Friday, November 8, 2013

NIH funds researchers using light to control and monitor neural activity

NIH funds researchers using light to control and monitor neural activity


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7-Nov-2013



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Contact: Traci Peterson
tpeterso@uta.edu
817-521-5494
University of Texas at Arlington






University of Texas at Arlington researchers are exploring a better method for initiating certain gene therapies that could better fight the sight-deteriorating disease retinitis pigmentosa.

The National Institutes of Health is funding the research.

Samarendra Mohanty, assistant professor of physics, expects to receive a total of $384,269 over the next two years from the NIH's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. His work involves using a near-infrared ultrafast laser beam to deliver genes that allow expression of light-sensitive proteins, called opsins, in specific cells. That proteins' expression allows researchers to influence neural activity through optical or light stimulation a technique known as optogenetics.
In the past, the genes have been delivered to cells by virus. That method can have drawbacks, such as immune responses, in addition to the benefits. In Mohanty's method, a laser beam creates a transient sub-micrometer size hole, which allows for the gene encoding the proteins to permeate through the cell membrane. It can limit the risk of immune response, as well as delivering larger genes than viral methods, he said.

Digant Dave, UT Arlington associate professor of bioengineering at UT Arlington, is the co-investigator on the new grant.
"Our minimally invasive near-infrared method can deliver DNA and other impermeable molecules effectively where you want it and only where you want it," said Mohanty. "For example, in retinitis pigmentosa, only peripheral retina begins to lose light sensitivity due to loss of photoreceptors. This is where a laser can deliver the genes, making those neurons respond to light again. With a virus, the genes will be delivered everywhere, causing complications in areas already working fine."

Optogenetic stimulation also holds promise for influencing neurons in the brain. Scientists, including Mohanty's research group, are researching ways it could be used to understand how the brain works or to intervene in case of neurological disorders or to affect behavior.

Ultimately, Mohanty's team has a goal of creating all optical, or light-based, control and monitoring of cell activity. So, in addition to the light-assisted delivery of genes, the researchers also will work on refining methods for stimulating the neural activity using near-infrared and visible light. Some of those methods are described in a recently published paper called "Fiber-optic two-photon optogenetic stimulation," which appeared in the journal Optics Letters.

Mohanty's lab at UT Arlington also will use a method called phase-sensitive interferometry, to monitor the changes in neurons that result from the activation by light. The interferometry method is called "label-free" because unlike fluorescence, it uses the change in behavior of light rays, rather than staining, to track changes at the sub-nanometer level.

"Dr. Mohanty's proven track record of exploration in the area of optogenetics has earned him this support from the National Institutes of Health," said Alex Weiss, chairman of the College of Science's physics department. "We are pleased to see this promising research supported and look forward to seeing the exciting research findings that this support will make possible."

###


The University of Texas at Arlington is a comprehensive institution of more than 33,300 students and more than 2,200 faculty members in the heart of North Texas. It is the second largest school in The University of Texas System. Visit http://www.uta.edu to learn more.




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NIH funds researchers using light to control and monitor neural activity


[ Back to EurekAlert! ]

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

7-Nov-2013



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]


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Contact: Traci Peterson
tpeterso@uta.edu
817-521-5494
University of Texas at Arlington






University of Texas at Arlington researchers are exploring a better method for initiating certain gene therapies that could better fight the sight-deteriorating disease retinitis pigmentosa.

The National Institutes of Health is funding the research.

Samarendra Mohanty, assistant professor of physics, expects to receive a total of $384,269 over the next two years from the NIH's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. His work involves using a near-infrared ultrafast laser beam to deliver genes that allow expression of light-sensitive proteins, called opsins, in specific cells. That proteins' expression allows researchers to influence neural activity through optical or light stimulation a technique known as optogenetics.
In the past, the genes have been delivered to cells by virus. That method can have drawbacks, such as immune responses, in addition to the benefits. In Mohanty's method, a laser beam creates a transient sub-micrometer size hole, which allows for the gene encoding the proteins to permeate through the cell membrane. It can limit the risk of immune response, as well as delivering larger genes than viral methods, he said.

Digant Dave, UT Arlington associate professor of bioengineering at UT Arlington, is the co-investigator on the new grant.
"Our minimally invasive near-infrared method can deliver DNA and other impermeable molecules effectively where you want it and only where you want it," said Mohanty. "For example, in retinitis pigmentosa, only peripheral retina begins to lose light sensitivity due to loss of photoreceptors. This is where a laser can deliver the genes, making those neurons respond to light again. With a virus, the genes will be delivered everywhere, causing complications in areas already working fine."

Optogenetic stimulation also holds promise for influencing neurons in the brain. Scientists, including Mohanty's research group, are researching ways it could be used to understand how the brain works or to intervene in case of neurological disorders or to affect behavior.

Ultimately, Mohanty's team has a goal of creating all optical, or light-based, control and monitoring of cell activity. So, in addition to the light-assisted delivery of genes, the researchers also will work on refining methods for stimulating the neural activity using near-infrared and visible light. Some of those methods are described in a recently published paper called "Fiber-optic two-photon optogenetic stimulation," which appeared in the journal Optics Letters.

