UK blocks aid to Rwanda over Congo rebel claims

LONDON/KIGALI (Reuters) - Britain said on Friday it was withholding 21 million pounds of aid which was about to be paid to Rwanda because of "credible" reports the government in Kigali is supporting rebels in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Britain, one of Rwanda's largest donors, is the latest Western ally to freeze aid after a United Nations report said Rwanda was behind an eight-month-old rebellion responsible for the worst fighting in eastern Congo for years.

The Kigali government said it was disappointed with the move and that blaming Rwanda for the latest bout of violence in the region might suit short-term political gains but would not end the conflict.

"This action harms Rwanda and does nothing to help the DRC," Rwanda's foreign minister Louise Mushikiwabo said.

The U.N. report accused Rwanda of coordinating the creation of the rebel movement as well as military operations - charges Rwanda has denied.

However, British International Development Secretary Justine Greening said Rwanda had breached the principles underpinning their bilateral aid relationship. She said the 21 million pounds of support due in December for the government's general budget would not be paid.

"The government has already set out its concerns over credible and compelling reports of Rwandan involvement with M23 in DRC," Greening said.

The M23 rebellion poses the biggest threat to Congolese President Joseph Kabila's leadership in years and threatens to develop into all-out war after the rebels seized the eastern city of Goma 10 days ago.

M23 commanders said this week they would vacate North Kivu's provincial capital. On Friday, however, the reluctance of some rank and file fighters to withdraw from the border city was complicating a deal brokered with regional governments.

BUDGET SUPPORT

Britain had already frozen budget support to Rwanda in July, after a U.N. interim report accused officials in Rwanda of backing M23.

The findings prompted other Western partners, including the European Union and the United States, to suspend aid to Rwanda, which relies on such support for about 40 percent of its budget.

However, Britain's former international development secretary Andrew Mitchell unblocked part of the cash in September, praising the Rwandan state for what he said were its constructive efforts to solve the conflict.

Britain is the biggest bilateral donor to Rwanda's general budget, and is the country's second largest bilateral donor of aid overall after the United States.

Britain's Department for International Development (DFID) planned to spend 75 million pounds this financial year on total bilateral aid to Rwanda and is now looking at alternatives to general budget support, for instance aid provided through sector-specific programmes or NGOs.

"Justine Greening will look at the issue of general budget support in the light of progress made by the Government of Rwanda on the partnership principles. She will consider options on how the UK can continue to help protect the poorest in Rwanda," a DFID spokesman said.

(Editing by Angus MacSwan and Greg Mahlich)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/uk-blocks-aid-rwanda-over-congo-rebel-claims-155615232.html

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Tristan Foerster Presents ClimatePartner and Climate Change ...

Ecosummit TV: Tristan Foerster, Managing Director of ClimatePartner, talks about climate change management and explains what companies can do to protect the climate. First, companies have to measure, avoid and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Then they can offset their residual carbon footprint which cannot be reduced any further by buying CO2 certificates in the market. In fact, we are doing it and cooperate with ClimatePartner as Ecosummit?s carbon offset partner. Together we made both ECO12 Berlin and ECO12 D?sseldorf carbon neutral. Do you know other cleantech conferences that invest in being climate neutral?

ECO12 Berlin Tristan Foerster ClimatePartner

ECO12 Jan Michael Hess Tristan Foerster Climate Neutral Ecosummit Certificate

ECO12 Berlin Tristan Foerster ClimatePartner

Tags: Carbon Offset, Cleantech, Climate Change Management, Climate Neutral, Climate Protection, ClimatePartner, ECO12 Berlin, Ecosummit TV, Smart Green Business Network, Sustainability Management, Tristan Foerster


Source: http://ecosummit.net/articles/tristan-foerster-presents-climatepartner-and-climate-change-management

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French court clears Continental of Concorde crash

9 hrs.

VERSAILLES, France -- A French appeals court on Thursday absolved Continental Airlines of blame for a 2000 Concorde crash that killed 113 people and cleared a mechanic at the U.S. airline of the charge of involuntary manslaughter.

The verdict comes over a decade after the accident helped to spell the end of the supersonic airliner. A previous court ruled that a small metal strip that fell onto the runway from a Continental aircraft just before the Concorde took off from Paris, caused the crash.

Continental was originally fined 200,000 euros and ordered to pay the Concorde's operator, Air France, a million euros in damages. Continental appealed the verdict which it described as unfair and absurd.

Welder John Taylor was cleared of a 15-month suspended prison sentence for having gone against industry norms and used titanium to forge the piece that dropped off the plane.

Continental, now part of United Continental Holdings , had been ordered under the original ruling to pay 70 percent of any damages payable to families of victims. Airbus parent EADS would have to pay the other 30 percent.

The crash sped up the demise of the droop-nosed Concorde - the fastest commercial airliner in history and a symbol of Franco-British co-operation - as safety concerns coupled with an economic downturn after 9/11 drove away its wealthy customers.

The Air France Concorde, carrying mostly German tourists bound for a Caribbean cruise, was taking off from Paris on July 25, 2000 when an engine caught fire. Trailing a plume of flames, it crashed into a hotel near Charles de Gaulle airport. All 109 passengers and four people on the ground died.

After modifications, the plane returned to service but its operators, Air France and British Airways, retired it in 2003, citing high operating costs and a drop in demand.?

Copyright 2012 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/travel/french-court-clears-continental-concorde-crash-1C7325956

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November Sales Disappoint; What Happened to Black Friday's 13 ...

