Marvel Captain America Meet and Greet at Universal Orlando Islands of Adventure Plus New Merchandise – Video

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Marvel Captain America Meet and Greet at Universal Orlando Islands of Adventure Plus New Merchandise
Captain America greets at Universal Orlando #39;s Islands of Adventure Park! He rode in on his motorcycle this afternoon with other Marvel characters, and we wai...

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Marvel Captain America Meet and Greet at Universal Orlando Islands of Adventure Plus New Merchandise - Video

Sea-Level rise: Implications For Coastal Water Resources In Indonesian Islands | Soekisno – Video

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Sea-Level rise: Implications For Coastal Water Resources In Indonesian Islands | Soekisno
Title : Sea-Level rise: Implications For Coastal Water Resources In Indonesian Islands International Symposium on Coastal Cities, Marine Resources and Climat...

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Sea-Level rise: Implications For Coastal Water Resources In Indonesian Islands | Soekisno - Video

Billionaires Buying Islands Off Australia Find Perilous Paradise

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Billionaire William Han perches at the stern of Silver Fox II, his 20-meter powerboat, as it weaves through the kaleidoscopic coral wonderland that is Australias Great Barrier Reef.

In these pristine tropical waters in 1954, then-27-year-old Queen Elizabeth II and her consort, Prince Philip, escaped official duties to swim and spearfish during a six-month post-coronation world tour. Sixty years on, the secluded headland off which Their Highnesses frolicked is part of Hans kingdom, Bloomberg Pursuits will report in its Spring 2014 issue. Welcome to my island! he says, leaping onto a wooden jetty leading to a sandy, palm-fringed shore.

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After paying A$12 million ($10.9 million) for lovely Lindeman in 2012, the Chinese-Australian entrepreneur plans to spend more than A$200 million building a luxury resort on the 8-square-kilometer (3-square-mile) island, while keeping a prime secluded site for his own vacation retreat. When you first see the Great Barrier Reef, it blows your breath, he says in cheerfully fractured English. Buying Lindeman was a bargain. It took me 10 minutes to make up my mind.

How much of a bargain is a source of debate within the cloistered world of private-island sales. Although the Great Barrier Reef is renowned as one of the planets most beautiful and precious places, it has a perilous history. Over the past 80 years, investors have poured billions into resorts here, only to discover that the reef can be as treacherous for them as it was in 1770 for British explorer James Cook, whose HMS Endeavour ran aground near a spot he aptly named Cape Tribulation.

In the past three years alone, four of the most iconic Great Barrier Reef islands, including Lindeman, have been sold for a total of A$25 million -- a fraction of their former valuations. Today, the most prominent property agents specializing in private islands are divided over whether the Great Barrier Reef market has finally bottomed out.

These properties sold for pennies on the dollar, and we will see an upswing, says Chris Krolow, chief executive officer of Toronto-based Private Islands Inc. Thats not a view shared by Farhad Vladi, the Hamburg-based founder of Vladi Private Islands GmbH, who says Great Barrier Reef sales reflect a global trend downward, as evidenced by Microsoft Corp. co-founder Paul Allens December sale of his Washington state island for $8 million -- a third of its original asking price. In the past, the market was artificially inflated by greedy real estate agents and overly romantic buyers, Vladi says. Only now, when were seeing forced sales, is the true value revealed. I think prices will continue to go down.

If ever a smart entrepreneur could make money while pursuing the idyllic island dream, it should be here, on Australias foremost natural wonder. Stretching 2,300 kilometers (1,430 miles) down the countrys northeast coast, this labyrinth of 3,500 shoals, atolls, cays and coral-fringed continental islands is often described as the largest living structure on Earth.

Apart from the dazzling coral formations built from the skeletons of tiny sea creatures called coral polyps, the reef supports some 5,000 other species, from majestic, 40-ton humpback whales to the colorful, comical clown fish that inspired the 2003 Walt Disney blockbuster Finding Nemo.

Each year, 2 million visitors, from billionaires to backpackers, flock here. (In 2011, Oprah Winfrey even showed up with 100 members of her studio audience in tow.) They dive its depths and snorkel its shallows. They ogle it from the air in light planes and skim its surface aboard sailboats and megayachts. The game fishers among them engage in titanic, Hemingway-esque struggles with black marlin that can weigh 450 kilograms (990 pounds). And some decide that the reef is just so special they must own a piece of it.

