Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/302048412?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Sunday, April 28, 2013
38 die in mental hospital fire outside Moscow
MOSCOW (AP) ? The patients of the small psychiatric hospital in a Russian village were asleep or under sedation as the clock neared 2 a.m. The windows were barred and the nearest firefighters were miles away, with some impeded by rough roads and others not able to cross a nearby canal.
When a blaze broke out and spread through the wooden rafters, all of this made for a prescription for tragedy: 38 people died and only three escaped.
The one-story brick-and-wood hospital building that caught fire long before dawn Friday housed patients with severe mental disorders, Health Ministry officials said. The fire started in a wooden annex, emergency authorities said, and then spread to the 1950s main brick building, which had wooden beams.
Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova said half of the patients took sedatives at night. She insisted the patients weren't tied to their beds and were not given any medication that would leave them unconscious and unable to escape.
At least 29 of the dead were burned alive, federal Investigative Committee spokeswoman Irina Gumennaya said.
Fire trucks took about an hour to reach the scene, coming from a town 50 kilometers (30 miles) away and struggling over roads in poor condition. Firefighters from a slightly nearer town also were dispatched, but found that a ferry crossing a canal near the hospital was out of service because of high water.
Investigators said the 38 dead included 36 patients and two doctors. They said a nurse managed to escape and save one patient, while another patient got out on his own. The Emergencies Ministry also posted a list of the patients indicating they ranged in age from 20 to 76. Gumennaya told Russian news agencies that most of the people died in their beds.
Moscow region Governor Andrei Vorobyev said some of the hospital windows were barred. Gumennaya cited the surviving nurse as saying that the doors inside the hospital weren't locked.
Ministry for Emergency Situations workers and fire fighters work at a site of a fire of a psychiatric hospital Friday morning, April 26, 2013. At least 38 people died in the fire in the psychiatric ... more? Ministry for Emergency Situations workers and fire fighters work at a site of a fire of a psychiatric hospital Friday morning, April 26, 2013. At least 38 people died in the fire in the psychiatric hospital outside Moscow late Thursday night. Police said the fire, which broke out at about 2 a.m. local time (6 p.m. Eastern, 2200 GMT) in the one-story hospital in the Ramenskoye settlement, was caused by a short circuit. (AP Photo/Pavel Sergeyev) less? Investigators said they are looking at violations of fire regulations and a short circuit as possible causes for the blaze that engulfed the hospital in the Ramensky settlement, about 85 kilometers (50 miles) north of Moscow.Vorobyev told Russian state television that the fire alarm seems to have worked, but the fire spread too quickly.
Skvortsova told state TV the hospital had all the necessary fire equipment, but conceded mental hospitals should be better equipped for emergencies than the current law requires.
President Vladimir Putin called for a thorough investigation into the deadly fire and asked regional authorities to pay more attention to safety regulations.
Russia has a poor fire safety record, with about 12,000 deaths reported in 2012. By comparison, the U.S., with a population double Russia's, recorded around 3,000 fire deaths in 2011.
A 2006 fire at a drug treatment facility with barred windows and locked doors in Moscow killed 45. In one of the most high-profile cases of negligence, more than 150 people died in a nightclub in the city of Perm after a pyrotechnic show ignited a wooden ceiling.
___
Nataliya Vasilyeva contributed to this report.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/38-die-mental-hospital-fire-outside-moscow-051615611.html
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Saturday, April 27, 2013
Toyota, Microsoft beef up Gazoo.com Net service
TOKYO (AP) ? Toyota is teaming up with Microsoft for an Internet service that links cars, home computers and smartphones so users can find nearby tourist spots, connect on social networks and learn about new models.
The beefed up version of Toyota's Internet site Gazoo.com starts May 30 in Japan, and will be based on "cloud" computing from Microsoft Corp. called Windows Azure. Overseas plans are still undecided.
According to the U.S. software giant, it is the first time the technology, which also uses Sharepoint software, is being used for a company site.
Gazoo.com users tripled over the last five years to 1.65 million. Toyota Motor Corp. said Friday it wants to raise that to 2 million over the next year.
All the world's major automakers are working on similar technology to bring autos up-to-date with the Internet age, from finding restaurants to helping ensure safe driving.
But a major motive for Toyota is appealing to younger Japanese, who are rapidly losing interest in buying cars and are spending their money on smartphones and video games. The trend is so widespread there is a coined phrase, "kuruma banare," or "departure from cars."
Among the Net content in the works are video games, shopping-site links, virtual events and a special social network to chat about cars, according to Toyota. A smartphone application will guide drivers with an electronic voice to 30,000 destinations from 250 routes.
The site will also offer information on more than 3,000 new and used models, including interviews with engineers.
Switching to Microsoft's cloud computing will cut costs for operating the services, although Toyota plans to invest more money in new content for Gazoo.com.
Toyota reached an agreement with Microsoft in April 2011, to work together on telematics, or network technology for cars.
Toyota looked at other cloud computing services before picking Microsoft for the latest project, said Hiroyuki Yamada, an executive at e-Toyota, which looks over such technology.
It is unclear whether the site will really lead to car sales, but Toyota will be able to tap into data on consumer behavior, as well as try to revive Japanese people's fading interest in cars, he said.
Gazoo.com is the brainchild of Akio Toyoda, the president and grandson of Toyota's founder. Well versed in Internet technology, Toyoda was ahead of his time in foreseeing the importance of social networks and stressing how Toyota needs a presence in the blogosphere.
Toyota has a partnership with another U.S. cloud computing company, Salesforce.com, which runs a social network for Toyota plug-in hybrid owners so they can see how efficiently they have been driving and be alerted when their vehicle has recharged. Toyoda also pioneered that partnership.
