Mapping of cancer cell fuel pumps paves the way for new drugs

Apr. 28, 2013 ? For the first time, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have managed to obtain detailed images of the way in which the transport protein GLUT transports sugars into cells. Since tumours are highly dependent on the transportation of nutrients in order to be able to grow rapidly, the researchers are hoping that the study published in the scientific magazine Nature Structural & Molecular Biology will form the basis for new strategies to fight cancer cells.

In order to be able to fuel their rapid growth, cancer tumours depend on transporter proteins to work at high speed to introduce sugars and other nutrients that are required for the cell's metabolism. One possible treatment strategy would therefore be to block some of the transporters in the cell membrane which operate as fuel pumps, thus starving out and killing the cancer cells.

One important group of membrane transporters is the GLUT family, which introduces glucose and other sugars into the cell. Glucose is one of the most important energy sources for cancer cells and GLUT transporters have been shown to play a key role in tumour growth in many different types of cancer.

In the current study, researchers from Karolinska Institutet have performed a detailed study of the way in which suger transport is executed by the protein XylE, from the Escherichia colibacterium, whose function and structure is very similar to GLUT transporters in humans. For the first time, the researchers have described the way in which the protein's structure changes between two different conformations when it binds and transports a sugar molecule.

"In showing details of the molecular structure of the region that bind the sugar, our study opens up the opportunities to more efficiently develop new substances that may inhibit GLUT transporters," says P?r Nordlund at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, one of the researchers behind the study. "Information on the structure of the transport protein facilitates the development of better drugs in a shorter time. Such GLUT inhibitors could potentially be used to treat cancer in the future."

The study may be of significance not just to cancer research but also in the field of diabetes. GLUT plays a key role in diabetes since insulin works by activating the uptake of glucose from the blood by means of GLUT transporters in the cell membrane.

GLUT and the studied XylE transporter belong to the very large group of metabolite transporters called the Major Facilitator Superfamily (MFS), which is important in many diseases and for the uptake of medicines in cells.

"Many aspects concerning molecular mechanisms for the function of GLUT transporters are probably common to many members of the MFS family, which are involved in a broad spectrum of diseases in addition to cancer and diabetes," says P?r Nordlund.

As well as membrane transporters, which have undergone in-depth analysis in the current study, many different membrane proteins pass through the surface membrane of the cells. Their significance to the cell function and the development of drugs has been noted before, not least through the Nobel Prizes that were awarded to researchers who used mechanistic and structural studies to map the function of two other major membrane protein families, G-protein-coupled receptors and ion channels.

The current study has been financed by grants from the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Cancer Society, the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) and The Danish Council for Independent Research.

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Journal Reference:

1. Esben M Quistgaard, Christian L?w, Per Moberg, Lionel Tr?saugues, P?r Nordlund. Structural basis for substrate transport in the GLUT-homology family of monosaccharide transporters. Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2569

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/~3/YpfcBJy_z0w/130428144853.htm

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Israel Launches Airstrikes In Response to Rocket Fire From Gaza

Israel G

An Israeli man holds his baby as people celebrate the 65th anniversary of Israel's independence on April 16, 2013 in Tel Aviv, Israel. (Getty Images)

JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israel responded to rockets fired from the Gaza Strip with airstrikes on sites used by Islamic militant group Hamas, which rules the Palestinian territory, the military said on Sunday.

It said its jets struck "a terrorist weapon storage facility and a Hamas training installation" after rockets landed in southern Israel the night before. It also closed a closed a key border crossing with the territory. Gaza health officials said nobody was hurt in the strikes.

On Saturday, thousands of Israelis had been outside in parks and forests celebrating the Jewish holiday of Lag Baomer with traditional bonfires. The rockets exploded in open areas and caused no injuries.

Rocket fire from Gaza has declined since a military campaign in November, before which militants were firing rockets on an almost daily basis and launching other attacks on Israeli towns across the border. Sporadic fire still persists however.

The military said it "will not tolerate any attempt to harm Israeli civilians" and that it will not allow the situation to return to where it stood before the November campaign.

Israel holds Gaza's militant Hamas rulers responsible for all attacks from the territory. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after the attack that the perpetrators will "pay a heavy price." Speaking at a government meeting Sunday, Netanyahu said he will "not allow a policy of sporadic fire" to continue. He said such fire will be met with a "very strong" response.

No group claimed responsibility for the attacks.

A shadowy extremist Muslim Salafi group has been behind recent attacks in the area, including one last month where rockets were fired from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.

Hamas sees the Salafis as a threat to its rule and routinely arrest members of the ultraconservative movement in Gaza. Salafis view even Hamas's hardline interpretation of Islamic law as too moderate and the two groups have clashed violently in the past.

Along with the airstrikes, Israel responded to Saturday's rocket fire by closing the Kerem Shalom crossing with Gaza. It said another terminal will be open for humanitarian cases.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/israel-launches-airstrikes-response-rocket-fire-gaza-154025055.html

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Identification of gene variants affecting fertility offers new treatment possibility

Apr. 29, 2013 ? Identification of genetic variations in the genes coding for the hormone FSH may provide new treatments for male and female infertility, according to work presented at the European Congress of Endocrinology in Copenhagen. A group of researchers at the University of Muenster has characterised gene variations which may improve treatment for almost half of infertile men, as well as allowing tailored treatment for women undergoing assisted reproduction.

Properly functioning FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone) is needed to ensure fertility. FSH is produced by the pituitary gland (at the base of the brain) in both men and women. It is essential for normal functioning of the reproductive system. In adult males, FSH is crucial to maintain normal sperm production. In adult women, FSH regulates egg maturation and oestrogen synthesis by the ovaries.

Pituitary-produced FSH binds to specific receptors which are found on the surface of cells in the ovary, testes, and uterus. For the hormone to have its effect, both the hormone and the receptor must function properly. Recently, the group of researchers at the University of Muenster (Germany) has analysed genetic variants in both the FSH gene and in the FSH receptor, which affect fertility in both males and females.

