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Friday, March 29, 2013
The Hail Mary Products of Desperate Companies
Seth Rogen, Zoe Saldana And More To Present At Movie Awards
While the fact Rebel Wilson is hosting the 2013 MTV Movie Awards this year is enough to get us tuning in, the list of presenters that was announced today is a wonderful added bonus. Everyone from Zach Efron to the cast of "Star Trek Into Darkness" will be handing out Golden Popcorns, so it's time [...]
Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2013/03/29/movie-awards-presenters/
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SAfrica: Mandela in hospital with lung infection
FILE - In this June 17, 2010 file photo, former South African President Nelson Mandela leaves the chapel after attending the funeral of his great-granddaughter Zenani Mandela in Johannesburg, South Africa. The South African presidency says Nelson Mandela was re-admitted to hospital with a recurrence of a lung infection Thursday March 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Siphiwe Sibeko, Pool, File)
FILE - In this June 17, 2010 file photo, former South African President Nelson Mandela leaves the chapel after attending the funeral of his great-granddaughter Zenani Mandela in Johannesburg, South Africa. The South African presidency says Nelson Mandela was re-admitted to hospital with a recurrence of a lung infection Thursday March 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Siphiwe Sibeko, Pool, File)
FILE - In this Wednesday May 30, 2012 file photo South Africa's former president Nelson Mandela, after receiving a torch to celebrate the African National Congress' centenary from ANC chairperson Baleka Mbete in Mandela's home village of Qunu in rural eastern South Africa. The South African presidency says Nelson Mandela was re-admitted to hospital with a recurrence of a lung infection Thursday March 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Lulamile Feni-Daily Dispatch) SOUTH AFRICA OUT
In this photo taken on Friday, March 15, 2013, a man look's at a statue of former South African President Nelson Mandela at the entrance to the Robben Island ferry departure point at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, South Africa. Nelson Mandela, the anti-apartheid leader who became South Africa's first black president, has been admitted to a hospital with a recurring lung infection, South Africa said Thursday, March 28, 2013. Mandela, 94, has become increasingly frail in recent years and has been hospitalized several times since last year, mostly recently earlier this month when he received what a presidential spokesman described as a "successful" medical test. (AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam)
JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? Nelson Mandela, the anti-apartheid leader who became South Africa's first black president, has been admitted to a hospital with a recurring lung infection, South Africa said Thursday.
Mandela, 94, has become increasingly frail in recent years and has been hospitalized several times since last year, most recently earlier this month when he underwent what authorities said was a scheduled medical test. The Nobel laureate is a revered figure in South Africa, which has honored his legacy of reconciliation by naming buildings and other places after him and printing his image on national banknotes.
"I'm so sorry. I'm sad," said Obed Mokwana, a Johannesburg resident. "I just try to pray all the time. He must come very strong again."
The Nobel laureate was admitted to a hospital just before midnight Wednesday "due to the recurrence of his lung infection," the office of President Jacob Zuma said in a statement.
"Doctors are attending to him, ensuring that he has the best possible expert medical treatment and comfort," the statement said. It appealed "for understanding and privacy in order to allow space to the doctors to do their work."
It did not identify the hospital. In December, Mandela spent three weeks in a hospital in the South African capital of Pretoria, where he was treated for a lung infection and had a procedure to remove gallstones.
Presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj acknowledged there was cause for worry, but said the medical specialists treating Mandela were very competent.
"The health has been OK given his age, but the downturn last night ? obviously when the lung infection recurs, the doctors will want to do everything possible and make sure that they don't allow the infection to spread, that they arrest it as quickly as possible," Maharaj said in an interview with eNCA, a South African news channel.
He said there had been a global outpouring of messages expressing concern for Mandela's health.
Zuma wished Mandela a speedy recovery, referring to him affectionately by his clan name, "Madiba."
"We appeal to the people of South Africa and the world to pray for our beloved Madiba and his family and to keep them in their thoughts. We have full confidence in the medical team and know that they will do everything possible to ensure recovery," the presidential statement quoted Zuma as saying.
Mandela spent a night in a hospital and was released on March 10 following a medical test. At that time, spokesman Maharaj said Mandela was "well."
In February 2012, Mandela spent a night in a hospital for minor diagnostic surgery to determine the cause of an abdominal complaint. In January 2011, he was admitted to a Johannesburg hospital for what officials initially described as tests but what turned out to be an acute respiratory infection. He was discharged days later.
He also had surgery for an enlarged prostate gland in 1985.
Under South Africa's white-minority apartheid regime, Mandela served 27 years in prison, where he contracted tuberculosis, before being released in 1990. He later became the nation's first democratically elected president in 1994 under the banner of the African National Congress, helping to negotiate a relatively peaceful end to apartheid despite fears of much greater bloodshed. He served one five-year term as president before retiring.
Perceived successes during Mandela's tenure include the introduction of a constitution with robust protections for individual rights and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a panel that heard testimony about apartheid-era violations of human rights as a kind of national therapy session. South Africa still struggles with crime, economic inequality and other social ills.
Mandela last made a public appearance on a major stage when South Africa hosted the 2010 World Cup soccer tournament.
He had spent more time in the rural village of Qunu in Eastern Cape province, where he grew up. He was visited there in August by Hillary Clinton, who was U.S. secretary of state at the time.
Doctors said in December that he should remain at his home in the Johannesburg neighborhood of Houghton for the time being to be close to medical facilities that can provide the care he needs.
During Mandela's previous hospitalizations, the South African government had criticized some media outlets for what it described as rumor-mongering and a failure to respect the privacy of the former leader and his family. The media, in turn, expressed concern about an alleged lack of transparency and occasionally conflicting reports from officials.
Maharaj, the presidential spokesman, told eNCA on Thursday that authorities were mindful of public interest in Mandela's health, but would allow the medical team to focus on treating the former president.
"Our updates will be dependent always on what the doctors tell us and we are not pressurizing them to give us updates every few hours," he said. "We think that they should attend to their work. We are confident that they know that if there is an upturn for the good, or for the bad, they will always keep us informed."
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Thursday, March 28, 2013
Swarming robots could be the servants of the future
Mar. 28, 2013 ? Swarms of robots acting together to carry out jobs could provide new opportunities for humans to harness the power of machines.
Researchers in the Sheffield Centre for Robotics, jointly established by the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University, have been working to program a group of 40 robots, and say the ability to control robot swarms could prove hugely beneficial in a range of contexts, from military to medical.
The researchers have demonstrated that the swarm can carry out simple fetching and carrying tasks, by grouping around an object and working together to push it across a surface.
The robots can also group themselves together into a single cluster after being scattered across a room, and organize themselves by order of priority.
