finding suggests new therapy for genetic disorder la jolla, ca – a home movie of toddlers will show them wobble and weave, often to the amusement of adult viewers. but for babies born with the rare genetic disease ataxia - telangiectasia, commonly known as a - t, what may seem like normal and adorable lack of polish accelerates into a progressive and pervasive loss of muscle control and early death. by locating the source of neurodegeneration, a new salk study suggests a course of potential treatment, bringing hope to those afflicted by this currently incurable disease. " the exciting thing here is that there are therapies available that now make sense to try, " said brad margus, president of the a - t children ' s project, a patient advocacy group for patients with a - t. ataxia refers to the altered gait produced by the neurodegenerative effects of the disease ; telangiectasia refers to patches of dilated blood vessels commonly seen in patients ' skin. babies born with a - t appear perfectly normal and healthy for their first several years. as toddlers or young schoolchildren they show their first symptoms, typically by beginning to sway. " the seriousness of the condition is not immediately clear, " said salk assistant professor carrolee barlow, m. d., lead author of the study, which appears in the current issue of the proceedings of the national academy of sciences. " but by their teen years, most are in wheelchairs, and many lose control of their eye movements, so even reading or focusing on a game becomes difficult. " a - t patients are also prone to cancers, usually leukemias and lymphomas, and lack a robust immune system. before the age of 30, most succumb to either cancer or infection. with colleagues at the national institutes of health, barlow developed mice that lacked the gene atm, shown in 1995 to be the cause of a - t. the mice display symptoms closely paralleling the course of the human disease. " developing an animal model for the disease provided the breakthrough we needed to find the underlying defect, an inability to cope with oxidative damage, " said barlow. in the current study, barlow and collaborators examined brain cells from the cerebellums of these mice, the part of the brain known to be affected by a - t. " the cerebellum is the central control panel for all movements, " said barlow. " for instance, if


brain cells from the cerebellums of these mice, the part of the brain known to be affected by a - t. " the cerebellum is the central control panel for all movements, " said barlow. " for instance, if you hold your arm out to your side and decide to lift it over head, your cerebellum informs the rest of your brain and body about where your arm is and in which direction it should be moved. " in a - t patients, important cells in the cerebellum, called purkinje cells, slowly but steadily die off, causing the progressive loss of motor control. when barlow and colleagues looked at the purkinje cells in the atm - deficient mice, they found the likely killer. " the cells showed clear evidence of oxidative damage, " said barlow. " we all encounter oxidants, commonly called free radicals, in our day - to - day lives – they ' re byproducts of ordinary metabolism. most of us can contain or repair the insults these toxins inflict on our cells, but in people with a - t, the defense system appears to be impaired in these important brain cells. " oxidants are highly reactive compounds that wreak havoc with the sensitive chemical balance inside cells, creating " molecular debris. " inside the brain cells of atm - deficient mice, barlow and colleagues found telltale scars of oxidative assault. the results were somewhat unexpected, since the product of the atm gene is not an enzyme specialized to cope with oxidative stress. rather, it is a kinase, a type of protein that typically switches other proteins on and off. " so we think the atm protein most likely turns on defense system molecules, " said barlow. " when it ' s missing, oxidative damage builds up inside these brain cells, until key enzymes and other proteins no longer function and the cells die. this type of cumulative effect is seen in other neurodegenerative disorders and, in fact, one school of thought states that normal aging is due to an accumulation of oxidative damage. " she noted an intriguing similarity between the atm gene and a gene called age - 1, found in the tiny experimental worm caenorhabditis elegans. worms that manufacture extra age - 1 live much longer than their counterparts. " the worm findings underscore the central role of oxidative defense in maintaining life, " said barlow. " they also suggest that it may be possible to prolong life


worms that manufacture extra age - 1 live much longer than their counterparts. " the worm findings underscore the central role of oxidative defense in maintaining life, " said barlow. " they also suggest that it may be possible to prolong life by administering anti - oxidant medications. vitamin e is one anti - oxidant found in our diets, and there are other more potent drugs that could be tried to prolong the lives of people with a - t. " said margus : " dr. barlow ' s study is the first to present hard empirical evidence of what is actually causing brain cells to die in this disease. and that gives us a rationale for potential treatment. " the oxidative defense defect may also help to explain the high cancer rate seen in a - t patients, since damage to dna can result in the types of mutations that give rise to cancer cells. collaborators on the study include phyllis a. dennery at stanford university, mark k. shigenaga at the university of california, berkeley, mark a. smith at case western reserve university, jason d. morrow and l. jackson roberts ii at vanderbilt university, anthony wynshaw - boris at the university of california, san diego and rodney l. levine at the national heart, lung, and blood institute. the study, titled " loss of the ataxia - telangiectasia gene product causes oxidative damage in target organs " was supported by the national institutes of health, the burroughs wellcome fund, and the a - t children ' s project. barlow holds the frederick b. rentschler developmental chair. brad margus can be reached at ( 800 ) 543 - 5728. the a - t children ' s project can assist in arranging patient interviews : ( 561 ) 395 - 2621. the salk institute for biological studies, located in la jolla, calif., is an independent nonprofit institution dedicated to fundamental discoveries in the life sciences, the improvement of human health and conditions, and the training of future generations of researchers. the institute was founded in 1960 by jonas salk, m. d., with a gift of land from the city of san diego and the financial support of the march of dimes birth defects foundation.


books > atlases > rare book - city atlas by braun and hogenberg the most famous cities atlas : braun and hogenberg ' s magnificent collection of town map engravings braun & hogenberg, civitates orbis terrarium. part i, ii and iii in 1 vol. cologne, gottfried von kempen ( part i & ii ), 1575 and bertram buchholtz ( part iii ), 1593. latin text. with 3 engraved title - pages, 176 engraved plates, depicting 300 cities ( one plate with coat of arms ) : detailed perspective town plans and views, all beautiful coloured by contemporary hands. calf binding, restored, new spine ( original spine preserved ), covers gilt paneled with central arabesque motifs. the civitates orbis terrarum, published in cologne between 1572 and 1617, is the most famous of the early town atlases. the civitates was, like ortelius ' theatrum, one of the best - selling works in the last quarter of the 16th century. although it had no comparable predecessor, it immediately answered a great public demand because social, political and economic life at that time was concentrated in cities. apart from that, the pictorial style of the plans and views appealed very much to the uneducated public. for many cities, these are the first plans and views ever published. many of them include figures in the foreground showing local costumes or other regional details. the first volume was published in 1572. ultimately the publication would consist of six folio parts with a total of 363 plates of 543 town illustrations. since each part has its own title and there is no title for the entire set, the title of the first part, civitates orbis terrarum, is often used as a pars - pro - toto title. but even more often we see the series denoted by the names of the most important compilers - the " braun & hogenberg ". georg braun was the editor of this series, and frans hogenberg was the most important engraver. they relied mainly on existing maps, but also on drawings made by the antwerp artist joris hoefnagel ( 1542 - 1600 ), who had travelled through most of western europe. after joris hoefnagel ' s death his son jakob continued the work for the " civitates ". another important source for maps was the danish cartographer heinrich van rantzau ( rantzovius - 1526 - 1599 ), who provided maps of


the school ' s playground consists of play structures and tetherball, volleyball, basketball and wall ball courts. for safety and supervision, students should remain within their designated play areas. lunch court rules - stay in your seat until dismissed. - raise your hand for permission before leaving the lunch court area ( i. e., bathroom, classroom, etc. ). - no tossing or throwing food. - do not switch tables. - throw away all of your trash and stack your tray. - no talking and hand up when signal is on. - no kicking the balls on the playground. - no playing in or around bathroom areas. - no playing wall ball or bouncing balls against the buildings. - students must freeze and take a knee when bell rings. - place balls in ball cages ; do not throw them in. - do not run in unsafe areas ( i. e., lunch court, bathroom areas, etc. ). - no chasing, tag or dodgeball games. - be responsible for picking up after yourself ( i. e., equipment, etc. ). - playground balls must stay in the ball areas and away from the play structures. - no food, drinks or lunch bags on the playground. - no hanging on the ball or sitting on the rope. - make sure the ball - playing area is clear of other students before you start playing. - do not pull on the net or move the net up and down. - do not spike the ball over the net. - do not kick the volleyball. - do not run or fight over the volleyball. - limit team numbers to a safe size ( 8 - 10 per side ). - no jumping or hanging over the sides or the tops of slides. - move in one direction on the bars. - no standing on the bars. - keep feet on structure platforms. - no running on or around structures. - third - through fifth - graders only on the red structure ; no second - graders or younger. - no running or pushing. - feet first down the slides. - no running up the slides. students may only play on the structures during school hours ( e. g., recess, lunch play or p. e. ) for their safety, students may not play on the structures at any other time ( e. g., before or after school or at any event after school hours. ) - no hanging on the rim or net. - only half court games with safe numbers per team ( 8 - 10 ). - no physical contact with other players. -


