Today in History

Today is Wednesday, April 24, the 114th day of 2013. There are 251 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On April 24, 1913, the 792-foot Woolworth Building, at that time the tallest skyscraper in the world, officially opened in Manhattan as President Woodrow Wilson pressed a button at the White House to signal the lighting of the towering structure.

On this date:

In 1792, the national anthem of France, "La Marseillaise" (lah mahr-say-YEHZ'), was composed by Captain Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle.

In 1800, Congress approved a bill establishing the Library of Congress.

In 1898, Spain declared war on the United States. (The United States responded in kind the next day.)

In 1915, what's regarded as the start of the Armenian genocide began as the Ottoman Empire rounded up Armenian political and cultural leaders in Constantinople.

In 1916, some 1,600 Irish nationalists launched the Easter Rising by seizing several key sites in Dublin. (The rising was put down by British forces almost a week later.)

In 1932, in the Free State of Prussia, the Nazi Party gained a plurality of seats in parliamentary elections.

In 1953, British statesman Winston Churchill was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.

In 1962, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology achieved the first satellite relay of a television signal, using NASA's Echo 1 balloon satellite to bounce a video image from Camp Parks, Calif., to Westford, Mass.

In 1963, the Boston Celtics won the NBA Finals in Game 6, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 112-109.

In 1970, the People's Republic of China launched its first satellite, which kept transmitting a song, "The East is Red."

In 1980, the United States launched an unsuccessful attempt to free the American hostages in Iran, a mission that resulted in the deaths of eight U.S. servicemen.

In 1993, former African National Congress president Oliver Tambo died in Johannesburg, South Africa, at age 75.

Ten years ago: U.S. forces in Iraq took custody of Tariq Aziz (TAH'-rihk ah-ZEEZ'), the former Iraqi deputy prime minister. China shut down a Beijing hospital as the global death toll from SARS surpassed 260. In Red Lion, Pa., 14-year-old James Sheets shot and killed principal Eugene Segro inside a crowded junior high school cafeteria, then killed himself.

Five years ago: The White House accused North Korea of assisting Syria's secret nuclear program, saying a Syrian nuclear reactor destroyed by Israel in 2007 was not intended for "peaceful purposes."

One year ago: President Barack Obama went after the college vote, telling students at the University of North Carolina that he and first lady Michelle Obama had "been in your shoes" and didn't pay off their student loans until eight years ago. Republican Mitt Romney swept primaries in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New York. Lakers forward Metta World Peace was suspended for seven games by the NBA two days after a vicious elbow on Oklahoma City's James Harden.

Today's Birthdays: Film and drama critic Stanley Kauffmann is 97. Movie director-producer Richard Donner is 83. Actress Shirley MacLaine is 79. Author Sue Grafton is 73. Actor-singer Michael Parks is 73. Actress-singer-director Barbra Streisand is 71. Former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley is 71. Country singer Richard Sterban (The Oak Ridge Boys) is 70. Rock musician Doug Clifford (Creedence Clearwater Revival) is 68. Rock singer-musician Rob Hyman is 63. The Taoiseach (prime minister) of Ireland, Enda Kenny, is 62. Actor-playwright Eric Bogosian is 60. Rock singer-musician Jack Blades (Night Ranger) is 59. Actor Michael O'Keefe is 58. Rock musician David J (Bauhaus) is 56. Actor Glenn Morshower is 54. Rock musician Billy Gould is 50. Actor-comedian Cedric the Entertainer is 49. Actor Djimon Hounsou (JEYE'-mihn OHN'-soo) is 49. Rock musician Patty Schemel is 46. Rock musician Aaron Comess (Spin Doctors) is 45. Actress Melinda Clarke is 44. Latin pop singer Alejandro Fernandez is 42. Country-rock musician Brad Morgan (Drive-By Truckers) is 42. Rock musician Brian Marshall (Creed; Alter Bridge) is 40. Actor Derek Luke is 39. Actor Eric Balfour is 36. Actress Rebecca Mader is 36. Country singer Rebecca Lynn Howard is 34. Country singer Danny Gokey is 33. Actor Austin Nichols is 33. Actress Sasha Barrese is 32. Contemporary Christian musician Jasen Rauch (Red) is 32. Singer Kelly Clarkson is 31. Rock singer-musician Tyson Ritter (The All-American Rejects) is 29. Actor Doc Shaw is 21.

Thought for Today: "To change and to improve are two different things." ? German proverb.

(Above Advance for Use Wednesday, April 24)

Copyright 2013, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/today-history-050206767.html

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Bangladesh factory building collapse kills nearly 100

By Serajul Quadir and Ruma Paul

DHAKA (Reuters) - A block housing garment factories and shops collapsed in Bangladesh on Wednesday, killing nearly 100 people and injuring more than a thousand, officials said.

Firefighters and troops dug frantically through the rubble at the eight-storey Rana Plaza building in Savar, 30 km (20 miles) outside Dhaka. Television showed young women workers, some apparently semi-conscious, being pulled out.

One fireman told Reuters about 2,000 people were in the building when the upper floors slammed down onto those below.

Bangladesh's booming garments industry has been plagued by fires and other accidents for years, despite a drive to improve safety standards. In November 112 workers died in a blaze at the Tazreen factory in a nearby suburb, putting a spotlight on global retailers which source clothes from Bangladesh.

"It looks like an earthquake has struck here," said one resident as he looked on at the chaotic scene of smashed concrete and ambulances making their way through the crowds of workers and wailing relatives.

People and rescuers gather after an eight-story building housing several garment factories collapsed in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, April 24, 2013. Dozens were killed and many more are ... more? People and rescuers gather after an eight-story building housing several garment factories collapsed in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, April 24, 2013. Dozens were killed and many more are feared trapped in the rubble. (AP Photo/ A.M. Ahad) less? "I was at work on the third floor, and then suddenly I heard a deafening sound, but couldn't understand what was happening. I ran and was hit by something on my head," said factory worker Zohra Begum.

An official at a control room set up to provide information said 96 people were confirmed dead and more than 1,000 injured. Doctors at local hospitals said they were unable to cope with the number of victims brought in.

CRACKS IN BUILDING

Mohammad Asaduzzaman, in charge of the area's police station, said factory owners appeared to have ignored a warning not to allow their workers into the building after a crack was detected in the block on Tuesday.

Five garment factories - employing mostly women - were housed in the building, including Ether Tex Ltd., whose chairman said he was unaware of any warnings not to open the workshops.

"There was some crack at the second floor, but my factory was on the fifth floor," Muhammad Anisur Rahman told Reuters. "The owner of the building told our floor manager that it is not a problem and so you can open the factory."

He initially said that his firm had been sub-contracted to supply Wal-Mart Stores Inc, the world's largest retailer, and Europe's C&A. In a subsequent interview he said he had been referring to an order in the past, not current work.

Wal-Mart did not immediately respond to requests for comment. C&A said that, based on its best information, it had no contractual relationship with any of the production units in the building that collapsed.

The website of a company called New Wave, which had two factories in the building, listed 27 main buyers, including firms from Britain, Denmark, France, Germany, Spain, Ireland, Canada and the United States.