Dr Roderich Gross, head of the Natural Robotics Lab, in the Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering at the University of Sheffield, says swarming robots could have important roles to play in the future of micromedicine, as 'nanobots' are developed for non-invasive treatment of humans. On a larger scale, they could play a part in military, or search and rescue operations, acting together in areas where it would be too dangerous or impractical for humans to go. In industry too, robot swarms could be put to use, improving manufacturing processes and workplace safety.
The programming that the University of Sheffield team has developed to control the robots is deceptively simple. For example, if the robots are being asked to group together, each robot only needs to be able to work out if there is another robot in front of it. If there is, it turns on the spot; if there isn't, it moves in a wider circle until it finds one.
Dr Gross said: "We are developing Artificial Intelligence to control robots in a variety of ways. The key is to work out what is the minimum amount of information needed by the robot to accomplish its task. That's important because it means the robot may not need any memory, and possibly not even a processing unit, so this technology could work for nanoscale robots, for example in medical applications."
This research is funded by a Marie Curie European Reintegration Grant within the 7th European Community Framework Programme. Additional support has been provided by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3e12RicAy1Q
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Sheffield, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/t0u6bm1TWas/130328125325.htm
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Canada : Student loans, grants and scholarships
Getting Started:
The Business Department at North York Central Library has a careers section that includes educational directories as well as directories that include scholarship opportunities.? The Business, Science and Technology Department at Toronto Reference Library also has an extensive collection of educational calendars and directories.
Searching the Library Website:Suggested Subject headings/Keywords:
Scholarships--Canada--Directories
Student loans--Canada--Directories.
Endowment of research--Canada--Directories.
Suggested Titles:
Scholarships.com. - entrance awards directory which includes comprehensive information on Canadian scholarships and awards.
Assistantships and graduate fellowships in the mathematical sciences.
Scholarship: a handbook of scholarships, awards and financial assistance for Canadian high school graduates.
Canadian University Scholarship Handbook.
Guide to Canadian scholarships.
?
Using On-line ResourcesRecommended Websites:
Canada: Student Loans, Grants and Scholarships:
CanLearn.ca - Browse through this section for tips on everything from financing your education to managing your loans.
The Canada Student Loans Program provides financial assistance in the form of loans and grants to post-secondary students who demonstrate financial need.
ScholarhipsCanada.com is an educational site for students to find scholarships, student awards, bursaries and grants.? Students can search for scholarships by name, school, field of study and scholarship provider.
Youth.ca will help youth learn about the various options available to help manage finances and pay for education.
Ontario: Student Loans, Grants and Scholarships:
Ontario Student Assistance Program - This is where you apply for OSAP or 30% off Ontario tuition.
Ontario Education and Training - Check out the Ontario Student Assistance Program? - a mix of grants and loans available for students.
Ontario Education and Training (loans grants and bursaries) - Where to find money that can help you pay for a college, university or apprenticeship program after high school.
Other:
The Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) administers a range of awards on behalf of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
Student Awards.com was established in 1998 and is a free scholarship matching service, devoted to helping Canadian high school, college, and university students by providing information about scholarships, bursaries, grants, fellowships and other forms of financial assistance.
World Wide Learn.com strives to provide students with up-to-date information about financial aid for online learning programs.?
Recommended Databases:
Career Cruising - includes in depth information on college and university programs
For further assistance contact:
Business Department - fourth floor, North York Central Library - 5120 Yonge Street - (416)-395-5613
or
Business, Science and Technology Department, third floor, Toronto Reference Library - 789 Yonge Street - (416)-393-7149
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Charges: Pa. man bagged deer Wal-Mart lot deer
Mar 26 (Reuters) - Leading money winners on the 2013 PGATour on Monday (U.S. unless stated): 1. Tiger Woods $3,787,600 2. Brandt Snedeker $2,859,920 3. Matt Kuchar $2,154,500 4. Steve Stricker $1,820,000 5. Phil Mickelson $1,650,260 6. Hunter Mahan $1,553,965 7. John Merrick $1,343,514 8. Dustin Johnson $1,330,507 9. Russell Henley $1,313,280 10. Kevin Streelman $1,310,343 11. Keegan Bradley $1,274,593 12. Charles Howell III $1,256,373 13. Michael Thompson $1,254,669 14. Brian Gay $1,171,721 15. Justin Rose $1,155,550 16. Jason Day $1,115,565 17. Chris Kirk $1,097,053 18. ...
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/charges-pa-man-bagged-deer-wal-mart-lot-145951272.html
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Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Andy Rubin leaving the Android team, Chrome boss Sundar Pichai to take over
Google has announced today that Android founder and longtime leader Andy Rubin will be leaving the Android team to explore a "new chapter at Google." Larry Page posted the announcement on Google's Official Blog, which delved into how much Android has grown since its inception and under Rubin. Google says that Sundar Pichai, who currently leads Chrome, will take over. Sundar will continue to work on Chrome as well as take on Android, so he will be taking on quite the workload.
It's a big deal when one of the original founders leaves Android and he will be missed. But it sounds like he has found other opportunities at Google that he would like to explore.
Where will Android go under Pichai? Leave us with your best idea in the comments!
Source: Official Google Blog
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/TZdJW6iBT9k/story01.htm
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Monday, March 11, 2013
Buying stocks now may be less risky than you think
Is it too late?
If you've stayed out of stocks recently, you might be worried that you've missed your chance to get back in. After all, they must be expensive now that the Dow Jones industrial average has risen 120 percent in four years to a record high.
The good news is that stocks still seem a good bet despite the run-up. The bad news: They're no bargain, at least by some measures, so don't get too excited.
Many investors obsess about stock prices. But you must give equal weight to a company's earnings. When earnings rise, stocks become more valuable ? and their prices usually rise, too.
That seems to be happening now.
"We've had record profits upon record profits," says John Butters, senior earnings analyst at FactSet, a research firm. "And estimates are we'll have record profits this year, too."
What's more, some of the typical threats to stock run-ups ? such as rising inflation and interest rates, which often trigger a recession ? seem unlikely to appear soon.
Among reasons to consider stocks again:
A stronger economy
There are no signs of a recession. And that's encouraging for stocks, which almost always fall ahead of an economic downturn. Stocks started falling two months before the Great Recession began in December 2007 and one year before the recession that started in March 2001.
Better yet, the economy may be on the verge of faster growth. The Labor Department announced Friday that the unemployment rate in February dipped from 7.9 percent to 7.7 percent, its lowest level since December 2008. Employers added more than 200,000 jobs each month from November-February, compared with 150,000 in each of the prior three months.
More jobs mean more money for people to spend, and consumer spending drives 70 percent of economic activity.
And there has been a flurry of other hopeful signs lately. Homebuilders broke ground on new homes last year at the fastest pace in four years. Sales of autos, the second-biggest consumer purchase, are at a five-year high.
