MIAMI (Reuters) - U.S. government forecasters posted a freeze warning for parts of Florida's key citrus-growing region for the second straight day on Sunday as a cold front threatened to push temperatures in central and northern regions of the Sunshine State well below freezing.
Robert Garcia, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Tampa Bay-Ruskin, said temperatures were unlikely to drop low enough and long enough to cause any significant damage to the state's $9 billion citrus industry.
But he said the cold snap could see temperatures fall below 27 Fahrenheit (minus 2.7 Celsius) by Monday morning.
Typically, citrus can be damaged by four hours or more of temperatures below 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2 Celsius).
"We're not thinking we're going to see that," Garcia said.
Freeze watches and warnings were in effect for much of Florida's citrus-growing regions through Monday morning.
Garcia said the only real threat of a hard freeze was in extreme northern regions, on the periphery of the state's most productive orange groves.
"A lot of the areas that grow citrus will hopefully stay a lot warmer," Garcia said.
A spokesman for the state's leading growers association, Florida Citrus Mutual, could not be reached for immediate comment. But no special advisories about the cold snap over the long holiday weekend were posted on the association's website or Twitter feed.
Florida's groves yield more than 75 percent of the U.S. orange crop and account for about 40 percent of the world's orange juice supply.
(Reporting by Tom Brown; Editing by Nick Zieminski)
Streptococcus pneumonia shields foreign DNA derived from other bacteria to promote genetic diversity and vaccine evasion
Friday, February 15, 2013
A new report demonstrates that the human pathogen Streptococcus (S.) pneumoniae (one of the known causes of bacterial pneumonia) possesses an unusual enzyme that protects foreign DNA taken up during transformation, allowing exchange of pathogenicity islands donated from other pathogenic bacteria. This study, published February 14 in the Open Access journalPLOS Pathogens by researchers from the Laboratory of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics (CNRS-Universit? Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France), establishes a role for this enzyme in protecting internalized DNA from restriction, and simultaneously shows that S. pneumoniaeuses transformation, for example by DNA picked up from other bacterial strains, specifically to promote genome diversification.
Exchange of pathogenicity islands is crucial for pneumococcal virulence, as illustrated by the impressive variability in the polysaccharide capsule, which is usually targeted by current vaccines. Acquisition of different capsule loci, by relying on this genetic transformation, thus allows for vaccine evasion. Natural genetic transformation is thought of as the bacterial equivalent of sexual reproduction, allowing intra- and inter-species genetic exchange. This process, involving uptake of foreign DNA as single-strands (ss) that leads to chromosomal integration, is transient in S. pneumoniae.
Restriction-modification (R-M) systems classically include a restrictase, which protects the host bacteria from attack by bacteriophage via the degradation of only the foreign double-stranded (ds) DNA, and a dsDNA methylase that methylates the host genome, providing self-immunity against this restrictase. Since they degrade only foreign DNA, R-M systems are proposed to antagonize transformation by DNA from other bacteria. The DpnII R-M system investigated in this study is present in around half of pneumococcal isolates tested and also possesses an unusual methylase of ssDNA, DpnA, which is specifically induced during the brief genetic transformation time window.
This study shows that DpnA gene is crucial for the exchange of pathogenicity islands when the foreign DNA is unmethylated (i.e., from a non-DpnII modified DNA donor). By methylating the internalized foreign ssDNA, DpnA protects the chromosome of those transformants that incorporate the foreign pathogenicity islands, such as the capsule locus. In the absence of this unique methylation, the novel transformant chromosomes would be degraded by the DpnII restrictase, thus forbidding the acceptance of the foreign DNA sequences.
The researchers found that the role of DpnA is to protect foreign DNA, allowing pathogenicity island exchange between bacteria. Jean-Pierre Claverys, Principal Investigator and senior author of the paper concludes that "this finding is the first evidence for a mechanism that actively promotes genetic diversity of S. pneumoniae through programmed protection and incorporation of foreign DNA."
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Public Library of Science: http://www.plos.org
Thanks to Public Library of Science for this article.
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CHELYABINSK, Russia (AP) ? As a small army of people worked to replace acres of windows shattered by the enormous explosion from a meteor, many joked on Saturday about what had happened in this troubled pocket of Russia.
One of the most popular jests: Residents of the meteor were terrified to see Chelyabinsk approaching.
The fireball that streaked into the sky over this tough industrial city at about sunrise Friday was undeniably traumatic. Nearly 1,200 people were reported injured by the shock wave from the explosion, estimated to be as strong as 20 Hiroshima atomic bombs.
But it also brought a sense of cooperation in a troubled region. Large numbers of volunteers came forward to help fix the damage caused by the explosion and many residents came together on the Internet ? first to find out what happened and soon to make jokes.
Chelyabinsk, nicknamed Tankograd because it produced the famed Soviet T-34 tanks, can be as grim as its backbone heavy industries. Long winters where temperatures routinely hit minus-30 Celsius (minus-22 Fahrenheit) add to a general dour mien, as do worries about dangerous facilities in the surrounding region.
In 1957, a waste tank at the Mayak nuclear weapons plant in the Chelyabinsk region exploded, contaminating 23,000 square kilometers (9,200 square miles) and prompting authorities to evacuate 10,000 nearby residents. It is now Russia's main nuclear waste disposal facility. A vast plant for disposing of chemical weapons lies 85 kilometers (50 miles) east of the city.