"It is dreadful that leading brands and governments continue to allow garment workers to die or suffer terrible disabling injuries in unsafe factories making clothes for Western nations' shoppers," Laia Blanch of the U.K. anti-poverty charity War on Want said in a statement.

November's factory fire raised questions about how much control Western brands have over their supply chains for clothes sourced from Bangladesh. Wages as low as $38.50 a month have helped propel the country to no. 2 in the ranks of apparel exporters.

It emerged later that a Wal-Mart supplier had subcontracted work to the Tazreen factory without authorization.

Buildings in the crowded city of Dhaka are sometimes erected without permission and many do not comply with construction regulations.

(Additional reporting by Andrew Biraj; Writing by John Chalmers; Editing by Andrew Roche)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/garment-factory-building-collapses-bangladesh-25-dead-tv-051140268.html

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Georges St-Pierre says he still has challenges at 170 lbs

UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre stopped by the "UFC Tonight" studio and talked about the challenges he sees on the horizon. While everyone is clamoring for an Anderson Silva-Georges St-Pierre bout, he thinks there are still plenty of challenges for him to tackle at welterweight. And as he's claimed many times, St-Pierre said a move up to fight Silva at middleweight would have to be a permanent move because he doesn't want to cut back down. GSP also talked about his new book, his week of Hollywood glamor, and the reasoning behind that hair. Check it out.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/georges-st-pierre-says-still-challenges-170-lbs-131440236--mma.html

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Uncleaned cells mean weak muscles

Apr. 23, 2013 ? The protein complex mTORC1 promotes muscle growth. However, should this complex remain constantly active, it impairs the ability of the cells to self-clean, causing myopathy. Scientists working with Markus R?egg, Professor at the Biozentrum, University of Basel, describe the exact mechanism involved in the current issue of the scientific journal Cell Metabolism.

Similarly to parts in a machine, individual components of a cell wear out with time. For a cell to remain healthy, malfunctioning components and waste products must be regularly disposed of or recycled. A cellular self-cleaning process, called autophagy, is responsible for this. However, the capacity for self-renewal decreases with age and participates in a wide range of age-related diseases such as cancer, heart disease and muscle weakness. In this process, the growth regulator, mTORC1, plays a primary role. The exact relationship has now been discovered by Markus R?egg's team from the Biozentrum of the University of Basel, together with scientists from the Department of Biomedicine.

Muscle weakness due to overactive growth regulator

Until recently, it was assumed that the protein complex mTORC1 in the skeletal muscle plays a key role in growth regulation but not in the process of autophagy. R?egg and his team of scientists have been able to refute this widely accepted assumption. In the current study, they investigated the cellular processes in skeletal muscle of mice, in which mTORC1 was permanently activated. Particularly in aging mice, the scientists observed a progressive myopathy, which could be ascribed to impaired autophagy. Interestingly, the researchers could reverse the symptoms by administering rapamycin. The muscle function of the mice returned to normal. Rapamycin is a substance that inhibits mTORC1, thereby promoting cell self-cleaning.

Counteracting muscle breakdown

According to these findings, mTORC1 plays a major role in tightly coordinating the mechanism of autophagy, maintaining the balance between muscle growth and breakdown. The scientists suspect that an overactive mTORC1 complex may also contribute to the development of the age-related muscle weakness seen in man. Therefore, a closer examination of the mTORC1 regulation system in the context of aging may provide new therapeutic approaches for the counteracting of the muscle weakness.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Universit?t Basel.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Perrine Castets, Shuo Lin, Nathalie Rion, Sabrina Di?Fulvio, Klaas Romanino, Maitea Guridi, Stephan Frank, Lionel?A. Tintignac, Michael Sinnreich, Markus?A. R?egg. Sustained Activation of mTORC1 in Skeletal Muscle Inhibits Constitutive and Starvation-Induced Autophagy and Causes a Severe, Late-Onset Myopathy. Cell Metabolism, 2013; DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2013.03.015

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/R87ZMobNvdQ/130423091028.htm

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Lawyer: Inspectors clear US horse slaughterhouse - Economy news

ROSWELL, New Mexico (AP) ? The attorney for a proposed horse slaughterhouse in southeastern New Mexico says a federal inspection Tuesday went well and the plant hopes to be in business soon.

Attorney Blair Dunn says agriculture officials found no issues at Valley Meat Co. and told the owners Tuesday they are recommending a grant of inspection be issued immediately. Dunn says he expects final approval for the plant to come in a matter of days.

Valley Meat Co. has become ground zero for an emotional, national debate in America over a return to domestic horse slaughter that has divided horse rescue and animal humane groups, ranchers, politicians and Indian tribes.

Fueling opposition is a recent uproar in Europe over horse meat being found in products labeled as beef. The company hopes the inspection ends a yearlong political drama that has left it idle and made owner Rick De Los Santos and his wife, Sarah, targets of vandalism and death threats.

Valley Meat Co. is a former cattle slaughterhouse whose kill floor has been redesigned for horses to be led in one at a time, secured in a huge metal chute, shot in the head, then processed into meat for shipment overseas.

At issue was whether horses are livestock or pets, and whether it is more humane to slaughter them domestically than to ship tens of thousands of neglected, unwanted and wild horses thousands of miles (kilometers) to be slaughtered in Mexico or Canada.

Front and center of the debate is De Los Santos, who along with his wife, has for more than two decades worked this small slaughterhouse, taking in mostly cows that were too old or sick to travel with larger herds to the bigger slaughterhouses for production.

Now, with cattle herds shrinking amid an ongoing drought, De Los Santos says he and his wife are just trying to transform their business and make enough money to retire by slaughtering domestically some of the thousands of horses that he says travel through the state every month on their way to what are oftentimes less humane and less regulated plants south of the border.

"They are being slaughtered anyway. We thought, well, we will slaughter them here and provide jobs for the economy," De Los Santos said. Instead, Valley Meat has been ensnarled in a yearlong political drama that has left the plant idle and its owners the target of vandalism and death threats ? warnings that increased after humane groups found a video a now-former plant worker posted of himself cursing at animal activists, then shooting one of his own horses to eat.

"People are saying, 'We will slit your throat in your sleep. We hope you die. We hope your kids die,'" De Los Santos said. "Sometimes it's scary. ... And it's all for a horse." Indeed, voice mails left on the company's answering machine spew hate and wishes for violence upon the family.

"I hope you burn in hell," said one irate woman who called repeatedly, saying, "You better pack your (expletive) bags (expletive) and get out of there because that place is finished." The couple have hired security and turned over phone records to federal authorities.

"It's complicated, this industry of feeding the world," Sarah De Los Santos says matter-of-factly. The meat would be processed for human consumption and exported to countries in eastern Europe and Asia.

The Obama administration wants to prohibit horse slaughter. The administration's 2014 budget request excludes money for inspectors for horse slaughter plants, which would effectively keep them from operating.

Humane groups and politicians including Gov. Susana Martinez and New Mexico Attorney General Gary King strongly oppose the plant. They argue that horses are iconic animals in the West, and that other solutions and more funding for horse rescue and birth control programs should be explored over slaughter.

