What if just by buying a t-shirt that spreads a message for a charitable cause, you could help fund that cause? What if there was a website that highlighted a specific cause and t-shirt every week? And what if that website donated $7 from each sale to that cause? You'd have Sevenly.org, and a pretty amazing startup with the sole purpose of helping to raise both money and awareness, all with fashion, e-commerce and you of course.
While at the Senior Bowl, Bills GM Buddy Nix said QB, LB and WR were prioirity positions for his team.
The Dolphins got some support from their local government for their stadium project.
Patriots CB (and free agent) Kyle Arrington said his preference would be to stay with his current team.
The early forecast for the Super Bowl to be played in the Jets? home stadium in 2014 is for, wait for it, cold weather.
Ravens QB Joe Flacco is three touchdowns short of the postseason record, and hasn?t thrown an interception.
Bengals coach Marvin Lewis on the arrest of OT Andre Smith for having a gun in his carry-on bag at the airport: ?He?s a smart guy that got involved in a dumb situation that caused him an embarrassment for a moment.?
The Browns are talking about using a ?hybrid? defense in 2013, which makes it sound like they don?t know exactly what it?s going to be yet.
Steelers QB Charlie Batch is a finalist for the Byron ?Whizzer? White award for community service.
The Texans were happy to get away to the Pro Bowl after their playoff exit.
When you start looking at the list of Colts??offseason needs, it?s a miracle they went to the playoffs at all.
The Jaguars are looking at the Senior Bowl passers, who may not be better than what?s already on their roster.
Titans QB Jake Locker is recovering well from shoulder surgery, other than having to sleep in a recliner.
Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post thinks the fear of failing should be the Broncos? biggest motivator next year.
A look at the top 10 draft prospects, as they pertain to the Chiefs? draft needs.
The addition of Tony Sparano to the coaching staff fits with new offensive coordinator Greg Olson?s shift back toward a power game.
New Chargers secondary coach Ron Milus replaces Ron Meeks in that role, after he replaced Meeks as the Panthers secondary coach in 2009 when Meeks was promoted to defensive coordinator.
Cowboys defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin doesn?t buy the ?sabotage? theory from Super Bowl XXXVII, saying of the Bucs team he coached then: ?I would like to think that we played pretty good that day.?
WR Hakeem Nicks tops the list of Giants injuries to watch this offseason.
There?s a clear value on experience among the Eagles? defensive coordinator candidates.
The Redskins college scouting boss talks about the process that led them to RB Alfred Morris.
New Bears offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer has a reputation for improving his lines, which the Bears need badly.
While coaching at the Senior Bowl, the Lions are getting a close look at the top CB prospects.
Packers CB Davon House had shoulder surgery on Wednesday.
A look ahead at the Vikings? WR situation in 2013, which begins with how they handle Percy Harvin.
The Falcons gave their head athletic trainer a shiny new title.
Florida State QB E.J. Manuel thinks he?d be a good fit for the Panthers.
With his first big interview out of the way, Saints coach Sean Payton?s priority is moving past the bounty drama of the last year.
The Buccaneers are shuffling around some season-ticket holders, but they swear it doesn?t mean they?re going to start tarping seats.
The Cardinals promoted Jason Licht to vice president of player personnel, the job vacated when Steve Keim was promoted to general manager.
Oregon?s Kyle Long?s path to the NFL Draft wasn?t as smooth as his brother, Rams DE Chris Long?s.
Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle takes a look back at the individual workout that made the 49ers fall for QB Colin Kaepernick.
Seahawks fans are still relishing one of the best seasons in franchise history.
Presidential Inaugural Committee Co-Chair Eva Longoria gestures as she participates in the opening ceremony for the National Day of Service as part of the 57th Presidential Inaugural festivities, Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013, in Washington. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Presidential Inaugural Committee Co-Chair Eva Longoria gestures as she participates in the opening ceremony for the National Day of Service as part of the 57th Presidential Inaugural festivities, Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013, in Washington. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Vice President Joe Biden, with his wife Jill Biden, center, holding the Biden Family Bible, shakes hands with Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor after taking the oath of office during an official ceremony at the Naval Observatory, Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Latinos are taking a more prominent role in President Barack Obama's second inauguration, from the first Hispanic Supreme Court justice swearing in the vice president to a star-studded celebration of Latino culture.
Eva Longoria, a co-chairwoman for Obama's campaign, is hosting a salute to the president Sunday evening. Antonio Banderas, Rosario Dawson, Marc Anthony and other entertainers are scheduled to appear in "Latino Inaugural 2013: In Performance at the Kennedy Center." The lineup also includes Jose Feliciano, Prince Royce, Frankie Negron, Rita Moreno and Mario Lopez.
San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, who gave the keynote speech at last year's Democratic National Convention, will address the audience.
Meanwhile, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, an Obama appointee who is the first Hispanic justice on the highest court, administered the oath of office Sunday morning to Vice President Joe Biden.
Latinos have a distinct presence at this inauguration after showing their growing political influence in the 2012 election. Hispanics voted 7 to 1 for Obama over his challenger, Republican Mitt Romney, whose Hispanic support was less than any presidential candidate in 16 years. Analysts said Romney's hardline stance on immigration was a factor.
San Antonio philanthropist and business leader Henry Munoz III, who is coordinating the Latino inauguration event with Longoria and other Obama supporters, said this is a special moment when the Latino community is positioned to take an expanded role in shaping the country's future.
"Without question, the presidential election of 2012 proves that Latinos are perhaps the most important influence from this point forward in the election of the president of the United States," Munoz said. "It's important that the leadership in Washington view us not as a narrow interest group but as a vibrant political force" that carries not just votes, but influence and financial resources.
