Body clock receptor linked to diabetes in new genetic study

ScienceDaily (Jan. 29, 2012) ? A study recently published in Nature Genetics has found new evidence for a link between the body clock hormone melatonin and type 2 diabetes. The study found that people who carry rare genetic mutations in the receptor for melatonin have a much higher risk of type 2 diabetes.

The findings should help scientists to more accurately assess personal diabetes risk and could lead to the development of personalised treatments.

Previous research has found that people who work night shifts have a higher risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Studies have also found that if volunteers have their sleep disrupted repeatedly for three days, they temporarily develop symptoms of diabetes.

The body's sleep-wake cycle is controlled by the hormone melatonin, which has effects including drowsiness and lowering body temperature. In 2008, a genetic study led by Imperial College London discovered that people with common variations in the gene for MT2, a receptor for melatonin, have a slightly higher risk of type 2 diabetes.

The new study reveals that carrying any of four rare mutations in the MT2 gene increases a person's risk of developing type 2 diabetes six times. The release of insulin, which regulates blood sugar levels, is known to be regulated by melatonin. The researchers suggest that mutations in the MT2 gene may disrupt the link between the body clock and insulin release, leading to abnormal control of blood sugar.

Professor Philippe Froguel, from the School of Public Health at Imperial College London, who led the study, said: "Blood sugar control is one of the many processes regulated by the body's biological clock. This study adds to our understanding of how the gene that carries the blueprint for a key component in the clock can influence people's risk of diabetes.

"We found very rare variants of the MT2 gene that have a much larger effect than more common variants discovered before. Although each mutation is rare, they are common in the sense that everyone has a lot of very rare mutations in their DNA. Cataloguing these mutations will enable us to much more accurately assess a person's risk of disease based on their genetics."

In the study, the Imperial team and their collaborators at several institutions in the UK and France examined the MT2 gene in 7,632 people to look for more unusual variants that have a bigger effect on disease risk. They found 40 variants associated with type 2 diabetes, four of which were very rare and rendered the receptor completely incapable of responding to melatonin. The scientists then confirmed the link with these four variants in an additional sample of 11,854 people.

Professor Froguel and his team analysed each mutation by testing what effect they have on the MT2 receptor in human cells in the lab. The mutations that completely prevented the receptor from working proved to have a very big effect on diabetes risk, suggesting that there is a direct link between MT2 and the disease.

The research was funded by the Wellcome Trust, the National Institute for Health Research and the Medical Research Council in the UK and the Agence National de la Recherche, the Contrat de Projets Etat-R?gion Nord-Pas-De-Calais, the Soci?t? Francophone du Diab?te, the Fondation Recherche M?dicale and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in France.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Imperial College London, via AlphaGalileo.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Am?lie Bonnefond, Nathalie Cl?ment, Katherine Fawcett, Lo?c Yengo, Emmanuel Vaillant, Jean-Luc Guillaume, Aur?lie Dechaume, Felicity Payne, Ronan Roussel, S?bastien Czernichow, Serge Hercberg, Samy Hadjadj, Beverley Balkau, Michel Marre, Olivier Lantieri, Claudia Langenberg, Nabila Bouatia-Naji, Guillaume Charpentier, Martine Vaxillaire, Ghislain Rocheleau, Nicholas J Wareham, Robert Sladek, Mark I McCarthy, Christian Dina, In?s Barroso, Ralf Jockers, Philippe Froguel. Rare MTNR1B variants impairing melatonin receptor 1B function contribute to type 2 diabetes. Nature Genetics, 2012; DOI: 10.1038/ng.1053

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/zIiEzhAwqCs/120129151052.htm

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Gingrich says commission should look at in vitro clinic management of embryos (Star Tribune)

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Missing Maine toddler's relatives take polygraphs (AP)

PORTLAND, Maine ? A website devoted to a Maine toddler who vanished six weeks ago says her uncle and maternal grandmother have taken polygraph tests as part of the police investigation.

Police are investigating the disappearance of Ayla Reynolds, who was reported missing from her father's Waterville home Dec. 17.

The website aylareynolds.com says Ayla's uncle passed a polygraph Thursday and her grandmother took one Friday but couldn't complete it because her prescription medication interfered.

