Experts debate the psychology of ?Star Trek? vs. ?Star Wars?

Wondercon 2013: The psychology of Star Trek vs. Star Wars (Eric Pfeiffer/Yahoo News)ANAHEIM, Calif.?At Friday?s opening day of Wondercon 2013, the swords were drawn early. Or, more specifically, the light sabers were drawn and the phasers were set to kill.

Four experts, including two psychologists, debated four specific topics as part of an epic breakdown analyzing the respective strengths and weaknesses of Star Wars and Star Trek.

To an outsider, the debate might seem trivial. But to fans of each series, the differences have long run deep, pitting the more cerebral science fiction of Star Trek against the emotional, fantasy driven stories of the Star Wars universe.

As the debate opened, it was clear a majority of the hundreds of Wondercon attendees who packed into the ballroom showed up in, er, Force, to support Star Wars.

Well, first of all, there are not as many Trekkies here because they are all at work today,? quipped NYU clinical psychologist Dr. Ali Mattu.

Round 1: Nature vs. Nurture

Thanks to the infamous Star Wars prequels we now know that the villainous Darth Vader was not always bad. But Star Trek?s greatest villain, Khan Noonan Singh was literally born bad ? a product of genetic engineering who believed himself superior lesser men. So, which is the better story?

?Vader is someone you can probably diagnose with borderline personality disorder,? Mattu said. ?In fact, the American Psychological Association hosted a talk on this very topic in 2007.. Whereas Khan is the most dangerous thing in social psychology, when you dehumanize people. You get things like the Eugenics Wars and the Nazis.?

?Khan had a later life transformation,? said Larry Nemecek, author of the Star Trek The Next Generation Companion Guide. ?When we first met him in the Stark Trek television series, he was a villain. But when he comes back in the second film (?Wrath of Kahn,?) his wife has been killed and his adopted planet ruined.?

For her part, Dr. Andrea Letamendi, a psychologist, said Vader?s story was more compelling because of its complexity.

?George Lucas really has an understanding of what makes evil.? she said. ?There is a sophistication of what makes risk, loss and antisocial behavior. We are reminded that humans are complex.?

For his part, Robot Chicken writer Hugh Sterbakov did see one common failing of the two diabolical leaders: ?They're both really bad at choosing assistants,? he said, noting that in the accompanying photos for the panel, both men are seen lifting men into the air by their throats.

Round 2: Strength and Resilience

But who in the two competing sagas over the most adversity? Was it the crew of the Enterprise overcoming the death of Spock? Or, Luke Skywalker seeing his murdered aunt and uncle and being forced into a completely new world?

Dr. Letamendi said both series have similarities in the way that their characters maintain their behavioral patterns even after trying situations. For example, in Star Trek 2, Spock is willing to accept death during an unwinnable computer simulation. Later in the film, he sacrifices his own life to save the crew of the Enterprise.

And in The Empire Strikes Back, Luke Skywalker in quick to anger during a test of character in the caves of Degobah. Later in the film, he succumbs to the same behavior, and suffers for it, when he is quick to confront Vader.

?The main point is not win or lose but how you went down,? Nemecek said.

Round 3: Artificial Intelligence

The panelists weren?t allowed to speculate on who would win in a fight between Captain Kirk and Han Solo. But they were free to debate who has the better robots.

?There's a spectrum of how they treat artificial intelligence in Star Trek,? said Nemecek. ?Even Data's creator was an outcast. It's a complex question in the Star Trek universe.?

Letamendi responded by saying that the Star Wars androids were more likeable because they are less human, citing the ?Uncanny Valley? concept, which states that humans are emotionally put off by artificial intelligence the more closely it resembles actual human behavior and appearance.

But Mattu disagreed, agreeing with Nemecek that the wide variety of artificial intelligence on display in the Star Trek universe was met with different responses from different cultures.

Round 4: The Test

The panelists then moved on to the final round to argue which saga showcases the greater journey for its characters. From there, it was left to the audience to decide who had won the debate.

?It's an inspirational, motivational story that goes to the core of what it means to experience self-actualization and self individualization,? Letamendi said of Star Wars. ?It's actually what psychologists consider to be the most advanced state of being. And they have badass costumes.?

Mattu offered the counterpoint, saying of his own experience:

?What happened to me when I saw Star Trek was that I could see myself there. It was a future we could see, a mirror into ourselves. How with empathy, science and knowledge we can grow, improve as a society and overcome.?

?Plus, only in Star Trek can you blow up a planet and create one simultaneously using science.?

Ultimately, the cheers were loud for both sides, though it appeared that the Star Trek argument came out slightly ahead, reversing what had seemed like an audience stacked in favor of Star Wars at the onset.

But to any attendees who felt disappointed with the results, Mattu offered some positive news.

?Here's how we all win: We all have J.J. Abrams now.?

Can these experts finally solve the Star Trek vs. Star Wars debate? (Eric Pfeiffer/Yahoo News

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/experts-debate-psychology-star-trek-vs-star-wars-222637187.html

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Arctic Sea Ice Hits Yearly Max, But Still Dwindling

It may be time to retire the groundhog and start tracking Arctic sea ice for a better prediction of late-winter weather.

On March 15, the Arctic sea ice reached its maximum extent ? the most ice the frigid North would see this year, according to the National Snow & Ice Data Center (NSIDC) in Boulder, Colo. Changes in Arctic ice, and its total extent, may be affecting weather further south, scientists think.

The ice covered 5.84 million square miles (15.13 million square kilometers), the sixth-lowest area on record since 1979. Most of the ice was young, first-year ice, freshly frozen. The Arctic also has multiyear ice, frozen year-round, which is stiffer and thicker, and contains much less brine than first-year ice does. However, its slice of the total ice pie has been shrinking in recent years.

During the 2012 to 2013 winter season, the sea ice grew a record 4.53 million square miles (11.72 million square km). This massive growth was primarily due to last year's missing ice: A record-low ice minimum in September 2012 meant more ocean was exposed, leaving a greater area uncovered to refreeze this winter, the NSIDC said in a statement.

