NHL drafts the wrong players due to birthday bias, study suggests

Feb. 27, 2013 ? A hockey player's birthday strongly biases how professional teams assess his talent, according to a new study by Grand Valley State University researchers. The findings were published in the online journal PLOS ONE.

The research, led by Robert Deaner, associate professor of psychology at Grand Valley, shows that, on average, National Hockey League (NHL) draftees born between July and December are much more likely than those born in the first three months of the year to have successful careers. In particular, 34 percent of draftees were born in the last six months of the year, but these individuals played 42 percent of the games and scored 44 percent of the points accumulated by those in the study. By contrast, those born in the first three months of the year constituted 36 percent of draftees but only played 28 percent of the games and only scored 25 percent of the points.

The study focused on Canadian players because in Canadian youth ice hockey there is a January 1 cut-off date. This means players born later in the year would have been consistently younger than their age group peers.

"There's no doubt that drafting professional athletes is an inexact science," said Deaner. "Plenty of sure-fire first-round picks fizzle while some late-round picks unexpectedly become stars. But our results show that, at least since 1980, NHL teams have been consistently fooled by players' birthdays or something associated with them. They greatly underestimate the promise of players born in the second half of the year, the ones who have always been relatively younger than their peers. For any given draft slot, relatively younger players are about twice as likely to be successful. So if teams really wanted to win, they should have drafted more of the relatively younger players."

Background and Significance

Previous studies have demonstrated relative age effects (RAEs), which occur when those who are relatively older for their age group are more likely to succeed. For example, in elite Canadian youth ice hockey, roughly 40 percent of players are born in the first three months of the year while only 15 percent are born in the last three months. Although RAEs are well established in many sports and educational settings, their underlying causes remain unclear. The new study provides the most direct evidence yet that selection bias is a crucial cause of RAEs. Selection bias means that evaluators, such as teachers and coaches, grant fewer opportunities to relatively younger individuals than is warranted by their talent.

"There are many possible causes of RAEs," said Deaner. "For instance, a youth coach may mainly select relatively older players because those players' greater size means they are actually more likely to help the team. Researchers believe, however, that selection bias is also a big cause of RAEs, but there has never been a direct test of selection bias. We could make this test because we had a good measure of perceived talent, the order or slot in which each player was drafted. And we had good measures of realized talent, how long they were able to stay in the NHL and how many points they scored there. Because relatively younger players consistently performed better than would be expected based on their draft slots, we've shown selection bias."

The researchers admit that they don't fully understand the selection bias they discovered. "We don't know yet why the evaluations of NHL teams are biased, but there are several ways it could work. Because being many months older than one's peers can be a big advantage as a child or early teen, the relatively older players might be more likely to be on the most elite junior teams when they are 17 or 18, and scouts might be swayed by that," said Deaner. "Another possibility, suggested by educational studies, is an 'underdog' effect. This would involve relatively younger individuals developing better work habits so that they improve more in adulthood."

The authors believe their pro hockey results have implications for education. Deaner noted: "We have to be careful about assuming too much because a teacher deciding which children should be tracked into advanced classes is a much different situation than hockey teams assessing which adults are likely to develop into NHL stars. But, for many reasons, one would think that NHL teams should be less biased than educators. First, NHL teams are evaluating adults not children, meaning that relative age differences are proportionally smaller. Second, NHL teams are aware of RAEs, but educators may not be. Third, NHL teams have vast resources to evaluate individuals while educators do not. Fourth, NHL teams pay a steep price for poor evaluation whereas educators may not. So overall, in many situations, evaluations of ability may be greatly colored by an individual's relative age. This may even happen when the teachers and coaches know about RAEs."

Co-authors of the study were Aaron Lowen of Grand Valley State University and Steven Cobley of the University of Sydney.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Grand Valley State University.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Robert O. Deaner, Aaron Lowen, Stephen Cobley. Born at the Wrong Time: Selection Bias in the NHL Draft. PLoS ONE, 2013; 8 (2): e57753 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0057753

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/strange_science/~3/aiKTLbZhmbM/130227183506.htm

lisa marie presley florida panthers

Exceptionally Low-cost Car Insurance In Texas

Spend for the car or truck upfront. A great number of men and women choose not to buy brand new cars simply because auto insurance for new automobiles is notoriously way more expensive than auto insurance for pre-owned vehicles. There are various causes why automobile insurance coverage is extra expe?

When completed adequately, obtaining a utilized car or truck is economically accountable. If you are ordering a utilized vehicle in Texas, you undoubtedly want low-priced auto insurance coverage in Texas. To get cost effective car insurance coverage for your new utilised automobile, get started from the starting.

Pay for the car upfront. A number of folks decide not to acquire brand new vehicles since auto insurance for new cars is notoriously additional high priced than auto insurance coverage for pre-owned cars. There are a few causes why vehicle insurance is even more high priced for new vehicles, and one of those motives is that new vehicles in most cases have to be financed. When you finance a automobile, the finance provider or lender most oftentimes needs you to acquire full coverage auto insurance coverage, which is much more pricey than liability car insurance coverage. By saving your revenue until you can afford to pay for your made use of auto absolutely upfront, you will not desire a financer or lender, and you will be capable to acquire whatever amount of automobile insurance you want, as long as it meets the legal needs in Texas. ohio auto insurance quotes

Bring an automotive whiz with you. It is aggravating to search for and finally buy your dream pre-owned automobile, only to get property and identify out there are quite a few needed repairs to be created. When you shop for your vehicle, bring along a person knowledgeable about auto mechanics. Let him or her test drive the vehicle with you, take a look under the hood, and do any other inspection of the car. If your car or truck insurance corporation knows that anything is operating correctly, you are additional probably to get low cost vehicle insurance coverage in Texas.

Look for security features. Security characteristics come with utilized automobiles just as they do new cars, so you want to look at vehicles with more security characteristics, as well. Anti-theft alarms, anti-lock brakes, kid proof locks, and air bags are all extremely good security functions to have and are impressive to your car insurance coverage corporation.

This entry was posted in 2. Bookmark the permalink. Trackbacks are closed, but you can .

Source: http://ticklr.com/blog2/?p=35931

arizona republican debate arizona debate

Trying to buy a home in foreclosure - Zillow Real Estate Advice

Trying to buy a foreclosure home they are asking 112,500. No other offers the zest inmate is 108,000 and the foreclosure estimate on zillow is 78,000 unsure as to want to offer. Been on market 17 days

??Flag content

Stating a discriminatory preference in an advertisement for housing is illegal. If you think this content is discriminatory or otherwise inappropriate and feel it should be removed from Zillow, please let us know by completing the information above.

Close

We're Sorry

This service is temporarily unavailable. Please come back later and try again.

11 hours ago - US

Source: http://www.zillow.com/advice-thread/Trying-to-buy-a-home-in-foreclosure/480670/

ohare airport etta james songs

Rare Social Octopuses Break All the (Mating) Rules [Video]

Larger Pacific Striped octopus; image courtesy of Richard Ross

Of the hundreds of known octopus species, most are anti-social, practice safe sex (to avoid getting eaten by a mate) and lay just one clutch of eggs before dying.

The poorly understood larger Pacific striped octopus, however, seems to break from these conventions: They are somewhat social, they mate face-to-face, and the females produce multiple batches of offspring.

The octopus is so rare that science has yet to even give it a formal Latin name. But two California researchers are getting intimately acquainted with this creature; one is even breeding them in a spare bedroom at home, the San Francisco Chronicle recently reported.

Not only are these octopuses unusual in their behavior, but they are also striking in their appearance. ?The larger Pacific striped octopus is the most beautiful octopus I have ever seen,??Roy Caldwell, a professor of integrative biology at the University of California, Berkeley, who is studying the octopuses in a lab at the university, said in a prepared statement. These octopuses often show a bold black-and-white pattern?in stripes or spots?but can also put on various other displays, for mating or camouflage, for example.