___
Follow Yuri Kageyama on Twitter at www.twitter.com/yurikageyama
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/toyota-microsoft-beef-gazoo-com-net-031455558.html
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Tuesday, April 16, 2013
96% War Witch
All Critics (46) | Top Critics (16) | Fresh (44) | Rotten (2)
Canadian writer-director Kim Nguyen spent nearly a decade researching this docudrama about child soldiers in Africa, and the film feels as authoritative as a first-hand account.
A haunting take on unspeakably grim subject matter, shot on location in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
A powerful and upsetting portrait of a young girl compelled into unimaginably horrific circumstances.
Nguyen, astonishingly, manages to wring something vaguely like a happy ending from this tragic story.
War Witch is most effective not when we are looking in on Komona but when we are inside her head.
The powerful things we expect from "War Witch" are as advertised, but what we don't expect is even better.
You're likely to ponder its images, its insights into a very foreign (for most of us) location and the tragic situation of Komona (and others like her) for a long time to come.
Is it accurate depiction of Africa's child soldiers? I don't know, thank God. But it feels authentic to its very core, and that makes it as hard to forget as it is to ignore.
Brutal without turning exploitative, the result is harrowing and heartbreaking.
Nguyen creates a mesmerizing tone through his camerawork, editing, sound and the infusion of African folk imagery and ritual, but it's Mwanza's performance as Komona that makes "War Witch" feel so miraculous.
Nguyen reportedly worked on "War Witch" for a decade, and it shows in both the immediacy and authenticity of his tale, and the meticulous craft with which it's told.
Made with extremely clear-eyed restraint from harangues, sentiment, message-mongering, or anything else that would cheapen its central character's suffering and fight.
War Witch features a standout performance by Rachel Mwanza, but the supernatural visions don't really suit the film's tone and mood.
Nguyen's compassion and commitment to the issue is admirable, and at its best, War Witch is devastating.
War Witch is remarkable for the fact that it never strays into sentimentality or sensationalism.
...a love story between youngsters who are forced to become adults all too early in their lives.
This is a straight ahead essay on warfare at its worst and the survival of the human spirit at its best.
An astonishing drama set in Africa that vividly depicts the courage and resiliency of a 12-year-old girl whose spiritual gifts enable her to survive.
It is astonishing that film that contains such violence can have such a serene tone. The source of the serenity is the measured, calm narration by Komona (voice of Diane Umawahoro) that is the telling of her story to her unborn child
An exquisitely made film in direct contrast to the ugliness of its subject matter
The portrait of a girl who retains her dignity and strength, her faith in the future, in the face of unimaginable horrors. It's inspirational in a very real way.
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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/war_witch/
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Monday, April 15, 2013
Meet Jamie Foxx's Movie Awards Date: Daughter Corinne Bishop
MTV Generation Award winner shared the spotlight with his 19-year-old at Sunday night's show.
By Amy Wilkinson, with additional reporting by Josh Horowitz
Corinne Bishop and Jamie Foxx at the 2013 MTV Movie Awards
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/ FilmMagic
Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1705673/jamie-foxx-daughter-corinne-bishop-movie-awards.jhtml
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Get Facebook Home On Any Android Phone - Business Insider
A mere one day after Facebook released its new "Home" app to the Play store for HTC One and Samsung Galaxy devices, a star hacker at XDA created a version that runs on any Android device.
Facebook Home is the new app featured in a whole bunch of new Facebook commercials, including one where a goat yells at Mark Zuckerberg. It's basically a replacement for your home screen that makes your social networking connections the star of your phone, rather than your other apps.
Facebook's first version of Home was designed only for a few top-tier Android phones, specifically the HTC One, One X, One X+, Samsung Galaxy S3, S4 and Note 2.
It's been downloaded about 3,400 times since Facebook released it on April 12, and has a rating of 2.5 stars. Read what you like into that.
But if you want to find out what the fuss is about, and you are comfortable messing with things on your phone like root access and APK files, here's some step-by-step instructions on how to get Home onto your Android device, courtesy of The Next Web's Emil Protalinski.
1. Uninstall the Facebook app you have on your phone now.
2. Download the modified Facebook Home and optionally Facebook Messenger from the XDA Developers Forum site.?Extract .rar file.
3. Install the apps. Read tips on that here.
4. Enable Facebook Home under the Facebook app settings. Reboot your device
Be aware that installing this app could break things, so if you have issues, you'll want to reboot into recovery and "wipe the Dalvik cache," Protalinski warns.
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/get-facebook-home-on-any-android-phone-2013-4
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PFT: Ditka calls encouraging crowd noise 'stupid'
APWith the NFL Draft approaching, we?re taking a team-by-team look at the needs of each club. Up next is the team with the No. 13 overall selection (for now), the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Cornerback: This is where the focus has been all offseason for the Bucs, even if nothing?s been done.
See, at the moment (checks watch) the Bucs haven?t traded for wantaway Jets corner Darrelle Revis, and they haven?t yet given him the giant contract extension he desires and the Jets don?t seem inclined to provide.
But sometime between two months ago and the start of the draft, everyone expects this to happen, and for the deal to include Tampa?s first-rounder (13th overall).
While there are corners the Bucs could go with at 13 and proceed, they seem set on Revis. In a division with at least two teams with multiple legitimate receiving threats, they can easily make the case they need him.
But they also look like a team that has money burning a hole in its pocket, and appear to be the only team ready to give up picks and then an extension to a guy coming off a torn ACL.
They strong-armed Eric Wright into a pay-cut after his guarantees voided, but lost E.J. Biggers in free agency, so they need someone here one way or another.
Defensive end: The Bucs didn?t seem concerned at all about losing Michael Bennett, who signed a cut-rate deal with the Seahawks.
That puts a lot of faith in Adrian Clayborn and Da?Quan Bowers ? talented players with suspect medical files.