The big swings between summer and winter ice indicate a shift toward a more pronounced seasonal cycle in the Arctic, according to the NSIDC.

The shift is changing the ratio of thin, first-year ice to thick, multiyear ice, which is more resistant to summer melting and winter storms. First-year ice increasingly dominates the Arctic ice pack, the NSIDC said.

This year, the relatively fragile first-year ice was buffeted by a powerful Arctic storm in February, extensively fracturing the ice. Cracking from storms happens every year. This year, however, the rifts extended from Canada to Alaska ? although they quickly refroze.

Less Arctic ice also means more of the ocean and atmosphere can warm from the sun. Scientists think this warming shifts the jet stream, steering cold storm systems further south. March brought freezing temperatures and strong winter storms to the United States, Europe and Russia.

Email Becky Oskin or follow her @beckyoskin. Follow us?@OAPlanet, Facebook?or Google+. Original article on LiveScience's OurAmazingPlanet.

Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/arctic-sea-ice-hits-yearly-max-still-dwindling-140237419.html

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Air Sealing Is the Simplest and Most Efficient Way to Save on Your Energy Bill

We've looked at several ways to save on your energy bill, but among them all nothing does the job better than air sealing. Utility bill comparison site MyEnergy explains:

The EPA estimates that between 25 and 30 percent of the energy that we use to heat and cool our homes is lost due to the air leaks through the attic, the basement, and other gaps in the building envelope. The absolute largest return on investment when it comes to energy savings is quick air sealing using caulk or spray foam. Spray foam or foam-in-a-can has been proven to save up to $150 per year in heating/cooling costs, and to have a seven year ROI (return on investment) of 4400%. The living space is the easiest to airseal yourself, however attics and basements can sometimes require a contractor depending on the scope on the project.

If you want to seal the gaps in your home, this EnergyStar guide is a good place to start. GreenVideoAdvisor offers a series on sealing your attic and Building Science provides another.

Special thanks to MyEnergy for the tips!

Photo by digitalreflections (Shutterstock).

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/tmjyaw2O7ts/air-sealing-is-the-simplest-and-most-efficient-way-to-save-on-your-energy-bill

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How to Talk 21st-Century Shop

March 27, 2013 6:30 AM Text Size: A . A . A 3D Printing

Now available for as little as $500, 3D printers can turn almost any CAD creation into a physical object. Sophisticated desktop units such as this MakerBot Replicator 2X ($2800) use dual extruders to print in two colors of plastic.

Laser Cutting

Now available for as little as $500, 3D printers can turn almost any CAD creation into a physical object. Sophisticated desktop units such as this MakerBot Replicator 2X ($2800) use dual extruders to print in two colors of plastic.

CNC Routing/Milling

These two machines are similar in concept, but they operate differently. Routers direct a rotating bit to shape wood and plastic, while mills usually move the material (mills are good at cutting metal). Both are the inverse of a 3D printer, subtracting material instead of adding it.

Pressing & Stamping

A standby of large-scale industrial manufacturing, machine presses force the manufacturing material against a premade form. Stamping machines cut out shapes much as a cookie cutter does. Both kinds of machine can produce parts much faster than printers and milling machines, but they are not as flexible.

7 Easy Steps for Launching a Startup

Hydro/Vacuum Forming

Vacuum forming is great for making plastic parts, such as electronics casings and packaging, which are heated, then vacuum sealed to a mold, then cooled. Hydroforming, which uses liquid pressure instead of a vacuum, is better for metals and other heavy materials.

Injection Molding

Rather than pressing material against a mold, an injection molder? forces material into one. These high-volume machines make parts out of glass, metal, or plastic.

Square Payments

Online retailing may be frictionless, but sometimes you?re out in the physical world. Technologies such as Square turn a smartphone into a credit-card reader.

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/engineering/gonzo/how-to-talk-21st-century-shop-15269130?src=rss

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Army vet accused of fighting with al-Qaida

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) ? A U.S. Army veteran is charged with conspiring with an Al-Qaida group to wage war against the Syrian regime.

Eric Harroun of Phoenix was charged Thursday in federal court in northern Virginia with conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction outside the U.S. An affidavit states Harroun has been engaged in military action in Syria, siding with rebel forces against the Syrian government. It says he used rocket-propelled grenades in the fighting earlier this year.

On his Facebook page, he claimed credit for downing a Syrian helicopter.

Prosecutors say one of the groups with which Harroun served is the al-Nusrah Front, which is commonly known as al-Qaida in Iraq.

Harroun has made an initial court appearance. A public defender was appointed to represent him in a detention hearing scheduled for Tuesday.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-army-vet-charged-fighting-al-qaida-184044925.html

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US futures down as jitters about Europe continue

NEW YORK (AP) ? Concern about Cyprus and other nations in the Eurozone is weighing down U.S. stock market futures.

Cyprus is formulating details for reopening its banks after a nearly two-week shutdown, following an international bailout agreement that calls for large deposits to be taxed heavily to help pay for the rescue.

Dow Jones industrial average futures are sliding 69 points to 14,409. Nasdaq 100 futures are down 13 to 2,786.80. S&P 500 futures are off 7.75 to 1,549.50.

Investors are waiting for data on pending U.S. home sales for February, set for release at 10 a.m. Eastern.

