Randy Moss: From star to afterthought with 49ers

NEW ORLEANS (AP) ? Randy Moss strolled to the podium on Super Bowl media day ? his 49ers hat tilted slightly to the left, his sleeves rolled up high to reveal a cross tattooed on one arm, a large "R'' tattooed on the other.

He carried himself very much like the star he once was.

"I don't know how many questions I'm gonna give you," he barked to reporters, before breaking into a smile. "So go ahead."

Then, for the next hour or so, he was the center of attention ? a role he seemed perfectly suited for, even though he kept saying over and over that he just wants to be treated like anyone else.

Moss proclaimed himself "the greatest receiver ever to play this game." He urged all the coaches out there to listen to their players every now and then.

"I'm me," Moss declared. "I just do it my way. That's just how I feel. I don't try to be better than the next man, or break any laws or any rules. Nothing like that. But what do I believe in? I believe in myself. That's just the way I've always done it.

"I know," he quickly added, "there's some people out there who like me, and I know there's a lot of people out there who don't. For what reason, I don't know and don't really care."

Moss was once the NFL's most dominant receiver, but those days are long past. He's 35 now, clearly on the downside of a career that actually seemed over a year ago. After bouncing around to three different teams in 2010, he didn't play at all last season. But, he wasn't ready to walk away from the sport just yet ? and San Francisco gave him a chance to come back for another shot at the ring.

There was one big caveat: Moss would no longer be the center of the offense.

The 49ers had plenty of others ? from receiver Michael Crabtree to tight end Vernon Davis to running back Frank Gore. Now that Colin Kaepernick has taken over at quarterback, it's easy to forget that No. 84 is even on the field. Sure, Moss is savoring the 49ers' run to the Super Bowl, where they'll face the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, but he's still struggling to get his arms around the idea of being an afterthought on the field.

"I've always considered myself a playmaker," he said. "Blocking? Yeah, I understand that's part of the game. Me going out to be decoy? Yeah, I know that's part of the game. But for me not to be out here making plays is something I just don't understand."

Then, he remembered why he's here.

"If that's going to win me a ring," Moss said, "yeah, I accept that."

He came oh-so-close during the 2007 season, teaming with Tom Brady to lead New England to an unbeaten regular season and two more wins in the playoffs. Then, in the game that really mattered, the high-powered Patriots were shut down in the Super Bowl by the New York Giants, who rallied for a stunning 17-14 upset after David Tyree ? not Moss ? made a catch that left everyone in awe.

It's a game Moss has never bothered to watch on video. It's a game that sticks with him to this day ? and probably will forever, even if the 49ers win on Sunday.

"There's just something about '07, being undefeated going into a Super Bowl and losing it like that," he said. "I'll never forget that moment because it's not fun when you're sweating and you have confetti dropping down and sticking to your face and knowing that you're not on the winning side of the confetti."

Surely, someone asked, winning this time would ease the pain from five seasons ago.

Not so, Moss replied.

"If I win this one, that means I could have had two," he said. "That's something I'll never forget."

Moss' last big season came with the Patriots in 2009, when he had 83 receptions for 1,264 yards and 13 touchdowns. The following year was a mess, largely of his own making.

His days in New England were numbered before the season opener when Moss complained about not getting a contract extension and said he didn't feel wanted. After week four, he was traded back to Minnesota, his original team, but that didn't last, either. Moss griped about then-coach Brad Childress and was waived, finishing out the dismal, miserable campaign in Tennessee.

Not surprisingly, no one jumped at the chance to offer Moss a job in 2011.

It looked as though retirement had arrived, whether he wanted it or not.

Moss used the off year to reconnect with his children, to get in some fishing, to watch some games on Sundays. But he also shed some tears, pained at the idea of ending his career before he was ready to go. He made sure to stay in shape, just in case someone wanted to give him another chance.

"I love this game of football so much," Moss said. "I don't like everything that comes with it, but going out on the field between the white lines and playing football is something I've always done. I've been doing it since I was 6 years old. For me to be able to just walk away from the game, knowing that I wasn't ready, mentally or physically, it really hurt me, man. It really depressed me."

Then came a call from the 49ers, who had come up just short of the Super Bowl during his season away. They felt Moss was one of those players who might help them get over the hump ? not so much for what he could do on the field, but the impact he might have on the youngsters in the locker room.

Moss started only two games, finishing with 28 catches, 434 yards and three TDs. But he had the desired impact on Crabtree and Kaepernick, passing on his many experiences to those who will carry the franchise into the future.

"One thing that impressed me the most about Randy is the way that he works with all the other guys, and not even just the receivers," 49ers fullback Bruce Miller said. "He's so knowledgeable about the game of football that he coaches other positions and has all kinds of tips and reminders for everyone."

As the Superdome clock ticked down to zero, indicating the 49ers' hour-long media session was over, Moss continued to chat away at the podium.

Finally, Davis came over to pull him away.

It was almost as if Moss wanted to cling to the spotlight as long as possible.

"It's been fun," he said. "But I've got to go."

___

Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/randy-moss-star-afterthought-49ers-232401818--nfl.html

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Erdogan says can seek referendum on Turkey constitution if no deal

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday he will take proposed constitutional reforms, expected to include the creation of an executive presidency, directly to parliament and if necessary to the people if no deal can be reached by April.

A cross-party parliamentary commission drafting a new constitution had been expected to finish its work by the start of this year but has failed to reach a consensus.

Erdogan, who has dominated Turkish politics since his AK Party first came to power in 2002, is widely viewed as wanting to change the charter to establish an executive presidency for himself in time for elections due next year.

Erdogan said the AK Party would take its proposals for an amended constitution directly to parliament if no agreement had been reached by the end of March.

"We are hoping that this matter will be finalized by the end of March ... If it is not completed, the AK Party will bring its work on this to parliament's agenda," he told a meeting of his ruling party deputies in parliament.

Approval of constitutional amendments require two-thirds support in the 550-seat assembly, or 367 votes, which the AK Party, which controls 326 seats, may struggle to achieve.

It would need only 60 percent, or 330 votes, for the bill to be put to a referendum, however.

"When we have the power to hold a referendum, we will go to the nation," Erdogan said.

Politicians from all Turkey's main parties agree Turkey's current constitution, drawn up after a 1980 coup, needs to be revised. But the opposition fears the reforms the AK Party wants will hand Erdogan too much power.

The clock is ticking. Local elections are due in March 2014, followed by a presidential vote a few months later and a parliamentary election in 2015.

In a long-awaited cabinet reshuffle ahead of that election cycle, Erdogan replaced his interior, tourism, health, and education ministers with close allies last week.

(Reporting by Gulsen Solaker; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Nick Tattersall and Sonya Hepinstall)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/erdogan-says-seek-referendum-turkey-constitution-no-deal-172217886.html

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Immigration reform seen boosting US economic growth

2 hrs.

Edward Krudy

The sluggish U.S. economy could get a lift if President Barack Obama and a bipartisan group of senators succeed in what could be the biggest overhaul of the nation's immigration system since the 1980s.?

Relaxed immigration rules could encourage entrepreneurship, increase demand for housing, raise tax revenues and help reduce the budget deficit, economists said.?

By helping more immigrants enter the country legally and allowing many illegal immigrants to remain, the United States could help offset a slowing birth rate and put itself in a stronger demographic position than aging Europe, Japan and China.?

"Numerous industries in the United States can't find the workers they need, right now even in a bad economy, to fill their orders and expand their production as the market demands," said Alex Nowrasteh, an immigration specialist at the libertarian Cato Institute.?

