Treatment leads to near-normal life expectancy for people with HIV in South Africa

Apr. 9, 2013 ? In South Africa, people with HIV who start treatment with anti-AIDS drugs (antiretroviral therapy) have life expectancies around 80% of that of the general population provided that they start treatment before their CD4 count drops below 200 (cells per microliter), according to a study by South African researchers published in this week's PLOS Medicine.

These findings are encouraging and show that with long-term treatment, HIV can be managed as a chronic illness in middle- and low-income settings, and also suggest that the estimates used by life insurance companies and epidemiological modellers may need to be revised -- these estimates typically assume that life expectancy after starting antiretroviral therapy is around 10 years.

The researchers, led by Leigh Johnson from the University of Cape Town, reached these conclusions by collecting information from six HIV treatment programs throughout South Africa between 2001 and 2010, which they then used in a survival model.

The authors found that -- as in HIV-negative adults -- the most significant factor determining the life expectancy of patients starting HIV treatment was their age when they started treatment: the average life expectancy (additional years of life) of men starting antiretroviral therapy varied between 27.6 years at age 20 and 10.1 years at age 60, while corresponding estimates in women were 36.8 and 14.4 years, respectively.

They also found that life expectancies were significantly influenced by baseline CD4 counts (a measure of the strength of the immune system at the time of starting treatment): life expectancies in patients with baseline CD4 counts of 200 cells per microliter or more were between 70% and 86% of those of HIV negative adults of the same age and sex, while patients starting antiretroviral therapy with CD4 counts of less than 50 cells per microliter had life expectancies that were between 48% and 61% of those of HIV-negative adults.

The study also showed that the risk of death was highest during the first year after starting antiretroviral treatment, because of the delay between the start of treatment and the recovery of the immune system. Life expectancies were typically 15-20% higher two years after starting treatment than at the time of starting treatment. For example, in patients who started treatment with CD4 counts of more than 200 cells per microliter, life expectancies two years after starting therapy were between 87% and 96% of those in HIV-negative individuals (compared to a range of 70-86% at the time of starting treatment).

Although these results are encouraging, this study also highlights that many HIV patients are still starting treatment with very low CD4 counts, and health services must overcome major challenges, such as late diagnosis, low uptake of CD4 testing, loss from care, and delayed antiretroviral therapy initiation, if near-normal life expectancies are to be achieved for the majority of people with HIV in South Africa.

The authors also cautioned that their results were based on projections of the low mortality rates observed after patients had been on treatment for a few years, and that there was uncertainty about how mortality rates might change in future, particularly at longer treatment durations. The authors noted that although there was the promise of new drugs and new patient management strategies, which might reduce mortality further, there was also the risk of rising levels of HIV drug resistance, which might compromise treatment effectiveness.

The authors say: "These results have important implications for the pricing models used by life insurance companies, as well as the demographic and epidemiological models that are used to forecast the impact and cost of [antiretroviral therapy] programmes in low- and middle-income countries."

They continue: "Assumptions of longer life expectancy would significantly reduce the forecasts of AIDS mortality, but would also significantly increase long-term projections of numbers of patients receiving [antiretroviral therapy]."

The authors add: "It is therefore critical that appropriate funding systems and innovative ways to reduce costs are put in place, to ensure the long-term sustainability of [antiretroviral therapy] delivery in low- and middle-income countries."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Public Library of Science.

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. Leigh F. Johnson, Joel Mossong, Rob E. Dorrington, Michael Schomaker, Christopher J. Hoffmann, Olivia Keiser, Matthew P. Fox, Robin Wood, Hans Prozesky, Janet Giddy, Daniela Belen Garone, Morna Cornell, Matthias Egger, Andrew Boulle. Life Expectancies of South African Adults Starting Antiretroviral Treatment: Collaborative Analysis of Cohort Studies. PLoS Medicine, 2013; 10 (4): e1001418 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1001418

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/~3/FhhmZ6i4N3c/130409173502.htm

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Gay attack victim in France becomes cause celebre

Wilfred de Bruijn, a Dutch citizen who lives and works as a librarian in Paris, France, gestures during an interview with The Associated Press at his apartment in Paris, Wednesday, April 10, 2013. De Bruijn was beaten unconscious near his home early Sunday morning in central Paris, sustaining 5 fractures in his head and face, abrasions and a lost tooth. After posting a photo of his wounds on Facebook, the image went viral and de Bruijn has become a national cause celebre of the pro-gay campaign. (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere)

Wilfred de Bruijn, a Dutch citizen who lives and works as a librarian in Paris, France, gestures during an interview with The Associated Press at his apartment in Paris, Wednesday, April 10, 2013. De Bruijn was beaten unconscious near his home early Sunday morning in central Paris, sustaining 5 fractures in his head and face, abrasions and a lost tooth. After posting a photo of his wounds on Facebook, the image went viral and de Bruijn has become a national cause celebre of the pro-gay campaign. (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere)

Wilfred de Bruijn, a Dutch citizen who lives and works as a librarian in Paris, France, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at his apartment in Paris, Wednesday, April 10, 2013. De Bruijn was beaten unconscious near his home early Sunday morning in central Paris, sustaining 5 fractures in his head and face, abrasions and a lost tooth. After posting a photo of his wounds on Facebook, the image went viral and de Bruijn has become a national cause celebre of the pro-gay campaign. (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere)

Wilfred de Bruijn, a Dutch citizen who lives and works as a librarian in Paris, France, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at his apartment in Paris, Wednesday, April 10, 2013. De Bruijn was beaten unconscious near his home early Sunday morning in central Paris, sustaining 5 fractures in his head and face, abrasions and a lost tooth. After posting a photo of his wounds on Facebook, the image went viral and de Bruijn has become a national cause celebre of the pro-gay campaign. (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere)

Wilfred de Bruijn, a Dutch citizen who lives and works as a librarian in Paris, France, shows a photo of his face shot by his friend after he was beaten, during an interview with The Associated Press at his apartment in Paris, Wednesday, April 10, 2013. de Bruijn was beaten unconscious near his home early Sunday morning in central Paris, sustaining 5 fractures in his head and face, abrasions and a lost tooth. After posting a photo of his wounds on Facebook, the image went viral and de Bruijn has become a national cause celebre of the pro-gay campaign. (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere)

Wilfred de Bruijn, a Dutch citizen who lives and works as a librarian in Paris, France, gestures during an interview with The Associated Press at his apartment in Paris, Wednesday, April 10, 2013. De Bruijn was beaten unconscious near his home early Sunday morning in central Paris, sustaining 5 fractures in his head and face, abrasions and a lost tooth. After posting a photo of his wounds on Facebook, the image went viral and de Bruijn has become a national cause celebre of the pro-gay campaign. (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere)

PARIS (AP) ? The shocking photo of a homophobic attack victim in Paris that went viral on social media this week and caused the French interior minister to weigh in was used as an emblem in a pro-gay rally Wednesday evening.