State police spokesman Steve McCausland says investigators aren't commenting on details such as polygraph tests.

Ayla's father told police she wasn't in her bed when he checked on her the morning of Dec. 17.

The 1-year-old was wearing pajamas with the words "Daddy's Princess" on them and had a cast on her broken left arm before she vanished. Her mother lives in Portland.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_on_re_us/us_missing_toddler

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Subpoenas issued to financial firms in expanded probe (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? The Justice Department issued civil subpoenas to 11 financial institutions as part of a new effort to investigate misconduct in the packaging and sale of home loans to investors, Attorney General Eric Holder said on Friday.

Holder declined to provide specifics, including the names of the firms.

"We are wasting no time in aggressively pursuing any and all leads," Holder said at a news conference announcing details of a new working group to investigate misconduct in the residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) market, "you can expect more to follow."

President Barack Obama said he directed Holder to create the new unit in his State of the Union speech late Tuesday, saying it was needed to "help turn the page on an era of recklessness."

On Friday a slew of federal and state officials appeared at the news conference to provide details about the new group.

Housed within an earlier financial fraud task force that Obama created in 2009, it is expected to be staffed with around 50 attorneys, analysts and agents, officials said.

Some skeptics have questioned whether the new group is largely a political move because the other fraud task force already exists.

Also, the Obama administration has received heat from left-leaning activist groups that believe a separate effort to investigate misconduct in processing foreclosures and servicing home loans may not be rigorous enough to extract a meaningful settlement.

In exchange for providing up to $25 billion in housing relief, much in the form of cutting mortgage debt for distressed borrowers, the top U.S. banks are expected to put behind them government lawsuits about lending and servicing abuses - but not securitization claims.

The banks involved in the discussions include Bank of America, Wells Fargo & Co, JPMorgan Chase & Co, Citigroup and Ally Financial Inc.

Those talks have dragged into their second year as some states, including California and New York, criticized the direction of the negotiations and said the proposed settlement would release the banks from too many claims.

The deal appears to be getting closer, with last-ditch efforts to lure the hold-out states to join.

California has said it still has reservations about the deal, but California Attorney General Kamala Harris has met in recent weeks with federal officials in Washington to discuss her concerns about the settlement, people familiar with the matter said.

The attorney general in New York, Eric Schneiderman, was named as a co-chair of the new working group, prompting speculation that the position was partly aimed at persuading him to join the settlement.

In an interview with Reuters, Schneiderman said: "The releases have become narrow enough so that I'm confident a full investigation can go forward." Asked if he was signing on, he said, "Not yet," because "other issues" are still outstanding.

MULTIPLE EFFORTS

At the news conference, U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan also said that the multistate deal will not prevent the working group from pursuing its own claims about the securitization of home loans.

"We would not be standing here today if we weren't absolutely confident that the releases that are being contemplated were quite narrow, focused on the conduct that was actually investigated," Donovan said.

"There will be concrete actions taken in the next few weeks to confirm we're serious," Schneiderman added in the interview.

Exactly what the new group will tackle is unclear, since the construction and sale of mortgage securities is already the subject of massive government and private lawsuits.

"The simple fact is that this is an election year, and politics will inevitably play a role in every aspect of what is at its core a superfluous investigation," said Richard Gottlieb, who heads the financial industry group at the law firm Dykema.

"Others have already done the leg work, the lawsuits have already been filed, and the courts will already be deciding these issues," said Gottlieb.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency, for example, which oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, sued 17 large banks last September over losses on about $200 billion of subprime bonds and said the underlying mortgages did not meet investors' criteria.

Speaking at the news conference, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement director Robert Khuzami said his agency has already reviewed 25 million pages of documents on related investigations.

"To be clear, investigations into RMBS offerings have been ongoing at the SEC," Khuzami said.

Holder said the Justice Department had discussed the subpoenas with the SEC, and said the new requests do not duplicate earlier efforts from the SEC.

He also responded to criticism that federal enforcers have brought few marquee cases in the aftermath of the financial crisis. Holder said the department has brought around 2,100 mortgage-related cases.

"The notion that there has been inactivity over the course of the last three years is belied by a troublesome little thing called facts," Holder said.

