Friday 30 November 2012

NASA Cancels Nanosat Challenge

Ok, not terrorists precisely. Iran, actually.

A Cubesat launcher terrifies non-proliferation wonks who are afraid that a bunch of little commercial competitors would be sloppy controlling access to their blueprints, or worse, would just publish them online, thereby giving Iran detailed plans for upgraded rockets. We have to remember that the other name for an orbital launcher is an ICBM. If the parts truly can be had at Radio Shack, it's just a matter of the skill to design a way to assemble them, and to write some software to control what you've made. Shoestring development projects encourage shoestring organizations, who in turn are far more likely to open source designs these days than, say, the entrenched military-industrial complex. Given Iran's continued and persistent efforts to prevent anybody from being educated in anything other than verses from a particular medieval book, having The Great Satan design and build the tool for The Next Big Attack (that we're all supposed to be frightened of) would appeal to the ayatollahs. (Of course the likely first target would be Israel, who would feel obliged to retaliate with their own nuclear arsenal, and the Middle East would be a whole lot quieter for a while afterwards. Craters don't complain about who is squatting on whose land.)

We also have to remember that SpaceX was supposed to fail. It was supposed to be impossible to engineer a heavy lift launch vehicle from scratch in less than a decade for less than half a billion dollars. We got ULA partisans posting on Slashdot for years telling us how SpaceX couldn't possibly succeed. Now that SpaceX has undeniably succeeded, with an order of magnitude or two less money than they were supposed to require, there's a very real possibility that a Cubesat launcher project could also succeed for yet more orders of magnitude less money. That brings the cost of an orbital launch vehicle down to practically backyard standards. (I hear suborbital is already a backyard project.) Admittedly with a relatively tiny payload, if it's only supposed to launch one Cubesat at a time, but still. Once you've got something that works, you build it a little bit bigger and you can launch something dangerous with it. And of course, it's already fairly dangerous kinetically all by itself.

The CIA allegedly pursued a global space denial program for decades, and fear of the potential payloads is the reason why. Space is expensive because the only thing that works is missile technology, and that scares people. (And that also explains why NASA spent a lot of time pushing the space elevator Centennial Challenges that the last blog post linked in the summary is complaining about. Space elevators aren't missiles.)

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/LW2XWGMzES0/story01.htm

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PFT: Tuck says Redskins offense nothing without RG3

Washington Redskins v Dallas CowboysGetty Images

Ah, the exuberance of youth.

Redskins rookie running back Alfred Morris, entering his first professional December, said he?s not worried about the rookie wall.

?I was built for this,? Morris said, via Rich Campbell of the Washington Times. ?I was made for this. It?s just the truth. I can take a lot of beating. I don?t think I?ll ever meet the rookie wall.?

He better not, because the Redskins will need him Monday against the Giants.

Morris is 18 yards short of 1,000, and needs just 81 the rest of the way to break Reggie Brooks? franchise rookie record. For a guy who was hoping to fit in wherever this year, it?s a pretty impressive achievement.

?It would mean a lot,? Morris said. ?I didn?t think I was going to even see the field until the fifth, sixth game. For that to happen would be an honor, especially with such a storied franchise. I?d be thankful and still be humble.?

He?s made adjustments to his game, notably in terms of taking care of himself. He said he never considered getting into a cold tub until since-cut veteran Tim Hightower taught him the benefits, and he?s taken other measures to keep himself ready, such as massages.

?It?s not a pleasure massage,? Morris said. ?Those things hurt, but afterwards you feel a lot better.?

That he?s still fresh has caught the eye of coaches, who never know what to expect from first-year players this time of year.

?He?s been good all year ? I think that?s been the most impressive thing about him,? offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan said. ?He has never hit a rookie wall. He runs so hard, and I have never seen him wear down at all. He keeps grinding on everything.?

One day Morris will learn how hard it actually is. But for the moment, the young legs are still carrying him.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/11/30/tuck-says-redskins-o-wont-go-anywhere-without-rg3/related

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Thursday 29 November 2012

French court clears Continental of Concorde crash

33 min.

VERSAILLES, France -- A French appeals court on Thursday absolved Continental Airlines of blame for a 2000 Concorde crash that killed 113 people and cleared a mechanic at the U.S. airline of the charge of involuntary manslaughter.

The verdict comes over a decade after the accident helped to spell the end of the supersonic airliner. A previous court ruled that a small metal strip that fell onto the runway from a Continental aircraft just before the Concorde took off from Paris, caused the crash.

Continental was originally fined 200,000 euros and ordered to pay the Concorde's operator, Air France, a million euros in damages. Continental appealed the verdict which it described as unfair and absurd.

Welder John Taylor was cleared of a 15-month suspended prison sentence for having gone against industry norms and used titanium to forge the piece that dropped off the plane.

Continental, now part of United Continental Holdings , had been ordered under the original ruling to pay 70 percent of any damages payable to families of victims. Airbus parent EADS would have to pay the other 30 percent.

The crash sped up the demise of the droop-nosed Concorde - the fastest commercial airliner in history and a symbol of Franco-British co-operation - as safety concerns coupled with an economic downturn after 9/11 drove away its wealthy customers.

The Air France Concorde, carrying mostly German tourists bound for a Caribbean cruise, was taking off from Paris on July 25, 2000 when an engine caught fire. Trailing a plume of flames, it crashed into a hotel near Charles de Gaulle airport. All 109 passengers and four people on the ground died.

After modifications, the plane returned to service but its operators, Air France and British Airways, retired it in 2003, citing high operating costs and a drop in demand.?

Copyright 2012 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/travel/french-court-clears-continental-concorde-crash-1C7325956

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Photos: Monster storm raging on Saturn

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

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/photos/nasa-s-cassini-slideshow/

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Wednesday 28 November 2012

North Korea joke slips over China's Great Firewall

BEIJING (AP) ? How did a spoof article about North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un being the sexiest man alive end up as a real news item in China? Turns out it was a case of telephone, or Chinese whispers, in the digital age.

Hong Kong media picked up the piece by U.S. satirical website The Onion a week ago while explaining to readers in Chinese that it was a farce. But from there, it jumped over the Great Firewall and landed into the official, irony-free Chinese media.

When Hong Kong's Phoenix TV website, ifeng.com, ran its story on its fashion channel on Nov. 21, the story's second paragraph clearly stated: "The Onion is a satirical news organization."

But, when state-run Yangtse.com picked up the Phoenix piece a few hours later, it had morphed into straight news. The piece never mentioned that the original was a joke, instead plucking comical reader comments attached to the Phoenix story and running those.

"A man with so much fat on the face, and the double chin, and the excessively white skin. And they call him the sexiest. They do deserve the name Onion. I can't help but shed sad tears."

