How does pregnancy reduce breast cancer risk?

Apr. 28, 2013 ? Being pregnant while young is known to protect a women against breast cancer. But why? Research in BioMed Central's open access journal Breast Cancer Research finds that Wnt/Notch signalling ratio is decreased in the breast tissue of mice which have given birth, compared to virgin mice of the same age.

Early pregnancy is protective against breast cancer in humans and in rodents. In humans having a child before the age of 20 decreases risk of breast cancer by half. Using microarray analysis researchers from Basel discovered that genes involved in the immune system and differentiation were up-regulated after pregnancy while the activity of genes coding for growth factors was reduced.

The activity of one particular gene Wnt4 was also down-regulated after pregnancy. The protein from this gene (Wnt4) is a feminising protein -- absence of this protein propels a fetus towards developing as a boy. Wnt and Notch are opposing components of a system which controls cellular fate within an organism and when the team looked at Notch they found that genes regulated by notch were up-regulated, Notch-stimulating proteins up-regulated and Notch-inhibiting proteins down-regulated.

Wnt/Notch signalling ratio was permanently altered in the basal stem/progenitor cells of mammary tissue of mice by pregnancy. Mohamed Bentires-Alj from the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, who led this study explained, "The down-regulation of Wnt is the opposite of that seen in many cancers, and this tightened control of Wnt/Notch after pregnancy may be preventing the runaway growth present in cancer."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by BioMed Central.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Fabienne Meier-Abt, Emanuela Milani, Tim Roloff, Heike Brinkhaus, Stephan Duss, Dominique S Meyer, Ina Klebba, Piotr J Balwierz, Erik van Nimwegen and Mohamed Bentires-Alj. Parity induces differentiation and reduces Wnt/Notch signaling ratio and proliferation potential of basal stem/progenitor cells isolated from mouse mammary epithelium. Breast Cancer Research, 2013 (in press) [link]

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/health_medicine/genes/~3/M01wkIKwjeM/130428230427.htm

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Smoking prevention in schools: Does it work?

Apr. 29, 2013 ? Smoking prevention in schools reduces the number of young people who will later become smokers, according to a new systematic review published in The Cochrane Library. For young people who have never smoked, these programmes appear to be effective at least one year after implementation.

Smoking causes five million preventable deaths every year, a number predicted to rise to eight million by 2030. It is thought that around a quarter of young people may smoke by age 13-15. With a history spanning four decades, prevention programmes in schools try to tackle smoking at an early age before the habit becomes difficult to break. The systematic review aimed to resolve the uncertainty of whether the programmes are effective in preventing smoking.

The researchers analysed data from 134 studies, in 25 different countries, which involved a total of 428,293 young people aged 5-18. Of these, 49 studies reported smoking behaviour in those who had never previously smoked. The researchers focused on this group because it offered the clearest indication of whether smoking interventions prevent smoking. Although there were no significant effects within the first year, in studies with longer follow up the number of smokers was significantly lower in the groups targeted by smoking interventions than in the control group. In 15 studies which reported on changes in smoking behaviour in a mixed group of never smokers, previous experimenters and quitters, there was no overall long term effect, but within the first year the number smoking was slightly lower in the control group.

"This review is important because there are no other comprehensive reviews of world literature on school-based smoking prevention programmes," said Julie McLellan, one of the authors of the review based at the Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford in Oxford, UK. "The main strength of the review is that it includes a large number of trials and participants. However, over half were from the US, so we need to see studies across all areas of the world, as well as further studies analysing the effects of interventions by gender."

Some smoking interventions aimed to develop social skills and competency or teach students to resist social pressure to smoke. In the longer term, subgroups of programmes that used a social competence approach or a combined social competence and resistance training approach had a significant effect on preventing smoking in young people who had never smoked at the time of the intervention. No effect was shown in studies that used resistance training alone. Equally, no significant effects were detected in those programmes that used information only or that combined tobacco education with wider school and community initiatives.

Booster sessions did not make any difference to the number of young people who went on to smoke. "We might expect booster sessions to reinforce the effects of the original programmes, but our review didn't find any evidence for this overall," said co-author Rafael Perera, also from the Department of Primary Care Health Sciences. "The exception was in studies focusing on general social competence and resistance training, which suggests that the way the curriculum is designed is more important than whether or not booster sessions are provided."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Wiley.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Roger E Thomas, Julie McLellan, Rafael Perera. School-based programmes for preventing smoking. Cochrane Review, 2013 DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD001293.pub3

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/most_popular/~3/OFr4_yCrPqk/130429210909.htm

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Chase to invest $1.5M for Detroit Schools programs

DETROIT (AP) -- JPMorgan Chase said Monday that it is giving $1 million to a Detroit nonprofit group to provide educational and other services to low-income families of students at three southwest side public schools, in an effort to improve the quality of life in those neighborhoods.

In addition to its grant to Southwest Solutions, the bank said it has pledged another $500,000 in grants to other Detroit groups.

Southwest Solutions provides human services programs and affordable housing and economic development. The agency will use its grant to expand its Centers for Working Families at Harms and Maybury elementary schools and Western International High School. Centers for Working Families teaches financial stability strategies to low-income families and also develops educational and employment opportunities for them.

The grant money also will be tied to an English language program for parents at two of the Detroit schools and help neighborhood preservation efforts. The agency wants to provide home repair loans or property improvement grants to 115 homeowners, and demolish 30 vacant properties near the three schools.

"We must stabilize families living in high-poverty neighborhoods by providing high quality educational opportunities and by creating job opportunities," said Sarah McClelland, Michigan market president for Chase.

Detroit's southwest side has a large Hispanic population.

An additional $500,000 in grants will assist a number of groups that provide job and financial literacy training, as well as other services, to young people and parents.

The state Department of Human Services will place a "success coach" in Western High School to work with students, staff and parents on issues inside and outside of the school.

The JPMorgan Chase investment and partnerships with the state and other groups fit in with a recently announced Detroit Public Schools 5-year strategic plan to develop quality schools as community hubs.

As part of the plan, the district will offer free pre-kindergarten classes to 4-year-olds in the city and keep some school buildings open to families 12 hours a day, seven days each week.

