NASA's IceBridge finishing up successful Arctic campaign

Public release date: 30-Apr-2013
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Contact: George Hale
George.r.hale@nasa.gov
301-614-5853
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

With several weeks of science flights in the books, researchers with NASA's Operation IceBridge are on the way to completing another successful campaign to maintain and expand a dataset that started with NASA's ICESat in 2003, and gather additional Arctic ice measurements that can improve computer models of sea and land ice. Since the start of the campaign in mid-March, the IceBridge team has measured sea ice, mapped sub-ice bedrock and gathered data on Greenland's glaciers by flying science missions out of Thule Air Base and Kangerlussuaq in Greenland, with a short deployment in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Operating out of these different locations allows IceBridge to gather data in a variety of areas throughout the Arctic. From Thule Air Base, researchers aboard NASA's P-3B airborne laboratory can measure land and sea ice in and around northern Greenland. More southerly areas, such as glaciers on Greenland's southeast coast, the scenic Geikie Peninsula and the Jakobshavn basin on Greenland's west coast are reachable from Kangerlussuaq, a small town and transportation hub in western Greenland. In addition, for a few days early in the campaign, researchers relocated to Fairbanks, affording views of the Beaufort and Chukchi seas north of Alaska and across the entire Arctic Ocean.

Seeing Sea Ice

Many in the scientific community are interested in the changing state of Arctic sea ice. This interest has been amplified by events that put a point on how Arctic sea ice area and thickness are decreasing, such as last year's record-breaking sea ice minimum. "I think the continued downward trend in Arctic sea ice volume speaks to the urgency to collect as much data on the condition of the ice pack as possible," said Sinead Farrell, a sea ice scientist at the University of Maryland and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

IceBridge scientists will use their new measurements to build a collection of sea ice thickness dataknown as the quick look productaimed at use in computer models that forecast sea ice extent. This product was first released in 2012, and relies on new techniques to ensure the data are made available through the National Snow and Ice Data Center weeks after collection.

While in Fairbanks, Farrell saw Arctic sea ice and IceBridge's data collection first hand when she took part in several survey flights. "Flying on the P-3 reminds you how complex the sea ice environment really is," said Farrell. "It's also a great opportunity to speak with the instrument teams and learn more about the measurement techniques."

Flying Over Glaciers

After a series of sea ice flights from Thule and Fairbanks, IceBridge flew to Kangerlussuaq for the campaign's second stage in early April. For about two weeks the IceBridge team flew out of Kangerlussuaq to survey portions of the Greenland ice sheet and various outlet glaciers. Some of these flights studied previously measured areas, helping to build the existing data record, while others improved existing coverage by surveying areas where there was little or no information.

One of the main areas of interest during the campaign was the Jakboshavn Glacier on Greenland's west coast, a site of IceBridge surveys each year since the mission's start in 2009. IceBridge conducted two surveys of the region -- a north-south grid on Apr. 4 and an east-west flight on Apr. 10. Researchers aboard the P-3B discovered that at some point in the six days between these two missions a large segment of ice had calved, or broken off of the glacier's edge. The spot where the calving occurs becomes the glacier's new front edge, which in this case was 200 meters upstream.

Favorable conditions allowed IceBridge researchers to accomplish their goal of completing all high-priority surveys in the southern part of Greenland. "Consistently good weather at our science target locations and in Kangerlussuaq has allowed us to fly all high priority flight lines for this portion of the deployment," said Christy Hansen, IceBridge's project manager at NASA Goddard.

On the Move

After two weeks in Kangerlussuaq the IceBridge team moved its base of operations back to Thule for more sea ice flights and surveys of northern Greenland glaciers. Changing locations during the campaign expands IceBridge's reach beyond what's possible from one location, but requires time for packing, unpacking and testing gear. "This means that we must effectively plan ahead, and that all instrument teams have a smart, efficient way of packing and unpacking their equipment," said Hansen. It also calls for coordination with personnel at three different locations. "We have established three sets of contacts at the various weather offices, established transportation for our team and must work within a varying set of airport requirements and operating hours," said Hansen.

In addition to the usual team of researchers and flight crew members, IceBridge was joined by several visitors including an American documentary film crew and high school science teachers from Greenland, Denmark and the United States. These teachers traveled to Kangerlussuaq with the help of the National Science Foundation funded PolarTREC (Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating) program, the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen and the governments of Greenland and Denmark. As in the 2012 campaign, teachers participated in IceBridge flights to get a unique view of polar science and experiences they could then take back to the classroom to educate and inspire their students. During their time with IceBridge the teachers wrote online journal entries and communicated with students through online video chats, reaching more than 400 students.

As the campaign comes to a close, IceBridge mission planners are already looking ahead to this fall's Antarctic campaign, which will operate from one of two locations. As in previous years IceBridge has the option to deploy to Punta Arenas, Chile, with NASA's DC-8, but the primary plan is to fly the P-3B out of Antarctica's McMurdo Station, conducting IceBridge surveys from the Antarctic continent itself for the first time. IceBridge has been working with the National Science Foundation toward getting approval for operations at McMurdo and the final decision will be made over the next few months. In the meantime, IceBridge's science team, instrument teams and project science office will focus on which areas in the Antarctic to study and start building flight plans.

###

For more information about NASA's Operation Ice Bridge, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/icebridge

---

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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: 30-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: George Hale
George.r.hale@nasa.gov
301-614-5853
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

With several weeks of science flights in the books, researchers with NASA's Operation IceBridge are on the way to completing another successful campaign to maintain and expand a dataset that started with NASA's ICESat in 2003, and gather additional Arctic ice measurements that can improve computer models of sea and land ice. Since the start of the campaign in mid-March, the IceBridge team has measured sea ice, mapped sub-ice bedrock and gathered data on Greenland's glaciers by flying science missions out of Thule Air Base and Kangerlussuaq in Greenland, with a short deployment in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Operating out of these different locations allows IceBridge to gather data in a variety of areas throughout the Arctic. From Thule Air Base, researchers aboard NASA's P-3B airborne laboratory can measure land and sea ice in and around northern Greenland. More southerly areas, such as glaciers on Greenland's southeast coast, the scenic Geikie Peninsula and the Jakobshavn basin on Greenland's west coast are reachable from Kangerlussuaq, a small town and transportation hub in western Greenland. In addition, for a few days early in the campaign, researchers relocated to Fairbanks, affording views of the Beaufort and Chukchi seas north of Alaska and across the entire Arctic Ocean.