Organizers planned a series of symposiums, dinners and events ahead of the inauguration to keep people talking about issues that matter to Latinos, from immigration reform to building a Latino history museum on the National Mall. Munoz led a presidential commission that called on Congress in 2011 to authorize such a museum within the Smithsonian Institution, but Congress has not yet passed such a bill.
Munoz said it's important to keep Latinos engaged in the nation's capital to push for their policy priorities through the inauguration and beyond.
"Our work is not done. It doesn't end," he said. "We have a tendency to look at this phenomenon as ending on Election Day, when the reality is now it's time to get to work."
Longoria said this is her first inauguration. She has taken on a new role as political advocate since her days on "Desperate Housewives," helping to push for a Latino museum and co-chairing Obama's re-election campaign.
Even though this is Obama's second inauguration, Longoria said there is still much to celebrate, including Sotomayor's role swearing in the vice president.
"I think there's something beautiful to a recommitment to the people of this great nation," Longoria told ABC's "This Week" on Sunday.
Longoria said she hopes to help influence policies, including immigration reform, and that Obama will make that his top priority as an economic issue.
"I'm trying to do my part as a citizen and my part as a Hispanic and as a woman and as an American," she said. "I think everybody should be civically engaged in a level that would affect policy. That's the point; that's how our government is set up."
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Follow Brett Zongker at https://twitter.com/DCArtBeat
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Mallory Hagan says her first week as Miss America has been amazing, but she's not sure she's going to Inauguration Day because of the weather.
Hagan said in an interview Saturday that it may be too cold to attend President Barack Obama's public swearing in ceremony Monday. She says she has a ticket and is "in the middle of deciding if she'll go" because "it's going to be freezing."
Hagan spoke at an event for OurTime.org, which featured will.i.am and John Legend.
Hagan won the Miss America title last week. The 23-year-old was born in Alabama, but moved to New York at 18. She was named Miss New York last year and lives in Brooklyn.
She says she feels "overwhelmed, excited, humbled" after having the crown for a week.
TORONTO (Reuters) - Refrigerators are getting smart. A new model released earlier this month runs apps to help users browse recipes, create shopping lists and manage the expiration dates of items like yogurt and milk.
The T9000 refrigerator by electronics company Samsung has a 10-inch Wi-Fi-enabled touchscreen and includes apps such as Epicurious for recipes and Evernote for note-taking.
"The fridge, because it's the hub of the family and the kitchen, is now another access point without having to drag around your tablet or have your phone with you in the vicinity of where you're cooking or entertaining," said Warner Doell, a vice president in the home appliance division at Samsung Canada.
The display enables users to keep up with the news, weather and even Twitter from the fridge door. It can also replace hand-written calendars with Google Calendar integration, and run slideshows of photos, according to Doell.
Shopping lists can be created on the fridge with the Evernote app, which will sync to smartphones and recipes can be found at Epicurious.
"You can say, 'I have these ingredients in the fridge -- what can I make?' and it will show you recipes that you can prepare," said Doell.
For people who have trouble keeping track of expiration dates of food items, there's an app for that, too.
But with smartphones and tablets are already ubiquitous in homes, does the smart refrigerator offer more than novelty?
Doell said it does.
"I get asked a lot why do you need a screen on a refrigerator? And it's a good question because we're inundated with technology today," said Doell.
The main reasons, he explained, are ease-of-use in managing settings, such as the refrigerators' temperature, and for convenience because consumers are demanding pervasive connectivity.
"This isn't only about today -- it's about what will the next five to ten years look like," he added.
The T9000 is geared towards the young-minded consumer who turns to technology for convenience, according to Doell.
Whether it's to control heating, air conditioning, lighting or window coverings, Doell said that apps for home automation will be increasingly penetrating the home.
"The technology is converging across all product categories. With appliances being the traditional staid industry, it has not been fast to adopt it," said Doell, adding that Samsung plans to take a leadership role in the area.
The refrigerator runs the Android operating system, but it is not possible to install other Android apps. It will be available worldwide in the spring for a suggested retail price of $3,999.
Every single entrepreneur on the face of this earth is actually writing a book. And the nature of that book must begin right now. Where you are. With the question: what do I wish to say? ~ Michael E. Gerber
The United States was founded on a system of free enterprise in order to cultivate freedom and opportunity. A free enterprise economy matters since it enables individuals to achieve success, to ?plant their own seed,? and to leave a mark on others? lives. This foundation is based upon the voluntary exchange of goods and services, where both parties benefit from this transaction.
With our recent economic woes, unemployment is still a relevant issue. This has taken an emotional toll on fathers and mothers who struggle to put food on the table. College graduates, who?ve spent several years working diligently toward a degree, are having trouble finding positions in their desired fields. Then there are those who have stopped looking for work altogether.
Maybe this is the time that lends itself to a ?call to action,? where individuals can take a leap of faith and personally invest in their pursuit of happiness. Aspiring entrepreneurs, inventors and dreamers, of all kinds, must take initiative.
In a blog post in Psychology Today, Marilyn Price-Mitchell, Ph.D, discusses how teens learn: ?We now know that learning to overcome challenges during adolescence develops initiative, an important characteristic of how we successfully pursue goals,? she says.
While trying not to confuse initiative with achievement, Price-Mitchell advocates that initiative is one?s inner ability to move forth with purpose. As adolescents grow into young adults, they realize the power of choice. By choosing to participate in activities that illustrate creativity, dignity and autonomy, they will feel internally rewarded. Price-Mitchell is a firm believer in encouraging teens to challenge themselves and seize the potential to think critically, while also learning to get along effectively with peers and adults.
?They may be judged by others and given feedback that prompts an adjustment to strategies or behavior,? she notes. ?These are important, valuable experiences that help adolescents learn to propel themselves forward.?
