Epigenetic changes shed light on biological mechanism of autism

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Scientists from King's College London have identified patterns of epigenetic changes involved in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by studying genetically identical twins who differ in autism traits. The study, published in Molecular Psychiatry, is the largest of its kind and may shed light on the biological mechanism by which environmental influences regulate the activity of certain genes and in turn contribute to the development of ASD and related behaviour traits.

ASD affects approximately 1 in 100 people in the UK and involves a spectrum of disorders which manifest themselves differently in different people. People with ASD have varying levels of impairment across three common areas: deficits in social interactions and understanding, repetitive behaviour and interests, and impairments in language and communication development.

Evidence from twin studies shows there is a strong genetic component to ASD and previous studies suggest that genes that direct brain development may be involved in the disorder. In approximately 70% of cases, when one identical twin has ASD, so does the other. However, in 30% of cases, identical twins differ for ASD. Because identical twins share the same genetic code, this suggests non-genetic, or epigenetic, factors may be involved.

Epigenetic changes affect the expression or activity of genes without changing the underlying DNA sequence ? they are believed to be one mechanism by which the environment can interact with the genome. Importantly, epigenetic changes are potentially reversible and may therefore provide targets for the development of new therapies.

The researchers studied an epigenetic mechanism called DNA methylation. DNA methylation acts to block the genetic sequences that drive gene expression, silencing gene activity. They examined DNA methylation at over 27,000 sites across the genome using samples taken from 50 identical twin pairs (100 individuals) from the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) funded Twins Early Development Study (TEDS): 34 pairs who differed for ASD or autism related behaviour traits, 5 pairs where both twins have ASD, and 11 healthy twin pairs.

Dr Chloe Wong, first author of the study from King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry, says: "We've identified distinctive patterns of DNA methylation associated with both autism diagnosis and related behaviour traits, and increasing severity of symptoms. Our findings give us an insight into the biological mechanism mediating the interaction between gene and environment in autism spectrum disorder."

DNA methylation at some genetic sites was consistently altered for all individuals with ASD, and differences at other sites were specific to certain symptom groups. The number of DNA methylation sites across the genome was also linked to the severity of autism symptoms suggesting a quantitative relationship between the two. Additionally, some of the differences in DNA methylation markers were located in genetic regions that previous research has associated with early brain development and ASD.

Professor Jonathan Mill, lead author of the paper from King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry and the University of Exeter, says: "Research into the intersection between genetic and environmental influences is crucial because risky environmental conditions can sometimes be avoided or changed. Epigenetic changes are potentially reversible, so our next step is to embark on larger studies to see whether we can identify key epigenetic changes common to the majority of people with autism to help us develop possible therapeutic interventions."

Dr Alycia Halladay, Senior Director of Environmental and Clinical Sciences from Autism Speaks who funded the research, says: "This is the first large-scale study to take a whole genome approach to studying epigenetic influences in twins who are genetically identical but have different symptoms. These findings open the door to future discoveries in the role of epigenetics ? in addition to genetics ? in the development of autism symptoms."

###

King's College London: http://www.kcl.ac.uk

Thanks to King's College London for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127869/Epigenetic_changes_shed_light_on_biological_mechanism_of_autism

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Anti-smoking ads with strong arguments, not flashy editing, trigger part of brain that changes behavior

Apr. 23, 2013 ? Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at University of the Pennsylvania have shown that an area of the brain that initiates behavioral changes had greater activation in smokers who watched anti-smoking ads with strong arguments versus those with weaker ones, and irrespective of flashy elements, like bright and rapidly changing scenes, loud sounds and unexpected scenario twists. Those smokers also had significantly less nicotine metabolites in their urine when tested a month after viewing those ads, the team reports in a new study published online April 23 in the Journal of Neuroscience.

This is the first time research has shown an association between cognition and brain activity in response to content and format in televised ads and behavior.

In a study of 71 non-treatment-seeking smokers recruited from the Philadelphia area, the team, led by Daniel D. Langleben, M.D., a psychiatrist in the Center for Studies of Addiction at Penn Medicine, identified key brain regions engaged in the processing of persuasive communications using fMRI, or functional magnetic resonance imaging. They found that a part of the brain involved in future behavioral changes -- known as the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dMPFC) -- had greater activation when smokers watched an anti-smoking ad with a strong argument versus a weak one.

One month after subjects watched the ads, the researchers sampled smokers' urine cotinine levels (metabolite of nicotine) and found that those who watched the strong ads had significantly less cotinine in their urine compared to their baseline versus those who watched weaker ads.

Even ads riddled with attention-grabbing tactics, the research suggests, are not effective at reducing tobacco intake unless their arguments are strong. However, ads with flashy editing and strong arguments, for example, produced better recognition.

"We investigated the two major dimensions of any piece of media, content and format, which are both important here," said Dr. Langleben, who is also an associate professor in the department of Psychiatry. "If you give someone an unconvincing ad, it doesn't matter what format you do on top of that. You can make it sensational. But in terms of effectiveness, content is more important. You're better off adding in more sophisticated editing and other special effects only if it is persuasive."

The paper may enable improved methods of design and evaluation of public health advertising, according to the authors, including first author An-Li Wang, PhD, of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. And it could ultimately influence how producers shape the way ads are constructed, and how ad production budgets are allocated, considering special effects are expensive endeavors versus hiring screenwriters.

A 2009 study by Dr. Langleben and colleagues that looked solely at format found people were more likely to remember low-key, anti-smoking messages versus attention-grabbing messages. This was the first research to show that low-key versus attention-grabbing ads stimulated different patterns of activity, particularly in the frontal cortex and temporal cortex. But it did not address content strength or behavioral changes.

This new study is the first longitudinal investigation of the cognitive, behavioral, and neurophysical response to the content and format of televised anti-smoking ads, according to the authors.

"This sets the stage for science-based evaluation and design of persuasive public health advertising," said Dr. Langleben. "An ad is only as strong as its central argument, which matters more than its audiovisual presentation. Future work should consider supplementing focus groups with more technology-heavy assessments, such as brain responses to these ads, in advance of even putting the ad together in its entirety."

Co-authors of the study include Kosha Ruparel, MSE, James W. Loughead, PhD, Andrew A. Strasser, PhD, Shira J. Blady, Kevin G. Lynch, PhD, Dan Romer, PhD, and Caryn Lerman, PhD, of the Department of Psychiatry at Penn Medicine, and Joseph N. Cappella, PhD, of the Annenberg School for Communication.

This study was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (R21 DA024419).

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/PCn9rWhdoXs/130423211716.htm

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Daily Kos: Flight delays hit business travelers, giving Republicans a ...

As predicted, sequestration is causing flight delays, thanks to furloughs at the Federal Aviation Administration. As administration officials have repeatedly explained, because the FAA's budget is so heavily dedicated to staff, there's really no way to shift enough money around to avoid furloughs. The result, starting this weekend, included delays caused by staffing issues at John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia, and Los Angeles International Airports, at a minimum.

Republicans are predictably squealing with outrage, with RNC Chair Reince Priebus, House Speaker John Boehner, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, and others unleashing a series of tweets hashtagged "#ObamaFlightDelays."

