presidential vote. the brotherhood and several other opposition groups boycott the parliamentary election. january 25, 2011 - anti - government protests begin across egypt, driven by discontent over poverty, repression and corruption. january 28 - mubarak orders troops and tanks into cities overnight to quell the demonstrations. january 31 - egypt swears in a new government. new vice - president omar suleiman says mubarak has asked him to start dialogue with all political forces. february 10 - mubarak says national dialogue under way, transfers powers to vice - president but refuses to leave office immediately. protesters in cairo ' s tahrir square are enraged. february 11 - mubarak steps down and a military council takes control. april 12 - mubarak is hospitalised after being questioned by prosecutors. the next day, egypt orders mubarak detained for questioning on accusations he abused his power, embezzled funds and had protesters killed. august 3 - mubarak, wheeled into a courtroom cage on a bed to face trial, denies the charges against him. his two sons, gamal and alaa, also deny the charges. in subsequent sessions, mubarak always appears on a hospital stretcher. june 2, 2012 - mubarak is sentenced to life in prison for his role in the killing of protesters and is flown from the cairo court to tora prison on the outskirts of the capital, where he is admitted to a hospital facility. ( reporting by david cutler, london editorial reference unit ) - tweet this - share this - digg this


an internet of food march 03, 2006 innovation lab coordinates a new pilot demonstrating future uses of rfid in the prepared food sector. rfid tags are poised to replace the traditional bar code, not least because the tags allow producers and retailers to manage inventory and the supply chain more efficiently. but what might this technology mean for consumers? the project, which is funded by the danish ministry of science technology and innovation, will explore how rfid tagging of ordinary supermarket purchases will affect how ordinary families experience their food, all the way from the shopping cart to the frying pan. the project will trial a wide range of the new services which rfid tagging of food products will make possible : • expiry management : the refrigerator monitors product expiry dates, helping consumers avoid waste. • dietary and nutritional guidance. • food safety : direct information to consumers in case of product recall. • inspiration : recipes and suggestions based on actual contents of refrigerator / cupboard. • inventory management : the contents of the refrigerator can be ‘ seen ’ without opening the door, even from the local supermarket. • marketing of related and / or complementary producter. each of the 20 participating families will be given a ‘ kitchen console ’ and rfid reader through which the digital product information linked to the rfid tags can be accessed. the console can also be used as an internet terminal ( for recipe surfing and downloading, watching movies, playing video games, planning of family activities ). every week each family will receive a shopping basket of groceries in which each item is marked with an rfid ‘ bar code ’. the project is a collaboration between denmark ’ s leading packaged food producers and both public and private information and communications technology specialists. rfid takes the internet - based dialogue that has revolutionized marketing and product information to a new level of honesty, detail, and accessibility. simply put, rfid tags make it possible to paste an entire homepage / website on the side of a milk carton or bunch of broccoli. because the amount of information that can be shared isn ’ t limited by the physical boundaries of a product ’ s packaging, producers can communicate much more detailed and varied messages to consumers. • the rfid tag links to a database on the internet. by pointing a reader at the tag, a user can download the information linked to that specific tag. the product ’ s label is in fact virtual, consisting of the information that appears on the display connected to the reader. • the virtual product label can contain sound and video as well as text,


rabies is still a threat worldwide and in missouri. in the u. s., it has been reported in nearly every state. this summer, the missouri health department reported that one of the showhorses, shown in the saddlebred show and stabled in barn c, had contracted the disease. the horse was noticeably sick on aug. 17 and died two days later. this year, u. s. experts on rabies are warning that there is more reason to be vigilant than ever. in medical news today, aug. 27, 2008, dr. charles rupprecht, chief of the rabies program at the u. s. centers for disease control and prevention in atlanta, said that due to a variety of regulatory and manufacturing issues, there is, temporarily, a limited supply of rabies vaccine for humans. it is more important than ever to vaccinate pets. “ the best way to limit the need for human rabies vaccine is simply to make sure pets are vaccinated. we know that dogs and cats are not the most common animals found rabid in the united states, but they are the animals most frequently involved in multiple human exposures, ” he explains. “ your local veterinarian plays a key role in controlling rabies. ’ unfortunately, cats are less likely than dogs to be vaccinated against the virus and dr. rupprecht added that cat owners are more likely to be exposed to rabies. the american veterinary medical association ’ s “ u. s. pet ownership & demographics sourcebook ” states that only 64 percent of cats visit a veterinarian every year, compared to 83 percent of dogs. any mammal can get rabies, including humans. infected bats, monkeys, raccoons, foxes, skunks, dogs or cats provide the greatest risk to humans, however the disease can also spread through exposure to infected domestic farm animals. the disease is 100 percent deadly in any species once the animal starts showing signs of the disease. over 90 percent of reported rabies cases in the united states are wild animals commonly seen in neighborhoods and backyards, such as raccoons, skunks and bats. ( a person can be bitten by a bat and not even feel it, so awareness is important. ) pets are the barrier between those animals and loved ones. by protecting pets, individuals are also protecting their loved ones. besides ensuring that all dogs, cats and ferrets get vaccinated, other precautionary measures include : don ’ t let pets


thank you for visiting our past auction result archives. if you have an item identical ( or similar ) to this auction lot, please call, write or contact us to discuss. we will be able to help you. 1787 a little pretty pocket book - first book to mention baseball starting bid - $ 5, 000. 00, sold for - $ 22, 040. 00 offered here is the rarest and arguably the most significant early baseball book in existence : a little pretty pocket book, authored by john newbery and published in 1787 by isaiah thomas, worcester, massachusetts. this particular book ( 3 x 4. 75 inches ) is the earliest available american edition of this important work, which was first published in london, england in 1744 ( although no extant copies of that edition are known ). its great significance to both baseball historians and bibliophiles alike lies in the fact that the book contains the first known reference to the game and the first appearance of the word " base - ball " in print. additionally, it is also considered to be the very first children ' s book devoted primarily to games and juvenile entertainment. the small book describes, in verse, thirty - two children ' s games and pastimes ( one to a page ), each accompanied by a woodcut illustration and brief moral. also included are various fables, rules for behavior, and a tutorial on the alphabet. as noted earlier, the most important game described within its pages is that titled " base - ball. " the verse reads : the ball once struck off ; away flies the boy ; to the next destined post ; and then home with joy. the illustration above the verse pictures three young boys and three bases marked by posts. while none of the players is depicted holding a bat, one of the youths stands ready to pitch the ball. neighboring pages describe the games of stool - ball, trap - ball, and tip - cat, respectively, with each accompanying woodcut engraving also representing the earliest known illustrations for each of those games. in our thirty - six years of specializing in nineteenth - century baseball items, we have never once handled this book, or seen or heard of one available in a sports or baseball auction. in every attempt at compiling a complete bibliography of baseball literature ( there have been many, from anton grobani to david block ), this is the first american volume with baseball content, and the first to use the word " base - ball. " very few copies of the 1787 first american edition exist today, probably fewer than five, with


anton grobani to david block ), this is the first american volume with baseball content, and the first to use the word " base - ball. " very few copies of the 1787 first american edition exist today, probably fewer than five, with all residing in public institutions or the world ' s most prominent private collections. it should be noted that no extant copies of the original 1744 english edition, nor any of the subsequent eight english editions, are known. single copies of the 10th ( 1760 ), 11th ( 1763 ) and 12th ( 1767 ) english editions exist in institutional library collections, as do two of the 1770 editions. there were two earlier pirated american editions published. one was printed in 1762 ( new york ; hugh gaine ) and the other in 1786 ( philadelphia ; w. spotswood ). of those two reported printings, only one example ( the 1762 gaine edition ) is known and it resides in a public institution. this particular example once resided in the famed bradley martin collection, one of the most prestigious book collections ever assembled. ( the martin collection was later sold in 1990 at sotheby ' s, where this particular book appeared as lot 2411. ) 122pp. ( 2pp. ads ). the untrimmed sheets are rebound in three - quarter blue morocco with marbled paper covered boards ( most likely a nineteenth - century rebinding ). the binding joints are rubbed, the cover is otherwise in excellent condition. a bookplate from a former owner is affixed to the interior cover. light pencil notations on front flyleaf. the book is housed in a beautiful custom - made leather slipcase. this is an outstanding copy of this great and most significant rarity. this is perhaps the only copy we will ever see available. this is a museum - quality relic, and a worthy centerpiece to the most advanced collection or library. reserve $ 5000. estimate $ 10, 000 + +. sold for $ 22, 040. 00 ( click the smaller thumbnails to the left and right ( if any ) to cycle through each photo in the gallery of images for this lot. )