Several top banks, including Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan, RBS Americas and Deutsche Bank, declined to comment when contacted by Reuters about the new working group's efforts.

(Reporting By Aruna Viswanatha and Jim Vicini in Washington, D.C. and Karen Freifeld in New York; Editing by Tim Dobbyn and Matthew Lewis)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120127/bs_nm/us_mortgages_subpoenas

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Tomorrow's Spies Will Drop F-BOMBS Everywhere [Spying]

Fuck. It's a word that commands attention. These F-BOMB computers, however, are designed to do just the opposite—quietly and inconspicuously gather sensitive information from within secure areas. And if the F-Bomb is discovered or destroyed, fuck it! It only cost $50 to build in the first place. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Ejx6ye4w12Y/tomorrows-spies-will-drop-f+bombs-all-over-the-place

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Researchers shed light on magnetic mystery of graphite

Friday, January 27, 2012

The physical property of magnetism has historically been associated with metals such as iron, nickel and cobalt; however, graphite ? an organic mineral made up of stacks of individual carbon sheets ? has baffled researchers in recent years by showing weak signs of magnetism.

The hunt for an explanation has not been without controversy, with several research groups proposing different theories. The most recent suggestion, published today, 27 January, in the journal EPL (Europhysics Letters), has been put forward by a research group from the University of Manchester that includes Nobel prize-winning scientist Professor Sir Andre Geim.

The research group, led by Dr Irina Grigorieva, found that magnetism in many commercially available graphite crystals is down to micron-sized clusters of predominantly iron that would usually be difficult to find unless the right instruments were used in a particular way.

Finding the way to make graphite magnetic could be the first step to utilising it as a bio-compatible magnet for use in medicine and biology as effective biosensors.

To arrive at their conclusions, the researchers firstly cut up a piece of commercially-available graphite into four sections and measured the magnetisation of each piece. Surprisingly, they found significant variations in the magnetism of each sample. It was reasonable for them to conclude that the magnetic response had to be caused by external factors, such as small impurities of another material.

To check this hypothesis, the researchers peered deep into the structure of the samples using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) ? a very powerful microscope that images samples by scanning it with a beam of electrons ? and found that there were unusually heavy particles positioned deep under the surface.

The majority of these particles were confirmed to be iron and titanium, using a technique known as X-ray microanalysis. As oxygen was also present, the particles were likely to be either magnetite or titanomagnetite, both of which are magnetic.

The researchers were also able to deduce how many magnetic particles would be needed, and how far apart they would need to be spaced in order to create the originally observed magnetism. The observations from their experiments agreed with their estimations, meaning the visualised magnetic particles could account for the whole magnetic signal in the sample.

Dr Grigorieva, said: "The excitement around the findings of ferromagnetism in graphite, i.e. pure carbon, is due to the fact that magnetism is not normally found in organic matter. If we can learn to create and control magnetism in carbon-based materials, especially graphene, this will be an important development for sensors and spintronics."

###

The paper can be downloaded from http://iopscience.iop.org/0295-5075/97/4/47001

Institute of Physics: http://www.iop.org

Thanks to Institute of Physics for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/117149/Researchers_shed_light_on_magnetic_mystery_of_graphite

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(AP)

Islam is not a religion nor is it a cult. It is a complete system.
Islam has religious, legal, political, economic and military components. The religious component is a beard for all the other components.

Islamization occurs when there are sufficient Muslims in a country to agitate for their so-called ?religious rights.?
When politically correct and culturally diverse societies agree to ?the reasonable? Muslim demands for their ?religious rights,? they also get the other components under the table. Here?s how it works (percentages source CIA: The World Fact Book (2007)).
As long as the Muslim population remains around 1% of any given country they will be regarded as a peace-loving minority and not as a threat to anyone. In fact, they may be featured in articles and films, stereotyped for their colorful uniqueness:

United States ? Muslim 1.0%
Australia ? Muslim 1.5%
Canada ? Muslim 1.9%
China ? Muslim 1%-2%
Italy ? Muslim 1.5%
Norway ? Muslim 1.8%

At 2% and 3% they begin to proselytize from other ethnic minorities and disaffected groups with major recruiting from the jails and among street gangs:

Denmark ? Muslim 2%
Germany ? Muslim 3.7%
United Kingdom ? Muslim 2.7%
Spain ? Muslim 4%
Thailand ? Muslim 4.6%

From 5% on they exercise an inordinate influence in proportion to their percentage of the population.
They will push for the introduction of halal (clean by Islamic standards) food, thereby securing food preparation jobs for Muslims. They will increase pressure on supermarket chains to feature it on their shelves ? along with threats for failure to comply. ( United States ).