The emerging consensus among economists is that immigration provides a net benefit. It increases demand and productivity, helps drive innovation and lowers prices, although there is little agreement on the size of the impact on economic growth.?

First Thoughts: Obama to embrace Senate immigration deal

President Barack Obama plans to launch his second-term push for a U.S. immigration overhaul during a visit to Nevada on Tuesday and will make it a high priority to win congressional approval of a reform package this year, the White House said.?

The chances of major reforms gained momentum on Monday when a bipartisan group of senators agreed on a framework that could eventually give 11 million illegal immigrants a chance to become American citizens.?

Their proposals would also include means to keep and attract workers with backgrounds in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. This would be aimed both at foreign students attending American universities where they are earning advanced degrees and high-tech workers abroad.?

An estimated 40 percent of scientists in the United States are immigrants and studies show immigrants are twice as likely to start businesses, said Nowrasteh.?

Boosting legal migration and legalizing existing workers could add $1.5 trillion to the U.S. economy over the next 10 years, estimates Raul Hinojosa-Ojeda, a specialist in immigration policy at the University of California, Los Angeles. That's an annual increase of 0.8 percentage points to the economic growth rate, currently stuck at about 2 percent.?

GOP's?Hispanic?push
Other economists say the potential benefit to growth is much lower. Richard Freeman, an economist at Harvard, believes most of the benefits to the economy from illegal immigrants already in the United States has already been recorded and legalizing their status would produce only incremental benefits.?

While opposition to reform lingers on both sides of the political spectrum and any controversial legislation can easily meet a quick end in a divided Washington, the chances of substantial change seem to be rising. Top Republicans such as Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana are not mincing words about the party's need to appeal to the Hispanic community and foreign-born voters who were turned off by Republican candidate Mitt Romney's tough talk in last year's presidential campaign.?

A previous Obama plan, unveiled in May 2011, included the creation of a guest-worker program to meet agricultural labor needs and something similar is expected to be in his new proposal.?

The senators also indicated they would support a limited program that would allow companies in certain sectors to import guest workers if Americans were not available to fill some positions.?

An additional boost to growth could come from rising wages for newly legalized workers and higher productivity from the arrival of more highly skilled workers from abroad. Increased tax revenues would help federal and state authorities plug budget deficits although the benefit to government revenues will be at least partially offset by the payment of benefits to those who gain legal status.?

In 2007, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that proposed immigration reform in that year would have generated $48 billion in revenue from 2008 to 2017, while costing $23 billion in health and welfare payments.?

There is also unlikely to be much of a saving on enforcement from the senators' plan because they envisage tougher border security to prevent further illegal immigration and a crackdown on those overstaying visas.?

One way to bump up revenue, according to a report co-authored by University of California, Davis economist Giovanni Peri, would be to institute a cap-and-trade visa system. Peri estimated it could generate up to $1.2 billion annually.?

Under such a system, the government would auction a certain number of visas employers could trade in a secondary market.?

"A more efficient, more transparent and more flexible immigration system would help firms expand, contribute to more job creation in the United States, and slow the movement of operations abroad," according to a draft report, soon to be published as part of a study by the Hamilton Project, a think tank.?

There was no immediate sign that either the Obama or the senators' plan would include such a system.?

The long-term argument for immigration is a demographic one. Many developed nations are seeing their populations age, adding to the burden of pension and healthcare costs on wage-earners.?

Immigration in the United States would need to double to keep the working-age population stable at its current 67 percent of total population, according to George Magnus, a senior independent economic adviser at UBS in London,?

While Magnus says a change of that magnitude may prove too politically sensitive, the focus should be on attracting highly skilled and entrepreneurial immigrants in the way Canada and Australia do by operating a points system for immigrants rather than focusing mainly on family connections.?

"The trick is to shift the balance of migration towards those with education (and) skills," he added.?

Hard?road
Academics at major universities such as Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology often lament that many of their top foreign graduates end up returning to their home countries because visas are hard to get.?

"We have so much talent that is sitting here in the universities," said William Kerr, a professor at Harvard Business School. "I find it very difficult to swallow that we then make it so hard for them to stay."?

The last big amnesty for illegal immigrants was in 1986 when President Ronald Reagan legalized about 3 million already in the country. Numerous studies have shown that subsequently their wages rose significantly.?

Research on how immigration affects overall wages is inconclusive. George Borjas at Harvard says immigration has created a small net decrease in overall wages for those born in the United States, concentrated among the low-skilled, while Giovani Peri at UC Davis found that immigration boosts native wages over the long run.?

Hinojosa-Ojeda stresses that any reform needs to make it easier for guest workers to enter the country to avoid a new build-up of illegal workers.?

"If we don't create a mechanism that can basically bring in 300,000 to 400,000 new workers a year into a variety of labor markets and needs, we could be setting ourselves up for that again," said Hinojosa-Ojeda.?

Nowrasteh at Cato also believes an expanded guest worker program would stem illegal immigration and allow industries to overcome labor shortages.?

He found that harsher regulations in recent years in Arizona were adversely affecting agricultural production, increasing financial burdens on business and even negatively impacting the state's struggling real estate market.?

Some large companies have fallen foul of tougher enforcement regulations.?

Restaurant chain Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc fired roughly 500 staff in 2010 and 2011 after undocumented workers were found on its payrolls. Putting the chill on other employers, it is now subject of an ongoing federal criminal investigation into its hiring.?

"The current system doesn't seem to work for anyone," Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold said.?

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/economywatch/immigration-reform-seen-boosting-us-economic-growth-1C8159298

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TDRI calls for rise in overall productivity - The Nation

Home ? business ? TDRI calls for rise in overall productivity

MINIMUM WAGE RISE

THE NATION January 30, 2013 1:00 am

The researcher's economic model shows that if total productivity rose by only 0.612 per cent, gross domestic product would not be affected by the wage increase. Other negative impacts on public and private consumption would also be mitigated. To achieve this, business operators should be encouraged to increase the efficiency of their entire operations - machinery, labour, transport and logistics, and information technology.

"Increasing labour productivity is harder than enhancing overall productivity. Thus policy-makers should focus more on overall productivity," Chettha said in the research.

His model produces three scenarios for impacts from the wage increase. The figures above are from Scenario 2.

Under Scenario 1 - when wages rise without any increase in productivity in any area - GDP could be shaved by 2.6 per cent. Private consumption, investment and export would shrink by 2.5 per cent, while public consumption would drop 4 per cent. Employment of unskilled labour may drop by 14 per cent, affecting about 1 million workers.

The export sector would suffer from a 2.35-per-cent drop in sales, particularly those in the textile, garment, leatherware and furniture industries. The model shows that the export of high-technology products such as automobiles, electrical goods and machinery would also drop, but on a slight scale.

In the third scenario - with increases in both wages and labour productivity - workers' output in all manufacturing sectors would have to be increased by 8.4 per cent to avoid any negative repercussions on the economy.

His model shows that the higher wage will increase the income of labourers by 11.24 per cent on average, with particularly unskilled workers benefiting the most.

The wage increase, implemented in seven key provinces last April, came into effect in the remaining 70 provinces on January 1 and led to complaints, particularly from small and medium-sized enterprises.

To address the negative impacts on business operators, the Cabinet yesterday approved the establishment of a committee to study and provide relief measures for SMEs and approved a cut in employers' contribution to the Social Security Fund from 1.5 per cent of salary to 0.5 per cent for a one-year period.

