Google Search Refresh!

Google Inc. is giving its tried-and-true Web-search formula a makeover as it tries to fix the shortcomings of today's technology and maintain its dominant market share.

Over the next few months, Google's search engine will begin spitting out more than a list of blue Web links. It will also present more facts and direct answers to queries at the top of the search-results page.

Google's Amit Singhal, shown in 2009, sees better matches for queries. The changes to search are among the biggest in the company's history and could affect millions of websites that rely on Google's current page-ranking results. At the same time, they could give Google more ways to serve up advertisements.

Read details here.

Dell to Acquire SonicWall to Expand Network-Security Tools

Dell Inc. (DELL), the world’s third- largest maker of personal computers, agreed to buy SonicWall Inc. to gain network-security and data-protection tools, paying a price that analysts peg at between $1 billion and $1.5 billion.

SonicWall, based in San Jose, California, had revenue of about $260 million in the past 12 months and about 950 employees, executives from both companies said today on a conference call to announce the deal. SonicWall’s technology detects and protects networks from intrusions and malware attacks, and helps protect data.

Dell is buying services and software businesses as the PC market faces competition from smartphones and tablets. Last month, the company hired CA Inc. Chief Executive Officer John Swainson to oversee the software push, and today he said security is an important part of that strategy.

“My goal is to make software a meaningful part of Dell’s overall portfolio, so that means that this is not the last thing you’re going to see from us,” Swainson said on a media call. “We are going to build and buy software assets that complement the overall Dell portfolio.”

Clients need to feel secure moving data to the so-called cloud, which allows them store data on the Internet, Swainson said. Dell will invest both “organically and inorganically” to expand in that sector, he said.

Dell, which currently derives 54 percent of its sales from desktops and laptops, advanced 1.6 percent to $17.23 at the close in New York. The shares have risen 18 percent this year.
Cloud Offering

While the financial terms weren’t made public in a statement, Round Rock, Texas-based Dell probably paid between $1 billion and $1.5 billion, Peter Misek, a Jefferies & Co. analyst, wrote in a note.

“We think this adds more tools to Dell’s cloud stack,” wrote Misek, who recommends holding the company’s shares. Still, a unified product isn’t likely before 2013.

David Frink, a Dell spokesman, didn’t immediately return an e-mail seeking comment on the price.

SonicWall was acquired in 2010, for about $717 million, by a private-equity group led by Thoma Bravo LLC and the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan.

Most of the company’s sales are to small and medium-sized businesses, with about 25 percent of revenue coming from larger “enterprise” customers, such as universities and regional financial institutions, SonicWall CEO Matt Medeiros said on today’s call.

SonicWall is expanding its next-generation firewall business with its SuperMassive offering, Medeiros said. Its main competitors are Cisco Systems Inc., (CSCO) Juniper Networks Inc. (JNPR) and Fortinet Inc. (FTNT), he said.
Firewall Market

“The deal allows Dell to play in the next-generation firewall market,” Shebly Seyrafi, an analyst at FBN Securities, said today in a client note. “We believe that it will compete against leaders such as Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (CHKP) and Palo Alto Networks Inc. primarily, and against Fortinet, Cisco, Juniper and Intel Corp.’s McAfee Inc., secondarily,” wrote Seyrafi, who rates Dell “sector perform.”

The SonicWall deal is expected to close in Dell’s fiscal second quarter, which ends July 31, according to the statement. Dell’s latest security purchase follows its acquisition of SecureWorks Inc. last year, and KACE Networks Inc. in 2010. SonicWall was advised by Centerview Partners LLC, according to a statement.

Original article here.

Washington & Jefferson College Wins Prestigious Senator Paul Simon Spotlight Award

Washington & Jefferson College (W&J) is one of just three institutions nationwide selected to receive the Senator Paul Simon Spotlight Award from NAFSA: the Association of International Educators, for an initiative that contributes to comprehensive campus internationalization. Named for the late Senator Paul Simon (D-Ill.), the award recognizes outstanding and innovative achievements in campus internationalization.

Honored for its renowned Magellan Project, the award recognizes the emphasis placed on internationalism at W&J.

“From their first day on campus, students at Washington & Jefferson College experience W&J’s commitment to internationalization. I tell students, ‘Whatever you do as your life’s work, you will find that our society is no longer local but global. As you design your education, keep your eye on the globe,’” said W&J President Tori Haring-Smith, Ph.D.

The Magellan Project is an internally funded initiative that fosters global citizenship through internships, research grants, and study/travel opportunities, providing students encouragement and financial support to pursue international projects. Projects must involve individual study and travel, not enrollment at a foreign university or participation in any kind of formal study abroad program. Students arrange their own itineraries, find their own housing, and solve their own problems.

“Magellan Scholars author their own lives. They are self-directed; their passion motivates them to keep going even when their contacts fall through, or they get lost, or they miss the last bus up the mountain. More than 100 Magellan projects have been funded since the program’s inception in 2008,” Haring-Smith said.

The Magellan Project arose from the observation that, while affluent students could afford to take a summer to travel and study abroad, less affluent students could not do so. In this way, they were being shut out of important learning opportunities that would enrich their lives and benefit them in the job market and in seeking graduate and professional school admission. Though 95 percent of W&J students rely on financial aid, a financial commitment on the part of the entire College community, including Board members, faculty and alumni, ensures that all students have access to the program, Haring-Smith added.

“Through the Magellan Project, students discover how to enter the world mindfully and how to combine classroom and experiential learning to solve real world problems. One scholar who traveled to The Gambia now plans to return upon graduation to build a much-needed food processing plant,” Haring-Smith said.