The district will enforce a stronger attendance policy and increase security in and around its schools.

"We want the school to be the place where not only children, but adults receive education and training, where child care services are offered for infants up to pre-k and senior care may be provided," Roberts said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/chase-invest-1-5m-detroit-200636205.html

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James Bond's UK film studio launches mission to the U.S.

LONDON/ATLANTA (Reuters) - British film studio Pinewood Shepperton, home of the James Bond movies, plans to build its first movie, television and music studio in the United States, part of an international expansion strategy launched in 2009.

The owner of Europe's largest film studio, Pinewood said on Monday it would develop 288 acres of land south of Atlanta, Georgia, for a studio facility in a joint venture with River's Rock LLC, an independently managed trust of the Cathy family.

The Cathy family owns the Atlanta-based fried chicken chain Chick-fil-A. It is believed to be their first significant media investment, but no one from Chick-fil-A was available for comment.

Atlanta-area lawyer Douglas Warner, attorney for River's Rock, declined to comment.

Attracting Pinewood is the latest victory for Georgia as it builds itself into a major U.S. production destination. Figures shows that 333 productions were shot in the state last year, boosting public coffers by $3.1 billion, with recent films including "Flight", "X-Men: First Class", and "Fast Five".

Filmmaker and television producer Tyler Perry has a studio in Atlanta, and the popular zombie-themed AMC cable network series "The Walking Dead" is filmed in the southern U.S. state.

Pinewood already owns studios in Canada and Germany and is building facilities in Malaysia and the Dominican Republic. Earlier this month the studio signed a joint venture with Chinese media group Seven Stars, run by media entrepreneur Bruno Wu, to expand its production services into China.

"Georgia has excellent fiscal incentives and a great crew base," Pinewood CEO Ivan Dunleavy said in a statement. "With River's Rock we have a well-resourced partner that is committed to building a first-class studio facility."

Producers can qualify for state income tax credits of up to 30 percent for certain production expenses, according to the Georgia film office.

Under the deal, the land and studio construction costs will be funded by equity from River's Rock and a debt facility from Synovus Bank, with building to begin immediately.

Pinewood will provide the sales and marketing services and own 40 percent of the joint venture that will operate under the Pinewood trademark and be called Pinewood Atlanta.

The Pinewood studio, based outside of London, has been dubbed the home of James Bond with most of the 23 films featuring British spy 007 shot there over the past half century, including last year's box office hit "Skyfall".

Recent films shot at Pinewood include "Jack Ryan" starring Kevin Costner and Chris Pine, and Angelina Jolie's new film "Maleficent". Whether Pinewood might shoot future James Bond films in Georgia was not known.

(Reporting by Belinda Goldsmith and David Beasley; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Chris Reese)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/james-bonds-uk-film-studio-launches-mission-u-164539025.html

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efemr Is Snapchat For Twitter Which Can Only End Well

So yeah, efemr is a web app that scrubs tweets after the amount of time you hashtag. Want a tweet gone after five minutes? #5m. Two hours? #2h. You get the gist. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/J5jJAarOxd4/efemr-is-snapchat-for-twitter-which-can-only-end-well

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efemr Is Snapchat For Twitter Which Can Only End Well

So yeah, efemr is a web app that scrubs tweets after the amount of time you hashtag. Want a tweet gone after five minutes? #5m. Two hours? #2h. You get the gist.

Read more...

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/J5jJAarOxd4/efemr-is-snapchat-for-twitter-which-can-only-end-well

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Older is wiser: Study shows software developers' skills improve over time

Public release date: 29-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Matt Shipman
matt_shipman@ncsu.edu
919-515-6386
North Carolina State University

There is a perception in some tech circles that older programmers aren't able to keep pace with rapidly changing technology, and that they are discriminated against in the software field. But a new study from North Carolina State University indicates that the knowledge and skills of programmers actually improve over time and that older programmers know as much (or more) than their younger peers when it comes to recent software platforms.

"We wanted to explore these perceptions of veteran programmers as being out of step with emerging technologies and see if we could determine whether older programmers are actually keeping up with changes in the field," says Dr. Emerson Murphy-Hill, an assistant professor of computer science at NC State and co-author of a paper on the research. "And we found that, in some cases, veteran programmers even have a slight edge."

The researchers looked at the profiles of more than 80,000 programmers on a site called StackOverflow, which is an online community that allows users to ask and answer programming questions. The site also allows users to rate the usefulness of other users' questions and answers. Users who are rated as asking good questions and providing good answers receive points that are reflected in their "reputation score." The higher an individual's reputation score, the more likely it is that the user has a robust understanding of programming issues.

For the first part of the study, the researchers compared the age of users with their reputation scores. They found that an individual's reputation increases with age, at least into a user's 40s. There wasn't enough data to draw meaningful conclusions for older programmers.

The researchers then looked at the number of different subjects that users asked and answered questions about, which reflects the breadth of their programming interests. The researchers found that there is a sharp decline in the number of subjects users weighed in on between the ages of 15 and 30 but that the range of subjects increased steadily through the programmers' 30s and into their early 50s.

Finally, the researchers evaluated the knowledge of older programmers (ages 37 and older) compared to younger programmers (younger than 37) in regard to relatively recent technologies meaning technologies that have been around for less than 10 years.

For two smartphone operating systems, iOS and Windows Phone 7, the veteran programmers had a significant edge in knowledge over their younger counterparts. For every other technology, from Django to Silverlight, there was no statistically significant difference between older and younger programmers.

"The data doesn't support the bias against older programmers if anything, just the opposite," Murphy-Hill says.

###

The paper, "Is Programming Knowledge Related To Age?," will be presented May 18 at the 10th Working Conference on Mining Software Repositories, sponsored by IEEE and ACM in San Francisco, Calif. Lead author of the paper is Patrick Morrison, a Ph.D. student at NC State.

---

[ | 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.