Still others are pushing for a return to domestic slaughter. Proponents include several Native American tribes, the American Quarter Horse Association, some livestock associations and even a few horse rescue groups that believe domestic slaughter would be more humane than shipping the animals elsewhere.

Follow Jeri Clausing at https://twitter.com/jericlausing

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Source: http://www.mail.com/int/business/economy/2039896-lawyer-inspectors-clear-us-horse-slaughterhouse.html

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CSN: Nats still struggling? |? O's walk-off vs. Jays

Want a quick synopsis of the state of the Nationals' lineup 19 games into the season? Adam LaRoche has the condensed version.

"We're not getting the big hits," the veteran first baseman said. "A lot of quick innings. Not a ton of baserunners. And five or six guys that aren't swinging the bat real good. When it rains, it pours."

The rain may not be at cats-and-dogs stages right now, but it's coming down at a steady rate, resulting in more than a few frustrating losses like Monday's 3-2 defeat at the hands of the Cardinals.

Despite getting the closest thing Dan Haren has offered up to a quality start this season and some sparkling work out of their bullpen, the Nationals couldn't exorcise their St. Louis demons from last October because they couldn't produce a clutch hit late despite several opportunities.

Thus, a Nationals club that three weeks ago was everyone's prohibitive favorite to reach the World Series fell to 10-9. Yes, they're still over .500, but there's something unsettling about the way they've played to date, especially at the plate.

As a team, the Nationals are hitting .240. Individually, three regulars own batting averages below that mark: LaRoche (.185), Danny Espinosa (.176) and the third base duo of Ryan Zimmerman and Anthony Rendon (.213 combined). Throw in three key bench players who have been abysmal so far ? Tyler Moore (.158), Chad Tracy (.136) and Roger Bernadina (0-for-15) ? and it's easy to see why they've had such trouble scoring runs in bunches.

"It think that's what we're kind of stumped on," LaRoche said. "It's normal to have a couple of guys that aren't going. But it gets kind of washed away when you've got other guys picking up the slack. Now we just don't have that. And that can turn into guys pressing. When you have a chance to score, to try a little too hard."

LaRoche and Desmond might well have been guilty of that during a critical juncture in Monday night's game. After watching a potential seventh-inning rally snuffed out when Cardinals center fielder Jon Jay made a nifty, sliding catch of Tracy's broken-bat blooper with two on and two out, the Nationals gave themselves another opportunity in the bottom of the eighth.

Denard Span beat out a grounder to third to get things started, then after Jayson Werth struck out, Bryce Harper drew a walk against St. Louis reliever Trevor Rosenthal. To the plate stepped LaRoche with a chance to drive in the tying run.

Instead, the cleanup hitter bounced Rosenthal's first pitch to first base, advancing the runners but recording the second out of the inning in the process.

"That guy can throw 100," LaRoche said of Rosenthal. "The first fastball you see, you want to go after it. And if you miss it, go after the next one."

With two outs and runners on second and third, Desmond stepped up with his own chance to drive in the tying run, and possibly the go-ahead run as well. But the All-Star shortstop was headed back to the bench in short order, taking a fastball for strike one, swinging out of his shoelaces and missing for strike two, then watching a 98 mph fastball from Rosenthal sail right through the heart of the zone for strike three.

"That's the situation I want to be in: Tying run on second, and the game on the line," Desmond said. "I'll take me in that situation any day of the week. He just got me out in that situation today. Hopefully I get that opportunity again."

Davey Johnson didn't sound entirely pleased with his hitters' approach in those situations.

"All he was throwing was fastballs," the manager said. "The umpire was giving him a little bit of the top end of the strike zone, but you've got to make him bring it down and just center on the fastball."

The Nationals went down quietly in the ninth against recently named Cardinals closer Edward Mujica, ending a frustrating night and leaving Haren to suffer his third loss in four starts despite the fact he showed significant signs of improvement in this one.

After getting beat around by the Reds, White Sox and Marlins, Haren was hoping to at least record his first quality start as a National. He was on track to do just that, entering the sixth inning having allowed only two runs with a manageable pitch count of 87. But the veteran right-hander not only couldn't get through the sixth, he couldn't even record an out.

Haren's undoing began when he plunked Matt Holliday with a pitch, then exacerbated itself on back-to-back singles by Carlos Beltran and Yadier Molina and finally a walk to David Freese. Out to the mound strolled Johnson, asking for the ball from his starter, who wasn't interested in finding the positives out of this latest loss.

"Not really," Haren said. "I want more out of myself than five innings, giving up three runs and [reliever Craig] Stammen bailing me out of that jam. I've been around for 10 years. I'm used to throwing seven, eight innings every time. I've thrown 200 innings many times. Going five innings, you're not going to do that."

It took a major escape act from Stammen ? stranding the bases loaded with nobody out ? to keep the deficit at 3-2 and at least give the Nationals lineup a chance to rally late.

But this lineup hasn't been able to rally much so far this season. And that has left this team in a strange position: Still boasting a winning record but not living up to the lofty expectations placed upon it.

"It's a long season," Desmond said. "As an outsider looking in, you see 98 wins last year and you expect to see the same again this year. But in order to win 98 games, you've got to lose a bunch of games, too. It doesn't matter if we lose them in April or September or October or whatever. We've just got to keep on playing and it'll turn for us."

Source: http://www.csnwashington.com/baseball-washington-nationals/talk/lackluster-lineup-leads-another-nats-loss

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Hundreds of potential drug targets to starve cancer tumors identified

Apr. 21, 2013 ? A massive study analyzing gene expression data from 22 tumor types has identified multiple metabolic expression changes associated with cancer. The analysis, conducted by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center, also identified hundreds of potential drug targets that could cut off a tumor's fuel supply or interfere with its ability to synthesize essential building blocks. The study was published today in the online edition of Nature Biotechnology.

The results should ramp up research into drugs that interfere with cancer metabolism, a field that dominated cancer research in the early 20th century and has recently undergone a renaissance.

"The importance of this new study is its scope," said Dennis Vitkup, PhD, associate professor of biomedical informatics (in the Initiative in Systems Biology) at CUMC, the study's lead investigator. "So far, people have focused mainly on a few genes involved in major metabolic processes. Our study provides a comprehensive, global view of diverse metabolic alterations at the level of gene expression."

Cell metabolism is a dynamic network of reactions inside cells that process nutrients, such as glucose, to obtain energy and synthesize building blocks needed to produce new cellular components. To support uncontrolled proliferation, cancer needs to significantly reprogram and "supercharge" a cell's normal metabolic pathways.

The first researcher to notice cancer's special metabolism was German biochemist Otto Warburg, who in 1924 observed that cancer cells had a peculiar way of utilizing glucose to make energy for the cell. "Although a list of biochemical pathways in normal cells was comprehensively mapped during the last century," said Dr. Vitkup. "We still lack a complete understanding of their usage, regulation, and reprogramming in cancer."