"The city is a place where people always seem bitter with each other," said music teacher Ilya Shibanov. But the meteor "was one of the rare times when people started to live together through one event."
"For most people, it's a good excuse for a joke," he said.
It also is why Shibanov quickly concocted a rap video that got wide Internet attention, including the lines: "''Pow, pow, pow ? everything flew and factory windows crumbled. This Friday the bars are going to be full, so be ready for the aftermath."
But for many, it's been a reason to roll up their sleeves and get to work repairing the more than 4,000 buildings in the city and region where windows were shattered, or to provide other services.
More than 24,000 people, including volunteers, have mobilized in the region to cover windows, gather warm clothes and food, and make other relief efforts, the regional governor's office said. Crews from glass companies in adjacent regions were being flown in.
Gov. Mikhail Yurevich on Saturday said that damage from the high-altitude explosion ?believed to have been as powerful as 20 Hiroshima bombs ? is estimated at 1 billion rubles ($33 million). He promised to have all the broken windows replaced within a week.
But that is a long wait in a frigid region. The midday temperature in Chelyabinsk was minus-12 C (10 F), and for many the immediate task was to put up plastic sheeting and boards on shattered residential windows.
Meanwhile, the search continued for major fragments of the meteor.
In the town of Chebarkul, 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Chelyabinsk city, divers explored the bottom of an ice-crusted lake looking for meteor fragments believed to have fallen there, leaving a six-meter-wide (20-foot-wide) hole. Emergency Ministry spokeswoman Irina Rossius told Russian news agencies the search hadn't found anything.
Police kept a small crowd of curious onlookers from venturing out onto the icy lake, where a tent was set up for the divers.
Many of them were still trying to process the memories of the strange day they'd lived through.
Valery Fomichov said he had been out for a run when the meteor streaked across the sky shortly after sunrise.
"I glanced up and saw a glowing dot in the west. And it got bigger and bigger, like a soccer ball, until it became blindingly white and I turned away," he said.
In a local church, clergyman Sexton Sergei sought to derive a larger lesson.
"Perhaps God was giving a kind of sign, so that people don't simply think about their own trifles on earth, but rather look to the heavens once in a while."
In Chelyabinsk, university student Ksenia Arslanova said she was pleased that people in the city of 1 million generally behaved well after the bewildering flash and explosions.
"People were kind of ironic about it. And that's a good thing, that people didn't run to the grocery store. Everyone was calm," the 19-year-old architecture student said. "I'm proud that our city didn't fall into depression."
As Chelyabinsk began its healing process, residents of San Francisco, on the other side of the planet, worried that they might be next. A science institute in Northern California says it has received numerous reports of a bright streak of light over the San Francisco Bay area on Friday night.
Cuba apparently experienced a phenomenon similar to the meteorite that detonated over Russia this week, island media reported, with startled residents describing a bright light in the sky and a loud explosion that shook windows and walls.
There were no reports of any injuries or damage such as those caused by the Russia meteorite, which sent out shockwaves that hurt some 1,200 people and shattered countless windows.
Cuba apparently experienced a phenomenon similar to the Chelyabinsk meteor several days earlier, island media reported, with startled residents describing a bright light in the sky and a loud explosion that shook windows and walls.
In a video from a state TV newscast posted on the website CubaSi late Friday, unidentified residents of the central city of Rodas, near Cienfuegos, said the explosion was impressive.
"On Tuesday we left home to fish around five in the afternoon, and around 8 p.m. we saw a light in the heavens and then a big ball of fire, bigger than the sun," one local man said in the video.
In the middle of the South Pacific, one of the world's most remote post offices continues to do brisk business in stamps, as tourists from around the globe flock to pay their respects to the postcard, a much-maligned, antiquated but great form of expression.
The small building is hardly a palace, like the greatest post offices around the world, but the trappings of the global shipping business are there. A small bank of post office boxes stands ready. A scale is prominently displayed on the counter. A variety of commemorative stamps are on display and on sale. A small damp sponge in a plastic container is available so that customers can wet the backs of their postage without licking.
In other words, but for the tropical music playing on the radio and a small classroom-style globe with a fluorescent star marking the remote location of this island in the South Pacific, this could be a small-town post office anywhere. It isn't and that is why your letter may take a while to arrive. Fortunately, when the recipient finally picks it up they will likely be rather impressed by the Easter Island postmark.
Business on a Wednesday morning was relatively brisk for a town of only about 5,000 people. Locals picked up bills and correspondence; a couple from the mainland came in to get their passports stamped with an unofficial proof of entry. This reporter mailed three honest-to-God postcards back to the United States, at a cost of C$500 each.
A logbook of visitors -- from many countries and written in many languages -- was evidence of the worldwide appeal of this place, and the irreplaceable service it provides, even in an era of email, Skype and Instagram.
Asked if people still send lots of postcards from Easter Island, a clerk replied with a drawn out "Siiii," that indicated the glaringly obvious question fell somewhere between idiotic and offensive.
Moments later, a couple of foreign visitors with fanny packs and wide-brimmed hats to keep of the sun wandered in, probably to mail a letter home.
