?3 children of same mother die after cassava meal in one day
?Father passed on same way 2 yrs ago
From Kassidy Uchendu, Nsukka.
Three children of the same mother, have reportedly died after taking cassava meal suspected to be poisoned. The tragedy, which occurred at the Amokwe Enu-Obukpa on the outskirts of Nsukka Urban in Enugu State, has thrown the entire village and the vicinity into mourning and confusion.
The trio died one after the other same day when they ate fermented cassava meal last Sunday.
Two of them died at the University of Nigeria Medical Centre while the youngest also passed on almost immediately. The siblings, according to neighbours, who do not want to be named, said that before their demise, they were stooling profusely as they battled against death.
The mother was said to be away from home when the tragedy occurred. The late Mr. Lawrence Ugwuanyi, who married three wives and a former staff of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), died less than two years ago, with his eldest son dying few months later.
Daily Sun gathered that there was no love lost among the three widows of the late Ugwuanyi, prompting speculations that the three children might have died of food poisoning. The elder brothers of the deceased siblings were also suspected to have died through a similar circumstance.
When Daily Sun visited the home of the bereaved parents, the younger brother to the deceased, Mr. Hyginus Ugwuanyi, a postgraduate student of UNN, was still in shock.
?I cannot tell you anything now until the children are buried. I am the younger brother of Mr. Lawrence Ugwuanyi, father of the three dead children. Three of them died under my care. My brother, Lawrence, also died two months after and now three of his children have died in one day. The shock is too much for me to bear, so I cannot tell you details.
I promise if you come back on Sunday, I will give you the details,? Ugwuanyi pleaded. Mrs. Ugwuanyi, mother of the three children, Chinechere Ugwuanyi, Ikenna Ugwuanyi (students) and Nnenna Ugwuanyi, was unable to utter a word when Daily Sun called at her residence, she sat on a bed surrounded by some sympathisers. She was overwhelmed by anguish. Since the death of the three siblings, tongues have been wagging.
A villager, who doesn?t want to be named, told our reporter that the demise of the children who are from one mother has thrown the villagers into confusion. She said that they have started to suspect that all is not well with the late Ugwuanyi family.
We will get at the root of this strange occurrence in this village and anybody found to have a hand in what had been happening in the Ugwuanyi family since his death will be seriously dealt with. Even the death of Lawrence is also suspicious,? he said.
TAMPA, Fla. -- Alex Rodriguez will start a second minor league injury rehabilitation assignment on Friday at Double-A Trenton, hoping to return to the New York Yankees before any suspension by Major League Baseball.
Rodriguez played a simulated game Thursday at the team's spring training home, and New York said he will play for Trenton against Reading for two games through Saturday.
With the Yankees at San Diego on Sunday, there is little chance the team will tell him fly across the country after a night game for a day game in California.
If he's not suspended by then, the three-time MVP could rejoin New York for its series opener Monday at the Chicago White Sox. However, it appears MLB will suspend Rodriguez by then for ties to Biogenesis of America, a closed Florida anti-aging clinic accused of distributing banned performance-enhancing drugs.
Four years ago Rodriguez admitted using PEDs while with Texas from 2001-03, but he repeatedly has denied using them since.
Because of wet grounds, the Yankees moved Rodriguez's simulated game from their minor league complex across the Dale Mabry highway to Steinbrenner Field.
The ballpark was closed to media, who watched from a walkway behind the right-field bullpen. Rodriguez saw 31 pitches over six at-bats, played third and ran bases during the simulated game. About two dozen media members and five television trucks were on hand ? but no fans.
Coming back from January hip surgery, Rodriguez was .200 (8 for 40) with two homers and eight RBIs in 13 minor league games from July 2-20 for Class A Tampa and Charleston (S.C.), Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The assignment was cut a day short when he complained of quadriceps tightness, and the Yankees said an MRI in New York on July 21 showed a grade 1 strain.
Rodriguez pushed to be activated later that week, retaining a doctor without giving the Yankees the required notification, and the physician claimed he couldn't detect an injury. During a conference call with Yankees officials on July 25 ? Rodriguez insisted one of his lawyers be on the call ? the sides agreed to a schedule for his return.
He appeared ready to talk as he was leaving the minor league complex, waving a group of writers to his car in the parking lot and rolling down the window. However, when A-Rod saw a second group with TV cameras approaching, he said "I'll talk to you guys, but no cameras."
Rodriguez closed the window and kept the car stationary for a moment, then left without saying another word to reporters.
[unable to retrieve full-text content]By activating a subset of brain cells in mice, researchers changed the way the animals remembered a particular setting. To determine if they could alter the way a mouse remembered a setting by activating neurons associated with it, researchers attempted to change whether or not a mouse was afraid of a particular cage. Their experiements implicated neurons in the brain's dentate gyrus as being responsible for inducing the animal's false memory of their cage.
August is here so why not spice up the last month of Summer with this Tropical Weight Loss smoothie? This coconut infused drink will transport you to a relaxing island destination within sips.
Ingredients:
1?papaya, cut into chunks
1 cup?fat-free plain yogurt
1/2 cup?fresh pineapple chunks
1 scoop of vanilla Live Rite
1/2 cup?crushed ice
1 teaspoon?coconut extract
1 teaspoon?ground flax-seed
Directions:
Combine the papaya, yogurt, pineapple, ice, coconut extract, flax-seed, and Live Rite in your blender. Process for about 30 seconds, or until smooth and frosty.
Recipe via Prevention
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JOPLIN, Mo. ? Joplin will hold onto $5 million of the $18 million realized from the first round of bonds sold on the city?s newly created tax increment financing district to meet the bond?s debt payments.
Leslie Haase, the city?s finance director, said the money is being held by the city?s TIF trustee, UMB Bank. She said it is to be used to make payments on the TIF bonds until enough tax revenue starts coming in from the TIF district to meet the bond payments.
She gave a financial report to the Joplin Redevelopment Corp. on Tuesday night and sought approval to pay out $13 million of the money generated by the bond sales for TIF and tornado redevelopment project costs. The JRC is involved in buying land for those projects.
Haase said Wednesday that it will be several months before much money comes in from the Joplin Redevelopment TIF District that was put in place in December. Half of any increases in tax revenue inside the designated TIF area will help pay for redevelopment projects generated by the city?s designated master developer, Wallace Bajjali Development Partners. The TIF district encompasses the tornado zone and stretches across portions of central and downtown Joplin, particularly along Main Street.