So Republicans were first outraged when air traffic control towers at small airports closed because of the sequester. Now they're outraged that it's causing delays at big airports, but they still support sequestration even though apparently they think every one of its visible effects at the FAA is a partisan outrage inflicted on the nation by the president. All this selective outrage is providing an excellent example of what screwed-up priorities look like:
1 sign of inequality in USA is that of the many ways the #sequester is messing up people's lives, business travelers air delays count most.
? @jeffhauser via HootSuite Yup, pretty much. First the Republican outrage focused on White House tours. Then it focused on small air traffic control tower closures. Now, business travelers in major cities. Meanwhile, all those furloughed FAA workers are losing a big chunk of their paychecks, families are being denied housing assistance, kids are being kicked out of Head Start programs, and college students are losing financial aid and work-study funds?and Republican outrage is nowhere to be found.

9:09 AM PT: Tweeting about the Transportation Security Administration not having to furlough TSA agents in airports, John Boehner's press secretary shows that Republicans assume the president will see the world as they do and hope for bad things to happen to the country if that might mean political advantage:

Source: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/04/22/1203905/-Flight-delays-hit-business-travelers-giving-Republicans-a-new-target-for-their-sequester-whining

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Credit Scorer Kreditech Raises ?Around $3.5M' From Samwers And Others

Last month Oliver and Marc Samwer ? founders of the Rocket Internet startup incubator ? launched Global Founders Capital, a new ?150 million ($194 million) fund aimed at any and all startups worldwide. This month one of the first startups to benefit from that will be credit scoring startup Kreditech which has raised an undisclosed amount said to be "low to mid 7 digits". We've heard USD$3.5 / EUR?3 million. This is in addition to the $4M is raised at the end of last year. Kreditech is live in the Czech Republic, Spain and Poland but, according to co-founder Felix Haas, will also soon launch in Russia, Mexico, Australia, Argentinia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan with its Kredito24 brand, which is not at all dissimilar to the UK's Wonga.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/d8Wj222DyNQ/

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When Everyone's an Investigator: How Technology Aided The Boston Marathon Manhunt

Less than two decades ago, another sporting event in the United States was impacted by terror. Bombs were placed in areas the public were sure to assemble. One died in the blast, 111 were injured. And it took seven years for authorities to successfully apprehend the perpetrator.

The details of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics bombing and last week?s Boston Marathon attack are different. Eric Robert Rudolph, who was sentenced for the crime, planted the bomb in the middle of the night, and was not there when it detonated. Another major difference: If he had committed the crime today, with the advanced communications technologies we have, would he have been on the run for so long?

One of the lessons of this chaotic week is that advances in technology have completely changed the nature of a mass public crime scene. Everyone is a witness; everyone is plugged in to the Web.

Over the last week, here are the key pieces of technology that stood out:

Closed Circuit Television

Image of a suspect released by the FBI.

In 2005, London?s extensive closed circuit television network was crucial for putting together the timeline of events that led up to the blasts. While Boston?s system isn?t as extensive as London?s (which has one of the largest camera per capita ratios of any city anywhere), this past week proved there doesn?t need to be a huge numbers of cameras to track a suspect. Cameras from the Lord & Taylor department store proved pivotal in nailing down the suspects..

The Camera Phone

It seemed that nearly every inch of Boylston Street was caught on camera before, during, and after Monday?s attacks. And it wasn?t because of a big-brother network of cameras. The camera phone is so ubiquitous that it?s not necessary to make the distinction between phones and camera phones anymore. They?re just phones.

After the FBI released the blurry CCTV photos on Thursday, it wasn?t long before David Green discovered that he had inadvertently taken a high-resolution photo of suspect No. 2, Dzhokar Tsarnaev, as he was fleeing the scene.

Social media

?

I'm a stress free kind of guy

? Jahar (@J_tsar) April 17, 2013

?

As we learned the names of the suspects, national media also began to thread a narrative of their lives, by threading together their Internet footprints.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the older suspect, who was killed in a firefight early Saturday morning, emerged as the more radical of the brothers. A YouTube account that appeared to be his was quickly found. On it were videos suggesting links with Islamic terrorism. It didn?t take long for Internet sleuths to located him in a photo essay once his name was publicized in the media. In one of the captions, he says: "I don't have a single American friend, I don't understand them."

A much more complicated picture emerges of Dzhokar, the 19 year old. His Twitter account isn?t too out of the ordinary. He likes cars, beerpong, Game of Thrones, and cheeseburgers. People who knew him called him ?a normal pothead,? charismatic, athletic, and kind. Armchair psychoanalysts on the news will be stumped until he starts to provide some answers to the FBI. How somebody held in a good regard among peers became the prime suspect in a terrorist plot will be one of the more interesting stories to unfold from this episode.

The Internet also aided thousands in coordinating an immediate relief effort after the bombing. Google set up a person finder application to help victims, dispersed runners, and families find one another after the blast. A massive database was created to offer couches and beds to stranded marathon runners.

Social media also allowed network and cable news to get close to the action in Watertown. When cameras couldn?t get close to the gunfire in Watertown, residents holed up in their homes connected to through Skype and pointed their webcams out of their windows.

While social media shined, it also faltered. Reddit users-turned vigilantes, leading many down false paths and accusing people innocent of the crime. For instance, shortly after the FBI released the video of the two suspects, some on Twitter and Reddit began to make a connection to Sunil Tripathi, a Brown University student who had been missing for several months. "Those night hours were horrible," Sangeeta Tripathi, the sister of the missing student, told Reuters.

The rumor wasn?t cleared up until the morning when NBC?s Pete Williams correctly identified the suspects. As The Atlantic?s Alexis Madrigal writes, when there?s a lack of narrative thread, good intentioned people on social networks will force one. ?A piece of evidence that fit a narrative some people really wanted to believe was conjured into existence and there was no stopping its spread,? he wrote.

Heat sensing cameras

?

Air Wing views from Watertown manhunt. 5 total pics released.No further info available tonight on pictures twitter.com/MassStatePolic?

? MASS STATE POLICE (@MassStatePolice) April 20, 2013

Once authorities got the tip that Dzhokar was hiding in a boat, it wasn?t hard to confirm. A helicopter equipped with a heat-sensing camera detected him in the boat, even though he was underneath a plastic tarp.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/everyones-investigator-technology-aided-boston-marathon-manhunt-163804979--politics.html

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Antares rocket makes test flight

21 April 2013 Last updated at 18:05 ET By Jonathan Amos Science correspondent, BBC News

A new rocket has launched from the US eastern seaboard to prove its readiness to help service the International Space Station (ISS).

The 40m-tall Antares vehicle lifted clear of the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia at 1700 local time (2100 GMT).

The apparently flawless 10-minute ascent should lead to it being allowed to propel an unmanned cargo ship towards the ISS later this year.

Antares has been developed by the Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC).

The Dulles-based company is one of a number of commercial outfits that have partnered with the US space agency (Nasa) to create cheaper technologies for getting payloads and astronauts into orbit.

The agency has so far invested some $275m (?180m) in OSC to help it advance its rocket and cargo-vessel concepts.

