Cardinals head to conclave to elect pope for troubled Church

By Crispian Balmer and Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Roman Catholic cardinals prayed for divine help on Tuesday, hours before a conclave to elect a new pope to tackle the daunting problems facing the Church at one of the most difficult periods in its history.

The cardinals, including the 115 aged under 80 who will vote for the next pope, filed into St. Peter's Basilica as choirs sang at the ritual solemn Mass that precedes a conclave.

They prayed that God would inspire them to choose the right man to replace Pope Benedict, who abdicated abruptly last month saying he was not strong enough to confront the woes of a Church whose 1.2 billion members look to Rome for leadership.

The Mass was the last event for the cardinals as a group before they enter the Sistine Chapel on Tuesday afternoon and make their choice for the next pontiff before Michelangelo's famous fresco of the Last Judgment.

In his homily, Italy's Angelo Sodano, dean of the cardinals, said they should pray "that the Lord will grant us a pontiff who will embrace this noble mission with a generous heart".

He called for unity within the Church and urged everyone to work with the next pope, whoever he should be.

The secret conclave, steeped in ritual and prayer, could carry on for several days, with no clear favorite in sight.

Vatican insiders say Italy's Angelo Scola and Brazil's Odilo Scherer have emerged as the men to beat. The former would bring the papacy back to Italy for the first time in 35 years, while the latter would be the first non-European pope in 1,300 years.

However, a host of other candidates from numerous nations have also been mentioned, including U.S. cardinals Timothy Dolan and Sean O'Malley, Canada's Marc Ouellet and Argentina's Leonardo Sandri.

MANY CHOICES

Known as the "Princes of the Church", the cardinals will only emerge from their seclusion once they have chosen the 266th pontiff in the 2,000-year history of the Church, which is beset by sex abuse scandals, bureaucratic infighting, financial difficulties and the rise of secularism.

Many Catholics are looking to see positive changes.

"It's not an anxious moment, but a moment of great hope. The first thing the Church should do is return to the lives of the people, instead of losing itself in theology," said Italian Andrea Michieli, 22, who attended the Mass.

"The new pope should give a young image of the Church so everyone sees the Church is not just the Curia," he said referring the Vatican's central bureaucracy which has been criticized for failing to prevent a string of mishaps during Benedict's troubled, eight-year reign.

Mexican Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera told Italy's La Stampa newspaper there were many different views about the right profile for the next pontiff, with some wanting an academic, others seeking someone close to the people, or else a good manager.

Asked if the conclave could therefore drag on, he said: "I do not think it will be long because there are diverse opinions. We will come to an agreement very quickly".

The average length of the last nine conclaves was just over three days and none went on for more than five days.

Signaling the divisions among the cardinals, Italian newspapers reported on Tuesday an open clash between prelates in a pre-conclave meeting on Monday.

The newspapers said the Vatican hierarchy's number two under Benedict, Tarcisio Bertone, had accused Brazil's Joao Braz de Aviz of leaking critical comments to the media. Aviz reportedly retorted that the leaks were coming from the Curia, earning loud applause.

CORRUPTION AND INTRIGUE

All the red-hatted prelates in the Sistine Chapel were appointed by either the German-born Benedict XVI or his Polish predecessor John Paul II, and the next pontiff will almost certainly pursue their fierce defense of traditional moral teachings.

But Benedict and John Paul were criticized for failing to reform the Vatican bureaucracy, battered by allegations of intrigue and incompetence, and some churchmen believe the next pope must be a good chief executive or at least put a good management team in place under him.

Vatican insiders say Scola, who has managed two big Italian dioceses, might be best placed to understand the Byzantine politics of the Vatican administration - of which he has not been a part - and therefore be able to introduce swift reform.

The Curia faction of cardinals working inside the Vatican bureaucracy is said by the same insiders to back Scherer, who worked in the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops for seven years before later leading Brazil's Sao Paolo diocese - the largest in the country that has the largest national Catholic community.

With only 24 percent of Catholics living in Europe, pressure is growing within the Church to choose a pontiff from elsewhere in the world who would bring a different perspective.

Latin American cardinals might worry more about poverty and the rise of evangelical churches than questions of materialism and sexual abuse that dominate in the West, while the growth of Islam is a major concern for the Church in Africa and Asia.

The cardinals are expected to hold their first vote late on Tuesday afternoon - which is almost certain to be inconclusive - before retiring to the Vatican hotel for the night.

They hold four ballots a day from Wednesday until one man has won a two-thirds majority - or 77 votes. Black smoke from a makeshift chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel will signify no one has been elected, while white smoke and the pealing of St. Peter's bells will announce the arrival of a new pontiff.

As in medieval times, the cardinals will be banned from communicating with the outside world. The Vatican has also taken high-tech measures to ensure secrecy in the 21st century, including electronic jamming devices to prevent eavesdropping.

Cardinals earlier began moving into the Vatican's Santa Martha hotel, where they will live during the conclave.

(Additional reporting by Naomi O'Leary and Tom Heneghan; Editing by Alastair Macdonald)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cardinals-head-conclave-church-beset-woes-010338684.html

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Film review: I GIVE IT A YEAR, from Built For Speed

I Give It A Year is the latest film from the Working Title production company who redefined the British rom with movies like Love Actually and Notting Hill. This film, however, takes a noticeably different approach to the standard Working Title flick both in terms of comedy and romance.? Written and directed by Ali G alumnus Dan Mazer, the film has (or at least attempts) a more acerbic, envelope-pushing style of comedy than we might see in a Richard Curtis scripted movie.? Unfortunately, this approach doesn?t entirely gel with the film?s rom com formula and results in a strangely uneven movie.? Also, with its sexual frankness and uncomfortable view of relationships, ??I Give It a Year seems closer to a Judd Apatow film than a Hugh Grant romantic fantasy.? Like Apatow?s This is 40, though, I Give it a Year doesn?t always seem to know where it?s going and isn?t as funny or romantic as it?s supposed to be.

I Give it a Year centres on the crumbling relationship of thirty-something couple Nat (Rose Byrne) and Josh (Rafe Spall) during their first year of marriage. After nine months together their once-endearing idiosyncrasies have become infuriating and their personalities seem completely incompatible.? Nat begins to think she might be better off with smug American money-bags wanker Guy (Simon Baker) while Josh wishes he had never ditched former girlfriend the sensitive charity worker Chloe (Anna Faris).

The filmmakers clearly thought this film was a lot funnier than it actually is as evidenced by the strange silences that follow many supposed gags where the audience were presumably meant to laugh.? There are sporadic funny moments, particularly when characters like Olivia Colman?s marriage counsellor throw psychotic tantrums but too many gags fall flat.? The film makers seemed to think that upping the sex gags and obscenity would make the film funnier but all the swearing and genitalia jokes in the world won?t make up for an absence of wit.