The editor cited for the story, Yang Fang, could not immediately be reached ? and two employees who answered the phone at the Nanjing media outlet said Wednesday they weren't even sure if Yang still worked there.

Five days after the Yangste piece, Beijing's Guangming Daily website took the story for a spin, trimming its length and citing Yangtse.com as its source. The Guangming piece was still online Wednesday and the story's editor told The Associated Press that she had not realized it was a joke until the AP called.

The editor, Wang Miaomiao, said she wasn't worried about the gaffe.

"Even if it was satire, the report itself was true. The content is not made up. Also, we have to go through a procedure to take something down from the website," Wang said. "In addition, it is not a fabricated report, and it does not jeopardize society."

The story next made it to the flagship paper of the Communist Party, the People's Daily, on Tuesday along with a significant upgrade: a 55-photo slideshow of Kim. An editor at the People's Daily website who refused to give his name said the story was picked up from the Guangming Daily site, running on three channels in Chinese and English.

Upon realizing it was a spoof, the People's Daily decided to take down their versions on Wednesday. But not before The Onion updated their original piece with a link to the People's Daily and a shout-out: "For more coverage on The Onion's Sexiest Man Alive 2012, Kim Jong-Un, please visit our friends at the People's Daily in China, a proud Communist subsidiary of The Onion, Inc."

"Exemplary reportage, comrades," The Onion wrote.

It is not the first time China's heavily censored media have fallen for a fictional report by the just-for-laughs The Onion.

In 2002, the Beijing Evening News, one of the capital's biggest tabloids at the time, published as news the fictional account that the U.S. Congress wanted a new building and that it might leave Washington. The Onion article was a spoof of the way sports teams threaten to leave cities in order to get new stadiums.

Jeremy Goldkorn, director of Danwei.com, a firm that researches Chinese media and Internet, said that one of the peculiarities of the Chinese news business is that stories can be freely shared by any other media outlet in their entirety, or edited, as long as the original source is credited somewhere on the page.

"It does mean that stuff gets circulated a lot more widely because you don't have intellectual property restrictions on articles that you would in the U.S. for example," he said. "So when you mix that up with this culture of no fact-checking and not really having a news editor whose main job is seeking truth, then what you get is The Onion being taken seriously in the People's Daily."

___

Associated Press researchers Zhao Liang and Yu Bing contributed to this report.

Follow Alexa Olesen on Twitter at twitter.com/alobeijing

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/north-korea-joke-slips-over-chinas-great-firewall-070216979.html

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Letters: Safeguarding Subways (1 Letter)

To the Editor:

Re ?Holding Back Floodwaters With a Balloon? (Nov. 20): Reading the article, I recognized an idea I?d seen before. United States Patent 940,323, ?Bulkhead for Tunnels and the Like,? was granted to George W. Jackson on Nov. 16, 1909. Mr. Jackson built Chicago?s freight subway and needed a way to protect it from flooding. His patent covers a portable bulkhead with ?a hollow flexible rim which is adapted to be expanded against the inner walls of the tunnel to form a watertight joint.?

Sadly, both the tunnels and Mr. Jackson?s concern with flooding were forgotten by the time of the Chicago flood of 1992. His idea can certainly be applied to modern subway tunnels as well.

Douglas W. Jones

Iowa City

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/27/science/safeguarding-subways-1-letter.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

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Tulane, ECU to join Big East in '14, leaving C-USA

FILE - This Nov. 26, 2011 file photo shows Tulane wide receiver Wilson Van Hooser (9) taking off running in the third quarter of an NCAA college football game in Honolulu. A person familiar with the decision tells The Associated Press that Tulane University is joining the Big East as a full member in 2014 and East Carolina will be joining as a football-only member. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because neither the conference nor school was prepared to make an official announcement.(AP Photo/Eugene Tanner, File)

FILE - This Nov. 26, 2011 file photo shows Tulane wide receiver Wilson Van Hooser (9) taking off running in the third quarter of an NCAA college football game in Honolulu. A person familiar with the decision tells The Associated Press that Tulane University is joining the Big East as a full member in 2014 and East Carolina will be joining as a football-only member. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because neither the conference nor school was prepared to make an official announcement.(AP Photo/Eugene Tanner, File)

FILE - This Oct. 20, 2012 file photo shows East Carolina running back Vintavious Cooper celebrating after scoring a touchdown to secure the team's 42-35 win over UAB during an NCAA college football game in Birmingham, Ala. A person familiar with the decision tells The Associated Press that Tulane University is joining the Big East as a full member in 2014 and East Carolina will be joining as a football-only member. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because neither the conference nor school was prepared to make an official announcement.?(AP Photo/Butch Dill, File)

The Big East moved quickly to replace Rutgers and braced for more possible departures, getting Tulane and East Carolina to agree to join the re-invented conference in 2014.

"I would go as far to say as this is a historic day for Tulane University ... the Big East is coming to the Big Easy," school President Scott Cowen said Tuesday.

Tulane, in New Orleans, and East Carolina, in Greenville, N.C., will make it six Conference USA schools to join the Big East in the last two years.

Rutgers announced a week ago that it would leave the Big East for the Big Ten. Cowen and athletic director Rick Dickson said serious talks with the Big East began about a week ago.

"This is an unprecedented opportunity to join a national conference," Dickson said.

ECU athletic director Terry Holland said an offer to join the Big East came Sunday.

"It was a quick turnaround," he said.

Rutgers would like to join the Big Ten by 2014, along with Maryland, but the Scarlet Knights have left their departure date from the Big East ambiguous. Conference bylaws require members to give the league notification of two years and three months before departing, but the Big East has negotiated early exits for Syracuse, Pittsburgh and West Virginia in the past year.

West Virginia joined the Big 12 this year. Syracuse and Pitt will begin play in the Atlantic Coast Conference in September.

With Maryland leaving the ACC, there has been strong speculation that Connecticut or Louisville will be the next to leave the Big East as the Terps' replacement.

If either does, the conference is still on target to have 12 football members in 2014, just not the same ones it will have in 2013 when the new Big East debuts.

"We're not finished," Big East Commissioner Mike Aresco said. "We obviously have some other plans for expansion."

The Big East is also on the open market, trying to negotiate a pivotal new television contract. Aresco said that had to be put on hold for a few days as the conference regrouped after the latest defection.

Boise State and San Diego State, currently in the Mountain West, are set to join for football only starting in 2013, anchoring the Big East's new West Division. Also on schedule to join next season are current C-USA members SMU, Houston, Memphis and Central Florida.

Navy has committed to join the Big East for football in 2015. The conference had planned to find a 14th member to balance out its divisions even before Rutgers left. BYU and Air Force were top targets for that spot.

Aresco said that the Big East could even expand to 16 members, depending on what schools are available.