Seeing Sea Ice

Many in the scientific community are interested in the changing state of Arctic sea ice. This interest has been amplified by events that put a point on how Arctic sea ice area and thickness are decreasing, such as last year's record-breaking sea ice minimum. "I think the continued downward trend in Arctic sea ice volume speaks to the urgency to collect as much data on the condition of the ice pack as possible," said Sinead Farrell, a sea ice scientist at the University of Maryland and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

IceBridge scientists will use their new measurements to build a collection of sea ice thickness dataknown as the quick look productaimed at use in computer models that forecast sea ice extent. This product was first released in 2012, and relies on new techniques to ensure the data are made available through the National Snow and Ice Data Center weeks after collection.

While in Fairbanks, Farrell saw Arctic sea ice and IceBridge's data collection first hand when she took part in several survey flights. "Flying on the P-3 reminds you how complex the sea ice environment really is," said Farrell. "It's also a great opportunity to speak with the instrument teams and learn more about the measurement techniques."

Flying Over Glaciers

After a series of sea ice flights from Thule and Fairbanks, IceBridge flew to Kangerlussuaq for the campaign's second stage in early April. For about two weeks the IceBridge team flew out of Kangerlussuaq to survey portions of the Greenland ice sheet and various outlet glaciers. Some of these flights studied previously measured areas, helping to build the existing data record, while others improved existing coverage by surveying areas where there was little or no information.

One of the main areas of interest during the campaign was the Jakboshavn Glacier on Greenland's west coast, a site of IceBridge surveys each year since the mission's start in 2009. IceBridge conducted two surveys of the region -- a north-south grid on Apr. 4 and an east-west flight on Apr. 10. Researchers aboard the P-3B discovered that at some point in the six days between these two missions a large segment of ice had calved, or broken off of the glacier's edge. The spot where the calving occurs becomes the glacier's new front edge, which in this case was 200 meters upstream.

Favorable conditions allowed IceBridge researchers to accomplish their goal of completing all high-priority surveys in the southern part of Greenland. "Consistently good weather at our science target locations and in Kangerlussuaq has allowed us to fly all high priority flight lines for this portion of the deployment," said Christy Hansen, IceBridge's project manager at NASA Goddard.

On the Move

After two weeks in Kangerlussuaq the IceBridge team moved its base of operations back to Thule for more sea ice flights and surveys of northern Greenland glaciers. Changing locations during the campaign expands IceBridge's reach beyond what's possible from one location, but requires time for packing, unpacking and testing gear. "This means that we must effectively plan ahead, and that all instrument teams have a smart, efficient way of packing and unpacking their equipment," said Hansen. It also calls for coordination with personnel at three different locations. "We have established three sets of contacts at the various weather offices, established transportation for our team and must work within a varying set of airport requirements and operating hours," said Hansen.

In addition to the usual team of researchers and flight crew members, IceBridge was joined by several visitors including an American documentary film crew and high school science teachers from Greenland, Denmark and the United States. These teachers traveled to Kangerlussuaq with the help of the National Science Foundation funded PolarTREC (Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating) program, the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen and the governments of Greenland and Denmark. As in the 2012 campaign, teachers participated in IceBridge flights to get a unique view of polar science and experiences they could then take back to the classroom to educate and inspire their students. During their time with IceBridge the teachers wrote online journal entries and communicated with students through online video chats, reaching more than 400 students.

As the campaign comes to a close, IceBridge mission planners are already looking ahead to this fall's Antarctic campaign, which will operate from one of two locations. As in previous years IceBridge has the option to deploy to Punta Arenas, Chile, with NASA's DC-8, but the primary plan is to fly the P-3B out of Antarctica's McMurdo Station, conducting IceBridge surveys from the Antarctic continent itself for the first time. IceBridge has been working with the National Science Foundation toward getting approval for operations at McMurdo and the final decision will be made over the next few months. In the meantime, IceBridge's science team, instrument teams and project science office will focus on which areas in the Antarctic to study and start building flight plans.

###

For more information about NASA's Operation Ice Bridge, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/icebridge

---

[ | 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/2013-04/nsfc-nif043013.php

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Obama schedules news conference at the White House

BERLIN, April 29 (Reuters) - Barcelona will try every trick in the book to overturn a 4-0 first-leg deficit against Bayern Munich in their Champions League semi-final return leg on Wednesday, honorary Bayern president Franz Beckenbauer warned on Monday. Bayern crushed the Spaniards last week in a surprisingly one-sided encounter but Beckenbauer, former player, coach and president of Germany's most successful club, warned that Barcelona were not ready to surrender. "Barca will try everything to throw Bayern off balance," he told Bild newspaper. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-schedules-news-conference-white-house-124151567.html

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Jonah Peretti: Sex Is A Lot More Popular Than Jesus On Google

Today at Disrupt NY 2013, Buzzfeed founder Jonah Peretti took the stage to talk to the audience about how content works on the Internet: What sells, what gets shared and why. Peretti, a journalist, programmer, marketer and founding member of The Huffington Post (now owned by TechCrunch parent company AOL), has long been a student of viral media. Not surprisingly, Peretti's latest brainchild, Buzzfeed, has turned into publication of record when it comes to Web-born viral content

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/HdUQkeOxnq8/

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Sarah Palin: White House correspondents' dinner 'pathetic' (Washington Post)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/302159777?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Conversion from 'bad' fat to good fat

Apr. 28, 2013 ? Scientists from ETH Zurich have shown for the first time that brown and white fat cells in a living organism can be converted from one cell type to the other. Their work, using mice as a model organism, provides important new insights into the origin of brown fat cells, which is a prerequisite for the development of successful anti-obesity therapies.

Two types of fat cells can be found in mammals and hence in humans: White fat cells function mainly as highly flexible energy stores which are filled in times of calorie abundance. The fat is stored in the form of lipid droplets, which are mobilized when energy is needed. Diametrically opposed in function are the so-called brown adipocytes: These cells specialize in burning energy in the form of fat and sugar to produce heat. New-born babies possess substantial amounts of brown fat and utilize it to maintain body temperature. Since it was recently shown that brown adipocytes also exist in adult humans, research has focused on understanding how brown adipocytes are formed. The ultimate goal of these efforts is to increase brown adipocyte number and activity in obese humans, allowing them to burn excess calories and thus reduce weight.

