Thursday 14 March 2013

Scientists identify why some fathers are left holding the baby

Mar. 12, 2013 ? A century old mystery as to why, for some animals, it's the father rather than the mother that takes care of their young has been cracked by researchers at the University of Sheffield.

Experts from the University, in collaboration with the University of Bath and Veszpr?m (Hungary) found that role reversal was caused by an imbalance in the numbers of males relative to females.

The findings have been published in the journal Nature Communications.

Darwin noted in 1871 that in most animals, it is the females that spend most time looking after the young, whilst males focus on competing with each other for females.

Evolutionary biologists argued that this was due to the female investing significant amounts of energy in producing eggs, and in the case of mammals, giving birth, and so it is in their interests to ensure their offspring's survival by caring for them.

However, in some species, such as seahorses, the sex roles are reversed where the females produce the eggs but then leave it to their male mates to care for their offspring.

Dr Andr?s Liker, Marie Curie Research Fellow from the University of Sheffield's Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, said: "Sex-role reversal has been a formidable puzzle for evolutionary biologists ever since Darwin. Our study is the first supporting the idea that sex ratio plays an important part in the evolution of role reversal."

The researchers studied birds where the sex roles were reversed and found there was a higher ratio of males to females in the population, compared with the usual situation where females care for offspring.

Professor Tam?s Sz?kely, Professor of Biodiversity at the University of Bath, explained: "The research group has investigated sex role reversal for over 20 years, and was extremely pleasing to see such a clear cut result.

"Mathematical models suggest that these animals' behaviour is strongly influenced by their social environment, and our findings support these predictions.

"When there are lots of males in a population, it's harder to find females, so it benefits males to stay with their mate and look after the young.

"However, the females often take advantage of this and leave the male holding the baby, whilst they go and find another mate."

Females in the sex role reversed species also take on the traditional male role of being bigger and compete with each other for males.

The role reversal isn't usually seen in mammals: since males can't produce milk it's not as easy for them to take over the parenting completely. However changes in sex role behaviour have been observed in humans when the sex ratio is imbalanced.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Sheffield.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Andr?s Liker, Robert P. Freckleton, Tam?s Sz?kely. The evolution of sex roles in birds is related to adult sex ratio. Nature Communications, 2013; 4: 1587 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2600

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/top_environment/~3/pvIxvnvknNo/130312121842.htm

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Republicans Unveil 10-Year Plan To Shrink - Yeshiva World News

capA 10-year, $4.6 trillion balanced budget proposal unveiled by Republicans on Tuesday could either be shelved within weeks or help jump-start negotiations with President Barack Obama toward a major deficit-reduction deal.

House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan?s plan ? his latest version of the ?Path to Prosperity? measure that has been rejected by Democrats previously ? likely will be approved this month by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.

The House Republican budget ?ends cronyism, eliminates waste, fraud, and abuse and returns the federal government to its proper sphere of activity,? Ryan said.

The blueprint would give Republicans bragging rights that they have crafted a balanced-budget plan, even if it is based on pie-in-the-sky assumptions, such as the repeal of Obama?s 2010 healthcare overhaul.

With its cuts to social programs including Medicaid, which provides healthcare for the poor and some people with disabilities, the measure will stand in stark contrast to a competing 2014 budget outline that Senate Democrats will unveil this week. That measure will rely partially on tax increases to get control of a massive government debt.

Democrats will argue that the Ryan budget would undercut U.S. economic growth and that their alternative will more effectively create jobs in the near-term.

A significant chunk of Ryan?s proposed savings ? about $1.8 trillion ? come from the unlikely prospect of repealing the Obama health reforms.

Another slab, totaling $931 billion over 10 years, would come from counting savings from ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which is money that critics argue would not have been spent anyway, and from changing accounting methods for the cost of domestic emergencies, such as hurricane rebuilding.

Ryan?s plan leaves savings in place from automatic spending cuts that began on Jan. 1, and shaves another $249 billion from the discretionary spending category that funds the military and programs ranging from education to national parks.

?FRAUDULENT AT WORST?

Democrats? response to Ryan?s budget was biting.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the plan would shower new tax breaks on the rich and hit the middle class with higher taxes, all the while cutting essential government services such as food inspections and law enforcement, and weakening Medicare.