If recent history is any guide, this economic expansion is still young. The expansion that began in June 2009 is 44 months old. The previous three expansions lasted 73 months, 120 months and 92 months. Corporate earnings grow in expansions, which can push stocks higher.
In the 1982-1990 expansion, earnings of companies in the Standard and Poor's 500 stock index grew 50 percent, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices, which oversees the index. The S&P 500 itself surged nearly 170 percent.
For 2013, earnings of S&P 500 companies are expected to grow 7.9 percent, then jump another 11.5 percent next year, according to FactSet. If that's right, stocks could rise fast.
But history offers three caveats: First, if you look at the 11 expansions back to World War II, instead of the last three, they last 59 months on average. By that measure, the current expansion is middle aged, not young.
Second, investing based on U.S. economic expansions may not work as well as in the past. Big U.S. companies generate nearly half their revenue from overseas now so you need to worry about other economies, too. The 17 European countries that use the euro as a currency have been in recession for more than a year. Japan, the world's third largest economy, has struggled to grow.
If the worst is over for these countries, U.S. stocks could continue rising. If the growth drags, stocks could fall.
Third, earnings forecasts are often too high. They come from financial analysts who study companies and advise on stocks to buy. In the past 15 years, their annual earnings forecasts were an average 10 percent too high, according to FactSet. Last year, they got closer: They overestimated by 4 percent.
Stocks reasonably priced
Investors like to use a gauge called price-earnings ratios in deciding whether to buy or sell. Low P/E ratios signal that stocks are cheap relative to a company's earnings; high ones signal they are expensive.
Right now P/Es are neither low nor high, suggesting stocks are reasonably priced
To calculate a P/E, you divide the price of a stock by its annual earnings per share. A company that earns $4 a share and has a $60 stock has a P/E of 15. Most investors calculate P/Es two ways: based on estimates of earnings the next 12 months and on earnings the past 12.
Stocks in the S&P 500 are at 13.7 times estimated earnings per share in 2013. That is close to the average estimated P/E ratio of 14.2 over the past ten years, according to FactSet. The P/E based on past earnings paints a similar picture. The S&P 500 trades now at 17.6 times earnings per share in 2012, basically the same as the 17.5 average since World War II, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices, which oversees the index.
Again, a caveat.
Another way to calculate P/Es, called a "cyclically adjusted" ratio, suggests stocks are not such a decent deal. Its champion is economist Robert Shiller of Yale University who warned about the dot-com and housing bubbles. He thinks it's misleading to look at just one year because earnings can surge or drop with the economic cycle. To smooth such distortions, he looks at annual earnings per share averaged over the prior 10 years.
The cyclically adjusted ratio is 23 times. Since the end of World War II, it's ranged between 6.6 and 44.2, and the average is 18.3. That suggests stocks are expensive, though perhaps not wildly so.
No matter which P/E you choose, it's important to think of it as a rough guide at best. Stocks can trade above or below their average P/Es for years.
Optimistic investors
A new love of stocks could prove a powerful force pushing prices up. In fact, it can push them up even if earnings don't increase.
That's what happened in the five years through 1986. Earnings fell 2 percent, but the S&P 500 almost doubled as small investors who had soured on stocks throughout the 1970s returned to the market. The multiple ? shorthand for the price-earnings ratio ? rose from eight to nearly 17.
Market watchers refer to this as "multiple expansion." Will it happen again?
As stocks have surged over the past four years, individual investors have been selling, which is nearly unprecedented in a bull market. But they may be having second thoughts. In January, they put nearly $20 billion more into U.S. stock mutual funds than they took out, according to the Investment Company Institute, a trade group for funds.
Some financial analysts say we are at the start of a "Great Rotation." That would mean investors shifting money into stocks from bonds. If that happens, stocks could soar. It's too soon to say if the buying will continue.
Howard Silverblatt, senior index analyst at S&P Dow Jones, thinks investors are too worried about the future of the euro and government spending cuts to dive into stocks like they did in the 1990s.
"We don't have a lot of confidence going forward so people are limiting what they're willing to wager," he says.
Low interest rates
Interest rates are near record lows. That's good for stocks because it lowers borrowing costs for companies and makes bonds, which compete with stocks for investor money, less appealing.
If you want to kill a stock rally, then hike interest rates.
That's what happened in the run-up to Black Monday, Oct. 19, 1987. In August that year, the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond rose above 10 percent. Investors thought, "If I could make 10 percent each year for 30 years in bonds, why keep my money in stocks?" So they sold and stocks drifted lower. Then Black Monday struck. The Dow plunged 508 points, or nearly 23 percent ? its largest fall in a single day.
Today, the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond is 3.2 percent. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note is 2.05 percent, less than half its 20-year average of 4.7 percent. It could be years before rates even return to that average level.
Of course, interest rates could jump on fears of higher inflation. But inflation has been 1.6 percent the past year, below the Federal Reserve's 2 percent target. What's more, the Fed has promised to keep the benchmark rate it controls near zero until unemployment falls to 6.5 percent. Unemployment today is 7.7 percent.
? 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/buying-stocks-now-may-be-less-risky-you-think-1C8769413
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Boosting Business With Autoresponders - Empower Network
although many don?t know why they are beneficial to businesses.? If you aren?t familiar with autoresponders, you would probably find yourself amazed with them.? An autoresponder can help your business by automatically emailing your clients and customers with a preset message that will help to increase your sales.
An autoresponder can help your list of clients grow, even send each one of them their own personalized email message.? If you choose, you can also follow up each individual email with repeated emails, varying the content whenever you wish.? These programs will also allow you to keep track of conversations, and send out broadcast email messages whenever you have news or new products to offer your clients.
As research in the past has shown, personalized email from autoresponders is a great way to boost your business.? When you send a personalized email to one of your clients, the autoresponder by can address him or her by their name ? which always makes a customer take notice.? While you could do this yourself using traditional email, it could take you a few hours if you have a long list of customers.
Autoresponders make sending personalized email a snap.? All you need to do is set up your email template, then select where you like the name to go.? You can add everyone in your customer list to the autoresponder, which makes sending emails a snap.? Once you have everything ready to go, all you need to do is send out the emails with one simple click.? Best of all ? you don?t have to set it up again when you need to send out broadcast messages.
Although there are some people who will buy products after one or two emails, most people require about seven or eight emails before they will purchase anything.? Autoresponders can really help you there, as they will do all of the emailing for you.? You don?t have to keep sending manual emails or anything like that.? All you need to do is set up the email address, type in your preset message, and then feel free to send it as many times as you like.
Through the use of an autoresponder you can really boost your business.? If you run an Internet marketing business, this tool will prove to be invaluable.? You can spend less time sending messages ? and more time doing what you enjoy.? If you?ve never tried an autoresponder before, you owe it yourself to check out everything they will do for you and your business.? Online businesses can get a lot of emails on a daily basis ? which is where the autoresponder will really start to shine and show you just how great of an asset it really is.
