Anthony Weiner, the former congressman who was forced out of office after he was busted sexting with women who were not his wife, says he?s considering a run for New York City mayor this year.
In an interview with the New York Times magazine, Weiner, who resigned under pressure in 2011, says he wants a ?second chance? from voters and calls the upcoming mayoral race a case of ?now or maybe never for me.?
?I don?t have this burning, overriding desire to go out and run for office,? Weiner tells the Times in an interview posted online early Wednesday. ?It?s not the single animating force in my life as it was for quite some time. But I do recognize, to some degree, it?s now or maybe never for me, in terms of running for something. I?m trying to gauge not only what?s right and what feels comfortable right this second, but I?m also thinking, how will I feel in a year or two years or five years? Is this the time that I should be doing it? And then there?s the other side of the coin, which is ... am I still the same person who I thought would make a good mayor??
Weiner added, "I want to ask people to give me a second chance. I do want to have that conversation with people whom I let down and with people who put their faith in me and who wanted to support me. I think to some degree I do want to say to them, ?Give me another chance.??
But Weiner?s interview?his first major sit-down since being ousted from office two years ago?seems to contradict his claim that he doesn?t have a ?burning desire? to run for public office. It comes only weeks after word that he?d spent $100,000 polling New York City voters about whether they would accept him again. And in a sign of how serious he is, the Times article also includes comments from Huma Abedin, a longtime aide to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who married Weiner in 2010 who is not known for readily talking to reporters.
In the interview, Abedin recalls when her husband first told her of the brewing scandal, in which he was busted for sending lewd photos of himself to women he met on the Internet.
?Anthony said, ?I have something to tell you. I can?t lie to you anymore. It?s true. It?s me. The picture is me. I sent it. Yes, these stories about the other women are true.? And it was every emotion that one would imagine: rage and anger and shock. But more than anything else, in the immediate, it was disbelief,? Abedin tells the Times. ?The thing that I consciously remember saying over and over and over again is: ?I don?t understand. What is going on? What?s happening to our lives???
Two days after her husband held a press conference to admit the stories about his sexting were true, Abedin was on a plane to Abu Dhabi with Clinton when she says she broke down sobbing. Asked about whether Clinton?who stood by her husband, former President Bill Clinton, after he admitted to an inappropriate relationship with a former White House intern?offered her advice, Abedin suggests she did, but declines to say exactly what.
?We?ve had a lot of personal conversations, none of which I feel comfortable talking about. But what I will say about her, and for that matter her entire family, the unconditional love and support they have given me has been a real gift,? Abedin says. ?And I think she would be OK with me saying this, because I know she has said this before: At the end of the day, at the very least, every woman should have the ability and the confidence and the choice to make whatever decisions she wants to make that are right for her and not be judged by it.?
Abedin says she?s forgiven her husband, and both she and Weiner took great lengths to emphasize that after much counseling, he?s a changed man?more focused on their marriage and raising their 15-month-old son, Jordan.
Weiner says he has no timeline for when he?ll make a final decision about his possible mayoral bid. But he?d enter the race as a financial front-runner, thanks to more than $4 million he raised for a possible mayoral bid in 2009.
The beat goes on: Modeling the human heartPublic release date: 10-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Karthika Muthukumaraswamy karthika@siam.org 267-350-6383 Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
Computational simulations can help understand and treat cardiac rhythm disorders
Computational models of the human heart can be very useful in studying not just the basic mechanisms of heart function, but also to analyze the heart in a diseased state, and come up with methods for diagnosis and therapy.
Dr. Natalia Trayanova's Computational Cardiology Lab at the Johns Hopkins University is doing just thather group uses mathematical models to look at cardiac function and dysfunction, examining the mechanisms behind disorders such as cardiac arrhythmias and pump dysfunction.
In a plenary lecture at the SIAM Conference on Computational Science and Engineering in February, Dr. Trayanova described how her lab uses imaging data from clinics, such as MRIs and CT scans, to create heart models. Using detailed information from such images, the team geometrically constructs 3-D computer models by incorporating information about chemical and protein interactions as well as cardiac fiber orientation.
A normal heart beats at a steady, even rhythm usually between 60 and 100 times a minute. "Cardiac arrhythmia" is a condition caused by a disruption of the normal rhythm of the heart.
Analyzing drug interactions:
Sodium channels are membrane proteins located in cardiac cells, which play a central role in the proper conduction of electrical impulses within the heart, and are hence important for normal cardiac electrical activity. Altered sodium channel function is associated with various arrhythmias, including potentially lethal arrhythmias that result from sodium channel disease.
Given their importance, clinically, drugs for arrhythmia usually target sodium channels. Many drugs used to treat arrhythmia tend to exhibit pro-arrythmic effects while they may cure one component, they can induce another. Hence, clinical trials for arrhythmia drugs have often resulted in more people dying from them than from placebos, says Trayanova. Previously, there has never been a platform to evaluate drug interactions for arrhythmia in order to predict a drug's pro- or anti-arrhythmic effects. But with heart models, that's possible.
Drug companies often test drugs at the cell level, which does not give as complete a picture as the whole-heart level, says Trayanova. Hence, Trayanova's team constructed a computational framework under which drug interactions with the whole heart can be studied. Their model focuses on the sodium channel, particularly sodium channel blockers, which are often used as drugs in arrhythmia treatments. The modeling of drug-channel interactions in order to determine the effects of drugs on electrical activity in the heart can help develop a drug-screening system for treatment applications.
Treatment of arrhythmias:
Trayanova's team also studies other methods to terminate arrhythmias using computational models.
Defibrillation
Atrial fibrillation or cardiac arrhythmia that occurs in the heart's upper chambersis a common form of arrhythmia. It is one of the most predominant diseases affecting our aging population. While it is not lethal, it is a major risk factor for stroke, and can be extremely unpleasant, says Trayanova.
A procedure that is often used by physicians to treat atrial fibrillation, called defibrillation, delivers an electric shock to the patient's heart, resetting it to a normal rhythm.
However, this process can be inconsistent. In some cases, the frequency or magnitude may be insufficient to block the arrhythmia, and the process fails. In addition, defibrillation that is currently used clinically is an extraordinarily painful process, says Trayanova. Hence, her lab has used models to come up with a new way to simultaneously defibrillate the heart while blocking nerve conduction in the nerves that carry pain, targeting them for pain suppression.
