minute brokaw: March 2013

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Links from the Brink (March 30, 2013)

Ivory smugglers, manatees, Iranian cheetahs, slow lorises and Britain?s beloved hedgehogs are in the news this week.

Ethics and Endangered Species: A new study accuses wildlife photographers of unethical behavior when it comes to the slender loris (either Loris tardigradus or L. lydekkerianus). The photographers reportedly convinced tribesmen (who consider the species to be taboo) to catch the lorises from the wild so the animals could be posed for photos. The lorises were then released into habitat that contained no food. Thought-provoking stuff.

The Punishment Doesn?t Fit the Crime: A Kenyan court this week fined a Chinese man the equivalent of $350 for trying to smuggle 439 pieces of ivory out of the country. This fine would actually a pretty decent-sized punishment if it had been levied against a citizen of Kenya, where the GDP is just $1,800 per person, but it is pocket change for an ivory smuggler from China. Wildlife crime is only attractive to so many people (and to organized crime syndicates) because the punishments are so small. We?ll never stop ivory smuggling unless enormous fines and jail time are levied against future offenders.

The Punishment Does Fit the Crime, but?: Authorities in India have removed a Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) from the wild after it killed a woman who was grazing her livestock. That woman?s death is sad enough, but if you did deep into this article from The Hindu, you see the situations that led to this attack in the first place. The 10-year-old male tiger came from Nagarhole National Park in the state of Karnataka, where too many tigers live in too little space. There?s a 22 percent annual tiger mortality rate in the region as tigers disperse out of the park and fight each other for territory. This particular tiger, named NHT-222, had been wounded by another tiger, leaving him unable to hunt, and had been pushed out of the protected reserve, where he finally clashed with humans. The tiger will now live in a zoo for the rest of its life.

British Butterflies Have Got it Bad: Hot on the heels of my recent report about British moth extinctions comes news that the UK?s butterflies are also in dire straits. Some species have declined 98 percent in the past few years after the wettest summer on record. Ironically, some of these species were already suffering from a drought in 1995, from which they have still not recovered.

Caregivers feed milk to a 1-month-old rhino calf after her mother was killed by poachers. Courtesy: Ol Pejeta Conservancy

Death at Ol Pejeta: Remember my recent article about Ol Pejeta Conservancy?s plan to buy an unmanned aerial vehicle (or drone) to protect its rhinos? Well, we have another reminder about the need for these devices and similar technologies. Poachers struck at Ol Pejeta on March 13, killing a 22-year-old black rhino that had just given birth a few weeks ago. The calf ?was found clinging to its mother?s body, unharmed, but distressed and calling for its mother,? according to an Ol Pejeta press release. This is the first poaching incident at the conservancy in more than a year.

Slow Justice: A Toronto-area restaurant has been fined $10,000 for selling 31 endangered spiny softshell turtles (Apalone spinifera), a protected species under Canadian law. The charges, amazingly, date back to May 2010. There?s no word on why it took nearly three years for the restaurant to finally be fined.

Counting Spots: Sam Khosravifard penned a guest blog here at SciAmBlogs asking, ?How Many Asiatic Cheetahs Roam across Iran?? A country-wide survey is currently underway. So far they have only counted 20 cheetahs, although there are still many far corners of the country left to check. For more on Asiatic cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus), check out my article ?Asiatic Cheetahs Racing Toward Extinction.?

Manatees vs. Boats: As I?ve written many times before, one of the biggest threats to Florida?s manatees (Trichechus manatus) is that state?s love of high-speed watercraft. But as this great National Geographic video illustrates, you don?t need to actually hit a manatee with your boat to endanger it:

Don?t Hedge Your Bets: Britain?s beloved hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) lost 32 percent of their population between 2011 and 2012. The species had been declining about 5 percent per year leading up to this.

Save the Easter Bunny? Finally, in honor of Easter, Jordon Carlton Schaul of Wildlife SOS gives us the run-down on several lagomorph species that are ?conservation dependent.?

That?s it for this time around. For more endangered species news stories throughout the week, read the regular Extinction Countdown articles here at Scientific American, ?like? Extinction Countdown on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter.

Photo: A slender loris (Loris tardigradus) photographed in Frankfurt Zoo by Joachim S. M?ller. Used under Creative Commons license

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=1eb1ffe260e68cae36ee2bebff4bb483

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Is Sonianomics An 'Occult' Form Of Economics? - india news network

INDIA NEWS NETWORK: Is Sonianomics An ?Occult? Form Of Economics?

Is Sonianomics An ?Occult? Form Of Economics?

Instead of economics, are Congress president Sonia Gandhi?s pet welfare schemes drawn from the occult?

