Friday, December 28, 2012

Online Learning and Upheavals in Social Networks - Technology ...

Live and learn: Everybody went mobile in 2012 (or so it seemed), but the most groundbreaking movement on the Web may have been the rise of digital education.

For all the attention lavished on the Web?s growth on mobile devices this year, one of the most interesting Internet trends is still best experienced on a desktop computer: online education.

The rising cost of higher education (the average bachelor?s degree now costs more than $100,000), combined with increasing access to high-speed Internet service and a desire for more efficient and flexible learning methods, brought new prominence to websites offering free or low-priced courses in everything from programming to literature.

Free online code-learning startup Codecademy?s effort to teach novices to code snagged more than 400,000 participants for its weekly lessons in JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. Harvard and MIT joined forces to create edX, a $60 million nonprofit company that streams free college courses online, while nearly three dozen schools?including Stanford and Princeton?formed their own free online course site, Coursera, which has more than 1.5 million users so far.

Udacity, cofounded by Sebastian Thrun, a Google Fellow and former Stanford researcher, started out by offering a single Stanford artificial intelligence class online for free. It has since grown and now offers 19 different free courses, mostly geared toward computer science and math. And Duolingo, a free crowdsourced language-learning startup cocreated by Carnegie Mellon University professor Luis von Ahn, has about 300,000 users per week learning French, Spanish, English, Italian, German, and Portuguese.

Perhaps the most ambitious (and highly funded) online education offering unveiled in the last year was the Minerva Project, which raised $25 million from Benchmark Capital for its plan to offer a completely online college education for about $25,000 a year. We?ll have to wait to gauge the Minerva Project?s impact, though: it?s not starting classes until 2015.

Despite the initial wave of enthusiasm, it?s not yet clear whether many of these startups or universities will be able to form sustainable business models, or if online classes can really work well on a large scale (many of the students that sign up for classes don?t actually complete them).

Fortunately, because they operate on the Web, these education efforts are able to gather lots of data about how their students are learning?potentially useful for tweaking lessons and improving performance.

Another segment of the Web that experienced major changes in 2012 was social networking. More than eight years after it began in Mark Zuckerberg?s Harvard dorm room, Facebook crossed the billion-user milestone in October.

The leading social network also became a publicly traded company, albeit not a particularly successful one; the stock began trading on May 18 at $42; as of Wednesday, it had declined to $26.51. This move means that Facebook, which is constantly gathering more data about our lives, is now facing even greater pressure to find ways to profit from this information. Facebook bought the popular photo-sharing service Instagram in a bid to beef up its own photo-sharing offerings and capitalize on Instagram?s influence as a standalone app. Facebook set the acquisition price at $1 billion in April, but the stock and cash deal was worth about $715 million when it closed in August due to the drop in Facebook?s share price.

Pinterest, a social-curation site founded by Ben Silbermann that lets you ?pin? interesting items found online to virtual pinboards, emerged in 2012 as one of the most popular social networking sites. Though Pinterest launched back in 2010, it suddenly ascended early this year. In April, a report from Experian Marketing Services named it the third most popular social network behind Facebook and Twitter.

Of course, more and more of the Web was experienced on smartphones and tablets in 2012. The first time smartphones and tablets outsold personal computers?was 2011, and that trend continued in 2012. Mobile Internet usage has been rising quickly?it accounted for 13 percent of Web traffic in November?and it?s expected to grow more dramatically. According to IDC, the number of mobile users is expected to climb from 174 million this year to 265 million in 2016, with more of us accessing the Web with a mobile device than with a PC in 2015. So if you?re not already reading this story on a smartphone or tablet, chances are you will be soon.

Source: http://www.technologyreview.com/news/508976/online-learning-and-upheavals-in-social-networks/

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Apple Reportedly Looking To Bring Mac Mini Production To U.S. Shores

mac-mini-usApple is said to be considering a move that will bring Mac mini production to the U.S., through manufacturing partner Foxconn, according to supply chain sources speaking to Digitimes. Foxconn already has an estimated 15 "operating bases" in the U.S. according to Digitimes. The Mac mini is indeed a good candidate for a U.S.-made Mac.