A contract worth $1.9bn (?1.2bn), covering eight re-supply missions to the station, will be triggered once the company has satisfactorily demonstrated its designs.

Sunday's test-flight required the two-stage Antares rocket raise itself to an altitude of about 255km where it jettisoned a dummy payload.

That 3.8-tonne test mass was intended to simulate the Cygnus cargo ship, which will make its maiden outing on the next launch of the rocket.

Orbital is an established Nasa contractor, which has been building satellites and smaller rockets for more than 30 years.

The company was chosen by the agency to pick up some of the ISS servicing capability lost by America when it retired its space shuttles two years ago.

A second firm, SpaceX of California, is further along in its development schedule, having already completed its test flights and begun commercially contracted missions to the ISS.

OSC packed Sunday's Antares full of sensors to gather as much data as possible on its performance.

Everything on the flight appeared to proceed extremely smoothly. All the major events such as rocket-stage separation, fairing separation, and the ejection of the dummy payload occurred on cue.

"We will obviously go in and analyse it much more carefully in the coming days and replay everything to make sure we get maximum information from the data. But at first glance, it all looked really good," observed Frank Culbertson, an Orbital executive vice-president and a former astronaut.

Nasa too will want to review the flight data before deciding whether to release more seed funding to Orbital, and to clear the company for a Cygnus freighter demonstration mission to the ISS. All being well, this next demonstration could occur in late June or early July.

The early message from the agency was that it was very happy with Sunday's outcome.

"It was an amazing achievement for Orbital today," said Alan Lindenmoyer, the manager of Nasa's Commercial Crew and Cargo Program.

"The flight was just beautiful. It looks like - the preliminary data says - that all the objectives we established for the flight were 100% met."

Italian job

One interesting aspect of the Antares design is its use of two Aerojet AJ-26 engines on its liquid-fuelled first stage.

These are modified, Ukrainian-built power units that were originally developed for the ill-fated Soviet Moon rocket, the N-1.

The Antares second-stage - the segment that deploys the payload at the target altitude - is powered by a solid-fuel motor. This was provided by ATK, the company that used to make the solid-fuelled boosters for the shuttles.

OSC hopes to use the Antares for other ventures besides keeping the space station stocked with food and equipment.

It has worked with an economic development agency in Virginia to bring the Wallops launch facility up to a standard that would permit many more flights from the coastal spaceport, which in the past has been used for small research rockets.

OSC has developed its Cygnus freighter with Italian company Thales Alenia Space (TAS).

The pressurised segment of this cargo ship is based on TAS's Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, or MPLM. This was the "packing box" put in the back of space shuttles when they hauled supplies to the ISS.

Two versions of Cygnus are being built. One can carry two tonnes, the other nearly three tonnes.

Unlike SpaceX's Dragon capsule, the OSC freighter cannot bring materials back to the Earth's surface.

Instead, Cygnus will be filled with rubbish from the ISS and allowed to burn up in the planet's atmosphere.

Sunday's demonstration flight also released three "nano-satellites" controlled by smartphones. These mini-spacecraft, which only measure 10cm across, will operate for a few weeks before falling back to Earth.

The dummy Cygnus will also begin its descent to Earth in about a fortnight.

Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22193330#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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'No more hurting people.' Will a safer future follow Boston tragedy's wake?

Martin Richard, the 8-year-old boy killed in the Boston Marathon bomb attack, once held a sign that said 'peace' and 'no more hurting people.' Research finds a pattern of lessening violence as human history moves forward.

By Mark Trumbull,?Staff writer / April 20, 2013

A photo of Martin Richard, 8, hangs at a makeshift memorial near the finish line of Monday's Boston Marathon explosions, which killed three and injured more than 170. Martin was killed in the explosions.

Matt Rourke/AP

Enlarge

Of all the images from the Boston Marathon tragedy that became suddenly iconic this week, none was more poignant than this: a photo showing how Martin Richard, the 8-year-old boy who died in the bomb attack, once held a sign that said ?peace? and ?no more hurting people.?

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As a city and nation struggle to move forward, that sign implies one of the big questions that remains: What can be done to prevent such acts of senseless destruction in the future?

The search for answers will take time.

In the case of the explosions that rocked the Boston Marathon finish line on April 15, the suspects identified Thursday by the FBI have now been captured. Tamerlan Tsarnaev died in a gun battle with police, while his younger brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, is at a Boston hospital under tight security.

But their motive was still a matter of investigation Saturday.

Whatever ?is eventually determined ? whether the attacks stemmed from affiliation with some terrorist ideology or by something else ? officials in cities around the nation are now thinking harder about how to protect against such potential attacks, notably on ?soft targets? like an outdoor road race that are difficult to secure.

One answer, already, is stepped-up security measures by law enforcement.

From public events in America this weekend to the running of ?the London Marathon this Sunday, the presence of law enforcement is greater than it would have been had the Boston attack not occurred. But, although Boston in recent days has seen a dramatic ?surge? of police and National Guard troops, limited government budgets and the huge number of soft targets mean that such efforts are an imperfect defense.

Another part of the answer is public vigilance ? ordinary people being alert about behavior that raises doubts about the intentions or mental stability of acquaintances. Again, this is an imperfect defense.

Some people who knew 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in school said that he did normal activities like sports and parties. ?He was never a troublemaker,? one former teacher said.

The Boston case also coincides with growing public debate about three issues with big implications for prevention of violent crime and terrorism: Gun control, immigration reform, and civil liberties in an era of drones and databases of online information.

On firearms, this was a case where the alleged bombers used guns as well as explosives. One of four people killed in the bombing and its aftermath was an MIT campus police officer who was shot while in his car.

The Tsarnaev brothers exchanged gunfire with police during a chase and manhunt that ended Friday night.

This comes during a week when supporters of stronger background checks for gun purchases failed in a US Senate vote. The National Rifle Association and some others argue that Americans? safety can be enhanced through a greater presence of armed ?good guys,? including guards to prevent Newtown-style tragedies in schools. At the same time, many Americans want to see access to assault weapons restricted, and efforts to ensure that people with criminal records or diagnosed mental disorders can?t buy firearms.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/VzBQjdjVic0/No-more-hurting-people.-Will-a-safer-future-follow-Boston-tragedy-s-wake

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Cased jump today, lower back pain - Health & Fitness - ThumperTalk

LEllis7motox, on 20 April 2013 - 09:55 AM, said:

Cased a nice 75 foot step up about an hour ago or so pulled off the track and layed on the ground for a few minutes from back pain, got up rode back to my camper and the pain is still all there. Sitting, standing, laying. Laying down feels the best. My back was straight and I believe I just smacked the seat real hard and "jammed" my back, is this such a thing? I??have racing tomorrow and I'm here camping out and not sure what to think... I have no numbness, it doesn't hurt when I push down on my lower back or anything, it's just a constant pain right where the lower back bends, bad enough to where I don't want to stand up for more than a minute or two. Thoughts?