Larger Pacific striped octopus; image courtesy of Richard Ross

The current moniker for these creatures alludes to the smaller but better-studied lesser Pacific striped octopus (octopus chierchiae). Like the larger Pacific striped octopuses, which have arms spans of some eight to 10 inches, these pigmy octopuses live in intertidal areas in Nicaragua. The?lesser Pacific striped octopus females have also been observed laying more than one small group of eggs in their lifespans, but they are not particularly social.

The larger Pacific striped octopuses seem not only to tolerate each other?s presence but also actually to occasionally seek it out. Richard Ross, a biologist for the California Academy of Sciences? Steinhart Aquarium, has a?100-gallon tank at home; a male and female are currently cohabitating, and another male and two females are waiting in the wings.

?They can cohabitate in pairs,? Caldwell told the Chronicle. ?Groups of them are reported to live in colonies of 40 or more individuals.? And, whereas most female octopuses die within weeks or months of laying eggs, ?[these] females can lay clutches of eggs again and again,? Caldwell noted.

The larger Pacific striped octopus also takes a novel approach to sex. Many species mate from afar?to avoid being eaten?with the male reaching his specialized hectocotylus arm into a female?s mantel cavity. Some researchers have observed this move happening even while the two octopuses remained in their separate dens. In other species, a male will sidle up to a female or mount her to insert his arm tip.

Larger Pacific striped octopuses mating beak to beak in captivity; image courtesy of Richard Ross

But the larger Pacific striped octopus mates front-to-front, sucker-to-sucker, beak-to-beak. The male still makes use of his hectocotylus arm, but in this case, he does it from an otherwise risky position right near the female?s mouth. ?They seem to be rather pretty sexy,? Caldwell told the Chronicle.

The recent scientific history of the larger Pacific striped octopus began in the 1970s, when Aradio Rodaniche, a biologist from Panama working at a Smithsonian Institute research station, observed these strange octopuses while scuba diving in Nicaragua. Rodaniche eventually wrote up some of his observations in?a 1991 abstract for the?Bulletin of Marine Science. But, Caldwell noted, what Rodaniche had described seemed so incongruous with other known octopus behaviors that his findings were pooh-poohed by researchers at the time, and the octopus passed, once again, into obscurity. Until last year, when Caldwell and Ross?began working with the octopus again. ?We are thrilled to confirm many of Rodaniche?s observations,? Ross said in a prepared statement.

The eggs laid in captivity have taken 20 to 50 days to hatch into small baby octopuses. The researchers are still experimenting with different food sources (hatchling octopuses are notoriously picky eaters, usually eschewing frozen foods that their adult parents would have happily devoured). ?The really hard part is feeding them,? Ross told the Chronicle. ?If we can crack that mystery, it will open up all kinds of doors to raising them.?

Rearing more familiar octopus species, such as the common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) and the giant Pacific octopus (Enteroctopus dolfeini), has also been tricky because they tend to eat one another, meaning if there are 50,000 octopus hatchlings, one would need 50,000 individual tanks to raise each baby octopus?or, say, 10 tanks to try to raise 10 chosen survivors. So, while trying accommodating this space demand and the young?s picky palates, sustainable captive breeding programs have faltered, leaving researchers to rely primarily on wild-caught specimens. But with these seemingly social octopuses, scientists may have hit upon a species that will be more amiable to lab?or at least bedroom?breeding.

Caldwell and Ross are working on a formal species description of this surprising cephalopod. The researchers are also planning an expedition to observe them in their natural habitat in Nicaragua, where the octopuses live in the murky waters near the mouths of rivers.

In the meantime, Ross hopes to contribute some of the progeny from his at-home efforts to the Steinhart Aquarium at the California Academy of Sciences, ?so the public can see those rare animals, too,? he said.

Illustration courtesy of?Ivan Phillipsen

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=7a65b0843d4a375aa5a9d27d7cb9d8df

a thousand words my sisters keeper

Sony HT-CT260 Home Theater Soundbar

Sometimes a simple extra feature can take a product to the next level?in this case, it's Bluetooth. The Sony HT-CT260 soundbar is already a solid choice for enhancing your HDTV's audio with a wireless subwoofer and warm midrange response, but built-in Bluetooth lets you turn it into a powerful sound system for your smartphone or tablet as well. At $299.99 (direct), the HT-CT260 offers plenty of functionality and excellent, albeit not-audiophile-level performance for a reasonable price, making it our new Editors' Choice for soundbars.

Design
The speaker itself is a 4 by 37 by 3.5 inch (HWD) hexagonal tube weighing just 6.1 pounds, suitable for any HDTV around 40 inches in size. The hexagon-shaped cross-section sits point-down on a stand, so the flat face is parallel with the wall and easily seen. The soundbar is covered with a matte black cloth grille, with a black plastic control panel on the front. The simple, one-line blue LED display shows what input is active and lets you flip through the different settings on the soundbar. The back of the soundbar holds optical, analog RCA, and coaxial audio inputs, along with a socket for the included wireless adapter for use with the subwoofer.

The subwoofer enclosure is a 15.3 by 10.6 by 10.6 (HWD) black plastic cube with a downward-firing port. A single green LED on the front indicates which way it's facing and whether it's on and paired with the soundbar. The only cable the subwoofer needs is for power, and the only controls are Power and Sync buttons. Once you slide in the other included wireless adapter into the socket on the back, the subwoofer will automatically pair with the soundbar, and then lets the soundbar and the included remote handle everything. It's a very easy process to get all components set up.

The remote is very functional, but a bit complex for a speaker controller. It has standard volume and input buttons, along with basic TV controls, a direction pad for menu navigation, playback controls for Bluetooth devices, and a set of six "Sound Field" buttons for changing how the soundbar handles sound: Standard, Movie, Game, Music, P. Audio, and Stereo. None of the buttons are backlit. While the Bluetooth playback controls are very useful (if you want to keep your device plugged in somewhere while you play music on it), it could have done without the TV controls cluttering it up.

Besides optical, coaxial, and analog audio inputs, the HT-CT260 supports Bluetooth audio, which adds significant appeal to smartphone and mobile device users. The Bluetooth pairing button on the remote makes pairing with any device extremely simple, and I had no problem connecting my Samsung Galaxy S III to the soundbar.

Performance
For music, sound quality is solid without excelling in any category. The subwoofer puts deep bass through easily, with enough output to shake a small-to-midsized room, while the main speaker enclosure delivers a nice, warm midrange sound. However, treble sounds a bit muddled in comparison. In Rage Against The Machine's "A Fistful of Steel," the texture of the high-hat and cymbals were lost against the heavy drums and guitar, and vocals seemed a bit weak.

Movies sounded fairly good on the HT-CT260. The subwoofer and warm midrange drivers gave both explosions and sweeping orchestral scores on Avatar a nice sense of impact, and dialog sounded relatively clear (though treble could have been boosted just a tad). The sound field isn't the most impressive, filling the room with sound but only offering modest stereo imaging. Like most soundbars, the HT-CT260 is limited by the distance between drivers on the bar itself, and it doesn't offer as much of a detailed stereo (or simulated surround, with Dolby Digital Pro Logic II and dts Digital Surround) impression as dedicated speakers can. Still, when done well (as it is here), the price, convenience, and general audio quality can make up for a soundbar's inherent limitations.

The Sony HT-CT260 is a high-quality, flexible home theater soundbar with an affordable price and some useful extra features. Its wireless subwoofer is easy to set up and offers plenty of power for bass-heavy music and movies, and its built-in Bluetooth support means you can stream music from your smartphone or tablet to the soundbar with ease, making it our Editors' Choice for soundbars. If you don't have the space for a separate subwoofer enclosure, the Yamaha YAS-101 produces great midrange response and a strong sound field without a subwoofer.