putting the " fun " in fundraising raising money for your child ' s school can be a tricky process. but with the right tools, clear - cut goals, and a positive attitude, you can help lead the class to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow — even if you ' ve never organized a fundraiser before. so clear your calendar and get ready to be the chairperson of a successful, fun, money - making event! t - minus 3 - 6 months what ' s your objective? first, focus on the goal of your fundraising project. the most important question to ask is, of course, " why do we need to raise money? " once you know that, consider other specifics : - who can be involved to help raise money? ( parents, teachers, kids, the community? ) - what is the most appropriate way to raise money for this cause? - when is the money needed, and when can fundraiser be scheduled? - where can the fundraiser be held ( if applicable )? - how much money needs to be raised to make an impact? brainstorm for these basic " who, what, when, where, why, and how " questions, and see what other ideas, questions, and concerns arise from the session. all the answers you come up with will be crucial for setting a specific fundraising goal, and any questions that remain can be a collaborative effort once your committee is in place. being very specific now will help your fundraiser to run smoothly. so make sure your cause has a realistic goal and you can orchestrate an appropriate benefit for it. once you outline the details of your objective, you ' ll be one step closer to success. enlist a supporting cast recruit a small group of volunteers ( 3 or 4 other parents or teachers ) to help you. this group will brainstorm with you and you can delegate some part of the work, such as publicity or finances, to each member of the group. don ' t be afraid to ask for advice. seek out a parent who previously ran a successful fundraising effort and learn the tricks to getting it done right. determine the details all those questions you asked yourself before? it ' s time to decide on the answers! why? whether you ' ve decided on a school - wide effort that will donate earnings to charity, a sports - team attempt to make money for new equipment, or a classroom fundraiser for new textbooks, congratulations! you have a cause, and you ' re going to work hard for it. now brainstorm different strategies to earn the appropriate amount for


, a sports - team attempt to make money for new equipment, or a classroom fundraiser for new textbooks, congratulations! you have a cause, and you ' re going to work hard for it. now brainstorm different strategies to earn the appropriate amount for your goal ( see what? below ). who? think about potential resources available for your project. can the community contribute to the fundraiser, or will it be a smaller endeavor? how many volunteers can you recruit before it becomes a circus? what role will the children play? what? here ' s the fun part : deciding what kind of fundraiser you are going to have! here are some tried - and - true money - raisers ( but don ' t limit yourself to these — the more you think outside the box, the more attention you may get ) : bake sale. one of the simplest fundraisers to coordinate, bake sales benefit everyone. because the sale usually takes place in the cafeteria during lunch or after school, it doesn ' t disrupt class, which administrators and teachers always appreciate. students and faculty enjoy modestly priced, homemade snacks. and since the volunteers ( i. e., the bakers ) generally give their time, energy, and tasty treats from the goodness of their hearts, your fundraiser is inexpensive to produce. book drive / sale. organize a book drive where families can donate old titles their children have outgrown. once collected, hold a sale in the school gymnasium or auditorium for students. it ' s a great way for kids to buy books at low cost, and any unsold books can be donated to the less fortunate or given to the school library. catalog. there are many fundraising companies that can help you with big events. usually the goods are catalog orders, and kids go door - to - door selling products ranging from seasonal cookie tins to candles to toys. fundraisers such as these take research and cooperation, since you will be working with a third - party representative. before you agree to work with a company, ask : - can the company ' s program help you reach your financial goal? - how many years of experience does the company have? - will there be a written contract between the school and the company? - what ' s the quality of the products? - are products paid for in advance or upon delivery? - does the company understand and comply with your state sales tax laws? - will the company provide promotional assistance ( parent letters, posters, samples for display, etc. ), or does that fall to you? -


for in advance or upon delivery? - does the company understand and comply with your state sales tax laws? - will the company provide promotional assistance ( parent letters, posters, samples for display, etc. ), or does that fall to you? - what is the policy regarding damaged, unsold, or backordered products? - how are products shipped, and when? who pays? is there a prize for the top seller? candy grams. a halloween fundraising favorite, candy grams are fun for kids and relatively easy to pull off. there are two stages : first, the selling stage, where you and your volunteers set up a station at school. during lunch, students pay a small amount ( 50 cents to a dollar ) to order a small bag of candy with a written note for a friend or a teacher. after you collect orders for a week or two, you enter the delivery stage, where volunteers bring the candy grams to lucky recipients. carnations. who wouldn ' t want to receive a pretty carnation on valentine ' s day? carnations are accessible, low - cost flowers sent to friends or teachers with a valentine note attached ( though this fundraiser could work any time of the year ). carnation sales follow the same two - step process as candy grams. car wash. a longtime favorite of sports teams. the upsides to car washes are many : the kids have fun and are usually enthusiastic about the task ; it can take place after school ; and supplies are inexpensive. the potential downsides? finding a place to hold the event — and mother nature ' s cooperation! dance - a - thon. ask students to collect pledges for a good cause, and the rest of the fundraiser is a virtual party! organizing a dance - a - thon can be complicated and costly : coordinating music, finding a place to hold it ( school gym? youth center? ), scheduling ( at night? after school? on a weekend? ), getting chaperones, collecting pledges ( before or after the event? ), etc. but dance - a - thons are fun for kids, who get to boogie down for a good cause. - penny war. set up a friendly competition between grades or classes with a penny war. each " team " gets a huge jar as a piggy bank, and students try to win by dropping spare change into the banks. rules vary from school to school. but generally, teams earn points by adding pennies ( one point for each penny ) to their jars,


a huge jar as a piggy bank, and students try to win by dropping spare change into the banks. rules vary from school to school. but generally, teams earn points by adding pennies ( one point for each penny ) to their jars, and points can be deducted by putting other coins in " the enemy ' s " jar ( minus five points for a nickel, minus ten for a dime, and so forth for coin values ). best of all, whoever wins gets a pizza party. when? you ' ll need plenty of time to plan, but you may need to raise money by a certain date. also, make sure your fundraiser doesn ' t conflict with another big school event. check with at least two or three people in the administration ' s office before setting the dates : the principal, of course, your child ' s teacher, and at least one secretary in charge of managing the school ' s calendar. aim for a two - week run. that gives a week for your effort to build momentum, and a week for it to peak. after 14 days, you may find that interest has waned — and your volunteers have other commitments to attend to. where? of course, this will depend on what you ' re doing. if you are holding a car wash, research highly trafficked parking lots. for a dance - a - thon, you ' ll need to book the school gymnasium for the event and send volunteers door - to - door to collect pledges. use your imagination to envision the best location for your fundraiser. how? as in, how much money do you need to raise? determining your prices can make or break a fundraiser. so draw up a budget that includes what the costs are going to be ( renting space, buying supplies, advertising, any prizes, etc. ), how much you are going to charge ( donations, set prices, or pledges ), and how much you expect to make. t - minus 1 month : put everything in place approximately a month before the big event, you should have enough volunteers standing by. assign them specific tasks to help run and administer the fundraiser so you can be sure that nothing will conflict with their duties, short of an emergency. construct a master schedule of important dates for everyone to use as a reference. include the following : - promotions like press releases or newsletter articles - arrival dates for company promotional materials if you are doing a catalog fundraiser - deadlines for money to be turned in - p. a. announcements - committee meetings - delivery of


a reference. include the following : - promotions like press releases or newsletter articles - arrival dates for company promotional materials if you are doing a catalog fundraiser - deadlines for money to be turned in - p. a. announcements - committee meetings - delivery of products and / or prizes - volunteer commitments - announcement of results to all participants - wrap - up meeting to review the entire event - kick - off activities be sure to inform teachers so that they may incorporate fundraising efforts into their schedules as well. take time to meet with your committee to review the logistics. make a list of materials that you ' ll be responsible for and those that others — the school, the volunteers, or the fundraising company ( if you are using one ) — will supply. t - minus 2 weeks : promote, promote, promote! get the word out! give fliers to all classrooms so teachers can send them home to parents. include your fundraising goal in p. a. announcements and pta newsletters. hang posters around the school and post dates on the school bulletin boards. if the school has a web site, contact the webmaster so details about the fundraiser can be front and center on the page. take advantage of parents ' night, if one is scheduled during this time, and arrange a display with product samples from your project. word of mouth is also key, so make some phone calls to relevant members of the community. t - minus 1 week : psyche up the crowd within a week before the fundraiser begins, schedule a short but enlivening rally to kick off the event. ask the principal if this can be school - wide or, if not, go from classroom to classroom with your presentation. build enthusiasm towards meeting the goal, and explain what the kids can do to help. pass out more fliers for students to take home, and mention what the prize will be for the winner. prizes can be anything : a pizza party, a class trip to the roller skating rink, a gift certificate, a picture in the local newspaper, etc. just be sure to get the okay from the school administration beforehand! t - minus 1 day : countdown to kickoff you ' re almost there! in the 24 hours before the fundraiser begins, everything should be running so smoothly that all you need to do is make some phone calls. check in with volunteers, teachers, the principal, the company you elected to use, and your committee members. clear up any last - minute concerns they might have, and confirm that all the supplies and materials needed to make the fundraiser a hit are