France ? Muslim 8%
Philippines ? Muslim 5%
Sweden ? Muslim 5%
Switzerland ? Muslim 4.3%
The Netherlands ? Muslim 5.5%
Trinidad &Tobago ? Muslim 5.8%

At this point, they will work to get the ruling government to allow them to rule themselves under Sharia, the Islamic Law. The ultimate goal of Islam is not to convert the world but to establish Sharia law over the entire world.
When Muslims reach 10% of the population, they will increase lawlessness as a means of complaint about their conditions ( Paris ?car-burnings). Any non-Muslim action that offends Islam will result in uprisings and threats ( Amsterdam ? Mohammed cartoons).

Guyana ? Muslim 10%
India ? Muslim 13.4%
Israel ? Muslim 16%
Kenya ? Muslim 10%
Russia ? Muslim 10-15%

After reaching 20% expect hair-trigger rioting, jihad militia formations, sporadic killings and church and synagogue burning:
Ethiopia ? Muslim 32.8%

At 40% you will find widespread massacres, chronic terror attacks and ongoing militia warfare:

Bosnia ? Muslim 40%
Chad ? Muslim 53.1%
Lebanon ? Muslim 59.7%

From 60% you may expect unfettered persecution of non-believers and other religions, sporadic ethnic cleansing (genocide), use of Sharia Law as a weapon and Jizya, the tax placed on infidels:

Albania ? Muslim 70%
Malaysia ? Muslim 60.4%
Qatar ? Muslim 77.5%
Sudan ? Muslim 70%

After 80% expect State run ethnic cleansing and genocide:

Bangladesh ? Muslim 83%
Egypt ? Muslim 90%
Gaza ? Muslim 98.7%
Indonesia ? Muslim 86.1%
Iran ? Muslim 98%
Iraq ? Muslim 97%
Jordan ? Muslim 92%
Morocco ? Muslim 98.7%
Pakistan ? Muslim 97%
Palestine ? Muslim 99%
Syria ? Muslim 90%
Tajikistan ? Muslim 90%
Turkey ? Muslim 99.8%
United Arab Emirates ? Muslim 96%

100% will usher in the peace of ?Dar-es-Salaam? ? the Islamic House of Peace ? there?s (supposed) to be peace because everybody is a Muslim: we know however that this isnt true is it...?

Afghanistan ? Muslim 100%
Saudi Arabia ? Muslim 100%
Somalia ? Muslim 100%
Yemen ? Muslim 99.9%

Of course, that?s not the case. To satisfy their religiously ordained blood lust, Muslims then start killing each other for a variety of reasons...and they are coming to a neighborhood near you...so keep thinking they are not going to harm you and they "accept" you.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iran/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_apnewsalert

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Bernanke news conference on Fed policy (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? Below are highlights from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's news conference following the Fed's policy meeting on Wednesday.

Fed Graphics:

> FOMC statement word cloud - http://link.reuters.com/wud36s

> Economic, rate projections http://link.reuters.com/zud36s

BERNANKE ON EXPANDING THE BALANCE SHEET:

"Expanding the balance sheet certainly remains an option, one that we would consider very seriously if, in particular, if progress towards full employment...became more inadequate or if inflation remained exceptionally low. So we will continue to look at that."

BERNANKE RELATION BETWEEN INFLATION TARGET, EMPLOYMENT:

"We are not absolutists. If there is a need to let inflation return a little bit more slowly to target to get a better result on unemployment then that is something that we would be willing to do."

BERNANKE ON PROVIDING FURTHER STIMULUS:

"If the situation continues with inflation below target and unemployment declining at a rate which is very, very slow, then our framework, the logic of our framework says, we should be looking for ways to do more. ... We need to adopt policies that will both achieve our inflation objectives and help the economy recover as quickly as feasible. I would say that your question, actually and the earlier question, shows the benefit of explaining this framework, because the framework makes very clear that we need to be thinking about ways to provide further stimulus if we don't get improvement in the pace of recovery and a normalization of inflation."