The film lacks charm and a romantic spark because, unlike the typical Working Title leads, Nat and Josh aren?t very endearing.? Rafe Spall?s Josh is an irritating git while Rose Byrne?s Nat is bitter, spiteful and flaky. Even though we?re meant to see the negative side of their personalities we also need to see a positive side to feel anything for them.? There?s simply no reason to care that their relationship is falling apart so the film lacks any emotional punch.? This also makes the film?s attempts at the warmer romantic scenes seem awkward and hollow.

I Give it a Year contains the typical supporting cast of quirky oddballs including Stephen Merchant as Josh?s tactless, goofball, idiot mate who?s basically a less likeable version of Merchant?s character in the TV show Extras.

A few amusing moments of Gervais-style cringe comedy just about get this film over the line but ultimately I Give it a Year ?is a disappointment.

Nick?s rating: Two and a half stars.

Classification: M

Director(s): Dan Mazer

Release date: 28^th Feb 2013

Running time: 97 mins.

Related Posts:

Source: http://www.southernfm.com.au/general/film-review-i-give-it-a-year-from-built-for-speed/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=film-review-i-give-it-a-year-from-built-for-speed

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Article Advertising And Marketing Is A Very Popular Way Of ...

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This entry was posted in general and tagged Article Advertising. Bookmark the permalink.

Source: http://timothychain.nazuka.net/article-advertising-and-marketing-is-a-very-popular-way-of-marketing-products/

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Older adults benefit from home-based DVD exercise program

Public release date: 11-Mar-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Diana Yates
diya@illinois.edu
217-333-5802
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. Fitness DVDs are a multimillion-dollar business, and those targeting adults over the age of 55 are a major part of the market. With names like "Boomers on the Move," "Stronger Seniors" and "Ageless Yoga," the programs promise much, but few have ever been rigorously tested.

"There are tons of DVDs out there, 20 percent of them are purchased by older adults, and with few exceptions there is no evidence that they work," said University of Illinois kinesiology and community health professor Edward McAuley, who led a new study testing the efficacy of a home-based DVD exercise program for people 65 and older.

The study appears in the Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences.

The researchers recruited 307 older adults from 83 towns and cities in Central Illinois. Half of the participants used a special fitness video at home. The others, a control group, watched a different video about healthy aging.

The fitness video was an outgrowth of years of research on interventions to enhance the health of older adults. The program, called "FlexToBa" (flex-toe-bah), was designed to improve flexibility, toning and balance, three components of function associated with the maintenance of independent living and avoidance of disability in older adults.

The FlexToBa video included several hours of instruction presented over six sessions meant to encourage progressive exercise three times a week over six months. New challenges each month helped keep participants engaged and encouraged them to build on their achievements.

In each session of the FlexToBa video, a presenter demonstrated a series of exercises, with age-appropriate models offering alternate approaches for those who found the exercises too challenging or too easy.

"We were very conscious of the fact that we wanted to make something that would reach a broad array of performance levels and physical capabilities," McAuley said.

Participants were asked to complete daily exercise logs and received short support telephone calls with exercise tips every other week for the first two months, and then every month. The control group also received the telephone calls.

The researchers were interested in whether a home-based exercise program could be as effective as classes offered in a central location, McAuley said.

"When we run these trials here (at the university) it's a lot of time, a lot of effort and can be an inconvenience for participants," he said. "Physical activity is one of those behaviors that people find very easy to see as inconvenient and they will come up with any excuse not to do it."

A home-based program could reach many more people than a center-based intervention, and at a much lower cost, he said.

At the end of the six months, those who stayed with the FlexToBa program saw "clinically important" improvements in scores on a battery of tests of physical function as compared with the control group. These tests assess strength, balance and gait, and have proven to be useful indicators of future performance, disability and independence in older adults. Unlike those in the control group, FlexToBa participants saw increases in their upper body strength and balance, and were able to maintain their previous level of lower body flexibility.

"This has important implications for an increasingly elderly population who are at risk for subsequent declines in function and increased disability," McAuley said. "We now know that this type of program can help to prevent that decline, and possibly reverse it."

###

The National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health supported this work. The research team also included U. of I. kinesiology and community health professors Robert Motl and Sean Mullen; and graduate students Thomas Wojcicki, Jason Fanning, Siobhan White (now at the National Cancer Institute), Emily Mailey (now at Kansas State University), Amanda Szabo (now at the University of Kansas Medical Center) and Erin Olson.

Editor's notes: To reach Edward McAuley, call 217-333-6487; email emcauley@illinois.edu.

The paper, "Effects of a DVD-Delivered Exercise Intervention on Physical Function in Older Adults," is available online.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 11-Mar-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Diana Yates
diya@illinois.edu
217-333-5802
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. Fitness DVDs are a multimillion-dollar business, and those targeting adults over the age of 55 are a major part of the market. With names like "Boomers on the Move," "Stronger Seniors" and "Ageless Yoga," the programs promise much, but few have ever been rigorously tested.

"There are tons of DVDs out there, 20 percent of them are purchased by older adults, and with few exceptions there is no evidence that they work," said University of Illinois kinesiology and community health professor Edward McAuley, who led a new study testing the efficacy of a home-based DVD exercise program for people 65 and older.

The study appears in the Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences.

The researchers recruited 307 older adults from 83 towns and cities in Central Illinois. Half of the participants used a special fitness video at home. The others, a control group, watched a different video about healthy aging.

The fitness video was an outgrowth of years of research on interventions to enhance the health of older adults. The program, called "FlexToBa" (flex-toe-bah), was designed to improve flexibility, toning and balance, three components of function associated with the maintenance of independent living and avoidance of disability in older adults.

The FlexToBa video included several hours of instruction presented over six sessions meant to encourage progressive exercise three times a week over six months. New challenges each month helped keep participants engaged and encouraged them to build on their achievements.

In each session of the FlexToBa video, a presenter demonstrated a series of exercises, with age-appropriate models offering alternate approaches for those who found the exercises too challenging or too easy.

"We were very conscious of the fact that we wanted to make something that would reach a broad array of performance levels and physical capabilities," McAuley said.

Participants were asked to complete daily exercise logs and received short support telephone calls with exercise tips every other week for the first two months, and then every month. The control group also received the telephone calls.

The researchers were interested in whether a home-based exercise program could be as effective as classes offered in a central location, McAuley said.

"When we run these trials here (at the university) it's a lot of time, a lot of effort and can be an inconvenience for participants," he said. "Physical activity is one of those behaviors that people find very easy to see as inconvenient and they will come up with any excuse not to do it."

