Wednesday, November 30, 2011

'Fool's gold' aids discovery of new options for cheap, benign solar energy

ScienceDaily (Nov. 28, 2011) ? Pyrite, better known as "fool's gold," was familiar to the ancient Romans and has fooled prospectors for centuries -- but has now helped researchers at Oregon State University discover related compounds that offer new, cheap and promising options for solar energy.

These new compounds, unlike some solar cell materials made from rare, expensive or toxic elements, would be benign and could be processed from some of the most abundant elements on Earth. Findings on them have been published in Advanced Energy Materials, a professional journal.

Iron pyrite itself has little value as a future solar energy compound, the scientists say, just as the brassy, yellow-toned mineral holds no value compared to the precious metal it resembles. But for more than 25 years it was known to have some desirable qualities that made it of interest for solar energy, and that spurred the recent research.

The results have been anything but foolish.

"We've known for a long time that pyrite was interesting for its solar properties, but that it didn't actually work," said Douglas Keszler, a distinguished professor of chemistry at OSU. "We didn't really know why, so we decided to take another look at it. In this process we've discovered some different materials that are similar to pyrite, with most of the advantages but none of the problems.

"There's still work to do in integrating these materials into actual solar cells," Keszler said. "But fundamentally, it's very promising. This is a completely new insight we got from studying fool's gold."

Pyrite was of interest early in the solar energy era because it had an enormous capacity to absorb solar energy, was abundant, and could be used in layers 2,000 times thinner than some of its competitors, such as silicon. However, it didn't effectively convert the solar energy into electricity.

In the new study, the researchers found out why. In the process of creating solar cells, which takes a substantial amount of heat, pyrite starts to decompose and forms products that prevent the creation of electricity.

Based on their new understanding of exactly what the problem was, the research team then sought and found compounds that had the same capabilities of pyrite but didn't decompose. One of them was iron silicon sulfide.

"Iron is about the cheapest element in the world to extract from nature, silicon is second, and sulfur is virtually free," Keszler said. "These compounds would be stable, safe, and would not decompose. There's nothing here that looks like a show-stopper in the creation of a new class of solar energy materials."

Work to continue the development of the materials and find even better ones in the same class will continue at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado, which collaborated on this research.

The work was done at the Center for Inverse Design, a collaborative initiative of the College of Science and College of Engineering at OSU, formed two years ago with a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. It was one of the new Energy Frontier Research Centers set up through a national, $777 million federal program to identify energy solutions for the future.

The OSU program is different from traditional science, in which the process often is to discover something and then look for a possible application. In this center, researchers start with an idea of what they want and then try to find the kind of materials, atomic structure or even construction methods it would take to achieve it.

Finding cheap, environmentally benign and more efficient materials for solar energy is necessary for the future growth of the industry, researchers said.

"The beauty of a material such as this is that it is abundant, would not cost much and might be able to produce high-efficiency solar cells," Keszler said. "That's just what we need for more broad use of solar energy."

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

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Journal Reference:

  1. Liping Yu, Stephan Lany, Robert Kykyneshi, Vorranutch Jieratum, Ram Ravichandran, Brian Pelatt, Emmeline Altschul, Heather A. S. Platt, John F. Wager, Douglas A. Keszler, Alex Zunger. Iron Chalcogenide Photovoltaic Absorbers. Advanced Energy Materials, 2011; 1 (5): 748 DOI: 10.1002/aenm.201100351

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

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

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111128115643.htm

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Scorsese's 'Hugo' UK premiere gets royal audience (AP)

LONDON ? Academy Award winner Martin Scorsese is in London's Leicester Square for the royal premiere of his first-ever 3D movie, "Hugo."

Based on Brian Selznick's best-seller, "The Invention of Hugo Cabret," the film stars Jude Law, Sir Ben Kingsley, Chloe Moretz with Asa Butterfield as Hugo.

The fantasy film is about an orphan boy who lives in the wall of a train station in 1930s Paris. He is on a quest to unlock a secret left to him by his father.

Making it a royal premiere Monday night are two specially invited guests, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.

"Hugo" is the 64th Royal Film Performance to take place in London.

"Hugo" opens in the U.K. on Friday.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111128/ap_on_en_mo/eu_britain_hugo

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Tuesday, November 29, 2011

NY film critics pick 'The Artist' as best film

In this film publicity image released by The Weinstein Company, Jean Dujardin portrays George Valentin in "The Artist." (AP Photo/The Weinstein Company)

In this film publicity image released by The Weinstein Company, Jean Dujardin portrays George Valentin in "The Artist." (AP Photo/The Weinstein Company)

(AP) ? The New York Film Critics Circle named the silent film ode "The Artist" the year's best film Tuesday, giving the nostalgic black-and-white movie an early boost to its already promising Academy Awards prospects.

"The Artist," which is silent like the films to which it pays homage, also earned best director for the French filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius.

"It's a celebration of cinema," said John Anderson, chairman of the group and critic. "It's clever and it's upbeat and all that, but it's really about the movies. Of course, that's going to strike a chord among critics."

The boldly old-fashioned "The Artist," which the Weinstein Company opened in limited release last week, has emerged as an unlikely front-runner in the early stages of the Oscar race. The Spirit Awards, which honor independent film, also bestowed five nominations on it Tuesday.

The critics otherwise, as they usually do, spread the awards around. Brad Pitt won best actor for his performances in the baseball film "Moneyball" and Terrence Malick's cosmic drama "Tree of Life." Both of those films also earned other awards: "Tree of Life" for best cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki and "Moneyball" for Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin's screenplay.

Meryl Steep was chosen as best actress for her performance as Margaret Thatcher in the upcoming "The Iron Lady." The suddenly ubiquitous Jessica Chastain won best supporting actress for a trio of performances in "Tree of Life," ''The Help" and "Take Shelter."

Albert Brooks earned best supporting actor for his against-type performance as a violent villain in the drama "Drive."

The New York Film Critics moved up their annual vote this year, a shift that was widely seen as a bid for greater relevance in the fall award season, which effectively began in earnest Tuesday. The move also meant some finagling: The critics screened "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" on Monday, and were not able to see the eagerly anticipated 9/11 drama "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close."