What drives initiative? Particular attributes are needed in order to exert control, and to go the extra mile in developing a business of one?s own. (Forbes contributor Eric T. Wagner lists seven in particular in his article 7 Traits of Incredibly Successful Entrepreneurs.)
Wagner stresses the significance of persevering and staying focused on your journey, even when the finish line appears a bit out of reach and overwhelming. ?Are things going to look impossible for you as an entrepreneur? You better believe it,? he writes. ?Will you feel like giving up and throwing in the towel? Absolutely. But do you need to fight off the urge to quit and keep pressing on? Yes!?
Small business guru Michael E. Gerber draws parallels with starting your own company to writing your own book in his article, Traits of a Truly Entrepreneurial Mindset. Just as the process of writing asks you to think of the kind of wisdom you wish to impart to the reader, starting a company requires similar questions to be asked.
?Your business is a product of how you, its creator, think about it: what it sells, what it does, how it does it, who your people are, and how you help them grow,? Gerber said.
The year is young. Possibilities are everywhere. Do you have any interesting business ideas?
?
????Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 18 Jan 2013 ????Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.
APA Reference Suval, L. (2013). The Age of Small Business. Psych Central. Retrieved on January 20, 2013, from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/01/19/the-age-of-small-business/
Free Debt Consolidation Help is available for those who can not afford to hire debt consolidation experts to help them reduce their loan problems and a number of outstanding bills by credit card. Consolidate loans and contributions, you can search offered by many non-profit organizations. Most free programs to consolidate debt can be found online, and you can even ask for free quotes online for your loan to reduce and eliminate multiple and expensive credit card payments. Debt consolidation advice is a blessing for those who want to avoid bankruptcy and pay off loans, if possible, without taking more loans.
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The process of debt consolidation is one of the best ways to ease and without recourse to additional loans. The first method is to reduce debt is to consolidate all outstanding charges for all creditors into a single debt and negotiate with debtors to reduce the interest in the old days. When the interest rate goes down, you can try to pay the debt and saving more money. This does not require any additional loan to pay off existing ones.
Another way is to combine various debts into one, and then take further bad credit debt consolidation loan to pay for this. Many people are afraid to take another loan, but if you take a loan, or find a way to save or earn enough to pay for it, your interest to keep accumulating, and this can lead to a bad credit rating or even bankruptcy in extreme cases.
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Most of the debt consolidation free online help available. Loan consultant will tell you how to get free quotes online. If you intend to apply for a loan for the repayment of your debt consolidation, you can also request a free quote online debt consolidation. This gives you the ability to pass through the interest rates of different companies before you settle for one that suits you.
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The process of consolidating all your loans and credit card fees in an affordable loan helps you in two ways. First of all your debt is converted into one debt which is easier to manage. Second, the reduced interest rate, after negotiations with your creditors, making it easier to pay off your debt with interest. So even if your situation is too poor to engage business debt consolidation, you can always get help. Uses without the help of debt consolidation is easy now, and everything you need to do is go online and click on the link.
David is a freelance writer who specialises in personal finances and?debt industry. He enjoys in sharing financial strategies and advices to help people.
CIC bioGUNE researchers have opened a new pathway for the future development of biosensors that enable measuring the glucose in the blood, but which are also believed to be more reliable with other fluids, such as urine. To this end, a complex scientific process has been developed which has called into question a dominant paradigm amongst the scientific community with respect to the mechanisms of binding and communication between proteins.
The mechanisms of communication at subcellular level are based on the interaction between proteins or between proteins and metabolites and other ligands. These phenomena help to explain the immense majority of protein functions in living organisms, but it is essential to this end that each protein knows exactly to which ligand it has to bind.
To date it has been widely accepted within the scientific community that there was a double binding mechanism between proteins, differentiated and isolated like two independent processes: some proteins bind with just one mechanism known as 'induced fit' (the protein takes the shape of the ligand during the association process), while others do so exclusively through a mechanism known as 'conformational selection' (in the same way that each lock requires a key with specific characteristics, the bind between a protein and a ligand will depend if their shapes make such a fit possible).
However, in this research, Dr. Oscar Millet, from the Structural Biology Unit at CIC bioGUNE, and published in the November issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society, refutes this paradigm and puts forward the idea that slight modifications using genetic engineering introduced into the hinge regions between two proteins are sufficient to alter the binding mechanism itself.
For the development of this research, two bacterial periplasmic binding proteins were taken as a model. These proteins bind through a spectacular conformational change (closing two domains round a hinge region) and which is similar to the process that carnivorous plants use to trap insects between their fleshy lobes.
"The main result of our work has shown that both mechanisms are intimately connected and that we can go from one to another just by introducing small modifications in the protein," explained scar Millet.
"Not only have we understood this mechanism, but we have seen that the difference between this induced fit and the conformational selection is very subtle; they are actually not two independent processes but everything is, in fact, connected. Nature is always subtle, and small variations to the chemical composition of the hinge lead us from one mechanism to the other," added the CIC bioGUNE researcher.
"This mechanism is completely governed by the hinge region to the point that by exchanging the hinges using genetic engineering, the change of mechanism also occurs: the GGBP with the RBP hinge acts through the induced fit mechanism and vice versa, and the RBP with the GGBP hinge binds to the substratum through the lock-and-key mechanism," Dr Millet explained.
"Understanding the mechanism by which periplasmic proteins trap glucose to insert it into the cells opens the possibility of using these molecules as biosensors", explained Dr Millet. Thanks to these, glucose concentration could be measured in fluids other than blood, for example urine. This would make the process easier and would provide more reliable data than the traditional glucose concentration measurement methods in the blood of diabetes patients.
The techniques currently used can only give an approximate measurement of blood glucose concentration, as there are other substances that hide it. Any advance, therefore, in the search for new diagnosis methods will improve the control of the disease.