The image of Wilfred de Bruijn's cut and bruised face was brandished by gay groups during a demonstration of several thousand people as evidence of their claim that homophobic acts have tripled nationwide over opposition to a law legalizing gay marriage.

This week, the French senate will conclude its debate on a law legalizing same-sex marriage and adoption, which is expected to pass. It's been a rocky run since it was unveiled last November by President Francois Hollande's Socialists and split the majority-Catholic country.

But whichever way the Senate votes, the image of De Bruijn's battered face has made for a symbolic end to five months of bitterly divisive protests.

De Bruijn was beaten unconscious near his home early Sunday in central Paris, sustaining five fractures in his head and face, abrasions and a lost tooth. His boyfriend, who was also beaten up, said he witnessed three to four men shouting "Hey, look they're gays," before they attacked. The incident has shocked France, and garnered support far and wide as a gay "cause celebre." On Tuesday night, Interior Minister Manuel Valls called De Bruijn personally to express his shock.

"I certainly feel there's been an increase in homophobia," De Bruijn told The Associated Press at his apartment in Paris' working class 19th district, where the attack took place.

"What (the anti-gay marriage campaign) are saying is that they're not homophobic: lesbians and gays are nice people, but don't let them get close to children ? that's very dangerous. It's OK for them to live together, but not like other couples with the same protection because it's not really the same thing," De Bruijn said.

"These people are all professionals of the spoken word. They know very well what can happen if you repeat, repeat, repeat that these people are lower human beings. Of course it will have a result."

In light of the attack ? which has forced members of the anti-gay marriage campaign to defend themselves ? 30 gay associations organized the anti-homophobia rally for Wednesday. Associations SOS Homophobia and Refuge have used De Bruijn's case to highlight the spike they've recorded in homophobia since the gay marriage bill was announced last year. Both associations report that homophobic acts ? verbal and physical ? in the first three months of 2013 have tripled compared with the same period in 2012.

Meanwhile, Frigide Barjot, the stage name of an activist who has led protests against the bill, insisted the anti-gay marriage movement is opposed to violence. Speaking on RMC radio Wednesday, Barjot was careful to distance herself from a rightwing movement called the "French Spring," whose name was supposedly inspired by the revolutionary values of 2011's "Arab Spring."

"We don't want violence. We denounce this violence and these acts, we have nothing to do with (Catholic) fundamentalists or extremists," she said.

Not so, for De Bruijn.

"It was not Frigide Barjot who was hitting my head, or the bishop of Avignon lurking in that street to attack us," he said. "But they are responsible."

___

Thomas Adamson can be followed at Twitter.com/ThomasAdamsonAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-04-10-France-Gay%20Attacks/id-2dfd0cb435834d419b74d71b8b87a304

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Settlement reached in 'Spider-Man' B'way musical

NEW YORK (AP) ? A settlement has been reached between the producers of "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" and its fired director, Julie Taymor, ending a bitter legal fight that had marred what has become a Broadway success story.

"All claims between all of the parties in the litigation have been resolved," both sides said in a statement Wednesday. No details about the settlement or how it was reached were immediately revealed.

Taymor, who was the original "Spider-Man" director and co-book writer, was fired after years of delays, accidents and critical backlash.

The show, which features music by U2's Bono and The Edge, opened in November 2010 but spent months in previews before officially opening a few days after the Tony Awards in June. It has become a financial hit at the box office.

In November 2011, Taymor slapped the producers ? led by Michael Cohl and Jeremiah J. Harris ? as well as Glen Berger, her former co-book writer, with a federal copyright infringement lawsuit, alleging they violated her creative rights and haven't compensated her for the work she put into the $75 million show. The producers' filed a counterclaim asserting the copyright claims were baseless.

"We're happy to put all this behind us," said a statement by Cohl and Harris. For her part, Taymor was quoted in the release as saying: "I'm pleased to have reached an agreement and hope for the continued success of 'Spider-Man,' both on Broadway and beyond."

Taymor's lawsuit sought half of all profits, gains and advantages derived from the sale, license, transfer or lease of any rights in the original "Spider-Man" book along with a permanent ban of the use of her name or likeness in connection with a documentary film that was made of the birth of the musical without her written consent.

It also sought a jury trial to determine her share of profits from the unauthorized use of her version of the superhero story, which it said was believed to be in excess of $1 million.

Manhattan federal Judge Katherine Forrest had set a May 27 trial date after lawyers for Taymor asked that the case move forward because a settlement was never finalized. But that looming showdown is now off.

The legal wrangling revealed a behind-the-scenes atmosphere that was secretive and slightly paranoid. Taymor alleged that Berger was told to quietly work on changes to the story without Taymor's knowledge ? called "Plan X" ? that in an email Berger complained led him to lead a "double life" ? both working with and against Taymor.

The stunt-heavy show has been doing brisk business ever since it opened its doors and most weeks easily grossing more than the $1.2 million the producers have indicated they need to reach to stay viable.

Taymor had alleged that the show has not been re-imagined and that what audiences are seeing at the Foxwoods Theatre is essentially the same show she directed. "The producers' current suggestion that they have created a 'new' show after a mere three-week shutdown is false and incredible," the filing says.

After Taymor left, Philip William McKinley, who directed the Hugh Jackman musical "The Boy From Oz" in 2003, was hired to take over. He was billed as creative consultant when the musical opened.

When the show finally opened in June 2011, and Taymor received a standing ovation and kisses from cast members, as well as Bono and The Edge.

___

Follow Mark Kennedy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/settlement-reached-spider-man-bway-musical-153139234.html

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Rutgers commissioning review of basketball scandal

Rutgers University President Robert Barchi announces he accepted the resignation of athletic director Tim Pernetti, Friday, April 5, 2013, in New Brunswick, N.J. The Rutgers men's basketball scandal claimed two more university officials on Friday, including Pernetti and John B. Wolf, an interim senior vice president, who were involved in a decision to "rehabilitate" rather than fire basketball coach Mike Rice whose abusive behavior was captured on a video. On Thursday, assistant coach Jimmy Martelli resigned. Barchi's position appears to be safe. Pernetti dismissed Rice on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

Rutgers University President Robert Barchi announces he accepted the resignation of athletic director Tim Pernetti, Friday, April 5, 2013, in New Brunswick, N.J. The Rutgers men's basketball scandal claimed two more university officials on Friday, including Pernetti and John B. Wolf, an interim senior vice president, who were involved in a decision to "rehabilitate" rather than fire basketball coach Mike Rice whose abusive behavior was captured on a video. On Thursday, assistant coach Jimmy Martelli resigned. Barchi's position appears to be safe. Pernetti dismissed Rice on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) ? Rutgers University announced Monday that it's commissioning an independent review of the conduct of fired basketball coach Mike Rice and the way the university handled the situation when it learned that he was kicking and shoving players and berating them with gay slurs in practice.