That budget, Reid added in a speech on the Senate floor, ?relies on accounting that?s creative at best and fraudulent at worst.?

Despite their severe differences, budget optimists hope that the House Republican and Senate Democratic plans will be the opening salvos in a serious deficit-reduction effort this year.

Ryan, a Wisconsin lawmaker who was the Republican vice presidential nominee in 2012, relies again on major cutbacks to Medicaid by giving states more flexibility to run the program.

A total of $756 billion in savings would be achieved over 10 years on Medicaid, according to a summary of the House Republican budget outline.

Medicare, the federally-backed healthcare program for the elderly and disabled, would see savings of $129 billion over a decade. Eventually, the program would be converted into a voucher-like plan with the elderly receiving subsidies to purchase private insurance or traditional Medicare.

Those Americans now aged 55 or older would maintain their current benefits, however.

Democrats have complained that Ryan?s approach would cost older Americans thousands of dollars a year in added healthcare costs while letting the rich keep tax breaks that cost the Treasury Department tens of billions of dollars.

Ironically, Ryan?s drive to balance the budget in 10 years is aided by new tax revenues on the rich that Democrats won at the beginning of this year ? the very ones that Republicans fought to stop.

REACHING FOR A BUDGET DEAL

Over the past four years, U.S. budget deficits have surpassed $1 trillion annually, contributing to a rapidly escalating national debt that now stands at nearly $16.7 trillion.

Ryan?s proposal comes as Republicans and Democrats have been considering the possibility of finding a long-term budget compromise following more than two years of bitter disputes.

Over the past week, Obama has met privately with Republican lawmakers to feel out their willingness to cut a deal. This week the Democratic president is holding four separate meetings with members of Congress to explore possibilities.

Even so, some Republican lawmakers in recent days have noted ?an impasse? over tax policy, as Democrats continue to insist on additional tax increases on the wealthy and some corporations.

And Ryan?s budget does not shy away from new taunts at Obama as it proposes repealing the president?s landmark healthcare law that is gradually being implemented after several failed attempts by Republicans to kill it and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that rejected key challenges to the law.

The House Republican plan envisions U.S. budget deficits falling sharply to $528 billion next year, $125 billion in 2015 and $69 billion in 2016.

While the nation?s finances would be strengthened through $4.6 trillion in lower deficits over 10 years, not all of the savings would come through spending cuts.

The Republican budget foresees $700 billion less in interest payments over the next decade, compared to current policy, because of the slowdown in government borrowing.

Debt held by the public would fall from 77.2 percent of GDP next year to 54.8 percent by the end of the 10-year budget window, according to the House Budget Committee.

Besides tackling spending, the Ryan budget calls for reforming the nation?s outdated tax code and creating just two income tax brackets of 10 percent and 25 percent.

With Obama and lawmakers trying to reach a budget deal by late July or early August, there is widespread skepticism that an overhaul of tax laws can be accomplished in such little time.

(Reuters)

Source: http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/?p=160624

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Wednesday 13 March 2013

Partner program to connect online businesses, professionals ...

"We've partnered with web pros since day one to offer customization services to our clients," said Simon Clarkson, Director of Channels, Bigcommerce. "As a powerful platform for small businesses to sell online, Bigcommerce lends itself to integrating with many providers and services. We've embraced this by fostering a very healthy ecosystem around our platform. We realize the tremendous value our partners bring to Bigcommerce and are committed to providing them with a fully encompassing program that supports their efforts and contributes to their ultimate success. We're looking forward to continuing to work with every single partner to jointly deliver the best e-?commerce platform in the world to online retailers."

The partnership program works by connecting small entities with larger entities - or even two smaller entities who can then reach farther by utilizing one another's strengths. Through the platform, online professionals can optimize promotional opportunities and integrate social media or public relations initiatives. There are three levels for the program:

? Premium Partners - hand selected 'expert' community members who show 'extremely high' success rates
? Partners - community members who show a proven track record within the Bigcommerce system
? Resellers - entry level connections who are looking to expand their reach or business

Members join the partner program, working together to improve how their business works, reaches consumers and serves the online space.

