Thursday, January 31, 2013

BlackBerry's last hope: A fully redesigned OS and two smokin' new phones

23 hrs.

Research in Motion officially launched?BlackBerry 10 and two shiny?new smartphones???the BlackBerry Z10 and Q10?? in an event in New York City on Wednesday (while also renaming itself ... to BlackBerry).?The "reinvented" experience is being hailed as the company's last hope to properly challenge Apple's iOS and Google's Android.

"BlackBerry 10 is here," CEO Thorsten Heins declared moments after stepping onto a stage during the company's launch event in New York City on Wednesday. "BlackBerry 10 builds on 20 years of experience [...] and it has a user experience unlike anything you've seen before."

BlackBerry 10?? which will be available on the BlackBerry Z10 now?and, by April or May, the keyboard-equipped?Q10 ? will supposedly offer one of the best multitasking and typing experiences on the market.

"Bringing an entirely new platform to the market [...] took careful planning, and we knew that it was risky," Heins acknowledged.

The presentation?emphasized how everything just "flows" on BlackBerry 10.?Users will likely spend much?of their time in the BlackBerry Hub, which integrates social network notifications, BlackBerry Messages (BBM), and email. You can respond to all these notifications and messages without ever actually leaving this hub. As the Hub serves as a universal inbox for all notifications, it certainly looks appealing for those who split their time between the various forms of mobile communication.

When necessary, work and personal lives (and data) can be separated, thanks to BlackBerry Balance. This means that it is possible for users to check out of one aspect of their lives (such as on the weekends, perhaps, when work might take the backseat).

BlackBerry Messenger, one of the incredibly popular features of the operating system, has gotten a nice little revamp with support for video and voice calls as well as screensharing. Curiously enough, while the video calling feature was heavily focused on, BlackBerry did also point out that Skype is among the partners who will be offering an app on BlackBerry 10. (Angry Birds, Amazon Kindle, and other popular apps will also be joining the over 70,000 apps available for the operating system at this point.)

While there is a great deal riding on BlackBerry 10, the operating system has been getting plenty of favorable reviews already.?"Reviewers like the browser speed and the intuitive keyboard on [BlackBerry's] new touchscreen,"?Reuters explains. "A feature called BlackBerry Balance, which keeps corporate and personal data separate, could help [BlackBerry] rebuild its traditional base of big business customers."

And as all eyes are on the BlackBerry 10 multitasking setup, notifications management and redesigned?keyboard, the Associated Press' Rob Gillies points out that some are going as far as to?suggest?that these features could be superior to their Android and iOS counterparts.?

They will have to be?? if BlackBerry hopes to reclaim a fraction of its lost market share.

Wayne Lam, senior analyst for wireless communications at analytics firm IHS, says that with "smartphones soon to reach their maximum penetration, time is running out for [BlackBerry] and other Apple/Samsung/Google competitors to stake a claim in the smartphone business."

On the other hand, people who may be growing tired of Android and iOS may be eager to try out something new.

"I have to believe that there is some level of user fatigue that plays into the longevity of some of these platforms," Kevin Burden, head of mobility at industry consulting firm?Strategy Analytics, told Reuters. "RIM is probably timing it right."

Wireless industry analyst Jeff Kagan agrees.?"BlackBerry is?not too late. True, 92 percent of the smartphone market may have?already chosen either an Apple iPhone or Google Android, but that's really because there were no really good competitors,"?he?wrote?in?a?note.?

"This new BlackBerry will be a strong competitor for the number three position. They won't come close to number one or two where Google and Apple are, but the market does want more choices."

The first BlackBerry 10 device, the Z10, will become available in mid-March. Pricing will vary by carrier, but Verizon has already revealed that it will offer the phone fo $200 (with a two-year service agreement). Sprint and AT&T have?pointed out that they will certainly offer the device, but not announced pricing details just yet. Meanwhile, Heins says he expects the Q10 to appear "in the April timeframe."

As for the name change, Heins?told the audience,?"We have reinvented this company and we want to reflect this with our brand."

Want more tech news?or interesting?links? You'll get plenty of both if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on?Twitter, subscribing to her?Facebook?posts,?or circling her?on?Google+.

Additional?reporting?by?Reuters.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/gadgetbox/rims-last-hope-blackberry-10-launches-1B8174852

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All The President's Plans (The Note)

By MICHAEL FALCONE ( @michaelpfalcone )

NOTABLES:

OBAMA IN VEGAS: President Obama maps out his immigration plan at this afternoon in Las Vegas where, a senior administration official tells ABC's Reena Ninan, he will focus largely on what he's discussed before. The president won't put forward a bill - instead he'll support the Senate's principles outlined yesterday and explain what else needs to be done. The White House feels Las Vegas is a community symbolic of the growing Latino population in both the state and the nation and since immigration reform is a pledge the president made during the campaign, the White House says he wants to deliver.

EL DIABLO IS IN THE DETAILS: Even the senators who wrote the immigration reform proposal outlined yesterday admitted there's lots of work still ahead. One land mine: Some Republicans want to link getting green cards to whether the border is secure. Border security still a gray issue. If the Gang of Eight's efforts fall apart the president's team will step in with its own proposal, Ninan notes.

SECRET CONGRESSIONAL GROUP WORKING ON IMMIGRATION ALTERNATIVE: A separate bipartisan group of lawmakers in the House of Representatives is on the verge of finalizing its own designs for comprehensive immigration reform, ABC's John Parkinson reports. The discussions, which top aides close to the talks discussed on the condition that they not be identified, are described as "Washington's best-kept secret." Multiple sources say those involved in the talks include Democratic Reps. Xavier Becerra (California), Luis Gutierrez (Illinois), Zoe Lofgren (California), and Republican Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart (Florida), Sam Johnson (Texas) and John Carter (Texas). The House's not-yet-finalized proposal is expected to address five general areas of immigration reform, according to aides close to the negotiations. Secure the border, implement a permanent E-verify system nationwide, reform the visa system, address the predicament of how to handle immigrants already in the country illegally in a "fair" and "legal manner" while determining how to handle those who have applied for legal immigration and are currently waiting in line, and reform the immigration system for future applicants. http://abcn.ws/WnjOfh

THE ROUNDTABLE:

ABC's RICK KLEIN: What could possibly go wrong? The bipartisan Senate proposal is on the table, with boldfaced names like McCain, Rubio, Graham, Schumer, Durbin, and Menendez signed on. The House isn't far behind. And the president takes up the mantle himself today, as he lobbies the public to force action at last on immigration reform ? Wait, this could get interesting, after all. The White House has had mixed results with letting Congress handle the details of much of anything. But these are the kinds of details that members of Congress from both parties have spent months if not years wrestling through; witness the twin failures of immigration reform, in 2006 and 2007, under the leadership of a different president. The real question for the White House: Will heavy involvement - and pushing in directions the Gang of Eight doesn't want to go - be more harmful for helpful?

