (if using) and pinch of salt to the reserved water, stirring over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Add ginger slices and cook over medium-high heat until the syrup's temperature approaches (but stays just under) 225 degrees F (about the consistency of thin honey). Add the cranberries (if using) and remove from the heat and let stand for at least an hour and up to overnight.

Transfer the ginger (and cranberries) with a slotted spoon to a wire rack or large mesh strainer set over a tray, letting them dry in a warm place until no longer that moist. Reserve the ginger syrup for use in drinks. Toss the dried fruit in granulated sugar, shaking off the excess sugar (which is now ginger-flavored and also worth reserving). Crystallized ginger can be stored in an air-tight container for several months, but you'll probably gobble it up and chop it up to mix into baked goods long before then. If pieces are still too moist, they can be further dried in a 170-degree oven before storing.

Harvest El Diablo

Oregon mixologist Chris Churilla combines fresh ginger juice with bourbon, dried fig purée, sweet vermouth and bitters and in another cocktail with gin, lychee, lemon and coconut foam. I decided to go a simpler route, opting for a vintage Trader Vic's margarita called an El Diablo. I adapted this recipe from a new classic cocktail menu bartender Brandon Wise devised for Paley's Place in Portland, Ore. Next time, I'll make my own ginger beer or even a wild-fermented ginger "bug." Rick and Deann Groen Bayless's Frontera: Margaritas, Guacamoles, and Snacks (W.W. Norton & Co., 2012) encouraged me to replace the cassis with other red fruity liquors and homemade ginger beer (just ginger syrup and seltzer).

Laura McCandlish for NPR

Laura McCandlish for NPR

Makes 1 drink

1 1/2 ounces blanco (silver) tequila

3/4 ounces fresh lime juice (reserving lime twist or wheel for garnish)

1 teaspoon freshly grated young ginger (or to taste, optional)

1/2-ounce creme de cassis (or substitute Campari)

1 ounce ginger syrup (reserved from crystallized ginger) plus 1 ounce sparkling water (or substitute 2 ounces ginger beer)

Dash of Angostura bitters (omit if using already bitter Campari)

Ice cubes, to taste

Add all ingredients except sparking water or ginger beer and ice to mixing tin. Shake and double strain into Collins glass, filled with ice, to taste. Top with ginger beer or seltzer. Garnish with a lime wheel or twist and a dash of Angostura bitters (optional).

Ginger Switchel

Vinegary drinks—kombucha, shrubs—are all the rage now. I first learned about switchel, the old-timey thirst-quencher of which Laura Ingalls Wilder writes, from a recipe printed in the Thymes, the monthly newspaper published by the food co-op I belonged to in Corvallis, Ore. Then I first tasted this bracing "American heritage beverage," sweetened only with Vermont maple syrup, at a Food Book Fair reception. The brew mixes well with whiskey and rum, or into a Switchel Stout & Stormy. It soothes an upset stomach or sore throat, and is long known to farmers as haymaker's punch. This recipe is adapted from the Sagadahoc MOFGA (Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association) chapter, which sells the nostalgic drink at the annual Common Ground Country Fair in September. Domenica Marchetti's post on American Food Roots also inspired me.

Makes about 1 average pitcher's worth

1 to 1 ½ quarts cold water

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup blackstrap molasses (or if too strong for your taste, use more mild honey)

2 tablespoons ginger-honey syrup (reserved from crystallized ginger)

1 tablespoon grated young ginger

1/2 teaspoon dried ground ginger

1 lemon, freshly juiced, plus extra slices reserved for garnish

Pour all the ingredients into a pitcher or jug and stir or shake well until blended. Adjust water, acids, ginger or sweeteners, to taste. Serve over ice, with lemon slices or crystallized ginger as an optional garnish. Splash on a little sparkling water, if desired.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2013/10/16/234888648/tickled-pink-fresh-young-ginger-is-a-sweet-break-from-gnarled-roots?ft=1&f=
Similar Articles: ann coulter   Tony Gonzalez   Americas Cup   VMA 2013   Tim Hudson  