In Europe, major indexes fell amid worries that the "bail-in" that taps deposits in Cyprus could be considered a model should other countries falter. Asian stocks rose, following Tuesday's rally in U.S. markets.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-03-27-US-Wall-Street-Premarket/id-df084d014a3b432ebd474c14c720c613

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Greatest Dad Ever Creates a Calvin & Hobbes Nursery Complete with Tree Fort

Here's a father that will make your heart melt in aww and a nursery that'll make you want to go back to being a kid again. Screw real life, I want to grow up again with Calvin and Hobbes. Heck, I don't care if I can even fit on the bed... I want to live in that room right now. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Bm_-YzOZS4I/greatest-dad-ever-creates-a-calvin--hobbes-nursery-complete-with-tree-fort

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NOvA neutrino detector captures cosmic rays in 3D, aims to unlock the mysteries of the universe

All apologies accepted if you mistook that image above as cover art for Daft Punk's new album -- it's not (although the duo should consider it.). That Tron-ish, equalizer-like graphic is actually a 3D representation of particle activity left behind by cosmic rays interacting within NOvA, the Department of Energy's under construction neutrino detector. It's the first such visual record made possible by the University of Minnesota-operated facility that, when completed, will extend for more than 200 feet underground in an area near the Canadian border and endure regular bombardment by a controlled stream of neutrinos. Beyond its obvious visual appeal, data like this should give physicists at the DOE's Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory insight into the nature of neutrinos (some of which are said to have been issued from the Big Bang) and, by extension, the origins of our ever-expanding universe. For now, though, the project's still in the baby steps phase -- only 12 feet of the detector (the currently operational portion) has been successfully built out -- so the reality-shattering, scientific epiphanies will have to wait. Until then, it's all still life as we safely know it.

Filed under: Science, Alt

Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/28/nova-neutrino-detector-captures-cosmic-rays-in-3d/

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However court rules, gay marriage debate won't end

NEW YORK (AP) ? However the Supreme Court rules after its landmark hearings on same-sex marriage, the issue seems certain to divide Americans and states for many years to come.

In oral arguments Tuesday and Wednesday on two cases involving gay couples' rights, the justices left open multiple options for rulings that are expected in June. But they signaled there was no prospect of imposing a 50-state solution at this stage. With nine states now allowing same-sex marriages and other states banning them via statutes or constitutional amendments, that means a longer spell with a patchwork marriage-rights map ? and no early end to bruising state-by-state battles in the courts, in the legislatures and at the ballot box.

A decade ago, opponents of same-sex marriage were lobbying for a nationwide ban on gay nuptials. They now seem resigned to the reality of a divided nation in which the debate will continue to splinter families, church congregations and communities.

"It's a lot more healthy than shutting off an intense debate at the very moment of its greatest intensity," said John Eastman, chairman of the National Organization for Marriage and a law professor at Chapman University in Orange, Calif.

By contrast, supporters of same-sex marriage believe a nationwide victory is inevitable, though perhaps not imminent. Many of them see merit in continuing an incremental hearts-and-minds campaign, given that many opinion polls now show a majority of Americans supporting their cause.

"No matter what the Supreme Court decides, we are going to be in a stronger place in July than where we before," said Evan Wolfson, president of Freedom to Marry.

"We have the momentum and we have the winning strategy," Wolfson said. "We are going to win the freedom to marry, whether in June or in the next round, when we go back to the court with more states, more public support and perhaps new justices."

Even if the Supreme Court shies away for now from any broad ruling in favor of marriage rights for gay couples, its decisions in June could produce major gains for gay-rights activists.

In one case, the justices could strike down a section of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act that denies legally married same-sex couples a host of federal benefits available to straight married couples. In the other, concerning California's Proposition 8 ballot measure banning same-sex marriage, the Supreme Court could leave in place a lower court ruling striking down the ban. That would add the most populous state to the ranks of those already recognizing gay marriages: Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont and Washington, plus the District of Columbia.

With California included, that group would account for about 28 percent of the U.S. population.

Meanwhile, legislative efforts to legalize same-sex marriage are under way in Illinois, Minnesota, Rhode Island and Delaware, and lawsuits by gay couples seeking marriage rights have been filed in several other states. In Oregon, gay-rights activists hope to place a measure on next year's ballot that would overturn a ban on gay marriage approved by voters in 2004. Legislators in Nevada are debating a bill that could lead to repeal of a similar ban there.

In advance of the Supreme Court hearings, gay-marriage backers mustered support from a broad array of interest groups, including labor and religious leaders, major corporations, even dozens of prominent Republicans who co-signed a brief filed with the high court. In the past few weeks, a parade of politicians have publicly endorsed same-sex marriage for the first time, including Republican Sen. Rob. Portman of Ohio and Democratic Sens. Kay Hagan of North Carolina, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, Jon Tester of Montana and Mark Warner of Virginia.

Former President Bill Clinton chimed in, too, writing that he now regretted his decision to sign the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996 and urging that it be struck down. President Barack Obama's administration also asked that DOMA be declared unconstitutional and that Proposition 8 be struck down.

For gay-marriage opponents, it's been an occasionally daunting period as they watch a steady stream of prominent politicians and institutions join the rival side.

The conservative American Family Association's website, for example, listed some of the many well-known corporations that are now supporting same-sex marriage ? including Google, Microsoft, Citigroup, Apple, Nike, Facebook and Starbucks. The website suggests that Americans opposed to gay marriage should boycott these companies, but the president of the Mississippi-based association, Tim Wildmon, acknowledges that would be impractical.

"There's too many of them to effectively boycott," he said in a telephone interview.

Wildmon expects the U.S. to remain divided over gay marriage for a long time and hopes neither Congress nor the courts try to interfere with the right of states to set their own policies.

"That's just the way it's going to be," he said. "If you want to be a homosexual married couple, move to a state that accepts it."

Such interstate moves could indeed occur, but with a potential cost for the states being forsaken, said gay rights lawyer Jon Davidson of Lambda Legal. "Maybe that's what some states want, but the outpouring of business support for us indicates a lot of businesses don't want that to happen," he said. "It creates all sorts of problems."

Among some conservatives, there's been frustration at the frequent exhortation from gay-rights activists that the Supreme Court should be "on the right side of history" by endorsing same-sex marriage.

"It requires no courage, at this point in history, to side with gay marriage advocates," Maggie Gallagher, a co-founder of the National Organization for Marriage, wrote in a commentary. "Respecting the rights of the millions of Americans who disagree, and respecting the boundaries of our Constitution, is staying on the right side of history."