ABC's MICHAEL FALCONE: At yesterday's bi-partisan news conference announcing the Gang of Eight's immigration reform principles, Sen. John McCain's answer about why Republicans were so eager to move on the issue was telling. "Elections, elections," the Arizona senator said. "The Republican Party is losing the support of our Hispanic citizens." He's right: Hispanic voters are becoming a larger share of the electorate and GOP presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, won just 27 percent of the vote among the group compared to 71 percent who supported President Obama. There was also something striking about watching Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a member of the immigration reform group, launch into Spanish during the press conference. Neither Rubio's language skills nor his familiarity with the immigration issue are breaking news, but I imagine it will give other potential 2016 Republicans pause.

ABC's SHUSHANNAH WALSHE: Currently, the prevailing theory about Sarah Palin is that because she doesn't have the megaphone of Fox News anymore, the "Palin moment" is now officially over. It might be true, but there have been so many "Ends of Sarah Palin" that it's almost hard to keep track. She was over when she lost the 2008 campaign, she was over when she quit the Alaska governorship, she was over when she decided to do a reality show, she was over when she decided not to run for president. Now she's over because she severed her ties with Fox. But the reality is different. Even after she decided to resign as governor and to pass up a 2012 presidential bid, people who both love her and hate her still just couldn't get enough information about her. Palin still got an incredible amount of coverage and her voice was heard - loud and clear. It's yet another example of what she's able to pull off that others who came before or after just aren't: She's been written off since Day One, but she keeps coming back.

ABC's JASON RYAN: The FBI has released new gun background check data yesterday showing that the week after the Newtown massacre (December 14, 2012) was the busiest for gun background checks ever, followed by the week President Obama announced new gun control proposals on January 16, 2013. As ABC News has reported, gun sales have been booming since Newtown. After previously denying journalists access to gun data, National Instant Check System figures show that overall in December 2012 there were more than 2.78 million background checks carried out to purchase firearms surpassing the previous record from November 2012 when more than 2 million checks were performed. The number of total sales during the first month of the new year will be released in the first few days of February.

VIDEO OF THE DAY: MEET DEFIANT DEMOCRAT, HEIDI HEITKAMP. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., defied the odds in November when she won the closest senate race in the country, and now that she's arrived in Washington, she's defiant as ever. But now, instead of defying the pollsters, she's defying the Democratic caucus by taking divergent opinions on issues central to the President Obama's second term agenda, ranging from gun control to the environment. Heitkamp, who says growing the economy is her top priority, is concerned that the president is changing his focus to issues like climate change and gun control. "I think, you know the one thing that has gotten lost by everyone is one of the best ways that we can perform here is by getting people back to work, making sure that this economic recovery, slow as it is, gets amped up and moves forward," Heitkamp tells ABC's Jonathan Karl, host of "Politics Confidential." "It's one of the reasons why I've been such a big proponent of the Keystone Pipeline. There's a shovel ready, private sector jobs program, good paying jobs." WATCH: http://yhoo.it/TQOxTJ

BUZZ

IMMIGRATION REFORM PLAN INCLUDES A PATHWAY TO CITIZENSHIP. The Senate's plan does not grant undocumented immigrants automatic "amnesty," rather it requires them to go through an arduous process that includes undergoing a background check, paying fines, back taxes and learning English and American civics over the course of a number of years, reports ABC-Univision's Jordan Fabian. The new law would grant eligible undocumented immigrants permission to live and work in the U.S. legally, but would not confer permanent legal status, or a green card, until the border is deemed to be secure. Young people brought into the U.S. illegally as minors and some agricultural workers would face an easier path to citizenship. "We will never put these people on a path to citizenship until we have secured the border," New York Sen. Chuck Schumer said yesterday. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who helped lead the last effort on a comprehensive immigration bill in 2007 said, "We have been too content for too long to allow individuals to mow our lawns, grow our food, clean our homes, and even watch our children while not affording them any of the benefits that make our country so great." http://abcn.ws/YBGY4Q

OBAMA TALKS GUN VIOLENCE WITH POLICE CHIEFS. President Obama is enlisting the help of police chiefs from communities devastated by mass shootings as he continues a public push for Congress to act on his proposals to curb gun violence, ABC's Mary Bruce notes. "No group is more important for us to listen to than our law enforcement officials," the president told reporters before a White House meeting yesterday with sheriffs and police chiefs from across the country. "They are where the rubber hits the road." The president and members of his cabinet met with the police chiefs who responded to the deadly shootings in Aurora, Colo., Oak Creek, Wis., and Newtown, Conn, along with representatives from the Major Cities Chiefs Police Association and the Major County Sheriffs' Association. "I welcome this opportunity to work with them; to hear their views in terms of what will make the biggest difference to prevent something like Newtown or Oak Creek from happening again," Obama said.

CHICK-FIL-A CEO AND GAY ACTIVIST FIND COMMON GROUND. The leader of a national gay-rights group says he's coming out-as a friend of Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy, ABC's Chris Good reports. "I've gotten to know Dan, he's gotten to know me. He's shared concerns about young people, about Chick-fil-A being used for certain purposes," Shane Windmeyer, executive director of Campus Pride, told ABC News. Last year, Cathy sparked a national controversy by telling a radio host that "we're inviting God's judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at him and say we know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage. And I pray God's mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude that thinks we have the audacity to redefine what marriage is all about." Windmeyer said that Cathy called him last year, during the heat of the controversy that led national gay-rights groups to protest Chick-fil-A. Cathy reached out seeking advice and understanding, Windmeyer said. Windmeyer was a guest of Cathy's at this year's Chick-fil-A Bowl between LSU and Clemson at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The activist also says Chick-fil-A has stopped donating to anti-gay groups, according to his review of the company's 990 tax forms. http://abcn.ws/WxuchC

GOVERNMENT WASTE IN THE SPOTLIGHT. The Government Accountability Office is due to produce its biannual report on the areas of the government that present the highest risk for squandering tax payer dollars in the next couple weeks. Though the GAO does not preview this list ahead of time, ABC's Sarah Parnass takes a look at what might be targeted: http://abcn.ws/113uncb

WHO'S TWEETING?

@DavidMDrucker : How central to immigration reform's success is @marcorubio?I'll predict that if he ever backs out bill is dead in House. W/ him: it passes.

@ByronYork: Speaking of deal killers, what will Chairman Leahy do to Gangof8 plan in Sen Judiciary Committee? http://ow.ly/hdUOC

@onetoughnerd: Speaking at @GOVERNING Magazine conference in DC today about how we're reinventing Michigan. http://ow.ly/hdUkP #govlive

@JoshDorner: 4 years ago today, President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. It was opposed by all but 8 Congressional Republicans.

