Friday, March 8, 2013

13 Ridiculously Cool Buildings Made of Ice

Buildings made of ice. We're not talking about that novelty bar you visited on a trip to Vegas. We're talking incredible, impressive, complete structures built in the grand tradition of Ice Palaces all over the world. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/WGWHSzBk7zQ/13-ridiculously-cool-buildings-made-of-ice

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Wayne State researcher gives new name to exhaustion suffered by cancer patients

Wayne State researcher gives new name to exhaustion suffered by cancer patients [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 8-Mar-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Julie O'Connor
julie.oconnor@wayne.edu
313-577-8845
Wayne State University - Office of the Vice President for Research

DETROIT The fatigue experienced by patients undergoing cancer treatments has long been recognized by health care providers, although its causes and ways to manage it are still largely unknown.

A Wayne State University researcher believes the condition affects some patients much more than others and is trying to determine the nature of that difference.

Horng-Shiuann Wu, Ph.D., assistant professor of nursing in the College of Nursing, has made an effort to chronicle the parameters of what she calls sudden exhaustion syndrome. Her study, "Definition, Prevalence and Characteristics of Sudden Exhaustion: A Possible Syndrome of Fatigue in Cancer," recently published in the journal Supportive Care in Cancer, is an effort to differentiate between types of cancer-related fatigue (CRF), a condition that affects upwards of 90 percent of patients who undergo major treatments and 30 to 67 percent of cancer survivors.

"CRF is something that goes far beyond just being tired," Wu said. "It's more draining, more intense, lasts longer than typical fatigue and is often unexpected."

As a graduate student, Wu became interested in a subset of patients who reported fatigue as a "hit-the-wall" moment that came on suddenly, left them barely able to move and often forced them to lie down immediately until the episode passed.

CRF has been well documented, but while many clinicians and researchers have heard anecdotally from patients about suddenly "hitting the wall," such reports have not been addressed directly by studies.

Wu's team studied 114 breast cancer chemotherapy patients aged 31 to 67 from a Midwestern clinic and an urban teaching hospital. Participants were screened for sudden fatigue and completed a questionnaire on the day of their chemotherapy treatment. Descriptive statistics were used to examine the prevalence and clinical characteristics of sudden fatigue episodes, including an intensity rating system from one to 10, the latter level being the highest.

Just under half (46 percent) of participants experienced sudden fatigue. Of those, 81 percent reported more than one episode per day, with 77 percent of episodes taking place during activities between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Ninety percent of patients described the intensity as severe.

Most episodes lasted an hour or less, but some lasted up to eight hours. Some patients had to sleep; others did not. Many reported concurrent symptoms including weakness, dizziness, pain, sweating, nausea and shortness of breath.

"We learned that this is something that's really happening and most patients' lives are affected by it," Wu said.

Because the sudden onset of such episodes distinguishes them from what's normally thought of as CRF, she believes "sudden exhaustion syndrome" is a better description.

"Patients can suddenly become so exhausted they cannot move at all," Wu said. One participant experienced an onset while being surveyed, causing her eyelids to droop and rendering her unable to form words.

She said the study shows that patients undergoing treatment endure a lot, and she is interested in looking at which syndrome characteristics particular patients experience, along with degrees of intensity and concurrence.

Wu also would like to know why some patients feel compelled to sleep and others do not, and what symptom changes signal to each person that an episode is ending. She is especially curious about patients who seem to experience little or no CRF.

The condition may even continue for many cancer survivors even after they've finished treatment. Wu believes, however, that in the absence of empirical evidence of that continuation, further research is needed.

For now, Wu said oncology professionals need to recognize the syndrome and educate patients to enhance a sense of control and prevent harm.

"Cancer is not going away anytime soon," she said. "Most people experience their illness through the symptoms, not the illness per se. But we can manage a symptom, even if we can't cure the illness yet."

###

Wu's study was funded by an Oncology Nursing Foundation/Novartis Nursing Research Grant.

Wayne State University is one of the nation's pre-eminent public research universities in an urban setting. Through its multidisciplinary approach to research and education, and its ongoing collaboration with government, industry and other institutions, the university seeks to enhance economic growth and improve the quality of life in the city of Detroit, state of Michigan and throughout the world. For more information about research at Wayne State University, visit http://www.research.wayne.edu.


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Wayne State researcher gives new name to exhaustion suffered by cancer patients [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 8-Mar-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Julie O'Connor
julie.oconnor@wayne.edu
313-577-8845
Wayne State University - Office of the Vice President for Research

DETROIT The fatigue experienced by patients undergoing cancer treatments has long been recognized by health care providers, although its causes and ways to manage it are still largely unknown.

A Wayne State University researcher believes the condition affects some patients much more than others and is trying to determine the nature of that difference.

Horng-Shiuann Wu, Ph.D., assistant professor of nursing in the College of Nursing, has made an effort to chronicle the parameters of what she calls sudden exhaustion syndrome. Her study, "Definition, Prevalence and Characteristics of Sudden Exhaustion: A Possible Syndrome of Fatigue in Cancer," recently published in the journal Supportive Care in Cancer, is an effort to differentiate between types of cancer-related fatigue (CRF), a condition that affects upwards of 90 percent of patients who undergo major treatments and 30 to 67 percent of cancer survivors.

"CRF is something that goes far beyond just being tired," Wu said. "It's more draining, more intense, lasts longer than typical fatigue and is often unexpected."

As a graduate student, Wu became interested in a subset of patients who reported fatigue as a "hit-the-wall" moment that came on suddenly, left them barely able to move and often forced them to lie down immediately until the episode passed.

CRF has been well documented, but while many clinicians and researchers have heard anecdotally from patients about suddenly "hitting the wall," such reports have not been addressed directly by studies.

Wu's team studied 114 breast cancer chemotherapy patients aged 31 to 67 from a Midwestern clinic and an urban teaching hospital. Participants were screened for sudden fatigue and completed a questionnaire on the day of their chemotherapy treatment. Descriptive statistics were used to examine the prevalence and clinical characteristics of sudden fatigue episodes, including an intensity rating system from one to 10, the latter level being the highest.

Just under half (46 percent) of participants experienced sudden fatigue. Of those, 81 percent reported more than one episode per day, with 77 percent of episodes taking place during activities between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Ninety percent of patients described the intensity as severe.

Most episodes lasted an hour or less, but some lasted up to eight hours. Some patients had to sleep; others did not. Many reported concurrent symptoms including weakness, dizziness, pain, sweating, nausea and shortness of breath.

"We learned that this is something that's really happening and most patients' lives are affected by it," Wu said.

Because the sudden onset of such episodes distinguishes them from what's normally thought of as CRF, she believes "sudden exhaustion syndrome" is a better description.

"Patients can suddenly become so exhausted they cannot move at all," Wu said. One participant experienced an onset while being surveyed, causing her eyelids to droop and rendering her unable to form words.