SEATTLE, Wash. -- The mayors of more than 40 cities across Washington have sent a letter to leaders in Olympia, urging them to consider an 8 cent per-gallon gas tax as a way to help pay for transportation needs.
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Among the signees was Walla Walla's mayor.
In addition to the gas tax increase, the letter suggests a motor vehicle excise tax increase of up to 1.5 percent. Counties could enact the increase by public vote or by a vote by County Councils.
The mayors are also asking to increase of the vehicle license fee from $20 to $40. The license fee could also be increased either by public vote or by a vote of local councils.
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The mayors say more than $3 billion is needed to maintain roadways and bridges in the state over the next 10 years.
Democrats in the state House are expected to introduce their transportation proposals next week.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) ? The Miss America pageant is headed back to Atlantic City.
The pageant, a staple in Atlantic City for decades before it was moved to Las Vegas in 2006, is making a return, Gov. Chris Christie's spokesman Michael Drewniak confirmed Wednesday. Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno was scheduled to make a formal announcement Thursday at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall.
News of the pageant's return to Atlantic City came as a surprise to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, which sponsored the pageant on the Las Vegas Strip in January, spokeswoman Courtney Fitzgerald said in a telephone interview. In a subsequent statement, she said the tourism organization wished the pageant well in its new home.
"Las Vegas is honored to have hosted the Miss America pageant for the past seven years," she said. "We understand that moving the televised event to various cities showcases America's diverse destinations which represent our great country."
Pageant officials didn't immediately respond to after-hours phone and email messages seeking comment Wednesday.
Many details remained unclear, including whether the pageant would return to the elaborate show it had been for decades at Boardwalk Hall or continue as more of the reality show it became with its move to Las Vegas. Also unknown was where it would be broadcast and whether it is returning permanently or for a limited run.
The Miss America pageant started as little more than a bathing suit revue. It broke viewership records in its heyday and bills itself as one of the world's largest scholarship programs for women. But, like other pageants, it has struggled to stay relevant as national attitudes regarding women's rights have changed.
According to the Miss America Organization's website, the contest originated in 1920 as the Fall Frolic, which became the Inter-City Beauty Contest the following year. In 1921, a high school junior named Margaret Gorman was one of approximately 1,000 entrants in a photo contest held by the Washington Herald. She was chosen as the first Miss Washington, D.C., and her prize was a trip to Atlantic City, where she won the top prize: the Golden Mermaid Trophy.
The next year, Gorman was expected to defend her title. But when the Washington Herald selected a new Miss Washington, D.C., Atlantic City pageant officials didn't know what new title to award Gorman. Since both titles she won in 1921 ? Inter-City Beauty, Amateur and The Most Beautiful Bathing Girl in America ? were considered somewhat awkward, it was decided to call her Miss America.
The pageant was conceived by the Businessmen's League of Atlantic City as a way to extend the summer tourism season in Atlantic City for another week, being held the weekend after Labor Day weekend, when temperatures were generally still warm.
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Associated Press writer Hannah Dreier in Las Vegas contributed to this story.
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Wayne Parry can be reached at http://twitter.com/WayneParryAC
MILAN (Reuters) - An Italian magazine ignored the protests of Britain's royal family on Wednesday to publish pictures of Prince William's pregnant wife Kate in a blue bikini on a private island.
The gossip magazine Chi, owned by former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, defended its decision to splash pictures of the Duchess of Cambridge showing off her "rounded belly" by implying they were taken in public.
"It is not possible to talk about a breach of privacy when public personalities are photographed in a public, open place such as (a) beach, attended by bathers," Chi editor Alfonso Signorini said in an emailed statement.
Wednesday's six-page insert headlined "Kate & William - Honeymoon for three" is not the first time Chi has earned the ire of the British royals. In September it published topless pictures of the duchess, who was known as Kate Middleton before she married a future king of England.
The images, which were condemned by William's office, St James's Palace, as a "clear breach of the couple's right to privacy", show the duchess walking on a beach on the island of Mustique with a visible "baby bump".
"The reportage portrays a couple in love in a happy moment as they walk on the seashore...Where is the scandal?," Signorini said.
In one picture Kate is seen pulling up her hair as she walks on a Mustique beach, an island favoured by the British royals for its secluded, palm-fringed shores and a favourite of the Queen's late sister Princess Margaret.
"A rounded belly can now be seen and the princess has a softer silhouette compared to how she was during their honeymoon in the Seychelles in 2011," one of the captions read.
Another shot showed Kate walking with her arm on the shoulder of her 30-year-old husband William, second in line to the British throne. He is wearing thigh-length shorts in matching blue.
"After initial problems, the pregnancy is now proceeding serenely," the magazine writes.
TWITTERATI DEBATE
Signorini did not provide details about the source of the pictures but said they were bought from an international agency.
MailOnline, the online edition of Britain's Daily Mail newspaper cited media reports that the pictures might have been taken by a holiday maker on a public beach or from a boat using a long-lens camera.
The British media have refrained from publishing the pictures as they fight stricter regulations recommended by a judge-led inquiry following a phone-hacking scandal centred on Rupert Murdoch's tabloids.
The shots have surfaced on tabloids and websites worldwide, prompting a debate on social media.