@kjplotkin: RT @BobbyJindal: Let's Meet, Mr. President http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/bobby-jindal-to-fix-medicaid-listen-to-governors/2013/01/28/ff5c8e5e-6711-11e2-85f5-a8a9228e55e7_story_1.html ?

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/presidents-plans-note-142323398--abc-news-politics.html

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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Excessive Alcohol Use When You?re Young Could Have Lasting Impacts on Your Brain

Jan. 30, 2013 ? There is growing evidence for the lasting impact of alcohol on the brain.? Excessive alcohol use accounts for 4% of the global burden of disease, and binge drinking particularly is becoming an increasing health issue. A new review article published in Cortex highlights the significant changes in brain function and structure that can be caused by alcohol misuse in young people.

Functional signs of brain damage from alcohol misuse in young people mainly include deficits in visual learning and memory as well as executive functions. These functions are controlled by the hippocampus and frontal structures of the brain, which are not fully mature until around 25 years of age. Structural signs of alcohol misuse in young people include shrinking of the brain and significant changes to white matter tracts.

Age of first use may be considered to trigger alcohol misuse. According to the researchers however, changing the legal drinking age is not the answer. In Australia the legal drinking age is 18, three years earlier than in the US. Despite the difference in legal drinking age, the age of first use (and associated problems) is the same between the two countries.

Instead, the authors stressed the need for early intervention, by identifying markers and thresholds of risky drinking behaviour at an early stage, while individuals are in vulnerable stages of brain development.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Elsevier, via AlphaGalileo.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Daniel F. Hermens, Jim Lagopoulos, Juliette Tobias-Webb, Tamara De Regt, Glenys Dore, Lisa Juckes, Noeline Latt, Ian B. Hickie. Pathways to alcohol-induced brain impairment in young people: A review. Cortex, 2013; 49 (1): 3 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2012.05.021

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/mind_brain/child_development/~3/pdW4dbr5uNQ/130130082732.htm

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PFT: Rams will not hire Rob Ryan

monachino

Ravens linebackers coach Ted Monachino is aware of the reports that he could be the Eagles? next defensive coordinator, but he says media reports are all he knows about it.

?I haven?t been contacted and neither has the club. I?m doing everything I can to get us ready for this game,? Monachino told me today at the Ravens? team hotel.

Monachino said he respects the work Kelly did at Oregon but doesn?t know Kelly personally and doesn?t have any idea if Kelly would be interested in bringing him on board in Philadelphia.

?I don?t know Chip,? Monachino said. ?It?s a great opportunity for him in Philly and it?ll be interesting to see how that type of system works with a 53-man roster and see if they can get it done. If they can, it?s going to be interesting for sure.?

Although 49ers running back LaMichael James, who played for Kelly at Oregon, said this week that the 49ers? offense is similar to Kelly?s offense, Monachino said that as a defensive coordinator preparing to face the 49ers, he doesn?t see much similar to what he has seen the Ducks do.

?Not very similar,? Monachino said. ?The biggest thing that I?ve seen when I?m watching college games on television on Saturday nights, the tempo that they do at Oregon is problematic, and completely different from the tempo that San Francisco has used. Some of the read option things are similar, but I think the tempo more than anything they do at Oregon is what causes people problems and we?ll see if coach Kelly can do that in Philadelphia.?

Monachino said the 49ers, who can run their running back behind a fullback and also get yardage on the ground with quarterback Colin Kaepernick, use a different offense than he has previously seen in the NFL.

?Nobody is similar to what the 49ers have done. They?re still a physical, downhill running team, and the quarterback just adds something,? Monachino said.

According to Monachino, the NFL team that runs the most similar offense to Kelly is New England: No one will mistake Tom Brady for a read-option running threat that Kelly?s Oregon quarterbacks have been, but Monachino said the way Brady calls plays quickly at the line of scrimmage is similar to what Kelly has his quarterbacks do.

?New England has some of those things in their system where they have some single-word calls that get them in a certain formation and play. Those things are similar to two-minute tempo throughout the course of the game,? Monachino said.

Monachino respects that about New England, and Chip Kelly. But he isn?t talking to Kelly about joining his staff. At least not yet.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/29/rob-ryan-wont-be-rams-defensive-coordinator/related/

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GMC pickups, SUVs top list of safest vehicles

1 hr.

There was once an old adage in the auto industry, ?safety doesn?t sell.? Don?t try to convince today?s motorists.? Safety has, in fact, become one of the highest-ranked attributes for most car shoppers, whether they?re looking for a minivan or sports car.

So, a new study by Insure.com is likely to deliver more than a few surprises when it comes to listing the safest and least safe among 750 different vehicles now on the market.? Some of the results might seem intuitive, especially to those who equate size with safety.? The pint-sized Fiat 500 is the least-safe vehicle on the list, according to the study which was produced by Insure.com in cooperation with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.? On the other hand, the GMC Sierra 1500 pickup was the top-ranked model.?

The Detroit Bureau:?Ford Pays Record Profit Sharing

"If safety is a priority, you should avoid the smallest cars," said IIHS spokesman Russ Rader. "Weight counts. Smaller, lighter cars are safer than they used to be, but all things being equal, people riding in bigger, heavier vehicles get more protection in crashes."

But there are also some surprises.? While big GMC models took four of the five ?safest? slots, the four-door Porsche Cayenne ranked second.? On the other hand, the Mercedes-Benz passenger car flagship, the premium CL 500 coupe was fifth on the list of least-safe vehicles.?

The Detroit Bureau:?Chrysler Earnings Soar 900?percent?

From a brand standpoint, General Motors scored particularly well ? as noted, the GMC brand landing four of the top five slots.? Along with Mercedes, Toyota also landed in the bottom five, the Insure.com study having little positive to say about the Japanese maker?s Corolla model. In other words, being a best-seller in your segment doesn?t always guarantee buyers will get the best in terms of safety.

The study might generate some controversy as there a variety of ways to measure safety.? Take the Fiat 500 which has actually generated very good scores in IIHS crash tests with its integrated safety cage and airbags.

But, "The laws of physics are always in play in crashes," explained Rader. "Weight counts. Smaller, lighter cars are safer than they used to be, but all things being equal, people riding in bigger, heavier vehicles get more protection in crashes."?

The Detroit Bureau:?Toyota Recalling Over 1 Million?More Vehicles

The Insure.com study relied on an analysis of Personal Injury Protection and Medical Payment records which, the researchers suggest, gives a view of how passengers, rather than crash dummies, make out in the real world.

Here are the best and worst of the bunch. To find out even more about how the rest of the current automotive line-up fared, Click Here.