Diabetes
It is very important for diabetes patients to measure their glucose concentration, as diabetes is a serious chronic disorder that affects more than 300 million people worldwide, and 5 million in Spain. This metabolic disease is caused by low production of a hormone insulin in the pancreas or when the body does not use this hormone properly. Insulin is involved in the transport of glucose to the interior of the cells, which turn it into useful energy.
In diabetics, the low generation of insulin or inadequate usage in the body leads to an excessive blood glucose concentration and causes many symptoms such as tiredness, weight loss, neuropathies, problems of vision and, in extreme cases, death.
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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.
New path discovered for future generation of glucose-measuring biosensors Public release date: 15-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
CIC bioGUNE researchers have opened a new pathway for the future development of biosensors that enable measuring the glucose in the blood, but which are also believed to be more reliable with other fluids, such as urine. To this end, a complex scientific process has been developed which has called into question a dominant paradigm amongst the scientific community with respect to the mechanisms of binding and communication between proteins.
The mechanisms of communication at subcellular level are based on the interaction between proteins or between proteins and metabolites and other ligands. These phenomena help to explain the immense majority of protein functions in living organisms, but it is essential to this end that each protein knows exactly to which ligand it has to bind.
To date it has been widely accepted within the scientific community that there was a double binding mechanism between proteins, differentiated and isolated like two independent processes: some proteins bind with just one mechanism known as 'induced fit' (the protein takes the shape of the ligand during the association process), while others do so exclusively through a mechanism known as 'conformational selection' (in the same way that each lock requires a key with specific characteristics, the bind between a protein and a ligand will depend if their shapes make such a fit possible).
However, in this research, Dr. Oscar Millet, from the Structural Biology Unit at CIC bioGUNE, and published in the November issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society, refutes this paradigm and puts forward the idea that slight modifications using genetic engineering introduced into the hinge regions between two proteins are sufficient to alter the binding mechanism itself.
For the development of this research, two bacterial periplasmic binding proteins were taken as a model. These proteins bind through a spectacular conformational change (closing two domains round a hinge region) and which is similar to the process that carnivorous plants use to trap insects between their fleshy lobes.
"The main result of our work has shown that both mechanisms are intimately connected and that we can go from one to another just by introducing small modifications in the protein," explained scar Millet.
"Not only have we understood this mechanism, but we have seen that the difference between this induced fit and the conformational selection is very subtle; they are actually not two independent processes but everything is, in fact, connected. Nature is always subtle, and small variations to the chemical composition of the hinge lead us from one mechanism to the other," added the CIC bioGUNE researcher.
"This mechanism is completely governed by the hinge region to the point that by exchanging the hinges using genetic engineering, the change of mechanism also occurs: the GGBP with the RBP hinge acts through the induced fit mechanism and vice versa, and the RBP with the GGBP hinge binds to the substratum through the lock-and-key mechanism," Dr Millet explained.
"Understanding the mechanism by which periplasmic proteins trap glucose to insert it into the cells opens the possibility of using these molecules as biosensors", explained Dr Millet. Thanks to these, glucose concentration could be measured in fluids other than blood, for example urine. This would make the process easier and would provide more reliable data than the traditional glucose concentration measurement methods in the blood of diabetes patients.
The techniques currently used can only give an approximate measurement of blood glucose concentration, as there are other substances that hide it. Any advance, therefore, in the search for new diagnosis methods will improve the control of the disease.
Diabetes
It is very important for diabetes patients to measure their glucose concentration, as diabetes is a serious chronic disorder that affects more than 300 million people worldwide, and 5 million in Spain. This metabolic disease is caused by low production of a hormone insulin in the pancreas or when the body does not use this hormone properly. Insulin is involved in the transport of glucose to the interior of the cells, which turn it into useful energy.
In diabetics, the low generation of insulin or inadequate usage in the body leads to an excessive blood glucose concentration and causes many symptoms such as tiredness, weight loss, neuropathies, problems of vision and, in extreme cases, death.
###
[ | 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.
Drugs to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder can be incredibly controversial. There are concerns that they're over-prescribed, and there can be significant potential for abuse by people, particularly college age students, who don't have a prescription.
However, it's important to remember how difficult it is to live, learn, and succeed with the disorder, also known as ADHD, especially when it goes untreated.
A new working paper from the?National Bureau of Economic Research by Jason Fletcher at Yale titled "The Effects Of Childhood ADHD On Adult Labor Market Outcomes" takes a detailed look at how the condition affects a person's long run success, and provides "the first evidence of links between childhood ADHD?symptoms and adult labor market outcomes."
From the abstract:
This paper uses a longitudinal national sample, including?sibling pairs, to show important labor market outcome consequences of ADHD. The employment?reduction is between 10-14 percentage points, the earnings reduction is approximately 33%, and the?increase in social assistance is 15 points, which are larger than many estimates of the black-white earnings?gap and the gender earnings gap. A small share of the link is explained by education attainments and?co-morbid health conditions and behaviors. The results also show important differences in labor market?consequences by family background and age of onset. These findings, along with similar research?showing that ADHD is linked with poor education outcomes and adult crime, suggest that treating?childhood ADHD can substantially increase the acquisition of human capital.
According to the paper, estimates indicate that somewhere between 2 and 10 percent of school age children have the condition, not all of whom are diagnosed or being treated. The employment reduction is primarily concentrated in disadvantaged families, who might have more difficulty getting the condition diagnosed or treated at an early age.
The sample used in the study was from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, which followed a group of students from grades 7-12 starting in 1994 and 1995, then interviewed them one year later, six years later, and 13 years later.
At the final wave of questioning, the researchers asked: "Has a doctor, or nurse, or other health care provider ever told you that you have or had attention problems or ADD or ADHD" then "How old were you when the doctor, nurse, or other health practitioner first told you." This is the data Fletcher analyzed with their employment data.