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Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1
Sony's decision to develop the Cyber-shot DSC-RX1 ($2,799.99 direct) is a bold one. It's a seriously expensive camera that appeals to well-heeled enthusiasts, but is likely to be a constant companion for those who embrace its design. The RX1 packs a 24-megapixel full-frame image sensor and a 35mm f/2 Zeiss Sonnar lens. It can slide into a larger pocket?think jacket or cargo pants?and delivers images that would spur envy in many an SLR. It's not a perfect camera, and it's not for everyone, but despite its price, it's the best prime-lens compact we've tested, and earns and Editors' Choice award for that distinction.
Design and Features
The RX1 is one of two cameras in Sony's current R series. The other, the Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 is a smaller compact with a 1-inch sensor and a fast, zooming lens. It impressed us enough to earn our Editors' Choice for compact cameras, but it's simply not in the same class as the RX1 in terms of image quality. The RX1 sets itself apart from other cameras in its class with its image sensor. Sony was actually the first company to put an APS-C sensor in a digital camera that didn't have a removable lens. The Cyber-shot DSC-R1 debuted in 2005 and is still the only camera of this type with a zoom lens. When you measure its surface area, the full-frame image sensor is twice as big as an APS-C sensor; as a rule of thumb, a bigger image sensor translates into higher-quality photos.
Despite having a rather compact body, the 17-ounce RX1 has a big lens that adds to its depth. It measures 2.6 by 4.5 by 2.75 inches (HWD). Compare this with the Leica X2, which measures 2.7 by 4.9 by 2 inches. The Leica is noticeably slimmer while still offering the same field of view, but it uses a smaller APS-C image sensor and a slower f/2.8 lens. The camera has a leatherette covering that doubles as a grip, but it's a bit too shallow for my tastes, given the bulky lens design. Sony doesn't offer an accessory handgrip for the front of the camera?although it does sell a thumb grip ($249.99) that slides into the hot shoe in order to give you a better handle from the rear.
The lens is a Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 2/35. Because there's no crop factor, the 35mm lens delivers the same field of view as it would if the camera used film rather than a digital sensor. There's no optical zoom capability, but if you opt to shoot in JPG you can activate Clear Image Zoom, a digital zoom system that works by upscaling a cropped portion of the sensor, to capture a field of view of 50mm or 70mm. Fujifilm's
The lens has a physical aperture ring that ranges from f/2 to f/22 in third-stop increments. Unlike an SLR lens, which is always wide open when mounted, the RX1 changes its aperture as soon as you adjust the ring. This gives you a real-time preview of your depth of your image, including depth of field, as you compose shots. The display does get dim if you stop the lens down in a dark environment, but you'll likely be shooting with a wider aperture or on a tripod in those situations.
At its standard setting focus ranges from 0.3 meter to infinity, but you can twist the macro ring, located behind the manual focus ring, to change the range from 0.2 meter to 0.35 meter. It's an innovative design that allows you to focus closer than you would normally be able to with a camera like this one. The Fujifilm X100s tackles the problem in a similar manner?it can focus from 0.5 meter to infinity in its standard mode, but has a macro setting that adjusts the range from 0.1 meter to 2 meters. The Sigma DP1 Merrill has a wider 28mm-equivalent f/2.8 lens, but its design allows it to focus from 0.2 meter to infinity at all times. Having the ability to get in a little bit closer than usual with the RX1 is a boon, but the adjustment can be a bit tricky to make as it is a very narrow ring, and there were a couple occasions where I accidentally move it away from one of its settings when squeezing the camera into or taking it out of my gear bag. Thankfully, there is a "Macro" overlay that shows up on the rear display and in the EVF to let you know that close focus mode is engaged.
The RX1 doesn't have quite the control layout of a D-SLR, but it offers enough customization to keep demanding shooters happy. Up top there's the mode dial, a dedicated control dial for Exposure Compensation?three stops in either direction in third-stop increments?and a the C button, which can be customized to perform almost any camera function via the menu system. The On/Off switch sits at the base of the shutter release, which features a threaded design so that it can accept a mechanical release cable or a screw-in soft release button.
On the front of the camera, below and to the right of the lens, is a toggle switch to change between Autofocus, Direct Manual Focus, and Manual Focus. The first and last are self-explanatory in function; Direct Manual Focus allows you to fine tune the focus of a shot after autofocus has locked on. You simply press the shutter halfway down to engage autofocus, and you can turn the focus ring on the lens in order adjust focus manually. It's a nice option for shooters who want the convenience of autofocus, but don't want to have to flip a switch in order to benefit from the control that manual focus provides.
The rear panel houses a control dial?it adjust shutter speed in Shutter Priority and Manual shooting modes. There's also an Auto Exposure Lock button (it can be reprogrammed to perform another function), and a programmable four-way controller that doubles as an additional control dial. You can program three of the four direction presses; the top always changes the amount of information displayed on rear LCD. The wheel action is used to change the selected settings in the overlay menu that opens when you press the Function button; the up, down, left, and right directions are used to navigate through the options contained within.
That menu gives you quick access to common shooting settings?Drive Mode, Flash Mode, Autofocus Area, ISO, Metering Mode, Flash Compensation, White Balance, and others. Most of these can be assigned to one of the camera's programmable buttons. If you configure the RX1 to match your shooting style, you'll seldom have to dive into a menu.
The rear display is 3 inches and features a stunning 1,229k-dot resolution. It's sharper than the 921k-dot displays found on other high-end compacts, which is helpful for confirming critical focus. There's no focus peaking aid for manual focus like there is with Sony interchangeable lens cameras like the Alpha NEX-7, but you can magnify a portion of the frame to check critical focus when in manual focus or Direct Manual Focus mode.
The flash deploys via a physical catch, located on the rear above the LCD. It's on a hinge, but you can't tilt it back like you can with the flash on the NEX-7 and some other Sony cameras. If you want to add a bounce flash, you'll have to invest in an external one that slides into the camera's hot shoe. If you already own a Sony D-SLR or NEX model you can use same strobes, but you'll have to add the Multi-Interface Shoe Adapter ($24.99) if your strobes use the older Minolta hot shoe design.
If you find the prices of the EVF, OVF, and thumb grip shocking, you're not alone. Many have knocked the RX1 for the price of its accessories, and for not including some very basic ones in the box. Sony opted not to include a battery charger; instead, you have to charge the battery in-camera using an included AC adapter. A dedicated charger adds $50 to the cost, and a spare battery is priced at $50 as well. If you opt to buy both, and you should, they are bundled together for a more reasonable $70. But at the end of the day, a $2,800 camera should ship with a dedicated charger. If you run out of juice at the end of a day shooting, you want to be able to swap in a spare battery while the drained one charges so you can keep taking pictures. The lens hood, which serves to reduce the possibility of flare and to protect the lens from damage, is another accessory you'll have to buy separately; it's priced at $180. Similar vented hoods can be found on eBay for less than $10; there's little chance that they'll offer the same build quality as the Sony version, but they'll get the job done.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/eL6uW_-1HCs/0,2817,2416311,00.asp
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Friday, March 8, 2013
Overeem, GSP, Fitch and Weidman: Where did they land on Cagewriter?s Hot or Not list?
