Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/302417950?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Tuesday, April 30, 2013
VatorNews - Twitter opens ad platform to all U.S. businesses
In March of last year, Twitter debuted its self-service ad platform to give small businesses access to Promoted Tweets and Promoted Accounts to help them grow their business. The program was only made?availabile to select businesses, who could access it through invite only.
Now, a year later, Twitter has finally opened Twitter Ads to any company that wants to use it, it was announced?in a blogpost Tuesday.
"When we built our self-service ad platform?last March, our goal was to create an experience that would be powerful and also extremely easy for anybody to use. Whether you?re an individual looking to grow your?personal brand, or an online retailer looking to?increase sales, Twitter?s ad platform has the right products to help achieve your unique goals," Ravi Narasimhan,?Product Manager for Revenue at Twitter, wrote. "Over the past year we?ve listened carefully to feedback from the thousands of businesses and individuals who?ve had access to the self-serve tool, and made?enhancements?based on their suggestions, including more?targeting and reporting?in the UI."Twitter?s ad platform is self-service solution that gives businesses the opportunity to get exposure to Twitter?s userbase by giving them?access to buying Promoted Tweets and Promoted Accounts.
With Promoted Tweets, Twitter automatically identifies the right audience for the tweet in question. With Promoted Accounts, Twitter helps businesses connect with new people who want to hear from them and can spread the word about your business to others.
Twitter has over?200 million active users, and these types of advertisements gives businesses another way to promote themselves, rather than simply putting advertisements in standard tweets.
For those who already had access to Twitter Ads, the platform will remain the same, Narasimhan said. For those who want to take advantage of the now open platform, they can go to Twitter's?self-service page?at business.twitter.com to answer some questions, and then they will be able to start using Twitter Ads.
Advertising on Twitter
Twitter has been recently been taking big steps toward building up its advertising revenue.
Earlier this month, Twitter?introduced?new Twitter cards to incentivize businesses and advertisers to showcase their content on Twitter, which they hope will lead to further monetization. The social network also?launched?a?redesigned resource for businesses to learn how to user Twitter, including marketing tips, glossary,?and ideas on how to promote on Twitter.
Last month,?Twitter?launched?a new API that is designed make it easier for brands to manage campaigns and get more value out of advertising on Twitter, by allowing them to?integrate with its ads platform through a list of API partners that will supply them with better targeting and tools. ?The first five of these partners were HootSuite, Adobe, Saleforce, SHIFT and TBG Digital.
?Most recently,?introduced a new tool for advertisers what could make that number go even higher: keyword targeting, which will allow advertisers to sell ads to users based on words in their tweets.?It will be available in the full Twitter?Ads UI?and through the?Ads API.
Advertising is key to any social network's long-term success, and, so far, Twitter's strategy seems to have be working. Market researcher?eMarketer is?projecting?Twitter?to grow revenue by 63% to nearly $1 billion in advertising sales by 2014.?
By 2015, Twitter is expected to pull in $1.33 billion in worldwide ad revenue.?In September, eMarketer had?projected?that the network would take in $807.5 million in 2014, but has now revised that number to $950 million.
(Image source:?http://tweetframeapp.com)
Source: http://vator.tv/news/2013-04-30-twitter-opens-ad-platform-to-all-us-businesses
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CERN celebrates 20 years of a free, open web by restoring world's first website
The web as we know it was famously invented by Tim Berners-Lee while working at CERN, but it wasn't until a few years later -- 1993 to be precise -- that it'd truly be set free. On April 30 of that year, Berners-Lee's then employer would make the technology behind the WWW available license free, bundling a basic browser and some key chunks of code into the deal. To commemorate the 20th anniversary of this event CERN has recreated the first ever website, complete with its original URL. The preservation doesn't stop at copying over some old files, either, with CERN also looking to preserve the first servers used, restoring as much as possible to its original state. Beyond a little geeky nostalgia, the project hopes to safeguard the web's earliest days, before it became the ubiquitous phenomenon it is now, so that future generations can enjoy (and scoff) at the web's origins. Best of all, no drawn-out field trip is required to enjoy the spectacle, you can see it just as nature intended by heading to the source.
Filed under: Internet
Via: BBC
Source: The WWW Project, CERN, (2)
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Finally A Cute Robot That Doesn't Have The Crazy Eyes
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Google Now for iOS hands-on
Google Now is, perhaps, one of the more compelling reasons to opt for an Android device over iOS. But, Mountain View is smart enough to realize that its big push to deliver information pre-emptively would be severely hampered if it was isolated to one platform. So, here we are, almost a year after Now debuted with the launch of Jelly Bean, and the (mis)labeled Siri competitor has finally landed on Apple's mobile OS. Obviously, to truly come to grips with a product like this, you'd need days or weeks to truly judge it, but we're familiar enough with the Android version to feel comfortable passing along our initial impressions. So head on after the break to see whether or not Google was able to replicate its virtual assistant magic on iOS.
Filed under: Software, Mobile, Apple, Google
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/2MsIyT7febc/
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Monday, April 29, 2013
Iraq suspends Al-Jazeera and 9 Iraqi TV channels
BAGHDAD (AP) -- Iraqi authorities suspended the operating licenses of pan-Arab broadcaster Al-Jazeera and nine Iraqi TV channels on Sunday after accusing them of escalating sectarian tension. The move signaled the Shiite-led government's mounting worries over deteriorating security amid Sunni unrest and clashes that have left more than 180 people dead in less than a week.
The suspensions, which took effect immediately, appeared to target mainly Sunni channels known for criticizing Prime Minister Nouri al-Malik's government. Apart from Al-Jazeera, the decision affected eight Sunni and one Shiite channels.
The government's action comes as Baghdad tries to quell rising unrest in the country that erupted last week after Iraqi security forces launched a deadly crackdown on a Sunni protest site in the central city of Hawija, killing 23 people, including three soldiers.
Since then, more than 180 people have been killed in gunbattles with security forces and other attacks. The recent wave of violence follows more than four months of largely peaceful protests by Iraq's Sunni Muslim minority against Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government.
