otiti paki: এপ্রিল 2013

Sprint seeks details from Dish on takeover proposal

By Liana B. Baker and Ben Berkowitz

(Reuters) - Sprint Nextel Corp on Monday said its merger partner, SoftBank Corp, has waived some terms of their agreement so that Sprint can seek more information from rival suitor Dish Network Corp.

The exchange of information between Sprint and Dish indicates the companies are in conversations about the satellite broadcaster's $25.5 billion takeover bid, even if Sprint for now is standing by its $20.1 billion pact with SoftBank.

Dish said it had received a Sprint request for more information about the bid, and a non-disclosure agreement that would keep such information private.

Dish said it had already given some information to Sprint in response to requests from a Sprint special committee.

SoftBank said the waiver it granted does not allow Sprint to disclose nonpublic information or negotiate with Dish.

But Dish said it looks "forward to being able to conduct confirmatory due diligence as soon as possible" with Sprint.

Dish shocked markets two weeks ago with its cash and stock offer for Sprint, which it claimed was superior to the deal SoftBank and Sprint struck last October. Sprint said it had formed a special board committee and hired advisers to consider the Dish bid. But it also said it was still on track to close its deal with SoftBank by July 1.

SoftBank, in a statement, said it had issued the waiver at the request of Sprint's special committee and reiterated its intent to proceed with the deal.

"SoftBank remains highly confident that its fully executed merger agreement with Sprint, under which it has already provided Sprint with $3.1 billion of capital, provides the shareholders of Sprint significantly more value than the highly leveraged approach made by Dish on April 15th," it said.

Dish Chairman Charlie Ergen said in a statement that Dish was "confident that the Sprint Board will share our view that this proposal is superior by offering Sprint shareholders greater value with a higher price and more cash."

Dish shares were up 0.8 percent at $40.32 in afternoon trading, while Sprint shares were off 1 cent at $7.11.

(Reporting By Liana B. Baker and Ben Berkowitz; Editing by Maureen Bavdek, Sofina Mirza-Reid and John Wallace)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/softbank-amends-sprint-deal-terms-dish-inquiry-123148013.html

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Are lesbians more accepted than gay men? | The Salt Lake Tribune

ADVANCE FOR USE SUNDAY, APRIL 28, 2013 AND THEREAFTER - Sarah Toce, editor of a daily online news magazine "The Seattle Lesbian," poses for a photo Friday, April 19, 2013, in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood, in an alleyway that has been the site of fights and other violence against gay men. Even as society has become more accepting of homosexuality overall, longstanding research has shown more societal tolerance for lesbians than gay men, and that gay men are significantly more likely to be targets of violence. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Society ? Research shows more societal tolerance for lesbians, and gay men face more violence.

Chicago ? It may be a man?s world, as the saying goes, but lesbians seem to have an easier time living in it than gay men do.

High-profile lesbian athletes have come out while still playing their sports, but not a single gay male athlete in major U.S. professional sports has done the same. While television?s most prominent same-sex parents are the two fictional dads on "Modern Family," surveys show that society is actually more comfortable with the idea of lesbians parenting children.

And then there is the ongoing debate over the Boy Scouts of America proposal to ease their ban on gay leaders and scouts.

Reaction to the proposal, which the BSA?s National Council will take up next month, has been swift, and often harsh. Yet amid the discussions, the Girl Scouts of USA reiterated their policy prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation, among other things. That announcement has gone largely unnoticed.

Certainly, the difference in the public?s reaction to the scouting organizations can be attributed, in part, to their varied histories, including the Boy Scouts? longstanding religious ties and a base that has become less urban over the years, compared with the Girl Scouts?.

But there?s also an undercurrent here, one that?s often present in debates related to homosexuality, whether over the military?s now-defunct "Don?t Ask, Don?t Tell" policy or even same-sex marriage. Even as society has become more accepting of homosexuality overall, longstanding research has shown more societal tolerance for lesbians than gay men, and that gay men are significantly more likely to be targets of violence.

That research also has found that it?s often straight men who have the most difficult time with homosexuality ? and particularly gay men ? says researcher Gregory Herek.

"Men are raised to think they have to prove their masculinity, and one big part about being masculine is being heterosexual. So we see that harassment, jokes, negative statements and violence are often ways that even younger men try to prove their heterosexuality," says Herek, a psychologist at the University of California, Davis, who has, for years, studied this phenomenon and how it plays out in the gay community.

That is not, of course, to downplay the harassment lesbians face. It can be just as ugly.

But it?s not as frequent, Herek and others have found, especially in adulthood. It?s also not uncommon for lesbians to encounter straight men who have a fascination with them.

story continues below

"The men hit on me. The women hit on me. But I never feel like I?m in any immediate danger," says Sarah Toce, the 29-year-old editor of The Seattle Lesbian and managing editor of The Contributor, both online news magazines. "If I were a gay man, I might ? and if it?s like this in Seattle, can you imagine what it is like in less-accepting parts of middle America?"