LEllis7motox, on 20 April 2013 - 09:55 AM, said:

Cased a nice 75 foot step up about an hour ago or so pulled off the track and layed on the ground for a few minutes from back pain, got up rode back to my camper and the pain is still all there. Sitting, standing, laying. Laying down feels the best. My back was straight and I believe I just smacked the seat real hard and "jammed" my back, is this such a thing? I??have racing tomorrow and I'm here camping out and not sure what to think... I have no numbness, it doesn't hurt when I push down on my lower back or anything, it's just a constant pain right where the lower back bends, bad enough to where I don't want to stand up for more than a minute or two. Thoughts?

??Get it checked for what it is worth. I made the mistake of not going to hospital twice last year. Once in April only went to the hospital a week later to find our I had chipped my collar bone. Then in September some one t boned me??and I come off bad hurt my ribs and hand??it was a week and a half before I went to the hospital again to find I had broke 3 ribs and my hand which has now set at little bit funny. so its proberly worth a trip to A&E.
Hope your ok

Source: http://www.thumpertalk.com/topic/1019347-cased-jump-today-lower-back-pain/

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Crude Oil Set For A Struggle | Commodities | Minyanville's Wall Street

With the largest single day drop in gold prices dominating the headlines, many consumers have overlooked crude oil?s significant fall in prices as of late. Even without the decline earlier this week, crude has been relatively weak as of late, with few expecting this to change soon.? It seems that the pressure keeping prices at bay is only expected to rise in the coming months and years as this commodity may be slowly losing its dominance.

Surging Production and Competition

The increase in oil production in countries outside of OPEC has thrown a wrench into the global market place. Besides Venezuela, which has been selling its oil outside of OPEC for a long time now, Russia, Canada, and the US have all increased production of crude; the IMF predict an increase of 1 million barrels per day in 2013. This actually exceeds the demand for oil, putting pressure on prices and driving them down.

Advances in hydraulic fracturing (fracking) as well as horizontal drilling have helped unlock huge reserves of natural gas around the world and have been especially beneficial to countries that once relied on outside energy. This trend towards natural gas has started to eat away at crude?s dominance in the energy market and is only expected to grow.

Growth Worries

Posing a deeper threat in the short term, oil tanked earlier this week after China?s disappointing GDP data worried markets, sending crude prices to a 2013 low. Many analysts are quick to note that April and May have always been down seasons for oil in China, and that they expect to see demand increase once again in the summer.

Still, the threat of an economic slowdown in China will continue to threaten crude prices, as China is the second-largest consumer behind the US. Any news of a slowing economy or curtailing demand could deal a major blow to this commodity.

Profiting From Falling Crude

Should crude prices continue to fall, there are a number of ways that investors can turn a profit.

• 3x Inverse Crude ETN (NYSEARCA:DWTI): Composed entirely of WTI crude oil futures contracts, this ETF adds a -300% leverage to oil?s daily movements. With a year-to-date return of 11.8%, DWTI has so far enjoyed a a strong start to 2013.

• United States Oil Fund (NYSEARCA:USO): Tracking the changes in the price of light, sweet crude, this is one of the most popular oil ETFs available. Investors can use options to bet on a dip in this fund during poor times for oil.

• ISE Revere Natural Gas Index Fund (NYSEARCA:FCG): Betting on natural gas rising could be a profitable way to play if the fossil fuel continues to eat away at crude oil?s market share.

Follow us on Twitter @CommodityHQ

Editor's note: This article by Carolyn Pairitz was originally published on Commodity HQ.?

No positions in stocks mentioned.

Source: http://www.minyanville.com/trading-and-investing/commodities/articles/Crude-Oil-Set-for-a-Struggle/4/19/2013/id/49377

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Who's Tired? Growing Number of People Get Too Much Sleep

Most people you know probably talk about not getting enough sleep, but the percentage of U.S. adults who sleep for more than nine hours a night is actually on the rise, a new study suggests.

Between 1970 and 2007, the percentage of survey participants who reported sleeping for more than nine hours over a 24-hour period increased from 28 percent in 1985 to 37 percent in 2007, the study found. The trend was seen in participants' reports of both their weekday and weekend sleep habits.

What's more, the percentage of people who slept for less than six hours a night decreased, from about 11 percent in 1985 to 9 percent in 2007, the researchers said.

"This turns the current concept of an increasingly 'sleep-deprived society' on its head," the researchers write in the March 22 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Although there's been lots of talk about society sleeping too little, not much attention has been paid to the problem of too much sleep. However, studies show that sleeping more than nine hours a night is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, thinking problems and premature death, the researchers said.

A 2010 study published in the journal Sleep also found that there has been no overall increase in the percentage of U.S. adults who sleep for less than six hours, although there was an increase among full-time workers.

The new study, conducted by researchers at the University of Sydney, examined information from surveys done in 10 countries which asked participants to record how much time they allocated to different tasks in a 24-hour period. The study included surveys from over three decades. (Surveys in each country were from a nationally representative sample of that country's population.)

The U.S. participants were about 1.5 times more likely to report sleeping for more than nine hours a night, and 15 percent less likely to report sleeping less than six hours, in 2007 compared to 1985.

The study found a similar trend in other countries ? Australia, Finland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom all reported increases in the percentage of people who slept for more than nine hours a day (only Canada and Italy reported decreases). Sweden and the United Kingdom also saw decreases in the percentage of people who slept for more than six hours, while Italy and Norway had increases.

"One does hear again and again?that people are sleeping less than they used to. There's never been any good evidence for that," said Diane S. Lauderdale, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Chicago's Department of Health Studies, who was not involved in the study.

One reason it may seem like we're sleeping less is that, as we grow up, we do, in fact, sleep less than we used to in childhood or as teenagers. "It makes sense to people, because everybody has experienced that" as they mature, Lauderdale said.

However, it's important to note that the way people define "sleep" can be ambiguous, and it's possible that in the study, participants recorded how long they spent in bed, rather than how long they actually spent sleeping, the researchers said. People are probably sleeping for most, but not all, of the hours they indicated on the survey, Lauderdale said.

It's not clear if long sleep duration itself is responsible for poor health outcomes, or if it is a sign of other problems, such as depression or reduced physical activity. It's possible that people in the study who appeared to sleep for a long time actually had trouble sleeping, and so they stayed in bed for longer, Lauderdale said. More research is needed to investigate the link between long sleep duration and poor health, she said.

Pass it on: The percentage of people who sleep more than nine hours a night is on the rise.

Follow Rachael Rettner @RachaelRettner. Follow MyHealthNewsDaily @MyHealth_MHND, Facebook & Google+. Originally published on MyHealthNewsDaily.

Copyright 2013 MyHealthNewsDaily, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/whos-tired-growing-number-people-too-much-sleep-142844728.html

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Slideshow: 2013 Sunday Night Football schedule

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3991/self-improvement-seminar-for-excellent-leaders

Self-improvement workshop for excellent leaders

What are you? A leader or a follower?

We can all become leaders as well as fans. Both are essential but the leader sets the example for his/her fans. A good leader has a good fan.

If you think you are not a good leader, perhaps you ought to have a self-improvement workshop.

Self-improvement seminar for leaders is training them to be great to the fans.