The review ensures that the saga will not end quickly or quietly.

A video of Rice's behavior was made public last week, more than five months after it was given to the university, which initially decided to suspend the coach, fine him and send him to anger-management counseling.

After it became public, the university fired Rice. Athletic director Tim Pernetti resigned and so did a university lawyer who had advised him and an assistant basketball coach. Some faculty members and others have also called for university President Robert Barchi to step down, though he's received support from the school's Board of Governors and Gov. Chris Christie.

The scandal has prompted the FBI to investigate whether a former Rutgers basketball employee tried to extort money from the university before recording practices at which Rice was seen pushing and otherwise belittling players, a person familiar with the investigation told The Associated Press.

Rutgers said its Board of Governors will meet Thursday to discuss hiring the independent adviser to review the case.

Also Monday, board chairman Ralph Izzo said that one board member ? athletics committee chairman Mark P. Hershhorn ? had seen the video in December. Izzo said that it was not shown to other members and while the topic of the coach's conduct was discussed at a committee meeting in December, it was not discussed at the whole-board meeting that month. The university did not immediately respond to a request to interview Hershhorn.

On Monday, Barchi is scheduled to hold a town hall meeting that had been planned for last week but was postponed after a video surfaced showing Rice pushing players, throwing basketballs at them and berating them with invectives, including gay slurs.

The meeting was meant to address the sweeping plan to re-organize the state's higher education system, a priority of Gov. Chris Christie that the state legislature signed off on last year. The New Jersey Assembly will hold a budget hearing that will address the plan at the school Tuesday.

The goal, Barchi and state officials say, is to make Rutgers competitive with elite public institutions including the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Michigan and the University of Virginia. Strengthening the school would also bring in more tuition from out-of-state students who are charged more.

Barchi, a neurologist, was hired to help implement the transition and oversee a meshing of Rutgers and the state's University of Medicine and Dentistry. Some members of Rutgers' board of governors have expressed concern over the merger, because Rutgers would absorb $500 in the medical school's debt. The merger could cost up to $75 million, Barchi said in December.

Some say Barchi's plans for the university shortchange the school's campuses in Camden in Newark.

Rutgers has three campuses: Camden, Newark and New Brunswick. Faculty and students here fear that Barchi wants to turn New Brunswick ? where its sports teams are based, along with neighboring Piscataway? into a flagship campus, diverting resources from the other two. There is already a proposal to merge the Newark and Camden law schools and move strong research institutions to New Brunswick.

The three campuses have been designated with different missions: New Brunswick is research, Camden is service and Newark is diversity.

Diversity has been an important issue at Rutgers since the 2010 suicide of a student who learned his roommate had used a webcam to watch him kiss another man in his dorm. Faculty members calling for Barchi's ouster cited Rice's use of gay slurs in the video ? and the school president's decision not the fire Rice immediately ? as indicative of Barchi's lack of commitment to diversity.

Some critics claim Rutgers wants to minimize one of the nation's most diverse campuses.

"There is institutional antagonism toward minority students," said Beryl Satter, a professor of history at Rutgers-Newark.

Some here complained that under the restructuring law each campus will have a separate line item in the state budget, something that could potentially funnel funding away from Camden and Newark and to New Brunswick.

"It's like Robin Hood in reverse," Satter said.

Satter and other professors held their own town hall meeting Thursday after Barchi pulled out, urging students to attend a budget hearing Tuesday on the merger and speak up about cuts.

Satter is among the professors who have signed a petition calling for Barchi's job.

H. Bruce Franklin, the John Cotton Dana Professor of English and American Studies at Rutgers-Newark, signed the petition and worries that the merger may set off competition between the campuses, which have previously worked well together.

"They're siphoning off funds for big time athletics and other things in New Brunswick," Franklin said.

___

Associated Press reporter Geoff Mulvihill contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-04-08-Rutgers%20President/id-0910ebc58d834a72b76e4bec56d465c4

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Can Selenium Lower Risk of Advanced Prostate Cancer? - Health ...

By Amanda Gardner
HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, April 9 (HealthDay News) ? Men who have higher levels of the mineral known as selenium may also face a lower risk of developing advanced prostate cancer, new research suggests.

The authors of the study said the mineral ? found in foods such as Brazil nuts, in supplements and in foods grown in selenium-rich soil ? might one day offer a way to reduce prostate cancer risk in men.

?There is very little evidence on modifiable prostate cancer risk factors,? said study author Milan Geybels. ?Any compound that would prevent the incidence of advanced prostate cancer would have a substantial impact on public health.?

Geybels, who is a doctoral candidate in cancer epidemiology at Maastricht University in Maastricht, the Netherlands, was scheduled to present the findings Tuesday at the annual meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research, in Washington, D.C. Data and conclusions presented at medical meetings typically are considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Still, the findings should not be construed as an endorsement of selenium supplements, experts warned.

?At this point, I wouldn?t recommend that all men run out and buy a bottle of selenium to take,? said Dr. Elise Cook, an associate professor of clinical cancer prevention at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

Too much selenium can be toxic, resulting in skin problems, and may even be associated with an increased risk of diabetes, Cook said. Getting selenium from dietary sources, however, shouldn?t be a problem.

Cancer researchers have been interested in the supposed benefits of selenium on prostate cancer for years, until results from a large trial several years ago showed that selenium, taken either alone or with vitamin E, did not prevent prostate cancer.

?Before that, selenium supplements had been flying off the shelves,? said Dr. Alexander Kutikov, an associate professor of urologic oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. ?Enthusiasm [for selenium] was really dampened by that trial.?

But that study looked at men with normal selenium levels when they entered the trial, and it did not focus on a specific type of prostate cancer. This latest study looked only at men who were deficient in selenium and tracked only cases of advanced prostate cancer, which is linked with a poor prognosis.

Among a group of almost 60,000 men aged 55 to 69 at the beginning of the study, the researchers found that men with the highest selenium levels, as measured in toenail clippings, had more than a 60 percent reduced risk for advanced prostate cancer.

Selenium levels in toenail clippings indicate long-term selenium intake, the researchers noted. The large trial from several years ago measured blood levels of the mineral, which reflects only recent exposure.

Still, the study is ?hypothesis-generating at best,? Kutikov said. Although the findings suggested an association between selenium levels and advanced prostate cancer risk, they did not prove a cause-and-effect link.

Geybels said the results could point the way to another trial assessing risk for advanced prostate cancer in men with low selenium levels.

More information

The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more on prostate cancer.

Source: http://news.health.com/2013/04/09/can-selenium-lower-risk-of-advanced-prostate-cancer/

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96% War Witch

All Critics (46) | Top Critics (16) | Fresh (44) | Rotten (2)

Canadian writer-director Kim Nguyen spent nearly a decade researching this docudrama about child soldiers in Africa, and the film feels as authoritative as a first-hand account.

