Sunday, June 30, 2013

Obama: S. Africa shows how people can change world

AAA??Jun. 30, 2013?12:43 PM ET
Obama: S. Africa shows how people can change world
By NEDRA PICKLER and JULIE PACEBy NEDRA PICKLER and JULIE PACE, Associated Press?THE ASSOCIATED PRESS STATEMENT OF NEWS VALUES AND PRINCIPLES?

U.S. President Back Obama U.S. peers out from Section B, prison cell No. 5, on Robben Island, South Africa, Sunday, June 30, 2013. This was former South African president Nelson Mandela's cell, where spent 18 years of his 27-year prison term on the island locked up by the former apartheid government. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

U.S. President Back Obama U.S. peers out from Section B, prison cell No. 5, on Robben Island, South Africa, Sunday, June 30, 2013. This was former South African president Nelson Mandela's cell, where spent 18 years of his 27-year prison term on the island locked up by the former apartheid government. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

U.S. President Back Obama walks from Section B, prison cell No. 5, on Robben Island, South Africa, Sunday, June 30, 2013. This was former South African president Nelson Mandela's cell, where spent 18-years of his 27-year prison term on the island locked up by the former apartheid government. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

From left, first lady Michelle Obama, Sasha Obama, Ahmed Kathrada former prisoner with Nelson Mandela guiding the tour, U.S. President Back Obama, Marian Robinson and Leslie Robinson, look out over the courtyard of the prison on Robben Island, South Africa, Sunday, June 30, 2013. Former South African president Nelson Mandela spent 18 years of his 27-year prison term on the island locked up by the former apartheid government. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

U.S. President Back Obama U.S. looks around Section B, prison cell No. 5, on Robben Island, South Africa, Sunday, June 30, 2013. This was Former South African president Nelson Mandela's cell, where he spent 18-years of his 27-year prison term on the island locked up by the former apartheid government. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

U.S. President Barack Obama, right, and first lady Michelle Obama tour Robben Island, South Africa, Sunday, June 30, 2013. Robben Island is an historic Apartheid-era prison that held black political prisoners, including former South African president and anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

(AP) ? President Barack Obama challenged young Africans to rise to the challenge of shoring up progress on the continent that rests on a "fragile foundation," summoning them to fulfill the legacy of South Africa's beloved former leader Nelson Mandela.

"Nelson Mandela showed us that one man's courage can move the world," Obama said during an evening speech Sunday at the University of Cape Town.

Obama's remarks capped an emotional day that included a visit to the Robben Island prison where Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in prison. The 94-year-old anti-apartheid hero has been in hospital for most of this month and is said to be in critical condition.

In deeply personal remarks, the U.S. president spoke of standing in Mandela's cramped prison cell with his two young daughters, Malia and Sasha.

"Seeing them stand within the walls that once surrounded Nelson Mandela, I knew this was an experience they would never forget," he said. "I knew they now appreciated a little bit more that Madiba and other had made for freedom," Obama added, referring to Mandela by his clan name.

Obama address came nearly 50 years after Robert F. Kennedy delivered his famous "Ripple of Hope" speech at the same university, an address that Obama aides said helped inspire the president's remarks. Kennedy's speech, delivered soon after Mandela was sentenced to prison, called on young people to launch a fight against injustice, creating ripples of hope that would "build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-06-30-Obama/id-23ec7b0de83343bc8abd5db44e449dfe

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Boredom drives trolling on Facebook and Twitter

Boredom and amusement are behind several incidents of cyberbullying and trolling on social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter, a first-of-its-kind study has found.
The research by Lancaster University in UK, suggests that those who engage in trolling ? Internet user behaviour
that is meant to intentionally anger or frustrate someone else in order to provoke a response ? do so for their own amusement and because they are bored.

Claire Hardaker, a linguistics expert from the university's faculty of arts and social sciences, studied almost 4,000 online cases involving claims of trolling, The Independent reported.

Trolls operate out of a feeling of power, amusement, boredom and revenge and thrive on the anonymity which the internet provides, she found.

The research identified seven tactics used by trolls to bombard their victims with insults and threats. These include digressing from the topic at hand, especially onto sensitive topics, and hypocriticising ? pedantic criticism of grammar, spelling or punctuation in a post, which itself contains proof-reading errors.

Antipathising, by taking up an alienating position, asking pseudo-naive questions is another tactic used by trolls besides giving dangerous advice and encouraging risky behaviour.

Trolls also employ "shock strategy" by being insensitive about sensitive topics, explicit about taboo topics, etc. They also provoke others by insulting or threatening them.

They may cross-post ? sending the same offensive or provocative message to multiple groups and then waiting for the response.

"Aggression, deception and manipulation are increasingly part of online interaction, yet many users are unaware that not only some of these behaviours exist, but how destructive and insidious they can be," Hardaker said.

She also found that while trolling is associated with the young, trolls come from all ages and backgrounds.

"An incredible amount of time and strategy can be involved in trolling, as my research into the techniques they use highlights," she said.

She warned that trolling can in some cases develop into more serious behaviour, including cyberharassment and cyberstalking.

The study was published in the Journal of Language, Aggression and Conflict.

Source: http://feeds.hindustantimes.com/~r/HT-WorldSectionPage-Topstories/~3/PaUYCgBgIYw/story01.htm

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Saturday, June 29, 2013

Film academy invites 276 people to join its ranks

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Jennifer Lopez, Lena Dunham, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Lucy Liu have received one of the most exclusive invitations in Hollywood.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Friday that it has invited them, and 272 others, to join its ranks.

Other invitees include Jason Bateman, Rosario Dawson, "Machete" star Danny Trejo, "Bridesmaids" director Paul Feig and "Before Midnight" writer-star Julie Delpy.

All 16 branches of the film academy extended invitations to new members, from hairstylists and sound engineers to producers and publicists.

Those who accept the invitations will be able to vote on the recipients of the next Academy Awards, set for March 2, 2014.

___

Online:

www.oscars.org

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/film-academy-invites-276-people-join-ranks-190828008.html

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PFT: Cops impound SUV believed used in '12 murder

Falcons Stadium ChurchesAP

The Atlanta Falcons? plans for building a $1 billion replacement for the Georgia Dome are running into a bit of a roadblock.

According to WXIA-TV in Atlanta, negotiations to purchase the land necessary for the new building have reached a standstill. The city has been in talks with Friendship Baptist Church over the price of the land occupied by the church just south of the Georgia Dome that is needed for the new stadium. However, disagreements over the price to be paid have ended progress toward a solution.

