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AP: Kansas officials, professor debate science standards

Posted on October 17, 2012 by ev1

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Published 10/17/2012 in News

TOPEKA (AP) A veteran biology professor described public school science standards being drafted by Kansas and other states as weak, telling education officials Tuesday that they largely ignore important subjects such as zoology and human anatomy.

John Richard Schrock, a biology professor at Emporia State University, said the standards being drafted concentrate too much on ecology, evolution and molecular biology. He said adopting such guidelines in Kansas is likely to prevent students from learning enough about zoology, human anatomy, botany and microbiology.

Kansas and 25 other states are working with the National Research Council on common standards for possible adoption in their public schools, and Kansas officials involved in writing the guidelines contend the goal is to concentrate on core scientific concepts. Schrock aired his criticism during a public-comment session before the State Board of Education, and officials involved in writing the standards responded during a monthly update for the board on their work.

Past work on science standards in Kansas has been overshadowed by debates about how evolution should be taught. The state had five sets of standards in eight years starting in 1999, as evolution skeptics gained and lost state board majorities in elections. The current, evolution-friendly standards were adopted by the board in 2007, but state law requires them to be updated.

Schrock, who's taught biology at Emporia State since 1986 and is a former chairman of its biology department, favors evolution-friendly standards, but he's also long argued that the state and U.S. should require students to take more science courses and impose detailed standards.

"You can't solve a chess problem if you don't know how to play chess, and you can't repair a car if you don't know how a car works," he said during an interview. "This promotes science stupidity."

But Matt Krehbiel, the Kansas Department of Education official overseeing the state's work on the standards, said Schrock's criticism isn't justified. He said the standards won't preclude schools from teaching different scientific subjects but will promote a deeper understanding of core concepts.

A first draft of the proposed standards became public in May, and another draft is expected to be released in November. Officials expect the Kansas board to consider adopting them early next year.

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AP: Kansas officials, professor debate science standards

NHS doctor accused of being part of 15-strong British jihadi group in Syria

Posted on October 17, 2012 by ev1

They had strayed in to the camp by accident after crossing the border from Turkey to cover the conflict.

The pair were kept handcuffed and blindfolded but were finally released with the help of the Free Libyan Army.

Piers Arnold, prosecuting, told Westminster Magisatrates Court: It was not occupied by the Free Syria Army but by a band of jihadist fighters, clearly religiously motivated, and it was equally clear they were unwelcome.

They were threatened at gunpoint, blind folded and restrained.

It is believed there were 40 people in the camp from a variety of ethnic backgrounds.

Chechnans and youngsters engaged in Jihad conflict for the first time.

A significant number of individuals appeared to be British, 15 British nationals were in the camp.

Islam appeared in court wearing a black jacket with a grey shirt and tie. He spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and address.

Mozammel Hossain, defending him, said: "This is a bright young man with a very promising future in this country as an NHS doctor.

"He has a first-class degree in biochemistry. He has qualified as a doctor and completed his training.

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NHS doctor accused of being part of 15-strong British jihadi group in Syria

McMaster biochemistry student making his mark as an MMA fighter

Posted on October 17, 2012 by ev1

The biochemistry research that should earn him a PhD by next summer involves categorizing the structure of a nonpathogenic protein from an obscure bacteria that apparently exist at a near-atomic level.

I think thats what its about, anyway. Youd need a couple of masters degrees to do more than simply nod along politely as he talks about bioremediation and terraforming and something called Deinococcus Radiodurans that can apparently recover from extreme damage, which makes it a huge deal for doctors and even NASA, which has taken some into space for study. Or something like that.

Smart? Uh, yeah. Seiji Sugiman-Marangos is off the charts.

Which makes you wonder why a McMaster student with a brain like this will walk into a cage on Friday night and risk it by fighting another man in a mixed martial arts bout. After all, its kind of a given that being kicked and punched and elbowed and kneed in the head isnt ideal for brain cells.

For me, its just about competing, he says.

Make no mistake, the 27-year-old featherweight whose name is pronounced Say-jee Soogie-man Marangoes is acutely aware of the danger. He gets how valuable the cargo inside his skull is for his future. He understands the risks. But he also feels the lure of the game.

Growing up, he says he wasnt good at any sports. But as soon as he tried karate as a teenager, he found his sweet spot. He was good at it right away and loved it. That led to taekwondo and other martial arts before finding his way into a jiu-jitsu gym.

His laughs talking about his first time sparring when a teenage girl and then a very small boy manhandled him. But he worked at and soon became pretty proficient.