"Here's an Idea: If you don't want photos published of you pregnant in a bikini, DON'T go OUTSIDE in one!", a tweet by @fashionoffice read.
Chi's publications have stirred memories of the world media's relentless pursuit of William's mother, Princess Diana who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997 as she was being chased by paparazzi.
MailOnline said publishers in the United States, France and Germany had lined up to publish the pictures, saying they could fetch a total of over 100,000 pounds.
Kate's sister Pippa, 30, her brother James Middleton and friend James Matthews were also pictured in the magazine as they walked the beach in coloured beachwear.
Chi is controlled by Berlusconi's publishing company Mondadori.
(Reporting by Antonella Ciancio, editing by Paul Casciato)
Love and marriage can also lead to financial bliss.
By Allison Linn, TODAY
If your Valentine?s Day plans include an engagement, congratulations! Besides romance, you also are more likely to experience financial joy ? if your marriage works out.
Couples who get and stay married can have as much as four times the wealth of their single or divorced peers. Experts?say that's?not only because they can combine their salaries and share expenses once they get married.
Spouses are better off because of a combination of factors, starting with who is getting married?these days.
?It?s more educated, more affluent and also more religious Americans that tend to get married in the first place,? said Bradford Wilcox, director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia.
That gives them a starting advantage over their peers who aren?t married. ?
Once they are married,?the couples?also are?able to take advantage of economies of scale ? anything from?buying just one dishwasher to relying on one another?s health insurance. That allows them to build wealth more quickly than their?peers who are?single, divorced or? living together romantically.
?You have further advantages,? said Pamela Smock, director of the Population Studies Center at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
Smock said those advantages go beyond just sharing expenses. People who are married also are able to divide up responsibilities in financially beneficial ways.
For example, a married man may be able to work 12 hours a day?to please his bosses and get promoted, because he and his wife can divide household duties so he can get ahead. That?s not as much of an option for a single parent.
The economic advantages also tend to be greater for those who are married than for those who are?living together romantically, said Jay Zagorsky, a research scientist at The Ohio State University who has studied wealth trends by marital status.
He said that while some people are in long-term, unmarried relationships, many cohabitating couples may not yet have committed to the idea that they will be together forever. That means they aren?t combining resources as significantly as married couples.
?Many people are living together as a sort of trial,? he said.
The wealth differences can be significant. Zagorsky?s research has shown that people who got and stayed married each had about double the wealth of single people who never married. Together, the couple?s wealth was four times that of a single person?s.
Other data also shows that married people see stronger financial advantages than just a doubling of wealth. According to the Census Bureau, in 2010 the median net worth for a married couple between the ages of 55 and 64 was $261,405. That compares to $71,428 for a man heading a household, and $39,043 for a woman heading a household.
Of course, those major wealth effects are for marriages that worked out. Zagorsky?s research found that those who got divorced tended to see their wealth fall dramatically, leaving them worse off than those who were single and had never married.
That?s one reason that Zagorksy said it?s important to marry for love, and hope it also will lead to money.
?Getting married and staying happily married is a wonderful way to increase your wealth,? he said. ??Getting married with the idea it will make you rich is a terrible idea.?
The demographics of who gets divorced also play a role. Wilcox, of the National Marriage Project, said less wealthy people are more likely to get divorced, which may have to do with the stress caused by?having very little money.
?More affluent and more educated Americans (are) not only more likely to get married, they?re also less likely to get divorced,? Wilcox said.
In general, government data shows that the divorce rate has stabilized in recent years, but the rate of people getting married also has fallen dramatically.
Smock noted that the idea of living together without getting married has lost its stigma, and having children without being married also is becoming?commonplace.
But her research also offers another explanation for why less wealthy people aren?t getting married.
Many of the men and women she?s studied feel like they need to have some semblance of financial security?to get married, such as a stable job or enough savings to hold an expensive wedding and reception. A surprising number of men and women also report wanting the man to have the type of job that makes him the primary breadwinner.
?Those people are more likely to be the privileged people,? she said. ?And the others, the less well off, are doing family in a different way.?
Has anyone else been magically drawn to the paint chip section of your local hardware store? All the pretty colors in a row so perfectly organized is spellbinding for me. Ok maybe I?m a design freak and this sort of thing is unique to me. If not, and you?d like a practical project to use these FREE and beautiful color swatches, read on!
When I saw this pin?I knew I wanted to try it. It?s such a simple idea but so cute! I went to the paint department and picked out every single chip that had red or pink on it and walked away with a smile on my face. My husband thought I was nuts I?m sure. The rest of the supplies I already had at home!
Supplies: Ribbon, scissors, hole punch, ballpoint pen or permanent marker (optional ? you?ll need one of these two as other options won?t stick to the paint), decorative punch (optional ? see pin link for example)
See simple instructions below image.
1) Pick out your paint swatches from your favorite local hardware store.
2) Gather your supplies at home (get creative and think outside of what I did here (different types of ribbon, raffia, wrapping ribbon with curls, glitter, etc)
3) Cut your paint chip in half vertically if you want a narrow bookmark (these paint chips were quite wide).?I drew a line and let her cut them because they were from?her. They were perfectly imperfect.
*TIP:?This narrow?size fit perfectly tucked inside of my daughter?s valentine?s for school so each of her little friends got one in their goody bag!
