Florida RALMS

UF/IFAS Flavors of Florida

UF/IFAS Flavors of Florida

Date: April 9, 2018

Time: 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Location: Champions Club at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, 157 Gale Lemerand Drive, Gainesville, Florida 32603

Join us in celebrating Florida agriculture and innovation at the tastiest event of the year! Experience food and beverages centered on Florida flavors, including varieties developed by UF/IFAS researchers. Connect with the scientists, growers and business leaders working together to make our world a healthier and tastier place. Registration is $75 per person and includes all food, drink and a guest basket for each party ($25 of each registration is a gift to UF/IFAS and will help support the advancement of UF/IFAS initiatives, and may be considered tax-deductible).

Register online at https://www.cvent.com/c/express/853b862a-6385-42a0-a495-c6ee0b7b2987

For more information on this great event, check out the UF/IFAS blog at http://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/news/2018/03/23/chefs-prepare-delectable-delights-annual-flavors-florida/

--Zana Dupee is a Sponsored Programs Contracting Officer for the industry. foreign, and Federal Contracts for sponsored research at the University of Florida.  Mrs. Dupee is a contact for sponsors or PIs who need someone to advise them on the process of putting a contract in place for their sponsored research at UF.  If you are interested in doing sponsored research at UF and need assistance with understanding the process to put the required paperwork in place, call Zana at (352) 294-3314 or send her an email at zhdupee at ufl.edu.  She will be able to point you in the right direction.

UF Research Spending Reaches Record $801.4 Million in 2017

University of Florida research spending reached a record $801.4 million in the fiscal year 2017, according to a new report to the National Science Foundation.

UF’s response to NSF’s Higher Education Research and Development, or HERD, Survey showed a $10.1 million increase, or 1.3 percent, in total expenditures over 2016’s total of $791.3 million.

Research spending is fueled primarily by individual grants and contracts that are secured by UF faculty in a very competitive funding landscape. This increase reflects progress in the university’s efforts to enhance its impact and reputation.  

Expenditures on projects supported with federal agency funding increased $20 million, or 6.6 percent, to $327.3 million while state projects increased $7.3 million, or 5.4 percent, to $142.5 million. Funding from non-profit organizations and foundations rose 15 percent to $42.3 million.

Life sciences research, including health and agricultural research, accounted for $589.8 million, or about 74 percent of the total. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including the National Institutes of Health, is UF’s largest funding agency.

Engineering accounted for $97.8 million, while physical sciences – like astronomy, chemistry, and physics – accounted for $28 million.

“UF’s research enterprise has been on a steady upward trend for many years,” said David Norton, UF’s vice president for research. “Surpassing this milestone of $800 million in research expenditures is a testament to the thousands of faculty members who are helping to change the world with their science, and to the staff who guide these projects from proposal to completion.”

NSF collects expenditure data from universities around the country and compiles it into a report that will be released later this year. Last year, based on the fiscal year 2016 data, UF ranked 24^thamong all universities and 14^th among public universities in research expenditures.

Among the largest projects underway in 2017 were a U.S. Department of Agriculture project to refine an inedible seed called Brassica carinata into a renewable jet fuel; a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention project to keep Zika and other vector-borne diseases from gaining a foothold in the United States; and a U.S. Department of Defense project to study a type of heart disease that primarily affects women.

--Zana Dupee is a Sponsored Programs Contracting Officer for the industry. foreign, and Federal Contracts for sponsored research at the University of Florida.  Mrs. Dupee is a contact for sponsor or PIs who need someone to advise them on the process of putting a contract in place for their sponsored research at UF.  If you are interested in doing sponsored research at UF and need assistance with understanding the process to put the required paperwork in place, call Zana at (352) 294-3314 or send her an email at zhdupee at ufl.edu.  She will be able to point you in the right direction.