Watching a couple of professional fighters work out, he started thinking he should give the game a try for real. Mostly because he says it seemed like a waste of time to spend so much time training for nothing.

But the thought of taking blows to the head is never far away. He can take a punch. He has. Truth is, hes fearless and maybe too tough for his own good.

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McMaster biochemistry student making his mark as an MMA fighter

Unorthodox OSU prof sings to class

Posted on October 17, 2012 by ev1

CORVALLIS Its a Tuesday morning, and Kevin Ahern is entertaining a room full of college students in an introductory class to biochemistry and biophysics with a voice that carries and a lesson that is positively lyrical.

The class is full of young students, many of them in the second week of their first year of college. They have many reasons to be nervous; their course work is among the most difficult at the university. But Ahern, a senior instructor of biophysics and biochemistry at Oregon State University, has found a way to calm jitters.

Music.

After brief announcements and role call during which Ahern proves that he knows his class of about 50 students by name and face he projects song lyrics on an overhead screen that contain words like ribosome and DNA.

Then, without hesitation, he begins to sing the scientific lyrics to the melody of America, the Beautiful and the class follows his lead.

This is Metabolic Melodies, one of Aherns unconventional teaching methods to cut through the anxiety that new students often feel when first entering his class.

Ahern, who jokingly claims the title of frustrated musician, began writing the melodies in 1990.

I originally conceived of the melodies because biochemistry itself is a pretty scary subject for students, he said.

Metabolic Melodies have made a big enough impression on the student population that Ahern often has students enrolling in his courses because of the songs.

But while they are entertaining and make the professor less intimidating, the melodies, like his other unusual teaching methods, serve a practical purpose as well.

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Unorthodox OSU prof sings to class

UC Merced Connect: Work links microbes to behavior

Posted on October 17, 2012 by ev1

Professor Mnica Medina started out as the only marine biologist in a National Science Foundation workshop last year, but she ended up with a group of new partners and an opinion piece in the prestigious journal Science.

Through discussions with colleagues from many other disciplines, including behavioral biologists and ecologists, she and others realized they had found something new together.

"We had fun, and we realized there's an almost unexplored niche in science research -- the connection between microbes and behaviors," Medina said.

Along with the article's four other authors, she analyzed how much -- or little -- research has been done on the connection between the way animals behave and how the microbes that inhabit them affect such behaviors.

They were glad to find out that Science magazine was interested in the topic and agreed to publish it as a "Perspectives" piece.

"There are too few studies in this area," said Medina, who's with the School of Natural Sciences. "Microbiology and animal behavior research are two disciplines that have evolved separately. However, host-microbe interactions provide a new unexplored angle to look for ways to explain those behaviors."

"Given that microorganisms represent one of the most prevalent forms of life on this planet, this creative kind of thinking can dramatically change our understanding of the biological world," said UC Merced Vice Chancellor for Research Sam Traina.

Until fairly recently, people thought of microbes associated with animals almost exclusively as harmful and pathogenic to their hosts.

But all animals house microbes that are beneficial, such as the ones that live in intestines and help digest food. Some even seek them out, as humans do when we add supplements such as probiotics to our diets.

UC Merced's Vital and Alice Pellissier Distinguished Speaker Series presents Colgate University Professor Anthony F. Aveni on "The End of Time: The Maya Mystery of 2012."

Anatomy of a Debate Fight: The Energy Question

Posted on October 17, 2012 by Danzig

There were a couple exciting moments in the presidential debate last night when President Obama and Mitt Romney revealed they do not like each other very much. One of those was on the not-typically-emotionally-charged issue of energy permits. Relive it in our GIF anatomy of the fight.

Setup:

Romney responds to a question about gas prices by saying that Obama hasn't pursued an energy policy that would drive prices down. Obama responds that he's encouraged growth in all energy sectors, both clean and dirty, and that that will create jobs. "That's the strategy you need, an all-of-the-above strategy, and that's what we're going to do in the next four years."

Step 1: The provocation.

Romney cuts in. "But that's not what you've done in the last four years. That's the problem.In the last four years, you've cut permits and licences on federal lands and federal waters in half."

"Not true Governor Romney."

Step 2: The personal space invasion.

The start walking and talking over each over.

Romney: "So how much did you cut licenses?"

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Anatomy of a Debate Fight: The Energy Question

UCSF anatomy center's high-tech upgrade

Posted on October 17, 2012 by Danzig

For the new Anatomy Learning Center at UCSF's Parnassus campus, school officials sought to integrate high-tech tools with the classic cadaveric dissection.

