Friday, September 28, 2012

NASA rover finds old streambed on Martian surface

ScienceDaily (Sep. 27, 2012) ? NASA's Curiosity rover mission has found evidence a stream once ran vigorously across the area on Mars where the rover is driving. There is earlier evidence for the presence of water on Mars, but this evidence -- images of rocks containing ancient streambed gravels -- is the first of its kind.

Scientists are studying the images of stones cemented into a layer of conglomerate rock. The sizes and shapes of stones offer clues to the speed and distance of a long-ago stream's flow.

"From the size of gravels it carried, we can interpret the water was moving about 3 feet per second, with a depth somewhere between ankle and hip deep," said Curiosity science co-investigator William Dietrich of the University of California, Berkeley. "Plenty of papers have been written about channels on Mars with many different hypotheses about the flows in them. This is the first time we're actually seeing water-transported gravel on Mars. This is a transition from speculation about the size of streambed material to direct observation of it."

The finding site lies between the north rim of Gale Crater and the base of Mount Sharp, a mountain inside the crater. Earlier imaging of the region from Mars orbit allows for additional interpretation of the gravel-bearing conglomerate. The imagery shows an alluvial fan of material washed down from the rim, streaked by many apparent channels, sitting uphill of the new finds.

The rounded shape of some stones in the conglomerate indicates long-distance transport from above the rim, where a channel named Peace Vallis feeds into the alluvial fan. The abundance of channels in the fan between the rim and conglomerate suggests flows continued or repeated over a long time, not just once or for a few years.

The discovery comes from examining two outcrops, called "Hottah" and "Link," with the telephoto capability of Curiosity's mast camera during the first 40 days after landing. Those observations followed up on earlier hints from another outcrop, which was exposed by thruster exhaust as Curiosity, the Mars Science Laboratory Project's rover, touched down.

"Hottah looks like someone jack-hammered up a slab of city sidewalk, but it's really a tilted block of an ancient streambed," said Mars Science Laboratory Project Scientist John Grotzinger of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

The gravels in conglomerates at both outcrops range in size from a grain of sand to a golf ball. Some are angular, but many are rounded.

"The shapes tell you they were transported and the sizes tell you they couldn't be transported by wind. They were transported by water flow," said Curiosity science co-investigator Rebecca Williams of the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Ariz.

The science team may use Curiosity to learn the elemental composition of the material, which holds the conglomerate together, revealing more characteristics of the wet environment that formed these deposits. The stones in the conglomerate provide a sampling from above the crater rim, so the team may also examine several of them to learn about broader regional geology.

The slope of Mount Sharp in Gale Crater remains the rover's main destination. Clay and sulfate minerals detected there from orbit can be good preservers of carbon-based organic chemicals that are potential ingredients for life.

"A long-flowing stream can be a habitable environment," said Grotzinger. "It is not our top choice as an environment for preservation of organics, though. We're still going to Mount Sharp, but this is insurance that we have already found our first potentially habitable environment."

During the two-year prime mission of the Mars Science Laboratory,esearchers will use Curiosity's 10 instruments to investigate whether areas in Gale Crater have ever offered environmental conditions favorable for microbial life.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech, built Curiosity and manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.

For more about Curiosity, visit: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/msl , http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl .

You can follow the mission on Facebook and Twitter at: http://www.facebook.com/marscuriosity and http://www.twitter.com/marscuriosity .

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/space_time/nasa/~3/kbYdy-lj48o/120927142337.htm

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Thursday, September 27, 2012

Videos don't justify Middle East violence, Obama to tell UN (Los Angeles Times)

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FCC chairman green-lights AT&T's use of WCS spectrum for LTE with proposed order

Image

AT&T is close to securing a major victory in its battle against the spectrum crunch. While it's not quite a done deal, FCC chairman Genachowski has submitted a proposed order to FCC commissioners that would authorize AT&T's deployment of its LTE service within a 20MHz portion of the 2.3GHz (WCS) band. The deal is unique in that the spectrum is currently reserved for satellite radio, and the reallocation would mark the first of its kind within the WCS band. As you may recall, AT&T previously conceded to a 5MHz dead zone on both ends of Sirius XM's operating frequency in order to mitigate interference concerns, and it seems the move was sufficient to gain the chairman's support.

Also looming on the FCC's to-do list is the decision of whether to approve AT&T's purchase NextWave and its unused WCS spectrum. If it's any indication, however, Chairman Genachowski seems bullish on the reallocation and has suggested that the agency may authorize another 30MHz of the WCS band for mobile broadband use. AT&T has previously said that it could feasibly deploy LTE over the 2.3GHz spectrum within the next three years. One group fighting the deal is the Competitive Carrier Association, which posits that AT&T's purchase of such a significant chunk of spectrum on the secondary market is anti-competitive in nature. It'll no doubt be interesting to see if the argument gains any traction with the FCC. In the meantime, you can view remarks from the agency's spokesperson after the break.

Continue reading FCC chairman green-lights AT&T's use of WCS spectrum for LTE with proposed order

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/27/fcc-chairman-green-lights-atandts-use-of-wcs-spectrum-for-lte/

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Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Overwhelming Oregon makes case for No. 2 in Top 25

Breaking down the AP college football poll after Week 4 of the regular season.

____

MAKING A STATEMENT

Oregon was overwhelming and now the Ducks are No. 2 in the AP Top 25, jumping LSU to get in line behind No. 1 Alabama.

And No. 4 Florida State (1,340 points) is right behind the third-ranked Tigers (1,346).

A case could be made for all three as the second-best team in the country and the jockeying should continue for a while.

First, a quick recap: While LSU was slogging through a 12-10 victory at Auburn, Florida State was racing away from Clemson, 49-37 on Saturday night.

Oregon was last up and Ducks were at their breath-taking best against Arizona, beating the Wildcats 49-0 at Autzen Stadium. The Wildcats came into the game unbeaten and ranked No. 22.

The voters in the media poll were swayed. Oregon received 1,414 points.

Less than a month into the season, voters are still trying to sort through bits and pieces of evidence when determining the best teams. While most have played four games, some three, none have played that many truly meaningful games.

Oregon has outscored its opponents 211-73 but hasn't played a road game. LSU had been just as dominant at home before going to Auburn (1-3). LSU did play a Pac-12 team at home and beat Washington 41-3. How much better is Arizona than Washington? Fair question.

As for Florida State, the Seminoles also have yet to play outside their home stadium, and started the season with two games against FCS teams, including the sadly overmatched Savannah State.

So where is this going?

The Ducks finally hit the road this week, playing at Washington State on Saturday. The arrival of Mike Leach has folks pumped on the Palouse, but the Cougars just lost to previously winless Colorado. After that Oregon has Washington at home before a week off.