?Sales at stores open at least a year declined in November at major American store chains, including Macy?s, Nordstrom, Kohl?s and Target, sending a shiver through the retail world Thursday.

The reporting period included Thanksgiving and Black Friday, the official kickoff of the critical holiday shopping season. Early reports regarding those days had been mixed, and the individual retailers? dim results suggest a big challenge in the coming weeks for retailers.?

?

?

Thomson Reuters tracks major retailers actual sales results ? not surveys ? and the most recent data was disappointing. Sales at stores open at least a year gained 1.6% increase in November. This is far below the nonsensical 13% number the?National Retail Federation (NRF) trumpets to gullible journalists. It was even below the 3.3% increase consensus of analysts.

The NYT rounds up some of the sales figures, and they are not pretty:

Kohl?s sales -5.6% (vs expectations of +1.9%)

Target -1% (vs +2.1%)

Nordstrom -1.1% (vs +4.3%)

Macy?s -0.7% (vs + 1.5%)

There were a few winners:

Costco +6%

Limited? +5%

Gap +3%

We won?t get the final holiday sales figures til January, but you can be pretty comfortable with the premise that there will not be an increase of 13% of retail sales this holiday season.

The lesson here is pretty stark. Be very aware of what you accept as a data source. Understand the differences between hard numbers ? i.e., sales receipts ? and squishy emotional guesses produced by surveying consumers.

The bottom line:? The NRF is an industry shill group that produces nonsensical spin that misleads investors, fools the public, and bamboozles incompetent journalists. Any writer who uncritically reprints their nonsense deserves to be fired; any media outlets that publishes their junk should be put quarantined and put on your DO NOT READ list.

?

?

?

Previously:

Black Friday Skepticism (Finally!) Goes Mainstream (November 23rd, 2012)

Black Friday?s Media Hall of Shame (November 28, 2012)

?

Source:
Sales at Nation?s Retailers Fell Short of Expectations in November
STEPHANIE CLIFFORD
NYT, November 29, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/30/business/sales-at-nations-retailers-fall-sh...

Source: http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2012/11/november-sales-disappoint-what-happened-to-black-fridays-13/

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Exome Analysis Pipeline for Rare Variant Calling, Prioritization and ...

Group-8: Artika Nath, Piyush Ranjan, Angela Pena and Monica Rojas

?

Pipeline

Screen Shot 2012-11-29 at 6.04.06 PM

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A: Selecting the Exome Sequence from 1000 Genomes Project

The exome sequence selected, from the 1000 Genomes Project,?for exome analysis and variant calling was HG01112 corresponding to Colombian nationality. Following are the bam and bai files representing the exome:

HG01112.mapped.ILLUMINA.bwa.CLM.exome.20111114.bam

HG01112.mapped.ILLUMINA.bwa.CLM.exome.20111114.bam.bai

The reference genome used for this exome analysis project was 1000 Genomes project phase II reference genome hs37d5.fa.gz which is integrated reference sequence from the GRCh37 primary assembly (chromosomal plus unlocalized and unplaced contigs).

?

B: Variant Calling Using different Tools Calling variants?

(i)????? Generating BCF fies

We used SAMtools?mpileup to call the variants which were initially put into BCF files.

Command:?samtools mpileup -ugf hs37d5.fa HG01112.mapped.ILLUMINA.bwa.CLM.exome.20111114.bam | bcftools view -bvcg ? > HG01112.bcf

(ii)??? Generating VCF files

BCF file was converted to VCF file using bcftools in the SAMtools package

Command:?bcftools view HG01112.bcf?| vcfutils.pl varFilter -D 100 > HG01112.vcf

?

C: Annotating and Filtering the Variants using Different Tools

(i) VAT: Variant Annotation Tool (Habegger et al. 2012) which is designed as computational framework to functionally annotate variants in the exome using a cloud-computing environment. VAT uses GENCODE which is part of the ENCODE project to annotate the variants.

Filters were placed based on selecting only non synonymous and premature stops.

Command:?cat HG01112.vcf | snpMapper ../VAT/gencode7.interval ../VAT/gencode7.fa > HG01112_annotated.vcf

(ii) ANNOVAR:?Functional annotation of genetic variants from high-throughput sequencing data (Wang et al. 2010).?ANNOVAR tool annotates single nucleotide variants and indels, it also looks for finding variants on conserved regions and identifying variants which have been identified and reported in the 1000 Genomes Project and dbSNP.

Filtering using ANNOVAR was done as shown in the table below:

Annovar filtering

(iii) GATK for variant filtration:?After you run two or more variant annotation/analysis programs, each of which outputs a vcf file, you have to combine them into a single vcf file. This task was done using GATK combine variants utility:

http://www.broadinstitute.org/gatk/gatkdocs/org_broadinstitute_sting_gatk_wal...

