ATLANTA (AP) ? Oscar-winning actress Reese Witherspoon was arrested on a disorderly conduct charge after a state trooper said she wouldn't stay in the car while her husband was given a field sobriety test in Atlanta.
Witherspoon was released from jail after the Friday morning arrest and was in New York Sunday night for the premiere of her new film "Mud." She posed for cameras on the red carpet but did not stop to talk to reporters.
The trooper noticed the car driven by her husband wasn't staying in its lane early Friday morning, so a traffic stop was initiated. Her husband, James Toth, had droopy eyelids, watery, bloodshot eyes, and his breath smelled strongly of alcohol, according to the report.
Toth told the trooper he'd had a drink, which Witherspoon said was consumed at a restaurant two hours before the traffic stop, the trooper writes.
Before the field sobriety test began, the 37-year-old Witherspoon got out of the car, was told to get back in and obeyed, the report said. After the "Walk the Line" star got out a second time, the trooper said he warned her that she would be arrested if she left the car again.
As the test continued, "Mrs. Witherspoon began to hang out the window and say that she did not believe that I was a real police officer. I told Mrs. Witherspoon to sit on her butt and be quiet," Trooper First Class J. Pyland writes.
Toth, 42, was then placed under arrest. He was charged with driving under the influence and failure to maintain the lane.
At that point, the report says, Witherspoon got out and asked the trooper what was going on. After being told to return to the car, she "stated that she was a 'US Citizen' and that she was allowed to 'stand on American ground,'" the report states.
The trooper then began to arrest Witherspoon. The report says Witherspoon was resistant at first but was calmed down by her husband.
"Do you know my name?" Witherspoon is quoted as asking the trooper. She also said: "You're about to find out who I am" and "You're about to be on national news," according to the report.
Toth and Witherspoon were then taken to jail.
A message left at the office of Witherspoon's publicist, Meredith O'Sullivan Wasson, wasn't immediately returned Sunday.
News of the arrest broke shortly before Witherspoon arrived on the "Mud" red carpet.
"I can't say anything because I don't know," said director Jeff Nichols. " I literally ? the first guy on the press line to say something was the first time I heard about it so I gotta go figure it out."
Matthew McConaughey, who plays the lead role in "Mud" and is represented by Toth, said "I'm not going to comment on that because it's too fresh."
__
AP reporter Lauri Neff contributed to this report from New York.
Demystifying the Chinese Economy is the title of the David Finch public lecture that will be presented by Professor?Justin Lin, China Center for Economic Research, Peking University here at the Faculty on the 4th June.
Registrations are essential, please click here for more details and to register.
Bill Minutaglio, author of 'City on Fire,' discusses the 1947 explosion in Texas City of a ship full of ammonium nitrate that killed hundreds and left thousands wounded.
By Randy Dotinga,?Contributor / April 22, 2013
Writer Bill Minutaglio is the author of 'City on Fire,' which explores the 1947 tragedy in Texas which was caused by ammonium nitrate.
Enlarge
Just after World War II, Texas City ? next to Galveston and not far from Houston ? was the boom-iest of boom towns. The population was zooming skyward thanks to an influx of workers seeking jobs in the gritty worlds of oil, gas, metal, and chemicals.
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"Everyone who lives here," a local priest said, "is a refugee steered to Texas City by a rising tide."
But the sea itself brought horror 66 years ago last week. A ship full of ammonium nitrate exploded in the Texas City port, setting off a disastrous chain reaction that left the city in ruins. Hundreds died, and thousands were wounded.
Ammonium nitrate appears to also be responsible for the deadly explosion last week at a fertilizer factory in West, Texas.
Why is this chemical compound so dangerous? How does the 1947 disaster compare to this week's tragedy? And what is the legacy of Texas City? No one may know the answers better than Texas journalist and historian Bill Minutaglio, author of 2003's well-received "City on Fire: The Forgotten Disaster That Devastated a Town and Ignited a Landmark Legal Battle." ? Q: When I think of fertilizer, manure comes to mind. How does ammonium nitrate fit in? ? A: Ammonium nitrate can be used to fertilize farms and fields because it is high in nitrogen. In large amounts, given the right conditions ? including heat and fire ? it can explode. People intent on malevolence have long known about the compound's explosive capabilities. ? Q: What was ammonium nitrate used for in 1947? ? A: The ammonium nitrate that blew up in 1947 in Texas City, which what some say is the greatest industrial disaster in the most industrialized nation in the world, was intended to be used as fertilizer. It was packed in bags that were stamped with the word "fertilizer" and was going to be sent from Texas City to Europe, on freighters, in order to assist in the revitalizing of farms in Europe. ? Q: Why was the Texas City disaster so widespread and deadly? ? A: According to official reports, 581 people died. Some believe the number to be higher. Some say as many as 5,000 people were wounded.
There were multiple explosions and fires. Enormous petrochemical plants and oil tanks were destroyed and the disaster resulted in untold amounts of toxic chemicals being released into the land, air and water. ? Q: With the limited information we have now, can you compare the 1947 explosion way to the disaster this week? ? A: I don't think it is entirely fair to compare these disasters because the time periods are different, the geography is different, and there has been significant attention paid to ammonium nitrate and combustible fertilizers since 1947.
