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Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Google Scraps Black Navigation Bar For the One True Google Bar [Video]
Biocompatible graphene transistor array reads cellular signals
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Public release date: 30-Nov-2011[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Patrick Regan
regan@zv.tum.de
49-892-891-0515
Technische Universitaet Muenchen
Novel nanocarbon platform shows potential for future bioelectronic implants
Researchers have demonstrated, for the first time, a graphene-based transistor array that is compatible with living biological cells and capable of recording the electrical signals they generate. This proof-of-concept platform opens the way for further investigation of a promising new material. Graphene's distinctive combination of characteristics makes it a leading contender for future biomedical applications requiring a direct interface between microelectronic devices and nerve cells or other living tissue. A team of scientists from the Technische Universitaet Muenchen and the Juelich Research Center published the results in the journal Advanced Materials.
Today, if a person has an intimate and dependent relationship with an electronic device, it's most likely to be a smart phone; however, much closer connections may be in store in the foreseeable future. For example, "bioelectronic" applications have been proposed that would place sensors and in some cases actuators inside a person's brain, eye, or ear to help compensate for neural damage. Pioneering research in this direction was done using the mature technology of silicon microelectronics, but in practice that approach may be a dead end: Both flexible substrates and watery biological environments pose serious problems for silicon devices; in addition, they may be too "noisy" for reliable communication with individual nerve cells.
Of the several material systems being explored as alternatives, graphene essentially a two-dimensional sheet of carbon atoms linked in a dense honeycomb pattern seems very well suited to bioelectronic applications: It offers outstanding electronic performance, is chemically stable and biologically inert, can readily be processed on flexible substrates, and should lend itself to large-scale, low-cost fabrication. The latest results from the TUM-Juelich team confirm key performance characteristics and open the way for further advances toward determining the feasibility of graphene-based bioelectronics.
The experimental setup reported in Advanced Materials began with an array of 16 graphene solution-gated field-effect transistors (G-SGFETs) fabricated on copper foil by chemical vapor deposition and standard photolithographic and etching processes. "The sensing mechanism of these devices is rather simple," says Dr. Jose Antonio Garrido, a member of the Walter Schottky Institute at TUM. "Variations of the electrical and chemical environment in the vicinity of the FET gate region will be converted into a variation of the transistor current."
Directly on top of this array, the researchers grew a layer of biological cells similar to heart muscle. Not only were the "action potentials" of individual cells detectable above the intrinsic electrical noise of the transistors, but these cellular signals could be recorded with high spatial and temporal resolution. For example, a series of spikes separated by tens of milliseconds moved across the transistor array in just the way action potentials could be expected to propagate across the cell layer. Also, when the cell layer was exposed to a higher concentration of the stress hormone norepinephrine, a corresponding increase in the frequency of spikes was recorded. Separate experiments to determine the inherent noise level of the G-SFETs showed it to be comparable to that of ultralow-noise silicon devices, which as Garrido points out are the result of decades of technological development.
"Much of our ongoing research is focused on further improving the noise performance of graphene devices," Garrido says, "and on optimizing the transfer of this technology to flexible substrates such as parylene and kapton, both of which are currently used for in vivo implants. We are also working to improve the spatial resolution of our recording devices." Meanwhile, they are working with scientists at the Paris-based Vision Institute to investigate the biocompatibility of graphene layers in cultures of retinal neuron cells, as well as within a broader European project called NEUROCARE, which aims at developing brain implants based on flexible nanocarbon devices.
###
This research is supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG) within Priority Program 1459 "Graphene," the International Helmholtz Research School BioSoft, the Bavarian Graduate School CompInt, the TUM Institute for Advanced Study, and the Nanosystems Initiative Munich (NIM).
Original publication: Graphene Transistor Arrays for Recording Action Potentials from Electrogenic Cells; Lucas H. Hess, Michael Jansen, Vanessa Maybeck, Moritz V. Hauf, Max Seifert, Martin Stutzmann, Ian D. Sharp, Andreas Offenhaeusser, and Jose A. Garrido. Advanced Materials 2011, 23, 5045-5049. DOI: 10.1002/adma.201102990.
