With more and more families moving the way of the stepfamily due to rising divorce and remarriage rates as we head into 2013, more and more questions are being raised about the roles that stepmoms and dads should be playing in the lives of their stepsons and daughters. One thing for sure, the boundaries are harder to define when biological parents and stepparents are not on the same page, and the older the kids, the tougher the transition is likely to be on the new marriage as well. ? One step that can be helpful for younger children is stepparent adoption of a new partner's biological children. Studies suggest that the psychological affects on children can be powerful, and can offer a renewed sense of belonging where it may have gone missing due to a divorce, a move, or both. ? John Rosemond of the Lewiston Tribune writes, 'Contrary to the advice given by most mental health professionals, even Dr. Phil, the proper role of a stepparent is to be a responsible parent, with all the privileges and authority pertaining thereto. The operative word is the noun, 'parent,' not the prefix, 'step.'' Perhaps one of the most assertive and outright steps we can take is bringing stepchildren officially into the family, and stepparent adoption preparation must be done with respect to other living biological parents when adoption is to be considered. ? With stepparents becoming more and more important than ever before in the lives of growing children, child rearing falls more into the lap of stepmoms and dads everywhere?from carting kids to soccer practice to preparing dinner and planning birthday parties, the word 'stepparent' is more now than ever a misnomer?the 'step' as Rosemond suggests, is now secondary, not primary, and in many families, has gone the way of the horse and carriage. ? For parents who are serious about being taken seriously, a stepparent adoption might be an important consideration. With that said, it's not a gun that should be jumped, and if the idea of adoption is brought up too soon or too cavalierly, it can have the exact opposite impact we want it to. 'Kids are sensitive to their surroundings and they generally know who is genuinely on their side,' says Cameron Sparks, a Central California-based child therapist. 'Adoption is great? when the whole family is ready for it,' Sparks adds.
If Congress does not reach a deal averting the proverbial fiscal cliff by the January 1 deadline, massive spending cuts and tax increases are set to go in effect. Almost 90% of Americans will pay more in taxes starting next year. That includes small business owners. But small businesses are at the heart of America's economic recovery, and hurting them?could hurt?the economy as a whole. CNN?s Poppy Harlow talks with two small business owners in Freehold, New Jersey to get their take. Like all Americans, they want answers from Washington.
Bob Bellagamba, the CEO of Concord Worldwide, a limousine company, calls debt a cancer. His message for Congressional leaders is to walk a mile in his shoes. The uncertainty of no deal is making it difficult to run his company. ?I'd love for them to come here and just spend a day, spend a week, just to know what a small business goes through,? he says.
Charles Altiero, the owner of Freehold Jewelers, says there are days now that he goes home without a paycheck. He just wants Congress to get to work and make a deal. ?Do your job,? he says. ?Make a decision.?
Washington, D.C. - Congressman Charles B. Rangel issued the following statement in recognition of National Adoption Month, which takes place during the month of November:
"Every child in this country deserves to be part of a loving family with whom he or she can grow, learn, and develop in a safe and nurturing environment. Children who do not have families are more likely to drop out of school and undergo psychological trauma. I am very happy for the 2,200 beautiful children who were adopted in New York last year. There are currently over 5,500 children in state foster care hoping to find permanent homes.?
For the past 17 years we have recognized National Adoption Month as a way to educate our communities about child adoption and raise awareness for more than 100,000 children nationwide living in foster care. As a proud member of the Foster Care Caucus in Congress, I have been committed to ensuring our youth in foster care receive the utmost care and nurturing development necessary for their well-being. My Colleagues and I remain supportive of any legislation or efforts that will help provide a voice to foster care children.?
I'd like to recognize the efforts of these organizations and countless others that have worked hard to advocate for the children in our congressional district: Association of Black Social Workers, CAP4Kids Children's Advocacy Project for New York City, Catholic Guardian Society, Catholic Charities-Archdiocese, Harlem Dowling Ujima, The Children's Aid Society, Children's Rights, Children's Aid Society Foster, Harlem Dowling West Side Center for Children and Family Services, Child Welfare Organizing Project, Harlem Children's Zone, United Families of East Harlem, Edwin Gould Services for Children and Families, Foster Parent Advocacy Foundation Inc, Washington Heights Family Preservation Program, National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections (NRCPFC) at Hunter College School of Social Work.
This year's theme, Adoption in the Digital Age, puts emphasis on the use of social media in an effort to increase awareness and appeal to families in unconventional ways. I ask everyone to participate in this collective national effort and encourage all organizations, agencies, and programs that assist with child adoption to utilize all available technology that will help improve the child welfare system.?
For more information about how you can make a difference in a child's life, visit Child Adoption or http://www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/nam/index.cfm."
'I can't accept constructive criticism from someone if I'm not sure what their intentions are,' Fif tells MTV News. By Nadeska Alexis, with reporting by Rahman Dukes
Are there any here among us who didn't watch Scooby Doo as a kid, see a villain spying (with blinking eyes) behind a picture on the wall, and secretly wish we could do that? We may never be allowed to carve holes in our walls, but we can still make that dream come true. More »
Actress Tichina Arnold stopped by the ?Wendy Williams Show? today and dished on her recent wedding with husband Rico Hines and shared her weight loss secret.