Prime Minister's Office spokesman Tossaporn Serirak said that under a proposal by the National Economic and Social Development Board, the committee would also be in charge of measures to mitigate impacts from such other factors as the euro-zone crisis and appreciation of the baht.

With 30 members, the committee will be chaired by PM's Office Minister Nivatthamrong Boonsongpaisal, with Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong as an adviser. Other members will represent state agencies and banks.

If the committee decides to help businesses cope with the new minimum wage with financial aid, this would come from the central government budget until their productivity is raised and they are able to get bank loans. Solutions could be business restructuring, expansion of marketing channels and lower production costs.

Industry Minister Prasert Boonchaisuk said his ministry was preparing measures to help small and medium-sized enterprises hurt by the wage increase. They include an industry clinic to advise SMEs and a subsidy of about 3 per cent for the first year of loans needed to improve their cash flow.

The ministry will also set up a tax-incentive programme for machinery upgrades.

The budget for the measures will be about Bt2 billion. If that proves not to be enough, the Cabinet will be asked for more, Prasert said.

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Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/TDRI-calls-for-rise-in-overall-productivity-30198997.html

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Stable fisher population found in the Southern Sierra Nevada

Jan. 28, 2013 ? After experiencing years of population decline on the West Coast, a recent study examining fisher populations found that -- at least in the southern Sierra Nevada -- the animal's numbers appear to be stable.

Scientists from the U.S. Forest Service's Pacific Southwest Research Station (PSW) and the Pacific Southwest Region collaborated to monitor the distribution of fishers across a 7,606-square-mile area in the southern Sierra Nevada. They used baited track-plate stations -- an enclosure where the fisher leaves a sooted track print as it walks through -- at 223 locations across three national forests. Over an eight-year period, from 2002-2009, they found that the fisher population in the southern Sierra Nevada neither increased nor decreased.

The findings are relatively good news for the cat-sized relative of the weasel family. The forest-dwelling fisher (Martes pennanti) once lived throughout most of the mountains in northern California and the Sierra Nevada, and in the Rocky Mountains, Cascades and Coast ranges. But many populations were eliminated or declined due to commercial trapping and clear-cut timber harvesting. Fishers have been reintroduced at a few locations in the western U.S., but only two native populations -- both centered in California -- remain. The small population of fishers in the southern Sierra has been estimated, by other methods, to be approximately 250 individuals.

"This study is encouraging in that it demonstrates that we can monitor a fisher population over a large area, with simple methods," said Bill Zielinski, a PSW research ecologist who coordinated the analysis of the research data. "It is also encouraging that we did not discover a decreasing trend in the population, but eight years is a relatively short period."

Zielinski noted that given the short time period of this study, the effects of Forest Service management actions to protect fishers and their habitat cannot yet be fully assessed. Further study, over a longer time period is necessary to fully understand the efficacy of these conservation measures. Other factors unrelated to habitat, including road kill and the illegal use of rodenticides which poison the fishers, must also be considered when evaluating the population.

"We hope that we can continue to monitor the fisher, so that we can witness an increase in the population as public and private groups collaborate to institute measures to protect them from various threats," he said.

PSW statistician James Baldwin, along with collaborators Richard Truex, Jody Tucker and Patricia Flebbe from the Pacific Southwest Region, contributed to the study.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by USDA Forest Service - Pacific Southwest Research Station.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. William J. Zielinski, James A. Baldwin, Richard L. Truex, Jody M. Tucker, Patricia A. Flebbe. Estimating Trend in Occupancy for the Southern Sierra Fisher Martes pennanti Population. Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management, 2012; : 130110154719009 DOI: 10.3996/012012-JFWM-002

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Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/kxocHOOcXWQ/130128191230.htm

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Neuroscientists pinpoint location of fear memory in amygdala

Jan. 27, 2013 ? A rustle of undergrowth in the outback: it's a sound that might make an animal or person stop sharply and be still, in the anticipation of a predator. That "freezing" is part of the fear response, a reaction to a stimulus in the environment and part of the brain's determination of whether to be afraid of it.

A neuroscience group at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) led by Assistant Professor Bo Li Ph.D., together with collaborator Professor Z. Josh Huang Ph.D., have just released the results of a new study that examines the how fear responses are learned, controlled, and memorized. They show that a particular class of neurons in a subdivision of the amygdala plays an active role in these processes.

Locating fear memory in the amygdala

Previous research had indicated that structures inside the amygdalae, a pair of almond-shaped formations that sit deep within the brain and are known to be involved in emotion and reward-based behavior, may be part of the circuit that controls fear learning and memory. In particular, a region called the central amygdala, or CeA, was thought to be a passive relay for the signals relayed within this circuit.

Li's lab became interested when they observed that neurons in a region of the central amygdala called the lateral subdivision, or CeL, "lit up" in a particular strain of mice while studying this circuit.

"Neuroscientists believed that changes in the strength of the connections onto neurons in the central amygdala must occur for fear memory to be encoded," Li says, "but nobody had been able to actually show this."

This led the team to further probe into the role of these neurons in fear responses and furthermore to ask the question: If the central amygdala stores fear memory, how is that memory trace read out and translated into fear responses?

To examine the behavior of mice undergoing a fear test the team first trained them to respond in a Pavlovian manner to an auditory cue. The mice began to "freeze," a very common fear response, whenever they heard one of the sounds they had been trained to fear.

To study the particular neurons involved, and to understand them in relation to the fear-inducing auditory cue, the CSHL team used a variety of methods. One of these involved delivering a gene that encodes for a light-sensitive protein into the particular neurons Li's group wanted to look at.

By implanting a very thin fiber-optic cable directly into the area containing the photosensitive neurons, the team was able to shine colored laser light with pinpoint accuracy onto the cells, and in this manner activate them. This is a technique known as optogenetics. Any changes in the behavior of the mice in response to the laser were then monitored.

A subset of neurons in the central amygdala controls fear expression

The ability to probe genetically defined groups of neurons was vital because there are two sets of neurons important in fear-learning and memory processes. The difference between them, the team learned, was in their release of message-carrying neurotransmitters into the spaces called synapses between neurons. In one subset of neurons, neurotransmitter release was enhanced; in another it was diminished. If measurements had been taken across the total cell population in the central amygdala, neurotransmitter levels from these two distinct sets of neurons would have been averaged out, and thus would not have been detected.

Li's group found that fear conditioning induced experience-dependent changes in the release of neurotransmitters in excitatory synapses that connect with inhibitory neurons -- neurons that suppress the activity of other neurons -- in the central amygdala. These changes in the strength of neuronal connections are known as synaptic plasticity.

Particularly important in this process, the team discovered, were somatostatin-positive (SOM+) neurons. Somatostatin is a hormone that affects neurotransmitter release. Li and colleagues found that fear-memory formation was impaired when they prevent the activation of SOM+ neurons.

SOM+ neurons are necessary for recall of fear memories, the team also found. Indeed, the activity of these neurons alone proved sufficient to drive fear responses. Thus, instead of being a passive relay for the signals driving fear learning and responses in mice, the team's work demonstrates that the central amygdala is an active component, and is driven by input from the lateral amygdala, to which it is connected.

"We find that the fear memory in the central amygdala can modify the circuit in a way that translates into action -- or what we call the fear response," explains Li.

In the future Li's group will try to obtain a better understanding of how these processes may be altered in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other disorders involving abnormal fear learning. One important goal is to develop pharmacological interventions for such disorders.