many years ago if you wanted to design something that used a microprocessor, you pretty much had to use some standard package provided by a vendor who had specialized software specific for that processor. you would use a non - standard interface to generate non - standard code to do the non - standard things that your product needed to do. if you were to upgrade your product to use a different processor, you would start all over again. the typical product lifetime of a processor - based piece of equipment is three years, and the typical software development cycle may exceed a year. if you were trying to keep three products in the manufacturing pipeline, this would require the undivided attention of a dedicated software engineer just to keep up. posix to the rescue every software based product requires a basic set of code plus some special code that uniquely defines your product. most of the unique code consists of drivers and some product - specific routines. everything else duplicates what has already been done for previous products. to help prevent duplication, a set of rules has been developed by the software community. it ’ s called posix ( portable operating system interface ). once code has been written to this standard, it can be reused in many other products. linux, even at the kernel level, provides a posix interface for the basic functions. this is further enhanced by a runtime library which is linked with your software. linux and posix because of linux and posix, not all of your code has to be changed if you change the hardware. let me give you an example. suppose you were making a weigh - scale. it is a box that is connected to a strain - gage. it has some calibration, tare, linearization, and temperature - compensation routines. it is nearly identical to last year ’ s model but you couldn ’ t get the processor anymore and, since it was a new product, you decided to change the display. just some drivers if you had used linux and the posix interface with the old product, you ’ d need to write a new display driver, and new hardware interface to the strain - gage. that ’ s it. perhaps there might be a few code changes to take advantage of the new display, but otherwise major portions of last year ’ s code could be reused. this might not work if the code for the last product isn ’ t available anymore, isn ’ t documented, or was poorly written, you can ’ t reuse it. that ’ s where route 495 software


excursus on the public discipline or exomologesis of the early church. ( taken chiefly from morinus, de disciplina in administratione sacramenti pœnitentiæ ; bingham, antiquities ; and hammond, the definitions of faith, etc. note to canon xi. of nice. ) “ in the primitive church there was a godly discipline, that at the beginning of lent, such persons as stood convicted of notorious sin were put to open penance, and punished in this world that their souls might be saved in the day of the lord ; and that others, admonished by their example, might be the more afraid to offend. ” the foregoing words from the commination service of the church of england may serve well to introduce this subject. in the history of the public administration of discipline in the church, there are three periods sufficiently distinctly marked. the first of these ends at the rise of novatianism in the middle of the second century ; the second stretches down to about the eighth century ; and the third period shews its gradual decline to its practical abandonment in the eleventh century. the period with which we are concerned is the second, when it was in full force. in the first period it would seem that public penance was required only of those convicted of what then were called by pre - eminence “ mortal sins ” ( crimena mortalia 75 ), viz : idolatry, murder, and adultery. but in the second period the list of mortal sins was greatly enlarged, and morinus says that “ many fathers who wrote after augustines time, extended the necessity of public penance to all crimes which the civil law punished with death, exile, or other grave corporal penalty. ” 76 in the penitential canons ascribed to st. basil and those which pass by the name of st. gregory nyssen, this increase of offences requiring public penance will be found intimated. from the fourth century the penitents of the church were divided into four classes. three of these are mentioned in the eleventh canon, the fourth, which is not here referred to, was composed of those styled συγκλαιοντες, flentes or weepers. these were not allowed to enter into the body of the church at all, but stood or lay outside the gates, sometimes covered with sackcloth and ashes. this is the class which is sometimes styled χειμοζομενοι, hybernantes


the body of the church at all, but stood or lay outside the gates, sometimes covered with sackcloth and ashes. this is the class which is sometimes styled χειμοζομενοι, hybernantes, on account of their being obliged to endure the inclemency of the weather. it may help to the better understanding of this and other canons which notice the different orders of penitents, to give a brief account of the usual form and arrangement of the ancient churches as well as of the different orders of the penitents. before the church there was commonly either an open area surrounded with porticoes, called μεσαυλιον or atrium, with a font of water in the centre, styled a cantharus or phiala, or sometimes only an open portico, or προπυλαιον. the first variety may still be seen at s. ambrogios in milan, and the latter in rome at s. lorenzos, and in ravenna at the two s. apollinares. this was the place at which the first and lowest order of penitents, the weepers, already referred to, stood exposed to the weather. of these, st. gregory thaumaturgus says : “ weeping takes place outside the door of the church, where the sinner must stand and beg the prayers of the faithful as they go in. ” the church itself usually consisted of three divisions within, besides these exterior courts p. 26 and porch. the first part after passing through “ the great gates, ” or doors of the building, was called the narthex in greek, and færula in latin, and was a narrow vestibule extending the whole width of the church. in this part, to which jews and gentiles, and in most places even heretics and schismatics were admitted, stood the catechumens, and the energumens or those afflicted with evil spirits, and the second class of penitents ( the first mentioned in the canon ), who were called the ακοωμενοι, audientes, or hearers. these were allowed to hear the scriptures read, and the sermon preached, but were obliged to depart before the celebration of the divine mysteries, with the catechumens, and the others who went by the general name of hearers only. the second division, or main body of the church, was


the sermon preached, but were obliged to depart before the celebration of the divine mysteries, with the catechumens, and the others who went by the general name of hearers only. the second division, or main body of the church, was called the naos or nave. this was separated from the narthex by rails of wood, with gates in the centre, which were called “ the beautiful or royal gates. ” in the middle of the nave, but rather toward the lower or entrance part of it, stood the ambo, or reading - desk, the place for the readers and singers, to which they went up by steps, whence the name, ambo. before coming to the ambo, in the lowest part of the nave, and just after passing the royal gates, was the place for the third order of penitents, called in greek γονυκλινοντες, or υποπιπτοντες, and in latin genuflectentes or prostrati, i. e., kneelers or prostrators, because they were allowed to remain and join in certain prayers particularly made for them. before going out they prostrated themselves to receive the imposition of the bishops hands with prayer. this class of penitents left with the catechumens. in the other parts of the nave stood the believers or faithful, i. e., those persons who were in full communion with the church, the men and women generally on opposite sides, though in some places the men were below, and the women in galleries above. amongst these were the fourth class of penitents, who were called συνεστωτες, consistentes, i. e., co - standers, because they were allowed to stand with the faithful, and to remain and hear the prayers of the church, after the catechumens and the other penitents were dismissed, and to be present while the faithful offered and communicated, though they might not themselves make their offerings, nor partake of the holy communion. this class of penitents are frequently mentioned in the canons, as “ communicating in prayers, ” or “ without the oblation ; ” and it was the last grade to be passed through previous to the being admitted again to full communion. the practice of “ hearing mass ” or “ non - communicating attendance ” clearly had its origin in this stage of discipline. at the upper end


; ” and it was the last grade to be passed through previous to the being admitted again to full communion. the practice of “ hearing mass ” or “ non - communicating attendance ” clearly had its origin in this stage of discipline. at the upper end of the body of the church, and divided from it by rails which were called cancelli, was that part which we now call the chancel. this was anciently called by several names, as bema or tribunal, from its being raised above the body of the church, and sacrarium or sanctuary. it was also called apsis and concha bematis, from its semicircular end. in this part stood the altar, or holy table ( which names were indifferently used in the primitive church ), behind which, and against the wall of the chancel, was the bishops throne, with the seats of the presbyters on each side of it, called synthronus. on one side of the chancel was the repository for the sacred utensils and vestments, called the diaconicum, and answering to our vestry ; and on the other the prothesis, a side - table, or place, where the bread and wine were deposited before they were offered on the altar. the gates in the chancel rail were called the holy gates, and none but the higher orders of the clergy, i. e., bishops, priests, and deacons, were allowed to enter within them. the emperor indeed was permitted to do so for the purpose of making his offering at the altar, but then he was obliged to retire immediately, and to receive the communion without. ( thomassin. ancienne et nouvelle discipline de leglise. tom. i. livre ii. chap. xvj. somewhat abridged. ) p. 27 in the west there existed always many cases of public penance, but in the east it is more difficult to find any traces of it, after it was abolished by the patriarch nectarius in the person of the grand penitentiary. however, the emperor alexis comnenus, who took the empire in the year 1080, did a penance like that of older days, and one which may well pass for miraculous. he called together a large number of bishops with the patriarch, and some holy religious ; he presented himself before them in the garb of a criminal ; he confessed to them his crime of usurpation with all its circumstances. they condemned the emperor and all his accomplices to fasting,


patriarch, and some holy religious ; he presented himself before them in the garb of a criminal ; he confessed to them his crime of usurpation with all its circumstances. they condemned the emperor and all his accomplices to fasting, to lying prostrate upon the earth, to wearing haircloth, and to all the other ordinary austerities of penance. their wives desired to share their griefs and their sufferings, although they had had no share in their crime. the whole palace became a theatre of sorrow and public penance. the emperor wore the hairshirt under the purple, and lay upon the earth for forty days, having only a stone for a pillow. to all practical purposes public penance was a general institution but for a short while in the church. but the reader must be careful to distinguish between this public penance and the private confession which in the catholic church both east and west is universally practised. what nectarius did was to abolish the office of penitentiary, whose duty it had been to assign public penance for secret sin ; 77 a thing wholly different from what catholics understand by the “ sacrament of penance. ” it would be out of place to do more in this place than to call the readers attention to the bare fact, and to supply him, from a roman catholic point of view, with an explanation of why public penance died out. “ it came to an end because it was of human institution. but sacramental confession, being of divine origin, lasted when the penitential discipline had been changed, and continues to this day among the greeks and oriental sects. ” 78 that the reader may judge of the absolute candour of the writer just quoted, i give a few sentences from the same article : “ an opinion, however, did prevail to some extent in the middle ages, even among catholics, that confession to god alone sufficed. the council of chalons in 813 ( canon xxxiij. ), says : some assert that we should confess our sins to god alone, but some think that they should be confessed to the priest, each of which practices is followed not without great fruit in holy church. … confession made to god purges sins, but that made to the priest teaches how they are to be purged. this former opinion is also mentioned without reprobation by peter lombard ( in sentent. lib. iv. dist. xvij. ). ” cyprian. de bono patient.