Prospective students who have traveled internationally through high school programs regularly seek out W&J because of the possibility of completing a Magellan project. W&J students hear so much about internationalization that they are more likely to study abroad, and since those programs involve exchange agreements, the College now hosts more than 60 international students a year, thereby internationalizing the campus while, at the same time, sending its own students abroad to see the world for themselves, Haring-Smith added.

W&J will be featured with other award winners in NAFSA’s report Internationalizing the Campus: Profiles of Success at Colleges and Universities, to be published this fall, and honored at an event in Washington, DC, in November during International Education Week.

http://collegenews.org/news/2012/washington-jefferson-college-wins-prestigious-senator-paul-simon-spotlight-award-for-internationalization.html

Divided Reaction To New School Maps

About a dozen schools will close and new schools will be built in crowded north Atlanta under two new proposals to redraw Atlanta Public Schools boundaries.

It’s the latest development in what has been an emotional and controversial redistricting process. In November, APS demographers released four scenarios for new school zones. Since then, hundreds of parents and residents have attended community meetings to sound off on the proposed changes, which will take effect this fall.

After revising the maps, demographers released two new options Friday. Both call for several elementary schools to close, as well as Park and Kennedy middle schools. A new North Atlanta High School would be built to hold 2,400 students instead of 1,800; a new middle school would open in the old high school building.

Superintendent Erroll Davis said this round of maps contains significant changes, but he added this is an evolving process and the maps are not final.

“The demographers have tried to listen to people and incorporate some of what they have said,” he said. “But I have no doubt it will raise a whole new set of issues with a whole new set of people. And we will listen to those as well.”

The citywide redistricting — the first in almost a decade — is proving to be a weighty task. APS has enough seats to serve 62,500 students but has about 49,000 enrolled. Schools in some neighborhoods are overcrowded and expected to add almost 5,500 students in the coming years, while others are as little as 20 percent full.

Overall, middle schools are about 80 percent full, high schools 66 percent and elementary schools 65 percent, according to information from demographers.

But capacity isn’t the only issue driving the new boundaries — school officials also want to make sure students don’t have to travel far to school and can walk when possible. Successful academic programs should stay open, and splitting up neighborhoods should be avoided, they said.

Hope-Hill Elementary parent Priscilla Borders said she feels demographers ignored her views this time around. Borders was happy with several of the initial suggestions, which zoned students from Hope-Hill to high-performing Inman Middle. Under the new plans, the school may close, or students may be sent to King or Coan middle.

“In the new options, it appears they didn’t consider anything we suggested. We got exactly what we did not want,” she said.

Melody Blount, who has two daughters at Beecher Hills Elementary, was at a school fundraiser Friday when she found out her school was no longer listed to close. Parents fought hard to keep the small southwest Atlanta school open, citing its successful International Baccalaureate program, which offers students an advanced academic track.

“I am elated,” she said, as screams from excited students echoed behind her. “I feel like they heard us. Someone was listening ... and I appreciate that.”

Parents will have the chance to offer input about the latest round of proposed changes at a series of community meetings, the first of which kicks off at 6:30 p.m. today at Jackson High School, 801 Glenwood Ave. S.E.

After this round of meetings, demographers will submit a report to the superintendent, who will evaluate the suggestions, make changes as necessary, and hold another round of community meetings. In April, the superintendent is expected to make final recommendations to the school board, which will vote on the boundaries.

Board member Courtney English said that before making a final decision he will need to see how new boundaries will change the academic makeup of schools. And he wants to know how the district will address inequities between schools.

“Regardless of how we draw these lines, we have to make sure our schools have the resources necessary to provide an excellent education to all our kids,” English said.

http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/divided-reaction-to-new-1322881.html

New Geochemistry Lab Allows Faculty and Students to Complete Cutting-Edge Research in a Liberal-Arts Setting

Bryn Mawr’s new Geochemsitry Lab Suite brings the latest technology to students and faculty as they work to unlock answers to everything from climate change to the Earth’s most severe known extinction event.

“We’re now able to do experiments on samples right here in this lab that we used to have to send out for analysis and wait weeks to get back,” says Geology Assistant Professor Pedro Marenco. “We’ve also consolidated a lot of equipment that was spread out throughout the building so that we can work much more efficiently.”

Construction of the new lab, which is now fully operational, began in May of 2011.

The lab is located on the third floor of the Park Science Building in a space that used to be part of the Collier Science Library. The space became available as more of the material formerly archived in Collier has become digitized.

Marenco and fellow geologists Associate Professor Don Barber and Lecturer and Laboratory Coordinator Lynne Elkins will be among the scientists making the most use of the lab. However, it’s intended as a possible resource for faculty members from a variety of departments.

“We have already discussed applications for the equipment in this space with faculty from Chemistry and Biology,” says Marenco.

The lab is a suite comprising several rooms: a sedimentology lab, a darkroom, a balance room, the geochemistry lab, and the clean room.

The “dirtiest” part of the lab is where researchers do sedimentology work. Here, students process and analyze sediments before moving samples to the geochemistry lab for chemical analysis.

The geochemistry lab is home to several fume hoods and work stations. Prior to entering the lab, users have to change out of their own shoes and into Croc-like slip-on shoes. In this lab, students and professors do a lot of work that involves dissolving rocks with acids, so each fume hood is equipped with “scrubbers” that neutralize the acids so as to prevent the production of harmful waste. The intermediate lab is also home to the ELTRA CS2000 carbon/sulfur determinator, which combusts powdered samples at high temperature to measure carbon and sulfur content levels.

The other major piece of equipment in the intermediate lab is the Agilent Technologies Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS), used to determine the abundance of various elements in rock and fluid samples.

“This is a very sophisticated piece of equipment that’s rare to have at a college the size of Bryn Mawr, so we’re very happy to have this,” says Marenco.