Public release date: 29-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Matt Shipman
matt_shipman@ncsu.edu
919-515-6386
North Carolina State University

There is a perception in some tech circles that older programmers aren't able to keep pace with rapidly changing technology, and that they are discriminated against in the software field. But a new study from North Carolina State University indicates that the knowledge and skills of programmers actually improve over time and that older programmers know as much (or more) than their younger peers when it comes to recent software platforms.

"We wanted to explore these perceptions of veteran programmers as being out of step with emerging technologies and see if we could determine whether older programmers are actually keeping up with changes in the field," says Dr. Emerson Murphy-Hill, an assistant professor of computer science at NC State and co-author of a paper on the research. "And we found that, in some cases, veteran programmers even have a slight edge."

The researchers looked at the profiles of more than 80,000 programmers on a site called StackOverflow, which is an online community that allows users to ask and answer programming questions. The site also allows users to rate the usefulness of other users' questions and answers. Users who are rated as asking good questions and providing good answers receive points that are reflected in their "reputation score." The higher an individual's reputation score, the more likely it is that the user has a robust understanding of programming issues.

For the first part of the study, the researchers compared the age of users with their reputation scores. They found that an individual's reputation increases with age, at least into a user's 40s. There wasn't enough data to draw meaningful conclusions for older programmers.

The researchers then looked at the number of different subjects that users asked and answered questions about, which reflects the breadth of their programming interests. The researchers found that there is a sharp decline in the number of subjects users weighed in on between the ages of 15 and 30 but that the range of subjects increased steadily through the programmers' 30s and into their early 50s.

Finally, the researchers evaluated the knowledge of older programmers (ages 37 and older) compared to younger programmers (younger than 37) in regard to relatively recent technologies meaning technologies that have been around for less than 10 years.

For two smartphone operating systems, iOS and Windows Phone 7, the veteran programmers had a significant edge in knowledge over their younger counterparts. For every other technology, from Django to Silverlight, there was no statistically significant difference between older and younger programmers.

"The data doesn't support the bias against older programmers if anything, just the opposite," Murphy-Hill says.

###

The paper, "Is Programming Knowledge Related To Age?," will be presented May 18 at the 10th Working Conference on Mining Software Repositories, sponsored by IEEE and ACM in San Francisco, Calif. Lead author of the paper is Patrick Morrison, a Ph.D. student at NC State.

---

[ | 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.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/ncsu-oiw042913.php

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The Rise And Fall Of Apple And The Tech Sector - Seeking Alpha

By John Nyaradi

A sea change is underway for Apple Computer and the tech sector and major dangers and opportunities will unfold as this tidal wave rolls ashore. Long before Apple Computer (AAPL) became the most watched stock in the world, a book called The Personal Computer Book by Peter McWilliams was published back in 1982.

Apple still makes headlines today but many of the exciting companies, which were introduced to us in The Personal Computer Book, have either died or they have been consumed by other corporations (in the manner that Compaq was cannibalized by Hewlett Packard (HPQ)). Kaypro Computer, the manufacturer of a metal-encased unit which was as portable as a sewing machine, filed for bankruptcy in 1992. Digital Equipment Corporation (or DEC) was consumed by Compaq in 1998 before Compaq was eaten by HP in 2002. Commodore International, which brought you the Commodore 64 and the Amiga, was laid to rest in 1994.

The central character of The Personal Computer Book was a little company in Seattle named Microsoft (MSFT), which developed a "disk operating system" called MS-DOS at the request of IBM. IBM (IBM) wanted to start manufacturing a product line called personal computers. Their entire PC line was built around computer chips called "central processing units" or CPUs which were manufactured by a company named Intel (INTC).

By 2013, Microsoft, IBM and Intel appear to be heading to the same - or similar - fate as the other companies mentioned in The Personal Computer Book. Worse yet, a company named Dell Computer, (DELL) which developed a massive customer base by direct sales of PCs to customers through ads in such magazines as Computer Shopper and PC, now faces an uncertain fate after founder, Michael Dell first announced plans to take the company private, with the assistance of a private equity firm named Silver Lake Partners. As it turns out, the large-stake shareholders are not happy with the $13.65-per-share buyout price. On August 22, 2008 - just before the collapse of Lehman Brothers - Dell was trading at $25.50 per share. Dell hasn't been traded for $18 per share since February 21, 2012.

The fate of the personal computer extends beyond the good - or bad - fortunes of any particular company. At this point in American history, the personal computer is headed for the same fate as the Leisure Suit. It is rapidly becoming antiquated technology.

Smartphones and pads are replacing the clunky units with their spinning metal-disk hard drives, as consumers are increasingly entrusting their most private, personal information, photos and videos (yes - that kind, as well) to complete strangers who operate mainframe computers known as the cloud.

This sea change in digital technology is changing the entire tech sector from the investment standpoint. Microsoft, which just found its way back to $32 per share after spending most of the post-Lehman years in the $25 range (with the exception of last year's spring fever) is increasingly becoming a target for ridicule.

In fact, an online dispute arose at a popular news website after one commentator characterized Apple as "the new Microsoft". (Oh, snap!) As die-hard Apple investors stubbornly clung to their positions while the share price plunged from $702 on September 19 to $390 on April 19, it is easy to understand why.

The fate of Intel Corporation is inexorably linked to the well-being of its biggest customers in the PC manufacturing industry. At this time last year, Intel was clawing its way back to $29 per share. These days, you are lucky if you can unload those shares at $22.

A good number of investors who survived the dot-com bubble, which came to grief in March of 2000, are nervously fretting about what to do with their technology sector shares. Because the entire tech sector rises and falls with the prices of those four relics of the PC era, many see the entire sector as radioactive.

Which brings the discussion to Apple Computer, the tech industry darling which is now locked in a significant bear market as it struggles to maintain its dominance.

The company's recent earnings report was lackluster, at best, as iPhone sales decline and margins shrink. Apple stock has taken a sharp decline from the lofty peaks in the $700/share range to close on Friday at $417.

Numerous brokers have cut their price targets for Apple and now there's a wide range of targets between $400-$800 per share.

The company reported revenues that were better than expected and good sales for the iPad. However, Apple reported declining profits for the year over year period and declining gross margins. Slowing growth is bad news for an innovation leader like Apple and the rest of the world seems to be catching up with Samsung (SSNLF.PK) pressing them in the phone market and Amazon (AMZN) in the tablet world.