The result: Instead of paper manuals, each lab table has an iPad uploaded with the manual, interactive graphics and quizzes. Faculty use mobile cameras to beam images of a cadaver wirelessly to TV screens and the iPads throughout the room. And students can watch surgeries taking place somewhere else on campus.

"It's about making the lab extend beyond the walls," said Chandler Mayfield, director of technology-enhanced learning in the university's School of Medicine.

The university and designers consulted with students and faculty for months to find out what they wanted to see in the $7.5 million learning center, which opened in August and was paid for with public and private funding. In addition to the lab, it includes offices, a classroom with wireless video capabilities, and a memorial wall where students can commemorate those who donated their bodies for their education.

The university shut down the old anatomy lab in September 2010 because its ventilation system was so outdated that chemical levels got too high. For the past two years, while the new center was being designed and built, students and faculty had to make do sharing the School of Dentistry's lab.

The old lab was a relic of the 1950s. The tables were made mostly of wood and were too tall for many students. The lights provided uneven lighting for students dissecting cadavers. And the circulation problems left the smelly embalming chemicals hanging in the air.

"Your hair would reek, your clothes would reek," said anatomy Professor Kimberly Topp. "You would get into the elevator, and everyone knew where you had been."

The new 3,500-square-foot lab is in the same place as the old lab on the medical school's 13th floor. Wall-to-wall windows look out onto Golden Gate Park and into Marin. It feels light and spacious, despite the 30 exam tables with four students buzzing around each.

Six 72-inch TV screens line the wall opposite the windows, and whiteboards with handwritten lists of muscles, bones and ligaments cover much of the remaining wall space. The ceiling is dotted with wireless routers, retractable extension cords and surgical lights that students can maneuver over their cadavers.

Architect Malvin Whang of the firm Harley Ellis Devereaux said he tried to create a warm and inviting space where students would want to study and that also met the functional needs of an anatomy lab.

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UCSF anatomy center's high-tech upgrade

Healthy Helpings: Understanding the nutrition facts label

Posted on October 16, 2012 by ev1

The nutrition facts label provides us with a great amount of information. But what good is that information if we don't understand it?

The first place to look is at the serving size. This number is important because the amount of nutrients and calories for every product is based on one serving. Servings per container shows how many servings are in an entire package. Be sure not to confuse the entire package as one serving.

Below the serving size, the number of calories per serving is listed. Calories measure the amount of energy that comes from a single serving. Some products also list calories from fat, or how much energy is coming directly from fat. If you are trying to reach or maintain a healthy weight, this section will be helpful. Balancing the calories you consume with the calories you burn during activity is important to managing a healthy weight. To lose weight, you must burn more calories than you consume; to maintain a healthy weight, you must burn equal amounts of calories that you consume.

After looking at the serving size and calories per serving, it is important to look at the nutrients the food contains. Nutrition facts labels list macronutrients such as fat, carbohydrates and protein, as well as micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals.

The nutrients that are listed closer to the top of the label should be limited. These nutrients include total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol and sodium. Excessive amounts of these nutrients can lead to chronic health conditions. The nutrients that are listed in the lower half, such as vitamins, minerals and fiber, should be consumed more often. These nutrients can help decrease the risk of chronic diseases.

Listed on the right side of the food label are percentages that represent how much of the daily requirement for a nutrient is in one serving of the product. For example, if a nutrition label lists 10 percent for vitamin A, that means one serving provides 10 percent of the total amount of vitamin A needed each day, based on a 2,000-calorie diet. You will see that trans fat, sugar and protein do not have a percentage listed, because no recommended intake has been established.

To help you understand the percent daily value a little better, use this quick guide: 5 percent daily value or less is low; 20 percent or more is high. Look for foods that contain close to 5 percent for saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium and contain close to 20 percent for vitamins, minerals and fiber.

Finally, it is important to be aware of the ingredients that a product contains. At the bottom of the label is a list of ingredients in descending order by weight. A product contains larger amounts of the ingredients listed at the top of the ingredient list. Those listed near the bottom are used in smaller amounts. Nutrition facts labels are required to list common allergens such as wheat, egg, soy, milk, nuts or fish.

Nutrition facts labels provide a lot of information that explains what and how much a particular food contains, but the information is useless unless we know how to interpret it. Using this information will not only help you understand what is in foods, but it will also help you to make healthier choices.

Kelly Marsteller is a clinical outpatient dietitian at Memorial Hospital. Healthy Helpings is a column written by nutritionists in York and Adams counties.

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Healthy Helpings: Understanding the nutrition facts label

Nutrition advocates putting heat on Flamin’ Hot Cheetos

Posted on October 16, 2012 by ev1

CHICAGO On a recent sunny fall afternoon, students from Lake View High School streamed out of a nearby convenience store munching after-school snacks.