Contact:
Dr. J. A. Garrido
Walter Schottky Institute
Technische Universitaet Muenchen
Am Coulombwall 4
85748 Garching, Germany
Tel: +49 89 289 12766
E-mail: garrido@wsi.tum.de
Home page: http://www.wsi.tum.de
Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) is one of Europe's leading universities. It has roughly 460 professors, 9000 academic and non-academic staff, and 31,500 students. It focuses on the engineering sciences, natural sciences, life sciences, medicine, and economic sciences. After winning numerous awards, it was selected as an "Elite University" in 2006 by the Science Council (Wissenschaftsrat) and the German Research Foundation (DFG). The university's global network includes an outpost with a research campus in Singapore. TUM is dedicated to the ideal of a top-level research-based entrepreneurial university. http://www.tum.de
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 30-Nov-2011[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Patrick Regan
regan@zv.tum.de
49-892-891-0515
Technische Universitaet Muenchen
Novel nanocarbon platform shows potential for future bioelectronic implants
Researchers have demonstrated, for the first time, a graphene-based transistor array that is compatible with living biological cells and capable of recording the electrical signals they generate. This proof-of-concept platform opens the way for further investigation of a promising new material. Graphene's distinctive combination of characteristics makes it a leading contender for future biomedical applications requiring a direct interface between microelectronic devices and nerve cells or other living tissue. A team of scientists from the Technische Universitaet Muenchen and the Juelich Research Center published the results in the journal Advanced Materials.
Today, if a person has an intimate and dependent relationship with an electronic device, it's most likely to be a smart phone; however, much closer connections may be in store in the foreseeable future. For example, "bioelectronic" applications have been proposed that would place sensors and in some cases actuators inside a person's brain, eye, or ear to help compensate for neural damage. Pioneering research in this direction was done using the mature technology of silicon microelectronics, but in practice that approach may be a dead end: Both flexible substrates and watery biological environments pose serious problems for silicon devices; in addition, they may be too "noisy" for reliable communication with individual nerve cells.
Of the several material systems being explored as alternatives, graphene essentially a two-dimensional sheet of carbon atoms linked in a dense honeycomb pattern seems very well suited to bioelectronic applications: It offers outstanding electronic performance, is chemically stable and biologically inert, can readily be processed on flexible substrates, and should lend itself to large-scale, low-cost fabrication. The latest results from the TUM-Juelich team confirm key performance characteristics and open the way for further advances toward determining the feasibility of graphene-based bioelectronics.
The experimental setup reported in Advanced Materials began with an array of 16 graphene solution-gated field-effect transistors (G-SGFETs) fabricated on copper foil by chemical vapor deposition and standard photolithographic and etching processes. "The sensing mechanism of these devices is rather simple," says Dr. Jose Antonio Garrido, a member of the Walter Schottky Institute at TUM. "Variations of the electrical and chemical environment in the vicinity of the FET gate region will be converted into a variation of the transistor current."
Directly on top of this array, the researchers grew a layer of biological cells similar to heart muscle. Not only were the "action potentials" of individual cells detectable above the intrinsic electrical noise of the transistors, but these cellular signals could be recorded with high spatial and temporal resolution. For example, a series of spikes separated by tens of milliseconds moved across the transistor array in just the way action potentials could be expected to propagate across the cell layer. Also, when the cell layer was exposed to a higher concentration of the stress hormone norepinephrine, a corresponding increase in the frequency of spikes was recorded. Separate experiments to determine the inherent noise level of the G-SFETs showed it to be comparable to that of ultralow-noise silicon devices, which as Garrido points out are the result of decades of technological development.
"Much of our ongoing research is focused on further improving the noise performance of graphene devices," Garrido says, "and on optimizing the transfer of this technology to flexible substrates such as parylene and kapton, both of which are currently used for in vivo implants. We are also working to improve the spatial resolution of our recording devices." Meanwhile, they are working with scientists at the Paris-based Vision Institute to investigate the biocompatibility of graphene layers in cultures of retinal neuron cells, as well as within a broader European project called NEUROCARE, which aims at developing brain implants based on flexible nanocarbon devices.
###
This research is supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG) within Priority Program 1459 "Graphene," the International Helmholtz Research School BioSoft, the Bavarian Graduate School CompInt, the TUM Institute for Advanced Study, and the Nanosystems Initiative Munich (NIM).
Original publication: Graphene Transistor Arrays for Recording Action Potentials from Electrogenic Cells; Lucas H. Hess, Michael Jansen, Vanessa Maybeck, Moritz V. Hauf, Max Seifert, Martin Stutzmann, Ian D. Sharp, Andreas Offenhaeusser, and Jose A. Garrido. Advanced Materials 2011, 23, 5045-5049. DOI: 10.1002/adma.201102990.