Against the current belief

It is known that both humans and mice can adapt to cold temperatures by forming brown fat cells within their white fat depots. These cells are called "brite" fat cells (brown-in-white) and are less common at warmer versus colder temperatures. However, the origin of these special brown adipocytes has remained a matter of debate. The prevalent hypothesis was that brite cells are formed from special precursor cells and are removed when no longer needed. The alternate idea of a direct interconversion between white and brown fat cells gained less attention. By demonstrating that this interconversion does occur and is one of the main contributors to brite fat cell formation, the current belief has been challenged.

Genetically labelled fat cells

To demonstrate how brite fat cells are formed the researchers in the laboratory of Christian Wolfrum, a professor at the Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, generated mice that allowed them to genetically label specific fat cells. These animals were kept in a changing environment: starting at 8?C for a week and for several weeks afterwards at normal room temperature. During the cold exposure, the mice formed brown adipocytes in their white fat depots -- a process called "britening." After warm adaptation the fat tissue turned white again. Using the genetic markers the scientists concluded from these experiments that white fat cells can convert into brown fat cells and vice versa. As humans have the same type of cells as mice it is likely that the same process occurs in humans upon cold stimulation.

Treatments against obesity

"To develop new treatment strategies we need to find ways to convert white into brown adipocytes," says Wolfrum. Most of the research has focused on identifying the precursor cells for brown fat cells, an approach that may be insufficient. Future work will address the question of how to manipulate this interconversion process either by pharmacological or by nutritional means.

This approach would represent a novel strategy. "Current anti-obesity therapies target the energy intake side of the equation by controlling appetite and the uptake of nutrients," says Wolfrum. The pharmacological treatments that are available are not very efficient and usually are associated with side effects. In contrast, this novel approach to treat obesity would target the energy expenditure side of the equation by promoting brown fat formation.

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Story Source:

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

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. Matthias Rosenwald, Aliki Perdikari, Thomas R?licke, Christian Wolfrum. Bi-directional interconversion of brite and white?adipocytes. Nature Cell Biology, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/ncb2740

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/health_medicine/nutrition/~3/3LfJOKXIqoE/130428144925.htm

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Down 3-0, Celtics try avoid sweep Sunday vs Knicks

Boston Celtics' Paul Pierce, left, and Kevin Garnett sit on the bench during the fourth quarter of their 90-76 loss to the New York Knicks in Game 3 of a first round NBA basketball playoff series in Boston Friday, April 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

Boston Celtics' Paul Pierce, left, and Kevin Garnett sit on the bench during the fourth quarter of their 90-76 loss to the New York Knicks in Game 3 of a first round NBA basketball playoff series in Boston Friday, April 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

New York Knicks' Carmelo Anthony (7), Jason Kidd (5) and Raymond Felton (2) are congratulated by teammates including Iman Shumpert (21) while leaving the court during the fourth quarter of New York's 90-76 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of a first round NBA basketball playoff series in Boston Friday, April 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

Boston Celtics' Paul Pierce (34) and Jeff Green head back up court during the fourth quarter of their 90-76 loss to the New York Knicks in Game 3 of a first round NBA basketball playoff series in Boston, Friday, April 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

New York Knicks' Carmelo Anthony (7) gets a hug from teammate Kenyon Martin during the fourth quarter of New York's 90-76 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of a first round NBA basketball playoff series in Boston Friday, April 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

New York Knicks' Carmelo Anthony heads back upcourt after hitting a basket during the second quarter of their 90-76 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series in Boston, Friday, April 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

WALTHAM, Mass. (AP) ? Hanging on a wall of the Celtics' practice facility, opposite the faded banners that hung in the old Boston Garden a half-century ago, is a spotless one.

It went up a few years ago to hold the location where the NBA's greatest champions would mark their next title.

That banner will apparently remain blank another year. As soon as Sunday, the Celtics' quest for No. 18 could be over for this season.

Down 3-0 to the New York Knicks, the Celtics are thinking much smaller than another title when they host Game 4 on Sunday afternoon.

"You've got to focus on the single game. You can't win four without winning one," Boston coach Doc Rivers said Saturday.

Even that looks difficult for a Celtics team that can't get any offense going. Boston has averaged a feeble 75 points, not breaking 80 in any game, on 39.5 percent shooting.

No NBA team has overcome a 3-0 deficit to win a series, as the Knicks know. They were swept by the Celtics two years ago and managed only to get to Game 5 after dropping the first three against Miami last year, when they ran their NBA-record postseason losing streak to 13 games.

Now Carmelo Anthony sees the Celtics in the same position he was in during his first two postseasons in New York, and he wants the sweep.

"To be honest with you, to accomplish that would be spectacular. It would be a dream come true. I've never swept anybody. But we know Game 4 is win or go home for them guys," Anthony said.

"I've been on that side of the ball plenty of times and I know that feeling, so I know the type of energy they're going to come out and display here on Sunday. We've just got to be prepared for the punches that they throw and everything they put out there on the basketball court."

There haven't been any punches, though the Celtics' Jason Terry did take an elbow from New York's J.R. Smith late in Game 3. Terry wouldn't comment on the play Saturday, but said he was annoyed by what he thought was some Knicks' showboating and is clearly agitated by what's gone on in the series.

"I mean, when you get your butt kicked like they've been doing to us the last week or so and you're seeing the same team every day, you're going to get tired of it. Or you're going to lay down. I'm tired of it," Terry said.

The Celtics haven't lost in the first round since 2005 and haven't been swept since Indiana beat them in the first round a year earlier.

They returned to prominence six years ago when they acquired Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to team with Paul Pierce, and it's been a good run for the Celtics. They won a title in 2008, lost in a Game 7 to the Lakers two years later, and pushed Miami to seven games in last year's Eastern Conference finals.

But Allen then joined the Heat, and All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo was lost to a knee injury around midseason. Garnett will turn 37 next month and Pierce is 35, and the Celtics have had opportunities to trade both of them. There may be more decisions in the offseason, so the end of this series could actually be the end of an era.

"I dread the end all the time. I really do," Rivers said. "I just like to be able to know when the end is, meaning you're in Game 7 of the world championship. Then you know you're playing for the end. I hate when the end can come early. But I dread them all."

Game 5 would be Wednesday, though the Knicks would prefer to wrap it up Sunday and give one of the oldest rosters in NBA history some extra rest before their first appearance in the second round since 2000.