Per the report, the city offered $13.5 million for the land and later raised their offer to $15.5 million. However, the church is asking for $24.5 million to agree to move. The end result is a stalemate devoid of progress.

Lloyd Hawk, Friendship Baptist Church?s board of trustees chairman, said the church needs to be compensated fairly for the price of land and the costs of relocating.

?We?re not going to incur new debt to do that and we?re not going to diminish our savings to do that,? Hawk said.

The church has asked for a mediator or in-person meeting with the mayor to attempt to find a suitable deal for both sides but the city currently seems unwilling to do so. In the meantime, the church?s focus is on serving their patrons first and not the wants of the Falcons.

?If they feel five or six million dollars makes a difference in a billion dollar project, that?s their prerogative,? Hawk said.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/06/27/cops-impound-suv-that-may-connect-hernandez-to-2012-killings/related/

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Ha-Neul Kim leads US Women's Open after 1 round

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) ? South Korea's Ha-Neul Kim upstaged friend Inbee Park to take the first-round lead at her first U.S. Women's Open.

Kim shot a bogey-free 6-under 66 on Thursday at Sebonack to lead Park by a stroke. The top-ranked Park is trying to make history by winning the first three majors of the year.

"I'm enjoying myself," Kim said through a translator. "I'm just happy to be here and to be playing in this big event. I'm not really thinking about winning or results but enjoying the moment."

Currently a member of the KLPGA Tour, Kim is a seven-time winner in South Korea. She kept giving herself short birdie putts Thursday and making them.

Kim birdied her second-to-last hole with daylight waning to claim the lead after Park held it for most of the day with her 67 in the morning session.

No player has won the first three majors in a season with at least four majors. The 2008 U.S. Women's Open champion, Park has already won five times this year, including her last two tournaments.

American Lizette Salas, Swedes Caroline Hedwall and Anna Nordqvist and South Korea's I.K. Kim shot 68.

Concerned about bad weather, tournament officials moved up the tees, and with the rain holding off, Park was able to play aggressively.

"I never had practiced from those tees, so I was a little bit shocked when I went to the tees," Park said.

Not that she was complaining.

She repeatedly set up short putts, and the way she has excelled in her short game lately, Park was headed to a low score.

"So instead of hitting like 5-irons, we were hitting 9-irons, and that was making the course much easier," she said. "I was actually able to go for some pins and give myself a lot of opportunities today. I made a lot of putts and didn't leave much out there."

Starting on No. 10, Park birdied her first hole, then started racking up pars. She made the turn at 2 under before birdies on three of her next four holes.

At 5 under, Park briefly struggled with her tee shots, needing to save par on Nos. 5 and 7. On No. 6, her 15th hole of the day, she had to lay up out of the tall grass and settled for her lone bogey.

Park got back to 5 under on the par-5 eighth with a chip shot to about 5 feet that set up a birdie putt.

Nordqvist birdied her last two holes to pull into a tie for third. Hedwall and Kim were each at 5 under with a hole left, but closed with bogeys.

Salas, a 23-year-old former Southern California star, played with Park in the last group of the final round of this year's Kraft Nabisco Championship. Three strokes back starting the day, she opened with a double bogey and tumbled to 25th after shooting a 79.

She bounced back to reach a playoff at the LPGA Lotte Championship in April, losing to Suzann Pettersen for her best finish on tour.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/neul-kim-leads-us-womens-open-1-round-003932677.html

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Standing Tall for Giraffes | The Wildlife Society News

By Derek E. Lee, Julian T. Fennessy, and Monica L. Bond

Derek Lee photographs Maasai giraffes at Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania. Every giraffe has a coat pattern as unique as a human fingerprint. Photos of Maasai giraffes from the Tarangire ecosystem (above) are fed into wild-ID, a pattern-matching software program that identifies individuals so they can be tracked without physical capture. The program enables much larger demographic studies than if patterns had be matched by eye. Derek Lee photographs maasai giraffes at Lake manyara national Park, Tanzania. every giraffe has a coat pattern as unique as a human fingerprint. Photos of maasai giraffes from the Tarangire ecosystem (above) are fed into wild-iD, a pattern-matching software program that identifies individuals so they can be tracked without physical capture. The program enables much larger demographic studies than if patterns had be matched by eye.Derek Lee photographs maasai giraffes at Lake manyara national Park, Tanzania. every giraffe has a coat pattern as unique as a human fingerprint. Photos of maasai giraffes from the Tarangire ecosystem (above) are fed into wild-iD, a pattern-matching software program that identifies individuals so they can be tracked without physical capture. The program enables much larger demographic studies than if patterns had be matched by eye. Credit: Derek E. Lee

Derek Lee photographs Maasai giraffes at Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania. Every giraffe has a coat pattern as unique as a human fingerprint. Photos of Maasai giraffes from the Tarangire Ecosystem (above) are fed into Wild-ID, a pattern-matching software program that identifies individuals so they can be tracked without physical capture. The program enables much larger demographic studies than if patterns had to be matched by eye. (Credit: Derek E. Lee)

Credit: Monica L. Bond

(Credit: Monica L. Bond)

From the shade beneath a flat-topped acacia tree, a tall and elegant Maasai giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi) serenely chews a wad of cud as she watches our Land Cruiser bump slowly toward her across the savanna. We swing the vehicle around to her right side and stop about 80 meters away to photograph her, record her exact distance with a laser rangefinder, and mark her GPS location. As we drive off, she stares after us, chewing intermittently, but otherwise completely unfazed as we depart with another data point in our growing set of thousands of photographic giraffe ?captures? that we are using to investigate the species? demography in the Tarangire Ecosystem of northern Tanzania.

Despite being iconically African, the giraffe remains largely understudied in the wild? unlike most of the continent?s other large megafauna. In part, this is because giraffes were not heavily hunted until recently: they don?t produce tusks or horns that are coveted as trophies or medicine and they are not an aggressive species. Sadly, the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) now estimates that giraffe numbers have plummeted across Africa by 40 percent in the last decade to less than 80,000 individuals due to increasing habitat fragmentation and a surge in bushmeat poaching driven by human population growth, economics, and war. Despite this precipitous decline, giraffes are not high on the conservation agenda of most countries, research groups, or NGOs.

