exiguity spiderweb: May 2013

Friday, May 31, 2013

Air Canada Outfits Flight Attendants In Hipster Garb [Pics] - PSFK

Air Canada rouge, Air Canada?s new affordable leisure airline, is outfitting its flight attendants in hip, stylish uniforms to create a relaxed and approachable atmosphere on board. The airline wanted to create a welcoming, fashion-forward look that would also be practical and comfortable.

Its inaugural flight is just over a month away and Air Canada rouge hopes the relaxed onboard apparel will contribute to a fresh, vacation-like environment for travellers. The uniforms were unveiled this week by six flight attendants-in-training.

Air Canada Outfits Flight Attendants In Hipster Garb [Pics]

The concept was developed by Montreal?s VF Imagewear incorporating Air Canada rouge?s signature colours of burgundy and slate with bright accent colors to create a fresh, simple and relaxed style. Signature custom elements provide an on-trend and fresh Air Canada rouge look.

Canadian designer John Fluevog created the shoes, Marie C Design created the scarves and ties, Maybelline New York?s lead makeup artist Grace Lee developed the fresh and approachable beauty look, and Ontario?s Cobmex Apparel is behind the women?s sweater sets and the men?s cardigans. Renee Smith-Valade, Vice President of Customer Experience, said:

Our goal was to create a unique, welcoming and fashion forward look with lasting appeal that would also be practical and comfortable. We developed our uniform and overall look with our partners in record time ? about four months ? with close attention to cost and making every effort to engage with Canadian designers for an end result that reflects our relaxed, fun, holiday atmosphere onboard.

Click through to see pictures of the new uniforms:

Air Canada rouge

Source: http://www.psfk.com/2013/05/air-canada-hipster-flight-attendants.html

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Chicago school closings: Shuttering these institutions is shortsighted, says one local mom

Chicago school closings are the largest number of school closings in the history of the country, and media reports haven't captured the anguish and dismay of more than 30,000 children and parents as they've lost their educational institutions.

By Hannah Hayes,?Guest Blogger / May 31, 2013

Chicago school closings brought out community activists in protest of the move by the city.

Hannah Hayes

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In my neighborhood tonight, chaos will reign. My neighbor, President Obama, will be staying in his part-time home just around the corner from me in Chicago. His occasional visits bring limited parking, random ID checks, and bomb sniffing dogs to our front lawn.

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Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/05/man-of-steel-featurette-go-behind-the-scenes/

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Comet ISON is hurtling toward uncertain destiny with Sun

May 30, 2013 ? A new series of images from Gemini Observatory shows Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) racing toward an uncomfortably close rendezvous with the Sun. In late November the comet could present a stunning sight in the twilight sky and remain easily visible, or even brilliant, into early December of this year.

The time-sequence images, spanning early February through May 2013, show the comet's remarkable activity despite its current great distance from the Sun and Earth. The information gleaned from the series provides vital clues as to the comet's overall behavior and potential to present a spectacular show. However, it's anyone's guess if the comet has the "right stuff" to survive its extremely close brush with the Sun at the end of November and become an early morning spectacle from Earth in early December 2013.

When Gemini obtained this time sequence, the comet ranged between roughly 455-360 million miles (730-580 million kilometers; or 4.9-3.9 astronomical units) from the Sun, or just inside the orbital distance of Jupiter. Each image in the series, taken with the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph at the Gemini North telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawai'i, shows the comet in the far red part of the optical spectrum, which emphasizes the comet's dusty material already escaping from what astronomers describe as a "dirty snowball." Note: The final image in the sequence, obtained in early May, consists of three images, including data from other parts of the optical spectrum, to produce a color composite image."

The images show the comet sporting a well-defined parabolic hood in the sunward direction that tapers into a short and stubby tail pointing away from the Sun. These features form when dust and gas escape from the comet's icy nucleus and surround that main body to form a relatively extensive atmosphere called a coma. Solar wind and radiation pressure push the coma's material away from the Sun to form the comet's tail, which we see here at a slight angle (thus its stubby appearance).

Discovered in September 2012 by two Russian amateur astronomers, Comet ISON is likely making its first passage into the inner Solar System from what is called the Oort Cloud, a region deep in the recesses of our Solar System, where comets and icy bodies dwell. Historically, comets making a first go-around the Sun exhibit strong activity as they near the inner Solar System, but they often fizzle as they get closer to the Sun.

Sizing up Comet ISON

Astronomer Karen Meech, at the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy (IfA) in Honolulu, is currently working on preliminary analysis of the new Gemini data (as well as other observations from around the world) and notes that the comet's activity has been decreasing somewhat over the past month.

"Early analysis of our models shows that ISON's brightness through April can be reproduced by outgassing from either carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide. The current decrease may be because this comet is coming close to the Sun for the first time, and a "volatile frosting" of ice may be coming off revealing a less active layer beneath. It is just now getting close enough to the Sun where water will erupt from the nucleus revealing ISON's inner secrets," says Meech.

"Comets may not be completely uniform in their makeup and there may be outbursts of activity as fresh material is uncovered," adds IfA astronomer Jacqueline Keane. "Our team, as well as astronomers from around the world, will be anxiously observing the development of this comet into next year, especially if it gets torn asunder, and reveals its icy interior during its exceptionally close passage to the Sun in late November."

NASA's Swift satellite and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) have also imaged Comet ISON recently in this region of space. Swift's ultraviolet observations determined that the comet's main body was spewing some 850 tons of dust per second at the beginning of the year, leading astronomers to estimate the comet's nucleus diameter is some 3-4 miles (5-6 kilometers). HST scientists concurred with that size estimate, adding that the comet's coma measures about 3100 miles (5000 km) across.