Mohanty's lab at UT Arlington also will use a method called phase-sensitive interferometry, to monitor the changes in neurons that result from the activation by light. The interferometry method is called "label-free" because unlike fluorescence, it uses the change in behavior of light rays, rather than staining, to track changes at the sub-nanometer level.

"Dr. Mohanty's proven track record of exploration in the area of optogenetics has earned him this support from the National Institutes of Health," said Alex Weiss, chairman of the College of Science's physics department. "We are pleased to see this promising research supported and look forward to seeing the exciting research findings that this support will make possible."

###


The University of Texas at Arlington is a comprehensive institution of more than 33,300 students and more than 2,200 faculty members in the heart of North Texas. It is the second largest school in The University of Texas System. Visit http://www.uta.edu to learn more.




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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-11/uota-nfr110713.php
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Iran: nuclear plan 'backed' by 6 world powers


GENEVA (AP) — Iran's plan to cap some of the country's atomic activities in exchange for selective relief from crippling economic sanctions has been accepted by six world powers, the chief Iranian nuclear negotiator said Thursday.

The upbeat comments from Abbas Araghchi, reported by Iranian state TV, suggest that negotiators in Geneva are moving from broad discussions over a nuclear deal to specific steps limiting Tehran's ability to make atomic weapons. In return, Iran would start getting relief from sanctions that have hit its economy hard.

"Today, they clearly said that they accept the proposed framework by Iran," Araghchi said.

Though he described the negotiations as "very difficult," he said he expected agreement on details by Friday, the last scheduled round of the current talks.

International negotiators, representing the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany, declined to comment on Araghchi's statement.

In Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned against striking a partial deal "that eases the pressure on Iran for concessions that are not concessions at all."

Netanyahu gave no details about an agreement being prepared but said it "would allow Iran to retain the capabilities to make nuclear weapons." Israel wants a near complete shut-down of Iran's nuclear programs before sanctions are lifted and rejects any step-by-step approach in its place.

"Israel understands that there are proposals on the table in Geneva today that ease the pressure on Iran for concessions that are not concessions at all. The proposal would allow Iran to retain the capabilities to make nuclear weapons. Israel totally opposes these proposals," Netanyahu said.

The last round of talks three weeks ago reached agreement on a framework of possible discussion points. The two sides kicked off Thursday's round focused on getting to a "first step" — described by Western negotiators as an initial curb on uranium enrichment and other activities.

Though Tehran says it needs to do this work for peaceful purposes, the United States and its allies fear that Iran could turn it to use to arm warheads with fissile material.

Araghchi did not detail the contours of his country's plan. But it could touch on Iran's production of uranium enriched to 20 percent — a level that is only a technical step short of weapons grade material. Iranian officials have hinted they are ready to discuss Western demands both for a production stop and of turning stockpiles into a form that is difficult to use for nuclear arms.

Though that would not, in itself, be sufficient to ease oil and finance sanctions, diplomats have previously said initial sanctions rollbacks could free Iranian funds in overseas accounts, and allow trade in gold and petrochemicals.

The negotiators might also test Iran's commitment by waiting — possibly for as long as six months — after an agreement before applying sanctions relief. And the sanctions could be easily reapplied should Iran renege on commitments it makes in Geneva.

The initial encounter broke about an hour after it began, possibly to allow consideration of ideas presented by the two sides. European Union spokesman Michael Mann called it a "good opening session."

Before the talks, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met with top EU diplomat Catherine Ashton, who is convening the meeting. He said the two agreed to meet again in the afternoon.

Asked afterward about the chances of agreement on initial steps this week, Zarif told reporters: "If everyone tries their best, we may have one."

After nearly a decade of deadlock, Iran seems more amenable to making concessions to the six countries. Iran's new president, Hassan Rouhani, has indicated he could cut back on the nuclear program in exchange for an easing of sanctions.

Despite the seemingly calmer political backdrop, issues remain.

Iranian hard-liners, for example, want significant sanctions reductions in exchange for scaling back enrichment, while some U.S. lawmakers want the enrichment to stop altogether in exchange for loosening the sanctions.

Officials from two of the delegations said the sanctions relief on offer at this meeting will be limited and is unlikely to affect the core sanctions on Iran's oil and finance sectors unless Tehran makes sweeping concessions, which is thought to be unlikely. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the closed negotiations.

_____

Josef Federman in Jerusalem and Nasser Karimi in Tehran contributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iran-nuclear-plan-backed-6-world-powers-151715648.html
Category: Call Of Duty Ghosts   Scandal   CDOT   sunday night football   justin timberlake  

Rihanna Ties with Elvis for 25th Top 10 Hot 100 song

Giving a smile to awaiting paparazzi, Rihanna headed back to her hotel in New York City on Wednesday (November 6).


The "We Found Love" singer wore a black and white varsity jacket, "Teenage Fantasy" hat, and gray leggings as she made her way back inside.


Recently, the 25-year-old star hit a career milestone. Her song "The Monster" with Eminem became her 25th #Hot100 top 10 song, tied with Elvis Presley.


Grateful to her fans, Ri-Ri tweeted on Thursday, "Navy thank you for pushing me and allowing me to keep breaking records and making histoRIH along with the greats! Jah just keeps blessing us."


Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/rihanna/rihanna-ties-elvis-25th-top-10-hot-100-song-957510
Tags: ny giants   nicki minaj   kate upton   Pope Francis   Bryan Cranston  

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Malala plotter chosen as Pakistani Taliban chief


DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (AP) — The ruthless commander behind the attack on teenage activist Malala Yousafzai as well as a series of bombings and beheadings was chosen Thursday as the leader of the Pakistani Taliban, nearly a week after a U.S. drone strike killed the previous chief.

The militant group ruled out peace talks with the government, accusing Pakistan of working with the U.S. in the Nov. 1 drone strike. Islamabad denied the allegation and accused Washington of sabotaging its attempt to strike a deal with the Taliban to end years of violence.

Mullah Fazlullah was unanimously appointed the new leader by the Taliban's leadership council, or shura, after several days of deliberation, said the council's head, Asmatullah Shaheen Bhitani. Militants fired AK-47 assault rifles and anti-aircraft guns into the air to celebrate.

The previous chief, Hakimullah Mehsud, was killed by the drone in the North Waziristan tribal area near the Afghan border. He was known for a bloody campaign that killed thousands of Pakistani civilians and security personnel, a deadly attack on a CIA base in Afghanistan and was believed to be behind the failed bombing in New York's Times square in 2010. The U.S. had put a $5 million bounty on his head,

Mehsud's killing had outraged Pakistani officials. The government said the drone strike came a day before it planned to send a delegation of clerics to invite the Pakistani Taliban to hold peace talks, although many analysts doubted a deal was likely.

Bhitani, the Taliban shura leader, said the group would not join peace talks with the government, accusing Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of selling out the group when he met with President Barack Obama in Washington on Oct. 23.

"We will take revenge on Pakistan for the martyrdom of Hakimullah," Bhitani told The Associated Press by telephone from an undisclosed location in North Waziristan, where the shura met.

The Pakistani government did not immediately respond to request for comment on the Taliban comments or the appointment of Fazlullah.

Pakistani Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has said he asked the U.S. ambassador in Islamabad, Richard Olson, not to carry out any drone attacks while Islamabad was pursuing peace talks with domestic Taliban militants.

The Pakistani Taliban withdrew an offer to hold talks in May after their deputy leader was killed in a U.S. drone strike but warmed to negotiations again after Sharif took office in June. It's unclear if the government will be able to coax the militants back to the table again, especially since Fazlullah is known to be such a hard-liner.

Pakistani officials have criticized the drone strikes in public, saying they violate the country's sovereignty and kill too many civilians. But the government is known to have secretly supported at least some of the attacks, especially when they targeted enemies of the state.

The Pakistani Taliban is an umbrella organization of militant groups formed in 2007 to overthrow the government and install a hard-line form of Islamic law. Based in the country's remote tribal region, the group also wants Pakistan to end its support for the U.S. fight in Afghanistan. The Afghan and Pakistani Taliban are allies but have generally directed their attacks on opposite sides of the border.

Fazlullah, believed to be in his late 30s, served as the Pakistani Taliban's leader in the northwest Swat Valley but is now believed to be hiding in Afghanistan. He rose to prominence through radio broadcasts demanding the imposition of Islamic law, earning him the nickname "Mullah Radio."

His group began infiltrating the valley in 2007 and spread fear among residents by beheading opponents, blowing up schools, holding public floggings, forcing men to grow beards and preventing women from going to markets.

The military invaded Swat in 2009 after a peace deal with the militants fell apart. The offensive pushed most of the fighters out of the valley, and Fazlullah escaped to Afghanistan. But periodic attacks continue in Swat.

Fazlullah and his group carried out the attack on Malala, who was shot in the head while on her way home from school in October 2012. She was targeted after speaking out against the Taliban over its interpretation of Islam, which limits girls' access to education.

The shooting sparked international outrage, and Malala was flown to the United Kingdom, where she underwent surgery to repair the damage to her skull.

She has since become an even more vocal critic of the Taliban and advocate for girls' education, earning her international acclaim, including the European Parliament's Sakharov Award, its top human rights prize. On her 16th birthday, she delivered a speech at the United Nations in New York. She was considered a front-runner for this year's Nobel Peace Prize and met with Obama at the White House.

Malala's representatives said she declined to comment on Fazlullah's appointment. Attempts to reach her father also were unsuccessful.

Fazlullah also claimed responsibility for the deaths of a Pakistani army general and two other soldiers in a roadside bombing near the Afghan border in September. The killings outraged the military and raised questions about whether the Taliban had any real interest in negotiating peace.

Imtiaz Gul, head of the Islamabad-based Center for Research and Security Studies, said Fazlullah became the Pakistani army's "enemy No. 1" after the attack on the general.

Fazlullah is the first leader of the Pakistani Taliban not to come from the Mehsud tribe based in South Waziristan. The group's first leader, Baitullah Mehsud, also was killed by a U.S. drone strike in 2009.

Some Mehsud commanders were unhappy with the decision to appoint Fazlullah but eventually agreed under pressure from some of the group's senior members, said a Pakistani intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to journalists.