A haunting take on unspeakably grim subject matter, shot on location in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

A powerful and upsetting portrait of a young girl compelled into unimaginably horrific circumstances.

Nguyen, astonishingly, manages to wring something vaguely like a happy ending from this tragic story.

War Witch is most effective not when we are looking in on Komona but when we are inside her head.

The powerful things we expect from "War Witch" are as advertised, but what we don't expect is even better.

You're likely to remember its images, its insights into a very foreign (for most of us) location and the tragic situation of Komona and others like her for a long time to come.

Is it accurate depiction of Africa's child soldiers? I don't know, thank God. But it feels authentic to its very core, and that makes it as hard to forget as it is to ignore.

Brutal without turning exploitative, the result is harrowing and heartbreaking.

Nguyen creates a mesmerizing tone through his camerawork, editing, sound and the infusion of African folk imagery and ritual, but it's Mwanza's performance as Komona that makes "War Witch" feel so miraculous.

Nguyen reportedly worked on "War Witch" for a decade, and it shows in both the immediacy and authenticity of his tale, and the meticulous craft with which it's told.

Made with extremely clear-eyed restraint from harangues, sentiment, message-mongering, or anything else that would cheapen its central character's suffering and fight.

War Witch features a standout performance by Rachel Mwanza, but the supernatural visions don't really suit the film's tone and mood.

Nguyen's compassion and commitment to the issue is admirable, and at its best, War Witch is devastating.

War Witch is remarkable for the fact that it never strays into sentimentality or sensationalism.

...a love story between youngsters who are forced to become adults all too early in their lives.

This is a straight ahead essay on warfare at its worst and the survival of the human spirit at its best.

An astonishing drama set in Africa that vividly depicts the courage and resiliency of a 12-year-old girl whose spiritual gifts enable her to survive.

It is astonishing that film that contains such violence can have such a serene tone. The source of the serenity is the measured, calm narration by Komona (voice of Diane Umawahoro) that is the telling of her story to her unborn child

An exquisitely made film in direct contrast to the ugliness of its subject matter

The portrait of a girl who retains her dignity and strength, her faith in the future, in the face of unimaginable horrors. It's inspirational in a very real way.

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/war_witch/

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NASA taps the power of zombie stars in two-in-one instrument

Apr. 8, 2013 ? Neutron stars have been called the zombies of the cosmos. They shine even though they're technically dead, occasionally feeding on neighboring stars if they venture too close. Interestingly, these unusual objects, born when a massive star extinguishes its fuel and collapses under its own gravity, also may help future space travelers navigate to Mars and other distant destinations.

NASA recently selected a new mission called the Neutron-star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) to not only reveal the physics that make neutron stars the densest objects in nature, but also to demonstrate a groundbreaking navigation technology that could revolutionize the agency's ability to travel to the far reaches of the solar system and beyond.

The multi-purpose mission, also known as NICER/SEXTANT (Station Explorer for X-ray Timing and Navigation Technology), consists of 56 X-ray telescopes in a compact bundle, their associated silicon detectors, and a number of other advanced technologies. Both NASA's Science Mission Directorate's Explorers Program and the Space Technology Mission Directorate's Game Changing Program are contributing to the mission's development.

"It's rare that you have an opportunity to fly a cross-cutting experiment," said Principal Investigator Keith Gendreau, a scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., who is leading NICER/SEXTANT's development. "The time is right for this experiment. This is one that we can do now."

In addition to NASA Goddard scientists and engineers, the mission team includes the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and commercial partners, who are providing spaceflight hardware. The Naval Research Laboratory and universities across the United States, as well as in Canada and Mexico, are providing science expertise.

Space Station Bound

Slightly larger than a typical college dormitory refrigerator, NICER/SEXTANT will be deployed on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2017. It will fly as an external attached payload on one of the ISS ExPRESS Logistics Carriers, unpressurized platforms used for experiments and storage.

The X-ray instrument's primary objective is to learn more about the interior composition of neutron stars, the remnants of massive stars that, after exhausting their nuclear fuel, exploded and collapsed into super-dense spheres about the size of New York City. Their intense gravity crushes an astonishing amount of matter -- often more than 1.4 times the content of the sun or at least 460,000 Earths -- into these city-sized balls, creating the densest objects known in the universe. Just one teaspoonful of neutron star matter would weigh a billion tons on Earth.

"A neutron star is right at the threshold of matter as it can exist -- if it were compressed any further, it would collapse completely in on itself and become a black hole," said Zaven Arzoumanian, a NASA Goddard scientist serving as the deputy principal investigator on the mission. "We have no way of creating or studying this matter in any laboratory. There are many theories about what it is and how it behaves, but the only way to test our models and understand what happens to matter under such incredible pressures is to study neutron stars," he added. "The closest we come to simulating these conditions is in particle accelerators that smash atoms together at almost the speed of light. However, these collisions are not an exact substitute -- they only last a split second, and they generate temperatures that are much higher than what's inside neutron stars."

Although the nuclear-fusion fires that sustained their parent stars are extinguished, neutron stars still shine with heat left over from their explosive formation, and from radiation generated by their magnetic fields that became intensely concentrated as the core collapsed.

Although neutron stars emit radiation across the spectrum, observing in the X-ray band offers the greatest insights into their structure, the ultimate stability of their pulses as precise clock "ticks," and the high-energy, dynamic phenomena that they host, including starquakes, thermonuclear explosions, and the most powerful magnetic fields known in the universe.

NICER's 56 telescopes will collect X-rays generated from its tremendously strong magnetic field and from hotspots located at the stars' two magnetic poles. At these locations, the intense magnetic field emerges from the surface. Particles trapped in the magnetic field rain down and generate X-rays when they strike the surface. As the hotspots rotate into and out of our line of sight, we perceive a rise and fall in X-ray brightness.

This subgroup of pulsating neutron stars, called pulsars, rotate rapidly, emitting from their magnetic poles powerful beams of light that sweep around as the star spins, much like a lighthouse. At Earth, these beams are seen as flashes of light, blinking on and off at intervals from seconds down to milliseconds.

Because of their predictable pulsations -- especially millisecond pulsars, which are the target of the navigation demonstration -- "they are extremely reliable celestial clocks" and can provide high-precision timing just like the atomic clock signals supplied through the 26-satellite, military-operated Global Positioning System (GPS), an Earth-centric system that weakens the farther one travels out beyond Earth orbit and into the solar system, Arzoumanian said. "Pulsars, on the other hand, are accessible in virtually every conceivable flight regime, from low-Earth orbit to interplanetary to deepest space," Gendreau added.

As a result, NICER/SEXTANT also will demonstrate the viability of pulsar-based navigation. "The hardware needed for neutron star science is identical to that needed for pulsar-based navigation," Gendreau said. "In fact, the mission's two goals share many of the same targets and the same operational concept. The differences are on the back end in terms of how the data will be used."