The shortage of demographic and taxonomic information on the giraffe is now an impediment to its conservation. Most of what we know about giraffe ecology and demography comes from research conducted entirely within protected areas such as national parks. Meanwhile, most of the giraffe?s historical range ? which once encompassed all savanna habitat south of the Sahara Desert ? is unprotected and increasingly fragmented due to the conversion of savanna ecosystems into farms and permanent settlements to support growing human populations and booming economies. Disconnected giraffe populations are now sprinkled across the African continent, from Niger in the west, through the northern savannas of Central Africa, east into Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania, and down throughout Southern Africa. Nearly all of these populations are in decline.

On the Trail of Giants
After decades of almost no research on the wild giraffe, wildlife biologists are showing renewed interest in these gentle giants because of recently declining numbers. Representing Dartmouth College and the Wild Nature Institute ? a science and education NGO that advocates for wildlife conservation ? we began employing photographic mark-recapture methods in 2011 to build an extensive database of demographic data on giraffe populations across the vast and heterogeneous Tarangire Ecosystem. This region is known for its extraordinary diversity and abundance of large mammals but is threatened by habitat fragmentation and severe poaching. The Tarangire Ecosystem is second only to the Serengeti in giraffe density (0.2 and 0.32 giraffes per square kilometer, respectively), but unlike the Serengeti, land in the Tarangire Ecosystem is largely unprotected. Hopefully, the new demographic data will allow wildlife managers to pinpoint areas that support high giraffe survival and reproduction, and enable Tanzanian wildlife agencies and lawmakers to protect and connect them.

Demographic studies of species using the photographic mark-recapture method have grown in popularity as digital cameras and pattern-recognition software have improved. Photographic mark-recapture is a non-invasive survey technique that allows scientists to easily identify individuals by differences in their coat patterns, which in giraffes are as unique as human fingerprints. Giraffe population estimates generated from photographic mark-recapture are twice as precise as aerial survey estimates (D. Lee, unpublished data) and individual animals can be tracked over time. Such longitudinal information is immensely valuable to population biologists seeking to understand spatial and temporal factors affecting a species? survival, reproduction, and movements. The method is also much less expensive than physical captures for marking large mammals, so it allows much bigger sample sizes across a much larger area.

The photographic mark-recapture method is now being employed in a large-scale study of Tarangire giraffes. To date, Wild Nature Institute has conducted seven surveys using the method, and four more are planned through the end of 2014. We conduct one-month-long fixed-route transect surveys at the end of the three annual precipitation seasons (short rains, long rains, and dry season). Each survey covers more than 1,700 square kilometers including parts of the Tarangire and Lake Manyara national parks, Manyara Ranch (a private ranch conservancy), and two game-controlled areas containing village wildlife management areas and hunting blocks. During the surveys, we collect thousands of photographs of more than 1,500 known individual giraffes (approximately 65 percent of the total Tarangire Ecosystem population), photographically capturing each individual several times throughout the year in order to monitor their seasonal survival and reproduction as well as their movements throughout the study area.

The data are used to test hypotheses about how factors including sex, age, location, vegetation phenology, predators, and density of giraffe and other ungulate populations affect survival, reproduction, and movement rates. We use a free, pattern-recognition software program called Wild-ID developed at Dartmouth College to match our photographs with those from previous surveys. The program has the lowest pattern identification error rate (less than or equal to 0.007) of any photo-identification system currently available (Bolger et al. 2012). The photographic mark-recapture system easily processes large sample sizes across large geographical areas, making it possible to conduct complex statistical analyses for metapopulation studies that include multiple sites and covariates.

Using these techniques, our research has uncovered evidence for interesting spatial variation in birth rates, death rates, and movement rates of individuals, which may indicate source-sink dynamics in the Tarangire Ecosystem. For example, we found that mean survival rates were positively correlated with giraffe density, but movements tended to be from high survival areas (sources) toward areas of lower survival, where populations may not be self-sustaining (sinks). Preliminary data also show higher calving rates outside of the national parks, but higher adult survival within the parks. These findings emphasize the importance of maintaining and improving connective corridors among all areas that giraffes use. Additional data will help us identify possible reasons for the dynamics we?ve observed, as well as identify important calving grounds outside parks that may require protection.

Giraffes gather at a watering hole on Manyara Ranch, a private conservancy in northern Tanzania. Nine subspecies of giraffe are scattered throughout Africa (map), two of which?G. c. rothschildi and G. c. peralta ? are declared endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Some research suggests that several of the subspecies may actually be distinct species. Credit: Derek E. Lee

Giraffes gather at a watering hole on Manyara Ranch, a private conservancy in northern Tanzania. Nine subspecies of giraffe are scattered throughout Africa (map), two of which ? G. c. rothschildi and G. c. peralta ? are declared endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Some research suggests that several of the subspecies may actually be distinct species. (Credit: Derek E. Lee)

Credit: Julian T. Fennessy

(Credit: Julian T. Fennessy)

The Taxonomic Puzzle
In addition to demographic research, scientists from GCF and the LOEWE Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre in Germany are working to unravel giraffe taxonomy as a way to inform conservation, management, and policy decisions for giraffe conservation. Giraffe taxonomy has been confusing and sometimes contradictory for more than 100 years as debate has raged over whether populations were members of the same subspecies or hybrids of different subspecies. Historically, nine subspecies within the species G. camelopardalis were recognized, but today some researchers have proposed that as many as eight of these should be recognized as distinct species (Brown et al. 2007, Groves and Grubb 2011). Recent efforts using molecular genetics techniques are providing valuable insight into the evolutionary history of the species and may soon settle the debate.

If giraffe subspecies become recognized as separate species, the most at-risk among them could enjoy stronger protections. Currently, the giraffe is designated a species of ?least concern? on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature?s (IUCN) Red List. Several subspecies are at greater risk than the species as a whole, but it is unusual for subspecies to achieve a higher conservation status than the species itself. In 2008 and 2010, the GCF and the IUCN?s Species Survival Committee?s (SSC) Antelope Specialist Group?s International Giraffe Working Group (now the IUCN SSC Giraffe and Okapi Specialist Group) overcame the odds by getting two giraffe subspecies listed as ?endangered? ? the West African (G. c. peralta) and Rothschild?s (G. c. rothschildi). It was the end result of enormous effort to gather and analyze demographic data, conduct baseline taxonomic research, and hold discussions with all stakeholders. The government of Niger, home to the West African subspecies, has now produced the first-ever national giraffe conservation strategy for the country. A conservation strategy for Kenya, which is home to some Rothschild?s giraffe populations, is in process. Other countries will hopefully follow suit as more results and findings come to the fore.