In an Indian Express column that evaluates 15 years of Sonia Gandhi?s leadership, Chairman of Oxus Investments Surjit S Bhalla says that the Congress chief?s economic policies, which were aimed at helping the poor, but ended up hurting them the most, defy ?pure reason? and dubs them ?occult economics?.

Her policies have their origin in the creation of the Congress in 1885 by the Theosophical Society, an occultist movement, he says.

?Sonia UPA?s alchemy raised procurement prices of food grains beyond reason, helped a few rich farmers (say 20 million) and massively hurt ten times as many landless agricultural workers. And by generating super-inflation for four years, transformed the Indian economy beyond recognition,? says Bhalla.

Bhalla also analyses the economics of MGNREGA, a UPA pet scheme aimed at giving employment to the rural poor.

According to Bhalla, as per the NSS data of 2009-10, of the Rs 1,70,000 crore spent on MGNREGA, only a fifth reached the intended beneficiaries. In other words, about Rs 1,40,000 crore went to the non-poor. The scheme has helped nothing but corruption, says Bhalla.

Another example of ?occult economics? is the 2013-14 budget, in which the government aims at 13 percent GDP growth and 16 percent expenditure growth, which is to be financed with a 19 percent growth in tax revenue.

A third example of this brand of economics is the Food Security Bill, which is slated to be presented in the current Budget session of Parliament. The bill seeks to provide subsidised food grains to 67 percent of the country?s population.

According to a recent report in The Hindu, the bill would burden the government with a subsidy bill of about Rs 1.35 lakh crore.

Such economic policies have already halved the GDP growth, doubled inflation, depreciated the rupee by 20 percent and widened the current account deficit to 6.7 percent of GDP.

For the country to come out of the economic rot, Sonia has to change her occult spots by resorting to economic reforms, the Bhalla says. Otherwise, the Congress?and with it the country?will perish.

Source: http://hyd-news.blogspot.com/2013/03/is-sonianomics-occult-form-of-economics.html

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Liquid Image Apex HD+ Review: All Snow Goggles Should Come With Built-In Action Cams

Action cameras are great for shredding the slopes and all, but there are some drawbacks. What if it falls off your helmet? What if the angle is too high, or too low? More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/8BOJSYJEWCo/liquid-image-apex-hd%252B-review-all-snow-goggles-should-come-with-built+in-action-cams

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Rubio: Reports of immigration deal 'premature' (The Arizona Republic)

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'The Voice' Beats 'American Idol' In Ratings For First Time

'Idol' ratings continue their decline as 'Voice' has strong first week.
By Gil Kaufman

Shakira and Usher on "The Voice"
Photo: Trae Patton/ NBC

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1704636/the-voice-american-idol-ratings.jhtml

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Saturday, March 30, 2013

Business, labor close on deal for immigration bill (The Arizona Republic)

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Bourbon Chocolate Bunnies: Make Your Easter Basket Boozy

Easter egg hunts were fine and good when you were a kid and sugar was the only rush you needed. But it's time to set the Peeps aside. It's time to get drunk the Easter way. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/JnNNHNk80e0/bourbon-chocolate-bunnies-make-your-easter-basket-boozy

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Friday, March 29, 2013

New details: Giffords gunman was polite, cooperative

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) ? As authorities investigated the rampage that killed six people and wounded former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, they compiled nearly 3,000 pages of documents that include everything from interviews with survivors and victims to police reports filed from the crime scene. The documents, released Wednesday, provide new insight into how the shooting occurred and the motivations behind gunman Jared Loughner. One of the main themes to emerge was his increasingly erratic behavior, perhaps summed up best by his father as he told investigators: He "just doesn't seem right lately."

A look at some of the major findings:

LOUGHNER

The gunman was polite and cooperative with authorities who were holding him the afternoon following his morning shooting rampage. The conversation as Loughner sat in restraints in an interview room was mainly small talk. Little was said over the four hours. Loughner asks at one point if he can please use the restroom and says "Thank you" when allowed. At another point he complained that "I'm about ready to fall over."

GUNMAN'S MOTHER

Loughner's mother, Amy, described his run-ins with authorities, his use of marijuana and cocaine, his journals and his increasingly erratic behavior. She also says the parents took a shotgun away from Loughner after he was kicked out of a community college and tested him for drugs because his behavior was so strange.

GUNMAN'S FATHER

Randy Loughner said his son became increasingly difficult, and it was a challenge to have a rational conversation with him. "I tried to talk to him. But you can't, he wouldn't let you," he said "Lost, lost, and just didn't want to communicate with me no more."