"We have to let that play out," he said.

Officials from San Diego State and Boise State have said they are still committed to joining the Big East. Boise State President Robert Kustra reiterated that position in a statement Tuesday.

"The Big East is proactively responding to the national changes in conference affiliations, and Boise State remains committed to building and competing in a strong Big East future," he said.

Boise State and SDSU officials have expressed a desire for the conference to add more schools out West.

"We absolutely will be looking at some western schools," Aresco said.

The Big East's membership also includes seven schools, including Georgetown and St. John's, that either do not have football teams or don't compete at the FBS level, but have helped it become a premier basketball conference.

Tulane seems an odd choice based on the school's recent performance in football and men's basketball, the two most prominent sports.

The Green Wave haven't been to a bowl game since 2002 and last made the NCAA men's basketball tournament in 1995. Tulane just completed a 2-10 football season under first-year coach Curtis Johnson.

It hasn't always been this way for Tulane. Cowen said in the decade before Hurricane Katrina devastated the school in 2005, forcing it to shut down for a semester, Tulane won more sports championships than any program in C-USA.

Cowen said it took three years for the university to fully recover.

"Once we recovered financially and academically, we invested heavily in athletics," he said.

He said the school has sunk $125 million into the athletic department for facilities and coaches. Tulane will open a new on-campus football stadium in 2014, which the school hopes will rejuvenate interest in the team.

The Green Wave currently play their home football games in the Superdome but have struggled to draw fans. Tulane's average attendance for home games was 18,085 this season.

The Big East has been trying to gather as many major television markets as possible and New Orleans comes in at 53rd-largest in the country. Tulane also provides a regional rival for Memphis.

East Carolina has been a consistent winner in football and looked to get in the Big East for years. The Pirates have played in a bowl five out of the last six years and finished 8-4 this season, just missing out on a trip to the C-USA title game. The Pirates also have no problem drawing fans, with an average attendance of more than 47,000 per home game.

Holland said East Carolina's next step is to find an "equally exciting and competitive environment for the 18 sports other than football."

Conference USA had already replaced the previously announced departing members. Next season Louisiana Tech, Florida International, North Texas and Texas-San Antonio will join C-USA, giving it 16 football schools.

In 2014, Old Dominion will join C-USA, and Charlotte is scheduled to join with its fledgling football program in 2015.

"To be clear, we have several options but no new member agreements have been made at this time," C-USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky said. "We appreciate the support of our members and will immediately begin a presidentially led process to evaluate our future options."

___

Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAp

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-11-27-Big-East-Expansion/id-45ab4eab8ec945ab886d8af094dd9718

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Tuesday 27 November 2012

This week's forecast: Sunny with a 40 percent chance of flu

ScienceDaily (Nov. 26, 2012) ? New computer model takes a page from weather forecasting to predict regional peaks in influenza outbreaks

Scientists have developed a system to predict the timing and severity of seasonal influenza outbreaks that could one day help health officials and the general public better prepare for them. The system adapts techniques used in modern weather prediction to turn real-time, Web-based estimates of influenza infection into local forecasts of seasonal flu.

Results appear online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Year to year, and region to region, there is huge variability in the peak of flu season, which, in temperate areas of the Northern Hemisphere, can happen as early as October or as late as April. The forecast system can provide "a window into what can happen week to week as flu prevalence rises and falls," says Jeffrey Shaman, PhD, an assistant professor of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.

As a test case, Dr. Shaman and Alicia Karspeck, PhD, of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, used Web-based estimates of flu-related sickness from the 2003-2008 influenza seasons in New York City to retrospectively generate weekly flu forecasts and found that the technique could predict the peak timing of the outbreak more than seven weeks in advance of the actual peak.

In the future, such flu forecasts might conceivably be disseminated on the local television news along with the weather report, says Dr. Shaman. Like the weather, flu conditions vary from region to region; Atlanta might peak weeks ahead of Anchorage. "Because we are all familiar with weather broadcasts, when we hear that there is a 80% chance of rain, we all have an intuitive sense of whether or not we should carry an umbrella," says Dr. Shaman. "I expect we will develop a similar comfort level and confidence in flu forecasts and develop an intuition of what we should do to protect ourselves in response to different forecast outcomes."

As individuals, a flu forecast could prompt us to get a vaccine, exercise care around people sneezing and coughing, and better tune in to how we feel. For health officials, it could inform decisions on how many vaccines and antiviral drugs to stockpile, and in the case of a virulent outbreak, whether other measures, like closing schools, is necessary.

"Flu forecasting has the potential to significantly improve our ability to prepare for and manage the seasonal flu outbreaks that strike each year," says Irene Eckstrand, PhD, of the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of General Medical Sciences, which provided funding for the study.

Worldwide, influenza kills an estimated 250,000 to 500,000 people each year; in the U.S. about 35,000 die from the flu every year.

The seed of the new study was planted four years ago in a conversation between the two researchers, in which Dr. Shaman expressed an interest in using models to forecast influenza. Dr. Karspeck "recommended incorporating some of the data assimilation techniques used in weather forecasting to build a skillful prediction system" remembers Dr. Shaman.

In weather forecasting real-time observational data are used to "nudge the model to conform with reality and reduce error in the model simulations," he explains. Applying this method to flu forecasting, the researchers used near-real-time data from Google Flu Trends, which estimates outbreaks based on the number of flu-related search queries in a given region.

Going forward, Dr. Shaman will test the model in other localities across the country using up-to-date data. This is necessary, he says, since "there is no guarantee that just because the method works in New York it will work in Miami."

Funding for the research was provided by the National Institutes of Health (grant numbers GM100467, GM088558 and ES009089) and the Department of Homeland Security.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Jeffrey Shamana and Alicia Karspeckb. Forecasting seasonal outbreaks of influenza. PNAS, 2012 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1208772109

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/living_well/~3/swvqLtuchdA/121126151052.htm

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U.S. Commercial Property Sector Enjoying Rising Rents as ...


Industrial-building-sale-wpcki.jpg According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR) quarterly commercial real estate forecast, most of the major commercial real estate sectors show gradually improving fundamentals and are easily absorbing the relatively small amount of new space that is coming online, with a full recovery already in the multifamily market.Thumbnail image for lawrence-yun.jpg

Lawrence Yun

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said the market has been slowly building momentum.? "Job creation is the key to increasing demand in the commercial real estate sectors," he said.? "The economy is expected to grow 2.5 percent next year, and with modest job creation, assuming there is no fiscal cliff, the demand for commercial space will gradually rise.? The greatest friction that remains is a tight credit environment, notably for smaller properties."

Vacancy rates over the next four quarters are forecast to decline 1.0 percentage point in the office market, 0.6 point in industrial, 0.2 point for retail and 0.1 point in multifamily; however, multifamily has the tightest availability and is experiencing the strongest rent increases, well above the rate of inflation.