More Speaker Reviews:
??? Sony HT-CT260 Home Theater Soundbar
??? Vizio SB4021M-A1 Home Theater Soundbar
??? Samsung HW-E550
??? Harman Kardon SB 30
??? Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 2
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/H3XC4D3in8U/0,2817,2415750,00.asp

brooke mueller all star weekend

The RSPB: News: Kendall's call for environmental cuts will let down ...

Print page

Last modified: 27 February 2013

The RSPB has responded to Peter Kendall?s speech at the NFU Conference in Birmingham today, by highlighting the need for support for wildlife friendly farmers.

?

Martin Harper, RSPB Conservation Director, said: ?Mr Kendall says that farmers can do more for the environment than regulation.

?

?He is right about farmers being able to do a huge amount for the environment. But the message that we have heard over and over again from farmers who are doing their bit for wildlife is that they need support to do so.

?

?Any axe to the funding of agri-environment schemes will remove support from the very farmers who can deliver the most for the environment. Experience with the Campaign for the Farmed Environment, which urges farmers to manage their land to benefit wildlife, shows that unless environmental measures are backed by publicly funded advice and conservation grants they are only taken up by the committed few.

?

?Owen Paterson understands this very well and is right to stand firm on the issue of voluntary modulation. He must be congratulated for looking at the needs of farmers, the environment and consumers in the round and pushing for the fairest deal for all.

?

?It is right in periods of austerity to make sure that public expenditure works hard and delivers the most it possibly can.?

How you can help

We're celebrating the work the UK's farmers do for wildlife

Find out more about the Nature of Farming Award

Source: http://www.rspb.org.uk/news/341004-kendalls-call-for-environmental-cuts-will-let-down-farmers?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=News

big brother Shakira

France's Hollande to raise human rights in Russia

MOSCOW (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande will raise concerns about Russia's human rights record with Vladimir Putin on Thursday but he sought to play down differences that might undermine trade ties.

Hollande, who began his 24-hour debut trip to Moscow by giving a radio interview, hopes to strike a balance between a robust defense of human rights and the desire to boost France's economy by increasing business links with Russia.

An encounter in Paris last June between President Putin and the newly elected Socialist bristled with tension, unlike the cozy meetings between Putin and Hollande's conservative predecessors, Nicolas Sarkozy and Jacques Chirac.

Aides on both sides want to avoid the full-frontal clash on rights that marked German Chancellor Angela Merkel's trip to Moscow last year, when she accused Moscow of stifling dissent.

"We will discuss this with President Putin. I would not like to take a provocative approach," the French leader told the liberal Ekho Moskvy radio station in an interview dubbed over with a Russian translation.

"Questions of democracy and human rights are just as important as other aspects of our cooperation."

He said Paris always sought to raise such questions with foreign partners in a friendly way and went on to describe Russia and France as old allies united by history and culture.

Hollande is under pressure in France to raise human rights concerns including the fate of Putin critics such as Mikhail Khodorkovsky, 49, once Russia's richest man and now serving 13 years jail on fraud and tax evasion charges.

The French leader said he would also discuss with Putin foreign conflicts including Afghanistan and Syria, reiterating that Paris was respecting a European arms embargo to Syria.

He indicated that he favored a gradual lifting of the arms embargo, suggesting that "in a few weeks we will be able to find a political solution (on the arms embargo issue) which could stop the escalation of the conflict."

PUTTING DIFFERENCES ASIDE

With the French economy edging closer to recession and domestic demand moribund, Hollande needs all the outside help he can get to kick-start growth.

At around 1 billion euros, investment by Russian companies in France accounts for only a 12th of the French money that has flowed into Russia, a balance Paris wants to redress.

Yet everything - from Moscow's support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to Putin's relish at French actor Gerard Depardieu's decision to take Russian nationality for tax reasons - means the scope for misunderstandings is great.

Depardieu visited the Chechnya region at the weekend where human rights groups accuse security services of extrajudicial killings and other abuses. Hollande deflected questions about the actor during the interview with Ekho Moskvy, making clear he did not want the passport issue to affect relations with Russia.

"I am sure that the President of Russia made a decision that doesn't infringe on our interests," Hollande said.

"If he (Depardieu) decided to leave the country, if he loves Russia and Russia so loves Gerard Depardieu, then it is understandable. But still Depardieu loves France, which recognizes him as a great actor."

Hollande aides say that Paris and Moscow have similar views in several areas - notably on Mali, where Russia backed a U.N. resolution key to French efforts to extricate its soldiers and put African troops in the front line against al Qaeda allies.

Russia also saw Tuesday's offer by world powers of some sanctions relief to Iran in return for suspension of some atomic work as a sign Western states are moving closer to its views on an issue that has long divided the U.N. Security Council.

The two leaders may broach delicate energy issues, with the European Union seeking to wind down its gas reliance on Russia and Moscow angry over EU efforts to force dominant suppliers such as Russia's Gazprom to sell off infrastructure.

(Additional reporting by Alissa de Carbonnel and Thomas Grove, Writing by Mark John and Timothy Heritage, Editing by Jon Boyle)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/frances-hollande-juggles-trade-human-rights-moscow-010406942.html

arkansas football blackhawks

Fitness Secret of Mahaakshay Chakraborty - Food Fitness Life Love

Posted by Jitesh Manaktala on Feb 28, 2013 in Celebrity Articles, Featured, Health & FitnessGoogle+

Remember Mahakshay Chakraborty? The Chubby, cute son of yesteryear disco star Mithun Chakraborty? Well, this chubby youngster has been transformed into a super fit star. All thanks to the strict fitness and diet technique that he followed. This competitive industry demands excellent health and fitness quotient. Mahaakshay is aware of these pre-requisites of becoming a star and has worked hard towards it. Let?s have a sneak peak into the special diet and fitness regime of Mahaskhsay Chakraborty.

Mahaskhsay Chakraborty?s Exercise Regimen

The star kid?s exercise regimen is quite intense. He prefers doing Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) at least thrice a week. Mahaskhsay practises this art for about 90 minutes. The actor is not much into doing weights. However, he focuses on cardio. Right from running 5 km in a day to dancing, swimming or playing squash, Mahaskhsay Chakraborty does it all without an excuse! He is also into the ?Insanity? workout. This is another name for cardio to the extreme! The actor also likes to play a lot of cardio games to keep himself fit.

Mahaskhsay Chakraborty?s Diet

Of course, a fit body cannot be achieved without healthy and strict diet schedule! In fact, Mahaskhsay Chakraborty believes that diet is everything when it comes to maintaining a fit body! The fitness obsession is such that he even counts the air he breathes. Due to the intense training routine he actor is involved in, he makes sure that he consumes just the right amount of nutrients.

Mahaskhsay Chakraborty believes in having a balanced diet. He strictly avoids supplements and takes only a multi-vitamin to supplement his body with essential nutrition. The actor eats everything under the roof but in moderation. He makes sure that the food he has is just enough for the body to absorb and to use.

Mahaskhsay Chakraborty has been doing MMA. This made him move his shoulder tendons on many occasions. Hence, his shoulders are loose. His lower back is vulnerable to pains and the attack occurs from time to time. Hence, the actor focuses on doing muscles tendons below right thigh. However, he still takes the pain as he loves MMA and it helps him stay fit and healthy!