Plus, Tichina gave her opinion on Chad Johnson and Evelyn Lozada?s marriage crisis, revealed how she makes her long distance marriage work and and if she wants more kids at age 43!
Is AP Human Geography a Humanities class? I am at the age where I really need to begin preparing for college. I will be graduating large university in a few of a long time, and to conclude with honors, you need to have 3 credits in arts/humanities/tech. I want to take AP Human Geography, is it a humanities class?
The response in the adhering to:
Reply by sjohnnymacs i assume humanities would have much more to do with art, literature, language and studying architecture. human geography is a cultural science.
Increase your own response in the responses! _______________________ _______________________
Arts & Humanities School
Picture by evrenk Arts & Humanities College of the College of Geneva. 2nd flooring of the UniBastion creating. afternoon.
_______________________ _______________________
Free of charge mastering from The Open University www.open.air conditioning unit.uk ? All working day long we have to make options. Professor Russell Stannard asks if had been actually free of charge to select. (Component two of ten) Playlist website link www.youtube.com ? Content by Professor Russell Stannard on OpenLearn www.open.air conditioner.british isles Examine ?Doing philosophy? with the OU www3.wide open.ac.uk Check out qualifications in Arts and Humanities with the OU www3.open up.air conditioning.british isles ? Movie Rating: four / five
Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann unveiled the Lamborghini Aventador Roadster to a small group of journalists at an intimate gathering miles away from the LA Auto Show, but the event's rogue undertones were well-matched to the supercar's defiant persona.
With a 700 (metric) horsepower, 6.5-liter V12 lurking beneath a restyled engine cover, the open air model claims a 25 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions thanks to a new cylinder deactivation feature.
Twin removable carbon fiber roof panels weigh in at only 13.2 pounds each, and net weight gain is 110 pounds-- perhaps enough to irk purists, at least until they learn this carbon-bodied baby can still sprint to 60 mph in three seconds flat.
The Markets Are Open: International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM) Outsources UK Desktop Support Operation To Phoenix
International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM) Outsources UK Desktop Support Operation To Phoenix
The Channel revealed that International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM) is the Global Services Provider that is responsible for outsourcing desktop support to Phoenix IT Group. Last day Phoenix has confirmed that it has entered into a 5-year agreement that is worth ? 40 m with an anonymous GSP to deliver desk-side services for the employees and the customers of the company.Nearly 180 IBM employees are required to be shifted to the Northampton-based company under TUPE, Transfer of Undertakings regulation next month. Director of delivery operations at IBM Global Technology Solutions, Mark Thomas has said in a note that IBM has established an Employee Consultation Committee to talk on offers to strike a deal with a third party company to deliver desk side support in the United Kingdom. Thomas has also said he can confirm that the vendor with whom IBM is presently dealing are talking on prospects for provision of a services agreement is Phoenix. IBM mentions on its preview material that it delivers desktop support to small or multinational companies. However, channel sources feel Big Blue was under pressure to make money from the medium sized accounts it is transferring and inquired if Phoenix will stand any better chance. Research director at TechMarketView, Kate Hanaghan has argued back saying that IBM?s move made sense and was nothing new. She felt that supervising a field engineering services comes with many challenges of running something like a cross between a logistics and a consultancy operation. In quintessence, there are instances when service providers have to bear the expenses of an engineer waiting to be deployed, apart from the challenges of coordinating engineers and components around the county or even nation. Hanaghan also said that some of the IT outsourcers and SIs do not wish to operate in the world. There is logic to it. Someone like Phoenix, with its committed approach, developed over several years, is well-placed to undertake this.
If you are an aspiring computer repair technician, you need to get CompTia Certification in order to prove your worth to firms that seek your services. The certificate can only be issued after you pass a pretty rigorous exam. To study and prepare adequately for the examination, you need a good guide that will give you tips and drills on all major areas of concern.
Computers and electronics are constantly making technological advancements. With new hardware, software, operating systems, and language coding to name a few, it is important for anyone working in the computer technology industry to keep their skill set current. CompTia structures their certification tests to correspond with the most recent advances in technology. As such, a dependable guide must take into consideration all these changes and advancements and must be updated and re-published regularly.
It is well documented that new developments in computer hardware often come a couple of years ahead of corresponding software developments. As a computer technician it is important to keep in touch with major advances in hardware in order to anticipate new software. Staying on top of changes and constantly re-educating yourself will allow you to effectively handle repair and maintenance of the newest computer systems. While major areas of PC architecture are pretty universal, each manufacturer does have their own special features so learning the differences and similarities is an important part of being a successful technician.
In terms of software training, a good A+ certified technician needs a good understanding of the Windows operating system. Knowledge must go beyond just the basics of the shell operation and delve into device handling applications. Clients will often call you with complex software problems and only an adept technician will be able to fix the issues. Finding a guide with a well rounded set of problems and solutions will help prepare you for these types of IT support calls.
As a practical skill though, passing the CompTia A+ certification test requires hands on experience, or at least the equivalent knowledge base. These are more than you can get from a guide, no matter how detailed it is. It is therefore imperative that you have hands-on training in computer maintenance to supplement what you may learn from an online based electronic guide. CompTia A+ certification tells employers and clients that you have the real-world experience to effectively handle an IT support position, no matter what task you are facing.