4) Punch a hole in the top.
5) String your ribbon through.
6) Tie a knot at the top.
*TIP: This type of ribbon was raveling at the top so I tied a knot at each end. The pin link had a different type of ribbon that might work better.
7) Punch a decorate hole or write a cute saying. Nora thought the ribbons looked like bunny ears so I drew a little face at the top and wrote ?Some Bunny Loves You? in each color block. Of course then she told me it looked like a cat. Sigh. *Other Ideas: ?You Color My World?, ?I Love You?, ?S M I L E?, ?H O P E?
Check out this Valentine?s Day idea with paint chips and a heart punch (I searched my local craft store but they were sold out of every single heart craft punch ? go figure). The link takes you to a beautiful blog with a few other creative, craft ideas! I?m hoping to do another extra-special paint chip craft in the future. Stay tuned!
Contact: William Davis william_davis@med.unc.edu 919-962-3405 University of North Carolina Health Care
Chapel Hill, NC Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) hide within the worldwide human population. While dormant in the vast majority of those infected, these active herpesviruses can develop into several forms of cancer. In an effort to understand and eventually develop treatments for these viruses, researchers at the University of North Carolina have identified a family of human genes known as Tousled-like kinases (TLKs) that play a key role in the suppression and activation of these viruses.
In a paper published by Cell Host and Microbe on Feb. 13, a research team led by Blossom Damania, PhD, of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, found that suppressing the TLK enzyme causes the activation of the lytic cycle of both EBV and KSHV. During this active phase, these viruses begin to spread and replicate, and become vulnerable to anti-viral treatments.
"When TLK is present, these viruses stay latent, but when it is absent, these viruses can replicate" said Dr. Damania.
Patrick Dillon, a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Damania's lab, led the study. Other co-authors included UNC Lineberger members Drs. Dirk Dittmer, Nancy Raab-Traub and Gary Johnson.
KSHV and EBV are blood-borne viruses that remain dormant in more than 95 percent of those infected, making treatment of these viruses difficult. Both viruses are associated with a number of different lymphomas, sarcomas, and carcinomas, and many patients with suppressed immune systems are at risk for these virus-associated cancers.
"The dormant state of these viruses is what makes it so hard to treat these infections and the cancers associated with these infections," said Dr. Damania.
Researchers have known that stimuli such as stress can activate the virus from dormancy, but they do not understand the molecular basis of the viral activation cycle. With the discovery of the link between these viruses and TLKs, Dr. Damania said that researchers can begin to look for the molecular actions triggered by events like stress, and how they lead to the suppression of the TLK enzymes.
"What exactly is stress at a molecular level? We don't really understand it fully," said Dr. Damania.
With the discovery that TLKs suppresses these viruses, Dr. Damania said that the proteins can now be investigated as a possible drug target for these virus-associated cancers. In its normal function in the cell, TLKs play a role in the maintenance of the genome, repairing DNA and the assembly of the chromatin, but there is a lot more to learn about the function of the TLKs, said Dr. Damania. One avenue of her lab's future research will investigate how TLKs function in absence of the virus.
"If we prevent this protein from functioning, and we combine this with a drug that inhibits viral replication, then we could have a target to cure the cell of the virus. If the virus isn't there, the viral-associated cancers aren't present," said Dr. Damania.
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This research was supported by NIH grants CA096500, CA163217, and CA019014, and the UNC Lineberger training grant NIH T32CA009156. Dr. Damania is a Leukemia & Lymphoma Foundation Scholar and a Burroughs Wellcome Investigator in Infectious Disease.
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Contact: William Davis william_davis@med.unc.edu 919-962-3405 University of North Carolina Health Care
Chapel Hill, NC Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) hide within the worldwide human population. While dormant in the vast majority of those infected, these active herpesviruses can develop into several forms of cancer. In an effort to understand and eventually develop treatments for these viruses, researchers at the University of North Carolina have identified a family of human genes known as Tousled-like kinases (TLKs) that play a key role in the suppression and activation of these viruses.
In a paper published by Cell Host and Microbe on Feb. 13, a research team led by Blossom Damania, PhD, of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, found that suppressing the TLK enzyme causes the activation of the lytic cycle of both EBV and KSHV. During this active phase, these viruses begin to spread and replicate, and become vulnerable to anti-viral treatments.
"When TLK is present, these viruses stay latent, but when it is absent, these viruses can replicate" said Dr. Damania.
Patrick Dillon, a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Damania's lab, led the study. Other co-authors included UNC Lineberger members Drs. Dirk Dittmer, Nancy Raab-Traub and Gary Johnson.
KSHV and EBV are blood-borne viruses that remain dormant in more than 95 percent of those infected, making treatment of these viruses difficult. Both viruses are associated with a number of different lymphomas, sarcomas, and carcinomas, and many patients with suppressed immune systems are at risk for these virus-associated cancers.
"The dormant state of these viruses is what makes it so hard to treat these infections and the cancers associated with these infections," said Dr. Damania.
Researchers have known that stimuli such as stress can activate the virus from dormancy, but they do not understand the molecular basis of the viral activation cycle. With the discovery of the link between these viruses and TLKs, Dr. Damania said that researchers can begin to look for the molecular actions triggered by events like stress, and how they lead to the suppression of the TLK enzymes.