A home-based program could reach many more people than a center-based intervention, and at a much lower cost, he said.

At the end of the six months, those who stayed with the FlexToBa program saw "clinically important" improvements in scores on a battery of tests of physical function as compared with the control group. These tests assess strength, balance and gait, and have proven to be useful indicators of future performance, disability and independence in older adults. Unlike those in the control group, FlexToBa participants saw increases in their upper body strength and balance, and were able to maintain their previous level of lower body flexibility.

"This has important implications for an increasingly elderly population who are at risk for subsequent declines in function and increased disability," McAuley said. "We now know that this type of program can help to prevent that decline, and possibly reverse it."

###

The National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health supported this work. The research team also included U. of I. kinesiology and community health professors Robert Motl and Sean Mullen; and graduate students Thomas Wojcicki, Jason Fanning, Siobhan White (now at the National Cancer Institute), Emily Mailey (now at Kansas State University), Amanda Szabo (now at the University of Kansas Medical Center) and Erin Olson.

Editor's notes: To reach Edward McAuley, call 217-333-6487; email emcauley@illinois.edu.

The paper, "Effects of a DVD-Delivered Exercise Intervention on Physical Function in Older Adults," is available online.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/uoia-oab031113.php

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Pushing X-rays to the edge to draw the nanoworld into focus

Mar. 11, 2013 ? Photographers rely on precision lenses to generate well-focused and crystal-clear images. These high-quality optics -- readily available and produced in huge quantities -- are often taken for granted. But as scientists explore the details of materials spanning just billionths of a meter, engineering the nanoscale equivalent of a camera lens becomes notoriously difficult.

Instead of working with polished glass, physicists must use ingenious tricks, including shooting concentrated beams of x-rays directly into materials. These samples then act as light-bending lenses, and the x-ray deflections can be used to deduce the material's nanostructures. Unfortunately, the multilayered internal structures of real materials bend light in extremely complex and unexpected ways. When scientists grapple with this kind of warped imagery, they use elaborate computer calculations to correct for the optical obstacles found on the nanoscale and create detailed visual models.

Now, owing to a happy accident and subsequent insight, researchers at the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have developed a new and strikingly simple x-ray scattering technique -- detailed in the February issue of the Journal of Applied Crystallography -- to help draw nanomaterials ranging from catalysts to proteins into greater focus.

"During an experiment, we noticed that one of the samples was misaligned," said physicist Kevin Yager, a coauthor on the new study. "Our x-ray beam was hitting the edge, not the center as is typically desired. But when we saw how clean and undistorted the data was, we immediately realized that this could be a huge advantage in measuring nanostructures."

This serendipitous discovery at Brookhaven's National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) led to the development of a breakthrough imaging technique called Grazing-Transmission Small Angle X-ray Scattering (GTSAXS). The new method requires considerably less correction and a much simpler analysis, resulting in superior images with profound implications for future advances in materials science.

"Conventional scattering produces images that are 'distorted' -- the data you want is there, but it's stretched, compressed, and multiply scattered in complicated ways as the x-rays enter and exit the sample," said physicist and coauthor Ben Ocko. "Our insight was that undistorted scattering rays were emitted inside the sample -- but they usually get absorbed as they travel through the substrate. By moving the sample and beam near the edge of the substrate, we allow this undistorted scattering to escape and reach the detector."

The Brookhaven Lab collaboration was not the first group to encounter the diffraction that occurs along a material's edge, but it was the first to reconsider and harness the unexpected error.

"Until now, no one bothered to dig into the details, and figure out how to use it as a measurement technique, rather than as a misalignment to be corrected," added Xinhui Lu, the lead author of the study.

GTSAXS, like other scattering techniques, offers a complement to other imaging processes because it can measure the average structure throughout a sample, rather than just pinpointing selected areas. Scattering also offers an ideal method for the real-time studies of nanoscale changes and reactions such as the propagation of water through soft nanomaterials.

"This technique is broadly applicable to any nanostructure sitting on a flat substrate," said study coauthor Chuck Black. "Lithographic patterns, catalytic nanoparticles, self-assembled polymers, etc. -- they can all be studied. This technique should be particularly powerful for very thin films with complicated three-dimensional structures, which to date have been difficult to study."

Brookhaven's NSLS supplies the intense x-ray beams essential to this technique, which requires extremely short wavelengths to interact with nanoscale materials. At NSLS, accelerated electrons emit these high-energy photons, which are then channeled down a beamline and focused to precisely strike the target material. When the next generation light source, NSLS-II, opens in 2014, GTSAXS will offer even greater experimental potential.

"We look forward to implementing this technique at NSLS-II," Yager said, with Ocko adding: "The excellent beam focusing should enable us to probe the near-edge region more effectively, making GTSAXS even more robust."

The research was funded by the DOE's Office of Science and conducted at both NSLS and Brookhaven Lab's Center for Functional Nanomaterials -- the Office of Science supports both of these leading facilities.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Brookhaven National Laboratory. The original article was written by Justin Eure.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Xinhui Lu, Kevin G. Yager, Danvers Johnston, Charles T. Black, Benjamin M. Ocko. Grazing-incidence transmission X-ray scattering: surface scattering in the Born approximation. Journal of Applied Crystallography, 2013; 46 (1): 165 DOI: 10.1107/S0021889812047887

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_technology/~3/t62kukT3NmY/130311150949.htm

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'Hitchhiker's Guide' Google Doodle holds answer to life, universe and everything

Google doodle

Wilson Rothman NBC News

1 hour ago

Google

Celebrating the birthday of "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" author Douglas Adams, Google's March 11 Doodle features a retro spaceship console with an iconic tablet computer atop it, providing the answers to all of life's most nagging questions, including the ultimate one.

Click through the Guide's entries, and you'll be surprised at the diversity and cleverness of the Google designers. You'll see pantomimed demonstrations of the virtues of the towel, the effects of drinking a Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster, even the reason why Vogon poetry is considered bad ? and not just for humanoids. You'll also see a brief history of Deep Thought, the super computer which replied, when asked, that the answer to life, the universe and everything is "42." And if you click around enough, you'll be able to spot Marvin, the Paranoid Android.

Adams died all too soon, at the age of 49, but his writing will live on for millennia to come, perhaps one day providing us with useful behavioral advice when we do actually venture out into the galaxy, towel in hand.

Wilson Rothman is the Technology & Science editor at NBC News Digital. Catch up with him on Twitter at @wjrothman, and join our conversation on Facebook.