"For sure," said point guard Raymond Felton. "Just like Melo said, I've been on the other end of the stick as well. I was in Charlotte, made the playoffs for the first time and we got swept by Orlando. So it feels good to be on the winning side. So if we could come out and definitely sweep this game, it would be something special for all of us. For me, for him, especially individually, and then on top of that we'd get a lot of rest. And hopefully Indiana and Atlanta can go to Game 7."

The Celtics believe they can turn things around with more effort, though their execution has been just as poor. Not even Pierce has been immune to their woes, missing a layup on the first possession of Friday's 90-76 loss and just fumbling the ball away on a couple of occasions later in the game.

But forward Jeff Green said his confidence is "still high," even if the Celtics' chances of advancing aren't.

"I mean, look at the guys on this team, guys who have been through so much throughout their career," he said. They've been down. I mean you have guys who are confident in their game and believe that we have a chance, and that's all that it takes."

___

Follow Brian Mahoney on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Briancmahoney

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-04-27-Knicks-Celtics/id-7a3b0f2cf1c4447fbd9460e33009ef15

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CA-BUSINESS Summary

TSX slides as mining, energy issues stumble

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's main stock market finished lower on Friday as natural resource stocks slumped and market sentiment soured following U.S. economic growth data that fell short of expectations. U.S. gross domestic product expanded at a 2.5 percent rate, an increase from the fourth quarter's dismal 0.4 percent pace but shy of the 3 percent growth analysts were hoping for. The weaker-than-expected data in Canada's biggest trading partner weighed on Canadian stocks.

Ethiopian Airlines first to fly 787 Dreamliner since grounding

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopian Airlines on Saturday became the world's first carrier to resume flights with Boeing Co's 787 Dreamliner passenger jets, a Reuters witness said, three months after they were grounded over battery meltdowns. U.S. regulators approved a new battery design last week, clearing the way for installation and a resumption of Dreamliner flights by international carriers.

Italy court rejects seizure of Nomura assets in Monte Paschi probe: sources

SIENA, Italy (Reuters) - An Italian judge has rejected an order to seize around 1.8 billion euros ($2.3 billion) of assets from Nomura as part of a probe into suspected fraud involving troubled lender Monte dei Paschi di Siena , a judicial and a legal source said on Saturday. Prosecutors in Siena are investigating risky derivatives trades that have endangered the survival of Monte Paschi, the world's oldest bank.

Vodafone investors want bigger bid or full takeover by Verizon

LONDON (Reuters) - Six major Vodafone investors said $100 billion was not enough for the British company's stake in its U.S. joint venture with Verizon Communications , and urged the latter to come up with an offer of at least $120 billion. Their comments followed a Reuters report on Wednesday that Verizon had hired advisers to prepare a possible $100 billion bid to buy Vodafone's 45 percent stake in their Verizon Wireless joint venture, likely to be structured as a roughly 50:50 cash and stock bid.

Exclusive: Brazil's Vale says signs accord to quit Argentine Potash project

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Global miner Vale SA signed an agreement with the Argentine government on Friday that will allow the Brazilian company to leave the $6 billion Rio Colorado potash mining project, a company spokeswoman told Reuters on Friday. The agreement could put an end to months of uncertainty for Vale , which suspended work on the fertilizer project in December and announced its intention to pull out in March.

Boeing ready to build seven Dreamliners a month by mid-year

TOKYO (Reuters) - Boeing Co said on Saturday it is ready to build seven 787 Dreamliners a month from mid-year and is still on course for 10 per month by the end of the year. On Friday, Japanese authorities gave Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways the green light to fly the grounded Dreamliner following U.S. approval.

Renault hopes to have approval for Chinese plant by summer: CEO

PARIS (Reuters) - Renault-Nissan hopes to receive final approval from Beijing by the summer to build its first Renault plant in China, Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn said on Saturday. Ghosn had said last month he expected final government approval for the plant by the end of the year.

TransCanada sees Keystone XL delayed till second-half 2015

CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - TransCanada Corp , Canada's No. 2 pipeline company, said on Friday the long wait for U.S. government approval of its controversial Keystone XL project will further delay completion of the pipeline and push its cost above the company's $5.3 billion estimate. TransCanada, which reported a 27 percent rise in first-quarter profit on Friday, is waiting for the Obama administration to issue a presidential permit for construction of the line, which is designed to carry 830,000 barrels a day of Canadian and U.S. crude oil to refineries on the Gulf of Mexico coast.

U.S. sues Novartis over kickbacks

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. government on Friday announced its second civil fraud lawsuit against Novartis AG in four days, accusing a unit of the Swiss drugmaker of paying multimillion-dollar kickbacks to doctors in exchange for prescribing its drugs. Authorities said the Basel-based company for a decade lavished healthy speaking fees and "opulent" meals, including a nearly $10,000 dinner for three at the Japanese restaurant, Nobu, to induce doctors to prescribe its drugs.

Volkswagen committed to European plants: CEO

VIENNA (Reuters) - German carmaker Volkswagen will keep its plants in Europe despite weak markets in the region that will require flexible manufacturing and could entail cuts to temporary staff, Chief Executive Martin Winterkorn said. Winterkorn had told shareholders in Europe's top carmaker on Thursday to brace for a tough year given faltering European consumer demand that is punishing the sector.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ca-business-summary-000259603.html

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CSN: Nats' Zimmermann tosses 1-hit shutout of Reds

USA Today Sports Images

Jordan Zimmermann shut out the Reds in his second complete game of the season.

Game in a nutshell: Who needs offense when you can pitch like this? The Nationals fell back into their slumping ways at the plate, but it didn't matter with Jordan Zimmermann on the mound. The right-hander completely overwhelmed the Reds lineup, tossing a complete-game, 1-hit shutout in one of the most dominant performances of his life and in Nationals history. Bryce Harper and Jayson Werth combined to produce the only run of the night, with Harper tripling and Werth singling off Homer Bailey in the bottom of the fourth. Zimmermann took over from there, carving up the Cincinnati lineup on only 91 pitches. In the process, he notched the first shutout of his career and his second complete-game victory this month. Winners of two in a row after dropping four in a row, the Nationals (12-11) are back over .500.

Hitting highlight: The way Zimmermann was pitching, the Nationals didn't need much offense. Good thing, because they didn't get much. The one big hit of the game led to their one and only run, courtesy they're best hitter through the season's first four weeks: Harper. Despite falling behind 0-2 in the count in the bottom of the fourth, the 20-year-old battled his way back to a full count, then roped Bailey's 3-2 fastball into the right-field corner for a triple. That gives Harper 14 extra-base hits in 22 games played this season, a hefty rate indeed. The Nats managed to take advantage of that one-out three-bagger, with Werth delivering an RBI single past a drawn-in Reds infield, bringing Harper home with what proved to be the only run scored all night.