Haase said the city does not expect to receive any significant amount of money from the TIF district until early 2014, after property taxes are paid at the end of the year. That is why money needed to be held from the bond sales to make payments, she said.
Costs for the bond sales, as of July 30, were $183,794, according to a statement provided to the JRC. Those were fees paid for financial advisory and legal counsel, along with cost reimbursements to several firms involved in the bond issue.
Land purchases by the JRC that are within the TIF zone and eligible to be paid by TIF district revenue amount to $5,364,322. Part of those land purchases were made for the project to build a new Joplin Public Library and movie theater at 20th Street and Connecticut Avenue, and a retail/loft project east of the library site along 20th Street to Carolyn Place. The rest of the purchases are in the area of 26th Street and McClelland Boulevard for a senior transitional living complex that is to be co-developed by Wallace Bajjali and O?Reilly Development of Springfield.
One purchase, that of the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. property at 1301 S. Virginia Avenue, was made for $541,232, but it is outside the TIF zone and has to be paid for by funds other than those generated via the TIF district.
According to a balance sheet of the JRC, the fees charged by Wallace Bajjali for those land purchases totaled $287,852 as of July 29. All but $92,000 has already been paid.
?The only other thing we owe them (other than land purchase fees) is up to $1 million in pursuit costs? for putting the redevelopment projects together, Haase said. That money will be paid out as the projects are developed, as agreed to in a contract the City Council approved when it hired the master development firm. That contract calls for Wallace Bajjali to share the development costs with the city. Haase said the first installment of those pursuit costs will likely have to be paid soon, but she did not know Wednesday how much that would be.
Other costs related to the land purchases so far are $132 for electric charges, $70,349 for land closing costs and $15,260 for liability insurance.
Closed session
THE JRC BOARD met in closed session Tuesday, after an open session, to consider more land purchases.
An undated handout image released by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shows the High Desert State Prison in Susanville, Calif.
By Steve Gorman, Reuters
Amnesty International weighed in on a 22-day-old hunger strike in California prisons on Tuesday, calling solitary confinement conditions faced by protesting inmates an "affront to human rights" and urging an impartial probe into the death of a prisoner.?
Billy Sell, 32, serving a life term for attempted murder, was found hanged in his cell July 22 in the "security housing unit" - for prisoners held in solitary confinement - at the Corcoran State Prison in central California.?
The local coroner preliminarily ruled his death a suicide by strangulation, prison officials said. They added there was no evidence that Sell's participation in the hunger strike, which the corrections department initially denied, had been a factor.?
Max Whittaker / Reuters
Mitchell Giovannini and Diya Cruz protest against indefinite solitary confinement in California prisons, outside the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation office in Sacramento, California July 30, 2013.
According to inmate advocates, however, fellow prisoners reported Sell had been requesting medical attention for several days before his death, though a spokeswoman for a federal receiver overseeing state prison healthcare denied Sell was refused medical treatment.?
In a statement issued late on Monday, corrections officials acknowledged that Sell had been on a hunger strike from at least July 11 - by which time he already had missed nine straight meals - until July 21, the day before his death.?
They also said Sell was awaiting trial on murder charges and facing the death penalty if convicted in the 2007 strangulation and stabbing death of a cell mate. A source close to the corrections probe said he hung himself with a bed sheet.?
?
Several entities at the state, federal and local level are reviewing the circumstances surrounding Sell's death, which inmate advocates say was preventable and points to inhumane conditions that protesting inmates claim to suffer.?
The global human rights group Amnesty International joined inmate supporters from the Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity Coalition in calling for an independent inquiry into the death, one that is thoroughly transparent and without government ties.?
"Conditions for prisoners in solitary confinement in California are an affront to human rights and must end," Thenjiwe McHarris of Amnesty said in a statement. "No human being should be held under the deplorable conditions we have witnessed in California prisons for prolonged periods, even decades."
? Death was 'absolutely preventable' Isaac Ontiveros, a spokesman for the inmate support coalition, said Sell had been in solitary for five years, adding that the United Nations "counts any day after 15 days (of isolation) as cruel and unusual punishment."?
"His death was absolutely preventable," he said.?
Corrections department spokeswoman Deborah Hoffman countered that inmate advocates "are shamelessly exploiting a man's death to mislead the public about a hunger strike orchestrated by violent gang members."?
More than 30,000 inmates from some two dozen California prisons began refusing food on July 8 to protest what they regard as cruel and unfair use of solitary confinement as punishment within the system. By Tuesday, the number of inmates participating in the strike had dwindled to 525 in eight prisons, corrections officials say.?
Strikers' principal demand has been to end a policy of keeping thousands of inmates in near or total isolation for years on end solely on the basis of alleged gang affiliations. They say the only way out of solitary confinement for many inmates is to become a gang informant, a choice that would be tantamount to signing their own death warrant.?
On Tuesday in Sacramento, the state capital, about 50 mothers, wives and other relatives of inmates presented Governor Jerry Brown's office with a petition bearing 41,000 signatures calling for reform of solitary confinement practices.?
"We're hoping the governor realizes the support that's being gained to end these types of conditions," Dolores Canales said before leading a march to Brown's office. She said her 37-year-old son has been in solitary confinement in Pelican Bay State Prison for 13 years because of his alleged gang ties.?
Corrections officials say nearly 3,600 inmates, or 3 percent of the state's prison population, are held in security housing units, most of them for ties to gangs, others for committing crimes while in prison.?
The protest comes at a challenging time for the state prison system, which houses roughly 132,800 inmates and has been ordered by a federal court to reduce its population by 10,000 prisoners this year to ease crowding.?
The state has begun housing many low-level offenders in county jails. Medical care in the prisons has been placed under the supervision of a court-appointed federal receiver, and mental healthcare is being watched by a special master
Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.
Sure didn't take long for some significant injuries at NFL training camps ? Philadelphia Eagles receiver Jeremy Maclin, Baltimore Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta, Denver Broncos center Dan Koppen, to name only three.
Immediately, some theories developed: Too much offseason work. Not enough. New labor-contract rules limiting padded practices to one per day, while generally seen as helpful, are hardly a cure-all.
Washington Redskins linebacker London Fletcher thinks some guys get hurt in camp because players are trying so hard to impress coaches and earn a roster spot or a starting job.