Anderson didn't deny that the move was partially for a louder voice in the awards conversation, but said other reasons were foremost.

"I thought it would be interesting for us to be able to vote without other awards having been given out," said Anderson, a critic for Variety and Newsday. "Subconsciously or consciously, people are affected by other groups' voting. It may sound petty, but if (the Los Angeles Film Critics) gives a film best picture, a lot of our members are inclined to go the other way."

Anderson said the group might return to a later time next year because a number of members didn't like jamming in the screenings in a smaller window.

Werner Herzog's 3-D documentary "Cave of Forgotten Dreams" was selected as best nonfiction film. The financial industry thriller "Margin Call" won best first feature. And the Iranian drama "A Separation" was picked for best foreign film.

The year's special award was given posthumously to the prolific Chilean-born filmmaker Raoul Ruiz, who died in August, shortly after the U.S. release of his acclaimed "Mysteries of Lisbon."

The New York Film Critics Circle, a body of 33 New York-based critics founded in 1935, announced their annual vote on Twitter for the first time. The group describes its awards as "a principled alternative to the Oscars, honoring esthetic merit in a forum that is immune to commercial and political pressures." The group last year chose the Facebook drama "The Social Network" as best picture.

Among the films snubbed by the critics were Alexander Payne's "The Descendants," Martin Scorsese's "Hugo" and Steven Spielberg's "War Horse."

The awards will be handed out at a ceremony Jan. 9.

___

Online:

http://www.nyfcc.com/

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2011-11-29-Film-NY%20Critics%20Awards/id-cb62bf0888a64f36a3efbc47f0b165d3

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Engadget's holiday gift guide 2011: docks

Welcome to the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide! We're well aware of the heartbreaking difficulties surrounding the seasonal shopping experience, so we're here to help you sort out this year's tech treasures. Below is today's bevy of curated picks, and you can head back to the Gift Guide hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the holiday season.
'Tis the season to go shopping and slightly broke! Unless you're living off the grid, you can't escape the marketing merriment amping up the arrival of that most wonderful time of the year. You know, the one where loved ones run themselves ragged skipping from store to store in an attempt to find the perfect gift that just screams, "I care," and costs a pretty penny, too. Well, we know things can get hectic and the options overwhelming, but for the music aficionado in your family, you can't really go wrong with a speaker dock. Let's face it, even Great Aunt Eddie's rockin' a portable media player these days. So, why not help her get up off the couch, out of her mind and into a living room hoedown with a wall of MP3 sound? Lucky for you, we've whittled down the dizzying array of digital audio offerings into a handy guide fit for the frugal and lavish alike. Need a little inspiration? Then head on past the break to peruse the goods and get psyched for that onslaught of holiday cheer.

Continue reading Engadget's holiday gift guide 2011: docks

Engadget's holiday gift guide 2011: docks originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Nov 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/28/engadgets-holiday-gift-guide-2011-docks/

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Monday, November 28, 2011

Video: Obama meets with European leaders (cbsnews)

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Chelsea 'stronger than ever,' Mayor Jason Lindauer says in his second state of the city address

During Chelsea Mayor Jason Lindauer?s recent State of the City address he told residents at Chelsea Retirement Center that the city is ?stronger than ever? financially.

Lindauer said the city was given its highest bond rating to date, an ?AA-,? which is up three levels from previous ratings, and Chelsea?s fund balance is at about 20 percent, ?far better than in previous years.?

In addition, Chelsea?s audit was assigned an ?unqualified? rating from Plante Moran, the highest possible rating.

?With the collaborative approach of the DDA, the Chelsea Area Chamber of Commerce and the Chelsea First Initiative, our city has welcomed 12 new businesses to town in just the past nine months,? he said.

?As one listens to these business owners, it becomes clear that part of the reason they chose to bring their talents here, to act on the next great idea, is that Chelsea provides the sophistication and infrastructure usually found in larger cities, with the collaboration of a smaller town and the charm of a Norman Rockwell backdrop.?

Calling Chelsea a ?growth-ready city,? he said three years ago Chelsea had a lack of water and sewer treatment capacity as well as an undersized ?major transformer for electricity.? Today, those issues have not only been dealt with ?head-on? but also they have been resolved.

He said there are plans for ?below ground? capital improvements such as storm water management repairs and upgrades on North Street and highlighted recent repairs in the Jackson Street Area.

The complete speech can be heard here.

Lisa Allmendinger is a regional reporter for AnnArbor.com. She can be reached at lisaallmendinger@annarbor.com. For more Chelsea stories, visit our Chelsea page.

Source: http://www.annarbor.com/news/chelsea/chelsea-stronger-than-ever-mayor-jason-lindauer-says-in-his-second-state-of-the-city-address/?cmpid=RSS_link_chelsea

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U.S. Airways Questions Students Before Flight

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Students from the United Arab Emirates were taken off a Thanksgiving Day flight from Charlotte to Washington and rescreened by security, causing the flight to be delayed for more than four hours.

A spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration said the US Airways pilot requested Charlotte airport police assist in removing individuals from the plane because of a perceived security concern. TSA and airport police responded and later determined the individuals did not pose any security threat.

A spokeswoman for US Airways declined to comment about the nature or origin of the security concern.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/25/us-airways-questions-stud_n_1113471.html

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Sunday, November 27, 2011

Video: Mitt Romney's Hair, Health of a Nation?

A look at why there is so much talk about GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney's hair, with Richard Bernstein, Rich Bernstein Advisers.