Some bought cookies and snack cakes. Others got soft drinks and candy. But the majority walked out of Touchdown Food Mart with crinkly orange bags of Flamin Hot Cheetos sometimes with warm cheese sauce poured on top of the fiery red curls.

Once you start eating them, they are kind of addicting, and you cant help it, said sophomore Zian Garcia. Personally I have been eating them for years, and I cannot stop. I just have this urge to eat them.

In the 20 years since Frito-Lay launched Flamin Hot Cheetos as a snack aimed at urban convenience stores, the product has inspired dozens of spicy competitors, multiple Facebook fan pages, a viral rap video and legions of loyal young fans.

But for many school administrators and public health advocates, the wild popularity of Flamin Hots inspires concern. To many, theyve become shorthand for everything that is wrong with the diets of American children, whose obesity rates have tripled since 1980.

While its true that Flamin Hots, also known as Hot Cheetos, deliver high levels of salt, fat and artificial colors with little nutrition or fiber in return, the same can be said for similar snacks.

Yet there is something about Flamin Hot Cheetos that inflames critics in a way that other snacks including regular Cheetos never did. Some schools and districts, including Illinois Noble Street Charter School Network and the entire Rockford school district, have banned Flamin Hots by name, citing nutritional concerns.

We dont allow candy, and we dont allow Hot Cheetos, said Rita Exposito, principal of Jackson Elementary School in Pasadena, Calif. We dont encourage other chips, but if we see Hot Cheetos, we confiscate them sometimes after the child has already eaten most of them. Its mostly about the lack of nutrition.

Its not hard to find kids who say they eat Flamin Hots or similar products every day, sometimes even for breakfast. If that sounds like an addiction, some scientists say it may not be far from the truth.

Emerging research on food addiction suggests that processed salty, fatty or sweet foods of any kind also called hyperpalatable foods can trigger brain responses similar to those created by controlled substances in addicted individuals.

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Nutrition advocates putting heat on Flamin’ Hot Cheetos

The Secret Reason Schiff Nutrition International's Earnings are Awesome

Posted on October 16, 2012 by ev1

It takes money to make money. Most investors know that, but with business media so focused on the "how much," very few investors bother to ask, "How fast?"

When judging a company's prospects, how quickly it turns cash outflows into cash inflows can be just as important as how much profit it's booking in the accounting fantasy world we call "earnings." This is one of the first metrics I check when I'm hunting for the market's best stocks. Today, we'll see how it applies to Schiff Nutrition International (NYSE: SHF) .

Let's break this down In this series, we measure how swiftly a company turns cash into goods or services and back into cash. We'll use a quick, relatively foolproof tool known as the cash conversion cycle, or CCC for short.

Why does the CCC matter? The less time it takes a firm to convert outgoing cash into incoming cash, the more powerful and flexible its profit engine is. The less money tied up in inventory and accounts receivable, the more available to grow the company, pay investors, or both.

To calculate the cash conversion cycle, add days inventory outstanding to days sales outstanding, then subtract days payable outstanding. Like golf, the lower your score here, the better. The CCC figure for Schiff Nutrition International for the trailing 12 months is 90.2.

For younger, fast-growth companies, the CCC can give you valuable insight into the sustainability of that growth. A company that's taking longer to make cash may need to tap financing to keep its momentum. For older, mature companies, the CCC can tell you how well the company is managed. Firms that begin to lose control of the CCC may be losing their clout with their suppliers (who might be demanding stricter payment terms) and customers (who might be demanding more generous terms). This can sometimes be an important signal of future distress -- one most investors are likely to miss.

In this series, I'm most interested in comparing a company's CCC to its prior performance. Here's where I believe all investors need to become trend-watchers. Sure, there may be legitimate reasons for an increase in the CCC, but all things being equal, I want to see this number stay steady or move downward over time.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Dollar amounts in millions. FY = fiscal year. TTM = trailing 12 months.

Because of the seasonality in some businesses, the CCC for the TTM period may not be strictly comparable to the fiscal-year periods shown in the chart. Even the steadiest-looking businesses on an annual basis will experience some quarterly fluctuations in the CCC. To get an understanding of the usual ebb and flow at Schiff Nutrition International, consult the quarterly-period chart below.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Dollar amounts in millions. FQ = fiscal quarter.