Khalid Haqqani was chosen as the new deputy leader of the Pakistani Taliban, said Bhitani, the head of the shura. The new deputy is from the northwest Pakistani district of Swabi and bears no apparent relation to the Afghan Haqqani network that is fighting U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

___

Abbot reported from Islamabad. Associated Press writers Rebecca Santana and Asif Shahzad contributed to this report from Islamabad.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/malala-plotter-chosen-pakistani-taliban-chief-185928213.html
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David Beckham & Kylie Minogue Honored at GQ’s 2013 Men of the Year Awards in Berlin

Honoring the most stylish men in the industry, Hollywood’s hottest stars stepped out for the 15th Annual GQ Men of the Year Gala in Berlin this evening (November 7).


David Beckham scored the ultimate title of the night, snagging the most stylish hunk from the hip publication.


“Like no other athlete, David Beckham represents style and fashion influence. With his trendsetting and sometimes daring appearances he has created a bridge between the world of design, models, and photographers, and the world of world-class sports, and brought glamour back to a male sport,” says José RedondoVega, editor-in-chief of GQ Germany.


Other guests of honor included Robin Thicke, Kylie Minogue and Kellan Lutz.


Kylie was also honored at the event, scoring the “Gentlewoman of the Year” award. Of the choice, Jose explained, “Kylie Minogue has managed to become the dream woman and icon for several generations. She is the embodiment of a pop icon and has reinvented herself for each decade. And yet Kylie Minogue the person never disappears behind an artificial facade. It is precisely the ease of her music that makes it so profound.”


Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/party-pics/david-beckham-kylie-minogue-honored-gq%E2%80%99s-2013-men-year-awards-berlin-1095401
Category: Mexico vs Costa Rica   Marquez vs Bradley   savannah brinson   backstreet boys   Iggy Azalea  

David Beckham & Kylie Minogue Honored at GQ’s 2013 Men of the Year Awards in Berlin

Honoring the most stylish men in the industry, Hollywood’s hottest stars stepped out for the 15th Annual GQ Men of the Year Gala in Berlin this evening (November 7).


David Beckham scored the ultimate title of the night, snagging the most stylish hunk from the hip publication.


“Like no other athlete, David Beckham represents style and fashion influence. With his trendsetting and sometimes daring appearances he has created a bridge between the world of design, models, and photographers, and the world of world-class sports, and brought glamour back to a male sport,” says José RedondoVega, editor-in-chief of GQ Germany.


Other guests of honor included Robin Thicke, Kylie Minogue and Kellan Lutz.


Kylie was also honored at the event, scoring the “Gentlewoman of the Year” award. Of the choice, Jose explained, “Kylie Minogue has managed to become the dream woman and icon for several generations. She is the embodiment of a pop icon and has reinvented herself for each decade. And yet Kylie Minogue the person never disappears behind an artificial facade. It is precisely the ease of her music that makes it so profound.”


Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/party-pics/david-beckham-kylie-minogue-honored-gq%E2%80%99s-2013-men-year-awards-berlin-1095401
Category: Mexico vs Costa Rica   Marquez vs Bradley   savannah brinson   backstreet boys   Iggy Azalea  

UNH, UC Davis launch network to study environmental microbes

UNH, UC Davis launch network to study environmental microbes


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7-Nov-2013



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Contact: Beth Potier
beth.potier@unh.edu
603-862-1566
University of New Hampshire






DURHAM, N.H. A grant to the University of New Hampshire and the University of California, Davis, will help biologists identify an abundant yet largely unknown category of organisms, leading to better understanding of the vital environmental functions they play.


The National Science Foundation awarded the two universities $500,000 to develop a Research Coordination Network on eukaryotic biodiversity. The work will apply new genome sequencing technology to study and classify microscopic eukaryote species like nematodes, fungi, and single-celled animals.


These small yet complex organisms are invisible to the eye but abundant in marine and terrestrial environments from sandy beaches to garden plots. "If you're making a sandcastle, there are thousands and thousands of these creatures in a handful of sand. They provide key ecosystem services," says co-principal investigator W. Kelley Thomas, Hubbard Professor in Genomics and director of UNH's Hubbard Center for Genome Studies. They process waste, cycle nutrients, and even "eat" spilled oil, he says.


"I call them the 'dark matter' of biology," says Holly Bik, a postdoctoral researcher at UC Davis and co-principal investigator on the project. "They are in every single environment, but no one looks at them." Bik worked with Thomas as a postdoctoral researcher at UNH.


The traditional taxonomic approach to biodiversity involves looking at an organism and describing the features legs, wings, teeth, leaves that make it similar to or distinct from other organisms. Because taxonomy is far easier and more efficient to apply to cats and cows and pine trees than to microscopic organisms like nematodes, knowledge of the Earth's biodiversity shows a distinct bias toward larger species.



Now, new high-throughput DNA sequencing technology makes it possible to identify and classify these organisms much more quickly and comprehensively, describing each species with a short "barcode" of several hundred nucleotides.


The goal of this new network is to bring together researchers from different fields: taxonomists expert in identifying organisms; ecologists who study these ecosystems; genome scientists and computational biologists who can figure out how to analyze sequence data from these relatively complex animals.