Pitching highlight: What can you say about Zimmermann? He was absolutely brilliant, both dominant and efficient. He retired the side in six of his nine innings using 10 or fewer pitches. He dialed it up to 96 mph to strike out Joey Votto. He broke out an 86 mph slider to strike out Jack Hannahan with a man on and two out in the eighth. He shook off a comebacker off his left arm to retire the next batter he faced on the very next pitch. He was everything you could possibly want a starting pitcher to be, against a formidable Cincinnati lineup, nonetheless. Zimmermann is now 4-1 on the young season, with a pair of complete-game victories, and he's truly establishing himself as the most reliable starter on the Nationals staff.

Key stat: The last time the Reds were held to one hit in consecutive games: July 5-6, 1900, vs. Brooklyn.

Up next: Game 3 of this four-game series will see Dan Haren looking to continue his upward trend and avenge his disastrous season debut against the Reds at Great American Ball Park. Right-hander Mike Leake starts for Cincinnati in Saturday's 1:05 p.m. game, which will be televised on Fox.

Source: http://www.natsinsider.com/2013/04/instant-analysis-nats-1-reds-0.html

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Sexy R&B Shrimp Scampi - SweetJack The Blog

Get in the mood with some sexy soul food.

Celebrate National Shrimp Scampi Day with a sexy twist?on this classic pasta dish, with a special side of rhythm and blues.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
• 1/2 tomato (chopped)
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. white pepper
• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp. ground red pepper
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley (chopped)
• 1 lemon (sliced into long quarters)
• 1 tsp. Kosher salt
• Blackened seasoning (optional, but also mandatory)
• 1 lb. peeled/deveined raw white shrimp
• 1/2 lb. pasta (your choice; long, thin noodles such as angel hair is recommended)
• At least one hour of classic ?90s R&B hits

Instructions

Fill a large pot halfway with water, and place on high until it reaches a rolling boil. Go to your home stereo, and queue up the playlist of your favorite R&B songs of the late/great ?90s. Start with Johnny Gill?s ?My My My?. Call your special lover and tell them to be there in 30 minutes or less. If a female, tell her to slip on her red dress.

Pour 1/4 cup Kosher salt into boiling water, stir until dissolved. Stir smoothly, but with a strong, steady hand. Pour 1 tablespoon olive oil into water, and drop the pasta into water. Promise you?ll come back when it?s nice and hot?

Reduce heat to medium-high, stirring occasionally to avoid pasta sticking together. While pasta is boiling, place the strainer over the mixing bowl in your kitchen sink. Allow the pasta to boil for 9-to-11 minutes, or whatever you consider ?al dente? (as long as this is not the name of your date?s ex-boyfriend), then remove the pot from the heat. Pour the pasta and saltwater over the strainer so it catches the pasta above but retains the saltwater in the bowl. Place the bowl of saltwater on the counter, and rinse the pasta with cold water so it stops cooking. Tell those noodles to chill ? your date will arrive soon. Turn up the Tony Terry or Color Me Badd.

In a large pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil at medium-high heat until you can see very slight white smoke. Place shrimp in the pan and saut? for 90 seconds on each side, turning only once. Don?t let it cook too fast. When shrimp is pink on both sides, remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon and place into a temporary container, leaving behind the oil in the pan. You?ll come back to it; you promise. Say this out loud in your Devante voice. Actually, sing it. Sing it like K-Ci & JoJo.

Put the chopped garlic into the pan, along with the wine, salt, pepper, and parsley, cooking for 1-to-2 minutes ? don?t let it boil. Add butter, and stir until it is melted into the mixture. Add shrimp and tomatoes, reduce heat to medium, and cover, letting it cook for 2 minutes. Remove cover, and add pasta, along with 1/4 cup of saltwater from the mixing bowl. Stir and continue to cook for one additional minute, then squeeze two lemon slices over the contents of the pan. Boyz II Men should be playing at this point. Not ?MotownPhilly?; more like ?I?ll Make Love To You?.

Scoop the finished shrimp scampi onto two large plates, sprinkle with blackened seasoning, and garnish with lemon wedges. Skip ahead to Prince, and stay there. Devour.

Serves two for dinner, allows your date to take one serving to work the next day for lunch, and provides dinner for yourself the next night.

Got a killer scampi recipe of your own or want to review this one? Comment here!

Michael Jordan is a journalist, home chef, copywriter, future trillionaire and SweetJack?s Senior Editor. At 5?6?, he accepts that his ability to dunk is limited to donuts, but in nothing less than the finest French-pressed coffees.

Source: http://blog.sweetjack.com/food-drink/sexy-rb-shrimp-scampi/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sexy-rb-shrimp-scampi

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Smartphones overtake 'dumb' phones worldwide

NEW YORK (AP) ? Research firm IDC said more smartphones than "dumb" phones are being made this year, a milestone in a shift that's putting computing power and Internet access in millions of hands worldwide.

Manufacturers shipped 216 million smartphones worldwide in the first three months of this year, compared with 189 million regular cellphones, according to a study IDC released late Thursday. IDC said smartphones made up 51.6 percent of the 419 million mobile phones shipped.

In the U.S., smartphones overtook regular cellphones in 2011. IDC analyst Ramon Llamas said Friday that the shift to a global majority of smartphones is now being driven by consumers in developing countries such as China, India and Indonesia.

Another firm, ABI Research, found that smartphones made up 49 percent of shipments in the first quarter. Samsung Electronics Co., the world's largest phone maker, doesn't provide a breakdown of its phone shipments, and analysts vary in their estimates. Even going by ABI's numbers, it's clear that smartphones will solidly overtake the market this year.

The shift from phones primarily designed for calls, and perhaps texting, to ones with advanced operating systems and touch screens has roiled the cellphone industry. Finland's Nokia Corp. was for many years the world's largest maker of cellphones, but it has failed to translate that into success in smartphones. It's now the second-largest maker of phones overall, behind Samsung Electronics Co., but it falls far down the list of smartphone makers.