"You know now coaches are really evaluating you," said Fletcher, whose teammate, second-year linebacker Keenan Robinson, tore his left pectoral muscle on Day 1 of training camp. "You've got guys with a competitive spirit and they're looking at it, like, 'My job's on the line. I need to make a play' and not realizing there's going to be times to show that coaches that you can hit, you can make plays in preseason games, but you don't want to have a guy go down because of something that happened in practice."
Whatever the cause, severe injuries are increasing in the NFL lately. The number of injuries that forced a player to miss at least eight days jumped every year from 2009 to 2012, according to an analysis of NFL injury data released Wednesday. The study by Edgeworth Economics, based on information collected by the league, also shows that players with concussions missed an average of 16 days last season, up from only four days in 2005, while the length of time out for other types of injuries has been steadier.
"Severe injuries are increasing in frequency," Jesse David, the economist overseeing the study, said in a telephone interview from Pasadena, Calif. "I know that's a very important issue for both the players' association and the league ? trying to tweak the rules and the equipment to deal with that. But despite everything they've been doing, it's still going on."
David said his company has done consulting for the NFL Players Association in the past and received the data for this study from the union, but wasn't paid by it.
The study says there were 1,095 instances of injuries sidelining a player for eight or more days in 2009 ? including practices and games in the preseason, regular season and postseason ? and that climbed to 1,272 in 2010, 1,380 in 2011, and 1,496 in 2012. That's an increase of 37 percent.
"The way I look at it, really, is that injuries are part of the game," said cornerback Kyle Wilson of the New York Jets, who lost another cornerback, Aaron Berry, for the season when he tore a knee ligament on the first day of practice last week.
"Injuries happen sometimes. They're unfortunate, but it really is just part of the game."
Concussions have become a far-more-noticed part of football in recent years, with more discussion of the links between head injuries and brain disease, hundreds of lawsuits brought by thousands of former players, and rules changes made by the NFL to try to better protect players.
During the nine years examined in David's study, the average number of days missed because of head injuries by players in the league went from 4.8 in 2004, four in 2005, and 4.1 in 2006, to 10.9 in 2010, 12 in 2011, and 16 last season.
"We have experts at practice every day to let you know, as a coach, if someone does have a concussion, so that makes it pretty easy. They leave it out of our hands; they put in the experts' hands," Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said. "But, yeah, I think there's more awareness in a lot of different areas when it comes to injuries over the last few years, and rightfully so."
David said "you now have more severe injuries overall" because of the hike in lengthy absences for reported concussions.
"Are the brain injuries actually more severe now than they were five years ago? Or is that players simply being held out longer for the same injury? That we can't tell from the data," David said. "My guess is it's both, but how much of each factor, I don't know."
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy, who said the league will look at the study's findings, attributed the longer absences for players with concussions to more caution in the treatment of those types of injuries.
"We do know that the game is safer now, but we still have work to do. We continue to work hard on many fronts to make the game better and safer for our sport at all levels," McCarthy wrote in an email. "Our ongoing efforts include making rule changes designed to take dangerous techniques out of the game and also improving medical care to properly manage and treat concussions and raise awareness of their seriousness."
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Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich
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Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL
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AP Sports Writers Joseph White, Dennis Waszak Jr., Joe Kay, R.B. Fallstrom and Rob Maaddi contributed to this report.
This should not be how a grateful nation says thank you.
Buried deep within the detail of the City of Toronto?s 2013 interim report on homelessness is a single startling fact.
Around 16% of those living rough on the streets of Canada?s biggest city said they had served in the Canadian military.
That?s right. Almost one in five self-identify as military veterans yet they make their home on the sidewalk or under a bridge.
This is something that should shock all Canadians.
Nobody is forced to serve in our all-volunteer navy, army and air force. People choose to don our military uniform and prepare to defend Canada from her enemies at home and abroad at considerable personal sacrifice.
Be it in the skies over Libya or the mountains of Afghanistan, in recent years more and more military personnel have gone into harm?s way for Canada and freedom.
Then there are those who also stand and serve without leaving the country but are essential none the less.
The findings of the Toronto survey roughly align with a study released two weeks ago by Western University in London, Ont.
It found that Canadian Forces veterans, who at one time served and protected their country, are now facing one of the toughest battles of their lives ? homelessness.
A national study by assistant nursing professor Susan Ray and nursing professor Cheryl Forchuk, the first of its kind on Canada?s homeless veterans, identified this new trend of homeless ex-military personnel.
Prior research on the subject, which has primarily originated in the United States, presents the scenario of homeless veterans having seen overseas deployment, witnessing trauma, having Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and not being able to adjust when they get home.
Research with Canadian homeless veterans shows a whole different number of causes ? the primary one being alcohol abuse ? but it is a growing problem all the same.
?For a lot of them it was from drinking, which started in the military, escalated over time and 10 years later you would see the alcoholism, and through that they would lose their job, their relationships, their housing,? Prof. Ray says.
Perhaps the single biggest challenge for vets is making the successful transition from military to civilian life and that remains a large factor in the veterans? homelessness.
A spokesman for Julian Fantino, the Minister of Veterans Affairs, told the Toronto Sun that in 2012 Ottawa launched a national pilot project reaching out to former servicemen and women who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
?Canadian veterans are entitled to thousands of dollars worth of benefits and services that are not available to the general public, which makes even one case of a homeless veteran deeply unfortunate and unnecessary,? he said.
The spokesman urged anyone who is aware of a vet living on the streets to contact 1-866-522-2122 (English) or 1-866-522-2022 (French) so that emergency funding and a certified case manager can be assigned.
Which shows that the federal minister is aware of the problem, however waiting for those in need to ask for help may not be the best way forward.
Too many of the homeless live on the margins of society and remain unaware of how close help can be.
Plenty speak about the difficulty in adjusting to an unstructured civilian life and the lack of supports at all levels they received BEFORE moving from military to civilian life.
No matter the reason or the causes, the fact that increasing numbers of our former military personnel face a life of homeless desperation should shame us all.
After pushing back the launch due to a last-minute mechanical problem, the Android-based handheld gaming console is now available for purchase. It costs $299, and is being sold through Nvidia and Newegg, and at select GameStop, Micro Center and Canada Computers retail stores.
The Shield was first introduced at CES, and it?s the first consumer hardware product for Nvidia, which is best known for making the components that provide the graphics power in many of today?s smartphones, tablets and computers.