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

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Thursday, December 20, 2012

Instability in West Africa could U.S. and French intervention

(Op-ed) Ramzy Baroud Wednesday 19th December, 2012

The French are likely to get their wish, especially following the recent political fiasco engineered by the country's strongman and coup leader Capt. Amadou Haya Sanogo. The Americans also covet intervention, but one that would serve their growing interests in the Sahel region. African countries are divided and have no clear alternative on how to restore Mali's territorial integrity and equally important political sovereignty - disjointed between Tuareg secessionists and Islamic militants in the north and factionalized army in the south.

The current crisis in Mali is the recent manifestation of a recurring episode of terrible suffering and constant struggles. It goes back much earlier than French officials in particular wish to recall. True, there is much bad blood between the various forces that are now fighting for control, but there is also much acrimony between Mali and France, the latter having conquered Mali (then called French Sudan) in 1898. After decades of a bitter struggle, Mali achieved its independence in 1960 under the auspices of a socialist government led by President Modibo Keita. One of his very early orders of business was breaking away with French influence and the Franc zone.

Former colonial powers rarely abandon their ambitions, even after their former colonies gain hard-earned freedom. They remain deeply entrenched by meddling in various ways that destabilize the former colonies. Then when opportune, they militarily intervene to uphold the status quo. In 1968 Keita was ousted from power, and a few years later in 1977, he died in a lonely cell. His death ushered in mass protests, compelling few cosmetic gestures towards a new constitution and half-hearted democracy.

Turmoil has defined Mali for many years since then, even after the country achieved a level of political stability in 1992. At the time it was believed that Mali was fast becoming a model for democracy, at least in the West Africa region. A few years later, thousands of refugees from the ever-neglected and under-represented Tuaregs began returning to their towns and villages mostly in the vast desert region in northern Mali. That return was introduced by a peace agreement signed between Tuaregs and the central government. Little on the ground has changed. Various bands of Islamic groups, some homegrown, others fleeing fighting in neighboring countries, especially Algeria, found haven in Mali's north and west. At times, they fought amongst each other, at times they served some unclear agendas of outside parties, and at times they created temporary alliances amongst themselves.

While France attempted to keep Mali in its sphere of influence thus its decision in 2002 to cancel over a third of Mali's debt - the United States was also taking interest in Mali's crucial position in the Sahel regions and the prospects created by the ungovernability of the northern regions.

Of course, the all-inclusive definition of al-Qaeda served as the ever-convenient ruse to justify American involvement. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has been used by Washington to rationalize the establishment of the US Africa Command (AFRICOM). It was set up in 2008 to manage US military interests in the whole continent with the exception of Egypt. The US State Department claimed that AFRICOM "will play a supportive role as Africans build democratic institutions and establish good governance across the continent."

The importance of the al-Qaeda narrative to the American role in the Sahel was highlighted in the last presidential debate between President Barack Obama and his Republican opponent, Mitt Romney. To flex some political muscles, perhaps Romney warned of 'al-Qaeda type individuals" threatening to turn Mali into a new Afghanistan. Other western experts on the Sahel dispute the analogy, however claiming that Mali is descending into a Sudan-like model instead. Either way, the people of Mali are currently suffering the consequences of the burgeoning conflict, which reflects a convoluted mix of foreign agendas, extremist ideologies and real grievances of Malian tribes in the north and west.

The south of the country is not exactly an oasis of stability. The ongoing territorial struggle and political volatility are threatening the whole country, which has been battling a cruel famine and pitiless warlords. The most dominant faction in the Malian army is led by US-trained Army Capt. Amadou Sanogo, who on March 22 led a coup against President Amadou Toumani Toure. Sanogo's reasoning - blaming Toure for failing to stamp out growing militant influence in the north - sounded more like a pretense than a genuine attempt at recovering the disintegrating country.

It remains unclear who Sanogo's backers are, especially since France and the US are relatively tolerant of his political transgressions and violent conduct. Sanogo's coup came shortly before elections, scheduled for last April. While the African Union (AU) reacted assertively to the coup by suspending Mali's membership, western powers remained indecisive. Despite a half-hearted handing over of power from the coup leaders to a civilian government of President Dioncounda Traore, Sanogo remain firmly in charge. In May, the junta struck again, retaking power, as pro-Sanogo mobs almost beat president Traore to death inside his presidential compound.