Cellphone pioneer Motorola Mobility, a U.S. company now owned by Google, has stumbled through the transition as well, while Apple Inc. has become the world's third-largest maker of cellphones, less than six years after launching the first iPhone. Samsung and Apple are the top makers of smartphones. LG Electronics Inc. of South Korea; HTC Corp. of Taiwan; and ZTE Corp. and Huawei Technologies Ltd. of China jostle for the No. 3 position.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/smartphones-overtake-dumb-phones-worldwide-192908040.html

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Bangladesh Factory Owners Arrested After Building Collapse

Relatives mourn a victim at the site where an eight-story building housing several garment factories collapsed in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, April 24, 2013. The building collapsed near Bangladesh's capital Wednesday morning, killing dozens of people and trapping many more in the rubble, officials said. (AP Photo/ A.M. Ahad)

People and rescuers gather after an eight-story building housing several garment factories collapsed in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, April 24, 2013. Dozens were killed and many more are feared trapped in the rubble. (AP Photo/ A.M. Ahad)

People and rescuers gather after an eight-story building housing several garment factories collapsed in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, April 24, 2013. Dozens were killed and many more are feared trapped in the rubble. (AP Photo/ A.M. Ahad)

Rescuers assist an injured woman after an eight-story building housing several garment factories collapsed in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, April 24, 2013. Dozens were killed and many more are feared trapped in the rubble. (AP Photo/ A.M. Ahad)

Rescue workers carry a victim's body after an eight-story building housing several garment factories collapsed in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, April 24, 2013. Dozens were killed and many more are feared trapped in the rubble. (AP Photo/ A.M. Ahad)

Rescue workers look for survivors after an eight-story building housing several garment factories collapsed in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, April 24, 2013. Dozens were killed and many more are feared trapped in the rubble. (AP Photo/ A.M. Ahad)

A man who was trapped in an collapsed eight-story building housing several garment factories is reccued in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, April 24, 2013. Dozens were killed and many more are feared trapped in the rubble. (AP Photo/ A.M. Ahad)

Rescue workers pull a woman out from the rubbles after an eight-story building housing several garment factories collapsed in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, April 24, 2013. Dozens were killed and many more are feared trapped in the rubble. (AP Photo/ A.M. Ahad)

Rescue workers and people look for survivors after an eight-story building housing several garment factories collapsed in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, April 24, 2013. Dozens were killed and many more are feared trapped in the rubble. (AP Photo/ A.M. Ahad)

Relatives mourn a victim at the site after an eight-story building housing several garment factories collapsed in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, April 24, 2013. Dozens were killed and many more are feared trapped in the rubble. (AP Photo/ A.M. Ahad)

Rescuers carry a woman after an eight-story building housing several garment factories collapsed in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, April 24, 2013. Dozens were killed and many more are feared trapped in the rubble. (AP Photo/ A.M. Ahad)

Rescue workers carry a young victim's body after an eight-story building housing several garment factories collapsed in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, April 24, 2013. Dozens were killed and many more are feared trapped in the rubble. (AP Photo/ A.M. Ahad)

Rescue workers use pieces of clothes to bring down a survivor after an eight-story building housing several garment factories collapsed in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, April 24, 2013. The building collapsed near Bangladesh's capital Wednesday morning, killing dozens of people and trapping many more in the rubble, officials said. (AP Photo/ A.M. Ahad)

A man who was trapped in an eight-story building housing several garment factories is rescued after the structure collapsed in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, April 24, 2013. The building collapsed near Bangladesh's capital Wednesday morning, killing dozens of people and trapping many more in the rubble, officials said. (AP Photo/ A.M. Ahad)

Rescue workers use clothes to bring down survivors and bodies after an eight-story building housing several garment factories collapsed in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, April 24, 2013. The building collapsed near Bangladesh's capital Wednesday morning, killing dozens of people and trapping many more in the rubble, officials said. (AP Photo/ A.M. Ahad)

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/26/bangladesh-factory-owners-arrested_n_3167287.html

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Hated Learning Piano As a Kid? At Least It Wasn't the Wheelharp

The Wheelharp looks like a musical creation dating back to the time of Beethoven and Mozart, but believe it or not it's not an antique. It's a modern instrument created just over ten years ago by Jon Jones as a way to let a single musician command their own string orchestra. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/ZAjHKnE5ULg/hated-learning-piano-as-a-kid-at-least-it-wasnt-the-wheelharp

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Potential new way to detect colorectal and other cancers

Apr. 25, 2013 ? A unique new study led by University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center researchers Guo-Min Li and Libya Gu, in collaboration with Dr. Wei Yang at National Institutes of Health, reveals a novel mechanism explaining the previously unknown root cause of some forms of colorectal cancers.

The study, published in Cell, discovers that an abnormal histone protein modification impairs a DNA repair machinery that controls cancer development, yielding a potential new way of detecting these types of colorectal cancers. It represents the first time that epigenetic histone marks regulate the genome maintenance system.

DNA errors created during DNA replication can lead to many forms of cancer, including colorectal cancer. Cells possess DNA mismatch repair (MMR) machinery that aids in correcting these errors, thus preventing disease development. Defects in MMR genes lead to development of colorectal cancers characterized by frequent alterations in simple repetitive DNA sequences, a phenomenon referred to as microsatellite instability (MSI). Some cancers develop in individuals who possess MSI without MMR gene defects, and until now, the reason for this has been unknown.

Dr. Li's study shows that defects in SETD2 -- an enzyme that is not involved in MMR but chemically or epigenetically modifies histone proteins associated with DNA that control the regulation of gene expression and DNA replication -- prevent the association of MMR proteins with damaged DNA, thus preventing DNA mismatch repair.

"This study provides new clues to cancer etiology, that is, from the classical genetic defects to abnormal epigenetic modifications in the future," Li said. "Since SETD2 mutations have been shown in many types of cancers, including clear cell renal cell carcinoma, lung cancer, gastric cancer and hematological malignancies, our next goal is to determine association of MMR defects with these cancers, as well as SETD2 mutations in MSI-positive MMR-competent colorectal cancers."

Although most colorectal cancers are preventable or treatable with proper screening, colorectal cancer remains the second-leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Kentucky is ranked in the highest tiers for both colorectal and lung cancer incidence and death.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Kentucky, via Newswise.

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

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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/~3/qB-z4AmtLOM/130425160120.htm

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Israeli military shoots down drone

JERUSALEM (AP) ? Israel shot down a drone Thursday as it approached the country's northern coast, the military said. Suspicion immediately fell on the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon.

The incident was likely to raise already heightened tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, a bitter enemy that battled Israel to a stalemate during a monthlong war in 2006.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was in northern Israel at the time of the incident, said he viewed the infiltration attempt with "utmost gravity."