"Right now we have something like a static road map. We know where the streets are, but we don't know how traffic flows through the streets and intersections," said Jie Hu, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia and first author of the study. "What researchers need is something similar to Google Traffic, which shows the flow and dynamic changes in car traffic."

Drs. Hu and Vitkup's study is an important step toward achieving this dynamic view of cancer metabolism. Notably, the researchers found that the tumor-induced expression changes are significantly different across diverse tumors. Although some metabolic changes -- such as an increase in nucleotide biosynthesis and glycolysis -- appear to be more frequent across tumors, others, such as changes in oxidation phosphorylation, are heterogeneous.

"Our study clearly demonstrates that there are no single and universal changes in cancer metabolism," said Matthew Vander Heiden, MD, PhD, assistant professor at MIT, and a co-author of the paper. "That means that to understand transformation in cancer metabolism, researchers will need to consider how different tumor types adapt their metabolism to meet their specific needs."

The researchers also found that expression changes can mimic or cooperate with cancer mutations to drive tumor formation. A notable example is the enzyme isocitrate dehydrogenase. In several cancers, such as glioblastoma and acute myeloid leukemia, mutations in this enzyme are known to produce a specific metabolite -- 2-hydroxyglutarate -- that promotes tumor growth. The Columbia team found that isocitrate dehydrogenase expression significantly increases in tumors with the recurrent mutations. Such an overexpression may create an efficient enzymatic factory for overproduction of 2-hydroxyglutarate.

The analysis also led the researchers to an interesting finding in colon cancer. In several other cancers, mutations in two enzymes -- succinate dehydrogenase and fumarate hydratase -- can promote tumor formation as a result of efflux from mitochondria and accumulation of their substrates, fumarate and succinate. The researchers found that in colon cancer, accumulation of these metabolites may be caused by a significant decrease in the enzymes' expression. This was confirmed when metabolomics data from colon tumor patients showed significantly higher concentrations of fumarate in tumors than in normal tissue.

"These are just several examples of how cancer cells use various creative mechanisms to hijack the metabolism of native cells for their own purposes," said Dr. Vitkup.

For cancer researchers looking for new drug targets, Dr. Vitkup's team also found hundreds of differences between normal and cancer cells' use of isoenzymes. This opens up additional possibilities for turning off cancer's fuel and supply lines. Isoenzymes often catalyze the same reactions, but have different kinetic properties: Some act quickly and sustain rapid growth, while others are more sluggish. In kidney and liver cancers, for example, a quick-acting aldolase isoenzyme -- suitable for fast cell proliferation -- was found to be more prevalent than the more typical slow-moving version found in normal kidney and liver tissue. Although a few examples of differential isoenzyme expression in tumors were already known, the Columbia researchers identified hundreds of isoenzymes with cancer-specific expression patterns.

"Inhibiting specific isoenzymes in tumors may be a way to selectively hit cancer cells without affecting normal cells, which could get by with other isoenzymes," said Dr. Hu.

In fact, a recent study from Matthew Vander Heiden's laboratory demonstrated the potential of targeting a specific isoenzyme, pyruvate kinase M2, expression of which often increases in tumors. "The comprehensive expression analysis suggests that a similar approach could potentially be applied in multiple other cases," said Dr. Vander Heiden.

Targeting metabolism may be a way to strike cancer at its roots. "Cancer cells usually have multiple ways to turn on their growth program," said Dr. Vitkup. "You can knock out one, but the cells will usually find another pathway to turn on proliferation. Targeting metabolism may be more powerful, because if you starve a cell of energy or materials, it has nowhere to go."

The paper is titled, "Heterogeneity of tumor-induced gene expression changes in the human metabolic network." The other authors are Jason W. Locasale (Cornell University), Jason H. Bielas (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Wash.; and University of Washington, Seattle, Wash.), Jacintha O'Sullivan (St. Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland), Kieran Sheahan St. Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland), and Lewis C. Cantley (Harvard Medical School).

Dr. Vander Heiden is a consultant and advisory board member, and Dr. Cantley is a consultant and founder, of Agios Pharmaceuticals. The authors report no other financial or potential conflicts of interest.

This work was supported by National Institutes of Health grant GM079759 to Dr. Vitkup and National Centers for Biomedical Computing grant U54CA121852 to Columbia University. Dr. Locasale is supported by an NIH Pathway to Independence Award R00CA168997. Dr. Bielas is supported by an Ellison Medical Foundation New Scholar award AG-NS-0577-09, a National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences grant R01ES019319, and New Development Funds from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Dr. Vander Heiden acknowledges support from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, the Smith Family, and the National Cancer Institute.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Columbia University Medical Center.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Jie Hu, Jason W Locasale, Jason H Bielas, Jacintha O'Sullivan, Kieran Sheahan, Lewis C Cantley, Matthew G Vander Heiden, Dennis Vitkup. Heterogeneity of tumor-induced gene expression changes in the human metabolic network. Nature Biotechnology, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/nbt.2530

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/NxLu-Y1ENBQ/130421151616.htm

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Does international child sponsorship work? New research says yes

Public release date: 22-Apr-2013
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Contact: Adam Gannaway
agannaway@press.uchicago.edu
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University of Chicago Press Journals

Child sponsorship is a leading form of direct aid from households in wealthy countries to children in developing countries, with approximately 3.39 billion dollars spent to sponsor 9.14 million children internationally. A new study to be published in the Journal of Political Economy shows international child sponsorship to result in markedly higher rates of schooling completion and substantially improved adult employment outcomes.

Researchers used first-hand survey data from a study of Compassion International, a leading child sponsorship organization, to examine the adult life outcomes of a group of 10,144 individuals in Bolivia, Guatemala, India, Kenya, the Philippines, and Uganda that included children who began sponsorship through the program a generation ago. The study estimates causal effects on adult life outcomes in areas such as educational completion, type of employment, and community leadership.

Specifically, the study finds that international sponsorship increased the probability of a child completing secondary school by 27%, completing a university education by 50%, and obtaining a white-collar job as an adult by about 35%.

Despite the billions of dollars that flow to child sponsorship each year and the millions of American families who sponsor overseas children, this is the first published study to investigate whether such programs actually benefit the children they intend to help. Evidence from the study points to the positive effects of child sponsorship on the adult life outcomes of these children.

Compassion's program places a strong emphasis not only on providing for the basic needs, such as school tuition and healthcare, but also on nurturing children's life aspirations and self-esteem over what is typically a decade of participation in sponsorship programs. "Too often we have focused our development efforts on provision for human beings rather than the development of human beings," said Bruce Wydick, one of the study's authors. "Although child sponsorship does indeed provide help with school fees, access to health care, and other tangible benefits, Compassion's particular approach focuses on the more holistic development of the child, such as development of self-esteem, aspirations, spiritual and ethical values. In follow-up studies involving currently sponsored children, we measure very large impacts in these areas, which we believe play a significant role in what we observe in the difference in adult life outcomes."

While further research is needed to establish a causal link between aspirations and adult life outcomes, this study has intriguing implications for the way we view economic development. Said Wydick, "I believe our research contributes to a new and growing body of investigation that seeks to examine the importance of 'internal constraints' to economic developmentthe importance of aspirations, self-esteem, goals, and reference points related to behaviors that are propitious to helping the poor escape poverty."