"The primary factor holding back greater job creation has been uncertainty over regulations and associated costs," Yun said.? "With the elections behind us and Washington apparently resolved to prevent a fiscal cliff, it's hoped that ambiguity over regulatory issues will clear relatively soon so employers can understand the rules of the game and the layout of the field."

NAR's latest Commercial Real Estate Outlook? offers projections for four major commercial sectors and analyzes quarterly data in the office, industrial, retail and multifamily markets.? Historic data for metro areas were provided by REIS, Inc., a source of commercial real estate performance information.

Office Markets

Vacancy rates in the office sector are projected to fall from an estimated 16.7 percent in the fourth quarter to 15.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2013.

The markets with the lowest office vacancy rates presently (in the fourth quarter) are Washington, D.C., with a vacancy rate of 9.6 percent; New York City, at 10.1 percent; and New Orleans, 12.9 percent.

Office rent is expected to increase 2.0 percent this year and 2.5 percent in 2013.? Net absorption of office space in the U.S., which includes the leasing of new space coming on the market as well as space in existing properties, is likely to total 21.7 million square feet in 2012 and 49.0 million next year.
?
Industrial Markets

Industrial vacancy rates should decline from 10.1 percent in the fourth quarter of this year to 9.5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2013.

The areas with the lowest industrial vacancy rates currently are Orange County, Calif., with a vacancy rate of 4.3 percent; Los Angeles, 4.4 percent; and Miami at 6.5 percent.

Annual industrial rent is forecast to rise 1.7 percent in 2012 and 2.2 percent next year.? Net absorption of industrial space nationally will probably total 93.4 million square feet this year and 89.6 million in 2013.
?
Retail Markets

Retail vacancy rates are expected to ease from 10.8 percent in the fourth quarter to 10.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2013.

Presently, markets with the lowest retail vacancy rates include San Francisco and Fairfield County, Conn., both at 3.9 percent; Long Island, N.Y., 5.1 percent; and Orange County, Calif., 5.4 percent.

Average retail rent should increase 0.8 percent this year and 1.4 percent in 2013.? Net absorption of retail space is estimated to be 9.1 million square feet this year and 19.8 million in 2013.
?
Multifamily Markets

The apartment rental market - multifamily housing - is projected to see vacancy rates decline from 4.0 percent in the fourth quarter to 3.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2013; vacancy rates below 5 percent are considered a landlord's market with demand justifying higher rents.

Areas with the lowest multifamily vacancy rates currently are Portland, Ore., at 2.1 percent; New York City, 2.2 percent; and Minneapolis, 2.3 percent.

Average apartment rent should increase 4.1 percent in 2012 and another 4.6 percent next year.? Multifamily net absorption is likely to be 219,700 units this year and 234,600 in 2013.
?

Source: http://www.worldpropertychannel.com/north-america-commercial-news/commercial-real-estate-report-nar-commercial-real-estate-outlook-office-space-industrial-space-retail-space-multifamily-markets-reis-lawrence-yun-6304.php

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First-time buyers shut out of housing recovery

14 hrs.

Current homeowners are finally moving up, and distressed sales are making up less of the overall market?all signs of much-needed improvement in housing.

Current homeowners accounted for 54 percent of October?s non-distressed market, up from 50 percent in June, according to a new survey by Campbell/Inside Mortgage Finance.

This as the share of non-distressed sales surged to 64.7 percent, up from 55.7 percent as recently as February.

Unfortunately, first-time home buyers are seeing just the opposite, largely left out of this surge in sales and prices. Their share of the market, usually up in the 40 percent range historically, fell to 34.7 percent in October, the lowest in the Campbell/IMF survey?s three-year history.

The National Association of Realtors put their share even lower, at 31 percent.

Either way, they are the only group of buyers that have not seen their share of non-distressed home purchases rise over the past five months. The mortgage of choice for these buyers, FHA-insured loans, are increasingly tough to obtain. (Read More: Yes, Housing Starts Surge, but Rentals Are the Drivers)

?Financing of first-time homebuyers with low down payments threatens to become a significant problem in the U.S. housing market,? wrote Thomas Popik, research director for Campbell Surveys. ?Fifty percent of first-time homebuyers use FHA financing, but FHA insurance premiums are increasing and underwriting is becoming more strict. Private mortgage insurance has started to fill the gap, but the long-term status of private mortgage insurance is in question pending the publication of the Qualified Residential Mortgage regulation resulting from Dodd-Frank.? (Read More: Builders Bump Up Thanks to Drop in Existing Home Supply)

Real estate agents answering this latest survey also noted that the recent hike in FHA mortgage insurance premiums is hitting first-time buyers harder because some sellers are refusing to accept offers that include FHA financing. Adding insult to injury, the FHA, after reporting a major shortfall in its insurance reserve funds, announced it would raise premiums yet again, another 10 basis points early next year. (Read More: To Stem Losses, FHA Mortgages Get More Expensive)

Lower priced, distressed properties, like foreclosures and short sales, would seem like the best answer for first time buyers, but hungry, all-cash investors are proving to be too much competition. Investors purchased one fifth of all homes that sold in October, up from 18 percent the previous month, and all-cash buyers (largely investors) made up 29 percent of all sales, according to the Realtors. (Read More: How 'Fiscal Cliff' Could Affect Mortgage Interest Deduction)

This is why, despite increasing household formation, rental occupancies continue to fall and rents to rise. Would-be first time home buyers are either choosing or are forced to rent.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/housing-recovery-leaving-behind-first-time-buyers-1C7266178