While most of the material in these tech training guides is presented in text formats with illustrations and pictures where necessary, this is not adequate. Plenty of multimedia aids are necessary to grasp all the skills necessary to pass the certification exam. If there is a choice, go only for guides that come with a series of DVDs and other video support.
Passing the A+ test is considered to be equivalent of having about 500 hours of hands on experience working with computer repair and maintenance. However, you do not need to have accumulated all this experience in actual work to pass. Studying with an effective guide or taking CompTia courses will ensure that you have more than enough to pass the test and get your certificate.
In compliance with the actual exam, a good CompTia Certification guide is broken down in two detailed sections. The first of these deals with hardware issues such as installation, upgrading a PC and diagnosing hardware problems. The second section will be devoted exclusively to software issues affecting PCs. This will mean a complete guide to the Windows operating System from a technical point of view, error codes, diagnostic utilities as well as network setup.
Chester Flake is the CEO of Certification Camps ? the industry leader in training for Microsoft Certifications. He offers various courses for MCTS, MCPD, MCITP and CompTia certifications. He also runs Microsoft Training bootcamps for MCPD SharePoint Developer, MCITP SharePoint Administrator certification, along with CompTia courses.
Your website is a tool to reach potential customers and it should work as it should. Thus, an expert knows the company website design is not to increase the attractiveness of Web pages by incorporating heavy graphics in Web pages. There are a number of ways to build a very good e-commerce site, one of the best uses e-commerce software solution. The cart solution is the online equivalent of this process, and in order to generate income from your e-commerce site, you need to have a way to get paid. What can kind of things you should have in your website? WordPress is based on PHP for web design and MySQL to create databases for these sites. Models are used as an easy way to build an online store that meets these standards. Joomla is a free and open source CMS suitable for online marketing content. At the very least you need a budget for hosting and a domain name, all you need is your web property online. If you have an online store that sells themes multiple sites, it is best to divide the whole page into several pages to display thumbnails of the themes so it loads faster. Time and budget are two factors that determine your destiny largely in the world of online business. Models are used as an easy way to build an online store that meets these standards. Product you are away from the service provider must be delivered to you within the stipulated time. These types of models have key characteristics that can be found on any online store including product categories and pages. This means having a thorough knowledge of all the competitors and their respective advantages in the market, and use this understanding to differentiate your product or business based on quality, cost and customer service. With the advent of electronic commerce, the Internet has provided a major platform for companies to market their products and improve their online visibility. These types of models have key characteristics that can be found on any online store including product categories and pages. These days, creating a website and promoting services, products through it becomes a common thing. Your website should be effective to move forward in the competition and for some things be considered when creating web design e-commerce. E-commerce sites have a good edge to dominate the rankings in the search engines as it follows a certain niche and as is relevant to the end users. You can also create your ecommerce site using this technology. Internet and Businesses Online: Ecommerce During the last decade, e-commerce has become the fastest growing segments of the retail industry, probably due to the growing popularity in the design and lifestyle books like The Week 4:00 Wok. With this type of software, website templates ecommerce are designed specifically to e-commerce in mind. The design must be original aptly suited to the type of business you are doing, it is tell a professional website is one of the main requirements for a successful online business. Assertiveness following the advice given by the major search engines will help you and your business to grow day by day. Internet and Businesses Online: Ecommerce central to your success as an entrepreneur web is a solid business plan based on an accurate assessment of fair market your skills and resources, and the opportunity you pursue. It must be done correctly for your business success depends solely on that. You need real use other background simple but amazing because they help your site download faster. Therefore, if you want a web exclusive and robust E-commerce developed and developed for the sites, it is better to seek solutions Joomla web development solutions offered by a dedicated web development and organizational development. Info: A word of recommendation for GoDaddy, usually when you register and host your domain with them, they give you $ 50-100 worth of advertising credits with Google, Microsoft and Facebook that you can use to advertise your site. Small and medium enterprises also have the opportunity to have a professional e-commerce website and this can be done with or without hiring an expensive designer ecommerce site. If you want to create your website from the templates provided, all you need to do is choose a template decent search of the database that users have access to WordPress. Given the fact that your customers personal and financial information may be on the line, making sure your site is as secure as possible is of paramount importance.
NIH study suggests immune system could play a central role in AMDPublic release date: 27-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: NEI Communications Office neinews@nei.nih.gov 301-496-5248 NIH/National Eye Institute
Changes in how genes in the immune system function may result in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of visual impairment in older adults, based on preliminary research conducted by National Institutes of Health (NIH) investigators.
"Our findings are epigenetic in nature, meaning that the underlying DNA is normal but gene expression has been modified, likely by environmental factors, in an adverse way," said Dr. Robert Nussenblatt, chief of the National Eye Institute (NEI) Laboratory of Immunology. Environmental factors associated with AMD include smoking, diet, and aging. "This is the first epigenetic study revealing the molecular mechanisms for any eye disease."
The study identified decreased levels of DNA methylation, a chemical reaction that switches off genes, on the interleukin-17 receptor C gene (IL17RC). The lack of DNA methylation led to increased gene activity and, in turn, increased levels of IL17RC proteins in patients with AMD. IL17RC is a protein that promotes immune responses to infections, such as fungal attacks.