Conservative radio commentator Rush Limbaugh, on his show Wednesday, suggested the spread of same-sex marriage was indeed inevitable. He cited signs of increasing divisions among Republicans on the issue.

"Whether it happens now at the Supreme Court or somehow later, it is going to happen," Limbaugh said. "It's just the direction the culture is heading. ... The opposition that you would suspect exists is in the process of crumbling on it."

In any case, it's unlikely that some of the most conservative states ? those that adopted gay-marriage bans by overwhelming margins ? will recognize same-sex marriages unless forced to by the courts.

A likely result is a steady stream of state-level lawsuits by gay couples, according to Boston-based lawyer Mary Bonauto, whose work with Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders helped legalize same-sex marriage in several New England states.

"There are committed gay couples in every state who want to stand up and make that legal commitment to marriage," Bonauto said. "They're not going to go away. ... They believe our national promise of equal protection under the law applies to them, too, not just to the East and West coasts and Iowa."

Depending on how such lawsuits fare, Bonauto said, "I think this issue could be back at the Supreme Court in a number of years."

___

Follow David Crary on Twitter: http://twitter.com/CraryAP

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/however-court-rules-gay-marriage-debate-wont-end-065436742--politics.html

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Just 'weight' until menopause: How estrogen deficiency affects women's fat absorption

Mar. 27, 2013 ? Women tend to carry excess fat in their hips and thighs, while men tend to carry it on their stomachs. But after menopause, things start to change: many women's fat storage patterns start to resemble those of men. This indicates that there's a link between estrogen and body fat storage. This connection is well documented, but the underlying mechanisms remained poorly understood until now.

New research conducted by Sylvia Santosa, assistant professor in Concordia University's Department of Exercise Science and Canada Research Chair in Clinical Nutrition, gives us a new look at the connection between fat storage and estrogen. By examining the fat storage process at a cellular level, Santosa and co-author Michael D. Jensen of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, reveal that certain proteins and enzymes are more active in post-menopausal women. These proteins correspond with fat storage. Their findings were published in the March 2013 issue of Diabetes.

"The fat stored on our hips and thighs, is relatively harmless," explains Santosa, who is also a member of Concordia's PERFORM Centre for better health through prevention. "But the fat stored around the abdomen is more dangerous. It has been associated with diabetes, heart disease, stroke and even some cancers. When post-menopausal women put on more abdominal fat, they dramatically increase their risk for these health problems. Given these dangers, it is very important to understand the how the lower levels of estrogen associated with menopause changes where fat is stored."

Santosa's research compared fat storage in pre- and post-menopausal women. The 23 women who participated in the study were in the same age range, and had similar Body Mass Indices and body fat composition. These similarities allowed Santosa to isolate the effects of estrogen on fat absorption and storage.

She and Jensen were able to examine the activity of certain enzymes and proteins that regulate fat storage in post-menopausal women's abdomens and thighs. By considering these factors together rather than in isolation, the researchers determined conclusively that the overall fat storage "machinery" is more active in post-menopausal women. In other words, these cells now store more fat than they did before menopause.

In addition, post-menopausal women burned less fat than their pre-menopausal colleagues. These changes mean that their cells are not only storing more fat, but are also less willing to part with it. This combination is a recipe for rapid weight gain. "Taken together, these changes in bodily processes may be more than a little surprising -- and upsetting -- for women who previously had little trouble managing their weight," comments Santosa.

Though the increased cellular activity revealed by this study was not specific to the abdominal region, more fat stored overall means more abdominal fat. Evidence of changes in the fat storage pathways after menopause is an important contribution to understanding why post-menopausal women begin to put on more visceral fat.

Says Santosa, "the information revealed by our study is valuable not only to post-menopausal women and their doctors, but to obesity studies more generally. A clearer picture of which proteins and enzymes increase fat storage makes those productive targets for future medical advances in the fight against obesity."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Concordia University.

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Journal Reference:

1. S. Santosa, M. D. Jensen. Adipocyte Fatty Acid Storage Factors Enhance Subcutaneous Fat Storage in Postmenopausal Women. Diabetes, 2012; 62 (3): 775 DOI: 10.2337/db12-0912

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/XZtpEFjYZwo/130327144131.htm

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Insurance Offer - Clare F Hobba Launches Twins for University

Carenza has a dilemma - there is one university which she would clearly like to put first.? No problem there ? it is choosing the insurance offer which is tricky.? She has two potential fall-backs.? One of these has an excellent reputation over all, but the contact hours in her subject are legendarily poor.? On the open day, student guides were saying, ?What subject?? History?? Ooh ? you?ll be having a lie-in then.?

?Well, I?d better show you the students? union, because you?ll have plenty of time to spend in there.?
Faced with the prospect of a ?9,000 debt for tuition fees over three years, selecting a subject with minimal contact hours for a happy doss is not attractive to Carenza.
So that leaves one other university, beautifully situated, with a great reputation.? Only trouble is, they offered her the same grades as her first choice.
Bravely, she rang Admissions to gauge their attitude to candidates who drop a grade.?
?I was careful not to give my name, Mum.? Clearly, post-university, the secret service beckons.
Some universities could have said right now that they wouldn?t be interested if she dropped a grade, because that is their policy ? like her first choice.? No university would be able to say ?We will welcome you with open arms if you drop a grade,? because they don?t know yet what the rest of the field will look like.? What she was looking for was a ?depends?.? And that is exactly what they told her: ?It depends on who else applies and what grades they get.?
?Anecdotally, we have a feeling that the exams are getting harder - many friends and acquaintances have been disappointed by their results.? Also, over-all, fewer are willing to take on the debt and to apply at all.?

The question is whether Carenza should bet on these two factors and choose an insurance offer that?s asking for high grades.

?

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Source: http://clarefhobba.blogspot.com/2013/03/insurance-offer.html

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Study finds smiling fighters are losing fighters

Before every fight, the fighters face off as part of the pre-fight weigh-ins. Usually, the two fighters raise their fists and scowl at each other as pictures are snapped. But sometimes, a fighter smiles at his or her opponent. A study published in the scientific journal "Emotion" claims that smiling isn't such a good plan. A smiling fighter is more likely to lose.

