The sci-fi remake brings the futuristic police officer back to Detroit.
By Kevin P. Sullivan
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uymhgtMQzCt-rpo_Dpr7XnJW778DvX1HH-CzxzrcHpddIq6SS4KJiwbx-iLqtPxQJaL00d2-TM1c9z-ZNZfEHU8Krcs9pWVFkDopPIBtE=s0-d){kind=small}
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 7-Nov-2013
ShareContact: Jim Fessenden
james.fessenden@umassmed.edu
508-856-2000
University of Massachusetts Medical School
WORCESTER, MA Using three dimensional modeling techniques, advanced computer simulation and next generation sequencing technology, faculty at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have resolved a long-standing debate that has consumed scientists ever since chromosomes were first observed under the light microscope by Walther Flemming in 1878.
In an article that appears in the online edition of Science, UMMS Professor Job Dekker, PhD, and colleagues show new evidence for a general principal of condensed, mitotic chromosome organization and structure that is highly adaptable and common to all cells. This new insight into how chromosomes are disassembled and reassembled during cell division will allow researchers to begin answering basic questions about epigenetic inheritance, as well as human disease such as chromosome disorders and cancer.
"Over the last several decades there have been conflicting theories for how the DNA is organized inside these chromosomes," said Dr. Dekker, co-director of the Program in Systems Biology at UMMS and senior author of the Science study. "We now have a model that incorporates this seemingly contradictory data and points to a single and simple process for condensed chromosome organization across all cell types. With this knowledge, we can begin asking very specific questions about how inheritance works and what happens when the process goes awry."
One of the most widely recognized biological structures in the cell, the tightly wound and elongated chromosome with its classic X-shaped structure can be easily discerned under a microscope and has been a common image in text books and popular scientific literature for decades. Despite this prevalence, technical limitations in microscopic studies have led to competing models for how the DNA is organized inside these chromosomes.
In its normal state, a cell's DNA is distributed in the cell nucleus over a relatively large area. Previous work from Dekker and colleagues had shown that points of interaction along the chromosome influence gene expression and are the reason why different cell types are organized differently in three dimensions. But in order to separate and be distributed successfully to each daughter cell, the chromosomes need to be tightly condensed and neatly packaged for transport and transmission to daughter cells.
One set of theories posed that the long DNA molecules are coiled up hierarchically into successively thicker fibers to ultimately form the sausage-like mitotic chromosomes. An alternate set of models proposed that the DNA forms a series of loops that are then attached to a linear axial structure that forms the backbone of the chromosome.
Different lines of experimental evidence supported both models, preventing ruling either theory in or out. In order to isolate the 3D structure of the chromosome during metaphase, the authors used a combination of chromosome conformation capture technologies (3C, 5C and Hi-C) developed by the Dekker lab over the last decade to map the points of contact along the mitotic chromosome in different cell types synchronized to divide at the same time. The complex sets of data this yielded provided the backbone for understanding the three dimensional structure and spatial organization of these chromosomes.
Next, Dekker and the team, led by Leonid Mirny, PhD, associate professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, developed sophisticated computer simulations using polymer models of the DNA molecule for the two competing theories for mitotic chromosome organization. Plugging each model into the simulation, Dekker, Mirny and colleagues found that their chromosome conformation capture data was inconsistent with the classical, hierarchical model. Instead, they found that during metaphase the chromosome was being packaged in a two phase process. In the first phase, chromatin loops of 80,000 to 120,000 DNA base pairs form, radiating out from a scaffold and compacting the chromosome linearly. This was followed by axial compression of the chromosome, much like a spring being compressed, resulting in a neat, tightly folded package.
"Each cell type, whether blood, skin or liver cell, has a unique structure and organization that is closely tied to gene expression and function," said Dekker. "When the cell begins to divide that structure is disassembled. The specific patterns or organization tied to cell type are stripped away and the universal mitotic chromosome is formed. The process results in each cell being condensed and repackaged in a way that is common across cells types and points to a fundamental process of cell biology."
"When you look at the condensed chromosome it appears to be highly organized," said Dekker. "But the truth is that the process is very variable and adaptable because these chromatin loops form randomly along the chromosomes, which makes the process incredibly robust and adaptable."
Natalia Naumova, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at UMMS and one of the lead authors of the study said, "We didn't expect that the chromosome would be organized this way. This stochastic process, which is locally random, results more globally in a high degree of stability and robustness, which is needed for cells to divide successfully."
The next step for Dekker, Mirny and their teams is to determine what, precisely, is guiding the disassembling and reassembling of the chromosome. "Because most transcription largely ceases in mitosis, and many proteins dissociate from the chromosome, something has to be responsible for reassembling chromosomes after cell division according to their cell type. Understanding the organization of the mitotic chromosome will help to understand how things go wrong in disease caused by chromosome disorder such as cancer or Down syndrome."
###
About the University of Massachusetts Medical School
The University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS), one of five campuses of the University system, is comprised of the School of Medicine, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, the Graduate School of Nursing, a thriving research enterprise and an innovative public service initiative, Commonwealth Medicine. Its mission is to advance the health of the people of the Commonwealth through pioneering education, research, public service and health care delivery with its clinical partner, UMass Memorial Health Care. In doing so, it has built a reputation as a world-class research institution and as a leader in primary care education. The Medical School attracts more than $240 million annually in research funding, placing it among the top 50 medical schools in the nation. In 2006, UMMS's Craig C. Mello, PhD, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator and the Blais University Chair in Molecular Medicine, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, along with colleague Andrew Z. Fire, PhD, of Stanford University, for their discoveries related to RNA interference (RNAi). The 2013 opening of the Albert Sherman Center ushered in a new era of biomedical research and education on campus. Designed to maximize collaboration across fields, the Sherman Center is home to scientists pursuing novel research in emerging scientific fields with the goal of translating new discoveries into innovative therapies for human diseases.