AAHRPP Accredits Research Organizations in U.S., Singapore

WASHINGTON, D.C.―The Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs today announced that it has accredited two more research organizations, including the first university in Singapore and a major U.S. public research university.
The newly accredited organizations are:
• Singapore Management University, Singapore
• University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
Singapore Management University is the second organization in Singapore to earn AAHRPP accreditation. National Health Care Group, Singapore, also is AAHRPP accredited.
These latest accreditations continue AAHRPP’s steady progress toward establishing one standard for research protections worldwide. Almost 250 organizations have earned AAHRPP accreditation. Of those, about 20 percent are located outside the U.S.
“With each accreditation, we are building a global network of organizations that share a commitment to high-quality, ethical research,” AAHRPP President and CEO Elyse I. Summers said. “In today’s increasingly collaborative research enterprise, AAHRPP accreditation offers an assurance that an organization can be trusted to protect research participants and produce accurate, reliable results.”
To earn AAHRPP accreditation, organizations must show that they have built extensive safeguards into every level of their research operation and that they adhere to high standards for research.
AAHRPP has accredited organizations across the United States and in Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Taiwan and Thailand.
All major U.S. independent institutional review boards have earned AAHRPP accreditation. In addition, 70 percent of U.S. medical colleges and 84 percent of the top National Institute of Health-funded academic medical centers are either AAHRPP accredited or have begun the accreditation process. NIH, the world’s largest public funder of research, has earned accreditation, as has Pfizer, Inc., the largest industry sponsor of clinical research.

About AAHRPP: A nonprofit organization, AAHRPP provides accreditation for organizations that conduct or review human research and can demonstrate that their protections exceed the safeguards required by the U.S. government. To learn more, visit www.aahrpp.org.

NIH Director Francis S. Collins to lecture at UF April 2, 2018

Dr. Francis Collins will speak at the University of Florida on Monday, April 2 from 10:30-11: 45 am. The lecture will be held at the Harrell Medical Education Building, North Learning Studio Room 125, on the University of Florida campus.  Here is the link to the official memo from the University of Florida:  https://administrativememo.ufl.edu/2018/03/nih-director-francis-s-collins-to-lecture-at-uf-april-2-2018/

Botanical Guide to Middle Earth

The podcast "In Defense of Plants" did an interview with Dr. Walter Judd, distinguished professor, emeritus from the University of Florida. Dr. Judd specialized in plant systematics, specifically the taxonomy of members of Ericaceae and Melastomataceae. More recently, however, Dr. Judd has been working on the Flora of Middle Earth. Listen to this podcast to learn how Dr. Judd's passion for plants and J.R.R. Tolkien resulted in a botanical guide to Middle Earth, entitled Flora of Middle Earth. 

 http://www.indefenseofplants.com/podcast/2017/1/22/fn83mvhvx3zyqflxd8ql429wytr3pn 

A Bacteria is Making Sunscreen Safer for You and the Environment

#DYK University of Florida College of Pharmacy researchers are using a bacteria to make sunscreen safer for you and the environment? via Futurism  It could reduce our reliance on harmful chemicals that we use now to block UV rays, such as avobenzone.  Read all about it in this article in Futurism:  https://futurism.com/bacteria-produce-greener-sunscreens/ 

Today is #NationalPandaDay!

Today is National Panda Day!

Vanessa Hull, assistant professor with the University of Florida Department of Wildlife, explains why these fascinating creatures aren't easy to study! 🐼 #pandas

 

University of Florida researchers pinpoint genetic basis for myotonic dystrophy

Click here to read about this amazing genetic discovery by researchers at the University of Florida:

http://patientdaily.com/stories/511149919-university-of-florida-researchers-pinpoint-genetic-basis-for-myotonic-dystrophy 

Does a Bank have Continuous Coverage under a Mortgagee Title Policy after a Foreclosure?

Originally posted on March 18, 2011

Author: Zana Dupee

Many banks are foreclosing on homes or taking ownership of them by a deed in lieu of foreclosure. One question that has come up is whether the bank has continuous coverage under the Mortgagee Title Insurance Policy from when the mortgage was originated. This can be important if title problems are discovered after the bank has already taken title to the property.

Paragraph 2(a) of the 1992 ALTA mortgagee policy Conditions and Stipulations states in part:

2. CONTINUATION OF INSURANCE

(a) After Acquisition of Title. The coverage of this policy shall continue in force as of Date of Policy in favor of

(i) an insured who acquires all or any part of the estate or interest in the land by foreclosure, trustee’s sale, conveyance in lieu of foreclosure, or other legal matter which discharges the lien of the insured mortgage; (ii) a transferee of the estate or interest so acquired from an insured corporation, provided the transferee is the parent or wholly owned subsidiary of the insured corporation, and their corporate successors by operation of law and not by purchase …

The policy language above does tell us that the bank may continue to be insured. However, there are a few problems that arise:

One problem is when a bank has a 3rd party bid at the foreclosure sale. This often happens when the bank’s parent or subsidiary company bids at the sale without having an assignment of the mortgage. If this happens, the property has been acquired by a 3rd party, not the mortgage holder, and the title policy terminates. So, there is no continued title coverage!!