The researchers did two studies as part of an overall look at how smiles affected fights. Their findings:

We reason, on the basis of prior research, that prior to a physical confrontation, smiles are a nonverbal sign of reduced hostility and aggression, and thereby unintentionally communicate reduced physical dominance. Two studies provide evidence in support of this prediction: Study 1 found that professional fighters who smiled more in a prefight photograph taken facing their opponent performed more poorly during the fight in relation to their less intensely smiling counterparts. In Study 2, untrained observers judged a fighter as less hostile and aggressive, and thereby less physically dominant when the fighters' facial expression was manipulated to show a smiling expression in relation to the same fighter displaying a neutral expression.

Taking a look at UFC weigh-ins in 2013, not many fighters smiled at their opponents. But of the ones who did, their record wasn't good. In the top picture, John Dodson smiled at Demetrious Johnson, and lost in a five-round decision.

Donald Cerrone smiled at Anthony Pettis at UFC on Fox 6, and was knocked out in the first round.

Jon Manley smiled at Neil Magny at UFC 157. Manley dropped a decision to Magny.

At UFC 156, Gleison Tibau smiled -- or smirked, maybe? -- at Evan Dunham. The split decision was won by Dunham.

Fighters look for every edge they can get in a fight. Perhaps the smile is meant to show that they don't fear anything, but it doesn't look like it's working.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/study-finds-smiling-fighters-losing-fighters-155647271--mma.html

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Using fat to fight brain cancer: Stem cells from human adipose tissue used to chase migrating cancer cells

Mar. 12, 2013 ? In laboratory studies, Johns Hopkins researchers say they have found that stem cells from a patient's own fat may have the potential to deliver new treatments directly into the brain after the surgical removal of a glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive form of brain tumor.

The investigators say so-called mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have an unexplained ability to seek out damaged cells, such as those involved in cancer, and may provide clinicians a new tool for accessing difficult-to-reach parts of the brain where cancer cells can hide and proliferate anew. The researchers say harvesting MSCs from fat is less invasive and less expensive than getting them from bone marrow, a more commonly studied method.

Results of the Johns Hopkins proof-of-principle study are described online in the journal PLOS ONE.

"The biggest challenge in brain cancer is the migration of cancer cells. Even when we remove the tumor, some of the cells have already slipped away and are causing damage somewhere else," says study leader Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa, M.D., a professor of neurosurgery, oncology and neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "Building off our findings, we may be able to find a way to arm a patient's own healthy cells with the treatment needed to chase down those cancer cells and destroy them. It's truly personalized medicine."

For their test-tube experiments, Quinones-Hinojosa and his colleagues bought human MSCs derived from both fat and bone marrow, and also isolated and grew their own stem cell lines from fat removed from two patients. Comparing the three cell lines, they discovered that all proliferated, migrated, stayed alive and kept their potential as stem cells equally well.

This was an important finding, Quinones-Hinojosa says, because it suggests that a patient's own fat cells might work as well as any to create cancer-fighting cells. The MSCs, with their ability to home in on cancer cells, might be able to act as a delivery mechanism, bringing drugs, nanoparticles or some other treatment directly to the cells. Quinones-Hinojosa cautions that while further studies are under way, it will be years before human trials of MSC delivery systems can begin.

Ideally, he says, if MSCs work, a patient with a glioblastoma would have some adipose tissue (fat) removed -- from any number of locations in the body -- a short time before surgery. The MSCs in the fat would be drawn out and manipulated in the lab to carry drugs or other treatments. Then, after surgeons removed the brain tumor, they could deposit these treatment-armed cells into the brain in the hopes that they would seek out and destroy the cancer cells.

Currently, standard treatments for glioblastoma are chemotherapy, radiation and surgery, but even a combination of all three rarely leads to more than 18 months of survival after diagnosis. Glioblastoma tumor cells are particularly nimble, migrating across the entire brain and establishing new tumors. This migratory capability is thought to be a key reason for the low cure rate of this tumor type.

"Essentially these MSCs are like a 'smart' device that can track cancer cells," Quinones-Hinojosa says.

Quinones-Hinojosa says it's unclear why MSCs are attracted to glioblastoma cells, but they appear to have a natural affinity for sites of damage in the body, such as a wound. MSCs, whether derived from bone marrow or fat, have been studied in animal models to treat trauma, Parkinson's disease, ALS and other diseases.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Johns Hopkins Medicine, via Newswise.

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Journal Reference:

1. Courtney Pendleton, Qian Li, David A. Chesler, Kristy Yuan, Hugo Guerrero-Cazares, Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa. Mesenchymal Stem Cells Derived from Adipose Tissue vs Bone Marrow: In Vitro Comparison of Their Tropism towards Gliomas. PLoS ONE, 2013; 8 (3): e58198 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0058198

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/F1PB5tQmGIk/130312171618.htm

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Acer now selling C7 Chromebook with more battery life and memory for $280

When we got our hands on Acer's initial C7 Chromebook, our chief gripe was its frankly disappointing 4-hour battery life. We now know that Acer had its ear to the ground after launch. It's rolling out a new trim level, the C710-2055, that mends the short runtime and beyond. The new edition carries a 6-cell battery that should give it six hours of battery life -- still not as good as the 6.5 hours of Samsung's ARM-based Chromebook, but it's at least in the ballpark. Performance should also get a useful kick in the pants now that Acer has doubled the RAM to 4GB. While the upgrades take the newly available C7's price slightly out of impulse purchase range, to $280, it's now a more viable option for those who need more grunt than ARM can currently deliver without venturing into Chromebook Pixel territory.

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Source: Amazon

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/12/acer-unveils-tweaked-c7-chromebook-with-more-battery-life-and-ram/

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Obituary Of The Day (talking-points-memo)

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Poultry checks strengthened at scandal-hit Liuhe: executive

By Lucy Hornby

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese poultry producer Liuhe Group Co is back to normal operations but with strengthened protocols, its controlling shareholder said, after being named for supplying chicken with excessive antibiotics to KFC.