Source: http://www.today.com/tech/hitchhikers-guide-google-doodle-holds-answer-life-universe-everything-1C8801634

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Length of DNA strands can predict life expectancy

Mar. 9, 2013 ? Can the length of strands of DNA in patients with heart disease predict their life expectancy? Researchers from the Intermountain Heart Institute at Intermountain Medical Center in Salt Lake City, who studied the DNA of more that 3,500 patients with heart disease, say yes it can.

In the new study, presented Saturday, March 9, at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session in San Francisco, the researchers were able to predict survival rates among patients with heart disease based on the length of strands of DNA found on the ends of chromosomes known as telomeres -- the longer the patient's telomeres, the greater the chance of living a longer life.

The study is one of 17 studies from the Intermountain Heart Institute at Intermountain Medical Center that are being presented at the scientific session, which is being attended by thousands of cardiologists and heart experts from around the world.

Previous research has shown that telomere length can be used as a measure of age, but these expanded findings suggest that telomere length may also predict the life expectancy of patients with heart disease.

Telomeres protect the ends of chromosome from becoming damaged. As people get older, their telomeres get shorter until the cell is no longer able to divide. Shortened telomeres are associated with age-related diseases such as heart disease or cancer, as well as exposure to oxidative damage from stress, smoking, air pollution, or conditions that accelerate biologic aging.

"Chromosomes by their nature get shorter as we get older," said John Carlquist, PhD, director of the Intermountain Heart Institute Genetics Lab. "Once they become too short, they no longer function properly, signaling the end of life for the cell. And when cells reach this stage, the patient's risk for age-associated diseases increases dramatically."

Dr. Carlquist and his colleagues from the Intermountain Heart Institute at Intermountain Medical Center tested the DNA samples from more than 3,500 heart attack and stroke patients.

"Our research shows that if we statistically adjust for age, patients with longer telomeres live longer, suggesting that telomere length is more than just a measure of age, but may also indicate the probability for survival. Longer telomere length directly correlate with the likelihood for a longer life -- even for patients with heart disease," said Dr. Carlquist.

Dr. Carlquist and his colleagues from the Intermountain Heart Institute at Intermountain Medical Center drew on two unique resources that offer unparalleled opportunity for researchers to study the effects of telomere length and survival rates of heart patients:

• An archive of peripheral blood DNA samples collected from almost 30,000 heart patients, with as much as 20 years of follow-up clinical and survival data. This is stored in Intermountain Healthcare's computerized medical informatics record system.

"With so many samples and very complete electronic records, it's a unique resource," said Dr. Carlquist. "It's unmatched in the world, and it allows us to measure the rate of change in the length of a patient's telomeres over time rather than just a snapshot in time, which is typical for most studies."

• The opportunity to work with experts from around the world, including Richard Cawthon, MD, PhD, who's an international expert on telomere measurement and function.

"I believe telomere length could be used in the future as a way to measure the effectiveness of heart care treatment," said Dr. Carlquist. "We can already test cholesterol and blood pressure of a patient to see how treatment is working, but this could give us a deeper view into how the treatment is affecting the body and whether or not the treatment is working."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Intermountain Medical Center, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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

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

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/VwVtxCY5cow/130310164232.htm

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Starting An Online Store | Creative Water System

Understanding Web Store Domination and Its Many benefits

It cannot be denied that starting a business over the internet opens up a great deal of opportunities.

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Source: http://rowatersystem.wordpress.com/2013/03/10/starting-an-online-store/

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I'm So Excited! (Los Amantes Pasajeros): Film Review - The ...

The Bottom Line

Almodovar?s campy in-flight comedy takes off and certainly gets off, but is otherwise a rocky ride.?

Opens

March 8 (in Spain)

Director-Screenwriter

Pedro Almodovar

Cast

Javier Camara, Raul Arevalo, Cecilia Roth, Antonio de la Torre, Paz Vega, Penelope Cruz, Antonio Banderas

LONDON -- Giving a whole new meaning to the word "cockpit," Pedro Almodovar?s I?m So Excited! (Los amantes pasajeros) is a raunchy and rowdy throwback to the director?s kinkier efforts from the late '80s/early '90s (Law of Desire, Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!) -- although it also makes for a rather bumpy flight, literally hovering in circles before descending to lots of outre gags and candy-colored copulation. Opening in most territories without making the usual stopover in Cannes, the film will play best with local crowds and dedicated fans of the veteran Spanish auteur, as well as with LBGT audiences looking for a one-way ticket of binge-drinking, pill-popping and other such things one shouldn?t do with their seatbelt fastened.

Among those: Downing cocktails of tequila and mescaline while steering an international airliner, performing fellatio on a passenger doped up on muscle relaxants -- or getting a narcoleptic fiancee to do the same, all the while force-feeding her what looks like an entire bag of barbiturates. Or else -- ?pour que no? ? going down on the co-pilot (who's referred to as a ?natural born f--?) while he tries to save the aircraft from imminent doom.

PHOTOS: 10 Hollywood Films Tweaked for International Release

Indeed, these and other over-the-top moments might make this one a tough sell for Sony Pictures Classics when it releases stateside in late June, as this is a far cry from such stirring, modern-day melodramas as Volver, Talk to Her and All About My Mother, which together grossed over $30 million in the U.S. And although Almodovar alumni Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz make a brief and cute cameo early on in this one (appearing for the first time together in one of his movies), this effort feels more like a gleefully dirty sitcom that's primarily destined for Spanish-speaking and European audiences.

With its English-language title taken from the Pointer Sisters song -- which gets lip-synched in a kitschy mid-movie interlude -- but with an added exclamation point (per the print viewed), the film, both plot-wise and joke-wise, immediately recalls another bluntly titled jetliner comedy: the Zucker Brothers? and Jim Abrahams? 1980 disaster flick spoof, Airplane! Only that this version feels like it was remixed by John Waters on one of his more debauched days, going so far as to feature a brief scene of semen tasting between two of the aircraft's sexed-up stewards.

Like Airplane!, the story here couldn?t be simpler: While on board a flight bound for Mexico City, several crew members and first class passengers try to cope with the fact that the landing gear has failed and that they might all wind up plummeting to their deaths. Forced to come to terms with their dark secrets and oversized libidos as the plane circles above Spain, the characters begin to band together in all kinds of ways as they prepare for a nasty crash landing.

On the crew side there?s the trio of uber-gay flight attendants (Javier Camara, Raul Arevalo, Carlos Areces), the aforementioned co-pilot (Hugo Silva) and his straight-faced captain (Antonio de la Torre), whose sexual orientation is constantly brought into question (at one point he?s referred to as an ?experimental c---sucker?). And on the passenger side there?s the clairvoyant virgin (Lola Duenas), the drug-smuggling groom (Miguel Angel Silvestre), the sharp-tongued madame (Cecilia Roth) and the mysterious dude in the dark suit (Jose Maria Yazpik), who tries to read Roberto Bolano?s 2666 when he?s not hiding his own sordid motives.