The smallest rooms in the lab are the darkroom and balance room.

The darkroom houses the Carpenter Microsystem CM-2 microsampler for high-resolution sampling of minerals in hand samples and thin sections. The microsampler allows faculty and students to operate a microscopic joy-stick-controlled drill that’s used to extract samples.


Geology Major Hannah Gatz-Miller '12

Geology Major Hannah Gatz-Miller ’12 was recently using the setup to look for fossils of extinct eel-like organisms no larger than a grain of sand in carbonate rocks from Montana.

“The ability to do all the extraction work as well as the more delicate microscope work in what essentially amounts to the same space is really great as far as keeping things organized goes,” says Gatz-Miller. “I don’t have to worry so much about losing or misplacing my samples, and all the equipment finally has a place to go—and can actually be used.”

The balance room is a small, unventilated room in which an extremely precise balance capable of measuring one millionth of a gram sits on large marble table so as to minimize any disturbance from vibration or air currents.

“At most places this type of thing is an afterthought and they’ll take a corner of a room and build something like a tiny closet where it’s very hard to work comfortably,” says Marenco.

The ICP-MS is located directly outside of the balance room, allowing those doing research to move directly from doing a measurement of a sample to doing an analysis.


“The ICP-MS used to be located in the basement and the balance was in the lab next to my office, which was one floor and several hallways away,” says Marenco. “Obviously this is a much more efficient way to do things.”

The clean lab has an anteroom where users of the lab are required to don sterile lab suits that resemble the gear worn by hazmat crews. The lab itself is mostly free of metal and has an advanced air-filtration system.

“Anyone who wants to measure isotopes or do work that is easily contaminated will be able to use this space,” says Elkins, who will be using the lab to do trace-metal analysis in her current research.

“This new lab space allows for a much safer and more-efficient working environment for our students and faculty. We’re very excited to be part of Bryn Mawr’s commitment to offering students the latest in science research opportunities in a liberal-arts setting,” says Marenco.

Read original article here.

ERC Defends Concentration Of Grants In Top Research Universities

Helga Nowotny, president of the European Research Council, has strongly defended the high percentage of ERC grants that go to Europe’s top universities.

Speaking at the fifth anniversary celebrations of the ERC in Brussels, Nowotny (pictured) said the only way to find the best researchers was on the principle of “excellence only”, and that this comes with an “built-in tension between policy-makers' demands for practical innovation to foster economic growth, and the deeply rooted interests of scientists in curiosity-driven research”.

She added: “If 50% of the ERC grants go to 50 institutions across Europe, it is obvious that they are extremely attractive to some of the best researchers.

“One of the reasons for the research advantage of US universities is the concentration of research funding on less than one-tenth of degree-giving institutions.”

This argument was supported by Maire Geoghegan-Quinn, European Union commissioner for research, innovation and science.

She said US public sector researchers have, on average, twice the resources of EU public sector researchers and are three times more productive in terms of the number and quality of publications.

“Amazingly, Harvard University alone spends more per year on research than the total research expenditure (public and private) in nine of the EU’s member states,” she added.

In a video message, José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, said: “The ERC has become a remarkable story for Europe in such a short time. Five years dedicated to supporting 2,500 of the very best, brilliant minds – not least the younger talent – have played a key role in stimulating competitiveness and growth, in the challenging times we are going through.”

Geoghegan-Quinn said the ERC was created at a critical time for European research and has contributed significantly to a European culture of excellence. Even halfway through most of the now 2,500 grant-funded projects, achievements were significant.

“In 2011, each week at least one ERC-supported project published an article in either Science or Nature,” she said.

Nowotny said the rationale for the ‘frontier research’ ERC programme was simply that "we do not know what we do not know".

“We know that it takes on average 15 years to move from an idea to market. The process of translation takes time. No short cuts exist, which would prevent us from attempting to shorten the time lag.”

Amalia Sartori, chair of the European parliament’s industry, research and energy committee, said that parliament would now look into how structural funds and research funds could be linked more closely. A joint hearing of the two relevant parliamentary committees is scheduled.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas backed this standpoint at an address given at the London School of Economics in a series of lectures, "Worldwide Perspectives on Europe". He said generous payments from the Cohesion and Common Agriculture Policy funds have not always brought prosperity to recipients.

“On the contrary, in many cases, this money has acted as a ‘sweet poison’ instead of promoting competitiveness of the target member state,” Necas said.

“Our main task is to reform the EU budget to correspond with the new challenges Europe is facing. To give an example: you and I know perfectly well that the EU is no pre-industrial agriculture-oriented economy. But should an alien land in Europe and look at the EU-budget, he would be very much inclined to think so, since the Common Agriculture Policy still represents over 40% of the whole EU budget. This cannot continue.”

http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20120308181711918

Comments On The Tertiary Education Green Paper

South Africa’s Minister of Higher Education and Training Blade Nzimande, in an article following his attendance at a universities conference in Havana, raised some very important issues for this country’s higher education debate – which, as he suggests, is completely moribund, from bottom to top.

The great irony is that he had to go to a country that has not had an election in 50 years to be stimulated. In the Umsebenzi article, the minster’s main issues seem to be around the knowledge economy, neo-liberalism, internationalisation, sustainability and the country’s new universities.

The knowledge economy question

The minister and one of his bag carriers (ideologically and materially) have often raised the ‘knowledge economy’ question. I think one can look at it in two ways.

The first is about whose knowledge and for what, which is a very political question that we debated often during the period of the National Education Coordinating Committee, NECC [an action group formed during the height of apartheid in the 1980s to wage the struggle for ‘people’s education’ and develop alternative education policies].