Iraqi viewers will still be able to watch the channels, but the suspensions issued by Iraq's Communications and Media Commission state that if the 10 stations try to work on Iraqi territory they will face legal action from security forces. The decree essentially prevents news crews from the stations from reporting on activities in Iraq.
Sunni lawmaker Dahfir al-Ani described the move as part of the government's attempts "to cover up the bloodshed that took place in Hawija and what is going on in other places in the country."
Al-Jazeera, based in the small, energy-rich Gulf nation of Qatar, said it was "astonished" by the move.
"We cover all sides of the stories in Iraq, and have done for many years. The fact that so many channels have been hit all at once, though, suggests this is an indiscriminate decision," it said in an emailed statement. "We urge the authorities to uphold freedom for the media to report the important stories taking place in Iraq."
The channel has aggressively covered the "Arab Spring" uprisings across the region, and has broadcast extensively on the civil war in neighboring Syria. Qatar itself is a harsh critic of the Syrian regime. The nation is a leading backer of the rebels and is accused by many supporters of the Iraqi government of backing protests in Iraq too.
Newspapers and media outlets sprang up across Baghdad after the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime in 2003, yet Iraq remains one of the deadliest countries for reporters with more than 150 killed since 1992, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Iraq and other governments across the Middle East have temporarily shut down Al-Jazeera's offices in the past because they were disgruntled by its coverage.
The other nine channels whose licenses were suspended by the Iraqi media commission are al-Sharqiya and al-Sharqiya News, which frequently criticize the government, and seven smaller local channels ? Salahuddin, Fallujah, Taghyeer, Baghdad, Babiliya, Anwar 2 and al-Gharbiya.
The Baghdad-based Baghdad TV said the decision was politically motivated.
"The Iraqi authorities do not tolerate any opposite opinions and are trying to silence any voices that do not go along with the official line," said Omar Subhi, who directs the news section.
He added that the TV station was concerned about the safety of its staff, fearing that security forces might chase them.
In a statement posted on its website, the government media commission blamed the banned stations for the escalation of sectarian tension that is fueling the violence that followed the deadly clashes in Hawija.
Iraq's media commission accused the stations of misleading and exaggerated reports, airing "clear calls for disorder" and "launching retaliatory criminal attacks against security forces." It also blamed the stations for promoting "banned terrorist organizations who committed crimes against Iraqi people."
Osama Abdul-Rahman, a Sunni government employee from northern Baghdad, said the government is adopting a double-standard policy regarding media outlets by turning a blind eye on several Shiite channels that he claims also incite violence.
"The channels close to main Shiite parties and even the state-run television also broadcast sectarian programs promoting violence all the time, yet, nobody stops them," he added.
Erin Evers, a Mideast researcher for Human Rights Watch, called the government's claim that it moved against the channels because they were inciting sectarianism suspicious given its "consistent history of cracking down on media ? particularly opposition media ? during politically sensitive times."
"The cancellation of these stations' licenses is further evidence that the government seeks to prevent the coverage of news they do not like," she said.
She accused the Iraqi media commission of confusing coverage of a speech with sectarian overtones with the active promotion of sectarian violence. "These are two completely different things and the first is protected under international and Iraqi law," she said.
The decision to suspend the stations came as al-Maliki made a rare appearance at an official funeral for five soldiers killed on Saturday by gunmen in Sunni-dominated Anbar province. Local police in the province said the soldiers were killed in a gunbattle after their vehicle was stopped near a Sunni protest camp.
Authorities had given protest organizers a 24-deadline to hand over the gunmen behind the killing or face a "firm response." No one has been handed over and the deadline passed.
Wrapped in Iraqi flags, the five caskets were loaded on military trucks next to flower bouquets, as soldiers held pictures of the deceased and grieved families gathered outside the Defense Ministry building in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone.
In Saturday violence, gunmen using guns fitted with silencers shot dead two Sunni local tribal leaders in two separate drive-by shootings south of Baghdad.
___
Associated Press writers Adam Schreck and Sinan Salaheddin in Baghdad contributed.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iraq-suspends-al-jazeera-9-192532145.html
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Leftist priests: Francis can fix church 'in ruins'
Liberation Theologist Leonardo Boff, of Brazil, speaks at a book fair where he attended the launching of a book by Clelia Luro, the wife of former bishop Jeronimo Podesta, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, April 27, 2013. Liberation theologist Leanardo Boff says Pope Francis has what it takes to fix a church ?in ruins.? Previous popes tried to silence the Brazilian leftist, but Boff says the former Argentine cardinal who became pope last month has both the vigor and tenderness to create a new spiritual world. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)
Liberation Theologist Leonardo Boff, of Brazil, speaks at a book fair where he attended the launching of a book by Clelia Luro, the wife of former bishop Jeronimo Podesta, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, April 27, 2013. Liberation theologist Leanardo Boff says Pope Francis has what it takes to fix a church ?in ruins.? Previous popes tried to silence the Brazilian leftist, but Boff says the former Argentine cardinal who became pope last month has both the vigor and tenderness to create a new spiritual world. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)
Liberation Theologist Leonardo Boff, of Brazil, speaks at a book fair during the launching of a book by Clelia Luro, the wife of former bishop Jeronimo Podesta, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, April 27, 2013. Liberation theologist Leanardo Boff says Pope Francis has what it takes to fix a church ?in ruins.? Previous popes tried to silence the Brazilian leftist, but Boff says the former Argentine cardinal who became pope last month has both the vigor and tenderness to create a new spiritual world. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)
Liberation Theologist Leonardo Boff, of Brazil, pauses as he attends the launching of a book by Clelia Luro, the wife of former bishop Jeronimo Podesta, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, April 27, 2013. Boff says Pope Francis has what it takes to fix a church ?in ruins.? Previous popes tried to silence the Brazilian leftist, but Boff says the former Argentine cardinal who became pope last month has both the vigor and tenderness to create a new spiritual world. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) ? A new pope from Latin America who wants to build "a church for the poor" is stirring hopes among advocates of liberation theology, a movement of social activism that alarmed former popes by delving into leftist politics.
Pope Francis has what it takes to fix a church "in ruins" that has "lost its respect for what is sacred," prominent liberation theologian Leonardo Boff said Saturday.