One of Herek?s studies found that, overall, 38 percent of gay men said that, in adulthood, they?d been victims of vandalism, theft or violence ? hit, beaten or sexually assaulted ? because they were perceived as gay. About 13 percent of lesbians said the same.

A separate study of young people in England also found that, in their teens, gay boys and lesbians were almost twice as likely to be bullied as their straight peers. By young adulthood, it was about the same for lesbians and straight girls. But in this study, published recently in the journal Pediatrics, gay young men were almost four times more likely than their straight peers to be bullied.

At least one historian says it wasn?t always that way for either men or women, whose "expressions of love" with friends of the same gender were seen as a norm ? even idealized ? in the 19th century.

"These relationships offered ample opportunity for those who would have wanted to act on it physically, even if most did not," says Thomas Foster, associate professor and head of the history department at DePaul University in Chicago.

Today?s "code of male gendered behavior," he says, often rejects these kinds of expressions between men.

We joke about the "bro-mance" ? a term used to describe close friendships between straight men. But in some sense, the humor stems from the insinuation that those relationships could be romantic, though everyone assumes they aren?t.

Call those friends "gay," a word that?s still commonly used as an insult, and that?s quite another thing. Consider the furor over Rutgers University men?s basketball coach Mike Rice, who was recently fired for mistreating his players and mocking them with gay slurs.

If two women dance together at a club or walk arm-in-arm down the street, people are usually less likely to question it ? though some wonder if that has more to do with a lack of awareness than acceptance.

"Lesbians are so invisible in our society. And so I think the hatred is more invisible," says Laura Grimes, a licensed clinical social worker in Chicago whose counseling practice caters to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender clients.

Next Page >

Source: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/world/56228624-68/gay-lesbians-says-scouts.html.csp

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Utah excels in economy and business: Chamber of Commerce report

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When it comes to economic growth and business strength, there may be no better U.S. state than Utah, according to a report set to be released by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Monday.

The business association found that Utah, population 2.8 million, ranked third among all states in overall economic performance - a measure of how states' economies have fared over time in terms of jobs, gross domestic product, productivity and income.

Moreover, Utah was the only state to make the top 10 lists for all five of the "policy" areas the Chamber assessed - exports, innovation and entrepreneurship, business climate, talent pipeline and infrastructure.

"Utah is the strongest job growth performer behind North Dakota ... The state is becoming known as a professional services and finance center," said the Chamber. "Manufacturing is a competitive advantage for the state. Over the past decade, Utah's manufacturing sector saw a slight increase in employment during a time when national manufacturing employment contracted by 22.51 percent."

Utah's unemployment rate is one of the lowest among the states at 4.9 percent in March 2013, according to the U.S. Labor Department.

Each year the Chamber ranks states according to various economic and business measures for its "Enterprising States" report. This year, fortune seemed directly tied to technology and engineering across the five areas the Chamber evaluates.

For exports, Utah came in third after Louisiana and Texas, primarily because it is a major supplier to the world of electronic memory circuits, aircraft engines and parts, vehicle airbags and X-ray equipment, according to the Chamber.

Utah had top rankings in entrepreneurship mostly because it is establishing high-tech businesses at a fast rate.

The Chamber also considered Utah strong in the "talent pipeline" area, which looks at both education and training as well as job assistance programs after the state legislature approved funds to foster more engineering graduates and software developers.

Technology was even a factor for Utah's top ranking in infrastructure, with the Chamber emphasizing Utah's high-speed data connections alongside the high quality of the state's bridges.

For the business climate measure, which assesses the influence of government-related costs on local businesses, the Chamber put Utah sixth because of its high small-business lending activity, low taxes and laws.

Technology also gave Maryland and Virginia a boost in the Chamber's report.

The Chamber ranked Maryland first in entrepreneurship, largely because of its research and development and its science and technology employment growth, and Virginia third partly for having the highest share of businesses in high-tech industries.

Still, the extraction and the commodities boom continues to prove crucial for jobs, business and incomes in most states.

North Dakota's "stratospheric growth" from the oil and natural gas industry put it first on the list of economic performance, followed by Texas, which has added 41,000 jobs in natural resources extraction in the last two years, according to the Chamber.

Three other energy heavyweights completed the top 10 economic performance list, with Wyoming fourth, Oklahoma seventh and Louisiana eighth.

The Chamber of Commerce is not the only one to notice that certain states are bounding ahead as the recovery from the 2007-09 recession unfolds. Earlier this month, Standard & Poor's Ratings Service said it expected to find the strongest growth this year in the Rocky Mountain region, including Utah and Wyoming, and in the West South Central area encompassing Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas.