She said the study shows that patients undergoing treatment endure a lot, and she is interested in looking at which syndrome characteristics particular patients experience, along with degrees of intensity and concurrence.

Wu also would like to know why some patients feel compelled to sleep and others do not, and what symptom changes signal to each person that an episode is ending. She is especially curious about patients who seem to experience little or no CRF.

The condition may even continue for many cancer survivors even after they've finished treatment. Wu believes, however, that in the absence of empirical evidence of that continuation, further research is needed.

For now, Wu said oncology professionals need to recognize the syndrome and educate patients to enhance a sense of control and prevent harm.

"Cancer is not going away anytime soon," she said. "Most people experience their illness through the symptoms, not the illness per se. But we can manage a symptom, even if we can't cure the illness yet."

###

Wu's study was funded by an Oncology Nursing Foundation/Novartis Nursing Research Grant.

Wayne State University is one of the nation's pre-eminent public research universities in an urban setting. Through its multidisciplinary approach to research and education, and its ongoing collaboration with government, industry and other institutions, the university seeks to enhance economic growth and improve the quality of life in the city of Detroit, state of Michigan and throughout the world. For more information about research at Wayne State University, visit http://www.research.wayne.edu.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

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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/2013-03/wsu--wsr030813.php

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MakerBot unveils prototype Digitizer Desktop 3D Scanner, promises easier 3D printing

MakerBot unveils prototype Digitizer Desktop 3D Scanner, promises easier 3D printing

Well, that was quick. Bre Pettis just started delivering South By Southwest's opening remarks and may well have taken the wraps off the biggest news of the show. Of course, we'll still have to hang out in Austin for a few more days just to, you know, totally make sure, but this really does feel like a doozy. As the MakerBot CEO puts it, "It's a natural progression for us to create a product that makes 3D printing even easier" -- but, let's be honest, few of those who don't have a vested interesting in moving some 3D printers are running around calling the whole process particularly "easy." And while consumer-facing devices like the Replicator, CubeX, Solidoodle, et al. have gone a ways toward making the technology more accessible for laypeople, there's still a fundamental breakdown: the creation of models to be printed.

The maker community has helped on that front, as well, with MakerBot's Thingiverse serving as an unparalleled resource for 3D images, meaning that, once your printer's all set up and calibrated, you can download and print to your hearts delight -- but what if, say, you want to print up something that some kindly soul hasn't designed for you? You could learn a CAD program -- or you could invest in an industrial 3D scanner. The latter option has lead to something of a land rush of companies and individuals looking to break things wide open with an affordable, consumer-facing offering. And while MakerBot still seems a ways away from the final product, the company used SXSW as a platform to unveil a prototype of its MakerBot Digitizer Desktop 3D Scanner.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/08/makerbot-3d-scanner/

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Thursday, March 7, 2013

Hugo Chavez era ends: Will US-Venezuela relations improve?

Hugo Chavez passing may intensify the US dialogue with Venezuela on several key issues, including counterterrorism and energy. But many expect healing to take time.

By Howard LaFranchi,?Staff writer / March 5, 2013

Supporters of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, yell 'Long Live Chavez!' and sing their nation's anthem after learning that Chavez has died.

Ariana Cubillos/AP

Enlarge

The passing of Hugo Ch?vez removes one of the prickliest thorns in US relations within its own hemisphere and could portend brighter days for US-Venezuela relations ? eventually.

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But any warming in ties won't happen overnight, especially after the Venezuelan government accused the United States, on the same day Mr. Ch?vez died, of having a hand in causing his demise. ??

Yet as the United States and Venezuela move on from more than a decade of rocky relations that correspond to Ch?vez?s 14 years as president, one short-term move that the two countries could make to symbolize a turning of the page would be to again send ambassadors to each other?s capitals, some regional experts say.

The US and Venezuelan embassies in those capitals have sat without ambassadors since 2010, when each government rejected the credentials of the other country?s ambassador. Diplomatic relations were even severed for a short period beginning in September 2008.

Yet even if ambassadors are exchanged in the coming weeks or months as a goodwill gesture, no one expects tensions to evaporate from the relationship overnight. Any doubts about that were erased Tuesday when Venezuelan officials expelled two US diplomats it accused of conspiring to destabilize the government.?

Ch?vez may be gone, but his supporters will still have their hands on the country?s levers of power, Venezuela analysts say ? and could keep them there for some time to come.

And the fiery-tongued leader?s anti-American rhetoric won?t lose its influence any faster than will suspicions about US intentions, some regional experts predict.

?Ch?vez conditioned much of Venezuela to think negatively of the US,? says Eric Farnsworth, vice president of the Council of the Americas and Americas Society in Washington. Many Venezuelans won?t forget quickly Ch?vez?s claims, especially early in his rule, that the Central Intelligence Agency was trying to assassinate him or that the US was behind a 2002 military coup that briefly forced him from office.

?Healing is going to take time,? he says, ?and I?m not convinced that whoever takes over after Ch?vez will be that interested in healing.?

Some are more optimistic.

?I think Venezuela does care about [its relations with the US],? says Miguel Tinker Salas, a professor of Latin American studies and Venezuela specialist at Pomona College in Claremont, Calif. ?Even under Ch?vez there was talk of hoping to see a rapprochement, and I think most Venezuelans feel there is nothing to be gained from maintaining a contentious relationship.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/VX2gBBzFMcs/Hugo-Chavez-era-ends-Will-US-Venezuela-relations-improve

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Dinner plans? Obama and Senators meet for swanky eats

Painful spending cuts may have led the White House to halt public tours, but President Barack Obama and Republican Senators could need to loosen their belts, not tighten them, after their peacemaking dinner at a super-swank Washington, D.C., restaurant on Wednesday. How swank? The eatery features a menu with a $1,776?per person?price tag, excluding tax and tip.

Obama invited the GOP lawmakers to the tony Jefferson Hotel, home to Plume restaurant, in a bid to break the partisan logjam and forge a deficit-cutting deal. Plume is widely considered among D.C.'s finest.

The group ?will be dining from the 'Plume' menu," a hotel source told Yahoo News.

So, alas, they may not be ordering the actual "1776" menu, or even the more-modest-but-still-lavish $85 menu?one dollar for every billion of the $85 billion in cuts slated to go into effect this year. Who's going to pick up the tab? White House officials wouldn't say on the record.

So what makes the $1,776 menu so special?

?It pairs the evening's ever-changing tasting menu with wines that date, collectively, over the past 237 years,? according to hotel spokeswoman Meaghan Donohoe.