Apple is losing market share as its iPhone sales grew just 7% year over year while Samsung shipped more than 60 million smartphones in the first quarter, giving it 30% of the global smartphone pie compared to Apple's 37 million phone sales and 17% of the market.

Apple also issued lower guidance for the upcoming quarter and that it has no new products to release until autumn, another bad news omen for a company that depends on innovation and invention.

Apple's big announcement during the earnings call was that it's going to give shareholders $100 billion in buybacks and dividends, which is a departure from previous practice and obviously an attempt to offset the pain of a a 40% decline in the value of Apple stock.

The sea change in tech from personal computers to mobile and tablets is accelerating minute by minute and which companies will be winners and which will be losers remains very much in doubt. Key players include Apple, Amazon and Google (GOOG) and, of course, the old line names like Microsoft, IBM, Dell and Hewlett Packard, who will struggle to stay relevant and not become dinosaurs in this new age.

For investors, stock picking in this new age could become treacherous, at best, as the battle for survival and supremacy plays out. Here is a list of some ETFs you may want to consider as alternatives to investments in individual tech sector companies:

For tech bulls:

PowerShares QQQ Trust ETF (QQQ): This ETF, formerly known as the "Nasdaq 100 Tracking Stock", invests in all of the stocks in the Nasdaq 100 Index, which includes 100 of the largest domestic and international non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market based on market capitalization.

Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK): This ETF invests in all of the equity securities of the Technology Select Sector Index in the same proportion as the investments in those companies made by the index itself.

For tech bears:

ProShares Short QQQ ETF (PSQ): This ETF seeks daily investment results which correspond to the inverse (-1x) of the daily performance of the NASDAQ 100 Index. QQQ invests in derivatives which ProShares Advisors believes, in combination, should have similar daily return characteristics as the inverse (-1x) of the daily return of the index.

ProShares UltraShort QQQ ETF (QID): This ETF seeks daily investment results which correspond to two times the inverse (-2x) of the daily performance of the NASDAQ 100 Index. QID invests in derivatives which ProShares Advisors believes, in combination, should have similar daily return characteristics as two times the inverse (-2x) of the daily return of the index.

A quick look at a chart of QQQ offers insight into the current condition of the tech sector:

In this chart of QQQ we can see how the index (candlesticks) has been in an uptrend and the blue line of Amazon closely tracks the direction of the QQQ index.

However, we can see how the black line of Apple stock prices has wildly diverged from the overall sector.

Apple makes up a significant percentage of the weighting in QQQ and so it's unlikely that this divergence can continue. It's very likely that either Apple will have to rally or that QQQ will decline to a point where the two are again in synch with each other.

Bottom line: In today's world, the rate of change will only continue to accelerate as mobile and tablets and the cloud crowd out PCs, mainframes and semi-conductor based computing products. Picking individual winners and losers will be a gamble, at best. However, tech index ETFs like QQQ and PSQ will offer investors opportunity to profit from both the rise and fall of the tech sector tide.

Disclosure: Wall Street Sector Selector actively trades a wide range of exchange traded funds and positions can change at any time.

Disclaimer: The content included herein is for educational and informational purposes only

Source: http://seekingalpha.com/article/1379441-the-rise-and-fall-of-apple-and-the-tech-sector?source=feed

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NATO: 4 service members killed in place crash

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? A plane crashed in southern Afghanistan on Saturday, killing four international service members, NATO said.

Initial reporting indicated there was no enemy activity in the area at the time, but coalition personnel secured the site and the cause of the crash was being investigated, NATO said.

The brief statement did not identify the nationalities of the victims, or say where the plane went down.

However, Mohammad Jan Rasoulyar, deputy governor of the southern province of Zabul, said an aircraft belonging to foreign forces crashed Saturday afternoon in Shah Joy district. He said the site had been surrounded by international forces.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nato-4-members-killed-place-crash-165245206.html

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WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF SPINAL CORD INJURY? | Facing ...

Major Causes Remain the Same: Cars, Falls, Violence

Click here to view our spinal cord injury map

The major causes of spinal cord injuries in the U.S. remain relatively unchanged, according to a new fact sheet recently released by the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center.? Vehicular accidents, accidental falls, acts of violence and sports and recreation account for more than 90 per cent of all spinal cord injuries.

Tracking trends in the causes of SCI among 4,518 patients admitted to SCI Model Systems Hospitals between September 2005 and May 2012, the study found the statistics to be essentially unchanged.

Vehicular accidents remain the number-one cause, accounting for almost 4 out of 10 spinal cord injuries.? Cars are the vehicle most frequently involved; motorcycles account for almost 25 per cent of the vehicular total.

Accidental falls are the number-two cause, responsible for about 30 per cent of all spinal cord injuries. They are fairly evenly divided among falls on the same level, falls from another level and falls on and from stairs and steps.

The third major causes of SCI are acts of violence, which are responsible for about 15% of the total.? The vast majority are from gunshot wounds.

Sports and recreation activities rank number-four in causes of spinal cord injury, with diving accidents being by far the most common cause, followed by winter sports, surfing and horseback riding.

Source: http://www.facingdisability.com/blog/?p=761

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Rumford wins playoff to take Ballantine's title

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? Australia's Brett Rumford eagled the first hole of a three-way playoff to win the Ballantine's Championship in South Korea on Sunday.

Rumford was leading by two shots when he double-bogeyed No. 17. He holed a 10-foot par putt at the last to finish at 11-under 277 and force a playoff with Marcus Fraser of Australia and Peter Whiteford of Scotland.

Rumford then holed a 4-foot eagle to earn the victory.

"I battled today with my driver constantly as I was leaking a few drives right, including the whole back nine when I was feeling stuck, so I had a quick word to Pete (coach Peter Cowen) and then hit about five or six balls off the first tee, and that did the trick ... it's a funny game because it was an absolute roller-coaster ride of emotions out there this afternoon," said Rumford.

"Of course, what happened at 17 made my work a whole lot more difficult but I'm really pleased with my result."