. check in with volunteers, teachers, the principal, the company you elected to use, and your committee members. clear up any last - minute concerns they might have, and confirm that all the supplies and materials needed to make the fundraiser a hit are in the right hands. the big day and beyond : step back and support now you can watch with pride as your fundraiser reaches its goal — and then some! during the event, you ' ll need to : show support : roll up your sleeves and take an active part, whether that means helping sell brownies at a bake sale, taking a child door - to - door for catalog fundraisers, motivating volunteers, or announcing progress on the p. a. track progress : keep reminding your volunteers of important deadlines. make sure everything — order forms, tallies, pledges — are well - organized and have at least two copies of everything on file. and always be sure to give updates on how much is being raised! deliver the goods : make sure volunteers will be available to deliver products or prizes. have a trusted committee member help you with troubleshooting, such as dealing with missing pledges, orders, or paperwork. finally, announce your success everywhere you can : on bulletin boards, over the p. a., in newsletters, and on posters. - give credit : be sure to thank everyone involved in your fundraiser, from your committee to the volunteers. call one final meeting with your team to review the effort and take notes on what you might do differently next time. once you have all the information, submit a report to the principal in a brief meeting. if you used a catalog company, provide the representative with results, comments, and suggestions in order to build a working relationship. now exhale. and congratulate yourself on well - executed, successful fundraiser! recommended products for your child ages 6 - 7


* note : this is an abbreviated project idea, without notes to start your background research, a specific list of materials, or a procedure for how to do the experiment. you can identify abbreviated project ideas by the asterisk at the end of the title. if you want a project idea with full instructions, please pick one without an asterisk. make your own fertile soil using kitchen scraps, manure, leaves, grass clippings, and other compostable materials. which materials make the best compost? how does the amount of nitrogen change the rate at which the compost forms? how does traditional composting compare to worm composting, or vermiculture? how does the temperature of the compost pile change? the ask an expert forum is intended to be a place where students can go to find answers to science questions that they have been unable to find using other resources. if you have specific questions about your science fair project or science fair, our team of volunteer scientists can help. our experts won ' t do the work for you, but they will make suggestions, offer guidance, and help you troubleshoot. if you like this project, you might enjoy exploring these related careers : not all dirt is created equal. in fact, different types of soil can make a big difference in some very important areas of our society. a building constructed on sandy soil might collapse during an earthquake, and crops planted in soil that doesn ' t drain properly might become waterlogged and rot after a rainstorm. it is the job of a soil scientist to evaluate soil conditions and help farmers, builders, and environmentalists decide how best to take advantage of local soils. have you ever noticed that for people with asthma it can sometimes be especially hard to breathe in the middle of a busy city? one reason for this is the exhaust from vehicles. cars, buses, and motorcycles add pollution to our air, which affects our health. but can pollution impact more than our health? cutting down trees, or deforestation, can contribute to erosion, which carries off valuable topsoil. but can erosion alter more than the condition of the soil? how does an oil spill harm fish and aquatic plants? how does a population of animals interact with its environment? these are questions that environmental scientists study and try to find answers to. they conduct research or perform investigations to identify and eliminate the sources of pollution or hazards that damage either the environment or human and animal health. environmental scientists are the stewards of our environment and are committed to keeping it safe


dec. 1, 2009 bacteria are quite creative when infecting the human organism. they invade cells, migrate through the body, avoid an immune response and misuse processes of the host cell for their own purposes. to this end, every bacterium employs its own strategy. in collaboration with a british research group, structural biologists from the helmholtz centre for infection research in braunschweig, germany, and the university of bielefeld, germany, have now elucidated one mechanism of listeria bacteria. two so - called invasion proteins are crucial for infection. each binds a specific receptor on the surface of human cells, which stimulates the host cell to take up the pathogen. normally, these receptor molecules exert a different function, for example the regulation of cell growth and wound healing. the group ' s results have now been published in the current issue of the journal of molecular biology. spoiled meat is one of the sources for listeria infections leading to listeriosis. pregnant women, newborns and immune compromised people are susceptible for a severe progression of this disease. firstly, the pathogen breaches the intestinal barrier and thus enters the body. the key for further spreading is the invasion protein internalin b that is located on the bacterial surface. on human cells, internalin b activates a receptor molecule called " met, " thereby signaling the host cell to take up the pathogen. inside the cell, listeria uses the host cell ' s nutrients and is somehow sheltered from an immune response. until now, the researchers did not know how the bacterial invasion protein activates the human receptor. to solve this question, the structural biologists from the hzi first analysed the crystal structures of the single internalin b molecule and of its complex bound to human met. " in x - ray structural analysis we noticed that in protein crystals two internalin b molecules align characteristically, " says hartmut niemann, assistant professor at the university of bielefeld. professor dirk heinz, head of the structural biologists at the hzi, explains : " this gave rise to the idea of a dimer - - two congregated internalin b molecules - - playing a pivotal role in the activation of the met receptor. " minor changes in the internalin b molecule confirmed their hypothesis : inhibiting the congregation of two internalin b molecules prevented the activation of met. on the other hand, strengthening the interaction resulted in particularly strong receptor activation. these results may lead to the development of new protein drugs in the future. " met plays a


apr. 11, 2012 a newly published article in the journal nursing for women ' s health highlights the importance of a woman ' s ability to time her childbearing. the author asserts that contraception is a means of health promotion and women who work with their health care providers to ensure they are healthy prior to conceiving can minimize their risk of complications during pregnancy and childbirth. according to the centers for disease control and prevention ( cdc ) there were more than four million births in the u. s. in 2009. a study by kuklina et al. ( 2009 ) shows an increase in severe obstetric complications from 1998 - 1999 to 2004 - 2005, with renal failure increasing by 21 %, pulmonary embolism by 52 % and the need for blood transfusion by 92 %. moreover, maternal mortality has risen sharply in the past 20 years with a low of 6. 6 maternal deaths per 100, 000 live births in 1987, rising to 12. 7 in 2007. " there is a new urgency to ensuring that women have access to affordable contraceptive services given the rising rates of maternal morbidity and mortality in the u. s, " explains catherine ruhl, cnm, ms, director of women ' s health programs at the association of women ' s health, obstetric and neonatal nurses ( awhonn ) in washington, dc. " if women are able to choose when, and if, to become pregnant, they can protect themselves and their baby from pregnancy - related complications by ensuring they enter pregnancy in good health. " ruhl points out that contraception counseling and birth control methods should be considered prevention, which in turn promotes good health. in the u. s. health conditions such as obesity, diabetes and hypertension have increased in women, increasing the risk of pregnancy complications. federal data sources report that slightly less than half of women who gave birth in 2007 had a healthy pre - pregnancy weight. a certified nurse - midwife, ruhl suggests that women discuss their reproductive goals and contraception options with their health care providers. " women deserve to have a full understanding of the benefits of being in the best health possible prior to pregnancy, and have providers who will partner with them to achieve their goals, " she concludes. other social bookmarking and sharing tools : note : materials may be edited for content and length. for further information, please contact the source cited above. - catherine ruhl. contraception is health promotion. nursing for women ’ s health, 2012 doi : 10. 1111 /


july 13, 2012 an international team, led by institute of genetics and developmental biology, chinese academy of science, and bgi, the world ' s largest genomics organization, has completed the genomic sequence and analysis of salt cress ( thellungiella salsuginea ), a wild salt - tolerant plant. the salt cress genome serves as a useful tool for exploring mechanisms of adaptive evolution and sheds new lights on understanding the genetic characteristics underlying plant abiotic stress tolerance. the study was published online in pnas. salt cress is a typical halophyte with high resistance to cold, drought, oxidative stresses and salinity. due to its small plant size, short life cycle, copious seed production, small genome size, and an efficient transformation, salt cress could serve as an important genetic model system for botanist, geneticists, and breeders to better explore the genetic mechanisms of abiotic stress tolerance. in the study, researchers sequenced the genome of salt cress ( shandong ecotype ) using the paired - end solexa sequencing technology. the genomic data yielded a draft sequence of salt cress with about 134 - fold coverage. the final length of the assembled sequences amounted to about 233. 7 mb, covering about 90 % of the estimated size ( ~ 260 mb ). a total of 28, 457 protein - coding regions were predicted in the sequenced salt cress genome. researchers found that the average exon length of salt cress and a. thaliana genes was similar, whereas the average intron length of salt cress was about 30 % larger than that of a. thaliana. the evolutionary analysis indicated that salt cress and its close relative - arabidopsis thaliana - diverged from approximately 7 - 12million years ago. when tracing the differences between salt cress and a. thaliana, researchers found salt cress was characterized by a dramatically different lifestyle, a unique gene complement, significant differences in the expression of orthologs, and a larger genome size. noticeably, the salt cress genome showed a dramatically higher content of transposable elements ( tes ) than that of a. thaliana, which may be the reason for its enlarged genome size. in common with other higher plants, salt cress genome was consisted of abundance of long terminal repeat ( ltr ) retrotransposons. salt can have drastic effects on the growth and yield of agronomical crops. it is estimated that salinity render


higher plants, salt cress genome was consisted of abundance of long terminal repeat ( ltr ) retrotransposons. salt can have drastic effects on the growth and yield of agronomical crops. it is estimated that salinity renders about one - third of the world ' s irrigated land unsuitable for crop production. in this study, researchers identified many genes in salt cress that contribute to its success in high - salt environments, such as the genes related with cation transport, abscisic acid signaling, and wax production. junyi wang, director of science & technology, research & cooperation center, bgi, said, " salt cress provides an excellent model and opportunity for researchers to explore plant ' s mechanisms of abiotic stress tolerance. the completed genomic sequence of salt cress will boost the advancement of stress tolerance research as well as provide a valuable theoretic instruct and technical support for researchers worldwide to better face the challenges of the soil salinization in irrigation area, the development and utilization of shallow offshore waters and beaches, and food security. " other social bookmarking and sharing tools : - h. - j. wu, z. zhang, j. - y. wang, d. - h. oh, m. dassanayake, b. liu, q. huang, h. - x. sun, r. xia, y. wu, y. - n. wang, z. yang, y. liu, w. zhang, h. zhang, j. chu, c. yan, s. fang, j. zhang, y. wang, f. zhang, g. wang, s. y. lee, j. m. cheeseman, b. yang, b. li, j. min, l. yang, j. wang, c. chu, s. - y. chen, h. j. bohnert, j. - k. zhu, x. - j. wang, q. xie. insights into salt tolerance from the genome of thellungiella salsuginea. proceedings of the national academy of sciences, 2012 ; doi : 10. 1073 / pnas. 1209954109 note : if no author is given, the source is cited instead.