The study, conducted by research teams from the NEI and other NIH institutes, including the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine; the University of Melbourne, Australia; and Oregon Health and Science University, appears in the Nov. 29 issue of Cell Reports.
"Our study also suggests IL17- and IL17RC-mediated immune responses can be crucial in causing AMD," added Dr. Lai Wei, also of NEI's Laboratory of Immunology and first author on the paper. "By measuring IL17RC gene activity in at-risk patients, we have also potentially identified an early method to detect AMD."
AMD damages the light-sensitive cells of the macula, the central part of the retina that allows us to see fine visual detail. As the disease progresses, patients encounter great difficulty reading, driving, or performing hobbies and tasks that require hand-eye coordination. Treatments exist to prevent severe vision loss in certain types of advanced AMD but none prevent or cure the disease. Currently, 2 million Americans have advanced AMD and another 7 million have intermediate stages.
Recent studies have identified several genes with alterations that increase the risk of developing the disease. In addition, environmental risk factors have also been suggested as possible causes of the disease. One explanation may be that environmental exposures influence DNA methylation, which regulates gene expression. Changes in this process may result in the production of too much or too little of a gene's protein, leading to cellular dysfunction and disease. Changes in DNA methylation have been implicated in cancer, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and many other diseases.
To test whether changes in DNA methylation might play a role in AMD, the investigators evaluated three pairs of twinsone pair identical and two pairs fraternalwhere only one of the siblings had AMD. Identical twins have the same genetic makeup while fraternal twins share about half of their DNA. Because of their similar genetic backgrounds, identical and fraternal twins can be helpful in studying the differences between the effects of genetics and the environment. When compared with the unaffected twins, methylation patterns were altered in 231 genes of affected twins. This finding is consistent with the hypothesis that environmental exposures may epigenetically regulate expression of many genes and lead to AMD.
Among the 231 genes, the investigators found that DNA methylation was absent in a region of the IL17RC gene in twins with AMD. The lack of methylation in the IL17RC gene led to increased gene activity and, in turn, increased levels of its protein in circulating blood. The investigators further validated these findings by comparing seven siblings with and without AMD as well as 202 AMD patients and 96 control subjects without the disease. These studies also found increased IL17RC levels in circulating blood and, most importantly, in the retina of patients with AMD but not controls.
Based on these results, the authors propose that chronic increased levels of the IL17RC protein in the retina likely promote inflammation and recruitment of immune cells that damage the retina and lead to AMD.
"This study strongly implicates epigenetic DNA methylation as another crucial biological pathway for understanding the molecular basis of AMD," according to Nussenblatt.
The investigators next plan to evaluate what environmental factors may be responsible for the regulation of IL17RC and how the epigenetic regulation leading to the chronic inflammation in AMD patients can be reversed by novel therapies. They will also evaluate the role of epigenetics in other eye diseases.
###
The National Eye Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, leads the federal government's research on the visual system and eye diseases. NEI supports basic and clinical science programs that result in the development of sight-saving treatments. For more information, visit http://www.nei.nih.gov.
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.
NIH...Turning Discovery Into Health
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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.
NIH study suggests immune system could play a central role in AMDPublic release date: 27-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: NEI Communications Office neinews@nei.nih.gov 301-496-5248 NIH/National Eye Institute
Changes in how genes in the immune system function may result in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of visual impairment in older adults, based on preliminary research conducted by National Institutes of Health (NIH) investigators.
"Our findings are epigenetic in nature, meaning that the underlying DNA is normal but gene expression has been modified, likely by environmental factors, in an adverse way," said Dr. Robert Nussenblatt, chief of the National Eye Institute (NEI) Laboratory of Immunology. Environmental factors associated with AMD include smoking, diet, and aging. "This is the first epigenetic study revealing the molecular mechanisms for any eye disease."
The study identified decreased levels of DNA methylation, a chemical reaction that switches off genes, on the interleukin-17 receptor C gene (IL17RC). The lack of DNA methylation led to increased gene activity and, in turn, increased levels of IL17RC proteins in patients with AMD. IL17RC is a protein that promotes immune responses to infections, such as fungal attacks.
The study, conducted by research teams from the NEI and other NIH institutes, including the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine; the University of Melbourne, Australia; and Oregon Health and Science University, appears in the Nov. 29 issue of Cell Reports.
"Our study also suggests IL17- and IL17RC-mediated immune responses can be crucial in causing AMD," added Dr. Lai Wei, also of NEI's Laboratory of Immunology and first author on the paper. "By measuring IL17RC gene activity in at-risk patients, we have also potentially identified an early method to detect AMD."
AMD damages the light-sensitive cells of the macula, the central part of the retina that allows us to see fine visual detail. As the disease progresses, patients encounter great difficulty reading, driving, or performing hobbies and tasks that require hand-eye coordination. Treatments exist to prevent severe vision loss in certain types of advanced AMD but none prevent or cure the disease. Currently, 2 million Americans have advanced AMD and another 7 million have intermediate stages.
Recent studies have identified several genes with alterations that increase the risk of developing the disease. In addition, environmental risk factors have also been suggested as possible causes of the disease. One explanation may be that environmental exposures influence DNA methylation, which regulates gene expression. Changes in this process may result in the production of too much or too little of a gene's protein, leading to cellular dysfunction and disease. Changes in DNA methylation have been implicated in cancer, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and many other diseases.