PARIS (AP) ? Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to sunny Paris boulevards on Sunday to protest the expected passage this week of a bill legalizing gay marriage. One protestor called the bill "a threat to the social fabric."
Legalizing gay marriage was one of President Francois Hollande's campaign promises. Polls have shown a narrow majority of French favor allowing such unions, though the support weakens when questions about adoption and conception of children come into play.
As the bill has made its way through the French legislative process, opposition has mounted, especially from conservative groups from more rural parts of the country. While the protests against the gay marriage bill have been largely peaceful, violence has occasionally erupted on the sidelines.
Sunday's march wound across the Left Bank and culminated in a gathering on the vast Invalides esplanade. A heavy police presence was deployed along the route, while a smaller counter-demonstration drew thousands across the Seine river to the large Bastille square.
Gay marriage opponents lined the broad boulevard through the Montparnasse neighborhood waving blue, pink and white flags.
"I am here as a Catholic, in the name of Jesus," said a 65-year-old retired woman who would only identify herself as Maria.
A 58-year-old lawyer, Patrick Poydenot, stood outside the historic Select cafe with his young son. He'd been to past demonstrations and decided he would show up this time despite the bill's likely approval.
"We believe that this bill is a threat to the social fabric," Poydenot said. If the bill "passes, a fundamental rule of society will disappear."
Both houses of the French parliament have already approved the bill in a first reading. The second and final reading is expected Tuesday.
In this Wednesday, March 20, 2013 photo, Afghan villager Ghulam Rasool sits in the yard of his house where he and his family found refuge in the village of Khalis Family Village, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan. Rasool padlocked his front door, handed over the keys and his three cows to a neighbor and in the middle of the night left his mountain home to escape relentless air strikes. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)
In this Wednesday, March 20, 2013 photo, the grandchildren of Afghan villager Ghulam Rasool, in the yard of the house where he and his family found refuge in the village of Khalis Family Village, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan. Ahmed's grandfather Rasool padlocked his front door, handed over the keys and his three cows to a neighbor and in the middle of the night left his mountain home with is family to escape relentless air strikes. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)
In this Wednesday, March 20, 2013 photo, the grandson of Afghan villager Ghulam Rasool, 12 year old Ahmed Shah, center, recalled the attack on his village in the yard of his house where he and his family found refuge in the village of Khalis Family Village, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan. Ahmed's grandfather Rasool padlocked his front door, handed over the keys and his three cows to a neighbor and in the middle of the night left his mountain home with is family to escape relentless air strikes. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)
FILE - In this Sept. 4, 2009 file photo, a KZO surveillance drone takes off from the German base in Kunduz, Afghanistan. Criticism of drones has mounted in recent months. At the United Nations an inquiry has been launched into the civilian impact and human rights implications of using drones. The first in a series of reports is expected in May. In the United States, lawmakers are demanding greater transparency questioning the legality of using the unmanned predators to target and kill American citizens overseas as well as the implications of using smaller surveillance drones in the U.S. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus, File)
In this Tuesday, March 19, 2013 photo, Afghan boys study in a makeshift school in the village of Budyali, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan. The village lost its former school building after Taliban militants attacked the district headquarters of Budyali in July 2011. The Afghan National Army requested help from coalition forces, who responded with drones, fighter jets and rockets, leaving the school destroyed, according to village elders. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)
In this Tuesday, March 19, 2013 photo, an Afghan man sits among the debris of a destroyed school in the village of Budyali, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan. Taliban militants attacked the nearby district headquarters in July 2011, then took refuge in the school. The Afghan National Army requested help from coalition forces, who responded with drones, fighter jets and rockets, leaving the school destroyed, according to village elders. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)
In this Tuesday, March 19, 2013 photo, Afghan men sit among the debris of their destroyed school in the village of Budyali, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan. Taliban militants attacked the nearby district headquarters in July 2011, then took refuge in the school. The Afghan National Army requested help from coalition forces, who responded with drones, fighter jets and rockets, leaving the school destroyed, according to village elders. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)
In this Tuesday, March 19, 2013 photo, Hayat Gul, who was injured in a gun battle ahead of a 2011 air assault on the village school he guarded, tells his story in Budyali, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan. Taliban militants attacked the nearby district headquarters and then took refuge in the school. The Afghan National Army requested help from coalition forces, who responded with drones, fighter jets and rockets, leaving the school destroyed, according to village elders. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)
In this Tuesday, March 19, 2013 photo, Afghan men peer through the former window of their destroyed school in the village of Budyali, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan. Taliban militants attacked the nearby district headquarters in July 2011, then took refuge in the school. The Afghan National Army requested help from coalition forces, who responded with drones, fighter jets and rockets, leaving the school destroyed, according to village elders. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)
In this Tuesday, March 19, 2013 photo, Afghan men walk through the debris of their destroyed school in the village of Budyali, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan. Taliban militants attacked the nearby district headquarters in July 2011, then took refuge in the school. The Afghan National Army requested help from coalition forces, who responded with drones, fighter jets and rockets, leaving the school destroyed, according to village elders. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)
In this Tuesday, March 19, 2013 photo, papers of schoolbooks lie among the debris of a destroyed school in the village of Budyali, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan. The Taliban attacked the district headquarters of Budyali in July 2011 and coalition forces responded to the Afghan National Army request for help with drones, fighter jets and rockets, leaving the school destroyed, according to village elders. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)
Choosing the right internship is an important decision. They not only provide all kinds of experience and look good on resumes, they can also lead to full-time positions. So what do you do when you've got a firm offer from one company, but the company you really want to work for hasn't gotten back to you yet?