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Bruce Wydick, Paul Glewwe, and Laine Rutledge, "Does International Child Sponsorship Work? A Six-Country Study of Impacts on Adult Life Outcomes." Journal of Political Economy 121:2 (published April 2013).

One of the oldest and most prestigious journals in economics, the Journal of Political Economy (journals.uchicago.edu/JPE) has since 1892 presented significant research and scholarship in economic theory and practice. The journal aims to publish highly selective, widely cited articles of current relevance that will have a long-term impact on economics research.

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Public release date: 22-Apr-2013
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Contact: Adam Gannaway
agannaway@press.uchicago.edu
773-702-2037
University of Chicago Press Journals

Child sponsorship is a leading form of direct aid from households in wealthy countries to children in developing countries, with approximately 3.39 billion dollars spent to sponsor 9.14 million children internationally. A new study to be published in the Journal of Political Economy shows international child sponsorship to result in markedly higher rates of schooling completion and substantially improved adult employment outcomes.

Researchers used first-hand survey data from a study of Compassion International, a leading child sponsorship organization, to examine the adult life outcomes of a group of 10,144 individuals in Bolivia, Guatemala, India, Kenya, the Philippines, and Uganda that included children who began sponsorship through the program a generation ago. The study estimates causal effects on adult life outcomes in areas such as educational completion, type of employment, and community leadership.

Specifically, the study finds that international sponsorship increased the probability of a child completing secondary school by 27%, completing a university education by 50%, and obtaining a white-collar job as an adult by about 35%.

Despite the billions of dollars that flow to child sponsorship each year and the millions of American families who sponsor overseas children, this is the first published study to investigate whether such programs actually benefit the children they intend to help. Evidence from the study points to the positive effects of child sponsorship on the adult life outcomes of these children.

Compassion's program places a strong emphasis not only on providing for the basic needs, such as school tuition and healthcare, but also on nurturing children's life aspirations and self-esteem over what is typically a decade of participation in sponsorship programs. "Too often we have focused our development efforts on provision for human beings rather than the development of human beings," said Bruce Wydick, one of the study's authors. "Although child sponsorship does indeed provide help with school fees, access to health care, and other tangible benefits, Compassion's particular approach focuses on the more holistic development of the child, such as development of self-esteem, aspirations, spiritual and ethical values. In follow-up studies involving currently sponsored children, we measure very large impacts in these areas, which we believe play a significant role in what we observe in the difference in adult life outcomes."

While further research is needed to establish a causal link between aspirations and adult life outcomes, this study has intriguing implications for the way we view economic development. Said Wydick, "I believe our research contributes to a new and growing body of investigation that seeks to examine the importance of 'internal constraints' to economic developmentthe importance of aspirations, self-esteem, goals, and reference points related to behaviors that are propitious to helping the poor escape poverty."

###

Bruce Wydick, Paul Glewwe, and Laine Rutledge, "Does International Child Sponsorship Work? A Six-Country Study of Impacts on Adult Life Outcomes." Journal of Political Economy 121:2 (published April 2013).

One of the oldest and most prestigious journals in economics, the Journal of Political Economy (journals.uchicago.edu/JPE) has since 1892 presented significant research and scholarship in economic theory and practice. The journal aims to publish highly selective, widely cited articles of current relevance that will have a long-term impact on economics research.

---

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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.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/uocp-dic042213.php

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Box Office Guru Wrapup: Oblivion Easily Takes Top Spot in Debut

Now in his fourth decade of scoring number one hit movies, Tom Cruise enjoyed one of the best openings of his entire career with the futuristic science fiction film Oblivion which topped the box office worldwide. Universal saw its latest hit film open to an estimated $38.2M in North America from 3,783 theaters for a potent $10,085 average. 323 IMAX sites contributed a solid $5.5M, or 14% of the gross.

That was an impressive performance for an original 2D sci-fi film opening outside of summer. In fact, it was the second best sci-fi opening ever during the month of April after the $61.2M of 2010's 3D remake Clash of the Titans. Overall, it was the seventh best for the month but third biggest for a live-action non-sequel.

Directed by Joseph Kosinski (TRON: Legacy) and co-starring Morgan Freeman, Oblivion earned mixed reviews from critics, however paying audiences were not pleased. The CinemaScore grade was a disappointing B- indicating a rocky road ahead. Adult men made up the core audience - not surprising for a sci-fi film and for a Cruise actioner as the actor has lost some of his female fan base in recent years. Studio research showed that 57% of the audience was male and a very high 74% was 25 or older. Teen appeal was minimal here.

But for Cruise, Oblivion delivered the second biggest opening of his career outside of his signature Mission: Impossible franchise trailing just one other science fiction picture -- 2005's summer smash War of the Worlds from Steven Spielberg, which bowed to a holiday-boosted $64.9M. And it more than doubled the $15.2M debut of the actor's last film Jack Reacher from this last December.

Produced for a reported $120M, Oblivion is just one of many big-budget apocalyptic movies from some of Hollywood's hottest male action stars that will compete for the public's attention over the coming months. Next up, Will Smith stars in After Earth opening May 31, then Brad Pitt offers up World War Z in June, followed in August by Matt Damon's Elysium. The end of humanity is also a topic in the raunchy comedy This Is The End with Seth Rogen and James Franco arriving in June.

Made for a global audience, Oblivion pulled in a healthy $33.7M from 60 international markets this weekend dropping 42% from its overseas launch last week. The offshore take now stands at $112M with the global gross at $150.2M on its way to much more as major markets like Japan and China have yet to open.

After a spectacular opening weekend, the baseball drama 42 held up well in its second frame dipping 34% to an estimated $18M for a ten-day total of $54.1M. Warner Bros. should find its way across the $100M mark with this one. Breaking the $150M mark this weekend was the hit animated comedy The Croods, which continued to take advantage of no competition for kids with an estimated $9.5M in its fifth round. Off just 28%, the Fox release had the lowest decline of any film in the top ten and boosted its domestic cume to $154.9M. With $23.4M from offshore markets this weekend, the international total soared to $274.5M, putting The Croods at $429.4M worldwide.

The sequel flop Scary Movie 5 tumbled 56% in its sophomore frame to an estimated $6.3M giving The Weinstein Co. $22.9M after ten days. A final gross of $30-35M seems likely which would be about one-third of the $90.7M that part 4 in the franchise did seven years ago.

The action sequel G.I. Joe: Retaliation followed in fifth with an estimated $5.8M, down 47%, for a $111.2M total for Paramount. Overseas action got a boost from a gigantic opening week in China where the American soldiers took in $33M from 7,000 screens over seven days including over $3M from 101 IMAX sites. That drove the international weekend to $40M, the overseas cume to $211.7M, and the global tally to a muscular $322.9M. With Japan yet to open, Joe could find its way to nearly $450M worldwide -- 50% more than the first movie in the franchise.

