Himalayan nations agree on climate adaptation plan (AP)

NEW DELHI ? Four Himalayan nations facing the threat of weather changes have agreed to collaborate on ways to adapt to climate change after a two-day summit in Bhutan.

India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan were part of the Climate Summit for a Living Himalayas held in Bhutan's capital Thimphu on Saturday. They agreed to cooperate on energy, water, food and biodiversity issues.

"The success of our initiative will not only have direct and immediate benefits for our own people, but we could be setting a worthy precedent for other countries that share similar conditions," Bhutan's Prime Minister Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y. Thinley said according to a press statement released late Saturday.

Pakistan, China and Afghanistan were absent from the summit but organizers downplayed that, saying that the summit was focused on securing ecosystems, endangered species,and food and water sources for only the Himalayas' eastern part.

The summit called for action amid the international community's inability to agree on limiting greenhouse gas emissions blamed for global climate change. The next round of U.N. climate talks begin in Durban, South Africa Nov. 28, but the expectations of any breakthrough there are limited.

As part of the declaration the four nations agreed to work together to increase access to "affordable and reliable" clean energy resources and technology through a regional knowledge sharing mechanism, a press statement from the World Wildlife Fund said.

The draft of the declaration was not immediately available Sunday.

The most contentious part of the talks dealt with water security, according to the WWF release, but the four nations did agree to work together on ecosystem and disaster management, sharing their knowledge in water use efficiency.

Regional tensions have long prevented Himalayan cooperation, including basic research in the world's largest block of glaciers outside the polar regions, and accounting for 40 percent of the world's fresh water.

There was also consensus on food security and securing livelihoods and the deal covers way to adapt and improve food production and help vulnerable communities get better access to nutritious food.

"These kinds of regional initiatives are really needed," said Liisa Rohweder, CEO of WWF Finland, adding the summit was a good lead to follow for the Durban meeting.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/environment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111120/ap_on_re_as/as_bhutan_climate_summit

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A better way to count molecules discovered

[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 21-Nov-2011
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Contact: Press Office
pressinfo@ki.se
46-852-486-077
Karolinska Institutet

Researchers at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have developed a new method for counting molecules. Quantifying the amounts of different kinds of RNA and DNA molecules is a fundamental task in molecular biology as these molecules store and transfer the genetic information in cells. Thus, improved measurement techniques are crucial for understanding both normal and cancer cells.

It is very difficult to detect small individual molecules in a complex mixture. Therefore, the signal is usually first amplified by making many copies of each molecule. Unfortunately, the copying complicates tracking the exact number of original molecules. The reason is that it is virtually impossible to tell afterwards exactly how many times each original molecule was copied as all copies originating from same type of molecules are indistinguishable from each other.

In an article published by the scientific journal Nature Methods the researchers present a method in which the molecules are first artificially made different in such a way that the copies made from different original molecules can be later distinguished. Then the molecules can be efficiently counted using the new high-throughput sequencers that can read millions of short DNA stretches in parallel. The idea behind the method is astonishingly simple, yet it enables counting the absolute number of molecules in a cell sample whereas many current methods can only measure relative differences between samples.

Professor Jussi Taipale's group applied the new method to simultaneously count thousands of different types of messenger RNA molecules present in cells. The new method proved to be more accurate than the one that has been commonly used for this task. Efficient and reliable counting of messenger RNA molecules is important because their abundances reveal which genes are active in the cells of interest. Professor Taipale's group studies regulation of cell growth and thus wants to understand not only which genes are active in normal cells but also genes that are aberrantly activated in cancer cells.

The new molecule counting method was developed as collaboration between Jussi Taipale's and Sten Linnarsson's groups at Karolinska Institutet, The method has turned out to be especially suitable for counting molecules from a small number of cells. Thus, Sten Linnarsson plans to apply it to counting molecules from a single cell a very exciting and challenging task. The principle of the new method can also be used to improve other important measurement techniques, and to develop technologies that allow more accurate sequencing of genomes of cancer cells and various organisms.

Teemu Kivioja and Anna Vhrautio, the first two authors, are affiliated with both University of Helsinki and Karolinska Institutet.

###

Publication: "Counting absolute numbers of molecules using unique molecular identifiers", Kivioja T*, Vhrautio A*, Karlsson K, Bonke M, Enge M, Linnarsson S, Taipale J. *These two authors contributed equally to this publication, Nature Methods, advance online publication 20 November 2011.