?For instance, this could include a 20-year-old champagne, Grand Cru White Burgundy, a Bordeaux from one of the five 1st growths, and a glass of Madeira from 1790,? she said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/amid-spending-cuts-obama-gop-dine-style-193045298--politics.html

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Video: Pryor has a chance in Oakland

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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/21134540/vp/51075334#51075334

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US trade gap widens more than expected

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Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/economywatch/us-trade-gap-widens-more-expected-1C8745794

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Sunday, March 3, 2013

Evernote forces password resets after discovering suspicious activity

Evernote forces password resets after discovering suspicious activity

Evernote, the popular cross-platform note-taking service, has issued a global password reset for all users following the discovery of suspicious activity described as a coordinated attempt to gain access to their system. In an email sent out to users by the company, Evernote said:

The investigation has shown, however, that the individual(s) responsible were able to gain access to Evernote user information, which includes usernames, email addresses associated with Evernote accounts, and encrypted passwords. Even though this information was accessed, the passwords stored by Evernote are protected by one-way encryption. (In technical terms, they are hashed and salted.)

While our password encryption measures are robust, we are taking steps to ensure your personal data remains secure. This means that in an abundance of caution, we are requiring all users to reset their Evernote account passwords. Please create a new password by signing into your account on evernote.com.

After signing in, you will be prompted to enter your new password. Once you have reset your password on evernote.com, you will need to enter this new password in other Evernote apps that you use. We are also releasing updates to several of our apps to make the password change process easier, so please check for updates over the next several hours.

You can also read the Evernote Blog post on the issue for more.

This is only the latest such disclosure from a major online service provider. If you're not already, make sure you get a password manager app (I use 1Password, others like Lastpass, but there are many options). Then, make sure you have unique, robust passwords for every service you use. It might seem like a pain in the ass, but having your accounts compromised can be a nightmare. So do it.

If you're an Evernote user, go change your password now.

More: Evernote Blog



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Thursday, February 28, 2013

Storm that buried Plains slams Great Lakes region

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A powerful winter storm that buried the U.S. Plains moved on Tuesday into the southern Great Lakes region, where it snarled the evening commute in Chicago and Milwaukee, created near-whiteout conditions and forced hundreds of flight cancellations.

Wind gusts of up to 35 miles per hour (56 km per hour) hurled a potent blend of wet snow and sleet on north-central Illinois, southern Wisconsin and northern Indiana and Ohio, according to the National Weather Service.

More than 500 flights were canceled at Chicago's O'Hare International and Midway airports, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation. Those flights that managed to take off or land faced delays of up to an hour.

The Illinois Tollway agency, which maintains nearly 300 miles of highway around Chicago, deployed its fleet of more than 180 snowplows to keep the roads clear.

As the afternoon rush hour began in Chicago, blowing snow reduced visibility and created treacherous driving conditions, doubling average travel times in and out of the city on major expressways, according to Traffic.com.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation warned that much of Interstate 94 between the Illinois state line and Milwaukee was ice covered.

In Chicago, the city's public school system, the third-largest school district in the country, canceled all after-school sporting events, including six state regional basketball games.

The snowstorm may have discouraged some voters in Chicago and its suburbs from voting in a special election primary to replace indicted Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., who resigned the seat in November citing health concerns.

Forecasters with the National Weather Service said the storm would continue to move eastward, dumping 3 to 5 inches of wet snow on Detroit overnight and into Wednesday morning.

It is then expected to move slowly into the Northeast, largely avoiding the cities of New York, Boston and Washington, D.C., but bringing snow to parts of New York state, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, said Brian Korty, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

"It's going to linger for a long time over portions of the Northeast," Korty said.

'POTPOURRI OF WINTRY WEATHER'

Parts of New York and Pennsylvania could get a "sloppy mix" of snow, ice and rain. Already, ice accumulations were causing sporadic power outages across higher terrains of western Maryland, eastern West Virginia and far western Virginia, said Erik Pindrock, a meteorologist with AccuWeather.

"It's a very multi-faceted storm," Pindrock said. "It's a whole potpourri of wintry weather."

In Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas, where the storm hit earlier, residents were digging out.

Highways in the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles and parts of Kansas remained closed because of heavy and drifting snow.

Amarillo, Texas, saw 19 inches of snow Sunday night into Monday, the third-largest snowfall ever in that city, Pindrock said.

In Kansas, a woman died and three passengers were injured Monday night on Interstate 70 when their pickup truck rolled off the icy roadway in Ellis County, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback said. Earlier Monday, a man was killed when his car veered off the interstate in Sherman County near the Colorado border, he said.

"We urge everyone to avoid travel and be extremely cautious if you must be on the roads," said Ernest Garcia, superintendent of the Kansas Highway Patrol.

A 58-year-old man and his 69-year-old sister died from carbon monoxide poisoning in Kansas City, Kansas, from a gas generator being used in their home because they lost power Tuesday in the snowstorm, said Deputy Fire Chief Craig Duke.

In northern Oklahoma, one person died when the roof of a home partially collapsed in the city of Woodward, said Matt Lehenbauer, the city's emergency management director.

"We have roofs collapsing all over town," said Woodward Mayor Roscoe Hill Jr. "We really have a mess on our hands."

Kansas City, Missouri, was also hard hit by the storm, which left snowfalls of 7 to 13 inches in the metro region on Tuesday, said Chris Bowman, meteorologist for the National Weather Service. Another 1 to 3 inches is forecast for Tuesday evening and nearly two-thirds of the flights at Kansas City International Airport Tuesday afternoon were canceled.

In addition to the winter storm, National Weather Service forecasters on Tuesday issued tornado watches across central Florida and up the eastern coast to South Carolina.

(Reporting by Kevin Murphy in Missouri, David Bailey in Minneapolis, James B. Kelleher in Chicago and Corrie MacLaggan in Texas; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn, Barbara Goldberg, Nick Zieminski, Dan Grebler, Phil Berlowitz, Eric Walsh and Lisa Shumaker)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/storm-buried-plains-slams-great-lakes-region-025456755.html

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Monday, February 25, 2013

iMore show 338: Pre-post-PC

Rene and David Chartier talk about Google getting into premium hardware with Glass and Pixel, much as Apple has moved into services with iCloud. Also, the case for user-defined default apps, and wether multitasking matters on the iPad.

Show notes

Guests

Hosts

Credits

You can reach all of us on Twitter @iMore, or you can email us at podcast@imore.com or just leave us a comment below.

For all our podcasts -- audio and video -- including the iMore show, ZEN and TECH, Iterate, Debug, Ad hoc, and more, see MobileNations.com/shows



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Sunday, February 24, 2013

College basketball: No. 6 Cal women win 12th in a row, routing Oregon 77-55

Just about everything went right for fourth-ranked Stanford on Friday night in an easy-as-it-gets 90-53 Pac-12 victory over defenseless Oregon State.

Even Chiney Ogwumike's desperation toss as she tumbled out of bounds touched nothing but net with 11:26 left in front of 3,430 fans at Maples Pavilion.

