The world of credit has hundreds of myths about responsibility of joint debt, retailers' credit cards, and so on. Not only are these myths untrue, they can cost you. Here are five costly credit myths debunked:
By Daniel I. Tulbovich,?Contributor / June 29, 2013
Consumer credit cards are posed in North Andover, Mass., in 2012. Credit myths can cause people to make costly mistakes,
Elise Amendola/AP/File
Enlarge
There are hundreds of myths about credit and debt. They range from the somewhat reasonable to the ridiculous. The bottom line: Just because you?ve heard them all your life doesn?t mean they are true. A little legwork on the Internet or a conversation with a credit expert at a bank, mortgage company, or nonprofit credit counseling service may help you arrive at the truth. Here are five myths that can cost you money:
Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly Digital Edition
1.?One credit score tells you all you need to know. So you looked up your credit score with Experian, you were satisfied with the report and moved on. Creditors take a much different approach. Some creditors will pull all three of your credit reports in order to get a more complete picture of your payment habits. Others, such as auto loan lenders or landlords, tailor their search to fit your performance in a particular location or area.
Credit scores from the three major services are rarely, if ever, identical so you really do need to look at what each of the three major credit bureaus have for your credit history and what your score is with each. The three major bureaus are: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.
I made a site that enable users leave messages to the radio announcer in this URL. All the messages are saved in a MySql database.
In the radio studio, there's a application I made in visual basic (using webbrowser control), that lists all the messages and blinks a big red window to notify the radio announcer messages has come, and enables the announcer "mark as read" or delete the message.
The question is: I want add the option for users comment with Facebook, but I don't know how get the same funcionality, because it seems there's not this option in facebook.
Searching the web, one thing I thought is save all the facebook messages in my own database flagging than as Facebook messages, but I don't know exactly how do that either. Anyone has suggestions ? Thanks !!!
I made a site that enable users leave messages to the radio announcer in this URL. All the messages are saved in a MySql database.
In the radio studio, there's a application I made in visual basic (using webbrowser control), that lists all the messages and blinks a big red window to notify the radio announcer messages has come, and enables the announcer "mark as read" or delete the message.
The question is: I want add the option for users comment with Facebook, but I don't know how get the same funcionality, because it seems there's not this option in facebook.
Searching the web, one thing I thought is save all the facebook messages in my own database flagging than as Facebook messages, but I don't know exactly how do that either. Anyone has suggestions ? Thanks !!!
The world of credit has hundreds of myths about responsibility of joint debt, retailers' credit cards, and so on. Not only are these myths untrue, they can cost you. Here are five costly credit myths debunked:
By Daniel I. Tulbovich,?Contributor / June 29, 2013
Consumer credit cards are posed in North Andover, Mass., in 2012. Credit myths can cause people to make costly mistakes,
Elise Amendola/AP/File
Enlarge
There are hundreds of myths about credit and debt. They range from the somewhat reasonable to the ridiculous. The bottom line: Just because you?ve heard them all your life doesn?t mean they are true. A little legwork on the Internet or a conversation with a credit expert at a bank, mortgage company, or nonprofit credit counseling service may help you arrive at the truth. Here are five myths that can cost you money:
Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly Digital Edition
1.?One credit score tells you all you need to know. So you looked up your credit score with Experian, you were satisfied with the report and moved on. Creditors take a much different approach. Some creditors will pull all three of your credit reports in order to get a more complete picture of your payment habits. Others, such as auto loan lenders or landlords, tailor their search to fit your performance in a particular location or area.
Credit scores from the three major services are rarely, if ever, identical so you really do need to look at what each of the three major credit bureaus have for your credit history and what your score is with each. The three major bureaus are: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.
If the Ravens? qualification for Super Bowl XLVII dusted off long-forgotten memories of the alleged involvement of Ray Lewis in a double murder, the Aaron Hernandez situation has sandblasted them.? And with the Patriots dumping Hernandez the moment he was arrested in connection with the death of Odin Lloyd, the contrast between the respective approaches of the two franchises to situation involving murder became as sharp as possible.
While many believe the Patriots must have had access to inside information about the Hernandez investigation at the time he was cut, the more accurate assumption would be that the Patriots decided early in the process, without the benefit of any specific intelligence about the case, that no employee arrested in connection with a murder investigation is fit to remain employed by the team.
The Ravens came to the exact opposite conclusion.? The man who coached the team at the time, Brian Billick, recently compiled an exhaustive explanation of the team?s reasoning and approach to the Lewis situation.
Billick explains that the team?s decision to rally around Lewis arose from their faith in his ?overall innocence.?? In so doing, Billick implies that the Patriots had no faith in Hernandez?s innocence.
But Lewis was hardly ?innocent.?? Lewis wouldn?t have been arrested, charged, and prosecuted based on no evidence.? Prosecutors routinely walk away from trying to secure a conviction under the very high standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt if they believe that the evidence, while pointing to the defendant?s guilt, nevertheless creates an opening for an ?if it doesn?t fit, you must acquit? concoction of enough doubt to secure an acquittal.? Moreover, judges don?t allow cases to go to trial absent the existence of enough evidence to allow a reasonable jury to conclude that the high bar of proof beyond a reasonable doubt had been met.
For Ray Lewis, the prosecutor eventually decided to cut a deal, and Lewis decided not to tell the prosecutor to pound sand/salt/whatever and force the trial to a verdict.? This wasn?t a case where the charges were dropped with no strings attached.? Lewis pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in order to escape the far more serious charge of murder.
The Ravens had no qualms about welcoming back to the team without suspension or other punishment (other than the $250,000 fine imposed by the league) a man who pleaded guilty to obstructing justice in a murder case.? New England?s swift and decisive action regarding Hernandez this week amounts to a clear statement that, even if Hernandez had simply lied to the police or concealed evidence regarding a murder, any alleged wrongdoing regarding a murder provides enough reason to move on.
Right or wrong, the Ravens treated Ray Lewis far differently than the Patriots treated Hernandez.? And while it seems that Billick may be trying in artful fashion to soften some of the harsh, inescapable realities the Ray Lewis case, the fact remains that the Ravens had no qualms about embracing and defending a man who clearly had enough involvement to result in a judge allowing a murder trial to proceed, and in Lewis eventually entering a guilty plea for a crime related to the killings.? The Patriots, in contrast, opted to have no further involvement with anyone who had done anything, actually or allegedly, that would get him arrested in connection with the intentional death of another human.
For each organization, it sets a precedent that they surely hope they?ll never have to use in a similar case.
Michael Fallon: "I can assure you, the lights are not going to go out"
The government says energy minister Michael Fallon is "fully behind" a National Grid consultation that could see big businesses paid to cut their energy usage in times of shortage.
Last night Mr Fallon appeared to dismiss the proposal in an interview on the BBC's Newsnight programme.