The team aims to organize an annual "catalysis" meeting to bring researchers together, and they will also sponsor symposia at other scientific meetings. The program will bring scientists from around the world to UNH to collaborate toward better understand global patterns of biodiversity and ecosystem function. In addition, it will support an expanded relationship with two biodiversity experts (Eyualem Abebe at Elizabeth City State University and Jyotsna Sharma-Srinivasan at The University of Texas, San Antonio). These partners serve significant populations of undergraduates from underrepresented groups and expand the potential diversity of scientists that will ultimately address long standing questions in biodiversity.


The network will also develop undergraduate training programs on taxonomy and genomics, based at UNH. Activities like "bioinformatics bootcamps" will enhance students' research skills through interdisciplinary training.


"If we want the field to move forward we need to train the next generation of scientists," Bik says.

###




The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,300 undergraduate and 2,200 graduate students.


Photographs available to download: http://unh.edu/news/releases/2012/sept/kelleythomas.jpg

Caption: W. Kelley Thomas, Hubbard Professor in Genomics and director of UNH's Hubbard Center for Genome Studies.

Credit: Mike Ross, UNH Photographic Services


http://www.unh.edu/news/releases/2013/11/images/eukaryote-8347.jpg

Caption: A marine nematode.

Credit: James Baldwin and Manuel Mundo, UCR




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UNH, UC Davis launch network to study environmental microbes


[ Back to EurekAlert! ]

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

7-Nov-2013



[


| E-mail

]


Share Share

Contact: Beth Potier
beth.potier@unh.edu
603-862-1566
University of New Hampshire






DURHAM, N.H. A grant to the University of New Hampshire and the University of California, Davis, will help biologists identify an abundant yet largely unknown category of organisms, leading to better understanding of the vital environmental functions they play.


The National Science Foundation awarded the two universities $500,000 to develop a Research Coordination Network on eukaryotic biodiversity. The work will apply new genome sequencing technology to study and classify microscopic eukaryote species like nematodes, fungi, and single-celled animals.


These small yet complex organisms are invisible to the eye but abundant in marine and terrestrial environments from sandy beaches to garden plots. "If you're making a sandcastle, there are thousands and thousands of these creatures in a handful of sand. They provide key ecosystem services," says co-principal investigator W. Kelley Thomas, Hubbard Professor in Genomics and director of UNH's Hubbard Center for Genome Studies. They process waste, cycle nutrients, and even "eat" spilled oil, he says.


"I call them the 'dark matter' of biology," says Holly Bik, a postdoctoral researcher at UC Davis and co-principal investigator on the project. "They are in every single environment, but no one looks at them." Bik worked with Thomas as a postdoctoral researcher at UNH.


The traditional taxonomic approach to biodiversity involves looking at an organism and describing the features legs, wings, teeth, leaves that make it similar to or distinct from other organisms. Because taxonomy is far easier and more efficient to apply to cats and cows and pine trees than to microscopic organisms like nematodes, knowledge of the Earth's biodiversity shows a distinct bias toward larger species.



Now, new high-throughput DNA sequencing technology makes it possible to identify and classify these organisms much more quickly and comprehensively, describing each species with a short "barcode" of several hundred nucleotides.


The goal of this new network is to bring together researchers from different fields: taxonomists expert in identifying organisms; ecologists who study these ecosystems; genome scientists and computational biologists who can figure out how to analyze sequence data from these relatively complex animals.


The team aims to organize an annual "catalysis" meeting to bring researchers together, and they will also sponsor symposia at other scientific meetings. The program will bring scientists from around the world to UNH to collaborate toward better understand global patterns of biodiversity and ecosystem function. In addition, it will support an expanded relationship with two biodiversity experts (Eyualem Abebe at Elizabeth City State University and Jyotsna Sharma-Srinivasan at The University of Texas, San Antonio). These partners serve significant populations of undergraduates from underrepresented groups and expand the potential diversity of scientists that will ultimately address long standing questions in biodiversity.


The network will also develop undergraduate training programs on taxonomy and genomics, based at UNH. Activities like "bioinformatics bootcamps" will enhance students' research skills through interdisciplinary training.


"If we want the field to move forward we need to train the next generation of scientists," Bik says.

###




The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,300 undergraduate and 2,200 graduate students.


Photographs available to download: http://unh.edu/news/releases/2012/sept/kelleythomas.jpg

Caption: W. Kelley Thomas, Hubbard Professor in Genomics and director of UNH's Hubbard Center for Genome Studies.

Credit: Mike Ross, UNH Photographic Services


http://www.unh.edu/news/releases/2013/11/images/eukaryote-8347.jpg

Caption: A marine nematode.

Credit: James Baldwin and Manuel Mundo, UCR




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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.




Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-11/uonh-uud110713.php
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Mercy! Check out all the sweet gear you could win at Expand NY


Mercy! Check out all the sweet gear you could win at Expand NY


On the off chance an incredible list of sponsors, an action-packed conference and all the other things we've already told you about aren't enough to get you out to the Javits Center for Expand NY this weekend, we thought you might want to take a look at all the great stuff you could win, too.


We were right, weren't we?


But before we do, we'd like to give a big shout out to our massively generous sponsors!


Read on to find out what you could win at Expand NY...