Tags: Bigcommerce, online advertising, online business trends, online partnerships, online presence


Source: http://www.bizreport.com/2013/03/partner-program-to-connect-online-businesses-professionals.html

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Tuesday 12 March 2013

AP IMPACT: Combat stress felt far from front lines

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (AP) ? They may never come face to face with a Taliban insurgent, never dodge a roadside bomb or take fire, but they still may be responsible for taking lives or putting their own colleagues in mortal danger. And now the military has begun to grapple with the mental and emotional strains endured by these Air Force personnel.

While they are thousands of miles from the gritty combat in Afghanistan, the analysts in the cavernous room at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia relive the explosions, the carnage and the vivid after-battle assessments of the bombings over and over again. The repeated exposure to death and destruction rolling across their computer screens is taking its own special toll on their lives.

Now, for the first time, an Air Force chaplain and a psychologist are walking the floor of the operations center at Langley, offering counseling and stress relief to the airmen who scrutinize the war from afar.

Sitting at computer banks lining the expansive room, the Air Force analysts watch the video feeds streaming from surveillance drones and other military assets monitoring U.S. forces around the globe. Photos, radar data, full-motion video and electronically gathered intelligence flows across multiple screens. In 15- to 20-minute shifts, the airmen watch and interpret the information.

Through chat windows, they exchange data, update intelligence reports and talk in real time with commanders on the ground, including troops whose lives may depend on the constant and rapid flow of information they get from Langley.

For example, they may provide information that allows a commander to order an airstrike, but after the weapon is launched, the analysts might suddenly see that the insurgents are fleeing or that civilians or children are moving into the strike zone, and by then they are helpless to do anything about it.

"If you have a 21-year-old playing a video game, when the game is over they start again. Here, if they miss a bad guy, that's what they carry with them," said Air Force Maj. Shauna Sperry, a psychologist who has just begun working with the air wing.

They also often have to go over video of an incident repeatedly to assess the battle damage.

"It's not a video game, it's real," said Capt. Robert Duplease, the chaplain assigned to the 497th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group. "It's repeated exposure to destruction and warfare. They see it, rewind it, see it, rewind it."

The analysts who provide this information to ground troops are stationed at six Air Force bases around the world, including South Korea, Germany and four U.S. bases. The wing at Langley number 1,200 airmen, both male and female, enlisted personnel and officers, but most around 19 to 21 years old.

The reality is spelled out in the list of daily mission assignments displayed on a multicolored chart cluttered with boxes, letters and numbers: where the missions are, what type of aircraft or sensors are being used, and which team of airmen is assigned to monitor each one. Two to seven analysts make up the teams that work at each workstation.

"Here at Langley, there's nothing coming over the wall at us. That's a fact. No one with an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) is shooting at us, no mortars are coming in," Duplease said. "But they'll see something in a video feed that maybe they can't do anything to prevent. They have no power to intervene, but they have the repeated visual exposure to these things. They're constantly immersed in carnage, but it's not a video game. It's real."

According to Duplease, the analysts may also have to cope with feelings of helplessness, frustration and regret watching an operation on the ground and see something happen ? or see someone injured hurt or killed ? and they couldn't do anything to prevent it.

The airmen at Langley can't talk publicly about the details of their work because it's classified.

"The stuff they're watching is crazier than the news cycle," Duplease said. "Life outside of here goes on, but life behind the veil is totally different and adjustments have to be made. Sometimes they have trouble with those adjustments."

In fact, Sperry and Duplease suggested that not being on the front lines may actually contribute to the stress.

"They are electronically in the fight in the deployed area every minute," Sperry said. "They make life and death decisions every day, then they go home and have to play mom or dad ... Sometimes things can be depressing for them."

Troops fighting in Afghanistan, for example, only have to focus on the combat jobs they are doing, Duplease said. The airmen, on the other hand, spend 12 hours immersed in the fight, then go home to what are supposed to be normal lives. But they often can't talk about what they did or saw all day because the operations are classified.

There is a slowly emerging recognition within the military that those combined pressures affect the troops who battle the war from afar in some of the same ways that strain forces on the front lines. The most recent public acknowledgement of the issue came recently when the Pentagon created a new medal for remote warfare personnel. But that has caused some resentment among traditional warriors because it is ranked above the Purple Heart or Bronze Star.

The idea to put a chaplain inside the center came from unit commander Col. Mike Shortsleeve and other leaders who noticed that some members of the wing were having problems sleeping and that smoking, alcohol and behavioral issues were increasing. In surveys, airmen also suggested there was a need for having a chaplain in the unit.