BERNANKE ON FORGIVENESS OF MORTGAGE PRINCIPAL:

"It seems very likely that principal forgiveness could be helpful, depending on how it is structured, in reducing delinquencies. There are also some potential drawbacks. One of them is the fact that the amount of negative equity in the United States is about $700 billion, which is enormous and so there is no conceivable program (that will get) everybody in the country above water. And so I think the issue then becomes if we have $20 (billion) or $25 billion or whatever the number may end up being in this settlement, what is the most cost effective way to help as many people as possible. And I think that is an ongoing debate."

BERNANKE ON HOUSING:

"The weakness of the housing sector is an important reason why the economy is not recovering more robustly, and the problems in housing finance (are) a part of the reason why monetary policy has not been more powerful because part of our transmission mechanism is through lower interest rates which affects refinancing. It affects sales and purchases as well. And so in addition to that as bank supervisors we have considerable interest in servicing, loan modifications, in delinquencies and all the aspects of mortgage lending."

BERNANKE ON ECONOMIC OUTLOOK:

"Strains in global financial markets continue to pose significant downside risk to that outlook.

"Looking further ahead, economic activity is expected to accelerate gradually in conjunction with strengthening consumer and business confidence, improving financial conditions and the continuation of a highly accommodative stance for monetary policy.

BERNANKE ON EMPLOYMENT:

"A number of recent indicators point to some further improvement in overall labor market conditions but the unemployment rate remains elevated. Moreover, in light of the anticipated modest pace of economic recovery, the committee expects that over coming quarters the unemployment rate will decline only gradually towards its mandate consistent levels."

BERNANKE ON ASSET SALES:

"One implication of our extension of our expected point of take off to late 2014 is to imply that the initial sales from our balance sheet, which again are far down the road, but when that begins that will be later than previously thought, that will be presumably in 2015. So, we do expect to hold our balance sheet at a high level for a longer period."

BERNANKE ON NATURAL JOBLESS RATE:

"We are concerned that the large amount of long-term unemployment may be causing some workers to lose skills or lose labor force attachment which at least for a while will also likely increase the so-called natural rate or sustainable rate of unemployment. So there are a number of factors working in that direction. But in any case while there is certainly a lot of uncertainty about exactly where the natural rate of unemployment is, clearly at 8.5 percent, I think we're comfortably above anybody's estimate and for that reason we still consider the labor market to be obviously quite flat."

BERNANKE ON RECENT DATA:

"We are obviously hoping that the strength we saw in the fourth quarter and in recent data will continue into 2012, but we are going to continue to monitor that situation. I don't think we are ready to declare that we have entered a new, a stronger phase at this point. ... We continue to review our holdings, our portfolio holdings, securities, and we are prepared to take further steps in that direction if we see that the recovery is faltering or if inflation is not moving towards target. It's an option that's certainly on the table. It would be premature to say definitively one way or the other, but we continue to look at the option, and if conditions warrant, we will certainly consider using it."

BERNANKE ON INFLATION AND EMPLOYMENT:

"Now all that being said, if inflation is going to remain below target for an extended period and unemployment progress is very slow than I think you're implicit question is right there is a case for an additional policy action and we want to continue to observe the situation but we are certainly prepared to look for a different ways to provide support to the economy if in fact we have this unsatisfactory situation."

BERNANKE ON INFLATION TARGET:

"The committee judges that inflation at the rate of 2 percent, as measured by the annual change in the price index for personal consumption expenditures, is most consistent over the longer run with our statutory mandate. Over time a higher inflation rate would reduce the public's ability to make accurate longer-term economic and financial decisions, whereas a lower inflation rate would be associated with an elevated probability of falling into deflation, which can lead to significant economic problems. Clearly communicating to the public this 2 percent goal for inflation over the longer run should help foster price stability and moderate long-term interest rates and will enhance the Committee's ability to promote maximum employment in the face of significant economic disturbances. Maximum employment stands on an equal footing with price stability as an objective for monetary policy."