You may also interested in:

Tags: diet of mahaakshay chakraborty, diet of mimoh chakraborty, diet secret of mimoh chakraborty, fitness of mahaakshay chakraborty, mahaakshay chakraborty fitness, mahakshay chakraborty, mahakshay chakraborty diet, mahakshay chakraborty diet secrets, mahakshay chakraborty secret, mimoh chakraborty

Source: http://www.foodfitnesslifelove.com/health-fitness/fitness-secret-of-mahaakshay-chakraborty/

whitney houston dead at 48 whitney houston dead 2012

Q&A: The science behind personal genetics testing

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) ? A growing number of universities are offering classes on personal genetics to educate students about a medical field that is becoming increasingly important as the price of genetic testing drops. Here's a look at the basics:

Q: What is genetic testing and genotyping?

A: A genetic test analyzes DNA to look for a specific gene to test for the presence of a condition, such as Huntington's disease. Genotyping goes far beyond that, analyzing several or even thousands of variants across an individual's full set of genes, known as the genome.

Q: How can you get such testing done?

A: Medical providers use the testing routinely. It helps them diagnose patients who have symptoms of a disease, screen newborn infants for disease risks, tell parents whether their unborn child will have a genetic condition, and determine the amount and type of medicine best suited for a patient.

But what is becoming more available and common is testing done by private companies marketing services directly to consumers, such as 23AndMe and AncestryDNA. These tests typically analyze thousands of different variants but do not look at the entire genome. The tests can cost $99 to more than $1,000, depending on the extent of testing done. 23AndMe and AncestryDNA require individuals to submit saliva samples, and initial results can be available within six weeks.

Q: What can the results show?

A: The results can show whether individuals are at increased risk for a range of diseases; whether they are a carrier for hundreds of genetic conditions; whether they are predisposed to have certain physical traits; where one's ancestors come from; how they may respond to certain drugs.

Q: What are some practical ways this can help?

A: The information can help diagnose potential health problems sooner. Individuals may be able to take steps to avoid behavior that may trigger health problems for which they know they're at risk. Couples who learn they are carriers for the same disease may conceive with egg or sperm donors to avoid passing it to children. Individuals may be able to identify and meet relatives they did not know.

Q: What are potential downsides?

A: Scientists caution that the tests can be misleading because many genetic discoveries have yet to be made, which means some results may falsely reassure or needlessly alarm people. But the tests can also deliver shocking information ? individuals can learn they are likely to develop diseases that have no cure, have siblings they never knew about, or that the man who raised them is not their father. There are also numerous ethical and privacy considerations. One's relatives do not need to give consent for the tests, even though they may learn distressing information. Companies ask for consent to use their customers' DNA in research, and there's always the risk of a privacy breach.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-02-27-Personal%20Genetics-QandA/id-fb2dc536f51a48bcbfd90ac4c4c33161

rod parsley barry sanders jr

Prevention is the key to fighting colon cancer: March is National ...

While colon cancer may be the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men and women, caught in time, it can be a very preventable disease.

During National Colon Cancer Awareness Month, held each year in March, the Genetic Center at Akron Children?s Hospital encourages adults to learn more about their risk for this disease. Colon cancer prevention involves finding and removing precancerous polyps before they have the chance to develop into this disease.

Starting at age 50, the American Cancer Society recommends that all men and women participate in one of the following screening options:

Diet and lifestyle also play an important role in prevention. Studies have linked diets high in vegetables, fruits, and whole grains ? and low in red and processed meats ? to a lower risk of colon cancer.

Research has also shown that people who are overweight or obese have a greater risk of developing colon cancer.

As much as 5 to 7 percent of colon cancer is hereditary, or passed down through a person?s family. Your risk for this hereditary link increases if you have:

• Colon cancer before the age of 50
• Multiple colon cancers or more than one hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal associated cancer (HNPCC), such as colon, small bowel, endometrial, ureter, renal, ovarian or stomach
• 2 or more close relatives with colon cancer
• 3 or more close relatives with an HNPCC-associated cancer
• A relative who has tested positive for a gene mutation that is known to increase colorectal cancer risk
• A relative with more than 10 colorectal polyps

Individuals with these risk factors should consult their doctor or the Genetic Center about increased screening guidelines and testing options. To learn more about hereditary cancer, visit?www.akronchildrens.org/hereditarycancer.

Source: http://inside.akronchildrens.org/2013/02/27/prevention-is-the-key-to-fighting-colon-cancer/

andrew breitbart dead sheriff joe arpaio

?Angry Birds Toons?, Rovio?s New Cartoon Series Is Coming To A Browser Near You March 16

They're cute. They're bouncy. And they're angry. Introducing "Angry Birds Toons". Seriously. Rovio has long teased the existence of Angry Birds cartoon series but held most of the details secret. Well, all will be revealed come March 16th, when the first episode premieres.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/j3hZOYqtKq0/

dexter dexter

Dancing With The Stars Season 16 Cast Revealed!

Season 16 of Dancing With The Stars is set to debut on? Monday, March 18th and today fans got to find out just who would be competing for the coveted Mirror Ball trophy. If you thought last season’s All-Stars was good you haven’t see anything yet. Find out who is headed to the ballroom right here. Earlier today on Good Morning America Tom Bergeron and the lovely Brooke Burke-Charvet joined Lara Spencer to reveal the new cast. Without further adieu I give to you the season 16 DWTS cast as well as who their dancing pro partner is. 1. Boxer Victor Ortiz and new pro Lindsay Arnold 2. Actor/Comedian D.L Hughley and Cheryl Burke 3. Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Jacoby Jones and Karina Smirnoff 4. Comedian Andy Dick and former troupe member Sharna Burgess 5. Actor Ingo Rademacher and Kym Johnson 6. Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman and Mark Ballas 7. Country singer Kellie?Pickler and Derek Hough 8. Country legend Wynonna Judd and Tony Dovolani 9. Disney Channel star Zendaya Coleman and Valentin Chmerkovskiy 10. Olympic figure skater Dorothy Hamill and Tristan MacManus 11. Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Vanderpump Rules star Lisa Vanderpump and new pro Gleb Savchenko As [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RightCelebrity/~3/3C1n3dJPsOM/

house of representatives paul ryan

With The Open, ZTE Aims To Get The Young And Adventurous Fired Up For Firefox OS

ZTE's press conference yesterday didn?t really reveal anything we didn't already know, but it at least gave us the opportunity to play with the Chinese OEM's first Firefox OS-powered smartphone. The cost-conscious Open is apparently meant for "young people who are adventurers and want to try something new" (according to He Shiyou, head of ZTE's Mobile Devices Division anyway), but how is it?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/8CiW5l6tJ_I/

piracy sopa

Video: Gates, Zuckerberg urge kids to code

NEW YORK (AP) ? Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter creator Jack Dorsey are among the tech luminaries appearing in a new video promoting the teaching and learning of computer coding in schools.

Titled "What most schools don't teach," the video released online Tuesday begins with Zuckerberg, Gates and other tech icons recalling the time they got their start in coding. For some, that was in sixth grade. For others, such as Ruchi Sanghvi, Facebook's first female engineer, that happened in college. Freshman year, first semester, intro to computer science, to be exact.

Dorsey, who also founded and runs the mobile payments startup Square, said in an interview that he didn't grow up being a programmer.

"I wanted to work on ideas. In order to see them grow, I had to learn how to code," Dorsey told The Associated Press. "I think there is a lack of desire, there is a lack of push to teach people how to program and how to code. It's not all that dissimilar to learning a foreign language. It's just a way to instruct a machine on what to do. It empowers people to start a business, to start a project, to really speak to a daily issue that they are having or other people are having."

Running less than six minutes, the video promotes Code.org, a nonprofit foundation created last year to help computer programming education grow.

"The first time I actually had something come up and say 'hello world,' and I made a computer do that, that was just astonishing," Gabe Newell, president of video game studio Valve, recalls in the video.