VIDEO: Pedro Almodovar's 'I'm So Excited!': It's 'RuPaul's Drag Race' at 30,000 Feet

Although these are all flamboyant, rather fun-filled caricatures, they?re also hard to invest in as actual people, and at most can be enjoyed for the lively performances offered up by several of Almodovar?s regular cast members who clearly are having a blast as they sing and dance and thrust their way to oblivion.

While the first and third acts are devoted to the various in-flight shenanigans, the film bizarrely takes a detour in the second act to follow the uninspired tale of an onboard actor (Guillermo Toledo) and the two lovers (Paz Vega, Blanca Suarez) he left brokenhearted on the ground. Why things needed to swing in this direction is anyone?s guess (giving Vega some screen time is a good one) and the momentary subplot only detracts from a narrative that?s already short on substance.

But Almodovar is obviously less concerned with dishing out one of his well-spun, heart-shattering stories than with taking things as wickedly far as possible, which he certainly does in a finale that brings everyone together in a crescendo of airborne bumping and grinding. This ultimately makes for a work that's less about building emotional ecstasy than about piling on the guilty pleasures, of which there are countless examples, even if such pleasures -- to borrow from the film's original title -- are mostly passing ones.

Working with a color palette that resembles a Christian Lacroix fever dream (or wet dream), trusty cinematographer Jose Luis Alcaine captures the action in lengthy medium shots that allow the performances to play out in the manner of a live television sketch. Along with the titular song, the soundtrack mixes Alberto Iglesias?s score with a handful of upbeat tracks, including a catchy closing number from the U.K. electro ensemble Metronomy.

Production companies: El Deseo S.A.

Cast: Javier Camara, Raul Arevalo, Cecilia Roth, Antonio de la Torre, Hugo Silva Paz Vega, Penelope Cruz, Antonio Banderas

Director, screenwriter: Pedro Almodovar

Producers: Agustin Almodovar, Ester Garcia

Director of photography: Jose Luis Alcaine

Production designer: Antxon Gomez

Costume designer: Tatiana Hernandez

Music: Alberto Iglesias

Chreographer: Blanca Li

Editor: Jose Salcedo

Sales: FilmNation Entertainment

Not yet rated, 90 minutes

Source: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/i-m-excited-los-amantes-426445

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Cambridge Consultants develops indoor tech to pick up where GPS drops off

Indoor navigation isn't a new concept, but it often requires wireless signals or custom infrastructure, neither of which are entirely reliable. Cambridge Consultants has come up with an as-yet-unnamed technology that purports to solve the issue by utilizing low-power sensors along with a custom formula that don't require an existing framework. According to the Cambridge, UK-based company, all you need are its special Bayesian algorithm and run-of-the-mill smartphone components like accelerometers, gyroscopes and magnetometers to do the job. It has already built a concept chipset (seen above) that could be embedded in existing devices -- you can either map your location directly on it or send that info off to a remote system. The firm says the technology will be useful for firefighters and hospital workers, though we wouldn't complain if it's implemented in trade shows either. For more information on the tech, check the press release after the break.

Filed under: Cellphones, GPS

Comments

Source: Cambridge Consultants

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/r29wbigvbKI/

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Galaxy's Jiangsu Plant achieves 99.9% purity lithium carbonate

/NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES/

Highlights

• Jiangsu Plant produces 99.9% Li₂CO₃ purity lithium carbonate (EV Grade^?)
• EV Grade^? used in electrolytes solution in lithium-ion batteries
• EV Grade^? commands 20%-30% price premium to battery grade lithium carbonate
• Provides potential to extend market base to electrolyte manufacturers
• Battery Grade (99.5% purity) lithium carbonate will continue to make up bulk of Galaxy's sales

PERTH, Australia, March 8, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - Galaxy Resources Ltd (ASX: GXY) ("Galaxy" or "the Company") is pleased to announce that it has achieved commercial production of 99.9% Li₂CO₃ purity lithium carbonate at its wholly-owned Jiangsu Lithium Carbonate Plant ("Jiangsu Plant") in China.

The Jiangsu Plant was originally designed to produce 17,000 tpa of battery grade (minimum 99.5% Li₂CO₃ purity) lithium carbonate product making it the largest battery grade producer in the world. Recent adjustments and improvements to the process have allowed the Jiangsu team to produce a higher specification product of 99.9% purity.

Lithium carbonate of minimum 99.9% purity, registered by Galaxy as EV Grade^?, is used specifically in the manufacture of electrolyte solution for lithium-ion batteries. Up until now, the Jiangsu Plant has produced battery grade (99.5% Li₂CO₃) lithium carbonate, which is used in the cathode part of the batteries. Lithium-ion batteries are used in electric and hybrid vehicles and electronics like PDAs, mobile phones and laptops.

EV Grade^? currently accounts for 5-10% of the overall battery grade lithium carbonate market but commands a price premium of 20%-30% to battery grade (99.5% purity) lithium carbonate product due to the higher purity specification and limited supply globally.

While the main future demand for lithium carbonate will come from cathode producers seeking 99.5% purity product, Galaxy Managing Director Iggy Tan said the capability to produce higher purity grades gives the Company more marketing options.

"We wanted to become a market leader in EV Grade^? production, so I'm very pleased to have achieved this quality beyond the plant design. The ability to produce EV Grade^? product extends Galaxy's potential customer base, allowing the Company to tap into growth in both the cathode and electrolyte markets.

"Although it's a smaller market, the higher price EV Grade^? makes it a valuable product to add to our mix, and we will determine how much of each product to produce based on demand levels from our customers," Mr Tan added.

About Galaxy (ASX: GXY)

Galaxy Resources Ltd ("Galaxy") is an Australian-based global lithium company with lithium production facilities, hard rock mines and brine assets in Australia, China, Canada and Argentina. The Company is an integrated lithium mining, chemicals and battery company listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (Code: GXY) and is a member of the S&P/ASX 300 Index.

Galaxy wholly owns the Mt Cattlin project near Ravensthorpe in Western Australia where it mines lithium pegmatite ore and processes it on site to produce a spodumene concentrate and tantalum by-product. At full capacity, Galaxy will process 137,000 tpa of spodumene concentrate which will feed the Company's wholly-owned Jiangsu Lithium Carbonate Plant in China's Jiangsu province. The Jiangsu Plant has commenced production and will produce 17,000 tpa of battery grade lithium carbonate, the largest producer in the Asia Pacific region and the fourth largest in the world.