Florida State also has to pack its bags for the first time this week. The Seminoles play at South Florida, before getting back into the Atlantic Coast Conference with a road trip to North Carolina State.

LSU is back at home next week to face Towson, which should be a lot like Florida State playing Savannah State, before going to Florida. Beat the unbeaten Gators and the Tigers could easily get back whatever they have lost.

Conclusion: Lots still be learned.

___

MOVING UP

Bill Snyder is up to big things again in the Little Apple. No. 7 Kansas State moved up eight spots after beating Oklahoma 24-19 in Norman on Saturday night.

The architect of the Miracle in Manhattan has a top-10 team for the first time since September 2003, led by tough-running quarterback Collin Klein.

As always, there were plenty of people skeptical about the Wildcats coming into this season. They won 10 games in 2011, but eight came by a touchdown or less. Were they lucky or good.

Well, they've been awfully good again. Snyder has become a master at hiding his team's deficiencies. Klein and John Hubert give the Wildcats a powerful running game, and their deliberate pace helps keep a defense that has trouble defending the pass off the field.

Whether anybody else believes in K-State hardly matters. The Wildcats believe in themselves and their 72-year-old head coach.

"All wins are important, and when you play somebody as good as Oklahoma it means something special. But it's not like our players have never been there before. They had confidence going into the ballgame," Snyder said.

___

MOVING DOWN

While Snyder and the Wildcats celebrated, Bob Stoops and the Sooners were sent tumbling in the rankings, and left to explain another home loss.

"The players' attitude has been good," Stoops said. "There's no excuses about it. We have to do a better job as coaches to polish things and get things to be sharper and more precise."

Oklahoma went from No. 6 to No. 16 after falling to Kansas State at Owen Field, a place where the Sooners are 78-4 under Stoops, but have now lost games the past two seasons when they were ranked in the top 10.

Many Sooners fans are restless. The critics say Stoops, now in his 14th season in Norman, has become complacent. The record suggests otherwise. But the Sooners haven't won a national title since 2000, and don't stand above most of the Big 12 the way they used to.

____

IN AND OUT

No. 18 Oregon State, Rutgers and Baylor made their first appearances of the season in the Top 25 after winning on the road Saturday.

Oregon State went into UCLA and knocked off the Bruins 27-20 behind Sean Mannion's career-high 379 yards and two touchdowns. The loss dropped UCLA out of the rankings, somewhat surprisingly. The Bruins offense is in good hands with redshirt freshman quarterback Brett Hundley. Their defense needs work.

It's been a terrific and odd start to the season for the Beavers. Their first game with Nicholls State was postponed. They beat Wisconsin the next week in Corvallis, Ore., then had another week off. But the 2-0 start is huge for longtime coach Mike Riley, who is coming off consecutive losing seasons.

Along with UCLA, Michigan and Arizona exited the poll.

_____

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Another first for the SEC. The best football conference in the country became the first to have four of the top six teams in the AP rankings with No. 1 Alabama, No. 3 LSU, No. 5 Georgia and No. 6 South Carolina.

Six times previously one conference has had four of the top seven teams in the AP poll. The last time was 2009 when the SEC did it. In 2008, the Big 12 did it twice. Before that the Big Ten did it for a week in 1960 and twice in 1942.

____

ODDS AND ENDS

No. 10 Notre Dame is in the top 10 for the first time since 2006. Florida State has its best ranking since October 2005 and South Carolina checks in with its best ranking since 2006. ... A big game in the Big Ten seems like an oxymoron considering the uninspiring way the season has started for its teams. Conference play starts next week and No. 14 Ohio State hosts No. 20 Michigan State, with both teams coming off victories that had their coaches griping more than celebrating. ... The other game matching ranked teams next week is in Morgantown, W.Va., where No. 9 West Virginia plays Baylor in game could test the scoreboard keeper at Milan Puskar Stadium. The Bears are averaging 51 points, the Mountaineers 47.

___

Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/overwhelming-oregon-makes-case-no-2-top-25-222323483--spt.html

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Vietnam jails three bloggers in crackdown on dissent

HANOI (Reuters) - A Vietnamese court sentenced three high-profile bloggers to jail terms ranging from four to 12 years on Monday, in the latest crackdown on dissent as booming Internet usage threatens to undermine the Communist government's authority.

Bloggers in Vietnam, which has one of the world's fastest growing Internet populations, have grown bolder in criticizing the government over issues ranging from land rights to corruption, and China's growing regional influence.

That comes as Vietnam's economy, not long ago a star of Southeast Asia, faces a slowdown in the wake of debt scandals at its huge state enterprises that have undermined investor confidence and exposed divisions in the Communist leadership.

The government has responded to the growing dissent with a crackdown that has earned it the title of "Enemy of the Internet" from media freedom group Reporters Without Borders, which says only China and Iran jail more journalists.

Nguyen Van Hai, who criticized government policies under his blogging name Dieu Cay, was jailed for 12 years for "anti-state propaganda", according to a lawyer for the bloggers who attended the brief trial in southern Ho Chi Minh City on Monday.

Fellow bloggers Ta Phong Tan and Phan Thanh Hai got 10 years and four years respectively, said the lawyer, Ha Huy Son. All three were founding members of the Free Journalists Club, a website set up for bloggers to post their writing.

"These harsh sentences against bloggers are absolutely outrageous, and show the depth of the Vietnam government's intolerance of views that oppose its own," said Phil Robertson, Asia deputy director for Human Rights Watch.

"Today's sentences show how deep-seated the Vietnam government crackdown on basic human rights really is."

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she raised concerns over human rights and the three bloggers during a visit to Vietnam in July, but Washington and Europe have stopped short of sanctioning the country over its worsening rights record.

The U.S. embassy in Hanoi said in a statement it was "deeply concerned" by the verdict, which it said appeared to contradict Vietnam's international human rights commitments, and called for their release.

The trial of the three bloggers, which lasted only a few hours, had been scheduled for August but was postponed after the mother of Tan committed suicide by setting herself on fire.

Paris-based Vietnam human rights group Que Me said that hundreds of police blocked streets in Ho Chi Minh and "systematically" arrested dissidents and bloggers who tried to attend the closed trial.

Blogger Dieu Cay (Peasant's Pipe) was first arrested in 2008 on charges of tax evasion that human rights activists say were trumped-up. Like other bloggers, his writing focused on cases of official corruption and popular resentment of China's assertive regional role.

In a report released last week, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Vietnam's government had moved to tighten its grip on both independent and mainstream media in recent months in the wake of pro-democracy uprisings in Arab countries.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung ordered a crackdown on three blogs that his government said were "reactionary".