feb. 4, 2013 stanford university school of medicine investigators have identified a clutch of cells that - - if seen in a male patient ' s blood after receiving a brand - new immune system in the form of a bone - marrow transplant from a female donor - - herald the onset of chronic graft - versus - host disease, or cgvhd. in this devastating syndrome, the patient ' s tissues come under a vicious and enduring assault by the transplanted cells. " the overwhelming majority of patients who have these cells in their blood either have or will develop cgvhd within one to three months, " said david miklos, md, phd, assistant professor of medicine and senior author of the new study, which will be published online feb. 4 in proceedings of the national academy of sciences. until now there have been no good predictive indicators for the onset of cgvhd, he said. the discovery of this easily measured marker in the blood could help guide new therapies designed to mitigate or prevent cgvhd, the primary adverse outcome of transplantation of bone marrow from one person to another. bone marrow transplants are most commonly used to treat leukemia and lymphoma, conditions incurred when a blood or immune cell, respectively, becomes cancerous and proliferates. together, these diseases account for some 50, 000 to 75, 000 new cases annually in the united states. bone marrow transplantation involves first clearing a patient ' s body of his or her own immune cells and then transplanting bone marrow, the source of all blood - and immune - forming cells, from a tissue - matched donor. the new cells, which are free of cancer, repopulate the patient ' s bone marrow and eventually give rise to a functioning set of blood and immune cells, providing a lifelong cure. but in about half of such transplant procedures, patients ultimately develop cgvhd, miklos said. in the one - quarter of all these transplants that involve male recipients and female donors, the risk is even higher. that ' s an intentional tradeoff : while female - to - male bone - marrow transplants put the recipient at 40 percent higher risk of either acute or chronic gvhd than sex - matched transplants, they also reduce the male recipient ' s risk of a cancer relapse by 35 percent. cancer cells are, at heart, unstable and make all kinds of bizarre proteins, fragments of which they tend to display on their surface - - a red flag to the immune system.


recipient ' s risk of a cancer relapse by 35 percent. cancer cells are, at heart, unstable and make all kinds of bizarre proteins, fragments of which they tend to display on their surface - - a red flag to the immune system. the new immune system is therefore especially vigilant for cancerous cells that somehow survived the effort to destroy them, putting the patient at risk of a relapse. but the immune system attacks not only infectious bugs or cancerous cells but any cells that it perceives as " foreign, " including healthy cells bearing surface features the immune system hasn ' t become accustomed to over the course of its long - term exposure to the body ' s various tissues. so, the occupying army of immune cells from the donor all too often mounts a vicious, enduring, all - fronts attack on the recipient ' s healthy tissues. the standard treatment for cgvhd is to administer steroids, which can globally suppress the entire immune system. this therapy has its drawbacks : notably, a greatly increased vulnerability to infectious disease, weight gain, osteoporosis, muscle weakness and severe mood swings. plus, it doesn ' t always work or, often, becomes a lifelong requirement. the early warning indicator miklos ' team found is a particularly configured kind of b lymphocyte, one of many cell types that compose our immune system and are routinely infused in a bone marrow transplant. until recently, b cells have not been commonly suspected to induce cgvhd, because the job they ' re most well - known for is producing antibodies, an array of secreted proteins similar to arrows with designer tips. these arrowheads ' vastly varying shapes - - by some estimates, as many as a quadrillion ( the number one followed by 15 zeroes ) in a single person ' s immune system - - give antibodies a collective capacity to bind to virtually every other protein that may dot a foreign cell ' s surface. antibodies can grab onto an infecting pathogen, for example, immobilizing it and flagging it for an all - out assault and likely destruction by a heavyweight hit squad of aggressive immune cells. even when not engaged in antibody production, every b cell has surface receptors whose shapes closely resemble the " designer tips " of the antibodies the cell or its progeny will ultimately produce and secrete, should it become active. it was this shared feature that permitted the first - ever association of a set of b cells with the onset of cgvhd, miklos said


antibodies the cell or its progeny will ultimately produce and secrete, should it become active. it was this shared feature that permitted the first - ever association of a set of b cells with the onset of cgvhd, miklos said. essentially all human cells package their genetic materials as 23 chromosome pairs, each composed of one maternally derived and one paternally derived member. in 22 of those pairs, both members are closely similar. one pair, however - - the one that determines our sex - - consists of two chromosomes that, in a woman, are closely similar ( two copies of the x version ) but, in a man, are as different as a pair of unmatched socks ( denoted x and y ). virtually every cell in a man ' s body contains a y chromosome, and so all these cells display, on their surfaces, certain fragments of the proteins produced according to the instructions of that y chromosome. analyses of entire sequences of the human genome have predicted that nine of these proteins would differ from their x - chromosome - produced counterparts by 5 percent or more. six of these so - called " h - y proteins " have been found to trigger strong immune responses by a woman ' s immune system. one of them, known as dby, and especially a small fragment of this protein called dby - 2, generates a particularly robust response. in earlier studies, miklos and his colleagues observed a telltale sign of b - cell involvement in cgvhd among men who had received cells from female donors : the presence, in these patients ' blood, of antibodies directed at sections of h - y proteins, especially dby - 2. but while these antibodies were highly associated with the development of cgvhd, they didn ' t precede its onset - - they became noticeable soon after clinical symptoms first emerged - - so they couldn ' t be the cause of the syndrome. then perhaps the b cells that would produce and secrete these antibodies were, even before they started doing that, involved in some other way in inducing cgvhd. in the new study, the investigators found a way to conjugate a fluorescent dye to dby - 2 - targeting receptors on b - cell surfaces, tagging those cells so they could be detected by a technique called fluorescence - activated cell sorting, or facs. leonard herzenberg, phd, professor emeritus of genetics at stanford and a co - author of the new study, invented facs in 1972 and has been instrumental in its continued development


a technique called fluorescence - activated cell sorting, or facs. leonard herzenberg, phd, professor emeritus of genetics at stanford and a co - author of the new study, invented facs in 1972 and has been instrumental in its continued development since then. miklos and his associates looked at blood from 28 male patients at stanford hospital who, starting in 2005, had received transplants of bone marrow from female donors and had agreed in advance to let researchers periodically draw their blood and store the samples in a freezer at the stanford bone marrow transplant research repository. years later, the researchers examined the blood samples retrospectively. when they looked at samples drawn roughly six months after the transplant, they observed that 16 of the 28 had detectable levels of dby - 2 - targeting b cells, accounting for 0. 5 - 1. 0 percent of all the b cells. considering the trillions of different possible receptor varieties that, in theory, might be present in all, that ' s a huge percentage. moreover, of those 16 patients, medical records showed that 15 had ultimately developed cgvhd. six of them already had it by the time their blood was first drawn, so it ' s impossible to say whether the cells or the disease came first. the other nine didn ' t yet have cgvhd, but went on to develop it between a month and a year later. of those 12 whose blood did not show evidence of the presence of the dby - 2 - targeting b - cells, only five ultimately developed cgvhd. miklos said he thinks this kind of assay might be useful in carefully monitoring patients for early warnings of impending cgvhd and, if the signs are there, beginning aggressive pre - emptive treatment. miklos cautioned that larger, prospective studies are necessary to establish dby - 2 ' s utility. miklos and his associates have shown in other studies that an injectable drug called rituximab ( itself an antibody ) that attacks b cells while sparing other immune - cell types can reduce the incidence of cgvhd in female - to - male - transplant recipients. miklos has conducted four different clinical trials ( including one ongoing national cancer institute - funded study still enrolling patients ) using rituximab along with steroids to treat cgvhd. the study, whose first author is research scientist bita sahaf, phd, was funded by grants from the national institutes of health ( hl0843


web edition : december 13, 2012 print edition : december 29, 2012 ; vol. 182 # 13 ( p. 34 ) according to one popular notion, everyone has a twin somewhere. who knows, maybe the same is true for planets. maybe there ’ s even a doppelganger earth orbiting at just the right distance from a sunlike star to support life. in his latest book, science writer lemonick provides a behind - the - scenes look at the decades - long search for just such a planet. the endeavor, long considered a scientific backwater with little chance of success, is now one of the hottest fields in astronomy. like any nascent field of science, the search for exoplanets poses a challenge that has lured both established researchers and ambitious students. these pioneers aim to detect planets too distant to see directly, by discerning the subtle wobbles of stars being tugged back and forth by the planets, as well as slight dimmings that result when planets pass in front of their parent stars. in a fascinating chronicle of camaraderie and competition, lemonick profiles the prominent researchers in an astronomical discipline that is coming of age. he follows the twists and turns in their careers as well as the towering hurdles they faced and ultimately solved — including oft - denied funding requests and the equally daunting search for respect among scientific peers. at first, researchers could discern only exceptionally large planets closely orbiting small stars. but techniques used to detect exoplanets are becoming more and more sensitive, and scientists may be getting close to discovering a mirror earth — a find that might be revealed within months, not years, lemonick contends. — sid perkins walker & co., 2012, 294 p., $ 26