Five Safest Vehicles:

  1. GMC Sierra 1500, full-size pickup has physics in its favor?
  2. Porsche Cayenne, four-door sports car scores well on safety, too
  3. GMC Yukon Denali, well-contented SUV includes lots of safety features?
  4. GMC Sierra 2500HD SLE, a heavy-duty version of the Sierra pickup??
  5. GMC Terrain SLE1, 5-passenger CUV scores among the best.

Five Least Safe Vehicles:?

  1. Fiat 500, boldly styled Italian coupe/convertible has numerous safety issues ?
  2. Kia Rio 5, sporty design doesn?t overcome safety performance?
  3. Toyota Corolla L, best-selling compact among worst for safety?
  4. Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart, sportiest version of the Lancer sedan?
  5. Mercedes-Benz CL600, sleek design doesn?t overcome safety drawbacks.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/gmc-pickups-suvs-top-list-safest-vehicles-1B8182467

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Apple iPhone 4S LCD Screen and Digitizer Assembly with Frame and Home Button ( Available in Select Colors )

Apple iPhone 4S LCD Screen and Digitizer Assembly with Frame and Home Button ( Available in Select Colors )

Specification

Size: 3.5 inch

Material: IPS

Resolution: 960 * 640

Color: 16M Colors

Display Type: LCD capacitive touchscreen

Connector: Clip

?

Product Features & ETS Advantage

?

Product Features:

The item Apple iPhone 4SLCD Screen and Digitizer Assembly with Home Button (Available in Select Colors) has the following features or includes the following component(s):?LCD Screen, Digitizer Touch Panel, Digitizer Frame and Home Button.

As a major component of iPhone 4S, the iPhone 4S LCD and Digitizer Assembly with Home Button is very important. Any bleeding, color spots or dead pixels on the screen may cause display problem. The iPhone 4S Display has a resolution of 640 x 960 pixels. It also has a flex ribbon used to connect the motherboard and the screen. The ribbon functions as a data transmitter. Without it the iPhone 4S LCD and Digitizer Assembly may not work properly. Therefore, many function problem of the iPhone 4S LCD and Digitizer Touch Panel Assembly can be caused by the flex ribbon problem.

ETS Advantage:

ETS maintains the most comprehensive inventoried product line in the Global Wireless repair parts marketplace. We have close contact to OEM manufacturer agents so as to guarantee a competitive price and the best quality.

ETrade Supplyhas established the ISO9001 certified QC procedure. For each iPhone 4S LCD and Digitizer Screen Assembly, we apply strict cosmetic inspection and functionality test process before packaging and transportation. We also invent our own super-protective packaging method to give the maximum protection to the iPhone 4S LCD and Digitizer Screen Assembly (visit our YouTube page www.youtube.com/etradesupply to watch our packaging video) . Apart from this part, ETrade Supply also supply other iPhone 4S replacement parts such as iPhone 4S LCD Screen.

?

Purchasing & Installation Notes

The iPhone 4S LCD and Digitizer Screen Assembly with home button is a fragile electronic component and can be easily damaged if improperly handled during the process of repair or replacement. ETrade Supply cannot be responsible for any possible damage caused by incorrect installation. When putting a lot of iPhone 4S LCD and Digitizer Assembly together, please try not to pile them up because too much pressure may cause damage to the digitizer. Also, please try to handle the repair or replacement work in dry environment without direct sunlight (the temperature should be kept between -20 ?- to +70 ?).? Also, please keep the iPhone 4S LCD and Digitizer Screen Assembly away from acid, alkali or other corrosive materials.

Source: http://www.etradesupply.com/iphone-4s-lcd-screen-and-digitizer-assembly-with-home-button.html

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My Stronger Self Fitness Studio and Gym ? Brighton, MI Personal ...

Jan 30

There are fitness myths that circulate and never seem to die! They get?passed from one person to the next like a bad game of Telephone.

There?s the myth about ab crunches melting off belly fat. (Sorry everyone, spot reduction doesn?t exist. You?ve got to burn the fat from your body as a whole.)

Then there?s the one that says the faster you do an exercise the better, even at the expense of form. (Ouch! This philosophy has caused many an injury. Never sacrifice form for speed.)

I?ve even heard one that says recovery days are not necessary. (Rest days are actually of vital importance to your recovery and weight loss.)

But of all the fitness myths out there, the one that gets under my skin the most is the belief that fat loss comes as a result of long, slow cardio sessions. I?ve seen many people waste their time and effort on this one. Plodding away on the treadmill 60 minutes at a time for half the results.

The truth is that more intense strength training workouts that incorporate challenging bouts of cardio will burn calories and fat longer than any cardio session alone. Not to mention the long lasting results that occur from turning your body?s fat into lean muscle tissue.

Bonus Burn

After you complete a strength training session, your body goes into a state of increased metabolic output. Simply put, this means that your body will continue to burn extra calories long after you have put down your last set.

On the other hand, if you stuck with a long session of steady cardio, your calorie burning would stop quickly after you hopped off that treadmill.

I don?t know about you, but I like the concept of burning more calories after I?m done exercising. Talk about a bonus!

Say goodbye to steady cardio and embrace a whole new fitness philosophy ??Strength Training!

Watch how quickly your body begins to transform.

Yours in Health & Fitness!

Lori Murphy

Brighton, MI Personal Trainer and Fat Loss Expert

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You must be logged in to post a comment.

Source: http://mystrongerself.com/2013/01/fitness-myths-debunked/

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Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Are These The World's Most Comfortable Running Shoes? Maybe?

A year on, Nike's Flyknit technology (a second skin, if you will) continues to permeate the company's running shoe line. Today Nike announced the Flyknit Lunar1+, an ultra lightweight, all-purpose runner that combines a Flyknit upper with a cushy Lunarlon bottom. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Hlzyz6Q1hN8/are-these-the-worlds-most-comfortable-running-shoes-maybe

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City of the Month: Park City, UT ? Travel Smart Blog

Last week, the acclaimed Sundance Film Festival honored the top independent movies and players. Every year, its host, Park City, Utah, takes the best supporting role for the annual celeb-studded event.

Park City is topping all the travel lists (Forbes, Travel + Leisure, Ski Magazine, Conde Nast Traveler) lately surpassing destinations such as Aspen. Why? Accessibility, creativity, and activity!

Park City is a transformed old mining town with three ski resorts surrounding it. The quaintness of Park City?s Main Street is a thin veil for souvenirs and high-end retail. And don?t be deceived by the quaint fa?ade as the price tag for a vacation in and around this city is never bargain-priced. The four block historic strip is perfect for strolling or you can step into Robert Redford?s restaurant, Zoom, which offers some delicious local fare.

Accessibility

Nobody wants to spend the better part of a day traveling into a destination. Park City is more accessible than many of the top ski resort towns ? located only 45 minutes from The Salt Lake City airport. The international airport serves many airlines; Delta Air Lines has nonstop flights from more than 100 cities. Shuttles are a better choice than renting a car.