But it's not just tech leaders promoting programming in the video. Chris Bosh, of the Miami Heat basketball team, says about coding: "I know it can be intimidating, a lot of things are intimidating, but, you know, what isn't?"

Code.org was founded by tech entrepreneur Hadi Partovi, an early investor in Facebook, Dropbox and the vacation rental site Airbnb. The nonprofit wants to address an oft-cited problem among technology companies ? not enough computer science graduates to fill a growing number of programming jobs. The group laments that many schools don't even offer classes in programming.

"Our policy is literally to hire as many talented engineers as we can find," Zuckerberg says in the video. "The whole limit of the system is just the there just aren't enough people who are trained and have these skills today."

___

AP Technology Writer Michael Liedtke in San Francisco contributed to this story.

___

Online:

The video: http://bit.ly/ZGiDeP

The nonprofit: http://www.code.org

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-02-26-US-TEC-Computer-Coding-Tech-Leaders/id-99c282a54f0545f18d199b4f7ae42c00

los angeles kings earth day

Shiite militant threatens Iranian exiles in Iraq

BAGHDAD (AP) ? The head of a new Shiite militant group in Iraq on Tuesday threatened to carry out more attacks on a camp for Iranian exiles that was struck by dozens of rockets and mortar shells earlier this month.

Seven people were killed in the Feb. 9 attack on the camp near Baghdad airport that houses members of Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, or MEK, the militant wing of a Paris-based Iranian opposition group. Iraq's government, which maintains friendly ties with Tehran, considers the MEK a terrorist group and wants its members out of country.

Tuesday's comments from Wathiq al-Batat suggest he shares the government's goal, even if he disagrees with its handling of the exiles. In a phone interview with The Associated Press, al-Batat said his newly formed Mukhtar Army group was behind the attack and promised more attacks to come.

"It is time for the people of the MEK to leave Iraq. We have demanded that the government kick the group out of the country, but the Iraqi government did not respond positively to our demand," he said. "We will strike them again until they leave."

It was not possible to independently confirm al-Batat's claim that his group was behind the attacks, but Iraqi officials and MEK members say they are taking his threats seriously. No other groups have taken responsibility.

"Mukhtar Army" appeared on threatening leaflets delivered to Sunni households in a Baghdad neighborhood last week warning residents to leave or face grave consequences.

The MEK opposes Iran's clerical regime and has carried out assassinations and bombings in Iran. It fought alongside Saddam Hussein's forces in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, and several thousand of its members were given sanctuary in Iraq. It renounced violence in 2001. The Obama administration took it off the U.S. terrorism list last September.

The refugee camp is located on a former American military base known as Camp Liberty. It is meant to be a temporary way station while the United Nations works to relocate the exiles abroad.

MEK members reluctantly began moving to Camp Liberty last year. They previously lived in a compound known as Camp Ashraf in northeastern Iraq. It was twice raided by Iraqi security forces, leaving more than three dozen people dead.

Al-Batat was a senior official in the Hezbollah Brigades, which is believed to be funded and trained by Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard. It was among the Shiite militias that targeted U.S. military bases months before troops pulled out in December 2011.

Earlier this month, he announced he was forming a new group known as the Mukhtar Army. He continues to use the Hezbollah name as well, suggesting he is trying to claim rightful leadership of that group. It is unclear what links, if any, he maintains with Iraq's Hezbollah.

Although Iraq's Hezbollah Brigades and the better-known Hezbollah in Lebanon are both backed by Iran, they appear to operate largely independently from one another.

Al-Batat is a wanted man. The Iraqi government issued an arrest warrant against him shortly after he announced the formation of the Mukhtar Army.

"The security forces are now even more determined to arrest him following these recent statements" about the camp attack, said Ali al-Moussawi, a spokesman for the prime minister.

Al-Batat said Tuesday he is in Iraq but declined to say where.

The Iranian opposition group that oversees the MEK, the National Council of Resistance of Iran, sees al-Batat and his followers as an arm of Iran's Quds Force, which oversees external operations of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

"In reality the operation against Camp Liberty was carried out by the Iranian regime with the cooperation of the government of Iraq," alleged Shahin Gobadi, a spokesman for the Paris-based opposition group. "Al-Batat is part of this terror machine."

Gobadi called for the MEK members to be returned to Camp Ashraf, where the refugees feel they would be more secure.

In Tuesday's interview, al-Batat described himself as a follower of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He said his group receives weapons and other support from Iran, but declined to provide details. He has previously said he is advised by Iran's Quds Force.

An Iranian Revolutionary Guard official dismissed suggestions it supports any armed group in Iraq, saying, "the claims are aimed at defaming the Guard. We do not see any reason to respond to such baseless claims." The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters.

The U.N. envoy to Iraq, Martin Kobler, urged Baghdad to thoroughly investigate the Camp Liberty attack and to share their findings with the UN. The Iraqi government is responsible for the safety of camp residents.

"We continue to remind them of their obligation and urge them to take all appropriate measures to protect residents and ensure their security," Kobler told the AP.

Iraq's Interior Ministry spokesman, Lt. Col. Saad Maan Ibrahim, said security measures have been intensified after the recent rocket attack on camp.

___

Associated Press writers Sameer N. Yacoub in Baghdad and Nasser Karimi in Tehran contributed reporting.

___

Follow Adam Schreck on Twitter at http://twitter.com/adamschreck

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-02-26-ML-Iraq/id-cbcea073ec6f43888fa74ec771613134

Joe Webb Fiesta Bowl

The Convenience of getting Your Home fitness equipment ...

Acquire your special exercise coupon codes in addition to earn discount your own workout program. Acquiring it challenging to bring your own self at usual pace? Them hardly matters the amount you for earn if you cannot reside healthy daily life. A smart way to modify your true self and instill healthy living routine is to subscribe and health clubs. The own fitness at home is definitely gain. Distance Fitness could be a great place to shop for equipment. The treadmill is a fantastic fitness equipment today because doing so offers great side effects for your actual physical stature together with a pretty ideal exercise for your cardio exercise. This will also help you keep an eye on your sons or daughters at home while physical exercise. Rogue Fitness Coupon from top sellers. Looking for a good and even affordable is not more a troublesome task. Search online coupon shops and collect interesting coupon codes presenting great deals and even discount on a variety of fitness provider. Locate your fitness deals from on the internet coupon stores in addition to avail special lower price on fitness deals. Want to know the best part concerning the overall health cubs draught beer provide reliability to our physical fitness regimen and even maintain the person encouraged to achieve his or her fitness goal. Physical fitness and health isn?t just concerning toned body nonetheless it may be the a sense of quality, agility and also fitness that produce people joyful and content. Towards counter the negative effect of discrepancy lifestyle it is strongly recommended that you follow a new consistent fitness program several good to remain your physique fit as well as fine. If the customer can see every one of the skin care course providers at one place, they are able to themselves find the better product or a plan. A leading way to obtain online bonus coupon codes, no cost coupons, discounts, publicity coupons over online websites online. It gives you Attractiveness, Fitness plans / products coupon codes and promotions involving both branded and generic stores out of around the world in one single area and helps often the consumers to generate a wise choice following their needs. everywhere thousands of deals.