The group found that a distinct single nucleotide change in the DNA structure of FSHB gene (the FSH molecule has 2 subunits -- FSHB is the B subunit) caused significant effects in the functioning of the hormone in both men and women. A single change in the DNA of the FSH receptor (FSHR) also caused changes in fertility. They have also found that if a man has both the FSHB and FSH unfavourable genetic variation, then his fertility levels can drop dramatically.

Professor Joerg Gromoll's group looked at hormone levels in 1213 males and 365 women who had been attending the Muenster fertility clinic, and associated these with the genetic variations in the FSH hormone and receptor. They found that males with the FSHB variation had significant drops in FSH levels and in testicular volume. If a man had both polymorphisms in FSHB and FSHR (gene variations) then this effect was even more pronounced and a drop of 34% in sperm count could be detected..

In contrast, they found that FSH levels in women with the polymorphisms were increased, while progesterone levels were lowered. However, the number of women with the combined variation so far studied was not high enough to draw significant conclusions.

Professor Gromoll, of the Centre of Reproductive Medicine and Andrology, University of Muenster, presented the complete results to the European Congress of Endocrinology in Copenhagen. He said:

"These genetic variations turned out to have significant effects on male and female reproductive endocrinology, and hence on male and female fertility. Where a man has the variants in both the hormone and its receptor, the drop in fertility is very significant. We estimate that around 45% of infertile men would respond to FSH therapy, and this work may enable us to identify exactly who will benefit, and to what extent. In the same way, knowing which women carry the variants may enable them to receive tailored ovarian stimulation in the future.

"We are now working to identify infertile patients suitable for FSH treatment to induce fertility."

Note: The changes were single nucleotide polymorphisms. The FSHB gene at position 211 normally has a G nucleotide -- in this variation this was changed to a T: so the designation for this variation is FSHB-211 G>T. With the gene for the receptor, the change was from A to G at position 2039, designated FSHR 2039A>G.

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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/~3/8F0_skCgz_U/130429210854.htm

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Column: Playing politics with crisis is inevitable (The Arizona Republic)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/302269237?client_source=feed&format=rss

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The Marketplace Fairness Act Will Support Small Businesses ...

Click if you like this column!

Republicans in Ohio last week took an important step toward broad tax reform when the state House of Representatives approved an across-the-board reduction in the personal income tax. That tax cut, however, is contingent upon Congress passing legislation that will allow Ohio and other states to have online-only retailers remit state sales tax just like any other business does. The U.S. Senate is now poised to grant states this power via the aptly named Marketplace Fairness Act. This legislation levels the economic playing field by putting small businesses on the same footing as online-only outfits. Conservatives should embrace this needed reform.

Under the current system, state governments collect sales tax from stores located in the jurisdictions if an outlet conducts an in-person sale or makes a transaction online with a state resident. When an individual makes an online purchase from a retailer outside their state, that person is supposed to report the purchase and pay the sales tax?commonly called a ?use tax??to his or her home state. As one might imagine, taxpayers rarely adhere to the requirements of use taxes.

The nationwide increase in online shopping has thus led to a sharp decline in sales tax compliance for state governments. States, which are legally forced to balance their budgets, have made up their revenue shortfalls through a mix of spending cuts, increasing marginal income tax rates and hiking other taxes or fees. The lack of a mechanism to have remote sellers collect and remit sales tax ultimately hurts small local business owners while increasing the overall tax burden on individuals and families who now pay for the higher taxes in other areas. This policy essentially amounts to a federal subsidy for online-only retailers and it threatens the creation of jobs for many local businesses.

The Marketplace Fairness Act is Congress? answer to a 1992 Supreme Court ruling that said states needed federal approval to have remote retailers remit sales tax the same way local retailers do. This legislation allows states to correct the tax imbalance and divide the burden they impose on their residents more sensibly. With the recovery of lost sales tax revenues, states will be able to reduce marginal income tax rates and other levies as they balance their budgets. Naysayers argue that this will not be done, but they are already being proven wrong.

Source: http://townhall.com/columnists/stephendemaura/2013/04/28/the-marketplace-fairness-act-will-support-small-businesses-n1579996

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Rendezvous Connects You With Nearby Folks Who Share Your Interests, Keeps Track Of Who You've Met

Rendezvous is an upcoming mobile application built at the TechCrunch Disrupt NY 2013 hackathon by San Francisco developer Taran Gill and designer Mehtab Bajawa. The app intends to connect you with others nearby who share your interests, as based on Facebook profile data. But while other mobile apps, including those in the recently trendy “ambient location” space often do the same, the difference with Rendezvous is that it keeps track of your location history, too. That way, you can scroll back to see who you met and when, as well as perhaps discover other missed connections. The mobile app was built using the Facebook API alongside the NewAer API for location data. And also unlike other location apps,?Rendezvous doesn’t use GPS data – which means it won’t kill your smartphone’s battery. (Hooray!) Instead, Rendezvous will be able to tell if users are connected to the same Wi-Fi router or cell tower in order to determine their proximity to each other. Though the build created this weekend focused on using Facebook data, Gill explains that the app will be developed further after the event wraps to include other APIs and data sources, in order to do things like connecting users’ Pandora’s playlists, for example. Users may be able to manually enter in data, too. (E.g. “what’s on my mind right now”). Friending functionality is also on the way, and that could be really interesting, since it could tell you others places you and your new friend had both visited together in the past, unknowingly. “It’s a lot of data that nobody has ever collected before,” says Gill. He adds that?didn’t know that he would be working on when he arrived at Disrupt this weekend, but wanted to start a new project. In San Francisco, he had been working on a cloud storage startup for many months, but acknowledges that space is now dominated by major players like Google.?Meanwhile, co-creator Bajawa recently left his job in the finance industry to begin working on startups and tech. For those who attend a lot of hackathons like this one and other networking events, an app like this could come in handy to help you not only find people you would want to know, but also help you remember who you met at a later date.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/aevIsh6xS8A/

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Christina Aguilera's Body Transformation in 12 Photos

When she emerged onto the pop scene in the late '90s, Christina Aguilera caught the attention of the media, and she's remained in the headlines ever since. The former Mickey Mouse Club star has gone from stick-skinny to voluptuous and curvy -- and back again. But her beauty and confidence is always there, no matter what!