"With this pope, a Jesuit and a pope from the Third World, we can breathe happiness," Boff said at a Buenos Aires book fair. "Pope Francis has both the vigor and tenderness that we need to create a new spiritual world."
The 74-year-old Brazilian theologian was pressured to remain silent by previous popes who tried to draw a hard line between socially active priests and leftist politics. As Argentina's leading cardinal before he became pope, Francis reinforced this line, suggesting in 2010 that reading the Gospel with a Marxist interpretation only gets priests in trouble.
But Boff says the label of a closed-minded conservative simply doesn't fit with Francis.
"Pope Francis comes with the perspective that many of us in Latin America share. In our churches we do not just discuss theological theories, like in European churches. Our churches work together to support universal causes, causes like human rights, from the perspective of the poor, the destiny of humanity that is suffering, services for people living on the margins."
The liberation theology movement, which seeks to free lives as well as souls, emerged in the 1960s and quickly spread, especially in Latin America. Priests and church laypeople became deeply involved in human rights and social struggles. Some were caught up in clashes between repressive governments and rebels, sometimes at the cost of their lives.
The movement's martyrs include El Salvador's Archbishop Oscar Romero, whose increasing criticism of his country's military-run government provoked his assassination as he was saying Mass in 1980. He was killed by thugs connected to the military hierarchy a day after he preached that "no soldier is obliged to obey an order that is contrary to the will of God." His killing presaged a civil war that killed nearly 90,000 over the next 12 years.
Romero's beatification cause languished under popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI due to their opposition to liberation theology, but he was put back on track to becoming a saint days after Francis became pope.
Scores of other liberation theologians were killed in the 1970s and 1980s. Six Jesuit teachers were slaughtered at their university in El Salvador in 1989. Other priests and lay workers were tortured and vanished in the prisons of Chile and Argentina. Some were shot to death while demanding land rights for the poor in Brazil. A handful went further and picked up arms, or died accompanying rebel columns as chaplains, such as American Jesuit James Carney, who died in Honduras in 1983.
While even John Paul embraced the "preferential option for the poor" at the heart of the movement, some church leaders were unhappy to see church intellectuals mixing doses of Marxism and class struggle into their analysis of the Gospel. It was a powerfully attractive mixture for idealistic Latin Americans who were raised in Catholic doctrine, educated by the region's army of Marxist-influenced teachers, and outraged by the hunger, inequality and bloody repression all around them.
John Paul and his chief theologian, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, drove some of the most ardent and experimental liberation theologians out of the priesthood, castigated some of those who remained, and ensured that the bishops and cardinals they promoted took a wary view of leftist social activism.
Yet much of the movement remained, practiced by thousands of grassroots "base communities" working out of local parishes across the hemisphere, nurtured by nuns, priests and a few bishops who put freedom from hunger, poverty and social injustice at the heart of the Church's spiritual mission.
Hundreds of advocates at a conference in Brazil last year declared themselves ready for a comeback.
"At times embers are hidden beneath the ashes," said the meeting's final declaration, which expressed hopes of stirring ablaze "a fire that lights other fires in the church and in society."
Boff and other advocates are thrilled that this new pope spent so much time ministering in the slums, and are inspired by his writings, which see no heresy in social action.
"The option for the poor comes from the first centuries of Christianity. It is the Gospel itself," said then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio during a 2010 deposition in a human rights trial. He said that if he were to repeat "any of the sermons from the first fathers of the church, from the 2nd or 3rd century, about how the poor must be treated, they would say that mine would be Maoist or Trotskyite."
Msgr. Gregorio Rosa Chavez, the auxiliary bishop of San Salvador, said Romero and Francis have the same vision of the church. "When he says 'a church that is poor and for the poor,' that is what Monsignor Romero said so many times," he said.
Rosa Chavez said neither cardinal was among the most radical of churchmen.
"There are many theologies of liberation," he said. "The pope represents one of these currents, the most pastoral current, the current that combines action with teaching." He described Francis' version as "theologians on foot, who walk with the people and combine reflection with action," and contrasted them with "theologians of the desk, who are from university classrooms."
John Paul II himself embraced the term "liberation theology," but was also credited with inspiring resistance to the communist regime in his native Poland, and was allergic to socialist pieties.
For 30 years, the Vatican has been seeding Latin America, Africa and Asia with cardinals "who have tended to be, adverse, to put it kindly, to liberation theology," said Stacey Floyd-Thomas, a professor of ethics and society at Vanderbilt University Divinity School.
In Brazil, Sao Paulo Archbishop Odilo Scherer, widely considered a possible pope, told the Estado de S. Paulo newspaper last year that liberation theology "lost its reason of being because of its Marxist ideological underpinnings . which are incompatible with Christian theology."
"It had its merits by helping bring back into focus matters like social justice, international justice and the liberation of oppressed peoples. But these were always constant themes in the teachings of the Church," Scherer said.
In 1984, Ratzinger put Boff in Galileo's chair for a Vatican inquisition over his writings, eventually stripping him of his church functions and ordering him to spend a year in "obedient silence." Nearly a decade later, in 1993, the Vatican pressured him again, and he quit the Franciscan order.
Now Boff says Francis has brought a "new spring" to the global church.
"Josef Ratzinger. He was against the cause of the poor, liberation theology," Boff said. "But this is from last century. Now we are under a new Pope."
___
Associated Press Writers Michael Warren in Buenos Aires, Jenny Barchfield in Rio de Janeiro, Marcos Aleman in San Salvador and John Rice in Mexico City contributed to this report.
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Sunday, April 28, 2013
Thunder's Westbrook to have knee surgery Saturday
In this photo taken Wednesday, April 24, 2013, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook stumbles after injuring his right knee in the second quarter of Game 2 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series against the Houston Rockets in Oklahoma City. Westbrook, who remained in the game, will have surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee and be out indefinitely, dealing a harsh blow to the City Thunder?s championship chances. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
In this photo taken Wednesday, April 24, 2013, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook stumbles after injuring his right knee in the second quarter of Game 2 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series against the Houston Rockets in Oklahoma City. Westbrook, who remained in the game, will have surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee and be out indefinitely, dealing a harsh blow to the City Thunder?s championship chances. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
In this photo taken Wednesday, April 24, 2013, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook grabs his right knee during the second quarter of Game 2 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series against the Houston Rockets in Oklahoma City. Westbrook, who remained in the game, will have surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee and be out indefinitely, dealing a harsh blow to the City Thunder?s championship chances. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
HOUSTON (AP) ? Oklahoma City Thunder coach Scott Brooks says All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook is scheduled to have knee surgery on Saturday.