Even if they could trust both to be well and whole, the Bucs lack depth, and need to find someone else to get pressure on the passer.
Tight end: Dallas Clark put up good enough stats last year, but they haven?t re-signed the 33-year-old. They did bring in former Green Bay spare Tom Crabtree, but he?s not the kind of downfield threat they need. Adding one is only going to help diversify an offense with a lot of potential.
Quarterback: For the moment, all the trust is in Josh Freeman, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract.
There are questions as to whether the entire organization is behind him, and questions as to whether they should be. Freeman has had stretches where he?s looked like the kind of guy you build around. But he hasn?t done that consistently enough to breed complete confidence.
The only thing they?ve done at the position is make backup Dan Orlovsky take a pay cut, so you figure at some point they?re going to do something.
Drafting one of the guys who fall to the second round would put the pressure on Freeman to produce, or set the stage for that guy to take over in a year.
With the stakes of a potential Revis trade, plus the looming contract decisions regarding Freeman, the Bucs have more subplots than in recent memory.
They?re an interesting team, good enough to contend if the parts fall into place, but also tenuous enough to take a steep fall if Freeman doesn?t respond to the challenge.
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Great Scott: Aussie finally dons green at Augusta
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) ? Adam Scott strolled into the room, looking quite dapper in green.
He let out a deep sigh and struggled to contain his emotions ? the thoughts of Greg Norman, the folks Down Under, the dad he hugged so tight alongside the 10th green.
It sure felt a lot different than the last time Scott was summoned to the media room at the end of a major championship.
That was Lytham, where he had to answer for throwing away a seemingly sure victory in the British Open with bogeys on the last four holes.
This was Augusta, where he reveled in the biggest win of his career Sunday evening.
Less than eight months apart, everything changed.
Now, he's Adam Scott, major champion.
"What an incredible day," he said. "Everything fell my way in the end. You just never know."
Using one of those big putters, Scott became the first Australian to win the Masters, beating Angel Cabrera on the second hole of a stirring playoff played in a steady rain and dwindling light, finally settling down in the hollow that is the 10th green, amid the towering Georgia pines.
Cabrera's 15-foot putt rolled up right next to the hole and stopped. When Scott's 12-footer dropped in the cup, he pumped his arms furiously and screamed toward the gray, darkening sky ? quite a celebration for a guy who's always been accused of being a little too laid-back.
No one would've said that on this day.
"I was pumped," he said.
For Scott, this victory was sweet on so many levels.
Certainly, there was a measure of payback for what happened last July at the British Open, where Scott played beautifully for three days and 14 holes and seemed to have a stranglehold on the claret jug. Then he bogeyed the 15th hole. And the 16th. And the 17th. And, stunningly, the 18th, surrendering the title to Ernie Els.
Scott handled the staggering defeat with amazing grace, vowing to somehow "look back and take the positives from it." But no one knew if he might go the way of Ed Sneed or Jean Van de Velde, golfers who threw away majors and never came close to winning another.
For Scott, there are no such worries.
Lytham is redeemed.
"Golf gives," Cabrera said, "and golf takes."
No one knows that more than Norman, a runner-up three times at Augusta National, a third-place finisher three other times, but never a winner. This one was for him, too.
"He inspired a nation of golfers," Scott said. "Part of this is for him because he's given me so much time and inspiration and belief. I drew on that a lot."
In a grander scheme, this victory was for an entire continent. Australia has produced some greats of the game over the last half-century but never a Masters champion. Until now.
They're on top of the world Down Under.
"We are a proud sporting nation and like to think we are the best at everything," Scott said with a mischievous grin. "This is the one thing in golf that we had not been able to achieve. It's amazing that it's my destiny to be the first Aussie to win."
Norman was so nervous watching TV at his home in south Florida that he went to the gym when the final group made the turn. He returned for the last four holes and was texting with friends as his emotions shifted with every putt. Coming down the stretch, three Aussies ? Scott, Jason Day and Marc Leishman ? actually had a chance to win.
Scott brought it home.
"I'm over the moon," Norman told The Associated Press. "Sitting there watching Adam, I had a tear in my eye. That's what it was all about. It was Adam doing it for himself, and for the country."
For Cabrera, a burly, 43-year-old from Argentina, the majors have been a big giver. His last victory on the PGA or European tours before Sunday? The 2009 Masters. Before that? The 2007 U.S. Open.
In other words, Cabrera doesn't win often, but when he does, it's usually a pretty significant victory.
He almost got another one, trying with Scott in regulation at 9-under 279.
"I had a lot of peace of mind and I was very confident," said Cabrera, who closed with a 2-under 70. "I knew that it depended on me. I knew that (the other contenders) can make some birdies, but I still was thinking that it depended on me."
Cabrera made the turn with a two-stroke lead but stumbled on the back nine, knocking his drive behind the pine trees at the 10th and then sending his ball into Rae's Creek on the 13th, leading to bogeys at both. But a birdie at the 16th gave him a shot, and he struck what might've been the best ? well, certainly the most clutch ? shot of the day at the 72nd hole after Scott, playing just ahead in the penultimate group, rolled in a 20-footer for birdie and a one-stroke lead.
"For a split-second, I let myself think I could have won," said Scott, who certainly celebrated like his 69 was good enough.
Not so fast.
Cabrera stuck a 7-iron from 163 yards to 3 feet, leaving a gimme of a putt to force the playoff. Scott was watching a television in the scoring area.
"I got to see Angel hit an incredible shot," Scott said. "Then it was try to get myself ready to play some more holes."
They went back to the 18th tee box for the first playoff hole. After matching drives and approach shots, both rolling off the front of the green, Cabrera chipped over Scott's ball and nearly put it in the cup. Scott pitched to 3 feet, both made their putts and the playoff moved on to No. 10.