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/christina-aguileras-body-transformation/1-a-534449?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Achristina-aguileras-body-transformation-534449

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2 Chainz Not Guilty On Pot Possession Charge

Security guard says he packed the bag that police found on rapper's bus in Maryland.
By Gil Kaufman

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1706384/2-chainz-not-guilty-marijuana-possession.jhtml

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Inside the Cover: The American Dream, Downsized

(Ends first round) NEW YORK, April 25 (Reuters) - Selections in the first roundof the 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall on Thursday (picknumber, NFL team, player, position, college): 1-Kansas City, Eric Fisher, offensive tackle, Central Michigan 2-Jacksonville, Luke Joeckel, offensive tackle, Texas A&M 3-Miami (from Oakland), Dion Jordan, defensive tackle, Oregon 4-Philadelphia, Lane Johnson, offensive tackle, Oklahoma 5-Detroit, Ezekiel Ansah, defensive end, Brigham Young 6-Cleveland, Barkevious Mingo, linebacker, LSU 7-Arizona, Jonathan Cooper, guard, North Carolina 8-St. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/inside-cover-american-dream-downsized-080926062.html

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Alabama grocery tax repeal likely dead again

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- The effort to remove the Alabama sales tax from groceries is likely dead for another year.

A Republican legislator tried one approach and a Democratic legislator tried another, but neither got very far in the 2013 session.

Republican Sen. Gerald Dial of Lineville persuaded a Senate committee to approve his bill to phase out the 4 percent state tax, but he said it is unlikely he can pass it with only five meeting days remaining in the legislative session.

A bill by Democratic Rep. John Knight of Montgomery never even got considered by a House committee.

"We don't see action coming in the few remaining days," said Jim Carnes, communication director of Alabama Arise, an organization representing Alabama's poor.

Legislators have been trying to figure out a way to remove the sales tax on groceries for more than a decade, but no one has succeeded because the Legislature has never agreed on how to replace the lost revenue. Replacing the revenue is a priority because sales taxes are a major source of funding for public schools.

Dial's bill would reduce the state sales tax on groceries by 1 cent on the dollar each year for four years. To make up the lost revenue, he would increase the state sales tax on other purchases by one-quarter cent per dollar for each year for four years. By the end of four years, consumers would pay no state tax on groceries and 5 percent on other purchases. State and local sales taxes would remain on groceries.

Dial said he doesn't consider his bill a tax increase because people have to buy groceries, but they can cut back on other purchases, such as clothes.

Dial's bill was placed on the Senate's work agenda Thursday, but the Senate's top Republican, President Pro Tem Del Marsh of Anniston, got the Senate to delay action. "There is still work to be done," Marsh said.

Dial's bill drew opposition from Alabama Arise.

"It's amazing to me that people who are supposed to be helping the poor are working against my bill," Dial said.

Carnes said Dial's bill maintained the regressive nature of the sales tax, and many non-food items are essential purchases for people.

Alabama Arise favored Knight's bill. It would keep the state sales tax on non-food purchases at 4 percent. It would replace the revenue from groceries by repealing the state income tax deduction that Alabama gives for federal taxes paid. That would not affect many low-income Alabamians, but would require higher earners to pay more state taxes.

Knight tried repeatedly to pass his bill when Democrats controlled the Legislature, but never succeeded. He reintroduced his bill this session, but he couldn't get it considered by a Republican-dominated committee.

Dial said it will never pass now that Republicans are in control. "No Republican Legislature is going to pass that because that is a direct tax on the people," he said.

Carnes said Alabama Arise was disappointed that Knight's bill didn't move again. "But we are happy that what we consider a bad solution didn't move also."

Dial said he will be back with his bill in the 2014 session, when legislators will be standing for election.

"It is great politics for an election. When people ask what you have done for them, you can say, 'I took the tax off food for you,'" Dial said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/alabama-grocery-tax-repeal-likely-195227562.html

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Air Pollution Linked To Hardening Of The Arteries

Fried and fatty foods aren't the only things bad for your arteries -- a new study suggests the air you breathe could play a role, too.

Prolonged exposure to air pollution could be linked to heart attacks and strokes by speeding the hardening of the arteries -- a condition known as atherosclerosis that is linked with heart disease, according to new research.

The study showed a link between higher concentrations of particulate air pollution and faster thickening of the inner two layers of the carotid artery, as well as a link between slowed progression of atherosclerosis with decreasing air pollution.

The findings are published in the journal PLOS Medicine, and are based on data from 5,362 people ages 45 to 84 who came from six U.S. metro areas that were part of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA Air). Over three years, researchers estimated home air pollution levels of all the study participants, as well as their blood vessel health.

On average, the study participants all experienced an average increase in carotid artery thickness of 14 micrometers each year. However, people who lived in more polluted areas experienced faster thickening, compared with those breathing cleaner air.

"Linking these findings with other results from the same population suggests that persons living in a more polluted part of town may have a 2 percent higher risk of stroke as compared to people in a less polluted part of the same metropolitan area," Sara Adar, an assistant epidemiology professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, said in a statement.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/26/air-pollution-atherosclerosis-hardening-arteries_n_3157353.html

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Jennifer Love Hewitt, 'X Factor' Judge? Interesting...

Have you heard the news that Simon Cowell is "very interested" in having  Jennifer Love Hewitt join him and Demi Lovato on the judging panel for The X Factor, Season 3? Fascinating, isn't it, that this possibility emerged less than a week after Hewitt made this dainty appearance on Ellen? 