Related Links:

Business & financial news headlines from msnbc.com

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/45434754/

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Egypt's economy slumps under weight of unrest

FILE - In this Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011 file photo, an Egyptian trader reads a copy of the Al-Masry Al-Youm local newspaper fronted by pictures of clashes between protesters and security forces, at the Egyptian stock exchange in Cairo, Egypt. More than nine-months after the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, the country is reaching an economic crisis point as the stock market posts daily plunges, foreign reserves have fallen by almost 40 percent and a ratings agency pushed Egypt's sovereign ratings deeper into junk status.(AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)

FILE - In this Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011 file photo, an Egyptian trader reads a copy of the Al-Masry Al-Youm local newspaper fronted by pictures of clashes between protesters and security forces, at the Egyptian stock exchange in Cairo, Egypt. More than nine-months after the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, the country is reaching an economic crisis point as the stock market posts daily plunges, foreign reserves have fallen by almost 40 percent and a ratings agency pushed Egypt's sovereign ratings deeper into junk status.(AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)

FILE - In this Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011 file photo, an Egyptian takes a nap under a digital screen displaying the percentage fall in the index at the Egyptian stock exchange in Cairo, Egypt. More than nine-months after the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, the country is reaching an economic crisis point as the stock market posts daily plunges, foreign reserves have fallen by almost 40 percent and a ratings agency pushed Egypt's sovereign ratings deeper into junk status.(AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)

FILE - In this Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2011 file photo, tourists and holiday makers enjoy camel rides at the historical site of Giza Pyramids, Giza Egypt. More than nine-months after the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, the country is reaching an economic crisis point as the stock market posts daily plunges, foreign reserves have fallen by almost 40 percent and a ratings agency pushed Egypt's sovereign ratings deeper into junk status.(AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)

FILE - In this Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2011 file photo, Egyptian school students line up as they visit the historical site of Giza Pyramids, Giza, Egypt. More than nine-months after the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, the country is reaching an economic crisis point as the stock market posts daily plunges, foreign reserves have fallen by almost 40 percent and a ratings agency pushed Egypt's sovereign ratings deeper into junk status. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)

(AP) ? Drivers passing Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo curse the protesters.

On radio shows, callers question whether the youth activists and others involved in the new wave of demonstrations over the past week are nationalists, selfish children or saboteurs.

Political differences aside, what has become clear is that the latest clamor against Egypt's military rulers is pummeling the country's already flailing economy at a crucial time when many hoped winter tourism would pick up. A financial crisis is looming, say analysts.

"We're not far off," said Neil Shearing, chief emerging markets economist with Capital Economics. "There's enough money left in the coffers to get through the year, but not much beyond that. Crunch time is two to three months away."

It took 30 years to engineer the revolution that ousted former President Hosni Mubarak in February. But it only took months to push the 7 percent annual growth rate of recent years to an anemic forecast of only about 1 percent this year.

The difficulties keep mounting. The stock market tanks daily and foreign reserves have fallen by almost 40 percent so far this year.

The drop is linked to the protests that have persisted since Mubarak's fall, and more specifically, the wide gap between the expectations of the population after the uprising and the reality of what the government could deliver.

From iconic Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the revolution, to the city's middle income neighborhoods and slums, the sobering realization that the hopes for democracy have not translated into a better standard of living is leaving Egyptians increasingly frustrated ? with the military rulers, with the interim government that resigned a few days ago and, perhaps more troublingly, with each other.

"The move toward democracy is something that should be a beacon for the rest of the region," said Shearing. "But we've clearly reached a point ... where there needs to be some political stability because the financing risks are severe."

As of October, the country's net foreign reserves had fallen to $22 billion from $36 billion at the end of 2010. At least part of that money has gone to supporting the Egyptian pound, which economists worry could face severe depreciation if officials don't shore up the country's finances.

At the famed pyramids of Giza, when horse rides, papyrus prints and tours failed to entice some tourists, a young guide turned to the unorthodox.

"Girls?" offered 23-year-old Samir Adham, flashing a sly grin. "Hashish?"

He apologized when he realized the offer was made to a reporter.

"No one comes any more," he explained. "What can I do? I have to make a living," he said, bemoaning the hammering of Egypt's vital tourism industry, one of the country's top money-earners, since the revolution.

The troubles confronting Adham and others in the tourism sector are a window into the country's broader challenges.

Egypt's tourism sector has accounted for roughly 10 percent of gross domestic product and employs Egyptians in a range of supporting industries ? from guides and camel touts to hotel workers and artisans.

"Most shops have either let go of most of their employees or cut their salaries by at least 50 percent," said Khaled Osman, who owns a shop near the pyramids employing about 20 people. Since the revolution, the unemployment rate has climbed to almost 12 percent in the third quarter of 2011, compared to just shy of 9 percent a year earlier.

If the uprising that pushed Mubarak from power marked the start of the industry's demise for the year, then the latest protests in Tahrir Square have further cemented the losses.

The most recent clashes began as protesters returned to the square calling for the military to hand over power immediately to a civilian government. Among their complaints was that the ruling generals were no different than Mubarak and that they had run the economy into the ground.

The images of activists and security forces hurling rocks at each other through a thick fog of tear gas is hardly encouraging tourists. The unrest hasn't sat well with investors either. The cost of government borrowing has gone up and the central bank on Friday was forced to raise interest rates for the first time in roughly three years.

Borrowing costs will likely climb even more after ratings agency Standard & Poor's on Thursday drove Egypt's sovereign debt rating deeper into junk status, citing what it said was "an ongoing high, and recently increased, risk of challenges to political institutions that will possibly involve further domestic conflict."

"These challenges could arise if populist demands for greater political participation are thwarted, or from demands for improved living standards from different sectors of the population no matter who is governing Egypt," the agency said.

The impact of the uncertainty is clear at Cairo's airport, where officials report that passenger traffic has fallen off sharply since the start of the latest clashes a week ago. Some flights arrive with fewer than 30 passengers.

In Luxor, home to some of the country's most prized archaeological sites, tourism officials said hotel occupancy rates have plunged to under 10 percent. The downturn there is especially troubling because the winter months are typically when tourists head to southern Egypt, and Luxor and Aswan rely overwhelmingly on tourism revenues.

The declines are mirrored in Cairo, where five-star hotels sit largely empty.

Only Red Sea resorts such as Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheik are still going strong, with occupancy rates of about 70 percent, according to Amani El-Torgoman, tourism operations manager at Travco, one of the region's largest travel companies. But even there, it has come at a price.

"We're running after clients with best offers and last minute offers," said El-Torgoman, noting that most properties had cut their rates by as much as 50 percent to lure in visitors with all-inclusive packages that can go for as little as $50 per night.

While the latest clashes in Cairo have yet to be reflected in tourism figures, officials expect the hit to be hard and to build on top of an already declining interest on the part of Europeans, the bulk of visitors.