In December, state television reported that poultry suppliers to fast-food chain KFC had fed chickens drugs and hormones to accelerate growth. Chinese food safety authorities also said they had found excessive amounts of antibiotics in samples tested from 2010 and 2011.

Yum Brands Inc, which owns KFC, has blamed the food safety scare for cutting same-store sales by 25 percent in the first two months of the year. It releases its February sales figures later on Monday.

"This has been a very big lesson for us that we need to pay attention to and increase food safety efforts," Liu Yonghao, founder of China's largest private agribusiness New Hope Group, told reporters on Monday. New Hope, China's top feed producer, owns Liuhe, one of China's largest chicken producers.

Liu said the excessive antibiotics were tracked to independent chicken breeders who supply Liuhe, not to poultry raised by Liuhe itself.

"Some breeders used too much antibiotics or medicines. These non-standard materials got into the supply chain, and the media reported on it," Liu said.

Yum said in January it had stopped sourcing from Liuhe in August and had stopped sourcing from a plant run by Yingtai Food Group before state television aired its report.

Liu said, "We are already back to normal. All the plants are back online. What should be closed or fixed has already been closed or fixed, and our company has released a pledge to improve food safety measures."

He defended the practice, common to industrial breeders in China and North America, of raising chicks to adulthood in just over 40 days rather than the natural span of three to six months through feeding and light control in sealed coops. The technique requires careful disease control in the crowded flock.

"After a month of tests the market has been opened again. Whether in Beijing, Sichuan or Shandong, across China the market has been opened again. Following inspections, our product meets the standards," Liu said.

In an interview with Reuters in 2006, Liuhe executives said they had carefully studied the American poultry industry's practices for accelerated chicken raising.

Most of Yum's nearly 5,300 restaurants in China are KFCs.

(editing by Jane Baird)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/poultry-checks-strengthened-scandal-hit-liuhe-executive-133207789--finance.html

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China pushes for Arctic foothold, from a thousand miles away

As global warming pushes back the Arctic Sea ice, uncovering new natural-resource deposits, China is looking to establish its presence in the north.

By Mike Eckel,?Contributor / March 7, 2013

The crew of the US Coast Guard Cutter Healy, in the midst of their ICESCAPE mission, retrieves supplies for some mid-mission fixes dropped by parachute from a C-130 in the Arctic Ocean in this July 2011 photo.

Courtesy of Kathryn Hansen/NASA/Reuters

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Way up above 66th parallel north, the jousting and jostling for the mother lode of oil, gas, mineral, fish, and other resources being exposed by the rapidly receding Arctic sea ice is well under way.

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Russia is building a new class of nuclear icebreakers. Norway is charting fish-migration patterns for potential new fisheries. Canada is setting up a new Arctic training base and constructing a fleet of new patrol ships. US oil giants are angling to drill exploratory oil and gas wells. And China is sending its flagship icebreaker along the Northern Route.

Wait. China?

Not surprisingly, the eight nations that ring the planet?s northern cap ? the United States, Canada, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, and Denmark ? are the ones who have largely driven the discussion about access in the Arctic. With the exception of periodic saber-rattling or polar tub-thumping (Exhibit A: Russia?s 2007 ocean-floor flag-planting stunt), the discussions have been amicable. That?s due in large part to the 17-year-old intergovernmental agency known as the Arctic Council, which has helped soften the edges of growing competition.

?The lure of riches in the Arctic draws ever more companies and nations,? said William Moomaw, a professor of international environmental law at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in Medford, Mass. ?And so far it?s been relatively amicable jousting and jostling there.?

The quickening decline of Arctic Sea ice has its own alarming implications for the globe. As Prof. Moomaw put it at the Tufts University Energy Conference Sunday: ?the trend line looks like a failing stock market or the collapse of a fishery ? it just keeps going down and down, and then keeps going down further.?

That aside, with the wealth of resources being unlocked by global warming, it?s not surprising that other, non-Arctic nations are increasing looking to get in on the action. The US Geological Survey estimates more than a fifth of the world?s undiscovered, recoverable oil and gas lie under the harsh, frigid, and remote conditions above the 66th parallel.

Enter China, whose northern most point in Manchuria, along the Amur River, is at least 1,000 miles south of the Arctic Circle.

Beijing last year sent the icebreaker Snow Dragon (MV Xue Long) from Shanghai to Iceland along the Northern Route, which parallels the Russian Arctic coastline and has the potential to be a shorter, cheaper route to get goods from East Asia to Europe. They?ve applied for observer status at the Arctic Council. And, according to Malte Humpert, executive director of The Arctic Institute, China has also built a swanky new, $250 million embassy in Reykjavik, Iceland, of all places.

So what's behind this push?

It?s easy to see that China would clearly like access to oil, gas, and other resources. But a more persuasive argument is that Beijing clearly wants alternate shipping routes to the Strait of Malacca. That?s the crowded 1-1/2 mile bottleneck between Indonesia and Malaysia that 60,000 ships pass through every year, according to Mr. Humpert: Sixty percent are China-bound, and 80 percent are carrying the fuels that are propelling its economic dynamo. China?s leadership is concerned enough this is a strategic vulnerability that they call the situation the ?Malacca Dilemma.?

But those aren?t wholly convincing in Humpert?s estimation. The most plausible argument is that, as with many of its policies these days, the Chinese are in it for the long haul: a long-term strategy as a global emerging power.

China ?is extending its reach in Africa, southwest Pacific; the Arctic is just the latest region with geopolitical significance. They can make minimal investments today and can secure strong influence in 20, 30 years,? he told a energy conference panel discussion dubbed ?Arctic Anxiety.?