  • Lenovo: Two 10-inch Yoga tablets and two 8-inch Yoga tablets

  • AMD: Four VIZIO Tablet PCs

  • Phone Halo: 100 Wallet TrackRs

  • Gogo: Four Chromebooks and four Gogo Goodie Bags

  • BRAVEN: Three 710 speakers

  • SoftKinetic: Two Creative Senz 3D cameras

  • Sling Media: One Slingbox 500 and one Slingbox 350

  • Mad Catz: Five TRITTON Kunai universal headsets

  • myIDkey: One myIDkey voice-search, secure Bluetooth, USB password management drive

  • Grain Audio: One PWS speaker and two pairs of in-ear headphones (IEHPs)

  • PivotHead: Three pairs of Air Sync Wearable Imaging glasses

  • Boogie Board: One Sync 9.7 eWriter and eighteen Jot 4.5 eWriters

  • SparkFun: One Inventors Kit and one Learn to Solder Simon Says Kit

  • Karma: Two Karma 1GB WiFi Hotspots

  • Verizon: Two Leap Motion Gesture Controllers and $200 in GameStop Gift Certificates

  • WD: Two WD TV Live Hubs

  • Misfit Wearables: Five Shine personal activity monitors

  • Voltaic Systems: One OffGrid solar backpack

Plus a couple things we can't mention yet because they're launching at the show!


Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/11/07/expand-ny-giveaway/?ncid=rss_truncated
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How Did 'Django Unchained' Script Make Its Way To The Hands Of A Boy Band?


During 'Live from MTV,' Max George from the Wanted shares his story about the Oscar-winning script.


By Christina Garibaldi








Source:
http://www.mtv.comhttp://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1717050/the-wanted-max-george-django-unchained.jhtml

Category: act   9/11   Apple.com   usc football   The Butler  

This Pedal-less Porsche Bicycle Will Be the Talk of the Cul-de-Sac

This Pedal-less Porsche Bicycle Will Be the Talk of the Cul-de-Sac

Apparently, Volkswagen has realized that kids who ride Porsches grow up to be adults who buy and drive Porsches. It's the same strategy that Adobe uses by selling Photoshop dirt cheap to students. But will learning to ride a two-wheeler on this luxurious Porsche balance bike give toddlers a taste for the finer things in life?

Read more...


    






Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/F08cLnHtrLY/this-pedal-less-porsche-bicycle-will-be-the-talk-of-the-1460205068
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Obama Apologizes To Those Who Lost Health Plans



"I am sorry that they are finding themselves in this situation based on assurances they got from me," President Obama said Thursday, speaking about Americans who will lose their current health insurance plans.


In speeches before parts of the Affordable Care Act took effect, the president promised that people who were content with the plans they already had would be able to keep them. But that hasn't always been the case, as The Two-Way reported in October.


Obama spoke about the troubled rollout of the new health care system with NBC's Chuck Todd Thursday. Todd asked the president about the pledge he often repeated when critics of the Affordable Care Act said it would mean thousands of cancelled policies.


"I meant what I said," Obama answered. "And we worked hard to try to make sure that we implemented it properly. But obviously, we didn't do a good enough job. And I regret that."


In addition to his apology, the president pledged to help those who have complained that the new law is forcing them to sign up for a more expensive plan.


"We've got to work hard to make sure that they know we hear them," Obama said, "and that we're going to do everything we can to deal with folks who find themselves in a tough position as a consequence of this."


The appearance on NBC marks "a more apologetic tone" for the president on this issue, NPR's Ari Shapiro reports.


"Until now, the White House had taken a defensive response to people being forced to change health plans. The president insisted that people losing their plans would get better and, in some cases, cheaper ones," Ari says in a report for our Newscast unit.


"The White House is also still struggling to get the HealthCare.gov website up and running," Ari adds. "It's functioning better than before, but it's still not up to speed."


Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/11/07/243815644/obama-apologizes-to-those-who-lost-health-plans?ft=1&f=1001
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How to manually store your credit card information to iCloud Keychain with iOS 7

How to manually store your credit card information to iCloud Keychain with iOS 7

iCloud Keychain is a nifty feature built right into iOS 7 that allows you to not only save and generate passwords, but to securely store credit card information for easy access. Here's how to manually add a credit card number to iCloud Keychain for use later:

  1. Launch the Settings app from the Home screen of your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Scroll down and tap on Safari.
  3. Under the first section labeled General, tap on Passwords & AutoFill.
  4. At the very bottom, make sure the Credit Cards option is turned to On and then tap on Saved Credit Cards directly beneath it.
  5. Now tap on Add Credit Card.
  6. Enter the credit card information and then tap Done in the upper right hand corner.

That's all there is to it! iCloud Keychain will now remember that information and sync it across all your iOS and OS X compatible devices. iCloud Keychain is far from perfect but it does make for a convenient way to autofill credit card information and store it for reference, if you trust it that is.

What about you? Do you trust iCloud Keychain with your credit card information or are you not yet convinced the cloud is the right place for it?


    






Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/pVCsK70wsJ4/story01.htm
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Bjorn Rebney on Alvarez vs. Chandler 3, his feud with Dana White, and the weekend's most misunderstood .gif


While the road to Bellator 106 may have been filled with more twists and turns than a Formula One course, the outcome was an unquestionable success. Last Saturday's show, a precarious pay-per-view moved to free TV due to an eleventh hour injury by Tito Ortiz, wound up smashing Bellator's previous ratings records, peaking at 1.4 million viewers and introducing a brand new audience to the Bellator product through one of the year's best fights.