(Reporting By Lisa Lambert; Editing by Kenneth Barry)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/utah-excels-economy-business-chamber-commerce-report-040329836.html

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Disrupt NY 2013 Hackathon Team Wants To Build A WebRTC-Based Pandora For Exercise

The Disrupt NY 2013 Hackathon has been underway for a few hours now and we’re already seeing a bunch of cool projects. Team Geem is building what it calls a “Pandora for Exercise.” The service, which will hopefully be ready in time to be demoed tomorrow, will create exercise programs that are tailored for the individual user. The usual exercise DVDs, Geem believes, are just too boring and repetitive, so a web-based exercise service that’s fully customized can help break through that routine. Also, unlike DVDs, Geem could offer users a wider choice of options, so if you want to do some cardio and work on your abs, and also do a bit of yoga, Geem will have you covered. Users, the team tells me, will be able to watch pre-recorded videos, but the cool part of the service is also that it will enable ad-hoc classes that teachers can set up through the service. While I was talking to them, Geem was looking at using TokBox’s OpenTok WebRTC platform for its service. What’s nice about this is that users could also beam their video over to the instructor, so if you just can’t get that crane pose right in your yoga class, the teacher can see what’s wrong and hopefully help you from crashing into the ground in your living room. The team also plans to use the Django framework and possibly build a Roku app to get their service into the living room. It wouldn’t be 2013 if the five-member team, including Mina Azib, Sven Hermann, Livio Dalloro, Alan Johnson, Lauren Dalloro and Guanglei Xiong, wasn’t also thinking about adding some social features to its service. Users, they say, will be able to see what classes their friends are attending and receive notifications when their favorite instructors are about to teach a class (with Facebook being the social backend for the service). Users, of course, will also be able to rate their instructors. Most of the team members currently work for Siemens, and Alan Johnson is working on his own startup, Breakrs, a gamified?platform for music discovery, which is currently in beta.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Jvz-3yz5gag/

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Watch A House Of Cards Spoof With Kevin Spacey And Obama Make A Buzzfeed Pot Joke

Netflix’s “House of Cards” took center stage at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner, with an official spoof about the back room jockeying over seat assignments at the coveted press dinner. The clip even gave a big nod to Buzzfeed’s alternative BBQ held during the actual dinner. Despite their admirable popularity, Buzzfeed is not a member of the White House Correspondents Association and didn’t get a table. “A colonoscopy would be cooler than that dinner,” Buzzfeed Editor and Chief, Ben Smith, says to Kevin Spacey’s character. Buzzfeed even got a shoutout from the President himself during his annual stand up routine, “I Remember When BuzzFeed Was Just Something I Did In College Around 2 A.M,” said the President in (yes) an obvious reference to his pot-smoking college days. Watch the whole routine below: The?House Of Cards cast was out in full force at DC’s stargazing weekend. There are a lot of?entertainers?that stroll into town, but Kevin Spacey was the uber-celebrity. Even at Tammy Haddad’s famous Garden Brunch, the A-list crowd couldn’t help but turn heads upon Spacey’s arrival. On top of viewers,?House of Cards has made Netflix the talk of the town among policymakers, which could be worth more political capital than the $1M they spent on lobbying last year. It seemed like everyone was happy to talk with Netflix’s representatives, even just as an excuse to dish about the drama and get some inside details about Capitol Hill’s new favorite?pastime. Interestingly enough, Netflix’s other original series,?Hemlock Grove, may be off to a better start?in terms of viewers, but doesn’t seem to have the same buzz. An obvious but valuable lesson: influential fans are worth a lot.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Bc-xUn9ca9U/

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Alt-week 4.27.13: stargazing, antimatter and a robot turtle

Alt-week takes a look at the best science and alternative tech stories from the last seven days.

As a youngster, you may have been told -- and quite rightly so -- not to stare directly at the sun. This creates a dillema. It's the center of our solar system, but how are we to ever gaze upon it with our own eyes for more than a few fleeting seconds? Don't worry, NASA has that comprehensively covered. This is alt-week.

Filed under: Science, Alt

Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/U7ON_LrbTLM/

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Datalogix Raises $25M To Pump Juicy Offline Purchase Data Into Google And Facebook

Datalogix's offline purchase data is the not-so-secret weapon giant publishers use to target their ads, and measure if they boost consumer spending. Businesses like Facebook are becoming dependent on this ROI data, allowing Datalogix to raise a $25 million Series B. Since its based in Denver you don't hear a lot about Datalogix, but the 250 employee startup is crucial to the future of advertising.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/roPeYah5-rs/

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Asian shares rise, weak U.S. data undermines dollar

By Chikako Mogi

TOKYO (Reuters) - Asian shares rose on Thursday, with recovering commodities and views that a run of weak global economic data will encourage major central banks to keep or deepen their monetary stimulus improving risk sentiment, but weak data undermined the dollar.

European stock markets were seen subdued, with financial spreadbetters predicting London's FTSE 100, Paris's CAC-40 and Frankfurt's DAX would open narrowly mixed between a 0.1 percent rise and a 0.1 percent drop.

U.S. stock futures were up 0.1 percent, hinting at a calm Wall Street open.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan gained 0.7 percent, with Hong Kong shares rising 1.1 percent and hitting a three-week high, spurred by recovering commodity prices and positive quarterly earnings from China Minsheng Bank, the country's seventh-largest lender.

South Korean shares gained 0.4 percent as metals and chemicals rebounded on higher gold and oil prices, taking in their stride earnings from Hyundai Motor Co which showed a 15 percent fall in its quarterly net profit, broadly in line with forecasts.