Li says more research is needed, but is hopeful that with the discovery of specific cellular markers and techniques such as optogenetics, a breakthrough can be made.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

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Journal Reference:

1. Haohong Li, Mario A Penzo, Hiroki Taniguchi, Charles D Kopec, Z Josh Huang, Bo Li. Experience-dependent modification of a central amygdala fear circuit. Nature Neuroscience, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/nn.3322

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/lxzF37HaE7w/130128104739.htm

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Slow-release 'jelly' delivers drugs better

Jan. 28, 2013 ? Duke University biomedical engineers have developed a new delivery system that overcomes the shortcomings of a promising class of peptide drugs -- very small proteins -- for treating diseases such as diabetes and cancer.

There are more than 40 peptide drugs approved for use in humans and more than 650 are being tested in clinical studies. One example is the hormone insulin, a peptide that regulates the metabolism of carbohydrates in the body and is used as a drug to treat diabetes.

Despite their effectiveness, peptide drugs cannot achieve their full potential for a number of reasons. They are rapidly degraded in the blood stream and they are cleared rapidly from the body, which requires multiple, frequent injections. Because of this, peptide concentrations in the blood can rise precipitously just after injection and fall dramatically soon thereafter, causing unwanted side effects for patients.

One popular method to solve this problem involves loading peptide drugs into polymer microspheres that are injected under the skin and slowly degrade to release the peptide drug. Microsphere-release technology has proven useful, but has many issues related to its manufacture and ease of patient use, the researchers said.

"We wanted to know if we could create a system that does what the polymer microspheres do, but gets rid of the microspheres and is more patient-friendly," said Ashutosh Chilkoti, Theo Pilkington professor of biomedical engineering in Duke's Pratt School of Engineering.

The new approach involves making a "fusion protein" that consists of multiple copies of a peptide drug fused to a polymer which is sensitive to body heat. The fusion molecule is a liquid in a syringe but transforms into a "jelly" when injected under the skin. Enzymes in the skin then attack the injected drug depot and liberate copies of the peptide, providing a constant and controllable release of the drug over time.

Miriam Amiram, former Chilkoti graduate student and first author on the paper, dubbed the new delivery system POD, for protease-operated depot.

In the latest experiments, published on-line in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers fused glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a hormone that regulates the release of insulin, with a genetically engineered heat-sensitive polymer to create the POD.

"Remarkably, a single injection of the GLP-1 POD was able to reduce blood glucose levels in mice for up to five days, which is 120 times longer than an injection of the peptide alone," Chilkoti said. "For a patient with type 2 diabetes, it would be much more desirable to inject such a drug once a week or once a month rather than once or twice a day.

"Additionally, this approach avoids the peaks and valleys of drug concentrations that these patients often experience," Chilkoti said.

Unlike peptide-loaded microspheres, PODs are also easy to manufacture, because the peptide drug and the heat-sensitive polymer are all made of amino acids. They can be built as one long stretch of amino acids by engineered bacteria.

"This new delivery system provides the first entirely genetically encoded alternative to peptide drug encapsulation for sustained delivery of peptide drugs," Chilkoti said.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Duke University, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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Journal Reference:

1. Miriam Amiram, Kelli M. Luginbuhl, Xinghai Li, Mark N. Feinglos, and Ashutosh Chilkoti. Injectable protease-operated depots of glucagon-like peptide-1 provide extended and tunable glucose control. PNAS, January 28, 2013 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1214518110

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/ClVrXej8tIo/130128151919.htm

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TARP Pay Czar Patricia Geoghegan Permitted Excessive Executive Pay At Bailed-Out Companies: Report

Top executives at three major companies that received taxpayer-financed bailouts received excessively generous pay packages last year, in an apparent violation of Treasury guidelines aimed at restricting their compensation, a government watchdog asserted in a report Monday.

The Office of the Special Inspector General for the Trouble Asset Relief Program -- which keeps tabs on taxpayer bailouts -- singled out for blame ?pay czar? Patricia Geoghegan, the Treasury official tasked with reining in excessive pay increases for executives at bailed-out companies.

The SIGTARP report directly questioned Geoghegan's judgment in ignoring directives set by her predecessor as well as recommendations from a previous report, saying she accepted companies' own justifications for high executive pay. She ?is effectively relinquishing some of [her office]?s authority to the companies, which have their own best interests in mind,? the report said.

In a letter sent to the agency in response to the report, Geoghegan said that her office was ?not aware of any facts that support ... an assertion? that companies had misused taxpayer dollars to give executives fat paydays. Her office declined a request for further comment from The Huffington Post.

The Office of the Special Master for TARP Executive Compensation, which Geoghegan has led since 2011, has been troubled since its founding in 2009 as part of the law authorizing the Treasury to disburse up to $700 billion to save a select group of automakers and financial companies.

Kenneth Feinberg, who preceded Geoghegan at the post, noted the pay czar was ?under the constraint that his most important goal was to get the companies to repay and exit TARP" -- and often those companies argued limiting executive pay would lead to desertion, delaying the turn-around process. Throughout its tenure, Geoghegan said in her letter, ?OSM has sought the appropriate balance between these sometimes competing considerations in making all our determinations.?

But the SIGTARP report accuses the agency of tilting more toward the interests of bailout recipients and chides Geoghegan for accepting at face value the notion that executives should be highly paid. One section details Geoghegan's response when asked to justify having allowed nearly one-third of all executives under her office?s purview to draw salaries over $500,000 in 2012. According to the report, she ?told SIGTARP that it would be ?utterly normal?? for executives ?to expect over $500,000 in cash salary.?

Geoghegan is also taken to task for uncritically approving virtually all pay raises under her control.

Executives, the report contends, got pay bumps in 2012 for leading their bailed-out companies in profitable directions. But they also got raises when their units performed poorly: An executive at Ally?s residential mortgage unit saw his paycheck rise in 2012 even though Treasury knew that division of the bank was about to file for bankruptcy. The executive, Treasury said, was deemed ?critical to successful restructuring.?

Another executive, at GM, saw a $50,000 pay increase not because of good performance, Geoghegan is quoted in the report as saying, but because ?GM wanted to retain the employee and ?do a little extra for him.'"

At AIG, which had by far the best remunerated executives of the three companies in 2012, the top 25 earners made nearly $108 million combined. CEO Robert Benmosche?s pay was $10.5 million. (AIG repaid its government loans in late 2012 and is no longer under Treasury oversight.)

?When AIG was subject to TARP restrictions, AIG worked closely with the Special Master to make sure we paid our employees market-based compensation, including appropriate amounts of incentive pay, under a rigorous review process that will continue into the future,? Jon Diat, a spokesman for AIG, said in a statement.

The SIGTARP report questions that assessment, however, noting an AIG employee argued that he should be paid completely in cash since the company (and any stock-based compensation) would be worthless if he left. While the employee involved in that argument is not named in the report, public statements made by Benmosche late last year expressed precisely that view.

AIG was not the only company to fight the Treasury when the agency did put limits on executive pay. According to the report, the CEO of General Motors went straight to Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner at some point in 2012 to ask that his company no longer be subject to the restrictions imposed by the pay czar. Geithner declined to entertain the request.

"General Motors is performing at its highest levels in years with a string of 11 profitable quarters and soon will have one of the industry?s newest product lineups, while complying with all TARP restrictions," General Motors spokesman Dave Roman said in a statement responding to the report.

The bailed-out companies' insistence on high executive pay, the report notes, shows they ?continue to lack an appreciation for their extraordinary situations and fail to view themselves through the lenses of companies substantially owned by the U.S. Government."

However, the report makes explicit its view that corporations looking out for their interests are not at the root of the problem. Instead, it lays the blame squarely on the Treasury department?s willingness to allow excessive compensation to go unabated.