Now, days after a bloodied and battered Eddie Alvarez settled the score with Michael Chandler and set up the salivating prospect of a third fight between the two lightweight standouts, the question stands whether Ortiz's withdrawal, and the subsequent viewership increase Bellator gained from the shift away from pay-per-view, proved to be a blessing in disguise for the Viacom-owned promotion.


"Part of you looks at it and you say hindsight is 20/20," Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney told MMAFighting.com. "You go, wow, we got a huge number and we had an amazing fight that a ton of people got to see that wouldn't have otherwise seen it. (They) got to be introduced to the Bellator brand at it's very highest level, so that's a huge positive.


"Of course there are some negatives, economic and otherwise for having to have changed things like we did eight days out. But the magic that Ed and Mike created inside of that cage, and the effort that gave, the power of that performance, is just something that, hopefully, opened a lot of eyes to Bellator. People who, maybe they've never seen it, they didn't watch us regularly on Friday nights, hopefully those people will come back this Friday and the next Friday and the Friday after. So when you look at it that way, it was a huge positive."


Realistically there was never any doubt about the significance of an Alvarez-Chandler rematch. Even when Ortiz and Rampage Jackson officially fronted the card, more fans viewed Alvarez vs. Chandler II as the main event than not. But even in a best case scenario, the buyrate for Bellator 106 would've likely never approached the 1.4 million mark the event drew on Spike TV -- which begs the question, why would Bellator, a promotion by all accounts on the rise, considerably limit viewership by taking its best product to pay-per-view in the first place?


"We were looking at a transition and trying to figure out when would be an appropriate time to do it," Rebney explained. "We signed a big deal with Rampage and Rampage was coming back like gangbusters in terms of his training. I was able to put Quinton in touch with the folks who did the incredible work on Kobe (Bryant's) knee vis-à-vis the blood transfusion work. So it was all kinda coming into focus, and it just looked like the right move at the time to make that change and to go in that direction.


"When you look at what happened on Saturday night, hindsight is always 20/20. Maybe if you could see into the future, you'd say this is an incredible fight. Let's put it on Spike for free and let's introduce the brand to a much bigger audience and give everybody this crazy fight for free, because maybe it'll lead to the trilogy fight, number three, that will be a pure pay-per-view fight. Who knows? But it's tough to say."


Regardless of how things played out, one takeaway from Saturday night is unquestionably true. Alvarez's next fight will be a rubber match against Chandler. And due to the frenetic nature of the first two meetings, it will easily be the most anticipated fight in Bellator history.


Though as to whether the trilogy fight will mark the last fight on Alvarez's new contract, as is widely speculated, Rebney won't say.


"There's a lot of different options on Ed's contract," Rebney explained. "Ed could be with us for a very long period of time or a shorter period of time. There's a lot of different options. We haven't gone into the specifics of what our actual settlement with Ed was, but the next fight with Ed is going to be Mike, and the next fight with Mike is going to be Ed, and then we'll see what the outcome of that fight is. That will dictate what we're going to do next."


In many ways, Alvarez seizing the belt back from Chandler was perhaps the most fitting ending one could draw up after a bitter year-long battle with Bellator locked Alvarez in the courtroom, rather than the cage. At times there seemed to be no end in sight to the dispute, as the relationship between Alvarez and Bellator officials deteriorated into a rancorous war or words, and both sides took their turn airing grievances through the media.


Yet in the aftermath of Saturday night, Alvarez has been the epitome of class, electing not to speak ill about the way everything played out.


"You'd always prefer to have situations work out without any kind of conflict," Rebney said of the courtroom standoff. "It's just human nature that if you can avoid the conflict and things can be positive, you want them to go that way. But look, it was what it was. We had an agreement, we had a specific agreement that we wanted to enforce, and hindsight now, looking back at it, to be able to put on that kind of fight, Ed made great money on Saturday night, Ed's going to have an opportunity to make great money on the third fight. Mike's going to have an opportunity to make great money. It's going to get huge coverage, a very real potential to be an main event on a big pay-per-view. It's all come around. Were there things I'd do differently? I don't know, that's a tough call. I'd have to go back and analyze every step we took.


"When you're building something like this, and you're competing in a space that's as hyper competitive as this with people, there's a reason they call it the fight business. It's not populated by a lot of people who write children's books. It's a tough business, it's a tough industry. It usually involves and engages tough people with dominant personalities. When you get people like that and they're running a business, you're going to run into conflict and you're going to have to fight for certain things."


Among Rebney's loudest critics throughout the Alvarez case was UFC President Dana White, who ultimately lost out on Alvarez's services due to Bellator's courtroom tactics.


As is his way, whether through social media or press events, White has taken more than a few shots at Rebney, who he often refers to as "Bjork." He did so again in the aftermath of Bellator 106, tweeting a congratulations to Alvarez while implying that Chandler's loss was "karma" for the way in which things were handled.


Rebney, though, fired back at White on Tuesday, and days later he maintains that stance.