Early on Thursday, South Korea said its economy grew a seasonally adjusted 0.9 percent in the January-March period from the previous quarter, the fastest in two years and far above market expectations. The surprising growth dented expectations for a rate cut by the Bank of Korea.

Adrian Foster, head of financial markets research for Asia-Pacific at Rabobank International in Hong Kong, said the main factor behind an improved tone in the region was the recent rally in the peripheral European government bond market which reflected waning fears about a euro zone implosion.

"We've already been seeing the market evolve from the European crisis to focus more on specific issues in a country or events," he said, adding that it was a positive development that investors were reverting to behaviour seen before the financial crisis.

U.S. equities were also underpinned by earnings prospect despite recent soft economic reports, with 68.4 percent of the 174 companies in the S&P 500 index that already have reported results exceeding analysts' expectations, according to Thomson Reuters data through Wednesday morning.

The euro zone debt crisis has taken a toll on the European economy but that has simultaneously strengthened the case for more easing, raising expectations of a rate cut by the European Central Bank when it meets next week.

Despite the rate cut speculation and weak euro zone data, the euro was up 0.3 percent at $1.3050 and away from Wednesday's three-week low of $1.2954. The resilience of the single currency partly stemmed from falling yields in highly-indebted Italy and Spain and hopes Italy will break its political deadlock two months after an inconclusive election.

The ECB rate cut speculation also helped offset growth concerns highlighted by U.S. durable goods posting their biggest drop in seven months in March and the Ifo survey showing that German business sentiment in April fell further than the most bearish forecasts.

The U.S. Federal Reserve meets next week and is expected to reaffirm its commitment to its bond-buying stimulus programme.

"Recent concerns have emanated from weak manufacturing data in China, the euro zone and the U.S., but none of these economies have plunged off a cliff," said Thomas Lam, chief economist at DMG & Partners Securities in Hong Kong.

"Probably we will see some stabilisation in the near term, based on expectations that central banks will, if not extend easing, then delay any normalisation of policy," he added.

NIKKEI POWERS AHEAD

Japan's Nikkei stock average rose 0.7 percent and hit its highest since June 2008, as a weakening yen bolstered expectations for improved corporate earnings.

Most observers have welcomed an April 4 decision by the Bank of Japan to embark on a radical monetary expansion campaign that could help the global economy. The BOJ plans to inject about $1.4 trillion into the world's third-largest economy in less than two years in an effort to end two decades of stagnation.

"The weaker yen is having a positive effect on companies' earnings, which in turn is lifting stocks," he said. "For now, we see this trend continuing," said Hiroichi Nishi, an assistant general manager at SMBC Nikko Securities.

Japan's capital flows data showed on Thursday that Japanese investors remained net sellers of foreign bonds, in line with comments from big life insurers that they remain cautious about immediately shifting their money out of Japanese government bonds into foreign bonds.

Japanese investors sold a net 862.6 billion yen of foreign bonds in the week to April 20, while foreign investors turned net sellers of Japanese shares.

The dollar was down 0.1 percent at 99.33 yen, still within sight of testing the symbolic 100 yen level which many traders say is just a matter of time. Against a basket of key currencies, the dollar was down 0.4 percent.

U.S. crude rose 0.5 percent to $91.89 a barrel and Brent was up 0.4 percent at $102.13.

Spot gold was up 0.8 percent at $1,442.16 an ounce while London copper rose 0.8 percent to $7,086 a tonne, a one-week high.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/asian-shares-rise-weak-u-data-undermines-dollar-065847027--finance.html

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'Smart skin' hope for touch sensor

26 April 2013 Last updated at 03:35 ET

Scientists have made a step forward in their ability to mimic the sense of touch.

A team from the US and China made an experimental array that can sense pressure in the same range as the human fingertip.

The advance could speed the development of smarter artificial skin capable of "feeling" activity on the surface.

The sensors, which are described in Science magazine, could also help give robots a more adaptive sense of touch.

Using bundles of vertical zinc oxide nanowires, the researchers built arrays consisting of about 8,000 transistors.

Continue reading the main story

?Start Quote

This is a fundamentally new technology that allows us to control electronic devices directly using mechanical agitation?

End Quote Zhong Lin Wang Georgia Institute of Technology

Each of the transistors can independently produce an electronic signal when placed under mechanical strain.

The touch-sensitive transistors - dubbed taxels - have a sensitivity comparable to that of a human fingertip.

"Any mechanical motion, such as the movement of arms or the fingers of a robot, could be translated to control signals," said Zhong Lin Wang, a professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

"This could make artificial skin smarter and more like the human skin. It would allow the skin to feel activity on the surface."

Mimicking the sense of touch electronically has been challenging, and can be achieved by measuring changes in resistance prompted by mechanical touch.

The devices developed by the Georgia Tech researchers rely on a different physical phenomenon - tiny polarization charges when so-called "piezoelectric" materials such as zinc oxide are moved or placed under strain.