It followed a warning from energy regulator Ofgem that the risk of power cuts has increased in the UK.
Despite that the government has emphasised "the lights won't go out".
Electricity network owner National Grid has suggested large consumers, such as big shops and factories, could be asked to lower use between 16:00 and 20:00 on weekdays in the winter.
Ofgem also suggested keeping some mothballed power plants in reserve in case of emergencies.
"This does not mean that disruption is imminent or likely, but Ofgem, [the Department of Energy and Climate Change] and ourselves believe it appropriate to consider what measures could be taken in case margins deteriorate further," National Grid said.
In a statement, DECC said Mr Fallon "is fully behind Ofgem and National Grid's consultations which are about whether they should take the prudent step of extending their existing services in the context of possible tightening in the supply margin in the middle of the decade".
Continue reading the main story
Analysis
John MoylanIndustry correspondent, BBC News
Can it be right to ask businesses to close to keep the lights on for the rest of us? That's what is being proposed by National Grid.
There is no compulsion. No rationing. Instead medium and large firms will be paid to reduce their electricity demand.
The National Grid says this would be a last resort to be used on winter evenings when temperatures plunge and demand soars.
It is also proposing to pay some electricity generators to keep mothballed plants ready to provide power. The Grid accepts that these new provisions sit outside its "usual system operator role" and are likely to modestly increase household bills.
But some industrial users may reflect that if the only way to keep the lights on is to shut down factories and businesses then government energy policy can't be working.
'Lights stay on'
"One option, if the need arose, would be for companies to voluntarily enter into agreements to fire up currently mothballed power stations or for large users to reduce their demand, in return for which they would receive payment," it said.
"This is an extension of what already happens in the power market. There is no compulsion and it is not rationing.
"We are confident that, with Ofgem and Grid having all the tools at their disposal, the lights will stay on."
In an interview on Newsnight, Mr Fallon appeared to dismiss the idea of paying big users to cut back.
When asked if there was any truth to reports that big factories and businesses would be asked to cut their energy use in 2015, Mr Fallon replied: "No".
"The latest [Ofgem] assessment has shown that the position is slightly worse than the previous assessment last year.
"The regulator Ofgem has got to make sure, with all the tools at its disposal - bringing some mothball plant back in action and back on line - that the lights stay on and they will."
In an assessment released on Thursday, Ofgem said spare electricity production capacity in the UK could fall to 2% by 2015, increasing the risk of blackouts.
The watchdog said more investment in power generation was needed to protect consumers.
It said: "Ofgem's analysis indicates a faster than anticipated tightening of electricity margins toward the middle of this decade."
The global financial crisis, tough emissions targets, the UK's increasing dependency on gas imports and the closure of ageing power stations were all contributing to the heightened risk of shortages, Ofgem said.
LONDON (Reuters) - Britons' expectations for the level of inflation over the coming years were unchanged in June, a monthly survey by polling company YouGov showed on Friday.
Inflation expectations for the next 12 months held steady at May's level of 2.5 percent, and for the next five to 10 years were unchanged at 3.3 percent, the poll showed.
Both figures are slightly lower than earlier in the year.
"These results should reassure the (Bank of England), providing further evidence that the long period of above-target inflation has not destabilised inflation expectations," said Michael Saunders, an economist at Citi, which sponsors the survey.
(Reporting by David Milliken and Olesya Dmitracova)
Pacifica shark attack: Shark attacks are on the rise, but odds of becoming a shark attack victim are still very close to nil.
By Elizabeth Barber,?Contributor / June 27, 2013
A great white shark near Mexico drags buoys after taking bait.
Chris Ross/Chris Fischer/National Geographic Channel
Enlarge
A shark attacked a kayaker near Pacifica State Beach in Pacifica, Calif., on Tuesday, the latest victim in a rising tally of shark attacks that likely has less to do with burgeoning shark aggression and more to do with more aggressive media coverage of shark incidents.
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The victim, Micah Flansburg, was fishing some 100 yards off from the beach at 3:30 p.m. when a Great White shark rose up under the boat and then took it in its teeth. The man was frightened, but unharmed.
"It was intense. It was just like the Discovery Channel where you see the eyes roll to the back of the head and the pink gums and his teeth bared," Mr. Flansburg told ABC.
Shark attack news reached a decade high in 2012, with about 80 unprovoked shark attack reports?worldwide, seven of which were fatal. Some eight of those attacks were off the US Pacific coast and another 26 were in Florida, the state that accounts for about half of all shark attacks in the United States, mostly because that state?s appealing beaches are so heavily trafficked. North America as a whole also accounts for about half of all shark attacks worldwide, but researchers are unsure what combination of meteorological, oceanographic, economic, and social factors are to blame for that trend.
Attacks that are considered provoked, such as when a shark attacks someone trying to pet or fish it, are not included in those tallies. Attacks on already drowned humans are also not included.
On the whole, shark attacks have been on an upswing over the last century, but scientists have said that those worrying numbers are largely due to increased efforts to document those incidents. Rates have also climbed as people spend more recreational time in the water, especially so in remote areas where sharks once reigned supreme. Other factors in shark attacks, such as climate change, have not yet been adequately studied to be linked to climbing reports of attack rates.
Some 60 percent of all shark attacks are on surfers, since that category of water users are more likely to be in the surf zone, where sharks sometimes lurk. Surfers are also more likely than swimmers to be kicking up water and alerting sharks to their presence.
In the event of a shark attack, scientists at the Florida Museum of Natural History recommend an aggressive response, like hitting its snout or clawing at its eyes or gills.
But that?s a tip we?re unlikely to ever need to use. The odds of becoming a shark attack victim, based on beach attendance rates in the US, is about one in 11.5 million. The odds of dying in an attack are about 0 in 264.1 million ? or, about nil.?
For perspective:
Odds of getting crushed by a vending machine are about 1 in 112 million.
Odds of becoming president are 1 in 10 million.
Odds of dating a supermodel are 1 in 88,000.
Odds of finding a pearl in an oyster are 1 in 12,000.
Odds are, these things are more likely to happen to you than a fatal shark attack.
Odds are, though, none of these things will happen to you.
There?s a revolution occurring in cancer treatment, and it could mean the end of chemotherapy.
When it comes to taming tumors, the strategy has always been fairly straightforward. Remove the offending and abnormal growth by any means, in the most effective way possible. And the standard treatments used today reflect this single-minded approach ? surgery physically cuts out malignant lesions; chemotherapy agents dissolve them from within; and radiation seeks and destroys abnormally dividing cells.
There is no denying that such methods work; deaths from cancer have dropped by around 20% in the U.S. over the past two decades. But as effective as they are, these interventions can be just as brutal on the patient as they are on a tumor. So researchers were especially excited by a pair of studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine last week that showed a new type of anti-cancer drug, which works in an entirely different way from chemotherapy, helped leukemia patients tally up to an 83% survival rate after being treated for two years.