Ga. to review tough death penalty provision

FILE - This undated provided by the Georgia Department of Corrections shows convicted murderer Warren Lee Hill. Georgia, the first state to pass a law prohibiting the execution of mentally disabled death row inmates, is revisiting a requirement for defendants to prove the disability beyond a reasonable doubt to be spared execution on those grounds _ the strictest burden of proof in the nation.(AP Photo/Georgia Dept. of Corrections)

FILE - This undated provided by the Georgia Department of Corrections shows convicted murderer Warren Lee Hill. Georgia, the first state to pass a law prohibiting the execution of mentally disabled death row inmates, is revisiting a requirement for defendants to prove the disability beyond a reasonable doubt to be spared execution on those grounds _ the strictest burden of proof in the nation.(AP Photo/Georgia Dept. of Corrections)

FILE - This undated provided by the Georgia Department of Corrections shows convicted murderer Warren Lee Hill. Georgia, the first state to pass a law prohibiting the execution of mentally disabled death row inmates, is revisiting a requirement for defendants to prove the disability beyond a reasonable doubt to be spared execution on those grounds _ the strictest burden of proof in the nation.(AP Photo/Georgia Dept. of Corrections)

ATLANTA (AP) — The state that was the first to pass a law prohibiting the execution of mentally disabled death row inmates is revisiting a requirement for defendants to prove the disability beyond a reasonable doubt — the strictest burden of proof in the nation.

A state House committee is holding an out-of-session meeting Thursday to seek input from the public. Other states that impose the death penalty have a lower threshold for proving mental disability, and some don't set standards at all.

Just because lawmakers are holding a meeting does not mean changes to the law will be proposed, and the review absolutely is not a first step toward abolishing Georgia's death penalty, said State Rep. Rich Golick, R-Smyrna, chairman of the House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee.

Georgia's law is the strictest in the U.S. even though the state was also the first, in 1988, to pass a law prohibiting the execution of mentally disabled death row inmates. The U.S. Supreme Court followed suit in 2002, ruling the execution of mentally disabled offenders is unconstitutional.

The Georgia law's toughest-in-the-nation status compels lawmakers to review it, Golick said.

"When you're an outlier, you really ought not to stick your head in the sand," he said. "You need to go ahead and take a good, hard look at what you're doing, why you're doing it, weigh the pros and cons of a change and act accordingly or not."

Thursday's meeting comes against the backdrop of the case of Warren Lee Hill, who was sentenced to die for the 1990 beating death of fellow inmate Joseph Handspike, who was bludgeoned with a nail-studded board as he slept. At the time, Hill was already serving a life sentence for the 1986 slaying of his girlfriend, Myra Wright, who was shot 11 times.

Hill's lawyers have long maintained he is mentally disabled and therefore shouldn't be executed. The state has consistently argued that his lawyers have failed to prove his mental disability beyond a reasonable doubt.

Hill has come within hours of execution on several occasions, most recently in July. Each time, a court has stepped in at the last minute and granted a delay based on challenges raised by his lawyers. Only one of those challenges was related to his mental abilities, and it was later dismissed.

A coalition of groups that advocate for people with developmental disabilities pushed for the upcoming legislative committee meeting and has been working to get Georgia's standard of proof changed to a preponderance of the evidence rather than proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Hill's case has drawn national attention and has shone a spotlight on Georgia's tough standard, they say.

The process has taken an enormous amount of education, said Kathy Keeley, executive director of All About Developmental Disabilities. Rather than opposition to or support for the measure she's pushing, she's mostly encountered a lack of awareness about what the state's law says, she said.

The groups are hoping to not only express their views at the meeting, but also to hear from others to get a broader perspective, Keeley said. The changes should be relatively simple and very narrow in scope, targeting only the burden of proof for death penalty defendants, she said.

Ashley Wright, district attorney for the Augusta district and president of the state District Attorneys' Association, said prosecutors question the logic of changing a law that they don't see as problematic and that has repeatedly been upheld by state and federal courts.

"The district attorneys don't believe that you change a law for no reason and, in this case, the law appears to be working," she said. "Where has a jury done a disservice? Why are we putting all our eggs in the defendant's basket and forgetting that there's a victim?"