Sanogo, empowered by the lack of decisiveness to his conduct, continued to play some political game or another. A short lived 'national unity government' under Prime Minister Cheick Modibo Diarra was more or less toppled when Diarra was arrested by Sanogo's men. He was forced to concede power and install a little known government administrator as his predecessor. Sonogo's political show continues, especially as the West African regional grouping (ECOWAS), along with the AU remains focused on what they perceive as a more urgent priority: ending the territorial disintegration in the north and west.

The conflict in the north is in a constant influx. Alliances change, thus the nature of the conflict is in perpetual alteration. Large consignments of weapons that were made available during NATO's war in Libya early last year, made their way to various rebel and militant groups throughout the region. The Tuaregs had received support from the ousted Libyan government and were dispersed during and following the war. Many of them returned to Mali, battle-hardened and emboldened by the advanced weapons.

Fighting in the north began in stages, most notably in January 2012. Sanogo's coup created the needed political vacuum for Tuaregs' National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) to declare independence in the north a mere two weeks later. The declaration was the result of quick military victories by MNLA and its militant allies, which led to the capture of Gao and other major towns. These successive developments further bolstered Islamic and other militant groups to seize cities across the country and hold them hostage to their ideologies and other agendas. For example, Ansar al-Din had reportedly worked jointly with the MNLA, but declared a war "against independence" and "for Islam" in June, as soon as it secured its control over Timbuktu. Al-Tawhid wa al-Jihad, along with AQIM made their moves. The allies soon became bitter enemies.

Last September, rebels from various Islamic groupings in control of the north began advancing onto other strategic areas in the center and south-west parts of the country. Their territorial advances are now made against government-held towns and areas that are still controlled by Azawad Tuareg rebels.

There is now semi-consensus on the need for military intervention in Mali, although some differences persist over the nature and scope of that intervention. Sanogo himself has little interest in seeing other West African powers jockeying for influence in Bamako, which could threaten his thus far unchallenged rule. Moreover, it is unclear how affective military force can be, as the territorial fragmentation, many militant groupings and political discord throughout the country are almost impossible to navigate.

The stability of West Africa is surely at stake. The chances of a political solution are all but completely dissipated. The growing chaos will likely benefit interventionist states - France and the US in particular. A long-drawn new 'war on terror,' will justify further intervention in West Africa and more meddling in the affairs of ECOWAS countries.

A few years ago, a new 'scramble for Africa' was unleashed due to China's growing influence in the continent. It was heightened by more recent North African turmoil caused by the so-called Arab Spring. Opportunities are now abound for those ready to stake more claims over a long exploited region.

- Ramzy Baroud (www.ramzybaroud.net) is an internationally-syndicated columnist and the editor of PalestineChronicle.com. His latest book is: My Father was A Freedom Fighter: Gaza's Untold Story (Pluto Press).

Source: http://www.zambianews.net/index.php/sid/211494233/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec

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Tuesday, December 18, 2012

China appoints new top official for export powerhouse Guangdong

BEIJING (Reuters) - China announced on Tuesday the appointment of rising star Hu Chunhua as Communist Party boss for the southern export powerhouse of Guangdong, the country's richest and most liberal province.

Hu will take over from reform-minded politician Wang Yang, who undertook restructuring the economy away from an export-driven model and grappled with rising social tensions among migrant workers.

Hu's appointment was announced in a brief statement carried by the official Xinhua news agency. It said Wang Jun will replace Hu as party chief in Inner Mongolia. But the article did not say where Wang Yang, seen by many in the West as a beacon of political reform, will be moved to.

Reuters reported last month that Hu, the former Inner Mongolia party chief, was tipped to take over as party chief in Guangdong.

Hu, 49, is part of the so-called "sixth generation" of potential national leaders born in the 1960s, after the generations headed by Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping.

Hu Chunhua spent two decades in restive and remote Tibet, where he learned to speak Tibetan, rare for a Han Chinese official. While there, he came under the wing of Hu Jintao, the outgoing president.

The two Hus are not related despite sharing a family name.

In Inner Mongolia, Hu Chunhua, also known as "Little Hu", has been referred to as a future president. While there, Hu Chunhua oversaw rapid economic growth and dealt successfully with protests last year by ethnic Mongols.

Hu Chunhua came to Inner Mongolia following a brief stint in Hebei, the arid province which surrounds Beijing, where he was rapidly moved after a scandal over tainted milk in which at least six children died and thousands became ill.