The team announced Friday that Westbrook would need the surgery to repair cartilage in his right knee and that he would be out indefinitely.
Westbrook, who has a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee, was hurt when rookie Patrick Beverley tried for a steal in the second quarter of Game 2 and ran into his knee.
Brooks also said on Saturday at the team's shootaround that Reggie Jackson would start for Westbrook later in the evening in Game 3 of the best-of-seven series, which the Thunder lead 2-0.
It will be the first time Westbrook has missed a game in his career. He has appeared in an NBA-best 394 consecutive regular-season games and each of Oklahoma City's 45 playoff games.
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Rolling Stones to play small LA club ahead of tour
LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Surprise!
Before they kick off their "50 and Counting" tour, the Rolling Stones are playing a warm-up date at a small Los Angeles club.
The band is set to perform Saturday night at the Echoplex before a sold-out crowd that will be miniscule compared to the thousands who are set to see them launch their tour May 3 at the Staples Center.
Tickets were sold for $20 each ? a fraction of what tickets to the tour will cost.
Hundreds of fans lined up outside the El Rey Theatre earlier Saturday for a chance at the tickets. They were dispensed through a confusing lottery system that led to much of the crowd departing even though show tickets were made available to lottery ticket holders.
Buyers were limited to one ticket, and were required to show a government-issued ID, pay with cash, wear a wristband with their name on it and be photographed. Their names will be verified at the venue, which has a capacity of about 700. Cameras and smartphones will not be allowed inside.
Rumors of the spontaneous show spread across social networks this week after the band teased the appearance on their Twitter accounts. The dance-pop band New Build, which was originally scheduled to play the Echoplex on Saturday, was first to leak details about the show.
"Our gig got shifted b/c the Rolling Stones are playing Echoplex," the band posted Friday on Twitter. They joked that they're looking forward to "having it out" with the Rolling Stones.
The Rolling Stones performed a few dates together in London, Brooklyn, N.Y., and Newark, N.J., last winter, but didn't announce a tour until earlier this month. They will play 17 dates in the United States but said they may add more down the line.
The lowest price for tickets to the show at the Staples Center, which has a capacity of about 20,000, is $250.
___
Online:
http://www.rollingstones.com
___
Follow AP Entertainment Writer Derrik J. Lang on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/derrikjlang
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rolling-stones-play-small-la-club-ahead-tour-012237917.html
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Competing pathways affect early differentiation of higher brain structures
Apr. 25, 2013 ? Sand-dwelling and rock-dwelling cichlids living in East Africa's Lake Malawi share a nearly identical genome, but have very different personalities. The territorial rock-dwellers live in communities where social interactions are important, while the sand-dwellers are itinerant and less aggressive.
Those behavioral differences likely arise from a complex region of the brain known as the telencephalon, which governs communication, emotion, movement and memory in vertebrates -- including humans, where a major portion of the telencephalon is known as the cerebral cortex. A study published this week in the journal Nature Communications shows how the strength and timing of competing molecular signals during brain development has generated natural and presumably adaptive differences in the telencephalon much earlier than scientists had previously believed.
In the study, researchers first identified key differences in gene expression between rock- and sand-dweller brains during development, and then used small molecules to manipulate developmental pathways to mimic natural diversity.
"We have shown that the evolutionary changes in the brains of these fishes occur really early in development," said Todd Streelman, an associate professor in the School of Biology and the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology. "It's generally been thought that early development of the brain must be strongly buffered against change. Our data suggest that rock-dweller brains differ from sand-dweller brains -- before there is a brain."
For humans, the research could lead scientists to look for subtle changes in brain structures earlier in the development process. This could provide a better understanding of how disorders such as autism and schizophrenia could arise during very early brain development.
The research was supported by the National Science Foundation and published online April 23 by the journal.
"We want to understand how the telencephalon evolves by looking at genetics and developmental pathways in closely-related species from natural populations," said Jonathan Sylvester, a postdoctoral researcher in the Georgia Tech School of Biology and lead author of the paper. "Adult cichlids have a tremendous amount of variation within the telencephalon, and we investigated the timing and cause of these differences. Unlike many previous studies in laboratory model organisms that focus on large, qualitative effects from knocking out single genes, we demonstrated that brain diversity evolves through quantitative tuning of multiple pathways."
In examining the fish from embryos to adulthood, the researchers found that the mbuna, or rock-dwellers, tended to exhibit a larger ventral portion of the telencephalon, called the subpallium -- while the sand-dwellers tended to have a larger version of the dorsal structure known as the pallium. These structures seem to have evolved differently over time to meet the behavioral and ecological needs of the fishes. The team showed that early variation in the activity of developmental signals expressed as complementary dorsal-ventral gradients, known technically as "Wingless" and "Hedgehog," are involved in creating those differences during the neural plate stage, as a single sheet of neural tissue folds to form the neural tube.
To specifically manipulate those two pathways, Sylvester removed clutches of between 20 and 40 eggs from brooding female cichlids, which normally incubate fertilized eggs in their mouths. At about 36 to 48 hours after fertilization, groups of eggs were exposed to small-molecule chemicals that either strengthened or weakened the Hedgehog signal, or strengthened or weakened the Wingless signal. The chemical treatment came while the structures that would become the brain were little more than a sheet of cells. After treatment, water containing the chemicals was replaced with fresh water, and the embryos were allowed to continue their development.
"We were able to artificially manipulate these pathways in a way that we think evolution might have worked to shift the process of rock-dweller telencephalon development to sand-dweller development, and vice-versa. Treatment with small molecules allows us incredible temporal and dose precision in manipulating natural development," Sylvester explained. "We then followed the development of the embryos until we were able to measure the anatomical structures -- the size of the pallium and subpallium -- to see that we had transformed one to the other."