Ogwumike got her 21st double-double of the season with 19 points and 12 rebounds in only 28 minutes. The junior All-American had a career-high 11 free throws and added four blocks on a night four Stanford players scored in double figures.

"This was a really special game," Ogwumike said. "We've been waiting for a time everyone steps up at the same time."

Taylor Greenfield made four of five 3-pointers on her way to tying a career-best 18 points. Senior forward Joslyn Tinkle ended with 11 points to become the school's 34th player to get at least 1,000 career points.

The victory allowed Stanford (25-2, 14-1 Pac-12) to keep pace with Cal atop the conference standings. The Beavers (9-18, 3-12) dropped their ninth in a row, and the Cardinal extended its win streak to 10.

Cal 77, Oregon 55: Layshia Clarendon scored 14 points and the sixth-ranked Bears won their school record-tying 12th straight game.

Afure Jemerigbe added 13 points for the host Bears (24-2, 14-1 Pac-12), who early on looked somewhat ragged offensively with starting point guard Brittany Boyd sitting out because of a strained

groin.

Jemerigbe came in averaging just 7.0 points, so her offensive contribution was big with Boyd out of the lineup.

"Brittany is a great player," Jemerigbe said. "She pushes the ball and makes the game a lot easier. With Brittany out, I knew I had to step up."

Jordan Loera and Ariel Thomas led Oregon (4-23, 2-13) with nine points each.

Men

Saint Louis 65, Butler 61: Mike McCall had 18 points and Kwamain Mitchell scored 10 of his 12 in the second half to help the visiting Billikens (21-5, 10-2 Atlantic 10) rally past the No. 15 Bulldogs (22-6, 9-4).

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/other-sports/ci_22651618/college-basketball-no-6-cal-women-win-12th?source=rss

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Government Has 13 Payment Guarantees for Energy Projects

A CPP lawmaker said on Thursday that the government has signed 13 payment guarantees to companies constructing coal-fired power plants and hydropower dams in the country, a move that an Asian Development Bank (ADB) official reiterated was risky for the country?s fiscal future.

CPP lawmaker Cheam Yeap said the most recent payment guarantee approved by the National Assembly last Friday on the $781 million Lower Sesan 2 dam project in Stung Treng province is typical when any major company makes an investment in an energy project.

Other guarantees extended by the government include a 700-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Preah Sihanouk province, the Kamchay dam in Kampot, the Stung Atai in Pursat and the Stung Tatai in Koh Kong, Mr. Yeap said.

?It is the government?s obligation to do a guaranteed payment for investment companies whenever Electricite du Cambodge [EdC] [might] miss a payment or don?t pay the bill,? Mr. Yeap said.

?Each project has been evaluated clearly about its ability to generate the power, so the energy produced will not be over the demand in our country,? he said.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) published a report last year that singled out the government?s energy generation expansion as an area where fiscal liabilities are not being fully considered in light of the government?s rapid push for power and their ?conservative forecasting scenarios? when providing ?take-or-pay guarantees? to underwrite power projects.

Peter Brimble, deputy country director of the ADB, echoed the IMF?s concerns that the government does not have the ability to properly assess the fu?ture risks of such large-scale projects.

?The government ought to be more involved in developing the project,? Mr. Brimble said. ?The Sesan [dam] and the other [energy projects] that have been carried out already?generally they have not followed a model of transpar?ency, they generally have been unsolicited bids, which means that a company is coming in to make a proposal, not with the government?opening it up to competitive bidding,? Mr. Brimble said.

However, he acknowledged that the government is under pressure in such areas.

?The need for power here is so great. It is the biggest single constraint here?. So I think there is significant pressure.?

According to the details of the payment guarantee and the implementation agreement be?tween the government and the two companies be?hind the Lower Sesan 2 dam?Kith Meng?s Royal Group and Chi?na?s Hydrolancang Inter?national Energy Co. Ltd.?the government will ?un?conditionally guarantee and promise without denial? the amount of mon?ey owed by EdC if the state-owned electricity body is unable to pay for the electricity that the dam gen?erates during the 45 years that the companies will operate the facility.

?All the electricity generated from the dam will be sold to Electricite du Cambodge,? the agreement states.

The Sesan dam is expected to pro?duce an average of 1.91 billion kilowatt hours of electricity a year, which will be sold to the EdC at 6.95 cents per kilowatt hour, the agreement said. Any excess energy produced will be sold at a 60 percent reduction to EdC.

Oliver Hensengerth, a lecturer at Northumbria University in the U.K. and an expert in Chinese hydro?power investments in Southeast Asia, said that Cambodia?s blanket guarantees to private firms building dams could be a danger to the country?s debt sustainability.

?There seems to be a sense of ca?ter?ing to the needs of companies first, then paying attention to the po?tential implications of the investment,? Mr. Hensengerth said.

? 2013, The Cambodia Daily. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced in print, electronically, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without written permission.

Source: http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/government-has-13-payment-guarantees-for-energy-projects-11377/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=government-has-13-payment-guarantees-for-energy-projects

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The Lede: Reeva Steenkamp, Steve Biko and the Quest for Justice in South Africa

LONDON ? The title of the presiding judge 35 years ago was the same, chief magistrate of Pretoria, and the venue for the hearing, a converted synagogue, was not far from the modern courthouse seen on television screens around the world in recent days as Oscar Pistorius, the gold medal-winning Paralympic athlete, fought for bail in the killing of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

The case that unfolded in the last weeks of 1977, like the one featuring Mr. Pistorius, centered on a death that captured global attention. Then, too, it was the role of the chief magistrate, a jurist of relatively minor standing in South Africa?s legal system, to weigh whether it was a case of murder or mishap. Then, too, there were constituencies, inside the courtroom and beyond, that clamored passionately for their version of the truth.

The similarities ? and dissimilarities ? will have pressed in on anyone who was present in the Pretoria courtroom those decades ago, when the proceeding involved was an inquest, and the death that of Steve Biko, a 30-year-old black activist who was a popular youth leader of the anti-apartheid movement. By the miserable manner of his dying, alone, naked, and comatose on the floor of a freezing prison cell, Mr. Biko became, in death still more than in life, a powerful force for an end to South Africa?s institutionalized system of racial repression.

A British television report from South Africa in 1977, eight days after Steve Biko, an anti-apartheid activist, was beaten to death in police custody.

The two cases, of course, will find widely different places on history?s ladder. Mr. Pistorius, awarded bail on Friday after a hearing that was sensational for what it revealed of his actions in shooting Ms. Steenkamp, and for the raw emotions the athlete displayed in the dock, became a global celebrity in recent years for his feats as the Blade Runner, a track star who overcame the disability of being born with no bones in his lower legs.