Hu Chunhua remains something of an enigma, even in China. He has given few clues about his deeper policy beliefs. One of the best known things about him is that he does not appear to dye his hair jet black like many politicians.

In meetings with the public, Hu Chunhua comes across as low key and self effacing, in line with an image of a loyal, humble Communist Party member. People who have met him describe him as relaxed, easy-going and spontaneous, unlike stiffer party leaders.

Despite having a reputation as more of a moderate and a reformer, Hu Chunhua sent back to jailed Inner Mongolia's most notable Mongol dissident, Hada, almost as soon as he completed a 15-year sentence for separatism in late 2010.

(Reporting by Sui-Lee Wee; Editing by Ron Popeski)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/china-appoints-top-official-export-powerhouse-guangdong-110104731.html

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Monday, December 17, 2012

Anchorman 2' Plot 'More Secret' Than New 'Star Wars,' Judd Apatow Says

'They came up with the most hilarious script,' producer Apatow says of Will Ferrell and Adam McKay.
By Kara Warner, with reporting by Josh Horowitz


Judd Apatow
Photo: MTV News

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1699053/anchorman-2-secret-plot.jhtml

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Reproduction and life span are intertwined

Dec. 17, 2012 ? The gonad is well known to be important for reproduction but also affects animal life span. Removal of germ cells - the sperm and egg producing cells - increases longevity of the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms were a mystery. Now scientists at the Cologne-based Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, have discovered that germ cell removal flips a "molecular switch" that extends the life span by using components of a "developmental clock."

The roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans is a commonly used model organism in the field of aging research. It develops from an egg to adult through four larval stages. These developmental stages are controlled by a developmental clock. Yidong Shen and colleagues working in the department of Director Adam Antebi used a laser to remove the germ cells.

They found that the remaining gonadal cells trigger production of a steroid hormone called dafachronic acid. Dafachronic acid activates so-called microRNAs, which work as tiny molecular switches causing changes in gene expression that promote longevity. Interestingly, this same steroid hormone-microRNA switch was previously shown by Antebi and colleagues to be part of the developmental clock. Thus, the loss of the germ cells ultimately causes the worm to use developmental timers to put in motion a life-prolonging programme.

In uncovering these findings, the Max Planck scientists have added some more pieces to the puzzle of describing and understanding how longevity is regulated. The question now is whether humans also possess a similar microRNA-controlled switch system.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by The Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing/ Max-Planck-Institut f?r Biologie des Alterns.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Y. Shen, J. Wollam, D. Magner, O. Karalay, A. Antebi. A Steroid Receptor-MicroRNA Switch Regulates Life Span in Response to Signals from the Gonad. Science, 2012; 338 (6113): 1472 DOI: 10.1126/science.1228967

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/top_environment/~3/pSJqYl5EpP8/121217091157.htm

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Gunbattle follows airport attack in Pakistan

People comfort to a person, right, mourning over the death of his relative, a victim of a rocket attack by militants, at a local hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan on Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012. Militants fired three rockets at an airport in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Saturday night, killing several people and wounding dozens, officials said. (AP Photo / Mohammad Sajjad)

People comfort to a person, right, mourning over the death of his relative, a victim of a rocket attack by militants, at a local hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan on Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012. Militants fired three rockets at an airport in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Saturday night, killing several people and wounding dozens, officials said. (AP Photo / Mohammad Sajjad)

A Pakistani baby girl injured in a rocked attack by militants, is treated at a local hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan on Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012. Militants fired three rockets at an airport in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Saturday night, killing several people and wounding dozens, officials said. (AP Photo/Mohammad Sajjad)

An injured victim of a rocket attack by militants, receives initial treatment at a local hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan on Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012. Militants fired three rockets at an airport in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Saturday night, killing several people and wounding dozens, officials said. (AP Photo/Mohammad Sajjad)

A Pakistani girl, who injured in a rocket attack by militants, talks on her cell phone after receiving initial treatment at a local hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan on Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012. Militants fired three rockets at an airport in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Saturday night, killing several people and wounding dozens, officials said. (AP Photo/Mohammad Sajjad)

A Pakistani man comforts another mourning over the death of his relative, a victim of a rocket attack by militants, at a local hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan on Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012. Militants fired three rockets at an airport in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Saturday night, killing several people and wounding dozens, officials said. (AP Photo/Mohammad Sajjad)

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) ? Five Taliban fighters were killed in a battle with security forces on Sunday after they fled to a village in northwestern Pakistan near an international airport they helped attack the night before, officials said.