(MORE: On the Horizon at Last, Cancer Drugs that Harness the Body?s Own Immune System)
The report was only the latest to emerge since 2001, when imatinib, or Gleevec, the first drug to veer away from the take-all-comers approach on which cancer therapies have been built, accomplished similar improvements in survival for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST).
Could the end of chemotherapy be near?
?It?s a question we are all asking,? says Dr. Martin Tallman, chief of the leukemia service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. ?I think we are definitely moving farther and farther away from chemotherapy, and more toward molecularly targeted therapy.?
It?s the difference between carpet bombing and ?smart bomb? strategies for leveling an enemy ? in this case a fast-growing mass of cells that can strangle and starve surrounding normal tissues. Targeted therapies, as they are called, are aimed at specific pathways that tumor cells use to thrive, blocking them in the same way that monkeying with a car?s ignition, or it?s fuel intake, can keep it from running properly. The advantage of such precise strategies is that they leave healthy cells alone, which for patients means fewer side effects and complications.
(MORE: Self-Sabotage: Why Cancer Vaccines Don?t Work)
?The field is moving toward using the right drugs at the right time in the right patients,? says Dr. George Demetri, senior vice president of experimental therapeutics at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. ?We?re moving toward a more precise understanding of cancer, and being able to tailor therapies toward an individual?s cancer.?
In the case of the NEJM studies, researchers were able to target an active receptor on immune cells responsible for enticing them to grow out of control, blocking the protein and essentially shutting down two different type of leukemia tumors.
(MORE: Young Survivors)
Already, patients diagnosed with GIST can avoid chemotherapy altogether, thanks to Gleevec. ?No patient diagnosed with GIST should be getting chemotherapy today,? says Demetri. Patients who develop certain types of lung cancer or melanoma caused by a cancer-promoting mutation known as BRAF are also starting to replace toxic chemotherapy agents with new, more precise medications designed to thwart the BRAF pathway. And a study presented at the most recent meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology showed for the first time that a chemotherapy-free regimen led to a higher survival rate after two years than traditional chemotherapy for acute promyelocytic leukemia, a cancer of the bone marrow.
The refined approach does have a weakness, however. Cancer cells, like bacteria and viruses, are wily enough to bypass roadblocks to their survival, and often mutate to overcome the effects of targeted drugs. That?s the case for a small percentage of patients on Gleevec. But even that shortcoming isn?t insurmountable. With growing knowledge about the molecular processes that drive tumor biology, researchers are able to design medications that thwart cancer cells? attempts to bypass medications. It?s all about staying one or two steps ahead of the cancer, and already, researchers are testing drugs that address Gleevec resistance and hoping to widen the resistance gap. ?The field is moving so fast that there are new drugs already being developed to tackle new resistant clones,? says Tallman. ?[Resistance] is a concern, yes, but it doesn?t negate our excitement about the future.?
(MORE: Inside America?s Drug Shortage)
Working in the doctors? ? and patients? ? favor is the fact that cancers aren?t monolithic entities composed of the same abnormal cell copied thousands of times over. Individual tumors may be composed of different types of aberrant cells, possessing a variety of mutations that are susceptible to different drugs. And this cast of cells can be ever-changing over the course of an individual patient?s battle with the disease.
While such heterogeneity and unpredictability could, on one hand, make tumors too daunting to tackle, they also represent an opportunity to employ an entirely new way of fighting tumors. Traditionally, if a tumor developed resistance to a chemotherapy agent, doctors would have abandoned it completely and moved on to another drug or another treatment strategy. But now they are able to biopsy tumors and perform more sophisticated genetic and molecular tests that help them to decide, for example, that the bulk of a tumor remains susceptible to a targeted therapy while only a small portion has become resistant. They can then either remove the resistant portion surgically or add another targeted therapy to tackle just that portion while keeping the patient on the original regimen that will still treat the remainder of his cancer. ?That?s a new concept,? says Demetri. ?That didn?t exist before targeted therapies.?
(MORE: The Screening Dilemma ? Health Special: Cancer)
For patients, these types of creative strategies could mean gentler, more tolerable cancer treatments, and more years of living cancer-free. Combinations of drugs may become the norm, much as they have become the standard for treating HIV infections. So far, says Dr. Scott Kopetz, associate professor of gastrointestinal oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center, refined targeted therapy cocktails appear to work best for blood cell and immune cell cancers like chronic leukemias that tend to be more homogenous from the start, making them susceptible to the newer drugs. Solid tumors such as those in the breast, prostate and lung generally contain a wider variety of genetically different cells even at diagnosis, which makes them more challenging ? although not impossible ? to treat with targeted drugs. ?Where there is a lot of genetic heterogeneity, such as in most solid tumors, there is more headwind we have to fight against, more opportunities for rapid resistance to develop,? says Kopetz.
That means that for the time being, chemotherapy may remain part of the cancer doctor?s arsenal ? and even these agents are being revamped to cause fewer side effects. New ways of encasing the toxin in fat-based bubbles or linking it to nano-particles that deliver the drug just to the tumors while bouncing off of healthy cells are making regimens more tolerable.
Increasingly, though, chemotherapy may become the treatment of last resort, rather than the first wave as some basic truths about cancer are being knocked down and rewritten. For instance, it may not be as helpful to treat cancers by where they originate ? in the breast or prostate or lung ? but rather by the processes that fuel them. That?s why a targeted drug developed to treat melanomas is now used to suppress lung cancers, and why genetic and molecular analyses of tumors are becoming more critical to match the right medications to the right cancers.
?Many, many fundamental concepts in cancer are being challenged now based on new information,? says Tallman. ?Of course that is leading to major shifts, paradigm shifts in treatment approaches, and ultimately, I think, better care patients and better outcomes.?
Tomfoolery, the mobile app lab founded by ex-Yahoo and AOL execs that aims to make enterprise apps capturing some of the light and free nature of consumer services, is today debuting its first product: Anchor, a real-time conversation app. Tomfoolery has two aims for Anchor, which is coming out first as an iOS and web app: for it to become a central repository for all kinds of work conversations; and for Anchor to become, literally, the anchor for its bigger strategy to create many more enterprise services down the line.
All Critics (146) | Top Critics (38) | Fresh (142) | Rotten (3)
Hawke and Delpy remain as charming as ever, and their combined goofiness is more endearing than annoying.
Love is messy here, life cannot be controlled, satisfaction is far from guaranteed. Romance is rocky at best. But romance still is.
Though "Before Midnight" is often uncomfortable to watch, it's never less than mesmerizing - and ultimately, a joy to walk with this prickly but fascinating couple again.
"Before Midnight" is heartbreaking, but not because of Jesse and Celine. It's the filmmakers' passions that seem to have cooled.
Before Midnight is fascinating to watch, and so long as Celine and Jesse are communicating, there's still hope.