Again, two more booming drives and two more nifty approaches, leaving them both with a good shot at birdie.
If Cabrera's ball had turned one more time, they might've been returning to the course Monday to finish up.
When it didn't, Scott was determined to end things before nightfall.
"Had to finish it," he said.
Scott got a big assist on the winning putt from his caddie, who knows a thing or two about winning at Augusta. Steve Williams was on the bag for 13 of Tiger Woods' 14 major titles, a close friend to the world's top-ranked golfer before Woods' personal life fell apart. Williams was among those cut loose in the aftermath, a bitter split that made this victory about as satisfying to him as it was Scott.
Especially after Scott turned to Williams to get a read on the putt.
"I could hardly see the green in the darkness," the golfer said. "He was my eyes on that putt."
Scott told Williams he thought the right-to-left break would be about the width of a cup. Williams set him straight.
"It's at least two cups," the caddie said. "It's going to break more than you think."
Scott took the advice.
A short time later, he was trying on a green jacket.
"The winning putt was the highlight putt of my career," Williams said, "because he asked me to read it."
For his former boss, there was more major misery. Woods was at the center of a firestorm for an improper drop during the second round, which led to a two-stroke penalty and complaints that Woods had actually gotten off easy, because he could've been disqualified for signing an improper scorecard.
Four strokes behind going to the final round, Woods struggled with the speed of the greens on the first eight holes ? they weren't nearly as quick because of the rain ? and was too far behind by the time he got something going. He finished with a 70 and tied for fourth, four shots out of the playoff.
"I played well," he said. "Unfortunately, I just didn't make enough putts."
Day seized the lead with three straight birdies through the middle of the back side, but he couldn't hold on. A curious decision to putt through 12 feet of fringe behind the 16th green led to a bogey, and he surrendered another stroke after failing to get up-and-down from the bunker at the 17th. He finished with a 70 and two shots back at 281.
"I think the pressure got to me little bit," Day said.
Scott didn't let it get to him, even when he couldn't get any putts to fall early in the round with that big stick of his, which have become all the rage in the majors. He finally caught a break at the 13th, when his approach rolled back off the green, but stopped short of the creek. He wound up making a birdie, which gave him the spark he needed.
"I had no momentum on the day at that point," Scott said. "That was a great break. And everyone who wins gets those kind of breaks."
After Lytham, he sure had it coming.
___
Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/great-scott-aussie-finally-dons-green-augusta-072037966--spt.html
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Clumps of Neurons Help Scientists Study Gut Disorders
Image: COURTESY OF DIPA NATARAJAN University College London AND RANIA KRONFLI Royal Hospital for Sick Children
These neurospheres?free-floating balls of glia (red), neurons (green) and stem cells?were cultivated in a lab from stem cells taken from the intestine or stomach of a mouse. Researchers use the neurospheres to test treatments for gut motility disorders, in which portions of the intestine, sometimes referred to as the second brain, lack sufficient nerve cells to function properly.
This article was originally published with the title Sphere of Influence.
Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=880e0369f25f5818b499a983c81118d3
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Sunday, April 14, 2013
From CatPaint LIVE to Fitbit Extreme, We Want These Google Glass Apps
Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/04/top-10-google-glass-apps/
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Mother of Newtown victim delivers emotional weekly address in Obama's stead (Washington Post)
Pact is reached on immigration reform for farm labor
By Charles Abbott
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. growers, the United Farm Workers union and key senators agreed in principle on immigration reform for farm laborers, a grower coalition said on Friday, assuring the issue will be part of a comprehensive immigration bill to be unveiled next week.
The agreement calls creation of a new guest worker program to replace the current H-2A program and legal status for farm workers who entered the United States illegally.
Officials said they would work over the weekend to flesh out the agreement. The Agriculture Workforce Coalition, representing a dozen U.S. farm groups, said the agreement was a step toward assuring a legal workforce on U.S. farms and ranches.
Many of the 1.5 million agricultural workers, perhaps 500,000-900,000 in all, are believed to be undocumented aliens. Farmers, ranchers and nursery operators say the immigrant workers are vital because it is difficult to recruit Americans for the low-paying, often back-breaking labor such as picking fruit or daily care of livestock.
Immigration reform has two major components for agriculture - assuring a workforce in the short-term and a long-term plan for foreign workers filling U.S. jobs.
Farm workers in the country illegally who agree to work in agriculture for an additional five to seven years would become eligible for a "green card" allowing permanent U.S. residence, according to two officials. The workers hold legal status, dubbed a "blue card" by negotiators, during the interim.
The new guest worker program would include a system for setting pay scales and initially would have a high ceiling for the number of visas that could be granted. After five years, the cap could be adjusted by the Agriculture Department. There would be a mechanism for meeting emergency needs for workers.
A wage base would be set for six occupational categories with a mechanism to adjust wages annually. The four major job categories would be crop workers, livestock workers, sorters and graders who work in packing houses, and equipment operators.
"For many farmers across the country, finding a sufficient number of workers to harvest crops or care for animals is the biggest challenge they face in running their businesses," said the grower coalition. "There is a shortage of U.S. workers willing and able to perform farm work."
Growers say the H-2A program is unwieldy to use, takes too long to recruit a sufficient number of workers and sets wages above the rural average. The United Farm Workers warned against setting wages so low they undercut other jobs and are too paltry to support a family.
When the "gang of eight" senators began work in January, they said agricultural workers should be treated differently than laborers in other sectors because of the importance of a safe and reliable food supply.
(Reporting By Charles Abbott; Editing by Ros Krasny, Leslie Adler and Tim Dobbyn)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pact-reached-immigration-reform-farm-labor-002334376.html
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Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Bird flu mutation study offers vaccine clue
Apr. 8, 2013 ? Scientists have described small genetic changes that enable the H5N1 bird flu virus to replicate more easily in the noses of mammals.