MENTAL ILLNESS

Despite their son's increasingly bizarre behavior, Loughner's parents never got him help. Randy Loughner said his son had never been diagnosed with a mental illness. Had he seen a doctor, the detective asked. "No," replied the father. The parents were also asked about any journals or writings that Loughner kept. The father said they were written in an indecipherable script.

GOING TO THE SCENE

Loughner went to a convenience store immediately before the shooting and had the clerk call a cab for him. As he waited for the car, he was pacing inside and outside the store and went to the bathroom three or four times. The employee said that as Loughner was waiting for the cab, he looked up at a clock and said, "nine twenty-five, I still got time."

TRAFFIC STOP

A wildlife agent pulled Loughner over earlier in the day for a traffic violation. He cried and said, "I've just had a rough time," and then composed himself, thanked the agent and shook his hand after he was let go with a warning. The agent asked Loughner again if he was OK, and Loughner said he was going home.

THE SCENE

Giffords intern Daniel Hernandez helped tend to his boss after she was shot in the head. In an interview, he described the chaos: "She couldn't open her eyes. I tried to get any responses for her. Um, it looked like her left side was the only side that was still mobile. Um, she couldn't speak. It was mumbled. She was squeezing my hand.

"I did some training as a Certified Nursing Assistant and as a phlebotomist, um, when I was in high school. So I knew that we need to see if she's got a pulse. She was still breathing. Her breathing was getting shallower. Uh, I then lifted her up so that she wasn't flat on the ground against the wall," he said.

BIZARRE VOICEMAIL

On the day of the shooting, Loughner friend Bryce Tierney told investigators that Loughner had called him early in the morning and left a cryptic voicemail that he believed was suicidal. "He just said, 'Hey, this is Jared. Um, we had some good times together. Uh, see you later.' And that's it." He tried to call back, but it was a restricted number that didn't register on his phone.

EDDIE BAUER

Loughner's father considered his son's firing as a salesman at an Eddie Bauer store to be a turning point. Asked about how the firing affected his son, Randy Loughner said: "He just wasn't the same. He just, nothing, nothing worked, seem to go right for him."

GUNS

Loughner bought a 12-gauge shotgun in 2008, but his parents took it away from him after he was expelled from college and administrators recommended that any firearms be taken away. The shotgun was the only gun his parents knew Loughner owned.

CARING FOR GIFFORDS

A firefighter described how he cared for Giffords after arriving at the scene. "You'd ask her to grab your hand and she would grab your hand," he said. He and paramedics rushed her to the hospital in an ambulance, giving her oxygen and an IV.

THE ENCOUNTER

Hernandez described how constituents and other people were lining up to see Giffords, and he was helping people sign in. He recalled handing Loughner a clipboard. "The next thing I hear is someone yell, 'gun,'" he said.

LOUGHNER FRIEND

One-time Loughner friend Zachary Osler was an employee at a store where Loughner later bought a Glock handgun before the shooting. Osler was questioned about seeing Loughner shopping inside, sometime before Thanksgiving. He describes an awkward encounter with his former friend. "His response is nothing. Just a mute facial expression. And just like he, he didn't care." Osler told investigators he had grown uncomfortable with Loughner's personality, "He would say he could dream and then control what he was doing while he was dreaming." Osler says Loughner never mentioned Giffords to him.

REACTION

Osler said when he learned that Loughner was the suspect in the shooting, "my jaw just dropped. And I was like I know this person. Why he would do it? What would his motive be? If he had people help him? I do not know."

UNUSUAL ENCOUNTER

FILE - In this Wednesday, March 6, 2013 file photo, former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords smiles as she raises a fist pump to the crowd as she, husband Mark Kelly, and a number of other Tucson mass ... more? FILE - In this Wednesday, March 6, 2013 file photo, former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords smiles as she raises a fist pump to the crowd as she, husband Mark Kelly, and a number of other Tucson mass shooting victims returned to the site of the shooting in Tucson, Ariz., that left her critically wounded to urge key senators to support expanded background checks for gun purchases. Giffords has been named this year's recipient of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage award. The JFK Library and Museum announced Friday that the Arizona Democrat is being honored for the "political, personal, and physical courage she has demonstrated in her fearless public advocacy for policy reforms aimed at reducing gun violence." (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File) less? A few weeks before the shooting, Loughner showed up at the apartment of boyhood friend Anthony Kuck with a 9 mm pistol in his waistband. Loughner said he bought the gun for Christmas. He insisted it was for "home protection," Kuck's roommate, Derek Andrew Heintz, told a Pima County Sheriff's detective and FBI agent who interviewed him the evening after the shooting. Loughner left Heintz with a souvenir: A bullet.