the sage idea is modeled after interscholastic sports. it works like this. a team of at least three teenagers is formed, either by the teens themselves or in conjunction with an entrepreneurial coach or adult ally ( e. g., teacher, business leader, or sponsoring organization ). if the team is affiliated with a high school, it can be part of an existing class, or it can be co - curricular. in the late spring or early summer of each year, the teams travel to a tournament to present the results of their innovations to a panel of jurists recruited from the business and civic community. the ticket to enter the competition? a sage team must enter one of two categories. it must choose to operate either a : by operating an srb or an seb, the team earns the right to travel to a regional or national tournament. at the national tournament, the best team in each category wins the right to represent their country at the sage world cup. if sage teams are searching for new ideas, they are advised to learn about the united nation ’ s millennium development goals. the eight goal recognizes the importance of cooperation to develop and implement strategies for decent and productive work for youth. moreover, in his book, the world is flat, journalist thomas friedman ( 2005 ) commented on the importance of youth empowerment. his comments apply to sage ’ s goals : “ give young people a context where they can translate a positive imagination into reality, give them a context in which someone with a grievance can have it adjudicated in a court of law without having to bribe the judge with a goat, give them a context in which they can pursue an entrepreneurial idea and become the richest or the most creative or most respected people in their own country, no matter what their background, give them a context in which any complaint or idea can be published in the newspaper, give them a context in which anyone can run for office — and guess what? they usually don ’ t want to blow up the world. they usually want to be part of it. ” sage is premised on the compelling usefulness of assisting youths to plan and operate businesses, as a means to for them to use their classroom learning and develop self - reliance. entrepreneurship is a ke y element ; according to c. k. prahalad, author of the fortune at the bottom of the pyramid [ wharton school publishing, 2005 ] : “ companies, academics and ngos are beginning to see that the private sector can play a key role in improving the quality of


what is obesity? according to the national institutes of health ( nih ), an increase in 20 percent or more above your ideal body weight is the point at which excess weight becomes a health risk. today 97 million americans, more than one - third of the adult population, are overweight or obese. an estimated 5 to 10 million of those are considered morbidly obese. obesity becomes " morbid " when it reaches the point of significantly increasing the risk of one or more obesity - related health conditions or serious diseases ( also known as co - morbidities ) that result either in significant physical disability or even death. according to the national institutes of health consensus report, morbid obesity is a serious disease and must be treated as such. it is a chronic disease, meaning that its symptoms build slowly over an extended period of time. morbid obesity can cause many life - threatening health problems and ultimately lead to a shorter life. the risk of an early death for those who are obese is two times that of a non - obese person. there are several medically accepted criteria for defining morbid obesity. you are likely morbidly obese if you are one or more of the following : - more than 100 lbs. over your ideal body weight, or - have a body mass index ( bmi ) of over 40, or - have a bmi of over 35 and are experiencing severe negative health effects, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, related to being severely overweight if you are struggling with morbid obesity, and have been unable to achieve a healthy body weight for a sustained period of time, even through medically supervised dieting and exercise ; gastric bypass surgery or lap band surgery may be right for you. together, you and your bariatric surgeon take steps to determine : - if surgery is the right treatment for you - which type of procedure is right for you - if you are mentally and emotionally prepared to make lifelong lifestyle changes - that you have, or will have, the necessary support system around you once you and your surgeon have determined that weight loss surgery is an option for you, you will begin the prequalification process. this includes a series of tests and meetings with a nutritionist, psychologist, and other support staff members in sessions leading up to surgery. each healthcare professional will help you prepare for the changes and challenges that lie ahead.


14 june 2007. two recent genome - wide association ( gwa ) studies support the notion that many genetic variants each contribute a little to the risk of developing bipolar disorder. the largest of the new studies, published in nature on june 7, comes from the wellcome trust case control consortium, a collaboration of genetics researchers in the united kingdom, including lead author peter donnelly of the university of oxford, england, and nick craddock of cardiff university, wales. it comes on the heels of another study, directed by francis j. mcmahon of the national institute of mental health ( nimh ), that appeared online in molecular psychiatry on may 8. some of the markers implicate genes or chromosomal regions that have previously been tied to schizophrenia, which will add grist to the argument that schizophrenia and bipolar disorder share too many symptoms and genes to justify defining them as distinct syndromes ( see srf live discussion led by nick craddock and mike owen ; maier et al., 2006 ). in their study, mcmahon, first author amber e. baum of nimh, and colleagues in germany and the united states searched for single - nucleotide polymorphisms ( snps ) linked to the risk of having bipolar l disorder. this “ classic ” form of bipolar disorder features one or more manic or manic - depressive episodes, and sometimes psychosis or episodes of major depression ( see nimh information about the different forms of bipolar disorder ). baum and colleagues recruited 461 unrelated people with bipolar l disorder who had affected siblings, and 563 controls without major depression or a history of bipolar disorder or psychosis ; all had solely european ancestry. as a check against the false positives that can compromise gwa studies, the researchers replicated their findings in a german sample of 772 people with bipolar l disorder, identified through hospital admissions and linkage studies, and 876 controls with no history of affective disorder or schizophrenia. to control costs, the investigators used pooled dna from many subjects to detect genes related to bipolar disorder and used individual genotyping to confirm the associations. this process detected 10 genes that were associated with bipolar disorder in both samples when analyzed separately and an extra 15 in the combined samples. several mapped to areas previously tied to bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. controls as well as cases had risk alleles, but cases typically carried nine or more. calling the effect sizes “ modest, ” baum and colleagues write that the highest odds ratio based on individual genotyping


tied to bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. controls as well as cases had risk alleles, but cases typically carried nine or more. calling the effect sizes “ modest, ” baum and colleagues write that the highest odds ratio based on individual genotyping, 1. 67 ( 95 percent ci 1. 32 - 2. 13 ), was for a snp in sorcs2, “ which maps to a region on chromosome 4p that has been widely linked to bipolar disorder. ” three snps in sorcs2 and three in the gene encoding diacylglycerol kinase eta ( dgkh ) showed significant associations in both samples. the enzyme dgkh is notable in that it acts in a lithium - sensitive pathway. the wellcome trust study searched for genetic ties to seven diseases in residents of great britain and addressed methodological issues that affect gwa studies. it enrolled 2, 000 cases each for bipolar disorder, coronary artery disease, crohn ’ s disease, hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, and type 2 diabetes. bipolar disorder cases had contacted mental health services and met research diagnostic criteria for a lifetime diagnosis of the disorder. half of the 3, 000 controls were born during one week in 1958 ; the others gave blood anonymously for the study. analyses omitted people of non - caucasian descent. case - control comparisons found 24 independent associations that met the consortium ’ s strictest criteria ( p < 5 x 10 - 7 ), including one each for bipolar disorder and coronary artery disease, nine for crohn ’ s disease, three for rheumatoid arthritis, seven for type 1 diabetes, and three for type 2 diabetes. according to the researchers, many coincide with prior findings, and others have been backed by later studies, validating the gwa approach. as craddock, who led the bipolar part of the study, tells srf via e - mail, “ the data suggest that, at least as currently defined, there are fewer susceptibility genes of relatively large effect in bipolar disorder than for several of the other diseases studied, but more genes of smaller effect. ” one snp on chromosome 16p12 stands out for its strong evidence of a link with bipolar disorder, though this finding did not receive additional support in comparisons that used an expanded reference group of nearly 15, 000 subjects, which was created by adding cases from the other six disease groups to the controls. while acknowledging the need for replication, the authors note that several


this finding did not receive additional support in comparisons that used an expanded reference group of nearly 15, 000 subjects, which was created by adding cases from the other six disease groups to the controls. while acknowledging the need for replication, the authors note that several genes at that site could affect bipolar disorder, including dctn5 or dynactin 5, which “ encodes a protein involved in intracellular transport that is known to interact with the gene ‘ disrupted in schizophrenia 1 ’ ( disc1 ). ” other genome regions topping the list as possibly important for bipolar disorder ( p values in the 10 - 5 range ) contain genes affecting voltage - gated potassium channels and synaptic function, as well as gaba and glutamate neurotransmission. the marker in syn3, the gene for synapsin 3, is notable in this regard, as synapsin 3 has been linked to schizophrenia in association and expression studies. at first glance, it may seem that the nimh and wellcome papers implicate different genes in bipolar disorder. however, craddock explains that the data sets have yet to be perused in enough detail to warrant that conclusion, since the papers focused on the “ top hits. ” to baum and colleagues, gwa studies serve as “ a powerful alternative to genetic linkage studies, which are often underpowered to detect genes contributing to complex phenotypes, and to candidate gene association studies, which are biased by the choice of genes included. ” even so, craddock warns, “ there are opportunities for problems at every stage from sample preparation, through running chips, to cleaning and managing data. with such large data sets, small errors can generate highly significant differences between cases and controls. such spurious positives must be weeded out ruthlessly before the data set is analyzed. ” despite the large samples needed to adequately power gwa studies, methods used in the nimh and wellcome studies, such as pooling dna and sharing control groups, can make them more manageable. researchers intrigued by the possibilities can dive into the data sets themselves : just surf to the nimh or wtccc websites and apply for access to compare and contrast the results. — victoria l. wilcox. baum ae, akula n, cabanero m, cardona i, corona w, klemens b, schulze tg, cichon s, rietschel m, nothen mm, georgi a, schumacher j, schwarz