But for all that it has been a shock to the millions who have seen his running as a parable for triumph in adversity, Mr. Pistorius?s tragedy ? and still more, Ms. Steenkamps?s ? has been a personal one. Mr. Biko?s death was considered at the time, as it has been ever since, as a watershed in the history of apartheid, a grim milestone among many others along South Africa?s progress towards black majority rule, which many ranked as the most inspiriting event in the peacetime history of the 20th-century when it was finally achieved in 1994.

Still, for a reporter who covered the Biko inquest for the Times as the paper?s South Africa correspondent through the turbulent years of the 1970?s, there were strong resonances in the week?s televised proceedings in Pretoria. Among them was the sheer scale of the media coverage, and the display of how live-by-satellite broadcasting and the digitalization of the print press, with computers, cellphones and Twitter feeds, have globalized the news business.

Oscar Pistorius facing the media during his bail hearing this week in Pretoria.

For the Pistorius hearing, there was a frenzied, tented camp of television crews outside the court, a crush among reporters struggling to get into the hearing, and platoons of studio commentators eager to have their say.

The crush among reporters outside the bail hearing for Oscar Pistorius this week in Pretoria.

On each of the 13 days the Biko inquest was in session, I had no trouble finding myself a seat in the airy courtroom. I took my lunch quietly with members of the Biko family?s legal team, and loitered uneasily during adjournments in an outside passageway, eavesdropping on the policemen who were Mr. Biko?s captors in his final days as they fine-tuned the testimony they were to give in court.

In the Pistorius case, the police again emerged poorly, having, as it seemed, bungled aspects of the forensic investigation in ways that could complicate the prosecution?s case that Ms. Steenkamp?s death was a case of premeditated murder ? and having assigned the case to an officer who turned out to be under investigation in a case of attempted murder himself. But nothing in that bungling could compare with the sheer wretchedness of the security police officers in the Biko case, who symbolized, in their brutal and callous treatment of a defenseless man, and in the jesting about it I heard in that courtroom passageway, just how far below human decency apartheid had descended.

There was, too, the extraordinary contrast in the deportment of the magistrates in their rulings in the two cases, and what that said about the different South Africas of then and now. Desmond Nair, presiding at the Pistorius hearing, took more than two hours to review the evidence in the killing of Ms. Steenkamp, swinging back and forth in a meandering ? and often bewildering ? fashion between the contending accounts of Ms. Steenkamp?s death offered by Mr. Pistorius?s legal counsel and those put forward by the police.

Marthinus J. Prins, the chief magistrate in the Biko inquest, took an abrupt three minutes to deliver his finding, a numbing, 120-word exculpation of the policemen and government doctors who ushered Mr. Biko to his death on the stone-flagged floor of the Pretoria Central Prison. ?The court finds the available evidence does not prove the death was brought about by any act or omission involving any offense by any person,? Mr. Prins said, reading hurriedly from a prepared statement before leaving the courtroom and slipping away by a rear door.

In finding that nobody was to blame in the black leader?s death, the magistrate brushed aside testimony suggesting what the policemen and doctors involved acknowledged many years later to have been true, when they petitioned for amnesty under the Truth and Reconciliation Commission process that sought to heal the wounds of apartheid: that Mr. Biko had been beaten in police custody, suffering a severe brain injury that was left untreated until he died.

The utter lack of compassion, and of anything resembling justice, was expressed in the dull-eyed satisfaction of Mr. Prins when I caught up with him an hour or so after the verdict in his vast, dingy office a few blocks from the courtroom.

?To me, it was just another death,? he said, pulling off his spectacles and rubbing his eyes. ?It was just a job, like any other.?

Mr. Prins, who rose to his position through the apartheid bureaucracy, without legal training, appeared at that moment, as he had throughout the inquest, to be disturbingly sincere, yet utterly blinded. Faithful servant of the apartheid system, he had given it the clean bill of health it demanded, and freed the police to continue treating black political detainees as they chose. Among the country?s rulers, the verdict was embraced as a triumphal vindication, while those who chose to see matters more clearly understood it to be a tolling of history?s bell.

Listening to Mr. Nair delivering his ruling in the Pistorius case, there will have been many, in South Africa and abroad, who will have found his monologue on Friday confusing, circular in its argument, and numbingly repetitive. As an exercise in jurisprudence, it was something less than a stellar advertisement for a South African legal system that, at its best, is a match for any in the world, as it was back in 1977.

Sydney Kentridge, lead counsel for the Biko family at the inquest, moved seamlessly to England in the years that followed, and became, by widespread reckoning among his peers, Britain?s most distinguished barrister, still practicing in London now, at 90.

In the 2011 Steve Biko Lecture at the University of Cape Town, Sydney Kentridge spoke about the inquest into his death in 1977.

A host of other South African expatriates who fled apartheid have made outstanding careers as lawyers and judges in Britain, the United States, and elsewhere in the English-speaking world, but many others stayed at home, and continue to serve a court system that has fared rather better, in recent years, than many other institutions in the new South African state.

But even if Mr. Nair, in granting Mr. Pistorius bail, seemed no match in the elegance of his argument for South Africa?s finest legal minds, he nonetheless did South Africa proud. In the chaotic manner of his ruling, which sounded at times like a man grabbing for law books off a shelf, he was, indisputably, doing something that Mr. Prins, all those years before, had not even attempted: looking for ways to steer his course to justice. People will disagree whether Mr. Pistorius deserved the break he got in walking free from that courtroom, but nobody could reasonably contest that what we saw in his case was the working of a legal system that strives for justice, and not to rubber-stamp the imperatives of the state.

This post was revised to make it clear that Sydney Kentridge, the lawyer who represented Steve Biko?s family in 1977 and practiced law well into his 80s, is now 90.

Source: http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/23/reeva-steenkamp-steve-biko-and-the-quest-for-justice-in-south-africa/?partner=rss&emc=rss

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F-35 fleet grounded after engine crack found

FILE -This undated photo provided by Northrop Grumman Corp., shows a pre-production model of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The Pentagon on Friday grounded its fleet of F-35 fighter jets after discovering a cracked engine blade in one plane. The problem was discovered during what the Pentagon called a routine inspection at Edwards Air Force Base, California, of an F-35A, the Air Force version of the sleek new plane. The Navy and the Marine Corps are buying other versions of the F-35, which is intended to replace older fighters like the Air Force F-16 and the Navy F/A-18. All versions , a total of 51 planes , were grounded Friday, Feb. 22, 2013 pending a more in-depth evaluation of the problem discovered at Edwards. None of the planes have been fielded for combat operations; all are undergoing testing.AP Photo/Northrop Grumman, File) no sales

FILE -This undated photo provided by Northrop Grumman Corp., shows a pre-production model of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The Pentagon on Friday grounded its fleet of F-35 fighter jets after discovering a cracked engine blade in one plane. The problem was discovered during what the Pentagon called a routine inspection at Edwards Air Force Base, California, of an F-35A, the Air Force version of the sleek new plane. The Navy and the Marine Corps are buying other versions of the F-35, which is intended to replace older fighters like the Air Force F-16 and the Navy F/A-18. All versions , a total of 51 planes , were grounded Friday, Feb. 22, 2013 pending a more in-depth evaluation of the problem discovered at Edwards. None of the planes have been fielded for combat operations; all are undergoing testing.AP Photo/Northrop Grumman, File) no sales

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Pentagon on Friday grounded its fleet of F-35 fighter jets after discovering a cracked engine blade in one plane.