POSSESSIONS

Police reports show what authorities found in Loughner's possession after the shooting. In Loughner's left front pocket were two magazines for a Glock, both fully loaded. In his other front pocket was a foldable knife with about a 4-inch blade. In his back right pocket, he had a baggie with some money, a Visa credit card and his Arizona driver's license. He was wearing a black beanie, a black hoodie-type sweatshirt, khaki pants and Skechers shoes.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/major-findings-records-giffords-shooting-155158671.html

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Summer melt season is getting longer on the Antarctic Peninsula

Thursday, March 28, 2013

New research from the Antarctic Peninsula shows that the summer melt season has been getting longer over the last 60 years. Increased summer melting has been linked to the rapid break-up of ice shelves in the area and rising sea level.

The Antarctic Peninsula ? a mountainous region extending northwards towards South America ? is warming much faster than the rest of Antarctica. Temperatures have risen by up to 3 oC since the 1950s ? three times more than the global average. This is a result of a strengthening of local westerly winds, causing warmer air from the sea to be pushed up and over the peninsula. In contrast to much of the rest of Antarctica, summer temperatures are high enough for snow to melt.

This summer melting may have important effects. Meltwater may enlarge cracks in floating ice shelves which can contribute to their retreat or collapse. As a result, the speed at which glaciers flow towards the sea will be increased. Also, melting and refreezing causes snow layers to become thinner and more dense, affecting the height of the snow surface above sea level. Scientists need to know this so they can interpret satellite data correctly.

Dr Nick Barrand, who carried out the research while working for the British Antarctic Survey, led an analysis of data from 30 weather stations on the peninsula. "We found a significant increase in the length of the melting season at most of the stations with the longest temperature records" he says. "At one station the average length of the melt season almost doubled between 1948 and 2011."

To build up a more complete picture across the whole peninsula, the team (funded by the European Union's ice2sea programme) also analysed satellite data collected by an instrument called a scatterometer. Using microwave reflections from the ice sheet surface, the scatterometer was able to detect the presence of meltwater. The team were able to produce maps of how the melt season varied from 1999 to 2009, and showed that several major ice shelf breakup events coincided with longer than usual melt seasons. This supports the theory that enlargement of cracks by meltwater is the main mechanism for ice shelf weakening and collapse.

The researchers also compared data from both the satellite and weather stations with the output of a state-of-the-art regional climate model.

Dr Barrand, who now works at the University of Birmingham, says, "We found that the model was very good at reproducing the pattern and timing of the melt, and changes in melting between years. This increases confidence in the use of climate models to predict future changes to snow and ice cover in the Antarctic Peninsula."

###

British Antarctic Survey: http://www.nerc-bas.ac.uk

Thanks to British Antarctic Survey for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127498/Summer_melt_season_is_getting_longer_on_the_Antarctic_Peninsula

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Thursday, March 28, 2013

Citrix: Windows Phone is barely making a dent in the workplace

By Martyn Herman LONDON, March 28 (Reuters) - Whether by design, necessity, self-interest or because of all three, nurturing youngsters has become fashionable for England's elite with no expense spared in the hunt for the new Wayne Rooney or Steven Gerrard. The length and breadth of the country, scouts from top clubs are hoovering up promising footballers barely old enough to tie their bootlaces in a bid to unearth the 30 million pounds ($45.40 million) treasures of the future. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/citrix-windows-phone-barely-making-dent-workplace-120411392.html

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Man pleads not guilty to extorting A&M professor

HOUSTON (AP) ? James Arnt Aune was regarded as a fine scholar, mentor and friend by students and his fellow professors at Texas A&M University, where he headed the school's Department of Communication.

But Aune, who jumped to his death from the roof of a campus parking garage in January, battled depression in recent years. He struggled with the administrative duties of being a department head, and he was badly shaken by his 2007 battle with prostate cancer, which he survived but which forced him to face his own mortality, his widow said.

"He never really came all the way back," Miriam Aune said of his surviving cancer.

He began drinking heavily, and in December he started a sexually explicit online relationship with what he thought was an underage girl, according to prosecutors. He was soon contacted by a man purporting to be her outraged father, who threatened to expose Aune unless he paid him $5,000.

Aune paid the man $1,500, but he didn't know if he could come up with the rest, authorities say. He confessed to his wife, who pledged to stand by him, but about a week later, the 59-year-old Aune jumped to his death after sending a final text: "Killing myself now. And u will be prosecuted for black mail."

The man who got that text, according to prosecutors, pleaded not guilty Tuesday in a Houston federal courtroom to an extortion charge. The 37-year-old Metairie, La., resident was ordered to remain in jail without bail, and his trial is scheduled for May 28. If convicted, he faces up to two years in jail. His court-appointed attorney, Marjorie Meyers, declined to comment about the case.