(Reporting by Hanoi Newsroom; Writing by Stuart Grudgings in Kuala Lumpur; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/vietnam-jails-three-bloggers-crackdown-dissent-095655518.html

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Morgan Stanley must pay Fidelity in recruiting flap: panel

(Reuters) - An arbitration panel ordered Morgan Stanley Smith Barney to pay at least $534,000 to a brokerage unit of Fidelity Investments in a dispute over a broker who tried to solicit former Fidelity clients after he left the firm.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority panel decision, which was dated September 21 and posted online Monday, followed an unusually long 15 days of hearings and includes an award of $452,000 in legal fees to Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC.

Fidelity had alleged that broker Brian Wilder took confidential customer information when he left the firm last year to join Morgan Stanley Smith Barney.

Fidelity also alleged that Wilder and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney tried to solicit Wilder's 400 former Fidelity clients, despite restrictions in his Fidelity employment contract that prohibited soliciting for one year after his departure.

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney tried to persuade the panel that Wilder took contact information for the sole purpose of notifying his Fidelity customers about his new affiliation with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, according the ruling.

Under Massachusetts law, written announcements are the "preferred" way to notify clients about such a change, wrote John Kinsellagh, the arbitrator who wrote the unusually lengthy 25-page opinion. Arbitrators typically do not reveal the reasons behind their awards.

Wilder's strategies, however, included sending account opening forms to his Fidelity clients via overnight mail and making repeated solicitations to clients who said they were not interested in changing firms, according to the ruling.

While departing brokers are allowed to "announce" their moves to clients, "that right must be exercised in a manner that does not diminish or void" other obligations the broker may have to not solicit clients, such as those laid out in Wilder's contract, or to take brokerage trade secrets upon leaving, Kinsellagh wrote.

In addition to legal fees, arbitrators ordered Morgan Stanley Smith Barney to pay Fidelity $82,000 in punitive damages. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney and Wilder` are also jointly liable for $82,000 in compensatory damages. Wilder must pay an additional $1,821 to Fidelity.

"We strongly disagree and are deeply disappointed with the Panel's decision, and are evaluating our options," a Morgan Stanley Smith Barney spokeswoman said in a statement. "In our view, the panel's award is contrary to the law, without precedent, and not supported by the facts," she said.

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney was formed after the merger of Morgan Stanley's wealth unit and Citigroup's Smith Barney in 2009.

Wilder, now a Morgan Stanley Smith Barney broker in Framingham, Massachusetts, did not immediately return a call requesting comment.

A Fidelity spokeswoman declined to comment.

The dispute highlights the risks that some securities brokers may take when leaving one brokerage for another.

Fidelity's contract with Wilder prohibited him from soliciting clients he served through the firm for one year after his September 2011 departure, according to the FINRA panel ruling. In addition, a "confidentiality clause" in the contracted protected Fidelity's customer lists, under Massachusetts law, the panel ruled.

Fidelity does not participate in the Protocol for Broker Recruiting, an agreement intended to minimize legal disputes when brokers switch firms by spelling out the limited client information that brokers may bring with them.

Francis Curran, a New York-based securities lawyer, said the FINRA panel's detailed opinion could make it difficult for Morgan Stanley Smith Barney to try to overturn the ruling in court.

Arbitration awards are typically binding, but courts can throw them out in rare instances, such as when an arbitrator is biased.

(Reporting By Suzanne Barlyn; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/morgan-stanley-must-pay-fidelity-recruiting-flap-panel-223132945--sector.html

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Some deadly breast cancers share genetic features with ovarian tumors

ScienceDaily (Sep. 23, 2012) ? The most comprehensive analysis yet of breast cancer shows that one of the most deadly subtypes is genetically more similar to ovarian tumors than to other breast cancers.

The findings, published online Sept. 23 in Nature, suggest that most basal-like breast tumors and ovarian tumors have similar genetic origins and potentially could be treated with the same drugs, says the study's co-leader Matthew J. Ellis, MD, PhD, the Anheuser-Busch Chair in Medical Oncology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The other co-leader is Charles M. Perou, PhD, at the University of North Carolina.

Basal-like tumors account for about 10 percent of all breast cancers and disproportionately affect younger women and those who are African-American.

The new research is part of The Cancer Genome Atlas project, which brings together leading genetic sequencing centers, including The Genome Institute at Washington University, to identify and catalog mutations involved in many common cancers. The effort is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

"With this study, we're one giant step closer to understanding the genetic origins of the four major subtypes of breast cancer," says Ellis, who treats breast cancer patients at the Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University. "Now, we can investigate which drugs work best for patients based on the genetic profiles of their tumors. For basal-like breast tumors, it's clear they are genetically more similar to ovarian tumors than to other breast cancers. Whether they can be treated the same way is an intriguing possibility that needs to be explored."

Currently, for example, basal-like breast tumors often are treated like many other breast cancers, using anthracycline-based chemotherapy. But another of Ellis's studies recently showed that women with basal-like tumors don't benefit from these drugs, which also have severe side effects. At the very least, he says, the new data indicates that clinical trials should be designed to avoid the use of these drugs in basal-like tumors.

As part of the new research, a nationwide consortium of researchers analyzed tumors from 825 women with breast cancer. The scientists used six different technologies to examine subsets of the tumors for defects in DNA, RNA (a close chemical cousin of DNA) and proteins. Nearly 350 tumors were analyzed using all six technologies.

"By tying together those different data sets, we can build a story around the biology of each breast cancer subtype that is dictated by the genome, interpreted by the RNA and played out by the proteins at work inside each tumor," says co-author Elaine Mardis, PhD, co-director of The Genome Institute. "These data can serve as a backdrop for other questions about how particular mutations affect survival or response to certain drugs."

The study confirmed the existence of four main subtypes of breast cancer: Luminal A, luminal B, HER2 and basal-like. The latter includes most triple-negative breast tumors, so-named because they lack receptors for the hormones estrogen, progesterone or human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2). These tumors often are aggressive and do not respond to therapies that target hormone receptors or to standard chemotherapies.

Across the four subtypes, mutations in only three genes -- TP53, PIK3CA and GATA3 -- occurred in more than 10 percent of patients' tumors. But, the scientists found unique genetic and molecular signatures within each of the subtypes. Their findings add to the growing body of evidence suggesting that tumors should be cataloged and treated based on the genes that are disrupted rather than the location in the body.

In general, compared to the other subtypes, basal-like and HER2 tumors had the highest mutation rates but the shortest list of significantly mutated genes. These genes are thought to be major drivers of cancer progression. For example, 80 percent of basal-like tumors had mutations in the TP53 gene, which have been linked to poor outcomes. About 20 percent of the tumors also had inherited mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes, which are known to increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer.