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Top 20 Pathogenic Variants:

Untitled

D: Analysis of Pathogenic variants

We analyzed four variants in-depth.

selected_genes

We looked for evidence for or against pathogenicity, including conservation, 3-D structure, experimental data (from GWAS or case-control studies, experiments with mouse models), clinical data (if available), population data (frequency of variant in different populations.? For this purpose, we retrieved information from several GWAS databases described below:

(i) dbGaP:?dbGaP is the database of Genotypes and Phenotypes. It was developed to archive and distribute the results of studies that have investigated the interaction of genotype and phenotype. Such studies include genome-wide association studies (GWAS), medical sequencing, molecular diagnostic assays, as well as association between genotype and non-clinical traits. It is available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gap

(ii) A Catalog of Published Genome-Wide Association Studies:?This is an online catalog of SNP-trait associations from published genome-wide association studies for use in investigating genomic characteristics of trait/disease-associated SNPs (TASs). It is available at http://www.genome.gov/gwastudies/

(iii) GWAS Central:?GWAS Central (previously the Human Genome Variation database of Genotype-to-Phenotype information) is a database of summary level findings from genetic association studies, both large and small. It is available at https://www.gwascentral.org/index

(iv) Gen2Phen (G2P):?G2P is a knowledge Centre that host the results obtained from the GEN2PHEN project. The GEN2PHEN project aims to unify human and model organism genetic variation databases towards increasingly holistic views into Genotype-To-Phenotype (G2P) data, and to link this system into other biomedical knowledge sources via genome browser functionality.?It is available at http://www.gen2phen.org/

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E: Functional Characterization of Variants

?

1. CTNND2:

Function: Gene encodes an adhesive junction protein called delta-catenin which is implicated in brain and eye development.

Conservation: The CTNND2 gene is conserved in chimpanzee, Rhesus monkey, dog, cow, mouse, rat, chicken,??? zebrafish, fruit fly, and mosquito. The conserved regions are ICP4 whichhas two broad?transcriptional?regulatory domains and armadillo/beta-catenin-like repeats (an approximately 40 amino acid long tandemly repeated sequence)

Pathogenicity: CTNND2 is located on the short arm of chromosome 5 which is the critical regions for autism spectrum disorder (Harvard et al., 2005), mental/neurological disorders (Medina et al. 2000)and Cri du Chat syndrome.

Heterzygous deletion of short arm of chromosome 5 where CTNND2 is located has been found in Cri-du-Chat syndrome (Medina et al., 2000).

GWAS studies in Chinese populations showed that SNPs (rs6885224 and rs12716080) in the non coding region of CTNND2 which is located inside the linkage interval of MYP16 is strongly associated with high myopia (cause of visual impairment) (Li et al., 2011; Lu et al., 2011). However, minor allele C present at rs6885224 was shown to protect against myopia in the Lu et al study but was associated with risk for myopia in Li et al study.

In addition, a rare copy number variant as disrupts the CTNND2 a result of duplication which has been associated with schizophrenia. (Vrijenhoek et al., 2008)

Overexpression of CTNND2 has been seen in prostate tumors (Bertucci et al, 2006) and breast tumors (Lu et al., 209)

References

Medina?M,? Marinescu?RC,? Overhauser?J,? Kosik?KS. (2000) .?Hemizygosity of delta-catenin (CTNND2) is associated with severe mental retardation in Cri-du-Chat syndrome.?Genomics; ?63:157?164.

Bertucci?F,?Finetti?P,?Cervera?N,?et al. (2006).?Gene expression profiling shows medullary breast cancer is a subgroup of basal breast cancers.?Cancer Res; 66:4636?4644.

Lu?Q,? Zhang?J,?Allison?R,? et al. (2009) ?Identification of extracellular delta-catenin accumulation for prostate cancer detection.?Prostate; 69:411?418.

Vrijenhoek T, ?Buizer-Voskamp JE, ?Stelt I et al. (2008) Recurrent CNVs Disrupt Three Candidate Genes in Schizophrenia Patients. Am J Hum Genet; 83(4): 504?510.

Harvard C, Malenfant P, Koochek M, Creighton S, Mickelson EC, Holden JJ, Lewis ME et al. (2005)? A variant Cri du Chat phenotype and autism spectrum disorder in a subject with de novo cryptic microdeletions involving 5p15.2 and 3p24.3-25 detected using whole genomic array CGH.?Clin. Genet.?;67:341?351.

Medina M, Marinescu RC, Overhauser J, Kosik KS. et al. (2000) Hemizygosity of delta-catenin (CTNND2) is associated with severe mental retardation in cri-du-chat syndrome.?Genomics; 63:157?164

Lu B,?Jiang D,?Wang P,?Gao Y,?et al.2011. Replication study supports CTNND2 as a susceptibility gene for high myopia. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci.;52:8258-8261.

Li YJ, Goh L, Khor CC, et al. (2011) Genome-wide association studies reveal genetic variants in CTNND2 for high myopia in Singapore.?Chinese. Ophthalmology;118:368?375.

?

2. GOLGA8B:

Function: Gene encodes for a protein Golgin A8 family, member B that belong to the family of Golgins.?Golgins constitute a family of proteins that are localized to the Golgi apparatus and their?main function is the glycosylation and transport of proteins and lipids in the secretory?pathway.

Conservation: The GOLGA8B gene is conserved in Mouse, Dog, and Elephant.

Pathogenicity: GOLGA8B is located on the complementary strain in large arm of chromosome 15 and it contains 14 exons. Its size is 58.29kb (NC_000015.9) and encodes for a protein of 603 a.a in length (NP_001018861.3). There are more than 50 variations reported for this gene, most of them located in the Exon 14.? Evidence from a GWAS study suggests that variations in the gene GOLGA8B may be related with susceptibility to develop myopia and eye refractive errors in human populations (Solouki et al. 2010).