If taxonomic research concludes that giraffes are indeed one species, the challenges facing different subspecies may continue to be masked. However, even as a single species, giraffes are obviously in trouble. In comparison with another charismatic mega-herbivore, the 450,000 remaining African elephants vastly outnumber the 80,000 remaining giraffes (Blanc et al. 2007). And yet, the elephant?s Red List designation as ?vulnerable? garners it massive global attention while giraffe research and conservation remain underfunded and unknown.

Much remains to be done to safeguard a future for wild giraffes in Africa. Our limited knowledge regarding the current status of the species and its various subspecies poses a threat to their long- term sustainability. To strengthen efforts towards fundamental research, the IUCN SSC formed the Giraffe and Okapi Specialist Group in March 2013, which is co-chaired by Julian Fennessy of the GCF and Noelle Kumpel with the Zoological Society of London. The group aims to attract international support for the giraffe and okapi by improving knowledge of the species? distribution, abundance, ecology, habitats, and the threat posed by hunting and human conflict, and by assessing connectivity and relatedness of populations and the importance of habitat fragmentation. Another goal is to provide an official forum to support implementation of much-needed conservation strategies across the African continent by providing advice on conservation issues of giraffe and okapi to interested parties, including international bodies such as CITES, African governments, and management authorities.

At the continental level, GCF?s Africa-wide assessment project works to evaluate the status of all giraffe populations and subspecies throughout Africa in order to inform giraffe conservation and management. The GCF collaborates with African governments, NGOs, universities, and researchers to gather demographic data across the species? range. The project?s end goal is to publish a comprehensive analysis of census and anecdotal data on the giraffe including individual country profiles, conservation recommendations, and recommendations for future research. It is time to stand tall for giraffe conservation ? as we have for elephants ? and save a symbol of wild Africa.

Author Bios
Derek E. Lee is a Founder and Principal Scientist for the Wild Nature Institute based in Hanover, New Hampshire and Arusha, Tanzania, and a Ph.D. candidate in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Dartmouth College.

Julian T. Fennessy, Ph.D., is conservation scientist and Trustee for the Giraffe Conservation Foundation based in Windhoek, Namibia, and co-chair of the IUCN SSC Giraffe and Okapi Specialist Group.

Monica L. Bond, CWB, is a Founder and Principal Scientist for the Wild Nature Institute based in Hanover, New Hampshire, and Arusha, Tanzania.

Additional ResourcesTall Tales

Source: http://news.wildlife.org/featured/standing-tall-for-giraffes/

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Holmes to wear hidden harness anchored to floor

DENVER (AP) ? Colorado theater shooting suspect James Holmes will be restrained during his trial by wearing a harness under his clothes that will be anchored to the floor, the judge said Thursday.

Judge Carlos A. Samour Jr. also ruled the jury will not be sequestered during the trial, which is scheduled to start in February and is expected to take four months.

Holmes is accused of killing 12 people and injuring 70 others at a movie theater in the Denver suburb of Aurora in July.

He has worn heavy shackles on his wrists and ankles during pretrial hearings. His lawyers wanted him to be unshackled during the trial, saying the restraints would make him look guilty to the jury.

Samour said Holmes has to be restrained because he is charged with violent crimes. He said jurors won't see the harness, and the anchoring cable will blend in with computer cables at the defense table.

The judge ruled earlier that Holmes can wear civilian clothing at his trial.

Holmes pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to multiple charges of murder and attempted murder. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

Defense lawyers wanted the jury sequestered and wanted the jurors barred from having phones, laptop computers or any other electronics devices during the trial.

The judge said sequestration for such a long time would be costly and impractical, and would create an undue burden on jurors. He implied it also could prompt some prospective jurors to try to avoid the case.

However, Samour said he would allow defense lawyers to renew the request later if they think they have grounds to do so.

Denying jurors access to smartphones, computers, television sets and radios ? along with email and the Internet ? would be drastic and unfair, the judge said.

But he did rule jurors will not be allowed to have the devices in court or during deliberations.

Samour said he might seat as many as 12 alternate jurors ? an unusually large number ? in the event any of the 12 regular jurors is dismissed for hearing outside information or other reasons.

"The court cannot keep the jurors in a bubble, completely sealed off from the outside world," the judge said.

Samour has said 5,000 potential jurors will get a summons and that he expects 3,200 to 3,500 to respond.

Holmes' lawyers had also asked the judge to scale back the heavy security that has been present during 11 months of pretrial hearings, saying it would be "extraordinary and unnecessary" during the trial and would prejudice the jury against Holmes.

They also objected to deputies standing so close to Holmes in the courtroom that they could hear his conversations with his attorneys.

Eight Arapahoe County sheriff's deputies usually stand guard in the courtroom during hearings. Others watch from the rooftops of the two courthouse buildings and in the parking lot.

Samour said four of the deputies in the courtroom will wear uniforms during the trial, and any others will wear street clothes. He also said they will keep a reasonable distance from the defense table.

The judge overruled the defense objection to having deputies on the rooftops and in the parking lot, saying they're necessary to protect Holmes and the public.

Samour said Sheriff Grayson Robinson had agreed to the hidden harness and tether for Holmes and the plainclothes deputies in the courtroom. Samour added he trusts Robinson's expertise and will heed his advice.

___

Follow Dan Elliott at http://twitter.com/DanElliottAP

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/holmes-wear-hidden-harness-anchored-floor-224856057.html

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Video: Yardeni Sees Stocks Going Sideways

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Stocks snap three-day winning streak, open lower

stocks

3 hours ago

The Dow and S&P 500 dropped on Friday as investors were reluctant to jump in following a three-day rally, but major averages still capped the volatile quarter with gains.

Stocks finished lower for the month of June, logging their first monthly drop this year. But all three major averages logged their third winning quarter in four. And so far for the year, the Dow has surged more than 14 percent, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq have spiked more than 13 percent each.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 114.89 points to close at 14,909.60, pulling back after logging its third-straight day higher. Still, the Dow posted its strongest first half of the year since 1999.

The S&P 500 fell 6.92 points to finish at 1,606.28. The S&P 500 logged its best first half performance since 1998. The Nasdaq eked out a gain of 1.38 points to end at 3,403.25.

The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, finished unchanged below 17.

For the quarter, the Dow rose 2.27 percent, the S&P 500 climbed 2.36 percent, and the Nasdaq soared 4.15 percent. Microsoft was the best performer for the quarter on the Dow, while IBM tumbled.

Financials topped the S&P 500 sector gainers in the second quarter, while utilities lagged.