The militants were hiding in an unfinished house in the village, located about 3 kilometers (2 miles) from the airport in Peshawar, said Mian Iftikhar Hussain, information minister in surrounding Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Three of the militants were shot by security forces when they tried to escape, said Hussain. Both he and the military said the two other militants detonated their suicide vests when security forces stormed the building.

Taliban militants began their attack on the airport Saturday night by firing rockets at the wall that surrounds the installation and then detonating two car bombs to try to break through, said the air force, which jointly uses the airport with civilian authorities. The militants, some of whom were wearing suicide vests, were also armed with rocket-propelled grenades, hand grenades, automatic weapons and bags of explosives.

Four civilians were killed during the attack and over 40 wounded, including women and children, said local hospital official Umar Ayub. Two of the wounded are in critical condition, he said.

The civilians who were killed and wounded were from neighborhoods located next to the airport. It's unclear if the casualties were caused by the rockets and bombs used by the militants, or if the civilians were caught in the crossfire when security forces responded to the attack.

Five militants were killed during the attack, and three suicide vests were found near the wreckage of one of the car bombs, said the air force. The militants were unable to enter the airport. No air force equipment was damaged and no personnel were injured, the service said.

Pakistani Taliban spokesman Ahsanullah Ahsan claimed responsibility for the attack by telephone to The Associated Press. He said the attack was carried out by 10 militants, some of whom were killed.

Authorities knew that some of the militants escaped, and police intelligence traced them to Pawaka village Saturday night, said Hussain, the information minister. But action was not taken immediately because of the darkness, he said.

Laborers who were working on the house where the militants holed up informed police when they showed up for work Sunday morning and found armed men there, said Hussain. Witness statements suggest that four of the militants were foreigners, possibly Uzbeks or Chechens, he said.

The militants asked local residents for shawls to disguise themselves and a car to help them escape, an eyewitness told local Geo TV. He did not provide his name.

Peshawar is on the edge of Pakistan's tribal region, the main sanctuary for al-Qaida and Taliban militants in the country. The city has frequently been attacked in the past few years, but Saturday was the first strike against the airport.

The airport was closed after the attack but reopened on Sunday, said Hussain, the information minister.

The Pakistani Taliban have attacked other major military bases in the country in recent years, including Kamra air base near the capital, Islamabad, in August and Mehran naval air base in the southern city of Karachi last year.

____

Associated Press writers Rasool Dawar in Peshawar and Zarar Khan in Islamabad contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-12-16-Pakistan/id-ca5f1d9b3e154310b6583db8bba4e32e

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Geminid meteor shower peaks tonight: When to watch for falling stars

A new and as-yet unnamed meteor shower may also make an appearance tonight, ramping up the celestial display even further.

By Mike Wall,?SPACE.com / December 13, 2012

In this picture provided by Wally Pacholka of AstroPics.com, a Geminid fireball explodes over the Mojave Desert in the Jojave Desert, Calif. in 2009.

Wally Pacholka/AstroPics.com/AP

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Skywatchers around the world are in for a treat tonight, as the annual Geminid meteor shower is poised to put on a spectacular show.

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The Geminids?will peak overnight tonight (Dec. 13) with the moon at its new phase. The skies will thus be free of the moon's glare, allowing viewers in rural areas to see perhaps 100 or more meteors per hour, experts say.

A new and as-yet unnamed?meteor shower?may also make an appearance tonight, ramping up the celestial display even further.

"Meteors?from the new shower (if any) will be visible in the early evening, with the Geminids making their appearance later on and lasting until dawn," Bill Cooke, head of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office, said in a statement.?[Photos: Geminid Meteor Shower of December 2011]

The Geminids ? so named because they appear to emanate from the constellation Gemini (The Twins) ? result when Earth plows through debris shed by the huge, enigmatic asteroid 3200 Phaethon. This is unusual for annual meteor showers, which are typically caused by comet particles.

The potential new shower's source is a comet called Wirtanen, Cooke said. Earth hasn't run into Wirtanen's debris stream before, but computer models suggest this year could be different.

If the new shower does indeed materialize, it could produce up to 30 meteors per hour tonight by itself, Cooke said. These shooting stars will seem to be coming from the constellation Picses (The Fish), so the shower may end up being called the Piscids.