Authorities allege that Aune was one of many victims of a scheme in which the man used his daughter to lure men into sexually explicit online relationships and later blackmailed them. The Associated Press isn't naming the man to protect the identity of his daughter.

In the criminal complaint, prosecutors contend that the man's daughter told authorities in Louisiana in 2011 that her father took naked photos and videos of her and used them "to scam men" through MocoSpace, a social networking website mainly for mobile devices.

On the site, "she would meet men, get their phone numbers and send them pictures and videos then (her father) would call them and say how she was his daughter and how she would need counseling and they had to pay for it."

At the time of that 2011 interview, her father was facing two counts of oral sexual battery and two counts of aggravated incest. The charges were dropped in February 2012 due to a lack of corroborating evidence, said Rachael Domiano, a spokeswoman for the 21st Judicial District Attorney's Office in Louisiana.

Federal prosecutors on Tuesday declined to comment about certain details of the alleged scheme, and it wasn't clear from the criminal complaint if prosecutors believe the defendant's daughter actually interacted with Aune, or if her image was used to allegedly dupe him.

Miriam Aune, 56, told The Associated Press that investigators told her that the defendant was the person who communicated with her husband and other men, pretending to be his daughter. She said her husband told her he began the online chats sometime in December and that by the third or fourth day after the chats began, the defendant reached out to him asking for money.

According to court records, undated texts show Aune scrambling to put money on prepaid credit cards for the defendant and asking for his forgiveness, saying "I am very sorry. It was a weak moment."

A week before his suicide, James Aune confessed to his wife. Miriam Aune said her husband never told her why he did it.

She pledged her support for him, but said he became despondent after his confession.

"I was just telling him there was nothing that we couldn't get through. We have two autistic children we have raised to adulthood. We've been through rough stuff. I thought we could get through this," Miriam Aune said.

According to a criminal complaint, the defendant continued bombarding Aune with profanity laced emails, texts and voicemails, including a Jan. 7 email in which he warned Aune that he had until noon the next day to pay or else "the police, your place of employment, students, ALL OVER THE INTERNET ...ALL OF THEM will be able to see your conversations, texts, pictures you sent ...."

On Jan. 8 at 9:21 a.m., the defendant texted, "3 more hours. If i don't hear from you the calls start," according the criminal complaint by FBI agent Nikki Allen.

At 10:29 a.m., Aune replied, "Killing myself now And u will be prosecuted for black mail."

He jumped from the parking garage roof about a minute later, shocking the A&M campus, which is about 100 miles northwest of Houston.

Miriam Aune doesn't excuse her husband's actions. She said it was his decision to go online and begin the conversations.

"It just shows you anybody can slip off the path. I know a lot of people are very surprised by this. He was very human with flaws, just like all of us," she said.

But she said it saddens her to know that some people will only remember her husband for what happened at the end of his life.

"To him, being a professor, it was a sacred duty to him. And he cared so much about his students," she said as she cried. "The people who know him, who loved him, they are not going to feel any differently about him."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/man-pleads-not-guilty-extorting-m-professor-004902354.html

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Gay Marriage in Supreme Court: Will Justices Throw Out Prop 8, DOMA?

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/03/will-supreme-court-throw-out-prop-8-defense-of-marriage-act/

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Wednesday, March 27, 2013

PFT: Vikes' Allen had two surgeries on same day

Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl XLVII Media Availability

Getty Images

Before Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo appeared at a rally at the Supreme Court, he spoke to Erik Brady of USA Today regarding the question of whether a gay NFL player will come out of the closet.

Ayanbadejo believes that it will happen in another sport first.

?I think it will happen in baseball sooner than in football or basketball,? Ayanbadejo said.? ?The reason I say that is because I think there is less of a connection to religion in baseball.? The religious roots are a lot deeper in basketball and football.? With that being said, I think baseball players are more open minded.?

Ayanbadejo later acknowledged that he ?could be wrong,? but he nevertheless believes baseball players generally are ?open-minded and not so tied to religion as much as football and basketball.?

But he also believes the NFL is ready for an openly gay player, and that the league is ?laying the foundation for a player to be comfortable and safe.?? Ayanbadejo likewise thinks that last month?s ?do you like girls?? controversy from Scouting Combine interviews has helped the situation by forcing the NFL to instruct teams to end potentially discriminatory practices.

Still, the biggest impediment to coming out may come from the external distractions.? The player will have to be willing to bear that burden, and to subject his teammates and others in the organization to questions about the situation.? Most players won?t want that, for themselves or for their teammates.