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Billionaires Buying Islands Off Australia Find Perilous Paradise

Cook Islands' first mobile broadband network launched

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Telecom Cook Islands and technology partner Huawei have launched the Cook Islands first 3G mobile broadband network, delivering high-speed mobile data to customers and visitors.

The network went live in March with 11 sites deployed around Rarotonga to provide an HSPA+ network capable of connecting smartphones and other devices at up to 21Mbps. The existing 2G technology provided a maximum speed of 238Kbps.

All Telecom Cook Islands customers have been automatically transferred to the new 3G network and will have access to a range of compatible smartphones including the Huawei Ascend Y210 at just $99 with a free SIM and $20 Top Up. The range-topping Huawei Ascend P6 has also just landed in Teleshops this month.

Damien Beddoes, Telecom Cook Islands Sales and Marketing Manager said 3G speeds opened up a world of services and devices which utilise this new level of connectivity.

"This will have a big impact on how our customers are able to integrate technology into their daily lives. True mobile broadband brings marked economic and social benefits and we are thrilled to bring 3G to the Cook Islands.

"A latest generation 3G network will help business users to stay productive while out of the office or travelling. It will also enable the thousands of tourist visitors we see each year to stay in touch with home, share their holiday snaps instantly, or to video chat with friends and family back home, without leaving the beach."

TCIs CEO, Jules Maher said partnering with Huawei New Zealand (responsible for the Cook Islands) ensured ongoing access to world leading technology and support.

Huawei New Zealand CEO, Jason Wu, said it was an exciting project as he had seen firsthand the significant positive impact improvements to ICT infrastructure could bring.

"We are proud to partner with Telecom Cook Islands and have been very impressed with the skills and expertise of the local technicians.

"This network utilises Huaweis SingleRAN technology which allows the 2G and 3G networks to operate seamlessly together, and provides future-proofing with easy upgrades to new technologies such as 4G and even 5G as it becomes available."

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Cook Islands' first mobile broadband network launched

Researchers produce first comprehensive atlas of human genes

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To better understand why and how disease works in the human body, scientists are increasingly turning to genetics for answers. Now, a large international team has made the first detailed map of how genes work within the cells and tissues of the human body.

They have published their research in a series of papers, two of which appear in the journal Nature.

The findings, which describe the intricate networks that oversee gene activity, could help identify the main genes involved in disease.

Calling their atlas a "major advance," Prof. Winston Hide, study author from Harvard School of Public Health, says their findings will better their ability to "understand the causes of disease across the body."

The atlas is the result of years of collaboration between 250 experts from over 20 countries. They were all part of the FANTOM 5 project, which stands for Functional Annotation of the Mammalian Genome.

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Researchers produce first comprehensive atlas of human genes

Genetics can explain why infections can trigger onset of different types of rheumatoid arthritis

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A new international study has revealed how genetics could explain why different environmental exposures can trigger the onset of different forms of rheumatoid arthritis.

A team at the Arthritis Research UK Centre for Genetics and Genomics at The University of Manchester, part of a large international consortium involving scientists from across 15 academic institutions, believe their findings could have important implications for the way that rheumatoid arthritis is diagnosed and treated.

Publishing their findings in the journal American Journal of Human Genetics, they say that more accurate clinical testing is now needed to better identify the less-well understood type of rheumatoid arthritis and to prevent it being misdiagnosed.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a serious inflammatory form of arthritis, affecting almost 400,000 people in the UK, which causes painful, swollen joints, and in severe cases, considerable disability. It is known to have strong genetic and environmental components.

It was already known that a proportion of rheumatoid arthritis patients test positive for autoantibodies, whilst about 30% remain sero-negative. In this study, the researchers have better defined the genetic distinction between these two disease subtypes: sero-positive and sero-negative rheumatoid arthritis.

They have now established that different genetic variants of a protein that plays a vital role in how the body's immune system fights infection are associated with the two forms of rheumatoid arthritis. This provides clues to the theory that exposure to different infectious agents, such as bacteria or viruses, trigger the different forms of rheumatoid arthritis in susceptible individuals. Sero-negative rheumatoid is less well understood than sero-positive, and patients who have this type of arthritis can be misdiagnosed, leading to inappropriate treatment.