Cardiac Ablation
Another commonly-used procedure for terminating arrhythmias is cardiac ablation, which works by scarring or destroying tissue in the heart that triggers the abnormal heart rhythm, also called the organizing center of the arrhythmia. However, determining optimal targets for ablation with current mapping techniques remains a challenge clinically.
Since it is hard to tell which cells are causing the abnormal rhythm, physicians currently use an electrical probe to test several areas over the whole surface of the heart for the crucial organizing center. The process is very crude, usually performed non-invasively through a catheter, and can last up to eight hours or more.
Trayanova is developing a new individualized methodology for this procedure, wherein heart models of patients are constructed from clinical images. Through a model of the patient's heart constructed from a noninvasive MRI scan, doctors can better navigate the probe to the location of the organizing center as determined by the model. Such guided delivery of the ablation could make it more precise, leading to an improvement of therapy.
Trayanova and her group were able to validate their models by replicating and retrospectively predicting clinical results in both successful and failed cases of ablations. Furthermore, they were able to successfully predict the optimal ablation site, which not only terminated the arrhythmia, but whose lesion size was also smaller than those used in clinical procedures.
Analyzing the causes of heart rhythm disorders:
Trayanova and her group are trying to determine what processes trigger abnormal heart rhythm, particularly when people age. It is known that fibrosis, which is the growth of excess connective tissue among cardiac cells, may contribute to arrhythmias by altering or inhibiting conduction. But the exact process is not well understood.
Using human heart images from clinical samples, Trayanova's computational cardiology lab has constructed a model of the human atrium, which represents these fibrotic regions. Through these models, the group has shown that the coupling of fibroblasts with myocytes (two different cell types in the heart) can lead to changes in ion channel activity leading to arrhythmias.
Other applications:
Another clinical application for these computational models could be to remedy misidentification of arrhythmia. In many cases, patients are needlessly implanted with defibrillators, as seen from the observation that only five percent of these patients experience a subsequent arrhythmia triggering activation of the device. Trayanova's team is using models to make predictions on which patients are at high risk for arrhythmia, and thus need defibrillators.
An exciting new technique that is being considered for cardiac therapies is optogenetics, a procedure that can stimulate heart muscle cells with low-energy light. This is achieved by coupling donor cells optimized for light responsiveness with heart cells. Using an electromechanical heart model, Trayanova's group has shown that if such light sensitivity is expressed in the Purkinje system, the network of fibers that cause synchronized contraction in the heart's lower chambers, the threshold for stimulating the heart with light is much lower. Leveraging computational simulations to design and conceptualize new techniques such as this is exciting, because it raises the potential of using light instead of electrical shock for defibrillation.
Trayanova's group is working on bringing these simulations and models to the clinic. Several projects are already underway where models are being integrated into clinical practice. "We want to translate these models for clinical care," she said. "To use them routinely in a personalized way to help patients and to administer the best therapy."
In a very engaging plenary lecture, Dr. Trayanova described how computationally-simulated hearts can be used to not only detect and treat heart disorders such as arrhythmias more efficiently, but also how they can help us better understand the fundamental mechanisms and physiology of the heart, and hence, determine the causes of such disorders.
###
View a brief video overview of her talk and an interview with Dr. Trayanova here:
http://youtu.be/Uw2csTpAf7s
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
The beat goes on: Modeling the human heartPublic release date: 10-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Karthika Muthukumaraswamy karthika@siam.org 267-350-6383 Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
Computational simulations can help understand and treat cardiac rhythm disorders
Computational models of the human heart can be very useful in studying not just the basic mechanisms of heart function, but also to analyze the heart in a diseased state, and come up with methods for diagnosis and therapy.
Dr. Natalia Trayanova's Computational Cardiology Lab at the Johns Hopkins University is doing just thather group uses mathematical models to look at cardiac function and dysfunction, examining the mechanisms behind disorders such as cardiac arrhythmias and pump dysfunction.
In a plenary lecture at the SIAM Conference on Computational Science and Engineering in February, Dr. Trayanova described how her lab uses imaging data from clinics, such as MRIs and CT scans, to create heart models. Using detailed information from such images, the team geometrically constructs 3-D computer models by incorporating information about chemical and protein interactions as well as cardiac fiber orientation.
A normal heart beats at a steady, even rhythm usually between 60 and 100 times a minute. "Cardiac arrhythmia" is a condition caused by a disruption of the normal rhythm of the heart.
Analyzing drug interactions:
Sodium channels are membrane proteins located in cardiac cells, which play a central role in the proper conduction of electrical impulses within the heart, and are hence important for normal cardiac electrical activity. Altered sodium channel function is associated with various arrhythmias, including potentially lethal arrhythmias that result from sodium channel disease.
Given their importance, clinically, drugs for arrhythmia usually target sodium channels. Many drugs used to treat arrhythmia tend to exhibit pro-arrythmic effects while they may cure one component, they can induce another. Hence, clinical trials for arrhythmia drugs have often resulted in more people dying from them than from placebos, says Trayanova. Previously, there has never been a platform to evaluate drug interactions for arrhythmia in order to predict a drug's pro- or anti-arrhythmic effects. But with heart models, that's possible.
Drug companies often test drugs at the cell level, which does not give as complete a picture as the whole-heart level, says Trayanova. Hence, Trayanova's team constructed a computational framework under which drug interactions with the whole heart can be studied. Their model focuses on the sodium channel, particularly sodium channel blockers, which are often used as drugs in arrhythmia treatments. The modeling of drug-channel interactions in order to determine the effects of drugs on electrical activity in the heart can help develop a drug-screening system for treatment applications.
Treatment of arrhythmias:
Trayanova's team also studies other methods to terminate arrhythmias using computational models.
Defibrillation
Atrial fibrillation or cardiac arrhythmia that occurs in the heart's upper chambersis a common form of arrhythmia. It is one of the most predominant diseases affecting our aging population. While it is not lethal, it is a major risk factor for stroke, and can be extremely unpleasant, says Trayanova.
A procedure that is often used by physicians to treat atrial fibrillation, called defibrillation, delivers an electric shock to the patient's heart, resetting it to a normal rhythm.