To test whether changes in DNA methylation might play a role in AMD, the investigators evaluated three pairs of twinsone pair identical and two pairs fraternalwhere only one of the siblings had AMD. Identical twins have the same genetic makeup while fraternal twins share about half of their DNA. Because of their similar genetic backgrounds, identical and fraternal twins can be helpful in studying the differences between the effects of genetics and the environment. When compared with the unaffected twins, methylation patterns were altered in 231 genes of affected twins. This finding is consistent with the hypothesis that environmental exposures may epigenetically regulate expression of many genes and lead to AMD.
Among the 231 genes, the investigators found that DNA methylation was absent in a region of the IL17RC gene in twins with AMD. The lack of methylation in the IL17RC gene led to increased gene activity and, in turn, increased levels of its protein in circulating blood. The investigators further validated these findings by comparing seven siblings with and without AMD as well as 202 AMD patients and 96 control subjects without the disease. These studies also found increased IL17RC levels in circulating blood and, most importantly, in the retina of patients with AMD but not controls.
Based on these results, the authors propose that chronic increased levels of the IL17RC protein in the retina likely promote inflammation and recruitment of immune cells that damage the retina and lead to AMD.
"This study strongly implicates epigenetic DNA methylation as another crucial biological pathway for understanding the molecular basis of AMD," according to Nussenblatt.
The investigators next plan to evaluate what environmental factors may be responsible for the regulation of IL17RC and how the epigenetic regulation leading to the chronic inflammation in AMD patients can be reversed by novel therapies. They will also evaluate the role of epigenetics in other eye diseases.
###
The National Eye Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, leads the federal government's research on the visual system and eye diseases. NEI supports basic and clinical science programs that result in the development of sight-saving treatments. For more information, visit http://www.nei.nih.gov.
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.
NIH...Turning Discovery Into Health
[ | 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.
Computer programming has often been a subject exclusive for adults but with recent development, the course is being adapted by younger generations. Introduction to computer programming has never been taught in high school until the early 2000s and now, with even the youngest children having access to computers and technology, even kids old enough to read can start learning basic programming.
Python, a popular open source programming platform has recently released a book called ?Python for Kids: A Playful Introduction to Programming? which could be a guide to bringing out the programming prodigy out of your child. Python enjoys an enormous popularity among programmers in the open source world and with it being a very flexible language, it deserves a lot of attention even from start up programmers.
The book is written by Jason Briggs who believes that Python is a powerful, expressive programming language that?s easy to learn and fun to use. Some books that teach programming can be dull and boring for kids but Python for Kids brings the programing language to life and brings kids into the world of programming.
The book teaches kids to be able to learn how Python works and teach them how to write a few lines of code. By the end of the book, the readers will have been able to program two full games: a clone of Pong and a platform game that involves jumps, animations and more.
This entry was posted in Open Source Programmers. Bookmark the permalink.
ScienceDaily (Nov. 27, 2012) ? The protein Ras plays an important role in cellular growth control. Researchers have focused on the protein because mutations in its gene are found in more than 30 percent of all cancers, making it the most prevalent human oncogene.
University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and Harvard researchers have discovered an alternative mechanism for activating Ras that does not require mutation or hormonal stimulus. In healthy cells, Ras transmits hormone signals into the cell that prompt responses such as cell growth and the development of organs and tissues. A mutation on the RAS gene can chronically activate those signals, leading to tumor initiation and progression.
In an article published on-line in a November issue of Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, the UNC and Harvard teams discovered that modification of Ras at a specific site with a small protein known as ubiquitin can also lock Ras into an active signaling state. Thus, modification of Ras with a single ubiquitin -- a process known as monoubiquitination -- switches Ras to an active signaling state by disrupting the action of another protein known as the GTPase activating protein, or GAP. Work by two of the papers co-authors, Atsuo Sasaki and Lewis Cantley of Harvard, had previously found evidence for Ras's potential to become activated and promote Ras-mediated tumorigenesis by monoubiquitination.
Because of the strong link between Ras and cancer, Ras should be an attractive target for drug discovery efforts. Despite considerable efforts at developing treatments targeting the protein, Ras itself is now considered to be 'undruggable', leading researchers to try new approaches to developing drugs that target activated Ras. This could lead to benefits beyond cancer therapies, as the RAS gene has also been linked to developmental disorders such as Noonan syndrome, Costello syndrome and autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome.
Lead researcher Rachael Baker, a PhD candidate doing joint work in the labs of Henrik Dohlman, PhD, professor of pharmacology and vice chair of biochemistry and biophysics and Sharon Campbell, PhD, professor of biochemistry and biophysics at UNC, developed a novel method to modify Ras with ubiquitin and then subsequently characterized how ubiquitin modification can lead to Ras activation.
The attachment of ubiquitin to Ras at a specific site leads to Ras activation, much like with an oncogenic mutation, leading to an increased potential for cancer formation. Baker notes that the reaction can be reversed by enzymes in the cell that remove ubiquitin, making these enzymes possible targets for future pharmaceutical research.
"Establishing how Ras is activated by ubiquitin is just the first step in understanding this novel mechanism of cellular regulation." said Campbell.
The researchers next step will be to obtain a more detailed understanding of its role in cancer progression, first in cells and in animals and eventually in cancer patients.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of North Carolina Health Care. The original article was written by William Shawn Davis.