The comet gets brighter as the outgassing increases and pushes more dust from the surface of the comet. Scientists are using the comet's brightness, along with information about the size of the nucleus and measurements of the production of gas and dust, to understand the composition of the ices that control the activity. Most comets brighten significantly and develop a noticeable tail at about the distance of the asteroid belt (about 3 times the Earth-Sun distance -- between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter) because this is when the warming rays of the Sun can convert the water ice inside the comet into a gas. This comet was bright and active outside the orbit of Jupiter -- when it was twice as far from the Sun. This meant that some gas other than water was controlling the activity.

Meech concludes that Comet ISON "?could still become spectacularly bright as it gets very close to the Sun" but she cautions, "I'd be remiss, if I didn't add that it's still too early to predict what's going to happen with ISON since comets are notoriously unpredictable."

A Close Encounter

On November 28, 2013, Comet ISON will make one of the closest passes ever recorded as a comet grazes the Sun, penetrating our star's million-degree outer atmosphere, called the corona, and moving to within 800,000 miles (1.3 million km) of the Sun's surface. Shortly before that critical passage, the comet may appear bright enough for expert observers using proper care to see it close to the Sun in daylight.

What happens after that no one knows for sure. But if Comet ISON survives that close encounter, the comet may appear in our morning sky before dawn in early December and become one of the greatest comets in the last 50 years or more. Even if the comet completely disintegrates, skywatchers shouldn't lose hope. When Comet C/2011 W3 (Lovejoy) plunged into the Sun's corona in December 2011, its nucleus totally disintegrated into tiny bits of ice and dust, yet it still put on a glorious show after that event.

The question remains, are we in for such a show?

Comet ISON: The View from the North and South

Regardless of whether Comet ISON becomes the "Comet of the Century," as some speculate, it will likely be a nice naked-eye and/or binocular wonder from both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres in the weeks leading up to its close approach with the Sun.

By late October, the comet should be visible through binoculars as a fuzzy glow in the eastern sky before sunrise, in the far southeastern part of the constellation of Leo. By early November, the comet should be a much finer binocular object. It will steadily brighten as it drifts ever faster, night by night, through southern Virgo, passing close to the bright star Spica. It is during the last half of the month that observations will be most important, as the comet edges into Libra and the dawn, where it will brighten to naked-eye visibility and perhaps sport an obvious tail.

The comet reaches perihelion (the closest point in its orbit to the Sun) on November 28th, when it will also attain its maximum brightness, and perhaps be visible in the daytime. If Comet ISON survives perihelion, it will swing around the Sun and appear as both an early morning and early evening object from the Northern Hemisphere. The situation is less favorable from the Southern Hemisphere, as the comet will set before the Sun in the evening and rise with the Sun in the morning.

By December 10th, and given that everything goes well, Comet ISON may be a fine spectacle in the early morning sky as viewed from the Northern Hemisphere. Under dark skies, it may sport a long tail stretching straight up from the eastern horizon, from the constellations of Ophiuchus to Ursa Major. The comet will also be visible in the evening sky during this time but with its tail appearing angled and closer to the horizon.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/s2BF2WQWkTQ/130530111307.htm

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Gene therapy gives mice broad protection to pandemic flu strains, including 1918 flu

May 29, 2013 ? Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania have developed a new gene therapy to thwart a potential influenza pandemic. Specifically, investigators in the Gene Therapy Program, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, directed by James M. Wilson, MD, PhD, demonstrated that a single dose of an adeno-associated virus (AAV) expressing a broadly neutralizing flu antibody into the nasal passages of mice and ferrets gives them complete protection and substantial reductions in flu replication when exposed to lethal strains of H5N1 and H1N1 flu virus. These strains were isolated from samples associated from historic human pandemics -- one from the infamous 1918 flu pandemic and another from 2009.

Wilson, Anna Tretiakova, PhD, Senior Research Scientist, Maria P. Limberis, PhD, Research Assistant Professor, all from the Penn Gene Therapy Program, and colleagues published their findings online this week in Science Translational Medicine ahead of print. In addition to the Penn scientists, the international effort included colleagues from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg; the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg; and the University of Pittsburgh. Tretiakova is also the director of translational research, and Limberis is the director of animal models core, both with the Gene Therapy Program.

"The experiments described in our paper provide critical proof-of-concept in animals about a technology platform that can be deployed in the setting of virtually any pandemic or biological attack for which a neutralizing antibody exists or can be easily isolated," says Wilson. "Further development of this approach for pandemic flu has taken on more urgency in light of the spreading infection in China of the lethal bird strain of H7N9 virus in humans."

At the Ready Influenza infections are the seventh leading cause of death in the United States and result in almost 500,000 deaths worldwide per year, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The emergence of a new influenza pandemic remains a threat that could result in a much loss of life and worldwide economic disruption.

There is also interest by the military in developing an off-the-shelf prophylactic vaccine should soldiers be exposed to weaponized strains of infectious agents in biologic warfare.

Human antibodies with broad neutralizing activity against various influenza strains exist but their direct use as a prophylactic treatment is impractical. Now, yearly flu vaccines are made by growing the flu virus in eggs. The viral envelope proteins on the exterior, namely hemagglutinin, are cleaved off and used as the vaccine, but vary from year to year, depending on what flu strains are prevalent. However, high mutation rates in the proteins result in the emergence of new viral types each year, which elude neutralization by preexisting antibodies in the body (specifically specific receptor binding sites on the virus that are the targets of neutralizing antibodies).