Irina Tyurina, a spokesperson for the Russian Association of Tourist Agencies, said the sales had dropped by 57 percent over the past six months compared to the same period of last year.

The so-called "Classic tours," which involve trips through Cairo and then down to southern Egypt, are all but dead, said Travco's El-Torgoman.

"If things continue like this, there are a lot of people who will go out of business," she said. "A lot (of smaller companies and shops) can't afford paying the salaries or even sustaining small losses."

The same argument carries across other sectors of the economy and into the daily lives of Egyptians who complain that the only thing that has come from the ouster of Mubarak has been even more of an increase in prices, coupled with a surge in crime and the headaches that come with the daily protests in Cairo. Already nearly half the population of more than 80 million lives near or below the poverty line set by the World Bank of $2 a day.

"Why can't they see that they're destroying the country," railed Mohammed El-Sharkawy, an accountant who moonlights as an electrician to make ends meet. The activists say "they want democracy and freedom, but don't understand that it comes with responsibility."

> ____

> Associated Press correspondents Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow, Nicole Winfield in Rome, Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin and Alexander Besant in Cairo contributed.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-11-26-ML-Egypt-Economy-in-Shambles/id-f5240273b4f7496eae58d4458d46b030

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UAE security court sentences 5 political activists

With a view of towers along the Sheikh Zayed highway in background, an Asian laborer fixes new fence around a horse race track which was divided to two parts by a new road construction at Al Barsha district Sunday, Nov. 27, 2011 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

With a view of towers along the Sheikh Zayed highway in background, an Asian laborer fixes new fence around a horse race track which was divided to two parts by a new road construction at Al Barsha district Sunday, Nov. 27, 2011 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

With a view of towers at Marina district in background, Asian laborers fix new fence around a horse race track which was divided to two parts by a new road construction at Al Barsha district Sunday, Nov. 27, 2011 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

(AP) ? A state security court in Abu Dhabi sentenced five activists to prison terms Sunday for joining calls seeking greater political openness in the United Arab Emirates.

The UAE has faced outcry from rights groups for the trials, which were held a court that has no recourse for appeal.

The Gulf state has not been hit by the Arab Spring unrest which has spread throughout much of the rest of the region. But the activists' trial appears to reflect a UAE strategy of snuffing out any sign of dissent that could pose challenges to the tight political controls in this federation of seven sheik-ruled emirates.

The three-judge panel sentenced one prominent blogger, Ahmed Mansour, to three years in prison. The others received two-year jail terms, including a trade law expert who has lectured at the Abu Dhabi branch of Paris' Sorbonne university and advised the UAE's armed forces.

"I am disappointed," said defense lawyer Mohammed al-Roken. "The fact there is no appeal is very worrying since it does not meet all standards of fair trial."

The five were arrested in April after signing an online petition demanding political reforms, including a parliament selected by open elections. The charges including insulting the country's leadership.

The five defendants have reportedly been on hunger strike and did not attend the sentencing.

After the verdict, dozens of men gathered in front of the court in a state-organized rally.

"Justice has been served," said Thabet al Qaisi, 29-year old businessman from Abu Dhabi. "I respect any decision of our nation's court. Were they pronounced innocent, I'd be the first to welcome them outside. But they have been convicted and the punishment is fair."

The UAE marks its 40th anniversary of independence next week and some demonstrators suggested the activists could receive a presidential pardon. But the defendants have previously rejected the idea of a pardon unless it was accompanied by the entire case being throw out.

Samer Muscati, a researcher for New York-based Human Rights Watch, called the proceedings "fundamentally unfair."

"It is highly disturbing that after almost eight months in jail, these men get to spend more time locked up on these ridiculous charges," he said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-11-27-ML-Emirates-Activist-Trial/id-c49965d0e09d487ead514b0d41242089

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23-foot-high theremin appears in Melbourne, begins to freak out passersby

It appeared out of nowhere. And it makes semi-disturbing, 50s era sci-fi movie sounds when you
approach it. Over in Melbourne, artist Robin Fox has installed a seven meter (23 foot) high theremin instrument. Like the classic theremin design, the user doesn't have to physically touch it but just has to be within a certain range to activate it. Once initiated, you can expect to be aurally bombarded with retro movie sounds -- a cacophony of rubber monsters beating each other within an inch of their lives. The theremin will be present on the waterfront for the next three months as part of Melbourne Music Week, and you can click on through to hear its sounds as well as wonder when the ghost of Vincent Price will be showing up in the near future.

Continue reading 23-foot-high theremin appears in Melbourne, begins to freak out passersby

23-foot-high theremin appears in Melbourne, begins to freak out passersby originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Nov 2011 01:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Saturday, November 26, 2011

Thanksgiving kicks off fight for holiday sales (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? The holiday shopping season is in full swing on Thursday, with retailers hoping consumers will spend big despite worries about the fragile economy and their own precarious finances.

The shopping period has been underway for some time as retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc and Toys R Us started early by offering layaway programs.

But shoppers are looking for major bargains and retail executives are predicting a more competitive season than 2010.

An Old Navy store in Watchung, New Jersey, was teeming with shoppers on Thursday morning, while a line outside a Best Buy in Union, N.J., included shoppers who had pitched a tent to stay warm until the store's midnight opening, according to Charles O'Shea, a Moody's senior retail analyst.

O'Shea said he was visiting various retailers to gauge consumer traffic. The big draws are deals, like t-shirts for $6, down from $12. Bargains like those will be a fixture for the season, he said.

"There is no question that the shopper is looking for deals," O'Shea said. "Nobody wants to feel like they're leaving money on the table, especially when they have less money now."

Millions of Americans will head out to shop once they are done with their turkey dinners, getting a jump-start on "Black Friday" - the single biggest shopping day of the year, which sets the tone for the entire season.

Still, many others will be watching their pennies.

Paula Taero, a 58 year-old housekeeper from Queens, New York who was shopping on Thursday at a Kmart in Manhattan, said she is cutting back this year on her Christmas shopping.

"Santa will buy for others. I don't have so much money this year."

Wal-Mart, Old Navy, which is part of Gap Inc and KMart, owned by Sears Holdings', are among the few retailers open on Thanksgiving. Toys R Us opens Thursday evening.