Galaxy is also advancing plans to develop the Sal de Vida (70%) lithium and potash brine project in Argentina situated in the lithium triangle (where Chile, Argentina and Bolivia meet) which is currently the source of 60% of global lithium production. Sal de Vida has excellent promise as a future low cost brine mine and lithium carbonate processing facility.? The Company also owns the James Bay (100%) Lithium Pegmatite Project in Quebec, Canada.

Lithium compounds are used in the manufacture of ceramics, glass, electronics and are an essential cathode material for long life lithium-ion batteries used to power e-bikes and hybrid and electric vehicles. Galaxy is bullish about the global lithium demand outlook and is positioning itself to achieve its goal of being involved in every step of the lithium supply chain.

Caution Regarding Forward Looking Information.

This document contains forward looking statements concerning Galaxy.

Forward-looking statements are not statements of historical fact and actual events and results may differ materially from those described in the forward looking statements as a result of a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors.? Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies.? Many factors could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking information provided by the Company, or on behalf of, the Company. Such factors include, among other things, risks relating to additional funding requirements, metal prices, exploration, development and operating risks, competition, production risks, regulatory restrictions, including environmental regulation and liability and potential title disputes.

Forward looking statements in this document are based on Galaxy's beliefs, opinions and estimates of Galaxy as of the dates the forward looking statements are made, and no obligation is assumed to update forward looking statements if these beliefs, opinions and estimates should change or to reflect other future developments.

Not For Release in US

This announcement has been prepared for publication in Australia and may not be released in the U.S. This announcement does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in any jurisdiction, including the United States, and any securities described in this announcement may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Any public offering of securities to be made in the United States will be made by means of a prospectus that may be obtained from the issuer and that will contain detailed information about the company and management, as well as financial statements.

EV Grade^? is a registered trademark of Galaxy Resources Limited

SOURCE: Galaxy Resources Limited

For further information:

Corporate
Iggy Tan
Managing Director
Galaxy Resources Ltd
Tel (office): +61 (0)8 9215 1700
Email:?ir@galaxylithium.com

Media Contact
Jane Munday
FTI Consulting
Tel (office): +61 (0)8 9485 8888
Tel (mobile): + 61 (0)488 400 248
Email:?jane.munday@fticonsulting.com

Source: http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1125959/galaxy-s-jiangsu-plant-achieves-99-9-purity-lithium-carbonate

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?In The Studio,? FLOODGATE?S Mike Maples Maintains An Outsider Mindset Despite His Valley Successes

"In the Studio" welcomes a co-founder of a company which went public, a native Texan who studied engineering in Silicon Valley and business on the east coast, and who, upon returning to the Valley to begin investing, encountered a different path than he originally anticipated.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/z2aweXWWwgI/

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Cultivating a Gracious Climate in Your Church

As I?ve said before, a message of grace may attract people, but a culture of grace will keep them. What our churches need, not in exchange for a gospel message but as a witness to it, is a gospeled climate. But how do you get that? How do you develop in your church community a safe space to confess, be broken, be ?not okay?? What are some ways to cultivate a climate of grace in your church?

1. Ordain totally qualified elders

We often do well to make sure our elders are solid in doctrine and confident in leadership, but too often we let the just-as-important qualifications slide. Or we skimp over them in assessment. Many churches fail their communities when they ordain the smartest guys in the building because those smart guys lack in qualities like gentleness, long-temperedness, or in shepherding their families well. Consider candidates who live in open, transparent ways, who distinguish themselves in hospitality and generosity, who have reputations for patience and meekness as much as intelligence and confidence. Examine their families. Do they lead their families graciously? Do their kids seem happy? Are their wives flourishing? There is a reason Paul puts the quality of husbanding and fathering at the top of his list.

This is one reason I am particularly fond of older men as elders, particularly men with adult or young adult children. A man may have prodigal children in spite of him, of course, not because of him, and so I want to take that into consideration, but if a man?s children are no longer walking with the Lord I want to know if it was because they grew up in an undisciplined, ungodly home or an overly disciplined, rigid, authoritarian, graceless home. I am not opposed to younger elders with younger children (I am one) or even single elders with none (Paul was one), but older men give you both the benefit of life experience and wisdom, and if they?ve been walking with Jesus for a while, they are often softer in heart than younger men. In short, what you want is not just elders who preach and teach well, but elders who love well, who shepherd well. You don?t want simply ruling elders, but gracious shepherds. Because whatever your elders are, your church will eventually be.

2. Go hard after doctrinal arrogance.

Most everyone who thinks they are right about a particular theological issue believes they came to it through growing in the Lord, not just reading information. Both the Calvinists and the Arminians in your church think that. Both the premillennialists and the postmillennialists think that. Most every one of us believes that we came to our particular view in the midst of our spiritual growth. (And we?re all right about that, sort of.) Thinking this way is only natural. But the danger in this thinking is equating our particular view with progressive sanctification. Doing so means believing that because I believe ______, I am more sanctified than you. The reason you don?t yet subscribe to my view on this matter is because you are more immature in your faith. Suddenly we are creating first and second class Christians in the community. And that?s gross.

Gently but firmly rebuke doctrinal arrogance and root it out wherever you find it. Factions develop over devotion to secondary matters quite easily if left unchecked. Be careful in preaching against sin that you don?t have ?favorite? sins, pet sins to rail against. People guilty of such sins may be convicted and repent, but more often they do not hear the message of grace when their sin is repeatedly singled out but that your church is a safe place to have any sin but theirs. And there is an inverse danger in having favorite sins to preach against: it implicitly tells people who don?t struggle with that sin that they must be holy because they don?t struggle with it. By singling out certain sins for special treatment, you are helping everybody else embrace the arrogance of the Pharisee in the temple who was proud he wasn?t the tax collector.

Remind your people often that the demons have impeccable theology, that demons can be Calvinists and Arminians, millenniarians and amillenniarians.

3. Preach a whole gospel aimed at hearts, as well as minds

Preaching that takes the form more of lectures is great for creating information-glutted minds. Sometimes. But while every sermon should convey information ? it should definitely teach ? the purpose of a sermon is not primarily mind-informing but heart-transforming. Aim at the heart in two primary ways: 1) proclaim good news, not simply good advice, and 2) exult in your preaching. In other words, don?t just preach the text, as much as you are able, feel it. More often than not, churches don?t become passionate about what their pastors tell them to be passionate about but about what their pastors are evidently passionate about themselves. So if it?s clear from your preaching that what really fires you up is the imperatives of the Scriptures, and not the gospel indicatives, guess what? No matter how many times you tell your church to center on the gospel, they?re going to see that your zeal is reserved for the law.