GWAS Report: Solouki and collaborators published in 2010 a paper entitled ?A genome-wide association study identifies a susceptibility locus for refractive errors and myopia at 15q14? In this study a cohort of 5,328 individual from a Dutch population were screened. Researcher found a significant association (p-value: 2.21?10-14) between eye refractive errors and a locus in the chromosome 15q14 (rs634990).? The odds ratio of myopia compared to hyperopia for the minor allele (minor allele frequency = 0.47) was 1.41 (95% CI 1.16-1.70) for individuals heterozygous for the allele and 1.83 (95% CI 1.42-2.36) for individuals homozygous for the allele. An interesting observation derived from this study is that this chromosome position is located near to genes that are expressed in the retina (GJD2 and ACTC1) and it appears to harbor regulatory elements that may be involved in the transcription of these genes.? The main conclusion in this study was that common variants at 15q14 might influence susceptibility for refractive errors in the general population. GOLGA8B is precisely located in this locus and it contains more than 50 SNPs described to date. However the variation that we are reporting is a new one in the exon 3 of the gene.

References

1. Solouki et al. A genome-wide association study identifies a susceptibility locus for refractive errors and myopia at 15q14. 2010. NATURE GENETICS, 42(10): 897-903.

2. G.A.Thorisson, O.Lancaster, R.C.Free, R.K.Hastings, P.Sarmah, D.Dash, S.K.Brahmachari, A.J.Brookes.?HGVbaseG2P: a central genetic association database.?2009. Nucleic Acids Research, 37:D797-802

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3. PWWP2A:

Function: Gene encodes for a protein 2A containing a PWWP domain. According with the Conserved Domain Database (CDD) for the functional annotation of proteins the PWWP domain, named for a conserved Pro-Trp-Trp-Pro motif, is a small domain consisting of 100-150 amino acids, which is found in numerous proteins that are involved in cell division, growth and differentiation. Most PWWP-domain proteins seem to be nuclear, often DNA-binding, proteins that function as transcription factors regulating a variety of developmental processes.?For example, the PWWP domain is essential in DNA methyltransferase 3 B (Dnmt3b) that is responsible for establishing DNA methylation patterns during embryogenesis and gametogenesis. In tumorigenesis, DNA methylation by Dnmt3b is known to play a role in the inactivation of tumor suppressor genes. In addition, a point mutation in the PWWP domain of Dnmt3b has been identified in patients with ICF syndrome (immunodeficiency, centromeric instability, and facial anomalies), a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by hypomethylation of classical satellite DNA.

Conservation: The PWWP2A gene is conserved in chimpanzee, Rhesus monkey, dog, mouse, rat,?chicken, and zebrafish.

Pathogenicity: PWWP2A gene is located on the complementary strain of the ?q? arm in chromosome 5 and it contains 4 exons. It has been identified three transcript variants that produces three isoform of the protein: a, b and c. There is not experimental evidence for direct association between the gene and any diseases.

GWAS Report:? According with the Catalog of Published Genome-Wide Association Studies Available at: www.genome.gov/gwastudies two variations located in the intergenic region between PWWP2A and FABP6 has been (rs2546371 and rs4921110) associated with Waist-Hip ratio trait (the waist circumference measurement divided by the hip circumference measurement), both of them have the same significant p-value: 8.645?10-5. For both men and women, a waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) of 1.0 or higher is considered ?at risk? for undesirable health consequences, such as heart disease and ailments associated with OVERWEIGHT. Variation identified may be part of regulatory sequences that control the expression of PWWP2A and FABP6.

Picture1

Reference

1. Hindorff LA, MacArthur J (European Bioinformatics Institute), Morales J (European Bioinformatics Institute), Junkins HA, Hall PN, Klemm AK, and Manolio TA. A Catalog of Published Genome-Wide Association Studies. Available at: www.genome.gov/gwastudies. Accessed [Nov 25, 2012].

4. AGXT:

Function: Gene encodes for an enzyme alanine-glyoxylate aminotransferase (AGXT), which is a hepatic enzyme that converts glyoxylate to glycine. This gene is located in the large arm of the chromosome 2 (2q37.3) and it is expressed only in the liver.? The encoded protein is functionally active in the peroxisomes, where it is involved in glyoxylate detoxification. Mutations in this gene, some of which alter subcellular targetting, have been associated with type I primary hyperoxaluria.

Conservation: The AGXT gene is conserved in chimpanzee, Rhesus monkey, dog, cow, mouse, rat,?chicken, zebrafish, fruit fly, mosquito, C.elegans, S.cerevisiae, K.lactis, M.oryzae,?N.crassa, A.thaliana, and rice.

Pathogenicity: Mutations in this gene, some of which alter subcellular targeting, have been associated with type I primary hyperoxaluria (PH1). Absence of AGT activity results in conversion of glyoxylate to oxalate, which is not capable of being degraded. Excess oxalate is excreted in the urine, causing kidney stones (urolithiasis), nephrocalcinosis, and kidney failure. As kidney function declines, blood levels of oxalate increase markedly, and oxalate combines with calcium to form calcium oxalate deposits in the kidney, eyes, heart, bones, and other organs, resulting in systemic disease. Pyridoxine (vitamin B6), a cofactor of AGT, is effective in reducing urine oxalate excretion in some PH1 patients.