A few scattered Geminids can be spotted shortly after sunset tonight. The show will really start picking up around 10 p.m. local time, experts say, and it should peak at 2 a.m. or so. You won't need binoculars or a telescope to see the shooting stars; just crane your neck up, preferably in a spot away from bright city lights.

You can also watch the meteor action online tonight if you so choose. Cooke and several NASA colleagues will host a live web chat overnight from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. EST (0400 to 0800 GMT), complete with live video of streaking meteors captured by a special camera at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. It will all happen here:?http://www.nasa.gov/connect/chat/geminids2012.html

Skywatchers who miss tonight's peak will have a few other chances to catch the Geminids this year. The shower should linger until Dec. 16 or so before petering out completely.

Editor's Note:?If you take a photo of this year's Geminids that you'd like to share with SPACE.com for a possible story or gallery, please send it, along with your comments, to spacephotos@space.com.

Follow SPACE.com senior writer Mike Wall on Twitter?@michaeldwall?or SPACE.com?@Spacedotcom. We're also on?Facebook?and?Google+.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/P5njnmoqJFk/Geminid-meteor-shower-peaks-tonight-When-to-watch-for-falling-stars

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Monday, October 8, 2012

Mosquito genetics may offer clues to malaria control

Monday, October 8, 2012

An African mosquito species with a deadly capacity to transmit malaria has a perplexing evolutionary history, according to discovery by researchers at the Fralin Life Science Institute at Virginia Tech.

Closely related African mosquito species originated the ability to transmit human malaria multiple times during their recent evolution, according to a study published this week in PLoS Pathogens by Igor Sharakhov, an associate professor of entomology in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and Maryam Kamali of Tehran, Iran, a Ph.D. student in the department of entomology.

The discovery could have implications for malaria control by enabling researchers to detect and target specific genetic changes associated with the capacity to transmit a parasite.

Malaria causes as many as 907,000 deaths each year, mostly among children in sub-Saharan Africa. Anopheles mosquitoes, which bite mainly between dusk and dawn, transmit human malaria by spreading Plasmodium parasites that multiply in the human liver and infect red blood cells. But of the more than 400 species of mosquito belonging to the Anopheles genus, only about 20 are effective vectors of human malaria, according to the World Health Organization.

The most dangerous of these is the Anopheles gambiae mosquito species, one of seven in the Anopheles gambiae complex, which was thought to have recently evolved the ability to transmit malaria. However, Virginia Tech scientists' discoveries suggest that this species is actually genetically linked to an older, ancestral lineage.

Scientists used chromosomal analysis to compare gene arrangements for mosquitoes both inside and outside the Anopheles gambiae family to trace the evolutionary connections.

"The outside species served as a reference group for understanding the evolutionary relationship among Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes," Kamali said. "Our goal was to determine how different species arose in the Anopheles gambiae complex, as they all look identical, but have different behaviors and capacities to transmit human malaria."

When resolving the Anopheles gambiae evolutionary history, the scientists identified breaks in DNA that lead to new chromosomal arrangements, and used these rearrangements to demonstrate the repeated evolution of the ability to transmit a parasite, in a back-and-forth fashion.

"This curious stop-and-go flexibility could help us to better understand the nature of the mosquito's capacity to transmit malaria, and calls into question what is driving the genetic flexibility," Sharakhov said.

The discovery is innovative in the field of genetics research.

"The surprising aspect of the paper is the proposal of an ancestral and relatively ancient 2La polymorphism which arose in a hypothetical ancestor and has been maintained in Anopheles gambiae ever since," said Nora Besansky, the Rev. John Cardinal O'Hara C.S.C. professor of biological sciences at the University of Notre Dame, who was not involved in the study. "If confirmed, this would certainly lend novel insight into the evolutionary dynamics of chromosomal inversions in general, not only in mosquitoes."

###

Virginia Tech: http://www.vtnews.vt.edu

Thanks to Virginia Tech for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/124240/Mosquito_genetics_may_offer_clues_to_malaria_control

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Saturday, October 6, 2012

Cisco elevates 2 execs to president role

(AP) ? Cisco Systems Inc. hasn't had a president since CEO John Chambers gave up the title in 2006. Now, as the company thinks about a successor to the long-serving CEO, it's appointing two presidents ? twice the number most companies have.