Stocks initially opened in negative territory after Fed Governor Jeremy Stein highlighted the upcoming September policy meeting as a possible time when the central bank may need to consider paring back its QE program, adding that the Fed consider the overall economic improvements since it launched the stimulus instead of giving undue weight to the most recent round of tepid economic data.

(Read More: Buckle Up! Expect More Market Volatility This Year)

Stein's comments contradicted comments from other Fed policymakers who have suggested the central bank will bide its time before scaling back its bond purchases.

Menawhile, Richmond Fed President Jeffrey Lacker said markets should brace for more volatility as they digest news the Fed will scale back bond buying later this year, but the swings will not derail growth. Lacker said he expects U.S. growth to remain around 2 percent for the "foreseeable future."

(Read More:Fed Out in Force as Markets Stabilize)

On the economic front, business activity index in the Midwest fell in June to 51.6 from 58.7 in May, according to the Institute for Supply Management-Chicago. A Reuters survey of economists on average expected a median reading of 56.0 in June versus the May figure of 58.7.

Meanwhile, consumer sentiment improved in late June, with the final reading on the overall index at 84.1, above the preliminary reading of 82.7, according to Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the final June reading of 82.8.

Japan's benchmark stock index hit a three-week high on the heels of positive economic reports that include much stronger than expected industrial output and retail sales numbers.

"We had better job market numbers, better production numbers, and even consumer prices are picking up. So data-wise, today is a pretty good day for Japan," said Takuji Okubo, principal and chief economist at Japan Macro Advisors.

Traders will closely watch gold prices, as the precious metal dipped below a key level of $1,200 per ounce. Analysts warned that miners could be severely affected if prices remain this low.

(Read More: Three Reasons Gold Will Go to $800)

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Friday, June 28, 2013

NKorea likely to get cold shoulder at Asia forum

A reporter works in media room at Bandar Seri Begawan Brunei, Friday, June 28, 2013. Foreign Ministers from ASEAN countries gather in Brunei for the 46th ASEAN Foreign Minister Meeting starting June 29. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

A reporter works in media room at Bandar Seri Begawan Brunei, Friday, June 28, 2013. Foreign Ministers from ASEAN countries gather in Brunei for the 46th ASEAN Foreign Minister Meeting starting June 29. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

(AP) ? The upcoming regional security summit in this tiny Southeast Asian sultanate is the sort of venue where North Korea has often managed to open up sideline discussions with Seoul and Washington. This time, while there will be plenty of talk about Pyongyang, there is little chance of substantive talk with it.

North Korea has sought negotiations with the U.S. and South Korea but has ignored their demands that it first honor prior commitments to move toward nuclear disarmament. At high-level diplomatic talks beginning this weekend, it can expect the cold shoulder from those countries and others frustrated by Pyongyang's insistence on developing nuclear weapons.

After a December long-range rocket launch, a February nuclear test and weeks of threats to launch nuclear strikes against South Korea and the United States, North Korea earlier this month made a surprise offer for separate talks with its rivals. Government delegates from the two Koreas met and agreed to hold senior-level talks on non-nuclear issues, but the agreement collapsed because of a protocol dispute. The United States responded coolly to Pyongyang's appeal for direct negotiations, which some analysts view as a familiar effort to win aid in return for ratcheting down tensions.

"While it is certainly preferable for North Korea to pursue diplomatic rather than missile or nuclear tests, all of North Korea's neighbors by now are well aware of North Korea's history of diplomatic initiatives as just another tool through which North Korea has sought to consolidate gains following periods in which North Korean brinkmanship has driven political tensions to high levels," Scott Snyder, a Korea specialist at the Council on Foreign Relations think tank, wrote in a blog post.

He added that agreeing to hold talks with the North "and come back to the table as though nothing has changed since the last six-party talks were held in 2008 would imply acceptance" of Pyongyang's rocket launches and nuclear tests.

Whether Washington and its allies ignore Pyongyang's diplomats or not, North Korea's atomic aspirations will top the agenda in talks surrounding the 27-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum, which takes place Tuesday in the Bruneian capital of Bandar Seri Begawan.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his counterparts from South Korea, China and Japan will attend the forum and could hold private meetings that touch on Pyongyang. North Korea is expected to send its longtime foreign minister, 80-year-old Pak Ui Chun, to the meeting, according to South Korea's Foreign Ministry.

Because the ASEAN forum gathers diplomats from all six countries involved in long-stalled nuclear disarmament negotiations ? the United States, China, Russia, Japan and the two Koreas ? it has previously provided a chance to use informal, sideline talks to break stalemates over the nuclear issue.

In 2011, top nuclear envoys from the two Koreas met on the sidelines of the forum in Bali, Indonesia, and agreed to work toward a resumption of the dormant six-nation talks, though the negotiations remained stalled. The Koreas' foreign ministers held sideline talks in 2000, 2004, 2005 and 2007, and top diplomats from Pyongyang and Washington also met privately in 2004 and 2008.

North Korea will likely seek similar talks in Brunei, but South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho Tai-young told reporters Tuesday that officials from Seoul aren't considering meeting the North Korean foreign minister on the sidelines. In Washington, State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said Monday that he knew of no discussions planned between Kerry and Pak in Brunei, and that such talks would be "fairly unusual."

Analysts said North Korea appears to be repeating its pattern of following aggressive rhetoric with diplomatic efforts to get outside aid and concessions.

Chang Yong Seok, an analyst at the Institute for Peace and Unification Studies at Seoul National University, said Pyongyang must do something to show it's refraining from continuing nuclear activities, such as announcing some disarmament steps, if it wants to have talks.

Despite its recent bid for diplomacy, North Korea has raised renewed worries about a nuclear program that outsiders estimate to include a handful of crude nuclear bombs. Pyongyang followed up its February nuclear test, its third since 2006, with an announcement that it planned to restore all its atomic bomb fuel producing facilities. The February test drew widespread international condemnation and tightened U.N. sanctions, which subsequently led the North to issue a torrent of warlike threats and sharply raise tensions on the divided peninsula.

Recent satellite photos show signs of new tunnel work at North Korea's underground nuclear test site, the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies said in an analysis Tuesday. The analysis said it doesn't appear to indicate another atomic blast is imminent but suggests the country has continued to work on its nuclear weapons program even as tensions eased.

Other issues expected to draw keen media attention in Brunei include South China Sea territorial disputes and relations between the U.S. and China, the world's two biggest economies.

China has territorial disputes with the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia over the South China Sea and its potentially oil- and gas-rich islands. Several claimants want group discussions to create a legally binding "code of conduct" to prevent clashes in the sea, but China prefers one-on-one negotiations.