ae, akula n, cabanero m, cardona i, corona w, klemens b, schulze tg, cichon s, rietschel m, nothen mm, georgi a, schumacher j, schwarz m, abou jamra r, hofels s, propping p, satagopan j, detera - wadleigh sd, hardy j, mcmahon fj. a genome - wide association study implicates diacylglycerol kinase eta ( dgkh ) and several other genes in the etiology of bipolar disorder. molecular psychiatry. may 8, 2007. advance online publication. abstract the wellcome trust case control consortium. genome - wide association study of 14, 000 cases of seven common diseases and 3, 000 shared controls. nature. june 7, 2007 ; 447 ( 7145 ) : 661 - 678. abstract q & a with nick craddock. srf questions by hakon heimer and victoria l. wilcox. q : what do you see as the most important findings of the wellcome trust study regarding the genetic underpinnings of bipolar disorder? a : this data set, and others that will become available in the near future, open up the possibility for systematic identification of the biological systems influencing bipolar and related disorders. the most significant association signals are obviously of great interest, and many are likely to implicate specific genes in pathogenesis. however, the great strength is having genotypes available on all individuals for all snps because this allows ( a ) sets of genes to be examined for association ( rather than just one snp at a time ), and ( b ) subsets of patients to be examined according to their clinical characteristics ( rather than just treating them as a “ case ” ). q : how do the findings relate to schizophrenia and other psychoses? a : we have also examined an additional set of 700 mood - psychosis spectrum cases using the same approach ( not yet published ) and are currently undertaking analyses that will inform understanding of the relationship among bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and related psychoses. q : do the wellcome trust results alter or strengthen ideas about breaking down the “ kraepelinian divide ”? a : the published findings related to a specific definition of bipolar disorder and used only a case - control analysis and so, themselves, do not directly address the issue of the relationship between mood disorders and psychosis. our ongoing analyses will. q : the study included patients with


findings related to a specific definition of bipolar disorder and used only a case - control analysis and so, themselves, do not directly address the issue of the relationship between mood disorders and psychosis. our ongoing analyses will. q : the study included patients with bipolar disorder classified by “ research diagnostic criteria. ” how would this group differ from patients diagnosed in clinics in the uk or in the u. s.? is this group of patients likely to be different from the baum study population? a : the vast majority of the sample also meets dsm - iv criteria for bipolar l disorder. the main difference is that about 9 percent of the sample meets criteria for bipolar ii disorder. ( research diagnostic criteria were developed in the u. s., and dsm - iii was largely based on them. ) q : it seems that the wellcome study and the baum study differed in the genes they found linked to bipolar disorder. what might account for that? a : that is a premature conclusion. the important question is whether, when the two data sets are compared in detail, there is evidence of support for loci across the studies. i think it likely that when this is done there will be genes that receive support from both data sets. it is wrong to focus just on top hit ( s ) because in complex genetics you do not expect the same top signals to arise in each data set examined. this is the experience in diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, where several susceptibility genes are robustly known. even in very large data sets ( larger than that of baum et al. ), a particular robustly known gene may not show a strong signal. q : when will the data become available to other researchers? a : researchers can apply for access to the data, and details are given in the paper. the process should not take long.


mar. 18, 1998 one in 10 health care workers frequently exposed to rubber surgical and examination gloves is on the cusp of developing allergy symptoms that could seriously affect both their health and their careers, according to a new study from johns hopkins medical institutions. tests show that 2. 5 percent of the group are already having allergic reactions to proteins from the gloves, but another 10 percent are " sensitized " to the proteins : they have special antibodies linked to allergies and specific for the rubber proteins, but no allergy symptoms yet. " they have produced ige antibodies, and when these antibodies re - encounter rubber proteins under the right circumstances, they can set off a potentially serious allergic reaction, " says robert g. hamilton, ph. d., associate professor of medicine, who led what is believed to be the first definitive u. s. prevalence study of allergies to rubber proteins. hamilton presents his group ' s results, funded by the national institutes of health, on march 15 at the annual meeting of the american academy of allergy, asthma and immunology. hamilton has been a leader in efforts to reduce hospital use of products containing rubber, sometimes called latex, for health care professionals and patients. he is concerned that the potentially life - threatening consequences of this allergy are still very underappreciated. reactions can range from a localized skin rash or sneezing to respiratory distress or death. " these reactions become progressively worse with repeated exposures, so it ' s important to identify both those who are sensitized and those who already have allergy symptoms, " says hamilton. " by stopping exposure, we should be able to stop the sensitized but asymptomatic group from developing symptoms. " examination and surgical gloves are believed to be the main risk factors for health care workers, but other stretchable rubber objects, such as balloons or condoms, can cause a reaction. rubber proteins from the gloves can be absorbed through direct skin contact. they also can attach to corn - starch donning powder inside the gloves and enter the body through inhalation when the gloves are pulled off and the powder becomes airborne. hamilton ' s group studied 168 hopkins anesthesiologists, first identifying those already allergic with " real life " exposure : wearing a glove and inhaling the powder after removal. two - and - a - half percent had clinical symptoms. he also gave subjects a " skin - prick " test with a rubber extract and a blood test to see if ige antibodies specific for


wearing a glove and inhaling the powder after removal. two - and - a - half percent had clinical symptoms. he also gave subjects a " skin - prick " test with a rubber extract and a blood test to see if ige antibodies specific for rubber proteins were present. twelve - and - a - half percent were positive, meaning that a full 10 percent have become sensitized but are not symptomatic yet. performance data for the extract hamilton used in the skin test, which his team developed, are undergoing review by the food and drug administration. approval for nationwide distribution is possible within a few months, which would make the extract the basis of the first characterized latex skin test reagent in the united states. a task force to study use of the gloves and other products containing rubber at hopkins has led to the use of alternative gloves made from vinyl and nitrile. co - authors on the study were robert brown, m. d., and james schauble, m. d. other social bookmarking and sharing tools : the above story is reprinted from materials provided by johns hopkins medical institutions. note : materials may be edited for content and length. for further information, please contact the source cited above. note : if no author is given, the source is cited instead.


sep. 28, 2008 auctions are an old and widely used method for allocating goods that have become increasingly common with the advent of internet auctions sites such as ebay. previous economic research has shown that in an auction people tend to bid " too high, " or overbid, given the value of the item for sale. by combining brain imaging techniques with behavioral economic research, neuroscientists and economists at new york university were able to provide new insight into this tendency to overbid. specifically, they show that the fear of losing the social competition inherent in an auction may, in part, cause people to pay too much. the research, which suggests an expanded role for neuroscience in understanding economic behavior, appears in the latest issue of the journal science. the goal of the study was to provide insight into the neural circuitry of experimental auctions, and then to use this insight to generate and test a novel economic approach to understand overbidding. it was conducted by a team of nyu neuroscientsts and economists. the neuroscientists were nyu professor elizabeth phelps and mauricio delgado, now an assistant professor at rutgers university in newark, n. j. the economists were andrew schotter, a professor in nyu ' s department of economics, and erkut ozbay, a former nyu doctoral student and now an assistant professor in the university of maryland ' s department of economics. the researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging ( fmri ) to examine patterns of brain activation as participants played either an auction game with a partner or a lottery game. in both games participants could win money, but in the auction game winning depended on outbidding a partner. an examination of activation in the striatum, part of the brain ' s reward circuitry, showed the primary difference when winning or losing in the auction vs. lottery games was an exaggerated response to losses in the auction game. the magnitude of this exaggerated loss response in the striatum during the auction game correlated with the tendency to overbid, suggesting the intriguing hypothesis that perhaps the prospect of losing the social competition inherent in an auction may lead people to bid " too high. " to confirm this hypothesis, a follow - up behavioral economic study was conducted. three groups of participants played an auction game against a partner under different circumstances. the control group was simply given values and asked to make bids. the bonus - frame group was told that if they won the auction, they would also receive a bonus of 15 experimental dollars. the loss - frame group was given


partner under different circumstances. the control group was simply given values and asked to make bids. the bonus - frame group was told that if they won the auction, they would also receive a bonus of 15 experimental dollars. the loss - frame group was given 15 experimental dollars prior to the auction, but participants were told they would lose the 15 dollars if they failed to win the auction. in both the loss and bonus - frame conditions, only the winners would get an additional 15 experimental dollars, so the auctions were strategically identical. the difference was simply the way it was framed to emphasize losing or winning. consistent with the hypothesis that contemplation of loss may, in part, drive overbidding, participants in the loss - frame condition consistently bid higher than the other two groups, resulting in a greater potential profit for a hypothetical auctioneer. according to schotter, " such a result would not have been predicted by existing economic theory. while there have been investigations of overbidding which have attributed the phenomenon to either risk aversion or the ' joy of winning, ' it was the use of imaging data which allowed us to distinguish between these conflicting explanations and actually arrive at a new and different one, the ' fear of losing. ' our results provide evidence of how an understanding of the neural systems of economic behavior might inform economic theory. " " these results highlight a role for the contemplation of social loss in understanding the tendency to bid ' too high ' in auctions and emphasize the importance of considering social factors in economic decisions, " phelps explained. " by combining neuroeconomic and behavioral economic techniques we were able to provide novel insight into a classic economic problem. " " although there have been a number of neuroeconomic studies that have used economic games to further our understanding of brain function, the benefits to traditional behavioral economics as a result are unclear, " delgado added. " because of recent advances in neuroeconomics and our knowledge of the neural circuitry related to reward, we were able to use neuroimaging results to highlight the importance of framing, and specifically the contemplated loss, as an explanation for overbidding during experimental auctions. " other social bookmarking and sharing tools : note : materials may be edited for content and length. for further information, please contact the source cited above. note : if no author is given, the source is cited instead.