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.
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 7-Nov-2013
ShareContact: Jim Fessenden
james.fessenden@umassmed.edu
508-856-2000
University of Massachusetts Medical School
WORCESTER, MA Using three dimensional modeling techniques, advanced computer simulation and next generation sequencing technology, faculty at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have resolved a long-standing debate that has consumed scientists ever since chromosomes were first observed under the light microscope by Walther Flemming in 1878.
In an article that appears in the online edition of Science, UMMS Professor Job Dekker, PhD, and colleagues show new evidence for a general principal of condensed, mitotic chromosome organization and structure that is highly adaptable and common to all cells. This new insight into how chromosomes are disassembled and reassembled during cell division will allow researchers to begin answering basic questions about epigenetic inheritance, as well as human disease such as chromosome disorders and cancer.
"Over the last several decades there have been conflicting theories for how the DNA is organized inside these chromosomes," said Dr. Dekker, co-director of the Program in Systems Biology at UMMS and senior author of the Science study. "We now have a model that incorporates this seemingly contradictory data and points to a single and simple process for condensed chromosome organization across all cell types. With this knowledge, we can begin asking very specific questions about how inheritance works and what happens when the process goes awry."
One of the most widely recognized biological structures in the cell, the tightly wound and elongated chromosome with its classic X-shaped structure can be easily discerned under a microscope and has been a common image in text books and popular scientific literature for decades. Despite this prevalence, technical limitations in microscopic studies have led to competing models for how the DNA is organized inside these chromosomes.
In its normal state, a cell's DNA is distributed in the cell nucleus over a relatively large area. Previous work from Dekker and colleagues had shown that points of interaction along the chromosome influence gene expression and are the reason why different cell types are organized differently in three dimensions. But in order to separate and be distributed successfully to each daughter cell, the chromosomes need to be tightly condensed and neatly packaged for transport and transmission to daughter cells.
One set of theories posed that the long DNA molecules are coiled up hierarchically into successively thicker fibers to ultimately form the sausage-like mitotic chromosomes. An alternate set of models proposed that the DNA forms a series of loops that are then attached to a linear axial structure that forms the backbone of the chromosome.
Different lines of experimental evidence supported both models, preventing ruling either theory in or out. In order to isolate the 3D structure of the chromosome during metaphase, the authors used a combination of chromosome conformation capture technologies (3C, 5C and Hi-C) developed by the Dekker lab over the last decade to map the points of contact along the mitotic chromosome in different cell types synchronized to divide at the same time. The complex sets of data this yielded provided the backbone for understanding the three dimensional structure and spatial organization of these chromosomes.
Next, Dekker and the team, led by Leonid Mirny, PhD, associate professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, developed sophisticated computer simulations using polymer models of the DNA molecule for the two competing theories for mitotic chromosome organization. Plugging each model into the simulation, Dekker, Mirny and colleagues found that their chromosome conformation capture data was inconsistent with the classical, hierarchical model. Instead, they found that during metaphase the chromosome was being packaged in a two phase process. In the first phase, chromatin loops of 80,000 to 120,000 DNA base pairs form, radiating out from a scaffold and compacting the chromosome linearly. This was followed by axial compression of the chromosome, much like a spring being compressed, resulting in a neat, tightly folded package.
"Each cell type, whether blood, skin or liver cell, has a unique structure and organization that is closely tied to gene expression and function," said Dekker. "When the cell begins to divide that structure is disassembled. The specific patterns or organization tied to cell type are stripped away and the universal mitotic chromosome is formed. The process results in each cell being condensed and repackaged in a way that is common across cells types and points to a fundamental process of cell biology."
"When you look at the condensed chromosome it appears to be highly organized," said Dekker. "But the truth is that the process is very variable and adaptable because these chromatin loops form randomly along the chromosomes, which makes the process incredibly robust and adaptable."
Natalia Naumova, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at UMMS and one of the lead authors of the study said, "We didn't expect that the chromosome would be organized this way. This stochastic process, which is locally random, results more globally in a high degree of stability and robustness, which is needed for cells to divide successfully."
The next step for Dekker, Mirny and their teams is to determine what, precisely, is guiding the disassembling and reassembling of the chromosome. "Because most transcription largely ceases in mitosis, and many proteins dissociate from the chromosome, something has to be responsible for reassembling chromosomes after cell division according to their cell type. Understanding the organization of the mitotic chromosome will help to understand how things go wrong in disease caused by chromosome disorder such as cancer or Down syndrome."
###
About the University of Massachusetts Medical School
The University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS), one of five campuses of the University system, is comprised of the School of Medicine, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, the Graduate School of Nursing, a thriving research enterprise and an innovative public service initiative, Commonwealth Medicine. Its mission is to advance the health of the people of the Commonwealth through pioneering education, research, public service and health care delivery with its clinical partner, UMass Memorial Health Care. In doing so, it has built a reputation as a world-class research institution and as a leader in primary care education. The Medical School attracts more than $240 million annually in research funding, placing it among the top 50 medical schools in the nation. In 2006, UMMS's Craig C. Mello, PhD, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator and the Blais University Chair in Molecular Medicine, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, along with colleague Andrew Z. Fire, PhD, of Stanford University, for their discoveries related to RNA interference (RNAi). The 2013 opening of the Albert Sherman Center ushered in a new era of biomedical research and education on campus. Designed to maximize collaboration across fields, the Sherman Center is home to scientists pursuing novel research in emerging scientific fields with the goal of translating new discoveries into innovative therapies for human diseases.
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.
Their relationship may be long gone, but Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston are still at odds over their son, Tripp.
Though the former vice presidential candidate's daughter has had full custody of the little boy, her former fiancée has filed a petition asking for equal custody of the child.