According to Duplease and Sperry, moving around the operations center during each day's 12-hour shifts helps get the troops more comfortable with their presence and encourage them to reach out for help. Duplease, who said he also attended mission briefings, said slowly people began to approach him and after about two months, the interactions really began to pick up.

Many of the analysts are as young as 21, and may not yet have developed the ability to deal with the stress. And they worry that revealing their problems could prompt commanders to take away their security clearances or hurt their promotion opportunities.

In response, Duplease and Sperry created sleep classes and counseling sessions, and they have scheduled retreats for married couples and singles to help instill relationship and coping skills. They also are assuring the airmen that to date no one there has lost his or her security clearance as a result of seeking any counseling or assistance.

The success of the Langley program has prompted the Air Force to look at ways to replicate it at other locations around the country.

"We are trying to be proactive rather than reactive," said Duplease. "We want to get ahead of things before become major issues."

___

Lolita C. Baldor can followed on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/lbaldor

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-03-11-Remote%20Warfare-Stress/id-5ce285ed9a874992befc231674a584c9

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Monday 11 March 2013

Researchers solve riddle of what has been holding two unlikely materials together

Mar. 11, 2013 ? For years, researchers have developed thin films of bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) -- which converts heat into electricity or electricity to cooling -- on top of gallium arsenide (GaAs) to create cooling devices for electronics. But while they knew it could be done, it was not clear how -- because the atomic structures of those unlikely pair of materials do not appear to be compatible. Now researchers from North Carolina State University and RTI International have solved the mystery, opening the door to new research in the field.

"We've used state-of-the-art technology to solve a mystery that has been around for years," says Dr. James LeBeau, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at NC State and co-author of a paper on the research. "And now that we know what is going on, we can pursue research to fine-tune the interface of these materials to develop more efficient mechanisms for converting electricity to cooling or heat into electricity. Ultimately, this could have applications in a wide range of electronic devices."

To study the phenomenon, the researchers had to create the nanometer-scale thin films on a GaAs substrate, or foundation. The GaAs is first placed in a vapor deposition chamber. Molecules containing bismuth and tellurium are then introduced into the chamber, where they react with each other and "grow" into a crystalline Bi2Te3 structure on the surface of the GaAs.

Using advanced "Super-X" X-ray spectroscopy technology in conjunction with an aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope, the researchers were able to determine what was binding the Bi2Te3 to the GaAs -- and it was not what they were expecting.

They found that when the tellurium molecules were introduced to the vapor deposition chamber, the tellurium reacted with the GaAs substrate to create a new surface layer of gallium telluride, which was only one molecule thick. The Bi2Te3 then formed a thin film on top of that new surface layer.

Because gallium telluride does not react with Bi2Te3, the research team knew chemical bonding could not be holding them together. Instead, the two layers are held together by the weaker force of van der Waals bonds -- meaning the materials are held together by weak electrical forces.

"While these materials have been investigated previously by RTI and NC State, the state-of-the-art techniques applied by LeBeau and his team have revealed significant new insights into how the film grows," notes Dr. Rama Venkatasubramanian of RTI International, who is also a co-author of the paper.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by North Carolina State University.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. J. Houston Dycus, Ryan M. White, Jonathan M. Pierce, Rama Venkatasubramanian, James M. LeBeau. Atomic scale structure and chemistry of Bi2Te3/GaAs interfaces grown by metallorganic van der Waals epitaxy. Applied Physics Letters, 2013; 102 (8): 081601 DOI: 10.1063/1.4793518

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/-baivAsSwsA/130311091535.htm

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Thursday 7 March 2013

Concern over gene patents | Nouse

Eleanor Walton reports on a ruling on a gene patent in Australia that could change the landscape of patent law and genetic research

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The code of life is patentable; according to a recent ruling by the Australian federal court. On 15th February, Justice John Nicholas ruled that Myriad Genetics would be able to keep and enforce their Australian patent of a gene linked to breast and ovarian cancer, BRCA1, much to the furore of many cancer charities and scientists worldwide.

The patenting of genes has caused great divide between those that believe that companies should be able to protect their investment in genetics and those that believe that being able to patent something that naturally occurs in the human body is unpractical, and in the case of BRCA1, can lead to patient harm.