"We will continue to do everything necessary in order to protect the security of the citizens of Israel," he said.

Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, a military spokesman, said the unmanned aircraft was detected as it was flying over Lebanon and tracked as it approached Israeli airspace.

Lerner said the military waited for the aircraft to enter Israeli airspace, confirmed it was "enemy," and an F-16 warplane shot it down.

The drone was flying at an altitude of about 6,000 feet (1,800 meters) and was downed roughly five miles (eight kilometers) off the Israeli coast near the northern city of Haifa. Lerner said Israeli naval forces were searching for the remains of the aircraft.

He declined to say who sent the drone. But other military officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not permitted to talk to the media, said they believed it was an Iranian-manufactured aircraft sent by Hezbollah. Hezbollah sent a drone into Israeli airspace last October that Israel also shot down.

Netanyahu was informed of the unfolding incident as he was flying north for a cultural event with members of the country's Druse minority. Officials said his helicopter briefly landed while the drone was intercepted before Netanyahu continued on his way.

Netanyahu repeatedly has warned that Hezbollah might try to take advantage of the instability in neighboring Syria, a key Hezbollah ally, to obtain what he calls game-changing weapons.

Israel has all but confirmed that it carried out an airstrike in Syria early this year that destroyed a shipment of sophisticated anti-aircraft missiles bound for Hezbollah.

A senior Lebanese security official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said Lebanon had no information on Thursday's incident.

Hezbollah spokesman Ibrahim Moussawi also said he had no information, adding the group would put out a statement if it had something to say on the issue.

When Israeli military shot down a Hezbollah drone on Oct. 6, it took days for Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah to confirm it in a speech. He warned at the time that it would not be the last such operation by the group. He said the sophisticated aircraft was made in Iran and assembled by Hezbollah.

___

Associated Press writers Zeina Karam in Beirut and Diaa Hadid in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-04-25-ML-Israel-Hezbollah/id-f26c8317f5be4c90a7f7c1bdc119ab3c

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Paltrow named People's Most Beautiful Woman

NEW YORK (AP) ? People magazine has named Gwyneth Paltrow as the World's Most Beautiful Woman for 2013.

The 40-year-old actress tops the magazine's annual list of the "World's Most Beautiful," announced Wednesday.

Commenting on her selection, Paltrow says: "Around the house, I'm in jeans and a T-shirt. I don't really wear makeup."

She credits her workout routine for keeping her looking young and feeling strong.

Paltrow is married to Coldplay rocker Chris Martin. They have two children, Apple, 8, and Moses, 7.

___

Online:

http://www.people.com/mostbeautiful

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/paltrow-named-peoples-most-beautiful-woman-115849163.html

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Rental question - Zillow Real Estate Advice

with your parameters of 2000 sq. ft +, no older than 20 yrs, and in zip code 77084, there are currently 6 active listings for lease in our MLS. ?I would take the advice of Shawn and drive the area and see what you think. ?Leases come and go really quick. ?

Traffic on Clay rd going in town gets backed up in the mornings, but it's all relative to Houston. ?Bear Creak Park area can flood with some heavy rain, but the drainage has been decent. ?

I would recommend driving the area in the morning or evening traffic so you could get an idea of traffic before signing any type of lease. ?(If traffic is a concern for you)

Source: http://www.zillow.com/advice-thread/Rental-question/489482/

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Twitter for Mac update brings photo sharing improvements, Retina Display support

Twitter's showing off an updated version of its Mac app today, featuring a number of key fixes, including a slew of new languages and improvements to photo sharing. On the imaging side of things, you can now share a photo by clicking on the camera icon in the tweet composing module, or just do it the old fashioned way by dragging pictures from your desktop. Also new in this version is support for Macs with Retina Displays and 14 new languages, including Dutch, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Traditional Chinese and Turkish. Interested parties can download the update via the source link below.

Filed under: Software, Apple

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Via: Twitter Blog

Source: iTunes

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/25/twitter-for-mac-update-brings-photo-sharing-improvements-retina/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Loopholes in the UK's Higher Education sector | PakMed Info Forum ...

The bylaws of almost all UK universities are short of using the word ?shall? and they substitute it with the words ?will? and ?should?

For the purpose of education, the UK is divided into two halves: England (and Northern Ireland) and Scotland. Each of them has its own body that supervises quality assurance in its part of the higher education sector. For instance, in England (and Northern Ireland), the job is carried out by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) for Higher Education while in Scotland it is the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO).

In 2011, the UK government published a white paper, ?Students at the Heart of the System? to enhance quality assurance in higher education through the participation of students. In the light of this, the QAA is trying to find new ways of reviewing quality assurance in higher education to be implemented in the universities of England (and Northern Ireland) by September 2013. Similarly, in order to augment quality assurance at Scottish universities in the light of the Sinclair report, the SPSO issued its Model Complaints Handling Procedure (MCHP) for Higher Education in December 2012 to be adopted by all Scottish higher education institutes by September 2013. The UK government?s white paper laid emphasis on the standardisation of criteria for assessing academic standards and the quality of the student learning experience at all universities and colleges; the Sinclair report recommended the adoption of a standardised MCHP in all Scottish universities and colleges.

Generally, the UK?s every university is driven by two factors: first, how to meet its financial earning targets set for any given year, and second, how to improve its position on the universities? ranking table. Any incident of compromise on quality assurance affects adversely a university?s ranking, and consequently, its financial targets. Though the standardisation of the assessment process and the standardisation of MCHP were long overdue, they share a common point: the emphasis of both is still on procedures. This is despite the fact that the cause of the compromise on quality assurance in the past used to be the universities? devising mechanisms to bypass the procedures but retaining their positions on any ranking table.

One of the ways to assure quality through procedures is by obtaining feedback from students. It is a common practice in the UK?s universities that teachers (lecturers and professors) and graduate or post-graduate school administrators influence students, especially overseas students, either to give positive feedback or to make oneself absent from the session meant for gathering feedback from them, whether or not the feedback is obtained at the university or the supra-university level (by the QAA or the SPSO).