This approach has led to annual vaccinations against seasonal strains of flu viruses that are predicted to emerge during the upcoming season. Strains that arise outside of the human population, for example in domestic livestock, are distinct from those that normally circulate in humans, and can lead to deadly pandemics.

These strains are also not effectively controlled by vaccines developed to human strains, as with the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. The vaccine development time for that strain, and in general, was not fast enough to support vaccination in response to an emerging pandemic.

Knowing this, the Penn team proposed a novel approach that does not require the elicitation of an immune response, which does not provide sufficient breadth to be useful against any strain of flu other than the one for which it was designed, as with conventional approaches.

The Penn approach is to clone into a vector a gene that encodes an antibody that is effective against many strains of flu and to engineer cells that line the nasal passages to express this broadly neutralizing antibody, effectively establishing broad-based efficacy against a wide range of flu strains.

A Broad Approach The rational for targeting nasal epithelial cells for antibody expression was to focus this expression to the site of the body where the virus usually enters the body and replicates which is the nasal and oral mucosa. Antibodies are normally expressed from B lymphocytes so one challenge was to design vectors that could deliver antibody genes to the non- lymphoid respiratory cells of the nasal and lung passages and could express functional antibody protein.

Targeting the respiratory cells was achieved through the use of a vector based on a primate virus -- AAV9 -- which was discovered in the Wilson laboratory and evaluated previously by Limberis for possibly treating patients with cystic fibrosis. The team constructed a genetic payload for AAV9 that expressed an antibody that was showed by other investigators to have broad activity against flu.

Efficacy of the treatment was tested in mice that were exposed to lethal quantities of three strains of H5N1 and two strains of H1N1, all of which have been associated with historic human pandemics (including the infamous H1N1 1918).

Flu virus rapidly replicated in untreated animals all of which needed to be euthanized. However, pretreatment with the AAV9 vector virtually shut down virus replication and provided complete protection against all strains of flu in the treated animals. The efficacy of this approach was also demonstrated in ferrets, which provide a more authentic model of human pandemic flu infection.

"The novelty of this approach is that we're using AAV and we're delivering the prophylactic vaccine to the nose in a non-invasive manner, not a shot like conventional vaccines that passively transfer antibodies to the general circulation," says Limberis.

"There's a long history of using antibodies for cancer and autoimmune disease, but only two have been approved for infectious diseases," notes Tretikova. "This novel technique has allowed for the development of a prophylactic passive vaccine that is cost effective, easily administered, and quickly manufactured."

The team is working with various stakeholders to accelerate the development of this product for pandemic flu and to explore the potential of AAV vectors as generic delivery vehicles for countermeasures of biological and chemical weapons.

The research was supported in part by ReGenX, the Public Health Agency of Canada (#531252), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (#246355) and the National Institutes of Health (GM083602).

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/health_medicine/genes/~3/TdOOUl4KLCw/130529144242.htm

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AP Exclusive: Soldier to admit Afghan massacre

SEATTLE (AP) ? The Army staff sergeant charged with slaughtering 16 villagers in one of the worst atrocities of the Afghanistan war will plead guilty to avoid the death penalty in a deal that requires him to recount the horrific attack for the first time, his attorney told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Staff Sgt. Robert Bales was "crazed" and "broken" when he slipped away from his remote southern Afghanistan outpost and attacked mud-walled compounds in two slumbering villages nearby, lawyer John Henry Browne said.

But his client's mental state didn't rise to the level of a legal insanity defense, Browne said, and Bales will plead guilty next week.

The outcome of the case carries high stakes. The Army had been trying to have Bales executed, and Afghan villagers have demanded it. In interviews with the AP in Kandahar last month, relatives of the victims became outraged at the notion Bales might escape the death penalty.

"For this one thing, we would kill 100 American soldiers," vowed Mohammed Wazir, who had 11 family members killed that night, including his mother and 2-year-old daughter.

"A prison sentence doesn't mean anything," said Said Jan, whose wife and three other relatives died. "I know we have no power now. But I will become stronger, and if he does not hang, I will have my revenge."

Any plea deal must be approved by the judge as well as the commanding general at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, where Bales is being held. A plea hearing is set for June 5, said Lt. Col. Gary Dangerfield, an Army spokesman. He said he could not immediately provide other details.

"The judge will be asking questions of Sgt. Bales about what he did, what he remembers and his state of mind," said Browne, who told the AP the commanding general has already approved the deal. "The deal that has been worked out ... is they take the death penalty off the table, and he pleads as charged, pretty much."

A sentencing-phase trial set for September will determine whether Bales is sentenced to life in prison with or without the possibility of parole.

Browne previously indicated Bales remembered little from the night of the massacre, and he said that was true in the early days after the attack. But as further details and records emerged, Bales began to remember what he did, the lawyer said, and he will admit to "very specific facts" about the shootings.

Browne would not elaborate on what his client will tell the judge.

Bales, an Ohio native and father of two from Lake Tapps, Wash., had been drinking contraband alcohol, snorting Valium that was provided to him by another soldier, and had been taking steroids before the attack. He slipped away from his remote southern Afghanistan outpost at Camp Belambay early on March 11, 2012, and attacked compounds.

Testimony at a hearing last fall established that Bales returned to his base between attacking the villages, woke up a fellow soldier and confessed. The soldier didn't believe him and went back to sleep, and Bales left again to continue the slaughter.