Myriad first filed for US patents on BRCA1 and the closely related BRCA2 back in 1999, and have also filed patents in Europe and Australia, most of which have been granted by the relevant patent offices.

Charities and patient groups have been trying to overturn these ever since. The result of the Australia court case is likely to reflect the outcome of outstanding appeals against Myriad across the globe. This issue will be played out again in America?s Supreme Court on 15 April, between Myriad Genetics Inc. and the Association for Molecular Pathology.

The result of this patent gives the company the monopoly on genetic screening in countries where they enforce their patent. It is this fact which is the most worrying for cancer charities. So far, public outcry has prevented Myriad enforcing this in Australia, although there is no legal reason why they cannot. In countries like America, where Myriad do impose their legal rights, all tests are performed in their Salt Lake City lab and can cost between $300 and $3000 for each test, depending on the level of scrutiny. Without any competition for tests, these prices may be inflated.

However, genetic testing is still fallible and it has been reported that tests provided by Myriad Genetics still misses 10-20% of BRCA mutations. Myriad?s monopoly means that people cannot get a second opinion on inconclusive tests, leaving those considering prophylactic mastectomy more confused.

So why is BRCA so important? DNA is a form of nucleic acid which codes all of the information necessary to build and orchestrate the day-to-day running of cells. Damage to DNA can cause all kinds of chaos for cells and trigger the death of that cell to protect the rest of the organism. Cancer is the result of failure of multiple safe guards leading to uncontrolled cell division.

BRCA1 encodes a protein that helps to fix damaged DNA. Eradicating it increases the risk that DNA damage will go unchecked resulting in cancers. According to Myriad?s website, a damaged or mutant copy of BRCA genes give a person an ?87% chance of developing breast cancer and up to 44% for developing ovarian cancer by age 70.?

The main reason Justice John Nicholas upheld the patent is because what they have patented is the isolated nucleic acid, something that could not exist without human intervention. This was despite his statement that the nucleic acid has ?precisely the same chemical composition and structure as that found in the cells of some human beings? and that the techniques used to extract the gene are not unique.

New Scientist described isolating DNA in this way as ?snapping a leaf from a tree? as the ?process is so commonplace, it doesn?t represent a substantially artificial state of affairs?.

The patent covers all forms of isolated nucleic acid, including naturally modified forms and shorter versions. This means the patents affect both rights to screening tests and external scientific research into BRAC mutations. Although the Australian government has had the fortitude to add an ?experimental use defence? to shield research, this protection is not universal.

While Myriad Genetics is not currently stopping researchers from working on BRCA1 & BRCA2, it no longer shares its own information with the scientific community, slowing down the research process. Additionally, if another group were to identify a detrimental mutation of BRCA in the course of their research they cannot inform the individual due to patent law (providing that the samples have not been anonymised under ethic laws).

If the trend in international patent law continues as predicted, the issue of who owns your genes is likely to become increasing complicated.

Source: http://www.nouse.co.uk/2013/03/05/concern-over-gene-patents/

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Wednesday 6 March 2013

The Yeshiva World Lakewood Mashgiach: Saying Lomdei Torah ...

rmsThe daily Yated Neeman quotes Lakewood Mashgiach HaGaon HaRav Matisyahu Solomon Shlita telling talmidim that one who believes lomdei Torah are not actively ?sharing the burden? is speaking apikorsus.

The Mashgiach explained that there are those who believe ?we simply take from others without contributing. They believe that we do not share in the burden. Chazal teach us that one who says ??? ???? ?? ???? is an apikorus for every talmid chacham who studies Torah give the world more than all the others.?

The Mashgiach?explained ?We are aware that we give more than we take, but the world perceives the situation differently, as if we take without giving a thing. Rav Solomon explained the need for caution and having the proper kavona when learning and the need to learn Sifrei Mussar towards properly understanding this inyan properly.

He spoke of the enormous responsibility resting on the shoulders of the lomdei Torah for this is the koach that has the potential of saving us all including from those trying to pull lomdei Torah to a different path chas v?sholom.

HaRav Solomon said if there are ??????? on the Torah, the Gra teaches us that this is a sign of the ?????? against us in Shomayim and while today we do not have prophets, one can know this is bases on ???? ???? ???? and we must look and see from where the ??????? come from and this is the area where the teshuvah and ????? ????? must be focused.

(YWN ? Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

Source: http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/?p=159751

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