Dr Steve Eyre from the genetics and genomics centre in Manchester commented: "We recognise that rheumatoid arthritis is a complex disease that can have variable presentation and outcomes for different people, in particular in the way they respond to treatment. These findings add to our ability to genetically define subtypes of rheumatoid arthritis, which is an important step towards selecting the best treatment for each patient."

Centre director Professor Jane Worthington added: "Now that we have established a genetic basis for these two types of rheumatoid arthritis, we hope it will lead to patients receiving a swifter, accurate diagnosis and more appropriate, targeted treatment. These findings have opened the door to a better understanding of sero-negative rheumatoid arthritis."

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The above story is based on materials provided by Manchester University. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Genetics can explain why infections can trigger onset of different types of rheumatoid arthritis

Female fly genomes also populated with de novo genes derived from ancestral sequences

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A presentation at Genetics Society of America's Drosophila Research Conference builds the case that de novo genes derived from ancestral non-coding DNA can spread through a species.

Earlier this year, researchers in David J. Begun, Ph.D.'s lab at UC Davis reported that they had uncovered 142 de novo genes that originated in the ancestral non-coding DNA sequences and are segregating in Drosophila melanogaster populations.

Dr. Begun and postdoctoral scientist Li Zhao, Ph.D., identified de novo genes by comparing the RNA transcripts of the testes of several wild-derived strains of D. melanogaster to the standard reference genome for this fly species and to the RNA transcripts and genomes of two other Drosophila species.

Their results suggested that these genes may play an important role in Drosophila male reproduction. The UC Davis scientists, who were the first to investigate whether de novo genes spread through a species, next turned their attention to females.

They conducted a systematic search for de novo genes that were expressed in female Drosophila flies and determined that these genes appear to derive primarily from ancestral intergenic sequences, which is similar to the case for male-biased de novo genes.

At the GSA Drosophila Research Conference, Dr. Zhao will report about the female-expressed de novo genes. The population genetics and role of selection on these genes will also be discussed.

Explore further: New genes spring and spread from non-coding DNA

More information: Abstract: "Female-expressed de novo genes in Drosophila." Li Zhao, David J. Begun. abstracts.genetics-gsa.org/cgi-bin/dros14s/showdetail.pl?absno=14531505

Provided by Genetics Society of America

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Female fly genomes also populated with de novo genes derived from ancestral sequences

Genetic markers provide unprecedented primate link in human evolution

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(Phys.org) Genetics provides stunning new answers to the question of human evolution, according to Auckland cancer researcher, Dr Graeme Finlay.

Genetic markers that are used to follow the development of populations of cells have exactly the same character as those that track the development of species, says Dr Finlay who has just published a book on genetics and human evolution.

His book, 'Human Evolution: Genes, Genealogies and Phylogenies', was published by Cambridge University Press late last year.

Dr Finlay is senior lecturer in Scientific Pathology at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, and an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, in the University of Auckland.

"Controversy over human evolution remains widespread, but the human genome project and genetic sequencing of many other species have provided myriad precise and unambiguous genetic markers that establish our evolutionary relationships with other mammals," says Dr Finlay.

This book identifies and explains these identifiable, rare and complex markers including endogenous retroviruses, genome-modifying transposable elements, gene-disabling mutations, segmental duplications and gene-enabling mutations.

These new genetic tools also provide fascinating insights into when and how many features of human biology arose: from aspects of placental structure, vitamin C dependence and trichromatic vision, to tendencies to gout, cardiovascular disease and cancer.

The book brings together a decade's worth of research and ties it together to provide an overwhelming argument for the mammalian ancestry of the human species.

Dr Finlay says he hopes the book will be of interest to professional scientists, undergraduate and college students in both the biological and biomedical sciences, and to anyone including theologians concerned with the scientific evidences for evolution.

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Genetic markers provide unprecedented primate link in human evolution

Standard & Poor’s U.S. Consumer, Retail, And Health Care Weekly Review (March 24) – Video

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Standard Poor #39;s U.S. Consumer, Retail, And Health Care Weekly Review (March 24)
In this segment of U.S. Consumer, Retail, and Health Care Weekly, Standard Poor #39;s Director Andy Sookram discusses the actions we recently took on Levi Stra...

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Standard & Poor's U.S. Consumer, Retail, And Health Care Weekly Review (March 24) - Video