"This suggests that it only takes a few hits to key genes that drive cancer growth," Mardis explains.

A high frequency of TP53 mutations also occurs in ovarian cancer, the researchers noted. Overall, the genetic profiles of basal-like and ovarian tumors were strikingly similar, with widespread genomic instability and mutations occurring at similar frequencies and in similar genes.

Finding new drug targets for basal-like breast tumors is critical, and the research suggests that patients with mutations in the BRCA genes may benefit from PARP inhibitors or platinum-based chemotherapy, which are already used to treat ovarian cancer.

By comparison, luminal cancers (which include estrogen receptor-positive and progesterone-receptor positive tumors) had the lowest mutation frequencies and longer lists of significantly mutated genes. This suggests defects in multiple genetic pathways can lead to the development of luminal breast cancers.

Most patients with luminal A cancer have good outcomes, and the most common mutation in that subtype occurred in PIK3CA, which was present in 45 percent of tumors. TP53 mutations only occurred in 12 percent.

Some patients with luminal B tumors do well but many experience recurrence years after treatment. Interestingly, the most common mutations in these tumors occurred in TP53 (linked to poor outcomes) and PIK3CA (linked to good outcomes), which may explain the disparate results seen in patients with this subtype.

"Now, we're much closer to understanding the true origins of the different types of breast cancer," Ellis says. "With this information, physicians and scientists can look at their own samples to correlate patients' tumor profiles with treatment response and overall outcomes. That's the challenge for the future -- translating a patient's genetic profile into new treatment strategies."

This research is supported by the following grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH): U24CA143883, U24CA143858, U24CA143840, U24CA143799, U24CA143835, U24CA143845, U24CA143882, U24CA143867, U24CA143866, U24CA143848, U24CA144025, U54HG003079, P50CA116201 and P50CA58223. Additional support was provided by the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the Department of Defense through the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Washington University School of Medicine. The original article was written by Caroline Arbanas.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. The Cancer Genome Atlas Network. Comprehensive molecular portraits of human breast tumours. Nature, 2012; DOI: 10.1038/nature11412

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

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/Jn5bGQ8Ni-0/120923145106.htm

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Saturday, September 22, 2012

Farmed Fish Need To Keep Fit

60-Second Science

Farmed fish don't get the exercise of their wild counterparts, which can make them unfit, prone to illness and less profitable for farmers. Gretchen Cuda Kroen reports.

More 60-Second Science

In the wild, salmon, tuna or other active, migrating fish get a lot of exercise. But when these fish are raised in captivity, without predators or the need to fight their way upstream against the current, they turn into fish couch-potatoes.

And not unlike sedentary humans, lethargic fish are more prone to getting sick. As many as 20 percent of farmed salmon die in captivity?apparently, because they?re simply out of shape.?

A new technical book called Swimming Physiology of Fish presents scientific research on how various training routines, water turbulence, diet and even the use of robotic fish as ?swim trainers? can keep captive fish conditioned.

This ?fishical? fitness research has shown that when captive salmon exercise regularly, they grow bigger, have stronger hearts and immune systems, and are healthier than their sedentary brethren. For example, a Norwegian study found that when salmon had to swim against an artificial current they were much less likely to get a common fish virus than their buddies in still water. [Vincente Castro et al, Aerobic training stimulates growth and promotes disease resistance in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)]

The bottom line? Healthier profits for fish farmers, and healthier fish on your dinner table.

?Gretchen Cuda Kroen

[The above text is a transcript of this podcast]


Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=ee6548d3fc40c1ae2344d32ffee9e2ad

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Critics Consensus: Trouble with the Curve Is Solid But Predictable

Plus, Dredd 3D, End of Watch, and The Master are Certified Fresh, and guess House at the End of the Street's Tomatometer.

Also opening this week in limited release:

  • How to Survive a Plague, a documentary about the early days of AIDS activism, is at 100 percent.
  • Knuckleball!, a doc about the practitioners of baseball's most unpredictable pitch, is at 100 percent.
  • Radio Unnameable, a doc about influential radio personality Bob Fass, is at 100 percent.
  • Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has To Travel, a mixed-media doc about the legendary fashion editor, is at 87 percent.
  • The Perks of Being a Wallflower, starring Logan Lerman and Emma Watson in a coming-of-age drama about an awkward teenager coming out of his shell, is at 75 percent.
  • 17 Girls, a French drama about a group of teenage girls who make a pregnancy pact, is at 67 percent.
  • Head Games, a doc about the effects of football concussions, is at 64 percent.
  • The Brooklyn Brothers Beat The Best, a musical comedy about a pair of bandmates who take their toy instrument act on the road, is at 30 percent.
  • Backwards, starring James Van Der Beek drama about a woman who becomes a high school rowing coach, is at 20 percent.
  • About Cherry, starring Dev Patel and Lili Taylor in a drama about a teenager girl who finds herself in the midst of the porn industry, is at 13 percent.
  • You May Not Kiss the Bride, starring Katharine McPhee in a comedy about a man who marries a mobster's daughter because he needs a green card, is at zero percent.

Finally, props to Brian Clarkson and Simon Opitz for coming the closest to guessing Resident Evil: Retribution's 29 percent Tomatometer.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1925937/news/1925937/

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Weekly jobless claims fall, but trend remains weak

(Reuters) - Manufacturing closed out its weakest quarter in three years this month and the number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits held near two-month highs last week, suggesting the economic recovery is failing to gain traction.

Financial information firm Markit said its U.S. "flash", or preliminary, manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index stood at 51.5 in September, unchanged from August. A reading above 50 indicates expansion.

The index averaged 51.5 in the third quarter, below the 54.2 registered between April and June, for its worst showing since the third quarter of 2009. At 51.2, the output component was the lowest since September 2009.

"With output growing at the slowest pace since the recovery began, the manufacturing sector may have even acted as a slight drag on the economy in the third quarter," Markit chief economist Chris Williamson said.

After growing at a 1.7 percent annual pace between April and June, the economy likely slipped "closer towards stagnation" between July and September, he added.

A separate report from the U.S. Labor Department showed initial claims for state unemployment aid edged down just 3,000 to a seasonally adjusted 382,000 last week

Economists had attributed a spike in claims in the prior week to Tropical Storm Isaac, but the minimal improvement in the latest reading pointed to fundamental weakness.

The four-week moving average for new claims, a better measure of labor market trends, rose 2,000 to 377,750 - the highest level since June. It was the fifth consecutive weekly increase in the measure.