apr. 26, 2009 during these trying financial times, the cost of healthcare and how much we are willing to pay for it is at the top of our economic concerns. the financial value of pain has a wide ranging influence, affecting drug prices and injury compensation. but what about on an individual level — is it possible to place a value on our health, to prevent pain and suffering? university college london psychologists ivo vlaev and nick chater, and neuroscientists ben seymour and raymond j. dolan were interested in just how much money volunteers were willing to pay to avoid pain and discomfort. study participants were given money, with the understanding that they could keep for themselves whatever cash remained. they experienced one pulse of electric shock and then had to indicate how much money they would pay in order to avoid receiving 15 more shocks of the same intensity. then, a computer program would determine how much the volunteers would actually have to pay. the program would randomly select a dollar amount — if that amount was higher than what the participants were willing to pay, then the participants would be shocked. however, if the computer ' s price was lower than the participant ' s price, then they would pay the computer ' s price and avoid the pain. the volunteers were informed that the computer selection would be completely random, so it was really in their best interest to select a price that accurately reflected how they value the pain from the electric shock. for each volunteer, this process was repeated a number of times, with differing intensities of shocks. the results, described in psychological science, a journal of the association for psychological science, reveal that demand for pain relief is almost completely dependent on pain experienced in the recent past and the available cash on hand. that is, the participants were willing to pay more money to avoid pain if that pain was more intense compared to previous trials. in addition, the price they were willing to pay was based on what they were given ( money - in - the - pocket ) rather than on their overall wealth. these findings suggest that the value we place on relief from suffering is flexible and that activity of health markets cannot be predicted by the behavior of individuals. this is the first scientific study showing that our reaction towards pain is a relative judgment, based on our previous experience with that pain. the authors conclude that pain is a major health issue and with around $ 60 billion spent on painkillers worldwide each year, they note that these findings " are likely to have substantial economic implications. " other social bookmarking and sharing tools :


download the exhibit descriptions in portable document format ( pdf ) exhibition consists of a set of connected wall panels of different building materials in a mock " earthquake zone, " setting the stage for all of the interactive components. the shake table is freestanding ; the rest of the exhibits are attached to the wall panels. try to replicate the motion of any of three different historic earthquakes by bouncing up and down on a platform ; see your own seismogram on the monitor in real time as you attempt to match the original seismogram. you ' ll even get a score! how well did you do? how quickly can you assemble a map of the earth according to its plate tectonic boundaries? press the button to begin, then put the puzzle pieces in place on the big panel. hurry, you have two minutes before the pieces fall! plates in motion spin the dial and watch stunning tectonic motion as the plates move around, break up and reassemble. you can start at 600 million years ago, spin to the present, and then go all the way to 200 million years into the future. go backward and forward in time. can you find our current tectonic plate arrangement? you won ' t even recognize the continents as they ' ll be 200 million years into the future. see a real - time display, updated every fifteen minutes, that shows the hundreds of earthquakes of the past two weeks. look for larger - magnitude quakes with their bigger circles. notice how the quakes cluster around the tectonic plate boundaries. earthquake shake table be an engineer! design and build model structures of blocks and reinforcing rods, then turn the dial to test the results against earthquake forces on the shake table. did your structure stand up? can you make it safer? visitors can choose from five fast - paced award - winning videos of a diverse group of real engineers working to make our world safer during earthquakes. watch footage of earthquakes and find out what can happen when the earth shakes ; learn what causes earthquakes and see how engineers are using amazing tools and technology to test and improve building techniques and materials, even shaking full - size bridges or bending 16 - meter ( 50 ' ) pipe sections. ( each video is about 1 1 / 2 minutes long. ) engineering research centers at this touch screen station, learn about the national earthquake engineering simulation ( nees ) network, a group of fourteen university research facilities where engineers test buildings and structures with giant shake tables, centrifuges, tsunami tanks, and other large - scale equipment. see


in the tank : the daya bay experiment currently employs six detectors, with a total of 120 metric tons of liquid detector material, to register passing neutrinos. image : roy kaltschmidt, lawrence berkeley national laboratory neutrinos are devious little particles. only in the late 1990s were they shown to have mass, after decades of head - scratching hints to that effect. they can oscillate between three neutrino types, or " flavors, " changing their identity on the fly. and, perhaps most famously, they were accused just last year of breaking cosmic law by traveling faster than light. ( the jury is out, but an acquittal appears imminent. ) now investigators are just a bit closer to figuring out the neutrino ' s modus operandi. a collaboration of physicists says it has measured one of the key descriptors of the neutrino ' s flavor - changing behavior — a number called theta 13 ( pronounced " theta one three " ). that number, known as a mixing angle, describes the probability that an electron neutrino ' s antiparticle, the electron antineutrino, will oscillate into another flavor over a relatively short distance. ( each of the three neutrino flavors — electron, tau and muon — has its own antiparticle partner. ) two other neutrino oscillation parameters, or mixing angles, have already been measured, but theta 13 is relatively small compared with the other two and has proved harder to pin down. since last year a group of physicists has been trying to measure theta 13 by tracking antineutrinos given off by a large chinese nuclear power plant. the daya bay reactor neutrino experiment collaboration built a series of six detectors, some near the reactors and some more than a kilometer farther away, to track how electron antineutrinos morph into other flavors as they travel through space. because the detectors are tuned to identify only electron antineutrinos, any oscillation means that the neutrinos will escape detection — that is, they will seem to disappear. other experiments have taken the opposite tack, looking for the appearance of electron neutrinos in a beam carrying other types of neutrinos. in just two months of data, the distant set of detectors registered more than 10, 000 hits by electron antineutrinos. but that is only 94 percent as many as would be naively expected by extrapolating


neutrinos. in just two months of data, the distant set of detectors registered more than 10, 000 hits by electron antineutrinos. but that is only 94 percent as many as would be naively expected by extrapolating from the detectors closest to the nuclear reactors. that means that a substantial fraction had oscillated to another flavor on their relatively short journey. " what we ' re seeing now is this disappearance of [ electron antineutrinos ] is at the 6 percent level, " says neutrino physicist karsten heeger of the university of wisconsin – madison, a member of the daya bay collaboration. " it ' s a fairly large effect. " heeger presented the experimental results march 8 at a symposium at duke university, and the group has submitted its study to physical review letters. the experiment is not even fully built yet — a seventh and eighth detector are in the works — but already the daya bay team has observed enough disappearances to quantify how the process works. the new estimate, which falls within previous limits set by other experiments, establishes that theta 13 is not equal to zero, and in fact is relatively large compared with what was plausible in light of other recent results. a zero value for theta 13 would mean that electron neutrinos would not appear in beams of muon neutrinos or, in the daya bay case, that electron antineutrinos would not disappear by the time they reached the far detectors. another reactor experiment, called kamland, has also registered the disappearance of antineutrinos over much larger distances, where the oscillation is described by the mixing angle theta 12, rather than theta 13. " we are the first experiment that measures it and shows that it is nonzero, " heeger says of theta 13. " there have been recent indications, but none of the other results were significant enough to match what we physicists call a discovery. " the daya bay group claims better than 5 - sigma evidence in support of a nonzero value for theta 13. 5 sigma, or five standard deviations, implies that the finding has only a one - in - several - million chance of being caused by a statistical fluke.


ritalin dose changes effect research with rats finds that ritalin at low doses encourages neurons to fire together, but at high doses it ' s just another stimulant. christopher intagliata reports more 60 - second science in this engrossing journey into the lives of psychopaths and their infamously crafty behaviors, the renowned psychologist kevin dutton reveals that there is a... read more » [ the following is an exact transcript of this podcast. ] doctors prescribe ritalin to hyperactive kids to calm them down and increase their attention span. and college kids have taken to using ritalin to concentrate when they hit the books. but it hasn ’ t been clear how the drug boosts focus. now a paper in the journal biological psychiatry suggests how it might work. neuroscientists dosed rats with ritalin and had them perform the kind of working memory task adhd patients have trouble with. at the same time they measured neural activity with tiny electrodes implanted in the rats ’ brains. at low doses, ritalin primarily affected the prefrontal cortex, jacking up its sensitivity to signals coming in from the hippocampus. and here ’ s how the drug seemed to help with attention — it strengthened choruses of neurons firing together and put a damper on scattered, uncoordinated activity. but at high doses, the prefrontal cortex tuned out, and ritalin ’ s effects were similar to those of other stimulants. the rats lost their cognitive edge and they became hyperactive, sniffing and licking repetitively. so ritalin shows you can indeed have too much of a good thing — to the point of distraction. 60 - second science is a daily podcast. subscribe to this podcast : rss | itunes


