MILWAUKEE - The World Allergy Organization (WAO) will host the first global meeting of its kind, "The WAO Symposium on Immunotherapy and Biologics." This two day meeting, will focus on Immunotherapy and Biologics, with topics ranging from mechanisms to translational research and therapeutics, bringing together basic and translational scientists, clinical immunologists, allergists, pediatricians, pulmonologists, ENTs, and researchers to explore this cutting-edge field.  The Symposium will be limited in numbers to approximately 300-400 attendees, making it an ideal setting for discussion, interaction, networking and learning.

The scientific program will comprise of state of the art lectures to be delivered by the world's top experts in the field as well as free communications that will be presented during the Poster Sessions.  The aim of the Symposium is to summarize what is scientifically known and well characterized, what is the unpublished cutting-edge research and the unique future strategies and to reach a consensus about the unmet needs of Immunotherapy and Biologics.

The Symposium will offer attendees simultaneous tracks on Immunotherapy and Biologics. Each track offers stimulating lectures, presentations and discussions. The Symposium will also include two Plenary Sessions, in order to bring participants and topics together.

Opening Plenary Session:
Novel Insights in the Biology of Allergic Responses in Immunotherapy
Personalized Medicine: An Overview
Biologic Basis of the Allergic Response
Overview of Allergen Immunotherapy and Tolerance
New Treatments for Allergen Immunotherapy

Closing Plenary Session:
Regulatory Aspects and Future Role of Immunotherapy and Biologics in Patient Care
Personalized Medicine in Allergy and Asthma
Regulatory Aspects of Immunotherapy in Europe
Regulatory Aspects of Immunotherapy in the US

For more information and a complete list of topics and sessions, please visit the WAO Symposium on Immunotherapy and Biologics webpage at: http://www.worldallergy.org/symposium2013/


About the World Allergy Organization
The World Allergy Organization (WAO) is an international alliance of 89 regional and national allergy, asthma and immunology societies. Through collaboration with its Member Societies, WAO provides a wide range of educational and outreach programs, symposia and lectureships to allergists/immunologists around the world and conducts initiatives related to clinical practice, service provision, and physical training in order to better understand and address the challenges facing allergists/immunologists worldwide. For more information, visit www.worldallergy.org.

QUAD CITIES–Xstream Cleanup, the Quad-Cities' annual, volunteer-based cleanup of area waterways, is turning 10 this year–and community input is needed.

Xstream organizers are looking for new cleanup sites and encourage members of the community to make suggestions. If a site is dirty, litter-ridden or host to illegal dumping, organizers want to hear about it! To make a suggestion, send an e-mail to info@xstreamcleanup.org or call (563) 468-4218.

The annual cleanup, which celebrates its 10-year anniversary this summer, will be held from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, August 10, 2013.

In celebration of this milestone, organizers plan to release a series of mini-documentaries over the summer to highlight event accomplishments, to recognize the volunteers and organizations that make it happen, and to raise awareness about water quality in the Quad-Cities.

"At its heart, Xstream Cleanup is about the community picking up, dragging out and hauling away unwanted trash and debris from its waterways. We value our water and our waterways, and Xstream Cleanup proves that, as a community, we're willing to sweat together to protect and improve them," says Curtis Lundy, longtime chair of Xstream Cleanup.

As the cleanup date approaches, mini-documentary releases, a complete media kit, photos, and more will be available for view and/or download at www.xstreamcleanup.org. Volunteer registration will begin online in June. In addition, periodic updates about the event will be released on the Xstream Cleanup Facebook page.

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WASHINGTON, April 3, 2013 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in collaboration with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has developed a program to certify processed eggs and egg products for export, providing new opportunities for U.S. food exporters.

"This is one more step the Obama Administration has taken to expand exports of high quality U.S. agricultural products," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "Today's announcement will open new markets for U.S. egg products, generating additional economic benefits and more jobs across rural America. We are in the midst of the strongest period of agricultural exports in history, and I look forward to making even more progress in the years ahead."

The USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will certify a wide range of products containing eggs, including omelets, frozen egg patties, crepes, hard boiled eggs, mayonnaise, and food containing egg extracts. The total market for U.S. exports of further processed eggs and egg products worldwide is estimated to be $500 million.