ted nugent veep los angeles kings earth day timothy leary jonathan frid pujols

ScienceDaily: Gene News

ScienceDaily: Gene Newshttp://www.sciencedaily.com/news/health_medicine/genes/ Genes and Genetics News. Read today's medical research in genetics including what can damage genes, what can protect them, and more.en-usTue, 27 Nov 2012 02:12:36 ESTTue, 27 Nov 2012 02:12:36 EST60ScienceDaily: Gene Newshttp://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gifhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/news/health_medicine/genes/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily.Metabolic protein launches sugar feast that nurtures brain tumorshttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121126164003.htm PKM2 slips into nucleus to promote cancer; potential biomarker and drug approach discovered.Mon, 26 Nov 2012 16:40:40 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121126164003.htmPossible new treatment for Ewing sarcomahttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121126142855.htm Discovery of a new drug with high potential to treat Ewing sarcoma, an often deadly cancer of children and young adults, and the previously unknown mechanism behind it, come hand-in-hand in a new study.Mon, 26 Nov 2012 14:28:28 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121126142855.htmSurvival gene may be key to controlling HIV and hepatitishttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121126131349.htm A newly discovered gene that is essential for embryo survival could also hold the key to treating and potentially controlling chronic infections such as HIV, hepatitis and tuberculosis. The gene, called Arih2, is fundamental to the function of the immune system -- making critical decisions about whether to switch on the immune response to an infection.Mon, 26 Nov 2012 13:13:13 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121126131349.htmMicrobial 'missing link' discovered after man impales hand on tree branchhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121126110737.htm Two years ago, a 71-year-old Indiana man impaled his hand on a branch after cutting down a dead tree. The wound caused an infection that led scientists to discover a new bacterium and solve a mystery about how bacteria came to live inside insects.Mon, 26 Nov 2012 11:07:07 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121126110737.htmTransposable elements reveal a stem cell specific class of long noncoding RNAshttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121125192838.htm Over a decade after sequencing the human genome, it has now become clear that the genome is not mostly ?junk? as previously thought. In fact, the ENCODE project consortium of dozens of labs and petabytes of data have determined that these ?noncoding? regions house everything from disease trait loci to important regulatory signals, all the way through to new types of RNA-based genes.Sun, 25 Nov 2012 19:28:28 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121125192838.htmNew molecular culprit linked to breast cancer progressionhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121124090511.htm Researchers have uncovered a protein ?partner? commonly used by breast cancer cells to unlock genes needed for spreading the disease around the body. A report on the discovery details how some tumors get the tools they need to metastasize.Sat, 24 Nov 2012 09:05:05 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121124090511.htmNew insights into virus proteome: Unknown proteins of the herpesvirus discoveredhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121123092132.htm The genome encodes the complete information needed by an organism, including that required for protein production. Viruses, which are up to a thousand times smaller than human cells, have considerably smaller genomes. Using a type of herpesvirus as a model system scientists have shown that the genome of this virus contains much more information than previously assumed. The researchers identified several hundred novel proteins, many of which were surprisingly small.Fri, 23 Nov 2012 09:21:21 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121123092132.htmScientists describe elusive replication machinery of flu viruseshttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121122152928.htm Scientists have made a major advance in understanding how flu viruses replicate within infected cells. The researchers used cutting-edge molecular biology and electron-microscopy techniques to ?see? one of influenza?s essential protein complexes in unprecedented detail. The images generated in the study show flu virus proteins in the act of self-replication, highlighting the virus?s vulnerabilities that are sure to be of interest to drug developers.Thu, 22 Nov 2012 15:29:29 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121122152928.htmProtein folding: Look back on scientific advances made as result of 50-year old puzzlehttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121122152910.htm Fifty years after scientists first posed a question about protein folding, the search for answers has led to the creation of a full-fledged field of research that led to major advances in supercomputers, new materials and drug discovery, and shaped our understanding of the basic processes of life, including so-called "protein-folding diseases" such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and type II diabetes.Thu, 22 Nov 2012 15:29:29 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121122152910.htmStep forward in regenerating and repairing damaged nerve cellshttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121145638.htm Researchers recently uncovered a nerve cell's internal clock, used during embryonic development. This breakthrough could lead to the development of new tools to repair and regenerate nerve cells following injuries to the central nervous system.Wed, 21 Nov 2012 14:56:56 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121145638.htmArchitecture of rod sensory cilium disrupted by mutationhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121145621.htm Using a new technique called cryo-electron tomography, scientists have created a three-dimensional map that gives a better understanding of how the architecture of the rod sensory cilium (part of one type of photoreceptor in the eye) is changed by genetic mutation and how that affects its ability to transport proteins as part of the light-sensing process.Wed, 21 Nov 2012 14:56:56 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121145621.htmAging: Scientists further unravel telomere biologyhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121130933.htm Researchers have resolved the structure of that allows a telomere-related protein, Cdc13, to form dimers in yeast. Mutations in this region of Cdc13 put the kibosh on the ability of telomerase and other proteins to maintain telomeres.Wed, 21 Nov 2012 13:09:09 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121130933.htmDrug resistance biomarker could improve cancer treatmenthttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121130811.htm Cancer therapies often have short-lived benefits due to the emergence of genetic mutations that cause drug resistance. A key gene that determines resistance to a range of cancer drugs has been reported in a new study. The study reveals a biomarker that can predict responses to cancer drugs and offers a strategy to treat drug-resistant tumors based on their genetic signature.Wed, 21 Nov 2012 13:08:08 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121130811.htmGenome packaging: Key to breast cancer developementhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121130703.htm Two recent studies delve into the role of chromatin modifying enzymes and transcription factors in tumour cells. In one, it was found that the PARP1 enzyme activated by kinase CDK2 is necessary to induce the genes responsible for the proliferation of breast cancer cells in response to progesterone. In another, extensive work has been undertaken to identify those genes activated by the administration of progesterone in breast cancer, the sequences that can be recognized and how these genes are induced.Wed, 21 Nov 2012 13:07:07 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121130703.htmShort DNA strands in genome may be key to understanding human cognition and diseaseshttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121130643.htm Previously discarded, human-specific ?junk? DNA represents untapped resource in the study of diseases like Alzheimer?s and autism.Wed, 21 Nov 2012 13:06:06 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121130643.htmBiomarking time: Methylome modifications offer new measure of our 'biological' agehttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121130633.htm In a new study, researchers describe markers and a model that quantify how aging occurs at the level of genes and molecules, providing not just a more precise way to determine how old someone is, but also perhaps anticipate or treat ailments and diseases that come with the passage of time.Wed, 21 Nov 2012 13:06:06 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121130633.htmKidney tumors have a mind of their ownhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121104552.htm New research has found there are several different ways that kidney tumors can achieve the same result -- namely, grow.Wed, 21 Nov 2012 10:45:45 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121104552.htmMechanism to repair clumped proteins explainedhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121104416.htm Clumped proteins can be dissolved with the aid of cellular repair systems -- a process of critical importance for cell survival especially under conditions of stress. Researchers have now decrypted the fundamental mechanism for dissolving protein aggregates that involves specific molecular chaperones.Wed, 21 Nov 2012 10:44:44 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121104416.htmNovel mechanism through which normal stromal cells become cancer-promoting stromal cells identifiedhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121104401.htm New understanding of molecular changes that convert harmless cells surrounding ovarian cancer cells into cells that promote tumor growth and metastasis provides potential new therapeutic targets for this deadly disease, according to new research.Wed, 