However, this process can be inconsistent. In some cases, the frequency or magnitude may be insufficient to block the arrhythmia, and the process fails. In addition, defibrillation that is currently used clinically is an extraordinarily painful process, says Trayanova. Hence, her lab has used models to come up with a new way to simultaneously defibrillate the heart while blocking nerve conduction in the nerves that carry pain, targeting them for pain suppression.
Cardiac Ablation
Another commonly-used procedure for terminating arrhythmias is cardiac ablation, which works by scarring or destroying tissue in the heart that triggers the abnormal heart rhythm, also called the organizing center of the arrhythmia. However, determining optimal targets for ablation with current mapping techniques remains a challenge clinically.
Since it is hard to tell which cells are causing the abnormal rhythm, physicians currently use an electrical probe to test several areas over the whole surface of the heart for the crucial organizing center. The process is very crude, usually performed non-invasively through a catheter, and can last up to eight hours or more.
Trayanova is developing a new individualized methodology for this procedure, wherein heart models of patients are constructed from clinical images. Through a model of the patient's heart constructed from a noninvasive MRI scan, doctors can better navigate the probe to the location of the organizing center as determined by the model. Such guided delivery of the ablation could make it more precise, leading to an improvement of therapy.
Trayanova and her group were able to validate their models by replicating and retrospectively predicting clinical results in both successful and failed cases of ablations. Furthermore, they were able to successfully predict the optimal ablation site, which not only terminated the arrhythmia, but whose lesion size was also smaller than those used in clinical procedures.
Analyzing the causes of heart rhythm disorders:
Trayanova and her group are trying to determine what processes trigger abnormal heart rhythm, particularly when people age. It is known that fibrosis, which is the growth of excess connective tissue among cardiac cells, may contribute to arrhythmias by altering or inhibiting conduction. But the exact process is not well understood.
Using human heart images from clinical samples, Trayanova's computational cardiology lab has constructed a model of the human atrium, which represents these fibrotic regions. Through these models, the group has shown that the coupling of fibroblasts with myocytes (two different cell types in the heart) can lead to changes in ion channel activity leading to arrhythmias.
Other applications:
Another clinical application for these computational models could be to remedy misidentification of arrhythmia. In many cases, patients are needlessly implanted with defibrillators, as seen from the observation that only five percent of these patients experience a subsequent arrhythmia triggering activation of the device. Trayanova's team is using models to make predictions on which patients are at high risk for arrhythmia, and thus need defibrillators.
An exciting new technique that is being considered for cardiac therapies is optogenetics, a procedure that can stimulate heart muscle cells with low-energy light. This is achieved by coupling donor cells optimized for light responsiveness with heart cells. Using an electromechanical heart model, Trayanova's group has shown that if such light sensitivity is expressed in the Purkinje system, the network of fibers that cause synchronized contraction in the heart's lower chambers, the threshold for stimulating the heart with light is much lower. Leveraging computational simulations to design and conceptualize new techniques such as this is exciting, because it raises the potential of using light instead of electrical shock for defibrillation.
Trayanova's group is working on bringing these simulations and models to the clinic. Several projects are already underway where models are being integrated into clinical practice. "We want to translate these models for clinical care," she said. "To use them routinely in a personalized way to help patients and to administer the best therapy."
In a very engaging plenary lecture, Dr. Trayanova described how computationally-simulated hearts can be used to not only detect and treat heart disorders such as arrhythmias more efficiently, but also how they can help us better understand the fundamental mechanisms and physiology of the heart, and hence, determine the causes of such disorders.
###
View a brief video overview of her talk and an interview with Dr. Trayanova here:
http://youtu.be/Uw2csTpAf7s
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Fat cells prolong survival of human stem cells grown in vitroPublic release date: 9-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News
New Rochelle, NY, April 9, 2013One of the main obstacles that stands in the way of using human hematopoietic stem cells (hHSCs) to treat a variety of diseases is the difficulty growing them in culturethey quickly die or differentiate into other cell types. A series of experiments that demonstrate the successful use of fat cells as part of a feeder layer to support prolonged growth of hHSCs in culture is reported in an article in BioResearch Open Access, a bimonthly peer-reviewed open access journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available on the BioResearch Open Access website.
In the article "Extending Human Hematopoietic Stem Cell Survival In Vitro with Adipocytes" Dean Liang Glettig and David Kaplan, Tufts University, Medford, MA included adipocytes (fat cells) in varying amounts and locations in the feeder layers of hHSCs being grown in the laboratory. They varied the concentrations of different cell types including adipocytes in the feeder layer, comparing different amounts of adipocytes, and evaluated the effect of direct cell-to-cell contact between the hHSCs and the adipocytes in the feeder layer on the survival rate of the hHSCs.
"The ability to prolong hHSC culture in vitro not only benefits basic stem cell research, it is also an important step towards developing advanced cell therapies for future clinical use," says BioResearch Open Access Editor Jane Taylor, PhD, MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Scotland.
###
About the Journal
BioResearch Open Access is a bimonthly peer-reviewed open access journal led by Editor-in-Chief Robert Lanza, MD, Chief Scientific Officer, Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. and Editor Jane Taylor, PhD. The Journal provides a new rapid-publication forum for a broad range of scientific topics including molecular and cellular biology, tissue engineering and biomaterials, bioengineering, regenerative medicine, stem cells, gene therapy, systems biology, genetics, biochemistry, virology, microbiology, and neuroscience. All articles are published within 4 weeks of acceptance and are fully open access and posted on PubMed Central. All journal content is available on the BioResearch Open Access website.
About the Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Tissue Engineering, Stem Cells and Development, Human Gene Therapy and HGT Methods, and AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 70 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website (https://www.liebertpub.com).
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. 140 Huguenot St., New Rochelle, NY 10801-5215 http://www.liebertpub.com
Phone: 914-740-2100 800-M-LIEBERT Fax: 914-740-2101
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Fat cells prolong survival of human stem cells grown in vitroPublic release date: 9-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News
New Rochelle, NY, April 9, 2013One of the main obstacles that stands in the way of using human hematopoietic stem cells (hHSCs) to treat a variety of diseases is the difficulty growing them in culturethey quickly die or differentiate into other cell types. A series of experiments that demonstrate the successful use of fat cells as part of a feeder layer to support prolonged growth of hHSCs in culture is reported in an article in BioResearch Open Access, a bimonthly peer-reviewed open access journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available on the BioResearch Open Access website.