Contact:
Dr. J. A. Garrido
Walter Schottky Institute
Technische Universitaet Muenchen
Am Coulombwall 4
85748 Garching, Germany
Tel: +49 89 289 12766
E-mail: garrido@wsi.tum.de
Home page: http://www.wsi.tum.de
Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) is one of Europe's leading universities. It has roughly 460 professors, 9000 academic and non-academic staff, and 31,500 students. It focuses on the engineering sciences, natural sciences, life sciences, medicine, and economic sciences. After winning numerous awards, it was selected as an "Elite University" in 2006 by the Science Council (Wissenschaftsrat) and the German Research Foundation (DFG). The university's global network includes an outpost with a research campus in Singapore. TUM is dedicated to the ideal of a top-level research-based entrepreneurial university. http://www.tum.de
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-11/tum-bgt113011.php
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Survey: Home prices down in most major US cities
A home is shown for sale Monday, Nov.28, 2011, in, Portland, Ore. U.S. home prices are falling again in most major cities after posting small gains over the summer and spring, the latest evidence that the troubled housing market won't recover any time soon. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
A home is shown for sale Monday, Nov.28, 2011, in, Portland, Ore. U.S. home prices are falling again in most major cities after posting small gains over the summer and spring, the latest evidence that the troubled housing market won't recover any time soon. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? U.S. home prices are falling again in most major cities after posting small gains over the summer and spring. The report suggests the troubled housing market remains weak and won't recover any time soon.
The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller index released Tuesday showed prices dropped in September from August in 17 of the 20 cities tracked. That was the first decline after five straight months in which at least half the cities in the survey showed monthly gains.
A separate index for the July-September quarter shows prices were mostly unchanged from the previous quarter.
Americans are reluctant to purchase a home more than two years after the recession officially ended. High unemployment and weak job growth have deterred many would-be buyers. Even the lowest mortgage rates in history haven't been enough to lift sales.
David M. Blitzer, chairman of S&P's index committee, said that while the steep price declines seen between 2007 and 2009 appear to be over, home prices are down from the same time last year and do not show signs of easing.
"Any chance for a sustained recovery will probably need a stronger economy," Blitzer said.
The largest monthly price declines were in Atlanta, San Francisco and Tampa, Fla. And prices in Atlanta, Las Vegas and Phoenix fell to their lowest points since the housing crisis began four years ago. Blitzer called the new lows reached in those three cities a "bit disturbing."
New York, Portland, Ore., and Washington were the only cities to show monthly price increases in September.
A majority of the cities tracked by the survey posted modest price increases from April through August, the peak buying months. The monthly changes are not adjusted for seasonal factors.
Even with the gains, home prices were down in all but two major cities in September from the same month one year ago.
Sales of previously occupied homes are on pace to match last year's dismal figures ? the worst in 14 years. And sales of new homes are shaping up to be the worst since the government began keeping records a half century ago.
Some people can't qualify for loans or meet higher down payment requirements. Many with good credit and stable jobs are holding off because they fear that prices will keep falling.
"Despite record high affordability of real estate, the psychology of home buyers is still being weighed down by economic uncertainty, keeping them on the fence when it comes to buying homes," said Stan Humphries, chief economist at Zillow.com, which measures home values.
Atlanta has been especially hard hit in the past year. Prices there dropped nearly 6 percent in September and have fallen nearly 10 percent over the past 12 months.
Since the fall of 2008, one out of every four sales in Atlanta has been a foreclosure, an auction or a bank sale.
Many homes there were built during the housing boom. The city has also been confronted by high unemployment. In September, the unemployment rate was 10.3 percent ? more than a point higher than the national average.
The Case-Shiller index covers half of all U.S. homes. It measures prices compared with those in January 2000 and creates a three-month moving average. The September data is the latest available.
Prices are certain to fall further once banks resume millions of foreclosures. They have been delayed because of a yearlong government investigation into mortgage lending practices.
Home prices had stabilized in coastal cities over the past six months, helped by a rush of spring buyers and investors. But this year, prices in many cities, including Cleveland, Detroit, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Tampa, have reached their lowest points since the housing bust more than four years ago.
Foreclosures and short sales ? when a lender accepts less for a home than what is owed on a mortgage ? are selling at an average discount of 20 percent.
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Sony Ericsson Added WebGL to Xperia 2011 Line Without Telling Anyone [Video]
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The FP Top 100 Global Thinkers
Foreign Policy:
Foreign Policy presents a unique portrait of 2011's global marketplace of ideas and the thinkers who make them.
Read the whole story: Foreign Policy
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Black Friday spurs Android growth with record Kindle sales (Appolicious)
Black Friday is known for boosting retail through the remainder of the year, and the new tradition has certainly helped the Android smartphone market. IBM projected that 15 percent of Black Friday sales this year would transact via mobile, and it turns out their expectations were right on track. On Friday evening, IBM Smarter Commerce reported that about 10.3 percent of online sales came through mobile shoppers, and about 17 percent of all shoppers today are using mobile devices.
It really speaks to the importance of mobile marketplaces, with tools like Google Shopper helping to drive advertising and access around online mobile sales. Amazon certainly recognizes the potential behind a mobile economy. Its Android-powered Kindle Fire is the perfect portal for a range of Amazon products, ranging from digital books and magazines to the actual Amazon store. In fact, Amazon saw success on both sides of mobile commerce this Black Friday, selling a record number of Kindle Fire tablets.