The problem was discovered during what the Pentagon called a routine inspection at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., of an F-35A, the Air Force version of the sleek new plane. The Navy and the Marine Corps are buying other versions of the F-35, which is intended to replace older fighters like the Air Force F-16 and the Navy F/A-18.

All versions ? a total of 51 planes ? were grounded Friday pending a more in-depth evaluation of the problem discovered at Edwards. None of the planes have been fielded for combat operations; all are undergoing testing.

In a brief written statement, the Pentagon said it is too early to know the full impact of the newly discovered problem.

The F-35 is the Pentagon's most expensive weapons program at a total estimated cost of nearly $400 billion. The Pentagon envisions buying more than 2,400 F-35s, but some members of Congress are balking at the price tag.

Friday's suspension of flight operations will remain in effect until an investigation of the problem's root cause is determined.

The Pentagon said the engine in which the problem was discovered is being shipped to a Pratt & Whitney facility in Connecticut for more thorough evaluation.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-02-22-US-Fighter%20Jet%20Grounded/id-9db01b29713e49f69a918fa1d16024c6

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Saturday, February 23, 2013

Sat, February 23, 2013 - China's Terracotta Warriors: The First Emperor's Legacy

The best of the Bay Area for KQED fans: discover events hand-picked by our editors, sponsored listings, and more.

The event you are looking for cannot be found.

From here you can:

  1. Select a shaded day 17 from the mini-cal.
  2. Use the mini-cal to Navigate forward > or backward < a month.
  3. Click here to view this week's events.

Source: http://events.kqed.org/events/index.php?com=detail&eID=25007

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U.S., Japan agree on approach to Trans-Pacific Partnership talks

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and Japan on Friday agreed on language aimed at giving Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe political cover to bring the world's third-largest economy into negotiations on a U.S.-led free trade agreement in the Asia Pacific region.

In a carefully worded statement following Abe's meeting with President Barack Obama, the two countries reaffirmed that "all goods would subject to negotiation" if Japan joins the talks with the United States and 10 other countries.

At the same time, the statement leaves open a possible outcome to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, talks where the Japan could still protect its rice sector and the United States could keep duties on Japanese autos.

"Recognizing that both countries have bilateral trade sensitivities, such as certain agricultural products for Japan and certain manufactured products for the United States, the two governments confirm that, as the final outcome will be determined during the negotiations, it is not required to make a prior commitment to unilaterally eliminate all tariffs upon joining the TPP negotiations," the statement said.

Jeffrey Schott, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, called the joint statement "a big step forward" in the process of determining whether Japan will join TPP talks, which members hope to finish this year.

"The United States and Japan agreed that the deal has to be comprehensive, but you don't commit to the final terms before you even get into the negotiations," Schott said.

But Representative Sander Levin, the top Democrat on the powerful House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee, called the statement "worrisome" and warned any agreement that includes Japan would not pass Congress unless it truly pries open that country's farm and automotive markets.

Abe, who is on his first trip to Washington since taking office in December, has vowed to revive Japan's economy with an expansive monetary policy, big spending and structural reform.

Joining the TPP talks could help with the third task by exposing Japanese companies and farmers to more competition.

But Japanese rice and other farmers who have long enjoyed high tariff protections are opposed to Tokyo entering the talks, and Abe curried their favor during his campaign last year by promising not to unilaterally agree to eliminate tariffs on certain sensitive products.

The current TPP members - United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Peru, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei - have pledged to negotiate an agreement that eliminates tariffs in as many areas as possible.

To accomplish that goal they have agreed not to exclude any sectors or products from the negotiations.

That stance also worries Ford Motor Co and the United Auto Workers, which have pressured the Obama administration not to allow Japan into the talks until Tokyo makes reforms to open its market to more auto imports.

Although Japan already has no auto tariffs, Ford and the UAW argue that the country relies on regulatory and other non-tariff barriers to keep out auto imports.

The U.S.-Japan joint statement said the two governments would continue their discussions on the possibility of Japan joining the TPP talks.

"While progress has been made in these consultations, more work remains to be done," in areas such as autos and insurance, the joint statement said.

A final decision to allow Japan into the negotiations would have to be made by all the current TPP members.

Additionally, the White House would have to give Congress 90 days notice before starting talks with Japan.

(Additional reporting by Mark Felsenthal; Editing by David Brunnstrom and Eric Walsh)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-japan-agree-approach-trans-pacific-partnership-talks-235949298--finance.html

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Purported pic of Retina iPad mini appears online

Retina iPad mini has made its first appearance in the underbelly of the Internet where mockups and fake pictures mix freely with truth and actual product specifications. CNET reports that a Chinese website has posted what it claims is a picture of Retina iPad mini.

In case you've been living a rock, it's worth reiterating that Apple introduced the iPad mini alongside the fourth generation iPad at a special event in San Jose, California on October 23rd last year. The iPad mini features a 7.9-inch display, FaceTime HD and iSight cameras, ultrafast wireless performance and 10 hours of battery life.

With the 'bigger' iPad featuring a Retina display of 2048x1536 resolution, many found iPad mini's 1024x768 display rather underwhelming. Speculation about Apple releasing a Retina iPad mini has been rampant almost since the day the iPad mini was announced. Most analysts and technical experts full expect Apple to release the Retina iPad mini, and now it has made its first alleged appearance.

The picture on the Chinese forum features an iPad mini-like device pictured from the bottom. The speaker grill can be seen, as can be the Apple branding on the back, which is, strangely, in a shade of blue. The pictured device is visibly thicker than the current iPad mini, which adds credence to the fact this could be a Retina version, since the Retina iPad was famously thicker than the iPad 2. On the other hand, that blue colour sticks out like a sore thumb, since no Apple devices feature that particular shade.

We're sure we'll see a lot more leaks between now and the actual launch. Keep your seat belts on. This could be a bumpy ride.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ndtv/uQAc/~3/fKDHbL00LsI/story01.htm

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After appearance with Obama, firefighters face possible discipline

Larry Downing / Reuters

Firefighters from D.C.'s Fire and Emergency Medical Service Department are feeling the heat for appearing with President Barack Obama during a press event on Tuesday.

By Mark Segraves, NBCWashington.com

Three local firefighters are facing possible disciplinary action after appearing with President Barack Obama during a press event.