Which can help you actually stay fit devoid of all the complications is an exersice trainer. This equipment will allow you to stay fit without having to shell out much electrical power, so that you can are good to travel for do the job after you work out. Rather then playing games or watching television with all your kids whenever you get home, take them out in to the backyard and have an activity of field hockey going. For instance , you?re using loads of your muscle mass for softball, for instance your tricep muscles, abs, bras, pectorals and gastrocnemius. The larger you works by using the muscles, the particular stronger they might acquire. Additionally, it is an incredibly secure and efficient exercising device as there is low-impact motion involved in working the tools. Most people always desire to present well, proper? muscle and strength coupons actions granted under. These types of machines will let you greatly enhance motion, stay away from injuries, it will at the same time help you appreciate your daily things to do. It creates you are feeling and look better and helps you get physically and mentally healthier throughout a single day. Together with Horizon Fitness online coupons, you could have your own personal home exercise equipment and you will also save more money along with discounts. Extending can also get a circulation planning, which is certainly suitable for your cardiovascular system. Stretching is actually a piece of cake for many who to use a receptionist counter all day every day. Besides staring at your laptop or job the whole day, transfer your neck on the left and then to the correct for half a minute at any given time. No matter the method of work that you do, there can be always ways to incorporate stretches into your day by day routine. These kind of discount coupons are issued by restaurants as part of most of their advertising models. This type of coupons, , however, are generally not completely new. Thanks to modern tools, printable restaurant coupons can be acquired from the Online world these days. The coupons typically could possibly be redeemed with certain drinks or simply ingredients. There are methods for you to take to get them on-line.

Next make full use of into the vitamin and mineral shoppe coupon discounts. Get good quality web pages with membership which usually allows you to consult health related things from the medical care team connected with experts. While mountain biking is among the most most in-demand outdoor recreation around the world, one can find things to think about before embracing it as a pastime. There are actually company?s medical care centers that are fitted with individual special areas of practice based on wide range of health concerns. Number of services health tools are available to eliminate your risks of affecting through certain diseases and also avoiding health issues, reducing your weight, and much other health and fitness vitamin shoppe promotion. com site, for newly released and updated Wellness coupons. Industry nowadays will be boiling develop hot promotions, schemes and that smart marketers and global businesses are recruiting. longer time period vitamin shoppe coupon At the moment, when we check the market movements, we may study in which marketers are exhibiting extra concern with regards to the consumers wellbeing and features. Have free coupons as well as vouchers using the acquiring a merchandise just what we take note of constantly, in addition to yes, such innovative to line of promotional deals and vouchers can be purchased in discount today. For this reason the most effective vitamins shoppe coupon promotions are more to the limelight at present than the dinner deals. That?s who has encouraged the particular promoters to consider Vitamin and mineral shoppe coupon voucher codes, offering perfect vitamin shoppe token deals in the market. Currently, the concept of Privilege Card is highly valued. Additionally, its is suggested on the people that if youre opting for the newest offers, then opt to avail the item such as Right Card. Reason is ? the advantages paired develop the advertising cards are comparatively more and with firm validity time period. By Gikiuope defimixi

Source: http://sflalegalnews.com/the-convenience-of-getting-your-home-fitness-equipment

pac 12 tournament sun storm

Huge protest vote leaves Italy facing deadlock

ROME (Reuters) - A huge protest vote by Italians enraged by economic hardship and political corruption left the euro zone's third-largest economy facing a dangerous vacuum on Monday after an election in which no group won enough votes to form a government.

The result, in which anti-euro parties took more than 50 percent of the vote and a novice populist movement scored a stunning success, rocked global markets with fears of a new euro zone crisis.

Europe's common currency slumped against the dollar and yen and U.S. stocks suffered their biggest one-day drop since November.

With more than 99 percent of returns in from polling stations, results showed the center-left had taken a slim victory of around 130,000 votes in the lower house of parliament, enough to give it comfortable control thanks to a big winner's bonus.

But no party or likely coalition won enough seats to form a majority in the upper house, creating a deadlocked parliament - the opposite of the stable result that Italy desperately needs to tackle a deep recession, rising unemployment and a massive public debt.

The outcome fanned fears of a new European financial crisis, with prospects of a long period of paralysis and uncertainty in Italy.

"This is the worst possible outcome from the market's point of view ... It seems inevitable that there will be a new election," said Alessandro Tentori, Citigroup head of global rates.

The result was an extraordinary success for Genoese comic Beppe Grillo, leader of the populist 5-Star Movement, who toured the country in his first national election campaign hurling obscenity-laced insults against a discredited political class.

He was set to become the biggest single party in the lower house, riding a potent wave of anger against rampant waste and corruption by ageing political leaders.

His success fulfilled the predictions of some analysts that the most uncertain and closely watched election in years would herald a political revolution. "This is the end of a system, not a government," respected commentator Massimo Franco told Reuters before the vote.

Grillo polled more around a quarter of the vote in a meteoric rise from the 1.8 percent he garnered in his movement's first local political test in 2010.

The result was a humiliating slap in the face for colorless center-left leader Pier Luigi Bersani, who threw away a 10-point opinion-poll lead less than two months ago against Silvio Berlusconi's center right.

He failed to turn up for a press conference after the result became clear. His deputy, Enrico Letta, as well as outgoing technocrat premier Mario Monti, said responsible forces must form a government and avoid another election. But the result raised a big question over whether that would be possible.

Billionaire media magnate Berlusconi, 76, who staged an extraordinary comeback from sex and corruption scandals since diving into the campaign in December, came in a close second in the Senate race, with an estimated 117 seats.

With almost all results in, the center-left was set to take 121 seats in the upper house, Grillo 54, and Monti languishing on only 22 after a campaign which never took off. The Senate majority is 158.

Berlusconi, a master politician and communicator, wooed voters with a blitz of television appearances and promises to refund Monti's hated housing tax despite accusations from opponents that this was an impossible vote buying trick.

Grillo has attacked all sides in the campaign and ruled out a formal alliance with any group although it was not immediately known how he would react to his stunning success or how his supporters would behave in parliament.

The next move to solve the crisis will be when head of state Giorgio Napolitano calls in political leaders to discuss how to form a government. But this is not expected until March 10 after the election result is formally confirmed and parliament convened.

Letta said the center-left, as biggest party in the lower house, had the right to be the first to try to form a government.

DANGER OF NEW ELECTION

Investors fear a return of the kind of debt crisis that took the euro zone close to disaster and brought the technocrat Monti to office, replacing Berlusconi, in 2011.

The results showed more than half of Italians had voted for the anti-euro platforms of Berlusconi and Grillo.

A center-left government either alone or ruling with Monti had been seen by investors as the best guarantee of measures to combat a deep recession and stagnant growth in Italy, which is pivotal to stability in the currency union.

But the failure of Monti to gain traction at the head of a centrist force, despite support from business leaders and foreign governments, and the weak showing by the center-left meant they do not have nearly enough Senators to do this.

The upper and lower houses have equal law-making power.

The benchmark spread between Italian 10-year bonds and their German equivalent widened from below 260 basis points to above 300 and the Italian share index lost all its previous gains after projections of the Senate result.

Monti helped save Italy from a debt crisis when Rome's borrowing costs were spiraling out of control in November 2011, but few Italians now see him as the savior of the country, which is reeling under its longest recession for 20 years.

Grillo's movement rode a wave of voter anger about both the pain of Monti's austerity program and a string of political and corporate scandals. It had particular appeal for a frustrated younger generation shut out of full-time jobs.

"I'm sick of the scandals and the stealing," said Paolo Gentile, a 49-year-old Rome lawyer who voted for 5-Star. "We need some young, new people in parliament, not the old parties that are totally discredited."

Berlusconi, a billionaire media tycoon, exploited anger against Monti's austerity program, accusing him of being a puppet of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, but in many areas Grillo was a bigger beneficiary of public discontent.

Italians wrung their hands at prospects of an inconclusive result that will mean more delays to essential reforms.

"It's a classic result. Typically Italian. It means the country is not united. It is an expression of a country that does not work. I knew this would happen," said 36-year-old Rome office worker Roberta Federica.

Another office worker, Elisabetta Carlotta, 46, shook her head in disbelief. "We can't go on like this," she said.