ConfusedStudent writes:
Dear Lifehacker,
I have applied to some companies for an internship position. I went to 2 companies to interviews and 2 days ago one of them offered me the position. The other company said I might have to wait for 3 weeks for an answer. Both positions are great, but the second company is a big and renowned company and I would prefer to work there. I don`t know if I should just say yes to the first company or say no and wait and see how it pans out with the second company. What would you do? I also want to respectful of both companies.
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Apr. 10, 2013 ? Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have "rationally rewired" some of the cell's smallest components to create proteins that can be switched on or off by command. These "protein switches" can be used to interrogate the inner workings of each cell, helping scientists uncover the molecular mechanisms of human health and disease.
In the first application of this approach, the UNC researchers showed how a protein called Src kinase influences the way cells extend and move, a previously unknown role that is consistent with the protein's ties to tumor progression and metastasis.
"This rationally designed control of protein conformations represents a breakthrough in computational protein design," said senior study author Nikolay Dokholyan, PhD, a professor of biochemistry and biophysics. "We now have a new tool for delineating the activities of various proteins in living cells in a way that was never before possible."
The research was published online ahead of print in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In the study, Dokholyan created a "switch" that would make a protein wobbly and unable to do its job unless it was flipped "on" by a drug called rapamycin, which would stabilize the protein and let it perform its function.
The approach is a simpler and more reliable version of a protein engineering system pioneered three years ago by Dokholyan and Klaus Hahn, professor of pharmacology at UNC, called rapamycin regulated or RapR. In the old approach, the switching mechanism depended on two proteins and the drug. The first protein -- the one the researchers wanted to study -- was given the RapR modification and put in cells in tissue culture. The second protein was placed in the cells as well, but simply floated around until the addition of drug caused it to latch on to the modification in the first protein and turn it on. The problem with the approach was that some cells would have a lot of the first protein and less of the second, or vice versa.
"It became the Achilles heel of the technique, because there was variability in the results due to the different ratios between the proteins," said Hahn. "What Dokholyan was able to do, which was extremely challenging from a protein engineering standpoint, was to combine the two parts into one."
Dokholyan and his colleagues took the two proteins and broke them apart into their individual components, structures called alpha helices and beta sheets. They then rewired them together to make a whole new protein where the parts could interact with each other. When researchers compared this system, called uniRapR, with the previous approach, they found the new one gave cleaner, more reliable and more consistent results.
They then applied the technique to study Src kinase, a protein involved in the metastasis or spread of tumor cells. Scientists had postulated that Src kinase plays a role in cell motility, but previous methods have not allowed them to isolate its activity from other similar proteins.
Working both in cultured human cells and in the model organism zebrafish, the researchers showed that turning on Src causes the cell to extend its edges as part of cell movement. Now that they have dissected the role of one protein, the researchers plan to look at a variety of other kinases to understand their roles in the development, progression, and spread of cancer.
The research was funded in by the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and the National Cancer Institute. Study co-authors from UNC were Onur Dagliyan; David Shirvanyants, PhD; Andrei V. Karginov, PhD; Feng Deng, PhD; Lanette Fee; and Srinivas N. Chandrasekaran. Co-authors from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, were Christina M. Freisinger, Gromoslaw A. Smolen, and Anna Huttenlocher.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of North Carolina School of Medicine.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
O. Dagliyan, D. Shirvanyants, A. V. Karginov, F. Ding, L. Fee, S. N. Chandrasekaran, C. M. Freisinger, G. A. Smolen, A. Huttenlocher, K. M. Hahn, N. V. Dokholyan. Rational design of a ligand-controlled protein conformational switch. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2013; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1218319110
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.
The internet is often awash with news of new types of flu—spread from pigs, birds and all kinds of other creatures—but it's not easy to tell which ones you should really be worried about. Fortunately, this visualization explains exactly which strains you can pick up, and just how dangerous they are. More »
BEIJING (AP) ? Hacking that originates inside China is undermining its relationship with the United States and harms Beijing's long-term interests, a U.S. diplomat said Tuesday, in the latest high-level public expression of concern over a problem that has prompted threats of commercial retaliation from Washington.
The U.S. believes cyber intrusions originating from China that result in the theft of sensitive information have reached very high levels, adding to existing problems with the lack of protection for intellectual property rights, said Robert Hormats, the U.S. undersecretary of state for economic growth.
He urged China to take firm action against hacking and said Chinese officials need to question whether such activity "serves China's real interests" as it seeks to upgrade its economy, the world's second largest.
"The long-term interest of the Chinese government is to investigate and halt these cyber intrusions wherever in this country they come from," Hormats said. "The U.S. government is taking an active role in addressing this issue and we continue to raise our concerns with senior Chinese officials."
Hormats' comments in an address to an Internet industry conference in Beijing follow a forensically detailed report by Internet security company Mandiant that accused a Chinese military unit of carrying out a yearslong hacking attack against U.S. companies.
China's government and military deny carrying out cyberattacks. A senior Chinese official attending the conference repeated Beijing's contention that Beijing was itself a victim of hacking.