The findings of this study are particularly robust because it controls for health and education factors. It also looks at differences between sibling pairs that do and don't have the condition, and found that there was still?a 12-14 percentage point reduction in employment for the sibling that had been diagnosed with ADHD.?
Since the sample started in the 90s, there were probably significantly lower rates of treatment than we have today, which may partially explain the size of the effect. Still, the paper makes a strong case that early diagnosis and treatment can significantly improve what students get out of their education, and help with future job prospects.?
Playing a game for 40 hours isn?t going to do anyone?s health much good, but it seems for some people it can be fatal.
In July last year a teenager died after playing Diablo III for 40 hours straight at an Internet cafe in Taiwan. He didn?t eat anything, was found slumped over the desk, but managed to get up and walk a few steps before collapsing and dying. Now the same thing has happened again.
A 21-year-old man by the name of Xiao Jun from Guangxi, China, died over the holiday period after playing an unnamed MMO for 40 hours at an Internet cafe. In this case he did take short breaks in order to eat some food and visit the bathroom, but it clearly wasn?t enough of a rest for his body. It also didn?t help that he arrived at the cafe at 2am on Christmas day after completing a shift at a karaoke bar. So he?d already been awake for most of the day before working.
There definitely seems to be a pattern forming for these deaths. They all occur in cafes, involve gaming sessions well over a day in length, and include little or no nourishment for the body of the person who dies. Surely such things could be stopped with a few rules put in place?
In 2011, Vietnam took the extreme measure of banning online gaming between 10pm and 8am each day. China also lets parents monitor and control their children?s gaming habits, but that clearly doesn?t work for young adults. It seems as though the Internet and gaming cafes need to implement rules, for example, why not limit sessions to 12 hours and only allow access to a PC again by a customer after an hour break? Combine that with no more than two 12 hour sessions in a row, and you stop someone getting anywhere near the 40-hour mark.
BEIJING: Chinese leaders have given final approval for a long-awaited new $11.2 billion international airport in Beijing to ease crushing congestion at the existing facility, state media said on Monday.
The state-run China Daily newspaper reported the decision, made Sunday, citing a spokesman for the country's State Council, or cabinet.
The existing international airport, which saw a major expansion in the run-up to the 2008 Olympics, is the world's second-busiest, reflecting China's relentless economic rise.
The new airport is likely to be in the south of the sprawling capital but other details including a start date for construction and its design were still being decided, the China Daily said, quoting spokesman Li Shengbo.
The newspaper also reported, citing CAAC News - a paper affiliated with the country's aviation administration - that large-scale construction would begin next year, with the airport due to open by the end of 2018.
CAAC News, quoting an aviation administration official, said the new airport would cost at least 70 billion yen ($11.2 billion), with six runways for civilian aircraft and a seventh for military use.
Beijing Capital International Airport, in the north of the city, has been ranked as the world's second biggest airport for three years, the China Daily said, handling 81.8 million passenger movements in 2012.
It ranks second globally behind Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta in the United States.
A new airport would put Beijing alongside the likes of New York, London, Paris and Tokyo as cities with more than one major facility.
Passengers in Beijing have long complained of delays, with another complicating factor being airspace distribution between civil and military flights. - AFP
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) ? Deshaun Thomas had 20 points and scored the first and last baskets in a 16-0 first-half spurt and No. 15 Ohio State beat second-ranked Michigan 56-53 on Sunday, probably denying the Wolverines their first No. 1 ranking in more than 20 years.
After Trey Burke, who led the Wolverines (16-1, 3-1 Big Ten) with 15 points, hit a 3-pointer to open the game, the Buckeyes took the lead for good although there were many nervous moments by the finish.
Burke had a shot to tie the game with 17 seconds left, but it rattled around and out.
Lenzelle Smith Jr. then hit two foul shots with 12.7 seconds left and Aaron Craft added two more to seal the outcome for the Buckeyes (13-3, 2-2).
The loss also prevented Michigan from setting a school mark for fastest start. The 1985-86 team had also opened with 16 wins.
Down 21 in the first half, Michigan kept chipping away. The Wolverines switched defenses, causing the Buckeyes problems with matchup zones.
With just over 11 minutes left, Burke had a chance to cut the lead to six points but Shannon Scott closed fast to block his breakaway layup. At the other end, Thomas made a 3 for an 11-point lead.
But the Wolverines kept applying the pressure.
Tim Hardaway, who had 12 points, scored on two slashes through the lane, Jordan Morgan hit a free throw and Hardaway then hustled back in transition to throw down an alley-oop pass from Burke. After a nice defensive play stopped Smith, Burke pulled up and hit a 15-footer. Hardaway then pumped in a long 3 from the top of the key behind a pick to narrow the gap to 44-43 as the clock ticked under 7 minutes.
Moments later, Glenn Robinson III was open for a 3 from the right wing to tie it at 46.
The Buckeyes regained some momentum when Shannon Scott fed post player Evan Ravenel for a dunk to regain the lead. On the next possession, Ohio State went inside again and Ravenel, averaging 6.3 points a game, bulled his way for another bucket.
After another Michigan missed shot, Thomas took a pass on the left baseline and made a quick spin to the endline before banking in a shot for a 52-46 lead.
The Wolverines missed six straight field-goal attempts in a row down the stretch, going scoreless for more than 4 minutes until Burke hit two free throws with 1:37 left to cut the lead to 52-48.
A steal and dunk by Robinson made it 52-50 with 1:16 left.
Thomas, the Big Ten's leading scorer, missed an off-balance jumper from 15 feet with 50 seconds left. After a timeout to discuss strategy, the Wolverines worked the ball around before Burke's shot with 17 seconds left. It rattled around and then ricocheted out, with Ohio State's Smith rebounding. He was fouled, but the Buckeyes still weren't in the bonus.