Earlier this week the president was flanked by first responders as he spoke about the impact of sequestration. Kenneth Ellerbe, chief of D.C.'s Fire and Emergency Medical Service Department, told NBCWashington.com the three members of DCFEMS who participated in the event may have violated department regulations.

"I didn't know about it, the deputy mayor didn't know about it, the mayor didn't know about it," Ellerbe said. "There should be protocol followed anytime one of our employees representing the District of Columbia appears at a public event."


Ellerbe says the three have each been ordered to file a special report on the event detailing how they came to appear with the president and who authorized it.

"How did they get there, why were they there and why didn't we know about it before?" Ellerbe said.

Also on NBCWashington.com: Virginia lawmakers set to vote on transportation bill

Ed Smith, president of Local 36 of the firefighters union, said his office facilitated the appearance by the firefighters. "The request came through the International Association of Firefighters," Smith said, adding that it's not the first time D.C. firefighters have been asked to appear with the president.

But he said, it's the first time it's been an issue. "We've done this before. I would hope it doesn't come to any discipline. They were supporting our president," he said.

Ellerbe would not identify the department members involved, but one of those pictured is Lt. Robert Alvarado, who has been disciplined in the past by Ellerbe. In 2012, Alvarado was placed on leave after he wore a uniform with an outdated logo.

Also on NBCWashington.com: Gun control law advances in Maryland

Ellerbe says requiring Alvarado and the others to explain why they attended the event in their dress uniforms is not payback for any previous incidents.

"There's no payback, we don't operate in a payback environment. I know folks say that but it's not true," Ellerbe insisted.

Ellerbe says none of the firefighters are facing termination, but added one of those involved is a woman who is new to the department and still on a probationary period.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/22/17060397-firefighters-facing-possible-discipline-after-appearing-with-obama?lite

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A Daily Dose of Davis: Health & Fitness Friday: The Dreadmill

Yay! The one blog post I look forward to all week :-)

I am happy to say I've got another good week in the books guys! Even with a date night AND a triple birthday celebration, I still managed to lose another pound for my DietBet. Woot woot! I've got 2.1 more pounds to lose in like 10 days. It's going to be TOUGH, but I know I can do it if I get super strict this week.?

So let's talk about HEALTH.

The sad thing is...I don't even feel like I need to lose these last two pounds. If I was not committed to DietBet, I would probably stop right now and consider it a goal met. The whole purpose of signing up for this bet was to motivate me to:

1. Loosen up my jeans (they were holiday-snug)

2. Get back into a routine of exercising 5-6 days a week.

3. Start making better choices with food again and WATCH PORTIONS.

So now that I am almost 3 full weeks into this, I have accomplished these three things. My jeans are fitting the way I want them to, I've been logging some great exercise time and I have clearly learned to watch portions since I turned down an extra baked taco last night (even though I still felt hungry and they were soooooooo delicious!) I even brought veggies with a side of veggies to our triple b-day party this weekend!

But a bet is a bet and damn it...I am NOT giving up my money that easily. And to be honest, it wouldn't hurt to lose these last two pounds as a buffer. Hahaha! So that's where I'm at! I've been considering doing a cleanse of some sort to help with these last 2 pounds and do a little detoxifying, but what I realized after reading these plans is that there is NO WAY I can drink only juice and smoothies for 3 days.?

Not. Gonna. Happen.

Even though I have been losing weight, I have by no means cut out enough sugar and carbs. But, if I REALLY cut down on those this week (and toss the leftover Valentine's Day candy), I think I can get to where I need to be. This means I will have to skip the birthday cake this weekend and the days where I am having carbs for dinner (pizza and pasta) I will just have to majorly load up on veggies and other protein during the day. Damn diets!

So here is our menu for the week (starting tonight):

Friday: Homemade Pizzas with TONS of veggies.

Saturday: Birthday Party!?

Sunday: Pulled pork...but I'm going to skip the bun if I can resist.

Thursday: Leftovers

A big thanks to my girl Nina for having such an awesome blog full of amazing recipes and inspiration!

Now...let's get to FITNESS, shall we?

As I said last week, I've jumped on the Ripped in 30 bandwagon and as much as Jillian annoys me at times with her weird growling and ass-biting...I am digging this DVD a lot!! I am almost done with Week 2 and I am definitely feeling stronger! I still have to modify some of the moves (I royally suck at push-ups) but overall I am keeping up and sweating like a piggie!!

As far as running goes, I did manage to make it through my 4-mile Dreadmill run!! Clearly my calories were a bit off though. Damn it!


But I have to give a big THANK YOU to my fitness buddy Hannah for sharing a link to a great blog post titled "Treadmill Running Without Losing Your Mind". The tips really helped this week and I am hoping they continue to help because it looks like I will be indoors again this weekend. BOO!!

?In addition to exercising my body this week, I also exercised my mind at a great writing workshop on campus. Being a teacher is just my teeny tiny extra part-time job to help me keep my sanity and stay fresh in the classroom. But when I get to go to workshops and spend time with my colleagues, it always reminds me why I chose this career in the first place and why teaching English is the best job ever. I know it sounds silly...but it felt like a mental health day for me. And I needed it :-)

So friends...how was YOUR week?

Source: http://www.adailydoseofdavis.com/2013/02/health-fitness-friday-dreadmill.html

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Friday, February 22, 2013

Tiny tweezers and their big influence on bustling proteins: Scientists investigate molecular 'clothespins'

Feb. 22, 2013 ? Tiny molecular tweezers have a remarkable impact on bustling proteins: Three research groups from the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE), the Chemical Genomics Centre of the Max Planck Society in Dortmund and the Max Planck Institut f?r Kohlenforschung in M?lheim found that the molecular tweezers designed by Professor Frank Kl?rner at the UDE can be used to regulate protein -- protein interactions by selectively trapping certain residues of the protein -- and stick like a clothespin.

The research groups of Thomas Schrader (UDE), Christian Ottmann (Chemical Genomics Centre) and Elsa Sanchez Garcia (MPI f?r Kohlenforschung) believe that this might be a promising approach for applications in medical research, as the water soluble tweezers act without inducing toxicity or explicit side effects.

The scientists have tested their small tweezers on proteins that have influence on many processes in the human body. "We also wanted to know how they work," says Dr. Elsa Sanchez Garcia, leader of a Max Planck research group at the Max Planck Institut f?r Kohlenforschung. The chemists have found out that although their tweezers prefer to bind at the amino acid lysine, the protein surrounding of the lysine influences the trapping of the tweezers. Thus, with computer simulations Dr. Sanchez Garcia and her colleague Kenny Bravo Rodriguez have shown which type of lysine the tweezers prefer -- and why that is the case. Their work also allowed to lay down rules for predicting the behavior of the tweezers in the presence of proteins with several lysine residues.