"Our opposition to all forms of hacking is clear and consistent," said Qian Xiaoqian, a vice minister and deputy director of the State Internet Information Office.
"Lately people have been cooking up a theory of a Chinese Internet threat, which is just an extension of the old 'China threat' and just as groundless," Qian said.
Such statements seem to be doing little to allay concerns over a suspected official role in wholesale hacking linked to China. Foreign military and government organizations have been targeted by the attacks, as well as private companies, including those in sensitive industries such as energy and aerospace.
Craig Mundie, a senior adviser to the CEO of Microsoft, a sponsor of the conference, said that regardless of whether China-based hacking was the work of rogue actors, Beijing's efforts to stop it are clearly not effective.
"And given that China's policy position is that such activity is absolutely illegal, our two countries clearly need to work together to figure out how to enforce that policy more effectively, because right now the evidence suggests China's policy enforcement approaches are not working adequately," Mundie said.
Mandiant, a Virginia-based cybersecurity firm, released a torrent of details in February that tied a secret Chinese military unit in Shanghai to years of cyberattacks that compromised more than 140 companies. Mandiant linked the breaches to the People's Liberation Army's Unit 61398.
In response to the hacking reports, the Obama administration has been considering fines and other trade actions against China or any other country guilty of cyberespionage.
However, the administration is expected to proceed cautiously because of the issue's sensitivity, and Hormats and other conference attendees repeatedly called for communication and joint efforts against hacking rather than outright confrontation.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) ? A 6.1 magnitude earthquake killed 32 and injured hundreds more in a sparsely populated area in southern Iran on Tuesday, Iranian officials said. Authorities said it did not damage a nuclear plant in the region.
The report said the earthquake struck the town of Kaki some 96 kilometers (60 miles) southeast of Bushehr, a town on the Persian Gulf that is home of Iran's first nuclear power plant, built with Russian help.
"No damage was done to Bushehr power plant," Bushehr provincial governor Fereidoun Hasanvand told state TV. He said 32 people died and 850 were injured, including 100 who were hospitalized.
Water and electricity were cut to many residents, said Ebrahim Darvishi, governor of the worst-hit district Shonbeh.
Shahpour Rostami, the deputy governor of Bushehr province, told state TV that rescue teams have been deployed to Shonbeh. Three helicopters were sent to survey the damaged area before sunset, said Mohammad Mozaffar, the head of Iran's Red Crescent rescue department.
Kaki resident Mondani Hosseini told The Associated Press that people had run out into the streets out of fear.
Iran announced three days of mourning.
The quake was felt across the Gulf in Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, where workers were evacuated from high-rise buildings as a precaution.
Earlier on Sunday a lighter earthquake jolted the nearby area. Iran is located on seismic faults and it experiences frequent earthquakes.
In 2003, some 26,000 people were killed by a 6.6 magnitude quake that flattened the historic southeastern city of Bam.
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I am having some trouble making this program work the way I want it to. I am supposed to calculate the values inside a text file and put them to an an output text file. The program is reading the file just fine, the only problem is if any of the values are less than or equal to 0, I want the program to output "Invalid Data". Instead, the program continues to read the data that is less than 0. I am wondering if anyone would be so kind as to tell me what I am doing wrong with my code. Please help, I'm such a rookie and I could definitely use some saving.
Thanks,
VidKid
#include <iostream> #include <fstream> #include <cmath> using namespace std; int main() { float amt1; float amt2; float amt3; float amt4; float startMiles; float endMiles; float mpg; ifstream inMPG; ofstream outMPG; inMPG.open("inmpg.txt"); if(inMPG.fail()) { cout<<"can't find inmpg.txt"<<endl; return 0; } cout<<"Reading from file"<<endl; inMPG>>amt1>>amt2>>amt3>>amt4>>startMiles>>endMiles; outMPG.open("outmpg.txt"); if(outMPG.fail()) { cout<<"cant find outmpg.txt"<<endl; return 0; } while(!inMPG.eof()) { if (amt1 > 0 || amt2 > 0 || amt3 > 0 || amt4 > 0 || startMiles > 0 || endMiles > 0) { mpg = (endMiles - startMiles)/(amt1+amt2+amt3+amt4); cout<<"wrote to file: outmpg.txt"<<endl; cout<<"For the gallon amounts: "<<amt1<<" "<<amt2<<" "<<amt3<<" "<<amt4<< " "<<endl; cout<<"and a starting mileage of "<<startMiles<<endl; cout<<"and an ending mileage of "<<endMiles<<endl; cout<<"the mileage per gallon is "<<mpg<<endl; cout<<"\n Reading the next set of data"<<endl; inMPG>>amt1>>amt2>>amt3>>amt4>>startMiles>>endMiles; } else { cout<<"Invalid Data"<<endl; } } return 0; }
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Replies To: Need Help With A Program
#2 andrewsw ?
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Re: Need Help With A Program
Posted Yesterday, 06:28 PM
If you want it to say "Invalid Data" if ANY of the values are less than zero then you have to change your ORs to ANDs:
MILAN (AP) ? The Italian government has approved a decree to pay 40 billion euros ($52 billion) owed by government entities to private businesses over the next 12 months to help relaunch Italy's stagnant economy.