Amazon reported this morning that Black Friday resulted in their best-ever sales for Kindle devices, with the Fire leading the pack. Customers purchased ?four times as many Kindle devices as they did last Black Friday?and last year was a great year,? says Dave Limp, vice president for Amazon Kindle. ?In addition, we?re seeing a lot of customers buying multiple Kindles?one for themselves and others as gifts?we expect this trend to continue on Cyber Monday and through the holiday shopping season.? It certainly sounds impressive, but Amazon hasn?t revealed exact sales figures yet. Nevertheless, deep discounts on every Kindle in the product line has consumers snapping up the tablets like hot cakes.
Key to Android commerce is advertising
The success of Android?s tablet sales has incurred rumors that Amazon may venture into the smartphone market next. Facebook is another tech giant that?s expected to soon jump into the smartphone market too, building out its mobile commerce strategy around its social networking platform. Since word of an upcoming Facebook phone emerged about a week ago, speculation on the network?s handset has only grown. They, too, would need an extensive model for extending the Facebook marketplace to the mobile realm, finding more deeply integrated outlets for virtual goods, gaming and advertising.
Advertising is the key to any successful mobile commerce strategy, according to a recent article from The Guardian. This is where Google has the lead. While an Amazon and Facebook phone would likely run on the Android OS, Google is the ultimate winner as this market fleshes out. An Android-powered Facebook phone would be in competition with Google on Google?s own platform, highlighting the impact of the mobile OS and the rise of the smartphone as the most personal of all PCs to date. We could end up with some very different tactics around mobile advertising and commerce should Amazon and Facebook turn to Android for smartphone development, and it will be even more interesting to see how Google continues to maintain some level of control over its ad revenue through extensive mobile commerce and specialized devices.
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Tuesday, November 29, 2011
World AIDS Day: First-Person Experiences from HIV/AIDS Caregivers (ContributorNetwork)
Dec. 1 is World AIDS Day. Writers from Yahoo! Contributor Network who have cared for HIV/AIDS patients shared their thoughts about the disease, its victims and the continuing struggles against the pandemic. Below are some excerpts from their submissions.
R. Elizabeth C. Kitchen
grew up with her friend Susie while Susie grew up with AIDS:
"In my time in health care, I met quite a few HIV and AIDS patients. I met them at their sickest and did what I could for them. They would all leave and go home and I never saw most of them again. I sometimes think about them and wonder how they are doing. I don't really think about them more around World AIDS Day -- or other notable anniversaries. Sometimes I will see or hear something and it just makes me think of them. But I think about Susie every day. It's been nearly seven years, but we were friends for 20 years. She was a year older than me and was like the big sister I never had."
Read Kitchen's story here: Susie's Story: Battling HIV/AIDS as a Child and Young Adult
Susan Abe remembers "Mr. B," an elderly AIDS patient in her care:
"Mr. B -- himself a courtly, old-fashioned and kindly person -- had a wonderful family situation to be discharged to: a stay-at-home retired nursing assistant daughter supplemented by a granddaughter and a grandson in nursing school. Family dynamics appeared warm and stable. The oddity that set Mr. B apart from other patients on our cardiac step-down unit was his age, 93.
"Oh, and he was HIV-positive."
Read Abe's story here: Recalling the Courtly 'Mr. B'
Emery English's own health struggles led her to a job caring for AIDS patients, most notably a couple guys named Joe and Gene:
"[Joe and Gene] came to personify AIDS patients for me. The hoopla over contagion and religious values aside, I saw two men for whom the struggle to beat this lethal disease dominated their lives. And yet at the same time, they did not collapse under the weight of their burden nor did they give up on the everyday joy of life."
Read English's story here: Caring for HIV and AIDS Patients a True Privilege
Julie Wimmer writes that whenever she thinks of AIDS, she thinks of "Jan," a patient she cared for:
"I had never met a woman who had AIDS. I knew that anyone could get AIDS: a baby, a mom, a sports player, but most of the time when I heard, 'So and so has AIDS,' 90 percent of the time, they were talking about a man. So when I met 'Jan,' I was almost weirdly fascinated by her condition."
Read Wimmer's story here: Whenever I Hear About AIDS, I Think of Jan
Angela Epps tells the story of her estranged uncle, who, upon rejoining the family, had important lessons to share:
"We need to remind my uncle to take his drug 'cocktail' every day. He was emotionally damaged. It took months of love and constant assurance that he was a worthwhile part of our family and the world to get him to stop shaking and saying 'sorry' after every little thing."
Read Epps' story here: AIDS a Disease that Can Kill Love
Sherri Hunter recalls James, an AIDS patient she bonded with during his medical treatments:
"James was a real diamond in the rough, and I might have overlooked him in another set of circumstances. As his strength waned, our visits (as I came to see them) became less chatty. I had an opportunity to do little things for him to help him be more comfortable. Sometimes I just sat with him. Eventually, the day came he didn't come in for his appointment. We found the obituary in the paper. Many tears were shed that day."