Southeast Asian countries believe that "having bilateral negotiations with a strong guy would be a losing game," said Bae Geung-chan, a professor at the state-run Korea National Diplomatic Academy in Seoul.

Analysts say China and the U.S. probably won't have sensitive talks in Brunei that could change their relations. Their leaders recently held an unusually lengthy informal summit in California, during which both countries expressed optimism that the closer personal ties forged between the leaders could stem the mistrust between the world powers.

During the summit, President Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, were in broad agreement over the need for North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons, according to U.S. officials.

___

AP writer Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines, contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-06-28-Asia%20Summit-North%20Korea/id-6479b175a5344a078d746d61e9c5f539

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Ijaw group to FG: Establish military academies in N-Delta - Vanguard

By Emma Amaize

WARRI ? IJAW Peoples Development Initiative, IPDI, has called on Federal Government to establish military academies in Niger-Delta, to ease recruitment of youths from the region into the military and police.

President of IPDI, Mr. Austin Ozobo, in a statement, said ?The Federal Government should site Nigeria Defence Academy, NDA and Police Academy in the Niger-Delta to ease the pains and agonies youths of the region face in their attempt to get admission into thee academies.

?The North has taken undue advantage of these institutions to the disadvantage of the people of the South with its high military presence.? Many of the fairly educated youths in the Niger Delta became militants out of frustration in their efforts to get recruited or admitted into NDA and Police Academy in the country.

?Failure to timely address this demand may collapse ties between the Federal Government and the region because the North appears to have benefited more in terms of recruitment of military officers through NDA and Nigeria Police Academy admissions.

?Ninety per cent of recruitment of soldiers, NDA and Police Academy admissions go to the North, and it makes the North so powerful against their southern counterparts in the country. It is frustrating and shocking that nobody from the South could gain admission successfully into the sister schools or be recruited without seeking for help from a northern military senior officer.

?Both academies are seen as northern schools as it failed to address the military needs of the entire country because by its mode of operation, Nigeria Defence Academy and Police Academy are sectionalised and tribalised.?

Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/06/ijaw-group-to-fg-establish-military-academies-in-n-delta/

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Obama: I don't need 'photo op' with Mandela

President Obama is heading to South Africa from Senegal as part of his African tour, where Nelson Mandela's daughter says he might visit Mandela if doctors approve. NBC's Keir Simmons reports.

By Stacey Klein and Ian Johnston, NBC News

Barack Obama said Friday that he did not need a ?photo op? with Nelson Mandela, saying the ?last thing? he wanted to do was be intrusive at a time when the anti-apartheid icon?s family are concerned about his health.

However, the president did not rule out a meeting with Mandela, whose ex-wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela said Friday had made a ?great improvement? compared to a few days ago.

On Tuesday, Mandela's daughter Zindzi said that her father ?opened his eyes and gave me a smile? when she told him Obama was coming.

Speaking about her ex-husband Nelson Mandela, Winnie Mandela says, 'From what he was a few days ago, there is great improvement' in the former South African president's condition.

Speaking on Air Force One as he flew to South Africa from Senegal, Obama said that ?we?ll see what the situation is when we land.?

?I don't need photo op," he said. "The last thing I want to do is be intrusive at a time when the family is concerned? with Mandela?s condition.

He said the main message he wanted to deliver was ?profound gratitude? for Mandela?s leadership and to say that ?the thoughts and prayers of the American people are with him, his family and his country.?

This message could be delivered to his family and not directly to Mandela, the president said.

On Thursday, Obama said he had already had the "privilege of meeting Madiba [Mandela's clan name] and speaking to him."

"And he's a personal hero, but I don't think I'm unique in that regard," Obama added. "If and when he passes from this place, one thing I think we'll all know is that his legacy is one that will linger on throughout the ages."

Madikizela-Mandela, speaking outside Mandela's former home in the Johannesburg township of Soweto, said her ex-husband seemed to be getting better.

?I?m not a doctor but I can say that from what he was a few days ago there is great improvement," she said.

When asked by NBC News Special Correspondent Charlayne Hunter-Gault?whether the family would welcome a visit by Obama, Zindzi Mandela said Thursday she wasn't aware of any formal request. However, she added that decision would be left with doctors treating the Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

Ahead of his arrival in Johannesburg on Friday, an anti-Obama protest was held not far from the hospital where Mandela is being treated with one demonstrator claiming the U.S. president had been a ?disappointment.?

Siphiwe Sibeko / Reuters

Protesters protest the visit of President Barack Obama in Pretoria Friday. One said he viewed Obama as a "disappointment" and thought Nelson Mandela would too.

Reuters reported that nearly 1,000 trade unionists, Muslim activists, South African Communist Party members and others marched to the U.S. Embassy where they burned a U.S. flag, calling Obama's foreign policy ?arrogant and oppressive.?

"We had expectations of America's first black president. Knowing Africa's history, we expected more,? Khomotso Makola, a 19-year-old law student, told Reuters. He said Obama was a ?disappointment, I think Mandela too would be disappointed and feel let down.?

South African critics of Obama have focused in particular on his support for U.S. drone strikes overseas, which they say have killed hundreds of innocent civilians, and his failure to deliver on a pledge to close the U.S. military detention center at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba housing terrorism suspects.

However, Nigerian painter Sanusi Olatunji, 31, had brought portraits of both Mandela and Obama to add to a growing number of flowers, tribute notes and gifts outside the hospital.

?These are the two great men of my lifetime,? he told Reuters. ?To me, Mandela is a prophet who brought peace and opportunity. He made it possible for a black man like me to live in a country that was only for whites.?

/

View images of civil rights leader Nelson Mandela, who went from anti-apartheid activist to prisoner to South Africa's first black president.

In the latest statement on Mandela?s condition, South African President Jacob Zuma said the 94-year-old was ?much better? on Thursday than he had been the previous night. "The medical team continues to do a sterling job," he added.

A statement issued by Zuma?s office said he and Obama would hold ?crucial bilateral talks that will take forward relations between the two countries? on Saturday.

?South Africa values its warm and mutually beneficial relationship with the United States immensely. This is a significant visit which will take political, economic and people to people relations between the two countries to a higher level, while also enhancing cooperation between U.S. and the African continent at large,? it said.

The statement noted Obama?s visit was being made as South Africa prepares to celebrate ?20 years of freedom? ? 1994 saw the first elections in the country in which all its citizens were eligible to vote. Mandela voted for the first time in his life in that year and was elected the country?s first black president, serving until 1999.