In a section that discusses what SIGTARP sees as a failure to hold executives under the $500,000 cash salary mark, for example, the report notes Geoghegan saw that limit as a ?discretionary guideline? and ?appears to have no desire to dig into a company?s justification" for such compensation.

?If the pay czar is not even willing to independently analyze high cash salaries,? the report asks, ?who else will protect taxpayers??

Also on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/28/tarp-pay-czar-executive-pay_n_2569328.html

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Randy Travis to enter drunken-driving plea

SHERMAN, Texas (AP) ? Country music star Randy Travis is expected to enter a guilty plea this week in a drunken-driving case in North Texas, where he was arrested over the summer naked after crashing his Pontiac Trans Am.

Details of the plea agreement will be released following Travis' court appearance Thursday in Sherman, Grayson County District Attorney Joe Brown said Monday. He said the singer will plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge that is punishable by up to two years in jail and a $4,000 fine.

His defense attorney, John Nix, said a sentence of probation is expected and that Travis is "looking forward to putting this behind him and moving on."

Authorities have said a Trans Am registered to the 53-year-old singer veered off a roadway near Tioga, a town about 60 miles north of Dallas where the entertainer lives, and struck several barricades in a construction zone the night of Aug. 7. Investigators said Travis was found naked and combative at the scene, and his blood-alcohol level was more than 0.15. The legal limit for driving is 0.08.

He walked out of jail the next morning wearing scrubs, no shoes and a University of Texas baseball cap.

Travis also had faced a charge of retaliation for allegedly threatening officers, but that charge is no longer on file with the court.

Travis' lawyers have previously said the singer has a great deal of respect for law enforcement and has stopped drinking alcohol.

The August accident was among a string of recent run-ins with the law for Travis.

Police in suburban Dallas cited Travis following an Aug. 23 incident in a church parking lot in which he allegedly intervened in an argument involving a woman he knows and her estranged husband. Nobody was hurt. He pleaded not guilty to simple assault in that matter and has a jury trial scheduled for March.

Travis also was arrested last February in Denton County, northwest of Dallas, for public intoxication. That case is no longer on file with the county court and appears to have been dismissed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/randy-travis-enter-drunken-driving-plea-201841055.html

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Stocks approaching 2007 record highs

23 hrs.

Reuters

NEW YORK?- U.S. stocks have been on a tear in January, moving major indexes within striking distance of all-time highs. The bearish case is a difficult one to make right now.

Earnings have exceeded expectations, the housing and labor markets have strengthened, lawmakers in Washington no longer seem to be the roadblock that they were for most of 2012, and money has returned to stock funds again.

The Standard & Poor's 500 Index has gained 5 percent this year - climbing to the spot where Wall Street strategists expected it to be by mid-year. The Dow Jones industrial average is less than 3 percent away from all-time highs reached in October 2007.

"Once we break above a resistance level at 1,510, we dramatically increase the probability that we break the highs of 2007," said Walter Zimmermann, technical analyst at United-ICAP, in Jersey City, N.J. "That may be the start of a rise that could take equities near 1,800 within the next few years."

The most recent Reuters poll of Wall Street strategists estimated the benchmark index would rise to 1,550 by year-end, a target that is less than 4 percent away from current levels. That would put the S&P 500 a stone's throw from the index's all-time intraday high of 1,576.09 reached on Oct. 11, 2007.

The new year has brought a sharp increase in flows into U.S. equity mutual funds, and that has helped stocks rack up four straight weeks of gains, with strength in big- and small-caps alike.

That's not to say there aren't concerns. Economic growth has been steady, but not as strong as many had hoped. The household unemployment rate remains high at 7.8 percent. And more than 75 percent of the stocks in the S&P 500 are above their 26-week highs, suggesting the buying has come too far, too fast.

All 10 S&P 500 industry sectors are higher in 2013, in part because of new money flowing into equity funds. Investors in U.S.-based funds committed $3.66 billion to stock mutual funds in the latest week, the third straight week of big gains for the funds, data from Thomson Reuters' Lipper service showed on Thursday.

Energy shares led the way with a gain of 6.6 percent, followed by industrials, up 6.3 percent. Telecom, a defensive play that underperforms in periods of growth, is the weakest sector - up 0.1 percent for the year.

More than 250 stocks hit new highs on Friday alone on the New York Stock Exchange. The Dow Jones Transportation Average recently climbed to an all-time high, with stocks in this sector and other economic bellwethers posting strong gains almost daily.

"If you peel back the onion a little bit, you start to look at companies like Precision Castparts, Honeywell , 3M Co and Illinois Tool Works - these are big, broad-based industrial companies in the U.S. and they are all hitting new highs, and doing very well. That is the real story," said Mike Binger, portfolio manager at Gradient Investments, in Shoreview, Minn.

The gains have run across asset sizes as well. The S&P small-cap index has jumped 6.1 percent and the S&P mid-cap index has shot up 6.8 percent so far this year.

Exchange-traded funds have seen year-to-date inflows of $15.6 billion, with fairly even flows across the small-, mid- and large-cap categories, according to Nicholas Colas, chief market strategist at the ConvergEx Group, in New York.

"Investors aren't really differentiating among asset sizes. They just want broad equity exposure," Colas said.

The market has shown resilience to weak news. On Thursday, the S&P 500 held steady despite a 12 percent slide in shares of Apple after the iPhone and iPad maker's results. The tech giant is heavily weighted in both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 and in the past, its drop has suffocated stocks' broader gains.

In the last few days, the ratio of stocks hitting new highs versus those hitting new lows on a daily basis has started to diminish - a potential sign that the rally is narrowing to fewer names - and could be running out of gas.

Investors have also cited sentiment surveys that indicate high levels of bullishness among newsletter writers, a contrarian indicator, and momentum indicators are starting to also suggest the rally has perhaps come too far.

The market's resilience could be tested next week with the release of the January non-farm payrolls report. About 155,000 jobs are seen being added in the month and the unemployment rate is expected to hold steady at 7.8 percent.

"Staying over 1,500 sends up a flag of profit taking," said Jerry Harris, president of asset management at Sterne Agee, in Birmingham, Ala. "Since recent jobless claims have made us optimistic on payrolls, if that doesn't come through, it will be a real risk to the rally."

A number of marquee names will report earnings next week, including bellwether companies such as Caterpillar Inc, Amazon.com Inc, Ford Motor Co and Pfizer Inc .

On a historic basis, valuations remain relatively low - the S&P 500's current price-to-earnings ratio sits at 15.66, which is just a tad above the historic level of 15.

Worries about the U.S. stock market's recent strength do not mean the market is in a bubble. Investors clearly don't feel that way at the moment.

"We're seeing more interest in equities overall, and a lot of flows from bonds into stocks," said Paul Zemsky, who helps oversee $445 billion as the New York-based head of asset allocation at ING Investment Management. "We've been increasing our exposure to risky assets."

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/bears-hibernation-u-s-stocks-near-record-highs-1C8133666

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Comments - Jackie Damp Health & Fitness

Still no working out, other than walking the dog periodically.? I?m still sore too so I am okay waiting another couple of weeks!? However, nursing and carrying around a baby is quite a workout!!? There will be some warmer days this week so hoping to get the baby and dog out for a walk for some fresh air.