Piezoelectricity essentially refers to current that accumulates in certain solids in response to applied mechanical stress.

In the "iezotronic transistors, the piezoelectric charges control the flow of current through the wires.

The technique only works in materials that have both piezoelectric and semiconducting properties. These properties are seen in nanowires and certain thin films.

"This is a fundamentally new technology that allows us to control electronic devices directly using mechanical agitation," Prof Wang added.

"This could be used in a broad range of areas, including robotics, (very small devices known as MEMS), human-computer interfaces and other areas that involve mechanical deformation."

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22302487#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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Mac Miller Borrows Eminem's Superman Cape For 'S.D.S' Video

Rapper also took influence from Missy Elliott and Busta Rhymes for the extravagant clip.
By Rob Markman

Mac Miller in his video for "S.D.S."
Photo: Rostrum

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1706326/mac-miller-sds-music-video-inspiration-eminem.jhtml

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So Cute! David Beckham Takes Harper for a Sunny Stroll

The soccer stud spends time with his little girl! Plus, see more photos of celebs spending time with their loved ones.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/star-snapshots-celebrity-kids-and-family-photos-2012/1-b-462723?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Astar-snapshots-celebrity-kids-and-family-photos-2012-462723

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Precision agriculture improves farming efficiency, has important implications on food security

Public release date: 24-Apr-2013
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Contact: Amy Molnar
sciencenewsroom@wiley.com
Wiley

Precision agriculture promises to make farming more efficient and should have an important impact on the serious issue of food security, according to a new study published in Significance, the magazine of the Royal Statistical Society and the American Statistical Association. In an article about the study in the magazine's May issue, University of Reading Professor Margaret A. Oliver, BSc, PhD, assesses how there is potential to manage land more effectively to improve the farming economy and crop quality, and to ensure food security.

Spatial variation is at the core of precision agriculture and geostatistics. All aspects of the environment soil, rocks, weather, vegetation, water, etc. vary from place to place over the Earth. The soil, landform, drainage, and so on all affect crop growth, and these factors generally vary within agricultural fields. Farmers have always been aware of this situation, but have not been able to measure and map it in a quantitative way.

Measurement is now possible with the tools provided by geostatistics, which describes how properties vary within fields. This information is then used to predict values at places where there is no information for eventual mapping.

Geostatistics can also be used to design sampling of the soil and crops to determine what the soil needs to improve crop growth, in terms of crop nutrients, lime and irrigation, for example. This sample information is used for geostatistical prediction and mapping. Such maps can then be used by farmers for decision-making. Examples include where to apply lime in a field, where more water or drainage is needed, and what amounts of nutrients are required in different parts of a field. Precision agriculture will reduce the amount of fertilizers and pesticides used by applying inputs only where they are needed and in appropriate quantities.

"Precision agriculture will aid efforts to improve food security and also crop quality," Professor Oliver notes in the article. "It will also have a major effect on reducing adverse effects on the environment from agriculture."

###

URL Upon publication: http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/j.1740-9713.2013.00646.x

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?

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.

Precision agriculture improves farming efficiency, has important implications on food security Public release date: 24-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Amy Molnar
sciencenewsroom@wiley.com
Wiley

Precision agriculture promises to make farming more efficient and should have an important impact on the serious issue of food security, according to a new study published in Significance, the magazine of the Royal Statistical Society and the American Statistical Association. In an article about the study in the magazine's May issue, University of Reading Professor Margaret A. Oliver, BSc, PhD, assesses how there is potential to manage land more effectively to improve the farming economy and crop quality, and to ensure food security.

Spatial variation is at the core of precision agriculture and geostatistics. All aspects of the environment soil, rocks, weather, vegetation, water, etc. vary from place to place over the Earth. The soil, landform, drainage, and so on all affect crop growth, and these factors generally vary within agricultural fields. Farmers have always been aware of this situation, but have not been able to measure and map it in a quantitative way.

Measurement is now possible with the tools provided by geostatistics, which describes how properties vary within fields. This information is then used to predict values at places where there is no information for eventual mapping.

Geostatistics can also be used to design sampling of the soil and crops to determine what the soil needs to improve crop growth, in terms of crop nutrients, lime and irrigation, for example. This sample information is used for geostatistical prediction and mapping. Such maps can then be used by farmers for decision-making. Examples include where to apply lime in a field, where more water or drainage is needed, and what amounts of nutrients are required in different parts of a field. Precision agriculture will reduce the amount of fertilizers and pesticides used by applying inputs only where they are needed and in appropriate quantities.

"Precision agriculture will aid efforts to improve food security and also crop quality," Professor Oliver notes in the article. "It will also have a major effect on reducing adverse effects on the environment from agriculture."

###

URL Upon publication: http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/j.1740-9713.2013.00646.x

[ | 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/2013-04/w-pai042313.php
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Mystery clouds deadly clash in western China with 'suspected terrorists'

Some say that Beijing deliberately exaggerates the terrorist threat in order to justify the iron grip it keeps on the Muslim majority province of Xinjiang in?western China.