Premier Mario Monti acknowledged Saturday after his caretaker government adopted the decree that overdue payments had become "a bad habit" that put a heavy burden on business owners.
State entities on an average pay their bills six months after services are rendered and some 90 days after the official due date, which Monti said put Italy behind Spain, Portugal and Greece.
Delayed government payments are a major factor behind liquidity shortages faced by many small and medium-sized Italian companies. Reduced turnover in the recession means many businesses, in turn, are having trouble keeping up with even small debts.
As you can probably guess, I am going?to a baby shower. Now, this is not just any baby shower, this is our?best friends,??eldest sons? baby shower?~ who happens to be the same age as?our eldest?son.?~?That means my best friend is now a grandma.? She reads my blog, so I may?be in a small amount of?eyebrow raising trouble?for this one! ~? love ya girlfriend! ~
This has put a whole new?perspective, as a mom, on the idea of babies. Don?t get me wrong, I LOVE babies. Truly, I am an ooey gooey, heart wrapped?mess over them. But?now that they are not my babies, or my friends babies, but our childrens babies, there?has been a bizarre??shift in my mommy brain.
So here is the deal.?We are action packed fun loving mom?s, who still manage to get into some?good natured?trouble, according to our husbands anyway, ?with?kids still?in our homes.
We?are?in the?family?stages of?hanging out with?our kids?and doing?some really? fun, cool stuff, that you can only do?when they reach?that certain age. We are relating to them on a more mature level and are finally able to leave them on their own, or?for?durations longer than a few hours. ?Yes, I am going to say it?Freedom! ?We adore our kids, but really, there are ?times?when you are counting the moments when you get to go and be with your adult friends, or alone with your partner?~?For a little while~ once in a while.
Oh and I know that the kids totally enjoy their time when mom and dad aren?t around,?I mean really,?no one is saying, ?No mom, please, don?t go. Don?t leave us alone, with movies and video games, snacks, a computer and no??supervision by adults with rules.?
Realistically, there are going to be some?big changes,? once your kids start having kids. I say our kids, because I have?known this boy, who is now a man, since he was 2 years?old. It is hard to fully grasp that he is ?all grown and now a daddy. ?With the announcement of?him being an?expectant father and the?arrival of his? beautiful baby boy,??it?actually made my?head spin and my inner voice?loudly declare;?? There is no way that any of my friends, or I, am old enough to be a grandma!??Followed by?the mandatory? foot stomp.
I know, that is? a?little?nieve, but I am having a hard time grasping the idea of our?friends being called nana & papa. It?just seems a little to?surreal.
We are very fortunate families, as we are all very close with our children. Having the ?full support of?our families and friends on every twist and turn in?our lives makes?life for everyone, a better place to be.?This is?one of those moments that??every parent ?knows will?eventually? happen. I just?did not anticipate it?to happen to ?those of my peer group,?so soon.? Maybe it is because I still feel like an early thirties woman,?trapped in a forty something body. Perhaps that will be?the ?advantage for our grandchildren when it is ?our?turn. When?I get to?spoil those precious little bundles and not have to cope with the endless, sleepless nights and diapers. When I can smile like a cheshire cat and say, been there, done that and tell our kids they will survive. That one day, they to?will probably have the same conversation in their head and wonder how it all?happened so fast and still feel like there is a whole lifetime of adventure ahead of them.?~ Welcome Isaak, you have a wonderful family and?you?going?to be ?spoiled rotten with love!
Contact: Bachtler, Barbara bachtler@mdc-berlin.de 49-309-406-3896 Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres
Researchers of the Max Delbrck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) and the Leibniz Institute of Molecular Pharmacology (FMP) in Berlin-Buch, Germany, have now detected a substance that can prevent the accumulation of fluid in body tissue and thus edema formation. The results of Dr. Jana Bogum (MDC/FMP) from the MDC research group led by Professor Walter Rosenthal and PD Dr. Enno Klumann could be important in the future for the treatment of excessive fluid retention in patients with chronic heart failure. Using a novel approach, the researchers have also discovered a new molecular mechanism controlling water homeostasis in the kidneys (Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, doi:10.1681/ASN.2012030295)*.
Every day around 1 500 liters of blood flow through the kidneys. Of this total volume, the kidneys initially filter 180 liters of primary urine, which they concentrate to two liters and then excrete as the final urine. A key regulatory step of the concentration mechanism is the release of the hormone AVP (arginine-vasopressin) from the brain. This hormone triggers a multi-step signaling cascade in the kidneys which affects water channels (aquaporins) and in particular aquaporin-2. "The water channels, specifically aquaporin-2, and their redistribution play a key role in the regulation of the water balance," said Dr. Klumann.
AVP, which is released from the brain upon thirst, induces aquaporin-2 located in the renal collecting duct principal cells to redistribute from the cell interior to the plasma membrane. The renal cells can then filter out the water from the primary urine flowing past the membrane via aquaporin-2. Dr. Klumann explained: "To keep the renal cell from bursting and the body from dehydrating, the water is directed back via another group of water channels, aquaporin 3 and 4, into the bloodstream and body tissue. In contrast to aquaporin-2, these water channels are located in another domain of the plasma membrane in the renal principal cells and stay there permanently." Once the thirst is quenched, the levels of the hormone AVP are reduced and aquaporin-2 is shuttled back into the interior of the renal cell until it is needed again.