In the article "Extending Human Hematopoietic Stem Cell Survival In Vitro with Adipocytes" Dean Liang Glettig and David Kaplan, Tufts University, Medford, MA included adipocytes (fat cells) in varying amounts and locations in the feeder layers of hHSCs being grown in the laboratory. They varied the concentrations of different cell types including adipocytes in the feeder layer, comparing different amounts of adipocytes, and evaluated the effect of direct cell-to-cell contact between the hHSCs and the adipocytes in the feeder layer on the survival rate of the hHSCs.
"The ability to prolong hHSC culture in vitro not only benefits basic stem cell research, it is also an important step towards developing advanced cell therapies for future clinical use," says BioResearch Open Access Editor Jane Taylor, PhD, MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Scotland.
###
About the Journal
BioResearch Open Access is a bimonthly peer-reviewed open access journal led by Editor-in-Chief Robert Lanza, MD, Chief Scientific Officer, Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. and Editor Jane Taylor, PhD. The Journal provides a new rapid-publication forum for a broad range of scientific topics including molecular and cellular biology, tissue engineering and biomaterials, bioengineering, regenerative medicine, stem cells, gene therapy, systems biology, genetics, biochemistry, virology, microbiology, and neuroscience. All articles are published within 4 weeks of acceptance and are fully open access and posted on PubMed Central. All journal content is available on the BioResearch Open Access website.
About the Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Tissue Engineering, Stem Cells and Development, Human Gene Therapy and HGT Methods, and AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 70 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website (https://www.liebertpub.com).
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. 140 Huguenot St., New Rochelle, NY 10801-5215 http://www.liebertpub.com
Phone: 914-740-2100 800-M-LIEBERT Fax: 914-740-2101
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Apr. 10, 2013 ? A recent study has shown that bottom-dwelling goosefish, also known as monkfish, prey on dovekies, a small Arctic seabird and the smallest member of the puffin family. To understand how this deep-water fish finds a shallow-feeding bird in offshore waters, researchers looked at when, where, and how these animals were most likely to be in the same place at the same time.
Remains of fourteen dovekie were recovered from the stomachs of 14 goosefish caught during the winters between 2007 and 2010. The goosefish were captured in gillnets deployed at depths between 275 and 495 feet in waters 65 to 95 miles south of Chatham, Mass. The Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen's Association collected the specimens and provided them for the research study.
Researchers from NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) in Woods Hole, Mass. and the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel, Md., wanted to know how the birds could be captured so far from shore by a fish that lives on the ocean bottom in deep water. Their findings, recently published online in the Northeastern Naturalist, suggest that it is all a matter of timing.
Goosefish (Lophius americanus) are highly opportunistic predators. Distributed from the Gulf of Maine to Cape Hatteras, N.C., the fish are typically partially buried on soft bottom habitats and attract a variety of prey by using a modified dorsal fin ray that resembles a fishing pole and lure.
Dovekies, a small black and white puffin species, breed along the Arctic coast and head south in the winter, typically as far as New England. The dovekie (Alle alle), also known as little auk, is the smallest of the auks. It lives in the open ocean and can dive to depths o more than 100 feet to prey on small fish, crustaceans, and zooplankton.
Study co-author Anne Richards of the NEFSC says tagging studies that she and colleagues have conducted reveal that goosefish swim considerable vertical distances from the bottom to near the surface, especially during their spring and fall migrations onshore and offshore in response to water temperatures and related factors.
Goosefish leave the bottom to use the currents during migration periods or to spawn at the surface. If prey items are encountered during their vertical movements, the goosefish take advantage. Hence, timing may be the key factor in bringing dovekies and goosefish together in the same place.
"Given the common name 'goosefish', it is not surprising to find birds in goosefish stomachs, but it is surprising to find that this predation occurs over deep water, "Richards said. "Goosefish do not actively seek out the dovekies, but when such tasty morsels are available in the water column, the fish are going to consume them."
Another source of data used in the study is the NOAA NEFSC food-habits database, which contains decades of predation information collected from the stomachs of fish that are caught during regular research vessel surveys. While not a particularly good measure of how often or how many birds are eaten by fish, these data confirm that not only goosefish, but also spiny dogfish, Atlantic herring, pollock, Atlantic cod, red hake, and fourspot flounder will eat birds.
Lead author Matthew Perry, a research wildlife biologist at the USGS Patuxtent Wildlife Research Center, says he became interested in goosefish predation when he learned from a sea scalloper on Nantucket that Chatham gillnetters were finding birds inside goosefish stomachs.
"I was studying long-tailed ducks and thought, to avoid being eaten, these birds fly 30 to 50 miles to Nantucket Sound each night and return to the ocean in the morning," said Perry, who studies several species of seaducks. "People ask why don't dovekies fly to Nantucket Sound at night like the long-tailed ducks to avoid goosefish? My explanation is that dovekies have small wings and can't make the routine flight."
"One thing we know is that dovekies cannot dive to the bottom in 300 to 400 feet of water," Perry said. "Goosefish probably come up from the ocean bottom to within 10 to 20 feet of the water surface at night. As dovekies dive for amphipods, small crustaceans, in the morning at first light, goosefish seize the opportunity and might use their 'fishing lure' to simulate one of these prey species by attracting the dovekies with their typical 'sit and wait' behavior."
The magnitude of fish predation on seabirds is poorly understood. Perry says most food habit studies for goosefish have been conducted during summer when the dovekies have migrated north to their Arctic breeding areas; thus, they seldom have been recorded as prey. Perry hopes more telemetry tracking of goosefish will be done in winter when birds are in the area and are potential prey.
As for what's ahead, Richards says ongoing use of electronic tags on goosefish will provide more information on their vertical movements.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by NOAA Fisheries Northeast Fisheries Science Center.