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True Free energy devices exist,But Elite controllers don?t want ppl? to be free from the costs of energy,Go to LT-MAGNET-MOTORdotCOM and get the blueprints for a genuine magnet motor ,Free yourself!
ScienceDaily (Nov. 26, 2012) ? New computer model takes a page from weather forecasting to predict regional peaks in influenza outbreaks
Scientists have developed a system to predict the timing and severity of seasonal influenza outbreaks that could one day help health officials and the general public better prepare for them. The system adapts techniques used in modern weather prediction to turn real-time, Web-based estimates of influenza infection into local forecasts of seasonal flu.
Results appear online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Year to year, and region to region, there is huge variability in the peak of flu season, which, in temperate areas of the Northern Hemisphere, can happen as early as October or as late as April. The forecast system can provide "a window into what can happen week to week as flu prevalence rises and falls," says Jeffrey Shaman, PhD, an assistant professor of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.
As a test case, Dr. Shaman and Alicia Karspeck, PhD, of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, used Web-based estimates of flu-related sickness from the 2003-2008 influenza seasons in New York City to retrospectively generate weekly flu forecasts and found that the technique could predict the peak timing of the outbreak more than seven weeks in advance of the actual peak.
In the future, such flu forecasts might conceivably be disseminated on the local television news along with the weather report, says Dr. Shaman. Like the weather, flu conditions vary from region to region; Atlanta might peak weeks ahead of Anchorage. "Because we are all familiar with weather broadcasts, when we hear that there is a 80% chance of rain, we all have an intuitive sense of whether or not we should carry an umbrella," says Dr. Shaman. "I expect we will develop a similar comfort level and confidence in flu forecasts and develop an intuition of what we should do to protect ourselves in response to different forecast outcomes."
As individuals, a flu forecast could prompt us to get a vaccine, exercise care around people sneezing and coughing, and better tune in to how we feel. For health officials, it could inform decisions on how many vaccines and antiviral drugs to stockpile, and in the case of a virulent outbreak, whether other measures, like closing schools, is necessary.
"Flu forecasting has the potential to significantly improve our ability to prepare for and manage the seasonal flu outbreaks that strike each year," says Irene Eckstrand, PhD, of the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of General Medical Sciences, which provided funding for the study.
Worldwide, influenza kills an estimated 250,000 to 500,000 people each year; in the U.S. about 35,000 die from the flu every year.
The seed of the new study was planted four years ago in a conversation between the two researchers, in which Dr. Shaman expressed an interest in using models to forecast influenza. Dr. Karspeck "recommended incorporating some of the data assimilation techniques used in weather forecasting to build a skillful prediction system" remembers Dr. Shaman.
In weather forecasting real-time observational data are used to "nudge the model to conform with reality and reduce error in the model simulations," he explains. Applying this method to flu forecasting, the researchers used near-real-time data from Google Flu Trends, which estimates outbreaks based on the number of flu-related search queries in a given region.
Going forward, Dr. Shaman will test the model in other localities across the country using up-to-date data. This is necessary, he says, since "there is no guarantee that just because the method works in New York it will work in Miami."
Funding for the research was provided by the National Institutes of Health (grant numbers GM100467, GM088558 and ES009089) and the Department of Homeland Security.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
Jeffrey Shamana and Alicia Karspeckb. Forecasting seasonal outbreaks of influenza. PNAS, 2012 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1208772109
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.
ChoiceStream, a leading innovator in targeted advertising solutions, recently announced the second installment of its monthly Audience Cost Calendar.
Powered by the?CRUNCH Audience Cost Index, the Audience Cost Calendar is a monthly aggregation of impressions traded on digital ad exchanges. The calendar provides marketers with a snapshot of how online audience segment costs are trending based on seasonality. This month?s calendar explores holiday shopping related segments, among others, helping marketers to target their ideal audience during the most competitive shopping season.
Each month ChoiceStream looks at the previous month?s data and highlights the high-demand audience segments relevant to that time of year. The November Audience Cost Calendar is calculated using October data. The numbers represented in the Audience Cost Calendar represent the relative media costs of reaching people in a specific audience. A relative cost indexing above 100 represents a segment trading at an above average cost, while those below 100 are selling for less than the average cost.
?Segment buying seems to be growing more unified,? said Bill Guild, Vice President, Product Management and Marketing. ?As all advertisers compete for similar intents during the holiday shopping season, some segments are becoming considerably more expensive while others are dropping in relative cost. This is an opportunity for companies to focus on undiscovered audiences who would be receptive to their respective ads.?
Key findings from the November Audience Cost Calendar focus on topical audience segments, particularly on how the automotive, holiday and vacation travel, and holiday shopping segments trended in October.
October: Automotive related segments
Audiences interested in hybrid and sport cars were in relatively high demand during the month of October, possibly due to high gas prices, while shoppers for SUVs, Minivans, and Crossovers were less costly.
November: Holiday and Vacation Travel related segments
The index shows that consumers got an early start on travel planning as reflected in the overall growth of segment demand from advertisers. Also, vacation packages were sought after, indicating that consumers are already booking trips to their favorite winter and spring vacation destinations.