This is, of course, a very important issue, which is at the heart of redistribution. But my disillusionment with it was that those who endlessly engaged in this debate seldom produced any useful new knowledge themselves.

Second, and in contrast, at the Centre for Higher Education Transformation, CHET, the knowledge economy is used in the empirical sense: knowledge is now a more important component than capital or labour in production.

At the 2012 World Economic Forum Klaus Schwab, the CEO of Davos, said that ‘capitalism’ is an outdated term; it developed when capital was the most important component of production. He said that it is now knowledge and talent that are key – and suggested the term ‘talentism’.

The information technology revolution is informative. Both the rich and the poor need it – the former to become richer and the latter to escape poverty, according to renowned sociologist Manuel Castells.

What capitalism does, even in an African National Congress-Communist Party neo-liberal alliance, is to skew the usefulness of IT towards the rich. So the issue is not the knowledge, but who controls it (the old means of production issue) – after all, it is produced and used by both rich and poor.

CHET uses knowledge economy as code to promote mass participation in higher education, skills and innovation.

This is counter to the notion perpetuated by many communist regimes – Russia being the prime example – that wealth is not in the ‘head’, but rather under the ground. Minerals must be mined with low knowledge and cheap labour, and then transported across great distances for infrastructure projects that have vast payoff opportunities.

(Previously Africa shipped metals and minerals to the West and called it colonialism; now most of it goes to the ‘neo-communist’ East. Perhaps our children will call this anti-knowledge, or simple stupidity.)

But very important for South Africa’s draft Green Paper for Post-school Education and Training is that China has completely embraced the knowledge economy.

China has had the fastest growth in higher education enrolment in the history of humankind, and a growth of over 40% in PhD production in the past five years. By contrast, South African higher education student growth has stagnated at a 17% participation rate for the past five years, and PhD production has grown by a meagre 5%.

Read details here.

Hottest planet in galaxy spotted

The hottest-ever planet found by scientists so far is WASP 33 b orbiting a star some 380 light-years away in the constellation Andromeda.

The planet discovered in 2010 is a so-called hot Jupiter, a giant gas planet that has migrated very close to its star over time. Its temperature is estimated at a whopping 3,200 degrees Celsius. For comparison, the temperature of the hottest planet in the Solar System, Venus, is just 460 degrees Celsius.

WASP 33 b is described in a new paper submitted to Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society by astronomers from Keele University and the University of St Andrews in Scotland and also the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory in the Spanish Canary Islands.

Source:rt.com

Four-billion-year-old surprise from space

A group of NASA scientists have discovered a new mineral of space origin in one of the most historically significant celestial objects – a meteorite found in Antarctica in 1969.

The new mineral was discovered by NASA scientists inside the meteorite known as Yamato 691, according to NASA’s official report. The meteorite was among the first nine meteorites discovered by the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition in the ice-fields of Antarctica in 1969.  The analysis has shown that it is over 4.5 billion years old and originated from an asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter. 

Latest discoveries by NASA scientists and their co-researchers from Japan and South Korea revealed small inclusions of an unknown mineral in the meteorite specimen. It was discovered surrounded by other materials of unidentified nature that are now being investigated as well. 

The newly discovered mineral is made up of sulfur and titanium molecules that form an intricate crystal lattice. The characteristics of the lattice have yet to be defined. The mineral makes up only a tiny fraction of the sample (50 x 450 nanometers, or less than one-hundredth width of human hair). Yet it is an important integral part of its chemical composition. 

The finding was named Wassonite in honor of Prof. John Wasson (UCLA) known for his unrivaled achievements in meteorite research. The research team, headed by NASA scientist Keiko Nakamura-Messenger, added the mineral to the list approved by the International Mineralogical association. Wassonite is unlikely to be found on Earth; therefore the discovery is quite outstanding.

Wassonite is probably not the only mineral that for billions of years has remained unknown to scientists. Meteorites from Antarctica hold many mysteries that fascinate researchers worldwide. "More secrets of the universe can be revealed from these specimens using 21st century nano-technology," said Nakamura-Messenger, once again emphasizing the pivotal role of the nano-technology equipment available at NASA facilities.

All in all the searches in Antarctica resulted in recovering over 40,000 specimens of celestial materials including Martian and Lunar meteorites. The co-discoverer of Wassonite, Lindsay Keller underlined the importance of studying meteorites for further research on formation of our solar system: "Through these kinds of studies we can learn about the conditions that existed and the processes that were occurring then".

Meteorites have been constantly providing geologists with research material. Extreme conditions are created when meteorites pass the Earth’s atmosphere and collide with the surface. This results in the appearance of new chemical elements on the surface of meteorites. Lonsdaleite is one example of such elements. Being almost two times harder than diamonds, it is one of the hardest minerals known to scientists.

Source:rt.com

Mobile gurus to teach business of social networking in Moscow

Leading media innovation experts will share their experience and future vision of mobile and social network-oriented businesses with a Russian audience.

Ralph Simon, one of the pioneers of mobile entertainment dubbed the “father of ringtone”, Kei Shimada, CEO of the Japanese based mobile content producer and industry analyst Infinita, will be the first hosts in a series of discussion groups organized by RIA Novosti news agency.

The event will take place on June 2 at the Multimedia Art Museum in Moscow. It will focus on the integration of mobile devices with social networking services and other innovations which are expected to hit the market over the next few years. The guests will also discuss examples of successful brand promotion campaigns which relied heavily on social networks.

Among the hosts of similar future events will be Tomi Ahonen, ex-senior manager at Nokia and author of a dozen books on mobile marketing, and Peter A. Bruck, head of Research Studios Austria, a non-profit organization helping university students get their innovations onto the market.