cyberattacks : a call for collaborative action we need to develop a collective consciousness for coping with the growing menace of cyber attacks, says stanton sloane. news of cyber security attacks is becoming all too familiar. recent reports propose how to combat sophisticated, custom - created malware designed to penetrate government and private industry computer networks, and steal national security secrets. this has raised overall awareness of the problem, but not as much attention has been placed on a key business concern : the theft of commercial intellectual property. we need to develop a collective consciousness for coping with the growing menace of cyber attacks, particularly given the economic and safety issues triggered when valuable intellectual property is the target. that ' s why advocating a public - private industry collaboration makes the most sense. the isolated efforts of individual nations, industry groups, or companies will be ineffective against 21st century intellectual property crime. this is a bigger problem. a few examples illustrate the point : - according to the office of the united states trade representative ( ustr ), intellectual property theft costs american corporations $ 250 billion every year. among those affected are manufacturers, distributors, retailers, employees, artists, consumers, and governments. - the costs of intellectual property theft are not solely economic ; the public ' s health and safety is also affected. for instance, intellectual property thieves can make huge profits from selling cheap counterfeit versions of products, not only where safety and reliability are essential, but also when brand recognition is key to consumer confidence and loyalty. one example : counterfeit airplane parts played a role in at least 166 u. s. - based accidents or mishaps during a recent 20 - year period. - united states customs and border protection estimates that 750, 000 american jobs have been lost due to counterfeiting. - the u. s. chamber of commerce global intellectual property center estimates that intellectual property in the united states is worth between $ 5 trillion and $ 5. 5 trillion. it accounts for approximately half of u. s. exports with roughly 40 percent driving u. s. economic growth. the impact of intellectual property theft on the u. s. economy is irrefutable. - research from the non - profit u. s. cyber consequences unit indicates that the destruction from a single wave of cyber attacks on critical infrastructure could exceed $ 700 billion, or the equivalent of 50 major hurricanes hitting u. s. soil at once. beyond the economic impacts, theft of intellectual property provides a significant advantage in learning curve for the thief. my hypothetical example would be the time involved in developing manufacturing techniques to produce


or the equivalent of 50 major hurricanes hitting u. s. soil at once. beyond the economic impacts, theft of intellectual property provides a significant advantage in learning curve for the thief. my hypothetical example would be the time involved in developing manufacturing techniques to produce advanced jet engine components. theft of the processes, techniques, and tools required to produce these components instantly provides the thief with years of experience, and quickly levels the competitive landscape. this is not a new problem. but when we move from the realm of music “ pirates ” or theft of soft drink formulations into organized, state - led thefts of critical technologies, the threat to national security increases exponentially, even though it is not a direct attack on our defense networks. there is no simple solution to this problem. the first step, however, must be recognition of the scale and scope of the problem. it is underestimated today. given the impact an average hacker can create with a simple virus, you can appreciate what a well - financed foreign government - sponsored intelligence organization can do to penetrate a commercial company ' s network and extract critical intellectual information. simple virus detection software is not an adequate defense against that type of threat. it is a complex system engineering problem, one which requires a collective government - industry collaboration to counter. there also needs to be consequences for nations that conduct these activities, or who fail to pursue and prosecute criminals operating within their borders. granted, that is a hard problem to solve in an age of globalization where international relations are very sensitive, but the alternative is an accelerating shift of technology and financial power out of this country. while current political rhetoric makes us feel good about increasing the country ' s investment in research and technology, it is pointless to do so if it is just going to be pirated by our foreign adversaries. we are simply saving them the time and money of doing it themselves. the time for action is now. a “ cyber pearl harbor ” is in reality an “ economic pearl harbor. ” the only difference is that the enemy has quietly opened all the underwater valves on the ships, instead of dropping torpedoes. dr. stanton sloane was appointed president and ceo of sra international in april 2007.


meeting the water quality challenges 49. the revised bathing water directive significantly increases the water quality standards which we need to meet. four new classifications are introduced - excellent, good, sufficient, and poor, based on concentrations of bacteria ( intestinal enterococci and escherichia coli ) found in the water. the good standard is broadly equivalent to the existing guideline standard. 50. member states are required to ensure that by 2015 all bathing waters are of at least sufficient standard, and that appropriate measures are taken to increase the numbers of bathing waters classified as excellent or good. classification is based on four years ' worth of data, which means that results from 2012 onwards will be used in the 2015 classification. 51. applying data from recent years against these criteria suggests that up to one - third of currently designated bathing waters in scotland might be classified as poor. this is not only dependent on the quality of the water, but also on whether or not appropriate management actions are taken. a number of samples can be discounted in each year - the revised directive allows up to 15 % of samples to be disregarded - provided that the pollution is short - term, the failure was predicted and that authorities advised bathers appropriately. most bathing waters which currently meet the guideline standards of the existing directive are expected to meet the criteria for classification as excellent under the new directive. 52. the area most at risk of having its bathing waters classified as poor is the south - west of scotland. whilst this can be partly ascribed to sewers in need of upgrading, a larger, and less tractable problem is that of diffuse pollution from agriculture. this is currently a particular problem in the south - west, where dairy farming is relatively intense. 53. the scottish executive intends to use measures and mechanisms which are either already in place or are currently being developed to tackle these problems. identifying risks to compliance 54. as a first step, and at an early stage in the process of implementing the new directive, sepa will be asked to identify risks to compliance at each bathing water. it is important to do this quickly, so that these risks can be included in the interim report of significant water management issues in each river basin district. this report is due to be published in 2007 as part of the river basin management planning process associated with the water framework directive. 55. this report will inform river basin management plans and the bathing water profiles required by the revised bathing water directive ( see section ' revised bathing water directive - meeting the public participation and information provision challenges ' ). point source pollution 56


water framework directive. 55. this report will inform river basin management plans and the bathing water profiles required by the revised bathing water directive ( see section ' revised bathing water directive - meeting the public participation and information provision challenges ' ). point source pollution 56. the water environment ( controlled activities ) ( scotland ) regulations 2005 ( car ) come into force on 1 april 2006, and will be the primary means by which activities that may influence water quality will be authorised. bathing waters are recognised as " protected areas " under the car regime, and therefore sepa will need to take risks to compliance into consideration when determining applications for authorisations of any point sources of pollution. diffuse pollution from agriculture 57. the scottish executive is currently consulting on measures to reduce diffuse pollution from agriculture. we are proposing that national general binding rules be introduced to ensure that all farmers adopt a basic level of good practice. these general binding rules will be mainly drawn from existing guidelines, and so should prove to be a light - touch form of regulation for those farmers who have already adopted this good practice. 58. where the national gbrs prove to be insufficiently effective at reducing diffuse pollution, then further targeted measures may be taken by requiring higher levels of authorisation under the car regime. in particular, we are also proposing that from 2008, targeted general binding rules ( gbrs ) will be applied in areas where there is a high risk of pollution. 59. however, measures to reduce diffuse pollution will not just be regulatory. the content of tier three of the executive ' s land management contracts scheme for farmers is due to be finalised in 2006. this should contain some measures to encourage farmers to invest in measures designed to reduce diffuse pollution. the results of the recent pilot projects will be valuable here. however, it is likely that the funds available for such schemes will be limited. 60. diffuse pollution from agriculture is also a cause for concern with regards to compliance with other directives, such as the water framework directive and the nitrates directive. farmers will continue to be encouraged to adopt good practice, as outlined in documents such as the four point plan, the farm soils plan and the pepfaa code ( http : / / www. scotland. gov. uk / topics / agriculture / environment / pepfaa / intro ). 61. further evaluation of the various farm pilot projects is ongoing. this will provide data on the extent to which measures tested in these projects are effective. 62. the biogas and composting project has also modelled various scenarios for using this technology, including farm