Smith was fouled again on the inbounds pass and converted both foul shots with 12.7 seconds left.
After Burke missed a long shot, Craft was fouled with 6.2 seconds remaining and hit two more free throws.
Burke closed the scoring with a banked-in 3 from in front of the Michigan bench.
The Buckeyes played perhaps their best of the season in the opening 15 minutes.
After Burke hit a 3 on Michigan's first trip down the court, the Wolverines went 7:18 without a point. Meanwhile, the Buckeyes were getting to the basket, hitting open perimeter shots, scoring in transition and holding their own under the basket.
Thomas got it going for Ohio State with a shot from the left wing that ignited scoring on seven consecutive possessions. Center Amir Williams followed a miss for a 4-3 lead before Craft ? who had been in a shooting slump most of the year ? popped in a 3. Then Smith blocked a shot by Hardaway and then hit a layup at the other end. Craft then scored on back-to-back drives. Thomas ended the spurt the way he started it, with a shot from the wing, this one a 3, for a 16-3 lead to cap the 16-0 run.
Michigan looked disorganized on offense and had difficulty making any stops on defense.
The Wolverines finally got a surge late in the half, thanks to Albrecht ? who exceeded his career high by a point by scoring seven in the opening half.
He made all four free throw attempts after getting fouled on drives, then hit a 3 during a 14-5 run to close the half.
Ohio State had battled some nagging problems all season. The Buckeyes have struggled to find an offensive and defensive presence in the post after two-time All-American Jared Sullinger departed after last season for the NBA. They have also shot poorly in their biggest games, failing to hit 34 percent of their shots from the field in the losses to Duke, Kansas and Illinois.
The Buckeyes have been at their best against their worst opponents, and vice versa. They came into the game 12-0 vs. unranked teams and 0-3 against those in the Top 25. Their losses included defeats at Duke (ranked No. 1 before losing its first game on Saturday), at home against No. 6 Kansas and a lopsided defeat at No. 12 Illinois on Jan. 5.
The capacity crowd was loud and boisterous from the beginning. Students had camped out for a couple of days on the concrete just outside the side door of Value City Arena. There was a large banner above the tents that read, "Matta-ritaville," in honor of coach Thad Matta and echoing Duke's "Krzyzewskiville."
Matta improved to 17-3 against Michigan.
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Jan. 14, 2013 ? A compound from the South African toothbrush tree inactivates a drug target for tuberculosis in a previously unseen way. Tuberculosis causes more deaths worldwide than any other bacterial disease. At the same time as rates are increasing, resistance strains are emerging due, in part, to non-compliance with the treatment required. Many current drugs are nearly 50 years old and alternatives are needed to the long, demanding treatment schedules.
The compound under research, diospyrin, binds to a novel site on a well-known enzyme, called DNA gyrase, and inactivates the enzyme. DNA gyrase is essential for bacteria and plants but is not present in animals or humans. It is established as an effective and safe drug target for antibiotics.
"The way that diospyrin works helps to explain why it is effective against drug-sensitive and drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis," said Professor Tony Maxwell from the John Innes Centre.
In traditional medicine the antibacterial properties of the tree are used for oral health and to treat medical complaints such bronchitis, pleurisy and venereal disease. Twigs from the tree are traditionally used as toothbrushes.
Most antibiotics originate from naturals sources, such as the soil bacteria Streptomyces. Antibiotics derived from plants are less common, but they are potentially rich sources of new medicines.
"Extracts from plants used in traditional medicine provide a source for novel compounds that may have antibacterial properties, which may then be developed as antibiotics," said Professor Maxwell.
"This highlights the value of ethnobotany and the value of maintaining biodiversity to help us address global problems."
The work on diospyrin and related naphthoquinone compounds is being continued by Professor Maxwell as part of the efforts of a consortium of European researchers, More Medicines For Tuberculosis (MM4TB). The collaboration between 25 labs across Europe is dedicated to the development of new drugs for TB.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Norwich BioScience Institutes, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
S. Karkare, T. T. H. Chung, F. Collin, L. A. Mitchenall, A. R. McKay, S. J. Greive, J. J. M. Meyer, N. Lall, A. Maxwell. The Naphthoquinone Diospyrin is an Inhibitor of DNA Gyrase with a Novel Mechanism of Action. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2012; DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M112.419069
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.
Dropbox is rapidly bulking up its Android app's photo sharing strength after lavishing some early attention on iOS. A newly posted refresh for the Google-friendly version lets photographers mass-select whole albums' worth of images quickly to share with anyone, whether they're Dropbox users or not. Android users who've been eager for parity just need to swing by the Google Play source link to get their fill.
Trends aren?t just for fashion: Diet and Fitness trends through the years
Posted 1 day ago by Amanda Raye
Trends don?t just exist in fashion ? they exist in all aspects of our lives: furniture, color, food and hairstyles just to name a few. I mean come on, mint and coral were totally the ?it? colors of 2012. Just like cupcakes were the dessert of choice for 2011 (Just so you know, be prepared for the cupcake shop down your street to close and reopen as a macaroon shop)!
But there are trends for things you might not even realize. Most notably, health and fitness. Let?s go through the past five years.
2007
During my graduating year of high school it was all about yoga. Yoga this, yoga that. Every gym in the country started offering it. The diet of choice? The Atkins Diet, which was all about consuming very little carbs.
Love yoga but find it too expensive? Check to see if your city has a pay what you wish yoga studio, such as?Yoga to the People.
2008
This year was all about Zumba. Everyone, young and old were putting their gym sneakers on to shake their hips, listen to sexy music and sweat. The diet of choice? Vegetarian and vegan.