Rumford is the first Australian to win on the European Tour in two years and he drew on the inspiration of Adam Scott who became the first Australian to win the Masters earlier this month.

"Scotty's win was a huge inspiration to all of us," he said. "It's just good on the European Tour side of things as we needed to make a shift and get a few runs on the board because the Aussie guys in the U.S. have been doing a great job."

Rumford started his final round in sizzling manner with six birdies in his opening nine holes including four in succession from the sixth hole.

Whiteford let slip a maiden European Tour win in his 142nd event when he missed a five-foot birdie putt on No. 18.

South African Louis Oosthuizen, the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 7, shot a final-round 69 to finish three strokes behind the leaders in a share of fifth place.

However, for a second day running the former Open champion came unstuck at the par-three No. 13, recording a double bogey and a day after walking off the same hole with a triple bogey.

Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee produced the lowest final-round score of 65 to finish among five players tied in sixth at 7 under.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-04-28-European%20Tour/id-364cacd61bd84dbf83cfdbd68903854c

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Uncomplicated Tips To Making The Most Ideal Real Estate ...

Are you at the stage in your life when you want to start looking at purchasing a home of your own, but can?t even think of where to begin? Well look no further because this short article can help you with your concerns purchasing real estate and offers easy solutions!

Home Inspection

A home evaluation is not a place that you ought to try and cut corners. House assessors ought to do a thorough job and show up equipped to get dirty. Hire the most trustworthy and greatest house inspector you can, as a slip up in this area could lead you to astonishing expenses down the line.general home inspection

Even if you need to purchase a home in a hurry, it is very important not to miss some of the simple steps that you need to acquire the house. You might believe that skipping the house assessment will save you some time, but it could certainly cause you an unknown number of troubles when you move into the house.

Before you finalize your deal on a house investment, it is important to hire a skilled home inspector to perform a common examination on the house. This could help you avoid a costly home buying mistake. After planning the house examination, plan to be there with the inspector through the whole process. Create a list of any questions or items of concern that you want to address prior to finalizing the purchase of the home. A thorough inspection should take two to three hours and cover everything from the foundation to the roofing system.

If you need to buy a house promptly, make sure to have a back-up strategy. There are so many things that can occur as you look to buy a property; one common issue is that the home inspection can reveal a major concern that you are not equipped to deal with. Rather than starting back at the beginning, have a different home already in your thoughts.

An investment of $ 200 ? $ 400 for a home evaluation is really worth every dime. It can take around two to three hours to complete and will present information on more than 400 items of the house that could be a potential concern. This inspection can save you thousands of dollars in repairs once you buy the house.

If you think of purchasing a new house you should always have a home inspection conducted. This way you figure out ahead of time if there are any problems with the home so that you do not end up buying something that will end up setting you back you tons of money to get taken care of and up to code.

You ought to insist upon a full disclosure and have a house assessment conducted on the house. The seller can tell information that they know about the home, but there could be lots of things that the seller may be unaware of and the skilled home assessor will be able to find them and point them out. This can save you thousands of dollars in the long run.

Have a complete house inspection. While the house may appear perfect to you, it is important to get a home examiner check it out. There are several unknown issues that the untrained eye would not see. If the house inspector discovers a problem, you should be able to negotiate with the homeowner over the cost of repairs. In some cases, the seller may agree to fix the issue prior to sale, or they may simply take the cost of improvement off the sale price.

As you can see, purchasing a house is easy when you understand what to expect. Making use of what you?ve discovered today by reviewing this article, you should have no trouble going forward with your plans to buy a house and start building equity in your very own house. We pray you enjoyed this article on purchasing real estate!

At Hodges Inspections, we provide residential property inspection services. We are pacesetters in the home inspection industry, due to this fact our firm confidently presents a 100 Percent Home Inspection Money Back Satisfaction Guarantee! Please get in touch with us at 214-306-9744 with any questions you may well have. To schedule a home inspection with our company, kindly click this web link home inspection dallas! For additional important information on home inspections, also take a look at how to become a home inspector in texas.

Source: http://www.articlessquad.com/uncomplicated-tips-to-making-the-most-ideal-real-estate-acquisition/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=uncomplicated-tips-to-making-the-most-ideal-real-estate-acquisition

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Analysts: We've got 'til October

By Rachelle Younglai

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States might not hit the statutory limit on its debt until October, a policy research group said on Friday, giving Republican lawmakers more time to extract spending cuts from the Obama administration in return for extending the borrowing cap.

After giving into Democratic demands in December to raise taxes and later working with them to avoid a government shutdown, Republicans have been gearing up to use the debt limit as leverage to seek fresh budget cuts and changes to the tax code.

The Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington think tank that analyzes the Treasury's daily and monthly cash flows, had expected the federal government to hit the congressionally-set limit on its debt sometime between early-August and mid-September.

But stronger-than-expected revenues and deeper-than-anticipated budget cuts mean the ceiling on borrowing probably will not be reach until sometime between mid-August and mid-October, the group said on its website on Friday.

"October is a nasty month," BPC economic policy director Steve Bell said in an interview, noting that major government payments are due in October.

If Congress does not raise the borrowing cap before the Treasury hits the limit, the government will no longer be able to borrow money to pay its bills, including interest on its bonds, raising the risk of a damaging debt default.

In an attempt to avoid being blamed for a default, Republicans in the House of Representatives are pushing legislation to require the Treasury to pay bondholders and Social Security retirement benefits before other bills if Congress does not raise the debt ceiling on time.

The BPC said its forecast could change depending on economic conditions and when updated financial information became available.

Nearly $90 billion may soon be pumped into government coffers by the now-profitable government-controlled housing finance firms Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to account for deferred tax assets that were written down.

The think tank, however, does not think the disbursement to the Treasury will be that high. "We do expect that there will be a payment of some size in June but it is our opinion that the number is more likely to be in the $20 billion range and not in the rumored $100 billion range," Bell said.

The Treasury has said it could not forecast an exact date for when Congress must raise the debt ceiling due to delayed tax filings and uncertainty about the effect of the government budget cuts.