The Shield features a flip-up, five-inch, 1,280 by 720-pixel touchscreen attached to an Xbox-style controller. Powered by Nvidia?s Tegra 4 processor and running Android Jelly Bean, it can play any Android game, and even supports Android apps, including Netflix, Hulu Plus and Chrome Web browser. It also includes a feature that allows users to stream PC games over Wi-Fi, though this is still in a testing phase.
Nvidia certainly isn?t the first company to try its hand at an Android gaming console. Startups like Ouya, Green Throttle and BlueStacks have all gotten into the game, though all three focus on bringing Android games to the TV.
Though interest in these devices has been great, the execution hasn?t been overly positive. In her review of Ouya, Lauren Goode said there wasn?t much of a broad appeal for the device. And when I checked out Green Throttle, I was frustrated by the lack of games.
So far, early reviews for the Nvidia Shield have been generally positive. The theme seems to be that it?s a really good first effort, but that?s not much of a selling point to lure customers away from the PS Vita, Nintendo 3DS or even standalone tablets. I should be getting my hands on one soon, so stay tuned for my thoughts on the device.
Google is bringing more Glass Explorers into the program, and it's doing that the best way it knows how: by letting current users invite a friend. Those among you old enough to remember when Gmail first started will remember this was once the only method to get on board with that service, and now Glass-owning folks can ask a single friend to join them in testing out Glass before its wide consumer release.
Yes, even the kind with iron phosphate. A recent review of pet exposures reported to the National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC) found 56 cases involving 61 dogs that showed signs compatible with iron toxicosis after being exposed to iron phosphate baits. Those signs include lethargy, vomiting and diarrhea. Most of the time, dogs had access to the area where baits were used or they got into products that were stored insecurely.
There was good news in the review of pet exposures. Exposures to the other kind of slug & snail bait, metaldehyde, fell from 209 in 2005 to 21 in 2011, a tenfold decrease! Metaldehyde is more toxic to dogs than iron phosphate.
?????? Always read and follow the label directions, even when the product is considered natural, organic, or less toxic than other pesticides.
?????? Store pesticides where pets cannot gain access. We heard stories about pets opening cabinets, knocking packages off high shelves, and digging up buried bait pellets.
?????? Don?t create piles of bait.
?????? Pay attention to the amount applied. The labels are very specific.
UT Southwestern researchers identify novel mechanism that helps stomach bug cause illnessPublic release date: 29-Jul-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Deborah Wormser deborah.wormser@utsouthwestern.edu 214-648-3404 UT Southwestern Medical Center
DALLAS July 29, 2013 A seafood contaminant that thrives in brackish water during the summer works like a spy to infiltrate cells and quickly open communication channels to sicken the host, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center report.
Vibrio parahaemolyticus bacteria, which cause gastroenteritis, inject proteins called effectors into host cells. One of those effectors, VopQ, almost immediately starts to disrupt the important process of autophagy via a novel channel-forming mechanism, the scientists report in the investigation available online at the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Autophagy is the cellular housekeeping mechanism used to recycle nutrients in cells as well as to fight off pathogens. The term autophagy comes from the Greek words for self and eating. During the process, nutrients are recycled by the lysosome, an internal organelle, to produce metabolites that can be used by the cell.
"Our study identifies a bacterial effector that creates gated ion channels and reveals a novel mechanism that may regulate autophagy," said Dr. Kim Orth, professor of molecular biology and biochemistry. She is a corresponding author on the published study. The first author is Anju Sreelatha, a graduate student in Dr. Orth's laboratory.
"Disruptions of autophagic pathways are implicated in many human diseases, including neurodegenerative disease, liver disease, some cancers, and cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disease)," Ms. Sreelatha said.
She explained that ion channels are pores in the membranes of cells or of organelles within cells that allow regulated passage of small molecules or ions across membranes. Gated channels have a mechanism that opens and closes them, making these proteins potential targets for drug development.
"The identification of a channel that opens and closes and thereby affects autophagy may give us a handle by which to modulate this important process," she said, adding that the researchers found that VopQ's channel activity turned off autophagy.
"During infection, VopQ is injected into the host cell where the protein binds to a lysosomal membrane protein and forms small pores, all within minutes of infection. The resulting complex of proteins causes ions to leak and the lysosomes to de-acidify. Lacking acidification, lysosomes cannot degrade the unneeded cellular components and autophagy is disrupted," Ms. Sreelatha said.
Dr. Orth said "Bacterial pathogens have evolved a number of ways to target and manipulate host cell signaling; the ability of VopQ to form a gated ion channel and to inhibit autophagy represents a novel mechanism."
Further characterization of the mechanism by which VopQ sabotages cells to disrupt autophagy may lead to a better understanding of host-pathogen interactions as well as advance our understanding of the pathway, eventually leading to new treatments for diseases in which autophagy has gone awry, they noted.
###
Other UT Southwestern scientists involved were Dr. Hui Zheng, a postdoctoral researcher of cell biology, and Dr. Qiu-Xing Jiang, assistant professor of cell biology. Also participating were Terry Bennett and Dr. Vincent Starai of the University of Georgia.
Funding was provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; the Burroughs Wellcome Foundation; the Welch Foundation; the National Institute of General Medical Sciences; the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas; and by University of Georgia Startup Funds.
About UT Southwestern Medical Center
UT Southwestern, one of the premier academic medical centers in the nation, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. The institution's faculty has many distinguished members, including five who have been awarded Nobel Prizes since 1985. Numbering more than 2,700, the faculty is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UT Southwestern physicians provide medical care in 40 specialties to nearly 90,000 hospitalized patients and oversee more than 1.9 million outpatient visits a year.
This news release is available on our home page at
http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/home/news/index.html
To automatically receive news releases from UT Southwestern via email,
subscribe at http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/receivenews
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UT Southwestern researchers identify novel mechanism that helps stomach bug cause illnessPublic release date: 29-Jul-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Deborah Wormser deborah.wormser@utsouthwestern.edu 214-648-3404 UT Southwestern Medical Center
DALLAS July 29, 2013 A seafood contaminant that thrives in brackish water during the summer works like a spy to infiltrate cells and quickly open communication channels to sicken the host, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center report.
Vibrio parahaemolyticus bacteria, which cause gastroenteritis, inject proteins called effectors into host cells. One of those effectors, VopQ, almost immediately starts to disrupt the important process of autophagy via a novel channel-forming mechanism, the scientists report in the investigation available online at the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Autophagy is the cellular housekeeping mechanism used to recycle nutrients in cells as well as to fight off pathogens. The term autophagy comes from the Greek words for self and eating. During the process, nutrients are recycled by the lysosome, an internal organelle, to produce metabolites that can be used by the cell.