?China wants to have a seat at the table. They want to be part of the Arctic Council. They?re an emerging power,? he said. ?They know that Arctic may be one of the hot spots of the 21st century.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/Hi58C2HgiQM/China-pushes-for-Arctic-foothold-from-a-thousand-miles-away

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Six months later, where are the Benghazi survivors? (cbsnews)

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Microsoft boosts SkyDrive with six month Office 365 University test drive, ad campaign

Office 365 University is already pretty cheap, but to get you hooked on the software while also promoting SkyDrive's collaboration tools, Microsoft's giving up to six months worth of free access to US college attendees. It's promoting the grab using Parks & Recreation's Aubrey Plaza, who shows a trio of students in one YouTube video (after the break) how they can work together using the Office 365 / SkyDrive combo while staying in their own "creepy dorm" and "unicorn stable" instead of bugging her. Takers will get an extra 20GB of SkyDrive storage and three months of access to the suite, which can be extended to six by sharing the offer on Facebook. If Microsoft decides to include Aubrey and her pithy putdowns in place of Clippy, we'd actually be okay with that, too.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/qeFmddZfKEQ/

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First Generation Veal (Unqualified Offerings)

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Italy says seven foreign hostages killed in Nigeria

KANO, Nigeria (AP) ? Italy's foreign ministry said Sunday that seven foreign hostages kidnapped in northern Nigeria had been killed as claimed by Islamic extremists, the worst such foreign abduction violence to hit the turbulent West African nation in decades.

Greece also confirmed one of its citizens had been killed by Ansaru, the radical group that claimed responsibility for abducting the foreigners from northern Bauchi state in Feb. 16. Authorities in Lebanon and the United Kingdom have yet to comment publicly, while Nigerian officials could not be immediately reached for comment Sunday.

"It's an atrocious act of terrorism, against which the Italian government expresses its firmest condemnation, and which has no explanation, if not that of barbarous and blind violence," a statement from Italy's foreign ministry read. Italy also flatly denied a claim by Ansaru that the hostages were killed before or during a military operation by Nigerian and British forces, saying there was "no military intervention aimed at freeing the hostages."

A statement from Greece's foreign ministry said authorities had already informed the hostage's family.

"We note that the terrorists never communicated or formulated demands to release the hostages," the statement read, which also denied any military raid took place.

Ansaru previously issued a short statement saying its fighters kidnapped the foreigners Feb. 16 from a construction company's camp at Jama'are, a town about 200 kilometers (125 miles) north of Bauchi, the capital of Bauchi state. In the attack gunmen first assaulted a local prison and burned police trucks, authorities said. Then the attackers blew up a back fence at the construction company's compound and took over, killing a guard in the process, witnesses and police said.

The gunmen appeared to be organized and knew who they wanted to target, leaving the Nigerian household staff at the residence unharmed, while quickly abducting the foreigners, a witness said. Local officials in Nigeria initially identified one of the hostages as a Filipino, something the Philippines government later denied.

In an online statement Saturday claiming the killings, Ansaru said it killed the hostages in part due to local Nigerian journalists reporting on the arrival of British military aircraft to Bauchi, the northern state where the abductions occurred. However, the online statement from Ansaru said the airplanes were spotted at the international airport in Abuja, the nation's capital.

The British Ministry of Defense said Sunday that the planes it flew to Abuja ferried Nigerian troops and equipment to Bamako, Mali. Nigerian soldiers have been sent to Mali to help French forces and Malian troops battle Islamic extremists there. The British military said it also transported Ghanaian soldiers to Mali the same way.

The British ministry declined to offer any other comment regarding Nigerian extremist group's claims that it killed the seven hostage killings. Ansaru had said it believed the planes were part of a Nigerian and British rescue mission for the abducted hostages.

The U.K. has offered military support in the past in Nigeria to free hostages. In March 2012, its special forces backed a failed Nigerian military raid to free Christopher McManus, who had been abducted months earlier with Italian Franco Lamolinara from a home in Kebbi state. Both hostages were killed in that rescue attempt.

In its statement Saturday, Ansaru also blamed the killings on a pledge by Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan to do "everything possible" to free the hostages. Presidential spokesman Reuben Abati could not be immediately reached for comment.

While Nigerian authorities have yet to comment publicly about Ansaru's claim, it comes as the nation's security forces remain unable to stop the guerrilla campaign of bombings, shootings and kidnappings across the country's north.

In January 2013, Ansaru declared itself a splinter group independent from Boko Haram, the north's main Islamic terrorist group, analysts say. Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is sacrilege," has launched a guerrilla campaign of bombings and shootings across Nigeria's predominantly Muslim north. Boko Haram is blamed for at least 792 killings last year alone, according to an Associated Press count. An online video also purportedly claims that Boko Haram is currently holding hostage a family of seven French tourists who were abducted from neighboring Cameroon in late February.

___

Associated Press writers Frances D'Emilio in Rome, Demetris Nellas in Athens, Greece, and Sylvia Hui in London contributed to this report.

___

Jon Gambrell can be reached at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/italy-says-7-foreign-hostages-killed-nigeria-141534631.html

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Women's Day should be celebrated Everyday | Morocco World News

By Rachid Madani

Morocco World News

Casablanca, March 8, 2013

Every year on March 8, women all over the world celebrate International Women?s Day. On this day, celebrations take different forms and the media highlights women and their importance in society, and how their rights need to be recognized and female roles in government expanded. But, I always wonder if women really need just this day to secure their rights.

It?s true that in developing countries, women are still oppressed and don?t fully enjoy their rights, especially in rural areas. There is still work needed to be done in order to help women obtain the acknowledgment in society. However, it?s not only on March 8 that women could highlight their rights.

Women are mothers, sisters, wives, and every day should be theirs. Women are to be celebrated and crowned, not because of what they do for society, but for their inevitable presence. Men as well are fathers, brothers, husbands and their presence in society is equally important. Every day is a day to celebrate humanity, a day to embrace both genders. Mutual respect and love is to be spread every day, every minute and every second.

It?s to be acknowledged that there are a lot of men in Morocco and elsewhere that still underestimate women and don?t give them the position they deserve. In the worst cases they are a victim of gender violence. But does this mean that all women are oppressed? Many women have earned important posts in various fields and proved that they are as good as man, if not better.