Still, Gary Thayer, chief macro strategist at Wells Fargo Advisors in St. Louis, said the claims did not signal an economy "in trouble."

"It's more the case that we are still in a period of slow growth," he said.

Major U.S. stock indexes opened lower, with investors also wary of data showing increasing economic weakness in China and Europe. The dollar extended losses and prices for U.S. government securities added to gains.

JOB GROWTH RUT

The report on jobless claims covered the period for the government's September nonfarm payrolls survey. Claims have risen 8,000 between the August and September survey periods, suggesting modest job growth this month.

However, Markit's survey of purchasing managers showed hiring in the factory sector strengthened a bit, with the employment sub-index edging up to 52.7 from 52.4.

U.S. employers added only 96,000 jobs last month, a step down from July's 141,000 count. While the unemployment rate dropped to 8.1 percent in August from 8.3 percent, it was because many Americans gave up the search for work.

Lackluster labor market conditions prompted the Federal Reserve last week to launch an aggressive stimulus program. It vowed to buy $40 billion worth of mortgage-backed securities each month until it sees a sustained upturn on the jobs front.

Boston Federal Reserve Bank President Eric Rosengren, one of the more vocal "doves" at the central bank, said the new stimulus program was need to "avoid a prolonged economic stagnation.

The unemployment rate has been stuck above 8 percent for more than three years, the first time this has happened since the Great Depression.

The number of people still receiving jobless benefits under regular state programs after an initial week of aid fell 32,000 to 3.27 million in the week ended September 8, the claims report showed. That was the lowest level since mid-May and most likely reflected people exhausting their benefits.

(Additional reporting by Ellen Freilich in New York; Editing by Neil Stempleman)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/jobless-claims-fall-last-week-trend-weak-123228820--business.html

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Wednesday, September 19, 2012

David Brooks: Thurston Howell Romney (Little green footballs)

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Forgive Me for Finding This Charming (Atlantic Politics Channel)

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Center gets final OK to cut trees in space shuttle's path

The California Science Center received final approval Monday to chop down 265 trees to make room for the space shuttle Endeavour as it rolls through the streets of Los Angeles.

To garner residents' support, the center sweetened the deal at the last minute and agreed to replant four times as many trees, repair additional sidewalks, and offer scholarships and job training.

"While we sincerely regret the loss of many majestic trees which have aided this community for decades, what we accomplished through this agreement is a greener South L.A. for the health of our community, as well as educational opportunities at the Science Center for generations to come," said a statement released through the Neighborhood Council groups' attorney, Gideon Kracov.

In all, nearly 400 trees will be cut down in Inglewood and South Los Angeles in the 12-mile route between Los Angeles International Airport and the shuttle's permanent home in Exposition Park. (Of those, 119 are in South Los Angeles, 124 are in Westchester, 128 are in Inglewood and the rest are near LAX).

Community members packed the Board of Public Works meeting at City Hall on Monday morning to voice their concerns. Some residents said they felt slighted and left with few options.

"I'm tired of people coming to our community and doing things behind our backs and then at the last minute inviting us to the meetings and it's already too late," Ayana McCowen, 39, said to a boisterous crowd. "This is an injustice to me and my community."

South Los Angeles resident Lark Galloway-Gilliam, a driving force behind the deal, told the board of a recent visit to the California Science Center with a 10-year-old girl.

The youngster found a $20 bill on the floor of the museum, but instead of keeping it, she told Galloway-Gilliam she wanted to donate it to the Endeavour fundraising effort.

"She is why we are here today to sign this agreement," Galloway-Gilliam said. "She exemplifies the integrity, the graciousness of the community I call home. The space shuttle will provide an exciting exhibit for our children."

Near the end of the three-hour meeting, Commissioner Andrea Alarc?n applauded the work of residents in South Los Angeles communities.

"Your advocacy really pushed us to a new place," she said, adding later that the outspoken group was able to secure more improvements to their neighborhood.

Other neighborhoods, including Inglewood and Westchester, will receive the state minimum requirement of two replanted trees for every one removed.

In addition to the extra trees, the agreement calls for larger trees to be planted, $400,000 toward tree trimming, and up to five years of tree maintenance.

The California Science Center also agreed to provide at least 10 scholarships to area students, pay $100,000 to an education fund and train local teachers in science. Local youths will be hired to perform at least half of the tree maintenance.

Tree removal in Los Angeles could begin as early as next week in anticipation of a two-day parade from LAX to the California Science Center that will begin Oct. 12.

Although the parade is still on track, NASA officials pushed Endeavour's grand homecoming to Los Angeles back a day to Friday.

A cross-country farewell tour is still planned. On the back of a modified 747 aircraft, Endeavour will dip low over several NASA sites along the southern United States and spend one night in Houston before reaching Edwards Air Force base Thursday afternoon.

Endeavour will leave the Mojave Desert base early Friday, touring several landmarks across Northern California and the Los Angeles area before touching down at LAX midday.

NASA spokesman Michael Curie said despite the changes, officials were "expecting everything to fall into place."

angel.jennings@latimes.com

Times staff writer Kate Mather contributed to this report.

Source: http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/f5klUH7OpTE/la-me-0918-shuttle-trees-20120918,0,4634600.story

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Tuesday, September 18, 2012

NATO scales back Afghan partnering after attacks

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? NATO said Monday that it has scaled back operations with Afghan soldiers and policemen to lower the risk of insider attacks and reduce local tensions over an anti-Islam video that prompted protests in Afghanistan.

It's the second order that curbs contact between foreign troops and their Afghan partners, undermining the mantra that both sides are fighting the Taliban "shoulder to shoulder." The directive could jeopardize the U.S.-led coalition's key goal to get Afghan forces ready to take over security from foreign forces by the end of 2014 ? just 27 months from now.

Until now, coalition troops routinely conducted operations such as patrolling or manning outposts with their Afghan counterparts. Under the new rules issued on Sunday by Lt. Gen. James Terry, such operations are no longer routine and require the approval of the regional commander.

Insider attacks have spiked in recent months.

So far this year, 51 international troops have been killed by Afghan forces or militants wearing their uniforms ? a development that has fractured the trust between NATO troops and their Afghan allies. The disturbing trend comes as Afghans chanting "Death to America" have staged several recent protests against an anti-Islam film produced in the U.S. The film also sparked demonstrations in other nations.

A protest in Kabul over the film that mocks the Prophet Muhammad turned violent Monday, with hundreds of men torching tires, cars and shipping containers and lobbing rocks at a U.S. base on the edge of the capital. More than 20 police officers were injured by rocks before the protesters were finally dispersed by officers shooting in the air, officials said.