"Our study identifies a bacterial effector that creates gated ion channels and reveals a novel mechanism that may regulate autophagy," said Dr. Kim Orth, professor of molecular biology and biochemistry. She is a corresponding author on the published study. The first author is Anju Sreelatha, a graduate student in Dr. Orth's laboratory.
"Disruptions of autophagic pathways are implicated in many human diseases, including neurodegenerative disease, liver disease, some cancers, and cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disease)," Ms. Sreelatha said.
She explained that ion channels are pores in the membranes of cells or of organelles within cells that allow regulated passage of small molecules or ions across membranes. Gated channels have a mechanism that opens and closes them, making these proteins potential targets for drug development.
"The identification of a channel that opens and closes and thereby affects autophagy may give us a handle by which to modulate this important process," she said, adding that the researchers found that VopQ's channel activity turned off autophagy.
"During infection, VopQ is injected into the host cell where the protein binds to a lysosomal membrane protein and forms small pores, all within minutes of infection. The resulting complex of proteins causes ions to leak and the lysosomes to de-acidify. Lacking acidification, lysosomes cannot degrade the unneeded cellular components and autophagy is disrupted," Ms. Sreelatha said.
Dr. Orth said "Bacterial pathogens have evolved a number of ways to target and manipulate host cell signaling; the ability of VopQ to form a gated ion channel and to inhibit autophagy represents a novel mechanism."
Further characterization of the mechanism by which VopQ sabotages cells to disrupt autophagy may lead to a better understanding of host-pathogen interactions as well as advance our understanding of the pathway, eventually leading to new treatments for diseases in which autophagy has gone awry, they noted.
###
Other UT Southwestern scientists involved were Dr. Hui Zheng, a postdoctoral researcher of cell biology, and Dr. Qiu-Xing Jiang, assistant professor of cell biology. Also participating were Terry Bennett and Dr. Vincent Starai of the University of Georgia.
Funding was provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; the Burroughs Wellcome Foundation; the Welch Foundation; the National Institute of General Medical Sciences; the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas; and by University of Georgia Startup Funds.
About UT Southwestern Medical Center
UT Southwestern, one of the premier academic medical centers in the nation, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. The institution's faculty has many distinguished members, including five who have been awarded Nobel Prizes since 1985. Numbering more than 2,700, the faculty is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UT Southwestern physicians provide medical care in 40 specialties to nearly 90,000 hospitalized patients and oversee more than 1.9 million outpatient visits a year.
This news release is available on our home page at
http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/home/news/index.html
To automatically receive news releases from UT Southwestern via email,
subscribe at http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/receivenews
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
NEW YORK (AP) ? Don't let the global economy fool you: Luxury is hardly dead.
Saks Inc. agreed to sell itself to Hudson's Bay Co., the Canadian parent of upscale retailer Lord & Taylor, for about $2.4 billion in a deal that will bring luxury to more North American locales.
The acquisition combines three department-store brands ? Hudson's Bay, Lord & Taylor and Saks Fifth Avenue? and creates a North American upscale retailing behemoth with 320 stores in some of the biggest and most populous cities in the U.S. and Canada.
Lord & Taylor and Hudson's Bay, Canadian's biggest department store chain, both cater to well-heeled shoppers who can afford $98 Free People blouses and $250 Coach handbags. Saks customers, on the other hand, are more affluent and can shell out $800 for Christian Louboutin heels or a couple of thousand dollars for Gucci handbags.
During a conference call with investors on Monday, Hudson's Bay Chairman and CEO Richard Baker said the goal is to bring Saks luxury brand into Canada. The company plans to open up seven Saks Fifth Avenue stores and 25 Off Fifth outlet stores to Canada, while creating a Saks website targeted to Canadians. Hudson's Bay also plans to renovate Saks stores and to make the brand more "luxurious."
"With the addition of Saks, (Hudson's Bay) will offer consumers an unprecedented range of retailing categories and shopping experiences," Baker said.
Hudson's Bay is making a play for luxury at a time when shoppers still appear to be willing to shell out money for posh handbags and expensive sports cars despite global economic challenges. Global luxury sales, including higher-end jewelry and clothes, rose an estimated 10 percent to $281.96 billion last year, according to the latest study from Bain & Co. In North American, luxury sales were up an estimated 12 percent to $81.33 billion.
Still, Saks has lagged behind its peers in the luxury sector. It's been trying to keep up with its rivals Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom, which have performed well post-recession.
After getting battered by the Great Recession, Saks discounted heavily to bring shoppers back. That move hurt the chain's image, which is higher-brow.
Saks since has returned to selling clothes and other merchandise at full price and focused on closing unprofitable stores. But its sales haven't rebounded quickly to the level before the U.S. financial meltdown in 2008.
In the latest fiscal year, Saks reported annual revenue of $3.15 billion, up more than 4 percent from the previous year but still below the $3.28 billion in the year ended in January 2008. Saks' net income fell nearly 16 percent to $62.8 million in the latest year.
Belus Capital Markets analyst Brian Sozzi said that Saks shopping experience still isn't as inviting as that of Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus. For example, Nordstrom has been doing things like allowing shoppers to checkout in fitting rooms using sales associates' hand-held gadgets. And Neiman Marcus, which didn't suffer during the Great Recession, has a long-held reputation for coddling its affluent shoppers through its loyalty programs.
"There has been a lot of promise in terms of potential but Saks hasn't lived up to the hype," Sozzi said.
Still, Hudson's Bay sees promise in Saks. Hudson's Bay will pay $16 per share for Saks, a 5 percent premium over the company's Friday closing price of $15.31. The companies put the deal's total value at about $2.9 billion including debt.
Saks' stock jumped nearly 4 percent, or 56 cents to $15.88 in Monday trading. Shares are up 46 percent for the year to date.
The acquisition will marry two storied retailers. Founded in 1924 by Horace Saks and Bernard Gimbel, Saks' flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York City is a landmark of retailing and sits on some of the most valuable real estate in the world. The company employs about 15,000 people across 41 stores.
Hudson's Bay, meanwhile, was founded in 1670 as a trading firm for furs and other goods. It is considered the oldest company in operation in North America. There are about 90 Hudson's Bay location in Canada
"We are excited about what this opportunity and being part of a much larger enterprise can mean for the future of the Saks Fifth Avenue brand," Saks Chairman and CEO Steve Sadove said in a statement.