2009
Since Zumba was a hit, gyms started offering?Bhangra and Bollywood dance classes (especially after the success of ?Slumdog Millionaire?).?The diet of choice? Raw vegan. Everyone was giving it a try, but obviously, it?s hard to stick with, as it can be very time consuming and expensive.
2010
Yoga was still in?it just got hotter. Bikram and Hot Yoga were all the rage. Bikram is a series of 26 poses in a room heated to 105 degrees. Singer, Lily Allen, credited Bikram Yoga for her 2010 weight loss. The diet of choice: 3 to 7 day juice cleanses to detox your body. Check out our cleanse adventure from October!
2011
Spinning was the exercise of choice for so many that year! The diet? Gluten-free. However, doctors have said that unless you have an allergy to gluten, it?s totally fine to eat. Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga decided to give up the wheat anyways, for ?more energy? in 2012.
2012
This past year it was all about CrossFit. Countless people signed up at CrossFit centers all around the country. Honestly, it seems to work! Everyone I know following the CrossFit lifestyle now looks happy, healthy and strong. The diet? Paleo, which is commonly called the ?caveman diet.? Basically, ?If a caveman couldn?t eat it, neither can you.
So, what health and fitness trends will pop up in 2013?
Broke & Chic?s advice is simple: everything in moderation! If you want a cupcake?do it! Just don?t make it a daily habit.
We?re not big fans of diets. If you want to lose weight, eat well and exercise, follow a lifestyle that you can stick to, and keep with it ? even after you?ve hit your goal.
Did you try any of the fitness or diet trends mentioned above? If so, what worked and what didn?t?
Source: au.ibtimes.com --- Sunday, January 13, 2013 India's headline inflation is likely to have risen in December by less than the central bank projected, and should reinforce hopes for a cut in interest rates this month to boost an economy that is set to post its slowest growth in a decade. ...
Jan. 11, 2013 ? Misguided killer T cells may be the missing link in sustained tissue damage in the brains and spines of people with multiple sclerosis, findings from the University of Washington reveal. Cytoxic T cells, also known as CD8+ T cells, are white blood cells that normally are in the body's arsenal to fight disease.
Multiple sclerosis is characterized by inflamed lesions that damage the insulation surrounding nerve fibers and destroy the axons, electrical impulse conductors that look like long, branching projections. Affected nerves fail to transmit signals effectively.
Intriguingly, the UW study, published this week in Nature Immunology, also raises the possibility that misdirected killer T cells might at other times act protectively and not add to lesion formation. Instead they might retaliate against the cells that tried to make them mistake the wrappings around nerve endings as dangerous.
Scientists Qingyong Ji and Luca Castelli performed the research with Joan Goverman, UW professor and chair of immunology. Goverman is noted for her work on the cells involved in autoimmune disorders of the central nervous system and on laboratory models of multiple sclerosis.
Multiple sclerosis generally first appears between ages 20 to 40. It is believed to stem from corruption of the body's normal defense against pathogens, so that it now attacks itself. For reasons not yet known, the immune system, which wards off cancer and infection, is provoked to vandalize the myelin sheath around nerve cells. The myelin sheath resembles the coating on an electrical wire. When it frays, nerve impulses are impaired.
Depending on which nerves are harmed, vision problems, an inability to walk, or other debilitating symptoms may arise. Sometimes the lesions heal partially or temporarily, leading to a see-saw of remissions and flare ups. In other cases, nerve damage is unrelenting.
The myelin sheaths on nerve cell projections are fashioned by support cells called oligodendrocytes. Newborn's brains contain just a few sections with myelinated nerve cells. An adult's brains cells are not fully myelinated until age 25 to 30.
For T cells to recognize proteins from a pathogen, a myelin sheath or any source, other cells must break the desired proteins into small pieces, called peptides, and then present the peptides in a specific molecular package to the T cells. Scientists had previously determined which cells present pieces of a myelin protein to a type of T cell involved in the pathology of multiple sclerosis called a CD4+ T cell. Before the current study, no cells had yet been found that present myelin protein to CD8+ T cells.
Scientists strongly suspect that CD8+ T cells, whose job is to kill other cells, play an important role in the myelin-damage of multiple sclerosis. In experimental autoimmune encephalitis, which is an animal model of multiple sclerosis in humans, CD4+T cells have a significant part in the inflammatory response. However, scientists observed that, in acute and chronic multiple sclerosis lesions, CD8+T cells actually outnumber CD4+ T cells and their numbers correlate with the extent of damage to nerve cell projections. Other studies suggest the opposite: that CD8+T cells may tone down the myelin attack.
The differing observations pointed to a conflicting role for CD8 + T cells in exacerbating or ameliorating episodes of multiple sclerosis. Still, how CD8+T cells actually contributed to regulating the autoimmune response in the central nervous system, for better or worse, was poorly understood.
Goverman and her team showed for the first time that naive CD8+ T cells were activated and turned into myelin-recognizing cells by special cells called Tip-dendritic cells. These cells are derived from a type of inflammatory white blood cell that accumulates in the brain and the spinal cord during experimental autoimmune encephalitis originally mediated by CD4+ T cells. The membrane folds and protrusions of mature dendritic cells often look like branched tentacles or cupped petals well-suited to probing the surroundings.
The researchers proposed that the Tip dendritic cells can not only engulf myelin debris or dead oligodendrocytes and then present myelin peptides to CD4 + T cells, they also have the unusual ability to load a myelin peptide onto a specific type of molecule that also presents it to CD8+ T cells. In this way, the Tip dendritic cells can spread the immune response from CD4+ T cells to CD8+ T cells. This presentation enables CD8+ T cells to recognize myelin protein segments from oligodendrocytes, the cells that form the myelin sheath. The phenomenon establishes a second-wave of autoimmune reactivity in which the CD8+ T cells respond to the presence of oligodendrocytes by splitting them open and spilling their contents.