Hotels in Park City are numerous; from the big brand hotels to the local lodges.

Creativity

It has become a hub of culinary creativity with more than 100 restaurants and some truly inspired eateries.

If dining among celebrities in a beautiful mountain setting sounds appealing, you?ll want to check-in to the Waldorf-Astoria. Get a table at Slopes, a new restaurant deemed America?s hottest hotel restaurant in 2012 by Travel & Leisure.

The Waldorf-Astoria?s renowned bar and lounge, Powder Ice Lounge, features a 14-foot sculpted ice bar (it?s literally made of ice) and is one of the most popular photo-ops in the city.

Activity

Park City features three world-class resorts ? Deer Valley Resort, Canyons Resort and Park City Mountain Resort ? that offer three seasons of fun for everyone. (I say three because spring is a transitional season when the resorts close, the snow melts, and the preparations for the summer season are taking place.)

In the winter, the powder is abundant. Park City is home to the steep mountains where the US Ski Team trains attracting the world?s top snow sport enthusiasts, and a very chic and sophisticated crowd.

The Utah Olympic Park near Park City was the site of the 2002 Bobsled, Luge and Ski Jumping competitions. Today, visitors are treated to a guided tour of the park, athlete training sessions, 70 mile-per-hour bobsled rides, zipline rides, Quicksilver alpine slide rides, Olympic museum, an interactive museum, freestyle aerial and ski jumping shows on Saturdays at noon and a variety of camps for all ages.

In the summer and fall, the resorts convert their lifts and runs into over 400 miles of trails for biking and hiking and endless activities. Deer Valley?s Mountain Biking School offers lessons for those looking to improve their skills or just a guide for some of the areas best trails.

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Source: http://www.travelsmartblog.com/2013/01/city-of-the-month-park-city-ut/

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Deal of the Day: 49% off Incipio EDGE PRO Slider Case for iPhone 5

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/hm7sXCy3pMY/story01.htm

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China to lift 12-year ban on gaming consoles, reports say | The Sun ...

CHINA is considering ending a twelve-year ban on gaming consoles - allowing the county's billion people to purchase PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 devices for the first time.

The claims, made in the China Daily newspaper, would mean the end of a ban brought in in 2002 with the aim of safeguarding the mental and physical health of children.

An unnamed source told the newspaper: ?We are reviewing the policy and have conducted some surveys and held discussions with other ministries on the possibility of opening up the game console market.

"However, since the ban was issued by seven ministries more than a decade ago, we will need approval from all parties to lift it.?

Although the claims have been officially denied by the Chinese government, shares in PlayStation-maker Sony gained eight per cent following the report.

While dedicated games consoles are not allowed in China, mobile and online games are very popular.

The gaming industry in China is very strictly regulated, with players required to take regular breaks and verify their indentities and ages.

Rumours that the ban was to be relaxed began in November last year, when the PlayStation 3 was given a certification from a Chinese safety standards body, sparking whispers it would soon be sold in the country.

Source: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4767488/China-to-lift-12-year-ban-on-gaming-consoles-reports-say.html

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Thursday, January 24, 2013

The Ultimate Insider's Look Into a Lifetime of Nature Filmmaking

Spanning the 50 year transition from tremulous black and white to razor sharp hi-def, "Attenborough's Life Stories" essentially serves as a David Attenborough retrospective dished out in three installments, all hosted by the legend himself. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/ilPaEVHffk0/the-ultimate-insiders-look-into-a-lifetime-of-nature-filmmaking

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Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Live Giant Squid Filmed In Deep Ocean

giant squid Landmark achievement reveals clues to mollusc's behavior. Image: Tsunemi Kubodera

Ocean explorers have finally achieved one of their most alluring but elusive goals: video footage of the legendary giant squid (Architeuthis dux) in its natural deep-sea habitat. Scientists say that the spectacular film, captured during an expedition off Japan?s Ogasawara archipelago, answers enduring questions about the enigmatic invertebrate.

The 6-week mission was funded by the Japan Broadcasting Commission (NHK) and the US Discovery Channel, and took place in July. It is only now being discussed publicly, as the two companies prepare to broadcast documentaries that include the footage later this month.

The squid was first glimpsed using a specialized camera system, called Medusa, which the team deployed from a ship and left suspended about 700 meters down in the water. Later, researchers came face-to-face with one while in a submersible. ?It was so beautiful that I have no words to explain it,? says zoologist Tsunemi Kubodera of Japan?s National Museum of Nature and Science, who was in the submersible.

?

The camera system was developed by Edith Widder, a deep-sea explorer and founder of the Ocean Research and Conservation Association in Fort Pierce, Florida. She thinks that the key to its success was a focus on the squid?s sense of sight. To avoid bright lights that might scare the squid away, the system uses a low-light camera with a dim red light, because few deep-sea animals see light with such a long wavelength.

Alluring success
In hopes of drawing the animals in, Widder used a different sort of light. Although very little sunlight penetrates to the deep sea, many deep dwellers produce a bioluminescent light. Past research by Widder suggests that the bioluminescence can act as a sort of burglar alarm, among other functions. The idea is that the bioluminescence produced by some prey when they are attacked may serve to attract larger predators ? such a giant squid ? that will then eat the attacker.

Widder and her colleagues therefore fitted Medusa with an electronic device that mimicked the bioluminescence that jellyfish produce when attacked to serve as a lure. It worked: Medusa first encountered a squid during its second deployment, igniting jubilation on the ship. ?I just was blown away,? says Widder,? I couldn?t have been happier.?

Medusa ended up encountering a squid five times, culminating with a full view of one apparently attacking the camera system in a manner consistent with the alarm hypothesis. The squid was about 4 meters long, although giant squid can grow as large as 10 meters or more.

During a dive about a week after the first Medusa success in their Triton submersible, Kubodera and pilot Jim Harris had a face-to-face encounter. Once they had taken enough low-light footage, they turned on the sub?s bright main lights, expecting to spook the squid. Instead, the animal continued to feed on bait tied to the sub. For 18 mesmerizing minutes the pair watched as the huge animal?s skin?shifted between unexpected gold and silver metallic hues.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=1a763bf1b28d0cf107906d55835e68b0

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Thursday, January 10, 2013

Winter storm slams Mideast, 2 die in West Bank

A Palestinian woman passes keys to a person on the other side of a flooded road in the West Bank of Jenin, Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013. Stormy weather, including high winds and heavy rainfall, lashed Israel and the Palestinian territories, downing power-lines and trees. (AP Photo/Mohammed Ballas)

A Palestinian woman passes keys to a person on the other side of a flooded road in the West Bank of Jenin, Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013. Stormy weather, including high winds and heavy rainfall, lashed Israel and the Palestinian territories, downing power-lines and trees. (AP Photo/Mohammed Ballas)