In the documents, the 23-year-old asks for as much time with his son as the 4-year-old's mother. However, Bristol responded claiming that he owes $66,000 in child support, hinting that the request is financially motivated.
Back in 2008, the pair experienced happy times, announcing both their engagement and her pregnancy during the presidential election. Young love didn't last, though, and the two broke off their engagement in December 2008, reunited, then called it quits in August 2010. Since then, Levi married Sunny Oglesby.
Outraged at claims by In Touch magazine that he "abandoned" Suri after his divorce, Tom Cruise opened up about their relationship in a deposition filed as part of his $50 million lawsuit against the publisher.
During the interrogation, the "Mission Impossible" star was asked by Bauer Publishing attorneys to admit that he didn't see his daughter for over 100 days from August 4, 2012 until Thanksgiving.
Citing his filming schedule for "All You Need Is Kill" in London, the 50-year-old actor noted, "Unfortunately in this situation it was impossible."
However, he said he called the little girl almost daily, explaining, "you have to work at it. I've gotten very good at it. I tell wonderful stories. I also find that, you know, Suri is a very happy child, and confident, and has a good sense of herself."
Asked about other situations where he was invited to visit, Tom shared, "Things change and there is different agreements, like in any divorce, where you work out schedules. It's just a different set of circumstances. It certainly does not mean that I've abandoned my daughter." As an interesting note, the high-profile Scientologist did admit that Suri was no longer practicing the controversial religion.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Insurance cancellations are fueling a political backlash against President Barack Obama and Democrats supporting his health care overhaul.
The president apologized Thursday for the turmoil some consumers are going through, but there may yet be a silver lining as far as the law itself.
It's Economics 101, a little-noticed consequence of a controversial policy decision. And there are winners and losers.
Millions of people who currently buy their own health insurance coverage are losing it next year because their plans don't meet requirements of the health care law. But experts say the resulting shift of those people into the new health insurance markets under Obama's law would bring in customers already known to insurers, reducing the overall financial risks for each state's insurance pool.
That's painful for those who end up paying higher premiums for upgraded policies. But it could save money for the taxpayers who are subsidizing the new coverage.
"Already-insured people who do roll over will improve the risk pool, not hurt it," said David Axene, a California-based actuarial consultant for health plans, hospitals, government programs and employers.
Compared to the uninsured, people with coverage are less likely to have a pent-up need for medical services, he explained. They may have already had that knee replacement instead of hobbling around on a cane. They're also more likely to have seen a doctor regularly.
"The current individual market enrollees are definitely a good addition to the risk pool," concurred Larry Levitt, an insurance expert with the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation.
At some point, all these customers had to pass extensive medical screening that insurers traditionally use to screen out people with health problems. Such filtering will no longer be allowed starting next year, and a sizable share of the uninsured people expected to gain coverage under Obama's law have health problems that has kept them from getting coverage. They'll be the costly cases.
Obama had sold his health care overhaul as a win all around. Uninsured Americans would get coverage and people with insurance could keep their plans if they liked them, he said. In hindsight, the president might have wanted to say that you could keep your plan as long as your insurer or your employer did not change it beyond certain limits prescribed by the government.
That test proved too hard for many plans purchased directly by individuals, leading to a wave of cancellations affecting at least 3.5 million people, based on an AP survey in which about half the states reported data.
"I am sorry that they ... are finding themselves in this situation, based on assurances they got from me," Obama said in an NBC interview, adding that the administration will do "everything we can" to help.
The new plans under Obama's law generally guarantee a broader set of basic benefits and provide stronger financial protection in cases of catastrophic illness.
"There is change coming to the individual marketplace with consumer protections that many people have never enjoyed or experienced," Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told senators this week.
But better coverage also costs more.
"The loser is the consumer who is paying higher premiums to subsidize Obamacare, and who was paying lower premiums because they were in another plan before," said Bob Laszewski, a health care industry consultant critical of the law.
Ian Hodge of Lancaster, Pa., fears he'll lose out financially. He and his wife are in their early 60s, so Hodge said "we really don't worry about maternal care," one of the guaranteed benefits in the new plans. The Hodges recently got a cancellation notice and they're concerned a new plan may costs them hundreds of dollars more than they are paying now.
"We are the persons who President Obama wants to pay more in health care so we can subsidize some of the people who will pay less," said Hodge.
A new analysis backs up his instinct. The study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that people who already have individual coverage, like the Hodges, are less likely to qualify for the tax credits that will make coverage more affordable through the health law's insurance markets.
According to the findings, 73 percent of potential customers who are uninsured will be eligible for tax credits that limit their premiums to a fixed percentage of their income. However, fewer than 40 percent of those who currently have individual health insurance will qualify.
In Congress, the Republican-controlled House is expected to vote next week on legislation permitting insurance companies to continue selling individual policies already in existence, even if they fall short of the law. The vote could pose a difficult choice to Democrats, who favor the law but also have been critical that it does not live up to Obama's pledge.
Separately, Senate legislation would provide for a one-year delay in the law's requirement for individuals to purchase insurance or pay a penalty. Under the measure, backed by Sens. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., and Joe Manchin, D-W. Va., that requirement would take effect on Jan. 1, 2015.
___
Associated Press writers David Espo in Washington and Michael Rubinkam in Allentown, Pa., contributed to this report.
She has no problem sharing her thoughts on Twitter, but Kylie Jenner may have stepped over the line with her recent comments about a specific mental illness.
On Wednesday (November 6), the "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" star posted an old pic donning her darker locks and added the caption, "I miss my black hair I'm so bipolar :(."
Unfortunately, the politically incorrect comment didn't sit too well with other Twitter users. One observer fired back with, "Kylie Jenner just tweeted 'I miss my black I'm so Bipolar :(' . No, you're not 'so Bipolar', you're indecisive... and a moron."