To demonstrate the navigation technology's viability, the NICER/SEXTANT payload will use its telescopes to detect X-ray photons within these powerful beams of light to estimate the arrival times of the pulses. With these measurements, the system will use specially developed algorithms to stitch together an on-board navigation solution.

If an interplanetary mission were equipped with such a navigational device, it would be able to calculate its location autonomously, independent of NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN), Gendreau said. DSN, considered the most sensitive telecommunications system in the world, allows NASA to continuously observe and communicate with interplanetary spacecraft. However, like GPS, the system is Earth-centric. DSN-supplied navigational solutions also degrade the farther one travels out into the solar system. Furthermore, missions must share time on the network, Gendreau said.

"We're excited about NICER/SEXTANT's possibilities," Gendreau added. "The experiment meets critical science objectives and is a stepping-stone for technology applications that meet a variety of NASA needs. It's rare that you get an opportunity to do a cross-cutting experiment like this."

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/space_time/astronomy/~3/SL-GcAeiWQ8/130408035333.htm

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New 'transient electronics' disappear when no longer needed

Apr. 8, 2013 ? Scientists have described key advances toward practical uses of a new genre of tiny, biocompatible electronic devices that could be implanted into the body to relieve pain or battle infection for a specific period of time, and then dissolve harmlessly.

These "transient electronics," described in New Orleans on April 8 at the 245th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world's largest scientific society, could have other uses, including consumer electronics products with a pre-engineered service life.

John Rogers, Ph.D., who led the research, explained that it arises from a view of electronics fundamentally different from the mindset that has prevailed since the era of electronic "chips," integrated circuits and microprocessors, which dawned almost 50 years ago.

"The goal of the electronics industry has always been to build durable devices that last forever with stable performance," Rogers explained. "But many new opportunities open up once you start thinking about electronics that could disappear in a controlled and programmable way."

Those opportunities, he added, include cell phones and other mobile devices that stop working on a timetable corresponding to the time for upgrading to a new model. Instead of adding to the $50 million of so-called e-waste generated every year, the devices would simply break down. Medical implants that are only needed for a few weeks could just disappear, without requiring an extra surgery to remove them from the body. And no one would have to retrieve dozens of transient water-quality sensors from a river undergoing water quality monitoring. They would dissolve without a trace and without harm to the environment.

Although other researchers have developed so-called bioresorbable medical devices that disappear over time in the body, Rogers' team at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is the first to produce such broadly applicable technology, which has many more potential uses than other devices. The scientists have designed transient electronics as temperature sensors, solar cells and miniature digital cameras, for instance. Moreover, previous bioresorbable devices were made of different materials that only partially dissolved, leaving behind residues, and they did not perform as well as Rogers' current devices.

The electronics are enclosed in material that dissolves completely after a certain period of time when exposed to water or body fluids, somewhat like dissolvable sutures. By altering the number of layers of the wrapping, scientists can define everything about how the device will dissolve in the body or in the environment, including its overall lifetime, said Rogers. The devices perform just as well as conventional electronics and function normally until the encapsulating layer disappears. Once that happens, it takes about 30 minutes for the electronic connections to dissolve away, and the device stops working. Current versions of the devices remain operable for a few weeks. Rogers' team is researching ways to make devices that last a few years.

In his ACS report, Rogers described key advances in the technology. One advance established for the first time that transient electronic devices, implanted into laboratory mice, actually work in battling infections and do, indeed, dissolve when done. Rogers' team previously only thought that would happen. The devices produced localized heat, which prevented bacterial growth and surgery-related infections from developing in the mice. The findings add to the confidence that similar devices can be designed to reduce pain by stimulating certain nerves or facilitate bone growth or wound healing.

The scientists also reported progress in making the devices with conventional manufacturing processes instead of meticulously building the electronics one-by-one by hand in a laboratory. "It's a step toward producing these devices with the kind of manufacturing processes that are already in wide use for traditional electronics like silicon-based microprocessors and memory technology," said Rogers.

Another advance involved the materials for making and powering the devices without an external electricity source. Rogers said, for instance, that the latest transient electronic devices incorporate zinc oxide, which is "piezoelectric." It means that thin, flexible devices made with zinc oxide could produce electricity when bent or twisted -- perhaps by movement of muscles in the body, pulsation of blood vessels or beating of the heart.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/85hMRTq4YwY/130408122310.htm

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Where We Choose to be Treated and Who Provides the Treatment ...

How often have I said that when you are diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer or when you experience a recurrence you need to move on to a specialist, a medical oncologist who specializes in the treatment of men with advanced prostate cancer? It is easier and more comfortable to stay with the known doctor, the trusty urologist who has so far guided you through the disease process to date. However, this comfortable decision will not maximize your survival potential!

The treatment of advanced prostate cancer has become more complex and it promises to become even more so in the near future. In just four years we have had FDA approval of six new treatments and we are very possibly going to look at least two more within the next year.

Treatment options are increasing and when you factor in the growing possibilities of combinations of these new treatments into ?cocktails? you can see the increasing complexity involved in optimal treatment. Then when you add to the mix our ever-increasing understanding of the complexities of the disease itself because of genetic differences in each man?s prostate cancer you begin to understand how important having the right doctor has become in order to maximize your survival.

This reality even extends down to what treating institution your doctors are associated. A recent study of older patients with advanced head and neck cancers has found that where they were treated significantly influenced their survival (Cancer (2013; doi:10.1002/cncr.27976).

The study found that when patients were treated at hospitals that saw a high number of head and neck cancers the patients were 15% less likely to die of their disease as compared to patients who were treated at hospitals that saw a relatively low number of such cancers. On top of this number they also found that such patients were 12% less likely to die of their disease when treated at a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center.

Patients with advanced cancers require multidisciplinary management by a collaborative team comprised of multiple physician specialties and disciplines. National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines, based on data from randomized controlled trials, recommend multimodality therapy.

Each of us, no matter the cancer we are fighting, need to maximize our chances of survival by making decisions on who provides our treatment and where we find our treatment. For those of us men who are fighting advanced prostate cancer, deciding to go to a major hospital with experience in treating advanced prostate cancer and to medical oncologists who specialize in treating men with advanced, metastatic prostate cancer will improve our survival potential.

So, those of us who remain with our trusted family physician or urologist need to make this decision with the clear understanding that we do so with the possible peril of not surviving as long as we might otherwise.

Joel T. Nowak, M.A., M.S.W.

Source: http://advancedprostatecancer.net/?p=3756

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China steps up response to bird flu cases

by Agence France-Presse / Bill Savadove
Posted on 04/06/2013 10:54 PM ?|?Updated 04/07/2013 2:31 AM

AFP PHOTO / Sam Yeh

SHANGHAI, China - Cities in eastern China where an H7N9 bird flu outbreak has killed six people moved Saturday to prevent the virus from spreading by banning live poultry trade and culling fowl.