Prosecutors agree that the mentally disabled shouldn't be executed, and defendants are frequently spared the death penalty when there is proof of their mental disability supported by appropriate documentation from credible and reliable experts, she said.

But Hill's lawyer, Brian Kammer, argues that psychiatric diagnoses are complex, and "experts who have to make diagnoses do not do so beyond a reasonable doubt, they do it to a reasonable scientific certainty."

Furthermore, he said, disagreements between experts make the beyond-a-reasonable-doubt standard nearly impossible to meet.

"Even where evidence is otherwise seemingly overwhelming that a person has mental retardation, one dissenting opinion that splits a hair on one or more pieces of evidence can result in that person who's almost certainly mentally retarded being executed," Kammer said.

In Hill's case, a state court judge concluded the defendant was probably mentally disabled. In any other state, that would have spared him the death penalty, Kammer said.

Additionally, three state experts who testified in 2000 that Hill was not mentally disabled submitted sworn statements in February saying they had been rushed in their evaluation at the time. After further review and based on scientific developments since then, they now believe Hill is mentally disabled, they said.

The state has dismissed the doctors' new testimony, saying it isn't credible. And courts have ruled that Hill is procedurally barred from having a new hearing. His lawyers had asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case based on the new evidence, but the high court this month declined to take it up. Hill has a challenge on different grounds pending before the Georgia Supreme Court. But he has exhausted his challenges on the mental disability issue, Kammer said.

Even if changes are made to Georgia's law, they will likely not be retroactive and wouldn't apply to Hill, Keeley said.

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-10-19-US-Georgia-Death-Penalty/id-19ca0bc8ab2b470e9960651b64438ca3
Related Topics: Jonas Brothers   anthony weiner  

Peripheral Vision 008: Seth Lind on why radio won't die

"The death of radio has been foretold pretty much since its invention," Seth Lind explains. "Especially since the invention of television. Why would you listen to radio since the invention of television? One of the main answers to that is you can do other things while you're listening to radio. You ...

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/6889rsHuIT8/
Similar Articles: adrian peterson   Joseph Gordon-Levitt   drake   Dustin Keller   royal baby  

Miley Cyrus Stars in Sexy New EMA Promo: Watch Here!

After making quite a splash at the MTV VMAs earlier this year, Miley Cyrus hopes to strike gold twice at this year's EMAs.

In a new promo for the show, hosted by Redfoo, the "We Can't Stop" singer gets through airport security by hiding in the LMFAO star's luggage.

This year, the 20th anniversary event will be held in Amsterdam, where the 20-year-old has more leeway to get wild.

Along with her highly-anticipated performance, Miley is up for four awards. Check out the MTV EMA on Sunday, November 10th at 6:30pm ET on MTV. In the meantime, her sexy promo can be seen in the player below.

Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/miley-cyrus/miley-cyrus-stars-sexy-new-ema-promo-watch-here-946116
Tags: eddie aikau   Tom Harmon   aaron hernandez   Nintendo 2DS   amanda bynes  

AP PHOTOS: Georgia Bull Run draws 3,000 daredevils

Some 3,000 daredevils decked out in white outfits and red scarves dodged bulls at a Georgia horse park to get a taste of the running of the bulls, as made famous in Spain.

Horse riders herded 18 bulls into a fenced course for the event, dubbed the Great Bull Run. Many stood alongside the fence as the bulls ran by, but some tried to sprint with the animals. A few runners fell or were knocked down, but no serious injuries were reported.

Here are some images from the event.

___

Follow AP photographers and photo editors on Twitter: http://apne.ws/15Oo6jo

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-photos-georgia-bull-run-draws-3-000-215339601.html
Related Topics: raiders   sons of anarchy   Harry Styles   drake   Christopher Lane  

Dr. John Martin awarded $3.7M for movement control studies

Public release date: 16-Oct-2013
[


| E-mail



| Share

]

Contact: Ellis Simon
esimon@ccny.cuny.edu
212-650-6460
City College of New York

$3.4M from NIH for brain development and injury research; $300K from Neilsen Foundation to study recovery of movement after brain or spinal injury

The laboratory of Dr. John Martin, medical professor in The City College of New York's Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, recently received $3.7 million for three new investigations into how the nervous system controls movement. Two $1.7 million, five-year awards from the National Institutes of Health and a grant of $300,000 over two years from the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation comprise the funding.