Although the tweezers research is at early stages, their potentiality makes it worth for medical researchers to have a closer look at these results. The 14-3-3 adapter proteins (14-3-3) that the scientists used for their experiments are small recognition proteins that influence many physiological processes by binding their targets via short peptide sequences and modulating their function. For instance, they are able to stabilize certain tumor suppressors. Because of their important role in many biological processes, 14-3-3 proteins are prospective therapeutic agents against severe disorders, such as cancer.

The three research groups published their findings in the Nature Chemistry.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Max-Planck-Institut f?r Kohlenforschung.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. David Bier, Rolf Rose, Kenny Bravo-Rodriguez, Maria Bartel, Juan Manuel Ramirez-Anguita, Som Dutt, Constanze Wilch, Frank-Gerrit Kl?rner, Elsa Sanchez-Garcia, Thomas Schrader, Christian Ottmann. Molecular tweezers modulate 14-3-3 protein?protein interactions. Nature Chemistry, 2013; 5 (3): 234 DOI: 10.1038/nchem.1570

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/matter_energy/biochemistry/~3/zFmxxgQoyMo/130222102648.htm

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All About The Entrepreneur Show with Coach Lilisa & Guests - Feb 22,2013

United States, EnglishSelf Help

The All About Entrepreneurs (AAE) Show with host Coach Lilisa J. Willimas is designed to help you get motivated to reach your personal, professional and entrepreneurial Success. Guest on the show have been selected to bring you up to date info on how to make a success of your business and your life. Tune in Monday thru Friday for strategies that will help you stay empowered, inspired and motivated as an entrepreneur, professional, community leader and individual. The show is brought to you by PSUI and hosted and produced by Coach Lilisa J. Williams.

Source: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/allaboutentrepreneurs/2013/02/22/all-about-the-entrepreneur-show-with-coach-lilisa-guests

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Sony reveals PlayStation 4, fires first shot in the next console war

Featured

After months of rumor and speculation, Sony has revealed its new game machine ? the PlayStation 4 ? as well as a new controller with a touchpad, a "share" button and light bar.

"Today marks a moment of truth and a bold step forward for PlayStation as a company," said Andrew House, president and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, as he took the stage at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City on Wednesday. "Today we will give you a glimpse into the future of play."

House told a room packed full of journalists that the new machine ? the successor to the PlayStation 3 ? would take the moniker PlayStation 4. Sony then revealed the new touch-sensing DualShock controller as well as a new "stereo camera" that works in conjunction with the controller (see video below.)

Sony said the PlayStation 4 will launch "holiday 2013" but did not reveal a specific date or a price. Sony also did not show off what its new gaming hardware will look like, revealing only the controller and pictures of the new camera.

Mark Cerny, the PS4's lead system architect, did outline some of the innards that will be powering the machine explaining, ?The architecture we chose is like a PC in many ways.?

The PlayStation 4 will feature an X86-64 AMD Jaguar CPU with 8 cores, an AMD Radeon GPU and a whopping 8 gigabytes of unified system memory. Like the PS3, it will also feature a Blu-ray drive. (For more on the specs, check out our story here.) .

David Perry ? CEO and founder of Gaikai ? also took the stage Wednesday. Sony bought his game streaming company last year. He explained that integration of the streaming service with the PlayStation Store will allow gamers to instantly try games before they buy them.

Meanwhile, Perry said that with the "share" button on the new PS4 controller players will be able to live broadcast their gameplay to their PlayStation Network friends.

He said friends will not only be able to watch your game in action, but can post comments to your screen as you play (if you let them). You'll also be able to allow friends to take over your game so they can, say, assist you in a difficult area or interact with your game in other helpful ways.

"What we?re creating is the fastest, most powerful network for gaming in the world," Perry said. "Our vision is to create the first social gaming network with meaning."

Perry also revealed Remote Play ? a feature that will allow gamers to take their PS4 action to Sony's smaller game screen. That is, if you're in the middle of playing a game on your PS4, you can use Remote Play to instantly transfer your game to Sony's handheld PS Vita.

Perry said the ultimate goal is to make it so all PS4 games will be playable on the Vita.

So what games will be coming to the PlayStation 4? Bungie ? the creator of the Xbox-exclusive Halo game franchise ? revealed it will be bringing its newly revealed project "Destiny" to the PlayStation 4 (with an edition also for the PlayStation 3).

Hermen Hulst, co-founder of Guerrilla Games, introduced "Killzone: Shadowfall" a stunning looking futuristic shooter. And Matt Southern from Evolution Studios showed off the ultra-realistic "Drive Club" racing game.

"We?ve gone borderline insane with the real-world details," Southern said, pointing out the ultra-fine detail that can be seen on the cars in the game.

Meanwhile, Sucker Punch's Nate Fox revealed the new game from the studio that brought us the "InFamous" series. He said "InFamous: Second Son" ? a game about what happens when super powers and the power of surveillance collide ? will be a PlayStation 4 exclusive.

Respected indie developer Jonathan Blow ? the creator of the critically acclaimed game "Braid" ? showed off his next game "The Witness." He said the puzzle-filled title will be a PlayStation 4 "launch window" game.

Ubisoft's Yves Guillemot revealed what everyone expected ? that the developer's highly anticipated game of surveillance and hacking called "Watch Dogs" is planned for the next-gen PlayStation 4.

In something of a surprise, PC gaming stalwart Blizzard revealed that it'll be bringing "Diablo 3" to both the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation 3.

And it appears that Sony won?t be saying goodbye to its oft-ignored PlayStation Move motion controller. Media Molecule ? the developers behind the ?LittleBigPlanet? games ? showed off a tool that enables players to use the Move controller and the PS4 to craft digital sculptures and bring them to life.

Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo have been duking it out for years, vying to be the prime purveyor of home video games and, in recent years, other home entertainment as well. But Sony's news today is the opening shot in an all new console war.

It's been six years since Sony launched the PlayStation 3 and seven years since Microsoft launched its competing Xbox 360. Late last year, Nintendo revealed the Wii U ? its new home game machine and the successor to the Wii. But so far, the Wii U's lackluster sales and technical specs that make it seem more on par with the current generation Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, suggest this machine is more of an interim step in the three-way gaming battle.

With Microsoft rumored to be working on its own new home game console (which it will reportedly unveil in the coming weeks), it is Sony and Microsoft that are widely expected to go head-to-head in the coming years, vying for the same demographic and to become the all-important entertainment hub in your household.

For a further look at Sony's event Wednesday, check out the videos belowand InGame editor Todd Kenreck's first lookat the PlayStation 4:

Winda Benedetti writes about video games for NBC News. You can follow her tweets about games and other things on Twitter here @WindaBenedetti and you can follow her on Google+. Meanwhile, be sure to check out the IN-GAME FACEBOOK PAGE to discuss the day's gaming news and reviews.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/ingame/sony-reveals-playstation-4-fires-first-shot-next-console-war-1C8452386

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