"What exactly is stress at a molecular level? We don't really understand it fully," said Dr. Damania.
With the discovery that TLKs suppresses these viruses, Dr. Damania said that the proteins can now be investigated as a possible drug target for these virus-associated cancers. In its normal function in the cell, TLKs play a role in the maintenance of the genome, repairing DNA and the assembly of the chromatin, but there is a lot more to learn about the function of the TLKs, said Dr. Damania. One avenue of her lab's future research will investigate how TLKs function in absence of the virus.
"If we prevent this protein from functioning, and we combine this with a drug that inhibits viral replication, then we could have a target to cure the cell of the virus. If the virus isn't there, the viral-associated cancers aren't present," said Dr. Damania.
###
This research was supported by NIH grants CA096500, CA163217, and CA019014, and the UNC Lineberger training grant NIH T32CA009156. Dr. Damania is a Leukemia & Lymphoma Foundation Scholar and a Burroughs Wellcome Investigator in Infectious Disease.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
After winning the Midwest Conference Championship last season St. Norbert hopes to repeat for the first time since winning back-to-back championships in 1996 and 1997. The Green Knights were tabbed as the favorites in the North Division while Illinois College was favored in the South Division in the 2013 MWC Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll.
The Green Knights picked up four of the five first place votes and finished with 16 points while Ripon collected the other first place vote and is predicted to finish in second with 12 points.
The Blueboys were one of three South Division teams to pick up first place votes as they captured two of them along with 14 points while Grinnell also picked up a pair of first place votes. Knox College earned the other first place vote and was followed by Monmouth College.
The Prairie Fire were voted to finish in third place and the Fighting Scots fourth place in the South Division.
The button that is an part part integral of the social network is now the subject of a legal challenge in the US with a claim that Facebook has violated certain patent rights. The case has been brought by a firm called Rembrandt Social Media that says it owns two patents that it accuses Facebook of infringing.
In its lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Virginia, the firm says it came into possession of the patents following the death of Dutch programmer Joannes Jozef Everardus van Der Meer.
Rembrandt says that Van Der Meer was granted the patents as far back as 1998 and long before anyone had heard of the term ?social networking? and almost six years before Facebook was founded.
Van Der Meer is said to have incorporated the patents into his own social networking site, which was called Surfbook.
Surfbook was described as a social diary and was being worked on in 2004, which is also the year that Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook whilst still?at Harvard University.
Surfbook allowed people to share information with friends and family and users could okay some data by using a ?like? button, according to legal papers filed. Although it was never fully developed as Van Der Meer died in 2004.
Rembrandt has also launched legal action against social bookmarking service AddThis.
Unsurprisingly, Rembrandt has been accused of being a ?patent troll?. These are businesses set up to do little else but gather royalties from patents.
Considering how long the ?like button? has been with us, and the timing of this case, it is easy to see why people might say this.
Rembrandt chairman Paul Schneck, said: ?Years before Facebook and AddThis, Jos van der Meer conceived of and patented core aspects of social media. Facebook and AddThis are using the ideas disclosed in Jos? patents without permission or payment. Through this litigation, Rembrandt Social Media hopes to recover payment for the unauthorized usage of patents by Facebook and AddThis.?
The legal papers filed say that Facebook ?bears a remarkable resemblance, both in terms of its functionality and technical implementation, to the personal web page diary that Van Der Meer had invented years earlier?.
Tom Melsheimer, of law firm Fish and Richardson and representing Rembrandt, said: ?We believe Rembrandt?s patents represent an important foundation of social media as we know it, and we expect a judge and jury to reach the same conclusion based on the evidence.?
For Facebook, which is not commenting, the case has echoes of the long running legal battle that fellow Harvard students Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss filed against Facebook after accusing founder and CEO Zuckerberg of stealing the concept and certain source code for a project they asked him to work on called HarvardConnect (ConnectU).
Philips AirStudio allows you to stream music from your Android phone or tablet to your Philips Fidelio wireless HiFi speakers. The app lets you easily play songs stored on your mobile device, access your favorite online music service, or select from thousands of online radio stations.
In order to use the app, you need a Philips Fidelio A9, A5, A3, A2 or A1 speaker connected to the same WiFi network as your mobile device. To enable music streaming from PC or Mac, you have to install the Philips Media Manager software on your computer.
Requirements:
? Android 2.1 or later
What's New in This Release: [ read full changelog ]
? Now supports Acer Iconia, Asus TF101, Archos arnova, Google nexus, Philips phones. ? Improved discovery speed of music content stored on ext SD cards. ? Volume keys on android devices now work when the app is running (in foreground). ? Improved translations in languages like Russian.
People's Democratic Party patron Mufti Muhammad Sayeed on Monday called India [ Images ] a "banana republic" over Afzal Guru's family not being allowed to meet the Parliament attack convict before he was hanged, a day after Jammu and Kashmir [ Images ] Chief Minister Omar Abdullah [ Images ] said this was a "tragedy".
The former J and K Chief Minister and leader of the Opposition PDP also accused the Centre of following a narrow minded approach to the problem in Kashmir, alleging it has already caused serious setback to peace process.
Sayeed said it is no good to regret the inability of the government to deny Afzal's family a "last mandatory" meeting with him or deny his body to the family.