There are a range of self-improvement workshop for you. However leadership training seminar is the very best for you.

In order to be an excellent leader, one need to possess numerous qualities that will bring in fans. The following qualities are simply of few of the lots of qualities that are crucial for effective leadership:.

1. Charm- charming leaders have the present to touch people with their selection of words. Charming leaders are alluring, charming and can encourage followers to support a marvelous vision or idea.

2. Better Mindset ? A leader who has a positive mindset will influence his/her followers to carry that exact same mindset. An example of a leader with a better attitude might be a parent or instructor.

Moms, fathers, or primary teachers appear and are seen as role models to the children they are teaching and nurturing.

These job models are the first leaders they run into in life. Kids become really dependent of leaders due to the fact that they are their vehicles to the outside world and offer much needed help and help.
If a moms and dad is supporting and liking to their kid, they will prosper under this reassurance.

If a school instructor provides a positive knowing experience to the child, they will prosper which success will become infectious ? In any circumstance, a leader?s better mindset will have greater effect and impact on their followers.

3. Inspiration ? In a sports world, a motivating leader can be a coach, trainer or even a fellow teammate. While the skill of gamers is a good determinant of a winning team, their coach is also a crucial aspect.

If a coach can not produce a gaining team, his job goes to stake. A coach?s inspiration includes infusing his players with high standards, and setting tough however attainable goals as they do well. Thus, his/her capacity to motivate his gamers will boost their performances.

Inspiration also correlates with having a positive mindset. When a coach has a favorable attitude and provides a better environment for his players, then the team will most likely be inspired to relocate his/her direction where ultimate success can be found.

4. Assertiveness ? A leader has the obligation to direct the instructions of his or her company. When a leader is firm and assertive in delegating jobs to his subordinates, they will hold a greater respect to follow with on their projects.

An assertive leader has the capability to convey enforcement without being too autocratic or harmful to their subordinates.

In addition, an assertive leader needs to not make his subordinates seem like they?re in a hostile environment. Rather, an assertive leader ought to respect his individuals, and require appropriate accountability at the same time. A leader?s assertiveness and self-confidence makes regard. With that regard, people are much more likely to follow, help, and emulate their leader to accomplish success.

Self-improvement is crucial for leaders. Attending self-improvement workshops may be a great aid in being a good leader.

Source: http://nlplifecoachingtrainingcourse.co.za/3991/self-improvement-seminar-for-excellent-leaders/

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A Fruitless Motorhome Search Based on an Invisible Dog Alert ...

U.S. Border PatrolWhen a vehicle search based on an alert by a drug-sniffing dog fails to discover anything illegal, police typically say the animal must have smelled traces left by contraband that was recently present. As I noted in my March Reason cover story about police dogs, this is a very handy excuse because it is impossible to disprove, especially since there is no firm answer to the question of how long residual odors remain strong enough to be detected. In practice, an alert to residual odor is indistinguishable from a mistake. Another complication in attempting to explain fruitless car searches justified by a dog's alert is that, unless there are witnesses or a video record of the encounter, the only basis for concluding that the dog did in fact alert is that his handler claims he did. Relying on the word of an officer who may want to search a car for other reasons, based on suspicions that fall short of probable cause, poses obvious hazards. A recent search at a Border Patrol checkpoint in New Mexico illustrates both of these problems.

Around 9:30 a.m. on February 20, Dale (who asked me not to use his last name) was driving his motorhome west on Interstate 10 near Deming, heading home to California, when he was stopped at a permanent Border Patrol checkpoint. (The Supreme Court has upheld suspicionless stops at such checkpoints, which can be as far as 100 miles from an actual border, based mainly on the need to enforce immigration laws.) A Border Patrol agent walked a German shepherd around the motorhome, the sort of inspection the Supreme Court has said law enforcement officers may conduct at will during any legal traffic stop. Dale has cameras mounted inside and outside the motorhome (as a precaution against both theft and police harassment, he says), so he has video showing most of what happened during the stop. Although the video does not show the dog during the entire circuit around the vehicle, Dale says he watched the whole thing, via the motorhome's mirrors, except for a moment when the dog was in a blind spot. He says the dog was "not making any indication to [the vehicle] by barking, scratching, or sitting and staring at any particular area."?The dog's handler nevertheless signaled his colleagues with a V sign, apparently indicating that the animal had alerted. At that point Dale was instructed to pull into a secondary inspection area for a search.?

Dale and his passenger parked and, following an agent's instructions, exited the motorhome. Oddly, Dale's companion says an agent told him the dog had indicated the presence of marijuana specifically, although drug-sniffing dogs generally are trained to detect several different substances, and they alert the same way to all of them.?One of Dale's cameras shows that the dog entered the motorhome with its handler, wandering around for a minute or two but not showing special interest in anything. Then the handler and two other agents searched the motorhome for eight more minutes, at one point chuckling over something they picked up and at another point lifting a bed to look underneath. (Dale says they damaged the bed frame.) Although the dog supposedly alerted to the exterior of the motorhome, the agents did not search any of the compartments on the outside of the vehice. Finding nothing illegal, they sent Dale and his passenger on their way about 15 minutes after stopping them. But it turned out the Border Patrol was not through with Dale yet. A minute or so after he left the checkpoint, two agents chased him in a Border Patrol car with flashing lights and pulled him over. One of the agents had left a metal eyeglass case in the motorhome, which he retrieved, saying (according to Dale), "You do not want to be caught with this in your vehicle!" Dale found the remark (and the chase, which was not justified by anything he had done) unnerving, wondering what the hell was in that eyeglass case.

A Border Patrol spokesman, Douglas Mosier, says it was eyeglasses. "The reason for the subsequent vehicle stop," he explains, "was that the Border Patrol Agent that was assisting in the search of the vehicle inadvertently left his prescription glasses in the vehicle, and they merely sought to recover them." As for why a drug-detecting dog would alert to a vehicle that does not in fact contain drugs, Mosier gives the standard reponse: "Because of their keen sense of smell, canines are able to detect the odors long after the substance has been removed from an area." How long exactly? The question is especially relevant in this case because Dale's passenger, who has a California doctor's recommendation for medical marijuana to treat disease-related loss of appetite, says he had smoked cannabis in the motor home five days earlier. Dale's companion says one of the Border Patrol agents told him the window for detecting marijuana smoke residue is three days.?Lawrence Myers, an expert on drug-sniffing dogs at Auburn University, says it is "plausible" that a dog could detect traces after five days, although "it would depend upon a lot of factors," and such a capability has never been scientifically verified.?

So assuming the dog alerted, it might have been reacting to traces of marijuana smoked five days earlier. There is no way to say for sure. But how do we know the dog did in fact alert? Dale says he did not see anything that looked like a signal. When I ask Mosier what a Border Patrol dog does when it alerts, he says, "The manner in which a canine alerts varies from canine to canine." Can he describe the various kinds of alerts? No, he says, "because it is law-enforcement sensitive." I am not sure what that means, but in any criminal case involving a dog-triggered search, the handler is expected to explain how the animal signals. It's not supposed to be a secret. Myers says the Border Patrol's refusal to say what an alert looks like?"makes no sense whatsoever." This caginess reinforces the suspicion that agents use dogs as props to justify searches they want to conduct for other reasons. Even in cases where a dog clearly alerts, it may be reacting to its handler's suspicions rather than the smell of drugs.