The series of discussion groups are part of the International Future Media Forum, which Moscow will hold in late June. RT is one of the event’s information sponsors.


source:rt.com

An Hour of Shisha Pipe Equals 100 Fags Harm

One hour of hep shisha pipe smoking is as destructive as 100 cigarettes to a person’s health, warn experts.

The warning from the British Heart Foundation comes as it was revealed the number of shisha bars in the UK has trebled from 179 when the smoking ban was introduced in 2007 to 556 now, the Sun reported.

More than one in four people aged between 18 and 24 have tried inhaling flavoured tobacco through waterpipes.

And 44 per cent thought it was less harmful than cigarettes - with 15 per cent believing there was no risk at all.

The charity released the figures to mark No Smoking Day. 
Dr Mike Knapton, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation, warned users: "Don't be duped by the sweet smell and wholesome sounding fruity flavours. If you use shisha you are a smoker.

"There are added risks because you're also exposed to toxins from wood or charcoal used to burn the tobacco," he said.

Source: An Hour of Shisha Pipe Equals 100 Fags Harm | MedIndia http://www.medindia.net/news/100-fags-harm-equals-an-hour-of-shisha-pipe-98838-1.htm#ixzz1pCSJDaw9

Antibody Treatment Protects Monkeys from Ebola, Marburg Viruses

Exposure to antibody-based therapies protect primates from the deadly Ebola and Marburg viruses, say researchers. In addition, the animals were fully protected even when treatment was administered two days post-infection, an accomplishment unmatched by any experimental therapy for these viruses to date. The work appears in this week's electronic edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The filoviruses, Ebola and Marburg, cause hemorrhagic fever with human case fatality rates as high as 90 percent. They are a global health concern and are considered potential biological threat agents. Currently there are no available vaccines or therapies approved for use in humans, making the development of such products a high priority.

In the article, John M. Dye, Andrew S. Herbert, William D. Pratt, and colleagues from the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) describe using antibody from monkeys that had previously survived challenge with lethal doses of filoviruses under controlled laboratory conditions. These survivors had developed high levels of antibody to ward off disease. Investigators collected blood serum from these animals, purified it and tested it for virus-neutralizing activity before commencing with their work. 
In the first study, monkeys infected with Marburg virus were treated with antibody 15 to 30 minutes post-exposure, with additional treatments on days 4 and 8. The animals were completely protected, with no signs of disease or detectable levels of virus in their bloodstreams. Furthermore, all the monkeys generated an immune response to Marburg virus and survived subsequent re-challenge with the virus.

In the next set of studies, monkeys were infected with either Ebola or Marburg virus and treatments were delayed 48 hours, with additional treatments on days 4 and 8 post-exposure. The delayed treatments protected both sets of animals from challenge. In each group, two of the three animals had no clinical signs of illness following treatment, with the third developing mild symptoms followed by full recovery.

For nearly a decade, the filovirus research community has disregarded antibody-based therapies due to numerous failed attempts to protect monkeys against filovirus challenge, according to Dye.

"The use of antibodies as a treatment for infectious diseases is a well-established technology, with multiple products having received approval from the Food and Drug Administration," said Dye. "With these findings, we have provided proof-of concept that antibody-based therapies can indeed be used to effectively treat filovirus infections."

Dye said the USAMRIID team is hopeful that its work will open new avenues for development of filovirus therapies for human use.


Source: Antibody Treatment Protects Monkeys from Ebola, Marburg Viruses | MedIndia http://www.medindia.net/news/antibody-treatment-protects-monkeys-from-ebola-marburg-viruses-98848-1.htm#ixzz1pCStBwmv

Link Between Eye and Brain Health

People with eye problems are more likely to have problems with thinking and memory skills, shows research published in Neurology.

Damage to the retina is called retinopathy. In the study, the damage was mild enough to not cause significant symptoms.

"Problems with the tiny blood vessels in the eye may be a sign that there are also problems with the blood vessels in the brain that can lead to cognitive problems," said study author Mary Haan, DrPH, MPH, of the University of California, San Francisco. "This could be very useful if a simple eye screening could give us an early indication that people might be at risk of problems with their brain health and functioning." 
The study involved 511 women with an average age of 69. The women took tests of their thinking and memory skills every year for up to 10 years. Their eye health was tested about four years into the study and scans were taken of their brains about eight years into the study.

A total of 39 women, or 7.6 percent, had retinopathy. The women with retinopathy on average had lower scores on the cognitive tests than the women who did not have retinopathy. The women with retinopathy also had more areas of small vascular damage within the brain, with 47 percent larger volumes of areas of damage than women who did not have retinopathy. In the parietal lobe of the brain, the women with retinopathy had 68 percent larger volumes of areas of damage. 

Read more: Link Between Eye and Brain Health | MedIndia http://www.medindia.net/news/link-between-eye-and-brain-health-98850-1.htm#ixzz1pCV6K6qt

SINGAPORE TO POUR MORE CASH INTO ITS TOURISM INDUSTRY

After massive investment into updating what tourism in Singapore can offer, more cash is to be spent on improving the industry with the hope of attracting more and more tourists.

In 2005, $2 billion was invested into the tourism industry of Singapore. The money was used to improve infrastructure, create new attractions and improve the general reputation of the parliamentary republic.
To prepare for the next phase of development, a further $905 million is to be invested over the next 5 years. These funds are deemed necessary for Singapore to stay ahead in business and pleasure tourism even though 2011 was a record year. 13.2 million tourists came to Singapore for a variety of reasons last year, yet the tourist board is exercising caution and is set to invest more to avoid rapidly plummeting figures in 2012 and beyond.
Roughly one third of the new investment is to be used to promote Singapore as a global lifestyle and business hub. The thinking behind this division of the investment is that business travelers tend to spend more on hotels and other amenities. The international conference and exhibitions market should be improved in Singapore to help it move forward, especially whereby ‘best in the class’ events are concerned.
The second third of the money shall be devoted to innovations and the inventions of new concepts, which would in turn provide fuel for launching further marketing campaigns. The final third of the money will go towards enhancing the republic’s capabilities in tourism-related enterprises. In other words, this third of the investment will attempt to ensure that Singapore makes money out of making money and being successful in promoting itself.