Most of the victims were women and children, and some of the bodies were piled and burned. The slayings drew such angry protests that the U.S. temporarily halted combat operations in Afghanistan. It was three weeks before American investigators could reach the crime scenes.

Browne said his client, who was on his fourth combat deployment, was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and a traumatic brain injury. He continued to blame the Army for sending him back to war in the first place.

"He's broken, and we broke him," Browne said.

The massacre raised questions about the toll multiple deployments were taking on American troops. For that reason, many legal experts believed it that it was unlikely that he would receive the death penalty, as Army prosecutors were seeking. The military justice system hasn't executed anyone since 1961.

The defense team, including military lawyers assigned to Bales as well as Browne's co-counsel, Emma Scanlan, eventually determined after having Bales examined by psychiatrists that he would not be able to prove any claim of insanity or diminished capacity at the time of the attack, Browne said.

"His mental state does not rise to the level of a legal insanity defense," Browne said. "But his state of mind will be very important at the trial in September. We'll talk about his mental capacities or lack thereof, and other factors that were important to his state of mind."

Browne acknowledged the plea deal could inflame tensions in Afghanistan and said he was disappointed the case has not done more to focus public opinion on the war.

"It's a very delicate situation. I am concerned there could be a backlash," he said. "My personal goal is to save Bob from the death penalty. Getting the public to pay more attention to the war is secondary to what I have to do."

___

Johnson can be reached at https://twitter.com/GeneAPseattle

___

AP's special regional correspondent for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Kathy Gannon, contributed from Kandahar.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-exclusive-soldier-admit-afghan-massacre-202930434.html

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Strike shuts Lisbon subway in austerity protest

LISBON, Portugal (AP) ? A 24-hour strike by Lisbon subway staff has snarled rush-hour traffic in the Portuguese capital in the latest protest against the bailed-out country's austerity policies.

The Metropolitano de Lisboa carries on average a half-million passengers a day.

Unions representing subway workers called the walkout Thursday over labor reforms and cuts in entitlements. The government is enacting those measures in return for a 78 billion euros ($101 billion) financial rescue two years ago.

The protest comes ahead of a spate of strikes by government workers and employees of public companies in coming weeks, including a planned walkout by teachers during the period of high-school summer exams.

The country's two trade union confederations, representing more than 1 million mostly blue-collar workers, are also considering rare joint protests.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/strike-shuts-lisbon-subway-austerity-protest-093905836.html

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Letter possibly laced with ricin sent to Obama

There?s a lot to like about Samsung?s flagship Galaxy S4 smartphone; it?s the fastest-selling Android phone ever for plenty of great reasons. As awesome as the phone is though, there are some things about it that are absolutely maddening. For me, Samsung?s keyboard might be my biggest qualm where core functionality is concerned, namely because it doesn?t support an auto-correct function. Luckily for users like me who can?t survive without auto-correct, there?s an easy (and free) way to fix this huge omission. As terrible as some auto-correct implementations are ? I?m looking at you, Apple ? living without this crucial feature is far worse. Instead of auto-correct, Samsung?s keyboard tries to predict the words users type in a field above

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/authorities-intercept-potential-ricin-letter-obama-similar-bloomberg-165128390.html

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Thursday, May 30, 2013

Hollande, Merkel call for full-time eurozone boss

PARIS (AP) ? France and Germany are pushing for the creation of a full-time president for the 17-country euro currency bloc with stronger powers to drive economic policy.

French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel say they agree on the need for a new high-level leader of the eurozone as a way to improve coordination.

Speaking Thursday at a joint press conference in Paris, Hollande said he and Merkel "are in agreement that there should be more eurozone summits, with a full-time Eurogroup president with strengthened powers."

Currently, the meetings of eurozone finance ministers ? collectively known as the Eurogroup ? are chaired by the Dutch finance chief, Jeroen Dijsselbloem.

Merkel seconded the call, saying "we need more economic policy coordination, especially in the Eurogroup."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hollande-merkel-call-full-time-eurozone-boss-174055822.html

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After drone kills Taliban deputy, what will new Pakistan government do?

With the first drone strike in Pakistan after its landmark elections, all eyes are on new leader Nawaz Sharif, who has spoken strongly against drones.

By Taha Siddiqui,?Correspondent / May 29, 2013

Nawaz Sharif addresses party workers in Lahore, Pakistan, May 20. A suspected US drone strike is the first since Pakistan's general election on May 11, in which Sharif?s party won, setting him up to become the prime minister for the third time next week when the new parliament session begins.

K.M. Chaudary/AP

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A drone strike in Pakistan?s tribal region along the border with Afghanistan has killed the deputy commander of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Waliur Rehman, according to military sources operating in the region.

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The suspected US drone strike is the first since Pakistan?s general election on May 11, in which Nawaz Sharif?s party won, setting him up to become the prime minister for the third time next week when the new parliament session begins.

Mr. Sharif?s party policy has been highly critical of drone attacks. Sharif has also stated on numerous occasions that Pakistan needs to review its alliance with the Western powers, especially the United States, in regard to the war on terror. However, analysts say that the timing of the drone attack and the choice of target for the drone makes it unclear Mr. Sharif will respond.

By going after Mr. Rehman, who was a significant threat to the Pakistani state, the US is trying to build an impression that it is helping the Pakistani government to fight militancy, says Rahimullah Yousafzai, editor of The News International, an English daily based in Peshawar.

?They are going to tell the Pakistani government that, ?look, we are helping you by killing your enemy, so let us continue with these strikes?,? he says.

Mr. Yousafzai adds, ?But this is also a message for the new government from the United States that we mean business ? and so we will go for these strikes whenever we have actionable intelligence about high value targets like Waliur Rehman.?