The free rein that the Supreme Court has given cops with dogs to search vehicles is disturbing enough when police use it to peruse people's cars. It is even more troubling when the vehicle is a motorhome, which contains the same sort of sensitive and potentially embarrassing items that might be found in a residence. Last month the Court ruled that police need probable cause to deploy a drug-sniffing dog at the doorstep of a home. But when the home is on wheels, a canine inspection of the exterior no longer counts as a search. It can be conducted on a whim and, depending on how the dog reacts (or is said to react), used to justify a search of this intimate space without any need for court approval.

Addendum:?You can watch an edited video of the stop, narrated by Dale, here?and below. He has video and audio of the search here.

Source: http://reason.com/blog/2013/04/18/a-fruitless-motorhome-search-based-on-an

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War medicine now is helping Boston bomb victims

The bombs that made Boston look like a combat zone have also brought battlefield medicine to their civilian victims. A decade of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has sharpened skills and scalpels, leading to dramatic advances that are now being used to treat the 13 amputees and nearly a dozen other patients still fighting to keep damaged limbs after Monday's attack.

"The only field or occupation that benefits from war is medicine," said Dr. David Cifu, rehabilitation medicine chief at the Veterans Health Administration.

Nearly 2,000 U.S. troops have lost a leg, arm, foot or hand in Iraq or Afghanistan, and their sacrifices have led to advances in the immediate and long-term care of survivors, as well as in the quality of prosthetics that are now so good that surgeons often choose them over trying to save a badly mangled leg.

Tourniquets, shunned during the Vietnam War, made a comeback in Iraq as medical personnel learned to use them properly and studies proved that they saved lives. In Boston, as on the battlefield, they did just that by preventing people from bleeding to death.

Military doctors passed on to their civilian counterparts a surgical strategy of a minimal initial operation to stabilize the patient, followed by more definitive ones days later, an approach that offered the best chance to preserve tissue from large and complex leg wounds.

At the same time, wartime demand for prosthetics has led to new innovations such as sophisticated computerized knees that work better than a badly damaged leg ever would again.

"This is a clear case where all of the expertise that was gained by prosthetic manufacturers was gained from the wars. It's astonishing how well they function and the things people can do with these prostheses," said Dr. Michael Yaffe, a trauma surgeon at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

The hospital has performed amputations on three blast victims so far. A few other patients there may yet need them. Yaffe is a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserves, and many other doctors treating Boston blast victims also have had military training.

The military partnered with the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons to train doctors throughout the United States on advances learned from the wars, said Dr. Kevin Kirk, an Army lieutenant colonel who is chief orthopedic surgeon at San Antonio Military Medical Center.

Help, too, has come from Israel, which for decades has dealt with the aftermath of Palestinian bombs, like the ones in Boston, often laden with nails, ball bearings and other metals.

"Unfortunately, we have great expertise," said Dr. Pinchas Halpern, director of emergency medicine at Tel Aviv's Sourasky Medical Center.

Halpern, who gave lectures in 2005 at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General about responding to attacks, has been in email contact with doctors in Boston this week.

Among the topics he covered in his lectures were how to coordinate ambulances to distribute the wounded to area hospitals according to their type of injury, performing more CT scans than usual to locate deep shrapnel wounds and ways to identify and classify wounds.

Dr. Paul Biddinger of Mass General's emergency department said the hospital took much of Halpern's advice.

"We improved our plans for triage, site security, reassessment and inter-specialty coordination" following Halpern's visit, Biddinger said.

Blast victims can be challenging to treat because they typically have multiple complex physical injuries that may include loss of limbs, fractures, brain damage, and vision and hearing impairment, said Dr. Paul Pasquina, chairman of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the Uniformed Services University and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

"It's very important that during their acute medical and surgical care that rehabilitation is applied early on, to get them up as soon as possible" to reduce risks from being immobile, including blood clots, deconditioned muscles and other problems that will make recovery more difficult," he said.

A multidisciplinary approach that involves everyone from plastic and orthopedic surgeons to therapists is important, said Dr. James Ficke, chairman of the department of orthopedics and rehabilitation at San Antonio Military Medical Center. He also advises the U.S. Army Surgeon General on orthopedics.

"As a doctor, one of the lessons I learned most dramatically is, I don't have any preconceptions of what they can or can't do as a patient. There was a patient who lost his leg completely and had no hip joint and recently did a marathon in Austin in 4:33."

John Fergason, chief prosthetist at Center for the Intrepid, an outpatient rehab center that is part of Brooke Army Medical Center, said advances include computerized knees that allow amputees with above-the-knee amputations to walk down steep ramps, to walk up steps and go from a walk to a run.

After every war, "you see a tremendous spike in prosthetic innovation," largely because of increased research money, said Hugh Herr, a prosthetic expert at MIT and a double-amputee himself. Federal funds let his MIT lab do basic research on a bionic foot-ankle-calf system, and he founded a company that has commercialized that device.

If Boston victims are generally healthy and motivated, and their legs are amputated below the knees, or perhaps even above the knees, "it's possible they could run the marathon a year from now," he said. "It would take a lot of effort, but it's indeed possible with today's technology."

One amputee's story is encouraging.

Dan Berschinski, 28, used to run marathons but now works with the Amputee Coalition, an advocacy and support organization based in suburban Washington, D.C. He was an infantry officer in Afghanistan when he stepped on an IED in August 2009. The blast blew off his entire right leg and most of his left leg. After treatment in the field and in Germany, he was sent to Walter Reed.

His biggest initial challenge was intense pain, treated with narcotic painkillers, and phantom leg and foot pain. Doctors used to consider phantom pain a psychological problem but now consider it real, physical pain. Treatment includes nerve blockers.

Recovery and rehab took about three years, including 10 months of daily physical therapy to strengthen his arms and core ? muscle power he'd need to learn to walk on prosthetics.

The bionic legs he uses cost $60,000 apiece, are hydraulically operated and equipped with microchips and a gyroscope that sense when to relax and stiffen to help him walk. Walter Reed was involved in developing the legs, said Zach Harvey, former prosthetics chief at Walter Reed.

Berschinski used to run marathons but now competes in triathlons ? swimming, biking with his arms and racing in a wheelchair.

"I'm very happy with my progress," he said.

___

Associated Press writers Malcolm Ritter in New York, Lindsey Tanner and Sharon Cohen in Chicago, and Daniel Estrin in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/war-medicine-now-helping-boston-bomb-victims-000246898--spt.html

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Stephen Hawking lays out case for Big Bang without God

Rod Pyle / Space.com

Stephen Hawking is brought onstage by a helper to give his presentation, "The Origin of the Universe," at Caltech on Tuesday.

By Rod Pyle
Space.com

PASADENA, Calif. ? Our universe didn't need any divine help to burst into being, famed cosmologist Stephen Hawking told a packed house here at the California Institute of Technology Tuesday night.