"This he said reduces Mahatama Gandhi's country, world's largest democracy and a genuine candidate for super power status as a banana republic," he said in a statement.
Omar on Sunday said it was a "tragedy" that Afzal, a resident of Sopore in KashmirValley, was not allowed to meet his family before he was hanged and not allowed a "final farewell."
Mufti said by the extent and scale of curbs put on normal life, Kashmir today does not look like part of Indian democracy.
He demanded immediate lifting of curfew imposed in the Valley after the hanging of Afzal on Saturday and other restrictions including information blockade.
He said the least the government could do to retrieve the situation to some extent in the aftermath of the execution of Guru would be to lift unconstitutional curbs on normal life and return his body to the family.
Mufti said it was "sad" that our democratic system could not accommodate some basic decency and legal requirements in dealing with an issue that could have very serious impact on J and K and its future.
He said the latest events have unfortunately created a sense of defeat among? people who have been bruised by six-and-a-half decades of "uncertainty and bloody history."
"I wish it doesn't consume another generation of Kashmiri youth but one cannot wish away the apprehension" Mufti said.
? Copyright 2013 PTI. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of PTI content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent.
Owning a cell phone is a necessity in our daily lives. For most individuals, the type of cell phone and the accessories that come along with it are of a great importance. Cell phones are used to make important business calls and carry out important transactions and so it is a must have item along with some of the accessories such as batteries, Bluetooth, cables, cases, chargers and so on. One can own a new cell phone or even a used one just to ensure they stay connected. Nowadays, most of the phones will come with the latest technologies and the fastest speeds to stay ahead of information.
There is a large selection of cell phones that are available in the market as well as cheap cell phone accessories that can be used by everyone in their regular routine. Owning a cell phone has become a part of everyones life these days. Therefore, people immediately look for a replacement when their phone gets lost or broken because one feels completely disconnected from the world. Most people prefer getting a new phone and its accessories while there are others who will buy used cell phones especially if they are cheap. Buying a used cell phone is usually cheaper than buying the same cell phone that is new. Individuals who consider buying a used or a refurbished cell phone do so probably to cut back on the cost. Many people look out for the different well known brands available in the market such as LG, Blackberry, Nokia, iPhone, Motorola and many more others.
Cell phones have advanced in todays technology. In the past, mobile phones were simply used for texting or voice calls; the means of text messaging is amazingly fast and reliable and it also cuts down the cost of communication. The traditional phones had very few accessories to accompany them as well. Moreover, they cost an important amount of money. Today, phones are not only used to make and receive calls or send messages but they are also used to store data, take pictures and videos, send emails and they are even used as walkie talkies just to name a few options. The phones models that first came into the market were expensive and bulky and they were used only in a certain location where their signals could be found. Their portability was a problem and so was staying connected. Due to technological advancement, their reception has greatly improved especially with the use of wireless satellites and wireless services. A cellular is now easy to use and very important. They are a perfect way to know what is going on with others. More than that, they provide a sense of security to a person for instance during an emergency. His/her life can be easily saved.
It is now easier to stay connected than ever before just by owning a cell phone. Individuals can get themselves new cell phones or buy used cell phones to use in their daily lives. There are a lot of advantages that come along with owning a phone and there are cheap cell phone accessories available to make their usability even easier. Most people will agree that cell phones have become a necessity in our daily life. Therefore, you may even find children struggling to get one.
It is now easier to stay connected than ever before just by owning a cell phone. Individuals can get themselves new cell phones or buy used cell phones to use in their daily lives. There are a lot of advantages that come along with owning a phone and there are cheap cell phone accessories available to make their usability even easier.
Bing, Microsoft's attempt to take on Google directly. When it first launched there was quite a bit of fanfare and its market share grew quickly. It didn't exactly hack away at Mountain View's dominance, but it certainly made a small dent. Since then, things have slowed down and other players have asserted themselves in the global search battlefield. While Baidu has been riding high for quite some time, Yandex is a relative new-comer to the leader board. And, somewhat surprisingly, has already surpassed Microsoft for global market share according to stats provided to us by comScore. Though the margin is small, the Russian company saw more searches performed through its site than Microsoft in both November and December of 2012. The difference is small enough that those positions could swap again but, where as Bing has seen its numbers plateau over the last six months, Yandex has continued to grow. Of course, neither is anywhere near challenging Google which accounts for roughly 65 percent of the search traffic according to comScore's numbers and both only see about half the traffic of the number three competitor, Yahoo. Microsoft can still claim one victory over Yandex in the number of unique searchers, though. If you're curious for more we've put the entire chart after the break.
BERLIN (AP) ? Harry Potter star Rupert Grint says he enjoyed a change of scene from the young wizard's adventures when he starred alongside Shia LaBeouf in "The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman," one of the competitors at this year's Berlin film festival.
Grint plays a drug-addled traveler in the movie, set in Bucharest, which screened at the festival Saturday. One of 19 competing for the event's Golden Bear award, it centers on an improbable romance between an American traveler played by LaBeouf and a troubled Romanian musician, played by Evan Rachel Wood.
Grint played Harry's faithful friend Ron in the Potter films.