So far there have only been isolated cases of bird flu in humans, and no widespread transmission as the H5N1 virus can't replicate efficiently in the nose. The new study, using weakened viruses in the lab, supports the conclusions of controversial research published in 2012 which demonstrated that just a few genetic mutations could enable bird flu to spread between ferrets, which are used to model flu infection in humans.
Researchers say the new findings could help to develop more effective vaccines against new strains of bird flu that can spread between humans.
"Knowing why bird flu struggles to replicate in the nose and understanding the genetic mutations that would enable it to happen are vital for monitoring viruses circulating in birds and preparing for an outbreak in humans," said Professor Wendy Barclay, from the Department of Medicine at Imperial College London, who led the study.
"The studies published last year pointed to a mechanism that restricts replication of H5N1 viruses in the nose. We've engineered a different mutation with the same effect into one of the virus proteins and achieved a similar outcome. This suggests that there is a common mechanism by which bird flu could evolve to spread between humans, but that a number of different specific mutations might mediate that."
Bird flu only rarely infects humans because the human nose has different receptors to those of birds and is also more acidic. The Imperial team studied mutations in the gene for haemagglutinin, a protein on the surface of the virus that enables it to get into host cells. They carried out their experiments in a laboratory strain of flu with the same proteins on its surface as bird flu, but engineered so that it cannot cause serious illness.
The research found that mutations in the H5 haemagglutinin enabled the protein to tolerate higher levels of acidity. Viruses with these mutations and others that enabled them to bind to different receptors were able to replicate more efficiently in ferrets and spread from one animal to another.
The results have important implications for designing vaccines against potential pandemic strains of bird flu. Live attenuated flu vaccines (LAIV) might be used in a pandemic situation because it is possible to manufacture many more doses of this type of vaccine than of the killed virus vaccines used to protect against seasonal flu. LAIV are based on weakened viruses that don't cause illness, but they still have to replicate in order to elicit a strong immune response. Viruses with modified haemagglutinin proteins induced strong antibody responses in ferrets in this study, suggesting that vaccines with similar modifications might prove more effective than those tested previously.
"We can't predict how bird flu viruses will evolve in the wild, but the more we understand about the kinds of mutations that will enable them to transmit between humans, the better we can prepare for a possible pandemic," said Professor Barclay.
The research was funded by the Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust and published in the Journal of General Virology.
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Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Imperial College London. The original article was written by Sam Wong.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- H. Shelton, K. L. Roberts, E. Molesti, N. Temperton, W. S. Barclay. Mutations in hemagglutinin that affect receptor binding and pH stability increase replication of a PR8 influenza virus with H5 HA in the upper respiratory tract of ferrets and may contribute to transmissibility.. Journal of General Virology, 2013; DOI: 10.1099/vir.0.050526-0
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/~3/1bo5URhKBC8/130408085043.htm
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37th Annual International Dinner - Valdosta State University
April 8, 2013
13-106
VALDOSTA ? Valdosta State University?s Society for International Students will host its 37th?Annual International Dinner, Share More: Share Culture, Diversity and Friendship, at 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 20, in the Student Union Ballrooms.
The dinner will feature dishes from each of the four Global Regions: The Americas, Asia, Africa and Europe. Dishes are prepared by VSU students with the help of VSU Dining staff and served to over 300 guests.
?This night gives our local community a chance to sample flavors of international culture for the eyes, ears and pallet,? said Lauren Braun, international student coordinator. ?It will certainly be a memorable event for all who attend.?
During the dinner, students will entertain guests with traditional and modern songs, performances, dances, music and skits. Among the performances, there will be an international fashion show where students will display traditional attire from their home countries.
The International Dinner began 36 years ago as a way for VSU's international students to share part of their culture with the Valdosta community. Currently there are over 270 international students from over 60 different countries attending VSU.
Advanced tickets are now on sale in the Center for International Programs office. Non-VSU guest tickets will be $20. VSU student tickets will be $10 with a student ID and children five and under are free.?If available, tickets will be sold at the door for an adjusted price of $25 per ticket.
For more information about the dinner, contact the Center for International Programs at (229) 333-7410.
Source: http://www.valdosta.edu/about/news/releases/2013/04/37th-annual-international-dinner.php
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Phantom Flex4K camera unveiled, blasts through 1000 4K frames per second (video)
Vision Research just upped the 4k speed barrier by a near order of magnitude with the launch of its Phantom Flex4K cinema camera at NAB. Starting at $110k, it builds on its Phantom Flex predecessor with up to 1,000 fps in 5 second bursts at 4k, 2,000 fps in 2k and 3,000 fps at 720p resolution -- speeds that'll net you almost three minutes of 4k video when played back at 24 fps. The full 16:9 Super 35 sensor-equipped model can be had with PL, PV Canon EOS or Nikon F/G mounts and will capture RAW or compressed footage in an "industry-standard," but as yet unspecified format. The Flex4K will also be available with a Phantom Cinemag IV, which will hold up to 2TB of data, or nearly 2 hours of RAW 4k footage at normal recording speeds. Other features include a Bluetooth transmitter and handheld Phantom RCU for remote operation, 12+ stops of dynamic range, HD-SDI video output and a camera control interface and form factor that hews to industry norms, according to Vision Research. If you're still reading after seeing the six-figure price tag, check the videos or More Coverage link after the jump for more.
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Monday, April 8, 2013
The most (and least) satisfied workers
Where you work can be an excellent predictor of your health, happiness and stress levels. A recent Gallup poll demonstrates the extent to which workers in different professions tend to have similar levels of overall well-being. According to the 2012 results of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, physicians had the highest level of well-being of any major profession, while transportation workers, including drivers, pilots, flight attendants and air traffic controllers had the lowest.