Many people had begun queuing up for free tickets to Hawking's 8:00 p.m lecture, titled "The Origin of the Universe," 12 hours earlier. By 6:00 p.m. local time, the line was about a quarter-mile long.

Also on NBC News.com: Stephen Hawking says God?s not needed. So what?

A second auditorium and a Jumbotron-equipped lawn, which itself was jammed with an estimated 1,000 viewers, were needed to handle the crowd. At least one person was observed offering $1,000 for a ticket, with no success. [Big Bang to Now in 10 Easy Steps]

Stephen Hawking began the event by reciting an African creation myth, and rapidly moved on to big questions such as, Why are we here?

He noted that many people still seek a divine solution to counter the theories of curious physicists, and at one point, he quipped, ?What was God doing before the divine creation? Was he preparing hell for people who asked such questions??

After outlining the historical theological debate about how the universe was created, Hawking gave a quick review of more scientific cosmological explanations, including Fred Hoyle and Thomas Gold?s steady-state theory. This idea hypothesizes that there is no beginning and no end and that galaxies continue to form from spontaneously created matter.?

Rod Pyle / Space.com

Enthusiastic attendees started lining up 12 hours early for Stephen Hawking's 8:00 p.m. lecture at Caltech. The overflow crowd stretched for more than a quarter mile.

Hawking said this theory and several other ideas don't hold up, citing recent observations by space telescopes and other instruments.?

After giving a brief historical background on relativistic physics and cosmology, Hawking discussed the idea of a repeating Big Bang. He noted that in the 1980s, he and physicist Roger Penrose proved the universe could not ?bounce? when it contracted, as had been theorized.

Therefore, time began at the moment of singularity, and this has likely occurred only once, Hawking said. The age of the universe ? now believed to be about 13.8 billion years ? fits that model, as the number and maturity of observed galaxies seem to fit in the general scheme.

In another observation of modern religion, Hawking noted that in the 1980s, around the time he released a paper discussing the moment the universe was born, Pope John Paul II admonished the scientific establishment against studying the moment of creation, as it was holy.

?I was glad not to be thrown into an inquisition,? Hawking joked.

He closed by outlining "M-theory," which is based partly on ideas put forward years ago by another famed physicist, Caltech?s Richard Feynman. Hawking sees that theory as the only big idea that really explains what he has observed.

M-theory posits that multiple universes are created out of nothing, Hawking explained, with many possible histories and many possible states of existence. In only a few of these states would life be possible, and in fewer still could something like humanity exist. Hawking mentioned that he felt fortunate to be living in this state of existence.

Hawking closed the event with a familiar plea for continued exploration of the cosmos: ?We must continue to go into space for the future of humanity,? he said, adding, ?I don?t think we will survive another thousand years without escaping our fragile planet.?

Hawking has been battling the debilitating neurological disorder amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disase, for 50 years.

The physicist has been spending a month or so at Caltech, as he does each year, sequestered with colleagues, such as fellow theoretical physicist Kip Thorne, to discuss many great mysteries of the cosmos.

Follow us?@Spacedotcom,?Facebook?or?Google+. Originally published on?Space.com.

Copyright 2013 Space.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Fishing for solutions: Examining function of all genes in the zebrafish genome to benefit human health

Apr. 17, 2013 ? Equipped with the zebrafish genome, researchers have designed a method to assay the function of each and every gene and to explore the effects genetic variation has on zebrafish. So far the team has generated one or more mutations in almost 40% of all zebrafish genes.

The resource will be a comprehensive catalogue of how changes to our genes can have physical and biochemical consequences, giving other researchers the tools to understand human disease.

Many genes are similar between the human genome and those of less complex animals. As a vertebrate, the zebrafish (Danio rerio) has the same major organs and tissues as humans. For example, their muscle, blood, kidney and optical structures share many features with the human systems. Zebrafish embryos are transparent, so researchers can easily study their development. Zebrafish share 70% of genes with humans and 84% of genes known to be associated with human disease have a zebrafish counterpart.

"There are several advantages of the zebrafish model," says Dr Leonard Zon, MD, Children's Hospital of Boston MA. "We can readily create variations in their genome that are relevant to human health and disease. This has allowed a greater understanding of gene function and the finding of new targets for drug treatments.

"Several small molecules discovered using the zebrafish system have recently entered into clinical trials. The availability of the genome sequence, coupled with the rapid expansion of disease models and chemical screening ability, ensures that the zebrafish system has a major place in biomedicine."

The high-quality zebrafish reference genome sequence reported today in Nature, has allowed the team to create different mutations in more than 10,000 genes. There are 5,494 genes known to be involved in human disease. So far, the team have identified mutations in 3,188 zebrafish gene counterparts of the 5,494 genes associated with human disease.

Based on traditional methods used to study zebrafish, the team developed a new approach to more efficiently find the consequences of genetic variation in the zebrafish. They create random mutations throughout the genome of the zebrafish and link the mutations to physical or biochemical changes.

"Our aim is to reveal the function of each gene in the zebrafish to shed light on the role of their human counterpart," says Dr Elisabeth Busch-Nentwich, first author from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. "We make these zebrafish models freely available to the wider scientific and medical communities to support their effort to understand human disease and increase the pace at which medical advancements can be made."

A previous study at the Institute found specific mutations in the gene Titin are potential drivers for the growth of some forms of cancer. The team found that the main function of this gene in zebrafish may be associated with the division of cells in the body. This would explain why changes to this gene can affect the way cells divide and can be a driving force in the growth of cancer.

"Our zebrafish models have already been used to confirm the identity of a gene responsible for a rare disease affecting the development of bones," says Dr Ross Kettleborough, first author from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. "This is just one of many examples where this project has and will advance our understanding of human disease."

Zebrafish have already played a central role in helping to unravel the biological processes behind muscular dystrophies and are an important model for unlocking the mechanisms of cancer and other diseases. This project will help to uncover the biological processes that underlie both common and rare diseases, point to the causal genes and may lead to new treatments.

"Our challenge is to develop a comprehensive, functional understanding of all human genes as quickly as possible," says Dr Derek Stemple, lead author from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. "Our systematic analysis of zebrafish gene function will advance understanding of human disease."

"This is a resource that will help researchers and clinicians find the gene variations responsible for our inheritance of, and susceptibility to, diseases."