further evaluation of the various farm pilot projects is ongoing. this will provide data on the extent to which measures tested in these projects are effective. 62. the biogas and composting project has also modelled various scenarios for using this technology, including farm based plants and community based plants in both a traditional grazing scenario and a zero grazing scenario. early indications are that adopting a zero grazing approach might provide the necessary economic conditions to make the biogas plants viable. careful consideration of the conclusions of the research will be necessary. scottish water investment 63. in february 2005, scottish ministers announced the objectives they wish scottish water to meet in the next investment programme, quality and standards 3. this programme will run from 2006 to 2014 and will continue the work of modernising and improving the water and sewerage services in scotland. these objectives include improvements to some 64 km of bathing waters to meet the microbiological standards of the bathing water directive 76 / 160 / ec. the ministers ' statement can be found on the executive ' s website at http : / / www. scotland. gov. uk / topics / environment / water / 17583 / investment. 64. the requirements of the revised directive were not agreed at the time of planning the q & s 3 investment programme. with the new requirements in mind, it is likely that the scottish executive, sepa and scottish water will need to consider the implications for the water industry. once this has been done, it will then be possible to determine if any changes need to be made to ministers ' objectives for the second part of the q & s 3 programme post - 2010. bathing water quality sampling 65. the revised directive permits a certain amount of flexibility in sampling. a sample must be taken no later than four days after the date specified in the monitoring calendar. many of scotland ' s bathing waters are at the highest risk of pollution during and immediately following periods of rainfall. this flexibility allows sampling times to be delayed during such periods, when it is most unlikely that anyone will be bathing. it also means that sampling reflects the quality of the water actually enjoyed by bathers. it is the intention of the scottish executive that this flexibility should be used where necessary. however, this will present resourcing challenges for sepa, as previous sampling has used a fixed timetable of visits to bathing waters. sepa are undertaking a trial of flexible sampling in 2006, to better understand the issues that may result from introducing these changes. 66. it is required that following the classification of a bathing water as poor, the causes of the failure to achieve


waters. sepa are undertaking a trial of flexible sampling in 2006, to better understand the issues that may result from introducing these changes. 66. it is required that following the classification of a bathing water as poor, the causes of the failure to achieve sufficient status shall be identified and addressed. to this end, following any such classification, sepa shall be asked to investigate the causes, and to devise and implement an improvement plan. it is anticipated that this will be done within the measures described in the relevant sub - basin management plan. 67. whilst the criteria relating to the classification of bathing waters are bacteriological, other parameters must also be considered in the management of the bathing water. amongst these considerations is the presence of litter pollution. this, of course, refers to its presence in the water itself. however, it would be naive to ignore the direct relationship between a bathing water and the associated beach. 68. responsibility for controlling litter on beaches is, in most cases, the responsibility of local authorities. it is important to recognise that these local authorities are legally required - and indeed are funded - to carry out this task, and that any other scheme which may come into being should not replace this obligation. 69. nevertheless, it is equally important to recognise the important role which the local community has to play in this regard. this role can be positive - taking ownership of and responsibility for their local environment - or it can at times be destructive - contributing to pollution of the bathing water and its environs. 70. the scottish executive will explore the possibility of devising a scheme to encourage the involvement of local community groups by providing modest levels of funding in exchange for undertaking activities designed to improve the environment surrounding their local bathing water, including reducing levels of litter. 71. in considering such a scheme, the scottish executive will look to the experiences of schemes currently in existence, such as the coastcare programmes in wales and australia, the green coast initiative in wales, the marine conservation society ' s adopt - a - beach scheme, the atlantic beach guardian programme in canada, and others from around the world.


six new characters foster global citizenship from a floating island panwapa helps children gain empathy for others while encouraging a broader international perspective. when new york city mayor michael bloomberg announced that october 10, 2007 was officially " panwapa day " in new york city, it was one of many such celebrations around the world. political leaders also celebrated in mexico city, hong kong, tokyo, and london, marking the launch of a multimedia project designed to foster global citizenship to today ' s four - to seven - year - olds, while encouraging community participation. answering the need for a child - oriented global awareness curriculum the road to these celebrations began in london, where sesame workshop and the merrill lynch foundation together hatched a plan to bring a global awareness curriculum to kids. they did so knowing that there was very little media available to children that would help them make sense of our ever - changing world. for example, there was no curriculum available that would teach children about the economic disparity between countries and people. sesame workshop was eager to play a role in developing a safe virtual environment where children could strike out on adventures, meet new people, and learn about different countries. sesame workshop producer emily reardon was one panwapa team member who saw what the workshop could bring to the table. " it seemed citizenship was not addressed in children ' s media and sesame workshop was in a position to start talking about [ the issue ] in a playful but researched way, " reardon says. the workshop had an enthusiastic partner in the merrill lynch foundation, which had just established its global ambassadors program to engage teens in global issues and teach them diplomacy ; panwapa is a way for the foundation to expand this sensibility to younger children. the advisory panel established five educational goals for panwapa, following the major points that educators have identified as central to global citizenship : - increase children ' s awareness of the wider world around them - encourage children to appreciate similarities and value differences between themselves and others - instill a sense of responsibility for one ' s own actions - encourage active community participation - increase understanding of and response to economic disparity at its core, panwapa is a multimedia initiative that harnesses the efforts of international educators and media producers to help children gain the perspectives and competencies that form the basis of becoming global citizens. the panwapa experience when a child visits panwapa. com, she is transported to panwapa island, a floating island that travels the world ' s oceans. on panwapa island, children and their caregivers enter


citizens. the panwapa experience when a child visits panwapa. com, she is transported to panwapa island, a floating island that travels the world ' s oceans. on panwapa island, children and their caregivers enter the virtual panwapa community and meet new panwapa muppet friends, including athena the owl and azibo the monster. children can then " travel " safely around the world and visit with panwapa kids from other countries. they can also watch interactive movies, learn words in other languages, and go on international treasure hunts to collect themed trading cards. when a child visits panwapa. com, she can also design her own panwapa kid, an avatar that will represent her throughout her journeys on the site. she can choose from an array of body colors, eyes, mouths, hairstyles, shoes, and outfits ; instructions on the site encourage children to experiment with different combinations. a child ' s avatar might look and dress similar to the actual child, or it might look like someone from another culture, or even like an astronaut or a dragon. after the child creates a panwapa kid, it ' s time to build a panwapa home. the child can choose the shape, building materials, and surrounding landscape for his home. when the home is built, the child is ready to go out and visit other panwapa kids at their homes. as the child explores panwapa world, she will encounter " information booths " in some countries that feature fascinating cultural and geographical highlights about those places. developing a site from a global perspective when developing the project, the panwapa team put a high value on making sure every child would feel represented. panwapa executive director brett pierce recalls, " the challenge of creating this site is creating it from a global perspective. we had a strong sense that we were creating something new. there ' s nothing like this in other languages. " pierce says that the breakthrough idea was the floating island. in order for the project to be global, panwapa island could not be rooted in one place, associated with one particular region. as a floating body, panwapa is free to visit different climates, meet different people and animals, and hear different languages. content was developed in five languages simultaneously : english, spanish, chinese, japanese, and arabic, and producers considered every detail of the project from multiple points of view. the project also includes a dvd with original panwapa island adventures, and print materials including a


developed in five languages simultaneously : english, spanish, chinese, japanese, and arabic, and producers considered every detail of the project from multiple points of view. the project also includes a dvd with original panwapa island adventures, and print materials including a caregiver guide, which is offered in the project ' s five languages. these diverse print materials aim to inspire children to make an active change in their neighborhood. the unique curriculum is already a success with teachers, and pierce notes that due to teachers ' overwhelming response, sesame workshop developed a full set of curriculum materials to help teachers bring panwapa ' s lessons into the classroom. " we weren ' t going to develop any formal set of lesson plans, " says pierce, " it was the teachers who said, " i was looking for this! " pierce, reardon, and the rest of the panwapa team are excited to take the floating island further into the unknown, and to increase its social networking and gaming activities. with more and more panwapa kids joining the site each day, pierce already considers panwapa a success. " watching six brand new characters come to life in a vibrant setting who are playfully working through these issues with a global resonance, and then empowering the child to do the same online … this was a dream project, " he says. panwapa is available as a free download on itunes and as a free video on demand ( vod ) via pbs kids sprout. merrill lynch foundation, boeing global corporate citizenship, the annenberg foundation


einstein quickly settled into his new american life in princeton, new jersey. his appointment at princeton ' s institute for advanced study could have afforded him the total solitude he always said he needed to think clearly through the great problems of physics. but einstein refused to retreat entirely from the great problems of the moment for mankind. he continued to speak out against nazi aggression and anti - semitism in europe and offered his support to the zionist project of building a jewish state in israel ( though he called for a policy of moderation and reconciliation when it came to the growing jewish conflict with the palestinian arabs who also inhabited the ancient holy land ). most of all, einstein advocated a pacifistic vision of a world dominated by peaceful internationalist institutions rather than warlike nationalistic states. by the late 1930s, however, it had become clear — even to the pacifist einstein — that peaceful international institutions had no hope of stopping the growing evil of adolf hitler ' s nazi germany. in the meantime, scientists — many of them german scientists — had made great progress in exploring the research path laid out by e = mc2. they had achieved nuclear fission — the chain - reaction splitting of atoms — in laboratory tests and recognized the real - world potential for tiny masses of radioactive material to release massive amounts of energy. the wartime application of fission was the atomic bomb, a fearsome weapon that german scientists, by the late 1930s, understood was not only theoretically possible but perhaps technologically feasible to construct. dozens of emigre scientists — many of them, like einstein, jewish refugees from hitler — arrived in america in the 1930s and ' 40s fearing that nazi researchers could help the fuhrer conquer the globe by developing the world ' s first atomic super - weapon. in 1939, one of those refugee scientists, hungarian physicist leo szilard, tried to convince president franklin d. roosevelt to address the threat of german nuclear weapons by launching the americans ' own atomic bomb program. but szilard, who at the time didn ' t have much stature outside the scientific community, couldn ' t get roosevelt to take him seriously. so he turned to his friend albert einstein, the world ' s most famous scientist. einstein, the pacifist, signed his name to a letter urging the president to support american research into " extremely powerful bombs of a new type " that might be built using fissionable uranium. roosevelt, awakened by einstein ' s letter to the coming reality of atomic warfare, secretly authorized the manhattan project, a huge ( and hugely expensive ) crash program of nuclear research that produced