Another problem is the amount of damages that are available under a mortgagee title policy. The amount payable under a mortgagee policy is limited to the amount of indebtedness as compared to the value of the property. So, if the title defect does not diminish the property’s value below the amount of principal owed on the mortgage, then there is no payable insurance claim on a mortgagee policy. In contrast, an owner’s policy would pay for the decrease in the value of the property without regard to the balance owed on the mortgage. This makes a big difference in cases where the mortgage balance has been paid down or where the lender did not loan the full value of the property.

An additional problem that arises is the effective date of the policy. The effective date of the mortgagee policy is the date that the mortgage was originally recorded. So, any title defects that arose after that date will not be covered by the existing mortgagee policy.

For all these reasons, banks should consider purchasing an owner’s policy when they buy a property at a foreclosure sale rather than relying on continued coverage for title defects under the mortgagee policy.

– Zana Dupee, Esq., is an experienced attorney and welcomes questions and comments regarding the above and can be reached at zana.dupee@yahoo.com.

NO LEGAL ADVICE: This blog entry is not intended as legal advice nor should you consider it as such. It is intended only as general information.  You should not act upon this information without retaining professional legal counsel. Please keep in mind that merely subscribing to or reading this blog or otherwise contacting Zana Dupee in the manner that you have will not establish an attorney-client relationship with her. Zana Dupee cannot represent you until she knows there would not be a conflict of interest, and she determines that it is otherwise able to accept the engagement. The engagement would also be confirmed by a written agreement.

Second Wife Loses Homestead Protection Because She Bought Homestead with Proceeds from Property Husband Placed in Trust for Children Prior to His First Wife Dying

Originally posted on Aug. 12, 2011

Author: Zana Dupee

The homestead protection that homeowners have in the state of Florida helps prevent Floridians from losing their homes due to debts owed to creditors.  However, Florida law does allow equitable liens to be imposed on homestead property, particularly in cases of fraud.  In the recent case of Hirchert Family Trust v. Hirchert, 36 Fla. L. Weekly D1290 (Fla. 4th DCA 2011), the Florida Appeals Court found that the Husband violated his fiduciary duties as Trustee so that the beneficiaries of the Trust were entitled to an equitable lien against his 2nd wife’s homestead property.

In that case, the Husband and his first wife lived in California. They created two trusts which provided that upon the death of the first spouse, all their assets, including their marital home in California, would be divided into a Survivor’s Trust for the benefit of the 2nd spouse to die and a Residuary Trust for their children. The first wife died and pursuant to the trusts, the marital home was divided between the two trusts with 75 percent placed in the Residuary Trust for the children and the remaining 25 percent was placed in the Survivor Trust.

The Husband was Trustee of both trusts, and the Residuary Trust only permitted him to access the earnings of the Residuary Trust, but not the assets held in the trust. He married a second wife and signed a deed transferring the title of the marital home from the Residuary Trust to himself, which violated the terms of the trust.  This transfer was a breach of his fiduciary duty as Trustee.  Later, he sold the home and used the proceeds to purchase a new home with the second wife.  They subsequently sold that property and bought another one in California as joint tenants. The husband died, and his second wife sold their home and used the proceeds to purchase a home in Florida.

The successor trustee of the residuary trust subsequently filed suit against the second wife to require her to convey to the Residuary Trust 75 percent of the proceeds that the Husband obtained from the sale of the original home.  The court found that the Husband had breached his fiduciary duty as Trustee by conveying the title of the original home from the Residuary Trust to himself and held that 75 percent of the proceeds were traceable to the second wife’s current Florida homestead property.

The Florida Appeals Court held that the Husband’s breach of his fiduciary duty was “constructive fraud” and thus may form the basis to apply the equitable lien exception to the homestead protection rules. Accordingly, the court held that the second wife’s homestead property was subject to an equitable lien for 75 percent of the proceeds that the Husband had obtained from the sale of the original home.

If you need assistance with real estate, probate or trust litigation, you can call Zana Dupee for a consultation at (352) 235-9450.

– Zana Dupee, Esq., is an experienced attorney and welcomes questions and comments regarding the above and can be reached at zana.dupee@yahoo.com.

NO LEGAL ADVICE: This blog entry is not intended as legal advice nor should you consider it as such. It is intended only as general information.  You should not act upon this information without retaining professional legal counsel. Please keep in mind that merely subscribing to or reading this blog or otherwise contacting Zana Dupee in the manner that you have will not establish an attorney-client relationship with Mrs. Dupee. Mrs. Dupee cannot represent you until she knows there would not be a conflict of interest, and she determines that it is otherwise able to accept the engagement. The engagement would also be confirmed by a written agreement.