The media could help reduce that burden by not getting carried away by news of the first gay NFL player.? The reality is that, when a football player comes out of the closet, every media organization will come out of the woodwork in search of sound bites and reactions and, ideally, controversy.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/26/jared-allen-had-knee-shoulder-worked-on-the-same-day/related/

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Unique mechanisms of antibiotic resistance identified

Mar. 26, 2013 ? As public health authorities across the globe grapple with the growing problem of antibiotic resistance, Tufts University School of Medicine microbiologists and colleagues have identified the unique resistance mechanisms of a clinical isolate of E. coli resistant to carbapenems. Carbapenems are a class of antibiotics used as a last resort for the treatment of disease-causing bacteria, including E. coli and Klebsiella pneumonia, which can cause serious illness and even death. Infections involving resistant strains fail to respond to antibiotic treatments, which can lead to prolonged illness and greater risk of death, as well as significant public health challenges due to increased transmission of infection.

The study, published in the April issue of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, demonstrates the lengths to which bacteria will go to become resistant to antibiotics.

Resistance to carbapenems usually emerges through the acquisition of an enzyme, carbapenemase, which destroys the antibiotic intended to treat infection. Resistance may also block entry of the drug into the E-coli bacteria. The current research, led by corresponding author Stuart Levy, M.D., Professor of Molecular Biology & Microbiology and of Medicine and Director of the Center for Adaptation Genetics & Drug Resistance at Tufts University School of Medicine, sought to determine what made this particular clinical isolate of E. coli resistant to carbapenem in the absence of carbapenemase.

"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has documented a significant increase in Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) -- so-called 'super bugs' that have been found to fight off even the most potent treatments," Levy said. "We knew that bacteria could resist carbapenems, but we had never before seen E. coli adapt so extensively to defeat an antibiotic. Our research shows just how far bacteria will go with mutations in order to survive."

Levy and his colleagues determined that the E. coli genetically mutated four separate times in order to resist carbapenems. Specifically, the isolate removed two membrane proteins in order to prevent antibiotics from getting into the cell. The bacteria also carried a mutation of the regulatory protein marR, which controls how bacteria react in the presence of antibiotics. The isolate further achieved resistance by increasing expression of a multidrug efflux pump. Moreover, the researchers discovered that the E. coli was expressing a new protein, called yedS, which helped the drug enter the cell, but whose expression was curtailed by the marR mutation. yedS is a normally inactive protein acquired by some E. coli that affects how the drug enters the bacterial cell. It is generally expressed in bacteria through a mutation.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CRE germs have increased from 1% to 4% in the United States over the last decade. Forty-two states report having identified at least one patient with one type of CRE. Approximately 18% of long-term acute care hospitals in the United States and 4% of short-stay hospitals reported at least one CRE infection in the first half of 2012.

The clinical isolate of E. coli studied by Levy and his colleagues came from the sputum of a patient at Peking Union Medical College Hospital in Beijing, China, where three of the study authors are on the faculty. Drug resistance is a particularly serious public health concern in China, antibiotics are overprescribed and used widely in the livestock and farming industries.

"The first quinolone-resistant strains of bacteria came out of China, where we see that the drugs of last resort begin being used, because the other drugs don't work after so much overuse," Levy said.

Additional authors of the paper are Doug Warner, Director of Undergraduate Laboratories, Boston College; Qiwen Yang, Section Director of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking Union Medical College Hospital; Valerie Duval, Research Assistant at Tufts University Center for Adaptation Genetics and Drug Resistance; Minjun Chen, Professor of Clinical Microbiology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital; and Yingchun Xu, Chair, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital.

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under award number R01AI56021.

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D. M. Warner, Q. Yang, V. Duval, M. Chen, Y. Xu, S. B. Levy. Involvement of MarR and YedS in Carbapenem Resistance in a Clinical Isolate of Escherichia coli from China. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 2013; 57 (4): 1935 DOI: 10.1128/AAC.02445-12

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/9wv0dTUHF6I/130326112007.htm

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Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Post-mortem shows Russian tycoon died from hanging

FILE - In this Wednesday, March, 10, 2010 file photo, self-exiled oligarch Boris Berezovsky leaves the High Court in London after winning his libel case against a Russian broadcaster that accused him of masterminding the murder of a former Russian agent in London. Russia?s transition from a Kremlin-controlled economy to a free market in the 1990s brought on a wave of contract killings as criminals, entrepreneurs, and corrupt officials tried muscle each other out of lucrative businesses. The recent death of 67-year old Boris Berezovsky, which remains unexplained, has revived fears that the assassins that have long stalked oligarchs and opposition figures back in Russia have been making their home in the U.K. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)

A British police officer stands guard by a cordoned off road leading to the residence of Boris Berezovsky near Ascot, a town 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of London, Monday, March 25, 2013. There was no evidence to suggest anyone else was involved in the death of Boris Berezovsky, the self-exiled Russian tycoon who went from Kremlin kingmaker to fiery critic, British police said Sunday. With an investigation under way, police are treating the death of Berezovsky ? who fled to Britain in the early 2000s after a bitter falling out with Russian President Vladimir Putin ? as unexplained. But the former oligarch survived assassination attempts and recently faced financial difficulties, prompting speculation as to whether his death was part of a conspiracy ? or suicide. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

LONDON (AP) ? A post-mortem examination found that self-exiled Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky died by hanging, and there was nothing pointing to a violent struggle, British police said.