the ultimate science project experimenter ' s catapult kit! with 400 + possible configurations and tuning options, this historically accurate catapult provides a hands - on example of basic physics, including mechanical advantage, levers, gravity and energy. this kit is perfect for school science fairs! no glue required : kit assembles using rubber bands ( included ). you supply the counterweight material. completed frame is 14. 5 ” l x 7 ” w x 11 ” h. arm measures 20. 25 ”. includes 3 / 4 " and 1 " wooden projectiles, rubber bands, counterweight box, leather sling pouch, nylon sling twine, welded steel ring. instructions feature experiments and historical information. range is from 10 to 40 feet depending on configuration, projectile choice, etc for a master carpenter doing a sloppy job : about 30 minutes. a person with no kit building experience being extremely meticulous : about 1 hour. this kit provides a real world, hands on example of many aspects of basic physics. it exposes the student to concepts of mechanical advantage, levers, gravity and energy, to name a few. it can demonstrate the storage and conversion of potential energy to kinetic energy through levers, and it is equipped with optional wheels, to demonstrate conservation of momentum. all in all, the concepts of efficiency, power and work can be demonstrated and applied. this kit is useful for teaching engineering, science, design of experiments, problem solving and cause / effect relationships. it was designed to get students to think about physics in a real world, tangible context. theories can be made and tested ; this process, and analyzing why the observed results occur can ultimately lead to other, more advanced concepts in physics, mechanics and mathematics. carrying out the experiments teaches the scientific method, and contextualizes statistics. analyzing the data can make use of statistical methods from basic averages to much more advanced topics if desired. with 18 pages of instructions including assembly of every basic configuration, suggested experiments, tuning guidelines, independent and dependent variables to record and measure, data tables, historical information about trebuchets and catapults, and more, it should be easy to get started with this ultimate science project kit! warning! this is a representative model of a real ancient military weapon. it contains a fast moving arm that can cause injury if you make contact when firing. use only under strict adult supervision.


story in the college of arts & sciences assistant professor, biology biology professor examines how the rarest plant species evolve over time in the coldest corners of alaska. justen whittall ' 96 is an expert on west coast plants, particularly the ones that are hardest to find. the scu biology professor, a native of the south bay, studies the federally endangered metcalf jewelflower and california ' s torrey pines, one of the rarest pines in the world. his early work at scu set him on this path. " as an undergraduate, i took a course in field botany and discovered i could take what i was learning in the classroom and lab and put it to use in the field, " whittall says. " from that moment, i was hooked. " as an assistant professor in scu ' s biology department, he also studies plants in the arctic circle ; last summer, he traveled to alaska to better understand the adaptability of plants in cold climates — an unknown factor in understanding global climate change. he and his assistants are researching the genetic basis for arctic mustard plant adaptations. next summer, he ' ll return with several undergraduates. by putting together a genetic map of plant species, whittall can track how plants have evolved over time. students help in his rooftop greenhouse, making hybridizations ; in the lab, isolating gene sequences ; and out in the field, collecting specimens. " i see students ' eyes just light up when — instead of doing the cookbook labs taught in high school or at other institutions — at santa clara they get to take that information directly into a personal experience, " whittall says. " this is real science being done by santa clara undergraduates. " watch a video about research in scu ' s biology labs below. this text will be replaced


malicious programs for computers have been around for more than 20 years. it was the birth of the internet which really enabled these digital pests to make a breakthrough. until now, gaming consoles have been more or less immune to malware. yes, there ' re been trojans for the nintendo ds console ( trojan. nintendo. taihen. a and. b ) and for the sony portable playstation ( trojan. psp. brick. a ) but the number of victims has been small. this is because the user has to tweak the console in order for so - called homebrew software ( i. e. software not certified by the console manufacturer ) to run. there ' s a linux distribution available for the sony playstation 2 ( which will also be available for playstation 3 ) which just cries out for programming. however, any programs created will only run on playstations which have the distribution installed. microsoft recently announced that in future, users will be able to purchase a development kit with a $ 99 a year registration fee - no linux here. programs developed using the kit will only run on xboxes where the user has also paid the registration fee, and they can only be copied to another console as source code. from a security point of view, this is a wise decision. i hope that things won ' t change much in the near future. if sony, microsoft, nintendo or hackers made it possible to easily download programs developed by users via the internet, pandora ' s box would be opened. the combination of unprotected gaming consoles, the internet and the possibility of previously unknown vulnerabilities would lead to gamers who had been immune to malware becoming a target for virus writers.


software is everywhere. we love it when it makes our lives easier. we hate it when it doesn ' t work the way we expect — or when its design is not sufficiently intuitive or robust. software is in our military systems — satellites, tanks, aircraft and ships — but it ' s also in our everyday life : toasters, automobiles, banks, and medical equipment. software is important and its importance is growing. software allows us to personalize and customize many systems. it brings increasingly complex integrated circuits to life and harnesses their power to help us. it allows us to communicate more efficiently, to live in a more connected world, to operate businesses more effectively. multi - national businesses have software - intensive enterprise systems while small businesses and individuals use the internet for ever growing applications. unfortunately, there is a gap between the state of the art and the state of the practice of software engineering. many senior managers don ' t understand software engineering and many software practitioners have lapsed into undisciplined, ad hoc practices. consequently, software design, development and integration are often plagued by schedule delays, cost increases, performance problems and defects. data indicate that 60 - 80 % of the cost of software development is in rework, that is, fixing defects that are found during testing. fortunately, there is an alternative. we can reduce test and rework costs significantly if we use better design and implementation practices. we can meet schedules and we can reduce the variability and risk in software intensive programs. we can make our software teams more productive and raise the quality of their work experience if we follow disciplined engineering practices. commercial software products today are often riddled with defects — commonly known as " bugs " — that are introduced in the software ' s design and development. as our systems become more and more interconnected in networks, the stakes are rising. defects in products that are linked to the internet open vulnerabilities to cyber attack and exploitation. the internet is only as secure as its weakest link. each year, the sei ' s cert coordination center ( cert / cc ) documents thousands of commercial product vulnerabilities. once again, however, there is an alternative. most of these vulnerabilities are due to a modest number of root causes. we can avoid these vulnerabilities and greatly reduce the number of successful cyber attacks if software developers use the proven best design techniques of software engineering. the sei ' s core purpose is to improve the state of the art in software engineering, and to transition this work


vulnerabilities and greatly reduce the number of successful cyber attacks if software developers use the proven best design techniques of software engineering. the sei ' s core purpose is to improve the state of the art in software engineering, and to transition this work to the community so we improve the state of practice in software engineering as well. our work is not done unless we do both parts of our job. we believe, and we have the evidence to support us, that the best way to ensure the security of software is to design, develop, and integrate software in a way that does not allow defects into software in the first place. investments in up - front discipline and sound processes increase quality and security and decrease cost and risk. we are part of carnegie mellon university, one of the nation ' s premier computer science and engineering institutions. since 1984, we have been identifying, developing, and advocating practices to improve all aspects of software. at the sei, we emphasize defect prevention through improvement of process and product quality during the early phases of system development. we believe you should design quality into software, not test and patch it. at sei, we ' re developing innovative software technologies to meet today ' s challenges and tomorrow ' s opportunities. paul d. nielsen director and chief executive officer software engineering institute


the world is on course to warm as much as 4 degrees celsius, or 7 degrees fahrenheit, by 2100, prompting extreme heat - waves, severe drought and major floods as sea - level rises, warns the world bank in a new report. all regions would suffer, but the tropics and subtropics are among the most vulnerable and the planet ' s poorest people would be hit the hardest, according to the study, " turn down the heat, " released sunday. the study says current global efforts, aimed at keeping warming to below a 2 - degree change, don ' t go far enough. " we don ' t have time to lose, " says rachel kyte, the world bank ' s vice president for sustainable development, urging drastic action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. she says superstorm sandy shows " the fragility of a lot of our infrastructure " and the need for resilient agricultural, transportation and energy systems. her organization, which promotes growth in developing countries, commissioned the report by the germany - based potsdam institute for climate impact research and climate analytics. the report, based on recent climate science, says the planet could reach temperatures 4 degrees celsius higher than pre - industrial levels as early as 2060 if governments don ' t meet their promises to fight climate change. even if they are fully met, it says a 3 - degree increase appears likely. global temperatures have already risen about 0. 8 degrees celsius in the past century. the study says coastal cities could be inundated with floods, limited food supplies could cause higher malnutrition rates, and biodiversity, including coral reefs, could be irretrievably lost. it says average summer temperatures could rise 6 degrees celsius in parts of the united states, mediterranean, north africa and the middle east, and sea levels could rise between a half - meter and a full meter, or 39 inches, by 2100. skeptics say the report paints an overly dire portrait. " this report is non - science, " says patrick michaels, director of the libertarian cato institute ' s center for the study of science. he says the 4 - degree warming is an " implausible outlier. " david kreutzer, an energy economist at the conservative heritage foundation, agrees. he also says the world bank ' s recommendations, including redirecting money now spent on fossil - fuel subsidies toward solar and wind energy production, could ultimately do more harm than good for developing countries. "