For more information, please contact:
Professor Jussi Taipale
Phone: +46 (0)8-585 868 95 or +46 (0)73-687 09 51 (cell)
Email: jussi.taipale@ki.se

Contact the Press Office and download photo: ki.se/pressroom

Karolinska Institutet is one of the world's leading medical universities. It accounts for over 40 per cent of the medical academic research conducted in Sweden and offers the country's broadest range of education in medicine and health sciences. Since 1901 the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has selected the Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine.


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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.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 21-Nov-2011
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Press Office
pressinfo@ki.se
46-852-486-077
Karolinska Institutet

Researchers at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have developed a new method for counting molecules. Quantifying the amounts of different kinds of RNA and DNA molecules is a fundamental task in molecular biology as these molecules store and transfer the genetic information in cells. Thus, improved measurement techniques are crucial for understanding both normal and cancer cells.

It is very difficult to detect small individual molecules in a complex mixture. Therefore, the signal is usually first amplified by making many copies of each molecule. Unfortunately, the copying complicates tracking the exact number of original molecules. The reason is that it is virtually impossible to tell afterwards exactly how many times each original molecule was copied as all copies originating from same type of molecules are indistinguishable from each other.

In an article published by the scientific journal Nature Methods the researchers present a method in which the molecules are first artificially made different in such a way that the copies made from different original molecules can be later distinguished. Then the molecules can be efficiently counted using the new high-throughput sequencers that can read millions of short DNA stretches in parallel. The idea behind the method is astonishingly simple, yet it enables counting the absolute number of molecules in a cell sample whereas many current methods can only measure relative differences between samples.

Professor Jussi Taipale's group applied the new method to simultaneously count thousands of different types of messenger RNA molecules present in cells. The new method proved to be more accurate than the one that has been commonly used for this task. Efficient and reliable counting of messenger RNA molecules is important because their abundances reveal which genes are active in the cells of interest. Professor Taipale's group studies regulation of cell growth and thus wants to understand not only which genes are active in normal cells but also genes that are aberrantly activated in cancer cells.

The new molecule counting method was developed as collaboration between Jussi Taipale's and Sten Linnarsson's groups at Karolinska Institutet, The method has turned out to be especially suitable for counting molecules from a small number of cells. Thus, Sten Linnarsson plans to apply it to counting molecules from a single cell a very exciting and challenging task. The principle of the new method can also be used to improve other important measurement techniques, and to develop technologies that allow more accurate sequencing of genomes of cancer cells and various organisms.

Teemu Kivioja and Anna Vhrautio, the first two authors, are affiliated with both University of Helsinki and Karolinska Institutet.

###

Publication: "Counting absolute numbers of molecules using unique molecular identifiers", Kivioja T*, Vhrautio A*, Karlsson K, Bonke M, Enge M, Linnarsson S, Taipale J. *These two authors contributed equally to this publication, Nature Methods, advance online publication 20 November 2011.

For more information, please contact:
Professor Jussi Taipale
Phone: +46 (0)8-585 868 95 or +46 (0)73-687 09 51 (cell)
Email: jussi.taipale@ki.se

Contact the Press Office and download photo: ki.se/pressroom

Karolinska Institutet is one of the world's leading medical universities. It accounts for over 40 per cent of the medical academic research conducted in Sweden and offers the country's broadest range of education in medicine and health sciences. Since 1901 the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has selected the Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


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


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-11/ki-abw112111.php

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T-Mobile Vivacity unveiled for the UK, appears to be an adopted ZTE handset

G'morning there good lady, and who might you be? Why, she's the UK-bound T-Mobile Vivacity, which, while pretty likely to be a ZTE-born smartphone, is still keeping her specification cards close to its chest. We do know, however, that she'll arrive with a 3.5-inch touchscreen and five megapixel camera on the back. A front-facing shooter, slightly larger body and a distinct lack of ZTE branding all help to differentiate the Vivacity from her sister, the previously announced (and US-destined) ZTE Score. We predict she probably won't be a woman of expensive tastes, and we look forward to meeting her in the flesh next month. While T-Mobile may not have got the memo about phone naming, interested parties can stake their claim to more info at the sign-up link below.

T-Mobile Vivacity unveiled for the UK, appears to be an adopted ZTE handset originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Nov 2011 13:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/19/t-mobile-vivacity-unveiled-for-the-uk-appears-to-be-an-adopted/

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At least 10 die as army, police charge Egypt protesters (Reuters)

CAIRO (Reuters) ? At least 10 people died as police backed by the army used batons and teargas on Sunday to charge protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square demanding Egypt's ruling generals hand over power, in some of the worst violence since the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak.