Thames Valley Police said Monday that further tests, including toxicology examinations, will be carried out. The force did not specify whether the 67-year-old businessman hanged himself, but they have said there was no evidence to suggest anyone else was involved in the death.

Once one of Russia's richest men and a Kremlin powerbroker, Berezovsky fled to Britain in 2001 and claimed political asylum after a bitter falling out with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He became a vocal critic of the Kremlin.

Berezovsky had survived several assassination attempts in Britain and Russia, including a car bomb in 1994 that killed his driver.

Berezovsky's body was found by an employee on the bathroom floor at his upscale England home on Saturday. The employee called an ambulance after he forced open the bathroom door, which was locked from the inside. Police said the employee was the only person in the house when Berezovsky's body was discovered.

A forensic examination of Berezovsky's home will continue for several days, police said Monday.

A mathematician-turned-Mercedes dealer, Berezovsky built up his wealth during Russia's chaotic privatization of state assets in the 1990s following the breakup of the Soviet Union. In return for backing Russian President Boris Yeltsin, he gained political clout and opportunities to buy state assets like oil and gas at knockdown prices.

Berezovsky helped build Putin's power base but fell out of favor when the new president moved to curb the ambitions of the oligarchs. The tycoon was charged in Russia with fraud and embezzlement.

Berezovsky later associated himself with ex-KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko, another Kremlin critic. Litvinenko died after ingesting polonium in his tea at a London hotel in 2006.

In recent years, Berezovsky's fortunes declined with numerous expensive court cases.

Last year, Berezovsky lost a huge legal battle against former business partner and fellow Russian tycoon Roman Abramovich, which left him with legal bills of at least 35 million pounds ($53.3 million.)

Berezovsky had said that Abramovich, the billionaire owner of Chelsea Football Club, cheated him out of his stakes in the oil group Sibneft, arguing that he blackmailed him into selling the stakes vastly beneath their true worth after he fell out of Putin's favor.

But a judge threw out the case in August, ruling that Berezovsky was a dishonest and unreliable witness, and rejected Berezovsky's claims that he was threatened by Putin and Alexander Voloshin, a Putin ally, to coerce him to sell his Sibneft stake.

In 2010 Berezovsky also took a hit with his divorce from Galina Besharova, paying a settlement estimated to be as high as 100 million pounds.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-25-Britain-Berezovsky/id-1a51905a6227493ba3e0fe010a0959b1

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Junk food fight heats up

New York's big soda ban goes down. more battles ahead.

By Schuyler Velasco,?Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor / March 25, 2013

The fight between food purveyors and health advocates over junk food is getting intense. From the successful campaign against trans fats to San Francisco's ban on toys in McDonald's Happy Meals to first lady Michelle Obama's campaign against childhood obesity, it's clear that makers of so-called junk foods face a widening public relations battle.

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In the latest round, the food industry notched a big win. Within hours of New York City's ban on big sugary drinks going into effect March 11, a New York State Supreme Court justice struck it down. The judge blasted the city for regulatory overreach, because it didn't consult the city council. He also called the rule "arbitrary and capricious," because it didn't apply to all establishments in the city or all high-calorie sweetened drinks.

More battles lie ahead. After New York proposed controversial soda regulations last year, the mayor of Cambridge, Mass., weighed in on the desirability of doing the same in her city.

"Once you open the door a crack for these sorts of things, they don't go away," says Ruth MacDonald, chair of the food science and human nutrition department at Iowa State University in Ames. "There probably will be more of these things."

Some advocates liken the fight between food purveyors and health advocates to what happened decades ago with the major cigarette companies. Advocates finally got huge restrictions on smoking and cigarette sales despite furious industry lobbying. But there's one crucial difference: Food is a lot more complicated than tobacco. With sugar and fat so prevalent in food, "it gets just a little messy when you pinpoint which items you're not going to sell," says Dr. MacDonald.