Read Hunter's story here: AIDS Patient Teaches Life's Lessons
Lyn Vaccaro writes that caring for an AIDS patient helped her appreciate the attitude regarding the disease today:
"I was affected in such a profound way by Ed's illness, mostly by the unconditional love his mother and family gave him as he slowly died. This occurred in the 1980s when HIV wasn't as accepted as it now is. That was difficult for me."
Read Vaccaro's story here: Remembering Ed as AIDS Turns 30
Also see: Timeline of AIDS/HIV in America and AIDS and HIV by the Numbers
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Video: DNC runs ad against Romney
Battling painful memories? Dream on
People have long wondered about the purpose of dreams. But scientists say they now know: they sooth the sting out of troubling memories. And when dreams don?t do their job, horrific memories can take over a person?s life, as they do with PTSD, a new study suggests.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/45469061#45469061
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J.R. Martinez Honored By U.S. Defense Department, Named Rose Parade Grand Marshal
Let the J.R. Martinez victory tour begin.
Dancing With the Stars champion J.R. Martinez received an invitation from U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to visit the Pentagon and meet Panetta in person.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Panetta's respect for J.R., an Iraq War veteran, motivational speaker and actor, was displayed in a congratulatory note:
J.R. and Karina Smirnoff won the ABC competition Monday.
"Your strength and spirit have captivated the nation, and your victory sends a strong message about the strength and resilience of our wounded warriors."
The Defense Secretary then personally called J.R. to invite him to meet in person. J.R. Martinez will address thousands of active and retired troops while in D.C.
It seems everyone wants a piece of the man. Along with his journey to the Pentagon, Martinez has been named the Grand Marshal of the 2012 Rose Parade.
The annual extravaganza takes place New Year's Day. Not only that, the 28-year-old will co-host the pre-show of CNN's Heroes: An All-Star Tribute.
If you're looking for a true inspiration, you could do a lot worse.
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Exclusive: PE firm eyes buyout for Yahoo's U.S. business (Reuters)
NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Thomas H. Lee Partners is interested in buying the U.S. operations of Yahoo Inc, breaking away from other bidders that are for now eyeing either a minority stake or teaming up with the Internet giant's partners in Asia, sources familiar with the matter said.
THL is hoping to do a leveraged buyout of Yahoo's U.S. business - which could be worth $5 billion to $6 billion - and draw on its experience running other media assets such as Nielsen Co, Clear Channel and Univision to turn around the ailing company, the sources said.
In taking this approach, THL is charting a different path than other private equity firms such as Silver Lake, KKR and TPG, which are expected to put in bids for a stake of up to 20 percent in the company on Monday, sources said.
Microsoft Corp is helping to finance a possible Silver Lake investment in Yahoo, which has a market value of about $19 billion, the sources said.
Yahoo's board is expected to meet on Tuesday to assess the possibility of a minority investment, the sources said.
Another group of firms, including Blackstone Group, Bain Capital and Hellman & Friedman, is in talks to team up with China's Alibaba Group and Japan's Softbank Corp, the sources said.
Any deal for Yahoo is still some time away. But THL's interest adds yet another twist in the behind-the-scenes maneuvering as bidders jockey for the best position to eventually forge a deal for Yahoo, betting they can turn around the company's fortunes with better management.
The Internet pioneer has seen growth stagnate in recent years due to competition from the likes of Google Inc and Facebook, and is currently without a permanent CEO as it tries to regain relevance in the new dot-com era.
Yahoo's board fired CEO Carol Bartz in September and started the strategic review, which has been complicated by the different agendas of players with a say in the situation, including its Asian partners, co-founders Jerry Yang and David Filo, the board and shareholders.
Yahoo, THL, Microsoft, Blackstone, KKR and Silver Lake declined to comment. The other private equity firms were not immediately available for comment.
PIPE DEAL
Several other parties including THL are expected to sign confidentiality agreements later this week which would give them access to Yahoo's financial information, the sources said.
TPG, KKR, Silver Lake and Microsoft have already signed confidentiality agreements with Yahoo over the last few weeks allowing them to prepare offers for a minority investment in Yahoo.
Their investment could come in the form of a private investment in public equity (PIPE) transaction. PIPE investors typically get stock at a discount to the public market valuation, so price could prove to be a sticking point in a deal, especially when the board might have other options before it, the sources said.
The board "is going to make decisions on how to pursue a PIPE deal," one of the sources said, adding that the company and the suitors had different value expectations.
Keeping the initial investment below 20 percent would allow Yahoo to avoid putting the proposal up for a shareholder vote. "Yahoo has to decide whether they need to cram it down shareholders' throats," the source said.