The funds will be used to generate new understanding of the connections between the brain and spinal cord that control movement. The studies will address brain development as well as recovery of movement function after brain or spinal injury.

"Our studies aim to repair the damaged nervous system after injury to restore the connections for movement," Professor Martin said. "Ultimately, we aim to translate what we learn to devise therapies for humans with mobility impairments."

One project supported by NIH focuses on repair of connections for movement that were damaged during early development. Professor Martin and colleagues are studying how electrical stimulation after brain injury can reestablish lost connections and, in turn, restore movement function. This has important implications for devising therapies for movement developmental disorders such as cerebral palsy, which affect between two and three out of every 1,000 births.

In a previous investigation, Professor Martin's lab discovered an important basic mechanism that determines development of the connections for movement: more active nerve cells are able to make more connections and stronger connections between the brain and the spinal cord.

This knowledge will also be applied to additional studies funded by NIH and the Neilsen Foundation to investigate movement recovery in mature animals. The NIH project will focus on basic mechanisms of nervous system plasticity and devising novel therapies after stroke. Funding from Neilsen will support studies to promote mobility after spinal cord injury.

Electrical stimulation will be applied to activate nerve cells in order to strengthen undamaged connections and promote new connections between the brain and spinal cord after an injury. Stimulation of the motor cortex leads to growth of spared connections into areas of the spinal cord that had lost their connections after injury.

Professor Martin noted that most nervous system injuries do not completely damage the parts of the brain and spinal cord that enable people to move; many connections are spared. Unfortunately, the spared connections often are not strong enough to produce a significant range of movements.

Stimulating outgrowth of neural connection from the motor cortex to the spinal cord could form the basis of a therapy to promote function after spinal cord injury or stroke in humans, he added. Applying magnetic fields or weak electric stimulation to the body surface over damaged brain or spinal cord is a non-invasive technique. Hence, it could be developed more readily than invasive procedures or drugs.

###

On the Internet

Professor Martin

Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education

About The Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education

Since 1973, the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education has offered a unique, seven-year BS/MD program that integrates an undergraduate education with the first two years of medical school. After five years, students transfer seamlessly to a cooperating medical school for the final two years. The school's mission is to increase accessibility to careers in medicine for underrepresented groups and to train primary care physicians to serve in medically underserved communities. Around 40 percent of its approximately 360 students are African-American or Hispanic.

About The City College of New York

Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided low-cost, high-quality education for New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. More than 16,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in: the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture; the School of Education; the Grove School of Engineering; the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, and the Colin L. Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership.

Set on a striking, 35-acre hilltop campus in upper Manhattan, CCNY has produced more Nobel laureates than any other public institution in the United States. The College has been touted as one of America's Top Colleges by Forbes, one of the Best Colleges in the United States as well as one of the Best Value Colleges by the Princeton Review, and ranks among U.S. News' top regional universities. For additional information, visit http://www.ccny.ccny.edu.

---

[


| 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.

Public release date: 16-Oct-2013
[


| E-mail



| Share

]

Contact: Ellis Simon
esimon@ccny.cuny.edu
212-650-6460
City College of New York

$3.4M from NIH for brain development and injury research; $300K from Neilsen Foundation to study recovery of movement after brain or spinal injury

The laboratory of Dr. John Martin, medical professor in The City College of New York's Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, recently received $3.7 million for three new investigations into how the nervous system controls movement. Two $1.7 million, five-year awards from the National Institutes of Health and a grant of $300,000 over two years from the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation comprise the funding.

The funds will be used to generate new understanding of the connections between the brain and spinal cord that control movement. The studies will address brain development as well as recovery of movement function after brain or spinal injury.