How (Jesse and Celine) try to rekindle that flame is what drives Midnight, a film that feels so authentic it's like overhearing a conversation you're not sure you should be hearing.
Loving words mix with personal attacks, the magic moments with the unintended slights, as we witness the occasional desperation of imperfect people doing the best they can when life moves beyond meet-cute and courtship. That's authentic.
Linklater and his players bring an end to the fantasy and welcome the thrilling ups and bitter downs of reality to this love story.
Like the first two films, it reflects the real world in a way that seems almost preternatural. It's just that, here, the real world is a harsher, more disappointing place.
The duo, clearly so comfortable in their characters' skin, indulge in intelligent banter, sharp humour and emotional truths.
So much better written than contemporary novels, this film is a literary as well as cinematic achievement to cherish. For grown-ups.
As before, it's often very funny, with Jesse and Celine swapping Woody Allen-esque one-liners - nicely snarky, appealingly abrasive.
The acting, the dialogue and direction are superb.
None of the films is faultless in itself, but, tinted with complementary tones, the complete cycle comes as close to perfection as any trilogy in cinema history.
Marvelous. It's impossible to shake the feeling that we are merely eavesdropping on reality. Witty, wise, and -- most important of all -- truly romantic in ways that movies usually aren't.
It's been 18 years since Hawke, Delpy and Linklater introduced us to Jesse and Celine, and their story just gets richer, funnier and more punchy each time we see them. In 1995's Before Sunrise, they were idealistic 23-year-olds.
Hawke and Delpy are as believably real as any screen couple can ever be.
This is one of the few sequels for which the cliche 'eagerly awaited' is truly applicable.
Predictably, it's just as great as the first two.
By the end, Before Midnight inches towards a dawn of charm. But it's a troubled trip.
As an organic experiment in collaboration between actors and director, it is a triumph, co-created and co-owned by Delpy, Linklater and Hawke.
Hawke and Delpy, who are both credited on the script too, have never found co-stars to bounce off more nimbly or bring out richer nuances in their acting.
The performances and dialogue are wonderfully naturalistic; a reminder that the best special effects are often the cheapest.
Before Midnight is about the nature of long-term relationships, and the way love deepens and grows but also finds itself subject to the complications of maturity. Smart, insightful, and poignant.
For those who witnessed Jesse and Celine's tentative getting together as inter railing students almost twenty years ago, it's reassuring to see them still in love.
Brilliantly directed, superbly written and impeccably acted, this is a thoroughly enjoyable, thought-provoking and emotionally engaging drama that perfectly complements the previous two films.
June 25, 2013 ? A team of scientists with the Wildlife Conservation Society, BirdLife International, and other groups have discovered a new species of bird with distinct plumage and a loud call living not in some remote jungle, but in a capital city of 1.5 million people.
Called the Cambodian tailorbird (Orthotomus chaktomuk), the previously undescribed species was found in Cambodia?s urbanized capitol Phnom Penh and several other locations just outside of the city including a construction site. It is one of only two bird species found solely in Cambodia. The other, the Cambodian laughingthrush, is restricted to the remote Cardamom Mountains.
Scientists describe the new bird in a special online early-view issue of the Oriental Bird Club?s journal Forktail. Authors include: Simon Mahood, Ashish John, Hong Chamnan, and Colin Poole of the Wildlife Conservation Society; Jonathan Eames of BirdLife International; Carl Oliveros and Robert Moyle of University of Kansas; Fred Sheldon of Louisiana State University; and Howie Nielsen of the Sam Veasna Centre.
The wren-sized gray bird with a rufous cap and black throat lives in dense, humid lowland scrub in Phnom Penh and other sites in the floodplain. Its scientific name ?chaktomuk? is an old Khmer word meaning four-faces, perfectly describing where the bird is found: the area centered in Phnom Penh where the Tonle Sap, Mekong and Bassac Rivers come together.
Only tiny fragments of floodplain scrub remain in Phnom Penh, but larger areas persist just outside the city limits where the Cambodian Tailorbird is abundant. The authors say that the bird?s habitat is declining and recommend that the species is classified as Near Threatened under the IUCN?s Red List. Agricultural and urban expansion could further affect the bird and its habitat. However, the bird occurs in Baray Bengal Florican Conservation Area, where WCS is working with local communities and the Forestry Administration to protect the Bengal florican and other threatened birds.
This same dense habitat is what kept the bird hidden for so long. Lead author Simon Mahood of WCS began investigating the new species when co-author Ashish John, also of WCS, took photographs of what was first thought to be a similar, coastal species of tailorbird at a construction site on the edge of Phnom Penh. The bird in the photographs initially defied identification. Further investigation revealed that it was an entirely unknown species.
?The modern discovery of an un-described bird species within the limits of a large populous city ? not to mention 30 minutes from my home ? is extraordinary,? said Mahood. ?The discovery indicates that new species of birds may still be found in familiar and unexpected locations.?
The last two decades have seen a sharp increase in the number of new bird species emerging from Indochina, mostly due to exploration of remote areas. Newly described birds include various babbler species from isolated mountains in Vietnam, the bizarre bare-faced bulbul from Lao PDR and the Mekong wagtail, first described in 2001 by WCS and other partners.
Colin Poole, Director of WCS Singapore and a co-author of the Forktail study said, ?This discovery is one of several from Indochina in recent years, underscoring the region?s global importance for bird conservation.?
Co-Author Jonathan C. Eames of BirdLife International?s OBE said: ?Most newly discovered bird species in recent years have proved to be threatened with extinction or of conservation concern, highlighting the crisis facing the planet?s biodiversity.?
Steve Zack, WCS Coordinator of Bird Conservation, said, ?Asia contains a spectacular concentration of bird life, but is also under sharply increasing threats ranging from large scale development projects to illegal hunting. Further work is needed to better understand the distribution and ecology of this exciting newly described species to determine its conservation needs.?
DEAR ABBY: I was taken away from my parents at 13 and placed into foster care, where I stayed until I aged out at 21. My biological mother is a drug addict who abandoned me to my father when I was 11. She never tried to contact me while I was in care.I am now 24 and she won't leave me alone. She sends Facebook messages that alternate between begging me to let her get to know me, and condemning me for being vindictive and not having forgiveness in my heart. Abby, this woman exposed me to drugs and all manner of seedy people and situations. ...
CD has been in an extraordinary daycare/preschool since she was 18 months old, about 3 weeks after she joined our family. ?Back in those days, CD had many fears. ?This preschool has worked with children in foster care before as they are licensed to accept the funding from the state source that pays for children in foster care to go to daycare. ?They supported her when she had intense separation anxiety. ?They held her and soothed her when an unfamiliar adult would enter the room and she would panic. ?They understood that CD had a tendency to choose one attachment figure at a time and if that teacher was going to be absent, they alerted us so we could choose to keep her home as she would not handle the day well.