Though it's a slow week for MMA fights, it's not for MMA news. Check out who made Cagewriter's Hot and Not list;
Hot ? Georges St-Pierre: After listening to Nick Diaz, his opponent at UFC 158, talk about how pampered GSP is, the welterweight champion went off. His heat comes from the steam he let off when ripping Diaz on a press conference call.
Not ? Alistair Overeem: He was set for a grudge match bout with former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos, but injury knocked him out of their late May bout. Now he will have to wait until later this summer to fight.
Hot ? Jon Fitch: Two weeks ago, he was given the pink slip by the UFC and was pre-emptively turned down by Bellator. This week, he was signed by the World Series of Fighting and is likely to have a bout in June on NBC Sports Network.
Hot ? Chris Weidman: After patiently waiting for months through an injury and Hurricane Sandy, the undefeated New Jersey native is finally getting his shot at Anderson Silva and the middleweight belt. He will fight Silva at UFC 162 this summer.
Not ? Mark Hunt: After Overeem was injured, Hunt said on Twitter that he wanted the fight with dos Santos. After UFC president Dana White said Hunt turned down the bout, Hunt took to Twitter to say that he doesn't turn fights down. No matter who is telling the truth, Hunt won't be riding his winning streak into a top-level fight.
Still taking temperature ? Fallon Fox: The first openly transgender fighter's license is under review as the commission in Florida reviews her medical records. Fox is post-operative and has lived as a woman since 2006.
Who is hot or not in MMA to you? Speak up in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.
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Holy hockey rink? The spot where papal candidate broke a leg on path to Vatican
CADILLAC, Que. - Canadians have long considered hockey sacred ? and soon they might actually get a holy hockey site.
In a life-changing event, a Canadian cardinal now viewed as a contender for the papacy once broke his leg on an outdoor hockey rink in the northwestern Quebec village of Cadillac.
Cardinal Marc Ouellet was a talented 17-year-old forward when his skate blade got caught in a deep crevice during a game. While nursing his aching leg over the following weeks, Ouellet made up his mind to pursue the priesthood.
The birthplaces, childhood abodes and hometown churches of past popes have become hallowed terrain for pilgrims and tourist stops for history buffs.
In Cadillac, wedged between the community's 30-year-old indoor arena and a row of mobile homes, there are no clues an outdoor rink ever existed on the site.
One local, however, remembers the old ice surface well.
Normand Caron, 91, was in charge of maintaining the rink for years, a span that covered the early 1960s ? when Ouellet broke his leg. Caron said the future cardinal, from nearby La Motte, often laced up in Cadillac to play against his son's team.
He's not surprised his ice sheet would have had a skate-snagging fissure in it.
"For sure, at that time it's possible that there were cracks in the ice," Caron said of the rink, which, in the early '60s, was resurfaced the old-fashioned way: shovels and a firehose.
Caron flashed a big grin when asked about the possibility that his choppy ice may have helped put a young man on the path to pope-dom.
"Well, I think that's wonderful, that's beautiful," he said, while adding he doesn't actually remember Ouellet's injury.
"I'm not the one who decides that... But at the same time we would be very happy to see it."
The rink was a popular gathering point in the tiny village, which was merged with the city of Rouyn-Noranda in 2002.
Roch Ouellet told The Canadian Press he was peering over the rink's boards watching the game when his older brother went down.
"There was a crack in the ice and his skate got caught in the crack and the force was too strong ? he broke his leg," said Roch Ouellet, who was 11 or 12 years old at the time.
Marc Ouellet was taken to a woman who was known as the local bone-setter ? or ramancheuse ? despite her lack of formal medical training.
She set his leg in rudimentary fashion and braced it with homemade, wooden splints.
"I lost my season," the cardinal recalled in a 2005 interview with The Canadian Press.
"I started to pray and to read a little more spiritual things because I was unable to play. It was decisive for my vocation."
Marc Ouellet, the third-eldest from a brood of eight kids, honed much of his hockey know-how with his siblings on homemade rinks at a neighbour's place and inside his own family's chicken coop.
Roch Ouellet remembers how the boys weren't allowed to play hockey on the neighbour's rink when the girls wanted to skate.
But inside the chicken coop, the boys made the girls into goaltenders.
"(The girls) took a few pucks ? they took pucks on the head," Roch said with a laugh, adding he's pretty sure Marc was a participant.
"Marc was pretty much my idol. He was a good hockey player."
As an adult, Ouellet continued to play the game and joined a men's league in Val-d'Or, shortly after he became a vicar at the city's St-Sauveur Church.
An old teammate and longtime friend says Ouellet was blessed with a rare combination of God-given attributes: size and soft hands.
Not only could Ouellet pass the puck, he could bury it, says Yvan Boucher.
"He was real good," said Boucher, who first met Ouellet more than 40 years ago.
"He probably could've had a very good career (as a player) because of his size. He was very good on skates, very deft."
Ouellet and Boucher, himself a stout blueliner, helped lead Les Canadiens de Butch Shoe Store to the 1969 regular season championship of the city's men's league.
Boucher invited Ouellet, then 24, to join the team a few months after they first met, shortly before the young vicar baptized his daughter.
Their lasting friendship was cemented thanks, at least in part, to their shared love of hockey.
Boucher and his wife, Claudette, say Ouellet stays overnight at their Val-d'Or home once or twice per year, usually at the end of his visits with family in the region. His hometown is less than an hour's drive away.
Ouellet last spent the night there in the summer, but they saw him in La Motte on New Year's Day.
Ever the hockey fan, the cardinal will sometimes watch Montreal Canadiens games during the NHL season in the Bouchers' living room.
The Bouchers have a recent photo that shows Ouellet sitting with his feet crossed on their ottoman. He has an intense look in his eyes and he appears to be fidgeting nervously with his fingers, transfixed by the game.
Boucher says the image shows his friend watching a Habs game, something he rarely ? if ever ? gets to do in Rome.
"Oh, he adores hockey," said Boucher.
He adds, however, that they've talked less about the game in recent years.
Ouellet, now 68, holds a powerful Vatican position in which he oversees the selection of bishops and recommends his choices to the pope. With the papal conclave starting Tuesday, there is a chance he will be the next to inherit the throne of St. Peter.
"The higher he rises (in the church)," Boucher said, "we have plenty of other things to discuss with him."