economist at the conservative heritage foundation, agrees. he also says the world bank ' s recommendations, including redirecting money now spent on fossil - fuel subsidies toward solar and wind energy production, could ultimately do more harm than good for developing countries. " proposing energy killing climate policies for the emerging economies is like telling the emaciated to start their diet now because they may become overweight in 90 years, " kretuzer says. yet the world bank ' s call to action echoes the urgency of other major studies. earlier this month, at the request of the cia, a report by the national research council warned that climate change is accelerating and could place unprecedented strains on u. s. military and intelligence agencies. also this month, the international energy agency said the world has only about five years to make changes to avert climate change ' s most severe impacts. " the world bank report confirms that the united states ' recent severe storms, droughts, heat waves, and wild fires are no coincidence, but instead are the ' new normal ' of unchecked climate change, " says dan weiss, director of climate strategy at the center for american progress, a liberal - leaning think tank. u. n. secretary - general ban ki moon said in a statement that the report " reminds us that climate change is happening.... now. " he called on nations to honor their commitment, made last year in durban, south africa, to forge a new legally binding climate agreement by 2015. the more than 190 nations participating in the u. n. framework convention on climate change begin a new round of talks nov. 26 in qatar. kyte says the world bank sought the report, because its work with developing countries needs to factor in what the future will look like. she says they have the opportunity to build a more resilient infrastructure from the ground up. " this is not rocket science, " she says, adding the knowledge is there but the political will is still needed. copyright 2013 usatoday. com read the original story : world bank : climate change could cause massive damage


a view of the pennsylvania breaker. “ breaker boys ” remove rocks and other debris from the coal by hand as it passes beneath them. the dust is so dense at times as to obscure the view and penetrates the utmost recesses of the boys ’ lungs. south pittston, pennsylvania. january 1911. photograph by lewis wickes hine. from the 1906 book the bitter cry of the children by labor reformer john spargo : work in the coal breakers is exceedingly hard and dangerous. crouched over the chutes, the boys sit hour after hour, picking out the pieces of slate and other refuse from the coal as it rushes past to the washers. from the cramped position they have to assume, most of them become more or less deformed and bent - backed like old men. when a boy has been working for some time and begins to get round - shouldered, his fellows say that “ he ’ s got his boy to carry round wherever he goes. ” the coal is hard, and accidents to the hands, such as cut, broken, or crushed fingers, are common among the boys. sometimes there is a worse accident : a terrified shriek is heard, and a boy is mangled and torn in the machinery, or disappears in the chute to be picked out later smothered and dead. clouds of dust fill the breakers and are inhaled by the boys, laying the foundations for asthma and miners ’ consumption. i once stood in a breaker for half an hour and tried to do the work a 12 - year - old boy was doing day after day, for 10 hours at a stretch, for 60 cents a day. the gloom of the breaker appalled me. outside the sun shone brightly, the air was pellucid, and the birds sang in chorus with the trees and the rivers. within the breaker there was blackness, clouds of deadly dust enfolded everything, the harsh, grinding roar of the machinery and the ceaseless rushing of coal through the chutes filled the ears. i tried to pick out the pieces of slate from the hurrying stream of coal, often missing them ; my hands were bruised and cut in a few minutes ; i was covered from head to foot with coal dust, and for many hours afterwards i was expectorating some of the small particles of anthracite i had swallowed. i could not do that work and live, but there were boys of 10 and 12 years of age doing it for 50 and 60 cents a day. some of them had never been inside of a school ; few of


anthracite i had swallowed. i could not do that work and live, but there were boys of 10 and 12 years of age doing it for 50 and 60 cents a day. some of them had never been inside of a school ; few of them could read a child ’ s primer. true, some of them attended the night schools, but after working 10 hours in the breaker the educational results from attending school were practically nil. “ we goes fer a good time, an ’ we keeps de guys wot ’ s dere hoppin ’ all de time, ” said little owen jones, whose work i had been trying to do. from the breakers the boys graduate to the mine depths, where they become door tenders, switch boys, or mule drivers. here, far below the surface, work is still more dangerous. at 14 or 15 the boys assume the same risks as the men, and are surrounded by the same perils. nor is it in pennsylvania only that these conditions exist. in the bituminous mines of west virginia, boys of 9 or 10 are frequently employed. i met one little fellow 10 years old in mount carbon, west virginia, last year, who was employed as a “ trap boy. ” think of what it means to be a trap boy at 10 years of age. it means to sit alone in a dark mine passage hour after hour, with no human soul near ; to see no living creature except the mules as they pass with their loads, or a rat or two seeking to share one ’ s meal ; to stand in water or mud that covers the ankles, chilled to the marrow by the cold draughts that rush in when you open the trap door for the mules to pass through ; to work for 14 hours — waiting — opening and shutting a door — then waiting again for 60 cents ; to reach the surface when all is wrapped in the mantle of night, and to fall to the earth exhausted and have to be carried away to the nearest “ shack ” to be revived before it is possible to walk to the farther shack called “ home. ” boys 12 years of age may be legally employed in the mines of west virginia, by day or by night, and for as many hours as the employers care to make them toil or their bodies will stand the strain. where the disregard of child life is such that this may be done openly and with legal sanction, it is easy to believe what miners have again and again told me — that there are hundreds of little boys of 9


australia : sustainability and environmental action - how to choose a program - view sit study abroad undergraduate research / isp collection - view the 2013 overview brochure ( pdf, 1mb ) - view the 2013 semester catalog ( pdf, 4mb ) - view the 2013 summer catalog ( pdf, 1mb ) - view our photo galleries on flickr - academic resources / library - track your application online - us state department " students abroad " - sit study abroad gear most of the teaching in the program takes place in the field ( a total of around 27 days ). excursions are totally integrated with readings, workshops, discussions, and lectures. in each region we visit, students are introduced to the area ’ s climate, geology, geomorphology, soils, and flora and fauna, as well as its human history and culture in order to instill a sense of place and provide a basis for understanding the unique management issues of each region. orientation : seven mile beach students spend a five - day orientation at seven mile beach, south of byron bay. the group camps at linnaeus estate, a 280 - acre property with one and a half kilometers of pristine beachfront ; it has been recognized as one of the most beautiful privately owned properties on australia ’ s east coast. during orientation, the group reviews program goals and safety, learns about australian cultural norms, and starts the process of establishing a group bond. students are introduced to iconic australian flora and fauna present on the property and learn about the climate and coastal processes of northern new south wales. tasmania : a conservation hot spot experience stunning scenery and one of australia ’ s largest conservation reserves tasmania is a geological and biological treasure where a billion years of earth history is exposed to view. tasmania was the last landmass to break away from the southern supercontinent, gondwana. its stunning scenery, aboriginal heritage, and conservation values have resulted in 40 percent of the state being set aside in nature reserves, including the three and a half million acre tasmanian wilderness world heritage area, one of australia ’ s largest conservation reserves and one of only two world heritage areas to be listed under seven different criteria. the southwest of tasmania is one of the last true wilderness regions of the world. but tasmania is a conservation hot spot in more ways than one. it has a history of bitter conflict over the use and preservation of its natural areas that is still very much alive. tasmania has been the scene of the most epic environmental battles in australia, which have shaped the national conservation movement. tasmania was the birthplace of the world


a history of bitter conflict over the use and preservation of its natural areas that is still very much alive. tasmania has been the scene of the most epic environmental battles in australia, which have shaped the national conservation movement. tasmania was the birthplace of the world ’ s first green political party and the greens are now part of a coalition state government. the state has the highest green vote in the nation. the program ’ s eight - day field trip in tasmania includes walks in spectacular glaciated scenery and magnificent forests, which include coniferous species of gondwanan origin, extensive rainforests, and the world ’ s tallest flowering plants. students meet forest protestors who are battling to save old growth forests from logging. they also examine the competition between nature conservation and tourism on the one hand and the use of the land and resources for wood, minerals, and energy production on the other. traveling by bus, the group visits key sites that illustrate these struggles and sustainable solutions. the excursion is led by dr. geoff mosley, former head of the australian conservation foundation. dr. mosley has been involved with the study and conservation of tasmania for over 50 years. aboriginal camping trip acquire traditional ecological knowledge in the quest for sustainability. students have a four - day camping trip at minyami, a large aboriginal - owned bush property bordering bundjalung national park in northern new south wales. the excursion is led by aboriginal guides who have long been associated with the sit program and who enthusiastically share their knowledge of traditional and contemporary aboriginal cultures. while at minyami students make traditional aboriginal artifacts, learn traditional hunting and gathering skills, experience aboriginal customs, and hear stories that contain lessons on how to care for and live in the environment. during this period, students also take short trips to culturally significant sites within bundjalung national park. the aboriginal studies component of the program gives students insights into an entirely different way of looking at the environment and resources. sydney and melbourne examine urban sustainability in two of the world ’ s great cities. on the week - long field trip to sydney and melbourne, students see examples of sustainability initiatives in urban settings. these include visiting urban farms, such as the centre for education and research in environmental strategies ; sustainable houses ( read about one remarkable example ) ; and green office buildings such as those in melbourne. during the spring semester, students attend melbourne ’ s sustainable living festival, which features lectures from many of the most prominent sustainability experts in australia, in addition to displays of sustainable technologies. with more than half of the world ’ s