By Peter Ford,?Staff Writer / April 24, 2013

A woman looks up as a dust storm hits Kashgar, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, last week. Xinjiang, once a predominantly Muslim province in China's far west, has seen massive settlement by ethnic Han immigrants in recent decades.

Reuters

Enlarge

Mystery surrounds official Chinese reports Wednesday of a violent clash between ?suspected terrorists? and the authorities in the restive Muslim province of Xinjiang yesterday that left 21 people dead, including 15 officials.

Skip to next paragraph Peter Ford

Beijing Bureau Chief

Peter Ford is The Christian Science Monitor?s Beijing Bureau Chief. He covers news and features throughout China and also makes reporting trips to Japan and the Korean peninsula.

Intractable seizures halted with experimental treatment for rare pediatric 'Pretzel syndrome'

Public release date: 24-Apr-2013
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Contact: Kim Menard
kim.menard@uphs.upenn.edu
215-662-6183
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

PHILADELPHIA - With a better understanding of underlying mechanisms that cause a rare neurodevelopmental disorder in the Old Order Mennonite population, referred to as Pretzel syndrome, a new study reports that five children were successfully treated with a drug that modifies the disease process, minimizing seizures and improving receptive language. The study, by researchers including experts from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, appears in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

The disease - PSME or polyhydramnios, megalencephaly, and symptomatic epilepsy syndrome, commonly called Pretzel syndrome - is caused by a double-deletion of a specific gene that encodes for STRADA. About 4 percent of Old Order Mennonite individuals in Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York have a single copy of the deleted gene. When a double-deletion occurs, the loss of STRADA causes an activation of mTORC1 and, subsequently, the kinase p70S6K. This causes intractable seizures and results in limited cognitive development and language function, leaving PSME patients wheelchair-bound, mute and completely dependent.

When five children, ranging from 8 months old to nearly 5 years old, were given doses of a drug that inhibits mTOR, the drug Sirolimus (rapamycin) significantly reduced seizures. Four of the five patients have been seizure free for the last year; previously no PSME patients had achieved freedom from seizures, even while on anti-epileptic medication. Starting the drug by three months of age seemed to stave off seizures; one patient who started treatment early had a single seizure and another has had no seizures.

The use of this drug in Pretzel syndrome patients stems from earlier research showing that sirolimus was an effective treatment for a related and more common disorder, tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), which is also associated with seizures, altered brain structure and enhanced mTOR activation.

###

The research was conducted by a team including the study's senior author, Peter Crino, MD, PhD, now at Temple University School of Medicine and Shriners Pediatric Research Center; lead author and MD/PhD candidate Whitney Parker, and Ksenia Orlova, William Parker, Jacqueline Birnbaum, Marianna Baybis, Jetle Helfferich, and Kei Okochi from the Penn Epilepsy Center and Department of Neurology; Vera Krymskaya and Dmitry Goncharov from Penn's Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care division, and collagues from the University of Groningen School of Medicine in the Netherlands, as well as partners from the Clinic for Special Children in Strasburg, Pa., the Department of Biology in Franklin and Marshall College and Lancaster General Hospital in Lancaster, Pa.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NS045022, HL110551, GM008216) and the Penn-Pfizer Collaborative Program, and a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award.

After embargo lifts: For more information about this research, please see the Temple University School of Medicine or Science Translational Medicine press releases.

Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $4.3 billion enterprise.

The Perelman School of Medicine has been ranked among the top five medical schools in the United States for the past 16 years, according to U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $398 million awarded in the 2012 fiscal year.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities include: The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania -- recognized as one of the nation's top "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report; Penn Presbyterian Medical Center; and Pennsylvania Hospital the nation's first hospital, founded in 1751. Penn Medicine also includes additional patient care facilities and services throughout the Philadelphia region.

Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2012, Penn Medicine provided $827 million to benefit our community.

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Intractable seizures halted with experimental treatment for rare pediatric 'Pretzel syndrome' Public release date: 24-Apr-2013
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Contact: Kim Menard
kim.menard@uphs.upenn.edu
215-662-6183
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

PHILADELPHIA - With a better understanding of underlying mechanisms that cause a rare neurodevelopmental disorder in the Old Order Mennonite population, referred to as Pretzel syndrome, a new study reports that five children were successfully treated with a drug that modifies the disease process, minimizing seizures and improving receptive language. The study, by researchers including experts from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, appears in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

The disease - PSME or polyhydramnios, megalencephaly, and symptomatic epilepsy syndrome, commonly called Pretzel syndrome - is caused by a double-deletion of a specific gene that encodes for STRADA. About 4 percent of Old Order Mennonite individuals in Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York have a single copy of the deleted gene. When a double-deletion occurs, the loss of STRADA causes an activation of mTORC1 and, subsequently, the kinase p70S6K. This causes intractable seizures and results in limited cognitive development and language function, leaving PSME patients wheelchair-bound, mute and completely dependent.