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The Secret Reason Schiff Nutrition International's Earnings are Awesome

Genomic hitchhikers in birds shed light on evolution of viruses

Posted on October 16, 2012 by ev1

Public release date: 16-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jim Sliwa jsliwa@asmusa.org 202-942-9297 American Society for Microbiology

The genomes of birds are riddled with DNA sequences from viruses, according to a study to be published on October 16 in mBio, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology. Analysis of these viral sequences, known as endogenous retroviruses (ERVs), can provide insights into how both hosts and viruses have evolved over the eons.

"We examined the evolution of avian retroviruses on the basis of their fossil remnants in the three avian genomes that have been completely sequenced," write the authors from Johns Hopkins University and Uppsala University, Sweden. The authors go on to say their analyses of ERVs in chicken, turkey, and zebra finch genomes reveal that birds were a hotbed of viral evolution early in their history.

All genomes are cobbled together works-in-progress. Scientists have long known that the human genome, for example, is not all human: like most every other genome studied to date, a good chunk of the DNA we call "human" is actually made up of proviruses, sequences that retroviruses have deposited there to take advantage of the cell's ability to copy DNA and translate that DNA into working proteins. These proviruses can either be inherited in the DNA we get from our parents (endogenous retroviruses), or they can be picked up during our lifetime (exogenous retroviruses).

The study reveals that millions of years ago birds were host to many different kinds of ERVs, serving as a kind of melting pot: a meeting and mingling place where viruses recombined and shared genetic information.

Unlike early studies of ERVs in chickens, which studied selected segments of the genome and uncovered only alpha-retroviruses, this study used complete genome sequences and found a great diversity of viral sequences in bird genomes, representing the same major groups as those of mammals, but exhibiting more diversity. Most of the ERVs in birds were distinct from those found in other animals, probably indicating that the viruses did not move much between different kinds of hosts.

"We conclude that avian retroviral evolution differs from that of other vertebrates," write the researchers. "Avian retroviruses seem to have evolved rather independently from the rest of the retroviruses over the last 150 million years."

Stepher Goff of Columbia University, who was not involved in the research but edited the article for mBio, says genome-level studies like this are a boon to virologists.

"This paper is filling a big gap in our understanding of these viruses," says Goff. "This is something that needed to be done, and advancing sequencing technology made it easy to do."

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Genomic hitchhikers in birds shed light on evolution of viruses

Longevity Global Inc. Announces Their Exclusive 30 Days Trial Offer On Power Backup Units And Welding Equipment

Posted on October 16, 2012 by ev1

Longevity Global Inc. has yet again made an astonishing announcement to the world. This time Longevity global Inc. has shown extreme confidence on their manufactured machines and has come up with amazing policy of 30 days risk free trial period on their offered product lines. The new policy is applicable on all power backup units including portable generators, gasoline generators, diesel generators and other units.

Hayward, CA (PRWEB) October 16, 2012

The offer is very rare and the opportunity is limited, users of heavy duty machine like portable generator and modern welding equipment will not get this amazing offer at any other store except Longevity Global Inc.

Simon Katz, President of Longevity Global Inc. took the dice to speak a few words, He stated, We have come up with 30 day risk free trial on our offer product lines. Now whether a customer intends to buy power backup machines like portable gas generators or buy a highly advance metal welding equipment, our trial period policy is applicable on every offered industrial machine. We always believe in providing convenient and satisfied shopping experience for clients to build a long lasting relationship. Under our new offer, we will bear all costs to replace the damaged and malfunction units if they fail within 30 days. We will pay cover shipping both ways, and provide a replacement ship right away if you happen to receive a damaged or non-functional product. So, do not waste time and utilize this opportunity for a free trial of our best in the class equipment at the earliest.

Longevity Global Inc. is USA's most eminent brand for welding and cutting machines. Time to time introduction of modern tools and high profile industrial machines to the world has always been one of the major factors which makes Longevity Global Inc. the most dominant player in the welding industry. Their review portal and sales records are evident that they have a huge list of satisfied customers who never even look to other welding machine providers after having a single shopping experience at Longevity Global Inc.

Longevity Global Inc. is providing its dedicated service since 2001. It is growing at a phenomenal pace with high customer satisfaction, new and used welders, cutters and efficient industrial production for welding purposes. It works in different parts of world with distributors in Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, United Kingdom, and multiple other countries. Longevity Global Inc. serve globally with manufacturing facilities with its logistic companies to effectively distribute products in a punctual and effective manner.

To know more visit http://www.longevity-inc.com.

Simon Katz Longevity, Inc. 1.877.566.4462 Email Information

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Longevity Global Inc. Announces Their Exclusive 30 Days Trial Offer On Power Backup Units And Welding Equipment

DNA links man to Bradenton home invasion

Posted on October 16, 2012 by ev1

Published: Tuesday, October 16, 2012 at 3:51 p.m. Last Modified: Tuesday, October 16, 2012 at 3:51 p.m.