Gallup-Healthways asked more than 170,000 workers a series of 55 questions covering physical and emotional health, life evaluation and workplace environment. Gallup assigned a score between 0 to 100 to each of 14 major professional categories, with 100 representing ideal well-being. Based on Gallup's score, these are the most and least satisfied professions.
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While each of the 55 questions had some impact on the profession?s final well-being score, certain measures highly contribute to workers' health. These include such factors as getting regular exercise, not smoking, learning something new every day, and being treated well by their employers, to name a few.
In an interview with 24/7 Wall St., Dan Witters, research director for the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, explained that the professions with high levels of obesity and related conditions like heart attacks and chronic physical pain were more likely to have much lower overall well-being. Just 14 percent of physicians were considered obese, compared to the more than 37 percent of transportation workers.
The majority of health insurance coverage in the United States is provided by employers, resulting in some dramatic differences between professions. Virtually all physicians surveyed (97 percent) reported having health insurance, while just 77 percent of transportation workers could say the same. Witters explained that health insurance, besides making people more likely to receive treatment they need, ?has a lot of influence on the proactive nature of which people tend to their health.?
Conventional wisdom suggests that working long hours has long-term negative mental and physical health effects. In fact, Witters explained, the data do not support this. While working long hours can lead to stress, many of the jobs with the longest hours, including doctors, professionals such as lawyers and engineers, and business owners, have among the highest levels of well-being. One reason for this, Witters noted, is that long hours translate to higher income in these positions. Higher income, he explained, has a very high correlation with well-being, as it gives people access to basic needs.
One group that may surprise some with its high level of well-being is teachers, which ranked only behind physicians for well-being. ?Teachers are a lot higher than a lot of people would guess. They are good eaters, their obesity, while too high, is well below the national average, and they have good workplace well-being. They get to use their strengths a lot.?
24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 14 professional categories surveyed by the Gallup-Healthway?s Well-Being Index in 2012. On top of calculating an overall national level of well-being, the index also calculates the well-being for each profession, assigning scores from 0 to 100, with 100 representing ideal well-being. In generating the rank, Gallup combined six separate indices, measuring access to basic needs, healthy behavior, work environment, physical health, life evaluation and optimism, and emotional health. In addition to the index, we considered income data and job descriptions from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook.
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The most satisfied professions.
1. Physician
? Job types: Internist, obstetrician, anesthesiologist
? Well-being index score: 78.0
? Obesity: 86.0 percent
? Percent with health insurance: 96.7 percent
? Percent satisfied with job: 95.5 percent
Physicians ranked higher than every other profession due to top marks in life evaluation, healthy behaviors, emotional and physical health, as well as access to basic needs. Physicians were by far the most likely professionals to be described by Gallup as ?thriving." They were also less likely than any other workers to have felt sad or angry in the past day, and the most likely to have the energy needed to be productive. Physicians are often exceptionally well-paid. According to the Medical Group Management Association, primary care physicians earned a median annual compensation of more than $200,000, while for those with medical specialties the figure exceeded $350,000.
2. Teacher
? Job types: High school, special education teacher, teacher assistants
? Well-being index score: 73.6
? Obesity: 79.4 percent
? Percent with health insurance: 95.7 percent
? Percent satisfied with job: 91.1 percent
Teachers had higher self-evaluations of their lives than workers in every other occupation beside physicians. Nearly 70 percent of teachers qualifying as ?thriving? based on their current and expected future quality of life. Teachers were also the most likely workers to report they smiled or laughed, experienced enjoyment or experienced happiness within the past day. Teachers surveyed also regularly practiced healthy behaviors. More than 64 percent ate at least five servings of fruits and vegetables at least four days a week, second only to nurses, and just under 6 percent smoked, less than only physicians. According to the BLS, median pay for ?education, training and library occupations" was just over $45,000 in 2010 -- higher than the median for all occupations.
3. Business Owners
? Job types: Contractor, store owner, entrepreneur
? Well-being index score: 73.4
? Obesity: 79.5 percent
? Percent with health insurance: 77.6 percent
? Percent satisfied with job: 93.3 percent
Business owners are more likely than any other class of workers to rate their work environment highly. Over 93 percent of business owners said they were satisfied with their job or the work they did, higher than any occupation except for physician. Additionally, nearly 89 percent of business owners reported their work environment was trusting and open -- by far the highest of any type of worker. According to the BLS, as of February there were almost 14.5 million self-employed workers, down from nearly 15.9 million five years prior.
24/7 Wall St.: Companies Paying the Least in Taxes
The Least Satisfied Professions
1. Transportation
? Job types: Bus drivers, flight attendants, air traffic controllers
? Well-being index score: 63.3
? Obesity: 62.9 percent
? Percent with health insurance: 77.0 percent
? Percent satisfied with job: 84.8 percent
Just over 80 percent of transportation employees believe that they use their strengths at work, lower than any other occupation except for clerical workers. Many transportation jobs, such as bus drivers and cab drivers, pay low wages, possibly contributing to a lower sense of well-being. Other positions in the industry pay quite well. For instance, air traffic controllers had a median pay of $108,040 in 2010, a pretty good haul considering that the position only needs an associate?s degree. However, the position involves a high amount of stress due to the intense concentration necessary and the nights and weekends involved.