CD has thrived in this school. ?She is no longer afraid in school at all. ?She has generalized those feelings of safety and security to the whole school, all the teachers and all the adults that enter the building. ?Her social skills are extraordinary. ?It has been her home away from home.
On Thursday, when I came to pick CD up from school, I found an extraordinary booklet that the school staff had put together. ?In it were notes from all of her teachers and good wishes from the rest of the staff. ?The children in her class each added their handprints to a page and signed their names. ?There were quotes about how it is love that makes a family scattered throughout. ?It was beautiful. ?I was so moved. ?I have since covered every page in plastic so that it can be kept intact for as long as possible.
On Thursday, CD's teacher told me that they would like to do something with the class in honor of CD's adoption day on Monday (today). ?I thought it was a wonderful idea. ?CD and I stopped at a bakery this morning to pick up rainbow sprinkle cookies for the class
and my family donated this book to the school in honor of CD's adoption:
Parr's Family Book introduces preschoolers to the notion that families are created in different ways. ?Some are big, some are small, all love to hug and kiss you. ?Some families look like each other, some have two moms, some have two dads, some look like their dog and some families adopt children. . . .
I also loaned the class this book, which is my favorite book for CD introducing her to adoption:
Most adoption books I have found are about infancy adoption, international adoption or have strong religious language. ?Others talk around adoption by not using the word or explaining how it works with human beings as they focus on something like a duck being part of a family of dogs. ?This book explains in all in concrete, preschool age appropriate language. ?It is the truth, it is upbeat and it is all about love. ?The preschool director and CD's teacher were thrilled that I brought the book in as they believe, as I do, that her classmates (none of whom are adopted) could only benefit by being introduced to the idea that families come together in all different ways.
This is how the world changes. ?This is how people in the minority become accepted rather than stigmatized. ?It is one child at a time, one teacher at a time and one family at a time.
I am so grateful to CD's school. ?Their support these last three years will forever be appreciated by our family.
WASHINGTON (AP) ? The head of the Internal Revenue Service says inappropriate screening of groups seeking tax-exempt status was broader and lasted longer than was previously disclosed.
Danny Werfel told reporters Monday that after becoming acting IRS chief last month, he discovered inappropriate and wide-ranging criteria in lists screeners use to single out groups for careful examinations. He did not specify what terms were on the lists.
Werfel's comments suggest the IRS may have been targeting groups other than tea party and other conservative organizations for tough examinations to see if they qualify. The agency has been under fire since last month for targeting those groups.
Werfel said he has suspended use of those lists. Investigators have previously said agency officials abolished targeting of conservative groups in those lists in May 2012.
1 in 10 female German or British tourists holidaying in southern Europe suffers sexual harassmentPublic release date: 24-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Press Office info@agenciasinc.es 34-914-251-820 FECYT - Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology
The European Institute of Studies on Prevention (Irefrea) surveyed more than 6,000 people in various airports in Mediterranean countries during summer 2009 to find out the levels of harassment and sex against one's will that had occurred. According to the experts, one in ten female English or German tourists has fallen victim to these practices while on holiday in southern Europe, as well as one in 15 males, as published in the journal 'Archives of Sexual Behavior'.
An international team of researchers, led by Amador Calafat from the European Insitute of Studies on Prevention (Irefrea), surveyed 6,502 people in different airports across southern Europe (Crete, Cyprus, Italy, Portugal and Spain). Those surveyed were young people between the ages of 16 and 35, who had visited tourist hotspots in summer 2009 and were returning home. The aim of the survey was to discover the levels of sexual harassment and sex against one's will suffered by these tourists. Their study is published in the journal 'Archives of Sexual Behavior'.
"In this article we have gone into detail with a broad sample on an issue that receives little attention in tourist environments: sexual harassment and sex against one's will. Research was conducted on English and German tourists because they are the most frequent visitors to southern Europe and it is easier to obtain results," Amador Calafat, the Irefrea researcher leading the study, informs SINC.
Despite the known increase in substance use and risky sexual behaviours among young people during holiday periods, issues of sexual harassment and sex against one's will have not received adequate attention, according to the researchers.
The results of the study show that 8.6% of people suffered sexual harassment during their holidays and 1.5% suffered sex against their will. "2.4 times as many women as heterosexual men claimed to have suffered from sexual harassment. However, gay and bisexual men showed similar levels to women and high levels of sex against their will," the expert notes.
Predictor variables for risk
The researchers applied different variables to predict the risk of falling victim to one of the two behaviours studied. "With regard to sexual harassment, those who claimed to have suffered these practices the most were tourists who were visiting Mallorca and Crete, young, British, gay or bisexual, frequent drinkers or attracted to bars where people get drunk, or cocaine consumers," Calafat highlights.
"We're not talking about casual sex, but rather issues that show a correlation, so we must continue researching," the scientist explains.
The Spanish group Irefrea has led various European projects and participated in others on the subjects of violence, driving, sexual behaviour, drunkenness, drug use, differences between countries, management of venues that have an influence on drunkenness and violence, etc., and has prepared Health and Safety European Standards for nightlife venues.
"The first preventive measure is to be aware that these problems exist, since we tend to always think positively about holidays. There are measures that depend on tourist destinations, which are often promoted as places with a high level of sexual permissiveness and advertise cheap alcohol. The venues themselves can also avoid these situations by adopting good management in accordance with already established standards," Calafat explains.
###
The article is part of a long series of publications on nightlife issues that Irefrea has been publishing in recent years.
References:
Amador Calafat, Karen Hughes, Nicole Blay, Mark A. Bellis, Fernando Mendes, Montse Juan, Philip Lazarov, Barbara Cibin, et al. "Sexual Harassment among Young Tourists Visiting Mediterranean Resorts" Archives of Sexual Behavior 42: 603-613, 2013. DOI 10.1007/s10508-012-9979-6
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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.
1 in 10 female German or British tourists holidaying in southern Europe suffers sexual harassmentPublic release date: 24-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Press Office info@agenciasinc.es 34-914-251-820 FECYT - Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology
The European Institute of Studies on Prevention (Irefrea) surveyed more than 6,000 people in various airports in Mediterranean countries during summer 2009 to find out the levels of harassment and sex against one's will that had occurred. According to the experts, one in ten female English or German tourists has fallen victim to these practices while on holiday in southern Europe, as well as one in 15 males, as published in the journal 'Archives of Sexual Behavior'.
An international team of researchers, led by Amador Calafat from the European Insitute of Studies on Prevention (Irefrea), surveyed 6,502 people in different airports across southern Europe (Crete, Cyprus, Italy, Portugal and Spain). Those surveyed were young people between the ages of 16 and 35, who had visited tourist hotspots in summer 2009 and were returning home. The aim of the survey was to discover the levels of sexual harassment and sex against one's will suffered by these tourists. Their study is published in the journal 'Archives of Sexual Behavior'.