(Reporting by Rachelle Younglai; Editing by Paul Simao)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-government-may-not-hit-debt-limit-until-215216483.html

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Hospital roof collapses in India, injuring 8

NEW DELHI (AP) ? Part of a hospital building collapsed in central India on Friday after its roof came crashing down, injuring at least eight people, an official said.

More than a dozen people were rescued after being trapped in the rubble of the Kasturba Gandhi Hospital in Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh state, state minister Babu Lal Gaur said. None of the injuries were serious.

Police officer Upendra Jain said about two dozen people were believed to be on the first floor of the women's medical ward when its roof crashed down. The cause of the collapse was not immediately known.

The Press Trust of India news agency quoted local administrator Nikunj Shrivastava as saying that two people were killed in the building collapse. Shrivastava could not be immediately reached for comment.

The hospital is operated by state-run Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd., Gaur said. Bhopal is about 750 kilometers (465 miles) south of New Delhi.

Building collapses are common in India as builders try to cut corners by using substandard materials, and as multistory structures are built with inadequate supervision. The massive demand for housing around cities and pervasive corruption often result in builders adding unauthorized floors or constructing illegal buildings.

Earlier this month, at least 72 people were killed when an eight-story residential building being constructed illegally near Mumbai, India's financial capital, came crashing down in the worst building collapse in the country in decades.

Another 70 people were injured when the building in the Mumbai suburb of Thane caved in on April 4.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hospital-roof-collapses-india-injuring-8-163156926.html

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Democratic lawmaker warns of ?a world without balloons?

There's a helium shortage in the United States, and Georgia Democratic Rep. Hank Johnson is almost as worried as he was when he thought Guam might tip into the ocean if the U.S. expanded its military presence on the island.

During a speech on the House floor Thursday, Johnson urged his fellow lawmakers to act quickly on a bill that would allow the Federal Helium Reserve in Texas, which supplies more than 30 percent of the world's helium, to remain open, despite a 1996 law mandating that it be shut down this year. The House voted 394-1 to stop the reserve's closure on Friday.

?Imagine, Mr. Speaker, a world without balloons,? Johnson said. ?How can we make sure that the injustice of there being no helium for comedians to get that high-pitched voice that we all hold near and dear to our hearts.?

He went on, deadpanning: "Today, the House has chosen to just simply float above it all. And finally we're going to do something for the American people, and we should all pat ourselves on the back for that. Too often lately this body has sat deflated, not for a lack of hot air, mind you, but seriously ladies and gentlemen, unlike a noble element, this House has failed to act on Americans' real concerns."

"The Congressman was speaking in jest," Andy Phelan, a Johnson spokesman, told Yahoo News in an email. "He was emphasizing the fact that the Republican-led House was taking two days to pass a non-controversial bill while they should be working on more important issues such as the budget, creating jobs and fixing the sequester."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/democratic-lawmaker-warns-world-without-balloons-190758202.html

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93% No

All Critics (97) | Top Critics (31) | Fresh (90) | Rotten (7)

"No" is a picture that perches precariously on the cusp of a paradox.

A cunning and richly enjoyable combination of high-stakes drama and media satire from Chilean director Pablo Larrain.

A mesmerizing, realistic and often hilarious look at the politics of power and the power of ideas ...

A political drama, a personal drama, a sharp-eyed study of how the media manipulate us from all sides, No reels and ricochets with emotional force.

It's a funny look at the way the media warp public opinion, and a curiously hopeful one.

On every level, "No" leaves one with bittersweet feelings about democracy, love and the cost of compromise.

... features a fine performance by Gael Garc?a Bernal as young ad exec Ren? Saavedra, who didn't, at first, quite realise what he was in for when he decided to assist in the bringing down of military dictator Augusto Pinochet.

No is a great historical document as to how one very important revolution started with a commercial.

The understated performance by Bernal was inspiring, as was the pic.

It's not easy material but it's truly fascinating, and expertly done.

An extremely perceptive and intriguing examination of the effect that media hype and spin have on the political process.

...a bitter and knowing meditation on media manipulation and political subversion.

Larrain deftly mixes social satire and historical drama.

All historical and little drama.

Larrain does a fine job of making No look and sound authentic to its time period, although the VHS-quality photography, all washed-out with colors bleeding together as camcorders did in the '80s, is an occasional irritant.

Silliness is on the side of the angels in a brilliant and highly entertaining film that's part political thriller, part media satire.

It's clear that the language of advertising has become universal, and that political commodities can be sold like soap. But toppling a dictatorship? Now there's a story.

A reflection of a moment in time, made in the image of that moment.

Bernal deftly explores the layers of the character's complexity, including his political apathy.

"No" is filmmaking of the first order.

Old technology plus the packaging of a revolution add up to a Yes

Freshens up a decades-old story with vibrant humor and a good sense of storytelling.

No continually impresses for its slyness and savvy -- rarely has such an eyesore been so worth watching.

No quotes approved yet for No. Logged in users can submit quotes.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/no_2012/

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Putin says no Stalinist tendencies in society, confirms ... - RT News

The Russian president has answered the most important of millions of questions submitted by citizens during his annual live Q&A call-in.

No Stalinism in society, but order, discipline and equality

Well-known liberal journalist Aleksey Vededictov of talk radio station Ekho Moskvy told the president that his third term was marked by worrying tendencies, such as the prosecutions of Pussy Riot, the rioters in Bolotnaya Square and Aleksey Navalny, as well as pressure placed on NGOs and the passage of laws that sparked widespread outrage.

?Answer please, do you really think that Russia can be a progressive world power in the 21st century by using methods of the ?effective manager? Stalin,? Venediktov asked.

- Everyone should obey the law

Putin replied that he saw no elements of Stalinism in present-day Russia: ?Stalinism is connected with a personality cult, with mass violations of the law, with repressions and prison camps,? he said. ?There is nothing of such kind in Russia and I hope there will never be. Our society is different now and it will never let this happen again.?

Putin went on to say that Russia still needed order and discipline, as well as the equality of all citizens before the law. ?The Pussy Riot girls and the guys who desecrate soldiers? graves must all answer before the law,? he said. ?People are not being convicted for their political views but for violating the law.?