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Journal Reference:
Matthew C. Perry, Glenn H. Olsen, R. Anne Richards, and Peter C. Osenton. Predation on Dovekies by Goosefish over Deep Water in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean. Northeastern Naturalist, Volume 20, Issue 1 (2013):
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Apr. 8, 2013 ? An exploding star observed in 1604 by the German astronomer Johannes Kepler held a greater fraction of heavy elements than the sun, according to an analysis of X-ray observations from the Japan-led Suzaku satellite. The findings will help astronomers better understand the diversity of type Ia supernovae, an important class of stellar explosion used in probing the distant universe.
"The composition of the star, its environment, and the mechanism of the explosion may vary considerably among type Ia supernovae," said Sangwook Park, an assistant professor of physics at the University of Texas at Arlington. "By better understanding them, we can fine-tune our knowledge of the universe beyond our galaxy and improve cosmological models that depend on those measurements."
The best way to explore the star's makeup is to perform a kind of post-mortem examination on the shell of hot, rapidly expanding gas produced by the explosion. By identifying specific chemical signatures in the supernova remnant, astronomers can obtain a clearer picture of the composition of the star before it blew up.
"Kepler's supernova is one of the most recent type Ia explosions known in our galaxy, so it represents an essential link to improving our knowledge of these events," said Carles Badenes, an assistant professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Pittsburgh.
Using the Suzaku satellite's X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (XIS), the astronomers observed the remnant of Kepler's supernova in 2009 and 2011. With a total effective XIS exposure of more than two weeks, the X-ray spectrum reveals several faint emission features from highly ionized chromium, manganese and nickel in addition to a bright emission line from iron. The detection of all four elements was crucial for understanding the original star.
"Suzaku's XIS instrument is uniquely suited to this type of study thanks to its excellent energy resolution, high sensitivity and low background noise," said team member Koji Mori, an associate professor of applied physics at the University of Miyazaki, Japan.
Cosmologists regard type Ia supernovae as "standard candles" because they release similar amounts of energy. By comparing this standard to the observed peak brightness of a type Ia supernova, astronomers can pin down its distance. Their similarity stems from the fact that the exploding star is always a compact stellar remnant known as a white dwarf.
Although a white dwarf star is perfectly stable on its own, pair it with another white dwarf or a normal star and the situation eventually may turn volatile. The normal star may transfer gas onto the white dwarf, where it gradually accumulates. Or the orbits of binary white dwarfs may shrink until the two objects merge.
Either way, once a white dwarf begins tipping the scales at around 1.4 times the sun's mass, a supernova soon follows. Somewhere within the white dwarf, carbon nuclei begin merging together, forming heavier elements and releasing a vast amount of energy. This wave of nuclear fusion rapidly propagates throughout the star, ultimately shattering it in a brilliant explosion that can be detected billions of light-years away.
Astronomers can track some details of the white dwarf's composition by determining the abundance of certain trace elements, such as manganese, that formed during the explosion. Specifically, the ratio of manganese to chromium produced by the explosion turns out to be sensitive to the presence of a neutron-rich version of neon, called neon-22. Establishing the star's neon-22 content gives scientists a guide to the abundance of all other elements heavier than helium, which astronomers call "metals."
The findings provide strong evidence that the original white dwarf possessed roughly three times the amount of metals found in the sun. Progressive stellar generations seed interstellar gas with increasing proportions of metals. The remnant, which lies about 23,000 light-years away toward the constellation Ophiuchus, lies much closer to our galaxy's crowded central region than the sun does. There, star formation was probably more rapid and efficient. As a result, the star that blazed forth as Kepler's supernova likely formed out of material that already was enriched with a higher fraction of metals.
Park, Badenes, Mori and their colleagues discuss the findings in a paper scheduled for publication in the April 10 issue of The Astrophysical Journal Letters and now available online.
While the Suzaku results do not directly address which type of binary system triggered the supernova, they indicate that the white dwarf was probably no more than a billion years old when it exploded, or less than a quarter of the sun's current age.
"Theories indicate that the star's age and metal content affect the peak luminosity of type Ia supernovae," Park explained. "Younger stars likely produce brighter explosions than older ones, which is why understanding the spread of ages among type Ia supernovae is so important."
In 2011, astrophysicists from the United States and Australia won the Nobel Prize in physics for the discovery that the expansion of the universe is picking up speed, a conclusion based on measurements of type Ia supernovae. An enigmatic force called dark energy appears to be responsible for this acceleration, and understanding its nature is now a top science goal. Recent findings by the European Space Agency's Planck satellite reveal that dark energy makes up 68 percent of the universe.
Launched on July 10, 2005, Suzaku was developed at the Japanese Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), which is part of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), in collaboration with NASA and other Japanese and U.S. institutions.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
Sangwook Park, Carles Badenes, Koji Mori, Ryohei Kaida, Eduardo Bravo, Andrew Schenck, Kristoffer A. Eriksen, John P. Hughes, Patrick O. Slane, David N. Burrows, Jae-Joon Lee. A SUPER-SOLAR METALLICITY FOR THE PROGENITOR OF KEPLER'S SUPERNOVA. The Astrophysical Journal, 2013; 767 (1): L10 DOI: 10.1088/2041-8205/767/1/L10
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.
Drinking makes for awesome nights but terrible mornings. Why? Because alcohol evaporating from your body makes your throat feel forever in need of water, your brain's wrinkles feel non-existant and your life being questioned by yourself because of your own drunk decisions. Hangovers, man. What do you do to cure a hangover? Drink more? Eat pho? Anything bacon? This infographic shows what different countries do to cure a hangover. More »
Banks are already familiar with outsourcing various IT functions, but a new area has become ripe for banks to outsource to technology partners - their business and technology change processes, a new white paper from Capco, a consultancy, argues. Business and technology change processes are the projects and functions within the bank that help drive the ability to innovate new products, services and processes that help the bank do things like meet new regulations, replace legacy systems and build out new businesses. The white paper says that the typical in-house approach for managing and executing these ?change? projects and processes is inefficient, costly and in need of improvement.
The paper contends that a new outsourcing model it calls ?changeSourcing? should be adopted by banks to help them become more innovative by handling their business and technology change needs more effectively and with less cost. Most banks currently assign teams responsible for business and technology change projects to different areas of their organization. This model doesn?t work though because of the specialization that is required to understand the business and technology needs of each line of business, the paper says. If a bank suddenly needs to undertake a big business or technology change project in one part of the bank, the usual response is to shift staff from change teams in other parts of the organization, the paper says. But those staff from elsewhere other parts of the bank may not have enough understanding or experience with the line of business that they?re now working in.