"In this article we have gone into detail with a broad sample on an issue that receives little attention in tourist environments: sexual harassment and sex against one's will. Research was conducted on English and German tourists because they are the most frequent visitors to southern Europe and it is easier to obtain results," Amador Calafat, the Irefrea researcher leading the study, informs SINC.
Despite the known increase in substance use and risky sexual behaviours among young people during holiday periods, issues of sexual harassment and sex against one's will have not received adequate attention, according to the researchers.
The results of the study show that 8.6% of people suffered sexual harassment during their holidays and 1.5% suffered sex against their will. "2.4 times as many women as heterosexual men claimed to have suffered from sexual harassment. However, gay and bisexual men showed similar levels to women and high levels of sex against their will," the expert notes.
Predictor variables for risk
The researchers applied different variables to predict the risk of falling victim to one of the two behaviours studied. "With regard to sexual harassment, those who claimed to have suffered these practices the most were tourists who were visiting Mallorca and Crete, young, British, gay or bisexual, frequent drinkers or attracted to bars where people get drunk, or cocaine consumers," Calafat highlights.
"We're not talking about casual sex, but rather issues that show a correlation, so we must continue researching," the scientist explains.
The Spanish group Irefrea has led various European projects and participated in others on the subjects of violence, driving, sexual behaviour, drunkenness, drug use, differences between countries, management of venues that have an influence on drunkenness and violence, etc., and has prepared Health and Safety European Standards for nightlife venues.
"The first preventive measure is to be aware that these problems exist, since we tend to always think positively about holidays. There are measures that depend on tourist destinations, which are often promoted as places with a high level of sexual permissiveness and advertise cheap alcohol. The venues themselves can also avoid these situations by adopting good management in accordance with already established standards," Calafat explains.
###
The article is part of a long series of publications on nightlife issues that Irefrea has been publishing in recent years.
References:
Amador Calafat, Karen Hughes, Nicole Blay, Mark A. Bellis, Fernando Mendes, Montse Juan, Philip Lazarov, Barbara Cibin, et al. "Sexual Harassment among Young Tourists Visiting Mediterranean Resorts" Archives of Sexual Behavior 42: 603-613, 2013. DOI 10.1007/s10508-012-9979-6
[ | 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.
KABUL (Reuters) - The Taliban had the agreement of the Qatar government to use its flag and banner at the opening of its Doha office, the group said on Sunday, in a sign it may be unwilling to remove what has become a key sticking-point in nascent Afghan peace talks.
There appeared to have been a breakthrough last week in efforts to kickstart peace talks to end a 12-year-old war in Afghanistan, when the Taliban said it was opening a long-anticipated office in the Qatari capital, Doha.
But those hopes were dashed when the Afghan government reacted in outrage over the opening of the office last Tuesday, protesting against the raising of the Taliban flag and the use of signs proclaiming "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan," the name the Taliban used during their brief rule from 1996 to 2001.
President Hamid Karzai cancelled plans for an Afghan peace delegation to travel to Qatar and suspended talks with the United States over a vital security pact, in the belief it had failed to ensure the Taliban did not misuse the office.
And despite subsequent negotiations, Sunday's statement appears to suggest the Taliban may not be ready to back down.
"The raising of the flag and the use of the name of Islamic Emirate were done with the agreement of the Qatari government," the Taliban spokesman in Doha, Dr. Mohammad Naeem, said.
He also responded to reported remarks by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry that the militant group had signed a pact with the United States on the use of the office.
While Reuters could not locate the specific report Naeem referred to, on Saturday Kerry did tell a Doha news conference that an "agreement" had not been adhered to.
"No such agreement has been signed, nor does such an agreement exist, although documents have been exchanged between the Islamic Emirate and the Qatari government regarding conditions of the office," Naeem said.
Kerry's comments in Doha appeared to have a more pessimistic cast than previous official U.S. remarks.
"We need to see if we can get back on track. I don't know whether that's possible or not," Kerry said.
"If there is not a decision ... to move forward by the Taliban in short order, then we may have to consider whether or not the office has to be closed."
The Karzai government showed no sign of compromise, and on Sunday foreign ministry spokesman Janan Mosazai repeated that the ceremonial opening was in breach of "assurances" from the United States.
"We still need a full explanation about what happened," Mosazai said. "That needs to be explained in a clear, transparent manner to the Afghan government and those discussions and contacts are taking place as we speak."
If the Taliban office did not prove useful to the peace process, it should not exist, Mosazai said.
"If the office is not productive to the peace process ... it is better that this office should not only be closed but annihilated," he added.
Afghanistan, the United States and Qatar have waited since Tuesday to see if the Taliban leaders would agree to remove the contentious symbols.
While a plaque reading "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" has been removed from the entrance to the office, a similar nameplate inside the building has stayed. The Taliban flag was lowered, but not removed.
The Taliban have delayed plans to start operations at the Doha office on Sunday, while awaiting instructions from their leaders, a source from the Qatari foreign ministry told Reuters.
"They told us that the office was going to be open today at 7 a.m., but no one is here and they still didn't tell us what their new plans are," said the source. Taliban spokesmen in Doha were not immediately available to comment.
(Reporting by Hamid Shalizi and Dylan Welch; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
Part-time graduate enrollment in science and engineering growing at a higher ratePublic release date: 24-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Deborah Wing dwing@nsf.gov 703-292-5344 National Science Foundation
From 2010 to 2011, growth in part-time graduate enrollment outpaced that of full-time enrollment
From 2010 to 2011, enrollment of part-time graduate students in science and engineering (S&E) fields grew at a higher rate than that of full-time S&E graduate students for the first time since 2005.
The new finding comes from a report released today by the National Science Foundation that reveals that enrollment of part-time S&E graduate students increased 1.6 percent versus 0.5 percent for full-time S&E graduate students from 2010 to 2011.
During the past decade, enrollment of full-time graduate students in S&E grew almost 25 percent, from approximately 325,000 students in 2002 to approximately 411,200 students in 2011. Enrollment of part-time students increased nearly 15 percent, from approximately 129,300 students in 2002 to approximately 149,700 students in 2011.
###
For more information on this report, please contact Kelly Kang.
Please visit the NSF's National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics for more reports and other products.
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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.
Part-time graduate enrollment in science and engineering growing at a higher ratePublic release date: 24-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Deborah Wing dwing@nsf.gov 703-292-5344 National Science Foundation
From 2010 to 2011, growth in part-time graduate enrollment outpaced that of full-time enrollment
From 2010 to 2011, enrollment of part-time graduate students in science and engineering (S&E) fields grew at a higher rate than that of full-time S&E graduate students for the first time since 2005.