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/holy-hockey-rink-spot-where-papal-candidate-broke-180823685--spt.html
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Bosnian woman helped make rape a war crime
Muslim Bosniak woman Nusreta Sivac is seen during the interview with The Associated Press in Sanski Most, 260 kms west of Sarajevo on Tuesday, March 5, 2013. Sivac, a former judge, was one of thousands of women who were raped during Bosnia?s 1992-95 war, as part of a systematic Bosnian Serb rape campaign. After the war, Sivac begun collecting testimonies of other rape victims with a view to making a UN war crimes court in The Hague recognize it as a war crime. Today, largely because of Sivac, people are regularly prosecuted for wartime sexual violence. According to the UN, between 20,000 to 50,000 Bosnian women were raped , many in special rape camps , during the war that was fought between the new country's Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks. (AP Photo/Amel Emric)
Muslim Bosniak woman Nusreta Sivac is seen during the interview with The Associated Press in Sanski Most, 260 kms west of Sarajevo on Tuesday, March 5, 2013. Sivac, a former judge, was one of thousands of women who were raped during Bosnia?s 1992-95 war, as part of a systematic Bosnian Serb rape campaign. After the war, Sivac begun collecting testimonies of other rape victims with a view to making a UN war crimes court in The Hague recognize it as a war crime. Today, largely because of Sivac, people are regularly prosecuted for wartime sexual violence. According to the UN, between 20,000 to 50,000 Bosnian women were raped , many in special rape camps , during the war that was fought between the new country's Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks. (AP Photo/Amel Emric)
Muslim Bosniak woman Nusreta Sivac arrives for work at a Pension Fund in Sanski Most, 260 kms west of Sarajevo on Tuesday, March 5, 2013. Sivac, a former judge, was one of thousands of women who had been raped during Bosnia?s 1992-95 war, as part of a systematic Bosnian Serb rape campaign. Sivac was held and molested at the notorious Serb-run camp Omarska in her native city of Prijedor. After the war, Sivac begun collecting testimonies of other rape victims with a view to making a UN war crimes court in The Hague recognize it as a war crime. Today, largely because of Sivac, people are regularly prosecuted for wartime sexual violence. She returned to Prijedor but could not find work in the now Serb-dominated city where crimes against non-Serbs are still largely denied despite overwhelming evidence collected and made public after the war. According to the UN, between 20,000 to 50,000 Bosnian women were raped, many in special rape camps , during the war that was fought between the new country's Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks. (AP Photo/Amel Emric)
Muslim Bosniak woman Nusreta Sivac stands at the gate of Omarska, an iron ore mine outside her native town of Prijedor, 250 kms west of Sarajevo on Tuesday, March 5, 2013. During Bosnia?s 1992-95 war the mine was used by Bosnian Serbs to detain and torture thousands of Muslim Bosniaks, including Sivac. Sivac was held there and systematically raped for over two months. After the war, Sivac begun collecting testimonies of other rape victims with a view to making a UN war crimes court in The Hague recognize it as a war crime. Today, largely because of Sivac, people are regularly prosecuted for wartime sexual violence. Omarska mine is today owned by the world?s largest steel company Acellor Mittal and survivors of the war time atrocities there are not allowed access to the site. According to the UN, between 20,000 to 50,000 Bosnian women were raped , many in special rape camps , during the war that was fought between the new country's Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks. (AP Photo/Amel Emric)
Muslim Bosniak woman Nusreta Sivac stands at the gate of Omarska, an iron ore mine outside her native town of Prijedor, 250 kms west of Sarajevo on Tuesday, March 5, 2013. During Bosnia?s 1992-95 war the mine was used by Bosnian Serbs to detain and torture thousands of Muslim Bosniaks, including Sivac. Sivac was held there and systematically raped for over two months. After the war, Sivac begun collecting testimonies of other rape victims with a view to making a UN war crimes court in The Hague recognize it as a war crime. Today, largely because of Sivac, people are regularly prosecuted for wartime sexual violence. Omarska mine is today owned by the world?s largest steel company Acellor Mittal and survivors of the war time atrocities there are not allowed access to the site. According to the UN, between 20,000 to 50,000 Bosnian women were raped , many in special rape camps , during the war that was fought between the new country's Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks. (AP Photo/Amel Emric)
Muslim Bosniak woman Nusreta Sivac poses for photo in a war-destroyed house in Sanski Most, 260 kms west of Sarajevo on Tuesday, March 5, 2013. Sivac, a former judge, was one of thousands of women who had been raped during Bosnia?s 1992-95 war, as part of a systematic Bosnian Serb rape campaign. After the war, Sivac begun collecting testimonies of other rape victims with a view to making a UN war crimes court in The Hague recognize it as a war crime. Today, largely because of Sivac, people are regularly prosecuted for wartime sexual violence. According to the UN, between 20,000 to 50,000 Bosnian women were raped , many in special rape camps , during the war that was fought between the new country's Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks. (AP Photo/Amel Emric)
PRIJEDOR, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) ? There were days when she prayed for a bullet to end her suffering. When she thought she was dying of a heart attack, she whispered "Thank you God."
A young judge, Nusreta Sivac was one of 37 women raped by guards at a concentration camp in Bosnia. They never discussed the nightly traumas ? their pained glances were enough to communicate their suffering. She also witnessed murder and torture by Bosnian Serb guards ? and was forced to clean blood from walls and floors of the interrogation room.
She told herself to memorize the names and faces of the tormentors so that one day she might bring them to justice.
Today, it's partly thanks to Sivac's efforts to gather testimony from women across Bosnia that rape has been categorized as a war crime under international law. Thirty people have been convicted at the international war crimes tribunal in The Hague and another 30 cases are ongoing. She personally helped put the man who raped her repeatedly during her two months in captivity behind bars.
"Most of the strength I took from the idea that one day this evil would be over," she told The Associated Press this week ahead of International Women's Day on Friday.
The U.N. Special Representative on sexual violence in conflict said Sivac and other victims are helping to make sure wartime rapists pay for their crimes.
"The courage these women have shown coming forward and sharing their stories demonstrates the need to break the silence and stigma surrounding sexual violence in conflict," said Zainab Hawa Bangura. "These survivors are helping to end impunity by making sure perpetrators are brought to justice."
Bosnia's 1992-95 war was the bloodiest in the series of armed conflicts that erupted when the Yugoslav federation fell apart and its republics began declaring independence. It took over 100,000 lives and devastated the region. According to the UN, between 20,000 to 50,000 Bosnian women were raped ? many in special rape camps ? during the war that was fought between the new country's Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks.
African conflicts have seen even more harrowing figures: Between 250,000 and 500,000 were raped during the Rwandan genocide, and hundreds of thousands more in conflicts in Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Sivac's ordeal started in the spring of 1992 when Bosnian Serbs took control over her native Prijedor, in the northwest of Bosnia and threw Muslim Bosniaks and Catholic Croats in concentration camps. Alongside the women were 3,500 male prisoners, hundreds of whom were killed.