Monday

• M1: Shakeology
• M2: Protein pancake
• M3: Quiche
• M4: Greek yogurt with granola, fruit
• M5: Dinner with friends

Tuesday

• M1: Shakeology
• M2: Protein pancake
• M3: quiche
• M4: lara bar, hardboiled egg, fruit
• M5: Chicken cacciatore

Wednesday

• M1: Shakeology
• M2: Egg whites and turkey sausage & ezhekiel raisin bread
• M3: Quinoa fried rice
• M4: Vita muffin, hardboiled egg, fruit
• M5: Chicken cacciatore

Thursday

• M1: Shakeology
• M2: Steel cut oats with brown sugar and cinammon, hardboiled egg
• M3: Quinoa fried rice
• M4: Lara bar & Fruit
• M5: Meatloaf

Friday

• M1: Shakeology
• M2: Steel cut oats with brown sugar and cinammon and apple
• M3: Egg salad sandwich, baby carrots
• M4: Vita muffin, greek yogurt
• M5: meatloaf and veggies

Saturday

• M1: Shakeology
• M2: Multigrain pancakes
• M3: Baked potato w/ turkey bacon & 2% cheddar, salad
• M4: Frozen yogurt
• M5: Chicken Crescent sandwiches

Sunday

Source: http://www.jackiedampfitness.com/?p=579

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Gambling that their Meadowlands casino predictions come true ...

Friday?s topping-off ceremony at the Meadowlands Sports Complex was mainly about the new racetrack grandstand that will open in November.

But another sort of gambling was on the minds of most there, including track operator Jeff Gural, who said, ?Someday a casino will be here, I hope.?

Two elected officials, meanwhile, immortalized their sentiments on the final beam that was about to be put into place, as recorded by our photographer Marko Georgiev:

full-size link is here.

?Let?s have casinos,? wrote Assemblyman Ralph Caputo, D-Essex.

?I will be back for the casino steel erection!? wrote state Sen. Paul Sarlo, D-Wood-Ridge.

Both men have consistently pushed in Trenton for a Meadowlands casino, though they have been rebuffed so far by fellow Democrat and state Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester ? who also attended the ceremony ? as well as Governor Christie.

?

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Source: http://blog.northjersey.com/meadowlandsmatters/4813/gambling-that-their-meadowlands-casino-predictions-come-true/

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Primary Home refinanced October, Buying new home now. Cant get ...

Did you sign something on the refinance stating that you intended to occupy the property as a primary residence?
If so, then you committed fraud.... because you never had those intentions.

Your penalty for committing loan fraud, a federal crime, is to pay higher rates and put money down.

Also, I would think that most reputable lenders wouldn't touch your deal with a 10 foot pole. No one wants to risk their license for one shady loan.

I recently had a guy commit fraud on a loan application. Hid a debt from us... we found it.
I dropped him like a hot potato.

Source: http://www.zillow.com/advice-thread/Primary-Home-refinanced-October-Buying-new-home-now-Cant-get-another-primary-loan/475964/

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What will Michelle Obama do with 4 more years? (The Arizona Republic)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/279701353?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Allen ready for his return to Boston _ with Heat

Detroit Pistons guard Kim English, right, and Miami Heat guard Ray Allen dive for a loose ball during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Jan. 25, 2013, in Miami. The Heat defeated the Pistons 110-88. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Detroit Pistons guard Kim English, right, and Miami Heat guard Ray Allen dive for a loose ball during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Jan. 25, 2013, in Miami. The Heat defeated the Pistons 110-88. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

MIAMI (AP) ? Ray Allen has played in Boston as an opponent 15 times before. He knows what it's like to play under the fabled Celtics banners, knows exactly how the crowd treats visiting players.

His 16th appearance there as a visitor will be substantially different.

Not only will his trip there Sunday be his first as a former Celtic, but it will come with him donning the colors of perhaps the team's biggest rival these days, the reigning NBA champion Miami Heat, the club that has ousted Boston from the playoffs in each of the last two seasons.

And make no mistake, Allen has been getting ready for everything that will accompany this trip for quite a while.

"I've thought about it," Allen said. "I think more about who, family-wise, is going, who can go and sorting the whole protocol out. I don't know what to expect from their side. But it's an interesting concept because I've always gotten a warm welcome, even before I started playing there. I just want to win. Everything else will take care of itself."

When he played there as an opponent in the past, Allen typically got warm receptions. He starred at Connecticut and has deep roots in New England, and those two things go a long way in generating respect from the Boston fan base.

Then he joined the Celtics in the summer of 2007. A year later, he helped them win a championship. He bled green.

Now, not so much.

So on a Sunday afternoon before a national television audience, the big story won't be the return of the Heat to the site of their season-saving Game 6 win in the Eastern Conference finals last year, or the first trip back to Boston for LeBron James since his epic 45-point virtuoso performance in that game, or even the memory of how Celtics fans cheered wildly for the last few minutes of that blowout loss as a "thank you" to their team.

"It's going to be all about Ray," Heat forward Chris Bosh said. "Celtic fans, they're very fixated on the rivalry and 'How could you do that?' They're very passionate."

Allen's relationship with the Celtics broke down in some respects last season, and when the Heat made him an offer last summer, he eventually accepted ? knowing it would raise the ire of those back in Boston.

When the Celtics visited the Heat on opening night this season, the proof of the frosty relationships was there. Former teammates, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce especially, seemed to want nothing to do with Allen. As Allen checked into the game, his first official appearance as a Miami player, he approached Celtics coach Doc Rivers and got a warm embrace.

It's anyone's guess what the scene will be when he checks in Sunday.

"I'll savor it, going back and seeing the people you spent so much time with," Allen said. "But if you're going into a situation thinking about negative perceptions or behavior that's unbecoming of good sportsmanship, then you just want to get it over with, win the game and get out of there. I don't want it to distract these guys from everybody doing their job and being ready to play."

The bigger concern for both sides will likely be the way each club is playing of late.

Miami has won four straight games, hanging on to the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Boston has dropped six straight, and its hold on the No. 8 ? and final ? playoff spot in the East race is weakening.

Dwyane Wade doesn't think the teams' opposite trajectories will matter much. The way he sees it, when Boston plays Miami, everything gets amped up several notches.

"There's a lot of stories, but you can throw records out the window when we play Boston," Wade said. "It's significant because we have Ray Allen and it's his first time back, but we're going on the road and we want to play well and it's a tough place to play."

The Heat have been through these former-star-returns-to-old-home games before ? most notably when James went back to Cleveland for the first time after he decided to sign with Miami.

After that scene, the Heat say they're prepared for anything Boston can offer.

"They're not going to cheer him, but it's not going to be like that," Wade said. "Not even close."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-01-26-BKN-Heat-Allen's-Return/id-a0d134b761474a3cb1f500c1bc4529cb

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Man Petitions For Nationwide Ban on Cats

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/01/man-petitions-for-nationwide-ban-on-cats/

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Revolutionary theory of dark matter

Jan. 24, 2013 ? The universe abounds with dark matter. Nobody knows what it consists of. University of Oslo physicists have now come up with a mathematical explanation that could solve the mystery once and for all.

Astrophysicists have known for the last 80 years that most of the universe consists of an unknown, dark matter. The solution to the mystery may now be just around the corner.

"We are looking for a new member of our particle zoo in order to explain dark matter. We know that it is a very exotic beast. And we have found a plausible explanation," reports Are Raklev, an associate professor in particle physics in the University of Oslo's Department of Physics to the research magazine Apollon. ?He is the university's leading theorist in astroparticle physics and has launched a model that explains what dark matter may consist of and how one can discover the invisible particles experimentally.

Even though dark matter is invisible, astrophysicists know it exists. Without this dark matter it is impossible to explain how the visible things in the universe hang together.