BERNANKE ON GROWTH PROJECTION:

"Incoming information such as the economy has been expanding moderately notwithstanding some slowing in global growth. The Committee expect the pace of economic growth to be moderate over coming quarters, reflecting ongoing drags in the housing sector and still tight credit conditions for many households and smaller businesses. Specifically, participants projections for the growth rate of real gross domestic product in 2012 and the central tendency of 2.2 to 2.7 percent. Strains in global financial markets continue to pose significant downside risk to that outlook."

(Washington newsroom)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120125/bs_nm/us_usa_fed_bernanke

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Obama to propose tax credit for natgas trucks (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? President Barack Obama on Thursday will propose a tax break for commercial trucks that run on natural gas, building on his promise to support U.S. shale gas development, senior administration officials said.

In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Obama acknowledged the nation's booming natural gas sector, which has grown dramatically in recent years as advances in technology have unlocked vast reserves of shale oil and gas.

To take advantage of the newfound natural gas supplies, Obama plans to promote greater use of natural gas as a transportation fuel by offering a tax credit aimed at offsetting the upfront costs of purchasing alternative-fuel commercial trucks, officials said.

Obama will discuss his energy plans during a visit to a UPS facility in Las Vegas, Nevada, that received stimulus funding to invest in liquefied natural gas vehicles and construct a public LNG refueling station.

The president was also to visit Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora, Colorado, where the Air Force is installing a one-megawatt solar array and where last year it test-piloted jets that run on advanced biofuels.

Using domestic natural gas as a "clean" alternative to importing foreign oil has been heavily promoted by Texas oil billionaire T. Boone Pickens and has attracted support from both sides of the aisle in Congress.

Still, Obama's proposal, which would need Congressional approval, likely faces an uphill battle to make it into law.

Similar measures in Congress have failed to break through partisan gridlock, and conservative groups have opposed such legislation on the grounds that government should not be in the business of picking winners and losers in the energy sector.

Increasing domestic natural gas consumption would benefit drillers, as U.S. natural gas demand so far has failed to keep up with the record production increases that have turned the U.S. market on its head.

Producers like Chesapeake Energy are cutting output in the face of the weakest gas prices in ten years, and there is a chance storage may overfill this year, potentially forcing producers and utilities to sell their gas for next to nothing.

As part of its new energy initiative, the Obama administration also plans to support programs that would convert buses and trucks to run on natural gas and to launch a competitive grant program to help communities overcome barriers to natural gas vehicle deployment.

In addition, Obama was to announce that the Interior Department will hold the last scheduled offshore lease sale of the government's current five-year drilling plan in June, offering 38 million acres for development in the central Gulf of Mexico.

(Editing by Gary Hill)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120126/pl_nm/us_obama_energy_natgas

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RIM's Thorsten Heins formally introduced: liveblogging the media call

If you missed it, RIM attempted to interrupt the Giants vs. 49ers matchup last night by dropping a wee bit of news: it's co-CEOs are gone, and taking the solo CEO badge is former COO Thorsten Heins. The new head honcho will be formally introduced in a media call slated to begin at 8:00AM ET on January 23rd, 2012, and we'll be liveblogging every moment of it for those who can't tune in. We've already learned a fair amount about the gentleman's plans courtesy of an introductory video, but we'll be listening in for any hints as to future QNX plans, PlayBook ambitions or BlackBerry wizardry. Join us after the break for the play-by-play!

January 23, 2012 8:00 AM EST

Continue reading RIM's Thorsten Heins formally introduced: liveblogging the media call

RIM's Thorsten Heins formally introduced: liveblogging the media call originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 07:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/23/liveblog-rim-thorsten-heins-ceo-introduction-media-call/

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Vt. unemployment rate drops to 5.1 percent (AP)

MONTPELIER, Vt. ? Labor officials say Vermont's unemployment rate has dropped to 5.1 percent, the lowest statewide rate since October of 2008.

The national rate is 8.5 percent.

Department of Labor Commissioner Annie Noonan said Tuesday that Vermont appears to be making headway in its economic recovery.