To narrow the gap in store hours with rivals, discounter Target Corp, electronics chain Best Buy and department store chains Macy's Inc and Kohl's Corp will open at midnight - their earliest starts ever.

Others, including J.C. Penney Co Inc, are opening early Friday morning as they did last year.

The National Retail Federation expects sales in November and December to be up 2.8 percent over last year, but below 2010's 5.2 percent gain. So retailers, online and offline, see little margin for error.

BARGAINS OR BUST

Wal-Mart starts its Black Friday "doorbuster" deals on Thursday at 10 p.m. at its stores. Amazon.com Inc, not to be outdone, will offer its deals online at 9 p.m.

Newspaper inserts on Thursday morning were boasting of the usual "Black Friday" bargains to get people into stores. For example, Staples Inc was offering an ink jet printer for 60 percent off, while Target was offering 46-inch, high-definition televisions for about 45 percent off.

The knock-down-drag-out fight comes as the rebound in sales cooled in October, when many top chains like Macy's and Saks reported disappointing sales.

It will be even tougher for chains that have struggled with sales declines lately, like Gap and Penney.

The NRF expects 152 million people to hit stores this weekend, up 10.1 percent from last year.

But much of that traffic will be fueled by bargain hunting, analysts said, with the real test coming after the weekend when retailers see if spending happens only if there are big bargains on the table.

Last year, after a strong Black Friday weekend, shoppers sat on their hands until closer to Christmas.

This year, those looking for steals beyond the requisite "Black Friday" specials may be disappointed.

In a research note on Tuesday, Wells Fargo economist Mark Vitner said: "Bargain hunters may have a tougher time finding those markdowns this year, as retailers are keeping a sharper eye on profit margins."

Either way, middle class shoppers are also more frugal now, taking a page from their lower income counterparts, Andrew Stein, vice president of marketing planning at Sears Holdings told Reuters.

"The Kmart customer has always been a value shopper. The rest of the country is behaving like the Kmart shopper now," he said, noting that there were a lot of people at Kmart's layaway lines on Thursday.

(Reporting by Phil Wahba in New York, additional reporting by Dhanya Skariachan; Editing by Bernard Orr)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111124/us_nm/us_usa_retail_thanksgiving

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Laszlo: Bohemian Groove (Little green footballs)

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WGN Radio Petcast: Help Feed Pets in Need; John O'Hurley ...

By Steve Dale, today at 9:45 pm

WGN Radio Petcast: Help Feed Pets in Need; John O'Hurley Wonders Which End of the Dog; Andrea Arden's Dog Training Bible; 2011 AAHA Canine Vaccine Guidelines

CLICK HERE TO LIST TO THIS WGN PETCAST - it's fun, it's easy and it's free....

More people are having trouble feeding families than in decades...that includes people who truly can barely afford to feed their animals. Banfield Charitable Trust is doing something about that with a pet food campaign called Season of Summers. Diane McGill, executive director and CEO of explains how easy it is for you to make a difference, with a donation or even a click on Facebook's Banfield Charitable Trust page- and 'like it.'

John O'Hurley stars on Broadway in Chicago, played J. Peterman on Seinfeld, was the first season winner on Dancing with the Stars, and he announces dog shows on TV -- including the Thanksgiving Day National Dog Show presented by Purina.

Andrea Arden, host of Animal Planet's Underdog to Wonderdog, is a frequent guest on the Today Show; if those accolades aren't enough -- she's now authored a bible, "Barron's Dog Training Bible." Rarely do I get to speak with the author of a bible.

Vaccines have become nearly as controversial in medicine for pets as they've become for children. Dr. Link Welborn, chair of the American Animal Hospital Association Task Force which just revised canine vaccines recommendations, explains what's new and we also talked about some misconceptions that people have concerning vaccines for dogs. Also, if you're interested in vaccines - check out the 2011 Canine Vaccine Guidelines yourself; they're free to download.

Filed under: dogs, pets, Podcast, veterinary health

Tags: 2011 Caine Vaccine Guidelines, American Animal Hospital Association, Andrea Arden, Animal Planet, Banfield Charitable Trust, Barron's Dog Training Bible, Diane McGill, Dr. Link Wleborn, John O'Hurley, National Dog Show, Steve Dale, Steve Dale archives, Steve Dale arcives, Underdog to Wonderdog

Source: http://www.chicagonow.com/steve-dales-pet-world/2011/11/wgn-radio-petcast-help-feed-pets-in-need-john-ohurley-wonders-which-end-of-the-dog-adrea-ardens-dog-training-bible-2011-aaha-canine-vaccine-guidelines/

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Metals prices fall on European debt crisis worries (AP)

NEW YORK ? Metals prices slid Friday on renewed fears that the European debt crisis could slow global economic growth.

Italy became the latest country to see its costs for borrowing money skyrocket, entering the territory of nations that have required massive bailouts from the European Union. Italy must pay an average yield of 7.814 percent in two-year bonds, nearly double what the country had to pay only a month ago.

The revelation comes on the heels of a disastrous bond offering from Germany, which saw little demand for investment in the continent's strongest economy. The inability to raise cash inexpensively could drastically hurt sales of industrial metals that are closely tied to economic growth. Metals like copper and palladium are used as raw materials to make everything from automobiles to home computers.

Friday's trading session in metals was shortened following the Thanksgiving Day holiday in the U.S.

Platinum for January delivery dropped $25.20, or 1.62 percent, to settle at $1,533.10 an ounce. December palladium fell $19.75, or 3.4 percent, to close at $570.10 an ounce. Copper for December delivery fell 0.9 cent to close at $3.27 per pound.

Precious metals were also down. Gold for December delivery fell $10.20 to settle at $1,685.70 per ounce. December silver lost 87 cents, or 2.73 percent, to close at $31.014 an ounce.

Crop prices rose Friday. Corn for March delivery fell 5.50 cents, or nearly 1 percent, to settle at $5.90 per bushel. January soybeans fell 16 cents to close at $11.0650 a bushel. March wheat fell 5.25 cents, or less than 1 percent, to finish at $5.89 per bushel.