Ross N. W. Kettleborough, Elisabeth M. Busch-Nentwich, Steven A. Harvey et al. (2013) 'A systematic genome-wide analysis of zebrafish protein-coding gene function'

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Ross N. W. Kettleborough, Elisabeth M. Busch-Nentwich, Steven A. Harvey, Christopher M. Dooley, Ewart de Bruijn, Freek van Eeden, Ian Sealy, Richard J. White, Colin Herd, Isaac J. Nijman, Fruzsina F?nyes, Selina Mehroke, Catherine Scahill, Richard Gibbons, Neha Wali, Samantha Carruthers, Amanda Hall, Jennifer Yen, Edwin Cuppen, Derek L. Stemple. A systematic genome-wide analysis of zebrafish protein-coding gene function. Nature, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/nature11992

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/xAUxHv8ST0Y/130417131722.htm

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Spirited 8-year-old among Boston Marathon victims

This undated photo provided by Bill Richard shows his son, Martin Richard, in Boston. Martin Richard, 8, was among the at least three people killed in the explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon Monday, April 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Bill Richard)

This undated photo provided by Bill Richard shows his son, Martin Richard, in Boston. Martin Richard, 8, was among the at least three people killed in the explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon Monday, April 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Bill Richard)

This undated photo provided by the family shows Krystle Campbell. Campbell, 29, a restaurant manager from Medford, Mass., was among the people killed in the explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, Monday, April 15, 2013, in Boston. (AP Photo/Campbell Family)

Medical responders run an injured man past the finish line the 2013 Boston Marathon following an explosion in Boston, Monday, April 15, 2013. Two explosions shattered the euphoria of the Boston Marathon finish line on Monday, sending authorities out on the course to carry off the injured while the stragglers were rerouted away from the smoking site of the blasts. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

This undated photo provided by Bill Richard, shows his son, Martin Richard, in Boston. Martin Richard, 8, was among the at least three people killed in the explosions, Monday, April 15, 2013, at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. (AP Photo/Bill Richard)

"Pray for Martin" is written in chalk at a park near the home of Martin Richard in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston,Tuesday, April 16, 2013. 8-year old Martin was killed in the bombing at the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

BOSTON (AP) ? Third-grader Martin Richard had just gotten ice cream and was near the Boston Marathon finish line, eagerly watching for friends to run by. Krystle Campbell was enjoying the race with her best friend, hoping to get a photo of the other woman's boyfriend after he conquered the last mile.

Then the unthinkable struck. The spirited 8-year-old, pictured on Facebook in his classroom holding a sign that read "No more hurting people," was dead, along with the outgoing 29-year-old woman and a graduate student from China ? victims of twin bombs that turned a scene of celebration into chaos.

More than 170 others suffered injuries that included severed limbs, shrapnel wounds, broken bones and head trauma.

Jeff Bauman Jr., a man pictured in an Associated Press photo being rushed from the scene Monday in a wheelchair, lost both legs. Rescuers took the 27-year-old to Boston Medical Center, where doctors found extensive vascular and bone damage.

"Unfortunately my son was just in the wrong place at the wrong time," his father, Jeff Bauman, wrote in a Facebook post.

The younger Bauman, who had been at the race to cheer on his girlfriend, had further surgery because of fluid in his abdomen.

"I just can't explain what's wrong with people today, to do this to people," the father wrote. "I'm really starting to lose faith in our country."

While mourning the dead Tuesday, friends and neighbors tried to focus on positive memories of cherished ones whose deaths still seemed unreal to them.

"I just can't get a handle on it," said Jack Cunningham, a longtime friend of little Martin and his family. "In an instant, life changes."

Cunningham recalled how, as a pint-sized preschooler, the boy had insisted on getting out of his stroller during a 5K race in South Boston. As soon as his mom let him out to run with the rest of the family, Martin took off along the rainy race course.

"He was just having a ball, splashing in every puddle," Cunningham said.

The boy's father, Bill Richard, released a statement thanking friends, family and strangers for their support.

Richard's wife, Denise, and the couple's 6-year-old daughter, Jane, suffered serious injuries in the blasts. Their older son, Henry, wasn't hurt. Two neighbors said Jane lost one of her legs in the attack.

"My dear son, Martin, has died from injuries sustained in the attack on Boston," Richard said. "My wife and daughter are both recovering from serious injuries. We thank our family and friends, those we know and those we have never met, for their thoughts and prayers. I ask that you continue to pray for my family as we remember Martin."

U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, a family friend, said Martin and his family were trying to get over the race barriers and into the street after the first blast, when the second bomb struck.

"They were looking in the crowd as the runners were coming to see if they could identify some of their friends when the bomb hit," said Lynch, who has known the Richards for 25 years.

Bill Richard, a runner and cycling enthusiast who did not run the race, had to have several ball bearings removed from his leg, Lynch said.

On Tuesday, a candle burned on the stoop of the family's single-family home in the city's Dorchester section, and the word "Peace" was written in chalk on the front walkway. A child's bicycle helmet lay overturned near the front lawn.

At a nearby park, "Pray for Martin" was written in large block letters on the pavement.

Next-door neighbor Betty Delorey said Martin loved to climb trees and play sports with his brother and sister and the other children in the neighborhood.

"I can just remember his mother calling him, 'Martin!' if he was doing something wrong," the 80-year-old said. "Just a vivacious little kid."

A photo of the three Richard children on Halloween in 2009 showed a smiling Martin dressed as Woody from the "Toy Story" films, complete with cowboy hat and sheriff's badge. Beside him stood Jane, dressed as the film character Jesse, and Henry, dressed as Harry Potter.

"He had that million-dollar smile and you never knew what was going to come out of him," said Judy Tuttle, a family friend. "Denise is the most spectacular mother that you've ever met and Bill is a pillar of the community. It doesn't get any better than these people."

She recalled having tea recently with Denise Richard, a librarian at the children's elementary school, while Martin did his homework.

"What a gift," Tuttle said of Martin. "To know him was to love him."

Kevin Andrews, headmaster at the Neighborhood House Charter School, said the school community was heartbroken by the loss of the third-grader, whom he called "a bright, energetic young boy who had big dreams and high hopes for his future."

Cardinal Sean O'Malley, head of the Roman Catholic Church in Boston, said a Mass on Tuesday in Israel for victims of the bombing, archdiocese officials said. He also called the pastor of St. Ann parish in Dorchester, where the Richards attend church, to say he was praying for them.

Boston University said one of the victims was a graduate student who was watching the race with friends at the finish line, which is not far from the school. The Chinese Consulate in New York said the victim was a Chinese national, though it did not identify the student. A Hong Kong broadcaster reported the student was a woman from Shenyang studying statistics. The official Chinese news agency Xinhua reported her relatives have requested she not be identified.

In nearby Medford, William Campbell described his daughter, Krystle, as the light of his life, "a very caring, very loving person."

"Daddy's little girl," the 56-year-old said.

Her mother, Patty Campbell, her voice breaking into tears, said the couple was "heartbroken at the death of our daughter."

"She was a wonderful person. Everybody that knew her loved her. ... She had a heart of gold. She was always smiling. You couldn't ask for a better daughter," the mother said. "This doesn't make sense."

Their daughter's best friend, Karen Rand, suffered a severe leg injury in the blasts. "She's very badly hurt. She's all messed up," William Campbell said. "Her leg was all destroyed."

A friend and co-worker at the restaurant where Krystle Campbell was a manager described her as hardworking yet fun-loving, someone who knew how to live life to its fullest.

"We'd go out drinking and she'd work a double the next day," Sheba Parent said. "But she was still career-oriented and focused on her goals."

____

Associated Press writers Bob Salsberg, Jay Lindsay and Pat Eaton-Robb in Boston, Katie Zezima in Arlington, Mass., Michelle Smith in Providence, R.I. and Michael Astor in New York contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-04-16-Boston%20Marathon-Victims/id-30d2cd07e59e4f629de873478ce11b59

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