"Recent events outside of and inside Afghanistan related to the 'Innocence of Muslims' video, plus the conduct of recent insider attacks, have given cause for ISAF troops to exercise increased vigilance and carefully review all activities and interactions with the local population," said coalition spokesman Jamie Graybeal.

Earlier this month, the U.S. military stopped training about 1,000 members of the Afghan Local Police, a controversial network of village-defense units that is growing but remains a fraction of the country's army and police force, which will soon be 352,000 strong.

The coalition downplayed the impact of the directive, saying international forces had not stopped partnering and advising Afghan forces. Coalition officials said the directive was given at the recommendation of ? and in conjunction with ?key Afghan leaders.

U.S.-led coalition companies remain partnered with Afghan units, but have changed the way they conduct their daily partnering operations, the coalition said.

"In the past, elements of a company routinely conducted operations ? like patrolling or manning an outpost ? with elements of the Afghan battalion," the coalition said in emailed statements to The Associated Press.

Under the directive, these operations are no longer routine and now require the approval of the general in charge of their regions.

The order will be in place for an undetermined period of time, according to Lt. Col. Rich Spiegel, chief public affairs officer for the coalition's operational command.

"It doesn't mean we're walking away from these units. We can advise from the next level up," he said. "It means we may not be out on patrol with them."

Both the U.S. and Afghan authorities have already taken other steps to lessen the risks of attacks.

Earlier this year, the U.S. commanders assigned some troops to be "guardian angels" who watch over their comrades in interactions with Afghan forces and even as they sleep. The U.S. also started allowing Americans to carry weapons in several Afghan ministries and made security more of a consideration in evaluating visits to Afghan government offices. U.S. officials also recently ordered American troops to carry loaded weapons at all times in Afghanistan, even when they are on their bases.

Afghan authorities recently detained or removed hundreds of soldiers because they had submitted incomplete or forged documents to the military. The Defense Ministry did not say whether any were connected to the Taliban or other insurgent groups, but noted that some were suspected of having had contacts with militants.

On Sunday evening, the coalition said an Afghan soldier fired on a vehicle he believed was driven by NATO soldiers on a shared base in southern Afghanistan, slightly wounding a foreign civilian worker. The soldier turned his weapon on a vehicle that was driving inside Camp Garmser, a shared base in Helmand, said NATO forces spokesman Maj. Adam Wojack. Another Afghan soldier disarmed the attacker and took him into custody. The assailant told interrogators he had thought he was targeting troops, Wojack said.

That shooting came the same day an Afghan police officer shot and killed four American service members in Zabul, also in the south. That followed a shooting Saturday in which a man wearing the uniform of a government-backed militia group killed two British soldiers in Helmand province.

The insider assaults drew unusually strong comment Sunday from the U.S. military's top officer, Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, who called the problem of rogue Afghan soldiers and police attacking allied troops "a very serious threat" to the war effort. Dempsey said something has to change in order to address the escalating problem, suggesting that Afghans need to take the matter as seriously as the Americans do.

But U.S. and NATO officials appeared to be stepping back from that assessment on Monday. U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said in a visit to Tokyo that the insider attacks are a "last gasp" of a Taliban insurgency that has not been able to regain lost ground. And the top spokesman for the coalition in Afghanistan, German Brig. Gen. Gunter Katz, told reporters in Kabul that Afghan officials were taking appropriate measures to try to prevent attacks.

"The Afghans started, according to their own reports, a re-vetting of their own soldiers and policemen and have already relieved a couple of hundred from active duty," Katz said. He also noted that the Afghan forces have increased training about cultural differences between the two forces.

Katz said the quick reaction of Afghan forces to the attack at Camp Garmser showed that they were taking such attacks seriously. "It was members of the Afghan national army who reacted instantly and detained that shooter," Katz said.

A spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai said the Afghan government is making every effort to stop the attacks, noting that Karzai has made it a priority in meetings.

"The president himself has taken this issue very seriously," spokesman Aimal Faizi said.

___

Associated Press writers Heidi Vogt, Amir Shah and Patrick Quinn in Kabul and Mirwais Khan in Kandahar contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nato-scales-back-afghan-partnering-attacks-194443307.html

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The Key to Every Copywriter's Success - American Writers & Artists Inc.

I?m very much looking forward to speaking at the AWAI Bootcamp in beautiful Delray Beach, October 24-27. As a financial writer and investment editor, I can assure readers there is a limitless demand in our industry for high-quality copywriters.

In every business, of course, nothing happens until somebody sells something. In newsletter publishing, that somebody is invariably a copywriter, and often one trained by AWAI.

Twelve years ago, I started off writing both editorial and marketing copy for The Oxford Club, the world?s largest and most successful investment club. I will speak at length about my experience in Delray.

One of the topics I plan to address is the importance ? and the art, really ? of reading. Everyone reads, of course, and especially writers. But most of us aren?t reading nearly as much as we used to.

According to A.C. Nielson, the average American watches more than 4 hours of TV each day. That?s 28 hours a week, or 2 months of nonstop TV-watching per year. In a 65-year life, that person will have spent 9 years glued to the tube. Nielson also points out that 48% of males between the ages of 18 and 34 are regular video gamers. And they play an average of 2 hours and 43 minutes a day.

This is a shame, in one sense. It is through books, chiefly, that we engage with superior minds. People who read regularly think better, speak better, and express themselves more clearly. They understand more and tend to be more interesting.

They are also more likely to be promoted. No single factor correlates more closely with business success than a broad vocabulary. As it turns out, how you dress for work is far less important than how you dress your thoughts.

Wise men have always known this. More than two thousand years ago, Socrates said, ?Employ your time in improving yourself by other men?s writing so that you shall come easily by what others have labored hard for.?

Copywriters, however, need to do a particular type of reading. They need to familiarize themselves with the best that is being written in their particular field, both from a copywriting and an editorial standpoint.

If you are writing in the health field, for instance, you want to peruse the bestselling copy in the industry. But you also want to learn as much as you can about nutrition, diet, supplements, new medicines, new therapies, and the latest scientific studies. When you actually sit down to write, you?ll be surprised how vital this information becomes. As you read, you should always collect and save the best of what you discover. Create electronic files to store your Internet readings and actual files for newspaper and magazine articles and printed reports. When you get down to writing copy, you will draw on them often.

If you are writing in the investment field, you will need to spend plenty of time with publications like The Wall Street Journal, Investor?s Business Daily, Forbes, BusinessWeek, Fortune, and Smart Money. You need to know what the best financial analysts are saying and your potential audience is reading. You need to understand a wide variety of financial terms and jargon, not necessarily so you can use them yourself ? the more unadorned your language, the better in the craft of copywriting ? but because you need to know and appreciate what is being said and why.