"This program was developed to help U.S. processors and shippers take advantage of the growing global demand for these products," said AMS Administrator Dave Shipman. "This effort allows producers to obtain certification that some importing countries require and will provide new opportunities for them to market their products globally."

AMS worked with FDA, USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), other government agencies, and representatives from processed egg and egg food organizations, including the USA Poultry and Egg Export Council and the United Egg Association, to develop the program.

"A number of countries around the world have asked for certification for egg-containing products. This initiative provides a means for U.S. exporters to access previously untapped markets, creating jobs and supporting USDA's export goals," said FAS Administrator Suzanne Heinen.

AMS has unique capabilities in working with stakeholders to develop export certification programs that meet the specific requirements of other countries. With years of experience certifying eggs for export, AMS will now expand its services to support the trade of egg-containing products.

Once AMS verifies that a company meets the established certification requirements, the company will be listed as eligible for export by product and country. An eligible company would contact AMS for an export certificate covering accepted product and identify the foreign country. The certificates and verifications will be completed by AMS on a fee basis. For more information please contact: Dean Kastner, Director, Poultry Grading Division at (202) 720-3272 or via email at Dean.Kastner@ams.usda.gov; or Will Stone, International Trade Specialist, Standards & Technology Division at (202) 720-3100 or via email at William.Stone@ams.usda.gov.

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Author Gerald Kramer completes a back-to-back mystery fiction with the release of "The Dean's List" just six months after his debut novel "Vanderbilt Reef"

On the third quarter of 2012, author Gerald Kramer published "Vanderbilt Reef," a mystery novel that commemorates the sunken SS Princess Sophia's maiden voyage. Not one to rest on his laurels, only six months after his successful debut novel, Kramer comes back with yet another mystery fiction that demonstrates that anyone can be put in jeopardy in a supposedly safe environment. Set in 1993, on the campus of a small university in a small town in the Midwest, his newly published book is titled The Dean's List.

"I started this novel more than twenty years ago, because I found the university environment to be underutilized in mystery novels," states Kramer. "All campuses are filled with characters who would easily fit into the genre. The story should appeal to readers who like the major characters to be more complex than cardboard figures who are pawns in keeping the plot moving."

Two campus murders in less than a week shake a small university to its core. The deaths of the Dean of Business and Technology and a student leader have life-changing consequences for Roger Holt, a middle-aged professor who is pressured by top administration into assuming the duties and responsibilities of his late supervisor and to serve as the Interim Dean. Reluctantly, Holt complies because of his loyalty to Great Plains University.

Chet Evans, a detective on the police force, needs Holt's knowledge of the campus and higher education in general to help solve the cases. Unfortunately for Holt, Evans is not alone in realizing that Roger may be an integral part of the solutions. Amid all this intrigue is the promising romantic relationship between Roger and an unexpected partner. Events spiral out of control until Roger is about to become the third victim.

Fast-paced and crime-centered while providing a realistic view of campus life, The Dean's List is a book that sheds light on the attempted dominance of campus operations by external forces. The events and atmosphere described in the novel are an accurate reflection of Kramer's 30 years of experience and the perceptions of many other experienced faculty members.

"A university setting could be threatened by greed and corruption and even violent actions. Optimism is vital for individuals and organizations to survive," adds Kramer.

For more information on this book, interested parties may log on to www.Xlibris.com.

About the Author

Gerald Kramer is a retired college professor who also has worked as a human resource administrator, census-taker, clothing salesperson, and factory worker. He is an avid reader of mystery novels and lists Tony Hillerman, Ross MacDonald, and Michael McGarrity as favorite authors. Western and film noir movies from the 1930s and '40s are also popular with him. Vanderbilt Reef: Finding Daniel is his first novel and reflects his admiration of Alaska. He may be reached through his email address, gkramer72@cox.net, or through his Facebook page.

The Dean's List * by Gerald Kramer

Publication Date: February 28, 2013

Trade Paperback; $15.99; 154 pages; 978-1-4836-0263-9

Trade Hardback; $22.99; 154 pages; 978-1-4836-0264-6

eBook; $3.99; 978-1-4836-0265-3