In energy trading, benchmark crude oil rose 60 cents to end at $96.77 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Heating oil fell 3.09 cents to finish at $2.94 per gallon. Gasoline futures lost 4.45 cents to close at $2.5205 per gallon and natural gas gained 5.7 cents to close at $3.665 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111125/ap_on_bi_ge/us_commodities_review

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Friday, November 25, 2011

Inside Look: The Construction of NASA's Next Mars Rover (SPACE.com)

In May 2011, SPACE.com reporter Mike Wall visited NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., as scientists and engineers were wrapping up work on Curiosity, NASA's next Mars rover. With Curiosity's launch planned for Saturday (Nov. 26), this is his account.

It could be a scene from a James Bond film ? a glimpse into the archvillain's lair.

Anonymous white-clad workers, their faces obscured by surgical masks, cross a cavernous, high-ceilinged room. They pause to adjust or inspect large pieces of mysterious equipment, some of which is spangled with bright gold foil. It's obvious that they're building something complicated and important.

But they're not assembling a doomsday device, because this is no movie. The white-garbed technicians are employees at JPL, and they're putting the finishing touches on the space agency's next rover mission to Mars. This mission is called the Mars Science Laboratory, and the rover at the heart of it is a car-size robot named Curiosity.

I'm watching the technicians from a viewing gallery about 30 feet (9 meters) above a clean room at JPL's Spacecraft Assembly Facility in May 2011. JPL has been putting spaceships together for 50 years, so scenes like the one taking place below me are routine here.

But for me, taking all this in is a novel, surreal and thrilling experience. I'm looking at gear that, come next August, will be cruising around the surface of another planet. [Photos: NASA's Curiosity rover]

The next Mars rover, in pieces on the floor

The $2.5 billion Mars Science Laboratory ?is slated to launch Saturday (Nov. 26) and drop Curiosity onto the Red Planet's surface in August 2012. The rover's primary task will be to assess whether Mars is, or ever was, capable of supporting microbial life.

Most of the pieces of the mission are laid out beneath me in the clean room.

"Do you know what you're looking at?" asks MSL project manager Pete Theisinger. Theisinger has agreed to meet and chat with me, as part of a larger tour I'm taking of JPL.

Theisinger guides me through the various MSL components, starting with Curiosity, which sits near the far wall. It's tough to peg the craft as a rover at the moment; it's been flipped onto its back, and its six wheels are off. Two technicians are elbow-deep in its electronic guts, reworking some of the rover's avionics and cabling.

Farther along the back wall, close to the room's right-rear corner, is MSL's cruise stage. This ring-shaped structure, about 13 feet (4 m) wide, will propel Curiosity and its associated parts through space to Mars, taking over where the mission's launch vehicle, an Atlas 5 rocket, leaves off.

A white-clad worker sits inside the ring, making some inscrutable check or adjustment. He, like the other technicians, wears a white mask and head-to-toe coveralls to minimize the chances of contaminating MSL with dust or microbes.

A new landing system

In front of the cruise stage, between it and the rover, sits the entry-descent-landing system. This is a novel and fantastic-seeming piece of technology ? a rocket-powered sky crane that will lower Curiosity to the Martian surface on cables while hovering in mid-air.

Theisinger chuckles a bit when I say this sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie.

"I know, I know," he says. But he and the MSL team have faith in the system, which performed very well in full-up simulations.

"We're pretty confident that this will work," Theisinger says. "We've done everything that we know how to do" to test it. [Best (and Worst) Mars Landings of All Time]

Just in front of the cruise stage sits the backshell, a white, gumdrop-shaped structure that will encase the rover and landing system. The only MSL piece missing, aside from the launch vehicle, is the heat shield, which will protect the mission's components from the fiery temperatures experienced during entry into Mars' atmosphere. The heat shield is in Colorado at the moment, Theisinger says.

The work being done with Curiosity and other MSL parts consists of final tweaks and checks, to wrap up everything ahead of delivery to the Florida launch site, which occurred in late June.

Learning more about Curiosity

Curiosity is a big, burly rover that will allow scientists to learn much more about the Martian environment, both past and present. Curiosity weighs about 2,000 pounds (909 kilograms), compared to 375 pounds (170 kg) for each of its predecessors, the highly accomplished twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity.

Spirit and Opportunity landed on Mars in January 2004 to look for evidence of past water on Mars. They found a lot of it.

Curiosity will go a step further, assessing the Martian landscape for habitability during its planned two-year mission.

The rover will use 10 different science instruments to do this job, which will involve characterizing rock in minute detail and searching for organic molecules, among other tasks.

Curiosity boasts a five-jointed, 7-foot (2.1-m) robotic arm, which by itself weighs nearly half as much as Spirit or Opportunity. This arm will help in sample acquisition and analysis, and it has a drill that will be able to bore about 2 inches (5 centimeters) into Martian rock. No previous rover has had this deep-drilling ability, and the MSL team is pretty pumped about it.

"For geologists that study rocks, there's nothing better than getting inside," MSL deputy project scientist Joy Crisp told me, after I'd said goodbye to Theisinger and the clean room. During our meeting, she gave me in-depth information on Curiosity's science payload and objectives.

I also met with JPL's Kevin Burke, who has led much of the work in developing the tools on Curiosity's arm. Burke described the processes involved in designing, building and testing such a complex suite of equipment, which must work perfectly together on the frigid surface of an alien planet.

Burke also talked about some late re-work that had just been done on the drill's force sensor, which tells the rover how hard it's pressing on the drill.

It was a fascinating day. When I left JPL, my head was full of facts, diagrams and visions of Curiosity roving about the Martian surface. Burke said I should come back to JPL to watch MSL's landing in August. I've already got it circled on my calendar.

You can follow SPACE.com senior writer Mike Wall on Twitter: @michaeldwall.Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter @Spacedotcomand on Facebook

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/science/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/space/20111123/sc_space/insidelooktheconstructionofnasasnextmarsrover

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St Maarten finds local lionfish tainted with toxin (AP)

KINGSTON, Jamaica ? Conservationists in St. Maarten are warning islanders not to eat lionfish after tests found a naturally occurring toxin in the flesh of the candy-striped invasive species, officials said Thursday.