A Syrian refugee boy makes his way through water and mud, next to a UNICEF school at Zaatari Syrian refugee camp, near the Syrian border in Mafraq, Jordan, Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013. Syrian refugees in a Jordanian camp attacked aid workers with sticks and stones on Tuesday, frustrated after cold, howling winds swept away their tents and torrential rains flooded muddy streets overnight. Police said seven aid workers were injured. (AP Photo/Mohammad Hannon)

Hiam al-Hussein, 23, from Syria?s war ravaged Homs district of Baba Amr, stands in flooded water at a temporary refugee camp, in the eastern Lebanese Town of Al-Faour near the border with Syria, Lebanon, Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013. Two Syrian refugee encampments in Lebanon?s eastern Bekaa valley were completely immersed in water Tuesday after the Litani river flooded and the water came pouring into their tents. The flood forced dozens of Syrian refugees to leave in search for alternative shelter along with their water-soaked and muddied belongings. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

A Syrian refugee man, right, gestures as he stands in flooded water at a temporary refugee camp, in the eastern Lebanese Town of Al-Faour near the border with Syria, Lebanon, Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013. Two Syrian refugee encampments in Lebanon?s eastern Bekaa valley were completely immersed in water Tuesday after the Litani river flooded and the water came pouring into their tents. The flood forced dozens of Syrian refugees to leave in search for alternative shelter along with their water-soaked and muddied belongings. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

A Syrian refugee man carries his baby as he makes his way through flooded water at a temporary refugee camp, in the eastern Lebanese Town of Al-Faour near the border with Syria, Lebanon, Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013. Two Syrian refugee encampments in Lebanon?s eastern Bekaa valley were completely immersed in water Tuesday after the Litani river flooded and the water came pouring into their tents. The flood forced dozens of Syrian refugees to leave in search for alternative shelter along with their water-soaked and muddied belongings. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

(AP) ? The fiercest winter storm to hit the Mideast in years has unleashed deadly flash flooding in the West Bank, dumped a rare foot of snow on desert Jordan, and disrupted traffic on the Suez Canal in Egypt.

The unusual weather was a particularly harsh blow for the vulnerable Syrian refugees, especially about 50,000 sheltering in the Zaatari tent camp in Jordan's northern desert. Torrential rains over the past four days have flooded 200 tents and forced women and infants to evacuate in temperatures below freezing at night, whipping wind and lashing rain.

"It's been freezing cold and constant rain for the past four days," lamented Ahmad Tobara, 44, who evacuated his tent when its shafts submerged in flood water in Zaatari camp.

In the West Bank town of Ramallah, a Palestinian official said on Wednesday two West Bank women drowned after their car was caught in a flash flood a day earlier. Nablus Deputy Governor Annan Atirah said the women abandoned their vehicle after it got stuck on a flooded road and their bodies were found apparently swept away by surging waters. Their driver was hospitalized in critical condition.

The storm dumped at least a foot of snow on many parts of Jordan, shutting schools, stranding motorists and delaying international flights, Jordanian weatherman Mohammed Samawi said. He called it the "fiercest storm to hit the Mideast in the month of January in at least 30 years."

The rare, heavy snowfall blocked all streets in Jordan's capital, Amman, and isolated remote villages, prompting warnings from authorities for people to stay home as snow ploughs tried to reopen clogged roads. The country's Meteorology Department said the storm, accompanied by lashing wind, lightning and thunder, dumped the most snow in northern regions and some parts of usually arid southern Jordan.

The snowstorm followed four days of torrential rain, which caused flooding in many areas across the country.

In Egypt, torrential rains, strong winds and low visibility disrupted Suez Canal operations over the past three days and also closed down several ports. The number of ships moving through the Suez Canal dropped by half because of poor visibility, the official MENA news agency reported. A canal official said that by Wednesday, operations had returned to normal. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief reporters.

MENA also reported that ports in the northern Mediterranean city of Alexandria and Dakhila were shut down, while cities in the Nile Delta suffered power outages and fishing stopped in cities like Damietta, northeast of Cairo.

MENA also reported ten fishermen went missing after their boat capsized near Marsa Matrouh on the Mediterranean.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-01-09-Mideast-Weather/id-b6e2cd0aa51b46c08a2fd78d0fdc0091

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DOJ official wants trustee in Mass. pharmacy case

(AP) ? A Justice Department official is arguing that an independent trustee must be chosen to oversee the bankruptcy case of a Massachusetts pharmacy linked to a deadly meningitis outbreak.

U.S. Trustee William Harrington says in a filing Tuesday that an accountant chosen by the New England Compounding Center to lead it through Chapter 11 proceedings is "hopelessly conflicted."

He says that's because Keith Lowey was appointed by NECC's board and the board has the power to fire him at any time.

Harrington also argued the company's "gross mismanagement" meant an independent trustee was needed to protect the interests of the NECC's creditors.

Messages requesting comment were left at Lowey's office and with an NECC spokesman.

A tainted steroid made by the NECC has been linked to a fungal meningitis outbreak that has killed 40.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/bbd825583c8542898e6fa7d440b9febc/Article_2013-01-08-US-Meningitis-Outbreak/id-40bd29b2c0734899b211a688b82fd9a3

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Alcoa earnings as expected, revenue tops forecasts

NEW YORK (AP) ? Alcoa Inc. said Tuesday that fourth-quarter earnings met Wall Street's expectations, and it sees slightly higher demand for aluminum this year.

Net income was $242 million, or 21 cents per share. That includes one-time gains like income from selling a hydroelectric project.

Without those gains, the company would have made six cents per share ? exactly what analysts expected, according to FactSet ? on revenue of $5.90 billion. Sales were higher than the $5.58 billion that analysts predicted.

A year ago, the company posted a fourth-quarter loss of $191 million, or 18 cents per share, on revenue of $5.99 billion, and a loss after special items of 3 cents per share.

The weak global economy has hurt demand for aluminum used in everything from airplanes to soda cans. But Alcoa sees demand growing 7 percent in 2013, up from a 6 percent gain in 2012, with the best prospects in aerospace but slower improvement in demand for autos, packaging, and building and construction materials.

The company said it hit record profits in its aluminum-rolling and product-making businesses while cutting costs in its mining and refining or "upstream" segment.

Chairman and CEO Klaus Kleinfeld said the company overcame volatile aluminum prices and global economic weakness and was in "strong position to maximize profitable growth" in 2013.

Alcoa is the first company in the Dow Jones industrial average to report fourth-quarter earnings. Because it makes aluminum for so many key industries, investors study Alcoa's results for clues about the health and direction of the overall economy.

Alcoa shares ended regular trading where they began, unchanged at $9.10. In after-hours trading following the earnings report, the stock gained 14 cents to $9.24.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/alcoa-earnings-expected-revenue-tops-forecasts-212422061--finance.html

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U.N. unable to get food to 1 million hungry Syrians

GENEVA (Reuters) - About 1 million Syrians are going hungry due to the difficulty of getting supplies into conflict zones and the fact that the few government-approved aid agencies are stretched to the limit, the United Nations said on Tuesday.