[See Related: Inside IBM's Mega Outsourcing Projects With ABN Amro and Bank of Ireland]
This fragmented approach to staffing for change projects prevents banks from seeing their full resources that can be brought to bear on such projects, says Mark Reeves, a partner at Capco and author of the white paper. ?Many organizations are lacking the ability to identify who they have [working] in this change capacity,? he explains. ?They?ll say, ?We have about 500 people working in change projects and processes.? But then some of those staff have titles that have nothing to do with change.?
Additionally, the paper points out that personnel who work in business and technology change projects tend to receive very high compensation because of their specialized skills. And the tight budgets that exist across the industry can put the investments needed to follow through on major change-oriented projects on hold, delaying projects and costing the bank more down the line.
An outsourcing - or ?changeSourcing? - contract with a partner who can provide the personnel for these projects and processes would be more agile and cost-effective in meeting the needs of a bank, according to the paper. Capco, which is owned by bank technology vendor FIS, already has a such contracts with a couple of bank clients, according to Reeves.
An outsourcing contract for change projects offers the ability to put a fixed rate on a budget item that can fluctuate and spike when major new compliance needs to be met or legacy systems replaced, the paper says. If a major project has to be undertaken in a particular area the contract partner can provide the extra personnel with expertise in that area, rather than a bank having to shift resources from other parts of the organization.
?Banks have been dealing with tight budgets for a while and the costs [of change projects] are huge but everyone ignored the change cost line. Business and technology change was just something everyone had to invest in. But we?ve created an offer to jump at that cost line,? Reeves remarks.
Banks engaged in "changeSourcing" contracts also improve their change-oriented capabilities and processes by gaining a single view of the resources they can devote to those areas, Reeves says. "ChangeSourcing" providers can focus on growing talent that specialize in change projects, something that is not a priority for most banks, he adds. And the provider also delivers an outside view to examine the efficiency of the bank?s current protocols for managing and executing change projects.
Reeves advises that banks interested in pursuing the changesourcing model should start with smaller projects that have an impact but entail little risk for the bank. ?You also have to evolve the contract as a partnership over time. That takes maturity,? Reeves suggests.
Reeves says that "changeSourcing" will also grow more maturity within the organization in terms of its culture concerning change projects and innovation. ?Those staff that we?ve worked with are more excited and passionate about their ability to execute change because they see a more consistent view of their change capabilities. That has a positive effect on their ability to share and work together cohesively,? he notes.
Matt Mitrione is coming off a huge win. On Saturday, he won with a 19-second knockout of Philip de Fries. It was a hugely needed win after Mitrione suffered two losses in his last two fights. Now Mitrione is using the spotlight to talk about trans fighter Fallon Fox.
While on the MMA Hour, Mitrione repeatedly called the postoperative transgender female a "he." Mitrione also called Fox, who is scheduled to fight again in May, a sociopath and a freak.
"Because she's not a he. He's a he," he said. "He's chromosomally a man. He had a gender change, not a sex change. He's still a man. He was a man for 31 years. Thirty-one years. That's a couple years younger than I am. He's a man. Six years of taking performance de-hancing drugs, you think is going to change all that? That's ridiculous.
"That is a lying, sick, sociopathic, disgusting freak," he continued. "And I mean that. Because you lied on your license to beat up women. That's disgusting. You should be embarrassed yourself. And the fact that Florida licensed him because California licensed him or whoever the hell did it, it's an embarrassment to us as fighters, as a sport, and we all should protest that. The woman that's fighting him, props to you. I hope you beat his ass, and I hope he gets blackballed and never fights again, because that's disgusting and I'm appalled by that."
Mitrione earned a Bachelor's degree from Purdue in Law and Society, with minors in supervision and communications, and he doesn't have a medical degree. It's unlikely that he examined Fox, yet he speaks as if he is aware of the particulars of her anatomy.
If Mitrione doesn't think Fox should be allowed to fight, that's his opinion. State commissions don't agree with him, but he's not being forced to watch her fight. He is also not being forced to fight her, and the women who are walking into a fight with Fox know her history. They don't need to be saved by Mitrione.
For him to go off on such a hate-filled, uninformed tirade is just plain sad, particularly for someone who has been involved with anti-bullying initiatives in the past. Hopefully, Mitrione will keep bullied trans people in mind the next time he calls anyone a "freak."
TIP! Have property professionally inspected before you decide to put it up for sale. If there is anything wrong with your property, have it fixed right away.
So, you have made the decision and are now ready to get into commercial real estate? This article will address the many questions of where to begin and how to go about executing a successful transaction. The following tips are a useful guide to anyone interested in commercial real estate, and should help to see that your endeavor is worthwhile.
TIP! Make sure you are completely aware of the available square footage. Two different measurements are commonly used in commercial real estate.
If you want to have commercial real estate investments financed, then you need to prove your financial stability through both personal and business statements. Without financial statements, a bank cannot verify your income and will not allow you to borrow money.
TIP! See to it that you?re dealing with companies that care about their customers before you engage them in a commercial purchase. Otherwise, you could be in for additional money later on due to their mistakes which could have been avoided in the first place.
Engaging in a commercial transaction often takes more time, and is more difficult than simply buying a home. Yet, you should realize that the extra focus on, and length of, the process is essential in order to gain a better return on the investment.
TIP! Closely check the surrounding environment of your property. You may be liable for cleanup of a property that has been environmentally damaged from prior use.
You will probably have to put a lot of effort into your new investment at the beginning. First, you will need to search for an opportunity and purchase the property, as well as perform any repairs that are required. Don?t abandon you commercial real estate venture because it currently consumes so much of your time. The investment will be repaid as time goes on.
TIP! When you are looking for a new home for your growing business, you should pay close attention to the size of the property. Unless you plan to move a few years later, look for a property that is large enough for your business to grow.
If you are investing in commercial real estate, be aware that dramatic inflation over time can have a negative impact on your results. Many leases used to include clauses to protect investors from inflation that would adjust the lease according to the CPI (Consumer Price Index). However, this is no longer common practice, which strips away one form of protection.