A middle path?

Sharif has been careful not to explicitly say anything about taking any extreme measures, says Ayesha Siddiqa, a Pakistan security expert. ?So he will be flexible about the drone attacks issue once he takes office,? says Ms. Siddiqa. ?He will definitely find a middle path by pacifying the Americans and the Pakistani public because most of the statements up until now were more to do with populism than pragmatism.?

According to locals from North Waziristan, who wish to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the topic, Rehman was tipped to be the head of the TTP following a drone strike in 2009 that killed Baitullah Mehsud, the man behind the group?s formation. But, due to internal rifts, Rehman did not get the post. The Pakistani Taliban have previously denied such reports.

Rehman was serving as the chief of the South Waziristan faction of the TTP, where the terrorist group originates from, but fled to North Waziristan after the military launched an operation in South Waziristan in 2009.

North Waziristan, where the drone strike occurred early Wednesday, is known to be a haven for Al Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban, against which the Pakistani military has not taken any action. It is widely perceived that they operate in the area with an understanding with the military that they will only attack targets across the border in Afghanistan.

The Pakistani Taliban, a local branch of the Taliban, has unleashed a series of attacks on Pakistani military and civilians killing thousands in the past few years and the government has failed to curb their terrorist activities despite repeated military operations in the tribal area and settled parts of Pakistan where they have had a stronghold.

Sharif had stated in an address to his party workers on May 20, that he hopes to initiate a peace dialogue with the Pakistani Taliban, and according to his senior party leadership, a roadmap for the talks is on top of his agenda when Sharif formally takes charge next week, but the latest drone attack may complicate issues for him, says Yousafzai.

?The peace talks may be jeopardized because of this drone strike, because it will affect the goodwill Sharif enjoys with the Pakistani Taliban,? he says, referring to the fact that the TTP had offered conditional peace talks to the previous government in February this year. The TTP named Sharif as one of the guarantors, though talks did not materialize.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/lAREbDMw1CY/After-drone-kills-Taliban-deputy-what-will-new-Pakistan-government-do

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Neuroscientists discover new phase of synaptic development

May 29, 2013 ? Students preparing for final exams might want to wait before pulling an all-night cram session -- at least as far as their neurons are concerned. Carnegie Mellon University neuroscientists have discovered a new intermediate phase in neuronal development during which repeated exposure to a stimulus shrinks synapses. The findings are published in the May 8 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.

It's well known that synapses in the brain, the connections between neurons and other cells that allow for the transmission of information, grow when they're exposed to a stimulus. New research from the lab of Carnegie Mellon Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Alison L. Barth has shown that in the short term, synapses get even stronger than previously thought, but then quickly go through a transitional phase where they weaken.

"When you think of learning, you think that it's cumulative. We thought that synapses started small and then got bigger and bigger. This isn't the case," said Barth, who also is a member of the joint Carnegie Mellon/University of Pittsburgh Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition. "Based on our data, it seems like synapses that have recently been strengthened are peculiarly vulnerable -- more stimulation can actually wipe out the effects of learning.

"Psychologists know that for long-lasting memory, spaced training -- like studying for your classes after very lecture, all semester long -- is superior to cramming all night before the exam," Barth said. "This study shows why. Right after plasticity, synapses are almost fragile -- more training during this labile phases is actually counterproductive."

Previous research from Barth's lab established the biochemical mechanisms responsible for the strengthening of synapses in the neocortex, the part of the brain responsible for thought and language, but only measured the synapses after 24 hours. In the current study, post-doctoral student Jing A. Wen investigated how the synapses developed throughout the first 24 hours of exposure to a stimulus using a specialized transgenic mouse model created by Barth. The model senses its surroundings using only one whisker, which alters its ability to sense its environment and creates a sensory imbalance that increases plasticity in the brain. Since each whisker is linked to a specific area of the cortex, researchers can easily track neuronal changes.

Wen found that during this first day of learning, synapses go through three distinct phases. In the initiation phase, synaptic plasticity is spurred on by NMDA receptors. Over the next 12 hours or so, the synapses get stronger and stronger. As the stimulus is repeated, the NDMA receptors change their function and start to weaken the synapses in what the researchers have called the labile phase. After a few hours of weakening, another receptor, mGluR5, initiates a stabilization phase during which the synapses maintain their residual strength.

Furthermore, the researchers found that they could maintain the super-activated state found at the beginning of the labile phase by stopping the stimulus altogether or by injecting a glutamate receptor antagonist drug at an optimal time point. The findings are analogous to those seen in many psychological studies that use space training to improve memory.

"While synaptic changes can be long lasting, we've found that in this initial period there are a number of different things we could play with," Barth said. "The discovery of this labile phase suggests there are ways to control learning through the manipulation of the biochemical pathways that maintain memory."

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/ApgN_swkMGM/130529144327.htm

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Walmart pleads guilty to dumping hazardous waste in California

The fine also covers allegations of misdoings in Missouri. Photograph: Frederic J Brown/AFP/Getty Images

Walmart, which has endured a year of bad publicity around its US labour relations and working conditions in its overseas supply chain, on Tuesday pleaded guilty to dumping hazardous waste in numerous sites in California.

The retail giant will now pay a fine of $81m to settle misdemeanour charges around the issue, which also covers allegations of misdoings in Missouri. It brings an end to an investigation that has lasted nearly a decade.

Walmart admitted that it had negligently dumped pollutants into sanitation drains across California, and also tossed waste into local trash bins. Some material was also improperly taken to product return centers throughout the US without proper safety documentation.