If this International Women?s Day is necessary, why don?t we choose also men?s international day in which we can celebrate their achievements?

Both genders need to recognize each other as complementary and that every one of them is in need of the other. What should guide their relation is appreciation, mutual respect and reverence. This recognition is to be built on a daily basis? not just once a year.

? Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed

Source: http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2013/03/81404/womens-day-should-be-celebrated-everyday/

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Study of centuries of weather suggests record warming ahead

First the good news: In the last 11,300 years, humans have endured a planet warmer than today's, even as they set about building their earliest civilizations.

Now the bad news: That will no longer be true 87 years from now, according to scientists who have conducted a comprehensive analysis of the planet's climate history since the world's ice sheets began their most recent retreat from North America and Europe.

New research into Earth's ancient climate is providing a clearer, more detailed view of how the planet's average surface temperature fluctuated over the period known as the Holocene epoch, which continues today. It's the time in which humans truly began making their mark on the planet, abandoning their hunting and gathering traditions and adopting a settled, agricultural lifestyle.

In a study published in Friday's edition of the journal Science, researchers used eight indirect temperature indicators ? such as pollen and shells from marine organisms ? to chart long-term global warming and cooling trends. The research team concluded that temperatures in the last decade had not exceeded the Holocene's steamiest periods from thousands of years ago. However, if current warming trends hold, those records will be broken by the end of the century.

?By the year 2100, we will be beyond anything human society has ever experienced,? said study leader Shaun Marcott, a postdoctoral researcher at Oregon State University's College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences.

According to NASA, the average global temperature for 2012 was 58.3 degrees Fahrenheit, making it the ninth-hottest year in recorded history. However, there is no single, agreed-upon method of calculating these temperatures, so scientists tend to discuss climate change by highlighting deviations from a specific reference point.

While a 1-degree Fahrenheit increase sounds small, it represents an enormous amount of heat energy. For instance, a 10-degree drop would plunge the world into another period of major glaciation, while every 1.8-degree increase would gradually amount to a roughly 65-foot rise in sea level due to melting polar ice, according to NASA climatologist James Hansen.

Previous efforts to measure past climate conditions have relied heavily on measurements of tree ring thickness. At high latitudes, tree growth is controlled mostly by temperature, so thick rings suggest warm years. But trees don't live longer than several thousand years, so those efforts have focused on shorter periods of time ? just 1,500 to 2,000 years.

These earlier studies have also featured ?hockey stick? graphs, in which average temperatures fluctuate in a long band that vaguely resembles the shaft of a hockey stick before rising sharply in the last 100 years, like the hockey stick's blade. Such diagrams have generated virulent criticism from those who rebut the idea that man-made greenhouse gases are heating the climate.

Marcott and colleagues from Harvard University said that by estimating temperature fluctuations for the entire Holocene, they hoped to provide a new perspective on the debate.

The researchers collected data from 73 sites across the globe, on land and beneath the sea. They included ice cores from Greenland, stalagmites in Borneo, and fossilized pollen in Scandinavia.

Some of the data came from the shells of long-dead aquatic microbes that were buried as many as 50 feet or more below the ocean floor. The shells' chemical makeup gives scientists clues about the water temperature at the time the creatures existed ? shells formed in warm water will have a greater percentage of stable oxygen isotopes, while shells formed in cold water will have a lower ratio.

Similarly, sediment core samples taken from the bottom of a pond, lake or ocean will contain fossilized pollen grains, which have very distinctive shapes when viewed under a microscope. By examining the variety of species and their abundance, scientists can gauge the area's past climate.

Trans fats produced by a type of algae were also used in the study as temperature indicators. The chemical bonds of these fat molecules, called alkenones, change according to water temperature. When the algae die, the alkenones sink to the bottom of the sea or lake bed, where they are mostly preserved.

What the researchers found was a climate that warmed and cooled gradually over a period of milleniums, then experienced a sudden, unprecedented rise in temperatures ? similar to earlier hockey stick graphs.

After the retreat of vast ice sheets in the Northern Hemisphere, global average temperature rose roughly 1 degree from the start of the Holocene to about 9,500 years ago, authors found. Average temperatures then plateaued for roughly 4,000 years, with the exception of two relatively short-lived spikes.

After that, things began to cool again. From about 5,500 years ago to roughly a century ago, average global surface temperature dropped 1.3 degrees.

But what concerns many scientists is what occurred next: In just the last 100 years, the average temperature has increased by 1.3 degrees. Although global temperatures of the last decade have not exceeded peak Holocene highs, they are warmer than 75% of the epoch.

?Global temperature, therefore, has risen from near the coldest to the warmest levels of the Holocene within the past century,? the researchers wrote.

By the end of the century, climate warming models predict an additional increase of 2 to 11.5 degrees, due largely to carbon emissions, the study noted.

The Science study was not the first to use such proxies to assess the ancient climate, but it was the first to pull together so many of them from all over the world, the researchers said. Previous studies used only regional data, which may be influenced by localized events like monsoons and the cyclical ocean-warming phenomenon known as El Ni?o.

Michael Mann, a physicist and climatologist at Pennsylvania State University who was not involved in the study, said the paper was important because it illustrated clearly that the rate and magnitude of recent warming was unprecedented in at least the last 11,000 years.

?We know that there were periods in the past that were warmer than today ? for example, the Cretaceous period 100 million years ago,? he said. ?The real issue is the rate of change, because that's what challenges our adaptive capacity.?

Mann, who was among the first climate scientists to introduce the hockey stick graph a decade ago ? and has been strongly criticized by climate warming skeptics ever since ? said the authors should prepare themselves for similar judgment.

?I am certain that professional climate-change deniers will attack the study and the authors, in an effort to discredit this important work,? Mann said.

monte.morin@latimes.com

Source: http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/zV4OEKl_T1I/la-sci-climate-warming-20130308,0,1220004.story

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