With little more than a week to go before a parliamentary election that starts the process of transition, state television reported the deaths on Sunday, taking the total toll since violence erupted on Saturday to 12. It said there were 214 wounded on Sunday.

"The people want the toppling of the regime," thousands of protesters chanted before and after the charge by police backed by military officers who had stayed on the sidelines till then.

The demonstrators accuse the army of seeking to retain power from behind scenes as it oversees the transition, which could see the military remain in control until presidential elections which may not happen until late 2012 or early 2013.

Generals deny any such intention and the cabinet reiterated on Sunday that violence would not delay the staggered parliamentary election, voting for which starts on November 28.

The security forces, who moved in as darkness fell, beat some protesters with batons. One group of demonstrators formed a line and bowed in the traditional Muslim prayer, television images showed. Most held their line as the police moved in.

"The army sent soldiers to Tahrir to help state security disperse the protesters. They are beating us hard," said Ragab Shemiekhy, who has been in Tahrir throughout the latest protest.

A Reuters witness saw the dead body of a 28-year-old man on Sunday evening in a makeshift clinic on the edge of Tahrir Square. It was not clear how he had died or if the death was one of those reported by medical sources.

Demonstrators held up spent shotgun cartridges, bullet casings and empty teargas canisters. Activists carried one protester's corpse wrapped in a blanket around Tahrir. "We will sacrifice our blood and souls for you, martyr," they chanted.

Army police detained dozens of people, a witness said. After initially fleeing, protesters poured back into the square.

"The military council are shutting their ears, they're ignoring us, they don't give a damn about us, and we're going to stay occupying the streets and demanding our rights. Eventually justice will prevail," said Amal El Mohandes, 31.

Egypt's benchmark index tumbled about 2.5 percent on Sunday as investors worried about the outcome of the clashes.

Presidential hopefuls Mohamed ElBaradei and Abdallah al-Ashaal denounced violence against protesters and called for a national salvation government, state news agency MENA said.

The European Union's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, urged Egypt's interim authority to halt the violence.

"I urge calm and restraint and condemn the use of violence in the strongest terms," she said.

British Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt condemned the clashes and said the deaths were "deeply regrettable."

ISLAMISTS DISTANCE THEMSELVES

The protest that began on Friday was led by Islamists. But it has since been largely driven by many of the same youthful activists who led the uprising against Mubarak's 30-year rule, putting national pride over religion. Some Islamists, including the Muslim Brotherhood, withdrew from the protest.

"Those in the square to do not belong to any party. This is a new scene," Ahmed Abo Barka of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party told Al Jazeera. "They want to block the route before the Egyptian people who want their election."

The Brotherhood, banned under Mubarak, had tended to take a softer line toward the military than some other groups, which analysts say is to ensure elections go ahead and prevent any return to the kind of repression it suffered in the past.

While distancing itself from protests on Saturday and Sunday, the Brotherhood said the army must still apologize.

A row has erupted between political groups and the army-picked cabinet over ground rules for drafting the constitution that could leave the military free of civilian control. Parliament is to pick the assembly to draw up the constitution.

Many Egyptians are angry that nine months after ousting Mubarak, the army remains in charge and police are still using the same heavy-handed tactics against demonstrators.

"We are on the brink of danger. Those asking for the government to fall are asking for the state to fall," Egyptian army General Mohsen Fangary had told a television channel.

The army and its cabinet said the vote would not be delayed.

The cabinet had outraged many Egyptians by proposals for the constitution that would have shielded the army's budget from civilian oversight and given it a broad national security remit.

It had amended the proposals to give civilian powers more say but this was not enough to prevent Friday's protest. The cabinet has since made further amendments to the proposal, in an effort to appease Islamist factions.

After a cabinet meeting on Sunday, Deputy Prime Minister Ali al-Silmi said: "We will not back down from the last proposed amendments to the constitutional document."

'TROUBLEMAKERS'

During streets battles on Saturday night and Sunday morning, police fired round after round of teargas at protesters near the Interior Ministry. Protesters set up barricades around Tahrir.

A security official said police had not used live rounds and had used lawful methods to deal with "troublemakers."

The state news agency said the dead included one in Cairo with a gunshot to the chest and another in Alexandria with a gunshot to the head.

More than 2,000 people attended the funeral of Bahaa el-Senussi, the activist who died in Alexandria. Hundreds of them then gathered in front of the security directorate in Alexandria, chanting: "Interior Ministry officials are thugs."

Demonstrators in the eastern cities of Suez and Ismailia, as well as North Sinai, marched in solidarity protests.