Nanjing city shut markets selling live poultry to its more than eight million residents, while Hangzhou culled birds after discovering infected quail, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Two more people were confirmed to be infected with the virus in Shanghai, state media said late Saturday, bringing to 18 the total number of cases since authorities last week announced the virus had been detected in humans.

The human infections have been confined to eastern China, with Shanghai recording eight including four deaths, and the other two fatalities in the neighbouring province of Zhejiang.

Other cases are scattered across the provinces of Jiangsu and Anhui.

Shanghai had ordered a ban on live poultry trading and markets after culling more than 20,500 birds at an agricultural market in a western suburb on Friday.

At a local market in the city centre, two live poultry booths were dark and the cages within empty, as a uniformed worker sprayed disinfectant from a tank on his back.

"People are worried," said Yan Zhicheng, a retired factory manager who like many elderly people makes a daily trip to market.

"Shanghai people eat a lot of duck and chicken. Now we can't touch them."

Shanghai has also banned live poultry from other parts of China entering the city and the sale of wild birds, including those intended as pets, the local government said in a statement on its website.

But eggs remain on sale in the city, as well as fresh and frozen poultry meat, though officials encourage people to cook them well.

Chinese authorities maintain there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission, a conclusion echoed by the World Health Organization (WHO).

State media said the government had sought to improve transparency on the disease after being accused of covering up the 2003 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which killed about 800 people globally.

"The government's response... is completely different from 10 years ago, when information disclosure systems were not established," Wang Yukai of the Chinese Academy of Governance told Xinhua.

But some of China's outspoken Internet users remained sceptical of government assurances.

"Get out of here. If it is not infectious then what are you doing shutting live poultry markets?" said Huang Kekedou in a microblog posting.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday warned of the potential risk should the virus mutate.

"This is a 'novel' (non-human) virus and therefore has the potential to cause a pandemic if it were to change to become easily and sustainably spread from person-to-person," it said in a statement, adding that has not happened.

The US government on Friday advised American citizens living in China of the cases but said no travel or trade restrictions would be applied to the country based on the current situation.

In Shanghai, residents were taking no chances, turning to traditional medicine and donning face masks.

Drugstores were running short of banlangen, a traditional Chinese medicine for colds made from the roots of the woad plant, used as a blue dye from ancient times.

"No one knows what might happen with bird flu, so they are buying it," said a clerk at the Ren Shou Tang medicine store.

The United Nations on Friday drew up a list of recommendations to try to curb the spread of H7N9 including regular hand washing, keeping animals away from living areas and avoiding eating sick animals. - Rappler.com

Source: http://www.rappler.com/world/25671-china-steps-up-response-to-bird-flu-cases

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Ecommerce Web Design - Super Software Club ...

Thinking about starting your own site? Below are some vital factors to consider before you begin

1. DIY or Web Designer

Firstly, you need to decide how you want to build your site ? do you wish to do it yourself, or work with a web design agency.

For DIY, there are a lot of choices in the net nowadays. Virtually anyone can launch their own free of cost blogs and upload basic images to begin a blogshop. You might even know a bit more on html yourself to be able to do somewhat more challenging things. Because case if you?re trying to find a little startup website, doing the site yourself might be the most inexpensive option on the budget.

However if web design seems out of this world to you, or if you?re searching for an extremely professional site design, then employing a web designer might be a better option for you.

Of course for selection of web designers, there are web design business, in addition to freelance web designers. The former are developed, experienced business and you can be relatively guaranteed of quality and support. Not to state that freelance web designers are not dependable, but possibly there is a bigger range and you have to look for the seasoned ones.

In terms of rates, there will be an array for both. There is likewise a difference in prices and criteria for web designers and web design business from different countries. You might want to select somebody from your own locale, or look to overseas for a cheaper alternative.

2. E-commerce or CMS

Next you have to select exactly what platform you desire your site to be based on. Do you want an E-commerce platform that allows you to manage your item and inventory, or a simpler CMS platform that focuses on images and descriptions. Smaller sized companies with just a few unchanging items might select a CMS or fixed internet site with some check out button links to showcase and offer their items. They choose then to concentrate especially on the presentation of these couple of products with the fixed or CMS internet site.

Companies dealing with a large number of products and which are constantly adding brand-new products will need an E-commerce platform.

3. Web Design and Style

This is something that has to be connected straight to your branding design and image. Really significantly your brand and design has to attract your target audience. Are your possible consumers, for instance young girls for an on-line female clothing shop? Then you might be looking at pink themes or other feminine looks. Or are you a company that services companies? Then strong and professional colors like blue and gray may appear more expert. Discuss this with your partners, web designer, as well as look for feedback from your current/potential customers. (You may likewise wish to check out your competition!).

4. Domain and Hosting.

We must probably have actually discussed this earlier, but if you do not currently have one, you need to sign up a domain name. Preferably this need to include your company name. Or it should relate closely to the product/services you are providing. It ought to likewise be easy to bear in mind so that your consumers can remember it and easily type it and reach your site. Some domain names with primary keywords will even be useful in SEO.

You likewise have to find a web host ? do you want to establish your own server, or register for a webhosting service. Then, do you desire a shared hosting service or devoted hosting? These strategies will differ in regards to rates and speed and other functions. Again, discuss your requirements with your web designer.

5. Getting Traffic.

After the hard work of establishing your fantastic brand-new site, now you?re tasked with the following important job of getting traffic, and ultimately customers, to your site. How do you prepare to market your website? For on-line advertising there are largely 2 approaches ? natural traffic and paid traffic. The former involves Online search engine Optimization where you attempt to enhance your website and construct page rank so that you rank naturally on top of certain keywords in the significant search devices. In the latter, you generally make use of readily available paid advertising networks to advertise your site. You could possibly pay in terms of clicks to your site, or impressions of your ads.

Setting up an internet site and an online business is no little feat and it will take correct planning. Ideally the above list will get you begun on your plan to begin a website, and be handy in your planning. Whatever the case, we wish you all the best and success in your online venture and a big welcome to the net!

Want to find out more about Ecommerce Web Design, then visit Ben Foster?s site on how to choose the best Web Design Agency for your needs.

Source: http://supersoftwareclub.com/web-design/ecommerce-web-design/

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Source: http://williamsonryan320.typepad.com/blog/2013/04/ecommerce-web-design-super-software-club.html

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Fetal exposure to excessive stress hormones in the womb linked to adult mood disorders

Apr. 6, 2013 ? Exposure of the developing fetus to excessive levels of stress hormones in the womb can cause mood disorders in later life and now, for the first time, researchers have found a mechanism that may underpin this process, according to research presented April 7 at the British Neuroscience Association Festival of Neuroscience (BNA2013) in London.

The concept of fetal programming of adult disease, whereby the environment experienced in the womb can have profound long-lasting consequences on health and risk of disease in later life, is well known; however, the process that drives this is unclear. Professor Megan Holmes, a neuroendocrinologist from the University of Edinburgh/British Heart Foundation Centre for Cardiovascular Science in Scotland (UK), will say: "During our research we have identified the enzyme 11?-HSD2 which we believe plays a key role in the process of fetal programming."