The two different brain regions, the dorsal pallium and ventral subpallium, give rise to excitatory and inhibitory neurons in the forebrain. Altering the relative sizes of these regions might change the balance between these neuronal types, ultimately producing behavioral changes in the adult fish.
"Evolution has fine-tuned some of these developmental mechanisms to produce diversity," Streelman said. "In this study, we have figured out which ones."
The researchers studied six different species of East African cichlids, and also worked with collaborators at King's College in London to apply similar techniques in the zebrafish.
As a next step, the researchers would like to follow the embryos through to adulthood to see if the changes seen in embryonic and juvenile brain structures actually do change behavior of adults. It's possible, said Streelman, that later developmental events could compensate for the early differences.
The results could be of interest to scientists investigating human neurological disorders that result from an imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory neurons. Those disorders include autism and schizophrenia. "We think it is particularly interesting that there may be some adaptive variation in the natural proportions of excitatory versus inhibitory neurons in the species we study, correlated with their natural behavioral differences," said Streelman.
In addition to the researchers already mentioned, the study included undergraduate coauthors Constance Rich and Chuyong Yi from Georgia Tech, and Joao Peres and Corinne Houart from King's College in London. Rich is presently in the neuroscience PhD program at the University of Cambridge.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Georgia Institute of Technology, via Newswise.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- J B. Sylvester, C A. Rich, C Yi, J N. Peres, C Houart, J T. Streelman. Competing signals drive telencephalon diversity. Nature Communications, 2013; 4: 1745 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2753
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/I3zAKn_ACS0/130426115636.htm
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Saturday, April 27, 2013
Free Spring 2013 issue of Homeschooling Today Magazine
Free Spring 2013 issue of Homeschooling Today Magazine
Twenty years ago Homeschooling Today magazine was founded by homeschooling parents with a vision to encourage and assist homeschooling families. Today, that magazine returns to the family as Alex and Ashley (Strayer) Wiggers, homeschool graduates and owners of Paradigm Press LLC, became the new publishers of Homeschooling Today magazine. The leadership team includes parents Greg and Debbie Strayer (cofounders of the magazine in 1992) and Josh and Cindy Wiggers, owners of Geography Matters.
With a fresh new look and the continued desire to touch the hearts of homeschoolers, we?d like to invite you to view the digital version of our Twentieth Anniversary issue for FREE! To take advantage of this opportunity, simply CLICK HERE?and use coupon code ?FREEDIGITAL? upon checkout.
The 2013 Spring Issue of Homeschooling
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Homeschooling Today magazine focuses on providing information, encouragement and tools for those who homeschool, shared from a Christian perspective. The magazine doesn?t just offer encouragement but also ready-to-use lessons and activities for anyone who wants to expand the educational experience of their children, while keeping the approach to learning natural. The multigenerational make-up of the magazine?s team brings a youthful enthusiasm to the publication while also keeping in mind voices of experience.
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Source: http://nordykeacademy101.blogspot.com/2013/04/free-spring-2013-issue-of-homeschooling.html
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Syrian troops capture key town near Damascus
BEIRUT (AP) ? After five weeks of battle, Syrian government troops captured a strategic town near Damascus, cutting an arms route for rebels trying to topple President Bashar Assad's regime, state media and activists said Thursday.
By taking the town of Otaybah, east of the capital, the army dealt a major setback to opposition forces that in recent months have made gains near the city they eventually hope to storm.
Also Thursday, the White House and other top Obama administration officials said that U.S. intelligence has concluded with "varying degrees of confidence" that the Syrian government has twice used chemical weapons in the civil war, which has dragged on for two years.
However, officials also said more definitive proof was needed and the U.S. was not ready to escalate its involvement in Syria beyond non-lethal aid despite President Barack Obama's repeated public assertions that Syria's use of chemical weapons, or the transfer of its stockpiles to a terrorist group, would cross a "red line."
Syria's main Western-backed opposition promptly called on the international community to act "urgently and decisively." The opposition's statement said: "Failure to act will be seen by the regime as encouragement to use chemical weapons on a larger scale in the future."
Ahmad Ramadan, a member of the Syrian National Coalition opposition group's executive body, called the U.S. assertion an "important step" that should be followed by actual measures. "The U.S. has a moral duty to act ... we are waiting for the next steps," he told The Associated Press by phone from Istanbul.
The Syrian conflict began with largely peaceful protests against the Assad regime in March 2011, but eventually turned into a full-scale civil war. The fighting has exacted a huge toll on the country, killing an estimated 70,000 people and laying waste to cities, towns and villages.
With fresh supplies of weapons from foreign backers, the rebels have recently seized military bases and towns south of the capital in the strategically important region between Damascus and the border with Jordan, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) away.
The regime has largely kept the rebels at bay in Damascus, although opposition fighters control several suburbs of the capital from which they have threatened the heart of the city, the seat of Assad's power. Last month, government troops launched a campaign to repel the opposition's advances near the capital, deploying elite army units to the rebellious suburbs and pounding rebel positions with airstrikes.
The director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdul-Rahman, said government troops regained control of Otaybah late Wednesday.
State-run SANA news agency said Thursday that the army has "restored complete control" over Otaybah. The official news services also said Assad's troops "discovered a number of tunnels which were used by terrorists to move and transfer weapons and ammunitions."
The regime and state media refer to rebels as terrorists and accuse them of being part of a foreign plot seeking to destroy Syria.
"It's a huge victory for the regime, and a big blow to the opposition that is now in danger of losing other towns and villages around Damascus," Abdul-Rahman said of the army's campaign.
On Thursday, the army was already capitalizing on the territorial gains, pounding southern suburbs of Damascus, including the long-contested Daraya with artillery barrages and airstrikes, according to the Observatory. The group, which relies on a network of activists on the ground, also reported fierce clashes between rebels and army troops to the east of the capital.
The army's offensive to dislodge rebel fighters from neighborhoods ringing Damascus is part of the government's broader campaign to secure central provinces of Hama and Homs, and areas along the Lebanese border. The region is of strategic value to Assad's regime because it links Damascus with the coastal enclave that is the heartland of Syria's Alawites and also home to the country's two main seaports, Latakia and Tartus.