21 Nov 2012 10:44:44 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121104401.htmNew test for tuberculosis could improve treatment, prevent deaths in Southern Africahttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121120194932.htm A new rapid test for tuberculosis (TB) could substantially and cost-effectively reduce TB deaths and improve treatment in southern Africa -- a region where both HIV and tuberculosis are common.Tue, 20 Nov 2012 19:49:49 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121120194932.htmEvolution of human intellect: Human-specific regulation of neuronal geneshttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121120194926.htm A new study has identified hundreds of small regions of the genome that appear to be uniquely regulated in human neurons. These regulatory differences distinguish us from other primates, including monkeys and apes, and as neurons are at the core of our unique cognitive abilities, these features may ultimately hold the key to our intellectual prowess (and also to our potential vulnerability to a wide range of 'human-specific' diseases from autism to Alzheimer's).Tue, 20 Nov 2012 19:49:49 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121120194926.htmRibosome regulates viral protein synthesis, revealing potential therapeutic targethttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121120132906.htm Rather than target RNA viruses directly, aiming at the host cells they invade could hold promise, but any such strategy would have to be harmless to the host. Now, a surprising discovery made in ribosomes may point the way to fighting fatal viral infections such as rabies.Tue, 20 Nov 2012 13:29:29 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121120132906.htmHow does antibiotic resistance spread? Scientists find answers in the nosehttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121120121835.htm Microbiologists studying bacterial colonization in mice have discovered how the very rapid and efficient spread of antibiotic resistance works in the respiratory pathogen, Streptococcus pneumoniae (also known as the pneumococcus). The team found that resistance stems from the transfer of DNA between bacterial strains in biofilms in the nasopharynx, the area just behind the nose.Tue, 20 Nov 2012 12:18:18 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121120121835.htmScientists identify inhibitor of myelin formation in central nervous systemhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121120100155.htm Scientists have discovered another molecule that plays an important role in regulating myelin formation in the central nervous system. Myelin promotes the conduction of nerve cell impulses by forming a sheath around their projections, the so-called axons, at specific locations -- acting like the plastic insulation around a power cord.Tue, 20 Nov 2012 10:01:01 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121120100155.htm'Obese but happy gene' challenges the common perception of link between depression and obesityhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121120084725.htm Researchers have discovered new genetic evidence about why some people are happier than others. The scientists have uncovered evidence that the gene FTO -- the major genetic contributor to obesity -- is associated with an eight per cent reduction in the risk of depression. In other words, it's not just an obesity gene but a "happy gene" as well.Tue, 20 Nov 2012 08:47:47 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121120084725.htmTelomere lengths predict life expectancy in the wild, research showshttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119213144.htm Researchers have found that biological age and life expectancy can be predicted by measuring an individual's DNA. They studied the length of chromosome caps -- known as telomeres -- in a 320-strong wild population of Seychelles Warblers on a small isolated island.Mon, 19 Nov 2012 21:31:31 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119213144.htmCancer: Some cells don't know when to stophttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119171403.htm Certain mutated cells keep trying to replicate their DNA -- with disastrous results -- even after medications rob them of the raw materials to do so, according to new research.Mon, 19 Nov 2012 17:14:14 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119171403.htmMultiple sclerosis ?immune exchange? between brain and blood is uncoveredhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119163301.htm DNA sequences obtained from a handful of patients with multiple sclerosis have revealed the existence of an ?immune exchange? that allows the disease-causing cells to move in and out of the brain.Mon, 19 Nov 2012 16:33:33 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119163301.htmFruit fly studies guide investigators to molecular mechanism frequently misregulated in human cancershttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119132056.htm Changes in how DNA interacts with histones ?- the proteins that package DNA ?- regulate many fundamental cell activities from stem cells maturing into a specific body cell type or blood cells becoming leukemic. These interactions are governed by a biochemical tug of war between repressors and activators, which chemically modify histones signaling them to clamp down tighter on DNA or move aside and allow a gene to be expressed.Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:20:20 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119132056.htm3-D light switch for the brain: Device may help treat Parkinson's, epilepsy; aid understanding of consciousnesshttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119114249.htm A new tool for neuroscientists delivers a thousand pinpricks of light to individual neurons in the brain. The new 3-D "light switch", created by biologists and engineers, could one day be used as a neural prosthesis that could treat conditions such as Parkinson's and epilepsy by using gene therapy to turn individual brain cells on and off with light.Mon, 19 Nov 2012 11:42:42 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119114249.htmNew factor of genetic susceptibility to Alzheimer's diseasehttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119104944.htm A large-scale international study has just discovered a gene for susceptibility to a rare disease providing evidence of the heterogeneous aetiology of Alzheimer's disease.Mon, 19 Nov 2012 10:49:49 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119104944.htmBlood cancer gene BCL6 identified as a key factor for differentiation of nerve cells of cerebral cortexhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119093848.htm The cerebral cortex is the most complex structure in our brain and the seat of consciousness, emotion, motor control and language. In order to fulfill these functions, it is composed of a diverse array of nerve cells, called cortical neurons, which are affected by many neurological and neuropsychiatric diseases. Researchers have opened new perspectives on brain development and stem cell neurobiology by discovering a gene called BCL6 as a key factor in the generation of cortical neurons during embryonic brain development.Mon, 19 Nov 2012 09:38:38 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119093848.htmMinority report: Insight into subtle genomic differences among our own cellshttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121118141530.htm Scientists have demonstrated that induced pluripotent stem cells -- the embryonic-stem-cell look-alikes whose discovery a few years ago won this year's Nobel Prize in medicine -- are not as genetically unstable as was thought.Sun, 18 Nov 2012 14:15:15 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121118141530.htmSkin cells reveal DNA's genetic mosaichttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121118141524.htm The prevailing wisdom has been that every cell in the body contains identical DNA. However, a new study of stem cells derived from the skin has found that genetic variations are widespread in the body's tissues, a finding with profound implications for genetic screening.Sun, 18 Nov 2012 14:15:15 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121118141524.htmLikely basis of birth defect causing premature skull closure in infants identifiedhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121118141432.htm Geneticists, pediatricians, surgeons and epidemiologists have identified two areas of the human genome associated with the most common form of non-syndromic craniosynostosis premature closure of the bony plates of the skull.Sun, 18 Nov 2012 14:14:14 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121118141432.htmDNA packaging discovery reveals principles by which CRC mutations may cause cancerhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121117184658.htm A new discovery concerning a fundamental understanding about how DNA works will produce a "180-degree change in focus" for researchers who study how gene packaging regulates gene activity, including genes that cause cancer and other diseases.Sat, 17 Nov 2012 18:46:46 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121117184658.htmHepatitis C treatment's side effects can now be studied in the labhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121116161059.htm Adverse side effects of certain hepatitis C medications can now be replicated in the lab, thanks to a research team. The new method aids understanding of recent failures of hepatitis C antiviral drugs in some patients, and could help to identify medications that eliminate adverse effects. The findings may aid the development of safer and more effective treatments for hepatitis C and other pathogens such as SARS and West Nile virus.Fri, 16 Nov 2012 16:10:10 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121116161059.htmReconsidering cancer's bad guyhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121116124644.htm Researchers have found that a protein, known for causing cancer cells to spread around the body, is also one of the molecules that trigger repair processes in the brain.Fri, 16 Nov 2012 12:46:46 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121116124644.htmGene distinguishes early birds from night owls and helps predict time of deathhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121116124551.htm New research shows