When five children, ranging from 8 months old to nearly 5 years old, were given doses of a drug that inhibits mTOR, the drug Sirolimus (rapamycin) significantly reduced seizures. Four of the five patients have been seizure free for the last year; previously no PSME patients had achieved freedom from seizures, even while on anti-epileptic medication. Starting the drug by three months of age seemed to stave off seizures; one patient who started treatment early had a single seizure and another has had no seizures.

The use of this drug in Pretzel syndrome patients stems from earlier research showing that sirolimus was an effective treatment for a related and more common disorder, tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), which is also associated with seizures, altered brain structure and enhanced mTOR activation.

###

The research was conducted by a team including the study's senior author, Peter Crino, MD, PhD, now at Temple University School of Medicine and Shriners Pediatric Research Center; lead author and MD/PhD candidate Whitney Parker, and Ksenia Orlova, William Parker, Jacqueline Birnbaum, Marianna Baybis, Jetle Helfferich, and Kei Okochi from the Penn Epilepsy Center and Department of Neurology; Vera Krymskaya and Dmitry Goncharov from Penn's Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care division, and collagues from the University of Groningen School of Medicine in the Netherlands, as well as partners from the Clinic for Special Children in Strasburg, Pa., the Department of Biology in Franklin and Marshall College and Lancaster General Hospital in Lancaster, Pa.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NS045022, HL110551, GM008216) and the Penn-Pfizer Collaborative Program, and a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award.

After embargo lifts: For more information about this research, please see the Temple University School of Medicine or Science Translational Medicine press releases.

Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $4.3 billion enterprise.

The Perelman School of Medicine has been ranked among the top five medical schools in the United States for the past 16 years, according to U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $398 million awarded in the 2012 fiscal year.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities include: The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania -- recognized as one of the nation's top "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report; Penn Presbyterian Medical Center; and Pennsylvania Hospital the nation's first hospital, founded in 1751. Penn Medicine also includes additional patient care facilities and services throughout the Philadelphia region.

Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2012, Penn Medicine provided $827 million to benefit our community.

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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/2013-04/uops-ish042413.php
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This Beginner's DSLR Is Your Deal of the Day

Nikon's D3000 came out in 2009, and even back then it was a cheap DSLR. It's meant for beginners. In addition to the decidedly non-professional $500 price, the D3000 actually features educational menus to help a first time photographer learn the ropes. Still, it wasn't cheap, especially for tyros or students—if you're not sure you're gonna stick with the hobby, it's hard to spend what amounts to a rent payment. But flash forward to 2013, and Adorama is selling the D3000 for $210—a price even broke college students can afford. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/FiK582uwfI4/this-beginners-dslr-is-your-deal-of-the-day

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Warm weather helps drive surge in motorcycle deaths

Alan Spearman / The Commercial Appeal file

Driver Jimmy Vinson waits for the scene of a motorcycle accident to be cleared on March 26, 2012, in Memphis, Tenn. No one died in this crash, but more than 5,000 riders were killed nationwide last year, according to preliminary accident data.

By Mark Schone, NBC News

U.S. motorcyclist deaths surged 9 percent last year to more than 5,000 -- near a record high -- in part because warm weather lured more riders out on the road last spring, but also because of a long-term decline in helmet laws, according to a report issued Wednesday by the Governors Highway Safety Association.

"All of the trends with motorcycle deaths are really going in the wrong direction," said GHSA Chairman Kendell Poole, highway safety director for the state of Tennessee. "We are talking about 5,000 tragedies a year with no sign of progress."

The projected rise, based on preliminary accident data, outpaced the national increase in overall traffic fatalities, which rose from 5 percent to 7 percent in 2012, and marked the 14th time in the past 15 years that motorcycle deaths have increased. Over the same period, traffic deaths involving all varieties of vehicles have fallen by 23 percent, according to the GHSA.

"The most notable thing was the warm weather," said Dr. James Hedlund, the author of the report and a former official with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "Motorcyclists in a number of Northern states were out on the road a lot earlier." Thirty-four states east of the Rocky Mountains notched record average temperatures from March to May 2012.

Read the GHSA report: Motorcyclist Traffic?Fatalities by State

The report also cited two economic factors that may have contributed to an increase in the number of miles traveled via motorcycle in 2012 and a higher probability of accidents: a better economy and high gas prices.

"An improving economy and produces more discretionary income with which to buy and ride motorcycles," said the study. Several states reported an increase in the number of registrations in 2012, likely because of improved economic conditions. Hedlund has found that over the past three decades, the number of registrations tracks closely with the number of deaths.

The improving economy may also have contributed to the increase in overall motorist fatalities in 2012, since more disposable income means more miles driven in all types of vehicles. With gas prices still high, however, the report suggested that motorcycle riders may have decided "to use their fuel-efficient motorcycles rather than automobiles for commuting and other everday travel," thus increasing rider deaths.

The report recommended that states address a number of issues in order to reduce motorcycle deaths, especially encouraging an increase in helmet use. "The most effective strategy by far," asserted the report, "is to enact a universal helmet law in the [states] that lack them." Only 19 states now require riders to wear helmets, down from 26 in 1997.