TIP! Make sure you have sufficient utility to access on any commercial piece of real estate. You will need access to electricity, water, sewer and maybe gas in addition to any unique need that your business has.
Look for property that has more units. By having access to a large number of units, you will be able to more easily spread your earnings across all of your units. Many investors tend to shun property with fewer than 10 units, as most subscribe to the idea that there is a direct correlation between the number of units and the amount of money that can be made.
TIP! If your real estate deal includes inspections (and it always should), make sure to ask to see the credentials of all of the inspectors. This is especially true of people who work with insect or pest removal, as there are many non-accredited people working in these fields.
To make sure you are working with the right real estate broker, ask what they consider as a success or a failure. Also be sure to ask their method of measuring results. Understand exactly how they do business with their clients, and which strategies and methods they employ. Do not partner up with a broker who is completely the opposite to you in beliefs and the way matters are addressed.
TIP! When you are purchasing a piece of commercial real estate, know in advance what you plan to do with it. Are you going to use it to run your business, or are you going to lease it? Establish clear goals for your investment to narrow down your possibilities, as much as possible.
Properties are subject to a life-cycle similar to ours, where they will eventually parish if not ordered and maintained. You could make an avoidable error by buying a property that needs a lot of upkeep in the future. Your building may need a new roof, or updates to the plumbing or electrical systems. Every building goes through a phase like this, but some do more than others. Estimate the cost of repairs over the years, and plan for them.
TIP! It is essential that you become aware of any environmental issues associated with properties you are considering. You don?t want to start off with any problems that could?ve been prevented.
Be sure to only focus on one investment at a time. You will get better results if you stick to a single type of investment rather than doing land leasing, apartments, and offices all at once. Each kind demands and is worthy of your complete and focused attention. Master one type of investment at a time. Mediocre profits from several types of investments aren?t worth the effort, but major profits from one type of investment is.
TIP! If you plan to rent out a commercial property, you should do all you can to make sure they stay occupied. When you have an open space, you have to shell out the money to keep it looking great and running well.
Before formally making an offer, you must first locate a suitable lender. Communicate with everyone in your network including friends and fellow investors to come up with a brief list of the preferred lenders in your region. Before you even embark on a course to buy commercial real estate, do some research and choose the one lender that can meet your needs. Taking any time needed to line up things properly can make the difference in loan qualification.
TIP! Negotiating is essential. Make it clear that you wish to be heard and refuse to accept an unfair price.
Before you jump into a commercial real estate deal, you want to get a lay of the land first. This means considering and examining the general income levels in the area, how high or low unemployment rates are, and looking at the hiring practices of employers within the vicinity of where you intend to invest. If the building is near certain specific buildings, including hospitals, universities, or large companies, you might be able to sell it faster and for more money.
TIP! As you comb through possible brokers, search for those who have extensive experience in commercial markets. Make sure they are specializing in the desired area that you?re selling or buying in.
You need to think over the community any commercial property is in before you commit to it. If you are buying the property in a more expensive neighborhood your business will most likely be a lot more successful, people there have more to spend. If your business services will do better in a poor neighborhood, buy property there!
Don?t become greedy and over-inflate your real estate asking price. Market conditions can vary greatly; therefore, an appraisal may not be the best indicator of true market value.
TIP! Get a site checklist if you are viewing more than one property. Accept the proposal responses during the first round, but before going further, notify all the property owners involved.
Be aware of the potential tax benefits of investing in commercial property. Not only are there interest deductions, but also depreciation benefits to be aware of. ?Phantom income? is when an income is taxed but never received as cash, by the investors. It is important to know about this kind of income prior to investing.
Verify that the pro forma and the rent roll match the terms. If you concentrate on these points, you can find an issue with the property.
TIP! Bigger is better in commercial realty investments. If you were considering purchasing a property with a dozen units, consider the fact that managing twenty is probably just as easy.
Take photographs of the property. Your pictures should portray any damage or defect in the property. Common things you should look for include any cracks or holes in walls, and damages to the carpeting.
TIP! Query a real estate firm about their practices and sources of income over the past year. Honest brokers will be open about this, so you can tell if your interests will be at odds.
Standard release forms are not something you should rush to sign. Sometimes, a long lease contains not only standard lease clauses, but extra agreements that the real estate company sneaked into the lease without discussing with you. Always read any commercial lease before you sign it. Be aware of what you?re agreeing to and don?t sign the lease if anything makes you uncomfortable. Taking the extra time to read through your lease now helps you avoid problems later.
TIP! Figure pest control into your rented or leased commercial real estate property costs. Look over your rental or lease agreement, and know if you are covered, especially if you live in an area with known infestations.
Now, you will now be more prepared when you are dealing with commercial real estate. You thought that you were ready before, well look at you, now! This article probably gave you some ideas that you can use to invest in commercial real estate and make profits, doing so.
Whenever you are getting into something new, you?ve got to learn as much as you can on the subject. You need to learn and understand what you?re doing if you want to be successful with the subject of why you need to diversify your stock portfolio today. Take your newly gained knowledge, and move forward on the path to success.
Kim Jong Un on horseback in an undated photo (KNS/Getty Images)
Politicians and pundits painted a pretty bleak picture of the situation in North Korea on the Sunday talk-show circuit, with South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham predicting a "major war" breaking out if Kim Jong Un attacks South Korea.
"The North Koreans need to understand if they attack an American interest or an ally of this country, they're going to pay a heavy price," Graham said on NBC's "Meet The Press" on Sunday. "I could see a major war happening if the North Koreans overplay their hand this time, because the public in South Korea, the United States, and I think the whole region, is fed up with this guy."
"I think we have to convince this new, young, inexperienced leader that he's playing a losing hand," Michele Flournoy said. "The only way out of the box to get the economic development he wants, to get the progress that he wants, is to ratchet back the rhetoric. Come back into compliance with the international obligations."
Since assuming power in late 2011, the provocative Kim has defied U.N. sanctions by continuing to develop North Korea's missile program.
"He's kind of reckless right now," U.S. Gen. James Thurman, the top U.S. military commander in South Korea, said on ?This Week with George Stephanopoulos" on ABC. "If they decided to, you know resume hostilities, I think we've got to be ready to go."
Earlier Sunday, U.S. officials said Thurman?who was expected to travel to Washington this week to appear before the Senate and House Armed Services Committees?will stay in Seoul as "a prudent measure."