The findings have dealt a blow to the tiny Dutch territory's efforts to contain the spread of the venomous predator, a native of the Indian and Pacific oceans that has colonized large swaths of the region after a few apparently escaped a Florida fish tank in 1992.

Following the lead of other Caribbean islands, St. Maarten had hoped to promote the species as batter-fried or grilled delectables to slow their spread. They were found in the Dutch territory's waters in July 2010 and have been multiplying and gobbling up native fish and crustaceans ever since. Lionfish were first detected in the Bahamas in 2004 and rapidly spread south into the warm waters of the Caribbean.

But Tadzio Bervoets, chief of St. Maarten's Nature Foundation, said nearly half of the football-sized lionfish captured in local waters were found to have a biotoxin that can lead to ciguatera poisoning, a rarely fatal but growing menace that has long been known in the Caribbean, South Pacific, and warmer areas of the Indian Ocean.

Ciguatera poisoning is caused by eating some subtropical and tropical fish predators, including grouper, snapper and barracuda, which live by reefs and accumulate toxins through their diet. They accumulate the toxin in their flesh from eating smaller fish that graze on poisonous algae.

People who have eaten infected fish can experience abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, tingling and numbness. Most patients recover in a few days. In rare, worst cases there is paralysis and even death.

No one has gotten sick from eating lionfish in St. Maarten, but the territory typically has more than a dozen cases of ciguatera poisoning each year from people eating barracuda and jacks.

St. Maarten's waters have long suffered from high levels of ciguatoxin, so Bervoets said the test results on lionfish were not a complete surprise.

Nonetheless, he added that island officials "were very much hoping that the results were negative."

"This means that we cannot safely promote lionfish as an edible species" in St. Maarten as officials are doing elsewhere, he said.

Across the Caribbean, governments and conservation groups have been sponsoring fishing tournaments, encouraging anglers to go after slow-swimming lionfish and marketing it to restaurants and diners, hoping to stave off an already severe crisis.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration have had no official reports of illness associated with the consumption of lionfish filets.

"But in endemic areas of ciguatera, toxins have been detected at levels exceeding FDA guidance and therefore could cause illness if consumed," said FDA spokesman Douglas Karas. "The Virgin Islands is one of those areas."

In recent months, the U.S. agency has collected more than 186 lionfish from the waters around the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Of these, scientists have tested 74 fish to date, with 26 percent confirmed to contain ciguatoxins at levels exceeding FDA guidance, according to Karas.

William Coles, chief of environmental education with the U.S. Virgin Islands Division of Fish and Wildlife, said the U.S. territory's fishermen know well where ciguatoxins accumulate and avoid catching fish in those endemic areas.

"So we have about the same level of concern with lionfish that we do with any other fish. But it's still a major concern," Coles said.

Across the region, it remains to be seen exactly how much impact fishing and marketing of lionfish can have. For now, it's the only hope in sight.

Scientists are still researching what keeps lionfish in check back home in their native range even as they're going gangbusters in the Caribbean, mostly untouched by the local sharks, moray eels and grouper.

Lionfish, which carry venom in a flowing mane of spines and can deliver painful stings, have also colonized swaths of the Eastern Seaboard.

Bervoets said he and his staff spend much of their free time hunting lionfish and encourage others to "hunt them and eradicate them in any which way they can."

"They are definitely multiplying. That's why it's such a shame we can't eat them here," he said Thursday in a telephone interview from St. Maarten.

___

David McFadden on Twitter: http://twitter.com/dmcfadd

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/environment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111124/ap_on_he_me/cb_st_maarten_lionfish

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Germany's auction flop adds to European debt fears (AP)

BERLIN ? Germany failed to raise as much money as it hoped in its latest bond auction, in a surprising sign that Europe's biggest economy may not be immune from a debt crisis raging across the continent

A fresh warning that France risks losing its top-notch credit rating and more verbal jousting between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the EU's top executive arm also fueled concerns that the bloc is losing the battle to contain a debt crisis that's already seen three countries bailed out and is threatening much-bigger economies like Italy and Spain.

However, it was the unexpected news that Germany, Europe's biggest economy and the linchpin of the bailouts, suffered one of its worst bond auctions ever that really caught the eye. The country's Financial Agency said its latest euro6 billion ($8.1 billion) auction of 10-year bonds met with only 60 percent demand.

German officials cited a record-low yield and the extraordinarily nervous market environment for the auction's failure, but investors took it as a warning sign that the crisis might even cause trouble to rock-solid Germany.

"If Germany can't sell bonds, what is the rest of Europe going to do?," asked Benjamin Reitzes, an analyst at BMO Capital Markets.

The auction result hit stocks hard, including in the U.S. and sent the euro sliding to seven-week dollar lows. By mid-afternoon it was trading 1.3 percent lower on the day at $1.3345.

It also piled the pressure on Germany's bonds in the secondary markets, sending the yield on the country's benchmark ten-year bonds up a hefty 0.20 percentage point to 2.08 percent, its highest level since Oct. 28.

Germany, the world's fourth-largest economy, is seen as the 17-nation eurozone's most stable pillar and its borrowing rates have been driven down in recent months by high demand from investors seeking shelter from the sprawling debt crisis.

That may partly explain why it suffered what many in the markets are describing as a "failed auction" ? investors may be beginning to think twice about whether the returns on offer are appealing.

Offering only 1.98 percent, the auction's yield was the lowest-ever for Germany's ten-year bond. Germany offered an interest rate of up to 3.25 percent at previous auctions of 10-year-bonds this year.

Even so, analysts called the result worrying, though the German government stressed that its refinancing was not at risk. Having sold off only euro3.9 billion, the agency retained the remainder, to be sold off another day.

"The result does not represent any refinancing squeeze for the emitter," the agency said.

Though Germany is widely-lauded as a model for other eurozone economies, its debt burden is relatively high, by historical standards at about 81 percent of GDP, so it continually has to tap bond market investors for fresh funds. As a result, it won't want to get in the habit of having too many failed auctions.

One advantage Germany has over practically most European economies is that it's triple A credit rating is not at threat ? unlike France's. Though France has seen the yield on its ten-year bond rise in recent days to around 3.65 percent, way ahead of Germany's equivalent 2 percent, it's still much lower than the near 7 percent rates that have provoked such turmoil in Italy of late.