She says she hopes Vermont employers will continue to work with the Labor Department to recruit employees because there are many Vermonters who want to work and need a chance at a job to prove themselves.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_on_bi_ge/us_unemployment_december_vermont

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Bryce Dallas Howard gives birth to daughter (omg!)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress Bryce Dallas Howard and her husband, Seth Gabel, welcomed their second child on Thursday, with the baby girl's grandfather, filmmaker Ron Howard, announcing the happy news on Twitter.

"Beatrice Jean Howard-Gabel Born Jan 19 2012 8lbs 6oz Bryce & Baby B are spectacular Daddy Seth & brother Theo are beaming ear to ear :-)," the filmmaker tweeted Saturday evening.

Bryce Howard and her actor husband who appears on the series "Fringe" also have a 4-year-old son, Theo. Howard has spoken publicly in the past about her struggles with postpartum depression after his birth in 2007.

The most recent big-screen appearances for Howard, 30, were in "50/50" and as a member of the ensemble cast of "The Help." She also appeared in "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse." Her movie career began with uncredited bit parts in films by her director-producer father.

"Beatrice's arrival is hugely exciting for our family," Ron Howard tweeted. "Thanks for all the kind tweets folks."

(Reporting by Sheri Linden)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_bryce_dallas_howard_gives_birth_daughter184047867/44264918/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/bryce-dallas-howard-gives-birth-daughter-184047867.html

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Genes and timing of menopause

Public release date: 23-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Andrew Gould
andrew.gould@pcmd.ac.uk
44-139-268-6107
The Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry

An international team of researchers has discovered 13 new regions of the genome associated with the timing of menopause. These genes shed light on the biological pathways involved in reproductive lifespan and will provide insights into conditions connected to menopause, such as breast cancer and heart disease.

Menopause is a major hormonal change that affects most women when they are in their early 50s. The timing of menopause can have a huge impact on fertility, as well as influencing the risk of a range of common diseases such as breast cancer. It has been known for some time that genetic factors influenced the onset of menopause, however until recently very few genes had been identified.

In the new study, published in the journal Nature Genetics on 22 January 2012, Dr Anna Murray, University of Exeter, Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry (PCMD) Dr John Perry, PCMD and WTCHG, University of Oxford, and dozens of international collaborators, examined the genomes of over 50,000 women. They identified 13 novel gene regions associated with menopause onset, and confirmed four previously identified. Most of the 17 regions include genes related to DNA damage/repair or the immune system, whilst others are linked to hormonal regulation.

Dr Perry said: "The new findings highlight biological pathways not previously associated with reproductive lifespan, and may provide insights into the other conditions connected with menopause age, such as cardiovascular disease and breast cancer."

The association with breast cancer is related to the length of time a woman menstruates in total and is thought to be related to oestrogen exposure over a lifetime - in fact earlier menopause is protective for breast cancer. Cardiovascular risk is increased in post-menopausal women compared to pre-menopausal and reduced oestrogen is thought to be a key component of this increased risk. Genetic studies will be beneficial in working out exactly what the relationships are between these conditions.

Dr. Murray added: "Menopause is a process most women go through, yet we know very little about what governs the timing of this key event in a woman's life. By finding out which genes control the timing of menopause we hope to be able understand why this happens very early to some women, reducing their chances of having children naturally."

The authors said they expected further research will identify additional genes, and also assess the impact of these genetic regions on related reproductive disorders. The research team are currently investigating women who had very early menopause, before 45 years, to determine whether the new menopause genes play a role in this clinically important condition which affects over five per cent of women.

Besides Dr Murray and Dr Perry, senior authors on the study include Professor Kathryn Lunetta and Dr Joanne Murabito at the Boston University schools of Public Health and Medicine, and Jenny A. Visser, a scientist at Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam (Netherlands).

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Public release date: 23-Jan-2012
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Contact: Andrew Gould
andrew.gould@pcmd.ac.uk
44-139-268-6107
The Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry

An international team of researchers has discovered 13 new regions of the genome associated with the timing of menopause. These genes shed light on the biological pathways involved in reproductive lifespan and will provide insights into conditions connected to menopause, such as breast cancer and heart disease.

Menopause is a major hormonal change that affects most women when they are in their early 50s. The timing of menopause can have a huge impact on fertility, as well as influencing the risk of a range of common diseases such as breast cancer. It has been known for some time that genetic factors influenced the onset of menopause, however until recently very few genes had been identified.