The question is this: can an overseas student dare refuse any such ?request? made by a teacher or administrator? The answer is in the negative because the student is told that in case of noncompliance his/her supervisor will not issue a favourable letter of reference to help him/her forward his/her career in the future. It is difficult for an overseas student to turn down such a request because his/her stakes are higher than home students. In this way, the letter of reference has become a major blackmailing instrument in the hands of supervisors (and course administrators). The threat of writing adverse remarks in the letter of reference is used to silence those students who are vocal against the delivery of low quality education and research at the UK?s universities. In this regard, both the QAA and the SPSO have failed to introduce any mechanism to know why a student is absent from the feedback session or why a student has not submitted the feedback at all, especially where the name of the student is mandatory to be mentioned. Secondly, both the QAA and the SPSO have failed to make it mandatory on all students including overseas students to submit their feedback. Thirdly, both the QAA and the SPSO have failed to determine the difference between representative feedback and non-representative feedback.

The second type of students? comments on quality assurance in the UK?s higher education is through the complaints they lodge against the universities in the universities. Again, both the QAA and the SPSO lay emphasis on the procedure of complaints adopted by the UK?s universities. Complaints and their procedures are described in the bylaws of the UK?s universities. Interestingly, in the bylaws of one university, one provision (law) is present while in the bylaws of another university another provision (law) is present. For instance, in the bylaws of several UK universities (without naming any university), the word ?complaint? has not been defined or if it is defined the word ?compensation? has been omitted. Similarly, certain universities do mention the term ?appropriate and reasonable compensation? in their bylaws but do not explain the meaning of that term. Likewise, the bylaws of almost all UK universities are short of using the word ?shall? and they substitute it with the words ?will? and ?should?. The absence of key terms prohibits students, especially overseas students, from filing a complaint and reporting their grievances. Again, the procedure is ineffective in assuring quality in the UK?s higher education sector. In this regard, both the QAA and the SPSO have failed to focus on the standardisation of the bylaws of the UK?s universities. Secondly, both the QAA and the SPSO have failed to notice the absence of key terms from the bylaws of the UK?s universities.

At this juncture, the concern of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan should be whether the degree obtained by an overseas Pakistani student from even any top ranking UK university is the same (not by its name or caption but) in quality that the HEC had thought it would be?

There are other loopholes in the UK?s higher education sector, which have not been mentioned here owing to the limitation of words. If the British Council (which speaks on behalf of the British High Commission) considers it appropriate, the challenge of debate given to it by this writer on the topic on April 10 this year is still open.

Courtesy: Dr Qaisar Rashid (The writer of this article)

Source: http://pakmed.net/college/forum/?p=76693

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Study: The MacBook Pro with Boot Camp is the world?s most reliable Windows PC

DORTMUND, April 24 (Reuters) - Teams for Wednesday's Champions League semi-final first leg between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid at BVB stadium. Teams: Borussia Dortmund: 1-Roman Weidenfeller; 26-Lukasz Piszczek, 4-Neven Subotic, 15-Mats Hummels, 29-Marcel Schmelzer; 8-Ilkay Guendogan, 6-Sven Bender, 16-Jakub Blaszczykowski, 10-Mario Goetze, 11-Marco Reus; 9-Robert Lewandowski Real Madrid: 41-Diego Lopez; 4-Sergio Ramos, 3-Pepe, 2-Raphael Varane, 5-Fabio Coentrao; 6-Sami Khedira, 14-Xabi Alonso; 19-Luka Modric, 10-Mesut Ozil, 7-Cristiano Ronaldo; 20-Gonzalo Higuain. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/study-macbook-pro-boot-camp-world-most-reliable-183057888.html

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New Jersey parents demand girls' right to bare arm - in strapless dresses

By Victoria Cavaliere

(Reuters) - A New Jersey principal's ban on strapless dresses at a junior high school dance because they would be "distracting" to boys has enraged parents, who called on Tuesday for its reversal on the grounds it violates their daughters' constitutional rights.

The dress code shreds the 14th Amendment right to equal protection since girls for the past six years have been wearing sleeveless fashions to the dance at Readington Middle School in Readington Township, New Jersey, said parent Charlotte Nijenhuis.

Parents petitioned the school board on Tuesday to overturn the policy before the June 12th dance.

The school's principal, Sharon Moffat, said in a letter last month that a "dress with straps" was the only style that would be allowed.

Nijenhuis said she called Moffat to ask why strapless dresses had been forbidden. "She told me, ?It is because it's distracting to boys and inappropriate','" Nijenhuis said.

Moffat did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Another parent, Michelle D'Amico, said she was "livid" that her 14-year-old daughter was being prevented from wearing the same strapless dress that her older daughter had worn six years ago. "It's completely unjust," D'Amico said.

The Readington Township School District said in a statement on Tuesday that it "has a policy regarding dress code which is being universally applied to the school day and school events. We regret that a small number of families are upset by this and we welcome their input and communication."

At least one student, Claudine Nijenhuis, 14, said she planned to defy the ban and press her right to bare arms.

"Basically by saying 'it distracts the boys' you're also saying that it is our fault on how they control their own behavior," the teenager wrote in a letter to the principal. "I will still be attending the dinner dance function, but I will also be wearing a dress with no straps."

(Editing by Barbara Goldberg)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/jersey-parents-demand-girls-bare-arm-strapless-dresses-022245280.html

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Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://forums.ferra.ru/index.php?showtopic=55585

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3D printer makes tiniest human liver ever

Lab-grown livers have come a step closer to reality thanks to a 3D printer loaded with cells (see video above). Created by Organovo in San Diego, California, future versions of the system could produce chunks of liver for transplant.

The mini-livers that Organovo made are just half a millimetre deep and 4 millimetres across but can perform most functions of the real thing. To create them, a printer builds up about 20 layers of hepatocytes and stellate cells ? two major types of liver cell. Crucially, it also adds cells from the lining of blood vessels. These form a delicate mesh of channels that supply the liver cells with nutrients and oxygen, allowing the tissue to live for five days or longer. The cells come from spare tissue removed in operations and biopsies.

Existing liver assays, based on single or double layers of cells, only last two days and don't have the same range of functions as the micro-discs.

The realistic structure and functioning of the mini-livers make them good predictors of the toxicity of drugs and other substances. They produce albumin, the liver protein that bulks up blood and ferries hormones, salts and drugs throughout the body. They also make cholesterol, which carries fat in the bloodstream, and produce major detoxification enzymes, called cytochrome P450s, that metabolise drugs in the liver.

Organovo's ultimate goal is to create human-sized structures suitable for transplant; the big hurdle is being able to print larger branched networks of blood vessels to nourish such an organ. The company unveiled the mini-livers at the annual Experimental Biology conference this week in Boston.

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