On Wednesday, Fitch warned that Europe's second biggest economy is at risk of losing its cherished top-grade if Europe's leaders fail to stop the debt crisis from worsening because a "further intensification" would result in a much sharper economic downturn in France and the European Union. Fitch's warning came two days after another rating agency, Moody's, delivered a similar message.

And there were few signs Wednesday that Europe's leaders were pointing in the same direction.

German Chancellor Merkel and the European Union's executive arm clashed openly on the need to issue common bonds uniting the 17 euro nations ? another sign that Europe is divided in dealing with its deepening debt crisis.

Jose Manuel Barroso, the head of the European Commission promoted the introduction of jointly issued eurobonds, coupled with stricter budgetary discipline, as the best way out of the debt crisis. Eurobonds, he said, "could bring tremendous benefits."

That's obviously not Merkel's view, who publicly poured cold water on the idea for the second day running ? calling the Commission's push "troubling" and "inappropriate."

She told lawmakers in Berlin that it was wrong to suggest that a "collectivization of the debt would allow us to overcome the currency union's structural flaws."

Germany has long opposed the use of eurobonds, instead calling on profligate member states to clean up their finances which would eventually enable them to borrow at lower rates again.

Proponents of eurobonds argue that they would immediately ease refinancing for weaker eurozone nations. For Germany, though, a pooling of its strength with the weaker members, would most likely to lead to higher borrowing costs.

Instead, Merkel reiterated her call for changes to the EU treaties to guarantee strict enforcement of fiscal and budgetary discipline as "a first step toward a fiscal union."

The easiest way for Europe to counter its debt problems would be for its economies to grow, automatically lowering its debt ratios and generating more revenues. But that hope was dashed yet again as a pair of indicators showed the bloc's economy as being in deep trouble.

The sense of an impending recession was evident in the findings of a closely watched survey from financial information company Markit. Its monthly survey showed that the eurozone contracted for the third month running in November and that the deteriorating economic picture is not just confined to debt-stressed countries such as Greece.

The survey suggests that the eurozone would contract at a quarterly rate of 0.6 percent in the fourth quarter and that the problems are increasingly spreading to Europe's two biggest economies, Germany and France, Markit said.

Further grim news emerged with a shock announcement that eurozone industrial orders collapsed by a massive 6.4 percent in September from the previous month.

Official figures last week showed that the eurozone only narrowly avoided contracting in the third quarter, growing by only 0.2 percent during the period.

___

Geir Moulson in Berlin, Raf Casert in Brussels and Greg Keller in Paris contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111123/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_germany_financial_crisis

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Tacca Chantrieri - Bat Plant May Have Cancer Fighting Power

Researchers have pinpointed the cancer-fighting potential in the bat plant, or Tacca chantrieri.

Susan Mooberry, Ph.D., leader of the Experimental Development Therapeutics Program at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, has been working to isolate substances in the plant in hopes of finding a new plant-derived cancer drug with the potential of Taxol. Taxol, the first microtubule stabilizer derived from the Yew family, has been an effective chemotherapy drug, but patients eventually develop problems with resistance over time and toxicity at higher doses. Researchers have long been seeking alternatives.

"We've been working with these for years with some good results, but never with the potency of Taxol," said Mooberry, lead author of the study. "Now we have that potency, and we also show for the first time the taccalonolides' cellular binding site."

Microtubules are structures in the cells that act as conveyer belts. They help maintain cell shape and help guide chromosones in cell division to ensure that every new cell, including every new cancer cell, gets a full complement of genetic material. When microtubules are stabilized -- essentially held still so they can't do their jobs -- this disrupts numerous cellular processes, and the cell can die.

The taccalonolides stabilize microtubules in cancer cells, but they do not attack healthy cells, Dr. Mooberry said. "We've run normal prostate cells and normal breast cells through these tests, and they don't die. The taccalonolides selectively kill cancer cells."

Until now, how they did this was unknown. The isolation of these highly potent taccalonolides for the first time by Dr. Mooberry's team shows how they interact directly with microtubules.

Published this month in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Source: http://www.science20.com/news_articles/tacca_chantrieri_bat_plant_may_have_cancer_fighting_power-84901

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Thursday, November 24, 2011

Is short stature associated with a 'shortage' of genes?

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

New research sifts through the entire genome of thousands of human subjects to look for genetic variation associated with height. The results of the study, published by Cell Press in the December issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics, suggest that uncommon genetic deletions are associated with short stature.

Height is a highly heritable trait that is associated with variation in many different genes. "Despite tremendous recent progress in finding common genetic variants associated with height, thus far these variants only explain about 10% of the variation in adult height," explains senior study author, Dr. Joel N Hirschhorn, from Children's Hospital Boston and the Broad Institute. "It has been estimated that about half of height variation could eventually be accounted for by the sorts of variants we've been looking at, so it is possible that other types of genetic variants, such as copy number variants (CNVs), may also contribute to the genetic variation in stature."

Dr. Hirschhorn, co-authors Dr. Yiping Shen and Dr. Andrew Dauber, and their colleagues were interested in looking for associations of human stature with CNVs, something that has not been done before. A CNV is an excess (gain) in genetic material or an absence (deletion) of parts of the genome. Some CNVs are common, meaning that they are observed often in the human genome. Other CNVs are rare or occur with low frequency in the human population.

"To investigate whether CNVs play a role in short or tall stature, we conducted a genome-wide association study of copy number in a cohort of children who had comparative genomic hybridization microarray screening for clinical reasons and we observed an excess of rare deletions in children with short stature," says Dr. Shen. "We extended our findings to a large population-based cohort, and again observed an excess of low frequency deletions in shorter individuals." The findings were not due to known gene deletion syndromes and no significant associations were observed between CNV and tall stature.

Taken together, the results demonstrate that there is a correlation between low frequency genetic deletions and decreasing height. "Our findings strongly support the hypothesis that increasing burden of lower frequency deletions can lead to shorter stature, and suggest that this phenomenon extends to the general population," concludes Dr. Dauber.

###

Cell Press: http://www.cellpress.com

Thanks to Cell Press 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/115443/Is_short_stature_associated_with_a__shortage__of_genes_

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