The maker of computer networking gear said Thursday that Rob Lloyd, 56, formerly the executive vice president in charge of worldwide sales, is now a president in charge of both product development and sales.

Cisco also promoted executive vice president Gary Moore, 63, to president and chief operating officer.

Chuck Robbins, formerly the senior vice president for Americas sales, takes over Lloyd's job as global sales head.

The San Jose, Calif., company said the reason it's uniting sales and development under Lloyd is that it wants to tie product development closer to customer needs. Pankaj Patel, the chief development officer, will now report to Lloyd, as will Wim Elfrink, the chief globalization officer.

Spokesman John Earnhardt said the company's focus on "senior leadership evolution" over the next two to four years was a factor in the shuffle. The CEO's job is included in that "evolution," he said.

Chambers, 63, is a former sales executive and has been the CEO at Cisco since 1995, making him one of the veterans of Silicon Valley and a subject of succession speculation. He gave up the title of president in 2006 to become chairman.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2012-10-04-Cisco-Personnel/id-d5ea8800dca24d1db810b960bd044809

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Wednesday, September 26, 2012

"Gangnam Style" hit doubles value of Psy's father's stock

SEOUL (Reuters) - A pop star whose song "Gangnam Style" became the first Korean hit to top Apple's music download charts has also worked his magic on his father's software firm, helping it double in value since singer and dancer Psy burst onto the global scene in July.

Psy's father, Park Won-ho, is the chairman and controlling shareholder of South Korean semiconductor company D I Corp and its market capitalisation has surged to 113.5 billion won (62.4 million pounds) on the main Seoul bourse, making it as of Tuesday the 459th most valuable stock measured by size.

Psy's "Gangnam Style", which mocks the rampant consumerism of a rich Seoul suburb, went viral on video-sharing website Youtube. The video has been viewed more than 267 million times on Youtube since it was released in mid-July.

"The positive sentiment from 'Gangnam Style' has attracted investors just because of the fact that the company is owned by Psy's father and uncle," said Lee Sun-tae, a researcher at NH Investment and Securities, who added Psy is not a shareholder in the company.

"The popularity will slowly dissolve in time, naturally."

South Korea's legion of retail investors, mainly middle-aged people, tend to jump on speculative stocks.

Software millionaire Ahn Cheol-soo, who this month announced he would run for the country's presidency, saw the value of his company Ahnlab Inc.'s shares slide after his bid.

Ahnlab stock was down 30 percent on Tuesday compared with its closing level a week ago, just a day before he made his announcement.

(Reporting by Christine Kim; Editing by David Chance and Daniel Magnowski)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gangnam-style-hit-doubles-value-psys-fathers-stock-033425543.html

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Thursday, September 20, 2012

Pentax's Q10 mirrorless shows its tiny sensor to the world, we give it the hands-on treatment (video)

It's tough to express just how much Pentax's new Q10 mirrorless looks like a toy camera until you see it in-person, so unless you're in Cologne this week, you're going to have to take our word for it. It's probably mostly its tiny size -- and the fire engine red probably doesn't help its case much in that respect, either. Still, in spite of its diminutive stature and weight, it does feel like a solid camera. All of these body image issues are thanks to its tiny 12.4 effective megapixel CMOS image sensor. Like its brethren, the Q, this interchangeable lens camera's got a retractable flash, which works whether it's extended or not.

On the front, next to the lens, you'll find a knob which lefts you dial through four different effects. The Q10 also does full HD recording, five-fps shooting and, like the K-5 II, boasts improved autofocus over its predecessor. On the back, is a surprisingly large three-inch LCD. When it launches here in Europe next month, it'll run you 499 for a single lens kit and around 300 for the body alone -- compare that to $600 for the kit here in the States.

Continue reading Pentax's Q10 mirrorless shows its tiny sensor to the world, we give it the hands-on treatment (video)

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Pentax's Q10 mirrorless shows its tiny sensor to the world, we give it the hands-on treatment (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Sep 2012 09:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/19/pentaxs-q10-mirrorless-shows-its-tiny-sensor-to-the-world-we-g/

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Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Feminine looks, old Hollywood style feature at NY fashion week

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Soft, flowing dresses with mid-calf hemlines in pastel shades of blue, sea foam and grays dominated the runway on Monday as designer Carolina Herrera showed her Spring 2013 collection at New York Fashion Week.