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/jennifer-love-hewitt-x-factor-judge/1-a-534398?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Ajennifer-love-hewitt-x-factor-judge-534398

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Bird strain is 'one of most lethal' flu viruses

By Sui-Lee Wee and Kate Kelland

BEIJING/LONDON (Reuters) - A new bird flu strain that has killed 22 people in China is "one of the most lethal" of its kind and transmits more easily to humans than another strain that has killed hundreds since 2003, a World Health Organization (WHO) expert said on Wednesday.

The H7N9 flu has infected 108 people in China since it was first detected in March, according to the Geneva-based WHO.

Although it is not clear exactly how people are being infected, experts say they see no evidence so far of the most worrisome scenario - sustained transmission between people.

An international team of scientists led by the WHO and the Chinese government conducted a five-day investigation in China, but said they were no closer to determining whether the virus might become transmissible between people.

"The situation remains complex and difficult and evolving," said Keiji Fukuda, the WHO's assistant director-general for health security.

"When we look at influenza viruses, this is an unusually dangerous virus for humans," he said at a briefing.

Another bird flu strain - H5N1 - has killed 30 of the 45 people it infected in China between 2003 and 2013, and although the H7N9 strain in the current outbreak has a lower fatality rate to date, Fukuda said: "This is definitely one of the most lethal influenza viruses that we've seen so far."

Scientists who have analyzed genetic sequence data from samples from three H7N9 victims say the strain is a so-called "triple reassortant" virus with a mixture of genes from three other flu strains found in birds in Asia.

Recent pandemic viruses, including the H1N1 "swine flu" of 2009/2010, have been mixtures of mammal and bird flu - hybrids that are more likely to be milder because mammalian flu tends to make people less severely ill than bird flu.

Pure bird flu strains, such as the new H7N9 strain and the H5N1 flu, which has killed about 371 of 622 the people it has infected since 2003, are generally more deadly for people.

UNSETTLING

The team of experts, who began their investigation in China last week, said one problem in tracking H7N9 is the absence of visible illness in poultry.

Fukuda stressed that the team is still at the beginning of its investigation, and said that "we may just be seeing the most serious infections" at this point.

Based on the evidence, "this virus is more easily transmissible from poultry to humans than H5N1", he said.

Besides the initial cases of H7N9 in and around Shanghai, others have been detected in Beijing and five provinces. On Wednesday, Taiwan's Health Department said a businessman had contracted H7N9 while travelling in China and was in a serious condition in hospital.

Samples from chickens, ducks and pigeons from poultry markets have tested positive for H7N9, but those from migratory birds have not, suggesting that "the likely source of infection is poultry", said Nancy Cox, director of the influenza division at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

John Oxford, a flu virologist at Queen Mary University of London, said the emergence of human H7N9 infections - a completely new strain in people - was "very, very unsettling".

"This virus seems to have been quietly spreading in chickens without anyone knowing about it," he told Reuters in London.

Flu experts say it is likely that more cases of human infection with H7N9 flu will emerge in the coming weeks and months, at least until the source of infection has been completely confirmed and effectively controlled.

Anne Kelso, the Melbourne-based director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza said there has been a "dramatic slowdown of cases" in the commercial capital of Shanghai, which has recorded most of the deaths, something she described as "encouraging".

After Shanghai closed down its live poultry markets in early April, there was an almost immediate decline in new H7N9 cases, she said. "The evidence suggests that the closing of the live poultry markets was an effective way to reduce the risks."

Even so, the WHO's China representative, Michael O'Leary, issued figures last week showing that half of the patients analyzed had no known contact with poultry.

(Editing by Louise Ireland)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/says-bird-strain-one-most-lethal-flu-viruses-072106064.html

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Whales able to learn from others

Public release date: 25-Apr-2013
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Contact: Fiona MacLeod
fm43@st-andrews.ac.uk
44-133-446-2108
University of St. Andrews

Humpbacks pass on hunting tips

Humpback whales are able to pass on hunting techniques to each other, just as humans do, new research has found.

A team of researchers, led by the University of St Andrews, has discovered that a new feeding technique has spread to 40 per cent of a humpback whale population.

The findings are published today (Thursday 25 April) by the journal Science.

The community of humpback whales off New England, USA, was forced to find new prey after herring stocks their preferred food - crashed in the early 1980s.

The solution the whales devised hitting the water with their tails while hunting a different prey has now spread through the population by cultural transmission. By 2007, nearly 40 per cent of the population had been seen doing it.

Dr Luke Rendell, lecturer in the School of Biology at the University of St Andrews, said: "Our study really shows how vital cultural transmission is in humpback populations not only do they learn their famous songs from each other, they also learn feeding techniques that allow them to buffer the effects of changing ecology."

The team - also including Jenny Allen from the University of St Andrews, Mason Weinrich of the Whale Center of New England and Will Hoppitt from Anglia Ruskin University - used a new technique called network-based diffusion analysis to demonstrate that the pattern of spread followed the network of social relationships within the population, showing that the new behaviour had spread through cultural transmission, the same process that underlies the diversity of human culture.

The data were collected by naturalist observers aboard the many whale-watching vessels that patrol the waters of the Gulf of Maine each summer.

Dr Hoppitt said: "We can learn more about the forces that drive the evolution of culture by looking outside our own ancestral lineage and studying the occurrence of similar attributes in groups that have evolved in a radically different environment to ours, like the cetaceans."

Humpbacks around the world herd shoals of prey by blowing bubbles underwater to produce 'bubble nets'.

The feeding innovation, called 'lobtail feeding', involves hitting the water with the tail before diving to produce the bubble nets.

Lobtail feeding was first observed in 1980, after the stocks of herring, previously the main food for the whales, became depleted.

At the same time sand lance stocks soared, and it would seem the innovation is specific to that particular prey, because its use is concentrated around the Stellwagen Bank, spawning grounds where the sand lance can reach high abundance.