2. Manufacturing or Production
? Job types: Assembly line workers, bakers, machine workers
? Well-being index score: 64.3
? Obesity: 70.4 percent
? Percent with health insurance: 78.8 percent
? Percent satisfied with job: 83.4 percent
Manufacturing and production employees -- such as factory workers, food preparation workers, garment or furniture manufacturers -- had lower ratings of their work environments than nearly all other occupations. They were less likely to feel satisfied in their job and among the least likely to be satisfied with how their supervisor treated them. Many of these jobs are low wages jobs. The median annual salaries of bakers and food processors were $23,450 and $23,950, respectively in 2010. The median 2010 salaries of assemblers, metal and plastic machine workers, and printing workers were all below the national median for all occupations. Manufacturing and production employees also ranked as the nation?s worst for healthy behavior due to high rates of smoking and low rates of exercise.
3. Installation or Repair
? Job types: Mechanic, linesman, maintenance worker
? Well-being index score: 64.8
? Obesity: 70.7 percent
? Percent with health insurance: 75.9 percent
? Percent satisfied with job: 87.2 percent
Installation and repair workers, such as linesmen, mechanics, as well as maintenance and repair workers, were less likely to practice healthy behaviors. They were among the least likely employees to regularly eat fruits and vegetables, and among the most likely to smoke. Additionally, these workers also provided lower self-evaluations of their current lives than all occupations except for transportation workers. Many of these positions require no more than a high school diploma alongside moderate or long-term on-the-job training and do not pay considerably more than the median pay of $33,840 for all occupations.
Click here to read the rest of 24/7 Wall St.'s The Most (and Least) Satisfied Professions
?2013 24/7 Wall St.
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Obama budget takes heat from all quarters
Republicans reject any new taxes. Liberals say they'll fight any changes to Social Security and other entitlement programs. Does the Obama administration have any room to maneuver?
President Barack Obama, and White House Senior Advisor Dan Pfeiffer react to a reporter's question as they leave the Treasury Department in January. Pfeiffer warned Republicans Sunday that a "my way or the highway" approach would spell the GOP's defeat in upcoming budget negotiations, and he told Democratic allies that they, too, will have to bend on Obama's delayed spending plan set to be released this week.
Charles Dharapak/AP
EnlargeDoes President Obama?s budget have a snowball?s chance in Hades?
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He?ll submit his administration?s budget for the fiscal year beginning in October on Wednesday, and based on leaked details it?s getting largely negative reviews.
House Speaker John Boehner has rejected it because it includes new revenues, meaning some new taxes on the wealthy. Obama?s liberal base promises to block any cuts in entitlements ? in particular, a revised inflation adjustment for Social Security known as "chained CPI."?
"There are nuggets of his budget that I think are optimistic." Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday ? the only praise, however lukewarm, heard from a Republican.
"The president is showing a little bit of leg here, this is somewhat encouraging," said Sen. Graham. "He has sort of made a step forward in the entitlement-reform process."
"He showed some leadership," Graham added. "That puts the burden on us."
Which is exactly what Obama?s liberal base fears, a fact all too clear to the White House, which sought to clarify its position Sunday.
"This chained CPI that?s being referred to here, it is something the president will only accept on two conditions," senior advisor Dan Pfeiffer?said on ABC?s ?This Week.? "One, it?s part of a balanced package that includes closing tax loopholes that benefit the wealthiest, and two, that it has protections for the most vulnerable, including the oldest seniors."
On Wednesday ? the day he officially unveils his budget for FY 2014 ? Obama will dine with a dozen Republican senators.
"The president's focus, in addition to the regular order process that members of Congress say they want, is to try to find a caucus of common sense, folks who are willing to compromise, that don't think compromise is a dirty word, and try to get something done," White House senior advisor Dan Pfeiffer said Sunday on "This Week.?
But Obama might want to schedule a meal with liberal lawmakers and pundits as well.
Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/3sGxt_6XldM/Obama-budget-takes-heat-from-all-quarters
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HBT: Weaver falls on left arm, leaves game
Even though Josh Hamilton finished his return to Texas by going 3-for-5, the Rangers claimed the series Sunday night, beating the Angels 7-3.
Unfortunately, Hamilton failed to come through when it would have made the biggest difference. After Yu Darvish opened the top of the first with a walk, a hit by pitch and another walk, Hamilton stepped up with the bases loaded and none out. He swung at both pitches he saw and hit a routine grounder on the second, resulting in a 4-6-3 double play that nonetheless gave the Angels their first run.
The Angels finished the top of the first up 2-0, only to see Jered Weaver give up three runs on back-to-back homers from Lance Berkman and David Murphy in the bottom of the inning.
Both Darvish and Weaver later left with injuries. The blister that Darvish developed in Tuesday?s near perfect game knocked him out after five innings, while Weaver was removed with a sprained left (non-pitching) elbow, the result of an awkward fall trying to get out of the way of a comebacker. Weaver is iffy to make his next start.
With the starters gone, the Rangers won the battle of the bullpens. Ian Kinsler hit a three-run homer off former teammate Mark Lowe in the bottom of the sixth, putting the Rangers up 7-3 and finishing the scoring for the night.
Kinsler finished the game 3-for-3 with four RBI and a walk. He has three homers already this season.
Hamilton?s average bottomed out at .048 before he collected a double and two singles in the middle of the game. He got one more at-bat in the ninth and grounded out to end it, leaving him at .160 (4-for-25) through six games.
Of course, it means next to nothing right now, but with the Angels? strength supposed to be the top five or six hitters in the lineup, it?s funny to see none of those guys hitting above .280, while Alberto Callaspo, Chris Iannetta and Peter Bourjos are all at .300 or better from the seventh-through-ninth spots.