I can?t overemphasize the importance of reading broadly and deeply. Very few writers have amazing ideas that simply leap from their heads. More usually, events in the news trigger ideas based on past reading. And even then, you will still need to dig in and do still more research, something that is becoming increasingly easy thanks to the Internet and all the free resources available on it.

I estimate that a good copywriter needs to spend 15-20% of his day simply reading in his field. You need to learn to recognize compelling ideas, relevant material, strong evidence, and credible quotes. These are the nuts and bolts you will use to write first-rate copy.

I?ve never known a successful copywriter who doesn?t read intensively and extensively. I can assure you it has been a big part of my own experience in the industry.

When a budding copywriter asked me a few years ago what was the single greatest key to my success, I didn?t hesitate. ?You may be smarter than me,? I said. ?You may be more knowledgeable and more experienced. You may be a better writer. But you know what? I bet I can out-read you.?

That?s what makes the difference.

[Editor?s Note: With 25 years of experience on Wall Street as a research analyst, investment advisor, portfolio manager, and financial writer, Alexander Green knows what motivates prospects to act. And how to write directly and effectively to them. That?s just one reason why he?s been inducted into Agora Inc.?s Copywriter?s Hall of Fame.

Alexander Green will be sharing his expertise and the secrets to his success at AWAI?s 2012 Fasttrack to Copywriting Success Bootcamp and Job Fair.

AWAI announced last week that the event is officially sold out. But don?t worry! If you weren?t able to register in time, Member Services has started a waiting list. To be added, simply call 866-879-2924 to sign up and they will do their best to accommodate you, and will contact you immediately if a spot becomes available.]

Copywriting for a Cause

Until Sept 19: Special $50 discount on AWAI?s hottest new program, Copywriting for a Cause: How to Profit as a Writer and Make a Difference in the World

If you?d like to earn a lucrative living by writing for causes you?re passionate about, cause marketing is your answer.
Find out how ? get your limited-time discount here.



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Published: September 17, 2012

Source: http://www.awaionline.com/2012/09/the-key-to-every-copywriters-success/

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How bees decide what to be: Reversible 'epigenetic' marks linked to behavior patterns

ScienceDaily (Sep. 16, 2012) ? Johns Hopkins scientists report what is believed to be the first evidence that complex, reversible behavioral patterns in bees -- and presumably other animals -- are linked to reversible chemical tags on genes.

The scientists say what is most significant about the new study, described online September 16 in Nature Neuroscience, is that for the first time DNA methylation "tagging" has been linked to something at the behavioral level of a whole organism. On top of that, they say, the behavior in question, and its corresponding molecular changes, are reversible, which has important implications for human health.

According to Andy Feinberg, M.D., M.P.H., Gilman scholar, professor of molecular medicine and director of the Center for Epigenetics at Hopkins' Institute for Basic Biomedical Sciences, the addition of DNA methylation to genes has long been shown to play an important role in regulating gene activity in changing biological systems, like fate determination in stem cells or the creation of cancer cells. Curious about how epigenetics might contribute to behavior, he and his team studied a tried-and-true model of animal behavior: bees.

Working with bee expert Gro Amdam, Ph.D., associate professor of life sciences at Arizona State University and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Feinberg's epigenetics team found significant differences in DNA methylation patterns in bees that have identical genetic sequences but vastly different behavioral patterns.

Employing a method that allows the researchers to analyze the whole genome at once, dubbed CHARM (comprehensive high-throughput arrays for relative methylation), the team analyzed the location of DNA methylations in the brains of worker bees of two different "professions." All worker bees are female and, within a given hive, are all genetically identical sisters. However, they don't all do the same thing; some nurse and some forage.

Nurses are generally younger and remain in the hive to take care of the queen and her larvae. When nurses mature, they become foragers that leave the hive to gather pollen and other supplies for the hive. "Genes themselves weren't going to tell us what is responsible for the two types of behavior," Feinberg says. "But epigenetics -- and how it controls genes -- could."

Feinberg and Amdam started their experiment with new hives populated by bees of the same age. That removed the possibility that any differences they might find could be attributed to differences of age. "When young, age-matched bees enter a new hive, they divvy up their tasks so that the right proportion becomes nurses and foragers," explains Amdam. It is these two populations that were tested after painstakingly characterizing and marking each bee with its "professional," or behavioral, category.

Analyzing the patterns of DNA methylation in the brains of 21 nurses and 21 foragers, the team found 155 regions of DNA that had different tag patterns in the two types of bees. The genes associated with the methylation differences were mostly regulatory genes known to affect the status of other genes. "Gene sequences without these tags are like roads without stop lights -- gridlock," says Feinberg.

Once they knew differences existed, they could take the next step to determine if they were permanent. "When there are too few nurses, the foragers can step in and take their places, reverting to their former practices," says Amdam. The researchers used this strategy to see whether foraging bees would maintain their foraging genetic tags when forced to start acting like nurses again. So they removed all of the nurses from their hives and waited several weeks for the hive to restore balance.

That done, the team again looked for differences in DNA methylation patterns, this time between foragers that remained foragers and those that became nurses. One hundred and seven DNA regions showed different tags between the foragers and the reverted nurses, suggesting that the epigenetic marks were not permanent but reversible and connected to the bees' behavior and the facts of life in the hive.

Dramatically, Feinberg noted, more than half of those regions had already been identified among the 155 regions that change when nurses mature into foragers. These 57 regions are likely at the heart of the different behaviors exhibited by nurses and foragers, says Amdam. "It's like one of those pictures that portray two different images depending on your angle of view," she says. "The bee genome contains images of both nurses and foragers. The tags on the DNA give the brain its coordinates so that it knows what kind of behavior to project."

The researchers say they hope their results may begin to shed light on complex behavioral issues in humans, such as learning, memory, stress response and mood disorders, which all involve interactions between genetic and epigenetic components similar to those in the study. A person's underlying genetic sequence is acted upon by epigenetic tags, which may be affected by external cues to change in ways that create stable -- but reversible -- behavioral patterns.

Authors on the paper include Brian Herb, Kasper Hansen, Martin Aryee, Ben Langmead, Rafael Irizarry and Andrew Feinberg from The Johns Hopkins University, and Florian Wolschin and Gro Amdam of the Norwegian University of Life Sciences and Arizona State University.