Using a unique database spanning thirty years of observations gathered by Dr Weinrich, the researchers were able track the spread of the behaviour through the whales' social network.

Jenny Allen said: "The study was only made possible because of Mason's dedication in collecting the whale observations over decades, and it shows the central importance of long-term studies in understanding the processes affecting whale populations."

The scientists believe their results strengthen the case that cetaceans - the whales and dolphins - have evolved sophisticated cultural capacities.

The skills, knowledge, materials and traditions that humans learn from each other help explain how we have come to dominate the globe as a species, but how we evolved the capabilities to transmit such knowledge between ourselves remains a mystery that preoccupies biologists, psychologists and anthropologists.

###

NOTE TO EDITORS:

For images and video, please contact the press office.

Dr Luke Rendell is available on: 01334 463499 (Office) 07842132829 (Mobile).

Jenny Allen is available on: 07921896141 (before April 26th), +1 508-479-8257 (US mobile, from 26th April).

Please contact the Science press package team at 202-326-6440 or scipak@aaas.org to receive an official version of the paper.

Issued by the Press Office, University of St Andrews

Contact Fiona MacLeod on 01334 462108/ 0771 414 0559.

Ref: (humpback 25/04/13)

View the University's latest news at http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/news/

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Public release date: 25-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Fiona MacLeod
fm43@st-andrews.ac.uk
44-133-446-2108
University of St. Andrews

Humpbacks pass on hunting tips

Humpback whales are able to pass on hunting techniques to each other, just as humans do, new research has found.

A team of researchers, led by the University of St Andrews, has discovered that a new feeding technique has spread to 40 per cent of a humpback whale population.

The findings are published today (Thursday 25 April) by the journal Science.

The community of humpback whales off New England, USA, was forced to find new prey after herring stocks their preferred food - crashed in the early 1980s.

The solution the whales devised hitting the water with their tails while hunting a different prey has now spread through the population by cultural transmission. By 2007, nearly 40 per cent of the population had been seen doing it.

Dr Luke Rendell, lecturer in the School of Biology at the University of St Andrews, said: "Our study really shows how vital cultural transmission is in humpback populations not only do they learn their famous songs from each other, they also learn feeding techniques that allow them to buffer the effects of changing ecology."

The team - also including Jenny Allen from the University of St Andrews, Mason Weinrich of the Whale Center of New England and Will Hoppitt from Anglia Ruskin University - used a new technique called network-based diffusion analysis to demonstrate that the pattern of spread followed the network of social relationships within the population, showing that the new behaviour had spread through cultural transmission, the same process that underlies the diversity of human culture.

The data were collected by naturalist observers aboard the many whale-watching vessels that patrol the waters of the Gulf of Maine each summer.

Dr Hoppitt said: "We can learn more about the forces that drive the evolution of culture by looking outside our own ancestral lineage and studying the occurrence of similar attributes in groups that have evolved in a radically different environment to ours, like the cetaceans."

Humpbacks around the world herd shoals of prey by blowing bubbles underwater to produce 'bubble nets'.

The feeding innovation, called 'lobtail feeding', involves hitting the water with the tail before diving to produce the bubble nets.

Lobtail feeding was first observed in 1980, after the stocks of herring, previously the main food for the whales, became depleted.

At the same time sand lance stocks soared, and it would seem the innovation is specific to that particular prey, because its use is concentrated around the Stellwagen Bank, spawning grounds where the sand lance can reach high abundance.

Using a unique database spanning thirty years of observations gathered by Dr Weinrich, the researchers were able track the spread of the behaviour through the whales' social network.

Jenny Allen said: "The study was only made possible because of Mason's dedication in collecting the whale observations over decades, and it shows the central importance of long-term studies in understanding the processes affecting whale populations."

The scientists believe their results strengthen the case that cetaceans - the whales and dolphins - have evolved sophisticated cultural capacities.

The skills, knowledge, materials and traditions that humans learn from each other help explain how we have come to dominate the globe as a species, but how we evolved the capabilities to transmit such knowledge between ourselves remains a mystery that preoccupies biologists, psychologists and anthropologists.

###

NOTE TO EDITORS:

For images and video, please contact the press office.

Dr Luke Rendell is available on: 01334 463499 (Office) 07842132829 (Mobile).

Jenny Allen is available on: 07921896141 (before April 26th), +1 508-479-8257 (US mobile, from 26th April).

Please contact the Science press package team at 202-326-6440 or scipak@aaas.org to receive an official version of the paper.

Issued by the Press Office, University of St Andrews

Contact Fiona MacLeod on 01334 462108/ 0771 414 0559.

Ref: (humpback 25/04/13)

View the University's latest news at http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/news/

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/uosa-wat041913.php

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Hunter Hayes's Cure For Loneliness: Waffles

'Wanted' singer took time from Carrie Underwood tour to answer fans' on CMT Twitter Q&A.
By Jocelyn Vena

Hunter Hayes
Photo: Erika Goldring/ Getty Images

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1706297/hunter-hayes-twitter-q-a-cmt.jhtml

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FBPrivacy Gives You More Control Over Facebook for iOS

iOS (Jailbroken): It's pretty easy to customize your Facebook experience on your desktop, but that doesn't extend to the mobile experience. FBPrivacy is a new jailbreak tweak that gives you a bunch of options for taking control of what happens in the iPhone's Facebook app.

We've shown you all kinds of ways to customize the settings in Facebook from your computer, but unfortunately those extensions and tweaks don't carry over to the mobile experience. FBPrivacy gives you some of that control over both Facebook and Facebook Messenger. With it, you can disable the "seen" messages sent after you view a message, turn off the "typing" indicator, enable the dictation key, turn on timestamps, and even enable VOIP. Additionally, you can make it so you can send more than one photo in a message, and turn off Messenger reminders.