News of the deal comes a little over a month after reports first surfaced that Hudson's Bay was interested in buying Saks Inc.
Saks, which is based in New York City, will continue to run as a separate company under Hudson's Bay and will have its own merchandising, marketing and store operations employees. Key management personnel are expected to remain with the company. But it wasn't clear whether Sadove would be staying on.
In an email statement to The Associated Press, Saks spokeswoman Julia Bentley said "specific decisions about management and the organizational structure have not been made at this time."
Saks will have a 40-day period in which to seek out alternative third-party bids.
The buyout, which was approved by both companies' boards, is targeted to close before year's end. It still needs approval from Saks' shareholders.
Hudson's Bay said that it will look at strategic options for the combined property portfolio, which could include establishing a real estate investment trust.
Hudson's Bay said it aims to save $100 million in operating costs in the first three years by combining distribution centers and other back-office facilities of Hudson's Bay and Saks Fifth Avenue.
Barnaby Jack, a computer-security professional with a showman's flair for demonstrating technical weaknesses in ATMs and medical devices, has died. He was 36.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? A prominent hacker who discovered a way to have ATMs spit out cash and was set to deliver a talk about hacking pacemakers and other wireless implantable medical devices has died in San Francisco, authorities and his employer said.
Barnaby Jack died at his home in San Francisco Thursday, although the cause of death is still under investigation, San Francisco Deputy Coroner Kris Barbrich said.
Jack, who was in his mid-30s, was scheduled to speak on Aug. 1 at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas. The headline of his talk was, ?Implantable Medical Devices: Hacking Humans,? according to a synopsis on the Black Hat conference website.
Jack planned to reveal software that uses a common transmitter to scan for and ?interrogate? individual medical implants, the website said.
The topic is reminiscent of the second season of the TV drama ?Homeland,? when terrorists kill the vice president by hacking into his heart device. Jack planned to discuss ways manufacturers could improve the security of the devices.
Jennifer Steffens, the CEO of computer security firm IOActive, Inc., where Jack worked, called Jack one of the most accomplished security researchers. He dedicated his career to exploiting weaknesses in onboard computers in cars, automated teller machines and other so-called ?embedded devices? so that they can be better protected.
?A truly visionary man in many ways, Barnaby?s recent critical research into the safety of medical devices such as pacemakers leaves behind a legacy that will never be forgotten,? Steffens said in a statement. ?IOActive will be working with the industry as a whole to ensure the advancements Barnaby started in this field will continue saving lives for years to come.?
Jack made headlines at the Black Hat conference in 2010 when he demonstrated, his ability to hack stand-alone ATMs. He was able to hack them in two ways ? remotely and using physical keys that come with the machines.
He had spent years tinkering with ATMs he bought online and found that the keys that came with his machines were the same for all ATMs of that type made by that manufacturer. He used his key to unlock a compartment in the ATM, and then used a USB slot to insert a program that commanded the ATM to dump its vaults.
In the second method, he exploited weaknesses in the way ATM makers communicate with the machines over the Internet.
During his talk entitled ?Jackpotting ATMs,? he didn?t go into detail about how he hacked the machines remotely, saying his goal was not to teach people how to hack ATMs but to get manufacturers to be proactive about implementing fixes.
?Barnaby had the ability to take complex technology and intricate research and make it tangible and accessible for everyone to learn and grow from,? Black Hat said in a statement.
The conference said it will not replace Jack?s talk, but instead leave the slot open so people can commemorate his life and work.
He was survived by his mother and sister in New Zealand and girlfriend in California.
Car hacking is not a new field, but its secrets have long been closely guarded. That is about to change, thanks to two well-known computer software hackers who got bored finding bugs in software from Microsoft and Apple.
Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek say they will publish detailed blueprints of techniques for attacking critical systems in the Toyota Prius and Ford Escape in a 100-page white paper, following several months of research they conducted with a grant from the U.S. government.
The two "white hats" ? hackers who try to uncover software vulnerabilities before criminals can exploit them ? will also release the software they built for hacking the cars at the Def Con hacking convention in Las Vegas this week.
They said they devised ways to force a Toyota Prius to brake suddenly at 80 miles an hour, jerk its steering wheel, or accelerate the engine. They also say they can disable the brakes of a Ford Escape traveling at very slow speeds, so that the car keeps moving no matter how hard the driver presses the pedal.
"Imagine what would happen if you were near a crowd," said Valasek, director of security intelligence at consulting firm IOActive, known for finding bugs in Microsoft's Windows software.
But it is not as scary as it may sound at first blush.
They were sitting inside the cars using laptops connected directly to the vehicles' computer networks when they did their work. So they will not be providing information on how to hack remotely into a car network, which is what would typically be needed to launch a real-world attack.
The two say they hope the data they publish will encourage other white-hat hackers to uncover more security flaws in autos so they can be fixed.
"I trust the eyes of 100 security researchers more than the eyes that are in Ford and Toyota," said Miller, a Twitter security engineer known for his research on hacking Apple's App Store.
Toyota spokesman John Hanson said the company was reviewing the work. He said the carmaker had invested heavily in electronic security, but that bugs remained ? as they do in cars of other manufacturers.
"It's entirely possible to do," Hanson said, referring to the newly exposed hacks. "Absolutely we take it seriously."
Ford spokesman Craig Daitch said the company takes seriously the electronic security of its vehicles. He said the fact that Miller's and Valasek's hacking methods required them to be inside the vehicle they were trying to manipulate mitigated the risk.
"This particular attack was not performed remotely over the air, but as a highly aggressive direct physical manipulation of one vehicle over an elongated period of time, which would not be a risk to customers and any mass level," Daitch said.
'Time to shore up defenses' Miller and Valasek said they did not research remote attacks because that had already been done.
A group of academics described ways to infect cars using Bluetooth systems and wireless networks in 2011. But unlike Miller and Valasek, the academics have kept the details of their work a closely guarded secret, refusing even to identify the make of the car they hacked.
Their work got the attention of the U.S. government. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has begun an auto cybersecurity research program.
"While increased use of electronic controls and connectivity is enhancing transportation safety and efficiency, it brings a new challenge of safeguarding against potential vulnerabilities," the agency said in a statement. It said it knew of no consumer incident where a vehicle was hacked.
Still, some experts believe malicious hackers may already have the ability to launch attacks.
"It's time to shore up the defenses," said Tiffany Strauchs Rad, a researcher with Kaspersky Lab, who previously worked for an auto security research center.