Several private equity firms are taking the minority investment route with the idea that they could then team up with Yang and Filo, who together own another 9.5 percent of the Internet company, Reuters has previously reported.
That combined stake could further be raised by a large share buyback financed with debt, giving the owners a blocking position in the company and giving them a prime spot for a leveraged buyout sometime in the future.
However, Yahoo's board would have to pursue all possible options as part of the strategic review, the source said.
That means the company will need to see offers by firms in the others' camps as well.
(Reporting by Nadia Damouni; Additional reporting by Greg Roumeliotis; Editing by Paritosh Bansal, Gary Hill)
Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/internet/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111129/wr_nm/us_yahoo
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Monday, November 28, 2011
UN warns 25 pct of world land highly degraded
ROME (AP) ? The United Nations has completed the first-ever global assessment of the state of the planet's land resources, finding in a report Monday that a quarter of all land is highly degraded and warning the trend must be reversed if the world's growing population is to be fed.
The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that farmers will have to produce 70 percent more food by 2050 to meet the needs of the world's expected 9 billion-strong population. That amounts to 1 billion tons more wheat, rice and other cereals and 200 million more tons of beef and other livestock.
But as it is, most available land is already being farmed, and in ways that actually decrease its productivity through practices that lead to soil erosion and wasting of water.
That means that to meet the world's future food needs, a major "sustainable intensification" of agricultural productivity on existing farmland will be necessary, the FAO said in "State of the World's Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture."
The report was released Monday, as delegates from around the world meet in Durban, South Africa, for a two-week U.N. climate change conference aimed at breaking the deadlock on how to curb emissions of carbon dioxide and other pollutants.
The report found that climate change coupled with poor farming practices had contributed to a decrease in productivity of the world's farmland following the boon years of the Green Revolution, when crop yields soared thanks to new technologies, pesticides and the introduction of high-yield crops.
Thanks to the Green Revolution, the world's cropland grew by just 12 percent between 1961 and 2009, but food productivity increased by 150 percent.
But the U.N. report found that rates of growth have been slowing down in many areas and today are only half of what they were at the peak of the Green Revolution.
It found that 25 percent of the world's land is now "highly degraded," with soil erosion, water degradation and biodiversity loss. Another eight percent is moderately degraded, while 36 percent is stable or slightly degraded and 10 percent is ranked as "improving."
The rest of the Earth's surface is either bare or covered by inland water bodies.
Some examples of areas at risk: Western Europe, where highly intensive agriculture has led to pollution of soil and aquifers and a resulting loss of biodiversity; In the highlands of the Himalayas, the Andes, the Ethiopian plateau and southern Africa, soil erosion has been coupled with an increase intensity of floods; In southeast and eastern Asia's rice-based food systems, land has been abandoned thanks in part to a loss of the cultural value of it.
The report found that water around the world is becoming ever more scarce and salinated, while groundwater is becoming more polluted by agricultural runoff and other toxins.
In order to meet the world's water needs in 2050, more efficient irrigation will necessary since currently most irrigation systems perform well below their capacity, FAO said.
The agency called for new farming practices like integrated irrigation and fish-farm systems to meet those demands, as well as overall investment in agricultural development.
The price tag deemed necessary for investments through 2050: $1 trillion in irrigation water management alone for developing countries, with another $160 billion for soil conservation and flood control.
___
Online:
www.fao.org
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Video: Military families say 'Cheese!'
We'll focus on?efforts to help veterans find?jobs and deal with health and family problems. "One of the great blessings in my life has been the exposure I've received to the military?active duty, in the field and veterans,"?says Brian Williams. "They are America?s genuine heroes, and it's a privilege to use our platforms at NBC News to honor all that they have done."
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40153870/vp/45445872#45445872
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Sanchez's 4 TD passes boost Jets
New York (6-5) moves into second place in AFC East with 28-24 win
Getty ImagesJets receiver Plaxico Burress celebrates a touchdown catch. Burress and the Jets beat the Bills on Sunday.
By DENNIS WASZAK Jr.
updated 4:06 p.m. ET Nov. 27, 2011
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - One down for the New York Jets ? barely. Five more to go in their desperate playoff push.
Mark Sanchez threw a career-high four touchdown passes, including the winning 16-yard score to Santonio Holmes with just over a minute remaining, as the New York Jets kept pace in the AFC playoff race with a 28-24 comeback victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
With several Jets players saying they needed to win each of their last six games to reach the postseason, things appeared bleak with New York (6-5) trailing 24-21 after Dave Rayner's 53-yard field goal and facing a third-and-11 from the Bills 36.
But Sanchez connected with Plaxico Burress, who made an impressive one-handed grab for 18 yards and the first down. Sanchez quickly ran a quarterback sneak and then, on the next play, rolled out to his right to buy some time and found Holmes alone in the right corner of the end zone to give the Jets the lead with 1:01 left.