Source: tourism-review

Sandra Bullock: Adopting Second Child?

Already the mother of two-year-old son Louis, Oscar winner Sandra Bullock is reportedly adopting a second child ... or at least in the process of trying to.

Sandra and then-husband Jesse James had planned to adopt Louis together, but in the aftermath of their shocking split, she took on sole custody of the boy.

She has planned to expand her brood since adopting Louis back in early 2010, a source revealed: "Sandra has always planned to have more than one child."

"She feels now is a good time for a new baby to be welcomed into the family. Louis is a little young to understand that he is going to be a big brother."
"However, Sandy is trying to get him ready for the transition."
The source adds that Sandra has filed the adoption papers now as it may take a long time to process. She has no preference on the sex of the baby.
"It took her about 18 months to finally get Louis, and there is no time table as to when she will get the second child," the insider said of the adoption.
"Sandy's lawyer told her it could take a year to complete the process. She doesn't care whether or not it's a boy or girl. She just wants a healthy a baby."

Source: thehollywoodgossip.com

Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela

Long Walk to Freedom is an autobiographical work written by Nelson Mandela, and published in 1995 by Little Brown & Co. The riveting memoirs of the outstanding moral and political leader of our time. The book profiles his early life, coming of age, education and 27 years in prison. Mandela was once regarded as a terrorist but he is now regarded as uncontroversial. Long Walk to Freedom brilliantly re-creates the drama of the experiences that helped shape Nelson Mandela's destiny. Emotive, compelling and uplifting, Long Walk to Freedom is the exhilarating story of an epic life; a story of hardship, resilience and ultimate triumph told with the clarity and eloquence of a born leader. 'Burns with the luminosity of faith in the invincible nature of human hope and dignity ...Unforgettable' Andre Brink 'Enthralling ...Mandela emulates the few great political leaders such as Lincoln and Gandhi, who go beyond mere consensus and move out ahead of their followers to break new ground' Donald Woods in the SUNDAY TIMES.

The last chapters of the book describe his political ascension, and his belief that the struggle continues against apartheid in South Africa.

The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani

In 17th-century Persia, a 14-year-old woman believes she will be married within the year. But when her beloved father dies, she and her mother find themselves alone and without a dowry. With nowhere else to go, they are forced to sell the brilliant turquoise rug the young woman has woven to pay for their journey to Isfahan, where they will work as servants for her uncle, a rich rug designer in the court of the legendary Shah Abbas the Great.
Despite her lowly station, the young woman blossoms as a brilliant designer of carpets, a rarity in a craft dominated by men. But while her talent flourishes, her prospects for a happy marriage grow dim. Forced into a secret marriage to
a wealthy man, the young woman finds herself faced with a daunting decision: forsake her own dignity, or risk everything she has in an effort to create a new life.

"Anita Amirrezvani has written a sensuous and transporting first novel filled with the colors, tastes and fragrances of life in seventeenth-century Isfahan...Amirrezvani clearly knows and loves the ways of old Iran, and brings them to life with the cadences of a skilled story-spinner." -- Geraldine Brooks

"An engrossing, enthralling tale of a girl's quest for self-determination in the fascinating other world that was seventeenth-century Iran." -- Emma Donoghue, author of Touchy Subjects and Life Mask

Still Summer by Jacquelyn Mitchard

From the Publisher:
Back in high school, Tracy, Olivia, and Holly were known as The Godmothers, the girls everyone wanted to be and know. Unlike many friendships, their bond survived the years.

But 20 years later, their glamorous leader, Olivia, whose wealthy Italian husband has died, suggests they reunite on her return to the United States with a luxury sailboat crossing in the Caribbean. With Tracy's college-aged daughter and an attentive two man crew, they sail into paradise. But then, the smallest mistake triggers a series of devastating events. Suddenly in a desperate fight for survival, they battle the elements, dwindling food and water, the threat of modern-day piracy, and their own frailties.

Still Summer is at once a breathtaking adventure and a story about the bonds that hold friend to friend and mothers to daughters, and how facing our own mortality tests the truth of everything we think we know.

Deadline

Deadline is a mystery drama film directed by Curt Hahn. The screenplay was written by former Charlotte Observer managing editor Mark Ethridge, basing it upon his novel Grievances, which was inspired by actual events. The film stars Steve Talley and Academy Award nominee Eric Roberts.

Synopsis: the story of the murder of an African American youth in rural Alabama that has gone uninvestigated, unsolved and unpunished for almost twenty years. But that changes when Nashville Times reporter Matt Harper meets an idealistic young blueblood bent on discovering the truth. Harper undertakes the investigation despite the opposition of his publisher, violent threats from mysterious forces, a break-up with his fiancée and his father's cancer diagnosis. Deadline is a story of murder, family, race, and of redemption for a small Southern town and for Matt Harper.

Undefeated

Undefeated is an Oscar-winning 2011 documentary directed by Daniel Lindsay and T.J. Martin. The film documents the struggles of a high school football team, the Manassas Tigers of Memphis, as they attempt a winning season after years of losses. The team is turned around by coach Bill Courtney, who helps form a group of young men into an academic and athletic team.