?South Africa greatly appreciates the solidarity provided by the Anti-Apartheid Movement in the United States during the struggle for liberation,? the statement said.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Related:

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Thursday, June 27, 2013

Toward broad-spectrum antiviral drugs for common cold and other infections

Toward broad-spectrum antiviral drugs for common cold and other infections [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 26-Jun-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Michael Bernstein
m_bernstein@acs.org
202-872-6042
American Chemical Society

Scientists are reporting progress in the search for the first broad-spectrum drugs to combat human rhinoviruses (HRVs), which cause humanity's most common infectious diseases. Their study on these potential drugs for infections that include the common cold appears in the journal ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters.

Angus MacLeod and colleagues note that although many HRV infections cause mild disease, they can lead to dangerous complications for millions of people with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Previous potential drugs for HRV either didn't work or caused unacceptable side effects, leaving only one potential drug still under development in clinical trials. MacLeod's team set out to find new antiviral candidates to meet this serious health challenge.

They describe identifying and successfully testing a group of compounds that work against human rhinovirus, Coxsackie virus, poliovirus and enterovirus-71 the cause of hand, foot and mouth disease. The substances work by blocking the ability of these viruses to multiply.

###

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 163,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org.

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Toward broad-spectrum antiviral drugs for common cold and other infections [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 26-Jun-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Michael Bernstein
m_bernstein@acs.org
202-872-6042
American Chemical Society

Scientists are reporting progress in the search for the first broad-spectrum drugs to combat human rhinoviruses (HRVs), which cause humanity's most common infectious diseases. Their study on these potential drugs for infections that include the common cold appears in the journal ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters.

Angus MacLeod and colleagues note that although many HRV infections cause mild disease, they can lead to dangerous complications for millions of people with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Previous potential drugs for HRV either didn't work or caused unacceptable side effects, leaving only one potential drug still under development in clinical trials. MacLeod's team set out to find new antiviral candidates to meet this serious health challenge.

They describe identifying and successfully testing a group of compounds that work against human rhinovirus, Coxsackie virus, poliovirus and enterovirus-71 the cause of hand, foot and mouth disease. The substances work by blocking the ability of these viruses to multiply.

###

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 163,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org.

Follow us: Twitter Facebook


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


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/2013-06/acs-tba062613.php

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Drew Houston And Bryan Schreier On Dropbox's Early Days and Stealth Code Name

Screen Shot 2013-06-26 at 4.38.39 PMAs we mentioned earlier this week, Dropbox founder and CEO Drew Houston and Sequoia Capital partner Bryan Schreier joined us in the TechCrunch TV studio for a special three-part series on how Houston and Schreier work together on recruiting, growing as a CEO, and building the company.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/fkXBuQxBr3o/

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People prefer 'carrots' to 'sticks' when it comes to healthcare incentives

June 26, 2013 ? To keep costs low, companies often incentivize healthy lifestyles. Now, new research suggests that how these incentives are framed -- as benefits for healthy-weight people or penalties for overweight people -- makes a big difference.

The research, published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, shows that policies that carry higher premiums for overweight individuals are perceived as punishing and stigmatizing.

Researcher David Tannenbaum of the Anderson School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles wanted to investigate how framing healthcare incentives might influence people's attitudes toward the incentives.

"Two frames that are logically equivalent can communicate qualitatively different messages," Tannenbaum explains.

In the first study, 126 participants read about a fictional company grappling with managing their employee health-care policy. They were told that the company was facing rising healthcare costs, due in part to an increasing percentage of overweight employees, and were shown one of four final policy decisions.

The "carrot" plan gave a $500 premium reduction to healthy-weight people, while the "stick" plan increased premiums for overweight people by $500. The two plans were functionally equivalent, structured such that healthy-weight employees always paid $2000 per year in healthcare costs, and overweight employees always paid $2500 per year in healthcare costs.

There were also two additional "stick" plans that resulted in a $2400 premium for overweight people.

Participants were more likely to see the "stick" plans as punishment for being overweight and were less likely to endorse them.

But they didn't appear to differentiate between the three "stick" plans despite the $100 premium difference. Instead, they seemed to evaluate the plans on moral grounds, deciding that punishing someone for being overweight was wrong regardless of the potential savings to be had.

The data showed that framing incentives in terms of penalties may have particular psychological consequences for affected individuals: People with higher body mass index (BMI) scores reported that they would feel particularly stigmatized and dissatisfied with their employer under the three "stick" plans.

Another study placed participants in the decision maker's seat to see if "stick" and "carrot" plans actually reflected different underlying attitudes. Participants who showed high levels of bias against overweight people were more likely to choose the "stick" plan, but provided different justification depending on whether their bias was explicit or implicit:

"Participants who explicitly disliked overweight people were forthcoming about their decision, admitting that they chose a 'stick' policy on the basis of personal attitudes," noted Tannenbaum. "Participants who implicitly disliked overweight people, in contrast, justified their decisions based on the most economical course of action."

Ironically, if they were truly focused on economic concerns they should have opted for the "carrot" plan, since it would save the company $100 per employee. Instead, these participants tended to choose the strategy that effectively punished overweight people, even in instances when the "stick" policy implied a financial cost to the company.

Tannenbaum concludes that these framing effects may have important consequences across many different real-world domains:

"In a broad sense, our research affects policymakers at large," says Tannenbaum. "Logically equivalent policies in various domains -- such as setting a default option for organ donation or retirement savings -- can communicate very different messages, and understanding the nature of these messages could help policymakers craft more effective policy."

Co-authors on this research include Chad Valasek of the University of California, San Diego; Eric Knowles of New York University; and Peter Ditto of the University of California, Irvine.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/living_well/~3/NltV_68swwU/130626143118.htm

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Overweight causes heart failure: Large study with new method clarifies the association

June 25, 2013 ? An international research team led by Swedish scientists has used a new method to investigate obesity and overweight as a cause of cardiovascular disease. Strong association have been found previously, but it has not been clear whether it was overweight as such that was the cause, or if the overweight was just a marker of another underlying cause, as clinical trials with long-term follow-ups are difficult to implement.

A total of nearly 200,000 subjects were included in the researchers' study of the causality between obesity/overweight and diseases related to cardiovascular conditions and metabolism, which is being published for the first time in PLOS Medicine. The goal was to determine whether obesity as such is the actual cause of these diseases or whether obesity is simply a marker of something else in the subject's lifestyle that causes the disease.