aortic insufficiency is a heart valve disease in which the aortic valve does not close tightly. this leads to the backward flow of blood from the aorta ( the largest blood vessel ) into the left ventricle ( a chamber of the heart ). aortic valve prolapse ; aortic regurgitation causes, incidence, and risk factors aortic insufficiency can result from any condition that keeps the aortic valve from closing all the way. a small amount of blood comes back each time the heart beats. the condition causes widening ( dilation ) of the left lower chamber of the heart. larger amounts of blood leave the heart with each squeeze or contraction. this leads to a strong and forceful pulse ( bounding pulse ). over time, the heart becomes less able to pump blood to the body. in the past, rheumatic fever was the main cause of aortic insufficiency. now that antibiotics are used to treat rheumatic fever, other causes are more commonly seen. a chest x - ray may show swelling of the left lower heart chamber. lab tests cannot diagnose aortic insufficiency, but they may be used to rule out other disorders or causes. if there are no symptoms or if symptoms are mild, you may only need to get an echocardiogram from time to time and be monitored by a health care provider. if your blood pressure is high, then treatment with certain blood pressure medications may help slow the worsening of aortic regurgitation. ace inhibitor drugs and diuretics ( water pills ) may be prescribed for more moderate or severe symptoms. in the past, most patients with heart valve problems were given antibiotics before dental work or an invasive procedure, such as colonoscopy. the antibiotics were given to prevent an infection of the damaged heart. however, antibiotics are now used much less often before dental work and other procedures. you may need to limit activity that requires more work from your heart. talk to your health care provider. surgery to repair or replace the aortic valve corrects aortic insufficiency. the decision to have aortic valve replacement depends on your symptoms and the condition and function of your heart. you may also need surgery to repair the aorta if it is widened. aortic insufficiency is curable with surgical repair. this can completely relieve symptoms, unless severe heart failure is present or other complications develop. without treatment, patients with ang


also need surgery to repair the aorta if it is widened. aortic insufficiency is curable with surgical repair. this can completely relieve symptoms, unless severe heart failure is present or other complications develop. without treatment, patients with angina or congestive heart failure due to aortic insufficiency do poorly. blood pressure control is very important if you are at risk for aortic regurgitation. bonow ro, carabello ba, chatterjee k, de leon ac jr, faxon dp, freed md, et al ; 2006 writing committee members ; american college of cardiology / american heart association task force. 2008 focused update incorporated into the acc / aha 2006 guidelines for the management of patients with valvular heart disease : a report of the american college of cardiology / american heart association task force on practice guidelines ( writing committee to revise the 1998 guidelines for the management of patients with valvular heart disease ) : endorsed by the sosciety of cardiovascular anesthesiologists, society for cardiovascular angiography and interventions, and society of thoracic surgeons. circulation. 2008 ; 118 : e523 - e661. nishimura ra, carabello ba, faxon dp, et al. acc / aha 2008 guideline update on valvular heart disease : focused update on infective endocarditis : a report of the american college of cardiology / american heart association task force on practice guidelines endorced by the society of cardiovascular anesthesiologists. society for cardiovascular angiography and interventions, and society of thoracic surgeons. j am coll cardiol. 2008 ; 52 : 676 - 685. otto cm, bonow ro. valvular heart disease. in : bonow ro, mann dl, zipes dp, libby p, braunwald e, eds. braunwald ' s heart disease : a textbook of cardiovascular medicine. 9th ed. st. louis, mo : wb saunders ; 2011 : chap 66. david c. dugdale, iii, md, professor of medicine, division of general medicine, department of medicine, university of washington school of medicine ; and michael a. chen, md, phd, assistant professor of medicine, division of cardiology, harborview medical center, university of washington medical school, seattle, washington. also reviewed by david zieve, md, mha, medical director, a. d. a. m. health solutions


the faa rule affects canadians, too wednesday june 20th 2012 - by daryl macintosh upcoming faa requirements in may of 2010, the faa published the final rulemaking to adopt ads - b ( automatic dependent surveillance - broadcast ) technology as its primary aircraft tracking / locating system. effective jan. 1, 2020, aircraft operating in the majority of united states airspace must be equipped with ads - b out compliant equipment. use of ads – b out will move air traffic control from a primarily ground - based radar system to a satellite - derived aircraft location system. benefits to atc include improved accuracy, wider coverage, better reliability, reduced latency, increased capacity and controller access to more comprehensive aircraft data. the current radar surveillance system that atc has relied on for more than 50 years has now reached its capacity limits, leading to congestion and delays in some of the busiest u. s. airspace. ads - b in canada limited ads - b service was implemented in canada on jan. 15, 2009, bringing surveillance coverage for the first time to 850, 000 square kilometres of high level airspace ( fl290 to fl410 ) over hudson bay. about 35, 000 flights a year use this airspace on routes between north america and europe or asia. one of the most significant benefits ads - b offers for this airspace is reduced aircraft separation. with appropriately - equipped aircraft, controllers can use five - nautical - mile separation instead of the 80 - nautical - mile procedural separation required in non - radar airspace. atc can handle more aircraft in the same airspace at once and controllers can offer route flexibility and approve altitude - change requests more readily. nav canada expanded its ads - b coverage over northeastern canada by an additional 1. 9 million square kilometres in 2010, and recently added another 1. 3 million square kilometres over the north atlantic ( see p. 18 ). however, the upcoming united states ads - b requirements will affect many more canadian aircraft operators than will nav canada ’ s ads - b requirements. most of us don ’ t need to fly over hudson bay, but many of us do regularly fly within u. s. airspace. ads - b out defined automatic : each aircraft equipped with ads - b out will automatically and continuously transmit its precise position, its velocity ( vertically and horizontally ), as well as its altitude and other relevant information. the system is always on and requires no pilot action for activation. dependent : the overall system is dependent on each aircraft to transmit accurate data including identification ( icao 24 - bit id ), position, and velocity, together with specific integrity


other relevant information. the system is always on and requires no pilot action for activation. dependent : the overall system is dependent on each aircraft to transmit accurate data including identification ( icao 24 - bit id ), position, and velocity, together with specific integrity / accuracy quality information. surveillance : the system provides atc with surveillance capability similar to radar. broadcast : each aircraft will continuously broadcast the required data. the system does not require interrogation from atc or from another aircraft. out : although the overall ads - b system is designed to be bi - directional, only ads - b out data capability is becoming mandatory. ads - b in capability is a key design feature of the overall ads - b system, but the faa did not make this capability mandatory. many operators will, however, choose to install ads - b in because of the significantly improved situational awareness the available data will provide to flight crews. tis - b ( traffic information service - broadcast ) and fis - b ( flight information services - broadcast offering weather data, airspace information and other services ) are available as free uplinks to any aircraft that carries the correct receiving equipment. equipment - technology choices the ads – b out capability regulation requires operators to install equipment into each aircraft that will provide a data link to atc to be used for aircraft surveillance. operators must choose between two completely different types of equipment required under this rule : a 1090 mhz extended squitter ( es ) broadcast link or a universal access transceiver ( uat ) broadcast link operating on 978 mhz. in addition to the broadcast link, each aircraft must also be equipped with an approved gps to provide the required aircraft position source data. equipment choice # 1 - 1090 mhz es equipment certified for this option transmits on 1090 mhz, the same frequency as current transponders. some mode s transponders with es can be certified to meet the latest ads - b out requirements. the 1090 mhz es broadcast link is the internationally agreed - upon standard and is required for aircraft that fly into any other jurisdictions that utilize ads - b. the final faa rule requires aircraft flying at and above 18, 000 feet msl [ flight level ( fl ) 180, class a airspace ] to have ads – b out performance capabilities using the 1090 mhz es broadcast link. this rule also specifies that aircraft flying in designated airspace below 18, 000 feet msl may use either the 1090 mhz es or the uat broadcast link. there are two significant disadvantages to the 1090 mhz es system : ( 1 ) a separate


rule also specifies that aircraft flying in designated airspace below 18, 000 feet msl may use either the 1090 mhz es or the uat broadcast link. there are two significant disadvantages to the 1090 mhz es system : ( 1 ) a separate 1090 mhz receiver must be installed for ads - b in capability, as current mode s transponders do not have ads - b receiver capability ; and ( 2 ) the 1090 mhz es broadcast link does not support fis – b ( weather and related flight information ) due to bandwidth limitations. equipment choice # 2 – 978 mhz uat the 978 mhz uat broadcast link utilizes a bi - directional 978 mhz transceiver which supports ads – b in applications, including traffic information and fis - b data including weather, temporary flight restrictions ( tfrs ) and notices to airmen ( notams ). the 978 mhz uat is a proven and mature technology which has provided similar services in alaska since 2001. the uat may not be used for ads - b out on aircraft that fly above 18, 000 feet. the faa does encourage general aviation ( ga ) pilots whose aircraft always operate below 18, 000 feet to opt for the 978 uat, in order to minimize frequency congestion on 1090 mhz. combined equipment choice – 1090 mhz es out with 978 mhz in some operators will undoubtedly choose to install a combination solution utilizing 1090 mhz for ads - b out, to satisfy the regulatory requirement for flights above 18, 000 feet, and using a 978 mhz uat for ads - b in, to benefit from its enhanced data - in capability. best equipped – best served atc service has traditionally been based on a policy of “ first come, first served ” but the faa is now moving towards a new policy of “ best equipped, best served. ” the faa has explained that this policy change will help to reduce congestion and delays while simultaneously encouraging system users to equip their aircraft earlier than the regulation requires. by providing operational benefits to the early adopters, the faa hopes they will then have an incentive to accelerate and expand ads - b equipage to the rest of their fleets. ads - b is already providing services in south florida ; louisville, kentucky ; philadelphia and out over the gulf of mexico. the installation of ground stations to serve the rest of the united states is now well underway and is scheduled to be completed by 2013. the system ’ s 794 ground stations should be substantially operational by 2014. the faa expects most users will equip their aircraft during the five - year