Officials at Walmart pointed out that the case covered incidents that had happened between 2003 and 2005, and insisted it had now changed its procedures. "We have fixed the problem. We are obviously happy that this is the final resolution," company spokeswoman Brooke Buchanan told the Associated Press.

The illegal dumping covered by this plea took place in 16 Californian counties and was brought to light after a health department official in San Diego noticed a Walmart worker pouring bleach down a drain. Walmart, which in 2010 agreed to pay $27.6m in a similar case, says that its entire national system for dealing with hazardous waste has been comprehensively overhauled.

The guilty plea is the latest piece of bad news to put Walmart into the headlines. Earlier on Tuesday, the union supported Walmart worker organisation Our Walmart began the latest in a series of strikes aimed at highlighting what it says are low wages and abusive working conditions. Walmart workers walked out in Florida, Massachusetts and California with some aiming to stay off work until the firm holds its annual general meeting at its Arkansas headquarters on June 7.

The protests follow a series of strikes last year, including ones aimed at disrupting Black Friday ? one of the the busiest shopping days in the US.

It also comes after Walmart's role in sourcing goods from poorer countries has come under intense scrutiny. After a series of lethal disasters in the Bangladeshi garment industry, Walmart and fellow US retailer Gap have been the subject of condemnation after they resisted joining other large firms in forming a group aimed at tightening and enforcing safety regulations.

Instead, Walmart has said it will carry out its own investigations of the factories and suppliers that it uses in the country.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013/may/28/walmart-pleads-guilty-hazardous-waste

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Astronauts take express trip to Int'l Space Station

A Russian rocket carrying a trio of astronauts is on its way to the International Space Station.

NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg, European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano and Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin successfully launched aboard the Russian Soyuz TMA-09M spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan toward the orbiting outpost today (May 28) at 4:31 p.m. EDT (2031 GMT). The local time was early Wednesday.

The three newest space station crewmembers are expected to arrive just six hours after launch, in the second ever one-day manned trip to the International Space Station. [See Photos of the Express Launch ]

"Soyuz blazing into the night sky over Kazakhstan," NASA spokesman Kelly Humphries said upon launch.

Yurchikhin, the commander of the Soyuz, chose a toy dog as the crew's mascot. The cosmonaut got the stuffed animal as a gift 30 years ago, and he brought it with him to space in 2010 as well. The Soyuz commander also brought toys given to him by his daughters into the capsule.

Speedy trip

The Soyuz crew is scheduled to arrive at the station's Rassvet module at 10:17 p.m. EDT (0217 May 29 GMT). You can watch live coverage of the docking on SPACE.com starting at 9:30 p.m. EDT (0130 May 29 GMT).

It usually takes about two days for a manned Soyuz spacecraft to reach the International Space Station, but this time, the astronauts will make only four orbits of the Earth before docking.

Although many unmanned cargo ships do these kinds of expedited docking procedures regularly, only one other Soyuz crew has flown to the space station using this method.?

NASA's Chris Cassidy and Russian cosmonauts Pavel Vinogradov and Alexander Misurkin ? the three astronauts currently living and working on the space station ? were the first crew to do the one-day launch and docking when they blasted off to the station in March.

These express trips to the space laboratory give the astronauts more time to adjust to life in orbit on the space station instead of inside a cramped capsule. Mission managers have said that it saves money as well: Personnel needed in Mission Control when the Soyuz is flying can go home earlier when the trips are shorter.

Veterans and rookies

Nyberg, Yurchikhin and Parmitano represent a mixed international crew of first time and veteran spaceflyers.

Yurchikhin has spent more than a year in orbit already, logging 371 days in space. Nyberg flew to space onboard the space shuttle Discovery in 2008, but this marks her first time living on the more complete space station.

"When we went up before, we brought up the Japanese laboratory and our main job was helping to build the International Space Station. This time we won't be building anymore," Nyberg told SPACE.com. "We're maintaining it and primarily doing scientific research."

This will be Parmitano's first flight to the International Space Station.

"Of course, looking out cupola [the space station's largest window], I just know it will be an incredible experience, it will create memories that will be with me forever," Parmitano said in a NASA pre-flight interview. "Certainly the thought of doing extravehicular activity and being outside is also something that really excites me, but in general, I'm really just looking forward to the full experience from launch to reentry."

The astronauts have a busy mission ahead of them once they join Cassidy, Vinogradov and Misurkin to complete the Expedition 36 crew. During the six months that Nyberg, Parmitano and Yurchikhin live onboard the station, the crew will perform five spacewalks as well as receive a handful of unmanned cargo ships at the station.

Yurchikhin and Misurkin will conduct three Russian spacewalks focused on maintenance, while Cassidy and Parmitano will venture outside of the space station twice in July.

Follow Miriam Kramer on Twitter and Google+. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook?and Google+. Original article on SPACE.com.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/astronauts-launch-space-station-express-trip-204744822.html

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Keep your coffee hot during your morning commute

Are you still trying to figure out what to give your dear old Dad for Father’s Day? If he’s a coffee or tea drinking commuter, the ThinkGeek Hot Rod Heated Travel Mug might be a good option. This insulated mug features a 12-volt DC adapter that you can plug into your car’s power socket to [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/05/29/keep-your-coffee-hot-during-your-morning-commute/

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India's Tata Motors surges after earnings beat

PARIS/NEW YORK (Reuters) - French oil company Total has agreed to pay $398 million to settle criminal and civil charges brought by the U.S. government over alleged payments of bribes to Iranian officials in exchange for oil and gas contracts. Separately, the Paris prosecutor said Total and Chief Executive Christophe de Margerie should face trial in the same case. "Total used illicit payments to win business in Iran, and reaped substantial financial benefits as a result," Andrew Calamari, Director of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), said in a statement. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/indias-tata-motors-surges-earnings-beat-034625573.html

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Sonos enhances Spotify connections and more in new update

Sonos enhances Spotify connections and more in new updat

Sonos is already one of the most flexible music systems available, and with the latest 4.1 update to its controller software for iOS, OS X, Android and Windows, it's gotten even better.