In the new study, published in the journal Nature Genetics on 22 January 2012, Dr Anna Murray, University of Exeter, Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry (PCMD) Dr John Perry, PCMD and WTCHG, University of Oxford, and dozens of international collaborators, examined the genomes of over 50,000 women. They identified 13 novel gene regions associated with menopause onset, and confirmed four previously identified. Most of the 17 regions include genes related to DNA damage/repair or the immune system, whilst others are linked to hormonal regulation.

Dr Perry said: "The new findings highlight biological pathways not previously associated with reproductive lifespan, and may provide insights into the other conditions connected with menopause age, such as cardiovascular disease and breast cancer."

The association with breast cancer is related to the length of time a woman menstruates in total and is thought to be related to oestrogen exposure over a lifetime - in fact earlier menopause is protective for breast cancer. Cardiovascular risk is increased in post-menopausal women compared to pre-menopausal and reduced oestrogen is thought to be a key component of this increased risk. Genetic studies will be beneficial in working out exactly what the relationships are between these conditions.

Dr. Murray added: "Menopause is a process most women go through, yet we know very little about what governs the timing of this key event in a woman's life. By finding out which genes control the timing of menopause we hope to be able understand why this happens very early to some women, reducing their chances of having children naturally."

The authors said they expected further research will identify additional genes, and also assess the impact of these genetic regions on related reproductive disorders. The research team are currently investigating women who had very early menopause, before 45 years, to determine whether the new menopause genes play a role in this clinically important condition which affects over five per cent of women.

Besides Dr Murray and Dr Perry, senior authors on the study include Professor Kathryn Lunetta and Dr Joanne Murabito at the Boston University schools of Public Health and Medicine, and Jenny A. Visser, a scientist at Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam (Netherlands).

###

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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/2012-01/tpco-gat012312.php

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Why bats, rats and cats store different amounts of fat

ScienceDaily (Jan. 20, 2012) ? Why different animals carry different amounts of fat depends on how they have solved the problem of avoiding both starving to death and being killed by predators, new research from the University of Bristol suggests.

Animals differ in the amount of fat they carry around depending on their species, status and sex. However, the causes of much of this variation have been a mystery. The Bristol study shows that many differences can be understood by considering the strategies animals employ to avoid two causes of death: starvation and being killed by predators.

These causes of death often exert opposite pressures on animals, for example, storing lots of fat helps animals survive periods without food but also slows their running and so makes getting caught by a predator more likely. Animals can be stronger to compensate, but the energetic costs of extra muscle mean that the animal would starve quicker during a food shortage.

Led by Dr Andrew Higginson of Bristol's School of Biological Sciences, the researchers used mathematical models to explore how much muscle and fat animals should have in their body to give themselves the best chance of survival. They showed that an important consideration was how much carrying fat increases the energetic costs of movement. The models revealed that the size of this cost influenced whether larger animals should have more fat than smaller animals, or vice versa.

Dr Higginson said: "Our results explain differences between different families of mammal. For example, larger bats carry proportionally less fat than small bats but larger carnivores carry more fat than small carnivores. Among rodents, it's the medium-sized species that carry around the most fat! These differences agree with the models predictions if you consider the costs of carrying fat for these three groups. Bats fly and so have high costs of carrying extra weight, whilst carnivores spend much of their time resting and so will use less energy than busy scurrying rodents."

The work, published in The American Naturalist, also shows that much of the variation between animals in their amounts of fat and muscle can be explained by differences between the sexes, how much animals have to fight to get food, and the climate in which they live.

The researchers plan to put the theory to the test by looking in more detail at the amounts of fat stored by different animals. If their theory is correct, much of the mystery in how species and sexes differ in their amount of fat will have been solved.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Bristol.

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. Andrew D. Higginson, John M. McNamara, Alasdair I. Houston, Ary A. Hoffmann, Mark A. McPeek. The Starvation-Predation Trade-Off Predicts Trends in Body Size, Muscularity, and Adiposity between and within Taxa. The American Naturalist, Jan 19, 2012 DOI: 10.1086/664457

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://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120120183806.htm

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