A group of European computer scientists had been scheduled to present research on hacking the locks of luxury vehicles, including Porsches, Audis, Bentleys and Lamborghinis, at a conference in Washington in mid-August.
But Volkswagen obtained a restraining order from a British high court prohibiting discussion of the research by Flavio D. Garcia of the University of Birmingham, and Roel Verdult and Baris Ege of Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands.
A spokeswoman for the three scientists said they would pull out of the prestigious Usenix conference because of the restraining order. Both universities said they would hold off on publishing the paper, pending the resolution of litigation.
Volkswagen declined to comment.
(Reporting by Jim Finkle in Boston; Additional reporting by Joseph Lichterman in Detroit and Christine Murray in London; Editing by Tiffany Wu and Peter Cooney)
British troops have returned to fight the Taliban in the Sangin district of Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan.
The BBC reports it is almost three years since they left the area.
The Ministry of Defence insists that their role is limited to providing back up for an operation by 215 Corps of the Afghan National Army.
Afghan military commanders requested assistance in Sangin district earlier this month.
About 80 members of 4th Battalion The Rifles were involved. The MoD said there were no British casualties.
According to The Sunday Times, Defence Secretary Philip Hammond personally authorised the return to the area for British forces.
The paper said 106 British personnel were killed in fighting there between 2006 and 2010.
The Ministry of Defence said UK personnel occasionally operated outside the usual British area of operations in central Helmand in an advisory capacity.
The BBC reports Brigadier Rupert Jones said the operation had demonstrated further how effective 3/215 Brigade of the ANA had become.
HJ: ?There is a quite beautiful lightness and flow to the article below which in part reflects the qualities that we need to cultivate within ourselves to tap into the abundance that is all around us. ?If you have trouble seeing it, you are not alone, as the conditioning of the society we live in teaches us that we exist amidst scarcity, which is only true for those who believe it is so. ?As always, the outer world will reflect to you your perceptions and beliefs ? so long as you focus on and believe in scarcity, that is what you will see and experience and you will call events and circumstances into your life which reinforce that reality. ?You can change this at any time, however, simply by adjusting your focus. ?Just as focusing on scarcity brings you more of it, focusing on abundance will produce the same results in the opposite direction.
Multiple realities can and do exist simultaneously ? it happens around you all the time! ?In the town where I live, which is known worldwide as being a haven for the affluent, also has a notoriously high homeless population. ?The homeless here are lost in perceptions of scarcity and the wealthy are firmly tuned into abundance and both are convinced of the veracity of their respective realities. They exist side by side, literally and figuratively. ?So it is in the world at large ? using this understanding we can see that the majority of the planet does not believe in abundance, but rather scarcity and so one can see how the larger conditions of the world are created. ?Yes, it really does work like that ? so within, so without ? both on an individual level and in a larger collective sense.
- Truth
Limiting scarcity beliefs
By Stacie Vining | Yogi Times
?
Poverty is not spirituality, abundance is here now.
What do yoga and?financial success?have in common? Along the yogic path of self-inquiry, we may begin to see that what we believe inwardly is what we experience outwardly. The degree to which we find it difficult to unconditionally love outwardly reflects the degree to which we don?t experience this inwardly. To love and value ourselves and others is the key to financial success.
Why do so many of us live in a state of perceived not-enough-ness, not-okay-ness? Why do we feel like we don?t deserve to enjoy?abundance? ?Limiting beliefs,? answers Blayney White, who draws from sixteen years of financial experience, an MBA from U.C. Berkeley and eighteen years of spiritual practices. In the yoga community, sometimes the spiritual ideals are the limiting beliefs.
?There is a common shared belief that poverty equals spirituality,? observes White. Working within the capitalistic system to experience your self is important. Otherwise it?s like putting water in front of a dog, but the dog believing that it?s not allowed or shouldn?t drink from the bowl.
Other limiting beliefs around money involve spiritual bypassing. That is, we use spiritual ideals as an excuse to avoid uncomfortable aspects of ourselves. Instead of facing our fears and discovering our courage, we prematurely give it up to God. It is like driving your car and taking your hands off the wheel, believing that God is driving. Yes, on one level God is driving ? but on another, we are co-participating and must make choices about our direction in life.
Female spiritual practitioners often have even more limiting beliefs to sort through. Not only do they often buy into misperceptions of spiritual ideals, but ?society still conditions women to wait for Prince Charming,? White says. In a surprising recent Oppenheimer Funds survey of single GenX women, 70% of those polled actually believe that their financial futures begin when they marry. White believes it is a form of self-love to plan fiscally for your future. She adds, ?the bottom line is: if you don?t plan for your future, no one else will.?
If we hide from life, life and abundance will hide from us. If we see abundance, that is what we will experience. It is so simple. If you are wondering in what ways you are not living in love and abundance, life will show you. Everything that you need to know about yourself, life will provide through experience. Whenever you think things should be different and don?t find the Love, ?it just represents some aspect of your self you haven?t loved yet,? says Dr. John DeMartini, in his book, The Breakthrough Experience.
Gratitude is a state of total awareness of the abundance and perfection present in every moment. ?It?s what you feel when you?ve attained perfectly balanced perception,? says Dr. DeMartini. Scarcity and not-enough-ness fall away. All aspects of abundance naturally improve. They have to, as nature is a perfect orchestra. Like attracts like.
With this kind of contemplative approach, all events can become an awakening to yourself. Just as we watch what happens in our bodies and minds as we practice, we can observe what happens as we engage in financial choices. Do we unnecessarily recruit and tighten parts of the body?? Do we lose focus by spacing out?? Do we hold our breath, hoping it will all be over soon? Do we hide, condemn or ignore? Yoga offers a microcosm so that we can see how we respond to the world
Each time we see ourselves and others clearly, we can start to make healthy choices and receive the events in our lives with gratitude. When we start to love ourselves, we can make choices for our future selves. As we cultivate more prosperity in our lives, we build a firm foundation from which we can offer the ultimate goal in yoga: service. We learn to maintain a steadier state of appreciation, not deprivation, for all that life offers. Through this appreciation we attract greater prosperity and abundance than ever imagined. Long-term wealth accumulates through reverence for self and others, by living in a state of love.
Or, y'know, an actual introduction. Maybe a Character Sheet? I mean, if you're going to make a roleplay, don't rush the intro at all. If it's going to be rushed, do it another time, don't make the actual RP. Because all that'll happen is plenty of potential RPers getting shoved away due to a poor introduction.