An 80-year fight

The world famous, Swiss physicist Fritz Zwicky was speculating on what dark matter might be as early as the 1930s.

Astrophysicists have calculated that 80 per cent of all the mass in the universe is dark, invisible matter. Thanks to gravity this dark matter clumps together as ordinary matter.

Dark matter can explain why stars move like they do. Dark matter may also explain the rotation speed of galaxies.

"Even though we can calculate how much dark matter there is in the universe, we still know little about what dark matter is. The particles in dark matter must either have a lot of mass, or there must be very many of them. Neutrinos meet all the requirements of dark matter. But there is one big difficulty. They have far too little mass."

Are Raklev is now trying to prove that dark matter consists of gravitinos. This is a particle that has been unfairly treated for years.

And just what are gravitinos? Hold tight: gravitinos are the supersymmetric partner of gravitons.

Or, to be even more precise:? "The gravitino is the hypothetical, supersymmetric partner of the hypothetical particle graviton, so it is also impossible to predict a more hypothetical particle than this," laughs Raklev, who writes on his web pages that he is looking for dark material both under his sofa and other places.

In order to dig deeper into why Raklev believes dark matter consists of gravitinos, and have any chance at all of understanding the theory behind gravitinos, Apollon has to take a couple of steps back:

Step 1: Supersymmetry

Physicists want to find out whether or not nature is supersymmetric. Supersymmetry means that there is a symmetry between matter and forces. For each type of electron and quark there is a corresponding heavy, supersymmetric partner. The supersymmetric particles were created in the instant after the Big Bang. If some of them have survived to today, they may be what dark matter is made of.

The supersymmetric partner of the gravitino is, as Apollon said, the graviton.

"A graviton is the particle we believe mediates gravitational force, just like a photon, the light particle, mediates electromagnetic force. While gravitons do not weigh anything at all, gravitinos may weigh a great deal. If nature is supersymmetric and gravitons exist, then gravitinos also exist. And vice versa. This is pure mathematics."

But there is a small but. Physicists cannot demonstrate the relationship between gravitons and gravitinos before they have managed to unify all the forces of nature.

Step 2: The forces of nature

One of the biggest things physicists long to do is to unify all the forces of nature in a single theory. In the middle of the last century physicists discovered that electricity and magnetism were part of the same force of nature. This force has since been called electromagnetism. Two of the other forces of nature are the strong nuclear force and the weak nuclear force. The weak nuclear force can be seen in, among things, radioactivity. The strong nuclear force is ten billion times as strong and binds together neutrons and protons.

In the 1970s, electromagnetism was unified with the strong and weak nuclear forces in what physicists call the standard model.

The fourth force of nature is gravity. Even though it is unbelievably painful to fall down stairs, gravity is the weakest of the four forces of nature.

The problem is that physicists have not yet been able to unify gravity with the three other forces of nature. The day physicists gain a unified understanding of all four forces of nature, they will gain a unique understanding of the world. This will make it possible to describe all imaginable interactions between all possible particles in nature. Physicists call this the ToE Theory (Theory of Everything).

"In order to unify gravitational force with the other three forces of nature we have to understand gravity as quantum theory. This means we need a theory in which the particle graviton is included in the atomic nucleus."

Researchers are now looking for signs of both supersymmetry and the ToE Theory. Discovering the graviton would be an enormous step in this direction.

Reveals dark matter

As the reader may have understood, it is very difficult to research dark matter. This is because dark matter has no electromagnetic relationships to terrestrial particles at all. One example of dark matter is the aforementioned neutrino. Unfortunately, neutrinos make up only an imperceptibly tiny part of dark matter.

Even though it has not been possible to observe dark matter, several billion neutrinos race through your body every second. However, their speed is somewhat limited. The particles move just as slowly as the speed the solar system moves around the galaxy. In other words, a mere 400 kilometres a second.

"When there are no electromagnetic relationships with visible particles, the particles can pass right through us without any measuring instruments detecting them. This is where supersymmetry comes in. If supersymmetry is right, physicists can explain why there is dark matter in the universe. That is what is fun about my job," laughs Raklev.

He is now asserting that dark matter mostly consists of gravitinos.

"Supersymmetry simplifies everything. If the ToE Theory exists, in other words if it is possible to unify the four forces of nature, gravitinos must exist."

The gravitinos were formed right after the Big Bang.

"A short time after the Big Bang we had a soup of particles that collided. Gluons, which are the force bearing particles in the strong nuclear force, collided with other gluons and emitted gravitinos. Many gravitinos were formed after the Big Bang, while the universe was still plasma. So we have an explanation of why gravitinos exist."

Changed life span

Physicists have up to now viewed gravitinos as a problem. They have believed that the theory of supersymmetry does not work because there are too many gravitinos.

"Physicists have therefore strived to eliminate gravitinos from their models. We, on the other hand, have found a new explanation that unifies the supersymmetry model with dark matter that consists of gravitinos. If dark matter is not stable, but just very long lived, it is possible to explain how dark matter consists of gravitinos."

In the old models dark matter was always everlasting. This meant that gravitinos were a bothersome part of the supersymmetry model. In Raklev's new model, their life span is no longer endless. Nonetheless, the average life span of gravitinos is very long and actually longer than the life span of the universe.

However, there is a big difference between an unending life span and a life span of more than 15 billion years. With limited a life span, gravitinos must be converted into other particles. It is precisely this conversion effect that can be measured. And the conversion explains the model.

"We believe that almost all dark matter is gravitinos. The explanation lies in very hard mathematics. We are developing special models that calculate the consequences of these theories and we predict how the particles can be observed in experiments."

The measurements are underway

Researchers are now trying to test this experimentally and explain why these new particles have not yet been seen in the CERN experiments in Geneva in Switzerland.

"On the other hand, it should theoretically possible to observe them from a space probe."

The simplest way of observing gravitinos could be studying what happens if two particles collide out in the universe and are converted into other particles such as photons or antimatter.

Even though the collisions occur very rarely, there is still so much dark matter in the universe that a significant number of photons should be able to be produced.

The big problem is that gravitinos do not collide.

"At least it happens so rarely that we could never hope to observe it."

Nonetheless there is hope

"Luckily for us, gravitinos are not one hundred per cent stable. They are converted into something else at some point. We can predict what the signal looks like after gravitinos have been converted. The conversion will send out a small electromagnetic wave. This is also called a gamma ray."

NASA's Fermi-LAT space probe is currently measuring gamma rays. A number of research groups are now analysing the data.

"So far we have only seen noise. But one of the research groups claim they have observed a small, suspicious surplus of gamma rays from the centre of our galaxy. Their observations may fit our models," says the man behind the very difficult mathematical model for dark matter, associate professor in theoretical particle physics, Are Raklev.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Oslo. The original article was written by Yngve Vogt.

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

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/space_time/astronomy/~3/2iHRvfSSIB0/130124091545.htm

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Super Bowl Ads: What to Watch For on Game Night!

The countdown to Super Bowl XLVII -- and the highest-priced TV commercials of the year -- has begun. When 100+ million viewers tune in to watch the San Francisco 49ers battle the Baltimore Ravens on Feb. 3 (at 6:30 p.m. ET on CBS), which car/beer/soda companies will wow them between plays?

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/super-bowl-ads-whats-store-2013/1-a-517745?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Asuper-bowl-ads-whats-store-2013-517745

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County Track and Field Championships | Annapolis Sports ...

http://annapolis.patch.com/events/county-track-and-field-championships/media_attachments/edit?upload_started=1359089273

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2084994

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Source: http://annapolis.patch.com/events/county-track-and-field-championships

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Instafocus Tries To Answer The Question ?What Happens After The Platform Rug Gets Pulled Out From Under You??