Synopsis: Set in the inner-city of Memphis, Undefeated chronicles the Manassas Tigers' 2009 football season, on and off-the-field, as they strive to win the first playoff game in the high school's 110-year history.A perennial whipping boy, in recent decades Manassas had gone so far as to sell their home games to the highest bidder, but that all changed in the spring of 2004 when Bill Courtney, a former high school football coach turned lumber salesman, volunteered to lend a hand.When he arrived, the team consisted of 17 players, some timeworn equipment and a patch of grass masquerading as a practice field. Focusing more on winning young men than football games, the football program nevertheless began resurrecting itself and, in 2009, features the most talented team Manassas has ever fielded; a team that seems poised to end the playoff jinx that has plagued the school since time immemorial.

Fantasia (1940)

Fantasia is a 1940 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and released by Walt Disney Productions. With story direction by Joe Grant and Dick Huemer, and production supervision by Ben Sharpsteen, it is the third feature in the Disney animated features canon. The film consists of eight animated segments set to pieces of classical music conducted by Leopold Stokowski; seven of which are performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra. Music critic and composer Deems Taylor acts as the film's Master of Ceremonies, who introduces each segment in live action interstitial scenes.

Disney settled on the film's concept as work neared completion on The Sorcerer's Apprentice, an elaborate Silly Symphonies short designed as a comeback role for Mickey Mouse who had declined in popularity. As production costs grew higher than what it could earn, he decided to include the short in a feature-length film with other segments set to classical pieces. The soundtrack was recorded using multiple audio channels and reproduced with Fantasound, a pioneering sound reproduction system that made Fantasia the first commercial film shown in stereophonic sound.

Fantasia was first released in theatrical roadshow engagements held in thirteen U.S. cities from November 13, 1940. It received mixed critical reaction, and was unable to make a profit. In part this was due to World War II cutting off the profitable European market, but due as well to the film's high production costs and the expense of leasing theatres and installing the Fantasound equipment for the roadshow presentations. Also, audiences who felt that Disney had suddenly gone "highbrow" stayed away, preferring the standard Disney cartoons. The film was subsequently reissued multiple times with its original footage and audio being deleted, modified, or restored in each version. As of 2012, Fantasia has grossed $76.4 million in domestic revenue and is the 22nd highest-grossing film of all time in the U.S. when adjusted for inflation. Walt's nephew Roy E. Disney co-produced a sequel released in 1999 titled Fantasia 2000.

Agyness Deyn Joining 'Dr. Martens' for Limited-Edition Line

Dr. Martens has announced the launch of a limited edition clothing, footwear and accessories line with model Agyness Deyn for Fall 2012.

Having appeared in the British footwear brand's Fall 2011 and Spring 2012 ad campaigns, Deyn already has close links with the label, which is famed for its distinctive 1460 lace-up boot with its yellow stitching around the sole.

Known for her androgynous aesthetic, Deyn purchased her first pair of Dr. Martens boots at the age of 13. With past team-ups including a quirky T-shirt range for high street brand Uniqlo, the British model selects her collaborations wisely.

"The brand is a great fit for me, as it stands for strong character and being able to shape your own personal identity," she told WWD March 12.

Further details on the Agyness Deyn for Dr. Martens line are still to come, although it is known the collection will launch globally.

Despite being associated with a more combat or punk aesthetic in the past, Dr. Martens has enjoyed a makeover in recent years -- with recent styles including a limited edition sparkly selection of boots made with Swarovski Elements last December.

Lagos Fashion Week Kicks Off in Nigeria

Nigeria's biggest city from Wednesday host the second Lagos Fashion Week, which organisers say will showcase local design talent and add a splash of colour in a region often seen as troubled.

"There's a lot of negativity about Africa in general and Nigeria in particular," Penny McDonald, managing director of Arise Media, which is organising the event, told AFP on the eve of the opening day.

"Everything in the news is doom and gloom, from famine to bombings, to petrol (price crisis), most recently in Nigeria. Hopefully this will redress the imbalance... that is to say Africa and Nigeria are not broken."

Although the country does not boast any high-class shopping malls, Nigerians are well known for their flair and love of fashion.

Africa's most populous country has produced some of the continent's best known designers, such as Frank Osodi and Bridget Awosika, who will showcase their work Wednesday along with Britain-based Jamaican Romero Bryan.

McDonald said the number of designers shot up to 77 from 50 in 2011, a rise she attributes to the success of the inaugural show.

Two huge tents have been erected on the grounds of a five-star hotel to host the shows, and specialist decorators have been flown in from Europe.

Other top African names showing off their collections during the week include British-Ghanaian Oswald Boateng and the internationally renowned South African duo Kluk CGDT. The show runs through Sunday.

"The world needs to see Africa showcase its own fashion," said McDonald.

One million trees are planted in one month by The Woodland Trust

(U.K)The Woodland Trust has planted a staggering one million trees in one month to mark the start of celebrations for The Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

The charity aims to plant six million trees overall, including hundreds of new woods created across all four corners of the UK, from Stornoway in the Western Isles to Penzance in Cornwall.

The Queen herself helped get the mammoth planting off to a flying start, supported by HRH The Princess Royal. They planted a Jubilee tree at the Sandringham Estate.

Dermot O'Leary, Clive Anderson, the Blue Peter team and Dame Judi Dench - plus thousands of children and adults across the UK also joined in the challenge."Royal fever will sweep the nation this year with communities all over the country celebrating Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee," Dermot O'Leary enthused. "What a great start to the year by planting 1 million trees in one month."

Famous locations for the trees include including Kensington Roof Gardens and the Tower of London.


Source: optimistworld.com

Encyclopedia Britannica halts print edition, goes digital only

Encyclopaedia Britannica is to stop publishing its print edition after more than 200 years.