Improvements include the ability to create playlists without using the queue - all you have to do is choose a track from any available source and add to your Sonos Playlist. You can edit playlists easier, too.

If you have a Spotify account, Sonos has some improvements there, too - you can create and edit Spotify playlists, and access and play music from Spotify playlist folders using your Sonos controller. You can also use Facebook or Spotify account credentials to link Spotify to Sonos.

New alarm options have been added and Sonos has improved component update speeds.

Free - Download now

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/0v7ezbpIDXM/story01.htm

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What Approach Could You Anticipate From A Huntington Beach ...

Huntington Beach is an extremely in demand city found in Orange County, Southern California. It is so prominent that numerous people make the step to stay there, and it has a human population of nearly 200,000 as of 2011. The ocean city is well visited and known for its huge section of sandy shore and also great beach lifestyle. The location is also great for scuba diving due to its terrific water and other shore attractions.

A number of health and fitness clubs and gymnasiums have already been constructed and managed in Huntington Beach for fitness and wellness needs of the homeowners and also travelers. You can actually select your Huntington Beach personal trainer to assist and allow you to be strong and attain your desired beach body. Undoubtedly, all people would like to enjoy the ocean more with a healthier and toned physique. Having the ability to flaunt your figure while swimming, diving, etc. is among the greatest ideas to love the seashore.

Conduct Of The Huntington Beach Personal Trainer

The attitudes of the personal trainer affects his / her career and service to his or her valued clients. His / her behaviour will also be reflected to their customers and would certainly influence the outcome of their training. Listed here are the traits that you could expect from the Huntington Beach personal trainer. Those are also the points that would assist you in your goal of a experiencing healthier lifestyle and a stronger physique.

* He or she must be results-oriented and well-motivated.

Expect a Huntington Beach personal trainer to be results-oriented. Naturally, she or he would really like you to lose a certain amount of pounds as well as body weight to obtain your ideal body. She or he expects you to become bodily toned just like her or him. She or he is driven by the hope to see outcomes on your fitness and health.

* He or she have to be focused and serious to assist you.

The fitness instructor must be devoted to her or his job so that you, the customer, will be centered as well to work out and also to achieve your goal. He or she needs to be focused and determined in assisting you.

* Expect that she or he is going to push you to your limits

As a knowledgeable instructor and somebody who is serious to assist you, she or he will press you hard to your limits in your workouts as well as ability. He or she knows the capacity of your body and are aware of when you can still do more.

* He would be helpful and respectful of your own personal built and limit.

A Huntington Beach personal trainer will certainly support you in your exercise while keeping in mind your overall health, physical fitness, and security. He / she is going to push you to your limits also at the same time should be mindful of your own personal ability, intensity, and condition.

Other Traits Of A Huntington Beach Personal Trainer

You may as well foresee a Huntington Beach personal trainer to possess these following attributes:

- He / she would be an expert fitness instructor and would have performed services with lots of other individuals, such as movie stars and personalities, with excellent outcomes.

- She or he would be properly educated and knowledgeable when it comes to fitness and health.

Getting back in good shape with the help of personal trainer Huntington Beach not only improves your physique but also your overall health as well. The rewards which an individual can get from Huntington Beach personal trainer are endless.

Source: http://hotarticledepot.com/what-approach-could-you-anticipate-from-a-huntington-beach-personal-trainer/

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Kelly Clarkson Dedicates 'People Like Us' Video To Her Fellow 'Misfits'

In her latest clip, Clarkson reminds her fans that differences really are what makes the world colorful.
By Emily Blake

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1708095/kelly-clarkson-dedicates-people-like-us-video-her-fellow-misfits.jhtml

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Finding value in beaten-down mining stocks - Financial Post

Base metal stocks have been battered in recent months as commodity prices declined, regardless of their quality. Buying them after a sell-off is a risky proposition, so Raymond James analyst Alex Terentiew waded through the muck to determine which ones have been punished unfairly.

He evaluated the stocks from a number of angles, including a sensitivity test to see how they would withstand a prolonged period of weak metal prices. The winner of the sensitivity test was Capstone Mining Corp., due to its ?strong operating asset base and robust cost profile.? Mr. Terentiew also noted that the ?prospective acquirer? overhang should be removed from Capstone now that the company has announced an acquisition.

First Quantum Minerals Ltd. also got a strong vote of approval from Mr. Terentiew. While it did not score as well in the rankings as Capstone, he pointed to its low costs, strong liquidity and proven management team.

He was much more cautious on other companies. He wrote that HudBay Minerals Inc. has little operational flexibility and ?will likely need? to raise capital next year to finish its development projects. In the case of Teck Resources Ltd., he noted that the company has a strong balance sheet right now, but that could change if it moves forward with its long-term copper and oil sands projects. And while he praised Lundin Mining Corp.?s asset base, he does not see catalysts to break the stock out of its current trading range.