However, if the AVP level is too high, as is the case in patients with chronic heart failure, aquaporin-2 remains permanently in the plasma membrane of the renal principal cell and directs the water continuously from the primary urine into the renal collecting duct principal cells. These cells funnel the excess water into the body tissue. "This process contributes to edema," Dr. Klumann said.
Discovery of how translocation of water channels can be inhibited
How can aquaporin-2 be prevented from settling permanently in the plasma membrane and thus triggering diseases or making them worse? Using a new research approach, the scientists were able to identify an inhibitor which prevents the translocation of the water channel aquaporin-2 into the cell membrane. At the same time they discovered a new regulatory mechanism of water homeostasis at the molecular level.
The researchers used "small molecules", low molecular weight organic compounds, which penetrate well into cells. They tested 17 700 such substances in renal cells and ultimately filtered out a substance that blocks the redistribution of aquaporin-2 to the plasma membrane. The substance (4-acetyldiphyllin) prevents phosphorylation, an important biological and regulatory activation step. In particular, the compound prevents a phosphorylation reaction that is catalyzed by a protein termed protein kinase A. This protein is activated in the signaling cascade that is triggered by AVP in the renal principal cells. In the presence of 4-acetyldiphillin protein kinase A cannot add a phosphate group to aquaporin-2, with the result that the water channels can no longer redistribute to the plasma membrane.
The new research findings may not only be of interest for the treatment of edema but also for the treatment of depression. Here, by contrast, medical researchers are seeking a way to shuttle aquaporin-2 to the plasma membrane of the renal principal cell, because lithium, which is often used to treat depression, prevents aquaporin-2 from redistributing to the plasma membrane, thus causing diabetes insipidus. If AVP is not released from the brain, or if the receptor for AVP in the renal cell is defective, this likewise results in diabetes insipidus, as Professor Rosenthal discovered several years ago. The affected individuals excrete 20 liters of urine every day. A similar effect, but not quite as drastic, is caused by alcohol. Drinking lots of beer causes the body to excrete large amounts of urine. The reason alcohol prevents the brain from releasing the hormone AVP and thus prevents the redistribution of aquaporin-2 to the plasma membrane.
###
*Small molecule screening to reveal mechanisms underlying aquaporin-2 trafficking
Jana Bogum1,2,3, Dorte Faust1, Kerstin Zuhlke1,2, Jenny Eichhorst2, Marie C. Moutty1,2, Jens Furkert2, Adeeb Eldahshan1, Martin Neuenschwander2, Jens Peter von Kries2, Burkhard Wiesner2, Christiane Trimpert4, Peter M.T. Deen4, Giovanna Valenti5, Walter Rosenthal1,6 and Enno Klussmann1
1Max Delbrck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC), Berlin, Germany
3Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Freie Universitt Berlin, Germany
4Department of Physiology, RUNMC Nijmegen, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
5Department of General and Environmental Physiology, University of Bari, Italy
6Charit University Medicine Berlin, Germany
A scheme and a photo can be downloaded from the Internet at:
http://www.mdc-berlin.de/en/index.html
Contact:
Barbara Bachtler
Press Department
Max Delbrck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch
in the Helmholtz Association
Robert-Rssle-Strae 10
13125 Berlin, Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 30 94 06 - 38 96
Fax: +49 (0) 30 94 06 - 38 33
e-mail: presse@mdc-berlin.de
http://www.mdc-berlin.de/
[ | 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.
Contact: Bachtler, Barbara bachtler@mdc-berlin.de 49-309-406-3896 Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres
Researchers of the Max Delbrck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) and the Leibniz Institute of Molecular Pharmacology (FMP) in Berlin-Buch, Germany, have now detected a substance that can prevent the accumulation of fluid in body tissue and thus edema formation. The results of Dr. Jana Bogum (MDC/FMP) from the MDC research group led by Professor Walter Rosenthal and PD Dr. Enno Klumann could be important in the future for the treatment of excessive fluid retention in patients with chronic heart failure. Using a novel approach, the researchers have also discovered a new molecular mechanism controlling water homeostasis in the kidneys (Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, doi:10.1681/ASN.2012030295)*.
Every day around 1 500 liters of blood flow through the kidneys. Of this total volume, the kidneys initially filter 180 liters of primary urine, which they concentrate to two liters and then excrete as the final urine. A key regulatory step of the concentration mechanism is the release of the hormone AVP (arginine-vasopressin) from the brain. This hormone triggers a multi-step signaling cascade in the kidneys which affects water channels (aquaporins) and in particular aquaporin-2. "The water channels, specifically aquaporin-2, and their redistribution play a key role in the regulation of the water balance," said Dr. Klumann.
AVP, which is released from the brain upon thirst, induces aquaporin-2 located in the renal collecting duct principal cells to redistribute from the cell interior to the plasma membrane. The renal cells can then filter out the water from the primary urine flowing past the membrane via aquaporin-2. Dr. Klumann explained: "To keep the renal cell from bursting and the body from dehydrating, the water is directed back via another group of water channels, aquaporin 3 and 4, into the bloodstream and body tissue. In contrast to aquaporin-2, these water channels are located in another domain of the plasma membrane in the renal principal cells and stay there permanently." Once the thirst is quenched, the levels of the hormone AVP are reduced and aquaporin-2 is shuttled back into the interior of the renal cell until it is needed again.