"We knew already that obesity and cardiovascular disease often occur together. However, it has been hard to determine whether increased BMI as such is dangerous. In this study we found that individuals with gene variants that lead to increased body-mass index (BMI) also had an increased risk of heart failure and diabetes. The risk of developing diabetes was greater than was previously thought," says Tove Fall, a researcher at the Department of Medical Sciences and the Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, who coordinated the study together with researchers from the Karolinska Institutet and Oxford University.

These scientists studied whether a gene variant in the FTO gene, which regulates the appetite and thereby increases the individual's BMI, is also linked to a series of cardiovascular diseases and metabolism. The risk variant is common in the population, and each copy of the risk variant increases BMI by an average of 0.3-0.4 units. Since an individual's genome is not affected by lifestyle and social factors, but rather is established at conception, when the embryo randomly receives half of each parent's genome, the method is thus called "Mendelian randomization." To achieve reliable results a large study material was needed, and nearly 200,000 individuals from Europe and Australia participated.

"Epidemiological studies look for associations in large populations, but it is usually difficult to reliably determine cause and effect -- what we call causality. By using this new genetic method, Mendelian randomization, in our research, we can now confirm what many people have long believed, that increased BMI contributes to the development of heart failure. We also found that overweight causes increases in liver enzymes . This knowledge is important, as it strengthens the evidence that forceful societal measures need to be taken to counteract the epidemic of obesity and its consequences," says Erik Ingelsson, professor at the Department of Medical Sciences and the Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University.

The results show that an increase of one unit of BMI increases the risk of developing heart failure by an average of 20 per cent. Further, the study also confirms that obesity leads to higher insulin values, higher blood pressure, worse cholesterol values, increased inflammation markers, and increased risk of diabetes.

The present study was carried out within the framework of the major research consortium ENGAGE, which brings together more than 35 studies and more than 130 co-authors. The study was coordinated by Erik Ingelsson's research group in collaboration with the Karolinska Institutet and Oxford University.

The study was funded by, among others, the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (ENGAGE), the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research, and the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/x3-K-iv2mww/130625172248.htm

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Huawei Ascend P6 review: a beautiful handset, but performance is lacking

Huawei Ascend P6 review great design but performance is lacking

Well, what do we have here? Okay, let's scrap the faux surprise. The recently confirmed Ascend P6 has landed, and Huawei hopes it will stir interest in the hearts of mobile users. Debuting across Europe, China and Australia in late June / early August with a €449 ($600) price tag, it's asking you to take it seriously, and that's what we'll do.

The mobile market is a fickle place, so it doesn't matter where you are right now; it's all about where you're going. Huawei? Well, it's definitely got its sights set on an upward trajectory. The Ascend P6 is the latest rung on the ladder, intended to elevate the company to mobile greatness. But, with competition stiffer than ever, can it really call a device with a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, 720p display and 8-megapixel camera a flagship? (For its P-series at least?) Huawei's certainly giving it a try, and it's hoping that beauty, not brawn, will win the day.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/GPr90frUfIc/

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Social capabilities of performing multiple-action sequences

June 26, 2013 ? The day of the big barbecue arrives and it's time to fire up the grill. But rather than toss the hamburgers and hotdogs haphazardly onto the grate, you wait for the heat to reach an optimal temperature, and then neatly lay them out in their apportioned areas according to size and cooking times. Meanwhile, your friend is preparing the beverages. Cups are grabbed face down from the stack, turned over, and -- using the other hand -- filled with ice.

While these tasks -- like countless, everyday actions -- may seem trivial at first glance, they are actually fairly complex, according to Robrecht van der Wel, an assistant professor of psychology at Rutgers-Camden. "For instance, the observation that you grab a glass differently when you are filling a beverage than when you are stacking glasses suggests that you are thinking about the goal that you want to achieve," he says. "How do you manipulate the glass? How do you coordinate your actions so that the liquid goes into the cup? These kinds of actions are not just our only way to accomplish our intentions, but they reveal our intentions and mental states as well."

van der Wel and his research partners, Marlene Meyer and Sabine Hunnius, turned their attention to how action planning generalizes to collaborative actions performed with others in a study, titled Higher-order planning for individual and joint object manipulations, published recently in Experimental Brain Research.

According to van der Wel, the researchers were especially interested in determining whether people's actions exhibit certain social capabilities when performing multiple-action sequences in concert with a partner. "It is a pretty astonishing ability that we, as people, are able to plan and coordinate our actions with others," says van der Wel. "If people plan ahead for themselves, what happens if they are now in a task where their action might influence another person's comfort? Do they actually take that into account or not, even though, for their personal action, it makes no difference?"

In the research study, participants first completed a series of individual tasks requiring them to pick up a cylindrical object with one hand, pass it to their other hand, and then place it on a shelf. In the collaborative tasks, individuals picked up the object and handed it to their partner, who placed it on the shelf. The researchers varied the height of the shelf, to test whether people altered their grasps to avoid uncomfortable end postures. The object could only be grasped at one of two positions, implying that the first grasp would determine the postures -- and comfort -- of the remaining actions.

According to the researchers, the results from both the individual and joint performances show that participants altered their grasp location relative to the height of the shelf. The participants in both scenarios were thus more likely to use a low-grasp location when the shelf was low, and vice versa. Doing so implied that the participants ended the sequences in comfortable postures. The researchers conclude that, in both individual and collaborative scenarios, participants engaged in extended planning to finish the object-transport sequences in a relatively comfortable posture. Given that participants did plan ahead for the sake of their action partner, it indicates an implicit social awareness that supports collaboration across individuals.

van der Wel notes that, while such basic actions may seem insignificant, it is important to understand how people perform basic tasks such as manipulating objects when considering those populations that aren't able to complete them so efficiently. "How to pick up an object seems like a really trivial problem when you look at healthy adults, but as soon as you look at children, or people suffering from a stroke, it takes some time to develop that skill properly," says van der Wel. "When someone has a stroke, it is not that they have damage to the musculature involved in doing the task; rather, damage to action planning areas in the brain results in an inability to perform simple actions. A better understanding of the mechanisms involved in action planning may guide rehabilitation strategies in such cases."

According to van der Wel, the researchers are currently working on modifying the task to determine the age at which children begin planning their actions with respect to other peoples' comfort. In particular, they want to understand how the development of social action planning links with the development of other cognitive and social abilities.

Marlene Meyer is a Ph.D. candidate at the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour at Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands. Sabine Hunnius, Ph.D., is the director of the Baby Research Center at Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/mjc7uEV9a0U/130626143116.htm

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