"Our findings are consistent," the researchers said, "with the critical role of dendritic cells in promoting inflammation in autoimmune diseases of the central nervous system." They mentioned that mature dendritic cells might possibly wait in the blood vessels of normal brain tissue to activate T-cells that have infiltrated the blood/brain barrier.
The oligodendrocytes, under the inflammatory situation of experimental autoimmune encephalitis, also present peptides that elicit an immune response from CD8+T cells. Under healthy conditions, oligodendrocytes wouldn't do this.
The researchers proposed that myelin-specific CD8+T cells might play a role in the ongoing destruction of nerve-cell endings in "slow burning" multiple sclerosis lesions. A drop in inflammation accompanied by an increased degeneration of axons (electrical impulse-conducting structures) coincides with multiple sclerosis leaving the relapsing-remitting stage of disease and entering a more progressive state.
Medical scientists are studying the roles of a variety of immune cells in multiple sclerosis in the hopes of discovering pathways that could be therapeutic targets to prevent or control the disease, or to find ways to harness the body's own protective mechanisms. This could lead to highly specific treatments that might avoid the unpleasant or dangerous side effects of generalized immunosuppressants like corticosteroids or methotrexate.
The study was funding by grants AI072737 and AI073748 from the National Institutes of Health.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Washington. The original article was written by Leila Gray.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
Qingyong Ji, Luca Castelli, Joan M Goverman. MHC class I?restricted myelin epitopes are cross-presented by Tip-DCs that promote determinant spreading to CD8 T cells. Nature Immunology, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/ni.2513
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.
When filmmaker Linda Goldstein Knowlton and her husband adopted from China, she realized her infant daughter would someday want to know more about her home country.? Ruby, she realized, would eventually question why she was placed for adoption and began a life in a different culture halfway around the world.
Goldstein Knowlton began talking with teens adopted from China, and those conversations led to "Somewhere Between," showing at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Cinemark Century 16 at Eastport Plaza. The screening is sponsored by Families With Children From China's Oregon and southwest Washington chapter. (Note:? Tickets must be purchased in advance through the Tugg website; tickets will not be available at the theater.)
The documentary, filmed over three years, features four teens who live strikingly different outer lives but share an inner conviction that they dwell somewhere between cultures. The girls, captured in their early teen years, are products of China's one-child policy and social pressures that fueled parents' quest for sons. The filmmaker notes that of 175,000 adoptees from China, 80,000 lived in the U.S. when the film was made (it was released in 2011).
The girls range from a Nashville teen who wants to sing on the Grand Ol Opry stage to a Northeasterner who's coxswain for her prep school's crew team. But as the girls and their adoptive parents tell their adoption stories, common threads emerge.
As transracial adoptees in white communities, the girls feel the strain of never fully blending in.? One parent, and more than one child, talks of the drive to be perfect and achieve. "If you're always being seen and never blending in, of course you always want to do everything perfectly," says Peggy Cook about daughter Jenna. But Jenna views her perfectionism as tied to her placement in an orphanage because of gender: "I'm always searching for ways to compensate for the fact that I'm a girl," she says in one of the movie's many wrenching moments.
Each girl at some point calls herself a "banana" -- yellow on the outside, white on the inside. Later, one refines her view, saying, "It's more like scrambled eggs," the white and yellow all mixed up.
To a varying degree, they ache to know more about the "why" of their lives. Why were they in an orphanage, why were they adopted, what became of their birth families? The term "abandoned" is used frequently, freighted with varying emotions. At times you ache for the teen saying it, other times you wince as others repeat it? unthinkingly.
The documentary touches on many topics, sometimes only glancingly. Activist Hilbrand Westra makes a brief appearance; teens speak at an adoption forum in Italy; the role of religious faith in adoption, and understanding one's life, pops up regularly; an organization for Chinese adoptees called CAL/Global Girls is mentioned. Clearly, Goldstein Knowlton could have made three or four documentaries from her accumulated material and the wealth of issues woven throughout.
A significant thread explores searching for birth parents or families -- such a deep, rich topic that it overflows the banks of this project.? One girl chooses to seek information about her birth family, and the ensuing scenes had me shaking my head in astonishment at moments (a particularly starkly phrased question from an unexpected source) and blotting tears the next.?
The filmmakers could not have wished for more interesting, engaging subjects. Each teen cogently shares nuanced thoughts and emotions about her path from China to the U.S. They're obviously bright and talented, with rich lives.? When insecurity or pain seeps into their voices, it centers on questions of origin. Viewers have plenty to reflect on, in teasing out where general teen angst ends and adoption-specific issues begin.
The film's website warns that the sensitive nature of the material makes the film suitable for children 13 and older.? It's fair warning to all viewers. At times the raw emotion of the girls' search for identity can draw tears. Anyone in the "adoption triad" of birth parent, adoptive parent and adopted child should be prepared for the sticking power of the stories: The film, and these girls, will return to mind often, long after the credits roll.?
What if just by buying a t-shirt that spreads a message for a charitable cause, you could help fund that cause? What if there was a website that highlighted a specific cause and t-shirt every week? And what if that website donated $7 from each sale to that cause? You'd have Sevenly.org, and a pretty amazing startup with the sole purpose of helping to raise both money and awareness, all with fashion, e-commerce and you of course.
Every single entrepreneur on the face of this earth is actually writing a book. And the nature of that book must begin right now. Where you are. With the question: what do I wish to say?
The year is young. Possibilities are everywhere.![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 15-Jan-2013
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Drugs to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder can be incredibly controversial. There are concerns that they're over-prescribed, and there can be significant potential for abuse by people, particularly college age students, who don't have a prescription.