BRADENTON - DNA evidence has linked a man to a July home invasion robbery, sheriffs officials reported.

Alex Johnson, 20, is being charged with home invasion robbery with a firearm.

The home invasion occurred at a house in the 4100 block of 39th Street West. The victim told deputies two men with pistols barged into her home and asked where Bill was. She told the men she didnt know anyone by that name.

One man, who was wearing a ski mask, pushed her into the bathroom and told her to look at the ground while the other man ransacked her bedroom, according a sheriffs report. After the men left, her cell phone was the only item reported stolen.

At the end of August, the victim saw a story on a news website and reported that she believed a suspect on the website was also one of the men who invaded her home. Johnson had been arrested in a similar case and was already in jail when he was charged with the July home invasion.

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DNA links man to Bradenton home invasion

DNA clues catch more criminals

Posted on October 16, 2012 by ev1

A man allows police to take a DNA sample. Source: AFP

DNA technology now plays a key role in more than half of arrests and reports from crime scenes, as the number of people on the database grows.

Last financial year, DNA from crime scenes contributed to an arrest or a report in 52per cent of cases, up from 48per cent the previous year, reflecting an improvement in forensic science and crime scene investigation practices.

The South Australian Police annual report tabled in Parliament yesterday showed 97,396 suspects or offenders had samples entered on the DNA database, up from 84,629 in 2010-11.

While scientific work increasingly helps solve crimes, so does intelligence work.

During 2011-12 the Crime Gangs Task Force - which deals with organised crime and outlaw motorcycle gangs - arrested or reported 89 motorcycle gang members and 92 associates; seized 1175g of amphetamine, 130 cannabis plants, 5319g of cannabis, 165 ecstasy pills, 927 street deals of other illicit drugs; $139,000 in cash, 29 firearms and issued 42 barring orders.

Police Commissioner Gary Burns said victim-reported crime continued to drop, falling 5.6per cent in the past financial year (to 125,879 incidents) and 40.5per cent since 2000-01.

Other highlights in the report include:

18,534 reports received by Bank SA Crime Stoppers, resulting in 2066 crimes solved, 1166 suspects apprehended and $261,645 worth of property and cash recovered;

563,594 driver screening tests conducted, including 42,312 drivers tested for drug driving, 7779 cars impounded or clamped for hoon driving (compared to 7303 in 2010-11).

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DNA clues catch more criminals

Producers embrace sheep DNA testing

Posted on October 16, 2012 by ev1

AUSTRALIA'S sheep producers are queuing up to adopt new DNA technology, with the latest Sheep Genomics Pilot Project fully subscribed.

The DNA testing program, conducted by the Co-operative Research Centre for Sheep Industry Innovation (Sheep CRC), was booked out within days of its opening in August.

The Genomics Pilot Project offers three DNA testing programs: a SNP test for parentage at $17/test; a SNP test for Merino poll/horn for $17/test; and the 50k SNP test for prediction of genomic breeding values for sires at a cost of $50/test. Merinos tested for parentage, or with the 50k SNP, are receiving the poll test results at no additional cost.

The 1500 genotyping tests available as part of Pilot Project III have been fully subscribed, and a further 1500 tests allocated for commercial scale trials has also been over-subscribed, Sheep CRC chief executive James Rowe said.

With the use of DNA analysis and genomic breeding values being a very new technology, R&D is occurring in parallel with the Genomics Pilot Projects in order to define the most effective use of the new technologies in practical breeding programs.

"For this reason, the CRCs genetics research team will be working closely with a group of nine commercial-scale breeders who have submitted expressions of interest.

This is a resounding vote of confidence in the commercial value of genomics technology for sheep breeding programs.

The Sheep CRC has conducted a Genomics Pilot Project yearly since 2010, with the number of rams tested each year increasing dramatically, from approximately 450 rams in 2010, to 860 rams in 2011 and now 3000 rams in 2012.

This years project will build on the earlier trials, which provided genomic predictions for new traits including dressing percentage and lean meat yield, together with traits for meat eating quality such as intramuscular fat and shear force that are difficult and expensive to measure.

It is expected that the accuracy levels of research breeding values (RBVs) and Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBVs) will further improve as a result of the additional data collected during the Genomics Pilot Project and through the Information Nucleus program.