Another wrote, "That was 100% the dumbest and most ignorant use of the word bipolar."
Miss Jenner has yet to respond to the negative tweets at this time.
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 7-Nov-2013
ShareContact: Mauricio Diazgranados
espeletias@gmail.com
Pensoft Publishers
A joint research led by the Smithsonian Institution (US), Saint Louis University (US) and Universidad de Los Andes (Venezuela) resulted in the discovery of an exciting new species from the daisy family. The two expeditions in the paramos high up in the Venezuelan Andes were crowned by the discovery of the beautiful and extraordinary, Coespeletia palustris. The study was published in the open access journal Phytokeys.
The species of the genus Coespeletia are typical for high elevations and six of seven described species in total are endemic to the heights of the Venezuelan Andes; the 7th species comes from northern Colombia, but needs further revision according to the authors of the study. Most of the species are restricted to very high elevations, in a range between 38004800 m. The specifics of such habitat are believed to be the reason behind the peculiar and unrepeated pollen characteristics of the genus.
This new species Coespeletia palustris, is found in a few marshy areas of the paramo, and is endemic to the Venezuelan Andes. Pramo can refer to a variety of alpine tundra ecosystems, and is often described with its geographical confinements in the Andes. The pramo is the ecosystem of the regions above the continuous forest line, yet below the permanent snowline.
"Even after decades of studies and collections in the paramos, numerous localities remain unstudied." Explains Dr. Mauricio Diazgranados. "The new species described in this paper is called "palustris" because of the marshy habitat in which it grows. High elevation marshes and wetlands are among the ecosystems which are most impacted by climate change. Therefore this species may be at a certain risk of extinction as well."
###
Original Source:
Diazgranados M, Morillo G (2013) A new species of Coespeletia (Asteraceae, Millerieae) from Venezuela. PhytoKeys 28: 918. doi: 10.3897/phytokeys.28.6378
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.
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 7-Nov-2013
ShareContact: Mauricio Diazgranados
espeletias@gmail.com
Pensoft Publishers
A joint research led by the Smithsonian Institution (US), Saint Louis University (US) and Universidad de Los Andes (Venezuela) resulted in the discovery of an exciting new species from the daisy family. The two expeditions in the paramos high up in the Venezuelan Andes were crowned by the discovery of the beautiful and extraordinary, Coespeletia palustris. The study was published in the open access journal Phytokeys.
The species of the genus Coespeletia are typical for high elevations and six of seven described species in total are endemic to the heights of the Venezuelan Andes; the 7th species comes from northern Colombia, but needs further revision according to the authors of the study. Most of the species are restricted to very high elevations, in a range between 38004800 m. The specifics of such habitat are believed to be the reason behind the peculiar and unrepeated pollen characteristics of the genus.
This new species Coespeletia palustris, is found in a few marshy areas of the paramo, and is endemic to the Venezuelan Andes. Pramo can refer to a variety of alpine tundra ecosystems, and is often described with its geographical confinements in the Andes. The pramo is the ecosystem of the regions above the continuous forest line, yet below the permanent snowline.
"Even after decades of studies and collections in the paramos, numerous localities remain unstudied." Explains Dr. Mauricio Diazgranados. "The new species described in this paper is called "palustris" because of the marshy habitat in which it grows. High elevation marshes and wetlands are among the ecosystems which are most impacted by climate change. Therefore this species may be at a certain risk of extinction as well."
###
Original Source:
Diazgranados M, Morillo G (2013) A new species of Coespeletia (Asteraceae, Millerieae) from Venezuela. PhytoKeys 28: 918. doi: 10.3897/phytokeys.28.6378
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.
FILE - In this Jan. 18, 2012, file photo, Alexes Garcia makes cinnamon rolls for student's lunch in the kitchen at Kepner Middle School in Denver. The rolls are made using apple sauce instead of trans fats. Heart-clogging trans fats have been slowly disappearing from grocery aisles and restaurant menus in the last decade as nutritionists have criticized them and local governments have banned them. The Food and Drug Administration is now finishing the job as they announce Nov. 7, 2013, that it will require the food industry to gradually phase out trans fats, saying they are a threat to the health of Americans.(AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, File)
FILE - In this Jan. 18, 2012, file photo, Alexes Garcia makes cinnamon rolls for student's lunch in the kitchen at Kepner Middle School in Denver. The rolls are made using apple sauce instead of trans fats. Heart-clogging trans fats have been slowly disappearing from grocery aisles and restaurant menus in the last decade as nutritionists have criticized them and local governments have banned them. The Food and Drug Administration is now finishing the job as they announce Nov. 7, 2013, that it will require the food industry to gradually phase out trans fats, saying they are a threat to the health of Americans.(AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Heart-clogging trans fats have been slowly disappearing from grocery aisles and restaurant menus in the last decade. Now, the Food and Drug Administration is finishing the job.
The FDA announced Thursday it will require the food industry to gradually phase out artificial trans fats, saying they are a threat to people's health. Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said the move could prevent 20,000 heart attacks and 7,000 deaths each year.
Hamburg said that while the amount of trans fats in the country's diet has declined dramatically in the last decade, they "remain an area of significant public health concern." The trans fats have long been criticized by nutritionists, and New York City and other local governments have banned them.
The agency isn't yet setting a timeline for the phase-out, but it will collect comments for two months before officials determine how long it will take. Different foods may have different timelines, depending how easy it is to find a substitute.
"We want to do it in a way that doesn't unduly disrupt markets," said Michael Taylor, FDA's deputy commissioner for foods. Still, he says, the food "industry has demonstrated that it is, by and large, feasible to do."
Though they have been removed from many items, the fats are still found in processed foods, including in some microwave popcorns and frozen pizzas, refrigerated doughs, cookies, biscuits and ready-to-use frostings. They are also sometimes used by restaurants that use the fats for frying. Many larger chains have phased them out, but smaller restaurants may still get food containing trans fats from suppliers.