If you're particularly curious about what Facebook's doing under the hood, you can also enable Internal Settings in the Facebook app to get access to all kinds of settings you wouldn't normally see. As it stands, FBPrivacy is a solid tweak that gives you a bit more control over the Facebook experience on the iPhone, but the developer has also mentioned that settings for chat heads and customization of the news feed are in the works as well.

FBPrivacy ($1) | Modmyi via Addictive Tips

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/AouFlzMe62I/fbprivacy-gives-you-more-control-over-facebook-for-ios-479457285

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Rumor: Is Acer?s 8-Inch Iconia W3 the First Small Windows 8 Tablet?

Microsoft's mentioned that we'll see smaller and cheaper Windows 8 machines, and that might, maybe, possibly be about to be made true by Acer—with leaked images showing something smaller and running Windows 8. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/ONJ9KVPfdig/rumor-is-acers-8+inch-iconia-w3-the-first-small-windows-8-tablet

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Bonds 756 home run plaque missing at AT&T Park

Glue is seen on the brick facade in right center field (to the left of the Comcast sign) where a plaque commemorating Barry Bonds' 756 home run was affixed seen during the Arizona Diamondbacks vs. San Francisco Giants baseball game Tuesday, April 23, 2013, in San Francisco. The plaque has been missing for about a week. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

Glue is seen on the brick facade in right center field (to the left of the Comcast sign) where a plaque commemorating Barry Bonds' 756 home run was affixed seen during the Arizona Diamondbacks vs. San Francisco Giants baseball game Tuesday, April 23, 2013, in San Francisco. The plaque has been missing for about a week. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? The commemorative plaque honoring home run king Barry Bonds' record 756th clout has gone missing from AT&T Park.

San Francisco Giants spokeswoman Staci Slaughter said Tuesday night that the reigning World Series champions in the process of replacing the plaque, which hung on the brick facade inside the ballpark beneath the flag court area in right-center field until a few days ago. The team is investigating where the missing hardware might be, Slaughter said.

"We're in the process of replacing it," Slaughter said. "We're not sure what happened. We're reviewing video, but haven't found anything yet."

There is still white glue on the brick wall where the plaque used to be.

Bonds, the seven-time NL MVP, broke Hank Aaron's home run record on Aug. 7, 2007, at home in San Francisco. The slugger hasn't played since that season, finishing his 22-year major league career with 762 total home runs. He has been back to the ballpark as a fan in recent seasons, receiving standing ovations from the crowd that still cheers him despite allegations he used performance-enhancing drugs to fuel his pursuit of Aaron's mark.

Bonds has long denied ever knowingly using steroids or performance-enhancing drugs and the 48-year-old slugger appealed his obstruction of justice conviction from April 2011 on one count of giving an evasive answer to a 2003 grand jury investigating illegal steroids distribution. In February, a lawyer for Bonds urged a federal appeals court to toss out the slugger's obstruction of justice conviction, saying a rambling answer he gave while testifying before a grand jury in December 2003 was not a crime.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-04-23-Giants-Bonds%20756%20Plaque/id-f5d76aeaac4f4ca4a6b4785651fc06c5

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Fallout for states rejecting Medicaid expansion

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Rejecting the Medicaid expansion in the federal health care law could have unexpected consequences for states where Republican lawmakers remain steadfastly opposed to what they scorn as "Obamacare."

It could mean exposing businesses to Internal Revenue Service penalties and leaving low-income citizens unable to afford coverage even as legal immigrants get financial aid for their premiums. For the poorest people, it could virtually guarantee they remain uninsured and dependent on the emergency room at local hospitals that already face federal cutbacks.

Concern about such consequences helped forge a deal in Arkansas last week. The Republican-controlled Legislature endorsed a plan by Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe to accept additional Medicaid money under the federal law, but use the new dollars to buy private insurance for eligible residents.

One of the main arguments for the private option was that it would help businesses avoid tax penalties.

The Obama administration hasn't signed off on the Arkansas deal, and it's unclear how many other states will use it as a model. But it reflects a pragmatic streak in American politics that's still the exception in the polarized health care debate.

"The biggest lesson out of Arkansas is not so much the exact structure of what they are doing," said Alan Weil, executive director of the nonpartisan National Academy for State Health Policy. "Part of it is just a message of creativity, that they can look at it and say, 'How can we do this in a way that works for us?'"

About half the nearly 30 million uninsured people expected to gain coverage under President Barack Obama's health care overhaul would do so through Medicaid. Its expansion would cover low-income people making up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, about $15,860 for an individual.

Middle-class people who don't have coverage at their jobs will be able to purchase private insurance in new state markets, helped by new federal tax credits. The big push to sign up the uninsured starts this fall, and coverage takes effect Jan. 1.

As originally written, the Affordable Care Act required states to accept the Medicaid expansion as a condition of staying in the program. Last summer's Supreme Court decision gave each state the right to decide. While that pleased many governors, it also created complications by opening the door to unintended consequences.

So far, 20 mostly blue states, plus the District of Columbia, have accepted the expansion.

Thirteen GOP-led states have declined. They say Medicaid already is too costly, and they don't trust Washington to keep its promise of generous funding for the expansion, which would mainly help low-income adults with no children at home.

Concerns about unintended consequences could make the most difference in 17 states still weighing options.

A look at some potential side effects:

?The Employer Glitch

States that don't expand Medicaid leave more businesses exposed to tax penalties, according to a recent study by Brian Haile, Jackson Hewitt's senior vice president for tax policy. He estimates the fines could top $1 billion a year in states refusing.

Under the law, employers with 50 or more workers that don't offer coverage face penalties if just one of their workers gets subsidized private insurance through the new state markets. But employers generally do not face fines under the law for workers who enroll in Medicaid.

In states that don't expand Medicaid, some low-income workers who would otherwise have been eligible have a fallback option. They can instead get subsidized private insurance in the law's new markets. But that would trigger a penalty for their employer.

"It highlights how complicated the Affordable Care Act is," said Haile.