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Producers embrace sheep DNA testing

The Military Put Out A Research Request For What Amounts To Cybernetic Organisms

Posted on October 16, 2012 by ev1

In a request released Sept. 14 of this year, the Office Of Naval Research sought to find proposals for "Synthetic Biology Tools for Sensing and Bioprocessing" essentially hybrid, organic inorganic "sensing" robots.

But the language can be deceiving.

Googling the first three words synthetic biology tools yields research in the field of Biofuels. Even the "bioprocessing" part of the request equates to sources of "efficient" fuels in austere conditions. As we've covered most recently, the military is under tremendous pressure to curb its consumption of traditional fossil fuels.

Along with that, it's under even more pressure to reduce casualties on the battlefield arguably the number one metric aside from monetary cost which affects public resistance to foreign military expeditions.

Sure, they're looking for inexpensive, efficient means to fuel war, but they're also looking for more efficient vehicles of war.The language farther in the proposal though makes it clear that the military is investing heavily into smart, cybernetic robots.

From the proposal:

This field is intended to serve two purposes: (1) to allow the design and engineering of organisms that possess a specific, reproducible function from a set of validated genetic parts, circuits and chassis organisms, and, (2) to allow the systematic study of the structure and function of genetic components in natural cellular/multi-cellular systems.

Interpretation: We're looking to connect organic matter, be it single celled or multi-celled, to inorganic, possibly synthetic, circuits.

The organic matter would 'sense' certain stimuli. In one case specifically, chemicals or molecules in the air that would indicate bomb-making materials kind of like a dog's nose connected to a computer.

But then the proposal takes a nasty turn for the weird and scary:

Metabolic melodies

Posted on October 16, 2012 by ev1

Prof. Kevin Aherns musical lilt to his biochemistry lectures is a hit with Oregon State students

Its a Tuesday morning, and Kevin Ahern is entertaining a room full of college students in an introductory class to biochemistry and biophysics with a voice that carries and a lesson that is positively lyric.

Music.

Then, without hesitation, he begins to sing the scientific lyrics to the melody of America, the Beautiful and the class follows his lead.

This is Metabolic Melodies, one of Aherns unconventional teaching methods to cut through the anxiety that new students often feel when first entering his class.

Ahern, who jokingly claims the title of frustrated musician, began writing the melodies in 1990.

I originally conceived of the melodies because biochemistry itself is a pretty scary subject for students, he said.

Metabolic Melodies have made a big enough impression on the student population that Ahern often has students enrolling in his courses because of the songs.

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Metabolic melodies

North Americans: Travel Abroad This Fall and Save With Avis

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Danzig

PARSIPPANY, N.J., Oct. 16, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Traveling internationally this fall? If you're planning or longing to visit Africa, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, Mexico, the Middle East or New Zealand, Avis Car Rental has a special offer for you. Avis is offering residents of the United States and Canada a way to save up to 25 percent on vehicles when traveling abroad.

"Research by the International Association of Travel Agents indicates that the fastest-growing passenger destination areas for North American travelers are expected to be the Middle East (11.3 percent), Africa (7.5 percent), and the Asia-Pacific region (5.7 percent), led by China, one of the world's fastest-growing tourism destinations," said Jeannine Haas, chief marketing officer, Avis Budget Group. "As a global company, growing our share of this international travel spend is one of our strategic priorities, so we're pleased to be able to offer our customers the opportunity to save on Avis rentals when traveling abroad to these regions."

Avis has locations throughout northern and southern Africa as well as at certain major airports in central Africa. Avis also has locations across the Middle East, and is a leader in China with more than 70 locations.

"We continue to expand our global system to provide more new destinations and more new rental locations for our international travelers," said Haas. "From our new presence in Taiwan to our growth in South Africa and the Middle East and our rapidly growing network in China, Avis is now more convenient and affordable than ever."

The promotion is valid on rentals of three days or more at participating locations in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, Mexico, the Pacific and the Middle East. Customers must reference Avis Worldwide Discount (AWD) number D732700 when making a reservation on http://www.avis.com or AWD number D784200 when reserving a vehicle via the Avis Reservation Center at 1-800-331-1084 or a local travel professional. Reservations must be made by October 28, 2012 and rentals must begin on or before December 16, 2012. Offer is subject to availability and blackout dates apply. For full terms and conditions of this promotion, visit http://www.avis.com/intl. To make a reservation, visit http://www.avis.com, contact the Avis Reservation Center at 1-800-331-1084 or contact a local travel professional.

About Avis

Avis Car Rental operates one of the world's best-known car rental brands with approximately 5,200 locations in more than 165 countries. Avis has a long history of innovation in the car rental industry and is one of the world's top brands for customer loyalty. Avis is owned by Avis Budget Group, Inc. (CAR), which operates and licenses the brand throughout the world. For more information, visit http://www.avis.com.