?The same applies to street rallies ? I think that they might and must be organized, but this should be done in line with the law. Modern mass media can cover any event, why should one tear shoulder patches off the police uniforms and cause unrest?? he continued.

- Transparency does not mean political pressure

The same applies to NGOs, Putin explained, saying ?we welcome their work as it is very important to get feedback from the common people from all regions. But if such activities see their only objective as self-promotion, this is bad.?

?If they seek to make their activities a part of internal political procedure and yet they get their funding from abroad ? I say, they must speak openly about it? he said. ?No one is banning their work. The law is not banning this. But they must tell where their money comes from, in what amount and how it was spent.?

- Corruption fighters must be clear as crystal

One of the hosts pressed the issue by asking the president if the authorities were afraid of popular anti-corruption blogger Aleksey Navalny, who now faces several criminal cases and is awaiting trial for fraud.

Putin said that in his opinion, those who fight corruption must themselves be ?clear as crystal,? or such activities would become self-advertising and PR, while the law must treat everyone equally.

?There should be no illusions like when someone is calling for everyone to catch a thief this gives this person a license to steal. But this also does not mean that someone whose views differ from those of the authorities must be put on trial and dragged to prison,? Putin said, adding that he? told prosecutors and other law enforcers to ensure the trial is objective.

?Satisfied? with current government?s performance

The first question dealt with several decrees on economic and social development Putin signed after last year?s Russian presidential elections. When a reporter asked if the president was content with how his orders had been carried out, Putin said that he had deliberately set extremely difficult objectives, which should be taken into consideration when judging the government?s performance.

Such measures were ambitious goals to motivate Russians, Putin said, adding that he has been generally happy with the government?s performance.

Later, a viewer asked the president if he planned to dismiss any governmental ministers, and Putin answered that the current government has been in office for less than a year (the Cabinet was formed after the inauguration in early May 2012), and that any reshuffle would cause more harm than good. Putin praised the question, saying that officials at every level should be constantly reminded they are public servants.

Foreign operatives may have had a role in Berezovsky?s death

When the hosts asked the president about late oligarch Boris Berezovsky, Putin answered that he could not discount the possibility that foreign special services were involved in the businessman?s death. ?They are capable of that. Everything is possible,? he said.

Berezovsky died in London in late March by suspected suicide; a criminal probe into his death is ongoing.

Putin confirmed that he had received two identical letters from Berezovsky, though he admitted that he was not comfortable speaking on the issue: ?I received the first letter from him in the beginning of this year and the second arrived already after his death. The text was the same, so yes, there were letters.?

The president elaborated that the first letter was completely written by hand, while the second was partially typed and partially written. The first message was passed by one of Berezovsky?s former business partners, and the second through another partner who is a foreign citizen, Putin said.

Berezovsky wrote that he was admitting his mistakes, apologized, and asked for permission to return to Russia. Putin said that he had not answered any of the letters.

The president also said he would not object to fulfilling Berezovsky?s will to be buried in Russia, saying that the final decision should be made by the businessman?s family.

Putin also noted that he decided not to make public the content of Berezovsky?s messages, even though some of his close associates ?literally demanded? he do so. ?I thank God for preventing me from doing so,? Putin concluded.

Return of death penalty will not eliminate crime

When asked if it was possible to bring back the death penalty for those convicted of grave crimes, such as the recent shooting in Belgorod that claimed 6 lives, Putin said he fully understood the questioner?s emotions, but experts have suggested that such a measure would not actually reduce crime.

?When I encounter such events, my hand reaches for a pen to sign some documents connected with the death penalty. But first, I have to consult specialists,? Putin said.

The Russian president recalled how in the Roman Empire, pickpockets were usually sentenced to death, yet most pickpocketing was committed during the public executions. He also reiterated that Russia has replaced the death penalty with life imprisonment, and suggested that the law be amended to ban pardons for criminals sentenced to life in prison.

?I understand both the citizens? indignation and their desire to punish the criminals. The question is in the effectiveness of certain moves,? Putin said.

Russia has placed a moratorium on death penalty, in line with the demands of the Council of Europe. The current criminal code still allows for convicts to be sentenced to death, meaning life in prison.

Details of the current session

The questions were submitted through the Internet and at specially organized stations. The queries will be asked live at six studios in different locations throughout Russia, which are not disclosed until the call-in show starts. At the beginning of the show the number of questions was 2,3 million and they kept coming.

Putin?s 11th Q&A session will be different from previous ones as the questions will be arranged by type, not by where the questioner is from, presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the press shortly ahead of the session.

Source: http://rt.com/politics/questions-annual-call-in-putins-376/

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Ceramic foam cleans up exhaust gases

Apr. 25, 2013 ? The introduction next year of the Euro 6 exhaust-gas standard means that catalytic converters will become more expensive, above all for diesel vehicles. Empa is working on a catalytic substrate made of ceramic foam which, because of its structure, is more efficient and therefore more economic. Not only that -- it also requires less noble metal coating.

Conventional catalytic cleaning units for exhaust gases are made with a regular honeycomb structure. The catalytically active layer, which contains valuable noble metals such as platinum, rhodium or palladium, is deposited on the surface of this one-piece, or monolithic, ceramic substrate. The hot exhaust gases flow through the catalyst in a non-turbulent manner. However, since most of the flow occurs in the middle of the catalyst, this region becomes exhausted more rapidly than the peripheral areas of the monolith, which remain more or less unused. In order to extend the service life of the unit, it must be made longer. But longer also means more surface area, more noble metal content and therefore higher cost.

Empa researchers from the Internal Combustion Engines Laboratory, under the leadership of Panayotis Dimopoulos Eggenschwiler, have succeeded in finding an innovative solution to this problem. The team is working on a catalytic substrate made of ceramic foam which, in future, will replace the conventional monolithic structure. For the same catalytic performance the novel device is significantly cheaper than the monolith-based unit. In contrast to the latter, the ceramic foam has in an irregular structure -- much like a sponge -- which causes the gas passing through it to flow in a turbulent manner, distributed equally throughout the whole of its volume. Although the foam catalyst actually has less surface area than the monolith, this area is much more efficiently utilized. As a result, to achieve the same effect as a conventional catalytic unit, the ceramic type requires only one third as much expensive noble metal -- and only half the physical length.