GWAS Report:? According with the GWAS Central?available at: http://www.gwascentral.org/study/HGVST634 variations in the gene AGXT has been associated with human body height. A GWAS study performed by Lango et al. i2010 involving 183,727 individuals showed that that hundreds of genetic variants, in at least 180 loci influence adult height, a highly heritable and classic polygenic trait. Variations in the gene AGXT made part of the set of loci that were identified to explain adult height trait. ?Four variations were significantly observed in this study: rs12695032 (-log p= 3.47), rs5013752 (-log p= 3.19), rs4426527 (-log p= 3.25) and rs4344931 (-log p= 4.22).

Picture1

References

1. Lango Allen et al. Hundreds of variants clustered in genomic loci and biological pathways affect human height. 2010. Nature 14; 467(7317): 832?838. doi:10.1038/nature09410.

2. Hindorffa L.A., Sethupathyb P., Junkinsa H.A., Ramosa E.M., Mehtac J.P., Collins F.S., and Teri A. Manolio. Potential etiologic and functional implications of genome-wide association loci for human diseases and traits. 2009. PNAS 106 (23): 9362?9367.

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F. Structural Characterization of Variants

We structurally characterized two of the genes containing variants with high likelihood of being pathogenic. These genes were AGXT and GOLGA8B.

Protein Structure Prediction was done by threading using an online server side program called RaptorX (http://raptorx.uchicago.edu) . The modeled protein was visualized using VMD and the active-site prediction was carried out using DoGSiteScorer (http://dogsite.zbh.uni-hamburg.de)

?

1. AGXT

Screen Shot 2012-11-29 at 5.39.44 PM

Figure 1. The predicted protein structure of AGXT (enzyme alanine-glyoxylate aminotransferase) showing the hypothesized catalytic site and the amino acid chain where the substitution occurs as a result of the variant Cytosine to Thymine at position 32 of the nucleotide sequence and Proline to Leucine at position 11 in the amino acid sequence.

Screen Shot 2012-11-29 at 5.35.56 PM

Figure 2.?Comparative analysis of the catalytic domain of the modeled protein AGXT (B), with template (A) demonstrating known active site. The C to T variant in AGXT sequence changes proline (polar) to leucine (aliphatic amino acid) in the vicinity of the catalytic domain, which could affect the enzymatic function of the protein, which is mainly involved in the glyoxylate metabolic pathway in hepatic cells. The template (A) shows experimental ligands bound to a very huge active site (white arrows) suggesting catalytic domain may also function in protein-protein interaction.

2. GOLGA8B

Screen Shot 2012-11-29 at 5.58.16 PM

Figure 3. The predicted threading protein model for GOLGA8B fragment (containing mutation), a Golgin A8 family member. GOLGA8B has the variant C to T at 178 nucleotide position leading to a change from arginine (polar) to threonine (uncharged) (white arrows). The mutation is included in the predicted active site (4th rank cluster) suggesting change in possible catalytic interactions.

Source: http://gtbinf.wordpress.com/2012/11/30/exome-analysis-pipeline-for-rare-variant-calling-prioritization-and-disease-association-in-exome-of-an-individual-from-colombian-descent/

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Scientists discover water ice on Mercury: Ice and organic material may have been carried to the planet by passing comets

ScienceDaily (Nov. 29, 2012) ? Mercury, the smallest and innermost planet in our solar system, revolves around the sun in a mere 88 days, making a tight orbit that keeps the planet incredibly toasty. Surface temperatures on Mercury can reach a blistering 800 degrees Fahrenheit -- hot enough to liquefy lead.

Now researchers from NASA, MIT, the University of California at Los Angeles and elsewhere have discovered evidence that the scorching planet may harbor pockets of water ice, along with organic material, in several permanently shadowed craters near Mercury's north pole.

The surprising discovery suggests to scientists that both ice and organic material, such as carbon, may have been deposited on Mercury's surface by impacts from comets or asteroids. Over time, this volatile material could then have migrated to the planet's poles.

"We thought the most exciting finding could be that this really was water ice," says Maria Zuber, the E.A. Griswold Professor of Geophysics in MIT's Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, and a member of the research team. "But the identification of darker, insulating material that may indicate complex organics makes the story even more thrilling."

Zuber and her colleagues published their results this week in the journal Science.

Mounting evidence for ice

The possibility that water ice might exist on Mercury is not new: In the 1990s, radar observations detected bright regions near Mercury's poles that scientists believed could be signs of either water ice or a rough planetary surface. However, the evidence was inconclusive for either scenario.

To get a clearer picture of Mercury's polar regions, Zuber and her colleagues analyzed observations taken by NASA's MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging) mission, a probe that has been orbiting the planet and mapping its topography since April 2011.

Mapping the planet's surface is a challenging task, as the craft must weather the sun's intense radiation, which can "play havoc with electronics," Zuber says. What's more, the probe moves from pole to pole in an elliptical orbit, making for an extremely tricky mapping mission, both dynamically and thermally. Despite these challenges, MESSENGER's onboard laser altimeter has amassed more than 10 laser pulses that have been used to map topography and measure the near-infrared reflectance of the surface.

Last year, researchers analyzed the probe's topographic observations and created a high-resolution map of Mercury; they then overlaid previous radar observations. They found that the bright regions detected in radar lined up with permanently shadowed craters at the planet's north pole -- regions that never see the sun, and which are potentially ideal places for ice to survive. This finding was one more piece of evidence that Mercury might harbor water ice.

Revealing shadows

In this latest analysis of MESSENGER's observations, scientists believe they have found conclusive evidence for water ice on Mercury, although the data was at first puzzling.