The U.N.'s World Food Programme (WFP) is handing out rations to about 1.5 million people in Syria each month, still short of the 2.5 million deemed to be in need, WFP spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs said.

Bread and fuel particularly are in short supply, but the WFP said it had won "special permission" from the government to import fuel from Lebanon to use in the trucks distributing aid in Syria.

The WFP is unable to increase assistance due to difficulty in reaching some insecure areas. Only a handful of aid agencies are authorized to distribute relief goods, some of which lack staff, fuel or other material.

"Our main partner, the (Syrian Arab) Red Crescent, is overstretched and has no more capacity to expand further," Byrs told a news briefing in Geneva.

More than 60,000 people have been killed during 21 months of conflict between the forces of President Bashar al-Assad and rebels trying to topple him.

Deteriorating security conditions forced the WFP to withdraw its staff from the towns of Homs, Aleppo, Tartous and Qamisly, Byrs said.

Long queues for bread are now normal in many parts of Syria and there are shortages of wheat flour in most parts of the country due to damage to mills, most of which are located in the embattled Aleppo area, she said.

Deliveries of food have been delayed by insecurity, and ships now have to use the Lebanese port of Beirut instead of the Syrian port of Tartous, Byrs said.

The United Nations last month appealed for $1.5 billion to help the millions of Syrians suffering from what it called a dramatically deteriorating humanitarian situation.

Four million people in the country need urgent humanitarian aid, including an estimated 2 million displaced from their homes by fighting.

The number of registered Syrian refugees has leapt from 500,000 to nearly 600,000 in the past month, U.N. figures show.

(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-n-unable-food-1-million-hungry-syrians-013533461.html

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Tuesday, January 8, 2013

iHeartRadio coming to Chrysler and GM autos, iHeartAuto for aftermarket devices launches

iHeartRadio coming to Chrysler and GM autos, iHeartAuto for aftermarket devices launches

iHeartRadio isn't limiting its CES announcements to mobile and PC wares. The internet streaming service is heading to Chrysler Uconnect and 2014 GM infotainment systems. Soon, the company's library of 1,500 channels will be available in-dash with mobile app compatibility for further fine-tuning with Chrysler's Uconnect Access software on Android and iOS handsets. In addition to the manufacturer news, iHeartRadio has also teamed up with Clear Channel Media and Entertainment to bring the iHeartAuto app for aftermarket vehicle gadgets. This software will allow standardized tools for devs and easy implementation for manufacturers. As of today, support for Clarion Smart Access, Pioneer's AppRadio platform and Kenwood's DNN990HD receiver is now available. For a bit more info on both of the happenings, take a look at the full PR that resides below.

Continue reading iHeartRadio coming to Chrysler and GM autos, iHeartAuto for aftermarket devices launches

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/07/iheartradio-chrysler-gm-iheartauto-app/

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Cheap and easy technique to snip DNA could revolutionize gene therapy

Cheap and easy technique to snip DNA could revolutionize gene therapy [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 7-Jan-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Robert Sanders
rsanders@berkeley.edu
510-643-6998
University of California - Berkeley

Bacterial enzyme binds with RNA to home in on genes and cut double-stranded DNA

A simple, precise and inexpensive method for cutting DNA to insert genes into human cells could transform genetic medicine, making routine what now are expensive, complicated and rare procedures for replacing defective genes in order to fix genetic disease or even cure AIDS.

Discovered last year by Jennifer Doudna and Martin Jinek of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and University of California, Berkeley, and Emmanuelle Charpentier of the Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine-Sweden, the technique was labeled a "tour de force" in a 2012 review in the journal Nature Biotechnology.

That review was based solely on the team's June 28, 2012, Science paper, in which the researchers described a new method of precisely targeting and cutting DNA in bacteria.

Two new papers published last week in the journal Science Express demonstrate that the technique also works in human cells. A paper by Doudna and her team reporting similarly successful results in human cells has been accepted for publication by the new open-access journal eLife.

"The ability to modify specific elements of an organism's genes has been essential to advance our understanding of biology, including human health," said Doudna, a professor of molecular and cell biology and of chemistry and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator at UC Berkeley. "However, the techniques for making these modifications in animals and humans have been a huge bottleneck in both research and the development of human therapeutics.

"This is going to remove a major bottleneck in the field, because it means that essentially anybody can use this kind of genome editing or reprogramming to introduce genetic changes into mammalian or, quite likely, other eukaryotic systems."

"I think this is going to be a real hit," said George Church, professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School and principal author of one of the Science Express papers. "There are going to be a lot of people practicing this method because it is easier and about 100 times more compact than other techniques."

"Based on the feedback we've received, it's possible that this technique will completely revolutionize genome engineering in animals and plants," said Doudna, who also holds an appointment at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. "It's easy to program and could potentially be as powerful as the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)."

The latter technique made it easy to generate millions of copies of small pieces of DNA and permanently altered biological research and medical genetics.

Cruise missiles

Two developments zinc-finger nucleases and TALEN (Transcription Activator-Like Effector Nucleases) proteins have gotten a lot of attention recently, including being together named one of the top 10 scientific breakthroughs of 2012 by Science magazine. The magazine labeled them "cruise missiles" because both techniques allow researchers to home in on a particular part of a genome and snip the double-stranded DNA there and there only.

Researchers can use these methods to make two precise cuts to remove a piece of DNA and, if an alternative piece of DNA is supplied, the cell will plug it into the cut instead. In this way, doctors can excise a defective or mutated gene and replace it with a normal copy. Sangamo Biosciences, a clinical stage biospharmaceutical company, has already shown that replacing one specific gene in a person infected with HIV can make him or her resistant to AIDS.

Both the zinc finger and TALEN techniques require synthesizing a large new gene encoding a specific protein for each new site in the DNA that is to be changed. By contrast, the new technique uses a single protein that requires only a short RNA molecule to program it for site-specific DNA recognition, Doudna said.

In the new Science Express paper, Church compared the new technique, which involves an enzyme called Cas9, with the TALEN method for inserting a gene into a mammalian cell and found it five times more efficient.

"It (the Cas9-RNA complex) is easier to make than TALEN proteins, and it's smaller," making it easier to slip into cells and even to program hundreds of snips simultaneously, he said. The complex also has lower toxicity in mammalian cells than other techniques, he added.

"It's too early to declare total victory" over TALENs and zinc-fingers, Church said, "but it looks promising."

Based on the immune systems of bacteria

Doudna discovered the Cas9 enzyme while working on the immune system of bacteria that have evolved enzymes that cut DNA to defend themselves against viruses. These bacteria cut up viral DNA and stick pieces of it into their own DNA, from which they make RNA that binds and inactivates the viruses.