Despite the fragility of the ceramic foam, with the help of colleagues from Empa's High-Performance Ceramics Laboratory the scientists succeeded in increasing the mechanical strength of the material many times over. Currently the research team is working to optimize the structure of the ceramic -- the foam substrate has a greater air resistance than the monolith, which results in a slight comparative increase in fuel consumption. Using sophisticated computer simulation techniques, the Empa team has developed foam structures which reduce the air resistance without affecting the necessary turbulence.

Although at the moment the foam catalyst is being manufactured purely on the laboratory scale at Empa, industrial contacts are already showing interest in the new device. The Belgian material technologies company Umicore is a partner in the project, as is Fiat Powertrain Technologies. The foam catalyst is being proven in a diesel test vehicle on the Empa site. In addition, over the last 18 months a vehicle fitted with the innovative new catalyst belonging to the Industriellen Werke Basel (IWB) has been driven around in a long-term test eventually intended to cover at least 150,000 km.

Cheaper catalysts despite more stringent exhaust gas standards

The Foamcat represents the ideal alternative to the monolithic catalyst, above all for small diesel vehicles. After the Euro 6 exhaust-gas standard comes into force in September 2014, polluting emissions from diesel motors will be obliged to sink significantly. In particular, after this date a nitrogen monoxide catalyst will be compulsory. In combination with a particle filter and the conventional hydrocarbon and carbon dioxide catalyst, this will make exhaust gas treatment for diesel automobiles significantly more expensive. With its greatly reduced requirement of expensive noble metals, Empa's Foamcat will help to minimize these costs.

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Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_technology/~3/Uj2FxWBIewo/130425132526.htm

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Jim Hoft's Breaking Bombshell of the Day: Victim of Terrorism Visited by Michelle Obama! (Little green footballs)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/301342899?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Team deploys hundreds of tiny untethered surgical tools in first animal biopsies

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

By using swarms of untethered grippers, each as small as a speck of dust, Johns Hopkins engineers and physicians say they have devised a new way to perform biopsies that could provide a more effective way to access narrow conduits in the body as well as find early signs of cancer or other diseases.

In two recent peer-reviewed journal articles, the team reported successful animal testing of the tiny tools, which require no batteries, wires or tethers as they seize internal tissue samples. The devices are called "mu-grippers," incorporating the Greek letter that represents the term for "micro." Instead of relying on electric or pneumatic power, these star-shaped tools are autonomously activated by the body's heat, which causes their tiny "fingers" to close on clusters of cells. Because the tools also contain a magnetic material, they can be retrieved through an existing body opening via a magnetic catheter.

In the April print edition of Gastroenterology, the researchers described their use of the mu-grippers to collect cells from the colon and esophagus of a pig, which was selected because its intestinal tract is similar to that of humans. Earlier this year, the team members reported in the journal Advanced Materials that they had successfully inserted the mu-grippers through the mouth and stomach of a live animal and released them in a hard-to-access place, the bile duct, from which they obtained tissue samples.

"This is the first time that anyone has used a sub-millimeter-sized device -- the size of a dust particle -- to conduct a biopsy in a live animal," said David Gracias, an associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering whose lab team developed the microgrippers. "That's a significant accomplishment. And because we can send the grippers in through natural orifices, it is an important advance in minimally invasive treatment and a step toward the ultimate goal of making surgical procedures noninvasive."

Another member of the research team, physician Florin M. Selaru of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, said the mu-grippers could lead to an entirely new approach to conducting biopsies, which are considered the "gold standard" test for diagnosing cancer and other diseases.

The advantage of the mu-grippers, he said, is that they could collect far more samples from many more locations. He pointed out that the much larger forceps used during a typical colonoscopy may remove 30 to 40 pieces of tissue to be studied for signs of cancer. But despite a doctor's best intentions, the small number of specimens makes it easy to miss diseased lesions.

"What's the likelihood of finding the needle in the haystack?" said Selaru, an assistant professor in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. "Based on a small sample, you can't always draw accurate inferences. We need to be able to do a larger statistical sampling of the tissue. That's what would give us enough statistical power to draw a conclusion, which, in essence, is what we're trying to do with the microgrippers. We could deploy hundreds or even thousands of these grippers to get more samples and a better idea of what kind of or whether a disease is present."

Although each mu-gripper can grab a much smaller tissue sample than larger biopsy tools, the researchers said each gripper can retrieve enough cells for effective microscopic inspection and genetic analysis. Armed with this information, they said, the patient's physician could be better prepared to diagnose and treat the patient.

This approach would be possible through the latest application of the Gracias lab's self-assembling tiny surgical tools, which can be activated by heat or chemicals, without relying on electrical wires, tubes, batteries or tethers. The low-cost devices are fabricated through photolithography, the same process used to make computer chips. Their fingerlike projections are made of materials that would normally curl inward, but the team adds a polymer resin to give the joints rigidity and to keep the digits from closing.

Prior to a biopsy, the grippers are kept on ice, so that the fingers remain in this extended position. An endoscopy tool then is used to insert hundreds of grippers into the area targeted for a biopsy. Within about five minutes, the warmth of the body causes the polymer coating to soften, and the fingers curl inward to grasp some tissue. A magnetic tool is then inserted to retrieve them.

Although the animal testing results are promising, the researchers said the process will require further refinement before human testing can begin. "The next step is improving how we deploy the grippers," Selaru said. "The concept is sound, but we still need to address some of the details. The other thing we need to do is thorough safety studies."

Further development can be costly, however. The team has applied for grants to fund advances in the project, which is protected by provisional patents obtained through the Johns Hopkins Technology Transfer Office. Biotechnology investors might also help move the project forward.

"It is more a question of money than time as to how long it will take before we could use this in human patients," Selaru said

###

Johns Hopkins University: http://www.jhu.edu

Thanks to Johns Hopkins University for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127883/Team_deploys_hundreds_of_tiny_untethered_surgical_tools_in_first_animal_biopsies

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