The team found that the probe's reflectance measurements, taken via laser altimetry, matched up well with previously mapped radar-bright regions in Mercury's high northern latitudes. Two craters in particular were bright, both in radar and at laser wavelengths, indicating the possible presence of reflective ice. However, just south of these craters, others appeared dark with laser altimetry, but bright in radar.

The observations "threw us off track for a long time," Zuber says, until another team member, David Paige of UCLA, developed a thermal model of the planet. Using MESSENGER observations of Mercury's topography, reflectance and rotational characteristics, the model simulated the sun's illumination of the planet, enabling precise determination of Mercury's temperature at and below the surface.

Results indicated that the unusually bright deposits corresponded to regions where water ice was stable at the surface; in dark regions, ice was stable within a meter of the surface. The dark insulating material is consistent with complex organics that would already be dark but may have been darkened further by the intense radiation at Mercury's surface.

In addition, MESSENGER's neutron spectrometer detected elemental hydrogen in the vicinity of Mercury's north pole. The combination of the compositional, spectral and geometric observations and the thermal models provided a strong, self-consistent explanation for the unusual radar backscatter observations.

Paul Lucey, a professor of geophysics and planetology at the University of Hawaii, points out that MESSENGER has also revealed a number of regions where surfaces were much darker than in previous radar measurements. Lucey interprets these results as possible evidence of receding ice on Mercury's surface.

"This suggests that in the past, ice was more extensive on Mercury, and retreated to its current state," says Lucey, who was not involved in the research. "Even Mercury experiences global warming."

MESSENGER will continue to orbit Mercury, and Zuber says future data may reveal information beyond the planet's surface. "There are still some really good questions to answer about the interior," Zuber says. "I'll tell you, we're not done."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The original article was written by Jennifer Chu.

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


Journal References:

  1. David A. Paige, Matthew A. Siegler, John K. Harmon, Gregory A. Neumann, Erwan M. Mazarico, David E. Smith, Maria T. Zuber, Ellen Harju, Mona L. Delitsky, and Sean C. Solomon. Thermal Stability of Volatiles in the North Polar Region of Mercury. Science, 29 November 2012 DOI: 10.1126/science.1231106
  2. Gregory A. Neumann, John F. Cavanaugh, Xiaoli Sun, Erwan M. Mazarico, David E. Smith, Maria T. Zuber, Dandan Mao, David A. Paige, Sean C. Solomon, Carolyn M. Ernst, and Olivier S. Barnouin. Bright and Dark Polar Deposits on Mercury: Evidence for Surface Volatiles. Science, 29 November 2012 DOI: 10.1126/science.1229764

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/dIp6jTJsncs/121129151336.htm

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Arctic sea ice larger than US melts, UN reports; climate change happening 'before our eyes'

DOHA, Qatar - An area of Arctic sea ice bigger than the United States melted this year, according the U.N. weather agency, which said the dramatic decline illustrates that climate change is happening "before our eyes."

In a report released at U.N. climate talks in the Qatari capital of Doha, the World Meteorological Organization said the Arctic ice melt was one of a myriad of extreme and record-breaking weather events to hit the planet in 2012. Droughts devastated nearly two-thirds of the United States as well western Russia and southern Europe. Floods swamped west Africa and heat waves left much of the Northern Hemisphere sweltering.

But it was the ice melt that seemed to dominate the annual climate report, with the U.N. concluding ice cover had reached "a new record low" in the area around the North Pole and that the loss from March to September was a staggering 11.83 million square kilometres (4.57 million square miles) ? an area bigger than the United States.

"The alarming rate of its melt this year highlighted the far-reaching changes taking place on Earth's oceans and biosphere," WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud said. "Climate change is taking place before our eyes and will continue to do so as a result of the concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which have risen constantly and again reached new records."

The dire climate news ? following on the heels of a report Tuesday that found melting permafrost could significantly amplify global warming ? comes as delegates from nearly 200 countries struggled for a third day to lay the groundwork for a deal that would cut emissions in an attempt to ensure that temperatures don't rise more than 2 degrees C (3.6 degrees F) over what they were in preindustrial times. Temperatures have already risen about 0.8 degrees C (1.4 degrees F), according to the latest report by the IPCC.

Discord between rich and poor countries on who should do what has kept the two-decade-old U.N. talks from delivering on that goal, and global emissions are still going up.

Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 with former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore, urged delegates to heed the science and quickly take action.

"When I had the privilege in 2007 of accepting the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the IPCC, in my speech I asked the rhetorical question, 'Will those responsible for decisions in the field of climate change at the global level listen to the voice of science and knowledge, which is now loud and clear,' " he said. "I am not sure our voice is louder today but it is certainly clearer on the basis of the new knowledge."

Delegates in Doha are bickering over money from rich countries to help poorer ones adapt to and combat the impacts of climate change, and whether developed countries will sign onto an extension of a legally binding emissions pact, the Kyoto Protocol, that would run until 2020.

A pact that once incorporated all industrialized countries except the United States would now include only the European Union, Australia and several smaller countries which together account for less than 15 per cent of global emissions. And the United States is refusing to offer any bolder commitments to cut its emissions beyond a non-binding pledge to reduce emissions by 17 per cent below 2005 levels by 2020.

"For developed country parties like the United States and the European Union, the pledges and commitments ... put forward on the table are far below what is required by the science," Su Wei, a member of the Chinese delegation, told reporters. "And far below what is required by their historical responsibility."