UC Berkeley professor of earth and planetary science Jill Banfield brought this unusual viral immune system to Doudna's attention a few years ago, and Doudna became intrigued. Her research focuses on how cells use RNA (ribonucleic acids), which are essentially the working copies that cells make of the DNA in their genes.

Doudna and her team worked out the details of how the enzyme-RNA complex cuts DNA: the Cas9 protein assembles with two short lengths of RNA, and together the complex binds a very specific area of DNA determined by the RNA sequence. The scientists then simplified the system to work with only one piece of RNA and showed in the earlier Science paper that they could target and snip specific areas of bacterial DNA.

"The beauty of this compared to any of the other systems that have come along over the past few decades for doing genome engineering is that it uses a single enzyme," Doudna said. "The enzyme doesn't have to change for every site that you want to target you simply have to reprogram it with a different RNA transcript, which is easy to design and implement."

The three new papers show this bacterial system works beautifully in human cells as well as in bacteria.

"Out of this somewhat obscure bacterial immune system comes a technology that has the potential to really transform the way that we work on and manipulate mammalian cells and other types of animal and plant cells," Doudna said. "This is a poster child for the role of basic science in making fundamental discoveries that affect human health."

###

Doudna's coauthors include Jinek and Alexandra East, Aaron Cheng and Enbo Ma of UC Berkeley's Department of Molecular and Cell Biology.

Doudna's work was sponsored by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.



[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


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


Cheap and easy technique to snip DNA could revolutionize gene therapy [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 7-Jan-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Robert Sanders
rsanders@berkeley.edu
510-643-6998
University of California - Berkeley

Bacterial enzyme binds with RNA to home in on genes and cut double-stranded DNA

A simple, precise and inexpensive method for cutting DNA to insert genes into human cells could transform genetic medicine, making routine what now are expensive, complicated and rare procedures for replacing defective genes in order to fix genetic disease or even cure AIDS.

Discovered last year by Jennifer Doudna and Martin Jinek of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and University of California, Berkeley, and Emmanuelle Charpentier of the Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine-Sweden, the technique was labeled a "tour de force" in a 2012 review in the journal Nature Biotechnology.

That review was based solely on the team's June 28, 2012, Science paper, in which the researchers described a new method of precisely targeting and cutting DNA in bacteria.

Two new papers published last week in the journal Science Express demonstrate that the technique also works in human cells. A paper by Doudna and her team reporting similarly successful results in human cells has been accepted for publication by the new open-access journal eLife.

"The ability to modify specific elements of an organism's genes has been essential to advance our understanding of biology, including human health," said Doudna, a professor of molecular and cell biology and of chemistry and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator at UC Berkeley. "However, the techniques for making these modifications in animals and humans have been a huge bottleneck in both research and the development of human therapeutics.

"This is going to remove a major bottleneck in the field, because it means that essentially anybody can use this kind of genome editing or reprogramming to introduce genetic changes into mammalian or, quite likely, other eukaryotic systems."

"I think this is going to be a real hit," said George Church, professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School and principal author of one of the Science Express papers. "There are going to be a lot of people practicing this method because it is easier and about 100 times more compact than other techniques."

"Based on the feedback we've received, it's possible that this technique will completely revolutionize genome engineering in animals and plants," said Doudna, who also holds an appointment at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. "It's easy to program and could potentially be as powerful as the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)."

The latter technique made it easy to generate millions of copies of small pieces of DNA and permanently altered biological research and medical genetics.

Cruise missiles

Two developments zinc-finger nucleases and TALEN (Transcription Activator-Like Effector Nucleases) proteins have gotten a lot of attention recently, including being together named one of the top 10 scientific breakthroughs of 2012 by Science magazine. The magazine labeled them "cruise missiles" because both techniques allow researchers to home in on a particular part of a genome and snip the double-stranded DNA there and there only.

Researchers can use these methods to make two precise cuts to remove a piece of DNA and, if an alternative piece of DNA is supplied, the cell will plug it into the cut instead. In this way, doctors can excise a defective or mutated gene and replace it with a normal copy. Sangamo Biosciences, a clinical stage biospharmaceutical company, has already shown that replacing one specific gene in a person infected with HIV can make him or her resistant to AIDS.

Both the zinc finger and TALEN techniques require synthesizing a large new gene encoding a specific protein for each new site in the DNA that is to be changed. By contrast, the new technique uses a single protein that requires only a short RNA molecule to program it for site-specific DNA recognition, Doudna said.

In the new Science Express paper, Church compared the new technique, which involves an enzyme called Cas9, with the TALEN method for inserting a gene into a mammalian cell and found it five times more efficient.

"It (the Cas9-RNA complex) is easier to make than TALEN proteins, and it's smaller," making it easier to slip into cells and even to program hundreds of snips simultaneously, he said. The complex also has lower toxicity in mammalian cells than other techniques, he added.

"It's too early to declare total victory" over TALENs and zinc-fingers, Church said, "but it looks promising."

Based on the immune systems of bacteria

Doudna discovered the Cas9 enzyme while working on the immune system of bacteria that have evolved enzymes that cut DNA to defend themselves against viruses. These bacteria cut up viral DNA and stick pieces of it into their own DNA, from which they make RNA that binds and inactivates the viruses.

UC Berkeley professor of earth and planetary science Jill Banfield brought this unusual viral immune system to Doudna's attention a few years ago, and Doudna became intrigued. Her research focuses on how cells use RNA (ribonucleic acids), which are essentially the working copies that cells make of the DNA in their genes.

Doudna and her team worked out the details of how the enzyme-RNA complex cuts DNA: the Cas9 protein assembles with two short lengths of RNA, and together the complex binds a very specific area of DNA determined by the RNA sequence. The scientists then simplified the system to work with only one piece of RNA and showed in the earlier Science paper that they could target and snip specific areas of bacterial DNA.

"The beauty of this compared to any of the other systems that have come along over the past few decades for doing genome engineering is that it uses a single enzyme," Doudna said. "The enzyme doesn't have to change for every site that you want to target you simply have to reprogram it with a different RNA transcript, which is easy to design and implement."

The three new papers show this bacterial system works beautifully in human cells as well as in bacteria.

"Out of this somewhat obscure bacterial immune system comes a technology that has the potential to really transform the way that we work on and manipulate mammalian cells and other types of animal and plant cells," Doudna said. "This is a poster child for the role of basic science in making fundamental discoveries that affect human health."

###

Doudna's coauthors include Jinek and Alexandra East, Aaron Cheng and Enbo Ma of UC Berkeley's Department of Molecular and Cell Biology.

Doudna's work was sponsored by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.



[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


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


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-01/uoc--cae010713.php

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