(Additional reporting by Stefano Bernabei, Steve Scherer, Gavin Jones, Naomi O'Leary and Giuseppe Fonte in Rome and Lisa Jucca, Silvia Aloisi in Milan; Writing by Barry Moody; Editing by Peter Graff and Tim Dobbyn)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/huge-protest-vote-leaves-italy-facing-deadlock-005214049.html

whitney houston last performance cpac straw poll

Intel announces dual-core Atom, multiband LTE chip and OEM partnerships

Intel is laying down a whole group of announcements today, covering the launch of dual-core Atom processors, multiband LTE chips and partnerships with OEMs for future quad-core Intel chips. First up is Intel's dual-core Atom (known as Clover Trail+), which is a 32nm (nanometer) processor coming in three SKU's -- Z2580, Z2560, Z2520 -- at 2.0GHz, 1.6GHz and 1.2GHz, respectively. The new Atom will deliver "industry-leading" performance, with Intel's hyper-threading technology, and battery life (which hasn't been Intel's strong suit) to rival current high-end devices.

The new chips also now support up to 1900x1200 display resolution, which will make it a suitable chip for future Android tablets. The Clover Trail+ Atoms support Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and HSPA+ 42 mobile data modems as well. Intel says it has already made partnerships with ASUS, Lenovo and ZTE to integrate Clover Trail+ processors into future tablets and phones.

Intel is also announcing today the availability of its first multimode and multiband LTE chip, the XMM 7160. One of the world's lowest power and smallest chips available, the 7160 supports up to 15 LTE bands simultaneously, and offers full LTE, DC-HSPA+ and EDGE connectivity in one chip SKU. Intel expects the radio to be ready in the first half of this year, with the radio and processor roadmaps soon converging to offer an integrated solution in the future.

Last but not least, Intel is looking forward to its upcoming "Bay Trail" quad-core Atom processors for use in tablets. The new processor will double the performance of its current tablet offerings, with potential designs as small as 8nm going forward. Intel is working with Acer, ASUS, HP, Lenovo, LG Electronics and Samsung to have both Android and Windows 8 tablets in the market by the holiday season of 2013 with Bay Trail quad-core processors.

Things weren't too great for Intel in 2012 when looking at the complete dominance of ARM-based processors in high-end devices, but the company doesn't seem to be holding back on its mobile product developments. Give it a couple more product cycles and Intel could begin to see some market share gain going forward.

Source: Intel (BusinessWire)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/Ok9Re83GkXI/story01.htm

ghost hunters lightsquared

Researchers at the UH Cancer Center discover protein that may control the spread of cancer

Public release date: 25-Feb-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Lori Strelow
lstrelow@cc.hawaii.edu
808-356-5753
University of Hawaii Cancer Center

HONOLULU, HI - Researchers at the University of Hawai'i Cancer Center have uncovered a novel mechanism that may lead to more selective ways to stop cancer cells from spreading. Associate Professor Joe W. Ramos PhD, a cancer biologist at the UH Cancer Center and his team have identified the role of the protein RSK2 in cancer cell migration, part of the process of cancer metastasis.

Cancer becomes metastatic when cells break away from the primary tumor and spread to other parts of the body. Metastatic cancer is much more difficult to treat and patients with metastatic cancer have a generally worse prognosis. "The cancers that kill are those that spread to other parts of the body or disseminate within the organ," said Ramos. "If we could keep cancer cells confined to the primary tumor mass, we could remove it with less risk of metastasis and later recurrence."

The Ramos team reports that RSK2 significantly increases cell migration in part by reducing integrin activation. Integrins play an important role in cell adhesion to their surrounding tissue and the migration of tumor cells to new locations in the body. RSK is active in both breast and prostate tumors, and promotes proliferation in these cells. It can also promote cell invasion and metastasis in head and neck cancers in addition to lung cancer and neuroblastoma.

"We focused on understanding the process of cell adhesion," said Ramos. "Integrins help the cell move by grabbing onto proteins and cells in their surroundings, pulling, then releasing and grabbing on again. Blocking a cancer cell's ability to adhere and move can control further dissemination of some metastasis. There are drugs that kill cancer cells and there are drugs that stop the division of cancer cells, but there are far fewer drugs that specifically stop the movement of cancer cells. Our work suggests that drugs that interfere with RSKs may help control or prevent metastasis."

###

The discovery may lead to selective ways to inhibit metastasis of a subset of tumors. The study: "RSK2 Protein Suppresses Integrin Activation and Fibronectin Matrix Assembly and Promotes Cell Migration" is published in the December 21, 2012 edition of The Journal of Biological Chemistry. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3527930/

---

[ | 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: 25-Feb-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Lori Strelow
lstrelow@cc.hawaii.edu
808-356-5753
University of Hawaii Cancer Center

HONOLULU, HI - Researchers at the University of Hawai'i Cancer Center have uncovered a novel mechanism that may lead to more selective ways to stop cancer cells from spreading. Associate Professor Joe W. Ramos PhD, a cancer biologist at the UH Cancer Center and his team have identified the role of the protein RSK2 in cancer cell migration, part of the process of cancer metastasis.

Cancer becomes metastatic when cells break away from the primary tumor and spread to other parts of the body. Metastatic cancer is much more difficult to treat and patients with metastatic cancer have a generally worse prognosis. "The cancers that kill are those that spread to other parts of the body or disseminate within the organ," said Ramos. "If we could keep cancer cells confined to the primary tumor mass, we could remove it with less risk of metastasis and later recurrence."

The Ramos team reports that RSK2 significantly increases cell migration in part by reducing integrin activation. Integrins play an important role in cell adhesion to their surrounding tissue and the migration of tumor cells to new locations in the body. RSK is active in both breast and prostate tumors, and promotes proliferation in these cells. It can also promote cell invasion and metastasis in head and neck cancers in addition to lung cancer and neuroblastoma.

"We focused on understanding the process of cell adhesion," said Ramos. "Integrins help the cell move by grabbing onto proteins and cells in their surroundings, pulling, then releasing and grabbing on again. Blocking a cancer cell's ability to adhere and move can control further dissemination of some metastasis. There are drugs that kill cancer cells and there are drugs that stop the division of cancer cells, but there are far fewer drugs that specifically stop the movement of cancer cells. Our work suggests that drugs that interfere with RSKs may help control or prevent metastasis."

###

The discovery may lead to selective ways to inhibit metastasis of a subset of tumors. The study: "RSK2 Protein Suppresses Integrin Activation and Fibronectin Matrix Assembly and Promotes Cell Migration" is published in the December 21, 2012 edition of The Journal of Biological Chemistry. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3527930/

---

[ | 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/2013-02/uohc-rat022513.php

birdman whip it

Huawei reveals 'fastest smartphone in the world'

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) ? Huawei, a Chinese company that recently became the world's third-largest maker of smartphones, calls its new flagship product "the fastest smartphone in the world" and wants to use it to expand global awareness of its brand.

Parts of the presentation of the phone at a press conference Sunday in Barcelona, Spain, suggest that the company has some way to go in polishing its pitch for a global audience.

Richard Yu, head of Huawei's consumer business group said the new phone can be programmed to display more than 100 different "themes," or looks. This is important because "ladies like flowers, colorful things," Yu said.

Yu also said Huawei is learning from Apple how to make Google's Android software easier to use, a lawsuit-friendly utterance considering that Apple is on a global campaign to sue makers of Android phones for copying from the iPhone.

The new phone, the Ascend P2, will have a 4.7 inch screen. Yu said it will be available in the April to June time frame for about $525 without a contract. It's the "fastest" because it supports faster download speeds than other phones. However, today's wireless networks aren't equipped to supply those speeds.

Huawei Technologies Ltd. was the world's third largest seller of smartphones, after Samsung and Apple, in the fourth quarter of last year, according to research firm IDC. That's despite selling very few phones in the U.S., where the big phone companies mostly ignore it. It has a much better position in Europe, where cellphone companies have embraced its network equipment, and France's Orange is committed to selling the phone.