This work was funded through the NIH Director's Pioneer Award through the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (#DP1ES022579), the Research Council of Norway and the Pew Charitable Trust.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Johns Hopkins Medicine, via Newswise.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. Brian R Herb, Florian Wolschin, Kasper D Hansen, Martin J Aryee, Ben Langmead, Rafael Irizarry, Gro V Amdam, Andrew P Feinberg. Reversible switching between epigenetic states in honeybee behavioral subcastes. Nature Neuroscience, 2012; DOI: 10.1038/nn.3218

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/EWXP9thK5nU/120916160845.htm

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Monday, September 17, 2012

Complaints about automated calls up sharply

WASHINGTON (AP) ? So much for silence from telemarketers at the cherished dinner hour, or any other hour of the day.

Complaints to the government are up sharply about unwanted phone solicitations, raising questions about how well the federal "do-not-call" registry is working. The biggest category of complaint: those annoying prerecorded pitches called robocalls that hawk everything from lower credit card interest rates to new windows for your home.

Robert Madison, 43, of Shawnee, Kan., says he gets automated calls almost daily from "Ann, with credit services," offering to lower his interest rates.

"I am completely fed up," Madison said in an interview. "I've repeatedly asked them to take me off their call list." When he challenges their right to call, the solicitors become combative, he said. "There's just nothing that they won't do."

Madison, who works for a software company, says his phone number has been on the do-not-call list for years. Since he hasn't made any progress getting "Ann" to stop calling, Madison has started to file complaints about her to the Federal Trade Commission, which oversees the list.

Amid fanfare from consumer advocates, the federal do-not-call list was put in place nearly a decade ago as a tool to limit telemarketing sales calls to people who didn't want to be bothered. The registry has more than 209 million phone numbers on it. That's a significant chunk of the country, considering that there are about 84 million residential customers with traditional landline phones and plenty more people with cellphone numbers, which can also be placed on the list.

Telemarketers are supposed to check the list at least every 31 days for numbers they can't call. But some are calling anyway, and complaints about phone pitches are climbing even as the number of telemarketers checking the registry has dropped dramatically.

Government figures show monthly robocall complaints have climbed from about 65,000 in October 2010 to more than 212,000 this April. More general complaints from people asking a telemarketer to stop calling them also rose during that period, from about 71,000 to 182,000.

At the same time, fewer telemarketers are checking the FTC list to see which numbers are off limits. In 2007, more than 65,000 telemarketers checked the list. Last year, only about 34,000 did so.

Despite those numbers, the FTC says the registry is doing an effective job fighting unwanted sales calls.

"It's absolutely working," Lois Greisman, associate director of the agency's marketing practices division, said in an interview with The Associated Press. But, she said, "the proliferation of robocalls creates a challenge for us."

Greisman said prerecorded messages weren't used as a major marketing tool in 2003, when the registry began. "In part because of technology and in part because of greater competitiveness in the marketplace, they have become the marketing vehicle of choice for fraudsters," she said.

For people trying to scam people out of their money, it's an attractive option. Robocalls are hard to trace and cheap to make.

With an autodialer, millions of calls can be blasted out in a matter of hours, bombarding people in a struggling economy with promises of debt assistance and cheap loans. Even if a consumer does not have a phone number on the do-not-call list, robocalls are illegal. A 2009 rule specifically banned this type of phone sales pitch unless a consumer has given written permission to a company to call.

Political robocalls and automated calls from charities, or informational robocalls, such as an airline calling about a flight delay, are exempt from the ban. But those exemptions are being abused, too, with consumers complaining of getting calls that begin as a legitimate call, say from a charity or survey, but then eventually switch to an illegal telemarketing sales pitch.

Robocalls can be highly annoying to consumers because they're hard to stop. Fraudsters use caller-ID spoofing so that when a person tries to call back the robocaller, they get a disconnected number or something other than the source of the original call.

The best thing people can do when they get an illegal robocall is to hang up. Do not press "1'' to speak to a live operator to get off the call list. If you do, the FTC says, it will probably just lead to more robocalls. The caller will know you're there and willing to answer, and may continue to call.

The FTC says people can also contact their phone providers to ask them to block the number. But be sure to ask whether they charge for that. Telemarketers change caller-ID information often, so it might not be worth paying a fee to block a number that will soon change.

The industry says most legitimate telemarketers don't utilize robocalls to generate sales.

"They give a bad name to telemarketers and hurt everybody," says Jerry Cerasale, senior vice president of government affairs at Direct Marketing Association, a trade group.

Cerasale says the do-not-call list has resulted in telemarketers making far fewer cold calls to random people. Instead, he says, marketers have shifted to other methods of reaching people, such as mail, email or targeted advertisements on websites. That, he said, could be one of the reasons that the number of telemarketers checking the registry has dropped so sharply.

In light of the increased complaints, the FTC is stepping up efforts to combat robocalls. It recently released two consumer videos to explain what robocalls are and what to do about them. It also announced an October summit to examine the problem and explore the possibility of emerging technology that might help trace robocalls and prevent scammers from spoofing their caller ID.

Enforcement is another tool. The FTC has brought cases against about a dozen companies since 2009, including Talbots, DirecTV and Dish Network. The cases have yielded $5.6 million in penalties.

The agency said this month that it was mailing refund checks to more than 4,000 consumers nationwide who were caught up in a scam where the telemarketer used robocalls from names like "Heather from card services" to pitch worthless credit card rate reduction programs for an up-front fee. Checks to consumers range from $31 to $1,300 depending on how much was lost.

To file a complaint with the FTC, people can go online to www.ftc.gov or call 888-382-1222 to report their experience for possible enforcement.

___

Online:

Do Not Call Registry: http://www.donotcall.gov

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/complaints-automated-calls-sharply-114036986--finance.html

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    Sgt. Bilko (1996): 30 Days

    The clip 30 Days from Sgt. Bilko (1996) Adelaide, of course we'll get married, sooner or later. Nathan Detroit, after 14 years, it is already too late to be sooner. I'm from Rhode Island, where people do not remain engaged for 14 years. They get married. Then why is it such a small state? Miss Robbins. I don't get it. Why would Adelaide stick around if he, like, disses her all the time? Doesn't she have any self-esteem? Well, that's a very interesting question. Certainly is. Ernie! What are you doing here? Did you get the flowers I sent ya? No. Darn. I'll call FedEx and have 'em put a trace on it. That's right, sweetheart. Nathan's a hustler. He's irresponsible, and he's careless with the truth. But the one thing he never lies about is how much he cares for Adelaide. See, that's his core, and she knows it. OK, let's take a break for ten minutes. And that was really good. Wonderful. Ernie, I've been thinking, and I don't think we should see each other any more. Sweetheart, you promised to go to the Rusty Spur with me. You never give up, do you? Come on. Come on, sweetheart... ...go to the Rusty Spur with me. It'd be like old times. All right, but you've got 30 days. If this finger is still naked in 30 days... ...it's adios, Pepe. I mean it this time. This is your last chance.
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