Syria's regime is dominated by the president's minority Alawite sect ? an offshoot of Shiite Islam ? while the rebels are mostly from the country's Sunni majority. Assad's major allies, the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group and Iran, are both Shiite.
Otaybah is located on a road linking Damascus with the eastern suburbs of Damascus known as Eastern Ghouta. Rebels have been using the road to transport weapons and other supplies to the capital. Many of the capital's surrounding towns and neighborhoods have been opposition strongholds during the 2-year-old conflict.
Losing control of the town will make the defense of rebel enclaves in northeastern suburbs such as Douma, Harasta and others more difficult, Abdul-Rahman said.
In Hama, rebels ambushed and destroyed an army vehicle after a six-hour battle with troops. Amateur videos uploaded by activists online showed an army vehicle in flames amid sounds of intense gunbattles.
Another video showed rebels raising black Islamic flags over the Nasseh Alwani school after "liberating it" from troops who had transformed it into a military base, and what appeared to be the bodies of soldiers burning inside.
The videos appeared consistent with AP reporting from the area.
Fighting in Hama is rare because the government keeps it under tight control. The city was the site of a notorious massacre in 1982, when Assad's father and predecessor, Hafez, ordered the military to quell a Sunni rebellion. Amnesty International has estimated that between 10,000 and 25,000 people were killed in the siege, though conflicting figures exist and the Syrian government has never made an official estimate.
The fighting across the country has forced more than 1 million people to flee their homes and seek refuge abroad. Millions have also been displaced inside Syria.
International aid agencies have been pleading for funds to help refugees in neighboring countries such as Jordan and Lebanon. They have also been asking the Syrian government to allow aid convoys into the country and facilitate access to the area inside cities and towns that have been affected by fighting.
Jordan's U.N. Ambassador Prince Zeid al Hussein sent a letter to the U.N. Security Council on Thursday, saying the increasing influx of Syrian refugees had sparked "a grave humanitarian situation" that threatens his country's security and stability. More than 500,000 Syrians have fled to Jordan since the conflict began.
The letter asks members to make a determination that the refugee influx, "if left unchecked and in the absence of the financial assistance required to enable Jordan to cope," constitutes a threat to international peace and security, a statement obtained by AP said. The letter asked the Security Council to invite Jordan to a private meeting on the issue and to visit Jordan as soon as possible.
___
AP journalist Mohammad Hannon reported from Zaatari. AP writer Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-troops-capture-key-town-near-damascus-064600068.html
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Putin says opportunity for better US-Russian ties in Boston aftermath
The Boston Marathon bombing offers a fresh opportunity for the US and Russia to revisit the basics in their struggling relationship and prioritize security cooperation in order to prevent any repetition of the tragedy, Vladimir Putin said in his annual electronic town-hall meeting with the Russian public Thursday.
"I just call for this tragedy to be an incentive for us to become closer in tackling common threats, with terrorism being one of the most important and dangerous of them. If indeed we combine our efforts, we won?t take such hits and sustain such losses," Mr. Putin said.
In the wake of the bombing it became known that one of the two suspects, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, had been on the radar of both the FBI and the Russian FSB security service, and that the Russian agency had warned both the FBI and the CIA about him in 2011. Yet a subsequent FBI check failed to validate the Russians' suspicions, and the FSB itself apparently did not follow up on Tamerlan when he made a six-month visit to the Russian republics of Dagestan and Chechnya the following year.
RECOMMENDED: Do you know anything about Russia? A quiz.
"We always have said that we shouldn't limit ourselves to declarations about terrorism being a common threat, and [that we should] engage in closer cooperation. Now these two criminals have proven the correctness of our thesis," Putin added.
Putin's yearly telethon, which took place even during the years Dmitry Medvedev was president and Putin was prime minister, is seldom a news-breaking event. But it is a good opportunity to take the Kremlin's temperature on, literally, scores of issues. Experts argue over how tightly stage-managed the sessions are ? they combine a studio audience, telelinks with viewers across the country, and questions submitted by electronic media ? but there is no doubt about the ability of the Russian leader to field an exhausting battery of questions, on almost every imaginable subject, and provide lengthy, detailed answers. The event has grown steadily in duration, from 2 hours, 27 minutes for the first one in 2001, to 4 hours, 33 minutes last year.
Today he talked for a whopping 4 hours, 47 minutes, and answered almost 100 queries, including: How goes the fight against corruption? When will Russia's new stealth fighter be ready for service? Will he sack the government of Prime Minister Medvedev over alarming signs that the Russian economy is slipping into recession? Does he think that the current crackdown on NGOs, and upcoming prosecution of protesters connected with an alleged "riot" at a protest rally last May, suggest "overtones of Stalinism" in current Russian politics? Is he happy?
On the issue that will be of greatest interest in the US, Putin combined his plea for greater security cooperation with some tough criticism of past US policies and attitudes.
"This [slump in Russia-US relations] didn't begin yesterday," he said. "Back when our American colleagues called upon us to join in the process [leading up to the 2003 invasion of] Iraq, we told them it was a mistake. Our position was open and honest, but relations grew cooler. After that there were the events in Libya, and other states. We are watching chaos unfold everywhere."
"Must we support what we consider erroneous? Why do they demand that we accept their standards? Let's not demand anything from each other, but rather look for ways to improve mutual understanding," he said.
He also argued that Western sympathy for the Chechen side in two brutal wars in the past 20 years ? a struggle that has morphed over that time from a secular nationalist bid for Chechen independence from Russia into a more diffuse, Cacausus-wide jihadist insurrection ? has been deeply misguided.
"I always felt indignation when our Western partners and Western media referred to terrorists who conducted brutal and bloody crimes on Russian soil as 'rebels,'" Putin said.
On corruption, Putin vowed ? as he has in most telethons since 2001 ? to crush it: "We will fight against [corruption] no less stubbornly than against inflation. We will wipe it out," he said.
Russia's cool new T-50 "fifth generation" fighter plane, which is claimed to be equivalent to the US F-22 Raptor, will enter service as promised in 2016, Putin said.