However, if the AVP level is too high, as is the case in patients with chronic heart failure, aquaporin-2 remains permanently in the plasma membrane of the renal principal cell and directs the water continuously from the primary urine into the renal collecting duct principal cells. These cells funnel the excess water into the body tissue. "This process contributes to edema," Dr. Klumann said.
Discovery of how translocation of water channels can be inhibited
How can aquaporin-2 be prevented from settling permanently in the plasma membrane and thus triggering diseases or making them worse? Using a new research approach, the scientists were able to identify an inhibitor which prevents the translocation of the water channel aquaporin-2 into the cell membrane. At the same time they discovered a new regulatory mechanism of water homeostasis at the molecular level.
The researchers used "small molecules", low molecular weight organic compounds, which penetrate well into cells. They tested 17 700 such substances in renal cells and ultimately filtered out a substance that blocks the redistribution of aquaporin-2 to the plasma membrane. The substance (4-acetyldiphyllin) prevents phosphorylation, an important biological and regulatory activation step. In particular, the compound prevents a phosphorylation reaction that is catalyzed by a protein termed protein kinase A. This protein is activated in the signaling cascade that is triggered by AVP in the renal principal cells. In the presence of 4-acetyldiphillin protein kinase A cannot add a phosphate group to aquaporin-2, with the result that the water channels can no longer redistribute to the plasma membrane.
The new research findings may not only be of interest for the treatment of edema but also for the treatment of depression. Here, by contrast, medical researchers are seeking a way to shuttle aquaporin-2 to the plasma membrane of the renal principal cell, because lithium, which is often used to treat depression, prevents aquaporin-2 from redistributing to the plasma membrane, thus causing diabetes insipidus. If AVP is not released from the brain, or if the receptor for AVP in the renal cell is defective, this likewise results in diabetes insipidus, as Professor Rosenthal discovered several years ago. The affected individuals excrete 20 liters of urine every day. A similar effect, but not quite as drastic, is caused by alcohol. Drinking lots of beer causes the body to excrete large amounts of urine. The reason alcohol prevents the brain from releasing the hormone AVP and thus prevents the redistribution of aquaporin-2 to the plasma membrane.
###
*Small molecule screening to reveal mechanisms underlying aquaporin-2 trafficking
Jana Bogum1,2,3, Dorte Faust1, Kerstin Zuhlke1,2, Jenny Eichhorst2, Marie C. Moutty1,2, Jens Furkert2, Adeeb Eldahshan1, Martin Neuenschwander2, Jens Peter von Kries2, Burkhard Wiesner2, Christiane Trimpert4, Peter M.T. Deen4, Giovanna Valenti5, Walter Rosenthal1,6 and Enno Klussmann1
1Max Delbrck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC), Berlin, Germany
3Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Freie Universitt Berlin, Germany
4Department of Physiology, RUNMC Nijmegen, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
5Department of General and Environmental Physiology, University of Bari, Italy
6Charit University Medicine Berlin, Germany
A scheme and a photo can be downloaded from the Internet at:
http://www.mdc-berlin.de/en/index.html
Contact:
Barbara Bachtler
Press Department
Max Delbrck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch
in the Helmholtz Association
Robert-Rssle-Strae 10
13125 Berlin, Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 30 94 06 - 38 96
Fax: +49 (0) 30 94 06 - 38 33
e-mail: presse@mdc-berlin.de
http://www.mdc-berlin.de/
[ | 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.
"If you have deleveraging and deflationary conditions then you have unemployment and also unused capital. People are afraid, they sit on their money and put their money in their mattresses instead of investing it," he said.
"Japan is trying to escape after 25 years of slow death from a policy that Europe has just now adopted. They are moving in opposite directions - Japan is trying to escape and Europe is just starting. I think it's a mistake in that way and it could avoid what's ahead. What's avoidable should be avoided."
Mr Soros was speaking after Japan launched a daring monetary experiment to double the amount of money in circulation over two years, pumping about $1.4 trillion into the economy in an attempt to jump-start growth.
He said he would use a speech next week to "put forward a way to escape [Europe's situation]" which was "in some ways similar to what Japan is doing now".
However, he cautioned: "What Japan is doing right now is actually quite dangerous because they are doing it after 25 years of just simply accumulating deficits and not getting the economy growing.
"If what they are doing gets something started, they may not be able to stop it. If the yen starts to fall, which it has done, and people in Japan realise that it is liable to continue and want to put their money abroad. Then the fall may become like an avalanche."
DEAR ABBY: My husband, "Wade," and I went into a convenience store near our home that we frequent regularly. A new employee -- a pretty, much younger girl -- stared at Wade with an expression of recognition and surprise on her face. When I asked him what that was about, he laughed it off and said I was "imagining things."The next time we saw her, Wade acted nervous and started talking fast, as if trying to distract me. He seemed to be avoiding eye contact with her. She ignored me while obviously trying to lock eyes with Wade. ...
Apr. 4, 2013 ? A new review finds that many men still have better spatial ability than women ? this may be explained by individual differences in gender-role identification.