The new finding comes from a report released today by the National Science Foundation that reveals that enrollment of part-time S&E graduate students increased 1.6 percent versus 0.5 percent for full-time S&E graduate students from 2010 to 2011.
During the past decade, enrollment of full-time graduate students in S&E grew almost 25 percent, from approximately 325,000 students in 2002 to approximately 411,200 students in 2011. Enrollment of part-time students increased nearly 15 percent, from approximately 129,300 students in 2002 to approximately 149,700 students in 2011.
###
For more information on this report, please contact Kelly Kang.
Please visit the NSF's National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics for more reports and other products.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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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.
Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane (88) acknowledges the crowd as he is named as the number one star of the game after the Blackhawks beat the Boston Bruins 3-1 in Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals, Saturday, June 22, 2013, in Chicago. Kane scored two of Chicago's three goals. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane (88) acknowledges the crowd as he is named as the number one star of the game after the Blackhawks beat the Boston Bruins 3-1 in Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals, Saturday, June 22, 2013, in Chicago. Kane scored two of Chicago's three goals. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara (33) is congratulated by Boston Bruins center David Krejci (46) after scoring a goal against the Chicago Blackhawks in the third period during Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals, Saturday, June 22, 2013, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
CHICAGO (AP) ? Five things learned in the Chicago Blackhawks 3-1 win over the Boston Bruins in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals on Saturday night:
___
STANLEY IS WAITING: The Chicago streets aren't being shut down for a victory party just yet, but don't blame city officials if they've already started planning the parade. After looking as lively as road kill in Game 3, the Blackhawks have bounced back behind the reconfigured line of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Bryan Bickell. Four goals in two games, 10 points and, in the most important stat of all, two wins after Saturday night's commanding 3-1 win. Now it's Boston that reeks of desperation. The Bruins were no match for Chicago's speed and skill in Game 5, and resorted to hits ? big, cheap and otherwise ? to try and keep it close. Expect more of the same in Game 6 on Monday night in Boston, but expect an inspired effort from the Blackhawks, too. "It's going to be exciting," Bickell said. "One win from the ultimate goal when you're a kid, to win the cup. ... It's going to be a hard task going to Boston. Hopefully we can finish it up then and not come back here."
___
NOT SO FAST: Sure, it sounds good for players to say they're not discouraged and they still think they've got a chance. But the Bruins have the record to prove it. This, after all, is a team that was down 4-1 to Toronto with 11 minutes left in Game 7 in the first round of the playoffs. We all know how that one ended. Nathan Horton, Milan Lucic and Patrice Bergeron scored to tie it up, and Bergeron scored the game winner in overtime. And the last time the Bruins won the Stanley Cup? Yep. They fell behind Vancouver 3-2 in 2011, only to come back and win the last two games. "We're just going to worry about Game 6," David Krejci said. "We're not going to give them anything easily. If they want to win the cup, they're going to have to fight for it because we're going to be ready."
___
BERGERON'S STATUS: Boston's hopes of forcing a Game 7 may very well rest with Patrice Bergeron. Which is not exactly encouraging considering the Bruins assistant captain was admitted to a Chicago hospital for observation in the third period Saturday night. The Bruins aren't saying what's wrong with Bergeron or how the injury happened, let alone predict whether the Selke Trophy finalist will be able to play Monday. But if coach Claude Julien's prickliness is any indication, it doesn't look good. "I'm not going there, so anything else but injury here," Julien said after getting a third straight question about Bergeron's status. "I'll update you when I have an update. There's nothing more. We can ask a million questions. I don't have any more information than probably you guys do right now."
___
FITS LIKE A GLOVE: The "Kick Me" sign is off Corey Crawford's back for at least a day. Despite having his team one win from the Stanley Cup title, Crawford continues to be the source of great angst in Chicago. He gives up soft goals. He's vulnerable on his glove side. He's bland. And what's wrong with giving Ray Emery a shot, anyway? (Emery was 17-1 during the regular season.) Yet Crawford keeps doing his thing ? and doing it quite well, thank you. Yes, Zdeno Chara scored Boston's lone goal on Crawford's glove side. But it was one goal! Tuukka Rask, who has been elevated almost to Martin Brodeur status during the playoffs, has been playing more like Martin Short, giving up eight goals ? EIGHT! ? in the last two games alone.
___
POWER OUTAGE: The Boston Bruins did not have a single power play in Game 5. That may not be a big deal for the Blackhawks, whose power play is worse than that of some pee-wee teams. But the man-advantage has been big for the Bruins, who have scored four of their 13 goals in this series on power plays.
Getting to grips with migrainePublic release date: 23-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Aileen Sheehy press.office@sanger.ac.uk 44-012-234-92368 Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
Researchers identify some of the biological roots of migraine from large-scale genome study
In the largest study of migraines, researchers have found 5 genetic regions that for the first time have been linked to the onset of migraine. This study opens new doors to understanding the cause and biological triggers that underlie migraine attacks.
The team identified 12 genetic regions associated with migraine susceptibility. Eight of these regions were found in or near genes known to play a role in controlling brain circuitries and two of the regions were associated with genes that are responsible for maintaining healthy brain tissue. The regulation of these pathways may be important to the genetic susceptibility of migraines.
Migraine is a debilitating disorder that affects approximately 14% of adults. Migraine has recently been recognized as the seventh disabler in the Global Burden of Disease Survey 2010 and has been estimated to be the most costly neurological disorder. It is an extremely difficult disorder to study because no biomarkers between or during attacks have been identified so far.
"This study has greatly advanced our biological insight about the cause of migraine," says Dr Aarno Palotie, from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. "Migraine and epilepsy are particularly difficult neural conditions to study; between episodes the patient is basically healthy so it's extremely difficult to uncover biochemical clues.
"We have proven that this is the most effective approach to study this type of neurological disorder and understand the biology that lies at the heart of it."
The team uncovered the underlying susceptibilities by comparing the results from 29 different genomic studies, including over 100,000 samples from both migraine patients and control samples.
They found that some of the regions of susceptibility lay close to a network of genes that are sensitive to oxidative stress, a biochemical process that results in the dysfunction of cells.
The team expects many of the genes at genetic regions associated with migraine are interconnected and could potentially be disrupting the internal regulation of tissue and cells in the brain, resulting in some of the symptoms of migraine.
"We would not have made discoveries by studying smaller groups of individuals," says Dr Gisela Terwindt, co-author from Leiden University Medical Centre. "This large scale method of studying over 100,000 samples of healthy and affected people means we can tease out the genes that are important suspects and follow them up in the lab."
The team identified an additional 134 genetic regions that are possibly associated to migraine susceptibility with weaker statistical evidence. Whether these regions underlie migraine susceptibility or not still needs to be elucidated. Other similar studies show that these statistically weaker culprits can play an equal part in the underlying biology of a disease or disorder.