Despite persistent rumors that Putin may be preparing to sack Medvedev's government, and perhaps even call fresh Duma elections, Putin insisted "there is no division between the government and the president," on the economy. He added Medvedev's government has been in place for less than a year, and needs time to work.
Putin dismissed the question about echoes of Stalinism, saying "Stalinism is connected to the cult of personality, massive legal abuses, repressions, and gulags. There are no such things in Russia, and I hope they will never happen again."
He insisted that in contemporary Russia, people are jailed "for legal violations" and not for their political views.
Many critics argue that laws are selectively applied, and bent, in Russia in order to punish political opponents such as former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the Pussy Riot performance-art band, currently on-trial protest leader Alexei Navalny, and almost 30 people soon to be tried, and facing serious jail time, over a fairly minor disturbance at a legal protest rally almost a year ago.
As for whether Putin is happy, he suggested the jury is still out on that.
"I am thankful to destiny and the citizens of Russia for showing the trust that allowed me to become Russian president," he said. "This is my whole life. Whether it's enough for happiness, that's another question."
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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/putin-says-opportunity-better-us-russian-ties-boston-160831229.html
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Friday, April 26, 2013
Apogee Duet for iPad & Mac
The Apogee Duet for iPad & Mac audio interface ($595 direct) brings stellar recording and playback capability to your iPad, iPhone, or Mac. Unlike the previous Duet 2, the new Duet has built-in iPad compatibility, which required some internal hardware changes. Granted, our Editors' Choice, the Focusrite iTrack Solo, which does the same thing, is much less expensive. But the Duet for iPad & Mac gives you your money's worth, thanks to its beautifully detailed audio quality, software integration, and ease of operation; you almost can't put a price tag on this level of performance.
Design and iPad Integration
I've already outlined the details in my review of the nearly identical Duet 2. Hit that review for a basic overview. Here, though, I'll focus on what makes the Apogee Duet for iPad & Mac different?and it's more than it appears, considering that the all-aluminum and glass enclosure, front panel, OLED display, and controls are exactly the same.
The iOS device integration is noteworthy in that it's a direct digital connection certified by Apple, without the need for the Camera Connection Kit, which only works with iPads, not iPhones or iPod touches. When connected, the Duet also charges iOS devices (although you'll need to plug in the bundled AC adapter), and offers iPad software control with Maestro, the company's low-latency mixer that works the same way on both iPads and Macs. In the hardware, iPad certification requires certain chips inside the peripheral device; it's more than just a firmware change, which is why existing Duet 2 owners can't add iPad connectivity without buying a whole new unit.
The Duet for iPad and Mac comes bundled with a cable loom with combination XLR and 1/4-inch instrument inputs and a pair of stereo 1/4-inch outputs, a usefully long 8-foot USB cable, an AC adapter, and an iPad cable. Unfortunately, the bundled iPad cable out of the box only works with older iPads, iPhones, and iPod touch devices with 30-pin connectors, not the newer Lightning Connector-equipped models; you'll need to pick up Apple's $29 Lightning-to-30-pin Adapter, which you can get at any Apple Store or online.
For this review, I tested the Apogee Duet for iPad & Mac with a 1st-generation Apple iPad, an Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch running OS X 10.8.2 (Mountain Lion), and a quad-core Xeon-based Mac Pro running OS X 10.7.5 (Lion), with a variety of programs including Avid Pro Tools 10 on the Mac and Apple GarageBand on the iPad.
Performance and Conclusions
Because the instrument and XLR cables are combined, you can't, say, leave a pair of stereo microphones connected while plugging in a guitar, the way you can with the Focusrite Forte. You also need the Duet's cable loom attached when driving a pair of studio monitor speakers, since the outputs aren't built into the enclosure like on the Forte.
That said, I'd rather have all of this than the Forte's key limitation, which is that you need the AC adapter plugged in whenever you're recording with phantom power, or whenever you need more headroom out of the headphone amp; the Duet doesn't have those limitations, and is much more of a portable audio interface for remote recording as a result, since you can run it from a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air's USB port.
The built-in mic preamps offer 75dB of gain range; Apogee says the company optimizes the mic pre circuit at each stepped gain setting to capture more dynamics and frequency bandwidth. Just as with the Duet 2, the Duet for iPad & Mac sounds incredible, during both playback and recording. Apogee makes a big point of the Duet's exceptional total harmonic distortion (THD) and noise floor figures, which mean a lot more here than they do in, say, the consumer electronics world, where stereo equipment manufacturers have been known to play with those numbers rather liberally.
In the real world, if you listen carefully, you can really hear the difference between the Duet and other interfaces?even against a direct competitor like the Focusrite Forte. The Forte sounds great, mind you; it records and plays back clean, pristine audio. But with the Duet, you get another level of midrange and high-end detail, both through the mic preamps, when tested with a Rode NT-1A large diaphragm condenser mic, and during playback, where you pick up a little more stereo separation and detail on individual instruments. You can make, mix, and monitor excellent recordings on either interface, but the Duet sounds just a bit better overall, in a variety of situations.
Recording on the iPad was also as easy as I expected; I installed the free Apogee Maestro app, which offers a similar interface to the desktop version. I plugged in the same mic, made sure phantom power was enabled, dialed in an appropriate level of gain, and recorded audio with GarageBand on top of MIDI virtual instrument tracks without a problem. Reliability was also rock solid throughout, on both test machines. I ran into some trouble with the earlier Duet 2, which may have been indicative of something up with my test systems, but the Duet for iPad & Mac ran flawlessly during the review?mimicking the behavior of the original FireWire-based Duet.