Trans fats are widely considered the worst kind for your heart, even worse than saturated fats, which also can contribute to heart disease. Trans fats are used both in processed food and in restaurants, often to improve the texture, shelf life or flavor of foods. Diners shouldn't be able to detect a taste difference if trans fats are replaced by other fats.
To phase them out, the FDA said it had made a preliminary determination that trans fats no longer fall in the agency's "generally recognized as safe" category, which is reserved for thousands of additives that manufacturers can add to foods without FDA review. Once trans fats are off the list, anyone who wants to use them would have to petition the agency for a regulation allowing it, and that would likely not be approved.
The fats are created when hydrogen is added to vegetable oil to make it more solid, which is why they are often called partially hydrogenated oils. The FDA is not targeting small amounts of trans fats that occur naturally in some meat and dairy products, because they would be too difficult to remove and aren't considered a major public health threat on their own.
Scientists say there are no health benefits to trans fats and say they can raise levels of so-called "bad" cholesterol, increasing the risk of heart disease — the leading cause of death in the United States.
Many companies have already phased out trans fats, prompted by new nutrition labels introduced by FDA in 2006 that list trans fats and an by an increasing number of local laws that have banned them. In 2011, Wal Mart pledged to remove all artificial trans fats from the foods the company sells by 2016.
As a result of the local and federal efforts and many companies' willingness to remove them, consumers have slowly eaten fewer of the fats. According to the FDA, trans fat intake among American consumers declined from 4.6 grams per day in 2003 to around one gram per day in 2012.
Dr. Leon Bruner, chief scientist at the Grocery Manufacturers Association, said in a statement his group estimates that food manufacturers have voluntarily lowered the amount of trans fats in food products by 73 percent.
The group, which represents the country's largest food companies, did not speculate on a reasonable timeline or speak to how difficult the move may be for some manufacturers. Bruner said in a statement that "consumers can be confident that their food is safe, and we look forward to working with the FDA to better understand their concerns and how our industry can better serve consumers."
FDA officials say they have been working on trans fat issues for around 15 years — the first goal was to label them — and have been collecting data to justify a possible phase-out since just after President Barack Obama came into office in 2009.
The advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest first petitioned FDA to ban trans fats nine years ago. The group's director, Michael Jacobson, says the move is "one of the most important lifesaving actions the FDA could take."
He says the agency should try to move quickly as it determines a timeline.
"Six months or a year should be more than enough time, especially considering that companies have had a decade to figure out what to do," Jacobson said.
___
Follow Mary Clare Jalonick on Twitter: http://twitter.com/mcjalonick
Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-11-07-FDA-Trans%20Fats/id-26773dba998a47c388bc1d3b1148ceadSure to bring tears to your eyes, the trailer for “Winter’s Tale” hit the web on Thursday (November 7).
Colin Farrell and Jessica Brown star in the flick as unlikely lovers, battling to stay together through a number of obstacles.
Based on the imaginative novel by Mark Helprin, the flick also stars Jennifer Connelly, William Hurt and Russell Crowe.
It is slated to hit theaters on Valentine’s Day 2014. Check out the trailer below!
Back in 2012 Barnes and Noble introduced built-in frontlighting to the ereader
     |
Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/94lQHbu76Yg/nook-glowlight-review-pretty-screen-silly-body-1459631385WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal officials say there is no island of debris from the 2011 Japanese tsunami floating toward the United States.
Some media reports have warned of a Texas-sized island of wreckage, based on a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration map of tsunami debris.
But NOAA marine debris chief Nancy Wallace says that's not true. She said Thursday that there's an area in the Pacific where debris is likely to concentrate more, but there's not much there.
She said if you were on a boat in that area, the chances are you'd only be able to see maybe one or two pieces of debris.
NOAA estimates 1.5 million tons of tsunami debris is dispersed across the vast northern Pacific, but officials have only verified 35 items as from the tsunami.
Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/b2f0ca3a594644ee9e50a8ec4ce2d6de/Article_2013-11-07-US-SCI-Tsunami-Debris/id-99d0e32faf5642baa99123da55ee1df8WASHINGTON (AP) — Reflecting Americans' increasing acceptance of gays, the Senate on Thursday approved legislation that would bar workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Gay rights advocates hailed the bipartisan, 64-32 vote as a historic step although it could prove short-lived. A foe of the bill, Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, has signaled that the Republican-led House is unlikely to even vote. Senate proponents were looking for a way around that obstacle.
Seventeen years after a similar anti-discrimination measure failed by one vote, 54 members of the Senate Democratic majority and 10 Republicans voted for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. It is the first major gay rights bill since Congress repealed the ban on gays serving openly in the military three years ago.
"All Americans deserve a fair opportunity to pursue the American dream," said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, a chief sponsor of the bill.
Proponents cast the effort as Congress following the lead of business and localities as some 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies and 22 states have outlawed employment discrimination against gay, bisexual and transgender Americans.
Supporters described it as the final step in a long congressional fight against discrimination, coming nearly 50 years after enactment of the Civil Rights Act and 23 years after the Americans with Disabilities Act.
"Now we've finished the trilogy," said Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, a chief sponsor of the disabilities law, at a Capitol Hill news conference.
Two Republican senators who voted against anti-discrimination legislation in 1996, Arizona's John McCain, the presidential nominee in 2008, and Orrin Hatch of Utah, backed the measure this time. Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski voted in favor; her father, Frank, opposed a similar bill nearly two decades ago, underscoring the generational shift.
"Let the bells of freedom ring," said Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., who took the lead on the legislation from the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass.
Senate passage came in a momentous year for gay rights advocates. The Supreme Court in June granted federal benefits to legally married same-sex couples, though it avoided a sweeping ruling that would have paved the way for same-sex unions nationwide. Illinois is on the verge of becoming the 15th state to legalize gay marriage along with the District of Columbia.