The Avis Car Rental logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=11593

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North Americans: Travel Abroad This Fall and Save With Avis

Whoa Nelly: Residents of American South Are Nation's Most Passionate College Football Fans, According to Expedia Study

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Danzig

BELLEVUE, WA--(Marketwire - Oct 15, 2012) - Expedia, the world's leading online travel agency, today revealed the results of a study of American attitudes towards college football. The survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of Expedia.com, among 2,334 U.S. adults ages 18 and older. The study confirmed what many suspected: men and women in the American South love college football more than residents of any other region. 63% of Americans in the South watch college football, narrowly edging residents of the Midwest (62%). Residents of the South and Midwest were both found to be significantly more likely to watch college football than those in the West (51%) or Northeast (47%). 70% of American men follow the sport, versus 43% of women.

"In some regions of the country, college football fanhood begins at birth. In other regions, it starts on the first day of freshman year. But it's the sort of passion that lasts a lifetime," said Joe Megibow, vice president and general manager, Expedia.com. "College football fans travel. Sports travel is a growing trend in general. So Expedia commissioned this study to make sure that we have every resource available for college football fans when they decide to follow their passion."

Expedia's college football survey also found:

Expedia also partnered with StubHub to identify college football ticket trends. Data from StubHub suggests:

Survey Methodology This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Expedia from August 23-27, 2012 among 2,334 adults age 18+. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Dave McNamee at dmcnamee@hlgrp.com.

About Expedia.com Expedia.com is the world's leading online travel site, helping millions of travelers per month easily plan and book travel. Expedia.com (http://www.expedia.com/,1-800-EXPEDIA) aims to provide the latest technology and the widest selection of vacation packages, flights, hotels, rental cars, resorts, cruises and in-destination activities, attractions, services and travel apps. With the Expedia Best Price Guarantee, Expedia.com customers can get the best rates available online for all types of travel.Whether you want to relax in Cape Cod, sail in Lake Tahoe or swim in Tahiti, we know every trip and every traveler is unique and we want to help you Find Yours.

SOURCE: Expedia, Inc. Web site: http://www.expedia.com/

About StubHub StubHub is the world's largest ticket marketplace, enabling fans to buy and sell tickets to tens of thousands of sports, concert, theater and other live entertainment events. StubHub reinvented the ticket resale market in 2000 and continues to lead it through innovation. The company's unique online marketplace, dedicated solely to tickets, provides all fans the choice to buy or sell their tickets in a safe, convenient and highly reliable environment.All transactions are processed and delivered by StubHub and backed by the company's FanProtect Guarantee.Company partners include the San Francisco Giants and University of Texas, along with over 60 teams in the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and NCAA, complemented with companies such as ESPN, Tickets.com, and Paciolan.

Whoa Nelly: Residents of American South Are Nation's Most Passionate College Football Fans, According to Expedia Study

Research and Markets: The Future of Travel and Tourism in the UK to 2016

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Danzig

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/ssg2nh/the_future_of) has announced the addition of the "The Future of Travel and Tourism in the UK to 2016" report to their offering.

According to the World Economic Forum Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index 2011, which ranks 139 countries on parameters pertinent to tourism, the UK ranked seventh. In terms of cultural resources, it is viewed as the third-most exciting country. London was already one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world and that popularity increased after the city hosted the 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games. It is also home to many teams in the FA Premier League and Wimbledon.

The UK's travel and tourism industry comprised 7% of the nation's GDP in 2011, and represented 10.6% of the country's total employment in the same year. In a global economy that is dominated by multi-national businesses, tourism is one of the few industries that can easily accommodate start-up businesses, allowing people to take that vital first rung on the ladder to entrepreneurial success.

Inbound tourism, as measured by the arrival of international tourists, recovered in 2011 following a three year slump due to the adverse impact of the global financial crisis. A total of 30.47 million international visitors arrived in the UK in 2011, as compared to 29.8 million in 2010. Of these, the majority, 67%, travelled for holiday purposes. Numbers grew marginally from 20.07 million in 2010 to 20.35 million in 2011.

Scope

This report...

- details historical values for the UK tourism industry for 2007-2011, along with forecast figures for 2012-2016

- provides comprehensive analysis of travel and tourism demand factors with values for both the 2007-2011 review period and the 2012-2016 forecast period

- makes a detailed analysis and projection of domestic, inbound and outbound tourist flows in the UK

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Research and Markets: The Future of Travel and Tourism in the UK to 2016

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