"Our studies aim to repair the damaged nervous system after injury to restore the connections for movement," Professor Martin said. "Ultimately, we aim to translate what we learn to devise therapies for humans with mobility impairments."

One project supported by NIH focuses on repair of connections for movement that were damaged during early development. Professor Martin and colleagues are studying how electrical stimulation after brain injury can reestablish lost connections and, in turn, restore movement function. This has important implications for devising therapies for movement developmental disorders such as cerebral palsy, which affect between two and three out of every 1,000 births.

In a previous investigation, Professor Martin's lab discovered an important basic mechanism that determines development of the connections for movement: more active nerve cells are able to make more connections and stronger connections between the brain and the spinal cord.

This knowledge will also be applied to additional studies funded by NIH and the Neilsen Foundation to investigate movement recovery in mature animals. The NIH project will focus on basic mechanisms of nervous system plasticity and devising novel therapies after stroke. Funding from Neilsen will support studies to promote mobility after spinal cord injury.

Electrical stimulation will be applied to activate nerve cells in order to strengthen undamaged connections and promote new connections between the brain and spinal cord after an injury. Stimulation of the motor cortex leads to growth of spared connections into areas of the spinal cord that had lost their connections after injury.

Professor Martin noted that most nervous system injuries do not completely damage the parts of the brain and spinal cord that enable people to move; many connections are spared. Unfortunately, the spared connections often are not strong enough to produce a significant range of movements.

Stimulating outgrowth of neural connection from the motor cortex to the spinal cord could form the basis of a therapy to promote function after spinal cord injury or stroke in humans, he added. Applying magnetic fields or weak electric stimulation to the body surface over damaged brain or spinal cord is a non-invasive technique. Hence, it could be developed more readily than invasive procedures or drugs.

###

On the Internet

Professor Martin

Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education

About The Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education

Since 1973, the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education has offered a unique, seven-year BS/MD program that integrates an undergraduate education with the first two years of medical school. After five years, students transfer seamlessly to a cooperating medical school for the final two years. The school's mission is to increase accessibility to careers in medicine for underrepresented groups and to train primary care physicians to serve in medically underserved communities. Around 40 percent of its approximately 360 students are African-American or Hispanic.

About The City College of New York

Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided low-cost, high-quality education for New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. More than 16,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in: the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture; the School of Education; the Grove School of Engineering; the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, and the Colin L. Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership.

Set on a striking, 35-acre hilltop campus in upper Manhattan, CCNY has produced more Nobel laureates than any other public institution in the United States. The College has been touted as one of America's Top Colleges by Forbes, one of the Best Colleges in the United States as well as one of the Best Value Colleges by the Princeton Review, and ranks among U.S. News' top regional universities. For additional information, visit http://www.ccny.ccny.edu.

---

[


| 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.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-10/ccon-djm101613.php
Category: chicago bears   NFL Network   alice eve   Vma 2013 Miley Cyrus   Hasnat Khan  

Keep Google From Using Your Face in Advertisements

You may have seen a warning at the top of your Gmail or Chrome explaining in boilerplate language that Google is changing its privacy policy. What Google is actually doing is starting a program where it takes things you’ve “liked” (or +1′ed, or rated) around the web, then uses your name and face in advertisements that show up in other people’s Google search queries. When Facebook introduced a similar program, one unlucky guy became a spokesman for a giant barrel of lube. For the vast majority of people, this use of data is unacceptable.

The good news is that unlike Facebook, Google’s giving you a one-click way to opt out of this sort of invasive use of your likeness. Here’s how you do it:

Go here. (You can also find it at https://plus.google.com/settings/endorsements)

Now uncheck the box! Congratulations, you’re now opted-out of Google’s endorsement program. However, if you don’t have a Google Plus account associated with your Google account, you’ll have to sign up for one. Either way, Google wins.

Source: http://feeds.wired.com/c/35185/f/661370/s/3291203b/sc/5/l/0L0Swired0N0Cgadgetlab0C20A130C10A0Copt0Eout0Egoogle0Eads0C/story01.htm
Tags: Case Keenum   Voyager 1   Jodi Arias   Lady Gaga Vma   FOX Sports 1