Instafocus did what many new app startups did: tried to build a business on the back of another, only slightly older and more stable, one. In this app's case, that bedrock business was Instagram, which was just testing out its wings as a broad-reaching platform with real-time developer API?access. But Instagram changed the rules of the game over Christmas, disabling its real-time API, and that meant rough waters ahead for Instafocus.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/UmchWUes0AM/

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Ohio State implants first brain pacemaker to treat Alzheimer's

Public release date: 23-Jan-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Eileen Scahill
Eileen.Scahill@osumc.edu
614-293-3737
Ohio State Wexner Medical Center

COLUMBUS, Ohio During a five-hour surgery last October at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Kathy Sanford became the first Alzheimer's patient in the United States to have a pacemaker implanted in her brain.

She is the first of up to 10 patients who will be enrolled in an FDA-approved study at Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center to determine if using a brain pacemaker can improve cognitive and behavioral functioning in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

The study employs the use of deep brain stimulation (DBS), the same technology used to successfully treat about 100,000 patients worldwide with movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease. In the study, researchers hope to determine whether DBS surgery can improve function governed by the frontal lobe and neural networks involved in cognition and behavior by stimulating certain areas of the brain with a pacemaker.

Dr. Douglas Scharre, neurologist and director of the division of cognitive neurology, and Dr. Ali Rezai, neurosurgeon and director of the neuroscience program, both at Wexner Medical Center, are conducting the study.

"If the early findings that we're seeing continue to be robust and progressive, then I think that will be very promising and encouraging for us," says Rezai, who also directs the Center for Neuromodulation at Ohio State. "But so far we are cautiously optimistic."

The deep brain stimulation implant is similar to a cardiac pacemaker device with the exception that the pacemaker wires are implanted in the brain rather than the heart.

"Basically, the pacemakers send tiny signals into the brain that regulate the abnormal activity of the brain and normalize it more," says Rezai. "Right now, from what we're seeing in our first patient, I think the results are encouraging, but this is research. We need to do more research and understand what's going on."

The study, which will enroll people with mild or early-stage Alzheimer's disease, will help determine if DBS has the potential to improve cognitive, behavioral and functional deficits.

Sanford continues to be evaluated to determine the effectiveness of the technology, says Rezai. She says she volunteered for the study to help others avoid the angst she has suffered as Alzheimer's slowly disrupted her life.

"I'm just trying to make the world a better place," says Sanford. "That's all I'm doing."

Her father, Joe Jester, says he is proud that his daughter is participating in the study, and is pleased to see her showing improvements.

"This study seemed to just give us hope," said Jester. "I guess we were at the place where you just don't do anything and watch the condition deteriorate over the years, or try to do something that would give us hope and might stop the progression of this disease."

Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of degenerative dementia, afflicting about 5.5 million Americans and costing more than $100 billion per year, ranking it the third costliest disease in terms of health care expenditures in the United States.

Alzheimer's disease which has no cure and is not easily managed becomes progressively disabling with loss of memory, cognition, worsening behavioral function, in addition to a gradual loss of independent functioning, says Scharre.

The Ohio State neurology team is nationally renowned for expertise in dementia and Alzheimer's care and research. In addition, the neuromodulation team at Ohio State are pioneers in the use of DBS to treat Parkinson's disease, as well as exploring the use of DBS for other neurological and neurobehavioral conditions. Researchers at the Neuromodulation Center are completing a study of DBS in patients with traumatic brain injuries, and have initiated a study of DBS for treating obesity.

The Alzheimer's study is scheduled to be completed in 2015.

###

BROADCAST QUALITY B-ROLL, SOUND BITES, WEB ELEMENTS & STILL PHOTOS - Including HD video available with or without names/titles is available free/unrestricted: http://bit.ly/114UlJB

Media Contact: Shannon McCormick, office: 614-932-9950 or cell: 614-477-2719 or shannon@mediasourcetv.com

---

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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.

Public release date: 23-Jan-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Eileen Scahill
Eileen.Scahill@osumc.edu
614-293-3737
Ohio State Wexner Medical Center

COLUMBUS, Ohio During a five-hour surgery last October at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Kathy Sanford became the first Alzheimer's patient in the United States to have a pacemaker implanted in her brain.

She is the first of up to 10 patients who will be enrolled in an FDA-approved study at Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center to determine if using a brain pacemaker can improve cognitive and behavioral functioning in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

The study employs the use of deep brain stimulation (DBS), the same technology used to successfully treat about 100,000 patients worldwide with movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease. In the study, researchers hope to determine whether DBS surgery can improve function governed by the frontal lobe and neural networks involved in cognition and behavior by stimulating certain areas of the brain with a pacemaker.

Dr. Douglas Scharre, neurologist and director of the division of cognitive neurology, and Dr. Ali Rezai, neurosurgeon and director of the neuroscience program, both at Wexner Medical Center, are conducting the study.

"If the early findings that we're seeing continue to be robust and progressive, then I think that will be very promising and encouraging for us," says Rezai, who also directs the Center for Neuromodulation at Ohio State. "But so far we are cautiously optimistic."

The deep brain stimulation implant is similar to a cardiac pacemaker device with the exception that the pacemaker wires are implanted in the brain rather than the heart.

"Basically, the pacemakers send tiny signals into the brain that regulate the abnormal activity of the brain and normalize it more," says Rezai. "Right now, from what we're seeing in our first patient, I think the results are encouraging, but this is research. We need to do more research and understand what's going on."

The study, which will enroll people with mild or early-stage Alzheimer's disease, will help determine if DBS has the potential to improve cognitive, behavioral and functional deficits.

Sanford continues to be evaluated to determine the effectiveness of the technology, says Rezai. She says she volunteered for the study to help others avoid the angst she has suffered as Alzheimer's slowly disrupted her life.

"I'm just trying to make the world a better place," says Sanford. "That's all I'm doing."

Her father, Joe Jester, says he is proud that his daughter is participating in the study, and is pleased to see her showing improvements.

"This study seemed to just give us hope," said Jester. "I guess we were at the place where you just don't do anything and watch the condition deteriorate over the years, or try to do something that would give us hope and might stop the progression of this disease."

Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of degenerative dementia, afflicting about 5.5 million Americans and costing more than $100 billion per year, ranking it the third costliest disease in terms of health care expenditures in the United States.

Alzheimer's disease which has no cure and is not easily managed becomes progressively disabling with loss of memory, cognition, worsening behavioral function, in addition to a gradual loss of independent functioning, says Scharre.

The Ohio State neurology team is nationally renowned for expertise in dementia and Alzheimer's care and research. In addition, the neuromodulation team at Ohio State are pioneers in the use of DBS to treat Parkinson's disease, as well as exploring the use of DBS for other neurological and neurobehavioral conditions. Researchers at the Neuromodulation Center are completing a study of DBS in patients with traumatic brain injuries, and have initiated a study of DBS for treating obesity.

The Alzheimer's study is scheduled to be completed in 2015.

###

BROADCAST QUALITY B-ROLL, SOUND BITES, WEB ELEMENTS & STILL PHOTOS - Including HD video available with or without names/titles is available free/unrestricted: http://bit.ly/114UlJB

Media Contact: Shannon McCormick, office: 614-932-9950 or cell: 614-477-2719 or shannon@mediasourcetv.com

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

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

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-01/m-osi012313.php

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