?The Immigrant Quirk

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, a Republican, called attention this year to this politically awkward problem when she proposed that her state accept the Medicaid expansion.

Under the health law, U.S. citizens below the poverty line ? $11,490 for an individual, $23,550 for a family of four ? can only get coverage through the Medicaid expansion. But lawfully present immigrants who are also below the poverty level are eligible for subsidized private insurance.

Congress wrote the legislation that way to avoid controversy associated with trying to change previous laws that require legal immigrants to wait five years before they can qualify for Medicaid. Instead of dragging immigration politics into the health care debate, lawmakers devised a detour.

Before the Supreme Court ruling, it was a legislative patch.

Now it could turn into an issue in states with lots of immigrants, such as Texas and Florida, creating the perception that citizens are being disadvantaged versus immigrants.

?The Fairness Argument

Under the law, U.S. citizens below the poverty line can only get taxpayer-subsidized coverage by going into Medicaid. But other low-income people making just enough to put them over the poverty line can get subsidized private insurance through the new state markets.

An individual making $11,700 a year would be able to get a policy. But someone making $300 less would be out of luck, dependent on charity care.

"Americans have very strong feelings about fairness," said Weil.

Medicare and Medicaid chief Marilyn Tavenner, also overseeing the health overhaul, told the Senate recently that cost is a key question as the administration considers the Arkansas deal. Private insurance is more expensive than Medicaid.

But Tavenner said the Arkansas approach may be cost-effective if it reduces the number of low-income people cycling back and forth between Medicaid and private coverage, saving administrative expenses. "We are willing to look at it," she said.

___

Associated Press reporter Andrew DeMillo in Little Rock, Ark., contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fallout-states-rejecting-medicaid-expansion-072613081.html

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How an Energy Audit Saved My Family $2,400 a Year

When my husband and I closed on a storybook colonial house in the New Jersey suburbs on New Year?s Eve, we thought we?d bought our slice of the American Dream. After more than a decade as renters in Brooklyn and New Jersey, we were free of the clutches of landlords?and the instability of a volatile rental market.

This is a guest post by Ronda Kaysen via LearnVest.

We were also pretty cocky about the deal we?d scored: We bought at the bottom of the market, locking in an interest rate that could make a girl blush. Our monthly payments were $400 less than what we?d paid in rent. And we had double the space. And three bathrooms! And a finished basement! The kids were downright giddy. We couldn?t wait to start putting all that spare cash back into savings. That was until we got the first call from the oil company.

Our Problem with Heat

Our house is heated with heating oil. Only 6% of American homes are heated with oil and most are in the Northeast, according to a 2009 government report. We knew oil cost more than natural gas, and figured we?d eventually convert. But we were caught unprepared for just how much more it would cost us to heat our 80-year-old home every month. Add to that, we had no idea what it meant to live in a poorly insulated house that loses heat like it?s made out of Swiss cheese.

We got the first inkling of trouble on moving day. As the movers unloaded boxes, I got a call on my cell phone from Verna at the oil company?a local supplier the previous owner had used. Our tank was a quarter full, she explained, and needed a refill. She asked if I wanted the minimum fill, 150 gallons. ?Sure!? I said as I directed movers. ?How much will that be??

?$562,? she said, without missing a beat. ?Do you want to pay cash?? I was floored. $562! How could that be? Oil cost $3.75 a gallon, she explained. A few hours later, the owner, John, swung by. Don?t worry, he reassured me, 150 gallons of oil would last all winter.

At first it seemed like he might be right. Early January was unseasonably warm, and the red dial on our tank in the backyard held steady. But then winter set in, and every day I watched as that dial inched down to the quarter fill mark. We installed a digital thermometer and set it for 59 degrees at night. Two nights later, we reduced it to 58. And then 57. We piled on the blankets. During the day, I kept the house at 65 when the kids were at school, and bundled up with sweaters in my home office. But the dial kept slipping. In less than five weeks, our 1,500-square-foot house had sucked through 150 gallons of oil. When I called the company, prices had gone up. The next fill cost us more than $600.

And then we got our first utility bill. (Our dryer, hot water and stove run on natural gas). It was $175. Added together, we were paying nearly $800 a month for energy. All our planned savings were obliterated with a single expense.

The math is pretty simple. Natural gas costs less than half as much as oil, thanks largely to the boom in domestic gas drilling and volatile global oil markets. Last winter, an oil-using homeowner paid $2,087 to heat his home compared to the $832 a gas-using owner paid, according to U.S. government data. This year, oil prices were higher and the winter was colder, so it doesn?t take a mathematician to figure out what that means for homeowners.

But our problem was bigger than the price of oil. Our house was also losing heat and a lot of it. One thing was clear: We had bought an energy hog and it needed to be reined in.

How We Finally Reduced Our Bill

Houses are not designed to be airtight. They should breathe. A typical house exhales about 33% of its air every hour, expelling dust, mold and other toxins. But if a house isn?t well sealed or properly insulated, it blows far more air than it should out into the atmosphere. So, rather than heat your house, you heat the sidewalk. I knew that without addressing the structural issues there would be no point in shelling out upwards of $10,000 to convert our house to natural gas.

But to do this, we needed money. I turned to DSIRE, a federal database of state incentives available to people who make home energy improvements. I learned that New Jersey, my home state, has a program that provides homeowners with a 25% rebate for making specific improvements to their home, including insulating and switching to natural gas. The program also provides homeowners with an interest-free loan to pay for the work. In order to qualify, you must first do a home energy audit.

An energy audit is like a checkup of your home. An auditor looks at the mechanical equipment in the home like the furnace and hot water heater. He also looks at the chimney, windows, appliances, insulation, and air sealing. Often local utility companies will provide the service for free or at low cost. I called ours and had no such luck: Their program ended a year ago. I then began calling contractors in my area. Some charged as much as $295 for the service. Finally I found one that did it for free. Cha-ching!