The Jets then had to overcome a valiant comeback attempt by the Bills (5-6), who have lost four straight. With Buffalo driving for a winning score, a wide-open Stevie Johnson dropped a pass that would have gone for a long gain. Ryan Fitzpatrick also threw behind Johnson in the end zone with 8 seconds left that might have been a touchdown.
Sanchez wasn't great in this one, going 17 of 35 for 180 yards and an interception, but came through with the game on the line. He also threw two touchdown passes to Dustin Keller and another to Burress as the Jets rebounded from a disappointing loss to Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos 10 days ago.
Fitzpatrick was 26 of 39 for 264 yards and three touchdowns, but couldn't pull out one more in the end. Buffalo played without several injured starters, including Fred Jackson and George Wilson.Johnson had one of the Bills' touchdown catches late in the first half when he got up and mocked being shot in the thigh, clearly making fun of Burress who served 20 months in prison for shooting himself in the leg in a nightclub in 2008 while he was with the Giants. Johnson then ran to the left side of the end zone mocking the "flight" celebration the Jets often use after scoring and fell to the ground, getting flagged 15 yards for excessive celebration on the play that gave Buffalo a 14-7 lead.
That penalty was enforced on the kickoff and helped the Jets score the tying touchdown.
New York was already going to have good field position, but Rayner flubbed a squibbed onside-kick attempt that hit off the Jets' Marquice Cole, who recovered the ball at Buffalo's 36.
The Jets moved to the 14 when Buffalo's Marcell Dareus was hit for a 15-yard penalty for using his helmet to make contact with Sanchez. Three plays later, Burress caught a 14-yard touchdown pass in the back of the end zone to tie it at 14 with 1:03 left in the half. Burress simply bowed to the crowd and ran to the stands and handed the ball to his son Elijah, as he always does after scoring receptions.
The Jets' offense started the third quarter with a nice drive capped by Keller's second touchdown catch of the game that gave New York a 21-14 lead with 3:50 remaining in the period. Keller had a nice leaping 22-yard grab earlier in the drive, and two plays later, the Jets tight end caught a pass from Sanchez at the 6, broke the tackle of Da'Norris Searcy and trudged into the end zone for the score.After the Jets held the Bills to three-and-out late in the third quarter, Buffalo got the ball right back when cornerback Antonio Cromartie ? who doesn't normally return punts ? muffed the fair catch and Leodis McKelvin recovered at New York's 36. McKelvin injured his ribs on the play and left the game.
Fitzpatrick went for a big play right away, throwing a ball up deep down the right sideline to Brad Smith, who got a hand on it ? along with Cromartie ? and tapped the ball up, grabbed it out of the air as the defender fell and took off into the end zone for a 36-yard touchdown that tied it at 21 with 2:11 remaining in the third quarter.
Buffalo took a 7-0 lead with 1:38 left in the first quarter on an 8-yard touchdown catch by David Nelson, capping a 13-play drive that covered 90 yards. The Bills had three third-down conversions on the drive, which was also helped by a 15-yard facemask penalty on Brodney Pool on the second play.
On first-and-20 from the Jets 46 following a holding penalty on the Bills' Chad Rinehart, Fitzpatrick connected with Johnson for 15 yards. Two plays later, Spiller had a 13-yard grab on third-and-2 to put the ball at the 15. Facing a third-and-1 from the 6, the Bills went with an option play ? shades of what the Jets saw often against Tebow and the Broncos in their last game ? and Spiller got a yard. Two plays later, Fitzpatrick found Nelson in the back of the end zone.
One play after nearly connecting with Holmes for a touchdown, Sanchez pulled off a nice play-action fake and found a wide-open Keller in the left corner of the end zone to tie it at 7 less than 3 minutes into the second quarter.
? 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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More newsGetty ImagesSanchez's 4 TD passes boost Jets
Mark Sanchez threw four touchdown passes, including the winning score to Santonio Holmes with just over a minute remaining, as the New York Jets kept pace in the AFC playoff race with a 28-24 comeback victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45454611/ns/sports-nfl/
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Sunday, November 27, 2011
23 bodies dumped in mass slaying in Guadalajara (AP)
GUADALAJARA, Mexico ? Twenty-three bodies were discovered bound and gagged Thursday in vehicles abandoned in the heart of Guadalajara, Mexico's second-largest city and the site of the recent Pan American Games, officials said.
Best known as the home of mariachi music and tequila, this picturesque colonial city has also been the historic base for methamphetamine trafficking by the powerful Sinaloa cartel. The cartel's tight grip on the city was shattered by the death of its regional commander, Ignacio "Nacho" Coronel, in a shootout with federal police in July 2010.