December: Holiday Shopping related segments
No longer is gift giving season limited to the weeks between Thanksgiving and the Christmas holiday as indicated by the gift giving holidays segment, which jumped in October. Advertiser perception of consumer confidence seems to be positive as pointed out by credit & credit cards segments, which jumped up the chart in October.
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Tags: Audience Cost Calendar, automotive, Bill Guild, ChoiceStream, holiday, infographic and travel
ScienceDaily (Nov. 26, 2012) ? A membrane consisting of polymer fibres and proteins makes a novel filter for tiny, nano-scaled particles in aqueous solutions. The result of this research, which was done by Professor Mady Elbahri and his team from the Institute of Material Science at Kiel University (KU) and the Institute of Polymer Research at Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht (HZG), has recently been published as the cover article in the current issue of Advanced Functional Materials.
A nanofluid, which means a colloidal suspension of e.g. metal nanoparticles in water, passes easily through commonly used macroporous polymeric membranes. The particles are too small to be held using hole diameters between three and four micrometers. In addition, the particles would block smaller sieve openings rapidly. Hence, pressure would be necessary to filter out the fluid.
In order to solve these problems, Elbahri and his team biofunctionalized their membrane and added a commercially available protein to the fibres. "We found out that the protein undergoes a conformational change under water, and its ability to capture all the metal nanoparticles during the filtration process is activated," explains Elbahri. "This is a breakthrough," adds Co-author Dr. Shahin Homaeigohar. "The same principle will hopefully enable us, to filter biomolecules and organisms out of waste water."
From Filtration to solar thermal energy
When the nano sieve captures metal particles such as gold, another application is at hand, because, no other method has succeeded in dispersing the particles that well. "This result was unexpected," says Elbahri. "Under dry conditions, the membrane shows the color of the metal, in this case the red of the gold nanoparticles." When the membrane gets wet, it becomes black. "Then, it acts as an omnidirectional perfect black absorber, which can be used as a solar absorber." Elbahri adds: "Indeed we bridge the gaps between several disciplines, chemistry, physics, bioscience and materials science that is, and the Nanochemistry and Nanoengineering group has now initiated the first step toward intradisciplinarity of Nanoscience."
Application as a virus and bio-filter
The nano sieve will allow filtering very small particles or biomolecules and organisms such as viruses out of water. The scientists involved have already patented their innovation, a bio-nano-composite, in Europe. Another patent for the USA is . Besides its application in water filtration, the nano sieve shows great potentials as solar absorber and as a catalyser. "All in all, the result is a breakthrough towards the design of an operative filtration process, as a new route for the fabrication of functional materials, and offers commercially attractive efficiencies at a low cost," says Elbahri.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Christian-Albrechts-Universitaet zu Kiel.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
Mady Elbahri, Shahin Homaeigohar, Ramzy Abdelaziz, Tianhe Dai, Rania Khalil, Ahnaf Usman Zillohu. Smart Metal-Polymer Bionanocomposites as Omnidirectional Plasmonic Black Absorber Formed by Nanofluid Filtration. Advanced Functional Materials, 2012; 22 (22): 4771 DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201200768
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Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
The FCC will hold a series of field hearings in the coming months to review the challenges to communications in the wake of Superstorm SANDY.? The hearings will commence early in 2013.
Chairman JULIUS GENACHOWSKI said, ?This unprecedented storm has revealed new challenges that will require a national dialogue around ideas and actions to ensure the resilience of communications networks. As our thoughts and sympathies remain with those who have suffered loss and damage as a result of Superstorm Sandy, I urge all stakeholders to engage constructively in the period ahead.?? He thanked Sen, CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY) for pushing the issue.
Among the topics to be addressed will be how communications providers can work together in emergencies, including sharing resources; back-up power resources; and restoration of service.
Seattle Seahawks cornerbacks Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner continue to deny that they have ever taken performance-enhancing substances despite facing four-game suspensions for testing positive.
According to Mike Garafolo of the USA Today, Sherman is saying that he unknowingly ingested Adderall prescribed to a teammate according to a person familiar with Sherman?s explanation. Sherman?s agent, Kevin Poston, would not speak on the specifics of the case but when presented with the scenario described Poston said, ?What appears is not always the case. Hopefully, when the facts come out, justice will prevail.?m
Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network also reported the scenario described by Garafolo.
Sherman, however, is completely denying that?s what took place. In a series of texts Monday night, Sherman disputed the accounts being reported by the USA Today and NFL Network.
?It?s totally false,? Sherman said. ?It will be resolved in time and I have never taken anything.?
Sherman has denied ever taking Adderall since the suspensions were first reported on Sunday.
Browner?s agent, Peter Schaffer, also denied the claims against him client.
?I can tell you that Brandon Browner has no knowledge of how any illegal substance could have gotten into his system,? Schaffer said. ??He takes tremendous care of his body and he is very careful with what he puts into it. We?re exploring all avenues to try and figure out how any substance out of the ordinary would be in his system.?
Per Garafolo, Browner is already in the league?s substance-abuse program following an undisclosed incident while playing for the Denver Broncos in 2005. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com was on Sports Radio KJR in Seattle Monday morning and relayed Browner?s denial of taking any performance-enhancing substance knowing how frequently he is tested due to being in the substance-abuse program.