"I'm in the business of mixed martial arts. I'm not a theatrical performer. But occasionally, just like in any situation that anybody would find themselves in, people will say certain things and you just feel an obligation to respond," Rebney said.


"When [White] made the comments a month or so ago about how Bellator had no value, it was three days after his partners had paid us tens of millions of dollars for our rights in Latin America, and I just felt like I gotta say something. When you throw up a softball like that, you'd have to be a fool to not take a swing at it. And when he made the comments that he made via Twitter about karma, it was just like, look, it's not about karma. It's not about some sixth or seventh grade back-and-forth that you have when you're a kid. It's about numbers, it's about ratings. It's about putting on incredible fights for fans. That's what matters. The numbers don't lie. And coming off the heels of a show where his group did 124,000 viewers, where ours did ten times that, it just felt like, you know what, it warranted a response. I've never going to be the guy who goes off on three and four minute profanity laden tirades. That's just not me. But look, let's see how they do on [Wednesday], and then let's see how we do on Friday night.


"Let's compare numbers to numbers," Rebney continued. "That's what the business is. The business is not childish slings.


"When Bellator was very small and insignificant, he had nothing to say. When we were on ESPN Deportes and we were on FOX Sports many years ago, he had nothing to say. Now we're on the No. 1 network in the history of mixed martial arts programming, on Spike, and our ratings are in some instances beating his ratings head-to-head. Now he has a lot to say. I wonder why."


White responded to Rebney's tweet not long after it was posted, referring in part to a .gif which made the internet rounds on Saturday night. The .gif appears to show Rebney shaking his head after the decision was read in Alvarez's favor. However, Rebney dismisses the entire mini-controversy as a misunderstanding.


"It's total nonsense. Total complete and utter nonsense," Rebney said. "I was sitting cageside, sitting next to (announcer) Michael C. Williams, and Michael was reading the decision. Look, I get that we were in southern California, and I get that Michael Chandler is an Alliance guy and he trains out of southern Cal, and I get that he had probably 1,000 or more fans in attendance, but when [Williams] read the decision, and the decision was ‘and the new,' and Ed was given the decision, a lot of fans started booing. I was shaking my head at that. I couldn't believe that fans were actually booing that decision. And some idiot took a picture of me shaking my head at fans booing and then put his own or her own caption on it, which had no basis in reality.


"When two guys give that much heart and soul, and two guys sacrifice that much, it's just inappropriate to boo. I thought it was out of line and I was shaking my head like, what? How do you justify booing something like that? These guys were just willing to die inside this cage to win this fight."


Widespread misunderstanding of the .gif contributed to the idea that despite the excitement of Alvarez-Chandler II and Bellator's subsequent record ratings success, the event may have been seen as a negative. After all, Chandler, Pat Curran, and Muhammed Lawal -- three fighters who Bellator heavily marketed as stars -- all lost on Saturday night, the latter two of which lost in somewhat lethargic fashion.


Rebney, though, vehemently disagrees with that notion.


"It's the absolute opposite. It's what makes us, us," Rebney said. "The reality in Bellator is that the only thing that matters is winning. I don't have a bunch of guys in Chinese suits on their own special floor with an access key sitting behind a big shiny desk with people serving them lunch on trays, deciding who fights who, for what and when. It's just not our policy. It's not how we work. Bellator is about the upset.


"We're not orchestrating it. We're not puppet masters. We're just the purveyors of an incredible sports tournament. Guys are going to lose, guys are going to win, but that's what makes Bellator, Bellator. I have no qualms about, in my mind, who won and who lost."


Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2013/11/7/5077674/bjorn-rebney-on-alvarez-vs-chandler-3-his-feud-with-dana-white-and
Related Topics: Brooke Greenberg   obamacare   Nothing Was The Same   Danny Garcia   rafael nadal  

Hubble spots strange asteroid with six tails of dust




This combination of Sept. 10 and 23, 2013 photos provided by NASA shows six comet-like tails radiating from a body in the asteroid belt, designated P/2013 P5. The Hubble Space Telescope discovered it in the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. A research team led by the University of California at Los Angeles believes the asteroid is rotating so much that its surface is flying apart. It’s believed to be a fragment of a larger asteroid damaged in a collision 200 million years ago. (AP Photo/NASA, ESA, D. Jewitt - UCLA)






CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — This is one strange asteroid.

The Hubble Space Telescope has discovered a six-tailed asteroid in the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Scientists say they've never seen anything like it. Incredibly, the comet-like tails change shape as the asteroid sheds dust. The streams have occurred over several months.

A research team led by the University of California, Los Angeles, believes the asteroid, designated P/2013 P5, is rotating so much that its surface is flying apart. It's believed to be a fragment of a larger asteroid damaged in a collision 200 million years ago.

Scientists using the Pan-STARRS telescope in Hawaii spotted the asteroid in August. Hubble picked out all the tails in September.

The discovery is described in this week's issue of Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hubble-spots-strange-asteroid-6-tails-dust-192208237.html
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In the 1920s, Mobile Traffic Court Brought the Judge to You

In the 1920s, Mobile Traffic Court Brought the Judge to You

Remember the last time you got pulled over for speeding? The cop slowly walked up behind your car, gave you a lecture about how the rules keep us all safe, and then handed you a ticket for a gajillion dollars.

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