Guadalajara's murder rate then soared as factions of the cartel known as the New Generation and the Resistance battled to control Coronel's territory and assets. Street battles have left hundreds dead in the city and surrounding areas.
Security officials have said they feared that the chaos could provide an opening for the Zetas drug cartel, which has been using paramilitary-style tactics and headline-grabbing atrocities in a national push to seize territory from older organized crime groups.
But killing slowed to a trickle during the Oct. 15-30 Pan American Games, which brought a massive influx of police and soldiers.
Now, the violence appears to have surged back, in the form of the mass killing and public dumping of bodies that has marred other cities such as Veracruz.
The state prosecutor's office said the slain men in Guadalajara were found at 6:29 a.m. in two vans and a pickup truck left near the Milennium Arches, one of the most recognizable landmarks in the city in western Mexico.
The arches stand less than a mile (1.6 kilometers) from the Expo Guadalajara events center, the site of both Pan Am Games events and the Guadalajara International Book Fair, which opens Saturday and describes itself as the world's most important Spanish-language book fair. The fair's website said it was expecting more than 600,000 visitors from around the world.
On Wednesday, 17 bodies were found burned in two pickup trucks in a strikingly similar attack in Sinaloa, the home state of the eponymous cartel. Twelve of the bodies were in the back of one truck, some of them handcuffed and wearing bulletproof vests.
Luis Carlos Najera, public security secretary for the state of Jalisco, where Guadalajara is located, said Thursday morning that a message had been found in one of the vehicles containing the most recent bodies, but he didn't offer more details. Mexican drug cartels frequently leave threatening messages with the bodies of their victims as a way of sowing fear and taking credit for their actions.
Responding to a reporter's question, Najera told the Televisa television network that he believed the recent calm in Guadalajara was the result of an increase in security and not because drug cartels had struck a truce with each other during the games.
He declined to comment on the possible motives for the slayings, saying only that investigators had "various hypotheses."
The Zetas have taken over neighboring Zacatecas state in their push west, and are said to be eyeing Guadalajara both for the meth trade and for the potential of extortion.
Analysts have said there is some indication that factions such as the Resistance will join the Zetas, which would produce a coalition threatening Sinaloa's methamphetamine operations.
____
Associated Press writer E. Eduardo Castillo in Mexico City contributed to this report.
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(AP)
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Saturday, November 26, 2011
Thanksgiving Leftovers Danger To Pets - News Story - WCYB Tri Cities
POSTED: 6:13 pm EST November 26, 2011BLUFF CITY, Tenn. -- There's no denying it can be pretty hard saying "No" to a wagging tail with big puppy dog eyes begging for a treat. But, veterinarians warn your Thanksgiving leftovers can be dangerous to pets.News 5 checked with a local vet who said every holiday season their office cares for cats and dogs who are sick from eating table scraps from Thanksgiving dinner.The bones from turkey can be a choking hazard, but it's the rich, buttery, and salty foods that cause the biggest problems."They're high in fat and very very dangerous to pets. They just lead to pancreatic disease, digestive upset, vomiting, diarrhea. They promote obesity," said Dr. Kate Zimmerman from Tri-County Veterinary Hospital.Here's something else News 5 learned: Be careful about wrapping food, like chocolates, to put under the Christmas tree. Since chocolate is toxic and pets can tear the presents open.
Copyright 2011 WCYB. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Source: http://www.wcyb.com/news/29863013/detail.html
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Private - For Sheoul and Red
Generally speaking, I'd prefer a minimum of a paragraph per post and a maximum of ten. Not a hard rule but please keep it reasonable. I want enough information to be able to react and enjoy the battle but I don't want to read a text book's worth only to realize there is naught but a single attack.
I'd appreciate it if there were no: Time, Space, Negation, Infinite abilities. If you post something unreasonable - for example abilities not found in profile, or being stabbed through the heart and still walk around like nothing has happened - my generally response would be to ignore it by including the reasoning in my post. Feel free to do the same to me.
And let me know if you feel I did anything out of place/unreasonable via pm. As long as there is respect and reason, I don't mind discussing the issue. If I have been proven wrong I will very gladly correct my mistakes. If however, you start a flame war or attack me ooc, know that I will return fire. Not saying it will happen. But just a heads up. Don't start one.
If you won't post/respond for more than a week's time, please let me know before hand or I'll assume you surrender and post accordingly.
All in all, I hope the battle proceeds well and... please have fun :) Post your profile, and I'll try to cater a template character roughly the same power levels. If you have any preferences, be sure to let me know too. I'll try to accommodate.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/PrMl_vVsgo8/viewtopic.php
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Helsinki care center imports bots to battle Alzheimer's, lead sing-alongs (video)
Continue reading Helsinki care center imports bots to battle Alzheimer's, lead sing-alongs (video)
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