The publisher is ditching its weighty tomes to concentrate on an internet version, after recognising that knowledge was changing so quickly that the they were becoming obsolete as soon as they were issued.
Its handsomely-presented volumes have been in print since they were first published in Edinburgh in 1768.
They will stop being available when the current stock of 2010 editions runs out, the Chicago-based company said. Executives said the end of the printed, 32-volume set had been foreseen for some time.
Jorge Cauz, president of the Encyclopaedia Britannica company said: "This has nothing to do with Wikipedia or Google. This has to do with the fact that now Britannica sells its digital products to a large number of people."
The top year for the printed encyclopedia was 1990, when 120,000 sets were sold, Cauz said. That number fell to 40,000 just six years later in 1996, he said. The company started exploring digital publishing the 1970s. The first CD-ROM version was published in 1989 and a version went online in 1994.
Just 8,500 volumes of the 2010 edition have been shipped. The final hardcover encyclopedia set remains available for sale at Britannica's website for $1,395. Online access to Britannica will be available for $70 a year.
"The sales of printed encyclopedias have been negligible for several years," Cauz said. "We knew this was going to come."
The company plans to mark the end of the print version by making the contents of its website available free for one week.
Online versions of the encyclopedia now serve more than 100 million people around the world, the company said, and are available on mobile devices. The encyclopedia has become increasingly social as well, Cauz said, because users can send comments to editors.
"A printed encyclopedia is obsolete the minute that you print it," Mr Cauz said. "Whereas our online edition is updated continuously."
Britannica has thousands of experts' contributors from around the world, including Nobel laureates and world leaders such as former President Bill Clinton and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. It also has a staff of more than 100 editors.
Mr Cauz said: "The most important thing about Britannica is that Britannica is relevant and vibrant because it brings scholarly knowledge to an editorial process to as many knowledge seekers as possible."
Lynne Kobayashi of the Language of the Hawaii State Library said: "While Wikipedia has become ubiquitous, the Britannica remains a consistently more reliable source."
A.J. Jacobs, who read the entire Encyclopaedia Britannica for his book, The Know-It-All, told the Financial Times: "I am a bit heartbroken.
"There was something so wonderfully concrete about the print version, and I loved the idea that all the world's knowledge could be contained in those pages."

Source: Telegraph

Student anger over education cuts puts heat on lawmakers

(America) As protests increase, and with more tuition and fee increases due this fall, legislators are under pressure to provide relief by restoring some money for higher education.

Reporting from Sacramento— The students who lined up to testify before lawmakers last week against cuts in college financial aid had only a few seconds to make their case, so Candace Washington got right to the point.

"Don't forget about us," said the 22-year-old student at Biola University, "because we won't forget about you."

Student anger has simmered as lawmakers have repeatedly cut funding for higher education in their struggle to balance the state's books, and as the universities have responded by raising tuition and fees. The Cal Grants program, which awards state funds to qualifying students at public and private universities, has also been targeted. Thousands marched on the Capitol last week in one of the largest student demonstrations there in recent years, and dozens were later arrested for trespassing.

Since the 2002-03 academic year, state spending on the University of California and the California State University systems has fallen 42% when adjusted for inflation, according to statistics from Gov. Jerry Brown's administration. Undergraduate tuition and fees have nearly tripled in roughly the same period.

In fact, in the current academic year California's public colleges and universities began relying more on student dollars than on the state budget for the first time. With more tuition and fee increases due to kick in this fall, lawmakers are under pressure to provide relief by restoring some money for higher education.

"Public higher education in California is really in a crisis, probably the most severe crisis that most of us have seen in a generation," said Jaime Regalado, emeritus professor of political science at Cal State L.A. As more students take to the streets, he said, "it's going to become harder and harder and harder for the politicians to ignore."


Source: Latimes.com

Headline March 15th, 2012 / "The Grapes of The Wrath"

Part5: Cloning You And Stealing Your ID

"The Grapes of The Wrath"

Respectful Dedication To 3 Students

Sarah Mahmood/Pakistan -  Arame Kamane Thiam /Senegal - Darlington Shepherd/Ghana

Thousands of Organisations buy your data. And when the data is roguish and wrong , the real you becomes the "imposter". This may very well explain why you get junk mails or cold calls that never seem relevant!!
In the UK, "www.checkmyfile.com" may help but you will soon find yourself giving away more data about yourself. A rare Catch-22, beware!!

Also, in the UK you can buy your credit report . A full history of your financial status. All that you owe, court judgements, loan records , finance deal, store card and any application in the pipeline. In short, it shows that , so far, no one has attempted to pass themselves off as you!? Amazingly, you could find even other info online.

For example, the credit score for the street you live in, the credit rating of the house of your  neighbour. Your holiday destination, your use of online auction sites. But you will also discover the fact that you have not opted of databases that sell info to junk mailers.

Generally speaking the data put together on you , in the UK, is basically the work of three credit Agencies. This goes towards creating a credit rating for you that profiles your suitability as a customer. And this info is used by banks, landlords, employers, to check your credentials. The same system is there in most of the developed world and now being cloned in the developing world.

However, the increased reliance and use of electronic monitoring has for the last many years prompted a worldwide concern.UK's info Commissioner is on record to have warned that Britain risked "sleepwalking" into a surveillance society, 'where people could find themselves being discriminated against on the basis of largely erroneous date!!'

This observation is very very serious. !WOW! will soon launch a global effort to help collate such cases against students! So remember that no matter what you do, you can never remove the data that exists about you!!?

My advise is that all students must read up the "Data Protection Act". And followup on tomorrow's post. Scintillating content is on! Don't miss it!

Goodnight and God Bless!

SAM Daily Times-Voice of the Voiceless