Developing countries have said they are willing to take steps to control emissions, but that they must be given space to build their economies. Although China is the largest carbon polluter and India is rapidly catching up, both countries lag far behind the industrial countries in emissions per person and still have huge populations mired in poverty. They don't see emissions peaking anytime soon.

"We are still in the process of industrialization. We are also confronted with the enormous task of poverty eradication," said Wei, acknowledging that the country's emissions won't peak by 2020.

"In order to eradicate poverty, to try to improve the living standards, certainly we need to develop our economy," he said. "So the emissions will need to grow for a period of time."

___

Karl Ritter contributed to this report.

___

Follow Michael Casey on www.twitter.com/mcasey1 or Karl Ritter on www.twitter.com/karl_ritter

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/arctic-sea-ice-larger-us-melts-un-reports-035016606.html

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University of Kentucky's Human Development Institute (HDI ...

Lexington, KY, November 29, 2012 ?(PR.com)? he University of Kentucky's Human Development Institute (HDI) is proud to announce the launch of its National Center for Prenatal and Postnatal Down Syndrome Resources at www.DownSyndromeDiagnosis.org. The National Center includes the following medically reviewed programs: the recently updated Brighter Tomorrows website, the Lettercase/Kennedy Foundation booklets, and the Down Syndrome Pregnancy books and website. The formation of this National Center is particularly important at this time as prenatal testing technology continues to advance, and medical providers and expectant parents need support to understand a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome.

In 2008, HDI created Brighter Tomorrows, a comprehensive multi-media website about Down syndrome for medical professionals and new and expectant parents in English and Spanish, with funding and support provided by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities. In the past year, HDI has also begun administering the Kennedy Foundation's "Understanding a Down Syndrome Diagnosis" booklet in English and Spanish at www.lettercase.org and Down Syndrome Pregnancy at www.DownSyndromePregnancy.org, a website with resources for expectant mothers. These programs have been supporting expectant parents and medical professionals for the past five years and will now be included as part of the National Center for Prenatal and Postnatal Down Syndrome Resources.

Together, these three resources provide the most credible, comprehensive support available for new and expectant parents learning about a diagnosis of Down syndrome. In an effort to create a single gateway to all of these resources, The National Center for Prenatal and Postnatal Down Syndrome Resources at www.DownSyndromeDiagnosis.org will serve as a clearinghouse directory of these prenatal and postnatal materials as described in the Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act, P. L. No. 110-374.

HDI Executive Director Harold Kleinert says, "This is an incredibly exciting development for new and expectant parents and medical professionals who are learning about a prenatal or postnatal diagnosis of Down syndrome. All of these resources represent our best available knowledge and have been included as recommended resources in the National Society of Genetic Counselor Practice Guidelines for Communicating a Prenatal or Postnatal Diagnosis of Down Syndrome, and they have been featured in prestigious peer-reviewed journals such as the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the American Journal of Medical Genetics, and Genetics in Medicine."

Stephanie Meredith, Medical Outreach Director at HDI and author of "Understanding a Down Syndrome Diagnosis," says, "Bringing these three resources together under one umbrella at the National Center for Prenatal and Postnatal Down Syndrome Resources means that it will be even easier for new and expectant parents and medical professionals to find the resources they need during what can be a very overwhelming time. However, we want to do even more than provide these important tools. We want to expand the National Center to make presentations at conferences, provide translated versions of the resources, and develop new materials also."

This vital National Center will continue to strengthen its resources and outreach and will rely on your continued support in spreading the word to medical practitioners and prospective and new parents about the availability of this resource.

Contact Information:
University of Kentucky Human Development Institute
Stephanie Meredith, Lettercase Program/Medical Outreach Director
404-828-0290
Contact via Email
lettercase.org

Click here to read the full story: University of Kentucky's Human Development Institute (HDI) Launches National Center for Prenatal and Postnatal Down Syndrome Resources

Press Release Distributed by PR.com

Source: http://health.rambergmedia.com/university-of-kentuckys-human-development-institute-hdi-launches-national-center-for-prenatal-and-postnatal-down-syndrome-resources/

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Antiques for Readers and Writers | Maine Crime Writers

Lea Wait, here.?As many of you know, I?m a born and bred (fourth generation, actually) antique dealer. My great-grandfather immigrated to Boston from Edinburgh and imported antiques, Irish linen,?glass, and Belleek,?Scottish embroideries and other upscale furnishings for his (short-lived) shop on Beacon Hill. His oldest daughter, my grandmother, became an antique doll and toy dealer. And her daughter, my mother, and I went into the business in 1977 specializing in antique prints.?My aunt and uncle were also antique dealers, with a special interest in Bennington pottery and mourning-related Victoriana, and my father was a nationally known numismatist. (Paper money.)?

Although I?m now focusing on my writing and only selling prints?out of my home by appointment and at a?few shows each year,?the protagonist in my mystery series, Maggie Summer, carries on the family tradition: she?s an antique print dealer, too, and is still active in the business.?

One of John Dunning's Mysteries

In addition to?antique prints,?at various times in my life I?ve had my own collections. In my early teens I started collecting?post cards and political memorabilia;?at older ages I searched for?first editions of favorite authors,?Victorian stick pins, theatrical memorabilia, and antiques related to the Asian countries where my children were born. Now that I?m a full-time writer, I?ve found myself gathering a small collection of antiques related to reading and writing.