The Ryan Gosling pic The Place Beyond The Pines tripled its theater count and jumped from tenth to sixth place but saw its average drop down to a soft amount. The Focus release grossed an estimated $4.7M from 1,542 locations for a weak $3,078 average and $11.4M total.

Still on its way into the century club, the action hit Olympus Has Fallen placed seventh dropping 38% to an estimated $4.5M putting the year's first of two White-House-under-attack flicks at an impressive $88.8M for FilmDistrict. Sony's horror remake Evil Dead fell 57% to an estimated $4.1M and has scared up $48.4M to date.

Close behind with an estimated $4M was the 3D re-release of Jurassic Park which declined by 55% for a cume of $38.5M. The Universal blockbuster's lifetime gross has now shot up to $395.6M. Rounding out the top ten was 2013's biggest hit, Oz the Great and Powerful. The Disney smash held up well with an estimated $3M in its seventh weekend, off 37%. The wizard and trio of witches have now amassed $223.8M from North america and a stellar $478.6M worldwide.

The top ten films grossed an estimated $98.1M which was down 18% from last year when Think Like A Man opened at number one with $33.6M; and down 14% from 2011 when Rio stayed in the top spot with $26.3M.

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1927299/news/1927299/

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Police: Man hijacks Texas bus, later kills himself

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) ? Police say a gunman hijacked a city bus in Austin and led officers on a 30-mile chase before pulling over and killing himself.

Austin police Lt. James Nisula tells Associated Press Radio the man boarded the bus Saturday and ordered the bus driver to get off.

The Austin American-Statesman reports he also forced two passengers to leave the vehicle before getting behind the steering wheel and driving away.

Police spotted the bus and pursued it. They tried several times to get the driver to pull over, but he refused.

Nisula says officers put down road spikes and deflated the bus tires. He says the man eventually pulled into an auto parts store parking lot, where he fatally shot himself.

Police didn't immediately release the man's name.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/police-man-hijacks-texas-bus-later-kills-himself-034431281.html

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Merkel party loses support after female hiring quota dispute: poll

BERLIN (Reuters) - Support for German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives has fallen by 2 percentage points to 39 percent after a dispute over quotas requiring companies to hire more women executives, an opinion poll published on Sunday showed.

Rebel members of Merkel's centre-right coalition, including Labor Minister Ursula von der Leyen, threatened to break ranks and vote with opposition parties that wanted to introduce a female quota from 2018, convinced that voluntary pledges to appoint more women have proven inadequate.

Merkel averted the potentially embarrassing defeat in parliament when the rebels accepted a compromise plan obliging big firms to raise the proportion of women on supervisory boards to 30 percent in 2020.

Emnid said the incident was likely the reason for the conservatives becoming less popular with voters.

The weekly Emnid poll for German newspaper Bild am Sonntag showed the Free Democrats (FDP), the junior coalition partner in Merkel's centre-right government, has 5 percent support, unchanged from last week and enough for the liberal, pro-business party to enter parliament after the next election.

That would give the ruling government 44 percent support, close to the 47 to 48 percent usually needed for a parliamentary majority in a system where parties with less than 5 percent do not get any seats.

The poll showed the main opposition Social Democrats (SPD) remained unchanged at 26 percent support, while the Greens held steady at 14 percent, giving those parties 40 percent combined - not enough to beat the ruling government.

The socialist Die Linke party was also unchanged at 8 percent. The maverick Pirates gained one point to 4 percent.

The poll of 2,410 people was conducted between April 11 and 17.

(Reporting by Michelle Martin; Editing by Paul Simao)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/merkel-party-loses-support-female-hiring-quota-dispute-233912456.html

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Evolving genes lead to evolving genes

Friday, April 19, 2013

Researchers have designed a method that can universally test for evolutionary adaption, or positive (Darwinian) selection, in any chosen set of genes, using re-sequencing data such as that generated by the 1000 Genomes Project. The method identifies gene sets that show evidence for positive selection in comparison with matched controls, and thus highlights genes for further functional studies.

The method was employed to test whether any of the genes directly regulated by FOXP2 may themselves have undergone positive selection following the known selection at the FOXP2 genetic region. Human FOXP2 defects have been implicated in speech and language disorders, and altered versions of the gene have been selected several times during human evolution. Have these evolutionary changes in FOXP2 function or expression exposed its target genes to novel selective pressures?

The study used three gene sets regulated by FOXP2 that had been identified by previous genomic screens in mice and humans. These sets were compared with matched controls using this method.

"Our method worked well and overall, there was strong evidence for selection of FOXP2-regulated genes in the Europeans, but not in the Asian, or African populations," says Dr Qasim Ayub, first author from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. The subset of FOXP2-regulated genes that were selected in Europeans play roles in neural cell development, cellular signalling, reproduction and immunity."

The selection in the Europeans might be due to local adaptations to environment or pathogens. Some of the genes, such as CNTNAP2 and RBFOX1, showed strong signals of selection in all populations examined. Intriguingly, both these genes are highly expressed in the brain and have been implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism.

"Our study highlights how genes can acquire and adapt to different roles in human evolution. We should never underestimate how complex human biology can be." says Professor Simon Fisher, a co-author from the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics. "A next step could be to test whether variants in the selected genes are associated with risk of human neurodevelopmental problems, like language impairments and autism spectrum disorders. Genetic networks can give us powerful insights into the biology underlying these important disorders, which make a major impact on modern human society."

"We have already started using this method to look for selection in various other gene sets such as those associated with diabetes and viral infections", says Dr Chris Tyler-Smith, lead author from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. "Our method is opening new doors to understanding how modern humans have genetically adapted to their local environments and finding candidate genes to study biological function. This approach is a practical and successful way to screen for positive selection and adaptation signals in different gene sets and populations using whole-genome sequencing data."

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Qasim Ayub, Bryndis Yngvadottir, Yuan Chen, Yali Xue, Min Hu,1 Sonja C. Vernes, Simon E. Fisher, Chris Tyler-Smith (2013). 'FOXP2 targets show evidence of positive selection in European populations'

Advanced online publication in American Journal of Human Genetics 18 April

Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute: http://www.sanger.ac.uk

Thanks to Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127818/Evolving_genes_lead_to_evolving_genes

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Lockdown lifted as Boston manhunt continues

[Updated at 6:12 p.m. ET]

BOSTON?Thousands of law enforcement officers finished a nearly 24-hour door-to-door manhunt for a 19-year-old suspect in Monday's Boston Marathon bombings that wounded more than 170 people and left three dead. Officials announced at 6:00 p.m. that they were unable to apprehend the suspect, despite combing through a 20-block area of the Boston suburb of Watertown and shutting down the city's entire public transportation system in an effort to prevent him from fleeing.

Gov. Deval Patrick lifted his previous "shelter in place" order for the city of Boston and many surrounding areas that the city. But Patrick urged Bostonians to continue to be "vigilant" as the "very dangerous" armed and dangerous suspect has not been apprehended.

"We cannot continue to lock down an entire city or an entire state," Massachusetts State Police Col. Timothy Alben said. He added that he believes the suspect is still in the state.