At the moment, the Apogee Duet for iPad & Mac is the best recording interface you can buy for the iPad. As far as computer recording is concerned, it's a little less clear, thanks to the host of competitors that have rushed to the scene since the original Apogee Duet proved a success following its launch in 2008. The Forte is an obvious choice if you're recording on the PC platform, thanks to its Windows compatibility, and it sounds really good in its own right, if slightly different than the Apogee Duet. Propellerhead Reason fans should have a look at the Propellerhead Balance, which offers clean sound and tight integration with Reason. Finally, if you're on a strict budget, you'll do well with the Editors' Choice Focusrite iTrack Solo which brings clear recording to PCs, Macs, and iPads at a low price, even if it lacks the level of detail and transparency that both the Duet and Forte offer.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/SUUt1-gFT40/0,2817,2417989,00.asp
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T-Mobile quickly gives in to WA Attorney General, agrees 'UNcarrier' is misleading to consumers
Device financing terms to be clarified going forward; some customers can leave without penalty
T-Mobile has been making some big steps towards what it calls an "UNcarrier" strategy, which clarifies device pricing, ends phone contracts and gives customers more choice in the wireless industry. In trying to reinvent its strategy, however, T-Mobile has apparently ruffled some feathers at the Washington State Attorney General's office. Attorney General Bob Ferguson claims that T-Mobile's new plan structure is deceptive, leaves unfulfilled promises, and has "duped" consumers.
Ferguson specifically takes issue with the way T-Mobile now finances devices -- with a small down payment and monthly installments -- claiming that although the carrier claims there is no commitment to the service, customers will have to stay for 24 months or "face an unanticipated balloon payment for the phone equipment". Specifically, the AG had this to say:
“My office identified that T-Mobile was failing to disclose a critical component of their new plan to consumers, and we acted quickly to stop this practice and protect consumers across the country from harm.”
Ferguson has filed a court order, which has been signed and agreed upon by T-Mobile, that will force the carrier to clarify its terms of service and stop what Ferguson calls "deceptive advertising". Under the terms of the order, T-Mobile has created a document called the "an Assurance of Discontinuance (AOD)", better laying out the terms of the new Simple Choice plans. Inside, the carrier agrees not to:
- Misrepresent consumers' obligations under its contracts, including those contracts that have not restrictions or limitations; and
- Fail to adequately disclose that customers who terminate their T-Mobile wireless service before their device is paid off will have to pay the balance due on the phone at the time of cancelation.
As part of the settlement, anyone who purchased service from T-mobile from March 26 to April 25 will be given an opportunity to leave the service agreement, with no penalty, and receive a full refund for the device and service provided they cite the terms of the new AOD.
Source: TmoNews; WA Attorney General
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/jMG4ERw2j1c/story01.htm
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Novel therapeutic approaches may cure chronic HBV infection
Apr. 25, 2013 ? Exciting new data presented today at the International Liver Congress? 2013 include results from early in vitro and in vivo studies targeting covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA), which may form the basis of a cure for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.
HBV cccDNA is organized into mini-chromosomes within the nucleus of infected cells by histone and non-histone proteins. Despite the availability of efficient therapies against HBV, long-term persistence of cccDNA necessitates life-long treatments to suppress the virus. The following three experimental studies demonstrate effective HBV-cccDNA targeting/depletion using novel therapeutic approaches which offer the potential of a cure.
Liver regeneration induces strong reduction of viral replication and cccDNA levels, but not complete cccDNA eradication; without antiviral treatment, de novo HBV infection can be re-established.
Key findings of research in HBV-infected human hepatocytes using the uPA/SCID chimeric mouse system show that liver regeneration induces strong reduction of viral replication and cccDNA levels, with rapid formation of cccDNA-free hepatocytes. However, because complete cccDNA eradication is not achieved, in the absence of antiviral treatment, de novo HBV infection could be re-established in quiescent (non-dividing) human hepatocytes. This suggests that induction of hepatocyte turn-over together with antiviral drugs inducing viral suppression, such as nucleoside analogues and IFN, or blocking cell entry, may accelerate the clearance of the viral minichromosome.
Targeting epigenetic control of nuclear cccDNA minichromosome to suppress HBV transcription and replication may form basis for other therapeutic approaches to curing chronic HBV infection.
In the infected liver cell the rate of replication of HBV is regulated by the acetylation or methylation of histone proteins which surround the cccDNA minichromosome -- so called epigenetic regulation. In a separate innovative study, the suppression of HBV transcription and replication by small molecules that target the epigenetic control of nuclear cccDNA minichromosome was investigated. The different classes of small molecules studied included: Class I, II and III histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi); p300 and PCAF histone acetyltransferases (HAT) inhibitors; hSirt1 activators; JMJD3 histone demethylase inhibitors.
The combined inhibition of p300 and PCAF HATs resulted in an evident reduction of HBV replication which mirrored the decrease of pgRNA transcription. The hSirt1/2 activator MC2791 and the JMJD3 inhibitor MC3119, albeit with different efficiency, inhibited both HBV replication and cccDNA transcription. Results represent a proof of concept that activation of hSirt1 and Ezh2 (through the inhibition of its functional antagonist JMJD3) by small molecules can induce an active epigenetic suppression of HBV cccDNA minichromosome similar to that observed with IFN?, and lead to persistent cccDNA silencing.
Lymphtoxin beta receptor (LTbR) agonisation represents basis for novel alternative therapeutic approach to curing chronic HBV infection.
The final study demonstrated that stimulating the lymphtoxin beta receptor (LTbR) provides an effective, long lasting and non-cytopathic mechanism for achieving effective HBV-cccDNA depletion in infected hepatocytes. Cell culture models including HBV-infected HepaRG cells and primary human hepatocytes were used to test the effect of antibodies stimulating human LTbR (BS1 or CBE11). Results show that a strong and dose-dependent anti-HBV effect was achieved by activation of the LTbR. All HBV replication markers were decreased with this treatment, including cccDNA in cells where HBV infection was already established.
Hepatitis B is the most prevalent cause of chronic viral hepatitis and a major global health problem. Prof. Fabien Zoulim, EASL Educational Councillor commented on the exciting new data: "In chronic hepatitis B infection, the viral genome forms a stable minichromosome -- the covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) -- which can persist throughout the lifespan of the hepatocyte."
"Current treatments focus on suppression of HBV and discovery of compounds directly targeting cccDNA has been one of the major challenges to curing HBV infection; but these preliminary data show novel therapeutic approaches can be applied to successfully target cccDNA with the long-term aspiration of finding a cure" added Prof. Fabien Zoulim.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by European Association for the Study of the Liver, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/oorJAU_URNI/130425091612.htm
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