The loopholes in the New York City ban were one factor in sinking it. For example, the city would have fined restaurants that served sugary drinks in cups containing more than 16 ounces. But convenience stores (including 7-Eleven and its "Big Gulp" drinks) were exempt because they are regulated by the state; so were drinks that were more than 50 percent dairy, like a milkshake.

The food industry cheered the ruling. "The court's decision upholds a principle that most of us already believe in ? freedom of choice," said the American Beverage Association, an industry group, in a statement. "Health cannot be legislated, mandated or decreed ? it must be learned and practiced by individuals."

The goal of such initiatives is to make people more conscious of their eating habits, rather than controlling them, counters Nancy Neiman Auerbach, a professor of food politics at Scripps College in Los Angeles. "You can unconsciously eat a massive bag of Cheetos; you can't do that with real foods. [Mayor Michael] Bloomberg's crusade is pointing out how difficult it is to attack this very broad-based health concern."

Mr. Bloomberg has vowed to continue the fight.

Progress will come on multiple fronts, adds MacDonald of Iowa State University, as government finds publicly acceptable ways to discourage unhealthy food habits, consumer awareness grows, and food companies adapt their products to meet public concerns.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/qCIG1R8nRGo/Junk-food-fight-heats-up

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Monday, March 25, 2013

NPR goes rogue (Powerlineblog)

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Oldest private residence in New York area hits market: $438K

Laura Vescey , Zillow ? ? ? 21 hrs.

Forget the War of 1812. How about a home whose historic foundation dates back a full century earlier and that has just been listed in Newark, N.J.?

The Sydenham House was built in 1712 as a two-room saltbox over a root cellar and was later expanded 1826. It?s now a five-bedroom, two-bathroom residence with a distinct calling card: It?s the oldest house in Newark and the oldest private residence in the metropolitan New York area.

Located at 29 Old Road To Bloomfield, Newark, N.J. 07104, the home has been refurbished to its original condition and modernized with amenities necessary for modern living. It has been listed since 1970 on the National Register of Historic Places.

Sydenham House appears to have come a long way since 2005, when it was last on the real estate market and featured in The New York Times. At that time, the home was in rough shape, occupied only by a caretaker employed by descendants of a Newark couple who had for 40 years worked on preserving the residence. The home still retains its original floors, doors and hardware, windows and fireplaces, but has been bolstered with new wiring, plumbing, roof and gourmet kitchen.

The Times noted that the home had been listed at $699,000 in 2005, which many neighbors deemed too high, especially because strict guidelines were set forth by its now-deceased owners regarding how the house can be remodeled or maintained.

Now, however, the home is priced at $438,000, though it still begs the question: How much value should be placed on a property for which there are no comparable homes?

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653351/s/29edf81c/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Cbusiness0Coldest0Eprivate0Eresidence0Enew0Eyork0Earea0Ehits0Emarket0E438k0E1C90A34629/story01.htm

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Sony Xperia ZL goes on pre-order for US customers, off-contract: $720 for HSPA, $760 for LTE

Remember the Xperia ZL? While it lingered in the shadow of the waterproof Xperia Z back at CES, the phone does still exist and has now gone on preorder at Sony's own webstore. Withc the same 5-inch 1080p display, 13-megapixel camera and Snapdragon S4 Pro of the omnibalanced Z model, the Xperia ZL packs it into a smaller footprint and adds the courtesy of a physical camera button. Sony's NFC skills remain onboard and that lead camera is capable of HDR video capture, alongside recent improvements to the Xperia range's automatic shooting mode. While its own retail site is currently down (and there's no concrete date for when you'll get your hands on the phone), Sony says that it will be available from other online stores soon, pricing the Xperia ZL, contract- and carrier-less, at a hefty $720 on HSPA, or $760 for the 4G variant. That pricier option includes LTE Bands 2, 4 5, and 17, which means it should connect with AT&T's 4G network -- with or without any carrier branding.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Sony

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Source: Sony Store

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/25/sony-xperia-zl-goes-on-pre-order-for-us-customers-off-contract/

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Head coach Dana Altman (L) and assistant coach Tony Stubblefield of the Oregon Ducks react in the first half against the Saint Louis Billikens during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at HP Pavilion on March 23, 2013 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Oregon vs. Saint Louis

Damyean Dotson #21 of the Oregon Ducks goes up against the Saint Louis Billikens in the first half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at HP Pavilion on March 23, 2013 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Oregon vs. Saint Louis

Mike McCall Jr. #11 of the Saint Louis Billikens guards Johnathan Loyd #10 of the Oregon Ducks in the first half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at HP Pavilion on March 23, 2013 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Thearon Henderson/Getty Images)

Oregon vs. Saint Louis

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/24/syracuse-cal-ncaa-scores-2013_n_2942025.html

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