In this lonely place Bathed in silence And thoughts of you
I can't see your face But I'm trying To envision you
So are you really out there, Are you awake with memories?
Of a boy you haven't met yet, Who's wished upon the Pleiades?
Contact Linear Automotive when needing the best auto repair mechanic in Richardson, TX. The shop has recently upgraded its auto repair shop to be able to handle just about any and all services that a vehicle may need in Richardson. View more at the website http://www.linearautomotiverepair.com. Linear Automotive is a complete automotive service center that has advanced tools and equipment to handle all makes and models for people in Richardson, TX. A simple filter and oil change can be handled quickly and easily as well as major engine problems.
Water pumps and timing belts usually go hand in hand. Experts often say that if a timing belt or chain is to be replaced, then the water pump should as well in most cases. When a person considers the expense of going through this type of procedure, it makes sense to spend a few extra dollars to cover something that will help prevent a future failure of that part which is going to expire as some point anyway. There is no extra charge to install the water pump in most cases because it has to come off anyway with the timing chain, so a person is only paying for the part. Linear Automotive feels very strongly about educating folks in Richardson about automotive services to help save money, and this would be a fine example of that.
Anyone looking for the best and most affordable auto repair in Richardson will be well rewarded for contacting this complete service center. The staff is very knowledgeable and the auto mechanics are fully certified. The technicians undergo extensive training to earn ASE certifications which is short for Automotive Service Excellence. What this means is that to earn certification, the mechanics have to pass specific testing and criteria which proves that the capability to properly work on, and maintain automotive vehicles has been achieved.
Everything from multi point inspections to factory scheduled maintenance is offered at affordable prices. German and European cars are a specialty at this shop. Services for BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, and Infiniti can be done every bit as well as at the dealership, but without a price that breaks the bank. Linear Automotive is commonly referred to as the perfect dealer alternative in Richardson. The technicians at this auto repair service center undergo the same training and certifications as the dealer for ASE.
A person who has been in an accident and needs a full service auto body repair shop in Richardson will find the best services and prices at this state of the art collision repair facility. The Italian style down draft paint booth provides a showroom finish every time. Linear Automotive can handle anything from a small fender bender requiring a few dings or dents repaired all the way up to a major accident that needs frame straightening services.
Regular factory scheduled maintenance is something a lot of people forget or just do not pay much attention to. While some people may think avoiding these services is saving money, the contrary is actually true. By taking the time to perform regular maintenance, the lifespan of the vehicle is actually prolonged. To keep a car running smoothly for many miles to come, it is very important to keep everything properly maintained according to the vehicle manufacturer's specifications. This will actually help prevent future breakdowns, requiring people be forced into finding an auto repair mechanic in Richardson as frequently.
One of the recent upgrades in the auto repair shop are the new lifts. These hydraulic workhorses do all the heavy lifting for the mechanics - literally. Suspending a vehicle properly in the air makes it much easier to access vital components that need attention like fittings around the front end that need lube. Front end lube is actually one of the services that falls under the factory scheduled maintenance mentioned earlier. Avoid needing extra services done to a worn down and failing front end, which will require finding quality auto repair in Richardson, by following proper maintenance procedures.
With all the recent upgrades, Linear Automotive is the premier service center providing affordable auto repair in Richardson, TX. Anyone in North Dallas will be pleased with the professional certified service of the mechanics, affordable pricing, and five star customer service. Be sure to check the online reviews to see why so many people in the cities around the North Dallas Area choose Linear Automotive.
Call Linear Automotive at 972-633-2201 or visit the website at http://www.linearautomotiverepair.com.
The new Android 4.3 Jelly Bean operating system has started to arrive on the latest Nexus handsets out there earlier this week, yet only as part of a staged process, which means that some users will receive it a bit later.
However, the necessary update files are already up for manual download for some of these smartphones and tablets, including the Galaxy Nexus takju and yakju models, and those who would like to install the new OS flavor before Google sends it to them can do so now.
Available straight from Google?s servers, the Android 4.3 OTA update can be found on this page for the Galaxy Nexus takju, and via this link for the Galaxy Nexus yakju.
To upgrade their devices, Galaxy Nexus owners will need to have Android 4.2.2 JDQ39 running on them. Furthermore, as droid-life notes, they can use either the ?adb sideload? command or a custom recovery to install the Android 4.3 update.
[unable to retrieve full-text content]Scientists use tools called gradients to understand how molecules interact in biological systems. Researchers have developed a new technique for creating biomolecular gradients that is both simpler than existing techniques and that creates additional surface characteristics that allow scientists to monitor other aspects of molecular behavior.
Tensions remain high in the California prison system. A hunger strike that started two and a half weeks ago is ongoing, with more than 700 inmates in ten state prisons still refusing to eat. The strikers are demanding reforms to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation?s policy of keeping inmates housed in security housing units indeterminately. Supporters say more than 3,000 inmates are currently stuck in there indefinitely ? many have been in the SHU for decades ? because there is no clear policy on how to get out.
?Most of the people who are ?validated? as gang members are associates of gangs, not people who?ve engaged in any gang activity,? explains Laura Magnani, who works with American Friends Service Committee. Magnani represented the interests of inmates in a meeting with prison officials this past Monday.
According to Magnani, most of the segregated prisoners are involved in gangs. But the problem is that California's Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation defines "gang involvement" too broadly." Magnani explained that inmates could be kept in long-term isolation for "having the wrong books, having the wrong symbols, having the wrong tattoos, and talking to the wrong people. But,? she explains, ?state prison officials say they've put a pilot program in place that provides a clear path out, based on the inmate?s behavior and ability to demonstrate their independence of a gang.?
As the hunger strike continues, officials say there are no plans to negotiate with prisoner advocates, nor the prisoners themselves. More than 30,000 inmates refused meals on the first day of the strike, which began on July 8, 2013. Demonstrations are planned in Oakland and Sacramento for next Tuesday.
August is here so why not spice up the last month of Summer with this Tropical Weight Loss smoothie? This coconut infused drink will transport you to a relaxing island destination within sips.
Google is bringing more Glass Explorers into the program, and it's doing that the best way it knows how: by letting current users invite a friend. Those among you old enough to remember when Gmail first started will remember this was once the only method to get on board with that service, and now Glass-owning folks can ask a single friend to join them in testing out Glass before its wide consumer release.
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Public release date: 29-Jul-2013
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