"The molecular mechanisms of migraine are poorly understood. The sequence variants uncovered through this meta-analysis could become a foothold for further studies to better understanding the pathophysiology of migraine" says Dr Kri Stefnsson, President of deCODE genetics.
"This approach is the most efficient way of revealing the underlying biology of these neural disorders," says Dr Mark Daly, from the Massachusetts General Hospital and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. "Effective studies that give us biological or biochemical results and insights are essential if we are to fully get to grips with this debilitating condition.
"Pursuing these studies in even larger samples and with denser maps of biological markers will increase our power to determine the roots and triggers of this disabling disorder."
###
Notes to Editors
Publication Details
Verneri Anttila, Bendik S. Winsvold, Padhraig Gormley et al (2013) 'Genome-wide meta-analysis identifies new susceptibility loci for migraine'
Advanced online publication in Nature Genetics 23 June Doi: 10.1038/ng.2676
Participating centres
A full list of participating centres can be found in the study
Funding
A full list of funding can be found in the study
Selected Websites
The Eli and Edythe L. Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT was launched in 2004 to empower this generation of creative scientists to transform medicine. The Broad Institute seeks to describe all the molecular components of life and their connections; discover the molecular basis of major human diseases; develop effective new approaches to diagnostics and therapeutics; and disseminate discoveries, tools, methods and data openly to the entire scientific community.
Founded by MIT, Harvard and its affiliated hospitals, and the visionary Los Angeles philanthropists Eli and Edythe L. Broad, the Broad Institute includes faculty, professional staff and students from throughout the MIT and Harvard biomedical research communities and beyond, with collaborations spanning over a hundred private and public institutions in more than 40 countries worldwide. For further information about the Broad Institute, go to http://www.broadinstitute.org.
The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute is one of the world's leading genome centres. Through its ability to conduct research at scale, it is able to engage in bold and long-term exploratory projects that are designed to influence and empower medical science globally. Institute research findings, generated through its own research programmes and through its leading role in international consortia, are being used to develop new diagnostics and treatments for human disease. http://www.sanger.ac.uk
The Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation dedicated to achieving extraordinary improvements in human and animal health. We support the brightest minds in biomedical research and the medical humanities. Our breadth of support includes public engagement, education and the application of research to improve health. We are independent of both political and commercial interests. http://www.wellcome.ac.uk
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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.
Getting to grips with migrainePublic release date: 23-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Aileen Sheehy press.office@sanger.ac.uk 44-012-234-92368 Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
Researchers identify some of the biological roots of migraine from large-scale genome study
In the largest study of migraines, researchers have found 5 genetic regions that for the first time have been linked to the onset of migraine. This study opens new doors to understanding the cause and biological triggers that underlie migraine attacks.
The team identified 12 genetic regions associated with migraine susceptibility. Eight of these regions were found in or near genes known to play a role in controlling brain circuitries and two of the regions were associated with genes that are responsible for maintaining healthy brain tissue. The regulation of these pathways may be important to the genetic susceptibility of migraines.
Migraine is a debilitating disorder that affects approximately 14% of adults. Migraine has recently been recognized as the seventh disabler in the Global Burden of Disease Survey 2010 and has been estimated to be the most costly neurological disorder. It is an extremely difficult disorder to study because no biomarkers between or during attacks have been identified so far.
"This study has greatly advanced our biological insight about the cause of migraine," says Dr Aarno Palotie, from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. "Migraine and epilepsy are particularly difficult neural conditions to study; between episodes the patient is basically healthy so it's extremely difficult to uncover biochemical clues.
"We have proven that this is the most effective approach to study this type of neurological disorder and understand the biology that lies at the heart of it."
The team uncovered the underlying susceptibilities by comparing the results from 29 different genomic studies, including over 100,000 samples from both migraine patients and control samples.
They found that some of the regions of susceptibility lay close to a network of genes that are sensitive to oxidative stress, a biochemical process that results in the dysfunction of cells.
The team expects many of the genes at genetic regions associated with migraine are interconnected and could potentially be disrupting the internal regulation of tissue and cells in the brain, resulting in some of the symptoms of migraine.
"We would not have made discoveries by studying smaller groups of individuals," says Dr Gisela Terwindt, co-author from Leiden University Medical Centre. "This large scale method of studying over 100,000 samples of healthy and affected people means we can tease out the genes that are important suspects and follow them up in the lab."
The team identified an additional 134 genetic regions that are possibly associated to migraine susceptibility with weaker statistical evidence. Whether these regions underlie migraine susceptibility or not still needs to be elucidated. Other similar studies show that these statistically weaker culprits can play an equal part in the underlying biology of a disease or disorder.
"The molecular mechanisms of migraine are poorly understood. The sequence variants uncovered through this meta-analysis could become a foothold for further studies to better understanding the pathophysiology of migraine" says Dr Kri Stefnsson, President of deCODE genetics.
"This approach is the most efficient way of revealing the underlying biology of these neural disorders," says Dr Mark Daly, from the Massachusetts General Hospital and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. "Effective studies that give us biological or biochemical results and insights are essential if we are to fully get to grips with this debilitating condition.
"Pursuing these studies in even larger samples and with denser maps of biological markers will increase our power to determine the roots and triggers of this disabling disorder."
###
Notes to Editors
Publication Details
Verneri Anttila, Bendik S. Winsvold, Padhraig Gormley et al (2013) 'Genome-wide meta-analysis identifies new susceptibility loci for migraine'
Advanced online publication in Nature Genetics 23 June Doi: 10.1038/ng.2676
Participating centres
A full list of participating centres can be found in the study
Funding
A full list of funding can be found in the study
Selected Websites
The Eli and Edythe L. Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT was launched in 2004 to empower this generation of creative scientists to transform medicine. The Broad Institute seeks to describe all the molecular components of life and their connections; discover the molecular basis of major human diseases; develop effective new approaches to diagnostics and therapeutics; and disseminate discoveries, tools, methods and data openly to the entire scientific community.
Founded by MIT, Harvard and its affiliated hospitals, and the visionary Los Angeles philanthropists Eli and Edythe L. Broad, the Broad Institute includes faculty, professional staff and students from throughout the MIT and Harvard biomedical research communities and beyond, with collaborations spanning over a hundred private and public institutions in more than 40 countries worldwide. For further information about the Broad Institute, go to http://www.broadinstitute.org.
The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute is one of the world's leading genome centres. Through its ability to conduct research at scale, it is able to engage in bold and long-term exploratory projects that are designed to influence and empower medical science globally. Institute research findings, generated through its own research programmes and through its leading role in international consortia, are being used to develop new diagnostics and treatments for human disease. http://www.sanger.ac.uk
The Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation dedicated to achieving extraordinary improvements in human and animal health. We support the brightest minds in biomedical research and the medical humanities. Our breadth of support includes public engagement, education and the application of research to improve health. We are independent of both political and commercial interests. http://www.wellcome.ac.uk
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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.
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