The last state to enact a helmet requirement was Louisiana in 2004. In 2012, Michigan dropped its requirement and made helmets voluntary.

Michigan's new law went into effect last April. Preliminary totals from the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning projected 129 motorcyclist deaths in the state for 2012, an 18 percent increase over 2011.

The Michigan chapter of ABATE, a motorcyclist group opposed to mandatory helmet laws, said in a statement to NBC News that the fatalities "fall within the normal range of variation" and can't be attributed to the relaxed law. ABATE also referenced the warm weather and an increase in registration as possible factors. "Our primary concern about the accuracy of the data from (the state Office of Highway Safety Planning) is that two single points of data are being compared, when a multiyear comparison will give the clearest and most accurate depiction," said Vince Piacenti, statistician for ABATE Michigan.

Hedlund said that he had not analyzed the Michigan data, but said the variation was not small. "Numbers can vary, particularly in fairly small states," he said, "but Michigan's numbers went up substantially."

ABATE also noted that more than half of Michigan bikers who died in 2012 were "not endorsed to operate a motorcycle." GHSA's recommenddations for cutting motorcyclist deaths include reducing alcohol impairment, reducing speeding and ensuring that motorcyclists are licensed. According to GHSA, NHTSA data shows that in 2010, nearly a quarter of riders involved in fatal accidents did not have valid licenses.

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Epigenetic changes shed light on biological mechanism of autism

Apr. 23, 2013 ? Scientists from King's College London have identified patterns of epigenetic changes involved in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by studying genetically identical twins who differ in autism traits.

The study, published in Molecular Psychiatry, is the largest of its kind and may shed light on the biological mechanism by which environmental influences regulate the activity of certain genes and in turn contribute to the development of ASD and related behaviour traits.

ASD affects approximately 1 in 100 people in the UK and involves a spectrum of disorders which manifest themselves differently in different people. People with ASD have varying levels of impairment across three common areas: deficits in social interactions and understanding, repetitive behaviour and interests, and impairments in language and communication development.

Evidence from twin studies shows there is a strong genetic component to ASD and previous studies suggest that genes that direct brain development may be involved in the disorder. In approximately 70% of cases, when one identical twin has ASD, so does the other. However, in 30% of cases, identical twins differ for ASD. Because identical twins share the same genetic code, this suggests non-genetic, or epigenetic, factors may be involved.

Epigenetic changes affect the expression or activity of genes without changing the underlying DNA sequence -- they are believed to be one mechanism by which the environment can interact with the genome. Importantly, epigenetic changes are potentially reversible and may therefore provide targets for the development of new therapies.

The researchers studied an epigenetic mechanism called DNA methylation. DNA methylation acts to block the genetic sequences that drive gene expression, silencing gene activity. They examined DNA methylation at over 27,000 sites across the genome using samples taken from 50 identical twin pairs (100 individuals) from the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) funded Twins Early Development Study (TEDS): 34 pairs who differed for ASD or autism related behaviour traits, 5 pairs where both twins have ASD, and 11 healthy twin pairs.

Dr Chloe Wong, first author of the study from King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry, says: "We've identified distinctive patterns of DNA methylation associated with both autism diagnosis and related behaviour traits, and increasing severity of symptoms. Our findings give us an insight into the biological mechanism mediating the interaction between gene and environment in autism spectrum disorder."

DNA methylation at some genetic sites was consistently altered for all individuals with ASD, and differences at other sites were specific to certain symptom groups. The number of DNA methylation sites across the genome was also linked to the severity of autism symptoms suggesting a quantitative relationship between the two. Additionally, some of the differences in DNA methylation markers were located in genetic regions that previous research has associated with early brain development and ASD.

Professor Jonathan Mill, lead author of the paper from King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry and the University of Exeter, says: "Research into the intersection between genetic and environmental influences is crucial because risky environmental conditions can sometimes be avoided or changed. Epigenetic changes are potentially reversible, so our next step is to embark on larger studies to see whether we can identify key epigenetic changes common to the majority of people with autism to help us develop possible therapeutic interventions."

Dr Alycia Halladay, Senior Director of Environmental and Clinical Sciences from Autism Speaks who funded the research, says: "This is the first large-scale study to take a whole genome approach to studying epigenetic influences in twins who are genetically identical but have different symptoms. These findings open the door to future discoveries in the role of epigenetics -- in addition to genetics -- in the development of autism symptoms."

The study was funded by Autism Speaks, Medical Research Council UK (MRC) and the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation (NARSAD). The twins were selected from the Twins Early Development Study (TEDS) which is funded by the MRC with additional support from the US National Institutes of Health.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by King's College London.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Journal Reference:

C C Y Wong, E L Meaburn, A Ronald, T S Price, A R Jeffries, L C Schalkwyk, R Plomin, J Mill. Methylomic analysis of monozygotic twins discordant for autism spectrum disorder and related behavioural traits. Molecular Psychiatry, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/mp.2013.41

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/health_medicine/genes/~3/5SSPuYtQGZA/130423091113.htm

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