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Louisville beats Cal 64-57 to reach title game
Louisville guard Bria Smith (21) drives the ball against California guard Brittany Boyd (15) in the first half of a national semifinal at the Women's Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, April 7, 2013, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Louisville guard Bria Smith (21) drives the ball against California guard Brittany Boyd (15) in the first half of a national semifinal at the Women's Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, April 7, 2013, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
California guard Afure Jemerigbe (2) goes up for s shot against Louisville forward Sara Hammond (00) in the first half of the women's NCAA Final Four college basketball tournament semifinal, Sunday, April 7, 2013, in New Orleans. Louisville's Antonita Slaughter (4) and Bria Smith (21) defend. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)
California guard Layshia Clarendon (23) drives against Louisville guard Bria Smith (21) in the first half of a national semifinal at the Women's Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, April 7, 2013, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)
Louisville head coach Jeff Walz and Jude Schimmel (22) talk on the sideline against California in the first half of a national semifinal at the Women's Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, April 7, 2013, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)
California guard Afure Jemerigbe (2) and Louisville guard Jude Schimmel (22) battle for a loose ball in the first half of a national semifinal at the Women's Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, April 7, 2013, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
NEW ORLEANS (AP) ? The more Louisville extends its remarkable run, the more coach Jeff Walz wants to make sure his Cardinals enjoy every moment.
As long as they have one more upset in them for the NCAA championship game.
The upstart Cardinals got 18 points ? all on 3-pointers ? from Antonita Slaughter and they methodically clawed back from a 10-point halftime deficit to beat California 64-57 on Sunday night in the NCAA semifinals.
For a team that has beaten Baylor, Tennessee and now the second-seeded Golden Bears, a little celebration was in order.
"We're going to go on Bourbon Street," said Walz, whose team has one last practice Monday before Tuesday night's title game. "I'll tell the kids, as long as they're back by 2, we're OK."
Bria Smith scored 17 on 6 of 7 shooting for the fifth-seeded Cardinals (29-8), who became the first team seeded lower than fourth to win a Final Four game. The result ensures an all-Big East Conference final in the league's last season in its current form: Louisville will play Connecticut, which beat Notre Dame 83-65, one night after the Louisville men's team plays Michigan for the championship.
The Cardinals are the 10th school to have both basketball teams reach the Final Four in the same season. Only UConn won both titles in the same season, back in 2004.
"The way I look at it, I think the men are trying to feed off of our success," Walz said with a smirk before adding on a serious note that he'd received word from Atlanta that the Louisville men "were in the hotel lobby jumping up and down and cheering for us."
Layshia Clarendon scored 17 for Cal (32-4), which had won the Spokane Region as a second seed. Gennifer Brandon added 12 for the Golden Bears and Brittany Boyd added 10 points.
"Credit Louisville, which obviously has been really hot," Cal coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. "They outfought us in the second half."
It was the third straight upset by Louisville, which had to beat defending national champion Baylor and the powerful Lady Vols just to get to the Big Easy. They will need to summon one more to win it all. Not that they're worried about it.
"No one expects us to be here," Slaughter said. "No one expects us to be in the championship game. Just come together as a team and win as a team."
Shoni Schimmel, who had been one of the stars of the tournament, struggled early for Louisville, but finished with 10 points, including a clutch transition pull-up that gave Louisville a 57-54 lead with 2:06 left.
Clarendon responded with a left win 3 of her own to tie it, but Sara Hammond, playing with four fouls for the last 7:20, gave the Cardinals the lead for good with a strong move inside as she was fouled. Suddenly, Cal was forcing desperate 3s and not hitting them.
After shooting 58. 6 percent (17 of 29) in the first half, Cal shot only 30 percent (9 of 30) in the second, negating the Bears' 38-26 advantage in rebounds.
"In the first half we got out a lot on the run. We didn't get a chance to run at all (in the second half) because we weren't getting stops," Clarendon said. "We made a lot of mistakes. It's not like we played somebody who was too good and just flat out beat us."
On Saturday night, the Louisville's men's team had to erase a 12-point second-half deficit against Wichita State, so the women didn't need much inspiration when they went into halftime trailing 37-27. They came out and quickly narrowed their deficit with a 7-0 run that began with Schimmel's 3. Smith added a mid-range jumper and Hammond scored inside to make it 37-34.
Cal was back up 47-39 when Clarendon spun into the lane for a pull-up jumper, but the Cardinals then scored the next seven points, starting with Slaughter's deep 3 and ending with Jude Schimmel's free throws that made it as close as 47-46.
The Cardinals finally pulled back into the lead when Hammond's free throws made it 53-52 with 3:40 left.
"We come out, we executed perfectly to start the second half," Walz said. "Once we took the lead, I could see it in our kids' eyes, the excitement, 'Hey, we can do this, we're going to do this.'
"We're playing our best basketball at the end of the year and that's all that matters," Walz added. "We're figuring out a way to pull them out."
Before tip-off, Walz had the relaxed look of a coach who had been there before, which of course he had in 2009, when Louisville climbed out of a 12-point hole to beat Oklahoma State in the national semifinals before falling to Connecticut in the title game. He walked over to the Cal bench for a friendly chat with Gottlieb, giving her a hug before he walked back toward his bench, and then went across the court to welcome some fans in the front row.
Walz's team also appeared more composed in the first few minutes, racing to an 8-2 lead with the help of Slaughter's first 3 and a pair of layups by Smith. Smith's third basket inside the first five minutes gave Louisville a 10-6 lead, then Cal started to look more comfortable.
Talia Caldwell's putback marked the beginning of a 12-1 run, capped by Clarendon's transition jumper that gave the Golden Bears an 18-11 lead.
Jude Schimmel's 3 got Louisville as close as 25-22 midway through the half, but the Cardinals had trouble keeping pace while Shoni Schimmel, their leading scorer, missed six of her first seven shots.
Cal, which had won with strong rebounding all season, also controlled the game in that department, 23-11 overall and 8-3 in offensive rebounds in the first half. Complicating matters for Louisville was that Hammond, their leading rebounder (6.5 per game), sat out most of the half with two fouls.
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