Source: http://business.financialpost.com/2013/05/28/finding-value-in-beaten-down-mining-stocks/

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Wednesday, May 29, 2013

U.S., Russia discuss Syria, as EU nixes arms embargo

BRUSSELS (AP) ? The European Union has ended its arms embargo to Syria's outgunned rebels just as top U.S. and Russian diplomats try to persuade Syria's opposition and President Bashar Assad's regime to attend peace talks in Geneva.

The diplomatic moves, accompanied by an unannounced visit by Sen. John McCain to rebel forces in Syria, aim to put more pressure on Assad to seek a negotiated settlement to end Syria's 2-year-old civil war.

The prospect of EU nations being able to send weapons to the rebels while maintaining stiff economic sanctions against Assad's regime also sends a message to Russia. Moscow has unabashedly sent weapons to Assad's regime ? and EU arms deliveries could partially re-balance the firepower in the war.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-russia-discuss-syria-eu-nixes-arms-embargo-090850130.html

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Would You Take a Flight Which Only Had One Pilot?

Over in Europe, a new research scheme is looking into the possibility of creating cockpits that require just a single pilot to fly airplanes?but would you take such a flight?

The project, called ACROSS?Advanced Cockpit for Reduction of StreSs and workload?brings together collaborators like Thales, Airbus and Boeing to design control systems that need only one pilot. Forbes explains the idea:

The traditional answer to pilot error has been to have two pilots monitoring one another according to agreed standard operating procedures and crew resource management techniques. The ACROSS project is looking to replace the second pilot (at least temporarily) with automated systems. In particular, it will investigate advanced avionics to allow pilots to cope with peak workloads and deal with crew incapacitation.

Of course, chances are that there would be a reserve crew member on hand in case anything went majorly wrong?but how would you feel about the pressure being on a single pilot as you sail through the skies? [Forbes]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/would-you-take-a-flight-which-only-had-one-pilot-510069484

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Video: Obamacare More Unpopular Than Ever?

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Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/video/cnbc/52027237/

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Tuesday, May 28, 2013

IMF still confident in Lagarde after French probe

FILE - In this, Friday, May 24, 2013, file photo, International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde arrives at a special court house, in Paris. The IMF is reiterating its confidence in Lagarde's leadership Tuesday, May 28, 2013, after a French court stopped just short of charging her in an investigation of a payoff to a businessman. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The IMF is reiterating its confidence in Managing Director Christine Lagarde's leadership after a French court stopped just short of charging her in an investigation of a payoff to a businessman.

Lagarde was questioned at length for two days last week in the French hearings, which concluded by naming her a key witness in the probe of the payoff arranged while she was France's finance minister. She could still be charged in the case at a later date.

The IMF said Tuesday that its executive board has been briefed on the outcome of the recent hearings in France "and has reaffirmed its confidence in the managing director's ability to effectively carry out her duties."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-05-28-IMF-Lagarde/id-04d6f196cf2f47a29884b340c0cf5202

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Next On Deck For Khan Academy: Better Diagnostics And Internationalization

Even though Sal Khan is now running a platform that serves 6 million students and people a month, he’s still churning out a couple videos a week. What’s been most recently on deck? World War I. To make a video, Khan says he’ll front-load several books worth of reading on everything from the Armistice Day to the sinking of the Lusitania. Then he’ll start to make videos once he feels he has a decent grasp on the subject material. “If I’m hanging out waiting for the dentist, I’ll just start reading something about World War I,” he said in a recent interview. From the original tutoring calls he’d arrange to help out relatives, to the initial YouTube channel he started, Khan Academy has grown to reach 75 million users to date, with 230 million lessons delivered and 1 billion problems answered in 30,000 classrooms throughout the world. Naturally, there’s been quite a bit of hype (with both its good and bad consequences). Khan Academy has the reach but it’s still proving out the data to show that its lessons measurably affect learning outcomes beyond the handful of pilots the non-profit has tried. “Teachers are rightfully skeptical, I think. They’re overworked. They have a million things to do,” Khan said. “It’s an incredibly tiring job and you’re throwing a new thing at them, even if they intellectually recognize the benefit of it.” Two of the top things on Khan’s priority list for the next fall are internationalization and diagnostics. The Khan Academy has pioneered ways of measuring progress, to help ensure that students don’t develop a “Swiss Cheese”-like base of knowledge with different weak areas. But he acknowledged the site isn’t as good at telling students where they should begin. What if they’re competent at certain things like logarithms but terribly behind in trigonometry? “One of the biggest complaints we get is that people don’t know where to start. By this August, we should have good diagnostics where people can figure out where they stand,” he said. He’s personally interested in Carol Dweck’s theories around fostering a growth-centered mentality in children and students. Her research is the basis for a series of media stories and discussions around how much you should praise children and whether you should attribute their success to persistence or innate capabilities. She’s found that children who internalize not innate talent, but rather diligence, tend to do better

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Vp7PsIRmnZI/

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Real Estate Careers And Their Designations - Investopedia

Whether you are an entrepreneur or plan on working for an established company, the real estate industry offers a wide variety of career opportunities including those in brokerages and leasing services for homes, office buildings, industrial properties and farmland, as well as property management, appraisal and counseling. Here, we take a look at a selection of the career paths in real estate, including some of the relevant professional designations and certifications for each profession.

Residential Real Estate
Residential real estate sales agents help people throughout the process of buying and selling homes. In addition to showing homes to prospective buyers, agents help clients with property valuation, financing, mortgages and government programs. Agents and brokers must be licensed in the state in which they work (there is no "national" license). Each state has its own licensing system and requirements that include some type of pre-licensing course and a state-specific licensing examination.