that a gene is responsible for a person's tendency to be an early riser or night owl -- and helps determine the time of day a person is most likely to die.Fri, 16 Nov 2012 12:45:45 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121116124551.htmClues to cause of kids' brain tumorshttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121116091226.htm Insights from a genetic condition that causes brain cancer are helping scientists better understand the most common type of brain tumor in children.Fri, 16 Nov 2012 09:12:12 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121116091226.htmArthritis study reveals why gender bias is all in the geneshttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115210541.htm Researchers have pieced together new genetic clues to the arthritis puzzle in a study that brings potential treatments closer to reality and could also provide insights into why more women than men succumb to the disabling condition.Thu, 15 Nov 2012 21:05:05 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115210541.htmClass of RNA molecules protects germ cells from damagehttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115172255.htm Passing one's genes on to the next generation is a mark of evolutionary success. So it makes sense that the body would work to ensure that the genes the next generation inherits are exact replicas of the originals. Biologists have now identified one way the body does exactly that.Thu, 15 Nov 2012 17:22:22 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115172255.htmQuick test speeds search for Alzheimer's drugs: Compound restores motor function and longevity to fruit flieshttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115152655.htm Researchers report that an efficient, high-volume technique for testing potential drug treatments for Alzheimer's disease uncovered an organic compound that restored motor function and longevity to fruit flies with the disease.Thu, 15 Nov 2012 15:26:26 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115152655.htmProtein-making machinery can switch gears with a small structural change process; Implications for immunity and cancer therapyhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115133414.htm For the past several years, research has focused on the intricate actions of an ancient family of catalytic enzymes that play a key role in translation, the process of producing proteins. In a new study, scientists have shown that this enzyme can actually also work in another fundamental process in humans.Thu, 15 Nov 2012 13:34:34 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115133414.htmPlant derivative, tanshinones, protects against sepsis, study suggestshttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115133312.htm Researchers have discovered that tanshinones, which come from the plant Danshen and are highly valued in Chinese traditional medicine, protect against the life-threatening condition sepsis.Thu, 15 Nov 2012 13:33:33 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115133312.htmStructure of enzyme topoisomerase II alpha unravelled providing basis for more accurate design of chemotherapeutic drugshttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115132903.htm Medical researchers have for the first time described the structure of the active site core of topoisomerase II alpha, an important target for anti-cancer drugs. The type II topoisomerases are important enzymes that are involved in maintaining the structure of DNA and chromosome segregation during both replication and transcription of DNA. One of these enzymes, topoisomerase II alpha, is involved in the replication of DNA and cell proliferation, and is highly expressed in rapidly dividing cancer cells.Thu, 15 Nov 2012 13:29:29 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115132903.htmNewly discovered enzyme important in the spreading of cancerhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115132901.htm Enzyme hunters at UiO have discovered the function of an enzyme that is important in the spreading of cancer. Cancer researchers now hope to inhibit the enzyme.Thu, 15 Nov 2012 13:29:29 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115132901.htmGenetics point to serious pregnancy complication, pre-eclampsiahttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115132613.htm New research has revealed a genetic link in pregnant moms - and their male partners - to pre-eclampsia, a life-threatening complication during pregnancy.Thu, 15 Nov 2012 13:26:26 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115132613.htmMolecular mechanisms underlying stem cell reprogramming decodedhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115132344.htm Thanks to some careful detective work, scientist better understand just how iPS cells form ? and why the Yamanaka process is inefficient, an important step to work out for regenerative medicine. The findings uncover cellular impediments to iPS cell development that, if overcome, could dramatically improve the efficiency and speed of iPS cell generation.Thu, 15 Nov 2012 13:23:23 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115132344.htmSurprising genetic link between kidney defects and neurodevelopmental disorders in kidshttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115132342.htm About 10 percent of kids born with kidney defects have large alterations in their genomes known to be linked with neurodevelopmental delay and mental illness, a new study has shown.Thu, 15 Nov 2012 13:23:23 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115132342.htmEven moderate drinking in pregnancy can affect a child's IQhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121114172833.htm Relatively small levels of exposure to alcohol while in the womb can influence a child's IQ, according to a new study using data from over 4,000 mothers and their children.Wed, 14 Nov 2012 17:28:28 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121114172833.htmGene nearly triples risk of Alzheimer's, international research team findshttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121114171710.htm A gene so powerful it nearly triples the risk of Alzheimer's disease has been discovered by an international team of researchers. It is the most potent genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's identified in the past 20 years.Wed, 14 Nov 2012 17:17:17 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121114171710.htmDiscovery could lead to faster diagnosis for some chronic fatigue syndrome caseshttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121114171708.htm For the first time, researchers have landed on a potential diagnostic method to identify at least a subset of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome - testing for antibodies linked to latent Epstein-Barr virus reactivation.Wed, 14 Nov 2012 17:17:17 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121114171708.htmResearch breakthrough could halt melanoma metastasis, study suggestshttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121114153227.htm In laboratory experiments, scientists have eliminated metastasis, the spread of cancer from the original tumor to other parts of the body, in melanoma by inhibiting a protein known as melanoma differentiation associated gene-9 (mda-9)/syntenin.Wed, 14 Nov 2012 15:32:32 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121114153227.htmPig genomes provide massive amount of genomic data for human healthhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121114134512.htm Researchers provide a whole-genome sequence and analysis of number of pig breeds, including a miniature pig that serves a model for human medical studies and therapeutic drug testing.Wed, 14 Nov 2012 13:45:45 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121114134512.htmRare parasitic fungi could have anti-flammatory benefitshttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121114134054.htm Caterpillar fungi are rare parasites found on hibernating caterpillars in the mountains of Tibet. For centuries they have been highly prized as a traditional Chinese medicine - just a small amount can fetch hundreds of dollars.Wed, 14 Nov 2012 13:40:40 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121114134054.htmCancer therapy: Nanokey opens tumors to attackhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121114113803.htm There are plenty of effective anticancer agents around. The problem is that, very often, they cannot gain access to all the cells in solid tumors. A new gene delivery vehicle may provide a way of making tracks to the heart of the target.Wed, 14 Nov 2012 11:38:38 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121114113803.htmHigh sperm DNA damage a leading cause of 'unexplained infertility', research findshttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121114113235.htm New research has uncovered the cause of infertility for 80 per cent of couples previously diagnosed with 'unexplained infertility': high sperm DNA damage.Wed, 14 Nov 2012 11:32:32 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121114113235.htmA risk gene for cannabis psychosishttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121114083928.htm The ability of cannabis to produce psychosis has long been an important public health concern. This concern is growing in importance as there is emerging data that cannabis exposure during adolescence may increase the risk of developing schizophrenia, a serious psychotic disorder. Further, with the advent of medical marijuana, a new group of people with uncertain psychosis risk may be exposed to cannabis.Wed, 14 Nov 2012 08:39:39 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121114083928.htmBacterial DNA sequence used to map an infection outbreakhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121113214635.htm For the first time, researchers have used DNA sequencing to help bring an infectious disease outbreak in a hospital to a close. Researchers used advanced DNA sequencing technologies to confirm the presence of an ongoing outbreak of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in a Special Care Baby Unit in real time. This assisted in stopping the outbreak earlier, saving possible harm to patients. This approach is much more accurate than current methods used to detect hospital outbreaks.Tue, 13 Nov 2012 21:46:46 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121113214635.htm