Collecting books ? autographed, or?first editions, or small print runs, or, preferably, all three ? is an?choices for those?who love books.?Anyone interested in learning more about that end of the business should read John Dunning?s?wonderful mysteries about an antiquarian book dealer.??

As a dealer, I?ve had customers who collected prints or paintings of one or two favorite?authors.?One man?had filled his home with china, glass and pottery?related to Shakespeare and his plays.?

On a smaller scale, I?ve had fun collecting?book ends and stands, usually?made of?brass or?marble,?made between 1880 and 1930. They?re not too expensive, very decorative ? and who doesn?t need book ends??

Statues of all sizes (in pottery, china, marble or brass) of people reading are out there. Some people collect?lamps specifically designed for reading.?

But?most of the items I?ve collected, perhaps not surprisingly,?involve writing. Not?pens, although that?s an entire collecting field for those interested.?But I do have one wonderful pewter inkwell that?holds two pens ? in the ears of the devil. I often wonder just who first imagined this design, and what?the pens of those who?ve owned that inkstand have written over the years ? Doesn?t it look like an inkstand Poe might have had on his desk?

(And, by the way, in my study I have a small oil painting of Edgar himself?that my husband bought for me at an auction. Love auctions ? and my husband!)??

Because ours is not the first generation to compose notes away from our desks, in earlier times there

Portable Writing Box

were portable desks, or ?writing boxes.?? I?ve pictured one here; the wooden box, in case this an elegant curly maple one,?opens to show a writing surface, and, under that, spaces to hold writing materials.?

I also have several small books (2? x 3?) in wood or brass that were used to hold stamps (the wooden one) or matches (the brass books) and are very decorative.? And a large brass book that contains sheets of blotting paper ? a?necessity in earlier times.?

Small Brass Match Holder

Boxes in the shape of books can also be found in all sorts of materials, from metal, that held cookies and candies for the holidays, to wooden ones, that held Bibles, to books made to conceal hiding places in bookcases, to ?book boxes? of wood that are ingenious puzzles, made to conceal money or jewelry.

For me, pieces of the past incorporated into my home and life add depth and, I hope, perhaps, a little of the wisdom and heritage and?stories of those who came before us.

If you?re interested in finding similar treasures, check out antique shows or co-op malls (groups of dealers showing together) or shops in your area. Be open to possibilities. Antiques can surprise you. And it?s always more fun to look when you?re on a quest, so asking for??book-related items? or ?inkwells? or ?book boxes? or whatever intriques you, makes the trip more interesting.?And?don?t be afraid to ask questions. Antique dealers would love to tell you about what is on their shelves.?

And, as a dealer, I have to add ? the right antique can be the perfect, unique, gift.?Happy holidays!

Source: http://mainecrimewriters.com/uncategorized/antiques-for-readers-and-writers

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REVIEW ? Red Rain: A Novel : Mom Knows It All. ? PR Friendly New ...

Red Rain book cover
RED RAIN: A NOVEL

  • Hardcover: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Touchstone; First Edition edition (October 9, 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1451636121
  • ISBN-13: 978-1451636123

ABOUT RED RAIN

Travel writer Lea Sutter finds herself on a small island, Cape Le Chat Noir, off the coast of South Carolina. A merciless, unanticipated hurricane cuts a path of destruction and Lea barely escapes with her life. She has an overwhelming desire to help the devastated island. In the storm?s aftermath, she discovers orphaned twin boys and impulsively decides to adopt them. The boys, Samuel and Daniel, seem amiable and immensely grateful. Then strange things begin to happen. No one could have anticipated the twins? true nature?how could they?

MY THOUGHTS

I received a copy of Red Rain for review. As an avid Goosebumps series and Fear Street series reader when I was a child, I could not pass up the chance to see how R.L. Stine did as an adult fiction writer. Without giving away any spoilers, I will say that this book did not totally disappoint me; I just wish it had a little more suspense and horror. From the first chapter, I was instantly wanting to find out more about this strange island that Sutter was on and what inner secrets the two boys were holding. R.L. Stine has a way of hooking his audience in the very beginning, and Red Rain was no exception to his writing style.

With that being said, this book fell a bit flat for me. While it truly is a creepy tale with children scheming to hurt, and even murder, others, some of the story was pretty predictable. However, the predictability was not always a turn off for me because Stine continued to keep it interesting with cliff-hangers at the end of the chapters. Still, it was a bit less ?horror? than I was expecting for an adult horror novel. The idea of the twins being so creepy and capable of some of their actions was more frightening for me than the writing or plot itself.

The characters were also a bit boring. The Sutter family was not very believable for me. The Sutter?s children were very predictable ? mopey, broody children ? and they didn?t play a very big role in the story. In fact, if they were to have been left out, I doubt I would have noticed a difference in the story. The Sutters themselves also had a very odd relationship that I just could not connect with.

Overall, Red Rain did have good qualities that made it an enjoyable read, though I feel that I had much more fun reading Stine?s young adult/children fiction than I did this one. Still, Stine is and always will be one of my favorite authors and I will most likely jump at the chance to read another adult fiction novel by him.

The product(s) featured in this review was provided free of cost to me for the sole purpose of product testing and review. This review has not been monetarily compensated and is based on the views and opinions of my family and/or self. Please note that the opinions reflected in this post have not been influenced by the sponsor in any way.

Tags: book review, books, Red Rain: A Novel

Category: All Amy, Reviews

Source: http://www.valmg.com/index.php/2012/review-red-rain-a-novel/

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