A Pew Research survey in June found that more Americans said homosexuality should be accepted rather than discouraged by society by a margin of 60 percent to 31 percent. Opinions were more evenly divided 10 years ago.
In the House, Boehner has maintained his longstanding opposition despite pleas from national Republicans for the GOP to broaden its appeal to a fast-changing demographic. Boehner argues that the bill is unnecessary and would touch off costly, meritless lawsuits for businesses.
President Barack Obama and Democrats used the progressive legislation piling up in the House as a cudgel on the GOP, with the gay rights bill likely to join the stalled measure to overhaul the immigration system.
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said if the House fails to act, "they'll be sending their party straight to oblivion."
Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois reminded Boehner of the history of his party in the 1880s over the issue of slavery and Abraham Lincoln's life work.
"Keep that proud Republican tradition alive," Durbin said.
Obama, in a statement, said "one party in one house of Congress should not stand in the way of millions of Americans who want to go to work each day and simply be judged by the job they do."
Gay rights advocates reminded Obama that he could act unilaterally and issue an executive order barring anti-gay workplace discrimination by federal contractors. Chad Griffin, the president of the Human Rights Campaign, said Obama is empowered to act and called on him to sign the executive order.
One possible option exists for proponents, adding the gay rights bill to the annual defense policy measure that the Senate will consider later this month and force the House to reject the popular legislation.
Through three days of Senate debate, opponents of the legislation remained mute, with no lawmaker speaking out. That changed on Thursday, as Republican Sen. Dan Coats of Indiana said the legislation would force employers to violate their religious beliefs.
"There's two types of discrimination here we're dealing with, and one of those goes to the very fundamental right granted to every American through our Constitution, a cherished value of freedom of expression and religion," Coats said.
Current federal law prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, race and national origin. But it doesn't stop an employer from firing or refusing to hire workers because they are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.
The bill would bar employers with 15 or more workers from using a person's sexual orientation or gender identity as the basis for making employment decisions, including hiring, firing, compensation or promotion. It would exempt religious institutions and the military.
The Senate approved an amendment from Republican Sens. Rob Portman of Ohio and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire that would prevent federal, state and local governments from retaliating against religious groups that are exempt from the law.
The Senate rejected an amendment sponsored by Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania that would have expanded the number of groups that are covered under the religious exemption.
Portman, Ayotte and Toomey voted for the legislation.
The first openly gay senator, Democrat Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, called the vote a "tremendous milestone" that she will always remember throughout her time in the Senate.
Sens. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., did not vote. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., a supporter of the bill, said his wife underwent heart surgery this week and he was unable to make the vote.
____
Follow Donna Cassata on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DonnaCassataAP
Android has a face only an engineer could love. At least, that's the reputation it has earned over the past few years. Google's mobile OS is a hotbed of mobile innovation and new technologies, but its interface doesn't have the friendly consumer-centric design of iOS or Windows Phone. With Android 4.4 KitKat, Google aims to address this shortcoming, while baking-in a handful of nifty new features.
But the plastic surgery is incomplete. While iOS7 is easily identifiable by its flat bright colors and lightweight fonts, and Windows Phone carries on with Live Tiles, the KitKat interface has no single recongnizable trait. Yes, it's flatter and brighter, but what isn't these days? Worse, the redesign seems pushed out the door too early. Scratch beneath the surface, and you'll find built-in apps and menus that haven't been udpated to the new look. There's a lot to like in Google's first name-branded OS release, but I can't help but this sweet treat isn't quite ready to be unwrapped.
The Notifications bar on KitKat is no longer a solid color and instead blends in with the rest of the screen, while the application drawer makes better use of the real estate.Here it is, Android users: your newly polished, flatter interface. Google did away with the technophile neon blue-and-black color scheme and adopted a lighter, whiter palette that looks and feels friendlier and borrows some of its look from competitors like Windows Phone 8 and iOS 7.
Select from wallpapers, place a widget, or tamper with the settings panel by holding down on the Home screen.Though I only used it on the speedy quad-core Nexus 5, screen-to-screen transitions in KitKat feel smoother than in previous versions of Android, and icons are bigger and more detailed. Even the application drawer feels like a big breath of fresh air; you can no longer peruse through widgets or jump into the Google Play store from there. Now if you want to add a widget, all you have to do is hold down on the Home screen to bring up a menu that lets you add widgets, customize the wallpaper, and choose your launcher. This action feels more intuitive than past versions, which require that you dig through the application drawer to do anything to the Home screen besides change the wallpaper. It's a perfect example of Google's minor design improvements.
The rest of the interface remains seemingly untouched, however. The Notifications shade has new icons, but the Settings panel looks the same. Minor apps, like the Calculator or News & Weather, appear neglected. It's almost as if Google rushed through Android 4.4 in an attempt not to fall behind its competitors. Not that it will matter much, since only a small portion of Android users will get to experience the new interface in its native state. The vast majority will see whatever skin Samsung, HTC, or LG imposes on them.
The Notifications shade features new icons, but overall it retains the same look as Jelly Bean.If you've used the Chromebook Pixel, you'll notice that the interface is somewhat similar, a clear indicator that Google is moving toward a universal set of design guidelines to bind all of its products. For now, consider KitKat's new interface an introductory course into what's to come in Google's future.
KitKat really pushes Google's services on you, and desperately wants to collect your data, but it also makes it clear what it's collecting, how it's used, and gives you more options to opt out.
Android 4.4 features a new Locations panel that is more explicit about which apps are utilizing location services and for what purpose. From the Notifications shade, you can click through to the Location settings and choose, on an app-by-app basis, whether to allow Location services or not, and how your location should be determined. If you want more accuracy, you can combine GPS, Wi-Fi, and mobile network towers. If you want to save battery, turn off GPS. Or, use only GPS should Wi-Fi or mobile networks be unavailable. You can also peep which applications made recent location requests, as well as edit the individual Google location settings for any apps that make use of the data.