of a new type " that might be built using fissionable uranium. roosevelt, awakened by einstein ' s letter to the coming reality of atomic warfare, secretly authorized the manhattan project, a huge ( and hugely expensive ) crash program of nuclear research that produced, in 1945, the world ' s first atomic bombs. ( ironically, we now know that the germans abandoned their own atomic program at just about the same time fdr, fearing german superiority in the field, launched the manhattan project. and the first working atomic bombs only became available for use in the summer of 1945, after the germans had surrendered and world war ii in europe was over ; a weapon built to stop hitler thus ended up being dropped on the japanese instead. ) though einstein did not participate in the manhattan project itself — the government judged him a poor security risk for top - secret research — his letter to roosevelt proved to be the crucial turning point in the weaponization of e = mc2. thus albert einstein, lifelong pacifist, might fairly be described as the father of the atomic bomb. einstein himself recognized the irony, viewing his own role in ushering in the atomic age with a mixture of regret and resignation. in 1954, the last year of his life, he admitted to an old friend, " i made one great mistake in my life — when i signed the letter to president roosevelt recommending that atom bombs be made ; but there was some justification — the danger that the germans would make them. " 6


tackling foot problems ` the article opens : ’ did you know how your feet play an important role to be “ active ” through out the day? due to busy schedule, we tend to ignore problems in feet. most of the time, our feet are mushrooms, stuck in dark, most people making them susceptible to all bacteria, fungi or irritation. have you ever wondered how rigid bony foot disables you to wear shoes. burning pain in the toes may also be in the ball of the foot. what are problems faced by the people? how effectively these problems can be solved. can we take due precaution to avoid the probability of getting our feet damaged. article goes on to describe about various infections that affect our feet, thus we may be coerced to be “ inactive ”. acute problems like, heel spurs, warts, corns and calluses, athlete ’ s foot are some of the major problems, which can cause trouble to us. selecting right type of shoes can help to prevent cracks in the feet. some of the exercises that can help to improve the functioning of feet are : while seated, ( 1 ) rise onto the balls of your feet ( 2 ) go up on to your toes ( 3 ) curl your toes under / hold each position for 5 seconds. repeat three times every day. good for people with hammertoes, toe cramp and arch pain. taking care of the feet is of utmost importance. if we ignore in the early stage, the problem may aggravate. it ’ s possible that it may require operation. why don ’ t we pay due attention to our feet, as an integral part of the body? often people may go in for self medication for minor problems. however, consulting a doctor well in time can help to prevent fungal infections in feet. word count : 300 phone : 00 91 22 93242 99938 h1 / 001, asavari, vasant vihar po, lokpuram, thane ( west ) pin : 400 610, india


ibm ’ s watson : interfacing with god ibm ’ s watson is like nothing we have ever seen before. while humans use neuronal memory banks to access information stored in the brain, watson has the ability to use the internet and internal data as its extended mind. when asked a question, it creates a statistical average based upon the information gathered, and gives a confident probabilistic answer. yes, i said confident. let me give you an example to explain my meaning. if an individual earns a phd in medical school, they become confident in their ability to diagnose disease, based on the information they gathered. watson is the same. to date, it can process 500 gigabytes ( approximately 1 million books ) per second. when it gives a reply to an inquiry, the response is based upon a confident probabilistic answer. in other words, like a human, it gives the answer it is most sure of. and currently, watson is providing such hypotheses everyday. the supercomputer has been attending medical school since november of last year, and ibm predicts that it will graduate far quicker than its peers. could it potentially take on the algorithmic persona of the fictional house m. d., without the downfall of addiction? time will only tell, but there is already evidence that could potentially give us a glimpse into that reality. the voice in my head, and every thought that i have, is created from ( and limited to ) the sum of all the connections in my brain. this creates what i like to call my ‘ neuronal persona ’, known to the outside world as kevin. similarly, watson has the ability to interface and interact with all information stored and connected in servers around the world. from this accumulation of data, watson creates a persona with a different method, a little something i have dubbed an ‘ algorithmic persona ’. thus, could watson obtain the ability to articulate the sum of all human understanding? well, let ’ s take a look at that. interfacing will invoke algorithmic persones in the digital extended mind. the best way to describe this is to use a hypothetical future, in which we will most likely have total immersion virtual realities. watson, by that point, will be accessible to every human on the planet, and will have the ability to channel different algorithmic persones based on the inquiry. for instance, if i wanted to attend the school of athens and discuss science with plato, watson would present itself and interact with


accessible to every human on the planet, and will have the ability to channel different algorithmic persones based on the inquiry. for instance, if i wanted to attend the school of athens and discuss science with plato, watson would present itself and interact with me based on every existing record of the famous philosopher. this brings us to wonder : what questions could be answered with the archives of all human knowledge? the word became flesh. in the beginning was the word, and the word was with god, and the word was god. - john 1 : 1 as i am writing this, i am uploading to the extended mind, and in essence, i ’ m adding to the digital memory cloud of the inevitable algorithmic persones. in this knowledge, i find myself curious to know how the words i am currently typing will be used in the statistical reasoning of watson. if a person were to query ‘ is watson god? ’, then watson would give an answer based on the understanding of ‘ god ’ in the collective mind of humans. would it answer ‘ yes ’? and if so, could a person debate otherwise? using cleverbot. com, a popular online algorithmic persona, i asked that very question. pictured below was the conversation that took place. this is quite an intriguing and speculative question, but for now we can consider the depth of meaning behind it. in a potential future, watson ’ s digital bible might read something like this : the word became digital. in the beginning there was code, and the code was with god, and the code was god. can the collective human understandings of god manifest through algorithmic personas? is humanity prepared to interface with god? and if so, what questions will we ask? kevin russell @ technooptimist playlist of all things watson ( updated regularly, so check back often ) :


written by : emilio d ’ alise ( sosf staff journalist ) perhaps not all are aware 2009 has been designated the international year of astronomy. what does this mean? it means the public will be targeted by a world - wide effort to raise awareness of what ’ s revolving above our heads. more precisely, we revolve under it, and i can say it these days without fearing a visit from the inquisitors. yep, it ’ s the 400th anniversary of galileo incurring their wrath. galileo saw something and wanted to make others aware of it, and now, 400 years later, the aim is not just to raise awareness, but to elicit participation by people young and old, from varied backgrounds, and in far and near places around the world. the hub for this effort is the international year of astronomy website. this is a deceptively simple and unassuming site that opens up to a wide variety of groups, associations, universities, and international groups all wanting to make observing the universe a better understood, and enjoyed, activity. sure, people can go to the site on their own, but i figure making a few suggestions, and providing the more interesting links here, may spur more people to make the virtual journey. it was difficult to sort through everything and choose a manageable number of things to write about ; what interests me varies with the mood i ’ m in, the time of day, the time of year, and the last meal i ate. i resolved the issue by writing about the links i find myself revisiting. the order of the following is not an indication of ranking, or of my preference ; it ’ s just the order they appear on the international year of astronomy website. 100 hours of astronomy this is a worldwide event whose key goals is having as many people as possible look through a telescope as galileo did 400 years ago. it consists of a number of public outreach activities scheduled for april 2nd through april 5th. the closest event near me is at the colorado national monument ( near grand junction, co ). given some cooperation by the weather, i plan to attend. i mention the weather because the months of april and may are likely candidates for major snow events around these parts. the observation itself is scheduled during favorable viewing conditions ( i. e. the moon is not too bright ), but while we can predict what the moon will do, weather is not so easily predicted, especially here in colorado. this ambitious project aims to give ten million people their first look through an astronomical telescope.