And as you preach the gospel, preach to both prodigals and older brothers. Explain how the gospel is opposed to self-righteous religiosity. Entreat both ?brothers? to embrace Christ, the legalist as well as the hedonist. Don?t give the impression that the gospel is just for those obvious sinners, the ?lost? people, but for all people, including those in the pews every Sunday.

4. Establish limping leaders

From elders on down, I don?t empower any leader who has no record of or reputation for humility. I want to know if the leader has ever been broken, ever had his legs knocked out from under him. I don?t empower leaders who don?t walk with limps, because they often have no empathy for the broken, the hurting, the abused, or the penitent. I don?t empower any leader who has not confronted and wrestled with his own sin, who doesn?t demonstrate an ongoing humility about his sin and a grief over it. Leaders who do not personally know the scandal of grace set a climate in a church of gracelessness.

5. Promote hospitality, service, and generosity

What values, programs, initiatives do I most want to promote? The ones that are most conducive to closeness with each other and outwardness with the community. Church people don?t learn to be gracious with unchurched people if they are never in proximity with them. And often being in the same work environment doesn?t cut it. We want to facilitate and promote opportunities for growth that involve the opening of homes, the active service of people inside the church and out, and the giving away of money and stuff. Lots of things fit these bills, so you can get creative. But when church people spend a lot of time with each other in these sorts of settings ? as opposed to simply classroom type settings or the worship service ? they get to know each other in ways that build familiarity, empathy, intimacy, etc. And the same is true of spending time in these settings with unchurched folks, as well. A closed-off, insular, cloistered church is not conducive to a gracious climate. It runs out of air too quickly; people can?t breathe.

6. Take it personally

Most importantly, you I must be what you I want to see. So often as you are I am checking your my church?s pulse ? which Bonhoeffer wisely says not to keep doing ? we are I am thinking of all the people who need to get their act together, who need a big dose of humility. We may be right about them. But applying to others first is not the humble impulse of grace taken seriously. I need to keep a close watch on my life and doctrine. I need to outdo others in showing honor. I need to practice confession and repentance. I need to humble myself. As I am growing intellectually, I need to hold the fruit of the Spirit up to my heart and be fearless and honest about asking, ?How am I doing in these areas??

For each of us, a gracious climate begins with us.

?
Related:
The Welcome of Grace
Safeguarding Against Abuse in the Church
Stay Messy, My Friends
How to Almost Guarantee Your Children Will Run in the Opposite Direction from the Faith

Copyright ? 2013 by the author listed above. Used by permission.

Source: http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/gospeldrivenchurch/2013/03/07/cultivating-a-gracious-climate-in-your-church/

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Dirty Secrets

Dirty Secrets

Check Out Emma Watson’s Hot Brother?[The Frisky] Elizabeth Olsen to Play Juliet in Off-Broadway Production?[HollyWire] Justin Bieber Goes Wild on Paparazzi?[Right Celebrity] Miley Cyrus Caught Partying With Mystery Man?[The Celebrity Cafe] Dita Von Teese Wears First 3D Dress?[The Blemish] Leaked Photo of Beyonce’s Songlist is Fake?[The Huffington Post] Tina Fey Spends a Day in Her ...

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Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2013/03/dirty-secrets/

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Airline Holds Flight To Help Man Reach Dying Mother's Bedside ...

TODAYSHOW.COM - It was only a matter of minutes, but Kerry Drake will forever be grateful for the precious sliver of time.

On Jan. 24, the San Francisco man booked the first possible flight to Lubbock, Texas, via a connection in Houston after his brother informed him that their mother Dolores was dying and might not make it another 24 hours. However, his United Airlines flight to Houston experienced a 30-minute delay coming out of San Francisco, leaving him distraught that he might not be able to be with his mother in her final hours.

As he sat on the plane trying to deal with his emotions, flight attendant Sofia Linares brought him napkins to dab his tears while fellow flight attendant Lan Chung relayed his flight number to the captain. When the plane landed in Houston, it appeared as if Drake would miss his connection, which was the last plane to Lubbock for the day. He needed to take an air train to another terminal just to reach the gate for his connection and figured it would be too late.

But when he arrived, he received an unexpected gift.

"What I felt was just an amazing relief when I turned the corner and the gate agent called my name out and said they had been expecting me,'' Drake told TODAY.com. "It was the first time I realized that they had all conspired to make sure I was going to get there.''

Drake found out that United employees had held the flight from Houston to Lubbock for him, "only 15 or 20 minutes, if that,'' he said.

He made it to his mother's bedside at a Lubbock hospital in time to be with her during her last hours, and was sitting with his father in the middle of the night when they witnessed her final moments of coherence before her death. Dolores Drake died at age 76 in the early morning hours of Jan. 25, after having suffered from rheumatoid arthritis for much of her life and being worn down by the drugs used to treat her condition.

"(United) went above and beyond,'' Drake said. "It was a matter of minutes, but it made all the difference in the world. That really blew me away.''

His luggage also managed to make it on the connecting flight, and he said he heard no complaints of any kind from the passengers waiting on board. The airline did not receive any formal complaints from other passengers regarding the short delay, United spokesperson Megan McCarthy told TODAY.com.

"I've heard anecdotally of this happening before, but it's rare,'' McCarthy said of the flight being held for special circumstances. "Many of our employees, if they can help a customer, will go above and beyond if there's a way that they can make it happen. It's not always the case that we can do something like this because of other considerations, but it looks to me like all these employees worked together to make it happen.''

Drake followed up his experience with a complimentary letter to United on Feb. 24, thanking the airline and staff, including pilot Edward Goldstein and first officer Dirk Chilian, for their kindness in a difficult situation. The letter appeared in the company's employee newsletter with his name removed

"My only motivation was to recognize the people at United who were so kind,'' he said. "It was a greatly unusual and appreciated thing.''

Source: http://www.khq.com/story/21543414/airline-holds-flight-to-help-man-reach-dying-mothers-bedside

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Twitter?s New Policies Kill Three More Apps

Late last year, Twitter placed a hard limit of 100,000 API keys -- that's basically "app installs" -- on third-party Twitter apps. Any developer whose app reaches that limit now needs special permission, and so far Twitter hasn't granted permission to anyone, in what Android Police's Jeremiah Rice called "their passive-aggressive way of killing third-party [apps]."

Just in the last few weeks, apps started hitting that limit, beginning with Joaquim Verg?s' Falcon Pro. (The really sad part is, only about 40,000 of those app installs were paid customers -- the rest may have obtained the app illegally.) Verg?s changed his app's description to warn people not to buy it, then briefly raised its price to 100 Euros before finally requiring its users to re-login, thus freeing up keys that weren't being used anymore (by people who bought it and moved on).