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/rss/health_medicine/genes.xml

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Monday 26 November 2012

Cambridge University starts Doomwatch unit, hires Skype co-founder to fight the future

Cambridge University starts Doomwatch unit, hires Skype cofounder to fight the future

Despite warnings to the contrary, Cyberdyne, SkyNet and Demon Seed are technological terrors that currently exist. No matter, as we've now got someone leading the fightback -- Skype co-founder Jaan Tallinn. He's part of a team of scientists, engineers and philosophers at Cambridge University's newly-minted Centre for the Study of Existential Risk. Aping the plot of beloved '70s TV series Doomwatch, the unit will investigate the fringes of science fact, including biotechnology, artificial intelligence and climate change. He'll be joined by Huw Price and Baron Martin Rees, who we hope will travel around the country in a minivan and fight ghosts, just like these guys.

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Source: Cambridge University, CSER

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/26/cambridge-existential-risk/

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Egypt's president to meet judges over power grab

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi will meet senior judges on Monday to try to ease a crisis over his seizure of new powers which has set off violent protests reminiscent of last year's revolution which brought him to power.

Egypt's stock market plunged on Sunday in its first day open since Mursi issued a decree late on Thursday temporarily widening his powers and shielding his decisions from judicial review, drawing accusations he was behaving like a new dictator.

More than 500 people have been injured in clashes between police and protesters worried Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood aims to dominate the post-Hosni Mubarak era after winning Egypt's first democratic parliamentary and presidential elections this year.

One Muslim Brotherhood member was killed and 60 people were hurt on Sunday in an attack on the main office of the Brotherhood in the Egyptian Nile Delta town of Damanhour, the website of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party said.

Egypt's highest judicial authority hinted at compromise to avert a further escalation, though Mursi's opponents want nothing less than the complete cancellation of a decree they see as a danger to democracy.

The Supreme Judicial Council said Mursi's decree should apply only to "sovereign matters", suggesting it did not reject the declaration outright, and called on judges and prosecutors, some of whom began a strike on Sunday, to return to work.

Mursi would meet the council on Monday, state media said.

Mursi's office repeated assurances that the measures would be temporary, and said he wanted dialogue with political groups to find "common ground" over what should go in Egypt's constitution, one of the issues at the heart of the crisis.

Hassan Nafaa, a professor of political science at Cairo University, saw an effort by the presidency and judiciary to resolve the crisis, but added their statements were "vague". "The situation is heading towards more trouble," he said.

Sunday's stock market fall of nearly 10 percent - halted only by automatic curbs - was the worst since the uprising that toppled Mubarak in February, 2011.

Images of protesters clashing with riot police and tear gas wafting through Cairo's Tahrir Square were an unsettling reminder of that uprising. Activists were camped in the square for a third day, blocking traffic with makeshift barricades. Nearby, riot police and protesters clashed intermittently.

"BACK TO SQUARE ONE"

Mursi's supporters and opponents plan big demonstrations on Tuesday that could be a trigger for more street violence.

"We are back to square one, politically, socially," said Mohamed Radwan of Pharos Securities, an Egyptian brokerage firm.

Mursi's decree marks an effort to consolidate his influence after he successfully sidelined Mubarak-era generals in August. It reflects his suspicions of a judiciary little reformed since the Mubarak era.

Issued just a day after Mursi received glowing tributes from Washington for his work brokering a deal to end eight days of violence between Israel and Hamas, the decree drew warnings from the West to uphold democracy. Washington has leverage because of billions of dollars it sends in annual military aid.

"The United States should be saying this is unacceptable," former presidential nominee John McCain, leading Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on Fox News.

"We thank Mr. Mursi for his efforts in brokering the ceasefire with Hamas ... But this is not what the United States of America's taxpayers expect. Our dollars will be directly related to progress toward democracy."

The Mursi administration has defended his decree as an effort to speed up reforms that will complete Egypt's democratic transformation. Yet leftists, liberals, socialists and others say it has exposed the autocratic impulses of a man once jailed by Mubarak.

"There is no room for dialogue when a dictator imposes the most oppressive, abhorrent measures and then says 'let us split the difference'," prominent opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei said on Saturday.

WARNINGS FROM WEST

Investors had grown more confident in recent months that a legitimately elected government would help Egypt put its economic and political problems behind it. The stock market's main index had risen 35 percent since Mursi's victory. It closed on Sunday at its lowest level since July 31.

Political turmoil also raised the cost of government borrowing at a treasury bill auction on Sunday.

"Investors know that Mursi's decisions will not be accepted and that there will be clashes on the street," said Osama Mourad of Arab Financial Brokerage.

Just last week, investor confidence was helped by a preliminary agreement with the International Monetary Fund over a $4.8 billion loan needed to shore up state finances.

Mursi's decree removes judicial review of decisions he takes until a new parliament is elected, expected early next year.

It also shields the Islamist-dominated assembly writing Egypt's new constitution from a raft of legal challenges that have threatened it with dissolution, and offers the same protection to the Islamist-controlled upper house of parliament.

"I am really afraid that the two camps are paving the way for violence," said Nafaa. "Mursi has misjudged this, very much so. But forcing him again to relinquish what he has done will appear a defeat."

Many of Mursi's political opponents share the view that Egypt's judiciary needs reform, though they disagree with his methods. Mursi's new powers allowed him to sack the prosecutor general who took his job during the Mubarak era and is unpopular among reformists of all stripes.

(Additional reporting by Yasmine Saleh and Marwa Awad in Cairo and Philip Barbara in Washington; Editing by Peter Graff and Philippa Fletcher)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egypts-mursi-faces-judicial-revolt-over-decree-092225969.html

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