e. the moon is not too bright ), but while we can predict what the moon will do, weather is not so easily predicted, especially here in colorado. this ambitious project aims to give ten million people their first look through an astronomical telescope. the plan is to do so by providing high - quality, low - cost ( around $ 10 ) telescope kits. the telescopes will be provided in kit form as this will get the recipient involved in the understanding of the construction, and in having some investment in the tool they will use. i like this idea a lot, and plan to get some for my nephews. the only thing i am unsure about is the design of the telescope would have people see an inverted image, and while this is not necessarily a big deal when observing stars, it takes some getting used to when tracking an object like a planet or the moon. i do understand that will keep the cost down, and it is part of the learning process, but still, i ’ m hoping it will not turn some people off from learning to use it. dark skies awareness this project ties in nicely with the energy concern we read about in the news. the project aims to make people aware of the “ adverse impact of excess artificial lighting on local environments ”. i moved to colorado four years ago. i lived in a detroit suburb, and although i have lived here in colorado four years now, i still stop and stare when i walk outside on a clear night, or head to work in the early hours. it ’ s hard to convey the view by just saying “ you see the stars ” ; a more accurate phrase is “ you experience the stars ”. i can walk out onto my deck before going to bed and stare at the big dipper which seems to be hanging just out of arm ’ s reach. satellites are crossing the sky, and as your eyes adjust the gazillion light sources separate into groups of individual points of light. grab a pair of binoculars, and you get lost looking at stars whose light traveled billion of years to strike the receptors in your eyes. i don ’ t live in a truly dark area ; the glow of colorado springs is to the south of me, and to the north denver spills its glow over the horizon toward me. still, the sky above is dark enough to offer a spectacular sight... unless one of my neighbors left their outdoor lights on. the point is that in 30 years of living in michigan i was deprived of the opportunity to see the universe above me for all but a few


is dark enough to offer a spectacular sight... unless one of my neighbors left their outdoor lights on. the point is that in 30 years of living in michigan i was deprived of the opportunity to see the universe above me for all but a few nights i spent in the upper peninsula, or at some vacation place. it would be nice if more people realized what they are missing, and actively worked to limit light pollution. it saves energy, and provides cheap entertainment in the form of mesmerizing displays of twinkling stars. from earth to the universe those of us fascinated with the beauty hidden in the dark skies above will periodically seek out images captured by orbital and earth - bound telescopes. some of these photographs are truly stunning. the photographs deemed the most stunning are scheduled to travel around the world in exhibits held in public places ; public parks, airports, malls, and anywhere diverse people can be exposed to the beauty of near and deep sky objects. there are a number of us and international events already planned, and more are in the process of being scheduled. ( note : if the reader wants some hands - on involvement, there is a project called galaxy zoo that might be of interest. in short, it aims to classify a large database of galaxies based on shape. this is done by people who sign up and essentially look at pictures of various galaxies and classify them according to a given criteria. you could be the first to ever look at a particular picture, and discover something new... or rather, very old. ) the world at night i am an amateur photographer, and this effort has spurned my interest in expanding ( shameless plug ) my photography into the realm of nighttime photography. the world at night galleries aim to showcase landmarks and symbols of various nations against the backdrop of the night sky. perhaps viewing photographs from locales we are used to associate with the nightly news will remind us our politics, grudges, and differences are insignificant when put against the backdrop of the vastness of the visible sky. it may seem a hopeless cause, but every person who is moved to look beyond the pettiness of a world lost to misguided self - importance, that person is a prophet for improving the human condition. not everyone can afford the time, expense, and effort of telescope observation, but nearly everyone can be made aware they need only raise their eyes a little bit to discover where our hope for the future lies. for surely if we continue looking down, the dirt we gaze upon will forever keep its hold on us. the


coral reef scientist slams brumby over ' reckless vandalism ' one of the world ' s leading coral reef scientists has slammed the brumby government ' s proposal to export victoria ' s brown coal to india as " reckless vandalism ". john " charlie " veron, who discovered a quarter of the world ' s identified coral species, said any move to export the state ' s vast reserves of brown coal would only further endanger the great barrier reef. " it ' s reckless vandalism. brown coal would have to be the dirtiest, nastiest form of energy there is. it is absolutely essential that it remains in the ground. that is obvious, " he told the age. the sunday age revealed in september that energy minister peter batchelor had championed in a cabinet committee a 40 - year proposal to export 12 million tonnes of brown coal to india. mr brumby has said that, given environmental approval processes, there is no reason why victoria should not export its coal. " australia exports oil, australia exports gas, australia exports black coal and australia exports uranium, " he said. " so why you would single out brown coal and say you can ' t export that? " but dr veron, the townsville - based author of the three - volume corals of the world, said that avoiding every tonne of carbon dioxide was now crucial to save the world ' s reefs. moreover, he said science had now shown that corals will struggle to survive with the carbon dioxide levels already in the atmosphere. high levels of carbon dioxide - the world is currently at 378 parts per million of carbon dioxide - have two impacts on corals. as the globe warms, so too does the sea, which sparks coral bleaching. but scientists now understand that the bigger problem is ocean acidification, when the chemistry of the ocean changes because of the large amounts of carbon dioxide they absorb from the atmosphere. these changes reduce the ability of reefs to form and regrow after bleaching events. mr veron, who recently gave a talk on climate change and corals at the royal society introduced by sir david attenborough, said the current targets the world ' s politicians are talking about - 450 and 500 parts per million - would leave only " a very small band of ocean left in which corals can live ". " they will struggle just to exist, let alone build reefs, " said dr veron, who has clocked 7000 hours of diving research on coral reefs. brown coal, which


international organizations in south africa the year 1994 marked a watershed in south africa ' s international relations, as it was welcomed into regional and international organizations, such as the un, the organization of african unity ( oau ), the nonaligned movement, and many others. the un already had played an important role in south africa ' s transition to democracy beginning in august 1992, when united nations security council resolution 772 authorized the united nations observer mission in south africa ( unomsa ) to help quell political violence. unomsa deployed thirty members in november of that year, and increased the number to 1, 800 to oversee the april 1994 elections. president mandela addressed the oau summit in tunis in june 1994, when south africa assumed its seat in that organization for the first time. he emphasized his support for other african leaders and south africa ' s solidarity with african interests. also in june 1994, south africa rejoined the british commonwealth of nations, which included fifty - one former british colonies. this action followed a thirty - three - year absence that had begun when south africa declared itself a republic in 1961. south africa became the eleventh member of the southern african development community ( sadc ) on august 29, 1994, when deputy president thabo mbeki attended a sadc meeting at the organization ' s headquarters in gaborone, botswana. sadc ' s predecessor, the southern african development coordination conference ( sadcc ), had been established in 1979 to attempt to reduce regional economic dependence on south africa. on september 21, 1994, south africa became the twenty - fourth member of the south atlantic peace and cooperation zone and attended that organization ' s meeting in brasilia. last updated on monday 4th august 2008


origin and physics of the sentient universe within the whole of reality, within the vast domains of philosophy and science, can there be anything more vital and important than finding the answers to the meaning of life? is there any intrinsic relationship between the existence of mind and the universe itself? scientists have come up with very convincing theories, backed by calculations, that describe the origin of the universe ; unfortunately, mankind as a whole seems to come out of these theories as some sort of accident, rather than with any kind of intent. alan guth at mit states : “ we have no cosmic purpose, we should find meaning within our lives, and be content with that, ” he tells us. on the other hand, it is very likely that mind was present at the formation of the universe, and more important, the reason for the existence of the universe itself. the explanation rests within philosophy and scientific theory ; philosophy describes the metaphysical reality, and science describes its physical structure, although they often don ’ t seem to have anything in common, as yet. since mind plays the primary role in this essay, and because the mind manifests in various ways, it is necessary to find definitions specific to its nature. mind can be referred to as : psyche, anima, nous, intellect, thought, conscience, soul, spirit, quintessence, sentience, and in older theories the fabled fifth element, the aether. also, for graphical and explanatory purposes, mind : henceforth m - theory, is divided into three categories, or states, or functions ; they are : mind - flux or m - flux, mind - field or m - field, and mind - factor or m - factor. m - flux refers to primordial mind, to mind without content ; mind as an ontological foundation or function. m - field refers to stellar entities, such as stars and galaxies, the life source often occurring in many planetary systems. m - factor pertains to living organisms, probably from the level of cells to intelligent beings. in this critique they are not considered unique just to the planet earth ; life most likely thrives throughout the universe. mind is a form of mass / energy, probably associated with gravity ; this is referred to as the m - force. the latest and most convincing idea concerning the formation of the universe come from inflation theory. the prominent physicist alan guth worked out the basic idea. physicists predicted as early as 1922 and confirmed in the 1960s that the universe came from a tiny point that exploded


latest and most convincing idea concerning the formation of the universe come from inflation theory. the prominent physicist alan guth worked out the basic idea. physicists predicted as early as 1922 and confirmed in the 1960s that the universe came from a tiny point that exploded into a fireball of extreme heat and density. this point became known as a singularity, it is believed that at the time of the singularity all the known forces of the universe were unified. the four forces are gravity, electromagnetism, the strong, and the weak nuclear forces. fairly recently all of these forces, except gravity, have been unified in what is now called a grand unified theory or gut. understanding gravity at the atomic level has been elusive ; gravity at the cosmic plane is well known having been described by newton several centuries ago. at the level of stars and galaxies, gravity is a powerful force pervading the universe, but is almost undetectable at subatomic levels. a theory of quantum gravity will have to be understood before all four forces of nature can be unified. nonetheless, gravity is essential to holding everything together, and from coming apart. prior to inflation theory scientists knew little about how the big bang, as it is called, came into being. inflation solved many riddles about the beginning of creation that have come to be accepted by most physicists and cosmologists today. within a second of this explosive period the universe expanded by 25 orders of magnitude. this means that the universe expanded from a point a billionth the size of a proton, which is one of the building blocks of matter, to the size of a marble. it then slowed and cooled over time to the size it is today, and is still expanding. this is equivalent to a pearl exploding to the size of the milky way. the power of this fireball is unimaginable, within the first fraction of a second ( approximately a decimal point followed by 33 zeros and a one ) the forces of raw energy began splitting apart. guth surmises that the whole universe may be a “ free lunch. ” 23 this is not an easy concept to explain. one reason is that it comes out of the weird world of quantum mechanics. quantum theory holds that in any physical system probability rules over absolutes. it is impossible to predict the properties of an atom, although one can predict the properties of atoms in general. now think of a pure vacuum ; it seems counter intuitive, and even contradictory to say that something can come out of nothing, but due to quantum uncertainties