When asked to speculate on the outcome of a war, Graham, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said: "The North loses and the South wins, with our help. That's what happens."
[Related: Rodman says Kim Jong Un wants Obama to ?call him?]
On "Meet The Press," former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson called Kim's leadership "belligerent," but cautioned against U.S. military action.
"I think the goal should not just be to calm them down, to cool the rhetoric down," Richardson said. "The goal has to be [to] get North Korea back to the negotiating table on nuclear proliferation, on de-nuclearization. They have to do it, because that whole Asian area is a tinderbox."
Greta Van Susteren, who has visited North Korea three times, said negotiation is not something on the minds of most North Koreans.
"The whole time we were there, all we saw was preparation for war," Van Susteren said. "If you go inside, they have been at war with us since the early 1950s. They think that every single one of us is spending every Saturday night sitting around planning how to get them while we're busy ordering pizzas and Chinese food carryout, they think that we're getting ready for war."
Graham said the United States needs to keep its eye on Syria, too.
"Crazy people and nuclear weapons who proliferate those weapons throughout the world, who support terrorist organizations, are incredibly dangerous," Graham said. "That's why we need to stop Syria from getting chemical. Chemical weapons need to be controlled in Syria; the ayatollahs in Iran are just as crazy as this guy in North Korea."
He added: "This could be a nightmare in the making with these chemical weapons falling into radical Islamists. The number of radical jihadists on the ground in Syria today is growing every day this war goes on."
Insurgent raids into Timbuktu and Gao in supposedly secured northern cities put a question mark over France's aspirations to wrap up its military intervention in Mali soon.
By Robert Marquand,?Staff writer / April 1, 2013
A Malian soldier walks in Gao, northern Mali, in early February. Timbuktu has been hit by a prolonged battle between Islamic extremists and the Malian and French armies, residents and a Malian military spokesman said Sunday.
Jerome Delay/AP/File
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Handfuls of Islamist radicals are slipping in and out of towns in northern Mali on hit and run operations, putting a question mark over France's aspirations to neatly wrap up its military intervention soon.
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This weekend brought a suicide car bomb in Timbuktu that rattled residents and sparked a brief, intense skirmish with French and Malian troops who say they will now more strongly garrison the ancient trading post town.?The French deployed air craft to crack down on rebels, whose identity in this attack remains unclear. Malian officials said 21 rebels were killed.
As French politicians and senior officers prepare to partly exit Mali this month, having largely assuaged fears of a new Afghanistan developing in northwest Africa, they are facing a new low-level radical insurgency of yet uncertain numbers, capability, and intent.
"The fighting is heavy and it is ongoing," Malian Army Capt. Modibo Naman Traore told Reuters on Sunday, adding that the Army was in the process of "encircling" the militants.?
Last week in Gao, the largest city in the Malian north, rebels killed six locals in a similar attack. That operation, which French forces reportedly rebuffed quickly, was claimed by the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa, a group that partly controlled the city last fall.
In January the French quickly drove out a loose but effective Islamist insurgency that last year took over huge swaths of Mali using weapons siphoned out of Libya after its civil strife ended.
But having liberated Gao, Timbuktu, and other northern towns, the French have focused on Islamists in the northern mountains; days back French forces confirmed killing a significant rebel leader Abou Zeid. Yet apparent French?indifference to, or even collaboration in recent weeks with, ethnic Tuareg rebels, reported here by Peter Tinti in The Christian Science Monitor, has strained relations between government, military, and local populations.
Much of the media coverage and information of sensitive war operations in Mali by the French is under strict control. The New York Times today, reporting out of Paris, writes about the rebels in Timbuktu that,
?They had said Timbuktu was secured,? the mayor [of Timbuktu] lamented. The fighting had ceased by about 3 p.m. on Sunday, he said, though military aircraft, presumably French, continued to circle in the skies above Timbuktu. Two patrols of French fighter aircraft had been sent to Timbuktu, according to Colonel Burkhard, the military spokesman, but they did not fire any munitions.
Analysts continue to ask whether, after a successful effort to put Al Qaeda-linked rebels on the run, Mali itself can continue to hold together.
Mali has announced new elections in July and the French force levels are to draw down from more than 4,000 to 2,000 by that time.?
The sun is shining and the bees are buzzing, which can only mean one thing: spring is here, and with that comes spring cleaning. In between emptying closets and decluttering your basement, give yourself some time to clean up your computer and smartphone, too. Here are some simple tips for speeding up and optimizing your Mac, Windows PC, iPhone, and Android phone.
How to Speed Up, Clean Up, and Revive Your Mac
The weather's turning warmer in our neck of the woods, which means it's time to start thinking about spring cleaning. While you're emptying your closets, decluttering, and getting rid of the bloat in your life, why not do the same for your Mac? More ?
How to Speed Up, Clean Up, and Revive Your Windows PC
Flowers are blooming and birds are chirping, which means it's time to start your yearly spring cleaning extravaganza. While you're emptying your closets, decluttering, and getting rid of the bloat in your life, why not do the same for your computer? More ?
How to Speed Up, Clean Up, and Revive Your iPhone
With the sun shining and bees buzzing in celebration of spring you've likely started decluttering your closets and basements. If you need a break from all that indoor work, it might be time to step away and do the same for your iPhone. More ?
How to Speed Up, Clean Up, and Revive Your Android Phone
We're all decluttering our closets and basements in celebration of spring, but it's time for a break. Kick back on the couch, pull up your Android phone, and act like you're still being productive by giving it some spring cleaning of its own. More ?
Anthony Weiner in 2011 (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
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Public release date: 10-Apr-2013
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Matt Mitrione is coming off a huge win. On Saturday, he won with a 19-second knockout of Philip de Fries. It was a hugely needed win after Mitrione suffered two losses in his last two fights. Now Mitrione is using the spotlight to talk about trans fighter Fallon Fox.
The sun is shining and the bees are buzzing, which can only mean one thing: spring is here, and with that comes spring cleaning. In between emptying closets and decluttering your basement, give yourself some time to clean up your computer and smartphone, too. Here are some simple tips for speeding up and optimizing your Mac, Windows PC, iPhone, and Android phone.