In the U.S., a congressional panel recommended in October that phone carriers avoid doing business with Huawei or its smaller Chinese rival, ZTE Corp., for fear that its network equipment could contain "back doors" that enable access to communications from outside. The Chinese government rejected the report as false and an effort to block Chinese companies from the U.S. market.

Meanwhile, a report by a private U.S. cybersecurity firm concluded recently that a special unit of China's military is responsible for sustained cyberespionage against U.S. companies and government agencies. China has denied involvement in the attacks in which massive amounts of data and corporate trade secrets, likely worth hundreds of millions of dollars, were stolen.

"It has not been an easy journey for us," Huawei's global brand director, Amy Lou, said Sunday of the company's quest to become globally recognized and trusted. She called the company "a great consumer brand in the making."

The world's largest cellphone trade show, Mobile World Congress, opens Monday in Barcelona.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/huawei-reveals-fastest-smartphone-world-171144973--finance.html

michelin tires michelin tires

Watch Live: President to talk 'sequester' at meeting with governors

President Barack Obama on Monday is expected to implore the nation's governors to put pressure on Congress to avoid the sequester as Obama speaks to the nation's governors at the White House.

Members of the Obama administration, heads of federal agencies and others have been issuing severe warnings to Congress regarding the sequester-- $85 billion in across-the-board spending cuts that will go into effect March 1 absent a budget. Warnings have been released threatening fewer responders to handle wildfires, reduced food safety inspection, less help for vulnerable Americans and on Friday, widespread flight delays and cancellations.

"Travelers should expect delays. Flights to major cities like New York, Chicago, San Francisco and others could experience delays up to 90 minutes during peak hours, because we have fewer controllers on staff. Delays in these major airports will ripple across the country," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told reporters at Friday's White House press briefing after announcing that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) plans massive furloughs and closing air traffic control towers if the sequester goes into effect.

The White House on Sunday night released state-by-state reports detailing what they say would be "devastating" impacts on each state as a result of the sequester, but the topic of the sequester was notably absent from Obama's speech Sunday night to the governors, who are in town for the National Governors Association's (NGA) annual winter meeting.

Instead, the president at the White House dinner struck an appreciative tone, commending the governors for steering their states through tough times.

Democratic Gov. Jack Markell of Delaware, chair of the NGA, followed Obama's address Sunday night by emphasizing the absence of politics from the night's celebration. "On this one night it?s a relief -- politics doesn?t drive the conversation. We don?t speak of partisan issues or presidential aspirations," Markell said.

But Markell did note the sequester.

"One thing for sure is certain -- you don?t let issues fester. You get to deal with education and health care, and even the sequester," Markell said to laughter and applause from the audience.

Republicans such as Speaker John Boehner have publicly stated their opposition to the sequester, though others have threatened they are willing to let it go into effect.

Some Republicans over the weekend continued to accuse the administration of exaggerating the sequester's impact.

"They have plenty of flexibility in terms of discretion on how they spend money. There are easy ways to cut this money that the American people will never feel," Republican Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma said on Fox News Sunday.

The president is slated to address the governors at 11:05 a.m. ET from the White House State Dining Room. Vice President Joe Biden, First Lady Michelle Obama and Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden are also scheduled to speak.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/obama-expected-address-sequester-monday-meeting-governors-143539950--politics.html

Jael Strauss Alison Pill

Why Don?t Americans (Knowingly) Eat Horse Meat?

Americans have an aversion to eating horses, but the practice is common in Europe

Photo illustration by Holly Allen. Horse and fork images by Thinkstock.

Horse meat is the now not-so-secret ingredient found in processed food products throughout Europe. In the latest revelation, the Czech State Veterinary Administration tested two batches of frozen meatballs from Ikea and found that one pack contained horse meat. Meatballs from the same supplier have been sent to 12 European countries, ensnaring the popular furniture store in Europe?s increasingly complicated meat scandal. (Ikea?s North American branches receive its frozen meatballs from an American supplier.) In 2011, Brian Palmer examined why Americans do not eat horse meat.

Slaughtering horses for food has been prohibited in the United States since 2007, but animal rights advocates and ranchers continue to argue over the ban. A report (PDF) from the Government Accountability Office released in June says the prohibition merely shifted horse slaughter abroad, where consumers aren?t so squeamish about equine dining. Why don?t Americans eat horse?

Because we love our beasts of burden. As with many food taboos, there?s no settled explanation for why most Americans are perfectly willing to eat cows, pigs, and chickens but turn their noses up at horse. Horse-eating, or hippophagy, became popular in Europe in the 19th century, when famines caused several governments to license horse butcheries. Today, horse meat is most widely available in France, Belgium, and Sweden, where it outsells mutton and lamb combined. While Americans have occasionally consumed their equine friends during times of scarcity, the practice just didn?t catch on. It may be that so many Americans forged intimate relationships with horses during our founding and expansion that eating the creature seemed morally wrong by the time of the nation?s major food shortages of the 20^th century.

Hippophagy may have become somewhat popular in industrial Europe, but it had been taboo there for at least a millennium before. We know because Pope Gregory III wrote a letter to Boniface, an eighth-century bishop in Germany, instructing him to eliminate the practice among pagan converts. The pope described hippophagy as a ?filthy and abominable custom.? (Also, horses aren?t kosher.) The popular view among historians is that banning horse-eating helped distinguish Christians from the pagans, but some think the pope?s real motivation was to preserve horses for warfare. Around the same time, the Irish Collection of Canon law sought to end the Celtic and Teutonic habit of eating horse, forcing violators to subsist on bread and water for four years.

Americans looked on with curiosity as Europeans went back to horse meat in the 1800s. It had become so common by the end of the century that Scientific American published an article in 1892 remarking on the popularity of horse in France, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, and Milan. (Residents of Turin apparently hated the stuff.) While Americans wanted no part of hippophagy, they were perfectly willing to supply the raw materials. In 1899, the USDA engaged in a contentious exchange with a Norwegian paper that complained American inspectors rarely visited horse meat factories, because they didn?t sell domestically.

U.S. hippophagy seems to have reached its high point during and shortly after World War II, because of domestic shortages of other, more conventional meats. Horse steak was even on the menu at the Harvard faculty club, although ordinary Americans never fully embraced it. After publishing an article about the growing popularity of horse meat in 1943, Life got a series of pithy letters to the editor. One reader wrote: ?If your illustrated article on horse meat is followed by one showing how to make chicken chitterlings, the meat problem will be solved. We?ll all be vegetarians.? Another responded: ?Not this side of starvation. Not while there are beans.? (One hippophagy enthusiast suggested that the problem was horse doesn?t have a dinner table euphemism like ?beef? or ?pork.?)

Some horse-eaters say the meat tastes like beef, only slightly sweeter and more tender. (Other gourmets are less impressed.) During a meat shortage in 1946, American housewives reportedly tried to fool their husbands by swapping the cheaper and more widely available horse for beef.

Bonus Explainer: Is horse meat good for you? It?s a little better than beef. A three-ounce serving of roast horse has 149 calories, 24 grams of protein, and five grams of fat. The same amount of beef tenderloin has 179 calories, 24 grams of protein, and nine grams of fat. Horse milk, which some Central Asians drink in fermented form, has one-third the fat of cow?s milk.

Got a question about today?s news? Ask the Explainer.

Explainer thanks Richard Bulliet of Columbia University and Adrienne Hall of Drexel University.*

Correction, Oct. 25, 2011: This article originally misspelled the first name of Adrienne Hall.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=902c5c387bb81137baa34f76a8b2d9d0

ufc 143 what time does the super bowl start