The next day an auditor came to my door. In walked a wiry guy named Bill carrying a giant red case and myriad other gadgets. The case contained an enormous fan called a blower door. That was by far the niftiest piece of equipment in his collection. The blower door affixed to my front door and pulled air out of the house, lowering the internal air pressure. Bill then paraded around the house with a little smoke pencil looking to see where air from outside seeped back in. He checked outlets, spaces around the pipes, under my sink, chimney, and windows.

Then came the next check: insulation. Using an infrared gun, Bill checked the insulation in my walls and found that we had none. Yes, you read that correctly: none! Turns out that many older homes weren?t built with insulation. It was like my house forgot to put on its sweater.

Bill and all his equipment figured out that our house leaked a jaw-dropping 255% more air than current industry limits. Bill recommended that we blow cellulose insulation (basically newspaper) into the walls, basement and attic. He also suggested that we seal all the holes, air seal the attic, and convert to natural gas, replacing our boiler with an energy-efficient one. As for our ancient single-pane windows: He suggested we buy heavy drapes to keep the cold air out.

He estimated that these improvements alone would shave $2,400 off our energy bill every year. After the state rebates, the work would cost $8,800. Our savings would pay for the work in less than three years. With the 0% interest loan, we wouldn?t have to pay anything upfront. Instead, we would pay $74 a month for a decade, which seemed far more palatable than $600 oil bills.

I was elated by the numbers. Not only could we convert to a cheaper (and somewhat cleaner) fuel, we could also make our house more efficient in the process. Suddenly, that $400 in savings we thought we?d be getting when we bought the house was a reality again. And, our heating bills might actually be lower than what we paid when we were renters. Now felt like the time to crack the champagne?and tell Verna at the oil company that we wouldn?t be calling anymore.

How an Energy Audit Saved Us $2,400 a Year | LearnVest

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Ronda Kaysen, a freelance writer, contributes regularly to The New York Times. Her articles and essays have also appeared in The Chicago Tribune, MSNBC.com, Architectural Record, Habitat Magazine, Parenting magazine, The Washington Post, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Thomson Reuters and, the Huffington Post. She lives in New Jersey with her family.

Image remixed from Valentyn Volkov (Shutterstock) and Snake i (Flickr).

Want to see your work on Lifehacker? Email Tessa.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/D3BtT1s2ULk/how-an-energy-audit-saved-my-family-2-400-a-year-477840207

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'Red line': Chemical weapons in Syria

By Maayan Lubell

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Syrian government forces have used chemical weapons - probably nerve gas - in their fight against rebels trying to force out President Bashar al-Assad, the Israeli military's top intelligence analyst said on Tuesday.

Brigadier-General Itai Brun made the comments at a Tel Aviv security conference a day after U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on a visit to Israel that U.S. intelligence agencies were still assessing whether such weapons had been employed.

"To the best of our understanding, there was use of lethal chemical weapons. Which chemical weapons? Probably sarin," Brun said in the most definitive Israeli statement on the issue to date.

Brun's comments seemed likely to deepen international concern over events in Syria. U.S. President Barack Obama has called the use of chemical weapons there a "red line" for the United States that would trigger unspecified U.S. action.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday that NATO needed to consider how practically prepared it was to "respond to protect its members from a Syrian threat, including any potential chemical weapons threat".

Brun told the annual conference of The Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University that forces loyal to Assad were behind the attacks on "armed (rebels) on a number of occasions in the past few months, including the most reported incident on March 19."

The Syrian government and rebels last month accused each other of launching a chemical attack near the northern city of Aleppo.

FOAMING AT MOUTH

Speaking with a Powerpoint presentation showing what appeared to be a wounded or dead child, Brun said that foam coming out of victims' mouths and contracted pupils and "other signs" indicated deadly gas had been used.

He gave no other details about how Israel, which has been closely monitoring events in Syria, a northern neighbor, formed its assessment.

Ralf Trapp, an independent consultant on chemical and biological weapons arms control based in Geneva, said the symptoms described by Israeli intelligence were "consistent with sarin gas," but photographic evidence alone was not conclusive.

"There is a limit to what you can extract from photograph evidence alone," he said.

"What you really need is to get information from on the ground, to gather physical evidence and to talk to witnesses as well as medical staff who treated victims."

Asked about Brun's remarks, Pentagon spokesman George Little signaled no change in the official U.S. line: "The United States continues to assess reports of chemical weapons use in Syria. The use of such weapons would be entirely unacceptable."

On Monday, Hagel said the use of chemical weapons by Assad's forces would be a "game changer" and the United States and Israel "have options for all contingencies".

Hagel met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Tuesday, a day after flying in an Israeli military helicopter over the occupied Golan Heights on the edge of the fighting in Syria that has entered its third year.

"This is a difficult and dangerous time, this is a time when friends and allies must remain close, closer than ever," Hagel, in remarks to reporters before his talks with Netanyahu, said of the United States and Israel.

Discussions between Syria and the United Nations on a U.N. investigation of possible use of chemical weapons have been at an impasse due to the Syrian government's refusal to let the inspectors visit anywhere but Aleppo, diplomats and U.N. officials said last week.

U.N. diplomats said Britain and France had provided U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's office with what they believed to be strong evidence that chemical weapons also had been used in the city of Homs.

Israel, which has advanced intelligence capabilities that it shares with its Western allies, has voiced concerned that parts of Syria's chemical arsenal would end up in the hands of jihadi fighters or the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah, with which it waged a 2006 war.

Israeli leaders have cautioned they will not allow that to happen. In an attack it has not formally confirmed, Israeli planes bombed an arms convoy in Syria in February, destroying anti-aircraft weapons destined for Hezbollah.

(Additional reporting by Jeffrey Heller and David Alexander in Jerusalem, David Brunnstrom in Brussels and Anthony Deutsch in Amsterdam; Editing by Jeffrey Heller, Alison Williams and Mike Collett-White)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/israeli-general-says-syria-government-forces-used-chemical-074330220.html

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