Notice, too, that the Settings panel remains dressed in Jelly Bean's dark interface, and it doesn't really match up with what the rest of KitKat has going on in the design department.
KitKat offers more information about how Android and other apps are using your location.The Google Settings application first introduced in Jelly Bean is stuffed with more options. Now you can check up on your advertising ID, a semi-permanent alpha-numerical tag attached to your Google account to let the company know which ads to push out to you. You can also opt out of interest-based ads and control the ones that are delivered to you, and when you tap on those options Android will point you to Google's official FAQ on the matter.
Find out what else is going on with your information from the Google Settings app.Google has certainly taken a step forward by offering a separate settings panel for your Google account, but they're difficult to parse, and it's unfortunate that they're sequestered away from the device's main Settings panel. It would have been better if Google could somehow tuck these options under the Accounts section of the regular Settings panel, keeping everything in a single logical location.
We've reached the point where the phones in our pockets are so far removed from the phones of yesteryear that updates to the app that actually makes phone calls are worthy of praise. In KitKat, Google dedicated resources to an application that is often forgotten on other platforms, pegging the dialar as a marquee feature.
Android 4.3's Dialer app is plain and simple, but 4.4's aims to be a little more contextual.The Dialer app sports the new interface and opens with your favorite contacts front and center, as well as your recent calls, instead of that boring grid of numbers. Google has finally acknowledged that we rarely make calls on our phones by dialing numbers on a keypad. Thankfully, Google made it easier to search through your contacts by name, making that ability the first thing you see.
Once you press send to call a business, you'll see Caller ID pop up.You can also look up places of business based on a search term. It didn't work too well for me in the beginning, but after a few tries it managed to eventually bring up places related to my inquiry. The screen can get crowded with information, though, when you're just trying to call a friend or family member. When I typed in "Mom," it also brought up the numbers for the parking garages near the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art ("MOMA"). I don't like the long listing of extra numbers, but at least the information was useful.
The Caller ID function works, too, but an image will only show up if the business or person has a Google+ profile. The interface for this function also looks like it reverts back to Jelly Bean, as evidenced by its black options bar.
Beginning early next year, Google will also show you the Google+ profile for incoming calls—even those who are not in your circles—essentially turning the app into a full-fledged phone directory. It's clear that Google wants you to use its social networking service for connecting with others. Whether this will translate into more true Google+ users remains to be seen, though the company is certainly trying to convert Android users into Google+ users.
In KitKat, Google Now resides in its own Home screen panel, similar to the way BlinkFeed takes up a panel on the HTC One's Sense UI. To get to it, all you have to do is swipe over all the way to the left—or you can shout at your device, “Okay, Google.” You'll have to wake up the screen for this to work; Google didn't just give the whole world the MotoX's best feature.
Google Now continues to be Android’s strongest feature. In KitKat, you can customize it without waiting for the Cards to pop up by scrolling down to the very bottom and tapping the wand icon. You can input your favorite sports teams or stocks, set up your most frequented Places, and choose your preferences for everything else, like when other Cards should appear.
There is also a dedicated Reminders panel that lists past, present, and upcoming reminders, and you can easily add one through voice or text input.
The more tightly integrated Google Now is more than a gentle nudge to use the service for all of your searchable needs. Google is almost forcing you to gravitate toward it now that it's a part of your Home screen.
Peer into the settings and you can customize Google Now to your liking, without waiting for Cards to pop up.The new features in Google Now may possibly see their way over to other versions of Android in a future update, but for now these enhancements are only available on KitKat.
I’ve always appreciated Android's little things—the minor enhancements that you don’t normally read about in an advertising campaign, and the things you don’t realize are there until you start digging for them.
Tap and Pay and Google's Cloud Print services are now an integrated part of the Android operating system.Just as was rumored, Google integrated its Cloud Print services directly into the Android operating system. You can now access the printer settings from the Settings panel and print documents to any cloud-enabled printer. You can also use Google Cloud Print to save a document to Google Drive.
Then, there is the Tap & Pay feature, which works with the Google Wallet app and lets you do things like pay for groceries where NFC is supported. It is also available from the Settings panel, though you don't actually set anything up within that screen, but in the seperate Wallet application.
Frequent readers will also appreciate that Google now offers the ability for some of its applications to run in full-screen mode. The next time you're engrossed in a new novel, your mother's text messages won't distract you.
KitKat now features an easy-to-use Fullscreen mode for apps like Google Books.Google also improved the step detector and step counter platform within KitKat, though you won't really notice the benefits until third-party developers start implementing it into their applications.
From its list of features, KitKat sounds tasty, and Android 4.4 is certainly a step in the right direction. Its interface is bright and inviting and the newly added secondary features like Cloud Print integration and a new Dialer application should help make stock Android even more consumer friendly. You also have top-level access to Google+ and Google Now, so there's no excuse not to take advantage of Google's most hottest features.
A lot of popular phones will get upgraded to KitKat in the next couple months, though Google has stated that the voice-activated search and some Home screen features will remain exclusive to the Nexus 5 for now. Hopefully by the time KitKat makes its way to your device, Google will have tied up some the loose ends—adopting the new design in all of its core apps and consolidating the myriad of new settings. Or, it can continue to torture us like it did with Jelly Bean by making only incremental changes to the entire Android package with each release, spacing out core app updates by months.
DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (AP) — The ruthless commander behind the attack on teenage activist Malala Yousafzai as well as a series of bombings and beheadings was chosen Thursday as the leader of the Pakistani Taliban, nearly a week after a U.S. drone strike killed the previous chief.