A late-night police chase and shootout left one marathon bombing suspect?26-year-old Tamerlan Tsarnaev?dead and the other, his younger brother, on the lam. One police officer was killed and another seriously wounded during the violent spree. The city of Boston and its surrounding areas ground to a standstill for hours as police went door to door searching for the suspect in the suburb of Watertown.

NBC News reported that police uncovered seven improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Watertown and in the brothers' home in Cambridge.

The suspect on the run is Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev, 19, of Cambridge, Mass., a student at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. He and his brother's family is originally from Chechnya, a volatile and once war-torn southern Russian republic. The family fled to Kyrgyzstan and eventually immigrated to the United States as refugees about 10 years ago.

Marathon bombing suspect Tsarnaev (FBI)

His older brother studied at a local community college and was a Golden Gloves boxer. Tamerlan Tsarnaev also reportedly had a wife and young child. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was remembered by former classmates as bright and personable, posted links to pro-Chechnyan independence sites on his social media page, and listed his world view as "Islam." It's unclear if either the separatist politics of Chechnya or their religion had anything to do with the suspects' motivations. Tsarnaev appeared to be posting to his Twitter account even after the attacks, writing in his last post on Wednesday, "I'm a stress free kind of guy." His posts covered everything from cute photos of his cat to rap lyrics. In an interview with The New York Times, the

suspects' father said Tamerlan was unable to become a U.S. citizen because he was arrested for hitting his girlfriend, and that he traveled to Russia last year to live for six months and renew his passport.

The suspects' uncle told the local CBS News station that the pair had lived in the country since 2002. The uncle, when told that one of his nephews was killed, replied that he deserved it. ?He deserved his. He absolutely deserved his,? Ruslan Tsarni said. ?They do not deserve to live

on this earth.?

In an emotional press conference, Tsarni said his nephews had brought shame upon his family, and called them "losers." He said they were not "able to settle themselves" and were "angry at everyone who was able to." He said he did not believe they were motivated by the radical politics in Chechnya or their Muslim religion.

"Dzhokhar, If you're alive, turn yourself in and ask for forgiveness from the victims [and] the injured," he said. "He put a shame on our family. He put a shame on the entire Chechnyan ethnicity. Turn yourself in."

He added that he hadn't been in touch with the family for several years but would not say why.

"I'm ready to kneel in front of them and ask their forgiveness," Tsarni said of the victims of his nephews' crime. "I respect this country; I love this country ... this country that gives everybody chance to be treated like human being."

The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed law enforcement sources, said that one or both of the brothers traveled back to the Caucasus region of Russia for a year or more before returning to America again.

Tsarnaev's father, reached by the AP in Russia by phone, said his son was a "true angel" and wonderful student. He later told ABC's "Good Morning America" that he wanted his son to surrender peacefully.

The University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth announced shortly after 10:30 a.m. on Friday that they were evacuating the entire campus after learning Tsarnaev is a registered student there.

Earlier, at sunrise, Gov. Patrick ordered a shutdown of all public transit and for residents in the city of Boston and on its edges to stay indoors as a massive manhunt for the second suspect was underway. The Boston Globe reported that police are focusing on a 20-block area of Watertown and fear the suspect may be wearing explosives. Amtrak has also shut down all trains between Boston and New York.

?This situation is grave and we are trying to protect the public safety,? said Massachusetts State Police Col. Timothy Alben, who ordered a lockdown of Watertown, Waltham, Belmont, Cambridge, Newton, Allston and Brighton. Brookline was later ordered to be on lockdown as well. A no-fly zone has been declared over Watertown. The city of Boston was eerily quiet during Friday's rush hour, the city's busy intersections totally abandoned.

The mayhem began at approximately 10:20 p.m. Thursday when police said the bombing suspects shot and killed an MIT campus officer, Sean Collier, 26. The terror suspects then carjacked a Mercedes-Benz SUV with the driver inside and fled, eventually letting the driver go.

(Shortly before 2 a.m. Friday, MIT issued a statement on its website saying that the suspect "in this evening's shooting is no longer on campus. It is now safe to resume normal activities. Please remain vigilant in the coming hours." MIT, Harvard, Boston University and other local colleges have canceled classes.)

The suspects were then spotted in Watertown, where federal agents swarmed in. At approximately 3:30 a.m., Massachusetts State

Slain MIT police officer Sean Collier. (Middlesex DA)

Police issued a plea on Twitter for residents of Watertown to lock their doors and not open them for anyone, as dozens of police officers, many of them off duty, searched backyards and exteriors of houses there, and a police perimeter of several blocks was established.

Worried residents were also told to turn off their cell phones out of fear that they could trigger improvised explosive devices.

The suspects exchanged dozens of rounds of gunfire with patrol officers. According to the Washington Post, they also lobbed IEDs at officers.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev was shot by police and brought to Beth Israel Medical Center. He arrived at the hospital under cardiac arrest with multiple gunshot wounds and blast-like injuries to his chest. The second suspect fled, leading to the tense manhunt that is still underway at this hour. The Boston Globe reported that he ran over his own brother when fleeing.

A transit police officer, Richard H. Donohue, was seriously wounded during the exchange of gunfire, officials said.

K9 units and SWAT teams searched homes on Spruce Street as officers with a police robot searched an SUV that the suspects had abandoned. Multiple devices were left in the road and two handguns were recovered, according to police scanners.

"We believe this to be a terrorist," said Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis, of Tsarnaev. "We believe this to be a man who has come here to kill people. We need to get him into custody."

[Related: FBI releases photos of suspects in Boston Marathon bombings]

In a radio alert issued issued to fellow officers, the suspect was described as a "white male with dark complexion ... with thick curly hair wearing a charcoal gray hooded sweatshirt ... possibly with an assault rifle and explosives."

Police in Watertown, Newton, Brighton and Cambridge were put on high alert. "Units use caution," an officer said. "He might have an explosive object on his person."

"Suspect 2" seen in 7-Eleven surveillance footage; police in Watertown (BPD/Getty)

President Barack Obama, who attended an interfaith service for the bombing victims in Boston on Thursday, was briefed on the overnight developments, the White House said early Friday. He received an updated briefing later in the day.

Police were able to track down images of the suspects after a victim of the attacks, Jeff Bauman, came to them with a description, Bloomberg reported Thursday. Bauman's legs were torn apart by the bomb.

--Yahoo News reporter Dylan Stableford contributed to this report from Connecticut. Liz Goodwin is reporting from New York.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/boston-mit-shooting-explosion-suspect-watertown-064355149.html

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By George: BIO Announces Jay Keasling its 2013 George Washington Carver Award Winner

Chemical Engineering Professor at University of California, Berkeley Honored for Innovation in Industrial Biotechnology

BIO World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology 2013

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) named Dr. Jay Keasling as the recipient of its 2013 George Washington Carver Award for innovation in industrial biotechnology.

?I truly believe that through synthetic biology all petroleum-based products can be produced from sugar-based microbes resulting in cleaner processes and slowing global warming.?