He told reporters: "After playing the same character for 11 years, it's nice to do something completely different." He added: "The character was someone who's completely the opposite of Ron."
It is not surprising at all that the concepts of self-improvement and the law of attraction are deeply connected and related. Without one, the other one would simply not work. Why? Simply put, a person who does not love himself enough to realize that he should improve himself will not be able to apply any concepts or processes to attract anything or anyone. Attraction does not simply happen to people who want to apply these laws, or they should have already done so in the first place. The reason people look into these laws and methods to attract whatever it is they want to attract is because their current situation does not result to anything. Thus, they look for these laws so they could have better chances at attracting things or to improve their lives. And yes, these laws require improvement, particularly in the way the person views himself.
People with unhealthy levels of self-esteem will definitely have a difficult time getting?favorable?results when adhering to these laws, precisely because they have a difficult time loving the people they primarily should ? themselves. They block goodness and positivity from coming into their lives. So, it would be a herculean task to visualize and believe that they will be attracting things, especially when they do not find themselves attractive.
These beliefs will definitely be huge blocks for a person with low self-esteem in following the law of attraction:
If a person believes that he is not good enough, nothing good will happen, much less will attraction occur.
Low self-esteem usually causes a person to compare himself to others, and resulting to that person finding himself lacking in certain levels. Whether it is a lack of physical attractiveness, intelligence, skills, or goodness, this is a factor that will lead to the next point.
A person with low self-esteem, when comparing, concludes that other people deserve everything more.
Since people with low-self-esteem think better of other people, they lead themselves to the conclusion that they are not deserving of attracting things, and that the other people, who they perceive to be better, are. Since they do not think of themselves as valuable compared to other people, they then do not deserve whatever it is they want, especially if other better people don?t get the same thing they want.
People with low self-esteem think that the universe is punishing them.
These people feel that whatever misfortune or adverse event that happens to them is inevitable, since they deserve it.? Whenever something good happens, they pass up the chance to enjoy it, since they do not believe they deserve it, and someone better is deserving of it.
In order for people with low self-esteem to have a crack at being successful in attraction, they have to first realize that self-improvement is a pertinent step. One of the biggest steps in improving oneself is improving the way a person views himself. Otherwise, the stumbling blocks mentioned earlier will definitely appear, hindering any chance of attracting anything.
Posts related to Self-improvement and the Law of Attraction
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The largest teachers union in the United States is telling President Barack Obama not to back down from promises he made in his January inauguration speech as the country prepares to begin a decade of billions of dollars in federal spending cuts.
Obama will give his annual State of the Union address to Congress on Tuesday, in which he will likely spell out practical steps for accomplishing goals he presented last month.
In a letter sent to Obama on Friday, the president of the National Education Association, Dennis Van Roekel, said the inaugural address laid out a "clear agenda - to support and lift up the hopes, dreams and rights of all Americans.
"In order for the economy to truly work for all Americans, we need to continue to pursue fiscal policies that promote fairness and prosperity, create jobs, make college affordable, and lift children out of poverty," Van Roekel wrote.
Specifically, the union suggested Obama find ways to support early childhood education, keep college affordable and help community colleges train students to meet the demands for certain skills.
But Van Roekel went further, asking Obama to renew his recent calls for stricter gun controls and for immigration reforms. He also voiced concerns that one in five U.S. children lives in poverty, and called for universal voter registration and measures meant to ensure access to the polls.
"Our members still see the impact of the troubled economy as their students continue to come to school hungry, sick or in need of counseling and other services," he wrote.
Most American students attend public schools - 90.1 percent in 2010 according to the National Center for Education Statistics - and Obama's Democratic party has long made education a central part of its platform and enjoyed the support of those who work in public schools.
This summer, both Obama and Vice President Joe Biden addressed the NEA national conference and Education Secretary Arne Duncan is in contact with NEA once a week. With 3.2 million members, it is one of the most powerful organized labor organizations in the country.
Still, many state officials are frustrated with the federal government for failing to renew the massive law known as No Child Left Behind, which expired four years ago. Schools have functioned under a patchwork of extensions and waivers to the law granted by the federal government, and turned more to competitive grants Obama began in 2009.
They are also worried that sequestration, or the automatic spending cuts intended to total $1.2 billion over 10 years, will hurt their budgets. In recent years, states cut funds for local governments while property taxes, the chief source of school revenues, have remained depressed. Federal funds provide about 10 percent of public school budgets.
"Our nation's schools are already being asked to do so much more with so much less," Van Roekel wrote.
Federal funds for disadvantaged students would be eliminated for more than 2,700 schools and the jobs of approximately 10,000 teachers and aides would be at risk under sequestration, the White House said on Friday.
Up to 7,200 special education teachers and aides would no longer receive federal funding and about 70,000 young children would be cut off from the Head Start programs that provide pre-school, nutrition and social services.
For nearly three years, Republican critics such as Rep. Paul Ryan, the recent vice-presidential candidate, and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker have suggested that teacher unions are responsible for troubles in public schools. Many, such as Sen. Rand Paul of Tennessee, advocate for a radical shift in paying for education, in which the government would give students "vouchers" to attend schools their families choose.
(Reporting by Lisa Lambert; Editing by Dan Grebler)
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Public release date: 13-Feb-2013
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What would Facebook be without the ?Like button??