In Suez, clashes erupted when protesters threw rocks at police, who shot into the air and fired teargas. In Ismailia, a witness said more than 500 people demonstrated against military rule in front of a police station. Some people tried to torch a car, a witness said.

Liberal groups are dismayed by the military trials of thousands of civilians and the army's failure to scrap a hated emergency law. Islamists eyeing a strong showing in the next parliament suspect the army wants to curtail their influence.

Analysts say Islamists could win 40 percent of parliamentary seats, with a big portion going to the Muslim Brotherhood.

(Additional reporting by Omar Fahmy, Patrick Werr, Marwa Awad, Abdel Rahman Youssef, Dina Zayed, Tom Pfeiffer and Yousri Mohamed; Writing by Edmund Blair and Shaimaa Fayed; Editing by Philippa Fletcher and Andrew Heavens)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111120/wl_nm/us_egypt_protests

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More than 1 in 5 U.S. children poor, Census says (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? The number of children in the United States considered poor rose by 1 million in 2010, the U.S. Census said Thursday, with more than one in five of the youngest Americans now living in poverty.

"Children who live in poverty, especially young children, are more likely than their peers to have cognitive and behavioral difficulties, to complete fewer years of education, and, as they grow up, to experience more years of unemployment," the Census said.

In 2010, when the Census survey was conducted, 21.6 percent of children across the country were poor, compared to 20 percent in 2009.

That was mainly due to a rise in the number of children living below the federal poverty threshold, defined as an annual income of $22,314 for a family of four, to 15.7 million from 14.7 million in 2009.

The figures reflect the overall state of the economy. The national poverty rate stands at 15.3 percent and the unemployment rate is at 9 percent some two years after the recession that began in 2007 officially ended.

The number of people living in poverty has reached an all-time high in the United States, despite the country's position as one of the wealthiest in the world. Its gross domestic product per capita of $47,184 was 3,095 percent more than India's $1,477 in 2010.

In 24 states and Washington, D.C., more than 20 percent of those up to 17 years old lived at or below the poverty threshold.

RACIAL GAPS

The Census found that the percentage of white children in poverty increased in 25 states in 2010 from the year before.

Overall, "white and Asian children had poverty rates below the national average, while black children had the highest poverty rate at 38.2 percent," it said.

"The poverty rate for Hispanic children was 32.3 percent, and children identified with two or more races had 22.7 percent living in poverty."

Children in some states fared worse than in others.

"About one of every three children in poverty lived in one of the four most populous states, each of which saw increases in the number and the percentage of children in poverty between 2009 and 2010," the Census said.

There were 2 million children in poverty in California, followed by Texas, where 1.8 million children were considered poor. Slightly less than 1 million children lived in poverty in Florida and New York.

The Census found that the number and percentage of children in poverty rose in 27 states in 2010. New Mexico's rate increased the most, by 4.7 percent.

Among states, Mississippi had the highest proportion of children in poverty, 32.5 percent. In Washington, D.C., and in New Mexico, child poverty rates also neared one-third.

In 10 states child poverty rates are 25 percent or higher, including Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia.

New Hampshire has the lowest child poverty rate at 10 percent.

(Reporting by Lisa Lambert; Editing by Xavier Briand)

(Corrects headline, first and third paragraphs to show 21.6 percent of children below poverty line, corrects to show New Mexico's rate increased the most)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/parenting/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111117/lf_nm_life/us_usa_poverty_children

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Ford Takes Top Honors with Nielsen Automotive Green Marketer of ...

Mobile Marketing Ford Takes Top Honors with Nielsen Automotive Green Marketer of the Year AwardFord Motor Company has been honored as the top ?green? marketer of the year by Nielsen.

Today Ford was corononated king of eco-friendly ad campaigns at the Los Angeles International Auto Show.

?Ford was recognized for its successful ad campaigns embedding MPG messaging across most of their creatives from product launches to sales events. This effort coupled with campaigns featuring real people helped significantly increase positive consumer opinions and purchase consideration for the brand,? Nielsen says.

So what exactly is this award all about?

The Nielsen Automotive Green Marketer of the Year Award recognizes the brand that made the greatest strides in gaining consumer awareness and positively shifting consumer perceptions for the automotive industry?s environmentally friendly initiatives.

To determine the finalists and winner, Nielsen leveraged three research studies to incorporate awareness levels and perceptions across media types.

Nielsen says other finalists for the award included such top vehicle makers as Chevrolet, Honda, Toyota and Hyundai.

Source: http://www.mobilemarketingwatch.com/ford-takes-top-honors-with-nielsen-automotive-green-marketer-of-the-year-award-19647/

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