So far, Twitter hasn't replied to a petition Verg?s started, one which now has more than 7,000 signatures. And from the looks of things, three more Twitter apps are about to bite the dust, thanks to Twitter's new emphasis on getting people to use the official mobile app.

Carbon for Android

The extremely popular Carbon app has been downloaded more than 100,000 times already, and may have been grandfathered in under Twitter's policy. However, Carbon developer M. Saleh Esmaeili announced on Monday that he has cancelled the enhanced, paid version of Carbon that he was in the process of developing, as well as its tablet version (called Graphite). Esmaeili has previously withdrawn his apps from the webOS and Windows Phone markets because of poor sales on those smaller platforms.

In explaining his reasons for canceling the app in development, he said he doesn't want to get complaints and be responsible for "an app that won't even get to live [sic] its 100K sales before it gets pirated." He is going to continue working on the existing Carbon for Android "as long as I can."

TweetDeck

Acquired by Twitter in 2011, Tweetdeck is shutting down its mobile apps this May, and is removing the Facebook login feature from its desktop and web apps. While this is not strictly caused by the 100,000 install limit, Rice believes that Twitter is pushing to get people using the one basic Twitter app, because "this will allow them to increase revenue from ads and sponsored tweets."

TweakDeck

A "tweaked" version of TweetDeck, TweakDeck "will also cease to function" once it goes down, according to developer Paul O'Brien. O'Brien opines that the move to kill the mobile version of TweetDeck "comes at a time when Twitter as an organisation are pushing users to their primary clients as much as possible, as well as doing their best to stifle third party clients."

Jared Spurbeck is an open-source software enthusiast, who uses an Android phone and an Ubuntu laptop PC. He has been writing about technology and electronics since 2008.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/twitter-policies-kill-three-more-apps-171800770.html

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Brain injury may be autoimmune phenomenon, like multiple sclerosis

Mar. 6, 2013 ? Most scientists are starting to agree that repeat, sub-concussive hits to the head are dangerous and linked to neurological disorders later in life. A new collaborative study, though, attempted to find out why -- and discovered that damage to the blood-brain barrier and the resulting autoimmune response might be the culprit.

Published in journal PLOS ONE by the University of Rochester Medical Center and the Cleveland Clinic, the research suggests a new way of thinking about concussions: That the brain degeneration observed among professional football players (including the much-publicized chronic traumatic encephalopathy) could result from an out-of-control immune response, similar to what multiple sclerosis patients experience. If so, this opens the door to investigating a vaccine or drug therapy to prevent head trauma.

Although he emphasized that the research is preliminary, co-author Jeffrey J. Bazarian, M.D., M.P.H., associate professor of Emergency Medicine at URMC, said it's exciting to discover a theory that appears to fit with the reality of what experts observe among athletes. Bazarian worked closely with lead investigator Damir Janigro, Ph.D., professor of Molecular Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, and 67 college football players from northeast Ohio and Rochester, N.Y., who agreed to participate in the research.

"Although the awareness of sports-related concussions is much higher, we still know very little about the long-term consequences and what happens inside the brain," Bazarian said.

"Our theory is plausible as an explanation for how routine head hits that come with playing football can lead to severe neuro-degeneration later in life," said Bazarian, a national expert who has served on an Institute of Medicine committee for brain injury. "If others confirm this, it could present options with drugs that influence the immune response."

The blood-brain barrier is like a semi-permeable gate between the brain and bloodstream. No other organ has such a barrier. When the barrier is working properly, it holds in proteins and molecules that bathe the brain and protect it from foreign substances. With blows to the head, however, the barrier opens slightly and allows some proteins to leak into the bloodstream.

Researchers found that S100B, a well-accepted protein biomarker for traumatic brain injury, was present in varying degrees in the blood samples of the 67 football players after every game -- even though none of them suffered a concussion. This demonstrates that even the most routine hits have some impact on the blood-brain barrier and possibly the brain itself, Bazarian said.

For the purposes of this project, however, the team wanted to explore what happens after S100B surges from the brain and enters the bloodstream. Again, they made an important finding -- that the body views S100B as an enemy and begins to form antibodies against it as if it were a virus.

Researchers hypothesized that a buildup of antibodies would result in a more vigorous attack on S100B in the bloodstream. But in the process, they learned, some antibodies sneak back through the damaged blood-brain barrier to the brain and begin to harm the healthy brain cells that produced the S100B protein in the first place. This is analogous to a missile searching for a target, Bazarian said, with some unintended targets eventually falling under attack.

Researchers also showed that S100B accumulates in dendric cells, which regulate auto-immune responses. Therefore, as the blood-brain barrier repeatedly opens during the football season it might set the stage for a continuous autoimmune-type attack on the brain, they reasoned.

In multiple sclerosis a similar breakdown occurs, when the body's own immune system damages myelin sheaths around the brain. Other health conditions that harm the blood-brain barrier include sepsis (overwhelming infection), burns, critical illness, or seizures.

The methods used to test the hypothesis involved each player giving blood samples before and after games. Researchers then analyzed the samples for S100B levels and auto-immune antibody levels. They also monitored the number of hits each player sustained by viewing game films and conducting post-game interviews, and gave each player standard cognitive and functional tests, pre-season and post-season.

In addition, a subset of 10 players from the University of Rochester received special brain scans with diffusion tensor imaging, a more sensitive MRI that can detect subtle axonal injury.

Results showed that players with the most head hits also had the highest S100B levels and elevated levels of autoimmune antibodies. Players who often remained on the sidelines had significantly lower S100B levels. In addition, the blood samples predicted abnormalities seen in the imaging tests, and correlated with observed cognitive changes.

Although many scientists are actively investigating concussions in the United States right now, it's been difficult to study the link between brain injury, blood-brain barrier damage, and the long-term risk of neuro-degeneration because of a lack of simple, non-invasive tools, Bazarian said. But demonstrating that S100B can be used in this way adds a new dimension to the scientific literature. Other investigators have also used the S100B protein to study Alzheimer's patients, the study noted.

Bazarian hopes that eventually S100B will be a tool for emergency rooms and other clinical settings to screen for concussions. Doctors can accurately measure it with a simple finger prick; many European countries already use S100B to decide which patients need a CT scan when a concussion is suspected.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Rochester Medical Center.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Nicola Marchi, Jeffrey J. Bazarian, Vikram Puvenna, Mattia Janigro, Chaitali Ghosh, Jianhui Zhong, Tong Zhu, Eric Blackman, Desiree Stewart, Jasmina Ellis, Robert Butler, Damir Janigro. Consequences of Repeated Blood-Brain Barrier Disruption in Football Players. PLoS ONE, 2013; 8 (3): e56805 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0056805

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

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/XcZ5gaFtL_A/130306221133.htm

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