?[Browner]?s someone who?s tested regularly; up to three times a week,? La Canfora said. ?So he?s told people, ?look, I knew what I was up against. I don?t even drink a beer because I?m so wary of having a positive for anything.? So he?s been adamant that ?I?m not on anything. I?ve gone out of my way not to put any sort of substance, supplement, or anything other than what you would normally eat and drink.??
Schaffer said they received notice from the league about the positive tests last week. He said normally hearings for these matters are usually scheduled within 20 days of the notice being sent but circumstances could require it to take longer. Schaffer said he wasn?t sure how long it would take for this particular hearing to come about.
?It?s too early to tell what we?re going to need, what witnesses and evidence and experts are going to be required so there is no way to even guess at this point,? he said.
Until those appeals are resolved, both Browner and Sherman are eligible to play for the Seahawks. Head coach Pete Carroll said Monday that he fully expects to have them available for this Sunday?s game against the Chicago Bears.
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ROME (Reuters) - Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said on Monday he was considering a political comeback for elections expected in March, but that the decision depended on who his center-left adversaries selected as their main candidate.
A center-left primary contest on Sunday left Democratic Party (PD) leader Pier Luigi Bersani, 61, ahead of his younger rival Matteo Renzi before a final runoff on December 2, thanks mainly to his strong support among traditional PD voters.
Renzi, the 37 year-old mayor of Florence who has run as a modernizer, is mistrusted by many on the left of the PD but has wider appeal among the broader electorate. A Renzi victory is widely seen as a deterrent to a Berlusconi comeback.
In the latest of several switches of position, Berlusconi, who has previously ruled out running, said Italy needed a complete transformation following mounting popular disgust with traditional politics.
"I think that it's right for someone who had the honor of leading the Italian government for almost 10 years to reflect on the way to achieve this modernization of Italy, this liberal revolution," he said, in an interview with his own Canale 5 television.
Berlusconi said he would decide what to do depending on whether the left's candidate turned out to be Renzi or former communist Bersani. "With Renzi, Italy could have a Social Democratic party like other countries such as Germany and England have," he said.
General Relationship DiscussionAlthough anyone can post anywhere on Talk About Marriage, this section is for people interested in general relationship and marriage advice.
Yesterday, 09:25 AM
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#6 (permalink)
Member
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Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: The Most DANGEROUS City in America!
Posts: 1,270
Quote:
Is there something wrong with this scenario?
Allow me to translate LiarSpeak for you, Costa.
Quote:
He told me he would like to settle down when he is sure that we are truly right for each other
"I would like to settle for you when I am done chasing anyone else who attracts my attention; and when I am sure I can't get anyone hotter than you. You are my Plan B."
Quote:
meanwhile I am free to date anyone I like.
"I don't value you enough to want to be exclusive with you, so don't get the wrong idea that you're 'special', because you're not. But I'd still like to fvck you when I can!"
There you go; now that you've removed the forked-tongue, double-speak, it's really quite clear (and quite simple), isn't it?
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Yesterday, 03:53 PM
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#13 (permalink)
Member
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Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Kansas City Metro area
Posts: 1,142
Quote:
If you are looking for a relationship with more substance, keep sex off of the table for a while with the next guy until you are more exclusive.
I can't agree with this point. I've found that sex is one of the important ways a man decides whether a woman is worth being with. Bad sex will equal a quick fade even after they've become exclusive.
Plus, people fall for people who are "into" them. Withholding sex for some arbitrary point is just a way of saying, "I'm not that into you."
As one of the five pillars of compatibility, I would encourage you to do whatever feels natural to you sexually, but remain aware that you are still learning about areas that you are or are not compatible on.
I have to articles on my blog related to this topic that can help you decide how long you should or shouldn't wait:
How Soon Should You Have Sex in a New Relationship?
5 Pillars of Compatibility (& Incompatibility)
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Yesterday, 04:03 PM
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#14 (permalink)
Member
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Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 151
Quote:
I can't agree with this point. I've found that sex is one of the important ways a man decides whether a woman is worth being with. Bad sex will equal a quick fade even after they've become exclusive.
Plus, people fall for people who are "into" them. Withholding sex for some arbitrary point is just a way of saying, "I'm not that into you."
As one of the five pillars of compatibility, I would encourage you to do whatever feels natural to you sexually, but remain aware that you are still learning about areas that you are or are not compatible on.
I disagree with the above bolded part. I didn't have sex with my husband prior to marriage, not because I wasn't into him, but because of a vow that I made not only to myself, but to my faith. It was hard, and we crossed some lines, but didn't have sex. Now of course this is not true for everyone, but I disagree that it says that you're not into them.
I do think that when sex is not on the table at the beginning you can filter through what a person is like, and if you are compatible in other areas.nsex can cloud emotions for some.
I have not read your articles yet but looking forward to reading them later.
Game HourDecember 7
Your website is a tool to reach potential customers and it should work as it should. Thus, an expert knows the company website design is not to increase the attractiveness of Web pages by incorporating heavy graphics in Web pages. There are a number of ways to build a very good e-commerce site, one of the best uses e-commerce software solution. The cart solution is the online equivalent of this process, and in order to generate income from your e-commerce site, you need to have a way to get paid. What can kind of things you should have in your website? WordPress is based on PHP for web design and MySQL to create databases for these sites. ![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 27-Nov-2012
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lavernedi: November 27, 2012 at 8:56 am 
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