Sivac, a Muslim Bosniak, would start the day counting the bodies of the men who were tortured to death overnight. "Their bodies lay there in the grass in front of the building. Sometimes 20, sometimes 30 of them," she recalled outside the factory in Omarska where she was held for two months.
During the long days of forced labor in the camp's restaurant, the women listened to tortured prisoners screaming, calling for help and begging for mercy with voices that would become weaker until they went silent. Then the guards would force the women to clean the interrogation rooms, strewn with bloody pliers and batons. At night, guards would come to take the women away one by one ? to rape.
Her captivity ended in August 1992 when a group of foreign journalists found the facility. The images of skeletal prisoners behind a fence and naked bodies beaten black and blue shocked the world and prompted an avalanche of reactions that forced the Serb leadership to release the prisoners.
Sivac's pre-war colleague from the Prijedor court, prosecutor Jadranka Cigelj, was also among the 37 Omarska women. The two escaped to neighboring Croatia, where they began collecting testimonies from hundreds of women who had been raped.
They spent years transcribing testimonies, convincing victims to break their silence and putting together legal dossiers which they then presented to the investigators at the International Tribunal for War Crimes in Former Yugoslavia, based in The Hague.
During this process, she said, "it became obvious how many women from all over Bosnia were affected. But I wasn't surprised by the big number."
For centuries, rape was considered a byproduct of wars ? collateral damage suffered by women, horrors often overshadowed by massacres. Even though the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 prohibited wartime rape, no court ever raised charges until Sivac and Cigelj presented their overwhelming evidence.
The effort finally paid off in June 1995 when the two traveled to The Hague to take part in preparations for the first indictment by the Yugoslav war crimes court.
Their collected evidence exposed the magnitude of rape which courts could no longer ignore. According to the United Nations, it was a major "turning point" in recognizing rape as a war crime.
Sivac remembers the sunny July day the two realized their work would be soon rewarded.
They enjoyed a coffee in an outdoor cafe in The Hague and wrote a few postcards back to their torturers in Prijedor.
"Dear Friends," they wrote. "We hope you will soon join us in this wonderful city."
A year later, the tribunal indicted eight Bosnian Serb men for sexual assault in eastern Bosnia ? a verdict based on testimonies collected by Sivac and Cigelj.
It was the first time in history that an international tribunal charged someone solely for crimes of sexual violence.
Nerma Jelacic, spokeswoman for the Yugoslav war crimes court, recalls the "shocking" testimony in subsequent cases where some victims were as young as 12.
"We had cases where both mother and daughter came to testify and both were subjected to same kind of torture and kind of crimes," she told AP.
Sivac who has since testified in several cases, including against Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, is satisfied with what she has achieved, although she wishes the ongoing cases would accelerate. "It's slow, very slow," she said. "But it is a start."
One of the Omarska guards she testified against was released in 2005 after he served two-thirds of his seven-year sentence.
Sivac ran into him on the street one day in Bosnia.
"We stared at each other," she said. "He was the first one to lower his head."
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Thursday, March 7, 2013
FORUM - Research and resources for museum education ...
USA)
Evaluation questions:
??????? Identify what teachers value about the MM2GO exhibits and related pre- and post-lessons;
??????? Gauge students? understanding of the math concepts presented in exhibits and pre- and post- activities;
??????? Gauge students? attitudes about math as a result of MM2GO exhibits and related activities.
Data presentation: Data will be presented in a written report to the Museum of Mathematics.?
Principal evaluator: Randi Korn & Associates, Inc.
Sites where research is being conducted: New Jersey schools
Time span: February - March 2013
Source: http://forum.mccastle.com/2013/03/formative-evaluation-of-math-midway-2.html
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University of Michigan agrees to contract with lecturers union ahead of right to work deadline
The University of Michigan and the Lecturers? Employee Organization announced Wednesday that they have reached a tentative five-year contract that will be ratified one week before new right-to-work legislation takes effect. According to a story in the Detroit News, the previous deal between U-M and the union had been set to expire April 20.
Michigan union members protested right-to-work legislation before it was passed at Michigan's capitol. Since the bill's passing, many unions have reached new deals before the provisions take effect.
J. Scott Park | MLive Media Group
The Lecturers Employee Organization represents about 1,500 non-tenure track instructors on University of Michigan campuses in Ann Arbor, Flint, and Dearborn. The organization?s contract with the university contains language that allows lecturers to either join the union or pay a service fee.Negotiations had been ongoing since November, and a joint statement from the two parties said the agreement was reached in good faith. The contract will be ratified by mail with a deadline of March 21.
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Foster Care & Foster Adoption Informational Meeting | Tapestry
Are you interested in foster care or foster adoption or respite/relief care? Are you wondering if one of these paths is right for your family and how to get started?
If so, join Tapestry on Sunday, March 10, from 2:00 to 4:00 pm, in Room West D for a brief information meeting for anyone interested in knowing more about foster care, adoption from foster care or respite/relief care.?This meeting is a great opportunity to simply get more information about foster care and foster adoption that can help you decide what path might be best for you and your family.
For those wanting to move forward, training classes will be offered at Irving Bible Church in April.?Check the?Tapestry Events page?for more details.
For questions or more information contact Amy Monroe at?tapestry@irvingbible.org.
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Also Found In: News & Events, Tapestry Blog
Source: http://tapestryministry.org/foster-care-foster-adoptio-informational-meeting
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Wednesday, March 6, 2013
How the body's energy molecule transmits 3 types of taste to the brain
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Public release date: 6-Mar-2013[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Karen Kreeger
karen.kreeger@uphs.upenn.edu
215-349-5658
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
PHILADELPHIA Saying that the sense of taste is complicated is an understatement, that it is little understood, even more so. Exactly how cells transmit taste information to the brain for three out of the five primary taste types was pretty much a mystery, until now.
A team of investigators from nine institutions discovered how ATP the body's main fuel source is released as the neurotransmitter from sweet, bitter, and umami, or savory, taste bud cells. The CALHM1 channel protein, which spans a taste bud cell's outer membrane to allow ions and molecules in and out, releases ATP to make a neural taste connection. The other two taste types, sour and salt, use different mechanisms to send taste information to the brain.
Kevin Foskett, PhD, professor of Physiology at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, and colleagues from the Monell Chemical Senses Center, the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, and others, describe in Nature how ATP release is key to this sensory information path. They found that the calcium homeostasis modulator 1 (CALHM1) protein, recently identified by the Foskett lab as a novel ion channel, is indispensable for taste via release of ATP.
"This is an example of a bona fide ATP ion channel with a clear physiological function," says Foskett. "Now we can connect the molecular dots of sweet and other tastes to the brain."