The militant group ruled out peace talks with the government, accusing Pakistan of working with the U.S. in the Nov. 1 drone strike. Islamabad denied the allegation and accused Washington of sabotaging its attempt to strike a deal with the Taliban to end years of violence.
Mullah Fazlullah was unanimously appointed the new leader by the Taliban's leadership council, or shura, after several days of deliberation, said the council's head, Asmatullah Shaheen Bhitani. Militants fired AK-47 assault rifles and anti-aircraft guns into the air to celebrate.
The previous chief, Hakimullah Mehsud, was killed by the drone in the North Waziristan tribal area near the Afghan border. He was known for a bloody campaign that killed thousands of Pakistani civilians and security personnel, a deadly attack on a CIA base in Afghanistan and was believed to be behind the failed bombing in New York's Times square in 2010. The U.S. had put a $5 million bounty on his head,
Mehsud's killing had outraged Pakistani officials. The government said the drone strike came a day before it planned to send a delegation of clerics to invite the Pakistani Taliban to hold peace talks, although many analysts doubted a deal was likely.
Bhitani, the Taliban shura leader, said the group would not join peace talks with the government, accusing Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of selling out the group when he met with President Barack Obama in Washington on Oct. 23.
"We will take revenge on Pakistan for the martyrdom of Hakimullah," Bhitani told The Associated Press by telephone from an undisclosed location in North Waziristan, where the shura met.
The Pakistani government did not immediately respond to request for comment on the Taliban comments or the appointment of Fazlullah.
Pakistani Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has said he asked the U.S. ambassador in Islamabad, Richard Olson, not to carry out any drone attacks while Islamabad was pursuing peace talks with domestic Taliban militants.
The Pakistani Taliban withdrew an offer to hold talks in May after their deputy leader was killed in a U.S. drone strike but warmed to negotiations again after Sharif took office in June. It's unclear if the government will be able to coax the militants back to the table again, especially since Fazlullah is known to be such a hard-liner.
Pakistani officials have criticized the drone strikes in public, saying they violate the country's sovereignty and kill too many civilians. But the government is known to have secretly supported at least some of the attacks, especially when they targeted enemies of the state.
The Pakistani Taliban is an umbrella organization of militant groups formed in 2007 to overthrow the government and install a hard-line form of Islamic law. Based in the country's remote tribal region, the group also wants Pakistan to end its support for the U.S. fight in Afghanistan. The Afghan and Pakistani Taliban are allies but have generally directed their attacks on opposite sides of the border.
Fazlullah, believed to be in his late 30s, served as the Pakistani Taliban's leader in the northwest Swat Valley but is now believed to be hiding in Afghanistan. He rose to prominence through radio broadcasts demanding the imposition of Islamic law, earning him the nickname "Mullah Radio."
His group began infiltrating the valley in 2007 and spread fear among residents by beheading opponents, blowing up schools, holding public floggings, forcing men to grow beards and preventing women from going to markets.
The military invaded Swat in 2009 after a peace deal with the militants fell apart. The offensive pushed most of the fighters out of the valley, and Fazlullah escaped to Afghanistan. But periodic attacks continue in Swat.
Fazlullah and his group carried out the attack on Malala, who was shot in the head while on her way home from school in October 2012. She was targeted after speaking out against the Taliban over its interpretation of Islam, which limits girls' access to education.
The shooting sparked international outrage, and Malala was flown to the United Kingdom, where she underwent surgery to repair the damage to her skull.
She has since become an even more vocal critic of the Taliban and advocate for girls' education, earning her international acclaim, including the European Parliament's Sakharov Award, its top human rights prize. On her 16th birthday, she delivered a speech at the United Nations in New York. She was considered a front-runner for this year's Nobel Peace Prize and met with Obama at the White House.
Malala's representatives said she declined to comment on Fazlullah's appointment. Attempts to reach her father also were unsuccessful.
Fazlullah also claimed responsibility for the deaths of a Pakistani army general and two other soldiers in a roadside bombing near the Afghan border in September. The killings outraged the military and raised questions about whether the Taliban had any real interest in negotiating peace.
Imtiaz Gul, head of the Islamabad-based Center for Research and Security Studies, said Fazlullah became the Pakistani army's "enemy No. 1" after the attack on the general.
Fazlullah is the first leader of the Pakistani Taliban not to come from the Mehsud tribe based in South Waziristan. The group's first leader, Baitullah Mehsud, also was killed by a U.S. drone strike in 2009.
Some Mehsud commanders were unhappy with the decision to appoint Fazlullah but eventually agreed under pressure from some of the group's senior members, said a Pakistani intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to journalists.
Khalid Haqqani was chosen as the new deputy leader of the Pakistani Taliban, said Bhitani, the head of the shura. The new deputy is from the northwest Pakistani district of Swabi and bears no apparent relation to the Afghan Haqqani network that is fighting U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
___
Abbot reported from Islamabad. Associated Press writers Rebecca Santana and Asif Shahzad contributed to this report from Islamabad.
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The father of Bristol Palin's son is seeking at least equal custody.
Levi Johnston filed a petition for custody last month saying he wants 4-year-old Tripp to be in his mother's and father's lives equally.
The couple had agreed in 2010 that Palin would have primary physical custody and the two would share legal custody, according to Thomas Van Flein, Palin's attorney at that time. Johnston was given visitation and had agreed to pay child support.
Palin's current attorney, John Tiemessen, said that as of Oct. 15, the Child Support Services Division reported that Johnston owed about $66,000 in back support.
Palin and Johnston were thrust into the national spotlight as expectant, unwed teenagers in 2008, when Palin's mother, Sarah Palin, was tapped as the Republican vice presidential candidate.
Johnston and Bristol Palin had an on-off relationship before splitting for good. He has since married and has a daughter.
Bristol Palin has appeared in several reality series, including one for Lifetime that documented her life as a single mom.