Adverse environments experienced while in the womb, such as in cases of stress, bereavement or abuse, will increase levels of glucocorticoids in the mother, which may harm the growing baby. Glucocorticoids are naturally produced hormones and they are also known as stress hormones because of their role in the stress response.

"The stress hormone cortisol may be a key factor in programming the fetus, baby or child to be at risk of disease in later life. Cortisol causes reduced growth and modifies the timing of tissue development as well as having long lasting effects on gene expression," she will say.

Prof Holmes will describe how her research has identified an enzyme called 11?-HSD2 (11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2) that breaks down the stress hormone cortisol to an inactive form, before it can cause any harm to the developing fetus. The enzyme 11?-HSD2 is present in the placenta and the developing fetal brain where it is thought to act as a shield to protect against the harmful actions of cortisol.

Prof Holmes and her colleagues developed genetically modified mice that lacked 11?-HSD2 in order to determine the role of the enzyme in the placenta and fetal brain. "In mice lacking the enzyme 11?-HSD2, fetuses were exposed to high levels of stress hormones and, as a consequence, these mice exhibited reduced fetal growth and went on to show programmed mood disorders in later life. We also found that the placentas from these mice were smaller and did not transport nutrients efficiently across to the developing fetus. This too could contribute to the harmful consequences of increased stress hormone exposure on the fetus and suggests that the placental 11?-HSD2 shield is the most important barrier.

"However, preliminary new data show that with the loss of the 11?-HSD2 protective barrier solely in the brain, programming of the developing fetus still occurs, and, therefore, this raises questions about how dominant a role is played by the placental 11?-HSD2 barrier. This research is currently ongoing and we cannot draw any firm conclusions yet.

"Determining the exact molecular and cellular mechanisms that drive fetal programming will help us identify potential therapeutic targets that can be used to reverse the deleterious consequences on mood disorders. In the future, we hope to explore the potential of these targets in studies in humans," she will say.

Prof Holmes hopes that her research will make healthcare workers more aware of the fact that children exposed to an adverse environment, be it abuse, malnutrition, or bereavement, are at an increased risk of mood disorders in later life and the children should be carefully monitored and supported to prevent this from happening.

In addition, the potential effects of excessive levels of stress hormones on the developing fetus are also of relevance to individuals involved in antenatal care. Within the past 20 years, the majority of women at risk of premature delivery have been given synthetic glucocorticoids to accelerate fetal lung development to allow the premature babies to survive early birth.

"While this glucocorticoid treatment is essential, the dose, number of treatments and the drug used, have to be carefully monitored to ensure that the minimum effective therapy is used, as it may set the stage for effects later in the child's life," Prof Holmes will say.

Puberty is another sensitive time of development and stress experienced at this time can also be involved in programming adult mood disorders. Prof Holmes and her colleagues have found evidence from imaging studies in rats that stress in early teenage years could affect mood and emotional behaviour via changes in the brain's neural networks associated with emotional processing.

The researchers used fMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) to see which pathways in the brain were affected when stressed, peripubertal rats responded to a specific learned task. [1].

Prof Holmes will say: "We showed that in stressed 'teenage' rats, the part of the brain region involved in emotion and fear (known as amygdala) was activated in an exaggerated fashion when compared to controls. The results from this study clearly showed that altered emotional processing occurs in the amygdala in response to stress during this crucial period of development."

Abstract title: "Perinatal programming of stress-related behaviour by glucocorticoids." Symposium: "Early life stress and its long-term effects -- experimental studies."

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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/eVqdzmTpLPM/130407090835.htm

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Gillmor Gang: Fork You | TechCrunch

The Gillmor Gang ? John Borthwick, Kevin Marks, Keith Teare, John Taschek, and Steve Gillmor ? spent a too-quick hour on Facebook Home, Twitter?s new deep linking Cards, and the jousting over Webkit. Individually, these developments represent interesting strategy for the major notification platforms of Google, Apple, Twitter, and Facebook.

But taken together, we?re seeing an important moment of truth. With Facebook pulling a ?kindle? by hijacking Android?s lockscreen for its notification engine, suddenly everybody has to get in line. Apple retains its AirPlay gateway to the big screen, but it?s Facebook not Google that threatens iOS? fit and finish. And just in time for apps, Twitter sets in motion developer innovation linking app to app and eventually the Web, Look out Cleveland, a fork is coming through.

@stevegillmor, @kteare, @kevinmarks, @borthwick, @jtaschek

Produced and directed by Tina Chase Gillmor @tinagillmor

Live chat stream

John Borthwick is CEO of betaworks. betaworks is a technology company that operates as a studio. betaworks builds new products, runs companies and seed invests. Prior to betaworks John was Senior Vice President of Alliances and Technology Strategy for Time Warner Inc. John?s company, WP-Studio, founded in 1994, was one of the first content studios in New York?s Silicon Alley. John holds an MBA from Wharton (1994) and an undergraduate degree BA...

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Kevin Marks is a software engineer. Kevin served as an evangelist for OpenSocial and as a software engineer at Google. In June 2009 he announced his resignation. From September 2003 to January 2007 he was Principal Engineer at Technorati responsible for the spiders that make sense of the web and track millions of blogs daily. He has been inventing and innovating for over 17 years in emerging technologies where people, media and computers meet. Before joining Technorati,...

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John Taschek is vice president of strategy at salesforce.com. He is responsible for corporate product strategy, corporate intelligence and market influence. Taschek came to company in 2003, bringing over 20 years of technology evaluation experience. Taschek currently is also the editorial director for CloudBlog - an independent blog run as an adjunct to salesforce.com?s web properties. He occasionally is on Steve Gillmor?s The Gillmor Gang enterprise web video-cast. Previously, Taschek ran the testing labs at eWEEK (formerly PC Week) magazine....

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Keith Teare is the CEO and founder of just.me Inc and a Founder at the Palo Alto incubator, Archimedes Labs. Teare has a track record as a serial entrepreneur with big ideas and has achieved significant returns for investors. History (a) The EasyNet Group: Founded in 1994 as one of the first ISP?s in Europe, Teare was CTO and co-founder. It went public on the AIM exchange in London in 1996 and was trading at a valuation of more than $1...

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Steve Gillmor is a technology commentator, editor, and producer in the enterprise technology space. He is Head of Technical Media Strategy at salesforce.com and a TechCrunch contributing editor. Gillmor previously worked with leading musical artists including Paul Butterfield, David Sanborn, and members of The Band after an early career as a record producer and filmmaker with Columbia Records? Firesign Theatre. As personal computers emerged in video and music production tools, Gillmor started contributing to various publications, most notably Byte Magazine,...