A panel selected Keasling, a professor of biochemical engineering at University of California, Berkeley; associate laboratory director at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; CEO of the Joint BioEnergy Institute; and director of Synthetic Biology Engineering Research Center, for his contributions to the field of synthetic biology promoting the use of engineering microbes to produce biofuels, medicines and even cosmetic compounds from simple ingredients like sugar cane and grasses.

Keasling will receive the award and deliver a keynote address during a June 18 plenary lunch session at BIO?s 10^th Annual World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology. The conference is being held at the Palais des congr?s de Montr?al.

?I am honored to receive the 2013 George Washington Carver Award for contributing to research and commercialization of synthetic biology,? Keasling said. ?I truly believe that through synthetic biology all petroleum-based products can be produced from sugar-based microbes resulting in cleaner processes and slowing global warming.?

The award is named after Carver, one of the founding fathers of the chemurgy movement, a branch of applied chemistry focused on preparing industrial products from raw agricultural materials. Biotechnology is the modern-day equivalent, and the award honors individuals for carrying on Carver?s legacy.

?The field has developed in ways that Carver may never have imagined, but the work of industrial biotech companies remains true to the goal of a sustainable bio-economy,? said Brent Erickson, executive vice president for BIO?s Industrial & Environmental Section. ?BIO is pleased to honor Keasling for his break-through work in synthetic biology. Using synthetic biology, Keasling is developing processes that commercialize replacements for petroleum-based products consumers use every day from hard plastics and paints to soda bottles, cosmetics and car tires.?

Past recipients of the Carver Award are Dr. Patrick Gruber, CEO of Gevo, Inc., in 2008; Charles O. Holliday, Jr., chairman of the board of DuPont in 2009; Gregory Stephanopoulos, the Willard Henry Dow Professor of Chemical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2010; Feike Sijbesma, CEO of Royal DSM in 2011; and Steen Riisgaard, president and CEO of Novozymes in 2012.

Registration is now open for the 2013 BIO World Congress coming to Montr?al, Canada, June 16-19 at the Palais des congr?s de Montr?al. Please visit?http://www.bio.org/worldcongress/?for additional information, or email worldcongress@bio.org. It?s the world?s largest industrial biotechnology conference for business leaders, investors, academics and policymakers in biofuels, biobased products, renewable chemicals, synthetic biology, food ingredients and biomass.

Online pre-registration for reporters and editors is now open. All breakout and plenary sessions at the BIO World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology are open to attendance by members of the media. Complimentary media registration is available to editors and reporters with valid press credentials working full time for print, broadcast or web publications.

About BIO

BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces the BIO International Convention, the world?s largest gathering of the biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and partnering meetings held around the world. BIO produces BIOtechNOW, an online portal and monthly newsletter chronicling ?innovations transforming our world.? Subscribe to BIOtechNOW.

Upcoming BIO Events

BIO International Convention
April 22 ? 25, 2013
Chicago, IL

World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology
June 16-19, 2013
Montr?al, Canada

BIO IPCC Conference
November 6-8, 2013
Washington, DC

Pacific Rim Summit on Industrial Biotechnology & Bioenergy
December 8-11, 2013
San Diego, CA

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BioPressReleases/~3/24FxnE0zX5A/George-BIO-Announces-Jay-Keasling-2013-George

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Idina Menzel: Balancing Work and Motherhood ?Tortures Me?

"I think I do a decent job at it - or at least people tell me I do," Mendel tells PEOPLE of balancing her work and family.

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/tslYPnly4XM/

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North Korea demands end of sanctions if U.S. wants dialogue

By Jack Kim

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea offered the United States and South Korea a list of conditions on Thursday for talks, including the lifting of U.N. sanctions, signalling a possible end to weeks of warlike hostility on the Korean peninsula.

The North Korea's top military body also said in a statement the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula would begin when the United States removed nuclear weapons that the isolated state says Washington has deployed in the region.

The move was likely a sop to the North's only major backer, China, which has signalled its growing unease over the escalation of threats, and which said later on Thursday that talks were the only correct way to end the tension.

"Dialogue and war cannot co-exist," the North's National Defence Commission said in the statement carried by the official KCNA news agency.

"If the United States and the puppet South have the slightest desire to avoid the sledge-hammer blow of our army and the people ... and truly wish dialogue and negotiations, they must make the resolute decision," it said.

The United States has offered talks, but on the pre-condition that they lead to North Korea abandoning its nuclear weapons ambitions. North Korea deems its nuclear arms a "treasured sword" and has vowed never to give them up.

Nevertheless, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who ended a trip to the region early this week that was dominated by concern about North Korea, stressed his interest in a diplomatic solution.

South Korea which is conducting military exercises with U.S. forces to the anger of North Korea, has also proposed talks, a move that Pyongyang rejected as insincere.

North Korea stepped up its defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions in December when it launched a rocket that it said put a scientific satellite in orbit. Critics said the launch was aimed at nurturing the kind of technology needed to deliver a nuclear warhead mounted on a long-range missile.

That was followed in February by its third test of a nuclear weapon. That triggered new U.N. sanctions in March, sharply toughening existing measures, which in turn led to a dramatic intensification of North Korean threats of nuclear strikes against South Korea and the United States.

The North's military commission said U.N. Security Council sanctions, "fabricated with unjust reasons" must be withdrawn.

"They should bear in mind that doing so would be a token of good will towards the DPRK," it said. The North's official name is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"The denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula can begin with the removal of the nuclear war tools dragged in by the U.S. and it can lead to global nuclear disarmament," it added.

South Korea saw the demands as "regretful" and "cliched" and it called on North Korea to withdraw them, a government official told reporters, the South's Yonhap news agency reported.

NO "OLD ROAD"; "CORRECT PATH"

The North's commission also called for an end to military exercises such as the annual U.S.-South Korean drills that began in early March and are due to run until the end of April.

"Frequent nuclear war manoeuvres will only strain the situation and totally block the way of dialogue."

North Korea has a long record of making threats to secure concessions from the United States and South Korea, only to repeat the process later. Both the United States and the South said this week that the cycle must cease.

"Let me just make it clear, I have no desire as secretary of state and the president has no desire to do the same horse trade or go down the old road," Kerry said in Washington on Wednesday.

He stressed the importance of China in influencing North Korea, and said he had made that point in talks in Beijing last week.

"We had that discussion and we agreed, in the very next days now, to engage in an ongoing process by which we work out exactly how we're going to proceed so that it is different. That's our goal and I can assure you I want to reach it," Kerry said.

China, which sided with North Korea in the 1950-53 civil war against the U.S.-backed South, has always been reluctant to apply pressure on Pyongyang, fearing instability if the North were to implode and send floods of refugees into China. It has also looked askance at U.S. military drills in South Korea.

China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said it was in everyone's interests to see the denuclearisation of the whole Korean peninsula.

"We believe that dialogue and consultation is the only correct way to resolve matters," she said.

"The most pressing task is to step up diplomatic efforts and return as soon as possible to the correct path of dialogue and consultation." (Editing by Robert Birsel and Raju Gopalakrishnan)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/north-korea-demands-end-sanctions-u-wants-dialogue-030448496.html

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