The observation that males appear to be superior to females in some fields of academic study has prompted a wealth of research hoping to shed light on whether this is attributable to nature or nurture. Although there is no difference in general intelligence between the sexes, studies over the past 35 years have consistently found that overall men do much better in tests of spatial ability than women. This difference may have something to do with why there are still fewer women in tertiary education studying science, technology, engineering and math -- all subjects where it helps to have good spatial ability.
More in-depth assessment, however, reveals that this might be an over-simplification of the facts. A new review, published in Springer's journal Sex Roles, sheds light on one of the factors contributing to these gender differences in spatial ability, that of gender-roles. Although children are born either male or female, individuals differ in their degree of masculine and feminine identification and endorsement of masculine and feminine gender roles. The review was carried out by David Reilly and David Neumann from Griffith University in Queensland, Australia.
Reilly and Neumann note that studies in their review reported finding larger within-gender variations in spatial ability than between-gender. This then led them to look more specifically at the data on variables within males and females which might be able to explain this.
The researchers analyzed twelve studies which had looked specifically at one aspect of spatial ability, namely mental rotation, in high school pupils, college attendees and young adults. Collectively these studies showed a significant association between masculinity and mental rotation performance for both men and women. In other words, men and women with either a strong masculine or androgynous gender-identity fared better in mental rotation tasks.
The authors suggest that it is the considerable variation in the levels of typically masculine and feminine traits and behaviors, that children of the same sex develop, which account for the inter-gender variability. Masculine identification leads to cultivation of mathematical and scientific skills whereas feminine identification facilitates verbal and language abilities. These gender-roles are not mutually exclusive, with some children of both genders developing a healthy integration of both roles.
Development of spatial ability is refined through play and recreational activities, with traditionally masculine activities helping to promote development of spatial ability. Therefore improving girls' performance in subjects which require good spatial ability may involve the deliberate inclusion of what are commonly seen as stereotypically male activities into their daily lives, rather than encouraging sex-segregation of activities.
The authors conclude: "We have seen many changes in society's beliefs about gender equality in the intervening decades since Sharon Nash proposed her gender-role mediation hypothesis of intellectual development in 1979. However, for spatial ability at least, this association seems as relevant today as when the claim was first made."
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Springer Science+Business Media, via AlphaGalileo.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
David Reilly, David L. Neumann. Gender-Role Differences in Spatial Ability: A Meta-Analytic Review. Sex Roles, 2013; DOI: 10.1007/s11199-013-0269-0
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.
4 April 2013Last updated at 14:04 ETBy Rebecca MorelleScience reporter, BBC World Service
Scientists have found a way to "read" dreams, a study suggests.
Researchers in Japan used MRI scans to reveal the images that people were seeing as they entered into an early stage of sleep.
Writing in the journal Science, they reported that they could do this with 60% accuracy.
The team now wants to see if brain activity can be used to decipher other aspects of dreaming, such as the emotions experienced during sleep.
Professor Yukiyasu Kamitani, from the ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories, in Kyoto, said: "I had a strong belief that dream decoding should be possible at least for particular aspects of dreaming... I was not very surprised by the results, but excited."
Brain wave
People have been trying to understand dreams since ancient Egyptian times, but the researchers who have carried out this study have found a more direct way to tap into our nighttime visions.
The team used MRI scans to monitor three people as they slept.
Just as the volunteers started to fall asleep inside the scanners, they were woken up and asked to recount what they had seen.
Each image mentioned, from bronze statues to keys and ice picks, was noted, no matter how surreal.
This was repeated more than 200 times for each participant.
The researchers used the results to build a database, where they grouped together objects into similar visual categories. For example, hotel, house and building were grouped together as "structures".
The scientists then scanned the volunteers again, but this time, while they were awake and looking at images on a computer screen.
With this, they were able to see the specific patterns of brain activity that correlated with the visual imagery.
Dream machines?
During the next round of sleep tests, by monitoring the brain scans the researchers could tell what the volunteers were seeing in their dreams. They were able to assess which broad category the images were in with 60% accuracy.
Continue reading the main story
?Start Quote
The difficult thing is to work out the systematic mapping between the brain activity and the phenomena?
End QuoteDr Mark StokesUniversity of Oxford
"We were able to reveal dream content from brain activity during sleep, which was consistent with the subjects' verbal reports," explained Professor Kamitani.
The researchers now want to look at deeper sleep, where the most vivid dreams are thought to occur, as well as see whether brain scans can help them to reveal the emotions, smells, colours and actions that people experience as they sleep.
Dr Mark Stokes, a cognitive neuroscientist from the University of Oxford, said it was an "exciting" piece of research that brought us closer to the concept of dream-reading machines.
"It's obviously a long way off, but there is no reason why not in principle. The difficult thing is to work out the systematic mapping between the brain activity and the phenomena," he explained.
However, he added that a single dream-reading system would not work for everyone.
"All of this would have to be done within individual subjects. So you would never be able build a general classifier that could read anybody's dreams. They will all be idiosyncratic to the individual, so the brain activity will never be general across subjects," he said.
"You would never be able to build something that could read other peoples thoughts without them knowing about it, for example."
Choosing the right internship is an important decision. They not only provide all kinds of experience and look good on resumes, they can also lead to full-time positions. So what do you do when you've got a firm offer from one company, but the company you really want to work for hasn't gotten back to you yet?
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Public release date: 5-Apr-2013
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