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Source: http://techcrunch.com/2013/04/06/gillmor-gang-fork-you/

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S&P posts 2013's worst weekly drop on jobs data

By Caroline Valetkevitch

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks ended their worst week this year with losses on Friday after a weaker-than-expected jobs report undermined confidence in the economy and first-quarter earnings growth.

The jobs data, which showed employers hired at the slowest pace in nine months, was the latest in a series of disappointing economic reports.

Companies begin to report quarterly earnings next week, which is likely to be another concern for investors in light of recent economic data. Analysts' estimates for earnings growth in the first quarter have fallen since late last year, according to Thomson Reuters data.

"I think earnings season could be less than stellar again. Given market performance to date, we could see some softness in the market because we've generated some healthy returns already," said Natalie Trunow, chief investment officer of equities at Calvert Investment Management, which has about $13 billion in assets.

Stocks had been rallying on the Fed's promise to keep providing stimulus and on mostly improving U.S. economic data. The S&P 500 is up 8.9 percent since the start of the year.

The S&P 500 was down 1 percent for the week. All but three of the S&P 500's 10 industry sectors posted declines.

The government's job report showed 88,000 jobs were added in March, less than half economists' average forecast of 200,000. The unemployment rate dipped to 7.6 percent from 7.7 percent, largely due to people dropping out of the work force.

Among recent weak data, a report Monday showed U.S. factory activity grew at the slowest rate in three months in March.

The S&P's biggest percentage decliner was network gear maker F5 Networks Inc , which dropped 19 percent to $73.21 a day after forecasting quarterly earnings and revenue well below Wall Street's expectations.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> was down 40.86 points, or 0.28 percent, at 14,565.25. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.spx> was down 6.70 points, or 0.43 percent, at 1,553.28. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.ixic> was down 21.12 points, or 0.66 percent, at 3,203.86.

For the week, the Dow declined 0.1 percent while the Nasdaq dropped 1.9 percent. The Russell 2000 index <.toy> fell 3 percent for the week, its worst weekly decline since June.

Several of F5's competitors were also sharply lower, with Juniper Networks off 3.1 percent at $17.55 and Citrix Systems down 1.2 percent at $68.90.

Airline stocks were hit after J.P Morgan Securities cut its revenue expectations for U.S. airlines by 2 percent to 3 percent for 2013 and 2014 and said it expects monthly revenue per available seat mile to turn negative for some airlines, partly due to the federal government's automatic spending cuts.

Delta Airlines Inc fell 2.4 percent to $14.39 and United Continental Holdings was off 0.1 percent at $29.27.

S&P 500 earnings are expected to have risen just 1.6 percent in the first quarter from a year ago, according to Thomson Reuters data, down from a 4.3 percent forecast in January.

Earnings grew 6.3 percent in the fourth-quarter, which was better than a late projection by analysts.

Volume was roughly 6.4 billion shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq and the NYSE MKT, compared with the average daily closing volume of about 6.36 billion this year.

Decliners outpaced advancers on the NYSE by about 15 to 14 and on the Nasdaq by roughly 5 to 3.

(Reporting by Caroline Valetkevitch; Editing by Nick Zieminski and Kenneth Barry)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stock-futures-signal-dip-ahead-payrolls-093338504--finance.html

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Wall Street falls at open on weak payrolls

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell more than 1 percent at the open on Friday, following a payroll report that was much weaker than expected, the latest in a series of reports to indicate that economic growth may be losing momentum.

The Dow Jones industrial average was down 164.09 points, or 1.12 percent, at 14,442.02. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 20.07 points, or 1.29 percent, at 1,539.91. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 54.48 points, or 1.69 percent, at 3,170.50.

(Reporting by Angela Moon; Editing by Bernadette Baum)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wall-street-falls-open-weak-payrolls-134310760--finance.html

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Greencastle-Antrim school board votes to outsource 60 jobs

GREENCASTLE - In a series of votes, the Greencastle-Antrim school board opted to outsource the work of 60 people during Thursday night's meeting.

But an additional 29 positions - all in the food service department - were considered for outsourcing but were spared.

The outsourced jobs could save the district about $600,000 per year, according to projections.

According to business manager Jolinda Wilson and Superintendent Greg Hoover, the district faced a $1.4 million budget deficit for the 2013-14 school year when the budget process began earlier this year with the unveiling of state proposals. The district's preliminary budget is $35.249 million.

The board opted to accept the recommendations of administration and outsource 16 school bus routes for the 2013-14 school year and 17 more during the 2014-15 school year. The move is expected to save $300,000.

The sale of school buses back to Wolfington Bus Co. could also net the district an additional savings of $2 million. The change affects 33 Greencastle-Antrim employees.

The measure passed by a 6-3 vote. Board members Tracy Baer, Joel Fridgen, Ken Haines, Mike Still, Brian Hissong and Eric Holtzman approved the move. Board members Melinda Cordell, Dr. William Thorne and Michael Shindle voted against the change.

In addition, the board voted 7-2 to outsource maintenance and custodial staff. Shindle and Thorne opposed. The change is estimated to save the district about $250,000 per year.

The board also voted 6-3 to

outsource five positions in the information technology department. It could save the district about $50,000. Shindle, Cordell and Thorne did not approve the move.

The three personnel moves will get the district $600,000 closer to closing a $1.4 million budget deficit. Other options include raising taxes by as much as 3.8259 mills, which would net the district about $721,936 in additional revenue.

The state has approved the district's request for tax exceptions, which could raise the district's maximum real estate increase from 2 mills to more than 3.8 mills. The real estate tax rate for 2012-13 is 98.9 mills.

Wilson also said she would recommend using money out of budgetary reserve to cover the 2013-14 budget. Wilson told board members she would request $250,000 from the reserve to help cover the gap.

The board rejected a recommendation to outsource food service by a 9-0 vote. The food service department is comprised of 29 mostly part-time employees. The proposed savings was $15,000.

The district considered outsourcing bus routes last year, but the school board changed its mind when a report by then-business manager Richard Lipella suggested it was cheaper to keep the bus system in-house than to send it to a contractor.

The final budget is due June 30.

----------

Brian Hall can be reached at 262-4811 and bkhall@publicopinionnews.com, or follow him on Twitter @bkhallpo.

Source: http://www.publicopiniononline.com/news/ci_22957364/greencastle-antrim-school-board-votes-outsource-60-jobs?source=rss_viewed

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ShutterBox Turns Your Android Phone Into A Sophisticated, Sensor-Laden Remote Camera Trigger

A new Kickstarter campaign from San Antonio-based Ubertronix, Inc. aims to turn your Android smartphone into a wireless trigger for your DSLR. The project follows others that offer similar devices, but this one, the brainchild of Josiah Leverich, who founded Ubertronix a little over a year ago to build camera remote hardware, has some unique elements, including a way to use your smartphone as a lightning sensor for capturing impressive storm photos.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/6iYWmeydnmw/

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