Taste buds have specialized cells that express G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) that bind to taste molecules and initiate a complex chain of molecular events, the final step of which Foskett and collaborators show is the opening of a pore in the cell membrane formed by CALHM1. ATP molecules leave the cell through this pore to alert nearby neurons to continue the signal to the taste centers of the brain. CALHM1 is expressed specifically in sweet, bitter, and umami taste bud cells.
Mice in which CALHM1 proteins are absent, developed by Feinstein's Philippe Marambaud, PhD, have severely impaired perceptions of sweet, bitter and umami compounds; whereas, their recognition of sour and salty tastes remains mostly normal. The CALHM1 deficiency affects taste perception without interfering with taste cell development or overall function.
Using the CALHM1 knockout mice, team members from Monell and Feinstein tested how their taste was affected. "The mice are very unusual," says Monell's Michael Tordoff, PhD. "Control mice, like humans, lick avidly for sucrose and other sweeteners, and avoid bitter compounds. However, the mice without CALHM1 treat sweeteners and bitter compounds as if they were water. They can't taste them at all."
From all lines of evidence, the team concluded that CALHM1 is an ATP-release channel required for sweet, bitter, and umami taste perception. In addition, they found that CALHM1 was also required for "nontraditional" Polycose, calcium, and aversive high-salt tastes, implying that the deficit displayed in the knockout animals might best be considered as a loss of all GPCR-mediated taste signals rather than simply sweet, bitter and umami taste.
Interestingly, CALHM1 was originally implicated in Alzheimer's disease, although the link is now less clear. In 2008, co-author Marambaud identified CALHM1 as a risk gene for Alzheimer's. They discovered that a CALHM1 genetic variant was more common among people with Alzheimer's and they went on to show that it leads to a partial loss of function. They also found that this novel ion channel is strongly expressed in the hippocampus, a brain region necessary for learning and memory. So far, there is no connection between taste perception and Alzheimer's risk, but Marambaud suspects that scientists will start testing this hypothesis.
###
Co-authors include Akiyuki Taruno, Valerie Vingtdeux, Makoto Ohmoto, Zhongming Ma, Gennady Dvoryanchikov, Ang Li, Leslie Adrien, Haitian Zhao, Sze Leung, Maria Abernethy, Jeremy Koppel, Peter Davies, Mortimer M. Civan, Nirupa Chaudhari, Ichiro Matsumoto, and Goran Hellekant.
This work was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health (GM56328, MH059937, NS072775, DC10393, EY13624, R03DC011143, P30 EY001583, P30DC011735).
Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $4.3 billion enterprise.
The Perelman School of Medicine is currently ranked #2 in U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $479.3 million awarded in the 2011 fiscal year.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities include: The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania -- recognized as one of the nation's top "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report; Penn Presbyterian Medical Center; and Pennsylvania Hospital the nation's first hospital, founded in 1751. Penn Medicine also includes additional patient care facilities and services throughout the Philadelphia region.
Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2011, Penn Medicine provided $854 million to benefit our community.
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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.
Public release date: 6-Mar-2013[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Karen Kreeger
karen.kreeger@uphs.upenn.edu
215-349-5658
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
PHILADELPHIA Saying that the sense of taste is complicated is an understatement, that it is little understood, even more so. Exactly how cells transmit taste information to the brain for three out of the five primary taste types was pretty much a mystery, until now.
A team of investigators from nine institutions discovered how ATP the body's main fuel source is released as the neurotransmitter from sweet, bitter, and umami, or savory, taste bud cells. The CALHM1 channel protein, which spans a taste bud cell's outer membrane to allow ions and molecules in and out, releases ATP to make a neural taste connection. The other two taste types, sour and salt, use different mechanisms to send taste information to the brain.
Kevin Foskett, PhD, professor of Physiology at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, and colleagues from the Monell Chemical Senses Center, the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, and others, describe in Nature how ATP release is key to this sensory information path. They found that the calcium homeostasis modulator 1 (CALHM1) protein, recently identified by the Foskett lab as a novel ion channel, is indispensable for taste via release of ATP.
"This is an example of a bona fide ATP ion channel with a clear physiological function," says Foskett. "Now we can connect the molecular dots of sweet and other tastes to the brain."
Taste buds have specialized cells that express G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) that bind to taste molecules and initiate a complex chain of molecular events, the final step of which Foskett and collaborators show is the opening of a pore in the cell membrane formed by CALHM1. ATP molecules leave the cell through this pore to alert nearby neurons to continue the signal to the taste centers of the brain. CALHM1 is expressed specifically in sweet, bitter, and umami taste bud cells.
Mice in which CALHM1 proteins are absent, developed by Feinstein's Philippe Marambaud, PhD, have severely impaired perceptions of sweet, bitter and umami compounds; whereas, their recognition of sour and salty tastes remains mostly normal. The CALHM1 deficiency affects taste perception without interfering with taste cell development or overall function.
Using the CALHM1 knockout mice, team members from Monell and Feinstein tested how their taste was affected. "The mice are very unusual," says Monell's Michael Tordoff, PhD. "Control mice, like humans, lick avidly for sucrose and other sweeteners, and avoid bitter compounds. However, the mice without CALHM1 treat sweeteners and bitter compounds as if they were water. They can't taste them at all."
From all lines of evidence, the team concluded that CALHM1 is an ATP-release channel required for sweet, bitter, and umami taste perception. In addition, they found that CALHM1 was also required for "nontraditional" Polycose, calcium, and aversive high-salt tastes, implying that the deficit displayed in the knockout animals might best be considered as a loss of all GPCR-mediated taste signals rather than simply sweet, bitter and umami taste.
Interestingly, CALHM1 was originally implicated in Alzheimer's disease, although the link is now less clear. In 2008, co-author Marambaud identified CALHM1 as a risk gene for Alzheimer's. They discovered that a CALHM1 genetic variant was more common among people with Alzheimer's and they went on to show that it leads to a partial loss of function. They also found that this novel ion channel is strongly expressed in the hippocampus, a brain region necessary for learning and memory. So far, there is no connection between taste perception and Alzheimer's risk, but Marambaud suspects that scientists will start testing this hypothesis.
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Co-authors include Akiyuki Taruno, Valerie Vingtdeux, Makoto Ohmoto, Zhongming Ma, Gennady Dvoryanchikov, Ang Li, Leslie Adrien, Haitian Zhao, Sze Leung, Maria Abernethy, Jeremy Koppel, Peter Davies, Mortimer M. Civan, Nirupa Chaudhari, Ichiro Matsumoto, and Goran Hellekant.
This work was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health (GM56328, MH059937, NS072775, DC10393, EY13624, R03DC011143, P30 EY001583, P30DC011735).
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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/uops-htb030413.php
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