The look was feminine, subtle and light as models seemed to float down the runway in wool-crepe long dresses, twill blouses matched with crepe flounce shorts and elegant color-blocked silk gowns with tulle overlays.

"It is a flirtatious collection with a focus on the essentials and proportions including long fluid skirts and shorts," was how the Venezuelan-born, New York-based designer described her creations.

Shoulders were narrow, and Herrera hiked the waist toward the bustline with long, full skirts for an elongated silhouette that she paired with simple short-sleeved tops.

The designer who is known for her elegance and intricacy and is a favorite on the red carpet with her glamorous designs did not disappoint.

An ivory pleated silk gown included floral embroidery and an oyster snakeskin skinny belt. Another fully embroidered icy-white column gown featured a black tulle overlay.

Like the lace-backed Twilight wedding dress that Herrera designed for actress Kristen Stewart for the film "Breaking Dawn Part 1," the collection had a timeless appeal.

Herrera's love of prints was evident in a motif in pastel shades that she used in various dresses, blouses and skirts that gave a cohesion to the entire collection

"Every dress was stunning," gushed a member of the audience that included activist and former rock star wife Bianca Jagger, actress Julianne Hough, tennis great Boris Becker and "Vanity Fair" editor Graydon Carter.

CELEBRATING OLD HOLLYWOOD AND MATURE WOMEN

While Herrera opted for flirtation and romance, Norisol Ferrari, another Venezuelan-born designer, had Old Hollywood and actresses Marilyn Monroe, Rita Hayworth and Rita Moreno in mind when she designed her spring collection, which featured strong lines, bold colors and plenty of sex appeal.

She described the actresses as "all strong, confident women who command attention, desire and respect," which could also be said of her designs.

With figure-hugging trousers, capris and shorts, fitted, tailored jackets cinched at the waist and pleated in the back and cropped tops, Ferrari celebrated the female form and emphasized all of its curves.

Each of the 33 designs had a suggestive title ranging from A Woman in Love and Girl's Night Out to The Last Tango and An Affair to Remember.

Unlike other shows that feature young, waif-like models, many of Ferrari's designs were modeled by women of a certain age, including one-time supermodel 51-year-old Carol Alt, who drew applause in a flowing, belted black and cream gown.

She was followed by Carmen Dell'Orefice, who turned 71 this year, and wowed the audience in a long-sleeve, fitted 30s style beige gown that was simply titled It's Carmen.

The collection, which featured plenty of black, white, cream colors, had a La Dolce Vita glamour with column gowns, below-the-knee and tapered hemlines and sleek and waisted dresses with button details.

New York-based designer Zac Posen featured a similar look with his collection of gown and cocktail dresses, hourglass silhouettes and floor-dusting trains.

Naomi Campbell opened his show modeling a silk twill and chiffon day dress with a Rorschach-like pink hibiscus print, one of two floral designs that recurred throughout the collection.

Several gowns curved tightly through the waist and legs before billowing into clouds of silk, although he occasionally deviated from the hourglass silhouette with wide frilly flourishes at the waist. Posen also showed jumpsuits with wide-width pants.

The semi-annual Mercedes-Benz Fashion week attracts about 116,000 models, designers, buyers and wealthy customers to New York.

(Additional reporting by Jonathan Allen; Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst and Richard Chang)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/feminine-looks-old-hollywood-style-feature-ny-fashion-215000571.html

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Monday, September 10, 2012

Automotive News, Auto News and Trends from Automotive Digest ...

What Art Spinella Has to Say about August Used Vehicle Retail Sales

Spinella_Art

At the begin?ning of each month, CNW Research releases sales fig?ures track?ing retail used car sales by fran?chised deal?ers, inde?pen?dents, and pri?vate party (casual sales), which makes for a huge part of US auto?sales.

Guess which seg?ment took the first, sec?ond, and third place posi?tions for retail used car sales vol?ume?

Pri?vate party sales had a great month, but one of the two other mar?ket seg?ments saw a big drop in?sales?

Mobile devices used for used-car shop?ping is mak?ing for a siz?able por?tion of customers?

Do you want to read all of CNW Research?s sta?tis?tics and analy?sis of retail used car sales in August includ?ing sub-prime buy?ers ? Then, click here??

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